One of my New Year’s resolutions was to knock a dent in the ridiculous amount of fabric I’ve accumulated over the past couple of years. It’s almost hoarder status - I even keep tiny scraps on the off chance I might find something to do with them. Guess it’s a good thing I did, because I keep seeing flower pins/brooches everywhere on Pinterest, so I thought I’d try my own version today… because Super Bowl commercials can only entertain me for so long :D

what you will need…

• fabric scraps, cut into strips [1/2” - 1” seems to work the best, I like using a couple different sizes for variation]
• felt scraps - they’re the backing so you can use any color
• hot glue gun - I’m not such a fan of hot glue because it’s so stringy but since it sets up so quickly it’s probably the easiest to use
• scissors
• pins/barrettes/whatever you want to put your flowers on

getting down to business…

Put a dab of glue in the middle of your felt scrap. Attach one end of the fabric strip to the glue.

Begin twisting the fabric and wrapping it around the middle, securing with more hot glue.

Continue wrapping and gluing until you reach the desired size.

Once you get to the size you want, trim excess felt, then secure fabric to the back with some glue.

You can stop here and put your flower on a pin or whatever, or you can make several and cluster them together to your liking, then glue them together.

I decided to make a brooch for my first attempt, but I think I’m gonna make some smaller ones and glue them to bobby pins or a headband. They’d be cute as a necklace, too! So many possibilities :D

About a month ago, I showed you a handmade wall display to hang earrings on that I found at a craft show. Mom and I finally got around to making her one plus a frame for her necklaces.

First, we found a couple of sad, out dated prints at Goodwill with decent frames:

For the first makeover, we dismantled the frame and rubbed it down with Old English to make it shine.

Next, we cut Galvanized Hardware Cloth from the Garden Area of Lowe’s to fit inside the  frame. (Note: below is my father’s hand. I’d like to think my hands are more feminine looking ha.)

Then, we attached the wire to the frame using a staple gun. If you don’t have one, small nails/tacks bent over will work too.

Frame Number One Completed:

Now, for the next makeover, which I somehow failed to photo document. We decided to use a swatch of fabric  we found at Goodwill because it matched the wall color so well. We removed the glass from the frame and covered the inner board with the fabric and secured with staples in the back. We added some brass upholstery tacks to hang necklaces and ta da! Two finished hanging jewelry organizers!

Frame Number Two Completed:

Mom and I decided to make baby blocks for a friend’s baby shower. In addition to being an awesome toy, we thought it would be cool to be able to spell out the baby’s name and to be able to take pictures each month to show the baby’s progress. You can make as many or as few as you want. We made one for each letter of the alphabet. To make these you will need:

• wooden blocks of the size of your choice. We ordered ours online.
• acrylic paint 
• paint brushes
• scrap book paper
• craft stickers
• Mod Podge glue
• emory boards

1. Paint your blocks in the paint colors of your choice and let dry.

2. Cut scrap book paper in squares slightly smaller than the blocks. We had a whole punch but you could also cut it by hand.

3. Using modge podge glue, paint a thin layer on the blocks on sides where you’d like to place paper. Glue paper squares down. Let dry.

4. Once dry, use an emory board to file down the edges of the paper. This makes the edges more flush with the blocks (and less likely to come loose) and give the blocks a vintage feel. If you want, add stickers for decoration and numbers/letters to your blocks.

5. Paint a final layer of Mod Podge on all sides of the blocks to seal in the paper and paint. Let dry. (P.S. Mod Podge is non-toxic and water based so safe for kids.)

6. All done! Baby blocks ready to go!

7. We made a drawstring bag to store the blocks in, but anything will do!

So, technically, I didn’t make this myself. I bought it at a craft show a few weeks ago and I’m SO glad I did. The lovely ladies of Jewelrybox Essentials made this and I couldn’t resist it at a craft show a few weeks ago. I think it’d be pretty easy to make yourself though. It’s a picture frame with the backing removed and replaced by chicken wire that’s stapled on, plus some twine to hang. My earrings have never been this organized or easy to find before. Plus it looks pretty nice hanging beside my dresser. Note my OCD color coded earring placement.