anthropologie style antler chandalier makeover

I had breakfast with my Interior Designer friend Sidney this week (amazing home tour post of her loft coming this week by the way) and we were musing about design and DIY projects. She told me about a blogger pal of hers at Hello from the Natos who had turned a cheap-o Home Depot antler lighting into one that looked like the one right out of the Anthropologie catalog.

Y'all, this is legit. Here is the Anthro version:

Pure bliss. For the low low price of $1,998. 

Sorry, I just passed out. Two GRAND!?!? A bit out of my price range. But there's hope because the Home Depot version is only $189...

Um, yeah. This leaves a little something to be desired. I was actually embarrassed with this in my cart at the Depot and had to refrain from telling everyone that glanced in our direction that I understood that the light was ugly but I have plans for it. See!? I have spray paint in the cart! Please don't judge me.

But at only 1/10 of the cost of the Anthro one, I got over myself and picked it up along with 2 cans of spray paint and some chandelier bulbs and GOT TO WORK on my Anthro hack.

Here's how to do this for $200 and in only about 24 hours.

sunday stitch vol. 12 - meet elanor and james

This week I whipped up a couple of new rag dolls for my friend Katy. She game my original rag doll to her sister and it was such a hit that she wanted two more. Don't mind if I do!

The mom-to-be is expecting boy and girl twins (awwwww). This time around I modified the pattern a bit:

• Fabric hair instead of yarn hair. I thought it would have a much cleaner look (it does) and I had a bit of heartburn about a baby ripping the yarn out of the doll and eating it. Mostly because my baby is trying to eat everything under God's green earth at the moment.
• Before attaching the arms and legs I stitched them closed. That way I'm not so stressed about sewing all the layers together so the stuffing doesn't escape.
• I changed up the faces. I like these felt eyes and stitched noses better than the original. I used glue to stick the felt together and to the doll and then machine stitched over it.
• I deleted an X chromosome and added a Y chromosome for James.

James is a wee bit pinhead-ish. If I make a boy doll again I'll probably increase the size of his noggin.

Elanor - you're just right, down to your crooked smile. She's rocking that 3D lash mascara that everybody on Facebook will not stop talking about.

Congrats to the mom to be, and hope you like them Katy! The new mama will also be getting a set of swaddle blankets for her little burritos.

What have you guys been sewing this week?

Hop over to hi-and-hello to check out her sewing projects this week by using the link below.

 


  YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY:

sunday stitch vol. 6 - quirky rag doll

neon sergered swaddle blanket "tutorial"

the perfect baby shower blanket

sunday stitch vol. 8 - quilt as you go pillow sham

game day chili

This past weekend we hosted a little football watching party. Only, TCU wasn't playing (we figured out that morning...after putting all 4 of us in our TCU gear. Oh well). Also, we forgot to actually watch football. Instead, we watched these two: 

And these three. They are best friends. It's like Harry, Ron, and Hermione only with less magic and more tantrums.

Didn't matter to me one bit. Football is more of a good excuse to socialize rather than something I actually want to pay attention to. I had a lot of mouths to feed: Henry and his two best buds plus Max and his best bud plus their moms plus the hubs plus me. I whipped up a big o'l pot of game day chili for the occasion. This recipe can serve 12 hungry adults. Or 11 adults and one giant beast baby.

Jump to the end for the short version of the recipe. Or read along because it's more fun that way.

let's get campy! birch feather river quilt tutorial

My little Henry man is an avid outdoorsman. And by that I mean he enjoys playing in rocks and occasionally putting them in his mouth. The Hubs is trying to cultivate this into something useful by taking him camping. After an initial failed attempt at backyard camping (lasted all of 1 hour), they have successfully completed an entire night in the tent! Not the tent in the picture above, obviously. An actual tent. Because they didn't want to sleep with bugs and bunnies.

Then Birch fabric goes and comes out with quilts with tiny little campers on them? DONE.

I immediately made Henry a camping inspired quilt. Duh. Like I had a choice.

This is a really simple paver-style (I made that name up) quilt pattern and is a fantastic way to showcase this or any fat quarter bundle. I wish that nugget of knowledge was from my brain, but it's from Callie, the City Craft guru. But she's totally right. The blocks are perfectly sized to show off the pattern of each fabric.

The finished quilt is approximately 42" x 54", which is the perfect size for playing and snuggling. Oh, and camping.

If you're like, "whoa, Tara. That's cute and all, but ain't nobody got time for that!" just jump to the end. I have a time saving solution for you.

On with the tutorial!

sunday stitch vol. 11 - binding scrap garland

Happy Sunday, friends. I have several (read: too many) works in progress this week, so I decided to share something I actually made start-to-finish this week. It is Oh So Simple.

I was making quilt binding for a quilt that I'll share with you later this week. I had a yard of this gorgeous linen/cotton blend fabric cut into 2.5" strips. The way I make my binding leaves me with an abundance of 2.5" triangles.

Rather than just throw them in the scrap pile (or garbage can) I had a light bulb moment: make them into a garland! I've wanted to make one for the boys for awhile, but most of them are pretty girly. I thought this charcoal-brown fabric + manly triangle shape (it's manly, right?) would be just the ticket.

 All I did was take my roll of baker's twine, starting about 12" end from the end, lay the triangle on it, and zigzag stitch on top. Easy peasy.

I laid each triangle apart about 6" or so, but didn't bother measuring. I also let some triangles face right while others faced left. I just made sure I didn't have more than 3 or so facing the same direction to keep it interesting.

In about 20 minutes, I had a wicked pile of garland.

It was long enough to string from one wall of Henry's room to the other. Probably 15' or so total.

I initially was just hanging it here so I could have a photo to show you guys, but I kind of fell in love with it. Even The Hubs likes it, and he tends to rebel against most things that are remotely girly:

Image Via Society6

See? Even the stuffed lumber jack likes it. So manly.

For more sewing project inspiration, visit my friend Maryam over at hi-and-hello. To see all of my Sunday Stitch projects, click here.

What have you guys been sewing this week? Any manly garlands? Brown alcoholic beverages? Bacon?

YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY:

cowboy vest tutorial

simple boy shorts tutorial

sunday stitch vol. 3 - attack of the octopus

jack & coke float

quilt club: modern quilting

This month's City Craft Quilt Club assignment was a bit daunting: create a modern quilt (or quilt block). It's the equivalent of saying create "modern cuisine." It can be taken a multitude of different ways. Modern quilts usually have solid, bold colors. But they might be neutrals. And they might have some patterned fabric. Or all patterned fabric. And have mostly straight lines. But maybe curved lines. Whatever.

Basically, don't make it look like an old lady made it in the mid-80's.

Here are all the different liberties that our quilt club members took with this challenge. Enjoy.

Michael blew us all away (again) with his 60's modern inspiration on the bottom.

Shannon's diamond quilt was a girl's best friend (see what I did there?)

And this quilt was a hoot (I can't stop myself...send help)

All the new Kona solids in one quilt. Swoon.

Kristi at Initial K Studio showed off some new lovelies currently available in her shop

This one is my favorite.

Or maybe this one.

My block was kind of an epic fail. But it was SO pretty in my head. Oh well. Live and learn.

I made up for it with this beauty. Tutorial coming next week!

Literally, I want everything Angela makes. Ev-uh-ry-thing.

My sister-in-law Meredith made her first quilt top. Holy moly!
My first quilt was not nearly this nice. I will never show you a picture of it ever. Probably.

Susan rocked this modern square quilt.

Oh my gosh. This is exquisite. All paper piecing. 22 (?) different fabrics. It makes my head hurt. So impressive.

Happy block!

This hand quilted fairy quilt by Callie is out of this world.

Modern quilted mobile by Elizabeth. Award for most creative.

Martha's block.

Nicole's block.

And Nicole's bag.

Momma City Craft's modern goodies.

Tres Modrian.

These Moda blocks from the Modern Quilt Kit are AMAZING!
It's part of a kit you can buy at City Craft here. 

More Moda. All of these go together to make one giant quilt. I think it's for a Paul Bunyan sized fella.

And more Moda.

Working with curves.

Next month we're working on strip quilts. You should totally strip with us. 



YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY:

quilt as you go pillow sham

monogrammed quickie quilted blanket

quilt club: half square triangles

quilt club: process driven quilts