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!!!

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!

Stashbusting September Challenge

Are you up for a challenge?  I'm signing up with Pinkapotamus and T-Shirt Diaries this September to

BUST

my CrAFt StAsH!

 My crap craft stash is starting to take on a life of it's own!My craftastic To Do list is more than a mile long, not to mention all the money spent for the craft of the moment supplies... which I never seem to get a moment to do! Now is the time!  Hop on over to T-Shirt Diaries or Pinkapotomous and join the challenge with me! 

Some of the Rules:

Stashbusting September blogs are voluntarily giving up buying crafting supplies for the month of September. They promise to:

Link your blog (the main page please not an individual post) to the linky here or here. The linky will be open until September 3th at Midnight.

Craft for personal use only with items they have on hand. No buying new craft supplies, even if you are shopping at Goodwill or garage sales. It is all about busting your craft supply at hand and actually doing those projects you bought all the stash for in the first place. (Buying craft supplies for business use IS permitted)

Think of unique and creative ways to use items they were thinking of throwing out (diaper boxes to fabric covered storage bins, pencil holders from soup cans, upcycled clothing, etc.) Think outside of the box.

Try to make at least one upcycled craft item this month. Upcycled craft items from Stashbusting September can be entered into the Stashbusting contest for a rocking prize from our top secret for now, sponsor.

Proudly post the Stashbusting September button on their website so everyone knows they are busting some stash.

Check back to find out other blogs that are busting some stash.

 To be entered in the Stashbusting September contest (the link will be up September 1st) you must link your project up to the Stashbusting September link.

What are you waiting for?   Head over and sign up... join me in this challenge.  Hopefully the craft stores won't go bankrupt losing my business for just one month! 

Much love & Keep Thinkin Smink
Kim