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Tutorial – Fancy Ruffled Shoe Clips

Jul
07th
2010

Shoe clips are a fun little accessory that can add life and bit of fanciness to a pair of plain old shoes.

After seeing all sorts of adorable embellished flats and heels that J. Crew has come out with lately, I wanted to try my hand at it. I hope these instructions are clear enough and you are able to get some use out of it!

Ballet Flats from J. Crew - $185.00

Supplies:

Lightweight synthetic fabric (it’s wrinkly because I was tired and lazayyy)
Scissors
Glue gun
Needle & thread
Ink Pen (use a pencil… I couldn’t find one. I know, who doesn’t have a pencil??)
Shoe Clips… I bought a ton from The Creative Seed on Etsy for just a few dollars

Instructions:

Trace 16 circles onto your fabric — 8 for each shoe. I used one of my little Anthro bowls as a guide and they turned out to be a pretty good size, but I’d aim for 3 inches in diameter. You can even get all fancy and precise if you have a compass lying around somewhere. I use bowls. I is science.

Cut out the fabric circles.

Start with one circle. Fold it in half…

…and in half again.

Run your needle through the fabric at the part that comes to a point. You’ll see what I mean when you get here.

Repeat the fold-fold-stitch process with 7 more circles. You should have a stack that looks something like the above photo. Knot the thread a few times to secure the stack, and you will see the fabric form a little ruffled cluster.

Flip the fabric over and glue a shoe clip over the knotted thread. I pinched a bit of felt between the clip and used it as a bit of extra surface for the glue to adhere.

Repeat the last five steps with the remaining 8 fabric circles to create another ruffled bunch. That’s it!

Hmm… I think little red posies would also be quite adorable worn on a pair of black heels.

OH LOOK!

What a coincidence! har har. I suppose you could even make some sweet little bows or some felt rosettes as well!

Oh Lord. I may never get to sleep tonight.

Tags: accessories crafting diy fabric felt flowers ruffles shoe clips tutorial wedding Categories: DIYs and Tutorials Me Being Crafty Personal 37 Comments Thus Far

Classic Felt Flowers – Tutorial

May
18th
2010

First of all, I have to give credit where credit is due. This amazing lady inspired me to try my hand at a different type of flower than usual, and I sort of switched it up a little to make it my own. Enjoy!

Now, I know I say this pretty much every time, but I LOVE THESE FLOWERS. I would jump into a big pile of them, roll around, toss them joyfully into the air and have them flutter down all around me, I adore them so much. (I’m weird, but that’s why you love me. Believe that.)

Supplies:

Felt
Glue (I used a hot glue gun because I apparently like the excruciating 5 second pain it causes my fingertips, but try whatever you have on hand)
Center: A cute button, vintage earring, cluster of beads… other ideas?
Backing: Alligator clip, pin back, headband, etc.
This is another versatile craft and you can pretty much glue it to anything. Use it as a gift topper, maybe? OMG CUTE.
Also, notice how I didn’t say ‘needle and thread’?? These little babies are no-sew!

xo!

Check out my other tutorials here!

Tags: brooch diy felt flowers hair clip headband pin tutorial vintage Categories: DIYs and Tutorials Me Being Crafty Personal 61 Comments Thus Far

Tutorial: Springy Rings

Apr
12th
2010

I’m sure these tutorials of mine are all starting to look the same. That’s because they are. Haha, enjoy.

Supplies

2 colors of coordinating fabric (or not. That’s just what I did.)
Ring with glue pad*
Beads for embellishing (I used some from a broken necklace)
Scissors
Needle & Thread
A lighter (for singeing the edges of your fabric)
Hot glue gun/craft glue/super glue/whatever kind of glue you happen to have

* I ordered a bunch of these little rings from an Etsy shop called The Perfect Bead. I haven’t spent much time looking around town in craft stores because I’m lazy and like to do most of my shopping online, from the comfort of my couch, while consuming some sort of ice cream… but I’m sure you can find them if you venture out into the world.

Instructions

I chose two coordinating fabrics in peachy/pink shades. One was a more matte material while the other was more of an organza type (shimmery and see-through). You can really use whatever color or type of material you like, but I’d suggest it be pretty lightweight.

Cut 5 circles from the first fabric, varying from 1 inch in diameter down to about 3/4 inch. Cut 3 circles from the second fabric in the the same varying sizes. Being exact really doesn’t matter in this step, so don’t stress yourself out trying to make perfect circles.

Use your lighter to singe the edges of each circle. This makes the fabric curl up and look more like flower petals. (I explain how to do this in more detail here.)

Stack your “petals”, alternating between the two types of fabric, with the largest circles on the bottom and the smallest on the top.

Run your needle and thread through the center of the stack to secure. If you’re not comfortable with using a needle and thread, you can use small dabs of glue to hold the petals in place.

Stitch or glue beads, pearls, rhinestones, or anything else you have onto the center of your flower.

Glue the back of the flower to the little pad on the ring and you’re finished!

These little rings make great gifts for birthdays, bridesmaids, or even Mother’s Day. Have fun with it!

Tags: crafting diy fabric flowers Jewelry rings tutorial Categories: DIYs and Tutorials Me Being Crafty Personal 65 Comments Thus Far

Tutorial: Felt Rosettes

Mar
12th
2010

I am in love with these sweet little things. They are the most simple craft I’ve ever made and cost next to nothing (I think a sheet of felt at Michael’s is about 30 cents), but the finished product has such a big impact.

So easy, even little kids and cavemen can do it.

Supplies

Craft felt
Scissors
Glue (craft or hot glue or whatever you have laying around the house)

Cut smallish squares out of felt (smallish? do you love my precise instructions?)

They fit in the palm of my hand. Is that a better illustration?

This is just to give you an idea of how to cut your felt… you don’t have to literally draw a swirly circle pattern thing on each square. Oh yeah, now cut the felt.

After you cut out the swirly circle pattern thing, take the outside end of your felt circle (it’ll make sense once you’re there) and start rolling it up toward the center. You’re going to do this sort of like how you roll a sleeping bag. If you have never rolled a sleeping bag, you’re just out of luck because I can’t come up with anything better to describe this process. Also, you’re missing out on some joyous times because camping is fun. I’m sorry.

Once you’re finished rolling the felt, dab a little glue to the remaining end and secure it to the bottom of the rosette. This step makes me happy each time I do it because the end of the felt fits perfectly at the bottom of the rosette. Again, you’ll see what I’m talking about when you get there. It’s magical and my OCD appreciates this.

Some more swirly scrappy circle things ready to be rolled like a sleeping bag and magically glued into rosettes. Man, I need to start writing poetry. These things just come to me.

(Hi, I’m corny.)

But really, these rosettes are versatile and can be glued into a little bundle on top of an alligator clip…

Or used as adorable little gift toppers…

Enjoy. :)

Tags: crafting diy felt crafts gift toppers hair clips rosettes tutorial Categories: DIYs and Tutorials Me Being Crafty Personal 89 Comments Thus Far

Dainty Flowers for Your Hair – Yeahhh, it’s another tutorial.

Feb
18th
2010

I came up with these flowers one day when I was in a crafty mood and now I’m completely obsessed with them. I wear them in different colors nearly every day… it’s kind of a problem.

A few things to note:

I used an alligator clip for the back, but feel free to replace with any other types of bobby pins/clips you have handy. Or use a pin-back to make a cute brooch! Oooooh, I like the way I think.

With these flowers I used a lightweight, silky fabric. Do you love how specific I am? Haha, I really am no expert, just make sure not to get too heavy of material because the edges will just burn and turn brown on you.

When singeing the fabric, BE FREAKING CAREFUL. I’ve burned fingers, clothes, and my bangs. You don’t actually have to touch the flame to the fabric to singe it and make it curl up, and you can easily catch the entire thing on fire.