Show Off Your Crafty Creations at Craftastic Monday Link Party!

Welcome to a new Craftastic week!  Come share your latest Fall projects, tasty recipes and other crafty creations and check out some great ideas from other creative people too.  I'll also be sharing several new things this week and kicking it off with my first Halloween project of this year since October is about to start.  I'd love to see what you're working on too, so don't be shy - link it on up!

Now let's see last week's Craftastic picks..

Sewing Lab shared this fun plush pumpkin candy case how-to:

Check out this gorgeous autumn leaves blouse made by the talented Amy Stebbins.  Love the fabric and the style of this top!

HGK created some super cute felt owl medallions:

Check out these fabulous ice cream & popsicle cookies from The Crafting Foodie.  The colors, textures & designs are just fantastic:

Make some easy and delicious apple croissants with this how-to from Eggs By Heather:

And Sewing The Littleheart Collection made some great kid's custom sheets with some fabric markers:

If you're one of this week's features, be sure to grab my Featured On button over on the sidebar to let everyone know.  I also feature these projects & more party favorites on the Sew Can Do's Craftastic Picks board on Pinterest AND I share each of them on Twitter too.  Follow me there to see more great projects (and see if yours is one of them)!   
  

Ready to link up your crafty creations?

 

Party rules are simple:

• As long as it's crafty, and made by you, it's Craftastic (no links to giveaways, shops, link parties or other people's work).  Add the link to your specific post (not the main page of your blog).
• Grab my party button & put it on your post or blog somewhere.  The code's on the sidebar -> 
• Check out some of the other fabulous links and share some crafty comment love.  We all love getting comments!!

Pattern Review: The Julia Top from Seamingly Smitten

There's a brand new fashion pattern in town and I got a chance to give it a go: The Julia Top pattern from Seamingly Smitten!

Seamingly Smitten patterns are PDF patterns tailored for those of us who like to keep it sewing clothing frustration-free.  Large color step-by-step photos and no complicated techniques or notions mean they're quick, enjoyable and give good results - even if you're new to sewing.

The Julia Top is described as a classic, scoop-necked, short or long sleeved top that slips on easily.  It can be worn with skinny jeans, a pencil skirt, under a blazer or paired with dress pants. The pattern comes in sizes 0-22 (XS-XXL) and is meant for fabrics with a nice drape, like crepe de chine, voile, rayon, silk and cotton.

I'll be honest, I was little nervous about making something with a silky fabric.  I usually love fabrics most people find challenging, but slippery, silky stuff is another matter.  I've always struggled with it because it's tricky keep in place, somewhat delicate and not easy to iron. But I wanted to go outside my comfort zone and give it a shot.

And it was SO worth it.  This pattern had a straightforward design so the seams were easy to do and it gave a great trick for easily finishing the neckline, which I also used to do the sleeves and hem.  I used some colorful vintage plaid fabric that had a very fluid, drape-y hand. Putting it together was surprisingly quick and I was so pleased with the results it actually made me want to get more silky fabric to make a few more Julia Tops!

Being petite, I also liked that it included options for petite, regular and tall.  It really makes it easier to get an ideal fit no matter what your body type.  And it also means you know exactly how much fabric to use (no overbuying or running short).  I wanted mine to be a bit longer, so I left the hem length regular even though everything else was petite.  It's perfect for dressing up jeans and corduroys (my usual Fall wardrobe), but is still comfy to wear.

I'd definitely recommend this pattern.  It's flattering, easy to make and a great way to show off some bold colors or prints.  Here are a few different versions of the same top, which shows how versatile it can be just by using different prints and switching up the sleeve and hem lengths:

       

And you can keep up with Seamingly Smitten on Facebook, by newsletter and on the Seamingly Smitten blog, where Jenny shares some great sewing tips and free tutorials. Lots of good ways to keep sewing what it should be - fun!



I received compensation for this post. The opinions are completely my own, based on my honest experience with the item reviewed.

Craft Book Corner: Pom-Poms! 25 Awesomely Fluffy Projects Review

It's time for a new Craft Book Corner!  This latest book is one that's hot off the presses and is all about a fun & fluffy craft: pom-poms.  I'm giving you a little sneak peek and review so you'll have the scoop on it before it even hits the bookstore shelves.  You'll be "in the know" on the newest craft book coming out!

Today's Book:  

Pom-Poms! 25 Awesomely Fluffy Projects by Sarah Goldschadt and Lexi Walters Wright, a new craft book coming out October 1, 2013.

Why I'm Sharing It: 

Quirk Books sent me an advanced copy to review.  I tried out some of the things I learned as well as made one of the projects, this little pom-pom hedgehog paper weight:

What's it about?

As the name says, this book is about all things pom-pom: 25 crafty projects using pom-poms as well as unexpected ways to make them. And not just the usual yarn types, but also those fluffy tissue paper party poms, those made with felt, fabric & more.

What makes it helpful?

I really liked that the book shared numerous methods to make pom-poms, beyond techniques I knew, and explained why to chose one over another, depending on the look, materials and size desired.  I also liked that they gave ideas for materials that you might not think to use for pom-poms, like t-shirts, tulle, tinsel, even rubber bands.  Here are a few I made using standard yarn, as well as chunky variegated yarn, embroidery floss & baker's twine:

What's the format?

The book starts out with the 25 various projects - some wearables, some accessories, some decorations.  There are a few "seen before" ideas like the knit hat, wreath & brooch, but others are more unique like a t-shirt pom rug, rubber band pom ring and tinsel pom cake toppers.  Then it heads into Pom-Pom 101 which shows the various ways to make pom-poms, materials, wrapping & trimming styles and some good newbie crafter info like basic hand sewing stitches & how to transfer patterns.  

I'd have preferred the Pom-Pom 101 section be in the front of the book, before the projects, which is the usually format for craft books.  I like to learn what to do first and then delve into the projects instead of having to flip around for those details. However, I understand that the projects are the eye candy and that's what most browsers want to see first when flipping through a book on the shelf.

Extra info: 

I think my favorite part of the book was the ways to make different patterns, aka wrapping styles, in your pom-poms: a marled look, polka dots, even a sectioned beach ball.  It really expands the looks you can make.  I had a lot of fun trying them out.  Here are a few of the varying styles I was able to make just by changing the wrap style of two colors of yarn:

From left: Polka Dots, Mrs. Speckles, Beach Ball

Usefulness Score: 

This is a nice book for any crafter to have and is kid-friendly too (extra points in my opinion). I really like that everything pom-pom can be found in this book, so it's a great reference. I've found random tutorials or projects here & there online and had mixed final results, but nothing has been as helpful or complete.  It's literally a bible of pom-pom knowledge.

Back cover Pom-poms!

And it gives you all the skills to come up with your own unique projects based on what you've learned.  It would be great for someone new to crafting too - you don't need to have any prior craft knowledge to be able to make some fun pom-pom projects. Definitely a good gift idea too.  You can find even more info about the book Pom-Poms! HERE.

I was not financially compensated for this post.  I was sent a copy of this book to review. The opinions are completely my own, based on my experience. 

Share Your Fabulous Fall Crafts at The Craftastic Monday Link Party!

Welcome to a new Fall edition of Craftastic Monday my lovelies!  I'm in full-on Fall mode schooling the kids, packing up the summer clothes and getting our seasonal decorations out. And of course crafting up a storm.  I'm also being wowed by all your Fall projects.  So many terrific ideas being linked each week - keep 'em coming!

Now let's see last week's Craftastic picks!

Semi-sweet Designs shared these beyond-amazing ghost cookies.  Seriously, every cookie creation on here is serious eye candy (or should I say eye cookie?):

Learn how to make this sweet stained glass sugar pumpkins with The Partiologist:

Turn an old plastic bottle into a cute little mini-purse thanks to Wesens-Art:

Make your house smell fantastically Fall with this easy stovetop potpourri from the Crafty Lumberjacks:

Check out this fabulous barnyard farm birthday party from Pinkie For Pink.  So many great ideas in one place:

And say goodbye to summer with some strawberry sangria over at That's What Che Said:

If you're one of this week's features, be sure to grab my Featured On button over on the sidebar to let everyone know.  I also feature these projects & more party favorites on the Sew Can Do's Craftastic Picks board on Pinterest AND I share each of them on Twitter too.  Follow me there to see more great projects (and see if yours is one of them)!   
  

Ready to link up your crafty creations?

 

Party rules are simple:

• As long as it's crafty, and made by you, it's Craftastic (no links to giveaways, shops, link parties or other people's work).  Add the link to your specific post (not the main page of your blog).
• Grab my party button & put it on your post or blog somewhere.  The code's on the sidebar -> 
• Check out some of the other fabulous links and share some crafty comment love.  We all love getting comments!!

Make Fall Crafts Look Amazing With Sugar Pink Boutique

It's time for Fall crafts and a chance to use vibrant harvest colors and beautiful textures to make the most of the season.  Today I'm sharing some items from the lovely Sugar Pink Boutique that will take any project from just good to absolutely gorgeous.

Here are some fantastic finds for crafts & ideas for using them:

Perfect for decorating wreaths, mantels and centerpieces, these Candylights Apple Harvest Strand look just as beautiful unlit as they do lit up.  So much more than regular twinkle lights, these lovely light stands are hand-dipped in colorful, frosting-like silicone make everything look more festive:  

Autumn Harvest Grosgrain Ribbon offers a modern mix of Fall colors for stunning hairbows, cards and packages:

Make a really striking wreath or holiday gift with some sparkly Pumpkin Wired Ribbon:

The Crisp Brown Maple Leaf Satin Trim is a personal favorite of mine.  Not only does it dress up packages, scrapbooks and artwork, but by cutting the leaves apart they can be used as confetti or to add texture to small projects.  

I bought some to use to make some Fall hair clips for my daughter - incredibly easy and perfect because they don't fray.  I just love how they turned out:

And the Orange Satin Pumpkin Ribbon is another great Fall design that can be used the same way:

Or go with this winning wine colored trailing vine leaf satin ribbon for a rich-looking trim. This would be so striking on a skirt hem or lamp!

Apple Harvest Basket Berry Beads make festive jewelry and eye-catching embellishment for other projects like wine glass charms, candlesticks & more.

And perfect for those Halloween parties, there's the pumpkin orange tissue garland - use it for the tabletop or draping a wall or doorway:

There are loads of other great items too.  Sugar Pink Boutique items always arrive quickly and beautifully packaged, so every order makes crafting a pleasure.  I get many of my favorite seasonal supplies here.   You can keep up with all things Sugar Pink Boutique on Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest to keep up with the latest crafty goodies.  Happy Fall Crafting!



This is a sponsored post, for which I received compensation.  The opinions are completely my own, based on my honest experience with the items referenced and items I have purchased myself from this sponsor.