Superelf!

 

Our little Elf on the Shelf, Owen, is preparing to make his trek to WV from the North Pole. I've got some new ideas Pinned and ready. Last year I wrote that "tomorrow" I would post a pattern for this 5-minute superhero cape. So tomorrow is here.

Just print out the jpeg and you're all set. You don't need seam allowances. You don't need to glue or bring out the sewing machine. Just cut felt or fleece and you're done. I stitched a little snap for a closure but you could use a scrapbooking brad, safety pin, or some double sided tape.

 As you can see, I did a bit of applique. The "O" for Owen is just a red sticker. Make sure you have "no scaling" when printing to get this the right size. There is a 1" marking to help you with sizing but if this is off, I don't think it will matter too much.

Last year I posted a pattern for an easy capelet. Check it out here. Oh hey, that garland in the top photo was also super quick. We cut triangles out of scrapbooking paper then glued on squares of paper to make trunks. Then we cut slits to string ric-rack through (bad idea, use baker's twine or something not so bumpy). For some extra bling, we hot glued some little bits inbetween some of the trees.

Elf on the Shelf returns

Our little elf Owen has joined us again this year. We love his crazy antics. For fun, I made him a foppish little capelet to wear when he has tea. Enjoy the free pattern!

Materials: fabric (no-fray fleece or felt), 12" of holiday ribbon

If you use felt, you'll need no seam allowances. Just cut as shown on the fold. Stitch or hot glue on the ribbon. Fasten with a scrapbooking brad or spot of double-sided tape and you're ready to pen sublime fiction and enjoy a bit of tea and cake.

Tomorrow, I will post a pattern for a superhero cape -- just as easy as this one.

Messenger Bag for Collecting

We have been killing Summer this year. Seriously. And soon it will get even better because we're going on vacation. The beaches there are loaded with coral and a few have lots of sea glass. As we're big collectors in this family, I searched for a cool mesh bag for our loot.

As a class A cheapskate, I refused to spend a ton of money on any of the ones I had seen online so I scoured the Dollar Store for inspiration. I spotted a lingerie bag in the washing aisle and knew I had found "the one." And then I bought two.

Z wanted a messenger style and I made myself one with a wrist strap to match. Look for us on "The Island." (We're pretending the whole place belongs to us).

It took about 15 minutes. I just stitched over the two edges 4 or 5 times to make sure the seam would be secure. Less than $2.

More posts to come. You know you've been busy when the photos from your brother's Easter Egg Hunt are still on the camera...

Christmas Elf 2011

I know it's crazy late to be posting Christmas pictures but I do have a full-time job, people. I had photoshop hidden and forgot to save these.

So this is my bean as a Christmas elf. We have been doing this every year since she was born. Check them out here.

I wanted to start a tradition of buying a hat on Etsy for each year but I bit the bullet and made one myself. I found a quick tutorial online and lined it with fleece. I made the pattern a bit smaller after making a test and I shouldn't have. With the lining, it was too small. It would have been perfect.

Mantelscape

For the first time ever, I styled my mantel for the holidays. I've had most of this stuff for years but I usually just toss it all up there. This year, I wanted to do something special. I pulled out all the white and silver.

Z and I made the trees. It took me about 45 minutes to wind and hot glue the yarn around the tall tree. I might add another layer or some color next year. We glittered the other cone with super chunky glitter.

The deer is my favorite. I got it last year at Crate and Barrel I think. I was with my mom in Manhattan and after seeing the Rockettes. We walked all the way up 5th Avenue (?) looking at the lights. On our way back down the next street (Madison?), we shopped for a long time. The jingle bell garland is from there too.

Last year I found the perfect cylinder vase for the jingle bells. The plate with the birch trees and single cardinal is from TJMaxx. They have the best holiday stuff.

This is a bit of the top. My vintage favorites mixed with the Martha Stewart Santa tree topper from back when she was just out of prison and wasn't too good for Kmart. Oh why doesn't she love us poor people anymore? I liked buying Martha stuff at Kmart. There is no Macy's near here.

Oh, and just so you know, I think I'm using the word Mantelscape somewhat ironically. I really don't take myself that seriously.   Edit: just realized the typo in the original post. Mantle is actually a correct spelling but not the more common one. Oops.

I'm a Giant . finished for now

The studio apartMac is finally finished! I took some photos before we went out of town last week but I had some technical difficulties and only managed to upload a couple of quick shots to Flickr. I am happy with what's here but I'm going to take advantage of the extension to edit a little bit and refine some pieces.

I stuck closely to my inspiration and I think it all came together. Of course, my favorite bits are the little macbook and iPad from lilushop (thanks to Modern Mini Houses for the tip).

The billy balls that my assistant (3 years old!) and I made are perfect in the eBay vase.

I've seen this wood slice wall art around the internet a good bit so I had Mr. Lemon chop up some sticks and I glued them above the fireplace (another cheap eBay find). The little houses are from a vendor at Handmade Arcade and the birch logs are from Gigi N Studio.

I'm most proud of the wood shelf. It was a scrap leftover from the fireplace slices and it fit perfectly above the sink (that's a chair from the Irwin Interior Decorator set).

These are just a few of my favorite vignettes. With the extension, I'll be able to take better photos in different light and get some good views of the whole thing. The iMac is a beautiful piece of design but it's so hard to shoot the scene!

I'm a Giant . making some progress

It probably seems like I haven't been working on my studio apartMac but that's not true. It's just that I've been doing all these little things that don't look like much. I spent a very long time on the stone floor. The vinyl sheets were from eBay and I had to cut them to the size of the base which meant stacking one on top of the other. To make it look more realistic, I cut away the top layer in a stone pattern then sealed up the seam. You can't tell in the right lighting that it is not one piece.

I also worked on the kitchen unit. I made a farm sink out of pieces from the Irwin Interior Decorator Set. I think it looks pretty good although I do need to touch it up a bit and attach the bar table.

On the left side of the unit, I'm building a wall behind that fireplace. I have an art piece in mind that I'm very excited about. If I use the Petite Princess chair, I will paint it so that it looks like grey leather. This tiny space can seat more than 10 guests! And there is so much more in store. I'm hoping to finish up this weekend.

While I enjoy holiday crafting and all the sewing I've been doing for the doll I bought my assistant for Christmas, it always feels right to work on the minis.