In my Studio: Valentines Envelope Tutorial

Last year I made these really cute valentines envelopes, they were a huge hit with everyone. My sons teacher told me the other day how she has been using hers to store jewelry when she's travelling. I thought it would be fun to repost the tutorial in time for this years February the 14th.

Materials

• Felt pieces
• Embroidery thread and needle
• Button
• Iron-on printer sheet
• Ribbon
• Template (as photo below)

1) Write a list of all the names you would like on your envelopes and print them out onto iron-on printer paper. I used the font 'courier' to make it look like old-fashioned typewriter print. Remember to flip your page first before printing it so that the names come out the right way around. I did this my saving my word document as a PDF then opening it up in photoshop and flipping it before printing it out.

2) Cut out the names and iron them onto a grosgrain ribbon, cut the ribbon either side of the name leaving a small amount to turn under on both the open fraying sides.

3) Use your template to cut out your felt pieces, also cut out small felt hearts in coordinating colors.

4) Sew the hearts and the names on to the envelopes in the corresponding places (see photo below.) Tuck the raw edge of the ribbon under so that it won't fray.

5) Turn over the envelopes and sew the sides and the end down.

6) Sew a button on the back and cut a small eyelet in the flap.

7) Fill the envelop with a valentines card, gift, candy or a perfect Valentines day surprise.


All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt. Charles M Schultz



Good Luck and Good Making!

Sarah Omura
So Handmade

In My Studio: Plastic Bag Dispenser Tutorial

In an effort to save some money this holiday season I decided to make all my sons teachers one of these plastic bag dispensers as a 'green' Christmas present. They are quick and easy to make and useful for every household. Here is a tutorial to make your own for gifts or just for yourself!

Materials

Three different fabrics in coordinating colors.

One piece of thin elastic 16" long

1) Cut the top piece of fabric A into a rectangle 15" by 18"

2) Cut the middle piece of fabric B into a rectangle 15" by 5"

3) Cut the bottom piece of fabric C into a rectangle 15" by 6"

4) Cut a strip of any of the fabrics (piece D) 2" by 10"

4) Fold over 1/4 " and iron fabric C (along the 15" side).

5) Fold over, iron and pin fabric C again, leaving a hem of half an inch.

6) On the sewing machine hem along this edge.

7) Fold over twice and iron the top of fabric A and sew it down (along the 15" side).

 8) Pin and sew the fabric piece B to the un-hemmed bottom of piece A, right sides together.

9) Pin and sew the fabric piece C onto the bottom of the piece you just sewed, right sides together.

10) Iron the seams open on the reverse side.

11) Take your strip piece D and fold in half along the long edge, right sides together and iron. Sew down the long side and then turn inside out to make the long 'handle'. Over stitch along both edges.



12) Mark the center at the top of the main fabric piece and mark 3 1/2" either side of this center point.

13) Pin the tie at these points to the inside of the main fabric making a loop

14) Sew these down.

15) Take the piece of elastic and attach a safety pin to one end. Thread this through the bottom hem and leave hanging out of both ends.

16) Fold along the middle and pin down the sides (right sides together)

17) Sew down this edge from the top. When you get to the bottom pull the elastic tight (as shown) and continue to sew over the elastic ends. Reverse to make it extra strong

18) Trim the excess of elastic and turn inside out.

19) Hang up and stuff with bags!

Less then 1% of all plastic bags in the US are recycled- help change this frightening statistic

Good Luck and Good Making!

Sarah Omura

SO Handmade



DIY Thank You Card

DIY Thank You Card

from the Hudson Valley Etsy Team

Here's a little Flower Garden thank you card you or the kids can easily make!  Just like those expensive cards you find in stores, it becomes three dimensional when you add your own selection of buttons.  All you need is a printer, glue, card stock paper, invitation size envelopes, buttons, a ruler, and a scissor or other method of paper cutting.  I'm not sure how I collected all these buttons, but lots of crafty people seem to have the same secret stash.  This is one way to make use of them!

Download card design free printable here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4emWuO6AltRSkdXZ1I2VHJ5djg/edit?usp=sharing

Print out full bleed if you can.  Otherwise the image will be short on the edges.  Cut in half.

Glue on buttons at the top of the stems.  Let dry.  Fold in half, and it's done!

Jody - astudiobythesea.etsy.com

In My Studio: Label Making

How to make your own Fabric Labels

In order to save money buying in professionally made custom labels I have been making my own. The results look great and are very easy and cheap to do. In this tutorial I give you the steps in order for you to make your own:


Materials

Printable transfer paper
Fray Check
Iron
Sharp scissors
Ribbon

Method

1) On your computer take a copy of your logo and insert it into a word document. Measure your ribbon and scale the logo so it will fit onto the ribbon. It will look best if the background of your logo is left white. 

2) Once its the correct size click the 'format' tab at the top of the word document. Find the 'rotate' tab and click the option 'flip horizontally'. This will invert your logo so that it will be the correct way around when printed.

3) Copy this version of the logo and paste in columns on the document (as below left). Print this document out onto the transfer sheet making sure you print on the correct side of the paper. Cut into strips (below right)

 4) Heat the iron to its hottest setting and iron one strip of logos onto the ribbon. Make sure the iron gets really hot and then before it cools down quickly remove the backing paper.

 5) Apply the fray check to the back of the ribbon in the area between the logos and leave to dry.

6) Once dry cut the labels

7) Apply the labels to your products, remembering not to iron over the label once its been attached as this will melt it.

Good luck and good making!

Sarah Omura - So Handmade

In My Studio: Family Calendar Tutorial

Coming from a large family I decided to make a calendar wall hanging to keep track of everyone's birthdays. I had great fun making this and am really pleased with the results. The instructions for making your own are below, feel free to customize to your own specifications. Have fun!

Materials and Tools Required

Wooden Board

Letters F A M I L Y

Small disks  (approx. 50 will be needed depending on how many birthdays you wish to add)

Paint

Small sticky letters J F M A M J J A S O N  AND D

Scrapbooking papers x 6

Jump rings 0.35in/9mm x 85

Small eyelet screws x 12

Spray adhesive

Jewelry pliers

Electric drill

PVA Glue

Paint

Scalpel

Extra fine permanent sharpies

Sandpaper

Ribbon or cord for hanging

Materials

1) Sand down the large wooden board

2) Drill two holes in the top of the large wooden board to enable it to be hung on the wall (as shown left)

3) Drill small holes in the top and bottom of each of the small wooden disks (as shown left)

4) Paint the edges of all the wooden FAMILY  letters in black, remember the inside of the A

5) Paint the large wooden board the desired background color, do a couple of coats.

6) Select the scrapbooking papers you want to use. Spray adhesive on the back side of the paper. Firmly press the right side of the wooden letter onto the paper. Leave to dry. Once dry use a very sharp scalpel to cut the paper around the letter

7) Paint the small wooden disks in 3 or 4 different colors to coordinate with your scrapbooking papers. Paint both sides

8) Use a sharp tool to make 12 holes along the bottom edge of the wooden board equally spaced out. Screw the eyelets into these small holes

9) Glue the FAMILY letters onto the painted wooden board, use a ruler to line them up and space them out equally. Leave to dry

10) Add the sticky letters onto 12 different disks representing the different months of the year: J F M A M J J A S O N and D (as shown left)

11) Write on the other small painted disks the family names and birthdays, use extra fine permanent sharpies in different colors  (as shown left)

12) Using the jewelry pliers open the jump rings and thread the disks onto the rings in lines of each month, order by the date with the month disk at the top.

13) Thread these lines onto the eyelet screws

14) Thread cord or ribbon through the holes at the top of the large wooden board to hang on the wall

"The way I see it, you should live life everyday like its your birthday"  Paris Hilton

Good Luck and Good Making

Sarah Omura

So Handmade

In My Studio: Valentine Envelope Tutorial

In my studio this month I have been making these really cute valentines envelopes, they can be done any size you like and can hold a valentines card, gift or even candies. Here is a tutorial to make your own in time for February the 14th:

Materials

• Felt pieces
• Embroidery thread and needle
• Button
• Iron-on printer sheet
• Ribbon
• Template (as photo below)

1) Write a list of all the names you would like on your envelopes and print them out onto iron-on printer paper. I used the font 'courier' to make it look like old-fashioned typewriter print. Remember to flip your page first before printing it so that the names come out the right way around. I did this my saving my word document as a PDF then opening it up in photoshop and flipping it before printing it out.


2) Cut out the names and iron them onto a grosgrain ribbon, cut the ribbon either side of the name leaving a small amount to turn under on both the open fraying sides.

3) Use your template to cut out your felt pieces, also cut out small felt hearts in coordinating colors.

4) Sew the hearts and the names on to the envelopes in the corresponding places (see photo below.) Tuck the raw edge of the ribbon under so that it won't fray.

5) Turn over the envelopes and sew the sides and the end down.

6) Sew a button on the back and cut a small eyelet in the flap.

7) Fill the envelop with a valentines card, gift, candy or a perfect Valentines day surprise.

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.

Charles M. Schulz

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/charlesms189865.html#uH2UkkAybvyPpcqc.99

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.

Charles M. Schulz

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/charlesms189865.html#uH2UkkAybvyPpcqc.99

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt. Charles M Schultz

Good Luck and Good Making!
Sarah Omura
So Handmade

DIY Tutorial: Shadow Box Halloween Decoration

Looking for a unique Halloween decoration? A shadow box is a great way to create your own dimensional Halloween art. Using just layers of paper, you can create a spooky, ethereal scene, great for tabletop or window decor. The same idea can be used for any holiday theme!

Materials:
1. Paper or card stock. I used white card stock, black card stock, silver paper, white and red vellum, and dark blue paper for the background.
2. Shadow box frame.
3. Scissors or X-acto knife with #11 blades.
4. Self-healing mat or cardboard to cut on.
5. Ruler for cutting straight lines.
6. Tape and white glue.

To create your design, you need to plan out how many layers of paper you will use. You can draw your own design, find a design template, or cut out collage images to use. For my shadow box I drew a ghostly image of a mysterious woman amongst the trees. I drew the design on one piece of paper, and marked which parts will go on which layer. I used two layers of trees, the cloaked woman, a background layer, and some separate pieces of vellum to create an effect of mist.

Open your shadow box and measure the inside of the frame. This is the size of your image, but leave some extra room on top and bottom to create a folded flap that you can tape or glue to the sides of the frame. Cut out each layer, leaving a flap on each one. You will cut the flaps down to fit into the box, depending on where your layer sits. You can use an x-acto knife or scissors, making small, slow cuts with a sharp blade. Vellum is usually easier to cut with scissors, but a sharp blade will also work.

I attached the white tree layer first, and added the woman behind them, attaching her to the bottom. The silver trees were spaced behind her. Behind the trees, I added a piece of vellum on the bottom. For the background layer, I attached it to the top of the frame, and left some space open at the bottom to let light in. I cut spaces out of the paper and glued a vellum moon and some more layers of mist onto it. Use a toothpick to apply small amounts of regular white glue, or attach small bits of double sided tape. The vellum adds a nice glow when placed near any light source, and I left the back of the frame open to let the light in. You can protect the back of the frame with a piece of clear acetate or Plexiglas.

The effect this creates is of a mysterious, misty forest, using only paper, light, and the depth of the shadow box. The design options are endless to make your own art and dioramas. You can experiment with different papers and vellum, and also add in 3 dimensional objects. Have fun and a Happy Halloween!

Arwen from Arwen Designs

Fall Craft Tutorial: A Burlap Wreath For Your Home

Time for fall decorating. I saw this idea on Pinterest I think...

Every thing can be found at Hobby Lobby. I picked out the medium wire wreath, it measures about 16" across. the important thing is that it have the three wire rings. The burlap ribbon come in many different colors and patterns but I just wanted basic old burlap.

You start by pushing the tail end of the ribbon through one of the sections of wire. I started in the one closest to the inside of the wreath.

Then it's just a simple matter of pulling up loops of burlap and alternating back and forth through the wire rings.

I put about six loops of burlap in each section of  the wreath there were six sections in all. Just continue around till it's nicely filled. Each loop is about 3". I did need two rolls of ribbon and I already had the silk sunflower to decorate it with. But different berries or ribbons would look beautiful.

Welcome Fall!

Susan from Digilio Designs