2016 Compilations + Explanations

I’m going to risk sounding incredibly cliché and say that I can’t believe how fast this year has flown by! What?! We’re already halfway through December?!!!

Time really does fly when you’re busy (and having fun). I’ve been up to quite a lot this year and have not (regretfully) been keeping up my promise to myself to document it all. So, in the spirit of celebrating the past year and preparing for the new, I’ve put together a compilation of my crafting and creating endeavors from 2016. Enjoy!

iPad Lap Pillows

(technically 2015, but somehow it was never posted)

You’ve seen those weird triangular-shaped pillows in Sky Mall magazine or at Bed Bath & Beyond that claim to hoist up your iPad while you’re lounging around in your Forever Lazy on the couch, with no plans for your day…. Well I took that idea and made it WAY cuter, and personalized it for my Mom and Grandmother last year for Christmas. They both have larger iPads and love to sit in bed or on the couch reading, playing Candy Crush, shopping on JewelryTelevision.com, etc. Not only was this a fun project, but a great gift. It was also an easy way to break into pattern making (yep, this was a custom pattern). 

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Succulent Babies!

Succulent Satisfaction

Several months later, they are still thriving! This is not surprising for those who work with succulents on the regs. But for this Florida girl, who often forgets to water, these amazing desert plants make me feel like ALL my fingers are green. The donkey tails have grown to double their length, and the Perle von Nurnbergs are as pink as ever! 

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Our Gallery Wall

This was fun, but definitely took a while. I’m a perfectionist when it comes to permanent design, so you can imagine how long it took me to get the wall placement just right. I think the final product is fantastic though. Some of those pieces are mine, too! 

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Viking Beard

I made this at the request of a friend of mine…. It turned out pretty cool! I made that hat, too (2015). Thanks to my model, Kevin! 

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Silver 3-Tiered Cupcake Stand

This was something I crafted up for work, since I worked with several clients who requested a sweets table but we didn’t have anything cute to put the sweets on. I picked up a couple glass candlesticks from a thrift store and spray painted them silver. The three silver trays were already in our inventory but weren’t being used anymore so I repurposed them. We use this lovely stand ALL the time now!

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Ballet Wrap Skirts

Watercolors Ballet Skirt

Navy, Pink, and Tan Ballet Skirt

Pretty ballerinas!

That’s A Wrap!

I plan to make more of these, in varying lengths. They’re up in my etsy shop. I’m happy to whip up a custom skirt for you, just ask! 😉

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Crop Top

I found this Nicole Miller fabric (very stretchy, like a scuba knit) @ Joann’s randomly and had to do something with it. This is actually the top half of a dress pattern I had that I altered slightly. This was a crazy project, because the pattern itself is WAY off and was so big the first time around, I had to go back into it (literally take it apart) and make it about 4 sizes smaller!

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ReUp’d Ottoman

This Girl is Upholstering!

Y’all remember this one, right?! Freaking LOVE the pattern of this fabric. 

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Hilaree’s Headpiece, Wristlets, and Bridesmaids’ Combs

As I did for my girl friend Megan, I do for Hilaree. She asked me to make her a bridal headpiece to match her 1920’s themed wedding and her gorgeous wedding dress. We shopped for the materials downtown and decided that we couldn’t stop with just the headpiece. I ended up making her wristlets (to add the illusion of long sleeves to her dress) and 6 coordinating combs for each of her bridesmaids (myself included). Stay tuned for the pro’s pictures….

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Geometric MCM Dresser (WIP)

This is by far the most involved project I’ve taken on, probably EVER. Had I known it would be this intense… Nah, I still would’ve done it! 

We live on a street where folks constantly put their unwanted furniture on the curb for the garbage collectors (or me) to take. I went out one morning to take Otis for a walk and found this guy on the curb and couldn’t say no.

It. Was. Disgusting. So gross, I couldn’t even take a picture of it in the condition we brought it inside in. While I was at work that day, Kevin took it upon himself to clean it because he couldn’t stand to have such a dirty piece of *$%! in the house. This pic is what it looked like when I got home and took a soapy sponge to the first large drawer. Yeah, just soap and water did ALL that. Gross. 

I decided on a dark blue-gray color for the frame, and a fun, bright yellow-green for the geometric shape down the drawers. I sanded and stained the drawers a darker mahogany color (which was a pain in the A$$ and I probably won’t be doing that again to pre-treated furniture). Also, I don’t recommend doing this kind of project in an apartment. Yeah, definitely not a good idea *coughs on fumes*.

It’s still a WIP (work in progress) at this point. I need to clear-coat the entire piece, which needs to be done outside. I’m procrastinating on this step because, being a vintage piece, this beast is HEAVY. Once the clear-coat has set, I’ll plug in the new drawer pulls and post it up on etsy. 

Anyone interested? Teeheehee…

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Marble Glasses + Mugs

Most likely my last project for 2016, and *spoiler alert* to my friends and family who haven’t received their Christmas gifts from me yet!!!!! Maybe skip this part…

I had SO much fun with these!!! I will definitely do more of them and will post them up on etsy. Can anyone guess what media I used?!

Nail polish. WHAAAATT?!?!?

It’s no secret folks; any fellow Pinterest-er has most likely seen this. But while it’s been done before, I have to say I love the direction I went with it. I had only seen this technique on ceramic mugs prior to my attempts. I found these stemless wine glasses + all-purpose beverage glasses at the dollar store and had to try those out, too. I actually like the effect on the clear glasses much better than on the mugs, since you can see the design from both sides.

Maybe if you’re nice, I’ll make some for you 😉

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Clearly, I had a good year! I found inspiration every where, and challenged myself with new and exciting projects (some of which are still in progress). I had success on etsy (someone in Australia is wearing one of my hats!) and hope to continue to grow my store and add new items. And most of all, I had fun creating and sharing my craft with my family and friends.

I can’t wait to get started on my next project and see what 2017 has in store for me. Happy New Year everyone!

 

This Girl is Upholstering!

If you’re keeping up with my goings-on (which hopefully you are), you’ll know that I am now sewing on a new machine: the Brother “Project Runway Limited Edition” Digital sewing machine (which has been amazing so far).

My first night with the new machine. It was a Friday, can you tell?! 😉

I’ve just completed my first project using this machine, and (as with any newly finished project) I also excited to share it with you!

We recently purchased an ottoman at Ross, which was incredibly useful but terribly ugly.

Please don’t be offended if you don’t think this is ugly: I’m sure it would have looked great in the right home. But ours is not a blue-and-brown kinda place.

Let me just start out here by saying that I have never re-upholstered anything before. So of course I was really excited to teach myself how to do this. Ultimately it ended up being quite easy, and self-explanatory. All you have to understand is that it’s like a puzzle, and each old fabric piece that comes off must be replaced with an identical new fabric piece. If you’re interested in learning more about the method I used, you should check out this article. It really helped me when I was first researching re-upholstery.

After only a couple of hours (and unfortunately for my new sewing machine, only a couple of stitches) I had a brand-new, bright and cheery ottoman! Voila!

I found this fabric in downtown LA in our fabulous Fashion District (you know, crafter heaven?) for only $5/yard. I have plenty left over, so the next project will most likely be using this fabric: I’m thinking matching cushions for our bar stools….

It looks great in front of our Raspberry Lounge Chair, don’t you think?!

This Girl Is Selling Her Singer…

That’s right, I’m selling my sewing machine. I had the opportunity to purchase a [discounted] Brother digital machine with 100 stitches and automatic everything. It’s like switching from a stick shift to an automatic. Weeeehooo!

But sadly, that means that my very first sewing machine, my Singer Tradition 2277, is now obsolete in my sewing studio and must find a new home. Could that home be yours?!

Here are the specs:

-Automatic Needle Threader
-Adjustable Stitch Length and Width
-Fully Automatic 1-Step Buttonhole
-Easy Stitch Selection dial
-23 Built-In Stitches — 6 Essential, 11 Stretch, 5 Decorative, 1 Fully Automatic 1-Step Buttonhole
-Automatic Tension

Included Accessories:
All-Purpose Foot, Buttonhole Foot, Button Sewing Foot, Pack of Needles, Thread Spool Cap, Darning Plate, L-Screwdriver, Seam Ripper/Lint Brush, Machine Intro DVD, Quick Start Guide, Instruction Manual with Stitch Guide, Foot Control, Power Cord, Carrying Case

It’s posted on Craigslist now too. If you’re interested in it, let me know ASAP!

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/art/5683689281.html

That’s A Wrap!

I recently started taking ballet classes again, and it’s absolutely wonderful! I love dancing, and ballet is a fantastic way to improve my balance, muscle tone, and overall fitness. I’m no stranger to ballet, and definitely not a pro, but it’s really been kicking my butt back into shape. I love every second of it!

For me, the best way to really feel like a ballerina is to look like one. However, as I quickly discovered, looking like a real ballerina can get real expensive real quick. Luckily for me, I have a stash of some really great sheer fabric that turned out to be no less than perfect for flowy ballet wrap skirts.

I found a really simple pattern here and whipped up these two lovely wrap skirts in just a couple hours. Hilaree and I have already tested them out in class this past week and they were a hit! I will definitely be making more, and they’re available for purchase in my Etsy shop.

Watercolors Ballet Wrap Skirt

Navy, Pink, and Tan Ballet Wrap Skirt

Pretty ballerinas!

Bridal Beauty: A “Megan’s Halo” Update

Remember Megan’s Halo? In case you missed it, here’s the original post.

I promised to post photos of Megan wearing the Halo when they were ready, so without further adieu….

Almost ready!

So in love! Congrats kids!

BFF 😉

Megan was a beautiful bride and the wedding was absolutely unforgettable. Thank you for letting me be a part of it all, and congratulations Megan + Marco!

Succulent Satisfaction

Last month I started a new job as the Event Manager at a historic restaurant in Santa Monica. I’ve (very luckily) been given a lot of creative freedom within the position. My most recent accomplishment being an assortment of succulent arrangements to use as centerpieces on our tables during daytime events, and of which I am VERY proud of. I did NOT copy or recreate this from something I found on Pinterest, NOR did I hack an existing item and turn it into something new: this was ALL ME. I’m so impressed with my self !

The little guys in the yellow pots back there are the leaves that unfortunately fell off while I was repotting (and there’s also an extra donkey tail in there, too). The store I bought my babies from over-watered the poor kids and the leaves were popping off left and right. I’m attempting to propagate them in hopes to grow even more beautiful botanicals. 

Yes, those are up-cycled sterling silver gravy boats and derby cups! I found them in our storage room and they were the perfect size (and theme) for our restaurant.

Just do you have an idea of where I started from here….

My little gravy-boat babies! I absolutely love them.

There’s only 9 for now. I want to make lots more! Baby steps…. 😉

This Girl LOVES Christmas!

In celebration of the season (and my new domain name) I’m sending you this very special Christmas post and mini-tutorial.

I’ve been busy over here lately, but have had the opportunity to slow things down a bit and decorate. One of my most exciting accomplishments so far is my tree. This is the very first tree I’ve bought and decorated myself, outside of my family’s tree. And I’m so impressed 😉

I’m dreaming of a white [and gold] Christmas.

My favorite ornament: My “L” globe from Target!

I’ve been making little handmade ornaments all week and adding them to the tree. You can see the crocheted stars in the photo surrounding my “L” globe. I’ve also made a few little yarn pom-poms. It’s so easy to do and they look great on any themed tree, in any color.

Since I love my little pom-poms so much, I decided to make a mini-tutorial on how to make them. Now you can make your own!

To start out, you’ll need a pom-pom maker which you can make yourself. Yes, you can buy one. But you can buy ornaments, too, and where’s the fun in that?!

Materials: I’ve made several of these for different sized pom-poms and have used different materials. So far, the best material I’ve found is bendable, cuttable plastic. You can find this at hardware stores, craft stores, online, etc. But cardboard works really well too. You can even use the cardboard from a cereal box.

Making your pom-pom maker…..

Step 1: Cut out 2 identical circles from the material of your choosing. The size of these circles will be the size of your pom-pom. For large pom-poms, I trace an upended pint glass. For small pom-poms, I’ll trace a mason jar lid, the base of a champagne flute, or wine glass.

Step 2: Draw a smaller circle inside both large circles.                          Larger circle = Denser pom-pom. I personally like to leave half the diameter of the circle for wrapping. Let me explain: Say the diameter of your circle is 4″. Find the center point of your circle and measure out 1″. This distance from the center point will be where you draw your inner circle. It should look something like this:

As you can see, I have two sets of pom-pom makers started. My inner circles are half the diameter of my outer circles.

Step 3: Cut out the center circle. Draw a narrow “V” from the edge down to the inner circle (you can see this in the top left of the first pic below). Cut out this “V” and the entire inner circle. The “V” should meet at a point right where the circle begins. Now your pom-pom makers are ready to do their life’s work.

Cut. It. Out.

This is what your new pom-pom makers will look like.

Making your pom-pom ornament….

Here’s what you’ll need: 

• Pom-Pom Maker
• Yarn
• Scissors

Step 4: Wrap the yarn. Place your two pom-pom makers together so they match up. You’ll be wrapping the yarn evenly around the donut you’ve created. The key word here is EVENLY. Start at the middle bottom of your pom-pom maker and wrap up to the “V” on one side. Then wrap back down towards the middle bottom, and then back up the other side to the “V”. Wrap back down to the middle bottom one more time, and this will give you your first layer. The more layers you wrap, the denser and fuller your pom-pom will be. Depending on the size of yarn I’m using, I’ll wrap anywhere between 3 -6 (or more) times.

Starting the first layer…

This finished pom-pom was wrapper 3 times. Now it looks like a fluffy donut!

Step 5: Cut out your pom-pom. Once you’ve wrapped to the thickness you prefer, cut the yarn leaving a small tail. Starting at one side of the “V” opening, separate the two pom-pom maker circles and insert the blade of your scissors. Cut through the yarn along the edge of the pom-pom maker all the way around the outside. This is when your pom-pom actually starts looking like a pom-pom!

Step 6: Tie your pom-pom. Cut a long piece of yarn, about 10 inches (if you have thin, dark green yarn, I’d use it here). Hold each end of the yarn and place the center of the strand in between the two pom-pom maker circles.  Push the yarn down to the center of the pom-pom, and wrap both pieces around to the other side (keeping the yarn in between the circles). Tie them together in a very tight knot, them wrap them back up to the top and tie another tight, double knot. This secures the pom-pom yarns together and keeps your pom-pom from falling apart.

Yarn goes in the top…

…and wraps around the bottom. Tie it tight!

Step 7: Pull out your pom-pom. Carefully remove your new pom-pom from the pom-pom maker. Do NOT push it out through the center circle! Instead, bend the pom-pom maker and pop the pom-pom out through the  widened “V” opening.

 

I’m holding one side of the circle back, and I’m popping the pom-pom out through that larger opening.

Step 8: Fluff, shape, and trim your pom-pom. At this point, you might see some yarns that are longer than others. Just snip those ends off. Keep the strings that you tied around the center of your pom-pom long, as that is what you’ll use to attach it to your tree. Fluff your pom-pom by mussing it up with your fingertips, combing it with a fine-tooth comb, or rolling it around on the carpet (whatever works best for your yarn).

Step 9: Enjoy your pom-pom! Look what you did, how pretty! Make as many as you want for your tree, one is never enough. You can also make smaller ones for additional flare on your wrapped presents.

I hope you’ll make some lovely pom-pom ornaments for your tree this year. And when you hang them up, I hope you’ll be inspired to hand-make even more decorations for your tree and your home.

Merry Christmas, y’all!

This Girl is on FIRE!

I had to do it eventually. Love that song….

Anyway, I kinda was on fire last night! Check out my 2015 Halloween costume, handmade by me (with a little help from my friend Hilaree- she’s the tits!).

Dark Phoenix, from the X-Men!

Yeah, we made that, NBD.

For those of you who are not so familiar with the X-Men comic series, here’ s look at my inspiration.

Hilaree cut and sewed the Phoenix logo on my chest, and also made the “boots” for my legs. I made the gloves, sash, and shoe covers. The unitard is actually two pieces: leggings from American Apparel (my go-to shop for all my basic costume needs) and a long-sleeve leotard from Danny’s Warehouse (discount dance store in LA; it’s fabulous!). The yellow material was from Joann’s and is a super stretchy lycra blend. This was my first time sewing with this type of material, and it was actually fairly simple.

Hilaree’s fantastic seam-stressing!

It was also my first time making gloves, and that was SURPRISINGLY easy to do! I found this fantastic tutorial that changed my life and I am forever grateful to have learned this technique.

A quick shot of me making the gloves, using freezer paper to make the fabric more “sturdy”. Genius.

The X-Men! (from left to right) Laura as Phoenix, Jacob as Wolverine, and Hilaree as Rogue. Complete with Super-Vision eyes 😉

In case you were wondering, Phoenix has telekinetic powers. That’s why all my shots from last night are of that pose.

And we even ran into a few fellow X-Men!

Wolverine, Phoenix, Storm, Mystique, Wolverine, and Rogue. And Justine- as kitty lady (not an X-Men character, but still cool).

This Girl Opens Etsy Shops!

After years of work and procrastination, I have finally gathered enough handmade merchandise to set-up shop on Etsy. As of October 5, 2015 I am now a bona-fide shop owner. Now you can own your own piece of This Girl’s handmade swag!

This Girl Makes Things on Etsy

Here’s a little preview of what you can purchase right now…

The Earth Day Beanie; inspired by a sunny day.

Navy, Orange, and Cream Slouchy Beanie. Preppy, classic, and fun!

Did someone say Hipster?

Black & White is as chic as ever this season! A nod to Valentino, Emilio Pucci, and Charlotte Simone.

EXTRA long infinity scarf made with a Marc-Jacobs-esque fabric I found downtown! It can be wrapped up to three times for extra warmth.

The Secretary Scarf (aka Pussy Bow) will come in lots of colors and patterns very soon.

The Blush Pink Birdie sheer infinity scarf! Love this one…

Click on any of these photos to go straight to it’s corresponding Etsy page.

Like I’ve posted on each beanies’ page, you can always ask for a custom made hat in any color combo you desire! Message me on Etsy or right here on this blog post with your request.

As far as the scarves go, those will be mostly One Of A Kind, so if you see one you like don’t sleep on it, because once its sold its gone forever.

Thanks for your support! And stay tuned for new items: I’ll be adding several each week!

Megan’s Halo

Megan’s lovely rose gold, pearl, and crystal halo! Handmade with love by yours truly.

Isn’t she gorgeous?! Yes, I made this!

My BFF Megan is getting married on September 20, 2015 and I offered to make her something to wear for her big day. She was eyeing a particular halo on BHLDN’s website, and I took one look at it and thought, “I can totally make that!” So, I did.

Besides the BHLDN website, I had another source of inspiration: Percy Handmade. She’s this fantastically talented bridal jewelry maker from Australia, and I love all of her pieces. I don’t know any fancy techniques for making these kind of things, so I studied some of her close-up images to figure out and teach myself exactly how to go about winding and weaving all the crystals and pearls together.

After another successful trip downtown to the Fashion District with my friend Hilaree, I ended up only spending a total of $50 on all the materials. I love the Fashion District downtown! My new favorite place to shop for supplies.

The “before” shot; I didn’t forget this time! And the receipts to prove the awesome deals!

I had originally purchased a wavy-lined headband to use as the base, but decided it wasn’t going to work out right (the final result would not have been dainty enough). I had some silver wire already, so I wrapped the rose gold 26-gauge wire around it very tightly and carefully. If I make more of these (which I would LOVE to) I’ll find thick rose or yellow gold wire to save myself that extra step.

Building the halo…

The fun part was decorating the halo with all the little pearls and crystals.

I attached ribbon to the band by tying it around the loops at the ends of the band and sewing the ends in securely.

The beauty is in the tiniest details….

I love wearing it! I can’t wait to see it on Megan!

I had also planned to make some smaller matching hairpieces for the 6 bridesmaids too, because I had a feeling I’d have some extra materials. Since we are all wearing our hair different, I figured the best thing to make that we could all wear would be little combs. I’ve already made one (mine, of course) and the other 5 will be as similar as possible. We are going to look awesome!

Stay tuned for wedding pics of Megan and her lovely halo, and her bridesmaids with our combs!