Changes and Excitement!

I should be in bed right now. But what fun is sleep when I have all kinds of exciting things to share?

Well, not really all kinds of exciting things, more like just one super exciting thing.

I NOW SELL SOME OF MY FLOWERS AT Kaza Designs IN CONCORD, NH!!!

Lisa, the owner, is a super great lady. I have known her since I was a kid (she use to babysit me), but we fell out of touch along the way. Thanks to the awesomeness of facebook, we have become reacquainted and it turns out we have a lot in common such as she has a super cute shop specializing it recycled/handmade/local items, and I sell super cute handmade recycled crafts.

Technically I am not local (unless I am visiting family), but I was born and raised in NH, so I think that should count for something.

Would you like to see the cute stuff I sold to Lisa (and she has turned around and sold 5 of the flowers I sold her!)?

Here is a picture of one of my flowers in her shop.


So much fun to work with and sell to such an awesome lady!

As far as changes go, you may have already noticed that I have changed the layout and look of the blog a bit. I plan to make more changes as I go. Feel free to let me know what you like and don't like, or if there is something you would really like to see added.

I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you have/had a wonderful day!

Fun with Words

I just found this cool site called Wordle. I found it from this site here. So much fun, go check it out! Here are a few of the cool things I created.

A few I made before I realized I was suppose to be doing something else =)

High-Five T-Shirt Pillow Tutorial

So, here is my tutorial for making a t-shirt pillow. This can be machine or hand stitched, so it is really great for anyone who wishes to give it a try. It could even be a kid friendly project.

Items Needed:
-Smaller t-shirt (the ones pictured are 2/3T)
-tie dye (kits make this pretty user friendly)
-2 scraps of fabric, one hand print sized, one big enough to close up the neck opening.
-marker
-fabric scissors
-sewing machine or thread and needle

Instructions:
*Wash and dry the t-shirt

*Follow the tie dye directions
While you are letting your shirts sit, why don't you check out some of the other fun things I have on my blog.

*Trace the hand print directly onto one of the scraps of fabric (or onto a cereal box or other stiffer paper, then onto the fabric).

*Cut out the fabric hand print

*Stitch the hand print onto the t-shirt wherever you like it best. (If you are doing more then one shirt for more then one child at the same time, just write the child's name on the inside of the hem at the bottom of the shirt.)

*Use the other scrap and sew it to the inside of the neck opening. I have no great advice on how to do this, just wing it till it works :)

*Sew up one sleeve and the bottom hem. I sewed right over the stitching that was there because I liked that the sleeves "opened" a bit.

* Stuff the t-shirt through the open sleeve, then stitch the sleeve up when you are happy with it's fluffiness.



Take a picture of the happy child holding their cool, upcycled, one-of-a-kind t-shirt pillow, and send it to me. (just kidding, you don't have to send me a picture if you do not want to, but I would love to see them!)

Almost forgot, if you love this pillow but are unable to make it yourself, I would love to make one for you! Check out this page for how to order.

Hand Print Gift Ideas

I don't need to remind anyone that times are tight right now. Lucky for me though, I love crafting and giving. Even better for me, most things I make I created from recycled items. A great way to cut costs even more.

Holiday gifts will be handmade this year. I even convinced my sister to jump on my band wagon :)

I have to tell you, I love my daughters hands. Ever since she was a baby, my favorite thing to do with her, is trace her hands or paint them and make hand prints. It is a great way to follow her growth in a fun and different way.

So, here are a few projects we have made. I have added a link for where I found the idea, and they all over tutorials, so go on over and check them out!

Hug Pillows (found here: From An Igloo)

This will be a pillow for one of the grandparents (if you happen to be reading this, pretend to be surprised at Christmas). We have 4 of the 6 grandchildren on here.
For this project, I actually purchased fabric. I really try not to purchase fabric, but if I do, I make sure to shop in the clearance section and use a coupon. Some of the fabric for this pillow did come from clothes destined for the thrift shop, so I guess it can be considered partially upcycled.

For the hug pillow, I also created some less...formal ones.

These are made from upcycled clothes. The stuffing and thread are new.

High Five Pillows (just a slightly different take on the hug pillow).

These are my nephews pillows. Emma and the boys had great fun using them for a pillow fight.

This project came about due to an oops. A few weeks ago I had Emma and her 3 cousins make some tie dye t-shirts. In a moment of laziness, I bought each of them a package of 5 plain white under shirts. Apparently, they run small :( The shirts for Emma and her youngest cousin, T-Bear, didn't fit. We were able to use the shirts from Emma for T-Bear, but I wasn't sure what to do with the shirts from T-Bear. My sister suggested making them into t-shirt pillows. I loved it! Having 5 t-shirts, and 4 kids, I made a t-shirt for each. I thought adding their own hand print to their shirts would be fun.

Hand Trees (found here: At Second Street)

My oldest nephew didn't want to make one of these so it was just Emma and two of her cousins. I was a little frustrated that Emma and G-Man didn't want to add more leaves, but it is their trees, so I decided to butt out (and not add more after they left the table).

So, this is some of what we have been up too. I hope to get more pictures, but it is slightly slow going as my camera eats batteries. I manage to take about 10 pictures before the batteries are dead. So, now I remove the batteries after each picture taking session. I hope that helps.

Thanks for reading, I hope you find some inspiration here!

Wardrobe Refashion

The Pledge

I Kaotic Krafter pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 2 months. I pledge that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovoted, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog (and here on my blog), so that others may share the joy that thy thriftiness brings!

Signed Kaotic Krafter

I am in the works on doing this for my little one also (who turns 5 in two months, so not so little anymore).

I will do my best with photos, but right now we are having some annoying technical problems in the camera department :(

Destash Swaps and Giveaways!

I know I have been horrible at keeping up with my blog this summer. I have a good reason, I was busy having a blast with my family :)

I did manage to make a bunch of stuff as well, which is sitting around the house taking up all the extra space I have. In order to make more stuff, I need to find new homes for the stuff I currently have.

Most items I will be willing to swap, some items I am just happy to clear out so I can make more stuff :)

Each item will specify if it is a swap or give. For the swap items, I will list items I would like in return, but I will be willing to consider any offers.

Swaps and giveaways will be on a first come first serve basis.

Check back on Friday for the pictures and list of goodies :)

(A few ideas of what will be listed are: blankets, bags, pouches, vinyl bowls, postcards, handmade notebooks, and much, much, more)

See you soon!

Back with a Bang!

Emma and I have gotten back into crafting now that school has started back up for Jared. We have actually gone a little crazy with it, but we are having fun and the only house looks like a small tornado went through it.

We have decided to try to bring out friends over to the crafty side, so we will be hosting a Craft Party on the 11th. We are so excited!

What is a craft party you ask?

Well, for us, a craft party is an excuse to have friends come over and make a crafty mess.

We will be tie-dyeing. Emma and I first experienced tie-dyeing a few weeks ago at Prairieland Herbs Sample Sunday event.

Here is a picture of what Emma made.

We didn't really have anything to tie-dye, so the morning of the Sample Sunday I whipped up a cute jumper, attached a previously freezer paper stenciled design, and away we went.

We also discovered hula hooping during the same event, but that will have to be a story for another day:)

Summer Vacation

I have decided to take a vacation from my computer this summer. I will try to post a quick update here and there, but no guarantees. Emma and I will be taking an adventure, so we will make sure to let you know how that goes.

Thank you so much for ready my blog, and I hope to be back in a few months!!!

I will probably be updating my family blog a little more often, so if you are interested in following me and Emma on our adventure, feel free to stop on over:)

Schools Out for Summer...

It has been a while since I have posted, even longer since I have updated everyone on what I have been up too. Lately I have been spending lots of time in the yard, and with the family. Jared just finished up school for the summer, and this last semester was rough. Emma and I really didn't spend much time with Jared with all the homework he had, so we are excited to be able to have him all to ourselves again.

I have still be crafting and creating, I will have pictures up again soon.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Oh, I am looking for suggestions on my next tutorial. If there is anything I have made that you would like to know how to make, let me know. I will pick one of the suggestions for a tutorial next week.

And don't forget that I am still having a giveaway!
(it kinda dings the self esteem when I can't even give my stuff away, so check it out and leave me a nice comment:)

Saturday Spotlight - Shops With Less Than 10 Sales

Starting this week I will be picking a few of my favorite items from four of my fellow guild members shops. This weeks fun finds,


Baby in a Fish Bowl


Boutique Karma



Craft Baby Hope


Jewelry By Sherry


Have a great weekend!

Feature Friday - Baby in a Fish Bowl

The newest member of the Shops with Less Than 10 Sales is Baby in a Fish Bowl.

Some fun stuff to be found here!

We could really use something like this at our house, especially now that the weather is getting nice and we are spending more time outside.


I have started loving skirts. Not sure what it is, but I love them. I want this one.


And how cute is this! I love the idea of being able to buy one piece of clothing for Emma and having it last for a few years!


At Baby in a Fish Bowl you can also find baby carriers, wood working, and a bunch of other fun goodies, so make sure you stop buy and check them out!

Giveaway - Bags Galore

Ok, sticking with the bag theme, I am giving away a 'book' bag, a clutch, and a tote (that I had planned to enter into the April Stash Bust Challenge, but I ran out of red thread and didn't want to use a different color).

The 'Book' Bag - This was my second attempt. I am not super happy with the way it came out, the fabric inside is a bit wrinkly. Still pretty darn cute though!

This bag currently does not have a closure, but if the winner would like one, I can probably whip one up.

The Clutch - This was my first clutch, and aside from it being pretty plain, it came out great! The glittery fabric is so much fun (but it does tend to glitterify everything).


The Tote - I made this from some of my fabric swatches. I love the slightly patriotic theme. Great tote for general use.


Entry Rules:
1. Leave me a comment before noon (central time) on May 31st.

That is all. If you decided to follow my blog, that would be splendid! If not, I am ok with that also.

If you like what you see, feel free to check out my ArtFire Studio.

Thanks, and good luck :o)

Purses Galore!

I seem to be stuck on making purses, clutches, and other bags.

Let's start with the "Book" bags that I have made.

This brown book made me think of a professor, (kinda like Indiana Jones)and I wanted to find a tweed fabric to go with it, but I didn't have any, so my next favorite was the stripped fabric you see above. The handles are some beads I got on clearance. I was happy that I only needed to use one strand, means more for another project:) I have not decided on a closure for this one yet, so if you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them!


This one I did a little different. My original plan was to make a pillow case type thing and slide the book inside. I didn't measure correctly (which is known to happen around here with all the winging it I do). Plan 'B' was to use the fabric on the outside. I love it! I added a zipper closure to this one (I think this might be like my third time sewing a zipper). Add a recycled belt, and I am set. I have been carrying this purse around for a few days. I love it. It fits just under my arm and is super comfy.

I had grand plans to make a ton of these purses (I bought about 20 of these Readers Digest Condensed books at a garage sale last weekend for $.25 each!). But, I got distracted.

I can almost hear you asking, "What could possible distract this focused and steady individual?" (and yes, I can hear the sarcasm:)

These fun little doohickeys!


I think the technical name for them would be "Clutch", but that seems just as goofy as doohickey. Well, to me anyway.

Here is the first one I made.


I borrowed the book "bend-the-rules Sewing" by Amy Karol after reading her blog, Angry Chicken. I love the book and may have to start looking for a used copy to add to my own collection.

Anyway, one of the patterns in the book is for this cute clutch. I was suppose to decorate the white fabric first, but seeing as my artistic abilities do not include drawing or painting, and I didn't have the patience to do any freezer paper stenciling, I decided to just leave it plain. I still like it, but it would look much snazzier with some artwork on the outside.

So, the same day (night actually) that I made my first one, I decided to whip out a few more using the same fabric and such just to save myself a bit of time.


I like them. Don't think I would ever actually carry a clutch around instead of a purse or bag, but they are super cute. And with 3 bags being completed in an hour or two, it is the perfect project for this Kaotic Krafter :)

Lets see, what else.

Oh, my brick pillows.

Before I introduce you to my brick pillows, let me ask you something. Do you ever go into the fabric stores and look at those big huge swatches of special order fabrics? You know, the ones that are absolutely gorgeous, but cost around $30 a yard or more? I love those fabrics. I would never in a million years spend that much money on a yard of fabric, but I still love the fabrics.

One day while making a quick run to Joann's for a few specific things, I discovered that when the fabrics are discontinued, the swatches are sold. And for only $2 a swatch! I suck at guessing sizes, but I would say that the average swatch is about 18" X 18" (I could get up and measure one, but I don't want too).

I bought a ton.

Emma and I where at Joann's this Sunday (because the April stash bust was over and I "needed" a few things). I was delighted to see that the swatches where now only $1!!! I think I bought all but about 10 of them.

Don't they look pretty though?


I did try to pick ones that would go together, but I am not the best at matching (which is why I am happy that Emma dresses herself and I can tell people that it is not my fault she doesn't match).

Anyway, as I was greedily grabbing all the swatches, I made a vow to use the majority of them before the end of the month. Lucky for me, they are the perfect size for the clutches, and for the books. Score for me, I love it when things accidentally work out :)

Ok, so after that really long side note, here are my brick pillows (which I used fabric swatches for).


Sometimes I like to just start cutting fabric and sewing it together to see where it takes me. I had originally thought these swatches would turn into a bag. They decided they wanted to be a pillow.



I made this purse using the left overs from the clutches above.

So why are these pillows called brick pillows? I used fabric scraps to stuff them. An awesome way to use every last piece of fabric. The only problem is that it makes the pillows heavy. They are still pretty comfy (though I wouldn't use them to sleep on all night).

Well, I feel that I have taken up enough of your time for today. To show you how much I appreciate you sticking through this long post, I am going to be posting a giveaway on Thursday.

Hope you had an awesome first half of the week!