Winter Wear!

My mom called to inform me she was getting rid of some old clothes.... so I jumped into the car to check out what was in the giveaway bag. Don't get me wrong I am ALL about hand me down clothing (secret: 90% of my wardrobe is hand me downs from my trendy aunt), but I wanted to scope out my mom's giveaways for materials I could re-purpose.... Clothes are free material and free notions (buttons, snaps, etc.) and as a crafter on a very strict budget FREE anything is a-ok by me!

I have been loving the picture posts on pinterest and etsy of ear-warmers.... yes, it's that time of year in the midwest again! I decided to transform one of my mom's sweaters into one.... btw, if you decide to attempt this make sure to rub the sweater against your cheek to make sure it's not going to irritate your skin (yes, this sounds ridiculous, but really no one's watching.... except maybe your kids but they think you're weird anyway). The project took about an hour, I used the cutting template from here (but not the directions), using a free sweater, thread, velcro, and a button I had on hand this project required no out of pocket expense. I'm pretty sure the worst part of this project was taking pictures of myself wearing it! Since there were quite a few sweaters in the bag.... I'm thinking Christmas presents......

Design Idea: Fabric Covered Hooks

We recently finished our half bathroom. The whole room was "inspired" by these gray and yellow towels I had found at Target.... but I have this problem: I am indecisive when it comes to decorating and furnishing my home! Sure, I can easily design and pick out items for other people but when it comes to myself it takes me FOREVER to make a decision and by the time I do I am ready to re-paint and redecorate (visualize my husband rolling his eyes at this moment).

Back to the half bathroom, I was having a hard time finding a towel rack that I liked AND was affordable. Since I have quite a stash of fabric and my husband has quite a stash of wood I decided to make my own. It was a really easy project and the total cost was under $10! I was so inspired by how easy and cheap it was I made a coat rack in the coat closet at "kid level" so my children could hang up their own coats, and a purse/bag holder for under our open staircase.

                   BEFORE                                                                         AFTER

Items Needed:
Fabric (Use wood and cut around, make sure there's enough excess to wrap and staple)
Wood (cut to size to fit space)
Hooks (Home Depot has a great selection)
D-Rings for 30 lbs (also available at Home Depot)
Staple Gun

Little Boy Bow Tie

This week was a "business milestone": my first Etsy order! As such, I wanted to throw in a little something extra for the customer. She informed me that the baby shoes she ordered were for the upcoming arrival of her first baby and they were going to be worn on the baby's first holiday, Thanksgiving. Since she didn't know if it would be a boy/girl (gotta love surprises!) I made a bow that could be worn as a bow tie for a boy or a headband for a girl. Here's some pics of my little man modeling the bow tie.... Let's just say he loved it and I did too. I'm thinking a Christmas bow tie is in his future :)

.

Interested in purchasing a bow tie for your little guy? They are only $7!!!! Contact me to order.

Shoes!!!!!

Just out of the trunk..... Shoes!!!!! Here are some fall shoes to treat those lil baby feet. I have baby sizes for sale in my etsy shop....  BUT if you are looking for a different size (we do children and adult sizes too!) contact me.

Fall - Tis the Season to Sew!

It is officially fall (where does the time go?).... which basically means it is craft season! Ok, well I guess it's ALWAYS craft season, but there is something about fall that makes me want to sew. I'm not sure if it's the beautiful fall colors, the fun fall fabrics, the chill in the air that makes me want to stay inside, or all the fun fall projects that I have been waiting until now to work on.... That being said, here's some of the items I am working on: aprons, shoes, place mats, table runners, hot pads and more. I LOVE fall fabric, below are some of the goodies I've found!

See something you like that isn't for sale in my shop? Want a custom order? Contact me!

Custom Orders

I just finished two custom orders.... well, okay it was officially one since the other project was for myself. The first "real" custom order was for a college friend of mine who is expecting her first child in December (yay!). She was interested in purchasing a nursing cover, but wanted one in brown/cream colors.... since I didn't have one pre-made I took a quick trip to the fabric store (oh, darn) and had far too much fun picking out new material for this project! I hope she loves it and gets plenty of use out of it.

The second "custom order" I just completed was for myself. We just finished painting our family room.... which means I needed to sew new pillow covers! The colors really brighten the space and I love how they turned out.

Etsy Launch Giveaway! - UPDATE

Yellow Trunk Designs has officially opened its Etsy Shop... not all items in the trunk are listed yet but we are open for business! In celebration of this "monumental" day we are doing a giveaway of the Black and White Flower Belt Bag as shown above...... This giveaway is for anyone interested (hint, hint, all you men who want to score points with your wife/girlfriend this is a good way to do so... Just sayin!)

In order to win this beautiful bag you must do the following:

1. Click on the "My Shop" link at the top of this page to view my Etsy Shop.
2. Comment on this Blog Post as to which item listed for sale is your favorite and include your name if you are an anonymous poster (it'd be nice to know who you are).

A drawing will be held Friday, October 1st and the winner will be announced!

***UPDATE***
Using Random.org's random list generator I would like to congratulate Katie C. as this month's giveaway winner!