slacker...total slacker

i have been a complete slacker.  no posts in 2 weeks?  my apologies.  our district goes back to school today and we've been busy getting back into a routine.  


i've been *reading* a lot of blogs...just not *writing* any.  and i've come across some super awesome stuff that i'll share (b/c i have been so un-creative lately):

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dana at MADE is revealing the winner of her "design my header contest".  she has a lot of awesome readers who submitted entries on flickr.  she's narrowed it down to 7 and will make her pick today!

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upcycling is the new recycling...it has been happening in the craft and creating world forever, but now it's been getting a lot of long overdue attention.  check out this series of upcycled projects on we upcycle.com which began as 30 days 30 things and is now on day 122!  they added a day for every guest post with a new upcycled project.  i love this quick waterproof cosmetics case:

 

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crafts 'n coffee has quick and easy wall decor made from scrapbook paper.  keep it 12 x 12 and you don't have to do any cutting!  i love the black and white one.  

you can always head over to my pinterest to see what else i think is spectacularly creative and clever!

a simple skirt for maeve and the cousins

i get so much inspiration from the sewing blogs in blogland.  i especially love MADE.  dana has a ton of amazing tutorials.  i have read them all.  hadn't actually done any.  until now.


the simple skirt.  i like tutorials that contain the word *simple*.  off to a great start!

it really was simple!  she even gives you instructions for a double layered skirt for those of you who are daring.


it worked!  i made the simple skirt for my 5-year-old daughter maeve with a an adorable remnant i found at my local jo-ann's.  it was already cut at the perfect size; i straightened the edges and started sewing.  not too girly, light and airy, with kind of a slub texture.


i was so happy with how it turned out, i made three more so the cousins could match (luckily jo-ann's had more on the bolt).  only down side...my poor ethan, no skirt for him.  :(


i used store-bought double fold bias tape for the bottom hem in a dark gray, pink, and orange.  

the girl cousins in their matching skirts

she walked out on the dock with her hands behind her back like that...so cute!

my nieces...they loved their skirts (whew!)

a closer look at greta's tiny skirt

you might have noticed their matching shirts...more on those soon!

a snarky glass etching tutorial

here's a little background on this to paint the picture for you.  
setting:  a meeting in a conference room at work
characters:  

• chris (getting married that weekend)
• tim (an *ever-so-slightly* bitter recent divorcee)
• the rest of us  

tim, unaware of chris' upcoming nuptials, was venting a bit about the division of things in his divorce.  all the pots and pans stayed with his ex-wife, among many other items of basic living.  when it was pointed out to tim that chris was getting married on saturday, he gave the following marriage, er...divorce, advice to the groom-to-be:  "put your name on everything".  it was all in good fun, though.


and because we think we are funny, this is what we gifted later that week at chris' at-work wedding shower:

here's how we did it. 


supplies:
pyrex glass pan (size of your choice)
glass etching cream (available at craft stores)
contact paper or vinyl
silhouette or other craft cutter (or an exacto knife)


step one:
create your design either with software or freehand and then cut it.  *you have to mirror image this*.  remove the vinyl from the design that you want to show as etched glass (see mine in black vinyl in upper left corner).  also prep your glass by washing with soap and water. dry thoroughly. 

apply mirror imaged design to the bottom of the pan (not inside)

  
step two:
apply the vinyl to the bottom of your glass pan using transfer paper. be sure it is straight! 

haven't peeled away the transfer paper yet.

with transfer paper removed.  ready for etching cream.  

step three:
add etching cream following the directions on the bottle.  i was lucky enough to have a friend at work who had some at home already so i didn't have to buy any.

here he is...carefully applying the etching cream. 

tip:  do not get cream on your hands or anywhere on the glass that you do not want etched.  this stuff is fast-acting!  wear gloves, if you have them.  apply scraps of vinyl or contact paper around your design to prevent disasters.

yes, the 1's in 2011 are little forks.  :)

completely covered in a 'thick layer'.

step four: 

wait.  (follow directions on your etching cream - ours took 5 minutes). 

step five:

wash!

tip:  glass etching cream can be reused...so carefully scrape off what you can (without smearing any on the glass outside of your design) and put it back in the bottle for next time.  

put on your gloves and rinse the pan clean under running water.  dry it and check to see if your glass is etched to your liking.  if not, reapply etching cream and repeat steps 3, 4, and 5.  we were happy with our results; no reapplication needed!

step six: 

the reveal!  remove the vinyl or contact paper. 

there you have it: a personalized, albeit, slightly inappropriate wedding shower gift!

  
(btw, chris is a great sport and he absolutely appreciated the humor in our gift!)