Guys, it is f-f-f-freezing in Chicago. I guess I can't be too annoyed, since it is January and since I made the choice to live here. Not to mention, we've had a fairly mild winter thus far. Ack! I hope I didn't just jinx it. To brighten my seasonal depression blues a bit (the struggle is real), I decided to revisit one of my favorite childhood crafting activities. I used to spend hours as a kid making masterpieces out of colored pencil shavings. And even though I'm no longer an eight year old crafting fiend, I'm a thirty year old crafting fiend who happens to still find this technique to be quite whimsical and delightful. Supplies: Colored pencils Cardstock (regular computer paper will also do the trick) Pencil Sharpner Picture frame Scissors To start, you'll pick which colors you'd like to use. I decided to go with cool and stormy colors, since my winter vibes inspired this craft. Choose as many colors as your precious heart desires. Once you've selected your colors, you'll use the sharpener to create shavings out of each color and lightly tap them onto the cardstock. From there, you'll rub the shavings in a circular motion. I use my finger, but a cotton ball or piece of tissue paper also gives it a nice, smooth effect. Once you're happy with what you've created, cut your cardstock to fit the window of your picture frame and you're done! Easy, peasy, puddin' and pie. Oh. Em. Gee. PIE!
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A few years ago I took a screenprinting class at Lillstreet Art Center. It was awesome and I highly reccomend it to anyone looking for a way to get their creative juices flowing. The class was very beginner friendly. The only thing I knew going in was that I had a mild interest in learning screenprinting. So, no excuses! On the first day of class we made basic sentcils out of paper to practice printing. I was surpringsly happy with the creation I made, and have been wanting to turn it into a throw pillow ever since. And that's just what I did today. Wether you have a piece of fabric you've been dying to use or not, making a throw pillow is mega easy and can be signifcantly cheaper than buying throw pillows in the store. Supplies: Sewing Maching Thread Scissors Pins Measuring Tape Iron Scissors Fabric pieces of your choosing Pillow form I usually start by ironing my fabric. That way it's nice and smooth and makes measuring a little bit easier. Especially for someone like me, who has never had a strong affinity towards math. Once the fabric is ironed, I decide what size I'd like my pillow to be, add about a quarter inch to that and then cut the fabric to size. I add a quarter inch because that's usually about how much gets eaten up in the hem when I sew the actual pillow. This way you don't end up sewing a pillow case that's too small for your pillow. Not that I have ever done something that foolish (read: I've totally done that!) Once I have all of my pieces of fabric cut, I'll pin them into place. Since I made a envelope pillowcase, I sewed the hems of the two sides first, then I pinned all the pieces together to sew the pillowcase itself. I also have a newfound obsession with tassles, so I pinned a few in here before I started sewing. Then you'll simply turn the case rightside out again, run the iron over it again to get rid of any creases that arose during sewing, and lastly you'll insert the pillow form. Lastly, you'll find the ideal spot for your new creation and admire it (and your awesomeness) as you pass by it daily.
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Hi! I'm Susan.A (aging) millenial, with a indecisiveness problem. I'm a Libra, it's my nature. This is my corner of the internet where I talk about stuff I like! Categories
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