May Giveaway - Jewelry by Katherine Wallin

Dear Readers,
I would like to introduce you to a wonderfully talented and amazing person: Katherine Wallin

I like hot chocolate, even in the summer. I like doing yoga with my wii along side my husband, who is so awesome. I like putting puzzles together with my children. I have a 3 year old daughter who is my best little friend, and a sweet dreamy little 18 month old son, who has a mild case of cerebral palsy. I love my church. I like to travel. I like laughing, and I think I am funny (because one of my sisters tells me I am). I like photographing glimpses of my life as the days go by. I feel more like a cute mom with a pair of pretty earrings on.  And I really like singing loud to any song sung by Kelly Clarkson.

you can find my true colors here wallin-family.blogspot.com

capturing pretty photos here wallinphotography.blogspot.com

creating pretties to dress up my ponytail, and yours too, here prettylittleme.etsy.com

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You see, Katherine is the whole package. She is beautiful, artistic and sweet as can be! If you are not already friends with this girl, you will want to be! Trust me!
I contacted Katherine a few weeks ago to see if she would custom make a cuff for me. After a few emails back and forth, the cuff was designed, produced and presented to me. I could not be happier with the result! I'm not sure what she named this design, but I think "The Amy Cuff" sounds good!
See for yourself!

Here are some of my other favorite pieces at the Pretty Little Me shop:

Katherine is here today to offer all the sweet H is for Handmade readers a fantastic giveaway.  Everyone is a winner with this one!

-One sweet reader will receive $40 of in-store credit to Pretty Little Me, plus free shipping!  

-Everyone else can receive 20% off, via paypal refund.  Just mention "H is for Handmade" in the checkout notes to me. Offer expires June 4, 2010. 

Rules of the contest:

1. Leave me a comment

2. You must have an active blog

3. You must be a US resident

4. Extra entries for becoming a follower of the blog or fan on Facebook

5. Make sure you have an email address listed either on your blog or in your comments so that I can contact you if you win.

This giveaway is now closed.

Biking Bloomers - Tutorial

Did you hear? May is National Bike Month! 

Photos Clockwise: 

1. The Drifter and the Gypsy

2. Cycle Chic

3. Anthropologie

4. Riding Pretty

It seems like every time I click on my favorite style and designs sites, there is a girl riding her bike...in a skirt. I am embracing it fully and with ferver! For one: I love bikes. And two: I love skirts. I have almost forgotten what else you could possibly wear while riding a bike! This romantic fashion movement is a synchronicity of beauty, freedom and femininity!  But, as poetic as it all sounds and looks, there is one minor detail that keeps coming to screen and mind. Sporting a skirt or dress on a bike is a little "revealing"!

Photos Clockwise:

1. Let's Go Ride a Bike

2. ?

3. Nutsbike

4. The Sartorialist

For those of you who would like to join this crusade but would like to opt out of displaying your unmentionables in public, I have come up with a solution: Bloomers!

Bloomers were actually invented by Amelia Jenks Bloomer in the early Victorian era when the bicycle was making it's big debut in America. She wanted women to abandon their petticoats and trade them in for trousers! She was worried that heavy and long garments would get caught in the bikes cog wheels and she therefore began a controversial reform in women's fashion.

In todays society, we don't need to look like circus clowns on our bikes, so here is a modern day bloomer tutorial:

Materials you will need:

-knee length or longer, leggings of your choice (they are everywhere and they are cheap!)

-sewing machine

-scissors

-tape measure or ruler

Begin by measuring your leggings from bottom of the cuff to the knee. Cut.

Next, take the cuff that you just cut off and open it up by cutting down and off the seam. Also cut off the hem so that you will have a flat panel of fabric that looks like this.

Now divide your panel into 1.5" sections and cut into strips. Depending on how short you want your bloomers, you should be able to get 3-6 strips. (this picture shows 3 strips, but I was actually able to get 4!)

Line up all your 3-6 strips from one pant leg so that they are end to end. Use a running base stitch to sew them together like this. 

Now take one of the threads and begin to pull back gently on your fabric to pucker and ruffle the fabric. Keep moving the ruffle down the seam as you go.

You should have a long piece of ruffle that looks like this when you are done. 

Now set it aside for just a moment.

Make a 1/4" hem on the bottom of your leggings using a stretch knit stitch. (trying saying that fast 5 times!) You may want to refer to your machine's user manual to see if you need to switch out your presser foot and what settings your machine should be on for stretch fabric.

Now measure the ruffle around your leg opening and pin it around the bottom.

Finally, use a stretch knit stitch to sew it onto the bottom of the legging.

Now you can ride to your heart's content and your mind's ease! No more panty shots for passerby's!

P.S. If you are not a bike rider, these make FABULOUS pajamas and swimsuit covers! They are also a nice alternative to the ever so popular legging and allow you to modestly sport those insanely short skirts on all the department store racks without any fear! 

*Please remember that all handmade clothing is hand washed clothing!*

Renegade Handmade Faves!

I might be willing to give my right arm to attend one of, if not THE, nation's largest indie art and craft fairs! The Renegade Craft Fair got it's start in 2003 in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood. This DIY craft fair rapidly grew in it's popularity and is now held in 5 major cities across the US (mine is not one of them. boo.), has an online marketplace and a storefront located in it's hometown of Chicago that carries work from over 400 vendors! If your city is not one on the list of locations, don't fret! You can check out a list of artists and their webpages/shops from each region with just a click of your mouse! It's always inspiring (and humbling!) to see the talent from sea to shining sea! I have selected a few of my favorites from the lists. I better start saving my money!

Wool purses and satchels from Wooly Bison. This is going to be my winter bag this year! If a wool carry-all wasn't enough to steal my heart, they had to go ahead and make it in red just to make it that much more tempting for me!

I don't know if there are words to describe my pure adoration for this. I am always so pleased when I spot something so original and unpredictable, that I want to shed a tear. Miniature Rhino has been one of my favorite blogs to stalk for quite some time now. I wonder if she would like to be my new friend?

I am saying a secret little prayer that my next child 

will be a girl! I need this dress from Baby Bean. Or, can I just be really tiny for a day so that I can wear it around? Look at that bow!

I am loving the contrast of the soft and romantic feel of a pearl paired with the cold, industrious looking metals. Jane E Roberti has a lot of charming pieces in her Etsy shop right now that have a similar feel and texture.

This is the most perfect plant for my sister!  Jane Joss , a fabric florist, creates these darling plants that don't require water or maintenance. Perfect for the non-green thumb in your life! She was also a featured artist on Design Sponge and did a tutorial for a leafy branch that we all may just need to make!

I really, really REALLY like these posters! Spread the Love has quite a few prints in their shop that I would like to have hanging on my wall. It was hard to choose just one to display on here, so choose 2! I think her art is incredible and I really like the vibrant colors she uses in a lot of her work.

I am a little enamored with bikes right now. My husband is fixing up my 1971 Schwinn Super Sport as I type. This acrylic painting on a wood panel from Yellow Owl Workshop might be just what we need! How creative to give the painting a pop of color with the spokes!

So, have any of you ever been to the Renegade Craft Fair?
Do you have any indie art hanging around your house?
What type of items do you like to buy when you go to a craft show?

Look At Me...Some more!

Just in case you don't get enough of me here on H is for Handmade, you can get another big dose of me today on Ucreate! I was so thrilled when Kari asked me to be a guest blogger, that I responded to her email with a resounding "YES!" Then I looked at how many followers she had and I just about peed my pants! That is a lot of people looking at my work and I have to admit it was incredibly a little intimidating. I really hope that I did not disappoint! My son just loves to get the mail so I figured I would be a good mommy and make something for him to play with that is a just little farther from the street and it's traffic! After talking to my neighbor about this tutorial, she said, "You know what? A child's fascination for getting the mail never ends. My 17 yr. son old still races me to the mailbox every day! He loves it, too!" Thank you for the reassuring words, Carolyn! 

You can find a full tutorial and templates for the the mailbox I designed just by clicking HERE! And as always, It is so very simple and only cost me $4! Enjoy!

Now, I can proudly say "I was featured on...

April's Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to Laura Hall on winning the giveaway! Yippee! Have so much fun with your new "book" and I hope you write me and fill me in on all your experiments - we can even compare notes! 

Also, I would like to extend a BIG thank you to all who entered and for being such great supporters of my blog! I am so very excited for the May giveaway that I will be doing the last week of this month and introducing you to a very talented woman! You are going to love it! I wish I could give you a sneak peak, but I am going to save it and just surprise you! 

As always, please keep checking back for more great tutorials throughout the month! I will be guest blogging tomorrow so stop by and see where I will be featured and what great craft I will be doing a tutorial on!

Thanks again and have a happy Thursday!

-Amy

April Giveaway!

*This giveaway is now closed*

As we say goodbye to April, I would like to have you say hello to this little gem! Keri Smith has once again created another great "book" and has ever since sent my mind soaring with all the pages inside the bright crimson cover! "This Is Not A Book" is just what it says. Don't expect to open it and read a glorious and alluring tale of far away journeys. Instead, you are the main character in a series of dares, experiments and events. This is a journal about breaking out of the normal, testing your creativity and forcing you to feel the effects of it all. It's wonderful and hilarious!

Here are just a few of my favorite excerpts from the engaging 221 pages:

There are days that I wish I could relive over and over again. There are also days that I wish to never happen again. And, it would be nice to read about both.

I love the thought of leaving something of mine in a secret location, a proof of my presence and a possible gift to an unexpected visitor!

I can think of so many destinations that will be remarkably therapeutic behind these window panes.

I think the phrase "all will be shaped by your imagination" is a little intimidating but yet a little comforting and I like it very much!

So here is how you enter for the giveaway:

(sorry, but I have to have rules!)

1) You must be a U.S. resident

2) You must have an active blog....with posts!

3) Leave me a comment.

4) Becoming a follower of this blog gets you an additional entry. Simply leave me a separate comment telling me that you did so.

5) Become a fan of H is for Handmade on Facebook and you will get another extra entry! Leave a separate comment for this one, too.

6) When posting comments, please make sure that I know how to get in contact with you if you happen to win.

This giveaway will close on Wednesday 5/5/2010 at 11:59 p.m. MST

Good luck to all of you! I am so excited to send this out! I would also love the winner to email me photos of their experiments! I have one too, so maybe together we can even start our own "This Is Not A Book" club and discuss how wickedly cool this journal has made us!? 

Flowers and Stripes - Tutorial

Yes, there is yet another post about flowers! I love them and I can't get enough of them! But the one thing I am loving just as much as flowers these days: Stripes! 

I have gotten a few emails and have also been asked the question, "Where do you like to draw your inspiration from?" The answer is, "Everywhere". 

I recently purchased this rug and have since fallen so madly in love with it! I told my husband that I wanted to wear the rug around town- that is just how much I loved it! 

So then the thought occurred to me that I could easily create something similar that wouldn't draw as much attention as a poncho made from a rug, and that the attention that it would draw, would probably be for better reasons. 

I started with this simple stripe shirt I purchased at Target for $12.99. Stripe T's are everywhere right now and it really shouldn't be too hard to find one. Nautical is all the rage so you might as well jump on board! No pun intended! 

I then went to my local fabric store and purchased a fat quarter. I wanted a fabric with large clusters of flowers in colors that would add just enough contrast to the black and white stripes.

I applied Heat-n-Bond to the back of my fat quarter. 

What is Heat-n-Bond, you ask? It's only your very best friend, is what it is!

I then cut out the flowers in their clusters which made small individual iron-on's.

Next, I positioned them onto the shirt where I thought they looked best, peeled the backing off and ironed them on.

And then, I was done. It was so simple!

Don't forget about the back!

Total cost of project: $15.00

Total time to complete project: 30 minutes

No heavy poncho and no sewing. I win!

Window Display Wonderment!

I took a little hiatus from the blogging world so that I could get a special little side project done! You see, before I became a mommy, I used to be on the Visual Merchandising team for Nordstrom and decorating the store windows each month was a fabulous part of the job. I absolutely loved it! So of course I was thrilled when the owners of the Lucille Elaine boutique asked me to design their window display for the Spring and upcoming Summer months. I was honored and so very thrilled! Thank you to Meg and Kim for giving me the chance to add my creativity to your already amazing store! I had a lot of fun doing this! Now, 34 flowers later, it is done!

Isn't this place so cute?

Lucille Elaine Boutique

Fashion Place Mall

Murray, UT

(next to Nordstrom)

801.281.1730

P.S. Aside from selling all the really great garb inside the store, they also do custom made wedding gowns!

I hung handmade flowers from ribbons and glued beads onto fishing line to look like rain drops. The rain will then be removed after the spring months are over. I would like to replace them with butterflies for the summer!

The flowers were taken from the idea of the Felt Chrysanthemum Pillow tutorial that I did. I just used scrap book paper instead! The flowers measure about 15" in diameter so they are quite large. I also used vintage lace, tissue paper, music paper, book pages, crepe paper and glitter to embellish them! I then glued them back to back so they would be pretty from all angles.

Rain, rain go away!

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Now...Here is where I take just a moment to give a behind the scenes sneak peak. This is where I will also give a HUGE shout out to the women in my family! Everyone was at my parents house for Easter weekend so I took the opportunity to put them to work and help me with this project! They helped me out in a big way!

All the ladies in the family working diligently to get the flowers made. After each of us made one, we would hold it up so that we could all oooh and ahhh over it! I love that my SIL, Kee,  is using a piece of the tulle to hold her hair back while she crafts it up!

My sister Colett is busting them out like there is no tomorrow. A real champ!

My sweet niece Isabelle was cutting out lace circles for us to use. She did a lovely job!

You know it's not that bad of a project when you can smile through it all! Way to go Mom - you are my hero!

I am really grateful that I come from a long line of crafters and that the women in my family enjoyed doing this with me. It may just have been the perfect excuse to sit around, gab, listen to our favorite music and bond!