Minoru Round Two...and Three: The Plans

Do you guys remember the Minoru jacket I made? I love this jacket so much I'm planning on making two more, another for me and one for my mom! I had mentioned before really liking the fit of this jacket and the possibility of wanting to make a heavier version for the winter or even try to make a longer version for snowboarding. I looked around for waterproof/breathable fabric that would be good for a snowboarding jacket and most fabrics really wouldn't cut it. I did find a website that sells outerwear/extreme fabric and they had Gore-Tex and a number of other really good fabrics that would handle extreme cold and snow really well, but they were all really expensive and plain. If I'm going to shell out a lot of money on fabric I at least want a pattern that I like otherwise I can just buy one, but I guess that's the tradeoff for a jacket that fits your body perfectly.

My mom's jacket is going to be olive green, with a nice cozy furry lining, complete with a lined hood and some additional pockets added in. Since I nixed the snowboarding idea I'm now thinking of making a mudcloth jacket.

Mudcloth Fabric from Spoonflower - $17.50/yd

I'm not quite sure yet whether I want to buy pre-made fabric or make my own. The pre-made fabric is pretty expensive, but making my own would be time consuming and the supplies needed could add up and end up being expensive too. I do like the idea of making my own pattern on my own jacket thought.

Credit - Apartment Therapy

Apartment Therapy even has a mudcloth tutorial that is easy to follow and the end result came out really cute. It really just comes down to the time it would take to mark out the design, lay down the glue on the design, and then dyeing the material. The jacket takes 4 yards of fabric to make, which is a lot of fabric to mark out a design on. The other option would be to make the entire outer shell out of plain canvas, and then once it's sewn together I could mark out the design and dye it. It would be a lot easier to mark out a design on an already assembled jacket and that would make the design fit together better as well. That may be what I end up doing after all! I'll probably go to get fabric in the next couple of weeks for these, and since I already have all of my pattern pieces cut out and saved from the last time I doubt it will take me very long to make these. Fingers crossed!

Do you guys remember the Minoru jacket I made? I love this jacket so much I'm planning on making two more, another for me and one for my mom! I had mentioned before really liking the fit of this jacket and the possibility of wanting to make a heavier version for the winter or even try to make a longer version for snowboarding. I looked around for waterproof/breathable fabric that would be good for a snowboarding jacket and most fabrics really wouldn't cut it. I did find a website that sells outerwear/extreme fabric and they had Gore-Tex and a number of other really good fabrics that would handle extreme cold and snow really well, but they were all really expensive and plain. If I'm going to shell out a lot of money on fabric I at least want a pattern that I like otherwise I can just buy one, but I guess that's the tradeoff for a jacket that fits your body perfectly.

My mom's jacket is going to be olive green, with a nice cozy furry lining, complete with a lined hood and some additional pockets added in. Since I nixed the snowboarding idea I'm now thinking of making a mudcloth jacket.

Mudcloth Fabric from Spoonflower - $17.50/yd

I'm not quite sure yet whether I want to buy pre-made fabric or make my own. The pre-made fabric is pretty expensive, but making my own would be time consuming and the supplies needed could add up and end up being expensive too. I do like the idea of making my own pattern on my own jacket thought.

Credit - Apartment Therapy

Apartment Therapy even has a mudcloth tutorial that is easy to follow and the end result came out really cute. It really just comes down to the time it would take to mark out the design, lay down the glue on the design, and then dyeing the material. The jacket takes 4 yards of fabric to make, which is a lot of fabric to mark out a design on. The other option would be to make the entire outer shell out of plain canvas, and then once it's sewn together I could mark out the design and dye it. It would be a lot easier to mark out a design on an already assembled jacket and that would make the design fit together better as well. That may be what I end up doing after all! I'll probably go to get fabric in the next couple of weeks for these, and since I already have all of my pattern pieces cut out and saved from the last time I doubt it will take me very long to make these. Fingers crossed!

Spare Bedroom Update

Polka dots everywhere!                                         TV trays as a desk? It'll work for now!

I've been working little by little to get the spare/guest bedroom exactly how I want it. I am still  in need of a desk, some accessories, and pillows but I've managed to decorate the walls a little bit since I last posted about this room. Speaking of pillows for a second, I've seen a number I love but the prices of them are outrageous. I was looking mainly at Etsy and pillow shams/covers alone are a minimum of $20! None of them included the actual pillow, they all just suggested you buy a pillow form cheaply from a craft store. I would make my own, but I can never find fabric that I want or like at my local fabric store, it's really a pain. Anyways...

If you remember from my theme board I wanted to accent the walls with gold polka dots. I found some gold contact paper online and got to work.

Polka dots everywhere!                                         TV trays as a desk? It'll work for now!

I've been working little by little to get the spare/guest bedroom exactly how I want it. I am still  in need of a desk, some accessories, and pillows but I've managed to decorate the walls a little bit since I last posted about this room. Speaking of pillows for a second, I've seen a number I love but the prices of them are outrageous. I was looking mainly at Etsy and pillow shams/covers alone are a minimum of $20! None of them included the actual pillow, they all just suggested you buy a pillow form cheaply from a craft store. I would make my own, but I can never find fabric that I want or like at my local fabric store, it's really a pain. Anyways...

If you remember from my theme board I wanted to accent the walls with gold polka dots. I found some gold contact paper online and got to work.

Crochet Away: Swirl Beanie

Can you ever have too many scarves, pairs of mittens, or beanies? The obvious answer, at least to me, is clearly no. I like having different cold weather accessories to choose from. Sometimes I'm looking for options to match or complement what I'm wearing and other times depending on the weather I need a lighter scarf or a heavier pair of mittens. Couple the latter with the fact that I find crocheting extremely relaxing, not to mention something i can do while watching tv or nearly anywhere for that matter, and you end up with a lot of headbands and beanies to give away as presents come Christmas time. Hopefully Corey's not reading this, or he'll ask where the headband he's been asking for the last two years is, whoops!

I would pick colors that contrast more if I used this pattern again

 I found this pattern on The Crochet Zombie , she has so many tutorials it's unbelievable. The pattern for the swirl beanie is posted here. There's a pdf file that can be downloaded as well as a youtube tutorial video. I found the pattern really easy to follow and it only took me handful of days to finish this. The pattern makes you work with two pieces of yarn at once instead of one which saves you from having to change out the colors every couple of stitches which makes for a really sturdy hat. I have some ideas for another beanie I want to make so check back in a couple of weeks for another crochet post!

Can you ever have too many scarves, pairs of mittens, or beanies? The obvious answer, at least to me, is clearly no. I like having different cold weather accessories to choose from. Sometimes I'm looking for options to match or complement what I'm wearing and other times depending on the weather I need a lighter scarf or a heavier pair of mittens. Couple the latter with the fact that I find crocheting extremely relaxing, not to mention something i can do while watching tv or nearly anywhere for that matter, and you end up with a lot of headbands and beanies to give away as presents come Christmas time. Hopefully Corey's not reading this, or he'll ask where the headband he's been asking for the last two years is, whoops!

I would pick colors that contrast more if I used this pattern again

 I found this pattern on The Crochet Zombie , she has so many tutorials it's unbelievable. The pattern for the swirl beanie is posted here. There's a pdf file that can be downloaded as well as a youtube tutorial video. I found the pattern really easy to follow and it only took me handful of days to finish this. The pattern makes you work with two pieces of yarn at once instead of one which saves you from having to change out the colors every couple of stitches which makes for a really sturdy hat. I have some ideas for another beanie I want to make so check back in a couple of weeks for another crochet post!

Entrance Way Update: Quick and Easy Shoe Rack

 

It's been far too long since I last updated, but that doesn't mean I haven't been working on things. I have a backlog of things to post as well as a bunch of projects I want to get started on, and ideas I can't wait to share. We've slowly been making the house our own, mainly by painting, but also by getting things fully setup and decorated. One easy area to get setup was the entrance way. We do have a little closet right next to the front door, but it's not big enough to store everything. A shoe sturdy shoe rack was an easy way to give more space and add a pop of color to the entrance. We have a decal of some camels hanging up in that hallway and one of the colors is blue, so it ties in really nicely.

 

This project was extremely simple and could be completed in a day. Click the link below to read the whole story.

 

It's been far too long since I last updated, but that doesn't mean I haven't been working on things. I have a backlog of things to post as well as a bunch of projects I want to get started on, and ideas I can't wait to share. We've slowly been making the house our own, mainly by painting, but also by getting things fully setup and decorated. One easy area to get setup was the entrance way. We do have a little closet right next to the front door, but it's not big enough to store everything. A shoe sturdy shoe rack was an easy way to give more space and add a pop of color to the entrance. We have a decal of some camels hanging up in that hallway and one of the colors is blue, so it ties in really nicely.

 

This project was extremely simple and could be completed in a day. Click the link below to read the whole story.

Adding Color: A Painted Vase

About a week or so ago I had some time for another simple cheap project. If you remember from my spare bedroom theme the colors for that room are green, gold, white/cream, and coral. If you are ever on Pinterest you've probably seen pictures of glass vases, sculptures, or candle holders people have taken to painting. The neat thing is that instead of painting the outside you paint the inside, which if your vase is glass, this leaves you with a nice shiny outer surface. I thought that it was a neat and easy idea, plus it would help me add some color into the spare room.

About a week or so ago I had some time for another simple cheap project. If you remember from my spare bedroom theme the colors for that room are green, gold, white/cream, and coral. If you are ever on Pinterest you've probably seen pictures of glass vases, sculptures, or candle holders people have taken to painting. The neat thing is that instead of painting the outside you paint the inside, which if your vase is glass, this leaves you with a nice shiny outer surface. I thought that it was a neat and easy idea, plus it would help me add some color into the spare room.

Easy Wardrobe Addition: Jean Jacket Vest

I was down in Denver a couple of weekends ago and I noticed a lot of people wearing jean jacket vests. Is this a new thing? I loved it. It's such a simple way to make an outfit a bit edgier. I usually wear mine with a dress when I want something that'll keep my arms warm and I don't want to wear a cardigan or zip up hoodie. I love my cropped jean jacket, and I've had it for 4 years at the least. I've been wearing it less and less because I was slightly tired of the cropped look and the arms are were starting to get a bit too small in the shoulders.

But after I saw all the jean jacket vests in Denver, I decided to cut the sleeves off mine and make my own. This is a really simple project and only involves scissors or a rotary cutter. If you cringe at the thought of chopping up a jean jacket you have or don't really want to buy a brand new one to cut it up, check out your local thrift shops.

                                                                    I used my rotary cutter to cut alongside the seam of the jacket

This vest is perfect for fall, i can wear it over longer sleeve shirts and layer.  On a warmer day i can still wear it with a tank top or a dress. It's lightweight but does still provide that extra layer you need in the mornings here at this time of year(it's been in the low 40's)  but it wont't leave you sweaty the way a down vest would in the afternoons which are still getting up to 70. Plus I feel like I have a new piece in my wardrobe to change things up!

My photographer disappeared on me, but you can still get the idea!

I was down in Denver a couple of weekends ago and I noticed a lot of people wearing jean jacket vests. Is this a new thing? I loved it. It's such a simple way to make an outfit a bit edgier. I usually wear mine with a dress when I want something that'll keep my arms warm and I don't want to wear a cardigan or zip up hoodie. I love my cropped jean jacket, and I've had it for 4 years at the least. I've been wearing it less and less because I was slightly tired of the cropped look and the arms are were starting to get a bit too small in the shoulders.

But after I saw all the jean jacket vests in Denver, I decided to cut the sleeves off mine and make my own. This is a really simple project and only involves scissors or a rotary cutter. If you cringe at the thought of chopping up a jean jacket you have or don't really want to buy a brand new one to cut it up, check out your local thrift shops.

                                                                    I used my rotary cutter to cut alongside the seam of the jacket

This vest is perfect for fall, i can wear it over longer sleeve shirts and layer.  On a warmer day i can still wear it with a tank top or a dress. It's lightweight but does still provide that extra layer you need in the mornings here at this time of year(it's been in the low 40's)  but it wont't leave you sweaty the way a down vest would in the afternoons which are still getting up to 70. Plus I feel like I have a new piece in my wardrobe to change things up!

My photographer disappeared on me, but you can still get the idea!

DIY - Transform Old Shoeboxes

Before: my weak attempt at a storage solution                    After: much more appealing and put together

It's the little things that really bring a room together. Having coordinating colors and themes while playing with different patterns also helps. I don't really have much room in my bathroom, the only storage areas are under the sink and behind the mirror. I use the space under the sink to store cleaning supplies, and keep products I use on a more day to day basis on my shelving unit above the toilet. I decided last year to start storing some of my things like nail polish, make up, medicine, etc. in old shoe boxes I had laying around to cut back on having all of my knickknacks everywhere. You can see how even though things are in boxes in the before picture it's still pretty messy, and none of the boxes match each other or the grey/black/white/pink theme of the room. I've seen plenty of pictures of cute little boxes or baskets people have bought to hide clutter while keeping things pretty and I decided to just cover the boxes I already had.

Before: my weak attempt at a storage solution                    After: much more appealing and put together

It's the little things that really bring a room together. Having coordinating colors and themes while playing with different patterns also helps. I don't really have much room in my bathroom, the only storage areas are under the sink and behind the mirror. I use the space under the sink to store cleaning supplies, and keep products I use on a more day to day basis on my shelving unit above the toilet. I decided last year to start storing some of my things like nail polish, make up, medicine, etc. in old shoe boxes I had laying around to cut back on having all of my knickknacks everywhere. You can see how even though things are in boxes in the before picture it's still pretty messy, and none of the boxes match each other or the grey/black/white/pink theme of the room. I've seen plenty of pictures of cute little boxes or baskets people have bought to hide clutter while keeping things pretty and I decided to just cover the boxes I already had.