day 18: in which melissa reflects

Wow. The end of the month kind of crept up on me! I blogged more than half of the days that I said I was going to. A little disappointing but what the hell. At the very least it was half. And it was a little bit harder than I expected I guess. It's tough coming up with different things to post each day. And editing photos is usually a pain in the ass. But I'm glad I attempted it and had fun with it. So I hope this will help me post more regularly than I have in the past. That was my intention heading into this lofty experiment: to push myself to share more here.

Here's a little peek at a sewing project I completed, too:

It turned out a little taller than I had anticipated. I'm going to modify the next one a little to make it shorter and skinnier, more like a pencil pouch, which was what I wanted make.

Tomorrow I'll be making a hard book-like cover for my Kindle.

day 17: let's try that again

I feel like I'm going to be on a bit of a sewing kick for the next week. I want to get it all out of my system before I don't have access to a sewing machine any longer. Remember when I said that I was going to try my hand a making a cute clutch, and then failed to do so within a reasonable time frame? Well, I'm going to remedy that tomorrow! Going to the fabric store to find some suiting fabric I like and make this boxy zippered bag from see kate sew and a few other things. Take that, Lazy Mel! Creative Mel is making a serious comeback.

Although I did sew another skirt recently with my friend Aimee. I guess I'm not all that lazy... I'll post a picture of it tomorrow when I wear it.

day 3: cool in the clutch

via ali foster patterns

via bhg

via elisharon

So, I think you may know me well enough that I fancy myself a crafty girl. My mom started me sewing when I was little, but I didn't sew much in middle or high school. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I got back into it with a free skirt pattern I found here (I've got another currently in the works with a friend. It's red striped seersucker! Perfect for summer.) So when I saw Sharon's cute clutch purse and saw that she made it, I knew I had to try it out! So I've been looking at free patterns today online and pondering fabric prints. I'm really liking the stripes on Sharon's and they're so classic, but floral is always feminine and adds something special to any outfit. We'll see what the fabric store has for me this week!

And I think I can get into using a clutch... I'm usually more of a messenger/cross-body type, but with something this adorable, who couldn't get into using one? And maybe I can modify it to make one to fit my Kindle!

diy shirts

So I haven't posted in a while. Being out of sorts sucks chiz. It was a weird weekend... again. Familial issues.

Anyway. Yesterday was Gabby's birthday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! You're 19 now!!! Which means you're almost 23, which means you're almost dead! Ha ha ha ha. *cough*

Last night, Jennifer and I went down to the lake to go running. We usually go in the morning, but Jen had the brilliant idea of going later so we could go to Barton Springs after for FREE!! Who doesn't like free stuff?! Nobody. And on top of that, it was a full moon. Now, you ask, what does that mean, Melissa? Well I'll tell you! It means people pretend to be wolves and howl at the moon! In the pool! WOW! EXCITING! But it really was a ton of fun. Except when you stop swimming because you then start to freeze because that water is so cold.

And now for something completely different: First. Tutorial. Ever!

I LOVE making graphic designs on t-shirts. If I see a simple t-shirt in a store with a design on it, I try to think of ways to recreate that on my own.

I get my t-shirts from craft stores like Hobby Lobby or Michael's and from Goodwill. Goodwill is a more environmentally friendly choice, so I try to do as often as possible.

Here's the finished shirt:


I designed this one. Nothing in a store inspired me to make it.

Materials:

• t-shirt
• scissors
• tape of desire width (I'm using electrical tape, but masking tape would work well, too)
• 3D fabric paint
• a permanent marker
• a piece of cardboard or stiff paperboard

I'm showing the process on the back after making sure that it worked a looked good. I also reused the tape just to be a little more eco-friendly.

So first, you need to cut your tape pieces and position them on the shirt anyway you like. All the tape can be one length or different lengths, evenly spaced or randomly spaced. It is completely up to you. I really liked mine being all over the place. Very dynamic.

Tip: Smooth out the tee and simply place the tape down. Don't pull the tee because the tape will wrinkle.


Start scribblin'! Oh but first put that piece of cardboard in the shirt. You don't want the marker to bleed through to the other side and it makes it easier to scribble on. Scribble. I like that word.

Tips: Start right on the edge of the tape and fill in that line and work your way out. It will make a really sharp, defined line. And stretching the fabric really helps the lines dark.

And you don't have to stick to black! Pick any color(s) you like! Imagine how rad it would like with 3 or 4 colors! Black was just I had on hand.



Keep going until you reach the last piece of tape you have put down, but don't go around it yet. When you move the tape, you won't have to worry about place tape over a part that's been colored in already, if that makes sense...



Next, start going over the permanent marker scribbles (hehe) with the 3D paint. This just makes a darker mark that the marker and give the design texture.



Peel up the tape carefully (there is still wet fabric paint on it!) and move on to the next section!



And finito! A completed shirt! Well, I then proceeded to cut of the collar because I had gotten paint on it, but minor details matter not!

Here's a more fashionable, trendy shirt that I made:



Looks like something you would buy in a store, yes? I made this. It was very simple and free flowing and fun! All I did was find a picture of a peacock feather and copied it as best I could, first with chalk, then with permanent marker. Very. Simple.

Enjoy your newly altered shirts! Have fun with them!