wednes-diy

who doesn’t love snow globes? there’s something very nostalgic and whimsical about them.  plus you can bring a pretty little wintry scene into your home and make it snow whenever you want.  i found some instructions on how to make them, and it seems really easy…

these handmade snow globes from martha stewart are simple and sweet.  you can use almost any kind of jar to make them…the instructions suggest painting the lids in seasonal colors.  find the plastic or ceramic figurines at flea markets or hobby and craft shops, and synthetic evergreen tips at floral-supply stores.

next, sand the inside of the lid until the surface is rough and use clear-drying epoxy to adhere the figurine to the inside of the lid. let the epoxy dry.

fill the jar almost to the top with distilled water. add a little bit of fake snow or silver or white glitter and a dash (not too much!) of glycerin (available at drugstores) to keep the glitter from falling too quickly.

screw the lid on tightly, turn it over and let it snow!

the top two images are from anthropologie.

holiday craft swap update

the deadline has passed to sign up for the holiday craft swap, and by now you should have an email from me with your swap partner’s name and address.
the following people’s email came back to me saying there was a problem with the email address. if you are one of these people, please email me at jkeim@freepeople.com with the accurate email address so that i can send you your partner’s information!!!
nikki murphy
rain sunae
kimberly biondi
everyone get crafting, and send your creation to your partner by friday, december 25!

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.

holiday craft swap!

exciting news! we are doing a holiday craft swap! spread a little holiday cheer with a hand-crafted gift from the heart…it can be anything you want, and it doesn’t have to be specific to any holiday. you can make something with a wintery theme, cold weather accessories, something decorative for the home, or just something to make someone smile.
if you haven’t participated in one of our craft swaps before, here’s how it works:
sign up by friday november 27. to sign up, fill out the simple form here with your name, email, and mailing address. people outside the united states are welcome to join, but if you live in the u.s., you can indicate if you do not want to ship internationally. i will match you up with a partner and send you their email and shipping address.
you have until friday december 25 to make a gift and mail it to your partner. we have set up a group on flickr here where you can discuss your ideas and inspiration as you’re crafting, and upload pictures of your crafts when you make/receive them.
if you need some help getting started, check out some of the crafts people made for swaps in the past: 2009 valentine swap, 2008 valentine swap, 2008/2009 winter swap.
so sign up and start crafting! can’t wait to see what people make!

patches from india

i love the one-of-a-kind patched bf jeans we just got in, but i love ‘em even more now that i know the story behind them. read on for merrie’s story about the inspiration behind these unique, one-of-a-kind jeans.

“we recently met a young woman from kutch, a desert area in the state of gujarat in india. she had a huge collection of tribal embroideries, which we bought to piece with delicate embroidered net from a market in Delhi and patch onto vintage denim.
we have always loved making clothes out of vintage pieces, cutting them up and adding bits of trims from another era, some tribal embroidery or some old denim. we had already created a small workshop in india where we make most of our store fixtures…embroidered hangers, cane stools, dressing room curtains, beaded chandeliers…etc. adding a few sewing machines to that set-up seemed the next step.
now we are able to find assorted fabrics in the markets, collect trims we love, and put them in the newest silhouettes for the stores within a month or so of the initial inspiration. the assorted fabrics keep that one-of-a-kind feel, while making several of the same silhouette allows us to keep the prices reasonable.
we’ll send a photo of our happy workshop soon. on any given day, there might be: men sitting under the mango trees, hand weaving cane stools for the showroom in new york…tailors sewing prototypes for our next fp one season…wood carvers making doors for our newest fp store…pinwheel makers sitting in the grass making hundreds of paper pinwheels for our next display…anshu the gardener’s son studying his abc’s…it is quite a group effort!”
thanks merrie! can’t wait to see some photos!