The Shabby Crafter

Shabby Cottage Shops Huge Christmas in July Event

2011-07-07T13:16:00.000-07:00

Come join The Shabby Crafter and all of the Shabby Cottage Shops for the 2011 Christmas in July event.

July 10th through July 26th.

Each day, they will feature a different boutique!!! You'll see what they have picked to dazzle you and it's for sale for just ONE DAY, ...and the item pictured beside it is the item you'll receive FREE, plus FREE SHIPPING on

both items! It's our way of saying thanks for shopping with us at The Shabby Crafter and Shabby Cottage Shops during our Christmas in July Extravanza!!

Here is what I will be offering from my shop:

Buy this

Get this free

Check out my etsy shop or Shabby Cottage Shops daily to find out when this is available.

Each day a different boutique will be offering a special item for sale. Whoever purchases the item will also receive a second item as a free gift along with free shipping! Now, the date each boutique is featured is a total secret! And there is only “ONE” item available. So, you’ll need to check back each day and you’ll need to be quick, because once it's gone, it's gone!

You'll want to visit all the participating shops to see what they're offering and giving away on their special day too! There's a list of the wonderful boutiques below!!

The Ruffled Rose
The Shabby Crafter

5 Dollar French Marche

Vintage Paris Market

Little Luxuries of Va
Tequila Bay Boutique
Sassy Beach Jewelry Designs
Dusty Oak Ornaments

Doggie Carriers and More
Celestina Marie Designs
Creations with Heart
Belle Inspiration
Debi Coules
Sweethearts Nest
Holly and Glitter
Little Bit Old Lil Bit New

My Secret Garden

Hope to see you there!!!!!

I am also offering 25% off my entire shop during this event!!!
Use coupon code cij2011 to receive the discount.

$100.00 Craft Supplies Sweepstakes

2011-05-02T05:51:00.000-07:00

CutRateCrafts.com is giving away $100.00 gift certificate. Enter to win by May 15th by liking them on facebook. Good luck to you all, but I am gonna win it,,,LOL

Much peace and love to you all,

Market Monday at Etsy Cottage Style

2011-05-02T05:45:00.000-07:00

It's Market Monday once again at Etsy Cottage Style. A wonderful way to shop for Mother's Day! Check out all the great shops here:

Much peace and love to you,

Recycled Plastic Jars Make Pretty Storage Solutions

2011-04-29T13:56:00.000-07:00

I am always trying to come up with new ways of storing all my bits and pieces in my sewing area. Here is a great way to recycle plastic (or glass) mayonnaise and peanut butter jars to give you that extra storage in a very pretty way.

Aren't they pretty? Here's what I did.

First off the lids were an ugly red. So, unless red goes with your decor, paint them! Now, being plastic, there is of course a specific paint to use to make it stick. I put on a good 3 coats of spray-on Kilz brand pigmented paint. This stuff sticks to ANYTHING! If you want them white, no need to paint any more. If you want them another color, one or two coats of regular spray paint, after the Kilz drys, will do it.

Then I wanted to pretty them up a bit so I used my water slide decal roses I had on hand. They are also available from The Decal Cottage on Etsy. Or here is a tutorial on how to make your own and a source to buy the necessary materials.

After adding the decals I sprayed them with a couple coats of Krylon Clear Coat.

Lids done....check!

Now for the jars.... I made up a label graphic that I am making available for download here. Just click the link, right click the graphic that pops up and then click "save image as" and save it to your hard drive.

Here is what the graphic looks like:

You can either print it as is and write your title on it by hand, or add text with your graphic program before printing. Then, just print them out on a sticky 8 - 1/2 x 11 label sheet (available at any office supply store). After printing, just cut them out and stick on the front of your jar. This label is sized to print out to perfectly fit a quart size mayo jar. After adding the label, I tied an pretty ribbon around the top, just under the lid area.

Jar done....check!

Then just fill 'em up with trims, buttons, laces, ribbons, beads, whatever you need to store! So pretty!!!

Don't feel like messing with the lids? Use the jars with the label and ribbon as a pretty flower vase!

That's all there is to it....... and a great way to keep those jars out of the trash!

This tutorial is featured in the following linky parties:

Frugal Friday at the Shabby Nest

Another Great Giveaway at Heaven's Walk

2011-04-29T07:06:00.000-07:00

Heaven's Walk blog is hosting 2 great giveaways with really cool prizes!

This is the first one:

And this is the second one:

Click here to enter

Bloggers Pillow Party

2011-04-25T15:08:00.000-07:00

Today I created a pillow just so I could be part of the Bloggers Pillow Party. There are so many cute pillows there, that I decided to jump in. I have been wanting to do something a little on the shabby Parisian side so I used lots of yummy tea stained and hand stamped fabrics along with vintage laces and one of my handmade flowers to create a shabby center and surrounded it by a paisley outer pillow cover.

So that's my entry into the Bloggers Pillow Party. You can check out all the entries by clicking on the button below!

I WON!!!!!!

2011-04-19T08:10:00.001-07:00

Woohoo!!!! I Won this fabulous giveaway I posted about!

http://sewchristine.blogspot.com/2011/04/fabulous-exciting-giveaway.html

I am so jazzed!

Really Easy Fabric Flowers Tutorial

2011-04-19T07:27:00.000-07:00

As promised here is a tutorial to make these really easy fabric flowers....

First you will need:

Fabric scraps

Some kind of circle template

Heavy duty thread (I use light weight fishing line)

Needle

Glue gun (or your glue of choice)

Some kind of button or jewelry piece for center

Lets get started:

The first thing to do is cut out 5 or 6 fabric circles (it works for a 5 petal or a 6 petal flower...your choice). There is no specific size so just keep in mind your finished flower will be approximately the same size as the circles you cut. I used a ribbon spool for my circle template.

Next take one circle and fold in half with right side of fabric on the outside.

Then fold in half again.

Now thread up your needle. Make sure you use some really tough thread because you will need to tug on it really hard without breaking. That's why I use the fishing line.

Run a gathering stitch along the raw edge (the rounded part) making sure you catch all the layers.

Hint: Make sure that you start and stop your stitches with the fabric edges both the same way on the needle (does that make sense?) (maybe the pic will help...either both corners up or both corners down on the needle)

Slide it partway down on the thread. Repeat with all of your circles and you should have something that looks like this:

Now take the ends of your thread and tie them together and pull hard until the flower is really tightly closed. Then tie the thread 3 or 4 more times to make a really secure knot and trim threads off.

Now either glue or sew your center on and you are done. You can use a covered button in matching or contrasting fabric, use a regular button, use an earring or just about anything you have on hand to make the center. That's it kids. Wasn't that about the easiest and great looking flower embellishment you have seen?

I used the same technique to make "leaves" for the fabric rose in the first picture too. Maybe try layering a smaller set made with lace on it before adding the center. The possibilities are endless.

If you have any questions on this tutorial just comment and I will try to answer.

If you don't want to make your own, you can buy some of these in my etsy shop

Easy Peasy Handmade Fabric Flowers

2011-04-18T18:15:00.000-07:00

I made these really really easy to make flowers today and tomorrow I am gonna post a tutorial on how to make them so check back tomorrow!

If you don't want to make them you can buy these in my Etsy shop here

Another great Giveaway!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-04-16T15:54:00.000-07:00

Here is another great giveaway.....head on over to French Charmed Blog for all the details...

Another Great Flower Tutorial

2011-04-12T09:16:00.000-07:00

Here is another great flower tutorial found over at Dear Lillie! Click on the photo to view the tutorial!

I know I will trying this one VERY soon! Looks so easy!

Become a Goddess

2011-04-12T04:43:00.000-07:00

For those of you who may not have discovered this wonderful blog ...... The Goddess Guidebook blog is nothing short of WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you lack the mindset to make a business out of your hobby, this is the answer to your problem!!!

Click here to to head on over and check it out.

In a White Mood Today

2011-04-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

Here is some white eye candy to enjoy....some of my favorite white things:

Waterfall Ruffle Duvet Cover from Urban Outfitters

Gorgeous photo courtesy of Eddie Ross

Photo from Country Living Magazine

Painted Double Bed from Painted Cottages Etsy Shop

Photo Courtesy of Coastal Living

Gorgeous Bedding from Cottage Chic Store

Fabulous Chandelier from Childmode.com

Those are just a few of my favorite things :-)

Fabulous Giveaway

2011-04-09T07:05:00.000-07:00

Check out this great giveaway at SewChristine....

http://sewchristine.blogspot.com/2011/04/fabulous-exciting-giveaway.html

Glass Yard Art

2011-04-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

Making gorgeous yard art out of garage sale glass is so easy and inexpensive. Not much to it but collecting the perfect pieces and attaching them together.

The most important thing is the glue. I use Clear All - Purpose Silicone Sealant from WalMart in the "caulk-like" tube and a caulking gun. It's pretty much self-explanitory. Just put a generous bead of sealant around the edge of the piece your are attaching, press together and let dry. Just keep sealing and attaching pieces until you get the look you want.

I made a boat-load of these and sold the heck out of them at a local farmers market for $25.00 a piece. I probably had maybe $2.00 total invested in producing them. Good money maker!!!! And they attracted a LOT of attention with people wondering what they were!

Here are photos of just a few of mine to get your imagination flowing!

Aren't they beautiful?

So get to those garage sales and flea markets and snatch up those 25 cent glass peices and build a few of these for your yard!!!!

Fat quarter giveaway

2011-04-04T08:59:00.000-07:00

Every Tuesday is Fat Quarter Tuesday over at the Pink Chalk Studio Blog. Head on over there and get in the winning. Fabulous fabric bundles are given away EVERY Tuesday!!!!!!

Check out last weeks bundle :

Don't miss out on these great weekly giveaways! Also check out their one-yard wonders sew along!

My first embroidered towel

2011-03-27T18:50:00.000-07:00

Just did my first embroidery on a towel. I am very happy with how it turned out. Of course I couldn't JUST monogram it....had to do some shabby embellishments. What do you think?

WooHoo Finished My Fabric Stash

2011-03-25T06:58:00.000-07:00

How fabulous and inspiring does fabric look organized like this. I had no idea how many fabrics I still had after downsizing my stash for the move to Florida. I only brought about a fifth of the fabric I had and this is over 200 different fabrics. I still have a complete tote full of more too. Wow, hard to believe how it collects for a fabricaholic like me...LOL.

Anyway, I just adore this storage and display method. If you miss my post on how to do it, here a link to the tutorial post!

Love to hear your comments and see links to pics of your re-organized fabric stash!

Great Giveaway at Creating Vintage Charm Magazine

2011-03-24T05:55:00.000-07:00

Here is a fabulous giveaway going on over at Creating Vintage Charm Magazine's blog. Just click on the photo below comment on their blog post to be entered. Check out the magazine too. It rocks!

Happy St Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T05:08:00.000-07:00

Happy St Patty's Day everyone. In honor of the "Wearing of the Green", I found a blog post for a tutorial on how to make the cutest little Leprechaun Hat Favors that I wanted to share with you. It may be too late to make them for your parties today, but there is always next year AND if you think Easter and use your imagination......hmmm Easter bonnet favors!!!!!!!!!!! These are so cheap and so easy and just so darn cute!

Click the pic to go to the original tutorial over at Canadian Living.

Rick Rack Rose Tutorial

2011-03-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

Check out my blogs tutorial page for a really cool tutorial from The Crafty Chicks website showing how to make these:

Fabric Storage and Organization Idea

2011-03-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

Storing a huge fabric stash has always been a problem for me until now. I wish I could find the blog I saw this idea on so I could give credit because this is the coolest way to store a fabric stash I have ever seen!!!!! Let me know if this came from your blog so I can credit the genius!!!

First find yourself some comic backing boards. They are perfect for this storage method. They are 6-3/4" high x 10-1/2" wide fairly thick poster boards. They are the perfect size and heft to do this and they are acid free so they won't harm your fabrics. They come in packs of 100 and run anywhere from $4.99 to $11.99 but shipping is outrageous. I found the best deal here! Here is what they look like. I started with 1 pack and just ordered 2 more packs. (I had no idea I has so many fabrics LOL)

So here are my before pics of my fabric storage:

So on to the project of straightening out this mess. First is how to fold your fabrics. For 45" wide fabrics, fold in half the long way (fold to selvages). For 52" wide fabrics fold in thirds the long way (fold to a little ways past center and then selvages lapped over. Then start a board at the raw ends of the fabric (here's a pic)

Now just roll to the end of the fabric and then pin the final edges to secure. When you are done it should look like this:

Here is a hint for quilters...If you use the color chart in the selvages of your fabrics to pull together your stash, be sure and fold and wrap so the selvages are on the outside. See the next picture!

And now for the after pic (although I am only half done because I ran out of boards and had to order more!)

How cool is this? Looks like a fabric shop huh? And the really cool thing is you can store your fabrics on a bookshelf!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Isn't that awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New Diggs at Shabby Cottage Shops

2011-03-12T07:27:00.000-08:00

Come see my new diggs at Shabby Cottage Shops

I am in the Beautiful Cottage Boutiques Village!

Market Monday at Etsy Cottage Style

2011-03-07T06:16:00.000-08:00

I am participating in Market Monday today at Etsy Cottage Style. To view all of the wonderful shops in this virtual flea market click on the image below! See ya there!

Some of my latest handbags

2011-02-23T10:11:00.000-08:00

I have been making handbags for my Etsy shop...here are some pics of a few. Click on them to view them at Etsy.

Fresh start

2011-02-22T10:05:00.000-08:00

I haven't used this blog for quite some time but I am coming back to it. I am making a new web shop, using my Etsy shop, Facebook and Twitter pages so you should see plenty of me around. Hope everyone will like the new "online me"!!!!

Another Friday Flea Market

2009-03-05T18:33:00.000-08:00

It's Friday again (well almost anyway) and I have new sale items in my Friday Flea Market category. Check out my shop here.

Check out the rest of the Friday Flea Market shops here.

Happy shopping!

New! Victorian Vignettes Blog Party!

2009-02-27T12:14:00.000-08:00

I just love all the blog carnivals out there in the blogosphere and I adore looking at everyone's photos but I haven't seen a carnival for Victorian Vignettes so I decided to create one.

This is a MONTHLY blog party so everyone will have plenty of time to participate!The first one is for March.

Please link to the actual post and not your main blog page. And PLEASE be sure to link back to this post so your visitors can see all of the participants.

Glory Feathers, Star light, and, Roses: It's A Giveaway!!!

2009-02-24T19:02:00.000-08:00

Glory Feathers, Star light, and, Roses: It's A Giveaway!!!

This print is the prize!!!!

Friday Flea Market Is Here!

2009-02-19T20:33:00.000-08:00

I added 2 new products to my Friday Flea Market products today! This adorable little throw pillow and a really cute little picture frame.

Check them out in my new shop by clicking here!

Happy Friday Flea Market shopping!

Friday Flea Market

2009-02-16T20:14:00.000-08:00

I have just joined in the Friday Flea Market. I should be in this week. So be sure and check back here on Friday to find out what I add!

The Online Shop Is Open!!

2009-02-14T14:00:00.000-08:00

Not a lot of product there yet but the shop is open!

I spent this morning making this gorgeous set of bath towels. It is just a tease of the things you will see in my shop in the weeks to come!

Button Test

2009-02-04T18:55:00.000-08:00

This is a test to see how this button I made looks on the page. I think I like it. How about you?

Coming Soon

2009-02-01T17:45:00.000-08:00

Coming soon...unique shabby chic creations for sale.