Attic Lace

Thursday, May 16, 2013

DIY Pom Pom Tote

The other night I was "window shopping" on a few of my favorite sites, and I came across this cute tote. I love making my own little pom poms so I decided to make my own version of the tote bag with lots of color!

It was so easy, and how adorable is it!? Here's what I did:

Gather one plain canvas tote bag (I got mine for $3.99 at the craft store), 4 different colors of yarn (or one if you prefer a single color), a pair of sharp scissors, 2.5" x 3" scrap of cardboard, and a needle and thread.

Begin wrapping your first color around the cardboard, loosely enough to slip off after your done wrapping...

Slip your bundle off of the cardboard and secure the center with a scrap of yarn. Tie a good strong knot.

Cut through the looped yarn all the way around, and then trim ends to give your pom pom its shape. I like to trim off about 1/4" to 1/2" all the way around. It will feel like giving the pom pom and haircut or trimming hedges. That's the method. When you are done it should look like this:

Now repeat! I made two of each color, except yellow, which only got one (for the center of my tote)

Now lay all of your pom poms onto your tote bag. I did mine in three rows of three, alternating the colors so no color was next to itself.

Now stitch or hot-glue your pom poms to your tote, and you're done!

I often get questions as to why I never show photos of myself "wearing!" the stuff I make..well this is why (haha) I have trouble with the "selfies" ..but I'm workin' on it! Here's a few for starters;)

I do love my new tote tho, perfect for day trips, library books, etc.

Happy almost Friday!

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Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Wednesday's Wanderings

1.Soap Popsicle CrimsonHill

2."Float" Embroidery Hoop Art by Merriweathercouncil

3.Vintage 50's Floral Swimsuit

4.DIY Smart Phone Case Ice Cream Treats by Straight Stitch Society

Happy Wednesday!

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Tuesday, May 14, 2013

DIY Floral Hair Combs

Remember the Flower Crown Wreath I made a while ago? Well as much as I love it, I still have yet to wear it:( I thought if I made a smaller version, in the form of hair combs, I might find it easier to incorporated flowers into my hair/outfit! Here's how I did it:

I used a pin to make holes through the trimmed stems of my flowers. Then I pushed floral wire through said holes, twisting it tightly to hide sharp ends. Then I twisted the flower it's new wire stem around the upper spine of the hair-comb ( also hiding the pokey end on the outside for safety). Then I repeated the process with the rest of my leaves and blossoms until the comb was full! I made two combs..a matching set.

I love how sweet and feminine these are...I may wear both or perhaps just one! We'll see;)

Happy Tuesday!

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Sunday, May 12, 2013

Bright Sunshiney Day

We had a wonderful celebration of a day today...It started with a lovely brunch, and rounded off with a barbecue at our place for my Ma. I had so much fun decorating our backyard, and although it was a bit breezy the sun was shining and the food was good. Homemade burgers, fresh corn salad, sangria, and my Mom's famous Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with homemade vanilla ice-cream...The pups played in the grass and N got to use our fancy new barbecue;) Best of all, my Mom's smile and the feeling of being blessed all day with the good company of our wonderful families and the women we love..

Happy Mother's Day to all you Mama's out there!

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Friday, May 10, 2013

Project Pebble

One of the things I struggle with, here on Attic Lace, is how to get the word out! Advertising your blog on a budget isn't easy...I don't really want to spend dollars on ad space etc. and so I mostly depend on word of mouth and Pinterest. The other day I was thinking how much fun it would be to make something that I could leave places for people to find! I wanted it to be something fun and eye-catching, without being obtrusive and obnoxious. I wanted to be able to leave this "thing" places that you might not expect to find something of the sort.

So when I started playing with puffy paint the other day (remember the puffy painted votives?), I decided to paint some doily inspired shapes on rocks!

Then I added my blog address and I've started leaving them places for people to find!

I thought this would be a fun/unique way to interact with, and reach, people..to spark a bit of curiosity for them, and in turn maybe they'd come visit Attic Lace and share a little story of how and where they found their rock! Plus they're kind of pretty to have , no? I have a bunch sitting around the house waiting to be placed, and I just love looking at them:)

So if you found a rock, or you're curious if anyone else has, please click the "Project Pebble" button in my sidebar and hopefully we'll get something interesting going!!

Thank you all for your continued support, every visit, comment, and new follower means the world to me. I enjoy what I do, but it makes it ten times better to hear that you all do to!

Peace, love, and happy Friday!!!

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Thursday, May 9, 2013

DIY Pretty-Piggy Bank

N and I like to save up our spare change and small bills to use as "fun money". Actually he does a better job of saving than I do, every night he empties his pockets of loose change etc. and throws it into a plastic bucket. After a while, you'd be surprised how much can add up! I thought if I made a pretty little bank it might inspire me to empty my change purse into it everyday too!

Here are the materials I used, the marker is a white acrylic paint pen. (you could also print out some pretty type if you don't want to waste stickers;) Here's how I made my bank:

I laid out my letter stickers on a scrap of paper. Then taped my words to the inside of the glass and traced it with the paint marker. I added some decorative washi tape along the bottom of my glass container.

I traced the opening of my glass onto a scrap of cardboard and then cut around the traced circle leaving 1/4" extra so that it will sit on top of my glass and not fall in;) I cut a slit into the center of the cardboard circle, big enough to slip money through. Then I lay my hankie on top of the cardboard and carefully cut that same slit through the fabric, lining the opening's edges with a little more washi tape so it wouldn't fray. I placed my fabric-covered cardboard circle on top of my glass and secured it with a rubber band so it would't move around. The finishing touch is the little pom-pom ribbon to hide the rubber band!