birds, birds, and more birds

So i have this small iron birdcage that i bought on impulse at the thrift store 2 years when i went through a birdcage decorating stage. Luckily i haven't completely left that stage but now i'm more stuck on birds. i have a bird tattoo, bird earrings, a bird necklace, feather headbands, even bird salt and pepper shakers. i can't help it. So anyway, i have this little birdcage that looked lonely ... I thought about putting a vase underneath it and letting the flowers reach up out of the top but then i had this brilliant idea to make fabric birds and a fabric twig and put them in the cage! So i googled "how to make fabric birds" and voila.

I used my ruler to copy the pattern from the computer onto a piece of paper, cut out the pattern and then cut out the fabric...



stitched it together (this is the inside out view)...


then i made a fabric stick, sewed the two birds onto it and hung it from the top of the birdcage!


Sometimes i even surprise myself. Seriously, how cute.



And then i got so excited about how cute they were that i made 3 more... Just for the hell of it. New favorite craft right here people.



~m~

being crafty

Over the past two weeks i have spent most of my free time settling in and making everything "flow." I'm still definitely not finished but it's starting to look like people live here instead of just a storage unit. Below are some little things i've been making to fill in the gaps. The first project was created because i have a lot of jewelry that i never wear because i can't see it... it's all bunched up in travel jewelry cases and zip lock bags so i was determined to actually be able to see my jewelry! I went to buy a white framed piece of corked board but the white frame was $5 more expensive then the plain brown. So i bought the plain brown, spray painted it white (with paint i already had) and then stuck sewing straight pins in an organized array! And tada!



The perfect necklace and ring holder! The next project needed to be pillows for my big comfy white couch. I sat down one day and in 1 hour had these two adorable pillows! I'm using that dotted brown and cream fabric in other places around the apt so it has turned into a "theme," if you will.



The project which has already been used the most is my 4 placemats and 6 coasters, all made from inspiringly simple fabrics. For most of the coasters i used scraps from my big ole bag of fabric ends and awkward pieces so i felt thrifty ha.



~m~

furniture!

Here are the other pieces of furniture in the apartment that have been collected in the past week. The first is the beautiful "hoosier"/china cabinet. I've looked everywhere for something like this but they are SO expensive and way out of any kind of budget i could create in the next couple years- however, one day my mom and i were browsing at hannah's antiques and found this! It was beautifully priced and it's even better then i hoped- it has all these cute little drawers and compartments for easy organization.

The table and the big comfy chair were sold to me by very dear friends- the table is PERFECT. PERFECT i tell you. It fits perfectly into the room and i'm already envisioning seasonal table decorations because, well, i'm just that kind of decorating dork. The last picture is of the bookshelf that my mom emptied for me for all of the sewing/craft stuff to go... i spent all afternoon a couple days ago organizing it and giving everything a place. i probably had too much fun but oh well. Now all my glues, needles, threads, patterns, fabrics, buttons, paints, and ribbons have a home. i'm sure they are appreciative.







It's starting to look like a home!!!!!
I'll post more of my craft/sewing projects soon.
~M

THE REAL THING!!!

I am moved in! And i have been for almost 2 weeks... at first the space was intimidating and i wasn't sure how we would make it look like an actual home. The first few days there were just boxes and bags everywhere. The first piece of furniture we found was from the Good Will- $12 and extremely heavy. My sister Marge sanded, stained, and painted it (while my siblings and i laid on the couch and watched) so that now it looks awesome! It's the tv stand except that right now there's no tv. In the bottom picture you can also see the FREE couch that one of my mom's neighbors gave me! The one that Re and i originally wanted to get was sold when i went to buy it but this couch is big and comfy and white so i'm planning on making big ole colorful pics to bring it to life!









More pics soon!