DIY: Fabric Wrapped Frame

Today I have a very simple tutorial to share, a fabric wrapped frame. I’m kind of a photoaholic of sorts, and am always in search of different and interesting ways to showcase them. This weekend I made this:

It was seriously inexpensive, and adds a little personality to an otherwise boring (and outdated) frame. The frame is from Salvation Army, I used scraps of fabric, hemp, and a clothes pin so all together this project was done on under $5.00 (probably more like $3.00).

Here is what you need:

Step One:
Cut your fabric into thin strips (about 1″ wide). I used five strips for this, each about a yard in length.

Step Two:
Thread your string/hemp/yarn (whatever you chose to use) through the clothes pin.

Step Three:
Tie each side of your string to each side of the top of your frame.

Step Four:
Hot glue your fabric to your starting point. I hot glued onto the backside of the frame to hide it.

Step Five:
Wrap your fabric around the frame. When you run out hot glue the fabric to the frame, and repeat with a new piece of fabric until the frame is covered.

All that is left is to put your photo in the clothes pin and hang, or display on your shelf.

Happy making, everyone!

xoxo.

Printing Instagram Photos with Origrami

Ever since I signed up for Instagram last summer I have been all about it. All the way back to my first days blogging (I’m talking way back to age 15 on LiveJournal) my favorite posts to do and read were always ones that largely consisted of photos. I guess what I’m trying to say is, Instagram is right up my alley.

I’ve been wanting to print photos from my account since I’ve signed up, and recently I finally did. Through the great wonders of Pinterest I found Origrami. There website was the easiest to navigate and load your photos on than any other one I’ve thought about using.  Orgirami is a husband and wife team based out of Australia, but they ship to ANY country for free! You get 36 prints for just under $20.00, and if you share on twitter or facebook you get a dollar off.

 The photo side comes out looking like a polaroid. On the back it has a map of your location if you added it to your photo on instagram, if not you get little illustrations of camera’s or film.

 I have so many photos up in Bryan and I’s room as it is, but I really wanted to add some of these photos. I ended up having to put them on our closet doors because there wasn’t much room anywhere else.

 I also hung these too from mini clothes pins in our studio.

ps. You can follow me on instagram @toocrewel where you will see pieces I’m working on along the way.

xoxo.

Photographed by Abbey Moore

Happy Monday, everyone!

Back in 2011 I featured my friend Abbey Moore and her awesome photography skills. A couple of weeks ago Bryan and I were lucky enough to do a mini session with her. I’ve always drooled over Abbey’s work ever since she started, and I was so excited for the shoot! I’m super awkward about getting my photo taken, as is Bryan, but she seriously made it so comfortable and easy.

So, I obviously had to share a few of my favorite photos from the day (and by a few I mean like 30 because I couldn’t narrow it down anymore).

This photo pretty much sums us up perfectly.

This one might be my favorite.

This one is in the running for my favorite, too.

I’m pretty sure this was us attempting to do butterfly kisses.

I can hardly even stand how handsome Bryan is.

  You can check out these and the rest of the photos over on Abbey’s blog.
Be sure to check out the rest of her photos, and like her on Facebook too!

xoxo.

ps. Today is the last day to enter the $15.00 store credit giveaway!

Embroidery Hoop Picture Frame

This week all of my pieces will share a common thread- the fabric. I attempted hand dying my fabric for the first time. It was  a pretty good experience, I took white fabric and soaked it in water with tea. Each piece of fabric turned out different- which I was really happy with.

The first project I did on the fabric was an embroidery hoop as a picture frame.
 The picture is from a photo booth at my cousin’s wedding last year (it feels so weird to say that still!).  The dye job on this fabric was very mild, which I really liked.  I normally hate the look of plastic hoops, but I was okay with it for this style.

xoxo.

Costume Party Take Two

This weekend I had my second round of Halloween Parties to attend. I threw together a really cute costume on Saturday evening before heading out! I made a fox costume, Bryan said like I looked like the Pokemon fox, and others said I looked like the fox from Sonic.

 The mask I made out of felt, and elastic. The dress I made out of fleece, and the white “fur” is felt. I was working on a budget, and all of this cost me under $20.00!
I also had orange gloves I turned into paws, but forgot to wear those for the photos.
Since I made the dress out of fleece it was so comfy, and I didn’t have to worry about hems, which made it so easy to make! It is just two stitches up top, and one stitch on each side.
Bryan and I’s roommate, Lauren, was a babushka (a nesting doll). It was so cute.
Bryan was the Devil Robot from Futurama. His mask was pretty awesome, it’s hard to tell what it really looks like in this photo, but it has big ole teeth underneath there, too.

Did you guys do any halloweenie stuff this weekend?

xoxo.

Giveaway Winner & Weekend Wrap Up

Happy Monday everyone! I’ve had a busy week and weekend, sorry I’ve been MIA!

This weekend was one of my girlfriend’s bachelorette party, and like the classy gals we all are we headed up to Traverse City, MI and went on a wine tasting tour. It was the first time I went wine tasting, and the first time I went to Traverse City. It was beautiful, and so much fun. I didn’t take too many photos, but here are a couple of Instagram shots from the weekend!
The bride to be at one of our stops!
Myself and a few of the other ladies at one of the wineries…that was in an old insane asylum. Creepy!
On the way home we stopped at my roommates Mom’s house, she just got these cute little kittens. I never used to like cats, I guess my roommate and her kitty, Walter, converted me.

_______________

Now I have some exciting news for one of you! The giveaway from last week, the Ombre Embroidery, is now closed and we have a winner!
The winner is Alma!
Go ahead and shoot me an email (toocrewel@gmail.com), and let me know your address! Congrats!

xoxo.

ps. Follow me on Instagram…@toocrewel!

Weekend in Detroit

Happy Monday!
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, because I know I did. Bryan and I went to my cousin Steve’s wedding downtown Detroit, it was seriously the best location for a wedding…ever. It was at The M@dison on the roof, which overlooked all of downtown and was pretty much right next door to Comerica Park.
My little sister, Aubrey, and I gettin’ ready for the wedding. Isn’t she so beautiful?
Aubrey and Bryan, two of my favorites!
At the M@dison for the wedding!
My mother and I.
Such cool chairs!
Warmin’ up by the fire.
Bryan and my step dad, Lenn, soakin’ up the view.
Wedding time!
There was food stations…polish, greek, and a mashed potato bar!

Such a fun weekend, and such a beautiful wedding! It was wonderful to see my family, as always.

What did you guys do this weekend?

xoxo.

Weekend Adventures: Nordhouse Dunes

A couple of weekends ago Bryan, myself, and our roomie Lauren went on a camping trip to Nordhouse Dunes in Manistee, Michigan. It was so beautiful, and such a great place to go to find inspiration for new pieces.
This tree was so pretty.
I’m pretty sure that this mushroom is going to turn into some sort of needle felting project.
This was a lake at one point…now it just looks like a hot spot.

Bryan bought two disposable cameras before we left, he taped them together so we could take two photos at a time of everything. These were some of the results (try not to have a seizure, please):

Where do you go to find inspiration?
xoxo.

A Trip to the Zoo

This past weekend Bryan, our roommate Lauren, and myself took a trip to the Binder Park Zoo. I was excited because it is so much bigger than the zoo just five minutes from our house, however I set my hopes too high I’m afraid. The zoo was larger in size, but there wasn’t any more animals…no lions, no sloths!, and no aquarium. We did however, get to feed the giraffes, so I guess that makes up for it. We still had a really good time, though. It didn’t hurt that it was a beautiful day out.

The clouds were so pretty during the drive there.Lauren checking to see if there were actually any animals during the “swamp adventure” …there wasn’t.
These guys have the creepiest eyes.
cutest!
I fed this giraffe!
Trying to spot a cheetah.

xoxo.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower Embroidery

Recently I finished reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower…I know, I’m really behind. I had to read it before the movie came out. I now understand the hype, I loved it so much. Naturally the first thing I did upon completion was make an embroidery.
I hung it up over my sewing machine in the craft room.
I painted the wooden hoop gold, and the fabric is from Sew, Mama, Sew. I also decided to put a piece of felt behind the fabric in the hoop to make it a little bit more stiff.

I can’t wait to see the movie now!

xoxo.