Still Stashbusting - Cozy Sweater Pillow

Oh Baby it's so good to be back!  After a week from YoU KnoW WherE... I have another Stashbusting September, repurpose, reuse project to share with you today.  It's perfect for those chilly days and nights we will all be seeing soon or when you just need to snuggle up all cozy like and hide under a blanket!

quick update, Alexis is well although we found no reason for the headaches yet (frustrating) but no excess water on the brain this time (good thing)!  She is back in school after missing 5 days.  My mom is still in the hospital, she had a bad bacterial infection in her lungs and was diagnosed with Atrial Fib and Diabetes.  Praying for her return home in the next few days or so.

Now you may not remember, waaaaaay back in April I purchased those few sweaters from a local thrift store on the CHeAP here.  Now, believe it or not, I have not done a thing with them yet
(I know...shocker, right?) 

The mood struck so I went with it and decided to make the bigger white sweater into a nice cozy pillow.  I'm a hugger.  So much so that my kids (at times) tell me to 'get off' (oh so lovingly).  If I'm in a chair or curled up on the couch... I need a pillow to hug and cuddle with.  (oh poor me!)

So first things first after washing and drying it, I simply laid it out flat.
(Why I felt you needed to see a photo of that... I really don't know!)

Using a pillow I had picked up for oh I think $2.49 I eyeballed the square I would need to cut from the sweater to make the cover and cut it out.  I used both the front and back torso section of the sweater.

You see the cutout portion of the sweater below.  Take out the handy dandy sewing machine and simply sew all four sides (right sides togeather).   If you are not a sewer, simply use a long length of coordinating yarn to whipstich your sides togeather.   You do not need to leave a side open for stuffing the pillow because the front buttons are still there to open and close.

*helpful hint:  Remove the top and bottom buttons from the square you cut so you do not break all of your sewing needles as you accidentally try to sew over them ... not that I did that or anything... yeah right!

When sewn simply unbutton, flip right side out, stuff with a pillow form and

Viola!

Instant, comfy cozy sweater pillow!

Bonus: It's easy to take off and throw in the washer whenever needed!

I can't leave you today without extending some huge Thank You Hugs!

Hugs and Welcome to some new followers I see, so glad to have you here!

Hugs and Luvs to all of you who keep coming back and visiting Tiaras and Bowties...especially when I need to bug out for a while and deal with the medical issues of my daughter and family!

I cannot put into words the gratitude I have for you all!

Hugs and Thanks to Emily from Insanity Rules for allowing me to participate in her Birthday Giveaway last week (and for taking over the giveaway on her blog while I dealt with my family issues)!  Em, you are the BesTesT!!!

Hurry!

Just a reminder to head over to Insanity Rules this week!  It's Emily's birthday Giveaway week.  These great Bloggers are all hosting great giveaways this week in celebration:



                                                                           Bacon Time

Insanity Rules

To Sew With Love

Time Well Spent

Ma Nouvelle Mode

Positively Peaches

Buggaboominimrandme

                                                                   Including MySelF!!!

       You could win one of my handpainted Corney Candy Corn to decorate for Halloween!

Make sure you follow T&B via GFC, or heart my Etsy shop

then head over to Insanity Rules and CoMMeNT my friends!

Emily is hosting T & B's part of the giveaway there due to some family emergencies here
(which I totally appreciate, by the way!)
Wonderful stuff!!!!
Make sure you tell her 'Happy Birthday!'

I'll be back soon peeps with some more great craftiness!

Insanity!

Well hello Lovlies! 

         InSaNiTY !

                                That's how my weeks going!

I am participating in Emily's 30th Birthday Giveway this week over at Insanity Rules!


 I am thrilled to be offering this sweet crazy little guy to celebrate! 

 Please head over to Insanity Rules right now to get the details. 

Emily is such a doll!  She has offered to post and run this giveaway for me there...

My daughter Alexis has been suffering from headaches from her Pseudotumor cerebri for a bit and is going under anesthesia tomorrow for a procedure, then... my Mom was rushed and admitted to a different hospital this afternoon.  To say I am exhausted, nervous, anxious, and a bit scatterbrained right now is an understatement! 

So please head over to Insanity Rules and visit Emily... I promise you will not be disappointed!

Gift Bag Turned Wall Art - The Not So Functional Housewife

I am super psyched to have Angela from The Not So Functional Housewife here with us today!  She is uber talented and a super sweet bloggie friend.  I am thrilled to have her visit and share one of her newest tutes with me and all of you!  Be sure to stop by and say Hello to Angela, her blog is chock full of wonderful tutes, ideas and even a My Memories Scrapbook Software Giveaway running right now until September 23rd!   Thank you for sharing with us Angela...so, Take it Away!

Hello, Tiaras and Bowties readers! I’m Angela from The Not So Functional Housewife. I’m a stay at home mom to two wonderful kiddos and wife to a very patient and supportive husband. I started my blog as a way to share the crafts that I make and to escape from my daily routine.

 I’m so excited that Kim asked me to do a guest post for her wonderful readers!

 I thought it would be fun to show you a project that I made for my daughter’s room so that you can make one too.

 I received an adorable gift bag with my Mother’s Day goodies in it. I instantly knew that I wanted to keep it and turn it into something. It was too cute to just throw away or let it be used to hold another present. I had to display it!

 

 

 Quite slowly, I have been making things for her room and will start working on my son’s room next. His is a bit tougher for me because it’s easier for me to make girly things.

 Here are a couple of the things that I’ve made for her:

Topiary Lamp

Altered Picture Frame

 Let’s get started on turning a gift bag into wall art.

The supplies I used are:

* A 5.25” x 6” Shadow Box

* White Paint

* Double Sided Tape

* Thread

* Tissue Paper

* Two buttons

* A beautiful gift bag

* Scissors

* And my handy dandy glue gun

The first thing I did was take the glass out of the shadow box and paint it white. I didn’t worry about painting the inside because it’s going to be covered up.

 While it was drying, using the insert as a pattern, I cut the part of the gift bag that I wanted to show… down to size.

Once the shadow box was dry, I sanded it a bit to distress it. Then, I placed a couple of pieces of tape on the bag and pressed it into place.


Tissue Paper Flowers:

To make these little flowers, I used 6 pieces of tissue paper cut into approximately 3”x3” squares. For the small flower, it was approximately 2”x2” squares.

 After layering the pieces of tissue paper, I folded them in an accordion style. Tied a piece of string around the middle and cut the edges into a curve on both ends.

 Then, I gently pulled the layers apart to from the flowers.

 I glued the flowers in place using my hot glue gun and attached the buttons.

 

Cute and simple!

I even have enough of the gift bag left to make another one or use on a different project.

Thank you so much, Kim, for giving me the opportunity to share one of my projects with your readers!

I hope you enjoy making this project as much as I did!


Thanks so much Angela for sharing this beautiful piece of art with us!

TooT {TuTe} Thursday - Somebody's Watching Me!

Somebody's watching me today as I prepare Toot {TuTe} Thursday.
Ever feel like somebody's CReePily watching you? 
With this quick and easy mummy eyed treat jar for Halloween you will.

This project takes so little time and just a few items you probably already have in your craft stash.
I am still participating in the month long Stashbusting September Challenge (Click button in sidebar for more information).

All you need is a container of some sort.  I used a small glass salsa jar with the label removed.  Stips of cheesecloth, google eyes, 1 piece of white paper (any type), and Mod Podge.

First I coated the jar with my Mod Podge and tore my printer paper into strips and wrapped the glass.  This step simply is a base so you cannot see thru the jar.  Cheesecloth or gauze is very sheer and this first step simply allows you to use less cheescloth to get the same effect!

Next, using the MP as glue I stuck sets of google eyes randomly around the jar. 

As I stated earlier, this project is so fast as there is really no need to wait for any dry time, you want it to be wet with MP.

Starting anywhere, begin to wrap and twist 1/2 inch width lenths of the cheesecloth around and around the jar.

I used about 8-10 stips to achieve the depth I wanted.

When wrapping be sure to have the cheesecloth overlap the tops and bottoms of the google eyes.

Knot & Twist as you go allowing the frayed edges of your 'mummy' to show.

To finish I simply took a double layer of cheesecloth and added a simply knot bow to the top of the jar to finish the edge.  Add candy or a tea light and now you TOO will never feel alone!

Sunny Front Door - Stashbuster

Happy Tuesday everyone!  Today was 'Back to School Day' here at the Sminkey household.  Alexis started her first day of high school today and Austin started 5th grade.  They were both excited yet anxious to see what the day had in store for them.  I have to admit I am one of those silly mommies who does not look forward to this day.  I kinda miss my kids!  I know, I know... yes I do look forward to the ability to have some ME time too!

I needed to turn this dreary (mentally and weather wise) day a bit brighter.  So I hit my little stash of faux flowers and headed for the front door.  Yes, I'm still trying to be good and bust through some craftie stash!

I've had this creamy white tin, which is quite large, on my creamy white door for some time now

...empty.

I added some large creamy mums, yellow daisy like flowers, and some reddish brown faux eucalyptis for a sunny pop of fall color for the front door. 

Lastly, a ribbon wrapped and tied in a bow finished the look.

It certainly brightened my day a bit!



Corney Halloween Decor - Stashbusting September

Hello Hello! 

We continue to clear out the last remanants of wetness from our basement, busting through my craft stash hasn't been as hard as I thought since most of it met the big green garbage truck this week.  BUT, don't you worry!  There's plenty of crap craft stash around here.  Every great craftaholic hoarder has many stashes, don't they?  And on a side note, we were able to salvage most of our precious photos as well, most have water damage but we worked hard at drying them out.  I will be working soon to scan all of them to a disc for SAFE keeping (thanks Andie).

I've been thinking forward (as you know) to fall and Halloween.  Figured since I lost alot of decor as well in the flood I needed to get crackin' on some new stuff.  With some left over thin wood and some paint (all on hand) I came up with this cute Corney Couple.

Just cut fun rounded triangular shapes from the wood.

Painted orange, yellow and white...colors blended where they meet.

Add fun little faces with some paint and a liner brush

and you have the cutest corniest little couple to welcome Halloween!

Hey, all you non-painters out there... you can do this too!  They would look adorable made from some really cute scrap book paper layers in a frame.  You could use sharpie markers to draw the faces on since they come in such fun colors now!

They are cute hanging with a picture hook on back, or tucked into flower pots as shown.

I'm thinking of doing a whole buncha corney candies to line my front walkway by attaching them to wood stakes in the ground!

It's not too late to join in on the Stashbusting September Fun!

Wishing you all a wonderful Holiday Weekend...time to enjoy these last moments of summer and ready your hearts and homes for the upcoming fall season! Many thanks to all of my lovely bloggie friends, your support and kindness continues to amaze me!  Remember to Think Smink, and I'll see ya soon!

Kim

I'll be linkin up this week with some great parties...listed now in my footer!

Crafting with a Cause

 

I'm taking a break today from Stashbusting September to share with you a crafter with a cause.

As the mother of a daugher with special needs I am fully aware of the joy that child can bring.

I am also fully aware of the emotional, physical and financial strain that can result as well.

I'm honored to have Emily from Insanity Rules here today to announce the opening of and story behind

Shaye Lee's Place on Etsy!

Please take a moment to get to know Emily then head on over to her family's new shop!

Hello there Tiara and Bow Tie readers. I'm Emily from Insanity Rules and I'm stopping by today to tell you about the new etsy shop set up by my mom, sister, and I.  Sometimes in life we are given the opportunity to join
together and help others in their lives. In July of this year a ray of sunshine
joined our family. My niece Shaye Lee was born. Shaye Lee was born with a
condition known as ABS, Amniotic Band Syndrome.  It has caused abnormalities in her little hands.   With the cost of many surgeries
and the hospital which is over two hours away, the expenses for my brother and
his little family will be great. So many family members and friends wanted to
know how they could help, and thus Shaye Lee’s Place came to be. A way to
help.  100 percent of the profits
from the shop will be put into Shaye’s medical account. The Items in our shop
have been handmade by me, my mom, sister and special friends.

We offer a variety of items such as 

Fabulous jewelry

Also some great baby gifts like rag blankets and these fun tutus.

As well as some great home decor for any wall in your house.

At Shaye Lee's Place we are bringing
some Quality handmade goodness to you and in return you are blessing our “Little
Sunshine” and her family.  Thanks Kim for letting me share my shop with you and your readers. Please stop by and check us out. We also do custom tutus and word frames. Just let us know if your looking for something specific we love to help people out. Have a wonderful day y'all!

Emily,
Thank you for allowing me to share your story and the incredible work you are doing for your neice!

Crackling with Elmer

As I've been clearing the craft crap from the dining room, I've been trying to spruce it up a bit as I go along. I'm am admittedly one of those people who still doesn't quite know what my style is.  I'm loving a look of French Country, a touch of Tuscany, with a wee bit of Shabby Unique Chic mixed in.   So I have a few pieces of furniture in that room that have needed some sprucing up and I've decided to just go for it!  Starting with an old bookshelf we've held onto... I wanted it to look old, chippy... and white.

For about as long as I've been painting, whenever I've wanted an old rustic type of finish on furniture or wood I've relied on store bought crackle mediums to achieve my result.  Guess what?!?  I don't have any!  But, with the upcoming Stashbusting September challenge I've chosen to participate in and the sheer MaSS of craft crap I've been going through... heading out to the craft store is just not an option.  My ever shrinking budget will thank me for getting in the busting spirit a bit early too!  I remember reading via a blog (Lord knows which one now so as to give proper credit) that you can use good old fashioned school glue to achieve the same results.  Being the skeptic I am I was a bit worried but part of this whole challenge is to use what you've got...

Yes, this is the same bookself... all a part of the "don't know what I want" process!  When we originally aquired it was a solid old creamy white which we painted black ( so into the black distressed movement then) and it served a purpose as an entertainment unit.  Since hubby brought in another tv unit the shelf moved to the dining room.  Since then it's been a bright teal (hated it) then a chocolate brown (hated it) and will now become what's in my head - a beautiful old cracked and chippy white.

Ok, so I gathered all of my supplies: white paint from the $1 bin @ HD, small 'weenie roller' as the hubs calls them, an OLD paint brush, left over Elmer's glue from last years school stash, and an old chinese take out container (to hold the paint).

Next, I squirted the Elmer's glue in patches along the top and side edges of the piece in big puddles.  As you can see in the photo above, I just used the old brush to smooth it out, fading into the center top where I felt the crackles would most likely occur on an old piece of furniture. 

The directions then suggested to wait 4-5 hours for the glue to dry. But Oh, No... Not I... I immediately started to apply the white to the wet glue.  I used  a heavy thick coat over the patches of glue because you cannot go back over those spots or the crackle will not work.

You can see here how the paint starts to "shrink" as it dries over the glue creating the cracks.  Be very careful not to touch it until it is completely dry or the paint will lift off and shift around.  I am pretty satisfied with the look I've achieved using this common household item. 

Now I'm off to sand and chip up the edges a bit; perhaps add some wax to protect it.  By the way, YeS, the interior shelving is still the bright teal blue... I'm doing a little something special in there but that's a suprise for next time!