DIY Star Wars No Sew Tablet Cover

August 25, 2016 / TakeTimetoCreate / 4 Comments

Hello Everyone!

Have you ever wandered around a fabric store and see some fabric that just jumps out at you and demands that you buy it? No, is that just me?

Well that is what happened with this Star Wars fabric, it demanded to go home with me and to be made into something awesome. I think I did the fabric justice by making a no sew tablet cover.

Materials:

~ Fabric I used this awesome Darth Vader fabric for the outside and I used sweatshirt fabric for the inside to help protect my tablet and provide a little cushion

~ Ribbon

~ Hot Glue and Velcro

Instructions:

~ I laid out the 2 fabrics with wrong sides together and cut out how much I needed. There wasn’t any measuring just make sure you have a little room on the sides and enough on the length to create a flap. I left a little extra on the side (but not too much) so I had somewhere to put my stylus pen.

~ Hot glue the fabric together around the edges. I did a little at a time and used a popsicle stick to help smooth out the edges with out burning my fingers.

~Once you have the edges glued then fold up the fabric, make sure you have your tablet to measure what you want the pocket to end. Then glue the edges together.

~ Then hot glue ribbon around the edges. My ribbon was not wide enough to wrap around the edge of the fabric so I glue some on the front and the back of the fabric. Glue ribbon every where that you see a raw edge.

~ Then glue on Velcro to the flap to close your cover and you are done.

I am in love with the fabric, I think I need to go back and get more to make a circle skirt.

In a upcoming post I will show you how to make a sew version of a tablet cover.

TBT Handmade dollhouse from my childhood

June 23, 2016 / TakeTimetoCreate / 3 Comments

Hello everyone!

Come with me as I take a small walk down memory lane.

Don’t you just love finding things from your childhood? Because I do! When my sister was in town the other day she helped my mom with some cleaning and when ever there is cleaning there are discoveries to be made. The great discovery of the day (at least to me) was when my sister found this doll house that my mom made for me when I was a child. There were some other crafting discoveries made that day that I will share with you on another day.

I loved this doll house! My mom made this from a pattern for my small dolls, I think they were called Glamour Dolls. I took this with me when we went to Utah to see family and I played with it all the time at home. You can tell that it was well loved by how dirty it is (I could blame it on it being in storage for so long, but that is not were all the dirt came from…)

The dolls’ hair is a little crazy, and again I can’t blame that all on the storage. I was rough on dolls’ hair, I loved to cut and dye and style my dolls’ hair. By the time I was done with them they looked fabulous, haha! And because I was my mom’s favorite child (haha) she even made clothes for my tiny dolls (which I am sure there were not easy to make). I am not quite sure why my dolls are all in sleeping clothes, maybe it is because pajamas are my favorite clothes…

This doll house was great! The sides zip up and down and the roof is Velcroed on so everything is self contained. My mom made it with plastic canvas on the inside which helped it hold its structure, but over time the plastic has begun to disintegrate so the house is no longer holding its shape. But that is ok, I think it still looks cute. The inside has a bed, couch, and chair. The furniture is easy to move around, but this arrangement was how I liked it best. The detail that my mom put into this house is wonderful, there are ruffles around the bed and the pillow even has ruffles, you can’t see it but the inside of the windows have lace curtains on them, there is detailing on the front door and there are shutters on the window. Now that I am older I can really appreciate the time and hard work my mom spent on making this doll house.

I remember playing with this for hours and my My Little Ponies would come by and play with the girls and my Barbie’s would stop by as well (I am sure that my Barbie’s felt like they were visiting a Hobbit house, but they came by any way) I played and pretended with this house for hours and it was so exciting to see it again.

Thank you for taking this trip with me down memory lane. What toy did you have from your childhood that you played with all the time?

Repurpose an old window into a Chalkboard

June 14, 2016 / TakeTimetoCreate / Leave a comment

Hello Everyone!

As many of you already know I was working a project for a Mental Health Awareness charity auction. We were all repurposing and painting old windows. Here you can see my post about creating a shabby chic message board. Today I am going to walk you through how I made this chalkboard with an old window.

Materials:

~Old window. This window had pealing paint and a crack in the Plexiglas, so it was perfect for this project.

~ Cleaning supplies and sandpaper

~ Paint, brushes, and tape for the frame

~ Primer, chalkboard paint, and brushes for the chalkboard part.

Instructions;

~ The first step is to prep the window. Not the most fun, but it is necessary for a successful project. I sanded all the edges until they were smooth and ready to paint. This took a while because the window was so rough.

~ Then you paint the frame. I did tape off the Plexiglas because I am not the neatest painter. I used Artist’s Loft in Metallic Cobalt Blue, I love the iridescent quality of the blue paint.

~ Paint away. Kitty help is essential to the success of any craft project Smile Starlight is my favorite kind of help, lol.

I did 2 coats of the blue

~ After the frame had dried for a day I taped off the frame part and prepped the Plexiglas. First I lightly sanded the glass so that the paint would adhere. Then I put a coat of primer on according to the directions. I used Kilz primer.

~ Once the primer was dry I painted 4 coats of chalkboard paint on according to the directions. I used Rustoleum Chalkboard paint. Once it was dry and cured for 3 days I conditioned the chalkboard according to the directions.

~ Once it was completely dry and conditioned I took a stencil and painted a design in the corners and added some flowers and that is it. A new chalkboard for an old window

Have you painted and or repurposed an old window? How did it turn out? I would love to see pictures!

Re-purpose an old window into a shabby chic message board

June 2, 2016 / TakeTimetoCreate / 2 Comments

If you follow my Instagram (taketimetocreate) then I am sure you have already seen the reveal of this repurposed window. For those of you who don’t follow me there here the shabby chic message board!

I have to say I do love the way it turned out! This all started when my friend asked me to paint a window for a silent auction for mental health awareness. At first I wasn’t too interested, not because I didn’t believe in the cause (because this is one cause I totally support) it was because I wasn’t sure I had a design that would work. Most everyone else did a more traditional painted window with flowers on the glass and things like that. Well of course I didn’t follow the crowd. So I did my own thing and hopefully it will bring in a lot of money for the charity!

Here is how I did the repurposing.

Materials:
~ old window (for this to work you for magnets you will need one with a metal screen)
~ sandpaper, tape, cleaning supplies
~ paint and brush
~ cork
~ flowers, magnets, tacks, and clothes pins
~ ribbon and burlap

Instructions:
~ The first thing you will need to do is sand down all the rough edges and smooth it out. Once you like the feel of the window then give it a good cleaning.

~ Now you are ready to paint. I taped around the edges to help cut down on how much paint went on the screen, and this seemed to help.
Paint a couple coats until you get it to how you like it. I used this white acrylic paint that I had on hand.

~ Cut your cork down to size and glue it on to the screen. I just glued the edges with a metal glue and that seems to hold it pretty well.

~Then I went to work decorating the edge. Shabby chic is all about layers so that is what I did. I put down a layer of burlap, the layered on a layer of crochet ribbon that I had in my stash.

That looked good, but I felt like it was missing something, so I added a ribbon on top and flowers in the corners.

Then I added ribbon to the bottom of the screen and to the bottom of the window. Once that was done it was time to add the flower decorations.

~ For the flowers add a magnet the back of some and tack to the others. For the clothes pins I just added ribbon to a plain clothes pin I got from the dollar store.

And that is it. This is a very fun project that is easy to do and I loved using what I had on hand. I can’t wait for the auction and hopefully they will make a lot of money for their cause!

DIY Rhinestone Clutch

April 21, 2016 / TakeTimetoCreate / 2 Comments

Hello Everyone!

I just had to make this clutch all because of this fantastic pair of shoes! (I think all great stories start with shoes)

Anyway, here is the story, my cousin is getting married on Sat (YAY) I am so happy for him. (His bride-to-be is wonderful and I think they will be very happy together. )

And since I have these great shoes that I never get to wear (they are a little impractical for work, haha) I decided to wear them to the wedding. Buuuut, I didn’t have a clutch to match. So I decided to make one.

Aren’t these shoes great?

Anyway here is how to make this DIY Rhinestone Clutch.

Material:

~ Fabric (I am using a faux leather that I had in my craft room, but any fabric that is slightly stiff will work. I did not line it, but you can if your fabric is not stiff enough)

~ zipper (I am using a plastic zipper that I had laying around, it is not the perfect red, but I think it works)

~ Sewing Machine, or needle and thread

~ Rhinestone and glue (I used Aleene’s jewel it glue)

~ Decoration for zipper if desired

Instructions:

~ First cut your clutch. I cut 2 pieces that were 10 inches x 6 inches. (this was big enough to put my lipstick, phone, gum, and blotting papers in)

~ Once your fabric is cut them measure your zipper. If it is too long then measure how long you want it, then place a few stitches there. Once it is secure then cut off the excess.

~ Next is place the fabric on the zipper and sew the fabric on the zipper. I held it together with tape since I didn’t want puncture holes in it from needles.

~ Do this step to both sides of the zipper

~ Turn your work so that right sides are together and stitch around the edges. Make sure you leave the zipper open so you can get your hand in to turn your work right side out.

~Once you have stitched all 3 sides turn your work right side out and there you have a really cute new clutch!

~ Ok by now you all know me well enough that you know I can leave anything that plain. I just knew it needed rhinestones. So I placed dots of glue in a swirl type pattern all over the clutch. Then I decided that wasn’t quite enough Smile so I added to wonderful broach that my mom gave me, with a little ribbon, I thought it was the perfect accent to the clutch.

There you have it. What do you think? Pretty easy right. Now on the the wedding celebration on Sat.

What to with left over yarn?

April 19, 2016 / TakeTimetoCreate / 6 Comments

Hello Everyone!

Now that I have learned how to crochet I always seem to have a project or two going on. But I have noticed that I leftovers, a skein, or a partial skein that I am not sure what to do with. I have seen tons of ideas on Pinterest from blankets to hats. I settled on making 12×12 squares of this really soft Bernat blanket yarn that I used to make blankets for Christmas presents. Once I am done with all the squares I will see how many I have and decide on blanket sizes and how many I can make. I have 3 colors of yarn that I am creating squares from. I am not sure I will mix and match or I will keep the blankets all one color, I guess it will depend on how any squares I make.

(Please ignore my messy desk in the background. I have never been good at keeping a neat work space. But I guess that messiness breads creativity, right? Smile )

So far I have one block completed! Whoo Hoo! I love how portable this project is. The temperature blanket I am working on is getting to big to take with me everywhere I go. I like to have a project with me at all times (you never know when you have a spare moment to work on your crochet) Once I have all the squares done and I make it into a blanket I think will donate it to a Women’s shelter, they are always in need of blankets.

Here is the pattern:

Chain 25

Single crochet 25 rows (or as many rows it takes to make a square)

That is it, I am keeping it pretty simple.

And the best part of making these squares is that I will be freeing up space in my craft room for more yarn! Yay! More Yarn!

What I am working on

April 12, 2016 / TakeTimetoCreate / Leave a comment

Hello everyone!

I thought I would add a new segment to my blog, it is all about what I am currently working on. With all crafting going on, things take time and I usually get started on a project and get sidetracked to some new and shinier. But I want to show you what I have going on in my craft room. (well, just a few of the things going on, because let’s be honest, there are always tons of projects that have been started and not finished.)

The first item is the Crochet Temperature blanket. Here is the link to the original post about it: 2016 Temperature Blanket

If you follow me in Instagram you probably have already seen this (if you don’t follow me you can find me @taketimetocreate) As you can see, I am still working away. It is fun to see all the new colors and a pattern is starting to emerge. But, I am still waaaaay behind (I am still working on February) but I just keep plugging away.

A few weeks ago I learned how to do a Finnabair inspired mixed media art (You can see the Finnabair blog here: Finnabair). I took the class from Tanya with Free Heart at a retreat called Mojito Creek. (click on the name to follow the link to their websites)

Tanya is amazing and wonderfully patient. I loved creating new things and learning new techniques. And the retreat is beautiful, and relaxing, and I would say just about perfect!

Here is one of my completed items that I made in the class:

Here is an item that I made using a puzzle I found at the dollar store (I just couldn’t resist), and stencils, and mica powder and all kinds of things. I still need to do some final touchups, but when it is done I will list it in my Etsy shop.

The last item I am working on is another mixed media that says “Beautiful” This on will take a while because of all the nooks and crannies, but I think it will turn out great in the end.

So what are you working on?

No affiliate links in this post. All opinions are my own.

2016 Crochet Temperature Blanket

March 24, 2016 / TakeTimetoCreate / 5 Comments

Hello Everyone!

This week I wanted to tell you about my year long project. I am making a crochet temperature blanket! For those of you that don’t know what that is I will tell you.

I take the high temperature for my city and I crochet a row. I am using Caron Simply Soft Yarn (you can pick it up at Michaels, Joanns or online). It feels great and with no lot tracking it is easy to pick up more yarn as needed because it is impossible to judge how much I will need of each color for the year.

I created a chart that is in 10 degree increments and correlated that to a color and that is what I use for the row for that day (I did find examples online and used them as a guide line, but ultimately I used colors that work in my house). For example, I use the Sunshine color when the temperatures are between 70-79 degrees Fahrenheit.

I wanted it lap blanket sized so I crocheted 120 chain stitches (I added stitch markers every 10 stitches to help with my counting and I wanted to make sure the blanket stays close to rectangle by the end) Then I am just crochet using a single crochet stitch, one row for each day. I figured that this will help my practice my single stitch and it will keep the blanket from getting too big. As it is by the time I am done with the blanket and the boarder it will be over 44,000 stitches! So far I am behind (I am still working on February) but I am working hard to catch up and I will keep you updated on my progress. (I may end up finishing the blanket in 2020….) And that is is it, I just keep going until 2016 is done.

Are you working on any year long projects? I would love to see what you are working on!

This post does not contain affiliate links.

Take Time to Create

Taking a few minutes in our busy lives to create new and wonderful things

handmade

DIY Star Wars No Sew Tablet Cover

TBT Handmade dollhouse from my childhood

Repurpose an old window into a Chalkboard

Re-purpose an old window into a shabby chic message board

DIY Rhinestone Clutch

What to with left over yarn?

What I am working on

2016 Crochet Temperature Blanket