The Sew*er, The Caker, The CopyCat Maker: Re-Make

Showing posts with label Re-Make. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

It's About Time

How to make a large DIY reclaimed wood clock from an electrical reel

I think it is about time I get around to making a clock. They have entranced me so often. At Hobby Lobby I end up standing there admiring for long stretches at a time. At craft shows I am always frozen staring at the hand painted pieces...It is about time I make my own. This is just a round-up of some hand-made clocks that caught my eye after a quick google search...

This one is probably my favorite, but I don't have access to huge wooden spools ;0}

This is a great resource for how to make your own clock though.

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I like the addition of "Berlin" and a year on this one. I have seen where they put your last name and maybe wedding year on it. While my kids have a hard time with the Roman Numerals, I love them!

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Uh, call me crazy, but I actually love the look of this one, even without the hands! It would look cute in my pile of junk corner I have so many antiques displayed in. May have to make two ;0}

Image result for clock made from reclaimed wood

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Super cute!

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I like the funkyness of this clock, but it isn't quite what I was looking for.

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LOvE this!

Skeleton key clock. I could make this with a pallet back…

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As a door and key addict, this is perfect! What a great way to make use of antique keys.

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Ugh! Isn't the metal so cool!?! Sadly, I have no metalworking skills.

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Again with the giant spool. This is gorgeous.

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Can't find the actual source for this, but man to I LOvE this!

I saw a giant metal windmill head at a vintage market last year, am still crying inside about not getting to take it home with me.

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I haven't been loving the square clocks, but this one is fabulous.

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Oh how I LOvE you!

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This guy is actually from Pottery Barn. Love the extra text on the clock.

Why not show off your fabulous taste around the clock? Hang Pier 1’s hand-painted wood and wrought iron Oversize Gray Rustic Wall Clock, and let it keep pace just like you do—stylishly.

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This one's only $300 at Pier One ;0}

Pallet clock. Husband made it for me for our first Christmas! Size 3ft diameter.

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There is one with the family name on it. So nice.

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This one is funky and cute. It looks almost like a windmill that was taken apart.

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From here on out they are all pretty much funky clocks.

License plate numbers

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Naturally, use a bike tire! Where can I put this?

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Record player, yes please!

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For the game room?

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Beach house? Bathroom?

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SO COOL!

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And this clock for the fabulous wood weave going on.

I can't get enough of these monogram rounds! I'm currently obsessed with them…

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This one is not even a clock, but MAN do I love that! Too bad my last name starts with C. It has to be the least creative letter to design with.

OK, well, I better go get making! Hoping to put the wood together today and get some kind of clock created by the weekend.

Wish me luck!

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Mickey Shirt Make-Over

We did a little thrift shopping at Salvation Army in Burnsville, MN. It is a marvelous place. I won't get all the way on top of my soap box, but I will tell you I have been disgusted at the lack of affordable thrift stores here in the mid-West. Plain t-shirts can be as much as $20...USED! One time one of those $20 used t-shirts was a JCPenny brand shirt....I am sure sold originally for $7.99.

Anyway, It is a favorite past time of mine to collect silly little shirts like these two and make them into something fun for my 6 year old daughter to wear. She is extremely tall for her age and we have a really hard time finding clothes for her anymore. By altering women's clothing to fit her child body, sometimes we make magic happen...and then there are all of the other times.

Anyway, I found this weird ruffle-sleeved women's muscle shirt for $2 on half price day, so for $1. I can risk $1! I took the shirt and just closed the armpits in a bit, then tapered the shirt out towards the bottom like a dress.

Here is what it looked like after the 5 minute alteration...

Adorable! So sweet and feminine with just two little seam adjustments. That one turned out so well I tried another.

This Mickey was even winking at me, like he was saying, "You can do it!"

First things first, cut off the neck cuff.

Since the back of shirts is generally higher than the front, I folded the shirt in half so the shoulder seams line up in the middle and the front is folded over the front, back of the shirt folded over the back.

Slicey Slicey!

So easy. Since the shirt is made from knit fabric, there is no need to be too fussy about raw edges. I just folded over the fabric around the neck hole and sewed it to make casing for the thin elastic.

A safety pin in the 1/8" elastic does the trick so you can feed the elastic through the casing just made...

Until you come out the other side. I just tie the two ends into a square knot after trying the shirt on my smiley little model. I do recommend evenly distributing the shirt around the elastic, then stitching a little stitch, about where the shoulder seams are, so that the fabric does not bunch all in the front or back whilst crazy play is happening later down the road.

More winking..."You've Got This!"

Must keep going...

These are the original sleeves. I just wanted a little smaller opening, plus wanted to add a little feminine touch, so I shirred two rows on the top of each sleeve. I had my model put the shirt on, then pinned where I thought the gather should start and stop, then set about sewing with elastic thread on my machine.

Zip-Zip

Done. Does my little munchkin like her new shirt???

Judging by the sassy pose she took, I would say yes.

I also shirred up the back a bit to gather some of the extra fabric.

Emmers loved her shirt so much she wore it to school the next day.

Love it! Best $1 shirt ever! I must make more...

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Tea Cup Bird Feeders

I made a set of three of these lovely tea cup bird feeders for my grandma this year. Sweet Grandma is pretty hard to shop for given that she is so content with a puzzle and a smile, and all. She does love her birdies outside and throws birdseed out for them all summer long, so I thought this might be just the gift to make for her.

Basically, you just need a tea cup and saucer, one 1/2" copper cap {about $.40 each at the hardware store}, and a 2 ft copper pipe {sold 2 ft long at Home Depot for just under $5}, and some E6000 glue. We have tons of tea cups and E6000 glue lying around so the only thing we had to buy was the copper pipe.

Rough up the saucer top and tea cup bottom just a tad with a bit of sandpaper, then apply the E6000 in a generous blob. Press the tea cup down into the glue on the saucer and let it dry overnight. Then you can turn the whole thing over, add another blob of glue to the center of the bottom, and press the flat side of the copper pipe cap into the glue. Leave the whole setup upside down over night, and then you should be ready to go.

When you are ready to place the bird feeder into the ground outside {for Grandma-who lives in Minnesota- she can't do that for another 6 months}, use a hammer to drive the copper pipe at least 4" into the earth in your desired flower bed, then place the cup on top by placing the copper cap over the copper pipe. Fill with bird seed and the birdies will fly in from all over the world to snack from your stylish feeders.

Right now Minnesota looks a bit like this.

but in my mind, I imagine the tea cups looking something like this this spring ;0}

Whatever keeps us warm, right? Now to make some of these for me!

Sunday, June 2, 2013

My 30 in 30 Success!

Welcome to my day of reckoning! I set out this month to use my spare time to finish a few unfinished or long delayed projects. Even though I was thrown a little off course with moving into the new house 3/4 of the way through the month, I couldn't be happier with all I got done!

Here is a little recap...