Best Bib and Tucker

Archive for the ‘Up-Cycling’ Category

One of our “new shop” projects has been making toys  for the kids playroom.  Going along with the addition of our Handmade Market, we’d love for all of the these toys to be handmade, creative learning, or art focused.

We are currently looking for a small table to transform into a play kitchen.  Keep your eyes out for us!

This week we finished a rug made of t-shirts.  It was a bit time consuming- start to finish (cutting, knotting, crocheting, sewing, and finishing touches) on the upside of 10 hours.  But, it’s not a complicated process so much was completed while watching evening TV.

Up-cycled T-Shirt Rug Tutorial

Materials (for a 3.5 foot diameter rug)

• 20 Adult size T-shirts- We used a mix of junior’s XS to men’s XL
• 6mm Crochet Hook- Get a metal one, the plastic ones will break
• Spool of Thread- We used nylon thinking it would hold up better and less likely to break while sewing
• Scissors and a Hand Sewing Needle
  

Step #1 Cutting
Dollar Store Crafts has a simple tutorial for cutting a t-shirt into yarn.  For this project your strips should be 1.5″ wide.

Step #2 Knotting
We knotted the pieces together to make one continuous piece.  I didn’t think the loose tails would bother me in the finished product but they did.  So we spent some extra time sewing the knots and trimming. If I did it again I would sew the pieces together with my machine before crocheting.  The Dollar Store Crafts link mentioned above also shows a no-sew way to link the pieces.

Step #3 Crochet
Start with one end and tie a knot to form a loop. Put your hook through the loop and use it to pull a small portion of t-shirt through the loop. This will tighten to create a new loop. Repeat many times!

*Note The plastic crochet hook snapped in half after about 2 t-shirts. Use a metal one!

Step #4 Sewing
Your needle should be sharp and strong enough to work through the fabric but you don’t want it so thick that it leaves gaping holes. We used a 2″ needle.

Grab one end and start circling.  Once you have a few rows start sewing them together.
Tips:

• Laying the rug out on a flat surface while sewing will help keep everything flat and circular.
• If you pull your thread too tight the rug will get bumpy.  Give it some breathing room.
• Keep all stitches hidden or at least only visible on one side.

Finished

We’ve added lots of pretty wedding items to our shop this month! Check them out here: Top Drawer Finds

We’re happy to arrange for local pick up at the new shop!  Use the code LOCALPICKUP at checkout to remove shipping costs.

For more wedding tips, tutorials, and local venues read our entire Wedding March series.

Vintage luggage is perfect for a wedding.  It’s the start of a new adventure! Plus they are oh so pretty.

We usually have a case or two available in our Top Drawer Finds Etsy shop and you can always count on Faded Velvet in Hartville, Ohio to have some cuties to choose from.

1. Cake Stand
No words necessary, this is just stunning!

2. Card Collection
Card banners will be available in the wedding section of our Handmade Market, opening this Spring!
3. Signs
This case has been painted on one side with chalkboard paint. Erase and use it for home decor after the big day!

4. Bridal Shower Buffet Table
Tissue Paper Pom Pom tutorial coming later this week!

5. Seating Chart
Just add wire and clothespins! We are planning on trying something similar for our earring display at the new shop.  Tutorial coming soon.

For more DIY wedding ideas read our entire Wedding March series.

Oh books, how I love thee!  Here are 5 pretty ways to mix some of these beauties into your wedding celebration.

1) Decor: Vintage books can be found in many colors!  We love mixing and matching or using shades of a single color.

2) A Photo Prop: Taking a photo to include with your thank you cards is a great idea.

3) Dreamy centerpieces:

4) Ring Bearer:

5) Book Page Bouquets:  My mind just races thinking about which books I would choose, favorite passages and moments… Plus it becomes a keepsake!

For more Vintage, Local, and DIY wedding tips check out our Wedding March Series

Our series of DIY wedding ideas is back by popular demand!

We’ll continue to add to this post throughout the month, so keep checking back for more ideas and tips!
And in case you are just now tuning in, here’s a link to The Wedding March Round 1

Week 1:

• Local Business Spotlight: Canton Woman’s Club
• 7 Wedding Ideas for Vintage Brooches and Earrings

Week 2:

• Local Business Spotlight: Drobny Studio
  
• Bridal Shower Recipe: Grapefruit Crinkle Cookies

Week 3:

• Local Business Spotlight: GentleBrook Centre
• 5 Wedding Ideas for Vintage Books
• Local Business Spotlight: Captured By Kelly Photography

Week 4:

• 5 Wedding Ideas for Vintage Suitcases
• Wedding Flashcards in our Top Drawer Finds Etsy Shop
• Local Business Spotlight: BabyCakes Bake Shoppe
• Tutorial: Tissue Paper Pomanders

Mom and I got crafty last week!
Project: Make pretty trees for our “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” room at Christmas at the Hollow

All we needed were trees, bleach, spray glue, and some flaky snow to turn an eyesore into a beautiful centerpiece.

We picked up trees of all sizes throughout the year at garage sales!

The plasticy trees- the brightest, tackiest green possible- bleached the best.  Do not use trees with chunks of greenery and snow attached.  This greenery and snow will end up on everything and double your work (Can you tell we are still slightly traumatized by that experience?)

We filled our sink with hot water and added bleach.  A mixture of 1 cup of bleach to 4 gallons of water worked well.  We added more bleach for the dark green trees.  They needed extra time.   Rinse them under the faucet to remove any remaining bleach.

We spread out white rags on our kitchen floor and let them dry.  It took about a day.  The large dense trees  were still a little damp so we used a hair dryer to speed up the drying process.

To add some sparkle we used spray glue and flaky snow.

We worked in sections, doing half a tree at a time.

We first tried rolling the glue sprayed trees in the snowflakes but it didn’t stick well.  Sprinkling the snow on and pressing it lightly into the glue on the other hand worked GREAT!

We grabbed a silver tray and a few blocks of foam to anchor the large trees.  The smaller trees were tucked in around them to create our forest!

We are thinking of gluing pearls on or turning the next batch pink with a little dye!

My jewelry always winds up on my bedside table, gets tucked into a drawer, or hangs from knobs on my bathroom cabinets.  None of which are ideal places.  Pieces on the table get knocked off and lost, pieces in the drawer tangle, and the moisture from the steam in my shower tarnish the pieces I leave in the bathroom.

Yes, I know the solution is a jewelry box.  But no run of the mill, store bought piece was going to work for this thrifty, upcycling girl.

Here are a few ideas I found on Pinterest:

I love the look of these bowls full of jewelry tucked into a drawer.  Especially like the pretty tea cup.

I like that there are places in this one to hang necklaces.  The hyper-organized side of me loves that the bins are labeled.

Source: 1.bp.blogspot.com via Best Bib and Tucker on Pinterest

This is just ingenious!  A towel bar with shower curtain hooks.  Perfect for long necklaces and what a space saver.  I’m not looking for anything this permanent in my house but what a great idea for jewelry display at the new store!

Source: homemadecrap.com via Best Bib and Tucker on Pinterest

 

AND here’s what I came up with.  A vintage suitcase turned into a jewelry station!

Stay tuned —Tutorial coming soon!

Early on in the wedding planning process Em showed us a photo of a window pane being used as a seating chart.  We immediately went on the hunt for window panes.  Em lucked out and found eight of them at a garage sale.

They were beat up and paint was peeling off pretty badly.  Excellent, our distressing work was already done!  We just had to sand them down and give them a good coat of sanding sealer.

Windows were used for both the seating chart and on the cake table at the reception.

We printed all the signs we needed then cut sheets of scrapbook paper to the correct size.   Good old duct tape was used to hold everything in place and to prevent light from shining through the paper.

Other signs were placed in store bought frames.

Eat, Drink and Be Married- Bar Menu Sign

“Leaf” your fingerprint and signature for the bride and groom sign at the guest book tree.

The Wedding March is a series of posts highlighting my sister’s shabby chic DIY wedding.  For all posts visit: The Wedding March

We like to share our crafty posts on these link parties!

In keeping with a shabby chic theme, we used vintage china and other dishes for centerpieces.

Putting together 40 sets of these was an adventure.  Finding plates in the correct sizes that complemented each other was like putting together a giant puzzle.  Luckily we had a full army of people out looking for dishes.  Even a few of our favorite customers brought in pieces to us!

To make one centerpiece you will need:

• 1 dinner plate
• 1 salad plate
• 2 saucers
• bud vase
• glue dots
• hydrangeas

We stacked the three sized plates on top of each other.  The hydrangeas we had were very heavy so we used glue dots to hold the vase in the center of the plates so it wouldn’t fall over.  The second saucer held chocolates and a table number.

Table number stands were created by Slightly Hammered and Twisted Studio, one of the fabulous artists that sells jewelry and other creations at Best Bib and Tucker.




Sets of these dishes would also go great as actual tableware at a shabby chic dinner party or could be glued together to make tiered stands  as we demonstrated in last week’s Cake Plate Tutorial.

Looking for shabby chic decor for your next event?
Mixed china centerpieces/table settings are available in our Etsy shop, Top Drawer Finds!

The Wedding March is a series of posts highlighting my sister’s shabby chic DIY wedding.
For all posts visit: The Wedding March

We like sharing on these link parties!

Mason jars and lace…the perfect shabby chic wedding combination!  This project was ridiculously quick and looked really pretty on the reception tables.

For each luminary you will need:

• One pint size Mason jar
• Lace trim (about 1 ft- measure around your jar to be sure)
• Scissors
• Spray adhesive that dries clear
• Newspaper- use a new sheet for each jar
• 2 Ft Ribbon
• One flameless candle

Start by measuring around your jar and cutting lace to the correct length.  Let the lace overlap about a half inch.

We went outside for the gluing part.  Lay down newspaper to protect your working surface.  Be sure to use a new sheet of paper for each jar.

Lay down lace wrong side up.  Spray glue, being sure to cover the entire surface.  Then lay down jar and roll slowly to adhere without bubbles.

Let dry then tie ribbon around the rim.  You will need 2 ft of ribbon per jar.  Use a flameless candle in the bottom of each jar.

The Wedding March is a series of posts highlighting my sister’s shabby chic DIY wedding.
For all posts visit: The Wedding March

We like sharing on these link parties!