jane avion

clothesline dish towel

2010-05-06T10:22:00.000-07:00

I thought this was the sweetest thing when I saw it, but far too expensive for something so easy to make. I used fabric glue for a lot of the stitching (I was in a rush) but a running stitch instead would look really sweet (and would be even sturdier). Click on tutorial to save/enlarge.

monsieur jambon

2010-04-02T19:11:00.000-07:00

Our healthy pig here is modeling his tasty loins. Mmm he looks good enough to eat for Easter dinner. In all seriousness, he's made from only one sock, and there is very little wasted. So now you can feel good when the dryer eats your socks!

growing food

2010-04-02T18:52:00.000-07:00

Last year when I had more money than time, I spent $30 on two tomato plants. Yes they were lovely tomato plants, purchased at the local farmer's market, and the tomatoes themselves were lovely. However this year I decided to grow my own. Partially because my situation is reversed, and partially since I've been following my friend's blog "100 Mile Mel". Now you may think this is part of a healthy competition we started in grade five, but sadly there is no way I can compete with 35 acres of land! Here I am with 19 tomato plants (one succumbed to too much love/ watering) and 8 dill weeds. Still to do are the green onions. I just hope the weather gets warm soon so I can save on my electrical bill (I wonder what the neighbors think I'm doing in my basement).
I'm actually looking forward to next fall, this is when Miss Melly promised me she would do a tutorial on canning. Until then you can enjoy her adventures in growing and eating locally produced food.

enamel flower pins

2010-04-02T18:44:00.000-07:00

I purposely choose a simple safety pin- I think it looks fresh, but you can group a few of these flowers together for more impact. They also would look great on a barrette. For this craft you will need:

pine cones
wood glue
nail polish
glue gun
safety pin
optional are: scissors and a wet wipe

apron pattern

2010-03-31T16:58:00.000-07:00

Simple apron pattern. Click on the images to enlarge/save. Because this is hand written, please let me know in the comments if you have a hard time interpreting my scratches.

Pauline Pattern

2010-03-26T15:07:00.000-07:00

Since I've been doing a lot of cooking and crafting I finally treated myself to making an apron. I decided I wanted a large pocket in the front, onto which I would embroider my drawing of Pauline from Der Struwwelpeter. I'm a novice embroiderer so it took me a couple of hours- I just would remind myself that all of her ribbons is what makes the image so horribly funny. I will post the rough pattern for the actual apron (hopefully) soon.

To transfer the (or any) pattern from paper to fabric, I found two methods online. The first, was to get an embroidery transfer pencil, available at fine fabric and craft stores everywhere except where I live. The second, more painful, but doable, way is to trace the pattern on to tracing paper (tissue paper would work just as well). Pin the paper to the fabric, place the paper and fabric combo in the embroidery hoop and start sewing through both the paper and the fabric. When you are completely done embroidering the design , gently tear away the paper and carefully remove any little bits that are stuck with a needle- as soon as this goes through the wash any last remaining bits would be removed anyways.

faux porcelain bird

2010-03-26T14:49:00.000-07:00

Another basement find was a leftover spray can of "Killz" - it's paint you use to cover water damage on walls. Since it was years since the last dishwasher accident, I used the rest of the spray (it comes in spray can and regular paint can at home depot) on some Styrofoam birds. Normally painting these styrofoam birds doesn't work with acrylic paint, but with the killz it sure does- not only that the killz is gooey, so the resulting bird looks like porcelain. After the spray dries you can apply any paint colour you like- I left mine white and hot glued the fellow to the top of a shadow box.

painted floor mat

2010-03-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

I got the idea browsing Martha's site, I think she calls them canvas mats, but she lost me at gesso, since I'm not paying for canvas and gesso to make a floor mat. But the idea sprang back in my head as I was de cluttering- I had some old scraps of fabric (sewn together) and some left over wall paint in the basement- and I needed a mat for my front hall. This one ended up being 7 feet long and cost zero dollars.

March Update

2010-03-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

I've been staring at this page for far too long, so I'll just dive right in. The beginning of the month was strange, an hour after toasting the official/legal birth of our company with delicious sparkling wine, we learned of the sudden death of the husband's aunt due to cancer. I mean it was just a few weeks ago we learned she was sick- added to our guilt that we didn't take the time to visit her, is the fact she was such a nice lady. sigh.
As we were leaving the funeral, her husband (my husband's uncle) gave us the flowers right off her coffin- they were really beautiful, but after a day I couldn't stand looking at the arrangement (you know the bridge-like shape that goes over the coffin) so I pulled the arrangement apart and sorted like with like flowers into different jars and spread the new arrangements all over the house- now the house felt like spring was coming.
Other than that I've been keeping busy working (well not getting paid for anything yet), de- cluttered the entire house for charity, started a vegetable garden from seedlings, and I'm learning french cooking from my new best virtual friend Laura. Oh yeah and crafts. Speaking of which, I'm going to be posting a few tutorials with hand written text and we'll see how that works. Although not as nice, I'm finding it harder and harder to find the chunk of time to ink and type etc etc.
If you can't read the writing, just post a comment -oh yeah I'm a terrible speller, so mea culpa in advance.

still to do this month:

apply for EI
re pot seedlings
go see the snakes of Narcisse- well this may be next month since it just snowed again

glove frog

2010-02-23T07:50:00.000-08:00

Small, cute and really quick to make. My husband says he looks angry- but most frogs do ;)
I admit that I hesitated to post this, because there is a small amount of wasted material (see step 12)- but you can felt this and save it for a small separate project. I used a non-stretchy glove that was wrist length- so you may have to adjust step one for your glove (and most likely you'll have less waste!) supplies:

one glove
needle and matching thread
2 pipe cleaners
fiberfill/ stuffing
beads/ buttons for eyes

click on the tutorial to print/ save, as usual it fits on a 8.5 x 11" sheet

catching up

2010-02-22T16:17:00.000-08:00

I've been away visiting lawyers and accountants with my husband and our business partners so I have a few things to catch up on. First, as usual, a big thanks to everyone for the encouraging words. I try and read/ respond as much and as fast as I can- but this week I dropped the ball (if only you knew how backed up in craft tutorials I am!) - I apologize to Rachel who asked me a question, and it took a while for me to respond. I will edit the about me section to include that it's okay to link to any of the posts.

Tomorrow I will try and post/play this beautiful blogger game Amy recommended. There are so many great sites out there that I regularly visit - and not just the "big ones" either- I'm a bit of a Luddite, so it may take longer(!) to figure out.

Last but not least, a big thanks to Heather of Dollar Store Crafts for posting the Owl Oven Mitt tutorial

dachshund pillow

2010-02-14T10:09:00.000-08:00

The inspiration came from admiring Charley Harper prints (and a dog in an old blueprint magazine). I used 2 pieces of T-shirt transfer paper and a piece of canvas. Once I had cut out the separate pieces from the transfer paper I arranged them on the canvas like a puzzle (upside down in my case) and began to iron. Please be sure to not overlap the pattern pieces ( I assume it could mess you iron up). If you don't like the small gaps created by the seam, fill them in with embroidery, acrylic paint or a permanent marker.
The only issue I had was that the area you need to iron is huge and can make it difficult to peel off the backing. If this happens to you do the following: after you have ironed down the whole pattern according to the instructions, place the iron on one corner, wait 5 seconds, take off the iron and peel back that corner as much as you can. When you get resistance, place the iron over top that section for 5 seconds, and repeat this process as needed, making your way across the pattern. Once the iron on was set (and cooled) I cut an approximate 1" border, sewed it to a backing fabric, and added a little stuffing (mmm it's so soft). Click on the images below to save/ print

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T09:45:00.001-08:00

With a lot of hurry up and wait company wise, and even more snow on the driveway, we broke down and decided to celebrate Valentine's day early this year and went on a inexpensive vacation to Mexico (we were supposed to be going to Asia this year) . Despite the sunburns, we had an awesome time. Now it's back to business.
Happy Valentine's Day everyone! ( and Happy Louis Riel Day while I'm at it)

Circus Mouse Door Stop

2010-01-25T14:01:00.000-08:00

This guy takes less than 1/2 hr to make and he's pretty strong for his size ;)
Click on the images to save/ print - as usual it will fit on an 8.5x11" piece of paper.

hoo loves you baby!

2010-01-12T17:32:00.000-08:00

Inspired by an old ink well I picked up in Jerusalem a couple of years ago - This valentine owl's head flips up so you can put candy or a rolled up letter in him! Click on the image to save/ enlarge - tutorial and pattern should fit on an 8.5x11" paper.

you will need:

inner tube/ roll from a used roll of paper towels
scissors
glue stick (or tape)
printer

bling necklaces

2010-01-07T09:45:00.000-08:00

I was admiring the necklaces on the anthropologie website, and lucky for me there's not a store for hundreds of miles- so I went through my craft supplies.
Felt can be substituted for foam on these projects (and yes this will the last mention of craft foam for a while, I promise). Also the tutorial patterns are general placements- you can see in the photos that i had to modify the pattern slightly based on what I actually got in the "rhinestone grab bag", I suspect you would have to do the same.

Luggage Tags

2010-01-05T11:27:00.000-08:00

More craft foam! I used the plane and technique from the silhouette tutorial for this design, but feel free to freehand your own - I've seen some awesome cherry and daisy designs on expensive leather tags! Click/save the below tutorial for tag assembly instructions.

travel gnome

2010-01-03T13:35:00.000-08:00

Now you too can play Amelie, without having to dig through the snow! This would make a great gift post trip (because you have to include him in the photos) to that special person who just doesn't get out enough.

Although it's not likely that I'm going on a trip in the near future, I couldn't help myself when I picked up my old copy of Gnomes with drawings by Rein Poortvliet. My Gnome is less grizzled, but it brought me back to my childhood when I used to try and draw pictures from the book.

This pocket has a handy zipper on the side so it can be used for loose change or reading style glasses. The print out and directions are on the same page- they should fit on to a 8.5x11" piece of paper. Remember that you will need an additional 1/2 inch or so seam allowance of fabric all around the "cut out" area.

silhouette necklaces

2010-01-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

Ah, my newest fascination: craft foam, courtesy of my local dollar store. You can freehand the designs on to the foam with a ball point pen, or use my tutorial for transferring a more complex pattern. Sharp scissors and an x-acto knife (for the fine detail) will be required. I also purchased this jewelry kit from the dollar store that had chains, clasps and jump rings (great deal!). I attached at least 2 jump rings and 2 clasps to each silhouette so that I can mix and match the pieces.

New Year Clean Slate

2010-01-03T12:53:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all who follow the gregorian calender! A lot has gone on since I was last able to post anything, so I will just start with thanking everyone for all of their positive comments and feedback - truly, it means the world to me.

The saddest news is that the brother in law is back in the hospital (he managed to get out for Christmas). The nurses say it's still extremely serious, but they tell us he's a fighter (we already knew this ;) . It's amazing to think that I really didn't comprehend how serious pneumonia was to someone in their mid 30's. Tough stuff.

On a happier note, the company is coming along, the business plan is in full swing, and even some of the team got interviewed by local media. Well the interview was about work done pre layoff, but it's good if we stay in the public eye.

It's new year, and a clean slate! Having this new found time on my hands means I have a few new crafts that will be posted over the next few days: jewelry, travel and LOST are the themes

Black and White Mosaics

2009-12-21T12:27:00.000-08:00

Essentially a craft (mind you I did use this same technique for the back splash picture). Although my dad (who is a contractor) didn't say it was "the wrong way" to do this, it's not the most professional way to go about it (ie he would never do this but he did say that it was incredibly solid). The main issue is because you are going to be breaking and placing these pieces by hand- therefore there is some unevenness to the surface- you can minimize this by choosing tiles that are the same thickness.

The trick to these mosaics is using 2 colours of grout along side black and white tile pieces (I use grey as well)

Click on the tutorial below for a run through of the process. I assure you this is easier than you may think- just remember the safety goggles. You will thank me later.

Total cost was around $50 for a back splash, a 3'x3'table top and tray.

Glue (I used Lepage "No Nails") will have to be super strong glue for wood and ceramic. this will set you back around $10 a tube (I used 2 tubes).
Grout in each colour will be around $10-15 each box
Tiles I purchased from the ReStore (because you don't need all of the blacks and all of the whites to be matchy matchy) and i got a million for around $10 (okay like 15 really big tiles- I still have extra)

The following you tools you will also need:

safety goggles
towel or thick piece of canvas to wrap the tiles in (this will get ruined)
hammer
gloves to protect your fingers from cuts, glue and grout
when grouting you will need a damp rag to wipe off excess grout from tiles

Cooking and Baking

2009-12-21T12:17:00.001-08:00

Look at all of this food! Until last month, I had never even baked a pilsbury cinnamon roll! I'm starting to enjoy my adventures in the kitchen, while saving a tonne of money making from scratch. So far not too many mistakes. That second tourtiere didn't stand a chance.

closet sachets

2009-12-21T11:58:00.000-08:00

Yawn. Kinda boring I know, but very important in cold weather locations where we have to store half of our cloths for half of the year. Lavender is a great choice, but not always available in all locations. Here's a list of other ingredients that work well at repelling moths as well as smell great (try combining a few ingredients):

ceder chips/ shavings

dried lemon peel

dried rosemary

whole cloves

peppercorn (definitely combine this with another ingredient)

peppermint

cinnamon

The pattern below is what I drew and printed out. I cut out the shapes and folded each piece in 1/2 to make a half circle. Then I ironed onto an old dish towel- however the iron on was more plastic than one would want for this purpose. I therefore followed the lines on the wings and ran it through my sewing machine (without the thread) to perforate tiny hole- it worked out quite well- and smells quite nice. Attach a loop of ribbon at the top before sewing shut if you want these to hang.

Painted Glass

2009-12-14T08:14:00.000-08:00

Easy to make and feminine, next I'm going to paint some wine bottle vases. To make, draw out a simple design, tape it to the under side of glass, then apply nail polish. If you make a mistake simply clean with nail polish remover, or toss in the recycling bin! This is only for decoration, and should not be used for food. Hand wash.

Printed Pillow

2009-12-14T07:50:00.000-08:00

As soon as I saw the post by Sara aka creative Jewish mom on dollarstorecrafts.com I knew I had to try this out- and an old shirt was saved and transformed into a midcenturyish pillow. Follow Sara's tutorial here on how to make the "stamps". Because I printed mine onto fabric, I used a fabric medium that, when mixed with acrylic paint, I supposed to work better with fabric - or something. IMHO years of art school tells me that once the acrylic paint dries on fabric- it's not going anywhere- so I don't think it's necessary at all.

Some tips to add:

at first draw very very lightly, this way you can adjust the design before you commit
the thicker and more filled in, the better the outcome (see the acorn in the detail picture)
use scotch tape on the back to make a "handle" before applying paint and printing -this will give your fingers someting to hold and make it less messy
the more you use the stamp, the cooler the result

Moose Trophy

2009-12-11T11:24:00.000-08:00

One day, once I've collected enough cardboard boxes, I will use my projector to make a life sized one (which means it's going to be HUGE). In the mean time I've assembled this prototype. I glued the print outs on to poster board, but I got a blister. I would suggest cereal or chip box type cardboard instead- you may just need some glue to keep it in place with thinner cardboard. Click on the images below to enlarge/ save. If I did it right the pattern should fit nicely on to two 8.5" x 11" sized paper.

Handwarmer

2009-12-09T12:23:00.000-08:00

...as beautifully modeled by my husband. Recipes vary (some use corn because the rice can get humid), but be sure to use %100 wool or cashmere (natural fire retardants) and don't microwave for more than one minute at a time.

2 pieces of 100% wool or cashmere scraps, sewn together, leaving a small opening to fill

a mixture of 1/3 cup of rice, the contents of 2 peppermint tea bags, 1 tsp salt

Actually most smelly teas will work fine, I just like peppermint. Pour mixture into the wool/cashmere pouch, sew the pouch shut, and you are ready to microwave.

Igel the Pincushion

2009-12-09T12:10:00.000-08:00

Not terribly original, but still makes a great gift- to yourself! This little guy, who is made of felt, has proven very handy indeed- and he took no time to make. Click the image to enlarge/ save. This is just my take on a hedgehog pincushion, google the term, and a few can be found on the web. One thing I forgot to add was, before you close him shut with your running stitch, you will have to stuff him a little with some fiber fill/ stuffing.

The snow and cold are now here to stay

2009-12-08T19:47:00.000-08:00

You'd think with all this free time I would be blogging like crazy. The reality is I've been rather depressed. No work = no identity. No worries, things are turning around slowly, we have meetings with people and potential clients. And carefully we are wading through business plans and lawyers. Slowly but surely.

Slowly but surely the brother in law is getting better- the recent tracheotomy has seem to have done wonders, maybe with a bit of luck he'll be out of the hospital by Xmas. Fingers crossed.

A special thanks to Heather of dollarstorecrafts.com for posting my feather tree. Also a thank you to Irene who posted some comments here, reminding me to keep my chin up (and that every where people are feeling the recession).

Best Regards.

Fliegenpilz

2009-11-28T14:33:00.000-08:00

Part of my reuse what I have, and not spend any more money, getting ready for Xmas decor. The sizes are approximate since I never used a pattern. These remind my husband of something from a Mario game- I will make him green and orange one next ;)

Click on the image to enlarge the tutorial (or save to your computer and reopen if the text is hard to read). Takes about one hour each if sewing by hand. You will need:

red felt
enough canvas (or any light coloured material)
scissors
thread
beads
stuffing/fiber fill

Feather Tree

2009-11-22T14:49:00.000-08:00

I love feather trees but not the prices. Shopping in the dollar store, I came across this fuzzy yarn and got excited- I love it when a plan comes together. For this craft you will need:

one spool 14GA wire

1 ball of "furry" yarn

small wire pliers with wire cutters

tall can around 5 1/2"

enough rice to fill the can

scissors

optional is one spool ribbon and glue gun

2hrs

click on the images to enlarge for tutorial

Things can only get better from here

2009-11-22T14:33:00.000-08:00

It's been a bad month- my husband and I were both laid off from work, and my husband's brother was flown into the city in critical condition the last day of work. Good news is that the brother in law is slowly getting better (he's on and off oxygen and antibiotics). Work wise, me and the hubby are joining forces with the other work orphans to start our own company! What is a girl to do going from 13 to zero hours of work a day? Well how about bake 2 pumpkin pies made from the same pumpkin that she grabbed from the kitchen counter at work, as she was heading out the door (even better was that I got to share it with the other ex-employees at our first company meeting!) - it's true what they say- it's best served cold!

Recycled Paper Basket

2009-10-30T17:47:00.000-07:00

I have this thing for storage, so I was happy to find the newspaper basket on craftstylish.com. Only problem was that it was made out of newspaper, which is messy. Instead I decided to make use of all the garbage printout paper that I've been saving. The final result is great because I folded the print side in resulting in a basket that looks like its made from square marble mosaic tiles. Please click on the demo images for the tutorial. For each basket you will need:

20 pieces of scrap paper 8.5"x11"

scissors

a heavy book

paper clips (optional)

glue (optional, I didn't use any and my baskets are strong)

T-Shirt Flowers

2009-10-20T21:05:00.000-07:00

This is a great way to recycle one old t-shirt and at the same time embellish a perfectly good (but boring) shirt. Instruction are below (click for larger view). For this project will need:

one old t-shirt to cut up
one new or "good" t-shirt
matching thread
5-10 minutes to complete

Low Sew Sweater Purse

2009-10-20T19:53:00.000-07:00

One wash cycle some cutting and three stitches is all this purse needs. The instructions are drawn out below (click on the picture for a larger view). Here is the full supply list:

one XL 100% wool sweater that has been felted
scissors
thread that matches the sweater
20 minutes to assemble

To felt a sweater, simply throw the sweater in the wash with some towels (this acts as an abrasive which mashes up the wool) and set the wash cycle to hot, and the rise cycle to cold (this extreme temperate change also forces the natural fibers to expand and shrink, hence more matting) Repeat as needed. Once you are happy with the size, don't worry about cutting the wool, and leaving raw edges, it act just like felt (won't fray) and is surprisingly very strong.

Sunday Brunch

2009-10-19T20:39:00.001-07:00

This weekend was Dad's birthday, so I took my parents out to the fanciest brunch in town which is the Sunday brunch at the Fort Garry Hotel. Unfortunately my husband had to work, but don't worry I had enough eggs benedict for the both of us.

Wire Necklace

2009-10-19T19:42:00.001-07:00

Here's a fun piece of costume jewelery inspired by Patrick Magoohan (I bet you can't say that every day!). To start, I loosely drew out a very simple outline to follow. Next I rounded up some 20GA wire and my needle nose pliers and did my best to copy the design. The necklace is broken up into 5 workable parts : the bike, 3 words, and the chain. All of the wire parts were finished off on each end with loops, on to which a jump ring can be attached (I just simply attached them together loop to loop). To finish off the necklace I used an old broken chain.

Macrame Scarf

2009-10-19T19:21:00.000-07:00

My husband calls these my macrame scarves. They are actually based on Martha Stewart's "no knit scarves" I just added an extra two bunches to make them thicker because it's cold here. Unfortunately this means you need longer strands to start with, but it's worth it. These scarves actually look great and are very functional because they are light weight you can loop it through itself as you tie it around your neck, so it will stay on. Also if you get wool yarn, not only is it very warm, it will slightly felt in the wash- so any bumps or loose knots will even out perfectly. Below I have provided a drawing with instructions for my version of the scarf (click the picture for a larger view) . For this project you will need:

a ball of thick wool yarn (will yield around 2 medium length scarves)
3 safety pins
a heavy pillow
20 minutes

Terrarium

2009-10-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

Since now is the last chance to bring and greenery from outside, inside for the long winter, I decided to make some terrariums. I didn't do any research until after the fact, but with a bit of common sense, my original plan worked out well (which means they are still alive). By chance I was flipping through an old Martha where she suggests charcoal instead of regular mud (keeps the bacteria level down) she also warns not to let the plants touch the sides of the glass (prone to rot). Mind you, don't be afraid to just get in there and make mistakes, after all, she's using orchids, and I'm using old pickle jars.

For this project you will need:

one clean jar

the first layer is gravel

second, layer in some mud/ dirt or some of that fancy charcoal

next add your moss

water as needed, if you have a lid for you jar, you can place the lid on, and water less often. Just remember to let the terrarium get some light.

Summer's End Finally Here

2009-10-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

Well actually we are well into autumn, but in this part of the world the weather is very cold already (we've already had our first snowfall!). So the cabin is now packed up for the winter, and will await our return in the spring.

Herr Hase

2009-10-15T18:58:00.000-07:00

A simple sock animal. I'm not so great at written instructions so I drew them up (click on the image to bring up a larger view). For this craft you will need:

2 white adult socks (mid calf in length)
one black and grey sock for his shirt.
2 beads for his eyes (you can embroider eyes with black thread if you choose)
white and black thread
stuffing/ fiber fill
one hour of free time (at most)