Craft Leftovers – Page 19 – Making the best of what's on hand.

Fixing up my pants, buttons, shirts

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A big part of the wardrobe redress project is to fix up the clothes I love, so I don’t feel obligated to wear the clothing I don’t love because they are in better condition. This week I tackled my mending basket and fixed up three of my favorite items.

Thrift Kitchen: From Martha to my kitchen

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Last week I got my act together and made a meal plan. I checked out the April issue of Everyday Foods and found this tasty little recipe for Mediterranean Chicken. Only problem is that when I bought the chicken for the recipe, I was headed to work. So I stashed it in the freezer at the office and forgot to take it home. Well, crap. Jason was at the gym and in possession of the car.

journal

Painting a Mural: The largest WIP in my life!

I spent 4 months of planning, stressing, getting things approved, talking to the right people, researching, and drawing. Last Saturday was the kick off of the largest project I have ever executed in my life: a 12’x80′ mural! This project is large in it’s physical size, but also in the […]

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Summer Craft Leftovers Monthly

The summer is finally here! And so is the summer issue of Craft Leftovers Monthly. This fun May/June combo issue is now available for pre-sale in the shop and will be shipped out May 10th, 2010. Why pre-order? Well, because you get a special discounted price. Pick up the Summer […]

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April Stash Bust: Fabric Scraps Meet Button Kits!

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Those last little scraps of fabric are always the hardest to use up. I’m always looking for more ways to use them up. Well I think I just found my favorite way! Buttons! Fabric covered buttons in fact.

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Thrift Kitchen: Homemade Pizza Adventures

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My sister rocks. She sent me a great two part gift: the most excellent pizza cookbook Pizza: More than 60 Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pizza, accompanied by my very own pizza stone, pizza cutter, and wood paddle set. I got it into my head to have a pizza making party last weekend, but then had too much work! So I had a mountain of pizza toppings, but no people to eat it and no dough to use them with.

crochet - patterns & tutorials

How-To: Refresh Your Yarn Scraps with Braiding

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I can easily figure out ways to use a half a skein of this and a half a skein of that, but it’s those last 2 yards that leave me stumped. Today I’m going to show you how by braiding yarn, you can refresh the life of your yarn scraps! And of course some fun project ideas to use those braided pieces.

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Studio Redress: Drawer Divider

drawerdividers04 Look at that mess. Sure it’s not horrible. At least it’s all in one drawer. But it could be a whole lot better and my friend Aimee got it into her head to set things straight. And check this out, organized! And I found out I have a bunch of neat stuff that has not made its way into the shop.

fabric - nosew - patterns & tutorials

Guest Post: Fabric Wrap Bracelet Tutorial

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Today’s project is brought to you by the creative force behind Poppy Chic Designs, Taryn Sisco. Make sure to check out her super fun items in her etsy shop and on her blog. These cute little bracelets are super sweet and fun to make too. Whenever I wear one people always ask where I got it… well now you know!

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Stash Busting for Your Mother + A Great Deal!

Mother Nature that is! After working with my Craft Leftovers for the last 4 years, I have found that stash busting is a two part process. Part 1: Use your stash/leftovers BEFORE going to the store. Part 2: Buy only what you need. Or even more simply put: Buy less! What […]

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Site Updates and Changes

Hi all, I didn’t want to take up a regular post to share this, but I think it’s pretty good info to know about. I know a lot of you are on the rss feed and don’t always stop by the site. I wanted to make sure that this got […]

embroidery

Yarn Yardage Leftovers: Crewel Embroidery

I’ve been cleaning out my apartment one space at a time. Today was my studio. After collecting all my butterfly bobbins of wool, I was confronted with a shopping bag full of random colors. Some people may see this as overwhelming, depressing, and challenging. (What to do with all these […]

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Converting a kiddo bike trailer

Last year I decided that it was much more affordable to purchase a kiddo bike trailer than a flat bed. I’ve used it pretty regularly to haul things from here to there. Going to the grocery store, workshops, the office. It’s served me really well. This year I thought it […]

journal - knitting - patterns & tutorials

Free Yarn Stash Pattern: Knit Honey Bunny

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This sweet little bunny was first published in the spring of 2008. It’s a unique construction because the base of the little hopper is knit like a heel flap. The first time I made him, I used some vintage acrylic and the last few times I used leftover cotton. You can use just about any worsted weight yarn for this project. I’ve even seen people use faux fur with some pretty fun results.

wardrobe redress

Wardrobe Redress: Making Shirts + Using up Stash

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I’m not sure what it is about this particular set of shirts, but I keep getting a little stuck on them. Thankfully, a friend of mine from the Sew ‘n’ Swap Judy, had a brilliant idea. Lining for the lining!

Here was the issue. I had bought this interfacing so I could finish up this shirt dress jumper deal, but it was pretty unappealing. I couldn’t imagine wearing it against my skin.

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April Stash Bust: Mixin’ n’ Matching Colors!

When faced with a pile of yarn scraps, it can be quite a puzzle getting them to match. How does one take yarn from a baby sweater and get it to look dazzling with leftovers from a men’s glove set? Or what about that half skein of varigated yarn? What will that go with? Enter the hero of today’s post: color theory!

thrift kitchen

Getting my Garden ON!

The weather has been absolutely wonderful lately and I was pretty excited to get out into the community garden this weekend and even this morning. This morning we had a pleasant surprise–carrots! Check out these little stubby guys:

embroidery - nosew - patterns & tutorials

Free Project: Plastic Canvas Wash ‘n’ Go

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Taking my lunch to the office has become second nature to me, and part of that is keeping a place setting around the office. It’s just easier than toting it back and forth. But it’s not easier to keep them clean. That is until now! Check out my awesome plastic canvas box!

thrift kitchen

Thrift Kitchen: Salad Tossed Up Instead of Out

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about how much I love salad. I’ve been making them at home lately and dressing made all the difference. While talking to my friend Aimee about the post, I realized that wasn’t entirely true. This made all the difference. My biggest complaint about […]

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Community Stash Busting

The April Stash Bust is pretty dear to my heart. In fact, Craft Leftovers is pretty much the April Stash Bust year round. If you’ve jumped over to the “about” page it reads: “I am driven to create, but not to create more waste. From the studio to the kitchen, […]