DIY Z-Palette Tutorial

Hi lovelies!

     I know I have been missing for so long, and there really isn't much of an excuse aside from being incredible busy with school.  Speaking of which I graduated last year with my Bachelor's and started this year on my Master's.  So there is tons to talk about, but that will have to wait because today I have a tutorial for you.

     So lately (as in the past couple of months) I have been heavily into makeup.  I think my bank account, Ulta, and Sephora accounts can vouch for that!  My weakness, admittedly, are palettes and minis.  (I mean who can't pass up a tiny version of a makeup favorite??)  I do have a few cumbersome singles floating about.  I typically didn't have an issue with them...that was until I was trying to organize all my makeup into a more streamlined fashion and realized that they are just awkwardly in the way.

     Cue the lightbulb!  I figured that I have enough materials to make myself a Z-palette knock-off.  What a great way to recycle the Ulta and Sephora boxes that somehow find themselves at my doorstep weekly (no judging, okay?) and to reduce the bulk of having many little cosmetic holders all over my tiny apartment bathroom. 

     If you'd like to see how I made mine, stick around after the jump!

Another One: Sewing Plans {Printable}

I really haven't had a heap of time to sit down at my sewing machine lately.  Instead I have been constantly on my computer typing and studying.  So that leaves lots of time to make documents that are sewing-related, right? Right!

 

{Tutorial} : Simple Cardstock Mailer

I typically make my own mailers for when I ship packages to my customers.  I like making them myself because 1) they are inexpensive, 2)they are totally customizable, and 3) they are always readily available.  I whipped up a little tutorial to demonstrate my process.

Let's go!

Vintage Sheet Storage

Although I have a two bedroom apartment, it's pretty small.  It's comfortable enough, but it could be a little bigger for my taste.  Being that it is on the tad cramped side, it doesn't leave much room for storage.  And honestly I have entirely too much stuff (shoes, clothes, fabric) to have packed in here.

My daughter's room is right across from mine; and in our makeshift "hallway" which really isn't, there is an alcove that is about a foot and a half deep and three feet wide.  I figured if I couldn't annex some space, then I should go vertical.  That's just what I did.

Repurposed: From Changing Table to Sewing Desk

A couple of weeks, okay more like a month and a half ago, I found this changing table sitting beside the dumpster at my apartment complex.  I immediately scooped it up.  I saw a whole new potential to this gem.  I called my mom and asked her if she could help me upcycle it, and the first thing out of her mouth was, "Are you trying to tell me something?!"  So after calming her fears that I was/am not expecting another child, I explained to her that I wanted to take it from its current terrible state to this awesome vision I had for it.

She never really did get around to helping me with it.  That was totally fine by me because when I'm ready to start working on something, there is no stopping me until I finish.

The whole process took longer and was harder work than I had anticipated.  That's okay; I like a good challenge.

Strawberry Mango Lemonade

If you follow me on Instagram, then you know that I have been on a bit of a natural food/beverage kick lately.  I've made everything from smoothies to detox water to homemade limeades.  I have made plain lemonade, but I wanted to have a drink with a little bit of a twist to it.  So I made Strawberry Mango Lemonade.  Here's how I did it.

I roughly chopped up some strawberries and a mango.  You could use frozen if you have it.  I then put it in my food processor.  Ordinarily I would puree it in my blender, but my blender decided to commit suicide not too long ago, therefore leaving me stuck with my food processor until I can get it fixed.  If you need to, add a little bit of water to your fruit blend.  Blend it as much as possible until it becomes uniform.  Add this mixture to your pitcher.  I used a regular quart-sized pitcher.  Add water about three-quarters of the way full.  I then juiced 3 lemons.  I could have used one or two extra, but I like the flavor it has.  Add a half cup to three-quarters cup of sugar.  Fill the remainder of the pitcher with water.  I topped it off with adding several lemon slices to the lemonade, so that when it chills the lemon-y flavor with infuse with the rest of the drink.

Wait until it gets cold for a couple of hours and then enjoy it on a nice, hot day as a cool and healthy refreshment!!

"Vintage Sheet" Manicure

I know I have been M.I.A. for quite some time now. I apologize greatly for that. I've been busy and life has just gotten in the way.


Anyway I polished up my fingers yesterday following DIY Nails floral manicure tutorial. I only decorated my ring finger with the design unlike hers. I also would have liked to add polka dots to the design but I don't have a dotting tool yet.




When I first saw the nail art, I immediately thought "vintage sheets" and just knew I had to try it out. I added silver glitter to the centers of my flowers just to give it a little something extra. I will definitely be doing this manicure more often.

DIY Macaron Coin Purse

Oh my goodness! I just have to show you these:


HOW STINKING CUTE ARE THESE? I found this tutorial on Craft Passion. All it takes isa couple of fabric scraps, a zipper, and a pair of buttons-to-cover.

I cannot wait to give this a try!

{Tutorial}: Colorblock Clutch

As New Year's is rapidly approaching, I am creating as many things as I possibly can to make a handmade but cohesive New Year's Eve night. As I have afore-mentioned, nude/beige has become one of my favorite colors this season; and I think it looks wonderful paired with black. This color combo sparked my tutorial for today. So let's get started!

Materials

-2 different colors of vinyl
-Velcro or snaps
-Scissors or rotary cutter
-Sewing machine and matching thread
-Walking foot, Roller foot, Teflon foot, or Scotch tape and tissue paper




Decide how long you want you clutch to be and cut each piece
of fabric to that length. Now you can cut your fabric pieces the same width or cut one piece wider than the other. Totally your choice. I did one piece wider than the other since I was going for asymmetry.


Stack one piece of vinyl on top of the other piece to get an idea of placement. Run a gluestick down the edge that will overlap so it won't slip. You can also add a little masking tape of these pieces.


Stitch close to the edge of the overlapping piece. You can also run a second line of stitching close to that first line of edgestitching.


TIPS FOR SEWING VINYL:
-Use a Walking (Even-feed) foot, Roller Foot, or Teflon Foot if you have one available.
-If none of these feet are available, attach a piece of Scotch tape to the bottom of your regular presser foot so that the vinyl won't stick. Or place a piece of tissue paper on top of the vinyl and tear away once the stitching is complete.
-Never pin vinyl. It will leave holes. Instead hold pieces together with masking/painters tape, binder clips, or paper clips.
-Use a denim or leather needle, a longer stitch, and a looser tension. I usually set my stitch length to 4.5mm or longer and my tension at 3 or 4.
-Go slow and take your time. The slower you go the more control you will have over this tricky fabric.


Square off all sides and figure how deep you want your clutch to be. Fold up the bottom edge and tape down.


Optional: if you want an asymmetrical flap, then take a ruler and draw an angled line from left to right. Trim on this line.


Now edgestitch from bottom of clutch all the way to the top of the flap, making sure to match thread to the color vinyl you're using. I added a few more rows for decoration and reenforcement.


Attach velcro with a strong glue or stitch it on or attach snaps according to manufacturer's instructions.


back


front

If you make one, send me pictures!!

Holiday Nails

I decided to go with something a little simple this Holiday season for my manicure. I am absolutely in love with all things nude: from polish to lipstick to clothing and shoes. So I figured why not do a simple yet bold nude nail for Christmas and New Year's?

I used Wet 'n Wild's "Private Viewing." A friend of mine turned me on to this particular color when I was searching for a plain flesh-toned nude. I also used Sally Girl's gold glitter polish. I just brushed the glitter polish on in an asymmetrical pattern across my tips. I love the affect and how the light catches the glitter. Almost reminds me of gold leafing.

What I like about "Private Viewing" is, of course, the particular hue; the drying time isn't bad, and the shortness of the brush.
What I don't like about it is the material of the brush bristles (it's something manmade so it's thick and stiff) and the unevenness of the bristles causing the polish to be streaky when applied.

But all and all I made it work. So now I'm off to find nude pumps and more black eyeshadow....

Have a wonderful Christmas Eve and be careful!!!
Love you guys!!

{Tutorial}: Braided Jersey Hat

Winter is on its way here in the South; and, although it has been fairly mild, I have one huge problem when the temperature starts to drop: my head freezes and I can never find my hat. Unfortunately I keep my hair short in the winter months as well, and I seem to purchase a new cap every year. I have the worst luck with those things!

Well have decided that instead of shelling out a few bucks here and there every few month, I will just make one. Who knew that you could also sew a neat little cap? I want to share my cloche-inspired design.
Let's go!

Materials
-1/3 jersey fabric or t-shirt
-scrap fabric for embellishment
-buttons for embellishment (optional)
-sewing machine and needle and thread to match
-hat template (This one is a pretty general size for adults, but you can enlarge/reduce as needed.)

All seams are sewn with a 1/4 inch allowance unless otherwise stated.

Print out template. Fold your jersey fabric in half twice or enough times so that you have 4 layers of fabric. Pin template to fabric and cut out.


Take 2 of your hat pieces and pin them right sides together.


Select straight stitch on your machine. I chose a width of 2.0 and a length of 3.0. You could also use a regular straight stitch with a stitch length of 3.0 and slightly stretch as you sew.

Seams should look somewhat like this. Repeat with the remaining 2 pieces.


Once both sides are done, place both halves together right sides facing and stitch.


Now turn the bottom edge up an inch to the wrong side, pin, and hem 5/8" from edge.


Head back to your fabric and cut a long strip (at least 40 or so inches) and about 5 or 6 inches wide. Then cut that strip into 3 separate lengths. Try to make them more or less equal, but it doesn't have to be exact. Stack the 3 strip on top of each other and fold over to the wrong side about 1/2" and stitch down.


Plait the cording you just made down till the end and stitch across the rope to secure your braid.


Trim close to stitching.



This part is about personal preference. I didn't mind having one of the seams being a front center one. So decide where you want the front center to be on your cap and mark it for reference. Start pinning your braided trim to the far left or far right of that point. Basically you want to start pinning your trim somewhere between the front center and the side center of your cap, just to give your embellishment an assymetrical placement. Make sure you place the trim on top of the hemline.



Set your machine to a 3-step zigzag stitch, and set the stitch width and length to the longest they can go. Starting at the edge, start stitching and slighty stretching as you sew. You should barely notice the zigzag stitch because it almost emulates the weave of the braid.


For Dora's cap, I cut 6 or 7 flowers from the knit, stacked them on top of another, and handstitched them where the ends of the braid meet. I, then, added a button to the center of the flower.

For my cap, I covered 2 buttons with scrap fabric, cut a little rectangle from jersey and formed a bow, handstitched the bow and button where the braid meets, and handstitched another button to the center top of the cap for a beanie feel.




Thanks for looking!

Dora's New Backpack

Ok so, technically, it's not a backpack; but I thought that would be clever to say. It's a carry-on bag and it's quilted.





I was testing a little pattern out because I've been looking for an 18" doll for my little girleen, and Dora was the closest thing we had at home.
I thought it was a cute idea to make this little bag and a few outfits for Dora and the new doll once I get her ordered. Dora is a nice fill-in doll, even though she isn't a full 18 inches.








It consists of 3 coordinating vintage sheets and light batting. It's about 7" long and quilted with straight lines. It is fully lined and has 3 pockets on one side. It can double as my girlie's purse or even a makeup bag or pencil pouch. I think I'm going to keep it for the dolls for now. I am, however, going to draft a bigger one for my daughter so that when we travel she can stop using mine.