Laminated Pressed Flowers

I love flowers. And to think there's a way to preserve them for *almost* forever, of course I'd jump at the chance.

When I was 6, my parents got me a pressed-flower kit for my birthday, complete with wooden boards, tissue paper, mounting cardboard, and metal fitments. I used to go around picking flowers in the backyard, press them, and then glue the flat flowers onto cards a couple of weeks later.

Today, I still do the same thing.

Using clear contact paper, I laminated flowers from special occasions.

 

 Here are some unlaminated cards I made last year.

Picking Flowers in Galway, Ireland

Ironing flowers: the fast way to press and dry them

 

<3 Mandy

DIY Holiday Gifts

For the holiday season, or for birthdays, I always enjoy making handmade gifts for friends. I decided to make a Mason Jar Hot Chocolate Snowman for a Secret Santa gift, and a stuffed elephant ornament for my housemate who loves elephants.

Mason Jar Hot Chocolate Snowman

To make these snowmen, I got 2 small Mason Jars and filled one with hot cocoa mix and the other with marshmallows and chocolate chips. I glued the jars together. Using velvet cloth and a piece of cardboard paper that I rolled into a tube (you could also use half of a toilet paper roll), I formed a hat. I sewed fabric to the round metal piece of the Mason Jar lid so that it would look more like a hat. I used small circles of velvet to make buttons, made an orange triangle nose, and wrapped him in a striped scarf. I also glued on two googly eyes.
 

Twin Mason Jar Hot Chocolate Snowmen

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Stuffed Elephant Ornament

 I sketched a rough elephant shape onto cardboard to make a template, and then cut out the following pieces:
-2 light pink body
-2 light pink ears
-1 dark pink H for underside of legs
-1 light pink tail

I sewed the pieces together and filled the elephant with stuffing. I also embroidered 2 little ball eyes. 

 

Kissing Elephant  Twins

<3 Mandy

More Retro Fashion: Socks

I've been really into retro fashion, hence the tattoo chokers I made recently. While I normally wear ankle socks with my Converse, I thought it'd be fun to jazz up some crew socks I hardly wear, as well as more frequently wear knee socks.

For a little bit of fun, I took these hot pink crew socks I wore in elementary school (amazing quality -- the elastic is still in tact!) and embroidered the words "PIZZA PUNK" on the outer ankle and an image of a pepperoni pizza slice onto the inner ankle.

When I was little, I used to wear white lace roll-down socks (apparently they sell them at American Apparel now), so I sewed some white lace to the edge of a pair of plain white socks.

u rox my sox
<3 Mandy

Halloween Costume: Mrs. White from Clue Boardgame

For Halloween this year, my housemates and I decided to dress up as characters from the boardgame "Clue" one night. I thought it'd be fun to be Mrs. White, the maid, as I had an idea of how I wanted to make my own costume. Seeing as how I love lace, I was excited about the idea of crocheting and sewing lace onto an elegant black dress.

To make this costume, I took on making the following pieces:
-black dress
-lace collar
-lace apron
-lace headpiece

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I bought a size XXL plain black T-shirt, which fit baggily enough on me to wear as a dress, and restyled it so it would fit more elegantly. I cuffed the sleeves to make them fit more regularly on my body, so they'd be less long and droopy. I sewed on a lace collar I crocheted (shown below), and also crocheted a leaf motif chain for each cuff. To prevent curling when worn or after washing, I secured all of the lace in place with lots of tiny stitches.
Though the shirt is pretty long, it's not quite long enough to wear alone as a dress. I plan to wear a white lace skirt or slip underneath to add some length and to have some pretty lace peeking out of the bottom.

The quaint collar I made a couple of years ago wasn't quite right for this project, so I wanted to make another one using lace. Referencing this video, I crocheted a white lace collar that more appropriately fit a maid costume.

My mom helped my dad to shorten his pant legs one time, and I decided the leftover cuff of one leg was the perfect size for an apron. I sewed around the edges to make them neat so they wouldn't fray, and I sewed a length of lace around the edges, ruffling it slightly. I left the top part open so it could act as a small pocket (perfectly sized to fit my phone and keys and other small accessories) while being worn. With the other pant leg, I unraveled the stitches and cut it into two thin strips, which I sewed on to act as strings to tie the apron around my waist.

  
Using a scrap of dark green velvet cloth and some lengths of black yarn, I crocheted little black flowers to top a barrette. I made 5 flowers in total: the center one adorned with little silver seed beads, the 2 surrounding it with white thread crocheted in, and the outer 2 plain black. I cut little velvet leaves and also wrapped my barrette with the green velvet. As a finishing touch, I added a bit of spotted white mesh tulle to make the barrette more maid-like.

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Worn with a pair of black knee-high socks and a pair of black shoes (either all-black Vans for a more casual and comfortable look, or heels for a fancier occasion), and a white lace skirt worn under the dress, my Mrs. White costume is complete! The dress I made can also be worn, not as a costume, but as a lovely shift dress.

Happy Halloween!
<3 Mandy

T-Shirt Upcycling

I had a couple of old plain shirts I wanted to add a bit of pizzazz to. With some leftover colored floss from making friendship bracelets, I sewed a little geometric design onto a piece of paper, which I glued onto a piece of colored paper to put into my sketchbook. I liked the design so much that I thought it'd make a perfect addition to the edge of a plain white shirt.

 

I thought the shirt still looked a little plain after embroidering it, so I decided to add a pocket.

First, I made a stencil of the pocket shape I wanted, and using leftover fabric scraps, ironed and sewed them into the proper shape. The two blue pockets were recycled from a blue linen dress that my mom cut and shortened, and I embroidered little designs on them. The floral pocket was made using a scrap from a kitchen curtain.

pocket stencil

I sewed 255 little red squares onto one of the blue pockets, which I added to the embroidered white v-neck.

I sewed a few little yellow x's to the other blue square, which I added to a green and white striped shirt.

I love how little changes to clothes I already have can make a big difference in my wardrobe. I'll be looking for more ways to add a little something to my plainer articles of clothing.

<3 Mandy