May Day, new projects

Happy spring, May Day & Beltane! I know, they have come and passed already. But I am here to re-cap, update and share photos with you!

I again decorated my weeping cherry blossom tree with ribbons like a May pole! My tree has easily grown by 2"s already this year. I ended up with ribbon a tad too short then usual. But that's okay, I wrap and braid it around and tie it with a big bow.

I enjoyed my spring floral crown of faux pink roses and ribbons. I actually intend to make a (yet another) floral crown with some faux butterflies this year. I have some parts of it sitting in my craft room but I may need to match some new ribbon.

my decorated great-grandma's straw hat

my rose spring floral crown

I have also become busy with my resident seamstress work! About every 4 weeks or so I bring my sewing machine to my martial arts school. I sew what students bring for a good 2 1/2 hours but I also happily take home anything they drop off. I currently sew on patches, hemming and repairs. I enjoy helping them get their uniforms in tip top condition and personalized.

sewing on patches

my little online signage

I'm still busy on Instagram & Etsy. I recently opened a new Facebook page for my crafting, so do stop over. Visit the new page here: facebook CraftinessbyB

Eco-friendly Flannel Toner Pads

A new year calls for some new projects! Some I want to share and make are eco-friendly in nature. I want to have less wasteful items that I use daily in the home and even my beauty routine. Enter: re-useable toner pads.

What I used for these are flannel pieces, three layers total. This gives some thickness and any toner absorbed won't simply drip out of the fabric. You could also add a layer of another fabric if you want this to be thick and absorbent.

I decided to make my toner pads round, so I found a suitable circle shaped object and simply traced it. You can pin your layers together, with a traced shape, then cut! This will save you time and makes sure the shapes are all matching.

I made three rounds total, so see how I liked the size. You can make as many as you please or simply start with one and decide from there. Once you have the pieces cut, you should pin them together. You want any printed side facing IN, as after sewing, you TURN your shape inside out. 

As an added pretty detail I put a small ribbon loop. If you decide on something similar, be sure the loop end is facing inside, as shown above. This loop is also handy for later on: you can easily hang the toner pad up to dry! When you sew your toner pad be sure to leave about 1 inch that you do not sew, you need an area to turn this inside out. 

Once you turn the toner pad inside out, you can hand sew that small opening. I decided to add some decorative stitching on the edges of mine. If you machine has this feature be sure to test it on a scrap piece of fabric beforehand. That way you can decide how close to the edge a design will stitch.

my finished, re-useable toner pads

edge design and ribbon detailing

This is a nice DIY project for those wanting to try the fancy stitching on your machine. It's also a nice project if you want to introduce more washable, less wasteful, home and beauty items. Cotton pads and makeup wipes end up in landfills. If you want to aim to reduce waste you can easily introduce these into your home and routine. They offer a nice product that is less wasteful, washable, lasts years and you can customize them how you please. If you enjoy what I share and make be sure to visit my Etsy shop and Instagram. 

Etsy Shop Winter SALE!

It's a new year and winter has arrived. So to make way for new products in my Etsy shop I'm having a Winter SALE! It is from 1/10 - to 1/31 and is 20% off orders of $16 or more (not including shipping).

online only from 1/10 to 1/31

seasonal and holiday gifts

Consider browsing and buying from my online shop and supporting handmade. Buying handmade is supporting skilled trades, small business and women entrepreneurs. My shop opened in 2008 and continues to offer wonderful, quality handmade gifts.

bags, purses and clutches

pet bandannas!

Handmade means sweatshop-free. Made by hand, often by only one artist or seamstress. Which means what you buy has been in the hands of one talented person! In my case I've been the sole artisan and seamstress of my Etsy shop. I have learned my skills from 3 generations of family since I was about 6 years of age. It's my passion and joy to make and create gifts for people who value handmade.

felt charms and mascots

This sale is going on from January 10th to the 31st. No special discount code is needed for this sale, simply add items to your shopping cart totaling $16.00 or more (not including shipping costs). Thank you for visiting my shop and I hope your find something you'd love to own!