DIY: Antique Book Pumpkins

 

 

Well hello there!  Today I have my second of three Thanksgiving posts.  On Saturday I gave you some ideas for name cards, and today I have the perfect centerpiece for your table!

This idea came from a lady in California who passed it on to my sister, who passed it on to me, and now I'm passing it on to you!:)

 

You already know how much I love thrifting, right? What do they say, "Name brands at Walmart prices?"  I'm all for it.  But this thrifting shopping trip with my sister was all for the sake of crafting.  First we picked out some books for our pumpkins.  (I had to go with some vintage ones to get those awesome covers).  We ended up with some old fiction, a German dictionary, books on the Alps, dog attractions in California, and how to groom your poodle......random right?  (Oh, and of course I had to pick up that Sense and Sensibility...who could resist?  But don't worry, we didn't cut it up for a pumpkin.)

And this belt-turned-boho-headband.  (Super simple.  Just pulled a few stitches to remove the buckle and re-glued the leather to cover up the braid).  All for a whopping 99 cents.

 Alrighty.  Enough about my love for thrifting.  On to the pumpkins.  To begin with, remove the cover from your book.  It is easiest with paperbacks, because you can just slowly rip it off.  Just make sure to not break the binding.  Next, draw half of a "pumpkin shape" on the first page of the book.  Cut through a few pages with your scissors.

 

Once you have cut the first layer, trace that outline onto the next page and cut a few pages.  Continue doing this until you have gotten through the whole book!

As you are cutting, try to make sure that your pages are not getting bigger or smaller.

It will be hard to cut close to the seam of the book, but don't worry.  You can cut all of that off at the end.

As you can see, you'll be cutting through a lot of paper!!!  When you have cut through your whole book, hot glue gun the front and back cover of the book together.  (Cover the entire page with glue so that it will stick really well).  When that glue has dried, glue a short stick into the hole on top of the pumpkin (see pictures below).  And now you have an adorable little pumpkin!

 

For this centerpiece, Lara spray painted some big fall leaves gold and sprinkled nuts and pinecones around.

Don't you just love how a little gold spray paint can add some sparkle to any project?

Do you have a Thanksgiving centerpiece made up yet?

~Kelsey

 

Linking up:

It's So Very Cheri

Pincentive Blog Hop

Home Stories A to Z

Our Delightful Home

The Sweet Scallops Tote

Hello!  Here I am for one last (semi-large) project for the summer.  I don't know about you, but nothing inspires me to create like summer coming to an end does.  I quickly realize how little time I have left to finish up my projects, so I get right to work!  Some of you may have seen the sneak-peek of this tote on Instagram (fancythatnotion).  Unfortunately, it was a sad one.  The kind where your thread runs out one inch away from being done with a 12-hour project.  At 10:30 at night.  But you know what?  It was "totes" worth it.  *couldn't help myself*  This is another bag pattern from See Kate Sew that has been sitting on my Pinterest board for a while.  I raided my fabric stash once more and came up with this combination.

 

 

The pattern and instructions were written so well and all of the sewing was very simple.  This would be the perfect project for a beginner!  Those scallops take a while to cut and sew, but the finished product is worth the time.

 

Kate pays so much attention to detail (You should check out her ruffles series going on right now!).  The top-stitching gives the body of the bag a clean, finished look.

 

 

 

The possibilities of combinations are endless!  You can base off of one color-theme, do an ombre look, or whatever you fancy!!!  The two blue fabrics were vintage sheets and pillow cases.  Pink polka dots and the purple flowers were my gramma's fabrics, and the top two were purses!  This is such a great fabric-stash buster!!!

 

The inside of the bag is my favorite vintage sheet.........again.  I used it for my envelope clutch here as well.

I hope you are enjoying the last few days of summer!  If you are looking to learn to sew, Kate has a bunch of great tutorials, and this project would be a perfect one to start off on!!!  Have a lovely Monday, friends!!!

~Kelsey

 

 

Envelope Clutch

Hi.  My name's Kelsey and I start my Christmas shopping sewing in July.  Ok, maybe I do some shopping too.  Now don't start thinking that I'm on top of my game in any way.  I mean, after all, I haven't touched this blog in almost two months.  And I saw the pattern for this clutch in February.  Yep, FEBRUARY.  I've had all the supplies, plenty of time, the pattern on hand.  And yet........it's August.  But hey, at least I sewed something that has been hanging out on my Pinterest board right?

 

Anyways, Kate over at See Kate Sew created this pattern in February and had a mini series of other ladies sewing up their own versions.  So, here is what I came up with for this awesome pattern!  For the outside, I used a sophisticated and simple tan canvas.  I plan on adding a decorative pin on a chain for the closure (I'm afraid of button holes).

On the inside, I added a pop of color with a vintage sheet that I scored for just a few quarters (remember this shopping trip?).  This pouch is going to be a Christmas gift for my sister (Shhh! If you see her, don't tell!).

 

 I love how you can barely see the edge of the sheet from the outside!

I also whipped up this clutch using a sturdy black denim and then a thin gingham (sp?).  Even with the extreme weight difference, it was still easy to sew up.  And when I said whipped up, I really meant it.  I had been working on a super fun shirt that totally ended up being the wrong size (maybe I'll post that later.....#DIYfail).  I instantly needed a project that I new worked, so I whipped up that clutch in under an hour!  I think these might be my new "standard" gift.  Super simple to sew, with endless pattern options!  You can sew on a fun button, use a snap or magnet for a hidden option, or use a decorative pin to keep it closed!

 

Also, I wanted to point out the graphics that I used for these pictures.  The lower one was created with the "A Beautiful Mess" app (hashtags are #abmapp and #abeautifulmess) and the "Rhonna Farrer' app (#rhonnadesigns_app and #rhonnadesigns).  The lower one used the "A Beautiful Mess" app.  If you don't have either of these, you should grab them up!

Thrift Shopping Tips

Today I broke through a barrier that has lasted long enough: I went shopping at a Goodwill Outlet (I know, I'm one of those weird people that LOVES to see how much stuff I can get for just a few buckaroos;).  Ever since I was young, I have just straight-up avoided Goodwill.  The smells, the feels.....I'm one of those people who washes my hands after touching carts and coins........every time.  But today I made the long-awaited trip to the GW Outlet.  And yes, I mean digging through piles of random clothing for two hours, pulling out some awesome finds along with half of an ancient "Hulk" costume and 21 random socks.  But it was totally worth it.  Wanna see?  Ok, you convinced me;)
[Sorry, just grabbed some Instagram pics for this post]

This pile of lovelies is going to be turned into pacifier clips, a sundress, and whatever else I can come up with!:)  I found all these prints in the form of 3 pillow cases, 1 sheet, 1 shirt, 2 table runners, and 1 random remnant.  There is also a men's t-shirt that I didn't get in this pic.  I'll be using it for baby hats:)

Also found these three lovely sweaters and a pink skirt to welcome spring!!!

 

Although I'm not exactly a seasoned expert at thrift shopping, I thought it might be helpful to share some tips for others who are new too!:)

 

{Some of these are "outlet" specific, but all just general guidelines that are helpful to follow:) }

1. Bring gloves and hand sanitizer.  If you are going to an outlet, you will definitely want gloves.  Some people use regular thin cold-weather gloves.  I grabbed some latex because we had some on hand.  Also, bring hand sanitizer for afterwards:)
2. Have some ideas of refashions or projects that you want to make.  If you are a crafter, I'm sure you've seen plenty of clothing refashion ideas out there.  It is nice to just have these stored in the back of your mind to give you ideas as you are digging.  If you need some inspiration, check out my thrifting board on Pinterest.
3. Notice prints and patterns.  I think every shopper's tendency is to find clothes that are the perfect fit and exactly what you are looking for.  Not so for thrifters.  If you see a shirt that is mens XXXL, but has an awesome pattern, grab it!  Believe me, for $0.25, you can afford the time to find an easy tutorial and turn it into your new favorite staple!  Also, if you are grabbing a big tablecloth so that you can make pacificer clips, a few stains aren't going to hurt anybody.
4. Dress comfortably.  Don't worry.  This isn't like Target, where you have to dress nicely just to shop;)  Nobody cares what you look like, and you probably won't either.  Just dress comfortably!  A t-shirt and jeans, an old sweatshirt, whatever suits you best.  And most importantly, WEAR GOOD SHOES!!!!  You will be standing for however long you want to be digging, so make sure that pain doesn't keep you from grabbing some more awesome deals!
5. Notice care instructions.  It is enough of a pain to buy a brand-new shirt that has to be dry-cleaned.  Even worse when you get it second-hand.  If you find a stain, you can't just scrub it clean, or cut up into some project that has been floating in the back of your mind.  Although you will only lose a gumball's worth of money on an article of clothing, it would be sad to think you've got an awesome shirt only to have to send it back out to Goodwill.

I would love to hear your stories of succes and failure while thrift shopping!:)

~Kelsey