Boho Series: Hanging Birds Decor

Gettin' sick of winter- 

I'm getting ready for warmer weather (a little early but this is California after all) and enjoying spring and summer time requires a little prep work on my end..literally ;) 

So I am beginning a series of decor and jewelry that fits my devotion to color and the bohemian style.....I saw some tiny hanging birds at Cost Plus but I wanted larger birds to hang in my house not just on the doorknob but as decoration. So, I designed something a little larger that fit the supplies I had on hand....

 

 

 

I dug into my

stash for scraps 

to create the 

color scheme

for my Boho-

styled theme

for the coming 

spring!     

 

Here's a quick play-by-play of the action:

 

I drew a quick sketch of

a bird and a wing to fit...

 

 

 

 

 Then, using it as a 

pattern, I cut 6 birds (with

fabric on fold and right 

sides together). 

I then cut 2 wings for each bird from contrasting 

colored fabrics and, using fusible web, fused the 

wings to both sides of the bird. Then with 

right sides together, I sewed the birds together 

leaving the raw edges out and trimmed them with 

pinking shears.

 

Now for the stringing...

   I braided the

end of my cord 

and tied it to 

make

a loop for hanging. 

Next, I tied a decorative

ribbon on to sandwich

the bird between (just

for looks). 

 

Threading my needle

with my cord, I ran it 

from top to bottom of 

the center of the bird, 

then tied another ribbon.  

Between each bird, I added 6 inches of wooden colored beads and 

small bells of different sorts until I came to my last bird. I

added a few more bells and ribbons, then tied it to keep 

everything together and in place to add the cowbell to the

bottom.....

 I could only find the

cowbells in tan, so I 

painted them over 

with gold antique 

accent paint after a white 

coat as a base. 

 

(the paint smoothed out

after it dried, so they 

looked better in the end)

:) 

Tying it all together and securing the cowbell with the 

cord and ribbon to hide the cord...I ended up with 

this:

Finally done....

....and it receives Dexter's approval..whew!!!

 

Till next time,

Wicked jypsi 

Plant Terrariums & Mushrooms..my favs!

A beautiful Maid Fern I tucked behind glass to keep it warm.

     It's that wonderful time of year to plan out the coming planting season and pray that your houseplants survive through the winter chill - so, I hit the thrift stores and picked up some hurricane glass shades and vases (and a cute mini-terrarium) to hold my new ferns, ivy and palm plants......

The cold has nipped at this English Ivy a little, but I'm guiding it now to curl around the cage bars!

This mini-palm needed a little space of its own to flourish.

   I came upon an adorable idea,            a Mushroom Pin Board  
               in the book:      
"Stitched Whimsy"                 
           by Heidi Boyd....

                           Check out Mine:

This project actually took me a while longer then expected, but I am pretty happy with the results :)  Check out the book:   Stitched Whimsy for yourself, it is full of awesome ideas to try!!

Till Next time,
       
       Wicked jypsi
          

Aprons, Cowls, & Bags, oh my !

Pattern Reviews...  

               Some of my favorite things!

      Aprons, Cowls & Bags....

I wanted to try out some sewing, crochet patterns that I have had my eye on, so the following projects (except the Apron..that's all mine:) will each contain the links to the tutorials where I discovered them!!

I was looking forward to the upcoming Spring season, but with it being a little early in the year yet, I decided to settle for a Spring-looking Apron instead !

Up close!

My spur of the moment creation ...the apron, not the dog :))

Next up...

              A super-easy Crochet cowl pattern from an awesome site I happened upon...

"Compulsive Craftiness" is the site and name of this game:)

This pattern was literally so easy to follow, even I could do it. And it was completed in an evening...in front of the television!! CHECK IT OUT HERE:

http://compulsivecraftiness.com/2011/tutorial-quick-chunky-ribbed-crochet-cowl/

Next, here is the coolest and fastest  

                  SLING BAG Pattern in the world.....

A Happy New Sling Bag Owner!!

I copied the flower from the apron to spruce things up!

 Find this Sling Bag tutorial at a very cool site:  

             "Crap I've Made"  here's the link:

http://www.crapivemade.com/2011/07/reversible-sling-bag-tutorial.html

Last, I have had a mini obsession with knitting looms and I completed this burgundy scarf in time to give it as a gift.....

Thanks for checking all this out! 

Next up: Dolls and their Pattern Links

Till next time,

     Wickedjypsi

Prayer Flags for a great year!

Making my world a better place.....  

                      WELCOME  2013 !!!!

I have always loved to see the variety of colors, designs and patterns in Prayer Flags and figured it was an excellent time to make my own.......

I made a fabric stash raid and a trip to the fabric store to choose fabrics that not only looked, but also "felt" good to me and brought forth different feelings (e.g. ambition, peace, nostalgia, motivation, etc.) that would inspire me the whole year through. 

 

These will hang in my house in a place that allows them to be seen daily, specifically in the morning as I wake up and begin my day! 

  A new year begins...crafting and enjoying this blog, Law school applications and LSAT testing, article writing, starting my book store and, of course, spending every available moment with my daughter, watching her grow and make me so very, very proud!!

"Wishing you all the absolute best this year" 

till next time,

Wicked jypsi

Crafting a WOODLAND Christmas

Gnomes, Trees,  Wreaths.....GALORE!

 

GNOMES...My New Addiction...strange, but true!!

 

 

 

 

 I have been absent for a few weeks, but not idle! I have had so much fun making my decor..

    

 

 

Here are my Woodland favorites!

My Little Doll !!

An awesome book is "FaLaLaLaLa Felt" by Amanda Carestio & Kathy Sheldon..... I have gotten so many ideas from this book and here are a few I have completed....

The "Yarn-wrapped Trees" from a variety of yarn widths and paper mache or Styrofoam cones from the craft store in different sizes...

 ...next is the "Felt-pieces Wreath" made with a piece of wire formed into a circle and scrap pieces of different colored felt and fleece.....

 ....last, the "Yarn-wrapped Wreath"..made just like the tree cones, but I used a round foam wreath as a base and ModgePodge to secure the strands..and of course, added a few pom poms: (a better pic of this wreath will be up soon)

please forgive the resolution...the colors of the yarn are so dark (navy blue, burgundy, and forest green), it is hard to get them to show up!

It was a surprise to find mistletoe right in my front yard.......

 

 

 

so I grabbed an empty grapevine wreath and went to work...

 

 

Here is what came of it...

my own "Mistletoe Wreath": 

Last, (I said that before, but this time I mean it :) I had to make sign to hang in the hallway entrance, and some stockings to add more color to the walls..... so I decided on these:

 More to come...and I hope your holiday season is coming about marvelously!!

"MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL" !!

Crafting Christmas GNOMES..(that's right, Gnomes) and MORE!

It has been a busy week, but I have started my holiday crafting and gift making. My big obsession this year is Gnomes !!
I know that may sound weird, but I am a little weird...so, Gnomes it is!!

 I have come across some AWESOME patterns and tutorials online and will be sharing those projects for the next few weeks as we get closer and closer to CHRISTMAS.... (don't get me wrong, I love Thanksgiving. But the way I figure, both Christmas and Thanksgiving celebrate the closeness of family and showing gratitude for the blessings in our lives. But really it is just so I can keep my tree up for 2 months ;)

The first Gnome Project:
 --with some wooden balls, felt pieces, yarn and glue, these were so fun to put together and inspired my fixation this year with everything GNOME!!!

               Mr. & Mrs. Christmas Gnome
A Wonderful idea and tutorial from the December 2012 issue of Better Homes & Gardens Special Interest edition...(pages 40and 45)

 I also have been yearning for more organization as the holiday season begins, so I put together a simple, but cute Christmas Planner to organize all the necessary info I need:

The outside cover....

 For the interior of my planner, I used manilla envelopes with handmade tabs labeled for my 5 most important categories in keeping myself organized for the Holidays : 
  
     1. Gifts to Make
     2. A calendar page
     3. Cards received and sent
     4. Recipes old and new
     5. Receipts ( to make sure I stay within my budget....hahaha, yeah right!)


Last, I received a beautiful set of these "Noel" wooden letters from my extremely crafty sister in Utah:

Much more to come...Gnomes and more, that is.....in my next post as I share more Gnome pics, ideas and tutorials I created and discovered....and other Christmas decor!!

Merry Christmas & Happy Thanksgiving All!!

   Wicked jypsi