Make it Great Monday!

Time for another great week of crafting.  I can't wait to see what you have to share!

You can link up any family friendly crafting, sewing, or cooking project.  PLEASE NO GIVEAWAYS OR SHOPS.  You don't have to be a follower of Etcetorize but it sure would be nice.

Please spread the word by posting my party button somewhere on your blog so that others can join in the fun too~





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Show us what you've got!

Make it Great Monday Features

I didn't have a chance to do features last week so let's do a couple extras this week!

Top number of views goes to Rachelle over at Dazed to Amaze for this oh so simple but oh so chic necklace:

And how about this cutie patooty Halloween headband from my friend Kadie over at Seven Alive :

And I think we should all head over and visit Holly at Lunch Boxes and Laundry. She's a brand new blogger and this Mail Organizer was her first post!

This is just one of many holiday wreaths that Chrissy over at Boerman Ramblings has made.  You really should check out her post because each wreath she's made is completely different, but they're all beautiful.

Go ahead and grab a button if you've been featured!

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And don't forget, there'll be a new party starting this week so come back later tonight to link up again!

Keep warm with a Cowl

Well, the forecast is calling for snow this weekend so I'm getting ready by making myself something to keep warm.

This is the fourth video in my series of how to make and use what I call a spool knitter.  If you're new to Etcetorize you might want to head over to the tutorials page to get caught up or you can just click here let learn how to make your own knitter.

Go here to learn how to cast on and off and the basic knit stitch.

And here is where you can learn to purl.

And in this new video I'm going to show you how to use everything we've learned so far to create a beautiful cowl.

Hope you enjoy! 

I picked up some super duper neat wool at the Creativ Festival last weekend and am hoping to do another fun video soon showing you how to work with it. It's not like anything I've ever seen before so make sure to stay tuned!

Have a great weekend everyone!  Don't forget to come back on Monday to link up and share your fun creations~

Inspiration Shot: Shoes, Glorious Shoes!

You all know how much I love my sunglasses (I bought another pair last week, <sigh>) but did you know that I love shoes even more?!

While I was in Toronto I made the pilgrimage to the Bata Show Museum .  I've always wanted to go but everytime I've been in Toronto something has gotten in my way.

If you love shoes this is definitely a place you should check out.  On the lower floor there's a huge timeline of shoes from prehistoric times to today with real shoe examples from every time period from all over the world.  It's fascinating!

Upstairs is a so-so display of shoes of famous Canadians.  The kids that were there seemed pretty excited about Avril Lavigne's running shoes but it didn't really thrill me.

Then I went upstairs and found something that did thrill me!  A whole room full of shoes from the 1920's.  So beautiful and so inspiring!

Can you imagine if these were just your everyday shoes???

I love the sequins on this pair.  I think this could easily be done to a pair of shoes of today with just a little sparkle and some glue.

Gold and pink!  I love this combination~

And now for something really special....

 

Those are all heel variations below the shoe!  Aren't they pretty?!  Makes me want to get some rhinestones and bedazzle some of my heels in pretty patterns.

Just by coincidence I happened to watch Midnight in Paris on the plane ride home.  Parts of the movie take place in the roaring 20's.  I love the glitz and glam of this time period so much.  I'm feeling something very flapperish coming on in the studio soon~

Check out other great shoes on the museum's website or drop in next time you're in Toronto~

Halloween Treat Bags

Yahoo!  I whole new world has opened up for me on my Silhouette machine! I've been struggling with using imported images, which is the whole reason I bought the machine, but I finally got it to work today!  (You have to use the tracing tool for any other new Silhouetters out there.)

I have a couple of little kiddies in my life who get extra special treat bags for Halloween so this is what I made for them, sans frustation for once.

First I tried out my new glitter Cri-Kits gel pens in my machine (I won them in a blog giveaway!) and was surprised at how easy it was to write with the Silhouette.

I cut out the bat shapes and stuck them on the bags with some dimensional thingamadoies and stuck some googly eyes on them.

I didn't get a shot of what's inside but I think they're going to be pretty happy.  I know I wouldn't mind a bag filled with chocolate, gummy candies, pez, and other fun Halloween treats.  Those lucky little kids!

I can't wait to see what they dress up as.  They always look so adorable when they head out in their costumes~

Make it Great Monday!

Well, it's Monday...and it's great!  I'm just a little late~

I got back very late last night from Toronto and the Creativ Festival.  I can't wait to tell you all about it.  But first, let's see what all of you have been up to!

You can link up family friendly projects that you've created, including sewing, crafting, and recipes.  (PLEASE NO SHOPS OR GIVEAWAYS, I'll just have to delete them, and I don't like doing that, besides it creates more work for me and I don't like that either~)

Don't forget to add my party button somewhere on your blog so that others can come join in the fun and find all of your great ideas.




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Let's get crafty!

Fall Door

I have been a crafting maniac lately.  Seriously.  Just look at the mess in my studio...

But it's all worth it because here's the end result. 

Aren't they pretty?!?!!  I have a friend who sells my bags in her shop here.  Almost everything in her shop is made in Saskatchewan.  She has everything from garlic and mustard to candles and bags and pottery.  It's really beautiful.  I'm going to see if she's interested in the little beauties above too!  Crossing my fingers~

Anyway, I managed to tear myself away from all of that to make this week's craft....a fall wreath.  Well, not really a wreath.  The only time I stick a wreath on my door is Christmas, so it's a Fall Cone instead.

I shot loads of pics because I was really making this whole thing up as I went along, but really, it's dead easy.

Here's what you need:

Basically just grab anything odds and ends that are
decorative and fit in with your colour scheme~


Steps:
1) Create a cone shape with your scrapbooking paper and glue together.

The back will be open like this.

I was actually just going to leave mine like that but I realized it would be sturdier with something holding it together back there so I just glued on some plain paper.  The clips are on only until the glue dries.

2) I added odds and ends of fake flowers and leaves to see how it would look.  The whole thing probably would've gone together easier if I had taken them out after this but for some reason I stubbornly left them in there for the rest of the project~

3) Add some pretty ribbon to the top of the cone by gluing to the back.

Bring round to the front and tie a nice bow.

4) Now you just start throwing bits and bods on of any left overs you have.  Left over sequins from the Butterfly Cushion Project ?  Sure throw them on! 

5) Got a doily?  Go ahead!  Throw it on there!  (I gathered it in the back and secured it with thread and then just pinned it to the ribbon)

6)  When you're done adding things, punch a hole in either side and insert some ribbon to act as a hanger.

Make sure you knot your ribbon on the inside enough times that it doesn't slip through the hole.

7) And that is it!  Voila!  A pretty fall door~

 I know, I know...My door needs to be painted.  But it's 100 years old and I think the cracked paint gives it character so I just can't bear to do it.

 That's about the extent of my seasonal decorating until Christmas so I hope you like it.  Leave a comment below and let me know what you think.  And don't forget to come back here on Monday for the Make it Great Linky party!

Have a great weekend everyone~

Inspiration Shot: Amy Butler Bloom Quilt

Have you seen this FREE quilt pattern on the Amy Butler website?

I'm not a quilter but this looks like something even I could tackle.  If nothing else, I'm totally inspired to make some giant yo-yo's and create something amazing with them~

Show and Tell: Handmade Undies

It's hard to believe that we've gotten to know eachother this well in just one short year, but here goes...I'm opening my undewear drawer to you....

I was out shopping with a friend awhile ago and commented that I wanted to make some quality undies because the pretty lace ones I buy at the lingerie stores never seem to last very long in the wash.  (hand wash underwear??? puhleeeeeze).

She looked at me pretty skeptically.  She knows I can make a lot of things, but apparently underwear was a bit of a stretch.  So I had to prove to her just how easy it is.

I made all this on one Sunday afternoon with bits and bobs of fabric and elastic that I had in my stash.

So pretty!  So comfy!  And so easy! (They're full bottom style, but trust me, these aren't granny panties.)

I used this vintage Kwik Sew pattern.  The undies are all one piece and the bra is just two little triangles sewn onto some elastic and lace.  (being less than ample can sometimes have it's advantages)

I usually go to a Kwik Sew pattern for anything lingerie.  Their patterns usually fit great, are easy to follow, and look just like how you think they're going to look.

Don't give into the lingerie industry by buying sweet nothings that end up as nothing in the wash, make your own!

Make it Great Monday!

Let's just get down to business because I can't wait to see what you all share this week!  Make sure to visit the other links for more great ideas.

You can share any family friendly crafting, sewing, or cooking project.  Please no giveaways or shops.  You don't have to be a follower of Etcetorize but it sure would be nice.

Please place the button below somewhere on your blog so that others can join in the fun too~





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Show us what you've got!