Walnut Manger Ornaments $3

I helped RE make these to give all of her friends at Christmastime. We got walnuts from Charlotte Carson's tree, but you can buy loose walnuts in the produce section for cheap once autumn hits. Crack them carefully, trying to get two really solid halves. Clean them out. Paint the shells gold (spray or acrylic). We bought a 12-pack of Mardi Gras King Cake Baby Dolls for $2.99 at Partyland to use for the baby Jesus. Snip the arms and legs off with wire cutters (the plastic babies are too big to fit in a walnut half). Wrap the baby in scraps of fabric (I had a little french ticking left) and glue to inside of walnut shell. Hot glue scraps of trim around the perimeter of the shell. Her little gift tags said GOOD THINGS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES.

My siblings and I always hid a little walnut ornament in the Christmas tree when we were kids. It was a sleeping mouse (whose face was made from an acorn) in a walnut bed with a patchwork quilt tucking him in. So cute. I loved hiding the walnut.

Cloth Napkin Bunting $6

I received these napkins as a wedding gift. I seldom use them. (Fire engine red is a little too saturated for my home's liking.)

So I chopped them up and made patriotic buntings to hang at our cabin every July 4th.

I made a triangle template from a piece of cardstock and traced it on my napkins and other fabric. (I bought navy, cream and red fat quarters for $1 at Walmart.)

I sewed two triangles right-sides-together, turned them inside-out and ironed them to get crisp edges. Then I sewed 1/4" from the edges to reinforce the shape. I inserted the finished triangles into the folds of navy extra wide double fold bias tape. I made 8 flags per bunting and spaced them 4.5" apart. (I would have preferred to make 9 flags since these things always look better with an odd number of shapes, but hey, sometimes life only gives you enough fabric to make 8.)

The bias tape came in 3 yard lengths, which was perfect. Each pack of bias tape was under $2. Bias tape is manufactured in several colors. Sew the bias tape's non-folded end shut with the triangles inserted inside. Last step: make a loop with the end of the bias tape and zigzag it in place for hanging.

I was able to make two 9-foot buntings with the fat quarters and napkins.

Buntings are awesome. As awesome as cake bites. I'm sure they are both fads that will pass but for now I am loving them both.

Footie Pajama Mooshy Bunnies $0

RE's old footie pajamas. They used to have feet, but RE is growing like a weed these days and I had to whack the feet off and give her elastic cuffs so that she could continue wearing them all winter.

Created by Holly Keller of Beeper Bébé. Pattern for her bunnies found here.

Materials needed:

Fabric for the bunny (old clothes/real purchased fabric)

Polyester stuffing

Embroidery floss and needle (for the face)

Pom-pom tail

I obviously altered the pattern a bit. I did not use old striped tees (though so cute). I opted to use the stuff I had, which was dessert-motif fleece. I was able to make seven bunnies with RE's pajamas.

I didn't stuff them as much as the tutorial shows. I wanted them more like those Minky squares that have animal heads attached. I also didn't choke my bunnies. I liked their necks loose.

I made RE's Mooshy Bunny the day she had the 24-hour flu bug. She was so happy to get a prize on a sick day. RE is also a very tidy girl and can't handle stuffed animals on her bed, so she likes this bunny because he tucks in the pocket of her backrest pillow. He's very small. Just the right size for a tweeny 11-year-old that is stuck between wanting to be a teenager and a little girl.

Lampshade Birdcage $1

 

I had a couple of old lampshades from my house I used for these, but I also bought some at D.I. for $1/piece. You just want to get a lampshade that has the metal rib cage. They are harder to find than you might suppose.

Slash through the shade fabric and remove what comes off easily. Soak the lampshades in hot soapy water. The glue will loosen up and you can rip the remaining fabric off with pliers. Once dry, pick any leftover glue off. I use my fingernails, but needlenose pliers would probably be better. Or a razor blade. I like the patina of the metal shades. If the shades are white I cover them with washi tape.

Make birds with fabric scraps. I got the pattern for my bird from this book. Sew little embellishments on your birds. I collect all sorts of trinkets, so I sewed little bits to my birds because I think it makes them interesting. RE named this bird "From Paris With Love."

 

 

 

Decorate your cage with anything. I have wired buttons and sewing notions on one, crystals and beads to another, and left some blank. You could do any theme you want. I used stamped clothespins from French General to make a perch in one of my cages. Really, the possibilities are endless, and I decorate my cage with the recipient in mind (their style, their colors, etc).

Attach the birds to the cage with fishing line and crimp beads. Yes, more fishing line and crimp beads. I told you I have an endless supply.

Hang the cage however you wish. I have done clear fishing line, braided embroidery floss, ribbon remnants, and jute. Just use what you have. Don't go buy something!

If you don't have a lampshade, use other clever objects. I made this one out of an antique sewing hoop for my sister Suz because she sews custom baby bedding for a living.

Emergency Chocolate Bag from Old Shirt <$2

Materials needed:

Old shirt to use as fabric

Fusible interfacing (Pellon 808 = what I used, $1.25/yd and this was less than 1/8 yd)

7" zipper (What I had to buy...about $1.25 at Walmart)

Embellishments to attach to zipper end if desired

Sewing machine

This is the tutorial I used to sew the zipper to the fabric and lining. Follow the tutorial roughly and just ignore how she's using vinyl and a longer zipper. I followed her instructions until the picture where it starts with "Use a safety pin...". Once the zipper is in, unzip it, keep the project inside out, sew the side seams, and then turn the whole thing right side out. You're done. I used a crochet hook to poke the corners out. You can start with any sized rectangle you want, but my rectangles were 7.5" wide and about 7" long.  

The shirt was pretty sheer so I ironed interfacing to the outer panel and let the lining remain thin. I added a crystal fob for the zipper pull with fishing line and crimp beads. You know, from my endless stash of fishing line and crimp beads.

I don't want to say a caveman could do it (because zippers scare me) but it wasn't bad.

I made this for my mom for Mother's Day. I call it the "Emergency Chocolate Bag" and it is for her purse. Every woman needs some chocolate at the most inopportune time whether it's in traffic, waiting at the doc, sitting in a meeting, after a hike, to enhance a flight delay, etc. Sometimes we need chocolate and we don't have any. Hence why I made the bag and a dozen refills. Also, sometimes you come across someone during your errands that is having a massively horrible day- like a grumpy checker, a mother of children having synchronized tantrums, or someone that looks lonely. Voila! You can give THEM some chocolate (still sealed...less creepy when coming from a stranger) and make their day.

I also made a "Kate & Will" version for my aunt that holds a bag of Haribo gummi bears, because she always has those in her purse. This isn't a ReDEUX since I had to buy the fabric...