Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Fall R & D Brekkie On The Porch


Happiness is a Fall Porch!

There is so much energy in the air this morning I can barely contain my excitement.


It's so sunny with a hint of warmth in the air...

Halloween is this Friday I'm brimming with ideas!!! 


I need to take today by storm!

So I made up a filling brekkie...


GF Toast w/Pumpkin Cream Cheese & Dark Chocolate Chips! 
(Designed to keep me away from the Halloween candy) ;-) wishful thinking...

Reaaaaaaaaaalllyyyyy Crispy Bacon!

One local Honey Crisp Apple!

ALL the Vitamins w/a Glass of Water....

And last but definitely not least...

CINNAMON COFFEE!!!!!!!! 

So cinnamony that it makes me want to risk the palpitations & drink MORE!


& the gathered stack of R & D materials!

Today's productivity meeting:
I will be researching the cost & design of a few items I need for upcoming projects/events 
& going thru any unfinished biz from last weeks busy list!

Sneaky Peek of what wickedness is coming this week! 


There are a few more details yet to be photographed... ;-) 

Until then ....

Don't forget: 

If you don't steal your moments, the world will... 
#stealyourmoments

And as Always....

MAKE SOMETHING!!!

XOXO 
~JM

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

DIY Halloween Bat Wall

Ran out of festive string lights... Need something to spice up that last wall...


Na-na-nana-na-Naa BAT WALL!


And a little for that corner... Taped to the inside of the lamp shade... 

The Theme for this years Halloween Decor is Glam Witches Lair Btw...

Anyway...


I only had colored construction paper...


So I broke out the matte black spray paint...

I made use of that cotton canvas dropcloth afterwords as a batty wall hanging...




So I started building my design...


I wanted it to look like they were coming from behind my little dollhouse and flowing across towards the front door...


A soft purple light bulb illuminates from behind giving a sense of twilight...


Back to the bats....
Lots and lots of bats.


Scotch tape...


I cut them like paper hearts...

Folded in half and cut angles... my usual kamikaze style... didn't use a template, I wanted them to be all different shapes n sizes to give depth...

There are many helpful templates online to print/use or at least peek at for inspo...

Now to make them look 3-D by folding the wings...


Fold one...


Fold two...


Do the same to the other side!


Lookee it's done, woot!


Get some tape on your fingers, & roll them into little rolls...


Stick em on the bats...


Stick em on the walls!!!


As people walk in they don't notice...

Then they turn around, BOOM! 

There they are! 

Surprise! 

Making this Bat Wall was fun & easy!

I hope it's Making you think about Making one too! 

But...

Whatever you do... MAKE SOMETHING!

XOXO 
~JM

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Monday, October 13, 2014

DIY Fall Wreath


I am all about wreaths!

And I had plenty of left over supplies from crafting for our wedding...


Here's how I Made it:


Ready....


Wreath frame, rope and twine...


Wired it...


Wrapped it... Hope there's enough twine...?


It's not looking likely...


I decided to fishtail braid it to make it thicker...


Stopping & detangling every inch or so...


Add that burlap ribbon to take up any space the twine won't cover! Yes!


Nice... Could've been a total fail...


Tied the rest off with a bow... I made sure to distress the edges, of course ;-D


Added a few sheet music leaves...

I will remove them when it's time to get ready for Xmas! 

Gotta go Make more stuff!

I suggest you do the same...

XOXO
~JM

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Bitch, Make Your Own Wedding: The Dress!

Love of my life + getting engaged = Ima need a dress!

So many lovelies on the net to drool for....

Not psyched about the price tag....

Time to Clever Bitch this one out!

I took to the net for inspo:


I totally loved the Boho styles I found!

Piece of cake.... Well, that was my attitude anyway....

I started by putting together a few outfits, y'know incase we decided to elope... LoL


I purchased a couple of inexpensive white dresses to practice some tailoring techniques:


Online finds from Old Navy & Forever 21...

I began to "rework" the Old Navy by throwing it on my duct tape mannequin...


Swiss dot overlay.... Yummy... 

But not quite hitting the spot... 
D-: Omg... Puns...
( Btw actual wedding shoes above right ;-)

Just when I thought I hit a rut...

I found at Joanne's Fabrics...
The same awesome/cotton/latticey pintucked w/lace fab as this dress I liked on etsy:


It was on sale! Music to my ears! 

I purchased 7yards, more than enough! 

I waited until 4months before our wedding to start, to give enough time to construct/alter... 

Or make sure I wasn't going to change my mind on the design...

 Here's a sum up:


I went with a boho kimono silhouette...

~Draped the fab over the dummy, cut a v-neck.
~Kamikazed a seam (no time for pinning, life is short!) I went straight from end of sleeve to bottom hem/end of fab. 
~Tried it on & boom, it was was done. 
~I left the fabric longer in the back so I could sculpt out a train...


Above is a dress my aunt gave to me for extra fab from a Salvation Army... 
I used this as the lining.
This meant a zipper was already there.... Cha-Ching! 
I trimmed the extra layer of fab w/lace off & gave it a v-neck...
A few handy stitches on the shoulders to keep them from shifting &
Connecting the two layers around the zipper for function...
Easy Peasy!


Deciding how to finish the back took a while. 
I used a design app on my iPad to sketch out a few samples. 

Then I found the pic below online...


I kept the edges frayed on my dress, some of them were WILD like an old fave pair of jeans, torn & worn. I used a stiff bristled brush to rough up any smooth ends.

Then I needed a sash/belt. 


So many opts! 

...Bottom left....

Simple taupe FTW!


Remember: 

You don't have to be Crazy Maker Bitch like me. 

DIY doesn't mean you have to Do It ALL By Yourself.... 

*A BIG Shout Out*
To the Friends & Family Members that gave support Mentally/Physically/Financially  :-D

With an extra set of eyes or hands on the project...
When the details are mounting & time is in short supply...
Things like remembering where your steamer is on the day of.... 

Priceless! 

Where did I stash that steamer...?

Besides, if our priorities had allowed for a bigger budget....


Monique Lhuillier.... Just sayin...

Anyway ;-) the head gear...

I went with my sculpting instincts, having practiced for months on different designs:


The Inspo...


The Makings....


So many Smiles! A Fascinator Headband made of beads, tulle, & feathers.


A feathered flower boutonier for him...
A flowered harness for the pup...
I had the whole Fam looking perfect!


Budget Friendly Ceremony & Reception Looks:
Just a few bucks shy of $200 spent on BOTH of our outfits.

The Result: 

A No-Debit Wedding!

We had an amazing day! 
So happy, 
So in LOVE...

And Bitch...

I MADE IT MYSELF!!!!


Wo0t!

MAKE, MAKE, MAKE!!!

Make some Happiness,

Make some LOVE, 

Make your Dress!

MAKE SOMETHING!!!

XOXO
~JM

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More "Bitch Make Your Own Wedding" Posts:

~Table Tops
~The Invitations