7/30/2013

How-Tuesday #39

Happy How-Tuesday! This week I found a yummy breakfast bread, an easy face scrub, and really cute necklaces to make!

This breakfast bread is super healthy and easy to make! Check out the recipe here.

Honey has so many amazing uses, and it really is great for your skin. A lovely and easy DIY face wash recipe can be found here.

These thread wrapped necklaces are too cool and would look great in the hot colors of the season or a combination of neutral and neon. Here's the tutorial.

7/29/2013

Felt Bead Necklaces!

Last week we watched Johnny's two nieces for a few days in a row and instead of plopping them in front of the T.V. we did all kinds of arts and crafts! They had seen my craft room on a previous visit and thought it was the most magical place in the world, so I wasn't surprised when they asked to hang out in there when they arrived. They taught me how to finger knit and then asked me about my pile of roving, and I explained a bit about spinning yarn and felting. They seemed really interested in wet felting so we decided to make felt beads for necklaces.

I only had purple/brown and blue/white but that worked out just fine. We tore off little pieces, got them wet and added a little soap, and rolled them in our hands until they became nice little beads. For the bigger ones we rolled them on a sushi mat for extra friction. We even made flat ones that looked a little like agate with the help of a felting needle.

 They finished their beads the next day and did such a good job! This is such a great craft to do with kids of nearly any age because it's super easy but can get quite fancy, and it's just messy enough to be super fun but since it's soap and water cleanup is a breeze.

 We dumped out my jars of embroidery thread and they chose colors to thread the beads onto.

I used a huge needle to thread the beads, and since it was a little tough I used the floor for leverage. I didn't let the girls do this part since that needle was super sharp.

 They chose gold and silver for the thread and it looked great! I'm thinking about making a little kit to sell in my shop because I was so taken with the necklaces. Check out the finished products:



So much fun! For the rest of the day they started learning crochet, and the next day we sewed little felt sandwiches and turned them into necklaces and bracelets, plus they chose pieces from my stash for me to make into fascinators for them. They are so creative and I just let them run amok and was amazed at what they could do. Needless to say my office was a complete mess afterwards, I really wish I had taken a photo. If that doesn't count as a proper christening I don't know what will!

7/26/2013

Fancy Friday #7

Happy Fancy Friday! I had so much fun putting together this look! It's part flapper, part hipster, part librarian, and part Zooey Deschanel. I tried to do a lot of color play in every element.

For the makeup I fell in love with this look and was able to recreate it very well, though I realized afterwards that my new bangs (Thanks Sissy!) kind of obscure the look haha. There's pink on the lids and taupe in the creases from my Revlon pre-matched set and the blue highlight is Sephora shadow. For the lips I layered orange lip stain underneath a lipstick called "Rich Girl Red". (There's a really cool edit of this photo on my flickr here.) The orange on my lips picks up the orange on my little Son of a Sailor necklace, and the pink eyeshadow compliments the lucite flapper beads and beaded headband. There's also my locket with a pink chrysanthemum cabochon and blue jade bauble.

I love love love this hairstyle! It looks fancy but took about 5 minutes to do, so I will be using this technique more often. I had trouble getting the headband to stay so I had to use butterfly clips, but after that I just twisted and tucked sections of hair into the headband, working from front to back. A little hairspray and it's good to go. This look is also great as a half-updo like this.

 The lighting was a little off for most of the shoot, so this is the only full-body one that came out! I don't mind though because this little outfit was so fun I think it's a perfect fit! The dress is from Target (On clearance for $6!), tights are from H&M. My favorite belt is from Urban Outfitters ($4!), and the shoes are Chelsea Crew. I lurve me some Chelsea Crew.

Picked up these sweet hipster sunglasses at Icing, which is also where the headband came from. They have so many cute bows right now and I barely got out without one!

 Oh, and did I mention the dress has pockets! Woot!

I got the little scissor bracelet at the fair this past weekend and Johnny gave me the measuring tape one, and I made the lacelet. We shot these in front of my collection of craft books!

Oh, is that a cameo of the craft book I wrote a couple patterns for? How'd that get there lol. Feeling great and hoping for big things on the horizon!

7/23/2013

How-Tuesday #38

How-Tuesday time! This week I have a fun camping dessert, a cute bag to sew, and a site full of photography tips.

These campfire hobo eclairs look fun and delicious! Learn to make them here

This super cute tote bag is a free pattern on an adorable blog! Check it out here. 

This site has tons of photography tutorials for all levels of people. Go try it out here.

7/22/2013

Owl Plushie Pattern!

It's finally here! I made the PDF version of my owl plushie pattern available for download in my Etsy shop!


I decided I'm probably not going to make these plushies anymore as the pincushions always sold much better, so if you want one you better go grab one here before they're gone! But I couldn't let my time spent drafting the pattern go to waste so it's now available to buy, and it's a Creative Commons license so you can do whatever you like with the finished product, including selling them at craft fairs. All of my free and for sale patterns are licensed this way, so feel free! I'm incredibly excited about this because it's the first sewing pattern I've ever sold and I hope to write many more in the future! Hope you like it!

7/20/2013

My Craft Room was Featured on Craftaholics Anonymous!


A couple weeks ago my craft room unveiling got noticed by the folks over at Craftaholics Anonymous, a totally awesome and very large craft site! I took more pictures for the post detailing my organizational ideas used in the space, so go check it out and be sure to leave a comment letting them know you liked it!

7/19/2013

Fancy Friday #6

Ah Fancy Friday. This week I had the urge to do some gardening on Friday, so my outfit turned out to have a very flower-child vibe to me.

Super posh gardening gloves no? They're actually jersey over-the-elbow gloves I bought from Daiso for $1.50 (Everything in Daiso is $1.50, you should check them out!), and I just scrunched them down.

 I wanted to go a little more natural with the makeup, while still keeping the hippy vibe, so I got some white eyeliner and lined the inner rims of my eyes, then used dark brown liner and mascara and swept on a little copper on my lids. A slightly darker powder and a bronzier blush helped keep the palette neutral, and the Revlon lip stain is a nude-pink called Honey.

 Accessories! The hat is my all-time favorite sunhat, found at Target ages ago. I added the sheer pink ribbon. I left my hair to dry naturally after adding a little leave-in conditioner and scrunching it to increase the waviness. The single braid is held with a feathery elastic I made. 
You can barely see it peeking out, but I have my Son of a Sailor drop necklace on, on top of which is that cool chevron-inspired piece from American Eagle Outfitters. The pin is antique gold and smoky topaz given to me recently by my mom.

 The dress is a wool/cotton blend from target and came with the braided belt. Pale grey tights also from Target.

 The native inspired suede booties are by Dolce Vita, and I added the lace socks to tie in with the black gloves.

All and all, I loved this look. It was comfy to garden in and when we went to see a movie later that night I definitely got some looks. Till next week!

7/17/2013

Recipe: Fig Salad with Chevre, Bacon, Candied Pecans, and Sake Vinaigrette

 Hello everyone! I made this delicious salad last week since there are so many beautiful figs in the market right now and I thought I would share the recipe. (I'm especially proud of the dressing.) Hope you like it!

For the Salad:
1 Pint Black Figs
6 Slices Thick-Cut Bacon
3/4 cup Whole Pecans
1 Small Log Chevre (Herbed varieties are great in this too!)
3 Tbsp White Sugar
1/4 Tsp Salt
Black Pepper to Taste
Pumpkin Pie Spice to Taste
1 Container Mixed Baby Greens

 Place the baby greens in a bowl. Use a spoon to break apart the chevre into small chunks on top of the greens and set aside.

Cut the stems off the figs and cut them into bite-size pieces and add to greens. 

 Cook the bacon to your favorite level of crunchiness and drain on paper towels. Drain almost all the bacon fat, but reserve a little to toast the pecans with. Once the bacon is cool, chop it into small pieces and add to greens.

Combine the sugar and spices and sprinkle over pecans. Heat the remaining bacon fat over medium-low heat and add the pecan mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, just until the sugar melts and starts to coat the nuts. Remove from heat and let cool in a bowl, stirring occasionally, before adding to greens.

 Once everything's in the bowl, give it a quick toss and you're ready to make the dressing!

For the Dressing:
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1/8 Cup plus 1 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar (Or to taste.)
2 Tbsp Nigori (Sweet Unfiltered) Sake
1 Bunch Fresh Chives, Chopped.
1/2 Tsp Truffle Salt
Scant 1/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
Dash of Chile Powder

Whisk all the ingredients together and serve alongside the salad at the table!

7/16/2013

How-Tuesday #37

Hooray for How-Tuesday! This week I found an infinity dress, helpful gardening tips, and a malted chocolate cake!

I love the idea of infinity dresses and this one is made from a mass-produced model. So many ways to wear it! Check out the pattern here.

This article has 5 tips for a no-work garden, and the whole website has great tips for sustainable lifestyles. Give them a look here

This cake is called the Campfire Delight: 6 layers of malted chocolate and toasted marshmallow! Om nom nom! Go make it here.

7/15/2013

Another one done!

Just a quick little post to show off another finished project:


Johnny and I went to San Francisco for Valentine's day this year and bought this tea towel. We collect moon-themed things and had to have it, but we have so many tea towels in the kitchen that I decided to turn it into a pillow! I just sewed it into a tube, sewed one end shut, and added 3 dark blue satin ribbon ties to the other end so the pillow case can be removed and washed. The inner stuffing is an inexpensive travel pillow form from Ikea. Only took 15 minutes to make and it will be a special reminder of our first Valentine's day together for a very, very long time. Cross another one off the list!

7/12/2013

Fancy Friday #5

Hi everyone! This Fancy Friday actually occurred on a Saturday (I know, I know) as I had a party to go to and still don't have the gumption to get fancy more than once a week. I'm sure glad we took these photos because during a water balloon toss at said party I got hit right on the top of the head and the hairstyle was instantly obliterated. All in good fun though, and I had a blast so I didn't mind at all.


I'm very proud of this week's look because of my nails!



Squee! I think I was in eighth grade the first time I painted my own nails and it was not pretty, and the next time was possibly senior prom. I've been trying to get better at it, using mostly clear top coat or glitter polishes to practice with so I don't make a mess. I have to say that this time was the first time ever that I didn't get polish all over the edges of my fingers as well as the first time I didn't mangle a nail while it was wet. I was feeling so bold I even used a nail pen to hand paint a chevron pattern on my left ring finger and it came out great!



I'm in heaven right now with all this mint green stuff being trendy - it has been my favorite color since I started collecting Jadeite years ago. I found the nail lacquer by Illamasqua, as well as the white nail pen, and Johnny had just found me this amazing mint condition (Look at that label!) casserole dish on Etsy so we thought it would be fun to pose with it. And I happened to have a cute mint green enamel bow necklace and layered it with a "daily bunting" necklace a dear friend gave me for my birthday last year to finish the outfit.


For my hair, I was inspired by this style, so I did a side part, braided a piece, pinned it all to one side, and used my favorite new flat iron curling method on the ends. The dress is from Target and has a great 60's/ Pushing Daisies feel, but I had a heck of a time picking a belt for it. I ended up going out shopping for one and found this it at Target as well.


I started my makeup with the hot pink Revlon lip stain and added hot pink blush, then I used a Revlon eye shadow pack that has shimmery taupe, cream, charcoal, and pink and just followed their directions on the back for how to apply it. I also added a touch of brown pencil liner.


The bracelet is lace encased in acrylic and is from H&M, and the teal flats are from Old Navy. I love how the shade of mint gets deeper the further down you go, from necklace to nails to shoes, so fun!

Is anyone else thinking of joining me in the Fancy Friday tradition? I'm thinking of hosting a party for my girlfriends soon so we can all get fancy together! Till next time...

7/09/2013

How-Tuesday #36

Happy How-Tuesday! This week there's tortillas, cute hairstyles, and easy gift candles!

I love making quick breads at home but have yet to try tortillas. Check out the recipe here

I absolutely love side chignon 'dos and this one looks super easy! Here's the link, plus a bonus updo!

These candles would be great as wedding favors or housewarming gifts, and think of all the containers you could reuse! I want to make some out of St. Benoit yogurt crocks! The simple how-to can be found here.

7/08/2013

Finished things yay!

Over my many years of blogging I've noticed something about myself: I'm pretty bad at posting photos of little individual finished craft projects, especially if they're gifts for people. Big projects or large batches of things sure, but tiny things seem to fall through the cracks. I can think of at least a dozen really cute things I've given as gifts that I never snapped a photo of, plus all my old collages I sold never got photographed. But I've found a tool to help me! Good old Instagram, you may be the solution I've been needing for years. I find that now I snap a quick pic and post it every time I finish something small which is awesome! I'd like to start posting them here with more descriptions than I include on Instagram. If you prefer seeing them without the longer post, you can either follow my Tumblr, or of course my Instagram (@ohthecuteness), which includes all my non-crafty photos as well. Anywho, on to the first bunch of goodies:



Two sweet little pieces of baby clothes for a baby who's not here yet! I bought the cardigan at Target and the star onesie at Baby Gap and decided to applique' some little felt decorations onto them to make them more personal since I had to keep it gender neutral. I love the way they turned out and hope the baby will enjoy them someday soon!