How to make a Leather Heart T-Shirt

I LOVE ALL THINGS THAT ARE GLITTERY and BRIGHT and WHIMSICAL!!!!

Happy Hump Day all you crafty crafters! I get super excited when it comes to holidays and I know you do too! Since I live in Louisiana the next holiday for me is Mardi Gras but we will skip that one here on the blog and jump right into Valentines Day! We all know everyone loves this holiday, filled with tons of love and happiness. I can't say it's my "favorite" holiday but I do love pink and red so that will make me happy. Today I will be showing you how to make a T-shirt with leather hearts on the sleeves. It's my take on the "new and improved" shoulder pads. 

Let's get started!

Vintage Valentine Plate Portraits

I have a soft spot for vintage crafts. Each time I see a pair of plates with a spiffy felted couple on top I’m tempted to buy them. Finally today, I broke down and made my own Valentine’s Day themed pair. A little different from the traditional pair with the lady in her veil and hat and the mister with his pipe.

Peel & Stick Applique Jacket

Ask anyone who visits my house regularly - if you leave an article of clothing here, there's a good chance it may end up embellished. Such is the case with this jeans jacket. Its former owner was named Dan, and he was a temporary drummer in my husband's band about 10 years ago. He left this jeans jacket at our house. 

In my defense, I waited two years and he never came back, so that means I can have it right?

Hello, markers, fabric paint and glitter spray! I needed something hearty for the sleeves and back - so this is what I did...(click below to see the full tutorial)!

How-to Make Fabric Bows

When Avalon started buying fabric bows last month, I chimed in with my mantra (insert eyeroll...here), "Why buy it, when we can make it ourselves?"  Yes, it's more fun than a barrel of glitter living with me.  Still, I persevered and Avalon agreed to humor me.  We grabbed some lovely fabric and proceeded to whip up a bevy of beautiful bows that could be used for all sorts of fun DIY projects.  Hair bows?  Check.  Shoe bows?  Check.  Bow ties?  Uh, check.  These are so easy to make and so adorable, you'll find it very addicting.  Plus, Aleene's Fabric Fusion Peel and Stick Tape means no waiting for glue to dry or burning your fingers on hot glue! What's not to love?

Logo Bag to Fun Tote

Bags and totes are a lot like shoes; you can never have too many of them.  While I enjoy a free bag, I don't necessarily like bags with big logos or advertising on them.  So, here's a simple solution to make a logo bag into a fun, useable tote.

No Sew Embellishing

Embellishing clothing is such a fun way to personalize things.  However, even if you don't sew there are still lots of ways to embellish clothing.  All of Aleene's adhesives can help you get that hand-sewn look without even picking up a needle and thread.

Here are a couple of ways I embellished some onesies without sewing.  For the first onesie (pictured above) I got out some lace and Aleene's Fabric Fusion.

I ran a line of fabric fusion down the sleeve and another line parallel to it since my lace was fairly wide.  I pressed on the lace, allowed it to dry well, and it was done.

While I did sew to make the hat, I actually used fabric fusion on the hat as well so that the petals on the flower wouldn't flop around or fall downward.

On another onesie I pulled out some leather I had, a Tulip fabric marker, and Aleene's Peel and Stick Sheets.

I cut a small heart out of the leather and used my Tulip fabric marker to create stitch marks.

I traced the heart onto the peel and stick sheet to cut the adhesive the same size as the heart.  

Then I peeled off the backing and pressed the heart onto the shirt.  Done.

You could even add a name right below the heart with the fabric marker for a personalized look.

So what will you embellish next?

Peel & Stick Fabric Phone Covers!

 

I like to buy iPhone cases in bulk on eBay, they are super cheap and even more fun to decorate and even sell. Today, I was on crafty excitement overload when I used Aleene's Fabric Fusion Peel & Stick Sheets to make an array of different designs! The fun is that you can start with one case and just keep layering the fabric whenever you tire of the look!

 

Here is a video tutorial I made that show how easy this craft is

LINK

Make Yarn Wrapped Easter Eggs

 We're trying to eat healthier here at Casa de Potter, so the Easter Bunny won't be bringing much in the way of sugary sweets.  Still, an Easter Basket needs a little something-something to perk it up!  Enter...a basket of pretty yarn wrapped paper mache eggs!  These are so easy to make in three easy steps using Aleene's Fabric Fusion sheets and these sparkly yarn bon-bons were super easy to wrap.  I learned this technique from Miss Crafty Chica during our Women's Show classes this summer, it's so much easier than using glue! The key to success is starting at the top, grasping firmly and wrapping tightly.  We tried stripes, but found that one color in one continuous thread worked best.  We are so happy with how these turned out, we may make some spheres to use for year round decor.

What You Need

Paper mache eggs

Thin sparkly yarn (I used Lion Brand Bon-Bons)

Aleene's Fabric Fusion Peel and Stick Sheets

 

1.) Gather materials.  2.  Wrap one sheet around egg.  Cut off excess on top and bottom.  Gently press sheet to adhere film.  Carefully remove.  Use the strips you cut off to fill in any gaps.  3.  (Egg is sticky, so try to do this in one sitting!)  Grasp bottom of egg firmly.  Start a coil working from yarn skein.  Wrap moving egg and pulling yarn so it remains taut as you wrap.  Take your time to prevent gaps between yarn.  4.  Wrap a contrasting yarn around center of egg and tie into a bow.  

You could make these with a variety of yarns, twines and fibers, all for a completely different final effect.  This is so much fun, you'll be looking for objects to wrap! 

I hope the Easter Bunny is good to you and yours!  Hippity hoppity!

xoxo, Madge

Tri-Collar Fabric Necklace Tutorial!

 

What do you do when you have fabric scraps that you can't bear to toss? You use them to make a necklace! This is beautiful fabric from Guatemala and I thought a necklace would look stunning with a black top. 

My style? 

I LOVE bold design, but if you don't, simply reduce the size of the fabric pieces. It's that easy! 

Ok, let me show you how I constructed this thing!

SUPPLIES:

Fabric circles (Note, use Aleene’s® Stop Fraying™ if your fabric frays)

Aleene's® Fabric Fusion® Peel and Stick Sheets™

Aleene's® Fabric Fusion® Peel and Stick Tape™  

Necklace chain, clasp

Beads, needle nose pliers, jump rings  

 Apply tape along center fold, then cut sheets in a half circle.

 Remove backing paper from the tape, center chain and press in place.

Remove backing paper from the sheet and fold the top flap down. Press in place.

My necklace needed some trim, so I added Tulip® Beads in a Bottle™ Paint .

Add grommets, jump rings and beads. Add the closure to the chain ends. Try it on and adjust to the length you want!

VARIATIONS: Use more (but smaller) circles for a different look. Instead of circles, make triangles, rectangles, squares or ovals. Add glitter or crystals too!

Let it Snow! Fun Ideas with a Snowy Theme on Cool2Craft TV

Hello to all our Aleene's fans! Tiffany and Heidi here :)

We want to personally invite you to watch Monday's Cool2Craft TV with us! Cool2Craft TV November 19, 2012: Let it Snow!

The Cool2Craft girls are sharing snow inspired projects. Tiffany is creating this look of embossing Snowflake Box featuring Aleene's Tacky Glue and Heidi is crafting a No-Sew Snowflake Applique T-Shirt with Aleene's Fabric Fusion Peel & Stick Sheets.  Plus we'll be sharing a door hanger, snowflake rings and a snowy leaf tabletopper.

Learn new techniques, chat with us while watching the show and ask questions about all your favorite Aleene's products! Drop by our chat room during Monday's show and mention that you saw this post on the iLovetoCreate blog for your chance to win Aleene's Tacky Glue!

Airing Monday November 19, 2012 9am Pacific/11 am Central/Noon Eastern. Go to Cool2Craft.com and you'll see the link to the Livestream player and chat box where you can join right in. See you Monday!

Visit us on Facebook! Get creative! Get inspired! Be cool!

DIY Mosaic Craft Ideas! Aleene's Bread Dough, Fabric Mosaic and more!

Hello to all our Aleene's fans! Tiffany and Heidi here :)

We want to personally invite you to watch Monday's Cool2Craft TV with us! Cool2Craft TV November 12, 2012: Mosaics.

The Cool2Craft girls are sharing mosaic inspired projects. Heidi is creating a Bread Dough Mosaic Frame with Momma Aleene's famous Aleene's Tacky Glue bread dough recipe and Tiffany is creating a Fabric Birdie Mosaic Canvas with Aleene's Fabric Fusion Peel & Stick Sheets.  Plus we'll be sharing a mosaic heart box and mosaic inspired art purse.

Learn new techniques, chat with us while watching the show and ask questions about all your favorite Aleene's products! Drop by our chat room during Monday's show and mention that you saw this post on the iLovetoCreate blog for your chance to win Aleene's Tacky Glue!

Airing Monday November 12, 2012 9am Pacific/11 am Central/Noon Eastern. Go to Cool2Craft.com and you'll see the link to the Livestream player and chat box where you can join right in. See you Monday!

Visit us on Facebook! Get creative! Get inspired! Be cool!

How To DIY a Dali/Schiaparelli/Man Ray/Lanvin Inspired Necklace

When I started seeing Man Ray, Salvador Dali and Elsa Schiaparelli inspired accessories popping up in the fashion mags recently, I was tickled ten shades of SHOCKING pink!   The Impossible Conversations exhibit at the Met featuring the work of Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada obviously hit a surreal note for the fashion crowd. Schiap and Dali created some amazing, iconic pieces together. 

To put this in a context, let's take a moment to review the threads of inspiration...shall we? Man Ray’s famous gold lip pin was inspired by his lover Lee Miller.  Dali, inspired by Mae West, fashioned a stunning red lipped couch and dimensional red lip buttons for Schiaparelli (or Schiap as she was known to friends.)  Schiap commissioned two pink lip couches from Dali for her salon.  Then she, in turn, took the motif of lips and turned them into whimsical pockets on a fitted suit worn with a jaunty Dali inspired shoe hat.  The dialogue of design between visionary artists is fascinating to me. 

The House of Lanvin as headed by Alber Elbaz has been making some absolutely fantastic mixed media jewelry over the past few years and their red resin lip necklace with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS teeth, obviously a nod to Schiap and the Surrealists, is divine.  With a price tag of $1550.00 (follow the link to see the necklace at Neiman-Marcus), alas, it is far out of this crafty gal’s budget.  But a little red felt, some Aleene’s Fabric Fusion sheets, faux rhinestones (all easily found at your local craft store) I was able to re-envision these iconic red lips for but a few dollars.  Here is my whimsical re-creation inspired by Man Ray, Dali, Schiap and Lanvin!  You can make one too!   Phew!  Here’s how:

Dali/Schiaparelli/Man Ray/Lanvin Inspired Red Lips Necklace
iLovetoCreate Retrofabulous Crafts
Margot Potter

Materials

Red craft felt

10 graduated size faux rhinestones

2 red grommets

2 9-link segments of large base metal curb chain

Red satin ribbon

2 10mm base metal jump rings

Aleene's Fabric Fusion Peel and Stick Sheets

Permanent marker

Paper to create template

Tools

Fabric scissors

2 pairs chain nose pliers

Create a lips template. I used the Man Ray lips as my guide for the elongated shape. 
Trace on felt.

Cut two layers of felt to stack for stability using good quality fabric scissors.

Stack the layers and adhere using Aleene's Fabric Fusion Sheets. 

Attach rhinestone teeth with Fabric Fusion using small segments of adhesive.

 

Use Crop-a-dile to attach grommets.

Attach chain to grommets using jump rings and two pairs of chain nose pliers. 
Tie satin ribbons to each end of chain.

Wear with your tongue firmly planted in your cheek, perhaps with a cheeky bowler hat 

and jaunty moustache 

(Yes, that's a bacon band-aid. Hee.) 

(This blogger was compensated by iLoveToCreate for this project and provided some of the product used to create the design. A gal has to butter her bread. All opinions are 100% mine)

Bachlorette Gift - Tiger Robe Tutorial

Remember the safari themed bachlorette party I went to last weekend? Well I didn't show up empty handed. Oh no, I brought the bride to be a new robe. A very special embellished robe!

Supplies

Robe

Fabric Fusion Glue Sheets

Scissors

Embroidery Thread

Embroidery Needle

Patch

I realize not everyone is going to have a vintage tiger Letterman jacket patch lying around the house. Any patch will work for this project. You are going to need to comb the thrift stores for a fun robe.

Decide where on your robe you want your patch. I went for the center of the back. Next peel, place and trim your Fabric Fusion Glue sheets. These things are perfect for appliques. Once you have the entire back of your patch covered remove the second sheet of paper and stick on your robe.

The nice thing about these sheets is there is no drying time. I immediately started embroidering around the edge in red for a decorative trim.

The jacket looked fabulous on my friend and was a big hit. The longest part about this project was the stitching, but that step could easily be skipped. Love the way it turned out and now wishing I had another one of those patches to make a robe for me.

Check out more of my I Love to Create posts here.