Nonpareil

Today was a big day for me…I bought myself a serger sewing machine….and I’m crazy excited about it! I can’t wait to finish my post so I can go play with my new toy…I’m completely geeked out!

…Which brings me to the incredible fabrics by Daisy Janie. Designer Jan DiCintio {of Scoutie Girl fame} uses such fresh color combinations, and I adore her designs. She uses organic cotton sateen & organic cotton/hemp blend canvas. Really wonderful fabric for whatever crafty project you may have! Once I teach myself how to use my new machine, I look forward to ordering some fabulous fabric! What should I make?

Another one of the wonderful vendors I got to meet this past weekend is Julie from Juliet Jewelry. We shared lots of great stories…what a fantastic person she is! We also share the same favorite quirky movie: “Harold and Maude”…

I really hope you can tell by the photos just how gorgeous her jewelry is. Her booth was right next to ours, so it was VERY dangerous for me to be so close to such lovely things. Her pieces called to me {“Stacy…buy me” is what they were saying}. I love the necklace in the center of the picture above …and I’ve worn the piece I bought from her every day this week.

Happy Saturday everyone!

I’m excited to have Kelly Wilkinson from the lovely blog Make, Grow, Gather as a guest blogger for me today. She shows us how to create some fabulous little candle holders, which are really easy to make. I’d love to know if you try it…send me pictures if you do!

My husband and I have a newfound love of patterned drinking glasses. We’ve picked up a couple sets from flea markets in the last couple years, rendering our plain glasses kind of obsolete and boring in comparison. So I converted some of them into a set of votives, using pictures my husband took of bare winter trees as the images. Just size your image big enough to wrap around the glass, and print out on vellum. Or, if you want to skip that step, use store-bought decorative paper. Just make sure it’s a little translucent so you get a nice, warm glow off the votives. Enjoy!

You’ll need:
2 straight glasses (mine measured 5½ tall with an 8” circumference)
Mod Podge
foam brush
craft knife
vellum or other paper printouts
ribbon to fit around glass circumference
Glue Dots

Note: Make sure the glasses you choose are the same circumference at the top and bottom. If they’re wider at the top (which many kinds are), it will make wrapping the paper much harder.

1. Measure the glass height and circumference. Cut paper to fit, adding ¼” to the circumference measurement so the edges overlap.

2. Using a foam brush, apply a thin, even layer of Mod Podge to the glass.

3. Lay one edge of paper straight against the glass and press into place. Working quickly (so Mod Podge doesn’t dry), use the palm of your hand to wrap paper around glass until the edges overlap. Let dry.

4. Cut a length of ribbon to wrap around the top, adding ¼” to the circumference measurement. Using Glue Dots, secure ribbon to the glass just under the lip of the glass. To finish, fold end of ribbon under and secure with Glue Dot.

Check out Kelly’s flickr photostream…she’s got some other really fun and easy tutorials too if you’re feelin’ crafty!