Updating Thrift Shop Goodies

So everyone loves a bargain. I love goodwill because it is great at that. However, sometimes your bargain buys aren't EXACTLY what you wanted. I found that to be true of my $3 lamp.

See? Just not pretty. Plain, bland, blah. 

I started with glittering the top screw:

Fill bowl with blue and purple glitter (it's what I had)

cover top in mod podge (that's what the little dobber in there was for)

and roll around in there. And you get this!

Prettyful!

Ok, step two: the lamp shade.

I had music note fabric that I loved and have been looking for a reason to use. 

It came from IKEA. You could buy it by the yard, and i got some remnant pieces for cheaper.

So I put a bead of hot glue along the rim of one side and pressed the fabric in.

Then I would continue on all four sides until they were secure.

Then glue excess on the insides of the top and bottom of the shade.

You can see how it's glued inside the top of the shade over the edge.

I layered the fabric different ways on different sides to create the desired effect.

And then I made an adorable little bow with a resin rose on it and glued that sucker on the front!

(I may or may not go back at some point and glue ribbon around it)

But for now. SO much cuter than it was! I no longer hate it, and I now have light.

Watermelon Pin Cushion

No catchy titles today, ladies and gents just pure crafty fun.

So this is a DIY project that I just created myself. So, it goes on my DIY I Have to try! board:
http://pinterest.com/marlipaige/diy-i-have-to-try/


First, I didn't have a pin cushion anymore so I thought "self, what do I have to make a pin cushion out of? And what would be cute?"

Things I found:
polyfil
red felt
green silk
pipe cleaners
watermelon gingham ribbon
Needle, Thread, Scissors

Now feel free to make your own version with different things you just have around. But, I decided to make a cute little watermelon pin cushion.


All in all, working at a leisurely pace and watching Downton Abby as I went, this took me about 2.5 hours. I could've done it MUCH quicker. But I was just enjoying it.

STEP ONE

Cut shape in felt

Easiest thing to do is double it over and keep the bottom part connected so you don't have to sew needlessly.

See? If you opened it back up it would look like a butterfly

STEP TWO

Sew everything together except the top.

STEP THREE

Polyfil!

STEP FOUR

Sew top together

STEP FIVE

If you're using ribbon for one decorative side like I did, add that.

I added a second layer,

So I had one ribbon side, and one red side

STEP SIX

Get out your pipe cleaners (I used 3)

STEP SEVEN

Braid those jokers!

STEP EIGHT

Sew one edge of the green fabric you have onto the pipe cleaners

STEP NINE

Wrap it up tight and sew the rest of it on, securing all the fabric curled around the pipe cleaner.

Look, it's a caterpillar! 

No, really, it's your rhine.

STEP TEN

Sew the rhine onto the watermelon

TADA!