Gardens Under Glass A Craft Project

The winter weather and post holiday blues may be creeping in on you, so here’s a fun way to bring some life to a blue day.

What You Need
A glass container with a large mouth and a base with a deep enough bottom to hold soil and rocks (apothecary and bell jars work great)

Plants

Potting soil (African violet mix works well)

Horticulture charcoal (available in the houseplant and garden section)

Pebbles (3/8 inch is a nice size)

Anything you’d like to add to give your terrarium some personality ( this is optional you can just use plants if you prefer)

Lets make It! Choose your plants. Any green plants will thrive. Other favorites include members of the Peperomia family, pileas, miniature fern, coleus, cuban oregano, penta, tradea scentia, miniature mums. Even collector plants like African violets, orchids or small begonias are great!

Place one to two inches of pebbles in the base of your container, add a small handful of charcoal ( wearing gloves helps to keep you and things clean)and mix them in with the pebbles. Level off the layer. Spread a layer of 2 to 3 inches of soil and gently pat it down. Dig a small hole in the soil, tuck in your plant and pat down the soil around it. Make sure no roots are exposed. Repeat this process for each plant. Don’t crowd to many plants in one terrarium, and make sure you have room for any additional decorations you may want to add.
Lightly water the plants and put a lid on your garden. DO NOT place it in direct sunlight. Rotate the terrarium occasionally to make sure all of the plants get light. Condensation means your garden under glass is doing well. Every couple of weeks take the lid off of your terrarium for a few hours.

* If you do not see any condensation add a spritz of water.

That’s it. Taa daa, winter blues just met a bit of early springtime.

Click Here for another post holiday pick me up

Quilted Coasters A Sewing Project

I've been trying to come up with something fun for a hostess gift. I thought this was a nice idea. Everyone can use coasters!
What You Need
4 1/2-by-10-inch piece of fabric for each coaster
Cotton batting
Cotton thread to match or compliment your fabric
Sewing machine with a walking foot



Before You Start:  Wash, dry, and press the fabric.

Lets Make Them! Cut fabric: Cut one 4 1/2-by-10-inch piece of fabric for each coaster. (If you're making coasters from 1/4 yard of fabric, cut two 4 1/2-inch-deep strips from selvage to selvage, trim the selvages, and then cut each strip into four 10-inch lengths) Use 1/4-inch seam allowance throughout, unless otherwise noted.
Cut batting: Cut one 4-inch square of batting for each coaster.
Assemble coaster: Fold the fabric in half, right sides together, to form a 4 1/2-by-5-inch rectangle. Sew the two 5-inch sides closed so that only one side of the rectangle remains open. Trim the corners, and turn the fabric right side out. Tuck the batting smoothly inside the fabric. Fold the coaster's open edges to the inside, covering the batting with one fabric edge, and finger-press the folded edges in place. Make the corners as square as possible. Your piece should measure about 4 inches square.
Time To Quilt the coaster: Attach the walking foot to your sewing machine, and set your machine to the needle-down position in order to turn each corner cleanly as you quilt. (If your machine cannot be set this way, hand-turn your needle into the down position before lifting the presser foot to turn the coaster at the corners.) Start quilting at the outside edge, and sew in one continuous line to the center. Use the coaster's edge as a guide to make straight seams the first time around, and then continue using the outer seams as your guide as you work your way inward. Begin quilting about 1/8 inch from the edge on a side neighboring the open edge ( close the open edge when you quilt along that side). Sew a few stitches, then take a couple of backstitches to anchor the quilting. Stitch along the side of the coaster, consistently staying about 1/8 inch from the edge. At the first corner, stop sewing with your needle in the down position. Lift the presser foot, and rotate the coaster 90 degrees; lower the presser foot, and sew to the next corner. Repeat stitching along each side and turning the corner as instructed until you're on the fourth side, then stop sewing 1/4 inch before you reach the last corner. With your needle in the down position, lift the presser foot, and rotate the coaster 90 degrees; lower the presser foot, and sew 1/4 inch inside the previous stitching line to within 1/4 inch of the next corner. Repeat the process to form concentric rectangles of quilting until you reach the center of the piece. Finish the quilting with a few backstitches.

Purse Organizer Craft Project

No more digging to the bottom of your purse to find your keys and phone with this easy craft project.
Just wrap them in this easy to make organizer
 and drop it into your handbag,



Tools and Materials
12-by-13-inch rectangle of fabric
Coordinating thread
Pins
Bulldog clips (optional)
30-inch length of twine (optional)
Lets make It!
Fold and sew the long end of the fabric at 1/4 inch. Fold the opposite side down 3 inches, and pin. Sew the folded edge of the 3-inch folded side about 1/8 inch from the fold. Sew the bottom of this folded piece about 1/8 inch from the fold. Fold the end, with a small seam, up 3 inches. To achieve a clean side edge, use a double fold. If the material appears bulky, you can use bulldog clips. If you want to roll your organizer up and tie it, insert a 30-inch length of twine ( or ribbon) into the fold. Slowly sew the folded side about 1/4 inch from the edge, removing the clips before you get to them. To create individual pockets, measure the size (4 inches for compact, 2 3/4 inches for cell phone, 2 1/2 inches for credit card), and mark the length with a pin. (The remaining space can be used for pens and pencils). Sew a straight seam at the pin markings, and fill the pouch. Find More Craft Projects HERE

Wallpaper Scraps

 I found some wonderful ways to use wallpaper scraps.I came across these creative and easy ideas for using leftover wallpaper.


Mount wallpaper remnants (especially antique or hand-painted ones) on fiberboard frames and then hang on the wall. A unique piece of art!

Cover the surface of a coffee table or small tabletop and then coat with polyurethane (or have a piece of glass cut to fit on top.)

Transform open shelving by adhereing to the inside of the shelves, so much nicer than just plain paint.

Cut flowers, birds, and shapes from  decorative wallpaper and paste them onto a wall. I think this is a great idea for a teens or child’s room.

Decorate the front of a chest of drawers by simply unscrewing the knobs, then lightly sand the surface. Cut strips to size―slightly smaller than the drawer front to create a framed effect, or large enough to completely cover the space―and adhere. Replace knobs. So easy!

Have fun, I'd love to know if you try any of these ideas.

Button, Button, Who Has The Button

You know that little jar you have filled with odd buttons, well here’s a way to use them. It only takes a few stray buttons and some embroidery floss to make these cute napkins.
What You Need
Buttons, embroidery floss, thread (in the color of the fruit you want to create)
Standard sewing needle
Embroidery needle
Fabric napkins
Embroidery hoop (optional)
Fabric pen

Lets Make Them! Lay out your design on the napkin, arranging the buttons in place (mark with a disappearing-ink fabric pen if necessary), then sew on the first button, using matching thread. (For easier stitching, you may want to use an embroidery hoop.) Sew on the remaining buttons. Using the disappearing-ink fabric pen, lightly mark out the leaf or stem of the fruit or vegetable. Stitch along the pen marks, using embroidery floss and a classic chain stitch or a stem stitch. To make a stem stitch (which works well for stems), working from left to right, make standard, slightly slanted stitches along the line, keeping the thread below the needle. For leaves, use a satin stitch, making straight (not slanted) stitches, each touching the next, across the width of the leaf. That’s it! Ta Daa