Showing posts with label jar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jar. Show all posts

Monday, December 26, 2011

{the sweet sound of silence}

After the hustle and bustle of the holidays it is always nice to think of the {sweet sound of silence}...


...there is no better way to relax than with a long, hot bath...maybe a few candles, some music, a book...to each of us it is something different that soothes the soul.

...a dear friend of mine shared her recipe for {lavender bath salts} this holiday...



...I tweaked the recipe by adding {rosemary} which is said to relax the nerves and ease muscle pain...


...{lavender} is also widely known for reducing muscle pain and relieving stress by calming brain waves...
...a gentle touch of food coloring adds the palest of colors to the mix...
...of course, dolling up the jars is always one of my {favorite delights} when it comes to creating a hand crafted gift for someone special...
...using a moderately thick card stock I cut out several sized layers to create a flower...
...a quick dip in a dye bath, followed by a gentle crinkling of the petals which are then left to air dry creates a lovely faux dried flower. Add a brad or other decorative embellishment to connect the layers of your flower...
...ribbon, a tag, vintage style kitchen string, all add charm...
 ...if I were presenting this as something more than a {token gift} I think it would great fun to fill a giant vintage {ball jar} and attach a sweet {scoop} of some kind...

...a sweet and simple gift...
 ...and one that smells so lovely...
 ...and relaxes the soul...
 ...may your {New Year} start with a happy and calm heart...
...enjoy!

Monday, October 3, 2011

{delicious ruffled tutorial}

I made a few of these precious ruffled votive holders to accent my fall decorations...they also make adorable vases...to make your own, read on...
 ...this is so simple it doesn't seem worthy of a {tutorial} title...but here goes.


 



You will need:

{1} a clean, empty jar. I used a recycled grapefruit jar that measured approximately 7 inches x 2.5 inches.
{this is just so you will have an idea of how much fabric to use}

{2}sewing machine                                                                                                    {3}scissors   
{4} hot glue gun 
                        {5} fabric strips     
   {for my size jar I used three 1.75" x 3 yard strips}

First I ruffled all of my fabric strips on the sewing machine. I just adjusted the stitch lengths to extra long and ran the fabric through, creating a long straight stitch line down the center. {DO NOT BACK STITCH} at the start or end of your strip.

When you have done this to all three strips, gently tug on one of the threads at the end of your strip. Working from both ends, take turns {GENTLY} pulling on this thread until your entire strip is ruffled as heavily as you like. I ruffle mine pretty tight...okay, really tight. Repeat with the other two strips.

Now, starting at the top rim of the jar, choose a spot and put a medium size dot of glue. Place one end of one of your strips here and tack down. Gently twisting your ruffle, so it lays straight, create {SMALL} lines of glue and adhere the ruffle as you go. {Don't add too much glue at one time as it cools too quickly on the jar}

Continue gluing the ruffle on in this fashion. When you reach the end of one ruffled strip, tack down the end with glue to keep the threads from unraveling and start a new strip, being careful to overlap in a such a way that is looks like one continuous ruffle. {Just play with it, that is what I did}



 When you reach the end of your jar, trim off any excess ruffle and adhere the end with glue. {FLUFF} your ruffles.{these next two images are actually one ruffle short on top...the last image in this series shows the jar completed!}



Now you have a beautiful, yet {SWEET AND SIMPLE} vase or votive holder.





Enjoy!


I will be linking this little ruffled beauty up here!
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...