"G" is for Garland

Craft: Cinco de Mayo flower garland

Pink plastic tablecloth covering made into pleated flowers with paper umbrellas for the centers:

Girl #1 will be making her First Holy Communion this Spring and it happens to fall on May 5th - Cinco de Mayo - so her party will be a Cinco de Mayo fiesta!

Here's how I made the garland:

1. Use plastic tablecloth cover (I had leftover from a previous party).

Cut 6" wide strips:

2. Fold the strip fan style - back and forth:

3. Secure one end with a binder clip and trim the other end to a point:

4. Remove the binder clip and using a needle with carpet thread go through all the folds:

5. Tie a secure knot in the thread:

6. Repeat the process and make a lot of flowers:

7. Use double stick tape and secure the two open ends.

Cut a 2" cardboard circle and punch a hole in the center:

8. Hot glue cardboard circle to the back:

9. Open the paper umbrella:

10. Stick the umbrella through front of flower and down through hole in cardboard circle:

11. Use a dab of hot glue on the umbrella stick, once dry break off the excess stick:

12. Using clear monofilament line make a sandwich with two flowers and hot glue the line in between the cardboard circle, keep the line in the upper third of the circles in order for the flowers to hang down with gravity:

13. Apply small command hooks in the corner:

Knot the line and hang your garland:

The view from the back is completely different because of the light:

Let the fiesta begin!

I'm linking up to:

DIY Talent Parade @ Pretty Handy Girl

Whatcha Got Weekend @ Lolly Jane

SAS @ Funky Junk

Weekend Wrap Up @ Tatertots & Jello

Sundae Scoop @ I Heart Naptime

Sister Sunday @ Sisters of the Wild West

Sunday Showcase Party @ Under the Table & Dreaming

Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative

DIY Project Parade @ The DIY Showoff

Made by You Mondays @ Skip to My Lou

Making the World Cuter @ Making the World Cuter

Nifty Thrifty @ Coastal Charm

Tuesday Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Tutorials & Tips Tuesday @ Home Stories A to Z

Good Life @ A Beach Cottage

Delightfully Inspiring @ Delightful Order

Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Creek Cottage

Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple

Share Awesomeness Thur @ The 36th Avenue

Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring

Tickled Pink @ 504 Main

Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest

SAS @ Just a Girl

Feathered Nest @ French Country Cottage

Remodelaholics Anonymous @ Remodelaholic

inspiration board @ Carolyns Homework

"S" is for Shoe Clips

Sew: silver shoe clips

Embellish your boring shoes with ruffley, floral silver shoe clips.

I am not a shoe person at all but I was looking to update some comfy flats.

I used some scrap silver fabric cut on the bias, ruffled and glued to a binder clip and now my shoes are a tiny bit fancy, fun and ready for never never land.

Here's how I made the shoe clips:

1. Cut bias strips of silver fabric at 1 1/2"wide x 40" (longer = bigger flower):

2. Sew a long zig zag stitch near one edge of fabric strip then pull one thread to make the gather:

(See Kate's post here for ruffle techniques, basically #6.)

3. Check binder clip for size and fit:

4. Using hot glue roll fabric into circular shape keeping all gathered edges down towards center of flower shape.  Then glue one flat edge of binder clip to flower:

5. Clip flower onto shoe:

6. Remove one side of metal lever by pinching together long sides of metal piece and popping out of grooves:

Now your shoes are updated, cute and ready to wear:

I'm linking up to:

DIY Talent Parade @ Pretty Handy Girl

Whatcha Got Weekend @ Lolly Jane

SAS @ Funky Junk

Weekend Wrap Up @ Tatertots & Jello

Sundae Scoop @ I Heart Naptime

Sister Sunday @ Sisters of the Wild West

Sunday Showcase Party @ Under the Table & Dreaming

Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative

DIY Project Parade @ The DIY Showoff

Made by You Mondays @ Skip to My Lou

Making the World Cuter @ Making the World Cuter

Nifty Thrifty @ Coastal Charm

Tuesday Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Tutorials & Tips Tuesday @ Home Stories A to Z

Good Life @ A Beach Cottage

Delightfully Inspiring @ Delightful Order

Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Creek Cottage

Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple

Share Awesomeness Thur @ The 36th Avenue

Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring

Tickled Pink @ 504 Main

Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest

SAS @ Just a Girl

Feathered Nest @ French Country Cottage

Remodelaholics Anonymous @ Remodelaholic

inspiration board @ Carolyns Homework
Textiles @ Freckled Laundry

"T" is for Tote

Craft: straw tote

3 fun ways to embellish an inexpensive tote:

A cute tote you can take anywhere:

1. Monogram with pom pom trim:

2. Rolled fabric flowers:

3. Ruffle trim:

Here's how I embellished the straw tote:

Purchase inexpensive straw tote from Target dollar bins:

1. Monogram: print out letter to size.

Stabilize fabric with fusible interfacing, place print out right side down on light box then fabric right side down, trace outline of letter onto back of interfacing:

2. Cut out letter and use tiny pom pom trim:

3. Zig zag stitch letter onto pom pom trim then glue onto tote:

1. Fabric flowers: cut 2" strips of fabric, fold raw edges in and glue, begin twisting and rolling the fabric in on itself:

2. Make multiple flowers in different sizes:

3. Use white muslin for the backing, lay out flowers and hot glue to muslin:

4. Trim excess muslin:

5. Use latching pins to attach to tote or hot glue right onto tote:

1. Ruffle trim: Cut bias strip fabric at 1.5"w x 2x circumference of tote.

Run large zig zag stitch just off center of strip and pull one thread to gather.

Cut grosgrain ribbon length of circumference:

2. Pin ruffled strip to ribbon then straight stitch:

3. Hot glue onto tote:

A fun, easy, cute tote bag for anytime.