Step 1: cut ‘em off!

Step 2: serge or zig-zag around the cut-edge to prevent unraveling.

Step 3: Cut elastic to desired length (I used 1/4″ elastic cut to 6 1/2″ lengths), then stitch ends together to form a circle.

Step 4: Set the elastic into a casing at the top of the sock…just fold it over and stitch it down, being careful to not catch the elastic in your stitching. I used a stretch-stitch, but a zig-zag would work fine.

Step 5: Put on those cute new socks and wear ‘em with pride!

While I’d dearly love to snap up a gazillion dollars worth of J. Crew goodness…it’s not in the cards this year. So, I decided to do the next best thing–make something I already have work! I purchased this necklace at da-da-da-daaaaa: Walmart for about $5 a couple years ago, and it just wasn’t sitting right with me as-is. It’s cute-ish, but just a little too bulky and blah at the same time:

I fiddled with the necklace until it had the drape I wanted, then tacked black grosgrain ribbons to the links:

And just for fun, I attempted a little self-portait. (OK, that was harder than I thought it would be!) I’m LOVING my new trinket, especially the fact that it cost nothing and took literally minutes to do!

Back to sewing now…I’ve got some fun things to share soon!
Audrey

P.S. Disclaimer: I’m *not* the professional photographer in the family, so please don’t judge Kayla’s work on my blurry, blotchy photos!! )

Start with a box…any square/rectangular box will do.

Measure the bottom and sides of your box. My boxes are about 10.5″ by 10.5″ on the bottom, and each side measured 11″ by 11″.

I wanted the liner to cover the inside AND outside of the box, so I determined the measurements of my cut pieces using this formula:

Base/bottom: add 1/2″ to each side to allow for 1/4″ seam allowances, so my cut piece measured 11″ by 11″.
Sides: (inside length + outside length +1/2″ for seam allowances) x (width + 1/2″ for seam allowances), so my 4 cut pieces each measured 11″ by 22.5″.

Sew the sides together. I used my serger, but a straight stitch machine will work just fine.

With all four pieces joined together, sew the two open sides to each other, forming a big tube.

Sew the base to one end of the “tube”.

Check to make sure it fits!

I decided to decorate these boxes with more fabric, and wanted a slightly rustic look, so I serged the edges of 6″ strips of toile with my trusty black thread:

And in true Nester-fashion, I hot-glued the trim right on to the liners. Voila!

I came across this picture tonight of a project I did for last Valentine’s day, and thought I’d throw it out there…it’s a versatile and easy little craft.

You’ll want to round up:
-small wood or paper-mache letters in the word combo you want
-2 colors of regular-old acrylic craft paint
-bottle of crackle medium (found near to the acrylic craft paint in any craft aisle)
-old rag
-sand paper
-sealer spray
-magnet sheet
-glue gun
-ribbon bits
-sealer

1-Slap some paint on the letters–whatever you want to use as the base coat…I used red here. Let it dry a little.
2-Mix 1 part water, 1 part paint (I used pink), 1 part crackle medium (a little goes a long way here…think teaspoons if you’re just doing one set of these), and slap it on top of the red paint. Let it dry for just a minute or so, then use an old rag to wipe it off (in one direction) till it looks as weathered as you want it to. If you’re not liking it, you can water it down, wipe it off and start over. (I found this technique on Sandi Henderson’s blog…LOVE her.)
3-Sand the edges, tops, wherever you want to make it look a little more worn
4-Hit the letters with a bit of sealer spray to set the look, let dry.
5-Tie bits of ribbon & trims around the letters wherever you please.
6-Cut strips off the magnet sheet to fit the back of the letters, hot glue them on.
7-Stick these babies wherever you like and SMILE–you accomplished something today!

My mom “surprised” me with this necklace from Lisa Leonard Designs for my birthday (thanks Mom!), and I’ve worn it constantly since. I love it’s simplicity, the meaning of the three little initials, the hammered texture of the silver discs, the luminous pearl charm. I’ve been wanting some cute earrings to wear with it, and finally found some time to sit down and make these little babies:

They came together in about three minutes (once I gathered the items I needed), and they look perfect with my favorite necklace. Here’s how they work:

Items needed:
1 pair silver french hook earwires
2 freshwater pearls
2 silver 2″ headpins
1 pair round nose pliers
1 pair needle nose pliers

Thread the head pin through the hole in the pearl, form a loop using the round nose pliers, slip the earwire onto the loop, then wrap the rest of the pin around the base of the loop using the needle nose pliers. (You might need to trim a little bit off.) Since I forgot to take pictures of the process, here’s a good demonstration of the technique.

I realize this tutorial is a bit late for Halloween, but I got in a crafty mood yesterday morning when I was feeling all full of energy and thinking I could pull a quick little project off in nothin’ flat. So I thought I’d share the process with y’all and see what you think. I started out with these inexpensive pre-lit jack-o-lanterns from good old Walmart. I think they’re cute and friendly, but the orange, it’s way too bright for my taste. They need some white-washin’!

I learned this technique from Sandi’s blog: mix 1 part paint and 1 part crackle medium with 1 part water. Brush on, allow to dry just a bit, then rub off with a dry cloth. I followed that up with a dab of watered-down stain to age the look a little bit.

And there you have it: my version of a white-washed punkin’ head.

Inexpensive wood plaque from Michael’s + slap of paint + smidge of sandpaper + wipe of stain + Mod Podge + patterned paper + Mod Podge + a meaningful photo + Mod Podge + ribbon = something pretty for you.

I started by checking for an unobstructed path through the waistband. There were two: the faux drawstring stitched at the front and the label sewn in the back. I removed the drawstring and opened up 1/2″ on each side of the label (please don’t laugh at my trusty old seam ripper…she’s very self-conscious of her battle scars):

I didn’t have enough ribbon to go entirely around her waist, so I grabbed a bit of 1/4″ elastic and tacked my ribbon to each end:

To be sure it won’t come apart, I hit the ends of the ribbon and the elastic with a bit of Fray Check. The new drawstring looked like this when I was finished:

Using a small safety pin, I guided the drawstring through the waistband:

I re-stitched the back label to secure the drawstring, threw the finished shorts on the girl and we ran for the car!

The end.