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how to: recycled holiday card gift tags

recycled gift tags from holiday cards

Last year I saved a few of my favorite holiday cards for crafting. I planned to reuse the artwork to make new cards, but when I realized I didn’t have any cute gift tags in my stash, I started cutting! I began with 5 cards and ended with almost 30 gift tags in all shapes and sizes.

You’ll need:
-paper cutter
-embossing stylus, crochet hook or knitting needle for scoring
-ruler
-small hole punch

I just started slicing away without thinking too hard about the end result. Then I went back and sorted all of the bits.

  • Large rectangles were scored for fold-over tags. (boy pulling sled)
  • Borders made great matching flat tags. (red and cream stripes)
  • Images were cut in half to make coordinating card sets. (snow scene)
  • Die cuts made really fancy cards. (poinsettia)

Most cards are made out of heavy paper stock and need to be scored before you fold them or they will crack on the fold. If the surface is glittery, cover with a thin piece of paper before scoring.

The final step was to punch holes in the corners so they can easily be tied on to gift packages.

reuse and recycle: This little project didn’t take long and was so much fun. If you sent me a really cute card last year, thanks! You just might be getting it back on a gift this year.

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fabric beach balls!

fabric beach ball purl soho

These are great balls for playing indoors. I’ve made one for my daughter and a few for her friends. Everyone seems to love them. This one was a bit of a challenge when I realized that I didn’t have a lot of eight-year-old-boy-ish fabric in my stash. I grabbed a few men’s shirt sleeves that I had in my upcycle bin and I really like how the colors and patterns work together.

fabric beach ball purl bee

recycle: Remember all of the pillows I was making with men’s shirts? This was a great way to use the sleeves! Pattern is from the Purl Bee.

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how to make a snow angel indoors

snow angel made out of cotton balls

The weather outside is seriously frightful and tonight we’ll be under a blizzard warning. What do you do when your child wants to go outside and play, but it’s windy and below freezing? Play with indoor snow!

snow man made out of cotton balls

I grabbed a bag of cotton balls, a bucket and shovel and we made a snow angel, snowman, snow dog, snow cat and snow tree. We also had a snowball battle!

christmas tree made out of cotton balls

indoor snow tip: Lay a “picnic blanket” down on the floor first, especially if you are close to a holiday tree or you’ll get needles stuck in your “snow”!

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sew, mama, sew december giveaway day!

denim pocket men's shirt pillow

After much deliberation, and not much sewing over the weekend because of a sick little girl, I’m giving away one of my remote control pillow covers for Sew, Mama, Sew’s Giveaway Day.

remote control pillow

You get to pick whichever one you want. You can even pick the decorative pillow cover, even though it doesn’t have a pocket. That’s cool with me!

affordable decorative pillow button down shirt

home decor pillow on a budget

Just know that whichever one you choose, I’m only giving away the cover, not the inside cushion. It will keep down shipping costs and allow me to ship internationally.

Here’s how you enter: Leave a comment on this post.
Bonus entry: Become a fan on my Facebook page. If you do, leave a second comment on this post.

You have until midnight, December 6th to enter. I will choose a winner with a random number generator. After you leave a comment, check out Sew, Mama, Sew for more fabulous giveaways!

Anything else? Oh, did you know I wrote a tutorial on how to make one of these pillows? Check it out!

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custom bag: laurel burch fanciful felines

custom bag

My friend Cathy loves bags, loves fabric and loves cats. When she saw my faux leather bag, she wanted the same thing, only bigger and with two handles. She’s going to use this to store and transport her mini swift and yarn winder. (Yep, she loves knitting, too!)

tapestry bag

thrifting: Most of the bags I make for Cathy are from thrifted materials. She’s the only one I know who goes to Goodwill more often than I do. I forgot to ask her if that is where she got this tapestry, but I’m betting it was! It’s a Laurel Burch from the Fanciful Felines collection.

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finished: granny square scarf

granny square scarf

Yay for pictures! I was so excited that the sun was out today, as we were expecting more rain. It’s still kind of chilly — perfect scarf weather.

lion brand wool ease scarf

Some squares were a little smaller than others. I’m not sure if it was daily life that messed with my tension or my learning curve. I arranged them smallest to largest for seaming and you really can’t tell.

woolease granny square scarf

I got 7 squares out of each skein for a total of 14. It blocked nicely considering it’s only 20% wool. I can’t wait to wear it tomorrow!

project details: here and here.

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reuse-or-recycle package labels

reuse recycle envelope labels

Usually I just handwrite this message on my packages, but sometimes I forget when I’m rushing to get things in the mail. Now I have labels! I printed them on the back of already used paper and just slip them under the packing tape. I suppose you could print stickers, but that’s too involved for me. Until I find a way to seal packages without packing tape, this will work just fine.

The image is a striped, felted sweater. I’m thinking of making some with holly leaves and berries for the holidays.

resource: I also made a template for you! Please download it and use it often!

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how to sew a remote control pillow in five easy steps

I’m not sure why I’ve had pillows on my mind. Maybe because the sun has been hiding behind the clouds for too many days to count? Maybe it’s because I’ve been feeling under the weather? Maybe it’s because the holidays are fast approaching and I need some gift ideas for the guys in my life? Whatever the reason, I’ve been having fun. These are really easy. I know you’ll have fun, too.

remote control pillow

Notes

  • Remote Control Pillow v 2.0 is for those who only have one tv remote or are using a universal remote for all of their equipment. If you need a multi-pocket pillow, check out my Remote Control Pillow v 1.0 pattern.
  • Most likely, your pocket will have to be flipped and moved to accommodate a remote control. If your shirt doesn’t have a pocket, you can easily make one out of the sleeve or a contrasting scrap fabric. Be creative! Try a denim pocket from a pair of jeans.
  • Some men’s shirts don’t have buttons past the belt line. You can take one from the collar or cuff and stitch it on the band.
  • If you are using a smaller shirt, simply use a smaller pillow form. I usually sew the cover 1″ smaller than the pillow form size so the final pillow will be nice and firm.

denim pocket men's shirt pillow

Materials
1 – large men’s button shirt with pocket
1 – 18″ pillowform
seam ripper
matching thread

Step 1
With the shirt buttoned, cut a 17 1/2″ square out of the front of the shirt. Cut another 17 1/2″ square out of the back of the shirt.

Step 2
Carefully remove the pocket using a seam ripper. Spritz shirt with water and steam press to close up any holes. Reposition the pocket and topstitch in place.

Optional Step 3
If your holes don’t close, if you accidentally rip your fabric, or you are using a shirt like corduroy and the nap won’t fluff back up, you’ll need a patch. Just cut a square from the sleeve and topstitch it over the original area.

Step 4
Lay the pieces together right sides together and sew around the whole square with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Make sure to undo one or two buttons before sewing so you can turn it right side out afterward.

Step 4
Clip your corners, turn right side out and press.

Step 5
Insert your pillow form and button it up!

affordable decorative pillow button down shirt

This is an easy way to make decorative pillows, too. If you go to Goodwill on 99 cent day, this becomes a really affordable project. Plus, they organize their clothes by color, which makes it easy to find shirts that match your fabric. I used a little less than a fat quarter of fabric for the decorative pillow.

home decor pillow on a budget

recycle: Before you head out to the thrift store, check your own closet. All three of these shirts came from my husband. In fact, I have him trained now to ask me first before donating any of his clothes!

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a little bit of pillow talk

This weekend I spent some time refashioning shirts into pillows. I had planned for this post to be an easy tutorial for Remote Control Pillow v 2.0. Then I got sick. I’m actually supposed to be resting, but I’ve been resting all day and feel the need to do something productive. So, here’s a glimpse of one of the pillows.

wardrobe refashion pillows

Now it’s back to the couch for me. Hopefully, I can muster up enough energy to knit a few rounds.

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glue stick collages

I’m sure I’m not the only one who needs a little time alone with my knitting needles or sewing machine (or work!). I’m always trying to find non-TV related activities for my daughter so I can get a little bit of work done. The things that have kept her most occupied are crayons, paints and stickers. A lot of times she will sit and “read” books or get absorbed in her train engines.

Lately, it’s been hard to keep her occupied. She always wants to know what I’m doing—always wants to help out (which is sweet, but not always helpful). Today I got almost two hours of productive time. Want to know how? (OK, the title of this post gives it away.) My daughter has discovered the glue stick.

glue stick halloween collage

You know how I say nothing is safe if it fits under my presser foot? Well, not much is safe from my daughter if she can glue stick it to a piece of paper.

martha stewart living magazine

The images are from Martha Stewart’s Living, last year’s Halloween edition.

glue stick magazine on poster board

We have big plans for future collages. Thanksgiving and Christmas themes, animals, shapes, letters and numbers…the possibilities are endless.

magazine collage

Look, Mom! The owl and skeleton are holding hands!

I remember my friend Barbara telling me how she spent her evenings cutting up National Geographic magazines so her granddaughter could make collages. Such a brilliant and simple idea. I highly recommend it!

recycle: You will be amazed at what you can find in your recycle bin for this project. Don’t overlook catalogs and non-crafty magazines. Pay close attention to ads. Tip: for maximum productivity, cut the pictures out the night before.