Dear November & December

Dear November and December,
You came and you went and I hardly spent time with you. House hunting (and finding! and packing!) took up most of the last month, as well as Holiday plans over the last few weeks.
With several projects started and not yet finished (all gifts, of course), I'll just have to crunch some extra posts into December. After all, tis the season for crafting! Unfortunately, all of my gifts are for people who read this blog... putting me in a little pickle for posting, since all of my crafting has been for gifting lately. 

So, in the spirit of surprise, I'll post a bunch of stuff after Christmas. And then after we close on our FIRST HOUSE in January, I'll be posting house and decor crafts!!! I can't wait!

Thank you all for visiting and understanding :)

Happy crafting and gifting, y'all!

Bridget

Glam Witch Skirt

I have been looking for an excuse to make a big skirt for a long time, and when better to dress up than Halloween? I want to be a glam witch for Halloween but you can adapt this tutorial to whatever you want, or even make a dress for a special occasion. I was practically giddy when I figured out how easy it would be to make a skirt like this – perfect for a last minute costume idea!

Glam Witch Skirt

What you will need:
- 2.5 yards of fabric (look for fabric that will billow nicely) (your length will depend on your height – see tutorial) (add a second solid fabric of same amount if your outer fabric is sheer like mine, I used taffetta)
- 2 inch wide elastic (measure waist for length)
- 2 inch or larger wide ribbon
- The Usual Suspects: sewing machine, thread, scissors

Step 1: To start, measure the length of your skirt with a measuring tape. I stepped on the end of the tape and held it up to my waist (or the height I wanted my skirt). Mine came to about 36 inches. Double that for the length of fabric you will need. Go buy your fabric. I had to buy two fabrics for this skirt because I couldn’t let go of a sheer fabric I found – but it is NOT necessary to have two layers if you have a solid fabric.

Step 2: Trim the edges of your fabric. With right sides together, serge sides together. Then hem bottom of skirt. Do this for your second fabric as well if you have one. Leave the tops unhemmed at this point.

Step 3: With skirt inside out fold top over to create a 2.5 inch hem (enough room for 2 inch elastic) (if two fabrics, fold together) . Sew hem all the way around, leaving a small opening at end.

Hint: If you are working with two fabrics, make sure they have the same width – mine did not have the same width and I had to pleat my outer fabric – annoying.

Step 4: Feed elastic through opening and sew ends together back at opening. Sew opening of hem closed.

Step 5: Use ribbon as accent to complete skirt. Maybe even add belt loops!

TIP: I did not taper the fabric at my waist – just used the fabric width as is. I would recommend tapering it at the waist to reduce bulk at the waistline. Beginner’s mistake haha.

Enjoy! Hey, big girls like to dress up too, right? :)

         

          

Happy Halloween!
Cheers,
Bridget XOXO

Spooky Spider Plate

Halloween is one of the BEST holidays of the year. Or maybe Fall is just the best season of the year and I love all that it encompasses. That seems more accurate. The brisk chill in the air, foliage, pumpkins, long sleeve shirts… I could go on and on.

Last year was the first year I started decorating for Halloween. Joe and I always get pumpkins but since we’re just starting out we our sincere novices in holiday deco – I think that’s how it starts though, right? You start one year and slowly build on your decoration collection and each year you get better and better at it. Last year I made a bunch of Plush Pumpkins and then raided Homegoods on November 1 for super cheap decorations. I’m trying to make more this year, so I’m starting with a Spooky Spider Plate:

What you will need:
- Oil based paint pens
- Plate (any size you like, could be from thrift store or an extra from your cabinet. I used one from a set I bought that was discounted because some pieces were broken)

1. Clean your plate and dry well.

2. Find an image of a spider web online – or just wing it if you're confident! I did a practice draw with a pencil on a piece of paper.

3. Using your paint pens, draw out your web on the plate – it doesn’t have to be perfect – a little imperfection makes it look more authentic (at least I think so). Then draw in your spider.

4. I trimmed the edge with a gold paint pen to finish it off.

5. Lastly, put your plate in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

  

My little display, most of which was grabbed on sale after Halloween last year – I’ve been waiting to put that silver skull out for almost a year!

Happy Halloween!

Thanks for stopping by!
Cheers,
Bridget XOXO

“Just the Neck” Fleece Cuff

After a few Fall-flavored days at the end of September, Joe got a little excited and opened up his snowboarding bag. He had been thinking of his favorite neck cuff and wanted to wear it on a long run he had coming up – he likes it because he can pull it up over his ears and nose if he wants. After trying to convince me that the smell was “how it’s always been”, he kindly asked me to make him a new one – something we lovingly deemed “just the neck” (of a turtleneck); because really, that’s what it is. So here it is: how to make “just the neck”.

What you will need:

Fleece (less than half a yard)
The Usual Suspects: thread, sewing machine, scissors, ruler

1. Cut your fabric – I cut a rectangle 26” wide x 12” tall ( you can always adjust to your needs if you want it taller. We kept the the width small so that it could be pulled up over his nose and stay there if he wanted it to.)

2. Fold fabric in half “the hamburger way” so that the two short ends meets and right side of fabric is in. Pin and sew ends together. Trim excess.

3. Fold top edge down to finish edge – pin. Sew seam by pulling fabric taught when stitching – this will allow the fabric to still stretch after sewn. Repeat with bottom edge.

Done!

 

 

 

Very simple; basically a tube with finished edges. I figured I would post this tutorial even though we in the Northeast have 80 degree weather in October right now. This is for those of you who are looking for gift ideas to get started on for the Holidays and those of you in the Rockies who will be getting snow in the next few days!

Thanks for stopping by!
Cheers!
Bridget, XOXO

Flannel Pillowcases

It's my Brother's 23rd birthday today and I made him some awesome pillow cases. Ever since we were kids Elliot has always loved flannel sheets and pillowcases. It got to a point where the one set we had for him that was covered in Christmas themes (snowmen, Santa, Christmas trees, etc) started to be used year round. I could even venture to guess that the pillowcases could still be in use today... but I think I'd rather not know. So for the last few years I've been making Elliot flannel pillow cases for his birthday as an ode to our childhood.
I used a regular old pillow case I had in my closet as a measure and made them a little long so that I could cuff the opening. They're fun, they’re soft, and they're used - which makes them all the more special. No, they do not usually match his sheets. But he's 23... and he could really care less.



1. Measure your pillow case on a fold if you are using one fabric. I used two, so I had to cut two rectangles.

2. Sew three edges together with right sides - two long sides and one short. (if you cut on a fold and have only one piece of fabric, sew on long side and one short side with right side in).

3. Cuff your opening and pin - remember, your pillowcase is still inside out at this point. Sew the raw edge down.




4. Flip your pillow case right side in and press.

It is THAT simple!

Note: when sewing the edges I found it best to serge them - this presents with less fraying later and holds up better than just a straight seam.

Fun fabrics make this project the most fun - and personable!

Thanks for stopping by!
Cheers,
Bridget XOXO

Sweet Baby Bibs

Another wave of babies is coming! A handful of my friends and coworkers are pregnant or new moms! What a perfect way for me to get back into sewing. I fell off the wagon a tad earlier this Summer and have been struggling to find inspiration – and to save all of you from weak, half-*ssed posts, I decided it would be best if I just wait until inspiration strikes again. And thank god it did… I was getting worried for a little while there. And really, I am so much happier when I am making something out of inspiration and not necessity or force. Can you relate?
So here are some simple but pretty and practical baby bibs. Made with beautiful fabrics but backed with terry cloth for those dribbles and drools, piped with bias tape for a finished look. Great practice for edging curves!


What you will need:
- Patterned fabric (preferably cotton – washes and wears better)
- Terry cloth by-the-yard (can get expensive- use a coupon or get on sale)
- Biased tape (I bought mine this time, but you can make your own or use ribbon)
- The Usual Suspects: Sewing machine, scissors, thread, etc.

1. Use a pattern to trace the shape of a bib on your fabric. You can download a bib pattern easily from Pinterest or trace an old bib or sketch your own like I did. Here, I used my mock-up to trace.

2. Because I’m making more than one bib, I doubled up my fabric and cut two bibs at once. I then did the same for my terry cloth. I bought one yard of terry cloth and cut it into squares to maximize the amount of bibs I could get out of it (I think I got about 12!) (my bibs are 9 inches wide by 13 inches long)

Beware: terry cloth makes a mess – just a warning. It will get annoying.

3. Topstitch your terry cloth bib and your fabric bib together.

Note: I traced the bib as one piece with a hole for the neck first. Then once I sewed all the edges I cut the middle of the top to separate. It made keeping track of my lines and pieces much easier as I topstitched.

4. Pin your bias tape and sew carefully around the entire edge of the bib.


5. Add velcro or snaps to the tabs.


6. Press and voila!


Makes a sweet, personal and useable gift for new moms… you could even make some matching door jammers!

Thanks for stopping by!
Cheers,
Bridge
XOXO

Pajama Shorts

Last Christmas I made Joe a pair of fleece pajama pants that were a cinch to put together. I used this tutorial at Pretty Prudent and just used “big kid” pants haha.

The other day I realized that I have only two pairs of pajama/ lounge shorts and I have been wearing them all summer long for several years…. mmm. Unfortunately, I am trying to save every penny for a house so I don’t want to go shopping (we all know I won’t just buy shorts). And, I live in an apartment/condo complex with neighbors all around – going sans shorts is also not an option. Sorry, neighbors.

So I adapted this pajama pants tutorial to make shorts!

Thanks for stopping by!
Cheers,
Bridget XOXO

Hose Battle Rope

Joe has been hunting for battle ropes to add to his workout gear collection and has completely lucked out on finding anything within a reasonable price range. Battle ropes range from $100 – $150 and as we save for a house and a wedding, that just wasn’t going to do. So we got to brainstorming and researching and we decided to make one.

What you will need:
50’ Garden Hose – $15
10-20lbs of play sand (the kind that goes in sandboxes) - $3
Duct tape
1. Duct tape one end of the hose closed.
2. Fill with sand. Be patient, it takes some time to shake the sand all the way down the hose as you go.
Tip: make sure the sand is dry – we left ours out in the sun for a few days first.
3. Duct take the second end closed
This battle rope ended up being 16lbs total – you could experiment with different fillers to change the weight. The total cost of this battle rope: $18 – a far cry from $100.
I hope we can inspire you to make some of your own workout equipment!

Thanks for stopping by!
Cheers,
Bridget XOXO

We're Engaged!!

Ok, I'm gushing. I can't help it. I haven't been posting lately because something wonderful and exciting has happened - I got engaged!

Joe and I have been together for almost four years. We met when I was in college and our relationship has grown tenfold in the time we have been together. He is my best friend, my confidant, my superman, and my rock. He is my coach, my bug- smasher, my muscles, and my motivation to remember that life should be LIVED. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I could not be more proud to spend the rest of my life with him.

Thank you for celebrating with us. I cannot wait to unleash the BILLIONS of wedding DIY projects that will be coming in the future. I hope you will join me on this exciting journey!

Cheers, 

Bridget XOXO

Beer Bottle Lights

One of Joe’s favorite new beers comes in the best bottles and I had to do something with them. I love the idea of using bottles for light fixtures and chandeliers. I can’t change the light fixtures in my apartment, but I did come up with another way to use these bottles.
We have more Christmas lights than we should (we got a bit over-zealous the last few years around the holidays), so I dug up a strand and took some time stuffing them into these bottles. It worked perfectly! The bottles look like they’re filled with fireflies – seriously makes me think of summer. If I had a place to hang them I could tape the tops to secure the bottles to the light strand and hang them like string lights. I really hope someone does that haha.


I took the labels off, but learn from me and do it first. It was a pain doing it after putting the lights in. The price I pay for changing my mind!


 

Thanks for stopping by!
Cheers,
Bridget

Chain Drop Earrings

Pinterest has done it again… I love finding little inspirations and projects, especially fast and simple ones. This one took me two minutes and I love them so much I might make more and just gift them to people for the hell of it. I made these pretty drop earrings with the help of this site. A little bit of chain, a few beads, and  earring hooks. Check them out and make some for yourself!

 

Thanks for stopping by!
Cheers!

Bridget

Beach Wine Glasses

A good friend of mine at work is heading on a trip to Long Beach Island, NJ next month and I’ve been looking for a fun little gift to send with her. She has been amazing helping me transition into my new position as an ICU nurse and she deserves a little something.
I’ve been holding onto these wine glasses for quite a while, hoping to decorate them for something. This was a perfect way to use them!

What you will need:
Wine glasses
Sharpie Oil-based paint pens

I painted some waves and used the gold metallic pen to color in the base for sand. And of course, nothing says tropical oasis more than starfish! haha. Once you are done drawing, put it in the oven at 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes.

 

Thanks for stopping by!
Cheers!

Bridget
XOXO