Capelet From Men's Sweatshirt

My poor, neglected blog...how long has it been since I posted?? I think the last time was October 9, almost a full month ago! Needless to say, school devours most of my time, though I have somehow managed to find time for crafting and relaxing (the two are almost synonymous), but not so much for blogging...I think it's mainly laziness, but I'm going to blame it on school. After December 16, I'm free! (for a month, anyway) And that should mean plenty of posts.

Well, where to start? I suppose I should probably explain how I came to have gigantic, ugly gray sweatshirts in the first place. Long story made short, my aunt (well-meaning) asked me awhile back if I'd like some old sweatshirts to cut up. Excuse me, but the first thing that came to my mind were colorful, zip-down hoodies, probably from her kids. Um, no. Three extra-large men's sweatshirts in that odious gray color that I hate so much. I saw them and thought, "What on earth am I going to do with these?!" But I always come up with something, and last month, I saw this lovely capelet on Ruche:



And I thought, "Hmm...now, doesn't that bottom part look exactly like sweatshirt material?" You know how in cartoons they have that little light bulb that goes off when someone gets an idea? That was me. =)

And so I dismantled an extra-large sweatshirt, took the bottom of a jersey skirt I had shortened, and sewed them together, embellishing the top with a vintage button from my mother's collection and some roses from a craft store. When I was making it, I was watching "Squanto: a Warrior's Tale" at the same time, and I was very much inspired by the monk's habits. Which may sound weird, but I loved how they draped. I'd love a habit of my own, though no tonsure, please!

Here's how it turned out:



You can't see it well, but I added ruching at the top to give it that drape-y look.
I wore it to church (a bit nervously, as I've never worn anything like it), and got loads of compliments. It's also very warm, which I hadn't counted on either.

And the back:


Simple, yet elegant.





All photos are courtesy of my lovely sister.(:

Have a lovely day~!

Anthropologie "Echoing Falls" Knock-Off

I'm just popping on to let you all know I'm still alive, and so is this blog. For now, anyways. :P I have been making quite a bit, too, only I've been to lazy to take pictures. Anyway, last night I made something I'd been wanting to make for awhile, and I actually took some photos! Yay!

My younger sister is going as an Indian (Native American) for Halloween, and I thought I'd make some jewelry to go with her outfit. She does so much for me, so I figured it might be nice to repay her in some way. =)



I saw this necklace on Anthropologie's website awhile ago and thought, "Ha, I could make that!" (Which is something I think about most of their necklaces) I just didn't know what to make it with. Until I found some old shell necklaces lying around..the kind they give out as favors at parties and such. Fun for a party, but just to wear? Not so much.


And this was SO easy. It took a bit of time to figure out how to do it, but I got it eventually. I'm sure there were better ways to go about it, but I'm rather please with how it turned out. & my sister likes it, so that's all that matters.

Zentangle Turtle

Have you ever seen a zentangle? How about done one? No?
Let me just say that it is one of my favorite things to do. So simple, relaxing, and fun. And seriously, even if you have no talent with a pen. All you need to be able to do is draw lines (the don't even have to be straight!) and simple shapes. =)

On their blog they have tons of tutorials to follow....why not check them out?

I've done a few simple things...like this picture on my dry-erase board. Just having fun doodling!


And then a pumpkin for Halloween last year, which sadly, I wasn't able to get good pictures of, but turned out really cool.

And now, a turtle.

My sister's birthday was on Tuesday, and I stayed up late Monday night making this for her. I already had the game, but wanted to decorate it into a work of art. Pretty cool, eh?


I do love these little mazes...=) And apparently my sister does, too.

Have a lovely day!