One of my first posts was about how crafting has changed so drastically over the years.  I sometimes miss the days when you had to actually craft the pieces to get to the final item you were trying to create.  Nowadays you go into your local craft store and if they don’t already have all the pieces cut, colored and pre-pasted they have a machine that does it for you.  While I sometimes eye these new fangled gadgets in the same way that Ralphie in “A Christmas Story” drools over the Red Rider BB gun, I usually walk away after I realize the price outweighs the amount of use it will get in my hands.  I had to stop, though, yesterday as I was surfing through the endless channels of nothing to watch when I came across a crafting segment on the Home Shopping Network.  Disclaimer: I for one, have never purchased anything from HSN, QVC or ShopAtHome.  However, I have received gifts from relatives and friends that swear by the deals they can get from these retailers.  So, when I say I stopped to look I should back up and say I was lured by the “call of craft”.  Let’s face it, HGTV and Style, as well as, DIY no longer televise any crafting shows so it’s rare indeed.  What the HSN segment ended up being about was this:

The Cricut Cake.  You may have heard of the other Cricut machines before,

which cut patterns in or emboss paper.

  The Cricut Cake does the same thing, but with fondant instead of paper. 

So, anyone can whip up a cake that rivals those on the Food Network’s Ultimate Cake Off. 

  (All images from the Cricut.com website)

I don’t know what it is about pink cakes, but they always make me hungry!

I have to ask, is this fair game in the world of crafting or is it cheating?  And, what about all those poor bakers out there?  Now even they have to deal with their craft becoming automated.  Sheesh!

Kitsch Krafts

I don’t know about you guys, but I not only have a ton of textiles I also have a ton of scraps.  You may think, well why don’t you just toss them away?  For some reason when it comes to vintage fabrics (especially) I just cannot get rid of even the little bitty bits.  I have been known to save scraps so small they cannot hardly be considered for sewing.  However, a while back I gathered some of those little pieces together and created these…

…little bookmarks.  There is something about vintage barkcloth.  I just love the texture and the fun patterns.

Don’t you think the selvedge makes for a neat border?  (Maybe that’s just the textile junky in me)  As you can see I also had some fun with my sewing machine’s different stitches.

This last version is my favorite because I am total fan of the really mod, atomic type patterns of barkcloth from the 1950’s. 

This craft project was almost a total “Green” project.  I say ‘almost’ because the backing fabric used was newer cotton canvas, however it was just the scraps left over from another project.  I used cardstock I had gathered from the recycling bin at work to create an inner piece to add some stiffness and stability.  The ribbons and rickrack were all vintage bits purchased from estate sales and thrift shops.  Basically all the pieces were to be discarded, but I was able to bring them together into something useful…and pretty cute, I might add!

So, do you have any projects created from what you swept up off your craft room floor after another project?  Do you have TONS of bits and bobs laying around and waiting for a way to be used?  Are you really just a Hoarder?   Come on, you can tell us…  Do we need to call TLC for an intervention?  ;o)

Kitsch Krafts

PS- I have sold all but one of these bookmarks.  Here is the lone survivor in case you are interested.  I hope to create some new ones soon!

As many of you know from browsing my shops I have created some simple baby quilts using reproduction vintage fabrics from the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s, along with a few from actual vintage fabrics. 

Simple Striped Baby Quilts from reproduction fabrics.

Vintage fabric baby quilt with Airplane design.

Since the arrival of the Little Guy I have received many emails asking which of my quilts I used for his nursery, or did I make something special for his space?  FINALLY, I am getting around to answering ‘what inquiring minds want to know’.  You all may remember that I noted in a previous nursery DIY post here that I was unable to make the bedding for the nursery due to the tight time frame of moving, getting settled and the baby’s due date.  This was a pretty sad situation for me considering I had always dreamed of being “that mom”.  The one that made all kinds of things for their child starting with their first bed set.  It’s funny, as a child I can remember dreaming of this scenario, but never once do I remember thinking about or planning my wedding as so many young girls do.  Weird, huh?  Anyway, I was bummed about not having the time to create the cool textiles for his room, but I was able to find something that fit the bill for a hip  mod look.

The cozy crib with Ticklicious Bedding.

Fortunately, years ago I did have the foresight to set aside one of my favorite handmade quilts.  In the back of my mind I envisioned that one day I would have a little boy and I would decorate his room with a retro rocket/space theme.  Flash forward a few years and nursery decor actually trended toward this theme in a really cute way.  Flash forward again to the time of my pregnancy and I suddenly wanted less of a theme and more of an overall “look”.  Something that could transition with few changes from baby to toddler to little boy.  I think we hit the mark pretty well with our playful circle paint treatment and we are quite happy with how the nursery turned out. 

Now back to the handmade quilt that I WAS able to share with my Little Guy.  As I wrote above, this is a piece that I actually created several years ago.  However, when I would attend a craft fair, show my stock to friends and family for gifts, or post items in my online shops I always held this one back.  Initially I was unsure of why I kept it aside, then I thought it was because I only had a tiny bit of the rocket fabric left, finally I realized I thought I wanted a vintage spacey theme for my possible future child’s room and this was a perfect starter piece.  The rest you all know and shortly before his arrival I pulled it out and laid it on the floor to admire it. 

Even though his room was not a space theme and the colors were not a match to anything else in our home I knew it was the perfect size for clean and cozy playtime on the floor any where we go. 

Plus, I had to face it, the vintage fabrics just make me (and the Little Dictator) smile.  One other thing I recently noticed, now that he is really starting to touch and feel things, is that I could not have picked a better combo of textiles for a learning baby.  It has both visual and tactile fun since the vintage rocket fabric is seersucker (bumpy for those of you that are not in the know on this) and the blue polka-dot fabric is flocked (fuzzy or felted).  Then of course, the vintage red polka-dot and blue constellation fabrics, along with the newer mod oval backing fabric add nice geometric patterns for visual interest.  (Bonus- the constellation fabric actually glows in the dark if held to the light for a while).  Couldn’t ask for more in a baby quilt and I hope he grows to love this one as much as I have.

Tell me about your simple baby gift designs, or nursery bedding sets.  Have any of you created something from scratch to outfit your little one’s room, or play area?  Have you used new, vintage or a combo of fabrics for these projects?  Did it start as a gift and end up in your home?  I love to hear from you guys, so do tell!

Kitsch Krafts

It occurred to me this morning that we are already past the half way point in January of 20-10!  It seems like time has just flown by.  I have been noticing the luscious Valentine’s Day candy creeping in to every corner of my favorite big box stores, ready to fill the void a week of no leftover Christmas treats has left in my life.  I actually eyed the last few cartons of eggnog last week while grocery shopping, but forced myself to keep walking.  I never allow more than two cartons in the house each holiday.  I am the only one willing to drink the sweet stuff, so that rule is absolutely all about weight management.  I also realized that Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and I need to start figuring out what treats of my own to come up with for my sweetie, and decide if I will make or buy a card.  I always have these great intentions of making the most romantic, yet hip and stylish card, only to end up finding the perfect thing out there already.  I guess I should be happy about this, but I have always seen this holiday as one that demands the handmade.  Unless of course you are in elementary school and have thirty classmates expecting a card from you in their revamped shoebox holiday mailbox.  By all means, please save yourself the insanity and buy a bundle of cute cards.  My Nonna (she is Italian and that’s Italian for Grandma!) actually buys and mails those bundled cards.  She just picks whichever cartoon character set that makes her smile.  Then she writes sweet little notes on the backs of each card, folds them around a $5.00 bill and sends them to all of her grandkids.  I know this because even though I am the oldest of all the grandchildren in her family by about 18 years, I still receive one every February.  This is not done as a senile old lady thing…she thinks it’s hysterically funny to keep sending these funny little cards to me.  She will write things like, “Maybe you can get a cup of coffee!?!  HA!” or “Don’t spend this all in one place!”.  She is a total crack-up and I love her dearly. 

Here are some Vintage Valentine Card images from my FLICKR file. 

www.flickr.com KitschDesigns' Vintage Paper photoset

If you are interested in giving a vintage Valentine I still have several available.  They can all be found on sale at my Artfire Shop.

I hope we all find the perfect treats and cards for our sweeties come February 14th!  Do you have any vintage Valentine’s or other cool vintage paper products that make your heart swell?

Kitsch Krafts

If you spend any time on Etsy than you have probably come across the artwork of Jenn Ski.  She creates the coolest modern images with a retro flare.  I think I may love everything she does. 

From her prints

to her blog about her favorite things and

her home remodeling (she has the hippest pad out there!).  

While trying to come up with a theme for the Little Guy’s room I kept coming back to Jenn’s animal images and I thought it would be great to buy a bunch of the prints, frame them and create a posh retro look.  I even thought about making some simple retro inspired stuffed animals (remember this post?)

to keep with the same retro feel and flow. 

Our spare bedroom with…

(photo courtesy of Zeitlin Realty, Nashville, TN)

the tongue and groove paneling was going to be transformed into a mod space for our new little human.  I had planned to paint everything bright and shiny white (sorry purists!), add a slim shelf around the top of the two side walls to hold all those stuffed animals I planned to make, the guest room dresser (against the wall from which this shot was taken) would be revamped to become the changing table and I was going to purchase the crib of my dreams (see this post!).

Wuhn-Waahhhh…..

As my frequent readers know, my husband’s job was relocated to VA and we had to leave our little 1960’s Tri-Level.  Fast forward a couple of months and we are in our new home, with a new and very different nursery space and, of course, since I now stay home with the baby, a brand new budget!  When reality hit that I no longer had the funds to buy all the prints I wanted, and have them matted and framed, or that the lack of time was going to keep me from being able to make all the cute stuffed critters I longed for I knew I needed a plan B.  At about this same time I came across this tutorial

at Tiny Decor using alphabet cards designed by the one and only, Jenn Ski!  Hoo-Ray!  I thought, if only I could get my hands on these affordable Jenn Ski images I could still have some of that retro look I was going for.  Lucky for me my new GPS located a Michael’s craft store just down the road from our new house and they still had a couple of alphabet packs left. 

Plus they were on sale…SCORE for the budget!

I love these images and the neat little facts on the back of each flash style card.  Although I really liked how they displayed the cards in the tutorial at Tiny Decor I was not sure this would still work for the new room I was putting together.  After much hemming and hawing I decided to just use the Little Guy’s initials.  The nursery really went in a completely different direction than where it was originally headed and I will be posting that process soon.  So, unfortunately the whole alphabet was just no longer going to work with the new scheme.

and so the project began…..

As we were unpacking and trying to find places for things that had been in a completely different style home we found ourselves with lots of bits and bobs that just did not belong.  Or, that did not belong in the same way they had before.  An example would be this odd mirror/picture frame/hook thing that a well-meaning relative gifted us early in our marriage.

When we first received this gift it really did not fit our style at all, but eventually I decided to give it a home and get it out of the closet.  I fitted it with a couple of beach shots from one of our vacations and it was promptly hung behind the toilet in our extra bathroom.  At the time I had figured it would give a brief glimpse at a happy place whenever someone used the facilities.  ;o)  It worked for the space and we just went with it. 

For the revamp I decided to give it a paint job to help it blend better with its new home.

I took the time and made sure I did this in a way where I could bring it back to a mirror/picture frame/hook thing if I wanted to.  (this is what being on a budget does to you….always thinking ahead.)

Then I brought all the pieces together:

I painted the wood frame a glossy white, reinserted the glass and mirrors and then hid those openings with fabric covered cardboard.  The fabric is a chocolate brown, tone-on-tone, paisley print so it adds nice texture that is unfortunately hard to see in this picture.  I just measured the cardboard to fit the space while leaving a nice border of painted white wood and chocolate brown around the alphabet cards.  I cut the fabric (which was a leftover scrap from the office project) just a little bigger than the cardboard, folded the edges down and glued them along the backside of the cardboard.  After gluing the fabric covered board to the frame I used acid free photo mounting squares to “tape” the alphabet cards within the fabric covered cardboard area.  Later, The Mister helped me replace the hooks just below the cards since this task took a little muscle to get the screws through the cardboard and into the wood.  I did have to adjust the hangers down on the back to be sure they had a good amount of space for the screw head to really hold it to the wall, as you can see from this shot:

Prior to lowering the metal piece there wasn’t any kind of lip for the screw head to hook in to and I did not want this thing coming down on the Little Guy’s head during changing time.  Also, this type of hanger is very difficult to line up correctly when mounting, so I also wanted to show my trick for getting the screws lined up properly on the wall. 

It’s hard to see in this picture, but it’s clear tape.  I stuck it right above the hanger on the top edge and then marked it with a pen.  After that I was able to hold it to the wall, level it and mark the location of each hanger.  Then once the screws were in and the picture was ready to be hung I could do this:

Pull the tape and pen mark right off.

I think the finished project came out nice.  I have it hung above the Little Guy’s changing pad and right below his stuffed bear shelf. 

Yes, I was able to get some simple stuffed animals in his room after all.  Each one has a history with a member of my family and we hope they will continue to have one down the line. 

I had a lot of fun working on this project and creating something personalized for our little one’s room.  I got to use the really cool (and discounted!) Jenn Ski images that I adore, I reused something I already had (great recycling) and I did so on a next to nothing budget (The Mister just grinned from ear to ear when I told him that!).

So tell me about some of your favorite personalized or recycled projects.

Kitsch Krafts

The Mister and I were cleaning up the yard this past Halloween weekend and we found the perfect place for our new little garden gnome. 

I believe he fits in quite nicely by the squirrel the previous owners left behind.

What do you think?

Kitsch Krafts

The handmade items are in  for the June 2009 Retro Handmade Design Challenge.  The theme this month is, 1970's Colors.  Vote for your favorite item or the one that best represents the theme.  Don't forget...your deadline is June 12th!

For more details on all the great entries listed above visit the Retro Handmade Blog.

Kitsch Krafts