Entwined - 33 of 365

I've had this vase for a long time. Don't even know where I got it. Plastic. Ugly.


But I didn't want to throw it away. So I revamped it. For whatever reason, I have a pretty big stash of jute cord. And hot glue. Put the three together, and you get a natural-looking vase!

Jeweling - 32 of 365

I've been saving these instructions from Sabby in Surburbia until I finally had all the pieces together. I used the same method to make the pendant that I did the little decor on my burlap candles. Instead of paper, though, I gave it a shot with fabric.

I did purchase the wrong kind of bail, though - turns out they were supposed to be for beads, so they had little nubbins to slip through the holes in the beads. So to fit the tile snugly, I used pliers to bend back the bars. Whatever works!

Hey, where's Perry? - 30 & 31 of 365

I've recently acquired an addiction to the show Phineas and Ferb. On tv, on Netflix, doesn't matter - I need my fix.

So I decided to incorporate a vital character in my projects: Perry, the secret agent platypus.




Perry is now available in my Etsy shopw.

On the road again - 27, 28, & 29 of 365

A new year being a new season of traveling for work. This week I'm only 50 minutes away in Anaheim, but still - too far to drive home in the evenings so I'm stuck in a hotel for a week. I then have a few weeks home, and then get bombarded with flights across the country.

So, in preparation, I whipped up a few things I'd need:

Keyboard cover:
I got tired of seeing the outline of my keyboard keys on the screen whenever I opened it. How was it happening? Guess I have dirty fingers. Whatever the reason, I needed to stop it. So I made up a slim drape to keep on top of the keys when the laptop is closed.



With some leftover fabric from my Laptop Cozy project, I made a similar cover for my keys, backed with a soft blue flannel. No more dust and dirt on my screen!

Belt:
I hate belts. I hate buying them because it totally depresses me. But the one belt I have is so old and so beat I'm embarrassed to wear it in public anymore, especially when I'm wearing my dress pants while working a trade show. But then I found this tutorial for an easy belt and I took a stab at it. And I'm happy with the result! Very clean, no buckle holes that get all stretched and pulled, and my pants stay up! I liked it so much I made two - one black and one brown. Plus, they can be worn casually or formally.


Make-up bag:
I already have a makeup bag, but it's just not big/wide enough to hold all the stuff I schlep around with me while I travel. So I grabbed some leftover fabric (you may recognize from my recent jewelry roll and purse from last summer) and some burlap and muslin and BAM! Got myself a new makeup bag.

Feb Blocks of the Month - 25 & 26 of 365

Here's my new addition to this year's Block on the Month project from Craftsy.com:




This project has inspired me to do more quilting, so you may see another quilt from me in the near future.



And speaking of projects, I've signed up for two different online contests:

1. The Modern Mini Challenge - a competition to create cute mini quilts. I had bought some flannel squares of eBay many a year ago and have never done anything with them. This may be it!

2. The Sew-Vivor competition. I've submitted my Laptop cozy as my entry. Let's see next month if I made the Top Ten.

Wish me luck!