tutorial Archives - Happy Together

French Country Pillow DIY & Win a Trip to Paris!

March 2, 2015 by Jessica 1 Comment

I cannot believe that my year of being a Michaels Maker is getting close to the end. This is my next to last project and I get to share with you about how you can win a trip to Paris! We had to create a Parisian inspired project and I created this French Country Pillow. If you create your own Paris inspired project, then you can enter to win that trip to Paris (more details at the end of post).

This pillow is a really simple diy project that can be done in 30 minutes or so. I found this really pretty linen pillow where the photo frames begin. It was in plastic bag and flattened so it didn’t stand out much. I happened to see it and discovered it was a pillow. I knew it would be perfect to use for a French Country look.

Here are all the products I used:

Linen Pillow
Paris Americana Decor Stencil (they have a few different types to choose from)
Tulip Metallic Dimensional Fabric Paint in Black
Foam Brush
Patons Cobbles Yarn in Winter White
Embroidery Thread and Needle
Plastic Bag
Scissors
Tape

Begin by taking the pillow out of the packaging. Then remove the pillowcase from the pillow. Place a plastic bag inside the pillowcase to prevent the paint from leaking onto the back side.

Position the stencil in the middle of the pillow and tape in place.

Squirt some fabric paint onto sponge brush. Dab paint over stencil making sure not to stroke the paint on. If you do strokes, it has a higher chance of getting under the edges of the stencil. This stuff dries really fast, so once you are done, remove the stencil and wash off what you can from it.

Giving the paint a little bit of drying time, make four tassels. I wrapped the yarn around my hand 10 times and cut the yarn.

Then I cut a long piece of yarn and tied it around the yarn making sure it was closer to one end. Then I wrapped the yarn around again and tied two more knots for extra security.

Next cut open the loops on the other end and trim the edges even. Repeat three more times.

Take your embroidery thread and needle and pull it through the loops on the top end. Tie the two ends together leaving enough to sew the tassels on with.

Then sew on a tassel to each corner of the pillow case and trim extra thread off. Embroidery thread holds up better than spool thread so that is why I chose it. And that’s it!

Now it’s your turn! That’s right, you can enter to win the trip of a lifetime to Paris too. How? By creating your own Parisian-inspired art, floral, baking or paper crafting project and uploading a photo to https://paris.michaels.com/ through March 31. You can also share your project on social using #SpringtimeInParis #Contest.

What do you win? A four-night trip for two to Paris, 1,000 euros, a VIP tour of the Louvre, private classes including sketching, floral arranging, baking and more!

If you need a little Paris inspiration to get you started, take a look at some of the Springtime in Paris projects on Michaels.com.

How awesome is that? See all the details here.

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This post was created in partnership with Michaels. Affiliate links have been used. All opinions stated are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that support Happy Together.

Fabric Tape Award Ribbons DIY

February 16, 2015 by Jessica 1 Comment

This month’s Michaels Makers Challenge involved us creating a projecting using the new denim craft line at Michaels. I will not lie. I’m not the biggest fan of denim outside of a few wardrobe pieces. This might have been the hardest challenge for me so far! They have some cute products, but I could only think of smaller scale projects. I wanted it to be something I would like and would keep or gift to someone. I was inspired to create these award ribbons from my daughters love of animals. She has a few vintage horse ribbons in her room and I knew she would enjoy these for her stuffed animals or to wear as an accessory herself.

They are fairly simple to make and would be cute as a party favor/gift topper too.

To make your own you will need:

Fabric Tape
1.5″ Cover Button Kit
Tags
Ribbon
Other trims as desired
Felt
Pen/Marker
Scissors
Pins if desired
Hot glue gun and glue sticks (not pictured)

First you will need to trace the button cover on the felt. Cut one piece out for each ribbon.

Use your fabric tape to cover the top of the button cover. Make the design however you like, just make sure there is enough extra on the ends to go to the back.

Push all tape ends to the back.

Snap in the backing of the button.

Use tags to create the ends of the ribbon. Glue on any extra trims you might like.

Glue each bottom piece to each other.

If you would like to add a ruffle, start by gluing one end of ribbon to edge of felt circle. Fold a little and glue in place.

Continue doing that until the whole circle is covered.

Then glue on the bottom tags to the back and glue the felt circle on top. Glue on a pin back if desired. Then you are all done

If you are looking for these products you can see all the new denim products only in stores at Michaels. They came out with some interesting things like denim paint. I don’t know that I would ever use it, but I find it pretty awesome they can make a paint look like denim. PS: Michaels Makers readers are getting the inside scoop on an upcoming craft contest that will send one lucky participant on the trip of a lifetime to Paris. Check back on my blog March 2 to get all the details on how to enter.

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This post was created in partnership with Michaels. All opinions stated are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that support Happy Together.

Little Hearts Crochet Pattern

February 15, 2015 by Jessica 2 Comments

Any one else have yarn scraps galore? I do and I am trying to use them up, so I decided to create a little hearts crochet pattern to help in that process. I used all types of yarn and ,as you can see, that effects the size of the heart.

These are really easy to crank out and can be used to make garlands, use as present toppers, make hair accessories with, and the list goes on. So why not just sit down one day and make a bunch to have on hand for when needed? I do that with various projects and it always comes in handy when I need a quick little gift for something.

To make your own little hearts you will need:

Yarn (the thinner the yarn the smaller the heart)
Crochet Hook (the smaller the hook the smaller the heart; I used a size F)
Yarn Needle
Scissors
Printable Pattern here if needed

Terms: ch= chain; sl st = slip stitch; sc= single crochet; dc= double crochet; hdc= half double crochet

Here are the main pattern instructions all together and then below I match them up with the pictures for anyone who would like to see it step by step.

Ch. 4, sl st in 1st ch. to form ring
7 sc’s in ring, sl st in 1st sc
ch. 3, 2 dc’s in same stitch as sl st from step 2
hdc in next sc.
sc in next sc
sc, ch 3, and sc in next sc
sc in next sc
hdc in next sc
2 dc in next sc., ch. 3, sl st in same sc as the dc’s
Fasten off and weave loose ends

Tip: You can tighten the center of the heart by pulling on the beginning yarn strand if desired. I recommend doing any time after you have done the 7 sc’s in the ring. That way you have enough room to make those stitches first.

1. Ch 4

2. Sl st in 1st ch to form ring

3. 7 sc’s in ring, sl st in 1st sc

4. Ch 3

5. 2 dc’s in same stitch as sl st from step 3

6. hdc in next sc

7. 1 sc in next 2 sc’s

8. ch 3

9. sc in same sc as in last sc from step 7

10. sc in next sc

11. hdc in next sc

12. 2 dc’s in next sc and ch 3

13. sl st into same sc as in step 12. Fasten off.

14. Use needle to weave in ends.

15. Trim excess yarn.

DIY Chicken Wire Display Door

January 20, 2015 by Jessica 1 Comment

One of my favorite types of DIY are the kind where you take something that might not look of value to many and turn it into something new and useable. So I was super excited when DecoArt challenged me to use their Multi-Surface Acrylics on something that could easily be found at places like flea markets, etc.

I had a friend offer me some old doors a few weeks ago and there was one that I knew would be perfect for this project. Look at how beat up this door was!

It looks like it should go to the dump, but I saw that there was still some life left in it. In fact, I plan on using this as a garden door one day. I wiped down the door real good and took off the tape to prepare it for painting.

Here are all the supplies I used for this project:

Door with large opening
Chicken Wire
Americana Multi-Surface Satin acrylic paint(s) of choice. I needed almost 6 ounces to coat each side of the door twice. Amount needed will depend on how large your surface is.
Paint Brush and other supplies needed to paint (drop cloth, cup for paint, paint cleaner, etc)
Staple Gun and Staples
Wire Cutters
Pliers
Optional: Wood for inside of door, Glue, Clamps

I chose to paint each side of the door a different color. I used the soft jade on one side and coastal waters on the other.

The directions suggest at least two coats of paint, so I did two coats on each side. It has very good coverage. If this was a door that I would actually be using as my front door, I would have done one more coat just to really cover it well. I let it dry overnight. The good thing is this paint is self sealing so there’s no need for primer or separate sealer. And the paint is for indoor and outdoor use. Awesome right?

My hubby cut out four pieces of wood that I glued on the inside opening. This door’s middle was foam and I didn’t want that showing. I used a strong glue to glue the wood on and used some clamps to keep them in place while it dried. I let that glue dry overnight as well. Then I stained the wood with a natural stain according to instructions on the can. After that dried, I stapled on the chicken wire using a staple gun. Then I used wire cutters to cut off the extra wire. If you want, you can use pliers to twist the ends so they don’t poke out. I’m even thinking of going back and putting thin wood strips all around the back side to completely enclose the wire ends.

I love how it turned out! I’m still waiting to find the perfect vintage hardware to go on it (that is also in my price range!). I know that will add to this project even more.

And of course, once I have a garden area that I can make all my own, we will fix the side door crack and add this to the garden fencing. For now we plan on keeping it in the kitchen and putting photos and our children’s artwork on it. Always look for the possibility in things. They just might surprise you! See more Multi-Surface Acrylic crafting ideas and inspirations here. -Jess

I parterned with DecoArt for this post and received compensation for doing so. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting businesses that support Happy Together.

Mini Clipboard DIY

December 1, 2014 by Jessica 4 Comments

I love putting together little gifts to have on hand. One thing I like to add in those type of gifts are mini clipboards with a cute printable on it. I sometimes can find them ready made, but they either sell quickly or are more on the expensive side (in my opinion). So I found some supplies at Michaels to make my own. Now I can customize them however I want and not be limited to what I find in a store.

To make your own clipboards, you will need (I found these all at Michaels):

Metal Clips (make sure they have a flat back)
Wood rectangle (I found these two sizes: 4.75″ x 6.75″ and 5″ x 6″)
E6000 Glue
Printables/Pictures (I find that the Project Life cards work well too)
Any other supplies to decorate your clipboard such as paint, glitter, stickers, yarn, fabric, fun papers, etc.

Start by painting and decorating your wood and clips as desired. I painted one clipboard white and left the other two plain. Then I painted two of the clips and added glitter to one of those.
Once everything is dry, add glue to the flat side of the clip and place on wood. I liked the top of the clip to hang off the top a bit myself, but you can put it where you like.

Let the glue dry and then add any other embellishment you want. I tied on fabric, yarn, and found some other little things to add like a glitter paper pendant and doily to put behind the main paper.

Now that you have some gifts made you can wrap them. I used some clear bags I found in the baking section at Michaels to package the clipboards in. I also grabbed a bunch of random stuff to use as wrapping decorations. I like to create fun packaging and the more supplies I have for that the better!

I stamped some tags as well (tags found here).

For this one, I tied a piece of fuzzy yarn on the outside. Then I cut a straw and used a mini clothespin to attach the tag to the straw.

I taped on a piece of streamer that I had ruffled on my sewing machine to this one first. Then I added some pom poms on top of that. I stuck a candy cane in the middle and then used a mini clothespin again to attach the tag.

This was the real simple one. I added some fake snow inside the bag, taped the tag on the outside, and tied the top of the bag with pop pom trim. And now you have made completed a clipboard diy.

Do you have any go to diy gifts that you make? Look below to see all the other gift ideas brought to you by the Michaels Makers. Happy Crafting!

-Jess

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This post was created in partnership with Michaels. All opinions stated are my own. Affiliate links have been used. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that support Happy Together.