DIY: Distressed Colored Book Pages

Do you ever get an idea for a new project, and before you know it, you realize five new projects you could create with the same supplies?!  Well, that happened to me this week.  

What are my supplies?!  Old book pages and ink pads.  

My husband has quite the collection of books, including some really old ones that have been passed down to him.  Luckily, he has a couple duplicates that I was able to use for this project.  If you do not have old books, visit the local thrift store and pick one up for 50 cents! {or less}

Here is a step by step to creating these colorful pages:

Supplies:

old book

chalk ink pad {I purchased this brand}

scrap paper to cover your work space

Step 1:
Take the binding off the book.  This will make it easier to tear out all of the pages.  If you open the book up all the way, a little gap will be created and make it easy to rip the pages off the cover and binding.

Rip out all of the pages...

Step 2:

Decide what colors you would like to use for your pages.  It's better to start with something light until you get used to the application, and then you can add more color or move on to something darker.  I used only chalk ink pads because they have a very light matte look to them and you can build color easily.

You can purchase an applicator to click into the colorbox cat eye ink pads, or you can hold them in your hand to apply the ink.

Step 3:

Lightly stamp the pages in different directions, building color by reapplying in the areas you want.

The ink dries very quickly and your pages will be ready for crafting!

Beautifully colored book pages.  

I can't wait to photograph some tutorials this weekend!  Check back next week to find out what I create  with them :)

Decorating for Valentine's Day

{l.o.v.e}

When Justin and I were dating, he decorated my room with over 100 post-it notes telling me all the things he loved most about me while I was at school.  Some of the notes mentioned personality traits, my silliness, physical features and the time we spent together.  

I have kept them for all this time and decided today to get them out of their box and read them again five years later, with fresh eyes and as his wife.  

As I started taping my favorites on our walls to decorate for Valentine's Day, I asked myself if he would say the same things about me today.  Am I still doing all of these things that he fell in love with?!  I would hope that the answer is yes, and more. 

While looking through all the post-its, I separated the blank ones and decided to write on them all the things I love about Justin.  I really do believe that it's all the little everyday things in a relationship that can make it so wonderful.  I tell Mr. Sharkey all the time how much I love him, but today I am going to write down exactly what I love about him.  I hope that in another 5 years we can read them again and say that we still love all these things about each other and that these are still things we do today.

Although I think we should show our love for one another everyday, today is a reason to go a little overboard!  I can't wait for Justin to get home and see our love notes to each other hanging above our table.

The Perfect Gift is the book Justin had me read right before he proposed,
along with my first Valentine's Day card to him and my favorite love quote book.

Tell your significant other all the things you love about them!

Pick up some fun post-its at your local craft store or Target and grab a pen or marker. Think about all the little things, daily routines, goofy moments, personality traits, physical features and their style that makes you love them so much.  It's a great way to show someone you love them in an inexpensive way that they can reread for years to come.

{Happy Valentine's Day}

Handmade Curtain Tutorial

This past Friday, I spent the day in Columbus at my friend's house sewing curtains for her baby girl's nursery.  I had never sewn curtains before this, and was really surprised how easy it was!  So today I am going to share with you all of the steps to make your own curtains!

Supplies:

• fabric  {we used a good quality printed linen by Melody Miller that we purchased at Sew to Speak}
• matching thread
• sewing machine
• measuring tape
• iron + ironing board  *if you like to use steam, only use distilled water in your iron. It will keep the iron clean and will not create rust spots that sometimes are left behind from regular water in irons.  You can buy a gallon of distilled water for around a $1.
• curtain rod + hardware 

Step 1: Measure your window and decide how much fabric you will need and how many panels you would like.

You  will need to measure the width of your window and the length from the curtain rod to where you would like the curtains to fall.  Because you will be hemming the bottom, sides and creating a top opening for the rod to go through, you will need to add inches to the window dimensions you measured.  Depending on how wide your window is, and how much fullness you would like in the curtain panel, add 1.5 to 3 times the amount of fabric for the width of the window.  Add roughly 6-8 inches to the length of the fabric for bottom hem, top hem and rod opening.

Step 2:  Cut off the selvage edge of the fabric {The edge of the fabric with the name of the fabric and designer}

Step 3: Start with the sides of the curtain panel

Our fabric was already a perfect width for the window, so no additional cutting was needed.  To hem the sides of the curtain, turn fabric 1/2 inch toward the back side of the fabric.  Press with the iron.

Step 4: Repeat step 3.  Turn the fabric in another 1/2 inch and press.  The raw edge will now be completely enclosed.  Press with iron.

Step 5: Sew the hem with a straight stitch.  Make sure you backstitch {sew back and forth over the stitches in the beginning and the end of a stitch line.  This is like the "knotting" step in machine sewing}.   Sew closely to the folded edge.

{Take a coffee/latte break when needed}

Step 6: Repeat steps 3-5 for both of the sides of the curtain panel.  Now you are ready to work on the top of the curtain panel and create the opening for the curtain rod.

First, repeat steps 3 & 4 {folding and pressing} but do not sew just yet.  You will fold the fabric over an additional few inches depending on the size of the curtain rod.  Here, we folded over an additional 3 1/2 inches.  Press the fabric with the iron.

Sew a straight stitch close to the folded edge.

Here you are able to see what the top of the panel will look like.  There are no raw edges and there is enough room to slide the curtain rod through.

Step 7: Complete the hem of the curtain panel.

To do this, I hung the curtain panel and saw where the fabric fell on the wall/floor.  I marked the length of where I wanted the completed panel to hang, and then added an inch.  Trim off any extra fabric.  Then complete steps 3-5 {turn in 1/2 inch, press, turn in another 1/2 inch, press again and then sew close to the folded edge}.

Ta-da!  You are ready to hang your completed curtains in your room!

My friend picked out the most adorable fabric for the curtains and we were so pleased with how they turned out!  

I hope you have fun sewing your own curtains for your home!  Please let me know if you have any questions!

Happy Sewing

DIY: Quilted Letter Tutorial

Today I am sharing with you a tutorial I did for a guest post on lollipops blog this past month.  This is an easy tutorial you can do with fabric, newspaper, music sheets, old maps or comics to give a personalized gift for the holidays!

Supplies needed:

Paper mache letter - found at your local craft store in various sizes
Mod Podge Matte
Paint brush
Scissors
Strips of scrap fabric {or paper, music, newsprint, etc.}
Paper to lay down on your work space

The first step is to cut (or tear if you like frayed edges) your fabric.  The size of the fabric pieces are up to you; I started with strips around 1 1/2 inches x 2 1/4 inches and then sized them down a little if needed.

After cutting your fabric, you are ready to apply the Mod Podge.  Using a paint brush, apply a coat of Mod Podge to the entire back side of the fabric.

Once the fabric has a layer of Mod Podge on the back side, place the strip of fabric on the paper mache letter.  You can make this look as messy or layered as you like. It is up to you how you want to overlap the fabric!

As you work your way around the letter, you will have to create little pleats or make snips in the fabric to cover the curve of the letter.  Letters like M, W, L etc. will be a little easier than letters like O and S, but don't worry, I will show you how to clean it up in the end!

When you are done quilting your letter, turn it over to the back.  You might have a lot of little pleats depending on your letter.  You can use your scissors to trim those pieces.  If you would like to seal and protect your work, use a thin layer of Mod Podge all over the entire surface.  This was the first time I used Mod Podge and I was nervous to do this last step, but it comes out crystal clear!

Ta-da!  You are done with your quilted letter!  You can place it on your bedside table, give as a hostess gift for the upcoming holidays or set it on your bookshelves.

If you want to dress it up a little, add some buttons, a handmade flower or bow to the bottom corner of the letter.

Thank you for reading my tutorial!  Happy Tutorial Tuesday!

DIY: Fabric Bunting Banners

There are several ways to make a fabric bunting banner, and today I am going to show you step by step my favorite and most simple banner!


What you need:

cutting mat
rotary cutter (or scissors)
fabric of your choice
cotton twine (roping, string or yarn of your choice)
light starch (optional)
cardboard to cut triangle pattern (cereal boxes are perfect!)
push pins
thread
pencil
iron + ironing board
sewing machine
zipper foot for machine



Step 1)  Create a triangle pattern out of cardboard (cereal boxes work great).  My triangle is 7 in tall by 6 1/2 wide.  You can make yours whatever size you want.

Step 2)  Choose the type of fabric you want to use.  You can do all the flags in the same fabric or choose a few prints and colors that you like together.  Head to your ironing board and lightly spray the fabric with starch then iron out all wrinkles.  Starch is not needed, but makes the fabric easier to work with.

Step 3)  Once fabric is pressed, you are ready to trace your triangle pattern on to the back side of the fabric using a pencil or a disappearing fabric marker.  *Keep in mind the print on the fabric.  You do not want to have the design upside down or not centered correctly.

Step 4)  Cut out all the triangle pieces using your rotary cutter and mat, or scissors.  Once all the pieces are cut, arrange them in the order you want to hang them.

Step 5)  Head back to the ironing board and fold 1/2 in down of the top of every triangle and steam press.  Cut the excess corners off the flags.

Step 6)  Place the cotton twine underneath the folded edges on the backside of fabric.  Pin in place.

Step 7) Thread machine and attach the zipper foot.  Make sure the settings are correct on your machine and you are ready to sew!

Step 8)  Sew each flag close to the twine, but do not stitch over the twine.  *The zipper foot will help with this.

Step 9)  This sewing method is my favorite for the banners because it allows you to move the banners along the twine.  Slide the flags however close or far apart you want them to be!

Step 10)  Take pictures of your awesome new banner!

Thank you for reading my tutorial!  Happy sewing!