by Amy | Dec 12, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Projects
Over the last month or so, I’ve been busily putting together Christmas gifts…in an effort to keep from losing my mind at the very end. All in all, it’s going well. I just have one more gift to put together, then I’ll call it good. And while what I’ll be showing you today doesn’t exactly have to be a gift it’s nice to have on hand and does make a lovely present for someone moving to a cold climate, a college student, or that person on you list who has a loooong commute.
{Image via}
Today, we are talking a DIY winter emergency car kit.
This idea surfaced the week of Thanksgiving when I realized my own winter emergency car kit had been depleted of some of its necessities. My kit was, fittingly, given to me as a gift by my dad when I left for college. I think he even gave it to me for Christmas my freshman year. Even though it is winter appropriate, I’ve left in my car year-round since I got it. Luckily I haven’t needed the major stuff…but I regularly burn through some of the smaller items, at which point I replace them.
When my parents were in town for the holiday, I asked my dad for tips on restocking my kit and making a second kit–for Derek’s car. You see, he’s kind of an emergency preparedness guru. For a while he was our county’s Emergency Management Coordinator. Even now, his work involves creating plans for the “what ifs” of life. It’s safe to call him a trustworthy and expert source.
The following in a list he put together for me. It is formatted in order of importance with the necessities first and the “nice-to-haves” toward the end. Start with an empty backpack. If you are making this for yourself, just use what you have on hand. If it’s being given as a gift, splurge for new, or like-new, items.
1. First Aid Kit. This should have supplies for treating injuries {bandages, gauze, cold compress, aspirin, antiseptic ointment, etc.} as well as medications needed/taken by you and your family, or personal hygiene items custom to you {prescriptions, extra glasses, spare contacts, etc.} The Red Cross sells ready made first aid kits, or you can pick one up at a local drug store.
2. Cell Phone Charger. Keep a spare phone charger in the car that can plug in to the cigarette lighter.
3. A Gallon of Water. Don’t store it in an old milk jug. Instead, keep it in unopened bottles, empty/washed pop liters. Don’t fill bottles all the way to the top. Leave some space as the water will expand if it freezes.
4. Food. Keep about a three day supply. This doesn’t mean you need a ton of food…just some high calorie, high nutrient items, like protein bars. Clif Bars are a great choice.
5. Flashlight. Don’t store batteries in the flashlight. Instead, store them in a separate, unopened container and update them regularly as cold temps can deplete their power.
6. Waterproof Matches. Get the strike-anywhere variety and keep a stash of them in an old prescription bottle. This will keep them from scattering at the bottom of your bag and it will keep them dry. Heat is vital to surviving a winter car catastrophe. Matches can provide heat. You can burn the candles {that you’ll put in the kit in a minute}, or–if needed–items in your vehicle.
7. Candle in a Can. Dad recommends putting several candles in a coffee tin with a plastic, seal-able lid. The can will offer a place to keep your fire safe and will keep your candles dry.
8. Emergency Blanket. A blanket or sleeping bag that can compress is ideal for your winter car kit. I really like these compression bags, made for backpacking, that help pack a sleeping bag or blanket into a very small, tight bundle.
9. Extra Clothing. These can be things that were headed to the Goodwill. Bigger is better than smaller in this case. Put in a coat/sweatshirt {fleece is good since it repels water}, hat, sturdy gloves, socks, boots, a rain poncho, and a compact towel.
10. Tools. Add a multipurpose tool like this one, traction pads for stuck tires, a small {but sturdy} shovel, an axe, plastic sheeting or tarp, and duct tape. If you can’t find traction pad, or don’t want to buy them you can pack a gallon bag of clay cat litter instead.
Dad also added these nice-to-have items.
11. A battery powered, or hand-crank radio–a weather radio, if possible.
12. Extra batteries.
13. A written list of family contact information–in case your phone dies and you don’t have the numbers memorized, or if help arrives and needs to know who to contact.
14. Extra cash.
15. A state map.
16. Playing cards.
by Amy | Nov 20, 2014 | Blog, Crafts, The Art of Projects
Last Christmas, I made a few infinity scarves. They went over really well with the friends and fam. I found a few tutorials online, I combined a few steps. I’m sure you could find other tutorials out there too. But this is my version, and I’m glad you’re taking a look.
The first thing you need to know is that this is easy. It’s quick. And you don’t have to be a pro with a sewing machine to make it happen. Just a couple straight lines. Really, it’s easy.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1.5 or 1.75 yards of fabric–Flannel works great, but I’ve also used some thick, slightly stretchy knits that have worked nicely too
Pinking shears
Pins
Sewing machine
Thread
The length of fabric really depends on how you like your scarf. I like them tight to my neck, so I tend to favor a 1.5 yard cut. If you like it looser, go with a little more length. That cut of fabric will yield two complete scarves, so this is a perfect crafternoon project. You and a friend can each buy a cut of fabric and swap patterns. Or–since it is the gifting season–you can make one and gift one. Anyway…
Step One:
Lay your fabric out on a flat surface. Unfold it and cut down the middle length-wise {so you have two pieces about 27″ across} Use the pinking shears to prevent it from fraying loose from the seams you’ll be putting in in a minute.
Step Two:
Fold the “right sides” of the fabric together, and pin the open edge. {Side note…the tutorial is a demo of a different scarf than the one in the intro image}
Step Three:
Leave a 2″ gap at the end of the fabric, then sew all along the open edge. Remove the pins as you go, stop about 2″ from the other end. Back stitch at both ends.
Step Four:
Turn it, so the right sides are out again and you have a tube of fabric. Fold that tube in half and line up the open ends. Follow me here…You’ll have four layers of fabric stacked on top of one another. Take the middle two and pin them together.
Step Five:
This is where it gets a little tricky. But not too tricky. Get the outer two layers out of the way and start to sew the layers you’ve pinned together. Start at the very end. Back stitch. Keep going all the way around. Just try it. It makes more sense once you’ve done it.
Step Six:
When you are done, you’ll have a circular tube of fabric with just a little hole. {That’s the 2″ gap we left earlier.} Tuck the fabric that is sticking out back inside. Now, you can hand sew the gap…or, if you are lazy like me, fold the seam together and use the machine to sew really close to the edge.
After that you are done! It really is super easy. I wear the ones I’ve made all the time. Here’s me at Eddie Bauer last Christmas. They were making balloon hats for some reason…but who am I to say no to that?
Happy crafting!
by Amy | Nov 7, 2014 | Blog, Crafts, The Art of Projects
A long time ago….way back when there wasn’t frost on the ground and it stayed light until 11 o’clock at night, and I’d just had back surgery and wasn’t allowed to do much…I got glue gun happy and made this adorable DIY sisal tote bag.
That first one was a bit of an experiment so I didn’t document the process. But it came out lovely. I gave it away as a gift to my cousin and she just couldn’t believe that I’d made it from rope, a pillow case and a flat-rate mailing box. In my efforts to craft early for Christmas, I’ve made another, and this time I’ve got photos and instructions.
First gather your supplies:
A flat rate mailing box–or another cardboard box. Any size will do, but it’ll affect the finished shape of your tote.
Glue gun and lots of sticks.
A pillow case.
Sisal rope in a couple sizes.
Start with your box. Lay out flat, like the fist image. Here you can play around with folding up different sides to form the shape of your tote. The first one I made used a large flat rate box…the skinny kind. This one is a medium, more boxy box.
Fit your old pillowcase inside as a lining. Use some glue to adhere it to the bottom then fold the sides over the top. Cut away and excess you have, then glue the top of the pillowcase to the box. It doesn’t really matter how it looks right at this point, since it’s going to get covered up.
Then, start wrapping. Use a bead of glue to secure the rope to the box. When you get to the skinny sides with no cardboard, gently wrap it around and secure it well on either side.
This next part is pretty important. So listen to me and take my advice. As you continue wrapping, use your hand to keep consistent space on the sides as you wrap the rope around. Naturally, the box will want to become narrower toward the top. Every time you wrap around the side, use those polished fingers of yours to keep the space…so you don’t have a tote with a wide base and a really skinny opening at the top.
It’s kind of basic after that. Just keep wrapping. Switch rope sizes if you like. But keep going, around and around and around.
When you want to switch sizes, wrap to the side of your box, then tuck the end down the size {the lining will hide it} and glue it in place. Then take the end of your new rope, tuck it inside the side of the box as well, glue it in place and start wrapping where you left off.
Once you get to the top, wrap all the way up and over the rim, and do a row or two on the inside of the lining. You can see that part in this image of the first one I made.
Coil and glue rope on the bottom…and you’re almost done.
The last step is making handles.
Cut two pieces of rope for handles. If you want to embellish them a little bit, you can wrap skinny cord around them. Just be sure to space the details consistently so they are symmetrical once the handles are attached.
Attach the handles with hot glue or a combination of hot glue and super glue. If you are planning to use your tote mostly for decor, hot glue will be fine. But if you are planning to haul anything heavy in it, I’d recommend using super glue to be sure it can hold up.
Let everything dry and you’re done.
I really love the way these turn out…even it it does take some time, some glue burns and maybe a hint of crafter’s rage to produce one. They get easier and easier the more you make…so don’t be afraid. I’m totally confident in your ability to make a DIY sisal tote. They really do make awesome gifts. And they are super fun to fill with goodies and give away. You don’t even need to wrap it, just slap a bow on it and put it under the tree.
I haven’t decided what direction I’ll go with this one. {I won’t be giving it away filled with produce…} Two bottles of wine or sparkling cider and two pretty glasses fit nicely inside. Or, a couple magazines, a throw blanket and a subscription notice could be good filler. Or maybe I’ll pack it with picnic supplies. The options are endless.
Happy Friday. Happy crafting.
by Amy | Oct 23, 2014 | Blog, Crafts, The Art of Art, The Art of Design, The Art of Gathering, The Art of Projects, the house
Check out my spooky fall trees! Usually the chalkboard panels only live inside when I’m expecting or shooting photos…but a few weeks ago a client asked if I ever decorate them and leave them up. You can imagine how silly I felt when I told her “No.”
So, one night, while Derek was working late I drew up these spooky trees. I love them. They really put me in a festive, fall mood. Since we’ve had to clear everything out of the basement as we start to make progress on that project all my decor is being stored in the attic and is inaccessible. For the first year I can ever remember, my house was stark naked of fall decor. No leaves, no wreaths, no paper bats, no Halloween candy dishes, no 60’s plastic pumpkin lamp. Nada. I’m still jonesing for that pumpkin lamp, but the chalk trees are doing a good job of holding of a real hate rage.
My question, for you is…if you were me, would you leave these up all the time? Should I leave them through Christmas? Let me know. Comment here {really hoping the glitch is gone from the comment system…} or tell me on Facebook tonight.
On a side note, a couple nights ago some friends of ours hosted a pumpkin carving party. I cannot even start to describe the genius of these people I’m lucky enough to call friends. Look at this spread! Not a triangle-eyed face among them.
Please take special note of Mufassa, the adorable hedge hogs!! Oh, and Grumpy Cat! I’m so stinking impressed with every single one. I carved the spider. Probably my best yet. Even better than last year’s. Derek made the eagle in back. He’s so American.
Obviously, when we got home we snapped one of our self-timed pics we are so notorious for. Again, the trees look awesome.
Oh, and for good measure I nabbed a close up of the Grumpy Cat pumpkin our friend Danica made. Hope she’s okay with me stealing it from her Facebook page…I included it here because it’s so amazing and you all deserved to see a close up.
Be sure to come back tomorrow for more fall fun when I show off my first Artists in the Schools piece that I did today with a group of first graders!
by Amy | Oct 21, 2014 | Blog, Crafts, The Art of Art, The Art of Projects
I’m still trying to get some Christmas crafts in the works. One thing that I want to make for a few friends are canvas/sign art. I really didn’t know what route I wanted to go…so I started looking into the bowels of the Internet for inspiration. Without further ado…
20 tutorials, resources and ideas for creating your very own DIY Canvas Art
1. This technique from ‘A Casarella is fool proof. You don’t even make the letters yourself, and it looks super classy.
2. Great tutorial on making this colorful canvas, from Kallie at But First, Coffee.
3. I use this technique for all kinds of projects…including my statement stairs! Leana, at A Small Snippet did a great job of making an easy to follow tutorial.
4. This one requires a projector…but the results are simply amazing! Craftaholics Anonymous has a fab tutorial for using liquid leaf to make this statement piece.
5. This is another technique I love. Only basic supplies needed to transfer any font you can think of to canvas! See the how-to at Virginia & Charlie.
6. Christa’s Adventures offers an easy to follow tutorial for making an upcycled sign and adding lettering to it.
7. When it comes to making a distressed sign, I haven’t found a tutorial I like better than this one from Miss Mustard Seed.
8. The Thinking Closet made this sign with vinyl lettering. But even if you don’t have a vinyl cutter you should still pin this one simply for the sake of the pallet-sign tutorial.
9. This one doesn’t require any lettering at all. Just buy the letters and light them up. Another great tutorial from Uncommon Designs.
10. This tutorial from Saved By Love Creations does an awesome job of breaking down this pallet sign and how she got it perfectly lettered.
For those of you feeling a little more adventurous, here are five awesome tutorials on hand lettering and sign painting.
11. Diddle Dumpling used her printer and water to make a perfect transfer onto wood. Then she painted over the top.
12. This is a great look at how to create a hand lettered design from start to finish. Head over to A Pair & A Spare to see the tutorial.
13. Kristi from I Should Be Mopping the Floor did a guest post at Ring Around the Rosies to explain her technique for letting on a chalkboard.
14. For those confident in free handing, here’s a handy tip from Oh, So Very Pretty. I love that the tutorial covers the lovely gradient effect she achieved on the canvas!
15. Emily at Jones Design Company offers a great how-to on turning your own hand writing into something fancy-schmancy.
Now, just to make sure you are ready to create, here are five more resources for getting your quote art under way!
16. Get letting inspiration and great fonts from DaFont.com
17. Bible Gateway put out a list of it’s 100 most-read verses. It’s a great place to find the perfect quote.
18. Oh, and this is the page for A-Z Lyrics. I’ve got this linked to all the Switchfoot songs right now…a great place to find good quotes, since they are one of the greatest bands of all time. {But you can search any artist you like.}
19. Brainy Quotes has a great data base of all kinds of quotes. You can search by author or genre.
20. And finally a link to Rifle Paper Co. If you can’t glean inspiration from her, you won’t get it anywhere.
Happy Making!
by Amy | Oct 15, 2014 | Blog, Crafts, The Art of Projects
I know it’s only October–not even Halloween yet–but I’m already trying to line up some Christmas craftiness. Every year I tell myself that I want to make home-made gifts…and every year it comes to crunch time. I stress over getting things made, which completely zaps the joy out of crafting. This year, I’m determined to be different. I’m determined to start making a few things here and there–and hopefully by December I’ll have a good stash of hand-made creations to gift.
I started this week with these distressed glass bottles. These were kind of a trial run, but I am totally head over heels with the result.
They were so easy to make. They took a couple hours, but only due to drying time. This project started with my love for a maple syrup bottle that Derek and I emptied out over some loaded {shredded coconut, almonds, cashews and chocolate chips} pancakes. I loved it’s shape, I didn’t want it to be tossed to the bin. I started there and added a well-beaten red bottle I got in a “lot” at an auction.
Step one was giving each bottle an undercoat of spray paint. I experimented with two different colors. Hoping that the end product would allow a little of the color to peek through the distressed paint on the bottles.
I’ve been hearing word of the wonders of chalk paint and found this handy recipe to make my own {I used the plaster of paris recipe}. It you don’t know what chalk paint is, visit the link, it explains it all. But for the sake of this project, just know that it is well covering, opaque and will adhere to nearly any surface. I mixed some up in soup bins from the recycle bin and brushed an even coat on each bottle. Once that dried, I repeated the process.
Once that dried, I used a fine-grain sand paper and gently rubbed away some of the paint. In some places I took it down to the glass, in other places, I only took off the chalk paint to expose the spray paint underneath.
As a subtle finishing touch I rubbed a little glaze {left over from my cabinet redo} into textured places on the bottle. As soon as it was on, I wiped it away and into the cracks with a paper towel.
Once everything dried completely, I gave each finished bottle a spray coat of clear acrylic finish. I used this matte finish from Tree House Studio.
Pretty cute, right? Now you can make your own…or gamble on your chances of receiving this set from me for Christmas!
by Amy | Oct 1, 2014 | Blog, Crafts, The Art of Gathering, The Art of Projects
I love Halloween. That’s no secret at all. One of my all time greatest dreams is to go to or host an epic Halloween party, just like the one in Hocus Pocus. Skeleton-clad musicians included.
Even though I’ve never been to a party that great–yet–I’ve still had my fair share of awesome costumes. Mostly because I have an awesome costume partner. And, although most of our costumes were thrown together in the last minute, we still pulled them off. It’s been a few years since we were costume clad for Halloween…one year I was hospitalized, the next Derek was working, and the years after that we had moved to Minot where our house was too small to host a party and none of our friends did either.
But. But, but, but…that doesn’t mean that our most amazing {and infamous} costume has been forgotten. Quite the opposite. I do my fair share of Pinning, but 90% of the time when I’m notified that one of my Pins has been repinned…I see this.
Me, Derek, Spartan Cheerleader costumes.
Yes, it’s amazing, I know.
So I thought today, being October 1st–I’d revisit this costume. The one that gets me so much buzz.
A friend recently told me that she found it on the top search results on Pinterest. Last year a friend saw it featured on a blog…and today I was contacted by the associate editor of Huffington Post Weddings. She wanted to run it in a feature about couple’s costumes. You can read it here. It’s called “18 Awesome Halloween Costumes for Couples Who Don’t Suck.” So, I guess it’s official. If you think we suck, you’re wrong. The Huffington Post says otherwise.
Crazy, I know.
The craziest part is that we literally threw that costume together the day of Halloween for a party we’d just found out about. We walked into the thrift store with a few basic ideas, and when we laid eyes on those atrocious, red, men’s pants, we knew we’d struck gold. The white bands are cut up white T-shirts destined for the rag bin. I cut the letters out of felt, and the whole ensemble is hot glued together. Who know, way back then in Enid, OK we’d be making costume history?
We even quickly memorized one of the Spartan cheers, just in case. But that never got performed in public, since the party turned out to be pretty lame. {Especially for the types who don’t consume adult beverages…us.}
After all the moves, we still have the sweaters somewhere. Just last year, I made Derek get rid of the pants. He wore them curling. I told him we could afford a pair that is new, and not bright red, or part of a gag. I only hope they have found their way into the heart of another cheerleader…
If you are looking for costume inspiration this month, check out my Killer Costumes board on Pinterest, or the HuffPost article there are some seriously clever things in there {uhhh Butter and Paula Dean?!}
Happy Haunting.
by Amy | Sep 29, 2014 | Blog, Crafts, The Art of Art, The Art of Design, The Art of Projects
You know how something just keep getting shoved to the end of your to-do list? If not, props to you. Maybe we can chat sometime and you can tell me how to quit doing that.
But I digress.
Something that has been pushed to the end of the line over and over again, is getting my shop up and running. I’ve had the photos in a folder on my desktop for months. I’ve had the products to be sold sitting in the cloffice since June. But every time I thought about reviving my Etsy shop and updating my PayPal account, I felt like gagging…then I’d simply walk away from the computer, or take a stroll through Pinterest instead.
But after my weeks in South Dakota and Indiana, I came back revived and refocused. Ready tackle, promote and grow the blog and business. {The amazing feedback from the Bridesmaid Thank You Cards, also gave me a pretty good push.} I can now proudly say that:
The Amy Allender: The Art of Living Etsy shop is now open for business!
So, now, you can shop products I’ve created in my home “sweat shop” or designed. You can access the shop from my navigation bar here at the website, or by visiting my Etsy shop. Soon I’ll be adding more invitation designs as digital downloads, and new items as the holiday season approaches, so be on the look out for those.
And now that the PayPal account has been revived as well, I’m hoping to add a “pay online” feature for photo clients…so no more check writing at the time of your session. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’ll let you know when that goes live.
In the mean time, enjoy the shop. Favorite the shop. Share with your friends. Buy some gifts. You know, that kind of thing. I love you all. Thank you so much for encouraging me and being so amazing. If you have an Etsy shop, let me know by leaving a comment {I think I got that bug fixed too}. I’d love to check you out. Here are some items to get you started:
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