Sewing Fun at CRAFTED - Marisa Lynch

I am so freakin' jazzed for this upcoming weekend at CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles!!! This Saturday we will have one of my favorite upcyclers - Marisa Lynch who will be crafting with us, followed by a signing of her new book!! The book doesn't come out until Tuesday so this is an exciting opportunity to get you hands on the book first. Heck Yes!!!!!

If you haven't already signed up on Facebook hit up the event details here. 

Info via CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles

I am so excited for this event that my Thursday is buzzing even more than usual in preparation.  I always feel a rush getting ready for the weekend mid-afternoon on Thursday, now I have added scrounging for all of our t-shirts that need a well deserved makeover!  

If you would like an overview of what to expect on Saturday, or are unable to attend and interested in making your own t-shirt tote - The Make. Shop. Live. Blog did a tutorial post on this craft back in Aug. 2010:

For full project details from our How-To's Day: Make a Reusable Tee Tote *You can find the post here*

Hope to see you this Saturday at the event!!!

XOXO, KC

Build Your Own Brand / Create Content Effortlessly

I love taking pictures of pretty things, things I like, and documenting the process of making things. If you are already taking some time to take pictures of things it is really easy to compile the pictures and publish them onto 2 major social media sites as well as a blog effortlessly.

*Quick picture of one of our Record Accessory Stands for this blog demo*

You may ask why build a brand for myself? I am just playing around or I am the only one who finds the things I focus on interesting. Maybe this is all true. For argument sake what I am advocating is the collecting of information on any topic you may be interested in taking pictures of, remembering facts for, or highlighting notes for a process of doing something can all be packaged on a blog using just a smart phone. Pretty cool huh?

So, what's the catch you ask? You just have to spend a few minutes setting up 4 apps / programs and once everything is set up it does all the work for you. Seems too good to be true, but I promise this is super easy!

First things first. You need a smart phone. I personally use a HTC Evo which is an android phone. These instructions will be both iPhone and droid friendly. There are pros and cons to any phone so I will only be speaking to the pros I have found with my droid.  I  must first acknowledge that this easy way to get your brand out there is all thanks to Instagram!! Now that Instagram is available for android phones this is something that having one particular model isn't a deal breaker. Previously to use Instagram you had to use an iPhone.

Instagram

Has become quickly one of the largest social media sites. I was very jealous last spring at Craftcation when we were discussing at length how cool the app was and how frustrating it was that I couldn't join in with my fellow attendees sharing pictures of the conference. Now that I have been able to use it for awhile I can tell you the low-down.

Every time you take a picture on Instagram it goes on a feed where your followers can see and comment on your pictures.  It is a really great way to get feedback on what you are working on as well as a simple way to see what people like and whats "trending". People can also search for your images based on how you "tag things" which is done by using a hashtag. You use the hashtag symbol "#" before a relevant keyword or phrase (no spaces) to categorize the pictures which makes it search-able. To speak with friends or "at someone" you use the "@" symbol attached to their username and they are looped into what you are saying. So @makeshoplive will notify me that you are talking to me, then a hash tag like #rad would make your picture found by everyone searching for something rad.

Note: Since Instagram is one of the best Twitter picture sharing apps you will want to set up the same @Username for both Instagram and Twitter.  When you are referring to someone "@" on Instagram and then you tweet it out it will "@" the same person. This makes having the same usernames on both pretty important.


Tumblr

Instagram is a great content generating and picture capturing program but then you should have a blog to showcase your ideas. The blog will be the "container" or journal for your content and pictures. The easiest platform for this in my humble opinion is Tumblr. A major portion of Tumblr is photos so if you want to start a photo blog this is a perfect fit! Plus, the interface to "follow people" and read others posts is super slick. Some of my favorite blogs on Tumblr include: The Dainty Squid, Unhappy Hipsters, The Daily What., Please Don't Squeeze The Shaman, P.S.- I Made This, for the love of Bokeh!, and Sweet Home Style. 

Setting up an account is easy and you can easily change the name of your blog so don't let worrying about what to name it keep you from signing up. Also, the design and background template can be changed after starting the blog hassle free.

Twitter

Twitter is my favorite way to keep in the loop about all kinds of important info and social happenings. Tweets are limited size (140 character limit) and are used to express a topic in a condensed and public fashion. Just like on Instagram to speak with friends or "at someone" you use the "@" symbol attached to their username and they are looped into what you are saying. If there is a theme, description,  or adding snarky context you add a "#". So agian a hash tag like #rad is a great way to maximize the 140 character limit. Once you pick a Twitter username you should use this handle for your Instagram as well because adding Instagram pictures to your tweets is a great way to express your thoughts and build followers.


IFTTT

IFTTT or If This Then That is a MUST for anyone who wants technology to work for you for a change. So often it seems overwhelming to have a Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Flickr, Tumblr, Foursquare, and any other accounts you have to maintain, and IFTTT takes the content you put into one account and automatically "puts it to work" in another based on what recipes you choose. The main ones I want to recommend for this "seamless blogging" is Instagram to Tumblr found here. This makes every picture (including your commented text) a blog post as soon as you post your pictures. It is a handy way to have all of your pictures in one place too where you can view everything. The Instagram interface isn't set up to look at all of your pictures very easy so having a Tumblr to show all of your pictures works nicely.

Also of note: There is an app Followgram which I also use to show off my Instagram when linking from my website.  you can check it out, but for the purpose of this post I am just linking to it - it is pretty self contained so I think you can figure it out if interested.

Hope this info helps and encourages you to try out something new if you haven't tried them already. Please share your @Usernames and blog links for us to check out and to share with others in the comments or our Facebook page here.

XOXO, KC

MAKE the most of your Craft Fair & Events

Renegade is next weekend in San Francisco and just two short weekends away for here in Los Angeles. Alas, we won't be vending at Renegade, but we will definitely be checking out the one in LA to support all of  the talented artists and our friends who will be there!

We know how hard it is as a handmade artist to pull together all the pieces for a big show.  Not only do you need your handmade inventory, but you need displays, banners, business cards, promotional materials/ freebies, as well as packaging for all your wares.  We created a round up of items you can customize and make your own to take your brand to the next level.

Put you own logo or image in some Bottle Cap Magnets and make customized magnets. This is a great place to highlighting your products, your logo/ info, or other themes that can reinforce your brand on the cheap.

Use Enclosure Envelopes to hold your business cards or if you give a discount on future purchases make it feel even more special in a fancy envelope. 

Upcycled Decorative Bows can be included in gift wrapping or as that special touch for your handmade goods.

These Tissue Roll Pillow Boxes are a great way to package small items.

Do you have old post cards from your business or previous events? Crop them and use them for these Magnetic Mini Note Pads that make a great freebie.

Have extra, larger paper scraps? You can make these Scrap Paper Books super easy and maybe even make a few bucks off them.  A fun idea is to make one for every event and you can jot notes as the weekend goes to record and keep your memories of all the fun.

Make your own Small Shopping Bags from upcycled air bubbles included as shipping packaging.

Sew some quick T-shirt Totes as a gift with purchase for your higher priced items.

Fill your visual space with some fun with Outdoor Party Lanterns and DIY Garland (using yarn and fabric scraps) and your booth will draw in the crowd.

We are all so happy for all the artists involved and participating at Renegade and we look forward to seeing what everyone is up to. Good luck with these last few days of hard work to come!

XOXO, KC

How-To's Day: Lavender Sachets for Mother's Day

Hi guys! Today we're going to be working on a project that makes a perfect present for Mother's Day. The project does require some basic sewing, but overall it is a very easy project. In just a few short minutes, with minimal supplies, you have a wonderful handmade present.

This project is upcycled, which means we are taking items that would normally be set out for the trash and utilizing them in a way to create value in a new project or product. The materials needed for this project are: old dryer sheets, medium weight string (such as crocheted cotton), a heart-shaped paper hole punch in two sizes, any sort of adhesive (for this example we're using a Xyron sticker maker), and dried lavender.

Once you have your paper hearts for the gift tag (here you can see each tag takes two large hearts and one small heart) place glue on one large heart and line the string up the middle.  Sandwich the two hearts together with the string in the middle, pressing the glue firmly to seal shut. Once the two large hearts are together, glue the smaller heart as embellishment on the top of the tag.

Lavender looks all different types of ways.  Below are two different types of lavender that appear totally different, but smell equally the same.

On the left: lavender bushels store-bought.
On the right: cultivated from my house plants and lavender around town growing naturally.

This IS Lavender by the way.  

Place the dried lavender inside the dryer sheet and fold it up.

I like using these clips rather than using traditional pins. They take way less time for items like the dryer sheets that have some holes in the texture. Once you stitch up the side shift the seam so that it runs up the middle on one side.  You won't see the seam this way - it will run up the middle. 

Fold the bag in half with the lavender bunched towards the center. You can sew across the top of everything once you do this final fold OR you can just go ahead and fold the top down.  To mimic a tea bag, the two corners are folded in triangles and then sealed with the top down.  

Once you fold everything, it is time to staple! Pinch everything in place and put it into the stapler.

Tah-dah! A gigantic lavender filled tea bag sachet :)

The "tea bags" sachets can be used to freshen up sock drawers, keep linens fresh for company, playful decor - and so much more!

Comment below if you have success with this project or have tips and tricks of your own!

We hope you enjoy!!! XOXO, KC

How-To's Day: Make a Magnetic Brooch

I started playing around with some super strong magnets from Etsy Seller CandyTiles2 that have made me want to put magnets on just about anything! These magnetic brooches take a spin giving you some flair without putting holes in your clothes. A total upgrade!

A quick note about magnets - they are pretty awesome unless you accidentally wipe data off a hard drive or demagnetize you hotel room key one too many times.  So don't let those happen to you if you get on the magnet bandwagon.

Also: This isn't the best for people with pacemakers so make sure you opt for a plain'ol pin back if the recipient has medical needs.

This project makes use of items that you probably have in the house currently: Plastic caps and lids. Using just fabric, buttons or adornments and a hot glue gun + your caps and magnets = awesomeness!

The caps come on just about everything now-a-days so I am always on the hunt for a million and a half ways to put them to good use. Rinse them clean and set out to dry before using them as materials.

UPCYCLING - Technique using pieces from used or wasted item as new materials for a project.

Here I am upcycling a  a piece of fabric from a dress with this amazing sketch-lined floral. The dress was a big hit during my SCAD graduation where it debuted and made a splash all summer. Once the dress had made it's mark and was off to pasture I decided to put it in the "dissect" pile to scrap down to fabric, buttons, zipper, etc. making raw materials for our projects.

As the base layer I wrapped the cap with a strip of fabric first. This clear cap lets some of the pattern shine through which is a pretty cool addition.

Then using a small scrap of fabric and a found plastic flower I arranged and glued them inside the plastic cap.

All you need to wear the brooch is a magnet on the inside of your shirt. Of course it can also be a fancy upcycled magnet ;) 

XOXO, KC

How-To's Day: Tea Dye Fabric

Tea staining is one of my favorite ways to change fabric with on-hand natural materials and very little effort. It helps make things look aged, more natural and can even help dull bright fabric to give you a whole new take on the overall feel of the fabric.

Here you can see where I took six different pink fabrics and stained them all together yielding a wide range of results.  These fabrics will be a part of a wedding we are working on where the bride is going for a vintage feel. The tea stained fabrics are the perfect touch to emphasize the vintage theme and she really loves the muted pinks we get from the tea staining!  It might have been nice for me to have gone a bit lighter on the tea- this would be considered a strong batch in my opinion, if I had lessened the amount of tea bags by half the pinks would be less beige-y. ALSO: Keep in mind you can always redye the fabric again to make it darker, but if you go too dark at first you cannot lighten it up once you stain your fabric.

This method works for fabric made with all natural fiber (cotton, linen, rayon, silk) but it also does some cool things with  mixed blends where it will change the portion of the threads where the natural fibers are and leave fibers like polyester or nylon in its original state.

First things first, you want a big pot to "cook" everything in. This has been my go to pot for natural dyeing since college and it is needed/ helpful when making a large batch because you want your fabric to be able to move freely for an even dye.  The great thing about using tea and other natural dyes is you don't necessarily need to have a "non-food pot" just for dyeing since the tea is safe and edible.  

I like to tie all of the tea bags together in a clump so it is easy to fish them out. However you would like to do this- feel free to let them float individually and do a quick fishing out before adding fabric, that works too! For this intensity I put in 12 Lipton tea bags into the pot and waited for it to come to a boil.

While the pot is starting to boil take your fabrics and make sure to fully soak them in water in the sink or another bucket. You want the fabric to soak for ~10 minutes so that you are sure that it is wet all over completely. This will help it dye evenly without patches or faded looking spots.

Take the tea bags out of the boiling pot and turn the heat down to a simmer. Slowly put the soaked fabric into the hot tea mixture. You want to make sure to stir and separate your fabric so that it dyes evenly. You will want to stir and move the fabric around for ~30minutes. 

NOTE: For a lighter stain use less tea bags or less time, and for a deeper stain you can remove the pot from the heat and keep your fabric staining overnight.

Once you fabric is stained you can reuse the tea water for another batch. If the fabric is your desired color and want to reuse the tea you will want to fish out the fabric. If you are finished using the tea water and are not saving it, pour everything out in a sink where you can wash your fabric out by hand to lock the color in.  I like to run the water as hot as my hands can take it (Make sure you wear gloves or be careful with this step- the fabric will be hot from the pot) rinsing the fabric out until the water is mostly clear. Then shift to cold water and get the last bit of the residual tea out completely.

Once your fabric is clean it just needs to dry and it is good to go! Personally, I like to hang dry my dyed fabrics but you can use a dryer if you must. It is way more Eco-friendly to skip the dryer- so invest in some pants hangers with the clips and place everything in the shower to dry or hang outside if you are lucky to have a spot to do so.  Either method you use to dry you will probably need to iron everything before it looks "crisp" and smooth again.

 

The cool thing about dyeing your fabric is you take off all the sizing on the fabric as well as makes sure it is pre-shrunk. If you have ever worked with fabric without doing this and had the project get ruined once laundering- dyeing it first will save you the heartbreak of shrinking it later.

We hope you can try it out and enjoy! I would love to see your projects or hear any tips you find from tea staining you own fabrics :)

XOXO, KC