Sweater Upcycle - Thrifty Fall Decor

Decorate your home for Fall... Big Cozy style... on a tiny budget!!

Upcycling, Thrifty and Dollar Bins!

First lets start with a big fun center piece I created spending less than $11.

* $3 - The twig nest basket was a thrifty find from Goodwill, I am so in love with the natural raw feel to it but had no idea how I would use it at the time

* $2.50 -  The twig pumpkin was a dollar bin at Target $2.50! 

* $2 - Small pumpkin from the grocery store

* $3 - Pumpkin scented candle is in glass vase to keep my pretty basket from burning up! Smells & looks so pretty!



Keep an eye out for big glass vases at garage sales, I picked this beauty up for .50 cents.. cleaned it up a little and it's perfect! These can cost $10+ dollars alone in most stores! Be sure to use other items you already have in your home creatively. I used these 2 ikea mirror frames as a base for my arrangement. Set the candles on the mirrors, sprinkle a little $4 autumn potpourri from Walmart, Candles and 3 costume jewelry golden leaf pins = Lovely!

This upcycle project was by FAR the most FUN I had sewing in a while... What do you think I could create from this? An ivory dated Large knit sweater that found half off from Goodwill... $2.50! It's so cozy and warm! In Arizona its still 100+ degrees, too hot to wear a sweater yet... So I had to get creative on how to use it now! :)

Not bad right!? :) Believe it or not these all came from this upcycled sweater refashion, two cozy rectangle sweater pillows, and one awesome sweater handbag!

Can you believe I made all of this from a $2 sweater? The only other thing i had to buy was the stuffing for the pillows... about $3 extra total! The rest of the items I needed I already had on hand. I used a skinny leather belt to make the handles on the purse, and some white jersey knit to create a lining on the pillow. I even have enough left over material from the sleeve cuffs that I can make some of those adorable sweater covered vases I've been reading about from fellow bloggers lately!

I love these chunky cozy sweater pillows! My girlfriends & I walked through Pottery Barn a couple weeks ago for fun... and all loved the sweater pillows they had on display, but the price tag was nearly $35!

Gulp.... I'll take my $2 version anyday! ;)

Last but not least, is my favorite... the autumn/winter inspired handbag!

It was an adventure sewing through this many layers of thick sweater... my poor sewing machine broke two needles during assembly! But I think it was well worth it!

I decided to put this Seasons Change Purse up for grabs in my etsy shop! :)
Update: SOLD-- LuvARoo Boutique

~Details~

The inner lining is a navy blue, with a big cozy pocket to keep your keys & phone safe & warm.. ;)

Lots of handsewn details, from the leather strap  to the huge wooden button.

Wouldn't this be the perfect comfortable winter/autumn accessory paired with some cute brown boots and soft scarf!?

Well, I'm gonna go cozy up on the couch with my man, coffee and new comfy pillows! :)

My Studio

~ WELCOME! ~

I'm excited to share my Art / Craft Studio with you... this is my favorite spot in the house. I feel inspired, happy and cozy in here.

I love the eclectic style, combining vintage with modern, vibrant colors & textures.  We've only been in the new house for a week, and this is where I've spent most of my time decorating so far. I LOVE having a crafting space, after years of working on the dining room table, counters with unpacking and repacking supplies into the garage... I'm so happy that my sweet hubby allowed me to use this formal dining room as my art studio!

I even have my own assistant! Meet Turbo, my spunky cockatoo. :)

We have long talks about my newest creations when the rest of my family is sick of hearing about it. lol... He keeps me company and provides a constant mess of seeds for me to sweep up. But I love him and his quirkiness.

Art Gallery Wall

A collection of some of the my paintings... a fun way to add color to the wall. I'm sure the artwork will be constantly changing as I sell & paint new pieces!

I've got a few blank canvas' that have been calling my name...

Can you tell I love color?

Inspiration: I think the best art/design comes from the heart, something you are truely inspired to create!

I found these words at Ross for $8 and knew they had to be a part of my studio.  The curtains I found at the World Market place, an avocado green paired with bright blues/teal and pink! Some of my favorite food & colors! ;)

Vintage Crates

Instead of buying baskets for my shelves I've been collecting vintage & wine crates to store my fabric and novelties in. I came upon this Antique Ginger Ale crate at a garage sale... it was a steal! I also bought new wine crates from Total wine for $5, I stained and aged them. They give me lots of unique storage that is very easy on the pocket book, and fun to look at! Be creative when you design your spaces, think outside the box... or in my case.. in the box. ;)

It's still a work in progress... I would love to find a big comfy chair for my office. What do you think about something like one of these?

Well, that concludes the tour of my art studio... come over & create with me!

Love,

Heather ~

Funky Friday

Funky Friday

Two VERY important lessons I learned this week..... ;)

1:  NEVER put your apples in the same bowl as garlic cloves, LOL... the apples will absorb the garlic flavor and your children will think your evil gag when you unknowingly feed them garlic flavored apples for lunch! 

2.  NEVER feed your toddler chocolate in public no matter how much they scream or beg you... because you will most certainly somehow end up with your pants covered in chocoate and not realize it (while walking around the store for over an hour) looking like you've had a poop explosion. That explains the strange glances from strangers.... LOL.... Omg! 

Ahh... Oh why doesn't motherhood come with a manual? ;)

Anyways, besides my funky friday I do have a couple things I'm SO excited about!

I'm working on getting some decoration / storage things together for my new craft room. :) I purchased the most beautiful vintage ceiling tin memo board for my room from my friend over at JoyFrameworks.

~The Rusty Romantic ~

LOVE it.... It even has the most perfect button magnets!

You have to check out her etsy shop, she has SO many gorgeous creations and such an eye for creating something beautiful from vintage pieces!

Check out her blog:  http://joyframeworks.blogspot.com/

Next I stopped by Total Wine and purchased a couple wine crates for $4.99 each!!  I'm going to "age" them with some stain and they will work perfectly to store all my fabric & goodies in the craft/sewing room. You can't even buy baskets for that cheap. I'm excited to get decorating! :)

Well... Wish me luck. Our big move is tomorrow... (and yes, I am procastinating all the last minute things to do right now... lol..), thankfully my amazing mother is watching the kidos overnight. So tomorrow should be pretty simple without kids underfoot.

Much love!

Heather ~

Autumn Inspirations

I love Fall Colors, Autumn is my favorite season!

I've started on another fall season project.. the photo above is a sneak preview.  

A brown linen purse, with fall leaves... I will be making two. One is sold already, but the other will be available to purchase once it's completed!

We are moving into a new home next week, I'm SO excited because I will have my own art studio space. This is a huge blessing for me because it will allow me to work on projects with ease. No more taking over the dining table, counter... etc. ;) My family has been beyond patient with my arts/crafts mess. haha..  I'm looking forward to decorating the new place, just in time for fall decor!! :)

I'm ready to go buy some pumpkins for the kids again this year...

 And take a trip up north to see hike among the Autumn leaves....

 

Here are some autumn paintings I have done over the years, the set of three (Autumn Bliss) is for sale in my LuvARoo etsy shop.  UPDATE 9/12/10 - Sold

~Autumn Reflections~

 

~Autumn Bliss Tryptic ~

~Cheerful Changes~

Bridal, Leather, Feathers & Sister Love

~ Bridal~

I've added many new hair accessories to the shop: from headbands, bobby pins, to barrettes... I've been working with some new leather designs & gorgeous bridal wedding hair pieces!

Swan Princess - Bridal Clip

~ Sister Love ~
Many thanks to my gorgeous sister who so patiently modeled my newest designs in her fab hair! Seriously, isn't Laura beautiful.... anyone having hair envy!? ;)

This is one of the few new Bachelorette party designs...  Hot Pink & Black are so hot right now for many brides-to-be.  Check out the mini tulle veil in hot pink on this fun design. Wear it many ways!

- Leather Accessories -

 Clips & Headbands

These are just a FEW examples of what is available... check out the shop for more!

If you have any requests of COLORS - Designs that you would love please let me know, I'm happy to come up with it!