Headboard

Headboard

Attempting to make headboard was much larger project than I had done before. When I thought about the project, I didn't know whether I was going to be able to complete this project..With much planning and help from my husband, it turned out great.

At the time, I was watching a ton of HG TV (Home Garden Television)  They always make everything look so easy to create. I guess that's why they are the designers, not me.

We started with a lot planning such as, measurement of the bed frame, the actual size of the room, how tall we wanted it to be, and so on. We were both pretty new to this kind of project. In fact, my husband had pretty much decided that we were not going to continue after the first measurement. But my enthusiasm and energy compelled him to carry on.

After watching the episode where they make the headboard several times in a program called Design on a Dime, on HGTV, we went to his step-dad's workshop again. We had bought vinyl, foam and batter from Hancock Fabrics and some lumber from Lowe's.

The Process:
- First, we cut the particle board into 64" X 42"
- Then we cut the foam to the size of the particle board, but leaving 1" gap around it and glued to the board
- Next, the vinyl 66" X 44", enough to wrap the board with it
-We had two 57" poles (2" by 2") and two 65 1/2" two by twos, that we nailed on either sides and top and bottom respectively
- Finally painted it brown to match the rest of the furniture in the bedroom.
- The foot stool in the picture was just a bonus from the scrap wood and vinyl.

PS: We decided to go with the vinyl instead of rustic look but the basic process is same. Detail description and process can be found on the following website:
http://www.hgtv.com/bedrooms/rustic-yet-chic-wood-headboard/index.html

Pink Earrings

My Pink Earrings

My pink earrings are one of my favorite of all the earrings I have made thus far. Especially because I think they go with any color and style of wardrobe. I chose the grape-vine design because of its popularity in almost all the fashion magazines and the stores. However, just by looking at the magazines, I wasn't able to imitate the design.

Fortunately, I got a closer look at the similar earrings when I was window shopping in Dillard's, from the company called "Barse". being expensive, I wasn’t very fond of the colors they had available.

I went to my favorite store again and got some supplies. I tried to mix all variations of pinks from fuchsia to baby pink. For these, I had to get a few different supplies than my previous earrings. Such as jump rings, pins with flat-head on one side, and long oval hoops to make the earrings dangle.

How to make:
- Insert one bead per flat-head pin and cut the excess length of the pin
- Use your round nose pliers to make the other end round and put it aside
- I used twenty-five of them in one earring, to make it look fuller.
- The number of beads on each earrings can be adjusted according to the length and fullness of the earrings. 
- After you are done, make a 5 tier simple linked chain with the jump rings and attach them to the hoop
- Starting at the very bottom of the link, attach 1on the first link, 3 on the second, 9 on the third, 7 on forth, and 5 on the fifth link.

I hope the instruction was clear enough. If you have questions, feel free to comment. 

Earrings

I had a lot of fun making this one. This is an earring I made for my plain red dress. Since the dress was simple and ordinary, I had to accessorize it with bold jewelery that would make a statement. I saw something similar in one of the fashion magazines and fell in love with it. The original design was quite different than the end result. However, whatever happens, happens for the best!!

I can't really describe the process of making this. Honestly, it took me much longer to make the second piece than the first one. I just went with the flow for the first piece, but I had to replicate the design with the second one, and that was tough.

Things I used
- Seed Beads (green)
- Jewelry making kit includes:
       - Pliers round-nose, cut wire, flattener
          (found in hobby store or online)
      
Kit includes many accessories. They are really fun to play with. Just try with the simple one bead first. You'll love it.

Cat House

Snowflake in her work-in-progress house

This time I decided to take on a little bit more of an advanced project, so I picked a cat house. I saw a somewhat similar cat house on PetSmart.com. So once again, I went to Hobby Lobby and got some cute fabrics and tassels, and began my project. 

This was more complicated than my pillows because it required wood work and fabric to finish up. My husband and I went to his step-dad's workshop and collected scrap wood and started cutting them to size. 

Oh no! I could never use the big wood cutting machine. I had to get help from my husband to cut them according to the measurements I had given him. He did a great job. 

First we made a square box, leaving one side open to use it as a door. We used screws and nails to fasten the boards. Around the "box frame", we put an "A-frame", so as to give it a house appearance. After the frame was done, I used a staple gun and fabric glue to wrap the frame and decorate it with the tiny tassels. By this time, my cat already knew that it was her house.

Anyway, I don't wanna sound like a "cat lady".

And to finish up, I attached a curtain with the left over fabric and something for her to sleep on.  Immediately after that, the cat wasted no time in claiming it as hers.

Things I used
- Scrap wood and wood cutter
- Fabric (Flannel preferred)
- Tassels (pom poms - I think that's what they are called)
- Scissors
- Nails or screws
- Fabric glue
- Staple gun (optional; small nails work just fine)

Pillows

My first project

When I was little, I always watched my mom sew beautiful curtains, pillows, dresses, and knit sweaters. I would tell my mom "Please let me cut the fabric, its just a straight line...", and when she let me, I would be terrible at it. That was back when I was about 12 years old. A few years ago I thought I would give sewing another try in my free time. Pillows seemed to be the easiest way to start. So I ran down to Hobby Lobby and got some fillings and fabric that was on sale. Since this was my first try, I decided not to spend much while exploring my "hidden curiosity". I wasn't too excited about the animal print, but oh well, 90% off tag dragged me to it. It turned out to be pretty nice.
I made six of the mini pillows.

Things required:
Sewing Machine
Scissors
Thread
Fabric
Fillings

They were very very easy to make!!
-First I cut the fabric in squares - However big I wanted my pillows to be.
-Then I flipped them inside out and sewed three ways, and flipped around,
-Stuffed the fillings, and sealed the last side.
-There... Walla!!! the pillow is done!!

Introduction

This is my first official blog. Writing has never been my cup of tea, but lately I have been taking so many classes that require extensive writing and it has been impossible for me to avoid it. Previously, it used to take me hours to write one paragraph, now I am faster and I have started to actually enjoy it.

Needing to start a blog for my Digital Marketing class, I wanted to write something about my projects that I have been working on for the past couple of years. I don't have any particular theme for my projects. Most of the time I simply see something I like, while browsing online or at a store, and I attempt to imitate it. I usually get supplies from my favorite store Hobby Lobby.

I would like to share some of my creations on my next blog. So keep checking. :-)

Mason