Halloween Costume to Sitting Tuffet

A few years ago... mere hours before Halloween, my husband decided he wanted to be Toad from "Mario Cart". One bean bag, a thrift store bed sheet, and a can of red spray paint later, we had a toad head. Over the years, he has continued to wear this costume in different forms. The pictured incarnation was "Gangsta Toad". 

Of course, between Halloweens, this bean bag has been taking up space in our apartment. We kept meaning to throw it away, but after all the work we put into it, it just never happened. 

Good thing, because I got inspired and covered the bean bag with some fabric I use for my banners. Now it resides by our fireplace, and makes the perfect sitting nook. It's so hot right now, but I am sure this will be a great reading place when it gets cooler outside.

I didn't take pictures of the process, but I just used the bed sheet to create a pattern, following the seams of the bean bag. At the bottom, I made a drawstring and closed the opening as tight as possible, and saftey-pinned a circle of fabric to cover any of the bean bag that was still showing. 

Coley on Pinterest

I just joined Pinterest and I am already addicted. I am seeing things out in the real world that I wish I could pin. This morning when I got dressed, I realized what I was wearing, the way I did my hair and makeup.... everything was heavily influenced by what I had pinned the previous day. It inspired me to make this.

I will probably make more as I get more into the scene. Any phrases that come to your mind? How has Pinterest influenced you? 

Font by LatinoType on Font Squirrel


Update- I made two more...

    

Dream font by Pablo Impallari via font squirrel

Decorate font by smeltery via font squirrel

Paper bag texture by spoon graphics

Cloud texture by sixrevisions 

Modcloth's Lament #2

I have been neglecting the follow up to this post I made in June. I missed buying this dress on ModCloth. But, I did eventually make one myself! Of course, the week after I finished the last stitch, they restocked the dress. HA! But I learned a lot, this was the first dress I made from scratch without a pattern.


Here's how it turned out (excuse the hotel room shots):

Here's the dress in action at the wedding:

As you can see, there was a little puckering under the arms, which is a result of the weird open back that I loved so much. 


Here's the original, just to remind you:

 

All in all, I was happy with the way it turned out. But, if you actually want to buy this dress rather than make it yourself, it's still in stock!

Spring-themed label freebie

I created this freebie label using an Art Nouveau floral design from Dover. 

I've provided a blank version for you after the jump.

A Christmas Story Bunny

A little belated, but I made my costume... the bunny suit from "A Christmas Story". I followed this instructable which worked perfectly. The only modification I made was to use a pair of old ballet flats, and here's a quick tutorial after the jump:

Chop Chop merch

A friend and co-worker asked me to design some merch for her band, Chop Chop. They were mostly girly accessories. They were fun to make and turned out cute, I think.

Quirky "Thank You" stationary

I was running low on my VistaPrint note pad, which I use to write a note of thanks that I include in all my orders. Rather than ordering more, I thought I would repurpose some cardstock I had left over from my wedding programs. I used a similar process that I used for the programs, stitching on paper.  More after the jump...

New Items on Etsy and Zibbet

I just listed a bunch of items. Some things are wedding related, some are one-of-a-kind shirts and accessories, some are vintage offerings.


I am very excited to open up business to custom wedding designs. Thank you notes, Save the Dates, and Postcard Guest Books. Here are a few sample designs...
http://www.etsy.com/listing/78497173/custom-postcard-guestbook-100-postcards

Also, I have 20 new items in my Zibbet studio, here are a few:

http://www.zibbet.com/coley

A garter how-to

My friend since 6th grade is getting married in Cabo this weekend. And although I couldn't make the trip down there to share in the celebration, I did supply her with her "something old and something blue" in one go. I made her a garter in Tiffany blue, and vintage lace.

How to after the jump...

Silly Raccoon!

I made a silly little raccoon the other day:

He's a little "That's all folks..." with the garland and log under him. Also, a little Spring considering it's officially summer. He was born in Illustrator, but I quickly realized I am just a lot faster on Photoshop. 

Pillow Re-do

I am very lucky to have a mom who is in interior design at Thurston Boyd. They often save fabric scraps for me, and I was recently inspired to re-do our couch pillows with some of this leftover fabric. Here is the after:

More after the jump...

Accidental Graffiti

I was working on some designs for a PPT image for my day job and ended up with this image that reminds me of graffiti.

It didn't work for the project I was working on, but I think it's cool.

Easter Chicky Diorama

I got a very cute Easter card from my mom. And while I am not at all religious, I have always liked Easter. I think I like Spring, which is probably why I chose to get married in April a year ago.

Anyway, I was inspired by the card... it had an egg cutout that revealed a little yellow birdie. I decided to make a Easter diorama to take down to my mom's house this weekend. I have made a few dioramas like this. I like to reuse cardboard food boxes (cereal, cookies, etc).

Read the how-to after the jump.