Oh my goodness!!  It has been a week since my last post!!  My hubby is out of the country, making my job as a mama a little tougher than usual, is it alright if I blame it on that:)

So remember last summer when I showed you guys how to tint mason jars for a more vintage feel…

We’re gonna use the same technique here to make a fun little spring tablescape!!

Grab your supplies, and let’s party:)

Supplies:

• different sized bottles (I used some old soda bottles, a wine bottle, and a cute apothecary bottle I found at hobby lobby)

• mod podge

• food coloring (I used the neon colors)

• felt

• buttons

• wooden skewers

• hot glue

Step 1:

Gather your bottles and clean them real nice, use goo-off if there are any sticky residuey stickers left…

Next pour about 1/4 cup of mod podge  into 3 separate  bowls.  Mix in some drops of food coloring until you get the color you like.

Step 2:

Paint the mod podge over the bottles with thin neat strokes (the thicker you apply it, the darker the tint will be , so feel free to vary it if you like)

My helpers meant well, but I had to re-smooth some of their paint jobs:)

Allow to dry for about an hour.

Step 3:

Now you can make your pinwheels!!  Remember the tutorial from last week?  Click HERE for a quick run-down on how to make felt pinwheels.

You will want to cut out as many squares as you have bottles.

Make into a pinwheel, and attach a button the center if desired.

Attach to the wooden skewers with hot glue.

Do you like the Fanta label?  Me, not so much… I used some twine and yarn I had leftover to wrap around the tops and cover the ugly writing…

Also, to vary the length of the pinwheels, you can glue the skewers together…

Arrange the pinwheels in your bottles, and you’re through!!

When the light shines through my window, I love the effect it has on the bottles!!

Happy Spring ya’ll!!

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So I have been seeing lots of versions of ombre art all over blogland, and I’m loving it!!!  You could hang this up in your home, or use it as a bright welcome for your front door like I did!!

The cute quote came from a free printable over on Landee See, Landee Do, go check it out:)

Would you like to make your own Ombre Art Canvas??   Grab your supplies and let’s get started…

Supplies:

• acrylic paint (4 or more colors in the same color family) and brushes

• canvas board

• vinyl and cutter

• coordinating ribbon

• felt, buttons, or any other embellishments

• an exacto knife

Step 1:

Decide what to use as your quote and kind of map it out on your canvas, I used a pencil so I would know what the placement would be, and where my colors would begin and end.

Cut out and apply your vinyl lettering or phrase, I left a big space at the bottom for some embellishments…

Step 2:

Pour your paint in separate bowls, you can even mix them to get more colors if you wish.

Carefully paint one stripe at a time, you don’t want the paint to bleed under the letters.

Enlist helpers if necessary:)

Step 3:

Let dry for about an hour,

then carefully peel off each letter.

In some areas, the paint bled under the letters, so this is where your exacto knife will come in handy.  Just scrape off any excess paint, so you can read your letters clearly.

Step 4:  You can leave your art as is…

or you can add some pinwheel embellishments…

To make a pinwheel, simply cut out squares out of felt (or any other fabric).  Then cut from each corner inward toward the center.

Next fold over each corner to the center, and attach with hot glue.

Add some buttons, glue to your art, and voila!!!

If you want to hang your art, hot glue a ribbon to the back and tie a cute bow.

You’re done!!

I am loving the bright pops of color that spring brings!!  Enjoy!!

Linking up HERE

So I’ve been going through my fabric stash, and OH MY WORD, do I have a ton of scraps.  I’m bringing back a blast post tutorial from the past, to show you what you can do with your scraps!!!!

And if you’re expecting a baby (like me) or need a shower gift, these are perfect!!  Here are a few I whipped up using my scraps…

Besides quilting, this is my most favorite thing to make.  Do I say that about every post?   Maybe, but this time it’s for real:)

These little blankets are literally mini quilts, with ribbons attached to the edges.  Babies and children alike love the texture of tags and ribbons, making these perfect to “tag-along.”

What you need:

• self-healing cutting mat

• rotary cutter

• ruler

• sewing machine and thread

• pins

• batting

• scraps of cute material

• coordinating minkie

• five or more spools of coordinating ribbon

Step 1

Decide how big you would like your quilt top to be.  A good size is approximately 20X20 inches.  Cut your fabric into whatever pieces you would like for your blanket top.  This can be as simple or intricate as you would like.

Lay out your fabric design and pin right sides together.

Sew your pieces right sides together.

Iron your seams so that they lay flat open.

Step 2

Measure your ironed, finished blanket top, and cut your batting and your minkie back to the exact size as the top.

You’ll need to choose five to six different ribbons coordinating with the fabric of the blanket top. Cut four strips (so you’ll have five or six tabs per side) of each ribbon varying in size from three to six inches to form crossovers, single strands, or loops.

Step 3

Next, lay your blanket top over the batting with the right side facing up, and line up the two pieces as close as you can.

You will then pin your ribbons around the edges of the blanket so that they’re pointing toward the center of the blanket.  Pin them both to the blanket top and the batting behind.

Next, sew a very small seam (no more than 1/4 inch) around all sides to hold your ribbons down in place.

Step 4

Lay your minkie square on top of the blanket top and ribbons, with the right sides together.  Pin in place.  Make sure you pin it well, the minkie shifts quite a bit.

Sew another small seam (no more than 1/4 inch) around the sides of the blanket leaving about 3 or 4 inches open at one corner.

(UPDATE, I prefer to leave my opening closer to the center of one side, it’s easier to sew when it’s all flipped out:)

Pull your blanket from the inside out so that all the ribbons are poking out, and smooth out all corners and seams. You’ll then need to close your opening, sewing as close to the edge of the blanket as possible.

Next, sew a decorative or straight stitch around all sides of the blanket.

Clip all threads and press your finished Tiny Tabs Ribbon Blanket.

Here are a few more:)

Linking up with these fabulous blogs…

***Have you entered our latest giveaway yet??  Click HERE to win a $20 credit to JTBoutique’s darling accessories!!***

Don’t you love Pinterest!!  Seriously best ideas EVER!!  I saw THIS idea,

right before our trip, and loved it so much that I threw one together in the hours before we had to leave.  I know.  I’m crazy.  But it was a life saver on our trip!!

I couldn’t find a tutorial anywhere, but I found one for a CD visor, so I adapted mine to work for my kids’ coloring books and headphones.

Would you like to make one for your car??

Go grab your supplies, and let’s get started.

Supplies:

• scraps of fabric (I used 6 coordinating-ish fabrics)

• interfacing or fusible fleece

• ribbon and embellishments (optional)

• sewing machine

• thread

• cutting mat and rotary cutter

Step 1:  Measure the size of your book.  I know books are all different sizes, but my kids have a ton of these color wonder books, and knew they would be a popular item for our trip.

Step 2:  Based on this measurement you will know how large to cut your main fabric, pockets, interfacing, and basically everything else.  I wanted at least 4 pockets, so based on the size of the book  I used these as my measurements:

Cut 2 pieces of your main fabric (for your front and back piece) and a piece of interfacing to be 11 x 22 inches.

Cut 4 pieces of fabric (for your folders) to be 11 x 13 inches.

And cut 3 or 4 strips of fabric (for your bias tape) to be 2 x 100 inches.  I added a little extra just to be safe, you can always cut it shorter at the end.

Step 3:  Iron your interfacing piece to the back (wrong side) of your front main piece of fabric

Step 4:  Next you’re going to add your pockets.  Fold each piece of fabric in half, wrong sides touching, and iron in place.

Start at the top, going down about 1 1/2 inches, and stitch your first pocket on at the bottom with raw edges facing downward.

Add the next pocket, about 4 inches below the first one, raw edges pointing downward.

Continue with the rest of the pockets.

Step 5:  Iron the back piece of fabric to the other side of the interfacing, this time for a longer period of time to give it a good bond.

Step 6:  Stitch all the strips of fabric together to form a nice long strip of fabric for your bias tape.  Fold each side in about 1/4 – 1/2 inch and press in place.  Next fold the strip in half with your edges inside and press in place.  (Sorry for the lack of pictures!!)

Next you will open the fold of the bias tape,

start at the top corner of your main piece of fabric and place it inside the fold.

Fold back over, and pin in place.  Continue pinning along the entire outer edge of your main fabric piece.

Stitch in place right along the folded edge, taking care to catch the inside main piece and each edge of the bias tape.

Step 7:  Add the ribbon by measuring 2 inches from each outer edge and pin the ribbon in place.

Finally stitch along the same stitch as the bias tape to secure.  I added a little ribbon flower at the corner as an embellishment.

Tie it onto the back of any headrest, and you’re done!!

Stuff full of books, and you’re all set!!

Linking up HERE this week!

Have I told you lately how fabulous  I think stencils are!!  I have lots of fun stencil projects lined up, but I wanted to start with something very basic, (if I can do it, ANYONE can)!!

Little by little I’m adding decor to this little craft room of mine:)  I needed some storage for my spools of thread, and thought a painted board would be a cute way to hang/display them on my wall.  But why not take it up a notch, and STENCIL the board!!

So for this project, grab your favorite stencil (don’t worry if you don’t have one, you will have your chance to win $50 to spend at the Cutting Edge Stencil site), and let’s get started!

Supplies:

• wooden board (I used an old broken board I’d been saving for later)

• sand paper (if your board is previously painted)

• acrylic paint (2 colors)

• stencil

• stencil adhesive

• stencil roller or brush

• hammer and nails

Step 1:  Prep your board.  I gave my board a good sanding to rub the letters as flat and smooth as I could, then I wiped off the dust with a damp cloth.  Now your ready to paint.

Step 2:  Paint your bottom coat of acrylic paint.  Wait a couple of hours and paint a second coat.  Allow to dry overnight before painting the stencil on top.

Spray the back of your stencil with adhesive spray.  I love this product from Krylon.

Position the stencil where you would like it, and press down to hold in place.  Dip your brush in the second color of paint, wiping off the excess.  (You don’t want to use too much, or it will bleed a bit)

Start at one end, and brush the paint over the design.

Remove the stencil and allow to dry.

Step 3:  Arrange the spools of thread the way you would like them displayed.  Take a pencil, and mark the center of each spool.

Hammer the nails in each of the pencil marks.  (I used 2 inch nails)

Hang the board on the wall,

and add your spools of thread!

A super simple but cute display for any craft room!!

Now on to the fun part…  The lovely folks over at Cutting Edge Stencils let me choose any stencil from their online store to review.  I chose the Marrakech Trellis Craft Stencil and LOVE it!!

Cutting Edge Stencils come neatly rolled up with very thorough directions to guide you as you create your stenciled project.

But check out their site for fabulous VIDEOS to help you along the way…

And the lovely folks at Cutting Edge Stencils have offered one of YOU a $50 credit to spend at their site!!

What stencil will you choose!!!

To enter this giveaway:

• visit the Cutting Edge Stencil site and choose your favorite stencil, come back and let me know what it is

• Like Cutting Edge Stencils on Facebook

• Like Just Sew Sassy on Facebook

• Publicly follow or subscribe to Just Sew Sassy

• share this giveaway via facebook, twitter, or blog post

Lots of chances to enter!!!  Please leave a separate comment for each entry. Giveaway will end Tuesday, Feb. 7th.

Good luck my friends!!!

Linking up HERE this week!

This is a SUPER SIMPLE  tutorial, with a bold look!!  Slowly but surely I’m getting this craft room done:)  What’s a craft room without the words, “sew”???

Wanna make some fancy letters of your own?  Grab your supplies and lets get started:)

Supplies:

• wooden letters

• scrapbook paper

• mod podge and brush

• exacto knife

• self healing mat or another protected surface

• ink pad (optional)

Step 1:

Turn the paper over, and place the letters upside down onto the back of the paper.

Trace each letter with a pencil

Step 2:

Carefully cut out each letter with an exacto knife

Step 3:

Using the brush, apply a think layer of mod podge to the top of the wooden letter

Place the paper on top carefully lining up all of the edges.  Press down firmly on the paper from the center working your way to each end, smoothing out any bubbles.

Apply one more thin layer of mod podge on top of the paper.

Step 4:

I wanted to give my letters a bit more dimension, so I used an ink pad to smear the edges with black ink, giving it even more of a distressed look.

All done!!

Simple right!!

Now hang your letters and enjoy:)

My plan is to paint a cute board to display/store my spools of thread, and hang it right under my letters:)  Just a few more simple projects and this craft room will be done!!!

Linking up HERE this week!

Happy New Year my friends!!  YOU ALL ROCK!!!!  I hope your holiday season was fabulous!!

I’m trying not to be sad that the year is coming to a close… But honestly I am looking forward to a new year!!  New goals, new projects, new friends, a new BABY (eek!), and you all have such a huge part in that!

I spent some time looking at all my old archives and projects to figure out what the top ten posts of 2011 were from this lil ol blog of mine:)  It was fun thinking back on all these projects; the hours spent, the skills learned, but mostly the flops and do-overs!!

That’s how we learn right!!!

#10  Mason Jar Lanterns

#9  Painted Doily Canvas Bag

#8  Oven Rack to Jewelry Holder

#7  Burlap Bubble Wreath

#6  Spring Framed Ruffle Wreath

#5  Candy Striped Burlap Wreath

#4  Fall Burlap Table Runner

#3  Fall Felt Flower Belt

#2  Rolled Burlap and Rosette Fall Wreath

and the most popular project of 2011 is…

#1  Patriotic Pinwheel Burlap Wreath

You guys like wreaths!!!  Haha, so do I:)  I’m already thinking of a fun Valentines Day wreath:)

Hope you enjoyed a blast from the past!!

I’m so sorry this post is up sooo late!!  Darn computer issues!!  Anyway, happy Tuesday:)  I’m hosting my first ever Cookie Exchange Party this Thursday, and I’m sooo excited!!  For the party favors I’m sending home this little holiday treat!

Holiday tea towels are super easy, and a fun little gift for neighbors and friends.  Wrap them around some bread, tie them to a spoon or spatula, or just attach a cute tag.  I’ll take you through the simple steps to make your very own:)  Grab your supplies, and let’s get started!

My towel was 15 inches, so I made my strips 30 inches long.  (I cut 6 strips b/c I was making 6 tea towels:)

The coordinating strips are 30 inches long as well

This is the longest stitch setting for a regular straight stitch on your sewing machine

The bobbin thread is the bottom thread

Follow the same steps as before

and you’re done!!

I wrapped my towels around a cookie platter, tied it up cute, and you can even add a cute tag!!

Easy Peasy right!!!

Have a great week!!

Linking up HERE this week!

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So while perusing pinterest, I saw this darling monster shirt!!  I knew I could make it, but was curious where I could buy it. Guess what!!  It wasn’t for sale anymore… So my decision was made.  These would be perfect Christmas gifts for my monster lovin boys!!

This is basically an applique tutorial, super simple, so grab your supplies and let’s go!!

I’m making two shirts at a time here, so forgive me for switching in and out of pictures…

I decided to iron both my big monster felt pieces at once to save on heat-n-bond.

I actually ironed my scrap pieces of felt to the heat-n-bond before cutting the shapes out.  It just makes them easier to cut.  Just have an idea of how much of your scrap piece you will need, for whatever add-ons you decide to give your monster.

I left a bit of an opening at the bottom for the teeth to slide into.

This will secure everything and keep it nice through all your washes.

So I made my 3 yr-old try his Christmas present on.  I know, lame.

I didn’t tell him what it was for, I just told him if he put the shirt on and let me take his picture, I would give him chocolate.  He will do anything for chocolate.  He takes after his mama:)

and then he looked at his shirt…

and thought it was pretty cool…

So we had to take it off quick before he could ask any questions…

You could totally customize this for a girl as well, I may just do that for my 6 yr-old!!  Have fun creating!

Linking up HERE this week!

So a couple of weeks ago, I told ya about this gorgeous coat…

I found it on Pinterest, and knew I wanted to create my own version!!

So I finally bought some wool, and gave it a go.  If you would like to refashion an old wool coat, follow along and I’ll show ya how:)

Grab your supplies, and lets get to it!

Your going to want to cut a strip that’s either 1 1/2 times or double the length.

I had to cut two strips of each width, to get the length that I wanted.  Sew the two strips together before hemming.

I pinned it as well b/c the wool fabric doesn’t stay down very well.  Sew right along the folded edge to hem.  Next you’re going to sew a gathering stitch along the opposite side (raw edge) of the strip.  For instructions on how to sew a gathering stitch, click HERE.

You want to make sure your raw edges are along the bottom.  Sew the ruffles in place, and iron on the opposite side of the coat.

Just follow the same steps as before to create the smaller ruffles.  Pin the raw edges to the inside of the pocket, so that when you flip the ruffle over the hemmed side will be hidden.

If you would like to make a sash, cut another LONG (the length will depend on your waist, and how you would like it to hang) strip about 6 inches wide.

Make the second strip 1 1/2 times or twice as long as your sash strip.

Pull the boppin thread to ruffle this strip of fabric as well.

Sew along the outside edge, taking care not to sew the ruffle on the inside.  Leave one end open so you can turn the strip right side in.

Fold in the ends of the fabric and top stitch in place.

This coat will give me another season’s worth of wear with my ever expanding belly!  No need to buy a new coat now!!

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