Craft: Glitter Shoes

I love glitter. I love it. Actually I love anything shiny (just ask my husband who frequently has to drag me away from jewelry stores...) I love glitter and beads and ribbons and pretty things. So these shoes were totally caught my eye.



But as I'm trying to get out of debt and all, I really didn't think these $576 Christian Louboutin shoes fit into the budget this month. (Oh who am I kidding?! I'll never own a pair of $500 shoes! That's ridiculous!)

And aren't these $325 Kate Spade shoes precious? And only $325! That's it! No biggie, I'll just grab my fancy Chanel wallet here and shell out a few hundred dollar bills and...Wake up people!

So, having said all that, I think we all know we can make these shoes with shoes we already have in our closet for a fraction of what these folks are charging. I used a pair of canvas wedges I had in my closet and my mother-in-law (the decorating guru) gave me the other materials I needed. Which are as follows:

Glitter - any color you like

Decoupage or Modpodge

A disposable paint brush

Spray acrylic (it has to dry clear!!!) or spray glue intended for use with glitter.

A plastic cup

Here we go.

Step one: Lay out some newspaper and set out all your materials.

Step two: Put some decoupage or modpodge in your plastic cup.

Step three (my favorite!): Add glitter. Add lots and lots and lots of glitter. I mixed blue, fushia and silver.

Step four: Start brushing your glitter onto your shoes. Take your time and let it dry between coats.

At first you're going to think "Uhhh, these don't look so great," but trust me, the decoupage/modpodge is going to dry clear and will not affect the look of the glitter. 

(My sweet husband took some pictures of me glittering up my shoes even though I'm pretty sure he was super nervous I would end up coating the house in glitter. This is why I own a Dyson - more on that later.)

After your shoes are completely coated leave them to dry overnight. The next day spray them with acrylic and allow them to dry for as long as the can says.

I'm so stinking thrilled with the way these turned out. I think I'll wear them to a wedding next month with a black dress. 

Happy Crafting!

Craft: Hand Warmers

I made these years ago but I guess I had forgotten about them until Pinterest reminded me. (See? Joining another social network has in fact been good for me. Just wait until you see my next post about the sweater I made today.)

These hand warmers are are so simple anyone can make them (even if you don't have a sewing machine) and so handy everyone in the house will want their own. They only take about 20 minutes to make (10 if you're skilled with a sewing machine) and they can be given as gifts and used over and over.

Necessities:
A piece of soft Fabric (cotton is my favorite)
Thread
A needle
Rice

Directions:
Cut a rectangle of fabric about 3 inches by 6 inches. Fold in half so the pattern is on the inside. Stitch together leaving half of one side open. (If you're using a machine be sure to backstitch on both ends so you don't lose your seam.)

Using a long post it note, create a funnel. Fill bags 3/4 full of rice and hand stitch the opening closed. Microwave for 15 seconds and enjoy the warmth.

My husband likes to put these on the back of his neck after a long day at work. I like to curl up with them on the couch or take them with me in the cold car.

Happy Crafting!

Tiny Jerseys

We usually get my husbands cousin and uncle a bottle of Makers Mark each for Christmas - being from Kentucky and all... But this year their bottles had a little flair - tiny UK jerseys that I sewed and Reeve ironed the letters onto. What do you think?

Craft: Unstuffed Dog Toy

You don't need a fancy unstuffed dog toy to make your dog happy while keeping your house and your dog's g.i. tract clean of cotton batting. I made one today and it only cost me fifty cents. Purchase your stuffed animal at Goodwill, Dollar Tree, or a similar discount store.

Unstuffed dog toy

You will need:
1 Stuffed Animal
A Needle
Thread to match

Directions:

First remove all small item from the animal such as bows, t-shirts or hats. Carefully remove a seam from your stuffed animal. I took the back out of mine. Remove all the stuffing you can reach.



Then turn the animal inside out and carefully remove all the stuffing (and silica if present) from the head, arms and legs.

Once the stuffing has been removed turn the animal right side out and gently hand-wash the animal. I wouldn't use anything stronger than dish detergent. Rinse thoroughly and lay flat to dry. 

Carefully sew the seam back together and give it to your buddy. Enjoy hours of throwing the animal across the room and letting your pal bring it back.

(Doesn't look too pleased to be unstuffed! But he's still super cute!)

Only 1 more day till Judah comes...

Terrific Tuesday: servicepartner!

It's Tuesday, and you know what that means - it's time for another Terrific Tuesday feature!

Today we are going to take a look at servicepartner. Her name is Danielle Bossert and she runs her adorable etsy shop out of Philadelphia. This is how Danielle describes her reason for crafting:

"After living and teaching in East Africa for several years I moved back home to PA. But sadly I moved back to no employment and not many job opportunities.

So..., or should I say "sew", I fired up the old sewing machine and got to work. I created my own job opportunity. Now I can work towards my goal of one day moving back to Africa and concentrating on my volunteer work."

Servicepartner makes books covers, kindle/ereader covers and magazine folders to keep your literature pretty, clean and protected. 

Let's look at a few of her fabulous products:

Here is her ereader cover. This is a hard-cover case that protects your kindle/nook. It is made with fabric and recycled batting (I'm a firm believer in recycling so I love this) and sprayed with Scotch Guard to protect it from stray food and liquids. She makes them to fit your specific ereader and with your choice of fabrics. It folds over so it can be held with one hand (A perk if you are Briana Bolton and you frequently hold your Bible-on-Nook in one hand and your microphone in the other.)

This is the magazine folder. It has four pockets and a pen holder on the inside and is large enough to hold a magazine or any other papers you wish to tote in it. I think this is my personal favorite product she makes. I am always toting budgets and crossword puzzles and magazines and resumes and The Weekender section of our local newspaper. It's also excellent for college students.  It also is sprayed with Scotch Guard to protect the folder and your files.



This one is perfect for college students. It is her Large Book Cover. (It also comes in a smaller size) When I was in college I was always buying book covers to protect my textbooks. I sold most of my books at the end of the year and a good book cover meant more money at the end of the year when I sold it. I also had a tendancy to just throw books in my bag - and ending up with wrinkled or folded covers. This book cover has a stiff fabric to help hold covers in place and keep them in good shape.

It's also great for mommies with little ones. Cover your kids books and toss them in a diaper bag so you can keep them for the next baby to read.  

If you haven't already, give her shop a look and check out her cute fabrics and quality book covers! I know you will be pleased as I was!



Terrific Tuesday: MadeByRori

Today's Terrific Tuesday is right up my alley. I love stamps and notebooks so this hits the spot for me. Her name is Rori Harrington and she runs her esty shop called MadeByRori out of Dallas.

Her moleskine notebooks are so practical and she stamps them up to make them super cute! Cute and practical - very me.


Let me share a few of my favorites with you.

All her notebooks are $8 - which is pretty much on par with what you will pay at your local bookstore, but these are stamped with super cute stamps (the whale is by far my favorite!)

Want a chance to win these for free? Follow her on twitter! Just check out @RoriStories, become a follower and you could win your very own hand-stamped moleskine notebook!

Terrific Tuesday: Boojiboo!

I Love love love this shop. I love it. I cannot stress to you how crazy I am about this etsy shop - so I'm sharing it with you!

Today's featured crafter is Boojiboo - apron expert and classical seamstress!
 Boojiboo is a mother and daughter team from La Mirada, California. These three sew the sweetest aprons and sell them in their shop on etsy.  These aprons are not  only super-cute, they are also well-priced.

Let me share with you a few of my favorite aprons:

The BELLA Vintage Inspired Summertime Paisley Full Apron

 

I love Paisley! I always have! It's so feminine and so cute!

Retro Apron Sweetheart Neckline White Spotted Owl - BELLA

 

So Paisley isn't your thing? Check out these adorable owls! The are totally cute and very very unique!

The CHLOE Vintage Inspired Black and White Polka Dot Full Apron

  

 

 If you want somthing a little more classic this apron is your gal! It doesn't get more classic than polka dots! I like this one because it's black and much less likely to be stained by dirty brownie-batter hands!

The MAGGIE Vintage Inspired Cafe Latte Coffee Full Apron

 

 

I love the little coffee cups!!!  It's so...cozy.

Vintage Inspired Louisiana Spicy Gumbo Half Apron

I'm not quite as crazy about this one, but I wanted to feature a half apron since they make those as well.

All of their aprons sell for $28.75 - about what you would pay at any home goods store.  I get the feeling Reeve might even get me one for our next gift giving holiday! Wander around their shop for a while and then maybe go make a batch of cookies...

...or three...

 

 

Terrific Tuesday - paperlaundry!

My cousin-by-marriage, Stacy Leigh Hutchens has a fabulous blog. On her fabulous blog she has a fabulous feature called Feature Friday. I love this idea and I think I'm going to borrow it, but instead of Feature Friday I'm going to do Terrific Tuesday - because Tuesdays always need a little more sushine than other days. We haven't made it to the middle of the week yet and we are just starting to realize how far away the weekend is.

So for my first Terrific Tuesday I'd like to feature paperlaundry! My former coworker introduced me to her shop on Etsy a few months ago. I love to make and receive greeting cards, and these are top notch!


Check out this super cute card:

And this one:

And this one!

All her super-cute cards come with matching envelopes and are very reasonably priced - often less than you would pay for a mass-produced greeting card. She fills custom orders and she has an appreciation for the hand-made and the well-made - something we value at The Cluttered Table.

Give her shop a visit by clicking here and mention that you saw her featured on The Cluttered Table.

I LOVE the I'm Pulling for You card! What's your favorite card?