My So Called Crafty Life is Moving

Hi everybody, I wanted to let you all know that as of tomorrow my blog will be moving to http://www.mysocalledcraftylife.com. All of my previous content has already been uploaded, so you’ll still be able to look through all my archives, yay! However, for all my email and rss subscribers, my feeds have changed, but there is a nifty rss link and bloglovin’ link in my sidebar, so it’s really easy to sign up. I have some really fun and exciting DIY projects coming up for the month of August, so be sure to tune in! http://www.mysocalledcraftylife.com
XOXO,
Ashlee

The Quintessential Kitty

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The Quintessential Kitty

Cat print dress
anthropologie.com

Vans black shoes
$95 – generalpants.com.au

Cat jewelry
etsy.com

ASOS cat watch
$31 – asos.com

America

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America

Floral skirt
$230 – frenchtrotters.fr

Alex Monroe necklace
$185 – alexmonroe.com

Ring
$12 – bijou-brigitte.com

Warehouse butterfly jewelry
$9.37 – warehouse.co.uk

Felt floppy hat
shopthetrendboutique.com

Pink Houses

Current elliott
anthropologie.com

Cole haan
colehaan.com

White satchel
needsupply.com

Disney Couture white jewelry
truffleshuffle.co.uk

River Island gold and silver jewelry
$4.68 – riverisland.com

American Pie

Quiksilver shorts
quiksilver.com

Vans trainers
$83 – asos.com

Meadowlark star jewelry
$80 – superette.co.nz

Basin Street Blues

H M puff sleeve top
$55 – hm.com

Weekend bag
anthropologie.com

Banana republic jewelry
bananarepublic.gap.com

Mantaray wrap around watch
$31 – debenhams.com

My Kind of Town

Retro dress
anthropologie.com

Flat shoes
modcloth.com

Satchel handbag
modcloth.com

Laurafallulah vintage jewelry
$12 – hannahzakari.co.uk

Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters

Tie shirt
delias.com

Born narrow shoes
piperlime.gap.com

Leather tote bag
anthropologie.com

GAP fedora hat
gapcanada.ca

CÉLINE eyewear
matchesfashion.com

Walking in Memphis

Current elliott
anthropologie.com

Mulberry genuine leather handbag
$1,240 – harrods.com

ASOS cat ring
$12 – asos.com

Country Roads

Vans shoes
$70 – asos.com

Hoop earrings
fashionbug.lanebryant.com

2b fedora hat
2bstores.com

Georgia on My Mind

Clear flat
modcloth.com

Post earrings
anthropologie.com

River Island gold and silver jewelry
$4.68 – riverisland.com

Jackson

Blink blue wedge heels
$55 – debenhams.com

Shoulder bag
modcloth.com

River Island bow jewelry
$6.25 – riverisland.com

Brim straw hat
nordstrom.com

Here is my top ten playlist for the month. This month I chose my top ten based around songs about America, my America. Each one of these song ensembles is created on how the lyrics or feeling of a song inspires me. Music and style are my main sources of inspiration, and I hope this collection inspires you, your ipod, and perhaps even your next shopping trip! Hope you all enjoy!

DIY Pretty Prehistoric Ring Holders

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Today I have a really easy and fun DIY for you, prehistoric ring holders. Certain toy dinos have a perfect shape or features for holding your favorite rings! I found this Brachiosaurus, and wooly mammoth at the craft store the other day. With a coupon they are really affordable, around $5 a piece. You could use other animals than dinosaurs as well, just pick what you like best.

Here’s What You Need:

*Large Plastic Animal or Dino Toys

*Krylon Plastic Spray Paint

*Craft Acrylic Paints

*Masking Tape

*Crystals

*Glue

Step 1: Spray paint- Clean off your dinos and spray paint them according to the directions on the can. I sprayed them lightly and did several coats. Let Dry

Step 2: Tape off areas you want to be left white

Step 3: Paint- Grab a decent paint brush and paint your dinos in your favorite colors. While paint is still wet, remove tape. Once dry, touch up any spots you need to.

Step 4: Add crystals(optional)- place small dabs of clear glue( I used e6000) on your dino, and add crystals. Tweezers can be a help when working with small crystals, but I find it just fine to use my finger and press them on that way. Let dry

Step 5: Add a little necklace(optional)- I added a little necklace to each of mine. I strung beads on embroidery floss and ties around their necks. Enjoy!

These dinos make a quirky and fun statement to my vanity, and I love them! They are a little bit serious and a little bit silly, which I totally dig! Like I said earlier, you could use any type of animal or dino you like as long as the shape will work. The possibilities are many! I can’t wait to try more! And this would also be a fun craft to do with your kids, or for a party! These would make great gifts to for any gal!

Happy Crafting!

Favorite Vintage Finds of the Week- July 30th

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This week I found some awesome vintage finds on Etsy in one of my favorite hues, yummy yellow! I love yellow in the summer, it’s bright and fresh and reminds me of sunshine. This week I have found some fantastic yellow items including a fabulous frock, a cool clock, and as always some amazing dishes! Check em’ out:

Check out this amazing Vintage Contessa DeLuxe Yellow Typewriter from Euro Vintage Here

Check out these awesome Vintage buttons from Miss Pink Robin Here

Check out this fabulous Vintage Dress from Pickled Vintage Here

Check out this lovely 1950s Sunday Daisies Hat from Dirty City Vintage Here

Check out this amazing Vintage Yellow Poole Electrical Wall Clock from Antique Lane Here

Check out this cool Vintage Pyrex Casserole Dish from Dotti Rose Studio Here

Check out these cute Mid Century Signed Art Clip Earrings Mustard Yellow from Retro Revival Boutique Here

Check out this awesome Sunshine Yellow Vintage 1950s Sleek JG Meakin Pitcher with Lid from Carohope Here

Check out these cool Vintage 1960s tumbler set from The Vintage Domain Here

Check out this lovely Vintage Linen Tablecloth and 4 Napkins from Fraces’ Attic Here

Check out this lovely vintage Le Creuset Fry Pan from Kitchen Culinaria Here

Check out this cute 1950s raffia handbag from Custard Heart Vintage Here

Aren’t they all just so cute! I love yellow in the summertime! I hope you all enjoy shopping in these wonderful Etsy Vintage Boutiques! Have a fantastic Monday!

Happy Shopping!

 

I Heart Etsy Fridays- 3 Crows

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This friday I have a special treat for you! Today I am featuring one of my all time, tippie top, absolute favorite artists on Etsy, Sara Pulver and her wonderful shop, 3 Crows. I found Sara’s work a couple of years ago, and ever since I have been collecting her mini prints. I absolutely love the whimsy and character her paintings have! As most of you know by now, I’m an animal lover, a pet lover. I don’t discriminate, I love all creatures big and small, especially if they are furry! And I think what draws me to Sara’s work so much is that she really captures the personalities of all the animals she creates that in a way, to my fancied mind, they are perfect representations! All of the work in her shop is fantastic! It was very hard to narrow it down, but here are just a few of my favorites:

Aren’t they just fabulous! There are all kinds of items in the Etsy shop including original art and prints, cards, aceos, plush, a bit of her guy’s lovely woodwork, and custom pet portraits. One day I am going to commission her to do a portrait of all my pets. I hope you all enjoy all the lovely art! To see more of Sara’s work, check out her shop on Etsy, 3 Crows, Here. You can also find her on Facebook, and on her blog Here.

Happy Shopping!

Free Printable Shrinky Dink Tags and Pendants

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Today I have a special freebie for you guys! I love to mess around in photoshop! The other day I decided I wanted to make some new shrinky dink tags for Beau’s collar for Beau and Roux’s corner (coming in august), and I decided to make a few with little saying on them while I was in photoshop mode. I have been wanting to do a free printable for a while now for all of my fabulous readers! So here’s my little gift to all of you to say thanks for being so awesome! I hope you enjoy them all!

Other than one small smudge I think they all turned out pretty cute! These were really easy to make! You can find shrinky dink paper for inkjet printers at Michaels. Just follow the instructions in the pack, they are nice and detailed for you, with tips. It’s really quite simple. You just print, cut out, bake, flatten if needed, and seal. You do have to lighten the picture by 50% before you print because they get a lot darker when you bake them. You can lighten them in a photo editing software like photoshop elements, or I think even picasa.

Here are the printables. Please note that I have not changed the opacity. These are full bright color for those of you who wish to use them for other things than shrinky dinks. If you are using them for shrinkies, you’ll need to lighten them by 50% to make them right for baking.

Fancy Pendants

Round Pendants

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To save these files, just right click and open picture in a new tab, and then right click on the picture and “save as.” Feel free to use them as you like, please just no reselling of these sheets. Enjoy!

Happy Crafting!

DIY Shabby and Sweet Push Pins

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Today I have a great and easy twofer DIY for you! I’m going to show you how to make these cute push pins for your cork board, and how to use a fabric yoyo maker to make quick and easy, and adorable, fabric yoyos for any number of cute projects. I made these push pins for my window organizer, but they would be just as lovely on your full sized message board, or even for your teen to hang posters in their room!

Here’s What You Need:

*Flat Top Push Pins

*Hot Glue or E6000

*Buttons, Cabochons, Vintage earrings, Resin Flowers

*Fabric

*Yoyo Maker and Template

*Scissors, Needle, & Thread

First I’m going to show you how to make fabric yoyos:

Step 1: Gather supplies and cut fabric- Using the template on the back of your fabric yoyo maker, mark and cut out your circles. Then gather your needle and thread and your yoyo maker.

Step 2: Place fabric in yoyo maker- Place your fabric with the right side out around the disc that looks like a gear, serrated edge. Center and hold as you snap the disc into the yoyo maker bottom. There are three lines on the disc you need to try to line up with the raised bumps on the yoyo bottom.

Step 3: Sew Yoyo- Flip the yoyo maker over so that the bottom of the maker is facing you and the side with the edges of your circle is facing away. Start from behind and bring your needle through the back in one curve, then push the needle down into the front to the back of the other end of the curve. Repeat with each little curve until you have stitched back to where you started.

Step 4: Make Yoyo- Snap the disc out of the bottom piece, then carefully remove the gathered fabric from the plastic disc. Pull the threads and move and place gathers with your fingers until the gathers, or pleats are all the way pulled in together. Mash the top pleats down to the middle and your yoyo should form when flattened a bit. Tie off your thread and snip ends.

And there you have it. Easy, right! Now let’s make some fabulous push pins!

Step 1: Gather your supplies- Heat up your glue gun. Get out your flat push pins, and gather all of your yoyos, buttons, cabachons, cameos, and resin flowers.

Step 2: Glue- Place a small drop of hot glue on your piece, then firmly push the flat part of the pin into the glue. Let dry, and then pin your favorite things and enjoy!

Wasn’t that easy! This is such an easy craft, and these sweet little pins look so impressive on your cork board! They would make lovely gifts to give for the holidays, and you could make dozens in just a few hours, and they are also so inexpensive to make. The yoyos you can make from scrap fabrics, and the cabs and cameos you can get from the supplies section of Etsy pretty cheap, or raid your local vintage shop for buttons and old cabochons. And perhaps the best of all, is that these little beauties are super fun to make, almost instant gratification! So grab your glue gun gals, and let’s get crafting!

Favorite Vintage Finds of the Week- July 23rd

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This week I have some adorable vintage finds for you all! One of my absolute favorite color combinations is aqua and navy. So, this weeks theme is, you guessed it, aqua and navy hued vintage finds. There were so many cool items, including some fantastic fashion finds, that it was so hard to narrow it down! Here are just a few of my favorites:

Check out this amazing 1950s Cocktail Dress from Aiseirigh Vintage Here

Check out this adorable Vintage 1950s Straw Feather Tennis Hat from Tender Vintage Here

Check out this cute Vintage Long Beaded Necklace & Earring Set from Sell it Again Vintage Here

Check out this lovely 1950s Vintage Minaudiere purse from The Baroque Princess Here

Check out these fab vintage Springolator turquoise Leather Bow Heels from Vogue Vintage Here

Check out this cute Vintage Aqua Blue Necklace from Camono Island Vintage Here

Check out this amazing 1950s cocktail hat from The Vintage Hat Shop Here

Check out this amazing Turquoise Blue Milk Glass Vase by Kemple from Barking Sands Vintage Here

Check out this fantastic Vintage Tammis Keefe Linen Towel from KLB Vintage Wares Here

Check out this awesome 1950s Navy Blue Marbled Samsonite Suitcase from Mary Beth Hale Here

Check out this lovely Vintage Designer Scarf by Oscar de la Renta from 4 Birds Vintage Here

Check out this fabulous Vintage 50s Bathing Suit from Good Karma Vintage Co. Here

Check out this cute Wooden Puppet Rabbit from Holliez Hobbiez Here

Check out these cool Vintage Music Themed Tumblers from Babylon Sisters Here

Check out these great 9 Vintage Retro Chic Blue Plastic Serving Trays from Remember Me Emily Here

Check out these cute Vintage Salt Shakers from Vel B Vintage Here

Aren’t they all just fantastic! I just love that hat! And the swimsuit is awesome too! I hope you all enjoy checking out these lovely Etsy vintage shops!

Happy Shopping!

I Heart Etsy Fridays- Lulu Bug Jewelry

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This week’s featured artist is one of my favorite jewelry designers on Etsy, Lulu Bug Jewelry. Sue, the designer behind Lulu Bug, creates wonderful, whimsical necklaces and earrings in fine silver. I love the quirky tiny animal necklaces she does, as well as the tinted concrete ans silver necklaces! They are all just so great! But I do think my favorite one may be the chicken! Here are just a few of the beautiful things you’ll find at Lulu Bug Jewelry’s shop:

Aren’t they all just fantastic! Sue also has little pendants with cute dogs on them as well for all my fellow dog lovers! To see more of Sue’s work, visit her shop Lulu Bug Jewelry on Etsy Here, her blog Here, and her Facebook Here. Hope you all enjoy!

Happy Shopping!