Caravan of Curiosities

Entries tagged with “wednes-diy”

November 18, 2009

wednes-diy

one of our call center reps shared this awesome DIY tutorial for the adorable sleep masks that she makes …these would be such a great gift for friends or an awesome stocking stuffer for the holidays.

quilted sleep mask

supplies:
2 6”x10” pieces of cotton fabric
2 pieces of 6”x10” cotton batting
matching thread
matching ribbon for ties (36” total)
sewing machine is helpful but project could be done by hand

start by picking out a fat quarter of your favorite cotton fabric, you can use a scrap you have laying around as long as it is at least 6” by 10”.

from your 6”x10” fabrics cut out the shape of a sleep mask. I made my own pattern for it, its not too hard. Practice on a piece of paper and once you get a good size and shape use that for you pattern. **remember to allow 1/4 “ seam allowance all the way around.**

place the front fabric right side up on the 2 pieces of cotton batting, pin and quilt whatever pattern you like. i used diagonal lines to create a box pattern but anything will work! use your imagination!

now cut your ribbon in half to make two 18” ties and position them on the front of the mask with the long part facing in leaving 1 " overhang over the outside side edges of the mask. i roll and pin mine so as not to sew more then just the one end to the edge.

now place the back piece on the quilted front piece right sides facing, stitch around the edge with a ¼ inch seam allowance leaving 4 inches at the top of the sleep mask open so that you can pull it right side out.

once you are done sewing cut around the stitching to remove the excess batting and then pull the mask right side out making sure all your edges are pushed out completely and flat. ironing at this point does help but not required. now pin your opening closed with the unsewn seam allowance tucked in. sew 1/8” from the edge all the way around the mask. once you trim off your extra threads you will have an adorable, comfy sleep mask!!! :)

not so crafty? you can find these for sale on her etsy site.

November 11, 2009

wednes-diy

what’s not to love about fall leaves? isn’t it sad how quickly the bright oranges, reds and yellows go away? check out this awesome DIY activity from creative kismet to make some pretty autumn leaves! i think they’d be great decorations at home, or even to spruce up your desk at work.

here’s a step by step tutorial on how to make them…

what you’ll need:
A brown paper bag
acrylic craft paints in assorted autumn colors (yellow, orange, green, red, brown, copper, gold)
paint brushes, sponges, old toothbrush
blow dryer (optional)
scissors
twine

1. take one brown paper grocery bag, tear it open into one flat piece. tear into 3-4 large pieces and crumple into a ball to give it lots of texture. flatten out.

2. prep paints by diluting with a bit of water

3. slop paint all over paper.

4. allow to dry. use a blow dryer to speed the process (optional).

5. lightly sponge on metallic gold and copper paint

6. spritz some diluted brown paint with a toothbrush to create speckles.

7. admire your pretty paper :)

8. when paper is completely dry, cut into leaf size squares and cut out leaves. if you are lucky to have sizzix machine with leaf shapes, that would be a really easy way to make leaves. If not, try stacking several squares together and cutting multiple leaves at the same time. another way to cut the leaves would be to use leaf shaped cookie cutters!

9. glue stems onto twine and hang your pretty garland on a window or around a door.

November 4, 2009

wednes-diy

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in keeping with the photography theme of the day...did you ever have to make a pinhole camera at school when you were younger? i didn't, but i kind of wish i had. luckily someone at work showed me this site where you can download and print out a pdf of a cute little pinhole camera that you can make with just a few additional supplies.

plus, look how cool the photos can turn out...

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