Hold Me

I was burning CDs and didn't have any cases. So I grabbed some cardstock from a previous project to make CD envelopes. I didn't have a glue stick and I thought tape wouldn't look right. So I folded the cardstock over and sewed the sides. It was so fast, easy, and there was no mess and no dealing with trying to line up tape. I love my sewing machine.

I Could Do That For Cheaper...

I like good deals. I shop the 75% off rack at Target so when I see a full priced shirt I like, I hem and haw. If I just wait...but then they might not have my size...but then how much do I like it. So this time I looked at a shirt and thought, I could make that for cheaper. I set off to find a super baggy shirt. I couldn't find a striped one so I had to paint the stripes myself later. I think this project would have been perfect if I could have found a striped shirt as cheap but I still like the finished project. The actual top was longer and had rosettes instead of ruffles but that picture is kind of close. It ended up costing $4.99 for the shirt and $1.60 for the paint. I definitely made it for cheaper! I think it is better, too, because the one at Target looked awful clingy. It was a complete Melissa creation and there is no "How To" because I made it using the trial by fire method. Ahhhh...what can't you do with a run of the mill T-shirt?

Lovely and Lacy

I love armwarmers. But finding dressier ones, not so easy. Plus, they are rather easy to make. I had pieces leftover from that stretchy lace dress. So I made these. They are insanely easy. The How To is here (it hasn't published yet so give it time). Probably won't break them out until Spring/Summer but I like to be ready.

I'm Melting!

I found this on CO+K. It costs nothing to buy a bag of pony beads so I decided to try it. I won't lie. It smells funny while you make it but not too bad. What they don't tell you is that you will need to smash it down with a small spatula and also it took me longer than 10 minutes. The picture doesn't quite capture the colors but they turned out pretty cool. I am going to make these to cover my arms hahaha. Or make them until I run out of beads. These are super easy so if you aren't generally the crafty type, this is easy and cheap.

Happy Hearts

OK, I know I am getting a little crazy with the Valentine's Day crap but I just can't resist it. And I am madly in love with these foam, glitter hearts. Who knew that $2 worth of shiny stickers could make me happy? Oh wait, I did. Anywho, this is simple and anyone can do it (should you actually want to). You just need glittery, foam hearts (which can be found at most craft stores), needle nose pliers, jump rings, something sharp and pointy, and some ribbon. Mine are technically stickers but cutting around the plastic seems to work. Get the sharp, pointy object (I used a super small screwdriver) and poke a hole through the top of the heart. Get a jump ring, thread it through the hole, and close the ring. Cut ribbon as long as you want each heart to hang. Thread ribbon through the jump ring (you have three necklaces). All you have to do is tie each one on at the length you want. The beauty of the ribbon is you can change your mind, take it out, and start over. And then get some sleep. For real, I have not been to bed.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Ever since I bought that eyeshadow palette I love playing around with eye makeup. A makeup artist I am not but when have I ever cared about style and playing by the rules? I love Holidays because they give me the chance to be extra corny and make all sorts of things. This is very easy. I started by painting my lid and inner corner with white cream shadow (I find it makes a good base). Then I painted over the lid with light pink. I painted the crease a darker a pink. Then I took lip liner (I didn't have red eyeliner) and drew heart. I only did it on one eye because I thought two would be too much. So if you are feeling particularly festive on Valentine's Day, try this out. Or don't because most of you are probably not enough like me to do such a thing!

Everything Is Rosey

I had found a T-Shirt on the 75% rack at Target but it was just screaming for some sort of decoration. It is very thin and doesn't really lend itself to structural changes so I painted it. I was reluctant. My memory of painting shirts were with puffy paint. Not really what I wanted. I found some softer paint that went on like real paint and dries flat. I made my own stencil with a folder. I painted over the stencil but then it look too stencil-y so I blended purple into the edges. I did some more shading in between petals. I also did paint splatters by watering down the colors. I am very happy. I turned out exactly how I imagined. And it doesn't look like some puff paint T-shirt I made when I was 8 :-P