Cover Those Outlets

 Hello Readers. We all like our home to look as nice as possible. Sometimes the functional items in the house are not that cute. Like my kitchen outlets. They seem like they should blend in more. Or could they just disappear? (But, I'm going to want them later. I am really attached to my electricity.) Let's hide them and make the kitchen cuter all at the same time. 

 Ugly outlet./Easy Solution. 

 I am not against modern inventions like electricity. I don't want to live by candle light at night. I just don't always use all these outlets and they don't look fabulous. I can fix that though. Let's hang some art!

I scrounged up a couple outlet covers that we used when our kids were young. They keep kids from sticking their tiny little fingers into the outlet and getting electrocuted. 

I had a couple but you can buy them almost anywhere. You could probably get 1 or 2 from a friend with kids. They probably have a few in a drawer somewhere like me. 

 I also needed a picture frame. Or two. (Similar here.) I used 5x7 size frames so that they would be large enough to cover the entire outlet. You will need 1 frame per outlet you want to cover. I used 2 frames that matched so the kitchen would have a uniform look. You can use any frame or frames that you like. 

  I used this cute little greeting card as the "art" for my frame. You could use anything you like, postcards, greeting cards, pictures of you and your family cooking or eating a holiday meal would be fun too. 

 I put the card in the frame and used the metal closures to keep the card in just like you would a photograph. I grabbed my hot glue gun to attach the frame to the outlet cover. The plastic outlet cover will stay fixed on the back of the picture frame and the frame itself will "hang" from the outlet cover when it is plugged in the outlet. 

 I used a good size squirt of hot glue on the back of my picture frame. It holds well and dries quick. It is super hot though. Be careful. 

  I pressed the plastic outlet cover onto the hot glue and held it in place while it dried. This only took a few minutes. It dries so quick, I love using hot glue.

When the glue was totally dry, I was able to "plug in" my photo frame. It fits in the outlet and covers the outlet cove and looks much cuter. This is a great way to hang art without putting nails in the wall. Sometimes renters are not permitted to damage the walls in any way.

The best part is that I can take the picture down if I want to use that outlet. I only need some of these outlets if I am cooking for a crowd or setting up a buffet meal on that counter top. Until then, I can see my cute picture. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.  

Dress to 2-Piece

 Hello Readers. I loved this plaid dress. I grabbed it as a clothes swap and when I go home, it was too big. That's OK, I can work with this.

Dress to 2-piece.  

This dress had so many possibilities. The colors, the ruffle, the straps... Let me show you. 

 

I decided to take the dress apart. You can see the waist seam, it was sewn to last forever. It was THICK!

 

I unpicked all those stitches. It was frustrating and it took a while but it was worth it. 

 

When I was done I had the top, the skirt and the lining. 

 

The top has pretty straps but I needed a couple of them to finish the hemline of the top. I cut the straps off the back of the top. I set them aside. 

 

I pulled the straps from the front to the back. I pinned the straps in place and stitched them in place. I also took the back of the top in to make it smaller. I can't find a picture of that so you just have to take my word for it.

 

I sewed the 2 back straps together into a long belt and sewed it along the bottom of the shirt. I put the ends in front so I could tie them in front. 

 

I sewed elastic around the skirt. When I made the casing for the elastic it made the skirt shorter. It made a full twirly skirt. 

 

In the end, I had a top and skirt I could wear together or separately. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pink Shorts Simplicity 1165

 Hello Readers. I have had this pattern for quite a while and I like it so much this is the third time I have made it. When you find a great pattern, you make it more than once. This is the third time I have made it and it is easier and more fun every time I make it. I made these shorts because it is summer and it gets very hot where I live.  

  New summer shorts.

This pattern deserves 5 stars. 

I found this cute pink fabric at Good will. It seemed like a fun choice for summer.

 

This pattern is great because it's simple and there are pockets!! I sewed the pockets to the front pieces. 

 

I put the shorts together pretty quickly. 

 

I pinned the waistband in place. I used elastic in the back of the shorts but not the front. The pattern calls for elastic all the way around the waistband. I like a smooth front better so that is what I'm making. 

 

I hemmed the bottom of each leg. 

 

My new shorts were done. 

 

 The pink elephants are a lot of fun. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

 

 

 

 

 

Thrift Finds

 Hello Readers. I love thrifting but not everything fits perfectly. That's how it is. I liked these brown pants so much but the length is longer than I expected. Let's make a quick hem so these pants fit better. 

 

New pants, same short legs. 

 

I found these pants at my favorite thrift store. I like the shade of brown and the zebra stripes were fun too. The fabric was loose and light cotton. The only problem was that were just too long.  

I cut off about 6 inches of length. That were really too long. 

 

I turned the edge under twice and made a small narrow hem. 

 

Sometimes simple sewing is all you need to make thrift store clothes work. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.
 

 

 

Create Custom Earrings

 Hello Readers. I love to be crafty and sometimes I get ideas from unusual places. I got the idea for these D.I.Y. earrings while I was eating a cupcake. (Mmmmm!) It was a good cupcake but it was also really pretty. There were plastic flowers on top. 

 One of a kind earrings. 

Here is a look at the lovely cupcakes. They were delicious and so pretty.    

 

These flowers stood up a bit because they were actually plastic rings. They were probably meant for children. I took the flower rings out of the cupcakes (Ate the cupcakes.) and washed the rings. 

 I had 4 flower rings and they matched so I could make 2 sets of earrings for myself.  

The plastic rig pieces would be in the way but I can cut them off easily and get them out of the way so I can wear them.

I used these pliers with a cutter in the center to remove the ring part of the flower. They are plastic so I was able to cut through the plastic very easily.  

I want to attach the flowers to earring posts like these. I can glue the flower to the earring post and have some new earrings. These are easy to use and buy online. 

 You can also go thrifting for some earrings you can use that have a flat sort of shape.

 

Like these earrings that I found recently at a thrift shop near me.  

 I carefully popped the black center out of the earrings so I could glue my flowers to the center of these earrings. I used a box cutter but be careful using a sharp blade like this. I like to live on the edge but please don't cut yourself. 

 

 Whether you use earring posts or flat earrings that you McGyver like me, the next steps of gluing the earrings together with a hot glue gun will be the same. 

 

 I put a tiny spot of glue on the flower towards the top and pressed the post onto the glue. I wanted the glue and earring post at the top so that the earring would hang down off my ear. The hot glue dries quickly so I let it sit and cool for a couple minutes and it was completely done. 

You might not have cupcake flowers but you can use other items. You can use buttons to make your new fun earrings too. You can choose simple circles or something more fun. 

  There are so many fun button designs at the sewing shops, and you might have some buttons in your sewing stash too. You can use whatever you like. Follow the process of gluing the new earrings together. 

My earrings were done and ready to wear. The original earrings on the back of the flowers won't show when I wear the new earrings so use unmatched earrings on the back if you want. 

 I used the earring fasteners that came with the earrings. They were just as easy to put on and wear as any other earrings but they are so unique and fun. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.