Hope Studios

11.09.2009

Weekend Project - Scrunchy Gathered Scarf, Tutorial Tuesday

This was my contribution to the Soul Sisters Extravaganza this weekend: Scrunchy Gathered Scarves. You get a lot of bang for your buck, it is a great accessory for yourself, and also a great gift to give this holiday season. It's really a win/win project. I found some directions from Oh So Happy Together, and tweaked them as I so often do!

Supplies:

Jersey knit - To make several, like we did, for your girlfriends or for gifts, use two yards. To make one scarf, you can get one yard and sew the strips together to meet the length requirement.
Thread
Elastic Thread (found in the elastic aisle)
Scissors
Sewing Machine
And about 10 minutes of time

Cut your 2 yards of fabric into 10 inch by 72 inch strips (your fabric will end up being half as long when you finish).

At this point, you can decide to taper your ends or to cut the ends apart, like this, at least 12 inches up from the bottom. I might even make longer tails if I did this again.

Hand wind the elastic thread onto your bobbin and sew with a basting stitch from the center of one tail alllll the way to the end. Then again from the center of the other tail allll the way to the other end. So, you have two long seams about 3 inches apart, down the center. (Make sure you back stitch at the beginning and the end, basting stitches will pull out easily if they aren't anchored like this.) See how it is bunching up as it passes through the machine? (click the photo to enlarge) It's like magic!

Here is how it looks all sewn - just two straight seams from end to end:

Now, prance around all giddy-like with your cute new scarf. Make sure to pose for pictures and make plans to give them to everyone on your Christmas list with a neck.

I hate flash, so I did some posing with my scarf in good light against my favorite red wall just for you. See all the variations?

We used our coupons and bought 2 yards of jersey knit for $5.99. Then we cut the fabric into about 6 scarves...you do the math.

Want another fun scarf tutorial? Girl in the Sticks knocked out a Fleece Spiral Scarf in about 10 minutes with some extra fleece.

Tomorrow you will need about 1/4 yard (or scraps) of satin or chiffon, (any meltable synthetic material), a candle, a few seed beads, sharp scissors, and a needle and thread for our next adventure ... I'll be waiting!

I'm linking up for DIY day with Kimba...did you know she moved? Well, you can still find her by clicking the button below.

Just a Girl is also having a party:

Weekend Recap - Soul Sisters Power ... Activate!

I had a fantastic time away with my girls this weekend! It was relax-y, shoppy, giggly, yummy, and crafty...the perfect combination. I have so much to share with you this week! You're coming along, you know, as an honorary Soul Sister. So pull up your big girl panties, we're going on a weekend get-away all week!

Let's begin at the beginning. This was my ski condo last winter when we first bought it. I don't have any good photos, but you can see that it is bland white with a strange lighting apparatus on the ceiling.

The Big Guy and I spent the summer and about $300 to transform it in to a cozy lodge like this:

Some warm Behr "Cabin Red" on one wall, plaid flannel and burlap curtains, new art work, a touch of nature, and we've got ourselves a cozy little cabin condo! I'll share some of the decorating ideas next week, but this week is about the sisters.

Aside from a little break, it was a double birthday celebration for our own Marzipan and Girl in the Sticks. Here they are walking up after their long drive (yes, that is indeed snow):

We decorated the hallway since we had the entire building to ourselves:

And here we are posing for our traditional group shot:

We saved the classy decorations for inside. See the cool "Happy Birthday" banner I made from scrap fabrics and paper letters?

Okay, this is all for now, but coming up I'll share all the details from our fun weekend and plenty of tutorials. Do you want to join in? Okay, go grab about a yard of a nice jersey at JoAnn's (there is a sale right now!), matching thread, and a spool of elastic thread (it's in the elastic aisle, not the thread aisle) and meet me back here tomorrow...You won't regret it!

11.08.2009

The Three Bears - Sunday Funny

A far more accurate account of the events of that fateful morning....

Baby bear goes downstairs, sits in his small chair at the table.
He looks into his small bowl. It is empty. 'Who's been eating my porridge?' he squeaks..

Daddy Bear arrives at the big table and sits in his big chair. He looks into his big bowl and it is also empty. 'Who's been eating my porridge?!?' he roars.

Mummy Bear puts her head through the serving hatch from the kitchen and yells, 'For God's sake, how many times do I have to go through this with you idiots? It was Mummy Bear who got up first. It was Mummy Bear who woke everyone in the house. It was Mummy Bear who made the coffee. It was Mummy Bear who unloaded the dishwasher from last night and put everything away. It was Mummy Bear who swept the floor in the kitchen. It was Mummy Bear who went out in the cold early morning air to fetch The newspaper and croissants. It was Mummy Bear who set the damn table.

'It was Mummy Bear who walked the bloody dog, cleaned the cat's litter tray, gave them their food, and refilled their water.

'And now that you've decided to drag your sorry bear-arses downstairs and grace Mummy Bear with your grumpy presence, listen carefully, because I'm only going to say this once....

'I HAVEN'T MADE THE F***ING PORRIDGE YET!

11.06.2009

Organ Donation - Feedback Friday

A lovely new friend has shared with me her feelings about organ donation, and how it helped so much after her son died, to know that his organs were helping other children live. She feels so strongly, in fact, that she began the Kristopher King Foundation in her son's memory to educate the rest of us about this important gift.

Did you know...

Almost 100,000 people currently need life-saving organ transplants.

Every 12 minutes another name is added to the organ transplant wait list.

About 18 people die each day from the lack of available organs.

Anyone can be a potential donor.

All major religions support donation.

If you are sick, organ donation will only be considered after you are deceased. Your medical care will never be compromised because of a potential donation.

There is no cost to donate your organs.

If you would like to learn more about this particular foundation, email this loving mom at kristopherkingfoundation@comcast.net

In the meantime, let's get on to Feedback Friday this week. I hate to think of these things, but being a mom has made me more brave and willing to face the nitty gritty. I have checked that little organ donation box on my driver's license form for the past 10 years. It's so easy, about as easy as those "love letters" we used to send in grade school - Just check yes or no.

Feedback Friday: Are you an organ donor? Do you know someone who benefited from organ donation? Someone who has donated? Any other thoughts, comments, questions?

psst...(this is my girl's weekend! I'm already heading to the mountains for a girly weekend of eating, drinking, shopping, and crafting!)

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11.05.2009

Layering Lessons

The Nester taught me so much about how to "dress my nest" in her decorating series this month. One of the lessons was in layering. I looked at her examples and thought, "Hey, I like that!" Then I looked around my house and thought, "Hey, I DO that!"

I layer all the time. See?

So, anyway, I splurged on an original piece of art during my trip to Paris in September. I love it, I saved my hard earned frame money with something like this in mind, then scoured galleries until I found the perfect piece. I wrapped it carefully and held it lovingly on the plane during the flight home. Then I set it around here and there, not sure where to properly display it ever since.

I was laying in bed during my sickness last weekend (Did you know I was sick? Did you know I had laryngitis? Did you know not being able to talk is as bad as any torture I can imagine?) and it occurred to me...that Nester is so smart! An ordinary frame on the wall just isn't my style. It's so boring. This piece is so special. I need to layer it!

So I did.

A little "S" hook hung onto the ironwork and it's done!

I might have to tackle other areas of my house with Nester's help. She gave us 31 ideas in 31 days, you know. Maybe you should go check it out!

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11.04.2009

Let's Make Some Fancy Schmancy Caramel Apples!

You know those big, juicy caramel apples you can buy at fancy shops around this time of the year? Those things can run anywhere from $5 - $15 apiece and you can make something just as beautiful and delicious at home.

Let's gather our ingredients-

Choose 8 big, perfect Granny Smiths (I love the Costco Grannies in that plastic bubble container for this project):

About 40 Caramels (If you use this one, they include the sticks! Bonus!)

8 Popsicle Sticks

Semi-Sweet and White Chocolate Chips

An assortment of chopped nuts, mini-chips, mini-M&M's, sprinkles, Heath bars, etc...

Let's begin-

Melt your caramels in a pan with 4 Tbsp. of water,stirring until smooth (this is the most frustrating part).

Meanwhile, jam the blunt Popsicle sticks into the hard apple creating a sore palm and some swearing. I think the swearing actually helps the stick penetrate the apple. I don't know, I've never made these without swearing.

Prepare a cookie sheet covered with buttered plastic wrap. Arrange 8 little piles of whatever little goodies you chose (m&m's, nuts, sprinkles...). You will be setting the wet caramel apples on top of each pile to add another layer of goodness.

Once the caramels are melted, hold the apples by the stick and dip and twist your apple until it's coated. I like to tip the pan to make the caramel deeper. Continue to twirl the apple on the way up and over to the cookie sheet, and set it down on a pile of nuts, or m&m's or chocolate chips, or whatever else you dreamed up. You can kind of roll it around to embed the goodies into the caramel.

Repeat until all the apples are coated and nested in goodies. Let cool and set up.

Next, melt each of the chocolate and white chips, then place melted chocolate into two separate Ziploc baggies. Cut off the corner and squeeze each one over the caramel, nutty goodness in a messy criss cross fashion, just load it up!

See how pretty?

Get some crinkly cello wrap and a ribbon and you've got a teacher's gift to send along before Thanksgiving break. An apple for the teacher can never steer you wrong!

Do you have a yummy, sweet recipe? Head on over to Fist Full of Dandelions to link up to her recipe swap party.

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11.02.2009

How to Slipcover a Chair - Tutorial Tuesday

Well, I tried it! I read all your blogs, I watched Rhoda's Gram show me what to do in a series of videos, and dived right in ... well, I bought my fabric in July, so I kind of waded in slowly...

I made several mistakes, but for my first try I learned a lot and it's doable. Using what I've learned, I may try it once more in a few months when I tire of this fabric.

Here is the chair:

Good construction and quality, good price (free), but ugly, dated fabric that matched nothing in my living room. The couch is navy brocade with a burgundy and green stripe and a tiny gold pinstripe. (I hate the couch, but it's like brand new so I have to work with it).

I chose an inexpensive fabric in the clearance aisle at JoAnn's ($5.00! Woot!) and laid out pieces of the fabric in approximate sizes onto the chair.

I did Gram Eleanor's pull and pin, and cut and pin, and tuck and pin method until I had the entire chair covered, inside-out. Like this:

Then, I slid the cover off and sewed the seams and turned it right side out and slipped it back on. Some spots required hand stitching after the cover was in place because of the arms.

I see some puckers and some uneven-ness in spots I don't like, but over all it's an improvement. I think a whole cover that didn't require cutting out the arms would have been easier for my first attempt, but I'm happy with it for now and have learned from my mistakes enough to attempt it again in the future.

My advice? Get some inexpensive fabric (lots of my bloggy friends use drop cloths from Hope Depot), start laying out and pinning and cutting and just be brave! It's a lot easier to be brave with $5 fabric than $50 fabric. Get the hang of it with the cheap stuff, than graduate to something more expensive.

Next time, I will leave myself more wiggle room in the pieces I use. I cut some a little too close because I started out trying to make a pattern. And, I might just cover the arms. It's just so tricky to get those things out and about!

Good luck! Hop on over to Kimba's place to see lots more DIY fun through the magic button below: