Fabric Luggage Tag Tutorial

I love to travel.  Seeing new places and relaxing with loved ones is about as perfect as life can get.  Very soon, I get to visit ALASKA for the first time ever!  I am trying to keep myself busy so that I don't spend all day every day reading about random Alaska facts (I'll let my husband continue to be that guy).

So what do I do instead?  Make crafts that relate to my traveling!  Today I made a luggage tag for my brand new suitcase.

This suitcase technically has a spot for this but it's inside of the zipper area, so that's no help when I'm trying to figure out which bag is mine. {because there are SO many bright green suitcases out there!}

I searched the internet for ideas on how to construct this tag, but found nothing that I loved. Finally, I decided to just make my own using my husband's luggage tag as a guide.

I wanted the sort of "double layered" look and for the clear plastic to be entirely on the inside. The only part I left out was the flap that covers it.

How I made it:

{1} I cut out 2 rectangles in the size that I wanted the end product to be (allowing extra for my seam) and sewed it on three sides. Don't forget: When you sew, right sides together!

{2} Cut a piece of cardboard (I just cut up an old box from some jelly mason jars) that fits inside the opening. Flip your fabric, so that right sides are out and slide the cardboard into the fabric.

{3} Make a strap either by cutting a long strip of material, folding it in half longways and sewing it. (Again, right sides together when you sew, then pull it through the opening to reverse it.) or by adding a piece of ribbon, leather or other strap material.

{4} At the opening, fold in the fabric as it would be if you had sewn it and slide the strap into the center. Sew along the edge to close it up and to keep the strap from moving.

{5} For the top piece, cut 2 rectangles in the same size as you did the bottom pieces. Then cut an "X" in each piece (make sure they line up with each other). This will make a finished edge to the area where your information is written.

                                                      {I made the hole roughly the size of a business card}


{6} To give the front some stability, I suggest ironing some interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric.  At this time, also iron down the triangle pieces from the "X" and trimming them if need be.

{7} Sew the top 2 pieces together (leaving the same side open as the bottom).

{8} Cut a piece of clear plastic into a rectangle slightly bigger than the hole. I used one of those clear scrapbook covers. You may also use those clear bags that sheet sets come in or another similar material.

{9} Lay the entire thing over the bottom piece, lining the edges up. Hold the plastic in place or pin it (just make sure not to pin through the center, the pin hole wont go away!) and sew a top stitch through all layers.

*DON'T sew across the opening (the side where the strap is) or else you won't be able to slip a card in and out!

               {I also took some sheer ribbon and made a "frill" across the top side, stitching straight across}

                                        {The card slides in from the right side easily yet stays snug inside}

Love the colors; Love the design, Love the frills!

I can't wait to see all the places that this luggage tag will go with me. Alaska here we come!

Your Turn!

Would you add the "frills" to the top? What kind of fabric would you use? Show me your designs and let me know what you think!

With Love,
Kelsie Ann

{Linking this project to: Jaihart- Sundays Are Lovely #11 }

Rainy Day Project {love in a jar}

Our home was a little off yesterday.  First we found out that the guest bathroom causes water to leak into the basement, then we lost power during a storm.  Between no power, no water and my husband being out for a meeting I was stuck trying to find something to do. 

I had just spent the day cleaning the house so that option is out.  No water, so catching up on laundry is a loss.  No electricity, so my sewing machine was out of commission.  I had to find a craft that I could do the "old fashioned" way!

Here's what I came up with:

I've been thinking about doing a project like this for a couple days now.  As I was helping my husband fix up the tool shed the other day I saw a piece of OSB Board that had all the smaller pieces of wood pressed together.  I think that looks so neat, so why couldn't I create that with a different material?

I love everything about newspaper (aren't you sad to see the decline of it?) and it was perfect for this project.

1. Grab a container.  I used a quart sized mason jar.

2. Tear different shapes and sizes of newspaper.  Tearing it instead of cutting it creates rougher edges which gives it that neat kind of romantic/rustic look (or maybe that's just me)!

3. Attach the newspaper to the jar using mod podge.  I think it is easier to put the glue straight onto the newspaper so that  you aren't fussing with glue everywhere.

{I pressed down along all the designs on the jar just for fun!}

4. Make sure to set one piece of newspaper aside with a heart cut out of it.  For this jar, my heart was about the size of a nickle.

5. When you have figured out where you want the heart to show through, take some paint and color a small area onto the jar.

6.  Finish attaching the newspaper and place the heart piece over your paint.  Once it has had time to dry, cover the entire thing with Mod Podge to create a seal.

Isn't that easy and totally cute?

 

 I love that meshed together newspaper look!

Want to know my favorite part about it?  Right next to the pink heart are newspaper pieces of a "love story" article.  Totally on accident and entirely too perfect! (check out the full jar pics to see it)

Don't wait for the next power outage to make your own, it is a fun and easy project for ANY day!  As always, I'm interested in seeing your creations so feel free to share here.

With Love,

Kelsie Ann

{Linked up to: Jaihart - sundays are lovely- #11 }

Sharpie Art

Welcome back and happy Wednesday!  Can you believe the week is half over already?  These summer days seem to just fly by.  Anyways, during my warp-speed-like week I played around with a craft idea that I have been seeing a lot lately on places like A Beautiful Mess and Kyoko.  I can't express enough how much I LOVE these mugs!

Only problem is, I really don't need any more mugs.  Besides my close-to-obsession with them, I have started to collect a mug in each state that I visit.  It's my version of the postcard/ magnet/ tiny ringing bell sort of collection.

See that "Historic Route 66" mug?  That takes the place of the 8 states that Route 66 runs through.  I figured that would be better than carting all those mugs home (Okay, I bought the Grand Canyon one behind it on that trip too- still pretty good I think)

The point is, I didn't need to make a mug, so instead I made a decorative piece using black and yellow sharpies.

After around a dozen designs, I finally settled on this one.  So simple.  So beautiful.  Plain yellow flowers and a few choice words that I think everyone should be reminded of.

My intent was to hang it on the towel rack in the upstairs bathroom.  The walls are a vibrant yellow and since it is the guest bathroom, I thought it would be a good way to let our loved ones know how special they are.

 

I baked it for 20 minutes (which was around the time suggested by other blogs) and when I pulled it out... the flowers were ORANGE! Oops.  The wording had also lightened up a bit.  

Since it didn't fit the yellow upstairs bathroom anymore, I decided to place my decor on our china cabinet.  The brown color in the wood looks nice against the new orange color. 

 

 

Funny how crafting goes isn't it?  Things did not quite turn out like I planned, but they still worked out just fine.

A few things I learned that will hopefully help you:

1. The sharpie design WILL come off (at least on a glazed porcelain) with warm water and gentle scrubbing with a soft brush.  That's how I managed to go through a dozen designs and only one hanging piece.

2. Be aware that colored sharpies may change color after baking.  Start & stop marks may also show up on the image that did not in the original color (see the "dots" on the petals of the flowers?!)

3. I used an extra fine point sharpie for my wording and it faded slightly during baking.  However, the regular sized black sharpie I used for the center of the flowers stayed crisp and dark.  Keep that in mind if you desire a deep color.

...............................................................................................................................................................

That all being said, I really enjoyed this project.  It allowed me to try something new and it didn't turn out too bad; in spite of my total lack of artistic ability!

I hope you will try this project for yourself- on a mug, a plate or a hanging decorative piece!  I would love to see your creations and hear your thoughts on this project and others.

With Love,

Kelsie Ann

{Linked up to: Jaihart- Sundays Are Lovely #11 }

Vamp up a Lamp

Hello again!  I am so sorry for the late absence on this blog.  I have made a vow to contribute my time to Cut, Craft, Create in a way that it deserves.  I'll start off slow, but hopefully will be creating daily posts in no time!

For my "comeback" post I decided to share with you a quick little fix I made to an adorable lamp shade.

I found this lamp shade at a garage sale for a quarter.  I absolutely LOVE the pattern, so dainty and girly... I had to have it!  It had some pet hair on it (simple fix- just clean it!) and a stain (easy fix as well!) but it also had a TEAR in the side...

 

I contemplated just turning it to the back and leaving it- after all, I would be the only one who knew. But, as you may very well know, it is hard for a crafter to leave such a simple job undone! So... I added some flowers.

I grabbed some spare fabric that I had and rolled it up loosely.  Then I twisted it into a simple rose shape.

You may sew it, glue it, heck safety pin it if you want- just as long as it stays rolled up. 

I also made a simple pointed "leaf" out of green fabric.  I may update this later with a more leafy shape, but for now this was perfect.  (I'll be honest, I was trying to get this all finished before supper)

I like the sort of imperfect look that the rough edges have, but I did cut off a few of the extra strings.

Lastly, I attached it to the lamp with a little hot glue.  A few dabs is all it takes...

 

... to fix a hole in a perfectly good lamp shade!

Now I can show this adorable lamp without fear that someone will see the big hole in the side!  The best part?  It took me less than 30 minutes from start to finish.  Quick, easy and cute- it's a triple threat!

Hope you enjoyed this post and will be coming back soon- I promise to have more crafts coming your way!

Sending my love,

Kelsie Ann