DIY: Suitcase to Craft Case

Back in April, I began searching for an old suitcase to turn into a craft case.

Some time after that, my friend Katie found this gem at Goodwill for $8, and I told her to grab it!

It's been sitting in the closet for a while, and I finally got around to transforming it. I decided to leave the outside as-is, because I kind of dig the vintage blue.

On the inside, I didn't have to do much work. I cut the straps out, but I left the divider and the cloth sections since they were in good shape and functional for my storage needs. 

It didn't really need a lining, but when I spotted this houndstooth duct tape at the craft store,a light bulb went off and I knew I had to have it.

For organization, I picked up these plastic food containers from Dollar Tree.

I wanted to affix the containers with Velcro, so they wouldn't move around when the case was closed. But, I could still remove them entirely to get at their contents easily.

So, I cut a strip of self-adhesive Velcro to fit the length of each container.  I found it easiest to put both sides on the container first.

Then, press the container into the case where you want it to be stuck. This will affix the bottom Velcro to the case.

Once all the containers are attached with Velcro, you're done!

As you can see, I ran out of duct tape before I was totally finished. So, I chose that side to be covered in containers, since it would be less noticeable.

Now, it's time to fill it up. My case is still pretty empty, I guess it's time to do some more shopping!

Linking up: live.laugh.rowe, The 36th Avenue, The Shabby Creek Cottage, How To Nest For Less, Uncommon Designs 

The Best Of: DIY Chevron Projects

Sources Clockwise from Left: here, here, here, here and here

Our home search is ramping up, and I've let myself go a little wild dreaming up DIY home projects and decor. The trend I've been loving the most recently is definitely chevron. I don't know what it is - but it makes me really happy.

Here are a few of my very favorite chevron projects from around the web. I don't know if I'll get to actually make all of them. I'm not sure how much chevron one house can hold before it's deemed obnoxious, but I bet I'll be testing out those boundaries.

First up is this chevron rug from Hayley Anderson Photography . Yes, I am biased because the DIYer used a pug in her photos. Looks simple enough. Plain rug, can of paint, and painters tape. I think this would look really cute under a dining room or kitchen table.

Next up is this great lampshade from Pomp and Circumstance. Again, all you need is your basic lampshade, paint and some painters tape. I think that this chevron lampshade paired with this DIY Mirrored Lamp would be the things dreams are made of.

Okay, I have no idea what I'd do with this dresser from home.made. I just know it makes me furiously happy to look at.

I've seen a few DIY Chevron curtain tutorials that used paint, but I was most intrigued by this one by Altar'd Designs since it used all fabric. It's also no-sew.

Last up is this pillow tutorial from MADE. A chevron pillow is pretty self-explanatory if you can find chevron fabric, but if not, here is a handy tutorial for turning stripes into chevron. So clever! Even if you can find the fabric, this technique adds an extra layer of texture that I like.

What do you think of the chevron trend? Love it or hate it? And, how much can I get away with in one household??

DIY: Tea Towel Apron

When I cook, I'm constantly reaching for a hand towel - a towel that seems to always be just out of reach. So, when I saw this tutorial I knew this little half apron was the perfect solution. A towel I can't misplace!

It also gave me an excuse to fire up Athena. This apron could not be simpler to put together, so it was a great first sewing project after a long break.

I picked this tea towel up at Dollar Tree for, you guessed it, a buck.

I measured enough ribbon to go around my waist and tie comfortably.

Put the ends together and fold. Then, snip the end off at a diagonal.

This gives you pretty ends and will help prevent fraying. It's not a perfect solution, but it's the trick my grandma taught me. :)

Center the length of ribbon along the length of the towel, and pin. I put the ribbon on the bottom, then the towel, so I could see what I was doing.

Start sewing!

 Once you've attached the ribbon, you're done! 

Linking Up: How to Nest for Less, Ginger Snap Crafts, Uncommon Designs, live.laugh.rowe, The 36th Avenue , Shabby Creek Cottage

Digital Paper by melstampz.blogspot.com/

Shopping Thrifty

I love Thrift Stores. I love finding random items I never knew I had to have.

My current mission is to find a cute, vintage suitcase to create one of these adorable craft cases:

Found here

If you're not a veteran thrift store shopper, there are a few things I recommend: 

Of course, my lucky pugs weren't so lucky today. I struck out on suitcases, even after visiting two Goodwill and two Salvation Army stores on both sides of the river. I guess they transferred their luck to my friend Katie, who scored some great new t-shirts and this beauty:

Only $25!

And best of all, it fit in the back of the car. Phew.

I didn't leave totally empty-handed though. I found this Risk game in great condition, for only $1.99.

 If you're a board game fanatic like I am, you must check out your local Salvation Army store! I'd say about 90% of my board games (and I have a lot) came from Salvation Army - they always have all the pieces and are in awesome shape.

This one didn't even have all the pieces punched out. Score!

Alas, the search for an old suitcase continues. If you know of any resource I'm not exploiting (thrift stores, yard sales), please let me know!

My New Toy

 Behold, the Athena 2000. I just call her Athena.

It was my grandma's first electronic machine, and a gift from my grandpa.

And for the foreseeable future, she's mine! She's had a full tune-up and I've got the original instruction booklet, so she's practically good as new.

Grandma taught me how to sew when I was quite young, so I don't have to learn to sew so much as refresh myself in the basics. I already have a long list of projects I'm eager to try. I'm super excited to be getting back into sewing now, when there are so many resources available online.

Athena might be older than me, but she's going to welcome me into the future of sewing!

DIY: Dry-Erase Menu Board

In an effort to save money and eat healthier, my BF and I have been on a mission to cook at home more often. It was slow going at first, but we’ve started to get into a pretty good routine. A big help was this menu board I found on Pinterest. It's just a regular glass frame and a piece of scrapbook paper. 

 

With sales and a 20% off coupon at Joann’s, I was able to complete this project for around $5.

 

Instead of the vinyl lettering in the original tutorial, I wrote the days of the week with a wet-erase marker, so it could be removed easily but doesn’t smudge from day-to-day use. I use a dry-erase marker for the meals, so that I can quickly change them if I need to. 

 Of course, the dry-erase marker might make it a little too easy to change.

 

I really love this idea and one of the best parts about it is you can change the look of the entire thing quickly and cheaply just by switching out the scrapbook paper. 

Our "command center"

Linking up here , here and here


Lovely digital paper is from http://melstampz.blogspot.com/

DIY: Easter Egg Wreath

I have been anxiously waiting for weeks to make this Easter Egg Wreath. The tutorial I used as inspiration can be found here.  I liked this tutorial because it used cardboard instead of a wreath form, and since I was making multiple wreaths, free sounded especially good.

Let's Craft!

I used a dinner plate to create my circle. 

For the cut-out, I just jabbed my scissors through the center and winged it. It worked. 

You'll notice I ripped some eggs off during this process. To avoid that, follow the picture and hot-glue your outside ring of eggs first.

Then, add the inner ring.

Squirt hot glue into all the crevices, and use a dowel to push Easter grass into the glue.

Apply your top row of eggs.

Add a ribbon, hang, and admire!

Bonus Photo: The aftermath of the first Pug shot. 

Linking up here and here.