kattitudes

Starting today, you will find a very handy page over there on the right hand side of the blog (it is listed under the pages). I have created a page that lists pretty quick and dirty some of my favorite shopping places online.

It is a first draft, so not all my bookmarks are up there by any means. However, some of the multitudinous places I wander online are up there so that you too can wander in and find some of the remarkable bargains I’m finding.

If you have places that you love, please – by all that is holy – let me know. I am always looking for a new place to shop. Send me a note, leave a comment, and I would love to check it out. I live to comparison shop (must. comparison. shop. It is in my blood).

Keep in mind, these are not places to purchase finished products. These are stores for you to purchase supplies for you to make your own gifts and wonders. This is for you to get your own crafty on.

We have done fabric covered boxes in the recent past, but there is just something about velvet that really spices up a project. The nap on the fabric catches the light just so and makes everything so beautiful that you just want to touch it.

The ribbon and trim on these boxes are simple to add, but really make the project pop in the details. And because of the relative size, it would not be that expensive to purchase additional trim to finish off boxes like this. In fact, you could most likely just keep the end pieces and scraps of ribbon trimmings from other projects and mix and match to make a fun and festive hodge podge of season appropriate colors and celebration.

Boxes like these could be done for any holiday, any birthday, event, occasion or everyday use under the sun. Autumn colors for Thanksgiving. Red white and blue for a patriotic theme. Pastels for some beautiful Easter basket replacements. They could be used for storage, for your jewelry, for your sewing kits, for your office supplies or for bathroom beauty works. Pack one with new baby supplies. As with so many ideas on Kattitudes, you are limited only by your imagination.

Are not these just too cute? This is a great time to use up those fabric scraps that keep accumulating in our craft closets.

While these particular examples of fabric covered boxes are Easter specific, the concept can be used for so many different occasions.

Just do a little planning ahead, you can sit in front of the telly with some plain brown boxes and your bag of fabric scraps that you have gathered from old clothes you love, leftover fabric from other crafts you’ve sewn and embellishments that you are tired of tracking.

Then, in cool comfort (or warm snugginess, depending on specifically from which side of the world you are reading), you can use your favorite glue and cover boxes for your office, filing, clutter (but we want to eliminate clutter, not find new ways to store it), accessories, adornments and other whatnots.

You can prepare wrapping in advance of the upcoming holidays – maybe make a few Christmas themed and put them with your Christmas storage when you are done.

Finish a few with birthday greetings and you have a prepared handmade presentation, which is so hot right now!

People are going wild for handmade items. Pieces are selling at unprecedented numbers. Putting your special touch on the gifts you make really seals the deal as far as how great your gift looks.

People are buying boxes like this just for decoration, but I always like to try to make everything multi task.

America’s Independence Day is finished and we’re cruising towards the dog days of dead summer. I did not make this batch of berries – it came from the website that sells these for + or – 100us$. That’s insane – I am not paying 100$ for berries that will rot in 2 days to be encased in chocolate. In order for me to be able to eat it after your processing time, I have to be willing to eat unripe strawberries.

Chocolate covered fruit is such an easy trick. Do not limit yourself to milk chocolate (dark, white chocolate, butterscotch chips, cinnamon chips and even more) or strawberries (orange segments, oh my gawd it is incredible. Amazing.) The dip of chocolate above was augmented with a little piping of decorative frosting and boom (pun unintended but appreciated) you have yourself a very popular take along dish for summer picnics and barbecues.

Is this not a fantastic table runner? A long piece of fabric, two tassels, and more wee little ghosties than you can shake a stick at. This year it is my turn to decorate the house while my husband makes the dinner for our annual dinner party. I think that this year – I’m going to whip out a few of these table linens and decorate with them. Little ghosts on the napkins and ghosts under the steaming skulls on the table – wonderful!

As I say so many other times (over and over and over) you are only limited by your imagination on this project. Easter – little eggs. Baby shower – little bunnies. 4th of July next year – small flags or firecrackers. Christmas – obvious. Weddings – rings or flower or hearts. Even St. Patricks Day – shamrocks. Go for it!

I loved this idea, especially in the summer time when nightfall always brings a chill. I love the idea of a nice chiffon scarf or shawl (and have about a kazillion myself!), but to add to the idea, this picture is definitely worth 1000 words.

Run to either your crafts storage or your nearest and dearest fabric supply store and purchase a least 2 contrasting ribbons. Then simply pin in place (so as to keep things nice and straight) and with a running stitch, put the ribbon in permanently in place. Sewing time on a machine would probably be 5 to 10 minutes.

Can you imagine making this with different designed ribbons for holiday treats? A black background with wee little ghosties for Halloween? And what a wonderful idea for a holiday throw. And don’t forget that there is little difference between a shawl and a table runner. You could make a two-fer as Christmas gifts. Hum – now my mind is running. I might be making a stopover at the fabric store this weekend.

Every time that I look at the picture of these votive holders, more variations explode in my mind. They are easy enough to make. Using clear glass, you will need enough holders to spell out whatever word you select. This could be good for any event or any party. Imagine spelling out Happy Birthday.

Now as for the votive holders themselves, you could use glass etching to permanently etch the letters (or words) into the glass. Or you could attach letters to the outside of the votive candle holder or use permanent marker that marks on glass. You could enlarge a favorite font and create a stencil or just glue the cutouts to the votive. You are literally limited only by your imagination on this one. Hey – 4th of July is coming up – America’s Day of Independence – and you could use the opportunity to create the cutest American flag as a wonderful hostess gift!

Remember that when you make (and gift) these votives, the image won’t just dance on the votive glass itself. Imagine what the image will look like projected onto a wall behind/beside this holder. Put little jackolantern faces on it and watch it dance on the wall. click here for more gift ideas

Something silly and sweet on a stick for today’s entry. I saw this who knows where … at the rate things are going, it was probably Martha.

But regardless of that – I grabbed the picture because I thought that these would be simply fabulous for any occasion under the sun.

Fourth of July coming in a few days? Use just a smidgen of icing and make yourself a flag. Birthday? Balloons and presents. Valentines? Hearts and flowers.

If you need an idea for how to serve them, get a clear jar/vase/glass and fill it with candy – jelly beans anything along that line – then use the candy to “plant” the cookies. Cute, yes? Imagine this at a baby or wedding shower!