I'm so excited to be back as a contributor to Skip to my Lou's Craft Camp this year! This is our third year contributing a kids craft project, and I love doing it because it really gets me to be creative with my boys. My son designed these plushie monster keychains for his friends and I helped him figure out how to make them come to life. It's a really fun, easy sewing project to do with kids. It reminded me of this plushie monster we brought to life when he was just a little guy from one of his drawings. If you haven't already, be sure to check out all the other fun summer craft camp projects over at Skip to my Lou!

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Today we are featuring another fabulous tutorial from my dear friend Erin's blog, Lovesome. Go visit her and see all the other amazing things she is dreaming up!

It seems bow ties have taken over the wardrobes of men, babies, and boys these days, doesn't it? I must admit this trend has been a favorite of mine for quite some time now, and I love the pointed bow ties I'm seeing in all the old movies and shows I have been watching lately (downton abbey, anyone?).

With all the bow ties I see all over blogs I thought it would be fun to switch it up a bit and try something different.
Enter: the pointed bow tie. 

It often gets forgotten, and I think it's a great nod to men's (and boys') fashion from decades and even centuries ago. Making it out of felt not only makes these babies a breeze to whip up, but it also modernizes and adds a touch of whimsy, not to mention makes these the perfect fall accessory for the guy in your life (or girl, I would wear it too, and it would make an adorable hair bow).


supplies:
all you need is some felt (i bought sheets of felt at Michaels for $.20 each)
scissors
hot glue gun (this could also be easily hand-stitched)
the length and width of your felt depends on how big you want your bow tie to be. mine was 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide, with a smaller strip that is about 1/2 inch wide and 2 1/2- 3 inches long. my little guy is one and this size is perfect for him, and i think he'll be able to wear this size for a few years. (i like smaller, more proportional bowties, but if you like them bigger just make your strips larger.)

how to:

1. cut one end of the longer felt strip into a point. lay the felt strip on a flat surface and bring the pointed side across the strip about 2/3 of the way.
2. turn the pointed side over and bring it back across the other side until it touches the edge.
3. adjust the point if you need to, it can touch the edge or hang over a bit, whatever you like.


4. scrunch the middle of the felt together, making it look like a bow.
5. wrap the smaller felt piece around the middle of the bow where you scrunched it, with the ends meeting in the back.
6. turn the bow around and dab some hot glue in the center of the bow, then fold the top end down over the glue. glue down the remaining flap, making sure the bow is tight and secure.
and then have fun with them!

To turn it into a bow tie I usually thread elastic through the center of the back of the bow tie, but if you don't have room you could glue elastic to it or sew/glue it to a pin or clip.

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One of my dearest friends, Erin recently moved away. I have been so sad and I miss her! Luckily, her move is only temporary, but I still miss our regular dinners out together and takeout lunches at one of our houses. She is such a great friend and I want to be just like her when I grow up. She has way too much creativity and amazing-ness for one person. She made these adorable heart-warmers on her blog, Lovesome (you must go check it out!) and is sharing them with us today! These are the perfect gift for a friend or someone you love. I will be using this to keep me warm and fuzzy while Erin is away.

i've been seeing the sweetest little hand-warmers surfacing around the web lately. what a sweet idea and a great way to keep your hands and the hands of those you love warm on chilly mornings. all you have to do is heat it up in the microwave and drop it in your pocket or mittens. they are so easy and so much cuter (and cheaper!) than those little warming packets you can buy at the grocery store. plus, they are reusable. cute, easy, practical, and environmentally friendly, what more can you ask for?


making one is so simple, and while a sewing machine makes them faster, it is not necessary to use one. in fact, it was so easy that i didn't even take any pictures during the process.

here's how you do it:
1. cut two of the same shape out felt (two hearts, two stars. etc.). make sure they are the same size.
2. sew the pieces together leaving about half-an-inch open.
3. using a funnel, fill the shape with rice through the unsewn opening.
4. hand-stitch the opening closed.
voila! done! so easy and so sweet, right?
i found that about 25 seconds in the microwave is perfect, but you might want to try out a few different cooking times, depending on the size of your warmer. (make sure no metal accidentally gets shoved in the warmer, you don't want any explosions in the microwave!)


i made a cute little tag to add to mine, turning it into the perfect little gift or party favor.
do you want some, too? download your own here.
enjoy!

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Even though my boys are in school, summer is not over for me! It's still gorgeous here and I'm putting away the endless days of sunshine to remember in the middle of January when we're buried in snow and ice. But I know in a couple of weeks the warm autumn light will begin to creep in, and the air will get a little crisper. That's why I made this fun fabric flower and leather (okay, more like "pleather") belt. Little leather belts are all the rage for fall, and this one is perfect for a fall outfit, but still clings to the last little bit of summer with soft flowers and lace. {Don't mind my baby bump--this would be even cuter on another girl's natural waist!}



How To Make a Fabric Flower & Braided Leather Belt
 Supplies:
*A small amount of faux leather fabric (I found mine at JoAnn with the costume fabrics)
*Rotary cutter and mat
*Fabric glue (I like Fabri-Tac)
*Fabrics for flowers (I used lace, cotton, and a faux version of Dupioni silk)
*Clips (alligator hair clips work well, I used mini bulldog clips)
*Beads or buttons for flower embellishment (optional)
*Large clip or clothespin

1. I bought 1/8 yard of "pleather" at the fabric store and had enough to make three belts! Start by folding the faux leather lengthwise a couple of times.

Cut three 1/2" strips. 

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You know when you go to a blog and you instantly feel comfortable? Like you belong there? That's how I feel about Living the Swell Life, a blog by a right adorable girl named Jessica. And we feel so lucky to be sharing one of her brand new tutorials here. It's just the kind of thing the Little Birdies like to make. So enjoy, then head over to Living the Swell Life for more.

Ruffled Rose Headband Tutorial


This felt ruffled rose is perfect for finishing off so many different crafts , including sweet Valentine's Day projects! In this tutorial, I'll show you how to turn it into a darling little headband. Once you know the basics, you'll be able to mix it up and translate this concept to tons of other projects, like corsages, pillows, and garlands. Enjoy!

Step 1 |

Flower supplies:

Felt (I love wool felt, but any sort of felt will do. I choose two different colors to help create more depth.)
Fabric scissors
Felt tip pen or fabric marker
Needle Thread (I choose a slightly lighter color so it would be more visible in photos.)
Chipboard for flower pattern
Buttons, if desired

To make a headband:
Elastic headband
Hot glue gun

To create the flower pattern, you can either download and print the image, or go ahead and free-hand your own. C'mon you can do it! My flower is approximately 2.5" in diameter

Step 2 |

Trace pattern onto felt, repeat x5


Step 3 |

Cut flowers. Note: I prefer to skip step 2 and to simply hold my pattern on the felt as I cut around. Felt is somewhat stiff and easy to work with, so this works well. You'll also avoid pen marks on your edges.


Steps 4 & 5 |

Lay one flower down as a base. Fold remaining 4 flowers in half and pile on top of one another so that you have four quarters sticking out.



Step 6 |

Double up the thread on your needle and you're ready to sew! Begin at the center and make several stitches until you've caught all 4 quarters.


Step 7 |

To help ruffle your rose, peel back some of the inner layers and make additional stitches at center to help sculpt the petals into different, more upright directions. Note: If this seems too abstract or confusing--don't fret, you can skip this step also!


Step 8 |

You've got a finished rose! The plain look is very sophisticated, however if you wish to add a button...


Step 9 |

Continue using the same strand of thread to sew a fancy button of your choice to the center.


Step 10 |

To turn your pretty petals into a headband, cut an additional circle of felt slightly smaller than the back of the flower. Flip the flower upside down, add a giant squirt of hot glue, and make a sandwich with the headband and felt circle . It's that simple! I chose to embellish my finished headband with 2 green felt leaves, cut free-hand with a pinking shears.



Now that you've mastered this simple flower, go ahead and experiment with extra layers of felt, different sizes, or use a variety of fabrics.



Thanks, Jessica!

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We had a little break, but you didn't really think I was done with the fabric rosettes, did you? Here are a few more ways to use your little flowers on jewelry and such.

Our friend Melynie made (yes made, from scratch, no pattern--I know) this gorgeous baby blessing dress for her new little one. She wanted to make rosettes from tulle to cover the front of the bodice. Isn't it beautiful? Same technique, different fabric. I believe she even used Fabri-Tac to attach them.


So then of course she had to have a little headband to go with it. Melynie used the same fabric as she did for the dress to make a stretcy elastic headband, and added a fabric rosette and two tulle rosettes. Perfect for baby.


For bigger girls, here's a simple tutorial for a fabric rosette headband using a stretchy elastic headband. (Don't worry, I'm working on the grown-up version!)


Cut a piece of felt slightly smaller than your rosette.


Cover the felt with Fabri-Tac or other fabric glue. Lay your elastic headband in the center.


Press the glue side down on the back of your fabric rosette.

Voila!


I did the same technique with this little bunch of stretchy bracelets that I found in a multi-color pack (black, gold, silver, pearl) at Forever 21 (for about $3!).



But then I decided I wanted to be able to change the rosette to go with different outfits. So I tried something new.

That's right--Velcro. I added a small flap on my felt circle and attached a piece of Velcro to it. Then I attached the other side of the Velcro to the opposite side. Be sure to leave room for the bracelets to go in the middle!


Fold it over your bracelets.


Here's one with two little flowers side by side, just to change it up.



Okay, all you rosette-making machines out there, are you ready for more? I think I have one more post in me. If you're not too sick of it, I'll be sharing one more tutorial this week, along with the details of my upcoming mini class featuring, what else, fabric flowers. Stay tuned!

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I'm back from vacation and we're back to the rosette flower tutorial extravaganza! Camping on the Washington coast was fabulous, but my husband wasn't crazy about me bringing fabric to work on rosettes in the car (he has a thing about stinky glue), so I'm super excited to get back to them!



One thing that has frustrated me about using these rosettes as accessories is the attaching part. The clips are great for some things, but they don't work as well on a sweater or purse. Pins are out--I don't want holes in my stuff! So I did some research and found the perfect solution. Then I found a supplier so I could get my hands on a whole bunch of them (yes, I'll share).


Meet the pinless accessory back. Yep--it's a magnet. Brilliant, right? One piece goes on the rosette, the other goes on the other side of what you want to "pin" it to. Here's a quick tutorial.


These magnets are made of strong neodymium magnets and a piece of steel. The steel side has a self-adhesive foam strip, which makes things even easier!


First, peel off the adhesive's backing and attach it to the felt on the back of your rosette.


Next, cut another piece of felt or fabric (it doesn't have to be perfect--who's gonna see it?) the shape of the back of your rosette. Apply fabric glue (I like Fabri-Tac) around the edge of your circle.


Place your circle glue-side down on the back of your rosette, over the steel plate.


Now the magnet piece will stick to it and you can attach it just about anywhere!




I said I would share, so here you go. Because I bought in bulk, I can offer them at a great price. I really, seriously don't think you'll find them this cheap anywhere on the Internet once you include shipping. I have them in sets of 5 magnets to reduce shipping costs for you, but you can always contact me via Etsy for a smaller order if you want. Or just share a pack with a friend if you don't think you'll use them all. But you will. They're that amazing. Get 'em before they're gone!

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