Fabric Dolls

Hi it's Sizzle and today I am going to share one of my loves: fabric dolls.  You don't see these a lot in stores anymore but they are all over etsy.com. 

Do you know about etsy.com?  It is like an ebay for all items handmade.  There aren't auctions but different sellers but their wears up for sale and you can brouse by item etc.  I have gotten some great stuff of etsy especially for presents and crafting supplies!

My love for these dolls started with this one from the shop i sew lucky.  I loved her and wanted to buy her but these things are really expensive - like $50.  It takes a lot of work and the faces are handpainted so I appreciate the craftsmanship but I am not willing to pay $50 for a doll...especially for myself. 

Then I found this shop and she sells patterns.  I know how to sew and I already have fabric so I can afford $9 dollars for a pattern.  I figured it was a deal - it was a good pattern too just a few things she could have added to make it awesome (like clipping the curves.)  I bought two patterns from her and I think they are worth it.  They have color photo instructions. 

Then I found this a free template and tutorial on Martha Stewart from Emily Martin of Black Apple. I finally made one over the weekend and I loved it. 

This is the doll I made.  I ended up not using the free template because I couldn't get my printer to enlarge it - but I am sure you can.  Many people have used it like Jill at homemadebyjill.  I used the pattern I bought from Bit of Whimsy. 

If you want to make your own you should get the free template - make sure it is enlarged 150% before you start.  Remember to trim the corners before turning the arms and legs right sides out and have fun. 

Homemade dolls take time, you can't just whip them out.  She took me 5 hours to make.  I hope I get faster because I gave this own away and I want one for me and one for my daughter!  Here are some more picts:

I hand painted the face with a tiny paint brush and acrylic paint.  I got my fabric from my favorite online fabric store aboveallfabric.com both fabrics are designed by Lila Tueller but they are from different collections.  These fabrics are 30% off now. 

Crafty Tuesday

Hi folks, its Sizzle and I'm sorry to say I don't have the framed magnet board to show you - hubby had to work this weekend so I didn't get any time away from the kids to do projects. Sooo I thought I would share some kid crafyness. My oldest boy recently won a coloring contest and recieved a cash prize. However, that was not his best work so I thought I would show you some of his best (what I consider his best) and some other projects on the web that have inspired me this week.

This was the winning picture (above), the one below is one he drew of our family on a ship about 6 months ago.  I love it.

The above picture was inspired by my magnet board:

- while I was making the little people - he was creating this.  It is so detailed and I have no idea where he got it from.  It just shows you that when you are busy creating and your kids see you they want to create too.   He is 4 and to me that picture looks like a 8 year old could have done it.  I try to frame all his work.  I used to have little clotheslines in his room where we could hang up his artwork but it got to big and we switched around rooms but now I think I need more frames....

Or THIS

 

My new favorite blog is Knock-off Wood.  She is a carpenter and teaches you how to build the stuff you see in magazines - like pottery barn, land of nod etc yourself.  Talk about right up my alley - now I just need some tools - like a saw.  You can find the tutorial for these clip art rails here and Ana's amazing blog here.

Another tutorial on the web for making magnet boards using an old picture frame and this AWESOME magnet board by Kim at twice remembered. 

Crafty Gift Ideas

Happy Monday!


I hope your holiday preparations are going well. I know I've got about a million projects that I started and hope to finish in time. It goes so fast! If you're still in need a cute and crafty gift idea for someone on your list we've got some for you. I'm addicted to reading other craft blogs, so here's a few that I've found and love that are pretty simple and would make great gifts!


Kids
Car Cozie
Bow & Accessory Holder

Pre-teens/Teens
Flowers & Flower Necklace
Doodle Frame
Ipod Pouch

Anyone
Jewelry Holder
Cookie Kit


Treats
Mint Thins
Chocolate Covered Nuts

Great ideas

I saw this featured today on U Create. I love this idea especially right in time for school to start. I have some of these hidden in the closet now I can make a darling cover for them and put them out in the open. Hooray!! The tutorial has a lot of pictures but the possibilites are endless.

Check out the How-to guide here: http://lauragunn.typepad.com/theundercovercrate.pdf

If you haven't checked out the new Krylon spray paint for metal, plastic - anything you want to paint you NEED to; talk about a product that creats endless possibilities like this?

Wow

This is an amazing post from a blog called living with Lindsay. She has an amazing talent of turning things you might not look twice at into incredible treasures. I love the chair - the transformation is AMAZING and the table, WOW.



To often I think I pass things up that have potential because I can't see past the finishes. This post helped me see that you can seriously turn something UGLY into something amazing. I wouldn't have looked twice at the dinosaur lamp but after she re-did it - I am REALLY REALLY wanting one for my boys room. They are totally into dinosaurs now.

When I "meet" people like this on the Internet I want to pick their brain and learn how they do it. I am going to try so more of these projects. Re-purposing is all over the Internet now - making dresses out of men's shirts, turning a shirt that doesn't fit anymore into baby clothes, hats etc. (I have A LOT of clothes that don't fit right now!) I think turning ugly trash into WOW treasures is a great way to re-purpose.