Christmas Fun

Happy Holidays! 

Christmas time can be a little crazy for everyone, but luckily I was able to find some free time to get some crafting done, and today I have Bella Boo's first ever NO-SEW project for an easy Christmas garland! This is a perfect project for little ones to do because you only cut and tie. And in total, it only took me an hour. 

The supplies are super easy on your wallet, especially when Christmas shopping can get really expensive. 

You need:

- scissors

- assorted Christmas fabrics

- some type of string,I just used a roll of white string that was lying around the house

The only thing I bought was the fabric which in total was only $6.00; the other supplies I had in the house.

(Forgot the scissors!)

First cut the string as long as you want it to reach, plus add on extra at the ends to hang it up.

Next cut your fabric so that you have strips 10 inches long. Width really doesn't matter because cutting strips can't be perfect but if you do want fatter strips, keep in mind that you will need more fabric than just 1/2 yard. My strips were generally 1.5 inches wide x 10 inches long.

Now just start knotting the strips on your string. You can slide your knots closer together or farther apart depending on what you prefer but remember to leave some string at the end in order to hang it up. 

Once you have tied as many knots as you want, go test your garland out to see how it looks and its length. If you are happy with your work then you're done! Just like that, you've made a festive Christmas decoration to spread some holiday cheer! 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Bella

Autumn Oranges

I don't know about you, but fall is one of my favorite times of the year- the change in nature, the cooler air (especially compared to Memphis' oh-so-very humid summers), and it's the time to pull out the pants and scarves and great fall colors! 

One of my favorite colors is orange, kind of ironic cause it's October, but this post focuses more on wearing it day-to-day rather than in a pumpkin costume!
I'm a big fan of this color cause it's bright (1), you don't have to wear it just in fall (2), and I feel like it makes the wearer look even "brighter," sort-of-speak (3). Now orange comes in all different hues so I've played around with different ones lately.

For example, this week I paired a vintage auburn button down that I bought with a scarf and some black jeans! Voila!


And then for church this past Sunday, I wore a simple orange skirt, that I had made using this easy tutorial with a white lace top, simple vintage brown belt, and some flats! I've also worn this skirt during a college visit when my family and I went up to DC. I paired it with a chunky brown belt and a navy polka-dotted top.

  


And lastly, I went for the brighter, more neon shade of orange for a neon-themed football game this past Friday. I actually bought the fabric at Hancock in the same aisle that they were selling camo fabric for other hunting wear. I then sewed an infinity scarf out of it using Sweet Verbena's tutorial and paired it with a dark blue top, black pleather skirt, brown leather jacket, and simple black ballet flats.(But man how I need to invest in some black booties for this colder weather!)

What I'm trying to say is that orange is one of the most versatile colors out there and I encourage you to go and give it a try! Whether it's through a small detail, like a bracelet or scarf, or on a much larger scale with a skirt, this color will not disappoint you. And it comes in so many shades that you can pick and choose what best fits you!

Well that's all for now! Hope everyone is having a Happy Halloween! 

Blogging to you with lots of love!
Bella

Welcome Back!

Look how purty she looks up on the shelf! That's how you know it was a good buy-when it fits into your room so nicely!

Well hey there! How's life?! Life here has been pretty crazy with junior year settling in and life coming at you like crazy, but I'm making it day by day thanks to God's constant help and wonderful love.

Today I want to share my newest buy with you because if you're getting the DIY bug like I am, this book by Grace Bonney is full of great ideas! And the cover's pretty :) (even though you're never supposed to judge a book by it's cover)! The majority of Design Sponge at Home displays all these beautiful homes for your brain to soak up all their loveliness in, and the last part is full of DIY projects for you to actually create some of the things you saw in the previous houses.

Some of my favorite pages have been:
21
37
45
78
100-101
113
179
197

But what's good about this book is that it fits all styles and houses! Go check it out at a library and explore a little- I promise you won't be disappointed!


I promise more posts are to come so stick around! Hope everyone is enjoying fall and the (hopefully) the beautiful weather it is bringing where you are! Blogging to you with lots of love!

Bella

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

Hey all! It has been way too long since I last posted and I am so sorry! School has been CRAZY but I'm slowly but surely trying to find more time to sew. Those times that I have had the chance to get some free time, I've had some FUN! Check out a few of the projects I finished during this time and where to find similar tutorials:


Fabric Headbands:
As I've been sewing more, I've also been collecting more and more scraps of fabric. This problem sound familiar to anyone...? :) Well I have a solution for your more smaller pieces- fabric head bands! Check out the full post here!

Ruffle Pillows:
I was able to make custom pillows recently for one of my closest friends!She wanted pillows out of burlap with white fabric on the front. I had received a free pattern from seekatesew and decided to use it instead! The pattern is the ruffle clutch pattern and for any interested in purchasing patterns, I would totally recommend it! My friend loved her pillows and I am so happy with how they turned out! You can check out the full post here!  

Tchao Juli!
For the past two months, my sister Juliana traveled to Colombia, South America. I did the same thing in eight grade, and speaking from experience, it was the best time of my life! You can check out her adventures at her blog- Memphis to Medellín!

Well before she left, I made her a little pouch to hold her trinkets and a letter for her! For her pouch, I followed this tutorial from Sweet Verbena. You can see out how it turned out here!

Sorry that it has taken me so long to get back to blogging but I hope that these new posts give everyone some good ideas for SPRING! Have a great week!

BELLA

Ruffle Pillows

This past quater I was able to make custom pillows for one of my closest friends! The original photo that she sent me was this:

She wanted pillows out of burlap with white fabric on the front. I had gotten a free pattern from seekatesew and we decided to use it instead! The pattern is the ruffle clutch pattern and for any interested in purchasing patterns, I am so happy with her instructions and how the pillows turned out. 


















The burlap really wasn't too hard to sew with, just be aware that it fringes a lot! I would recommend buying a spray for fraying fabric or just trim the fabric when you need to! I used the same pattern for the pillows that I'm going to explain in my pillow tutorial (coming soon ;) My friend loved her pillows and I am so pleased with how they turned out on her bed: