I used the Cuttlebug to emboss a plain piece of tin purchased at a hardware store. It was really easy to bend over the sharp edges then wrap it around 2 “D” rings from another (old) belt. After sewing in a length of double-faced ribbon from SAS Fabrics, I was ready to go!

I have been admiring all the rag flower hair clips and pins in Anthropologie and I have been hankering to make some for myself. Turns out it’s really easy!

How to Make a Rag Flower Pin:

Cut fabric into strips (1"x20")

Tie 3 strips together. Leave a little "tail". It will be the center of the flower

Twist first strip.

Run lines of glue, and begin wrapping twisted piece around center knot

Tuck end in and glue, and repeat process with other 2 strips.

Twist, wrap and glue all three stips.

If you need to, secure with a pin until dry.

Choose a fastener and sew on the back after the glue is dry.

Snip center of flower to fluff out the center.

Use the iRock to apply some sparkle.

Have fun! Have a great weekend!

Until Tomorrow~Sarah

The “Bossman” from Provo Craft and his lovely wife were in from Utah visiting family and we all went to dinner at the Four Peaks Brewery in Tempe. I ordered the Oatmeal Stout (of course) and the Fish ‘n’ Chips—they were excellent! I wanted to craft something fun for the occasion and in honor of our new partnership with the very nice people at Provo Craft.

I had been hanging onto a super boring denim skirt I bought at Old Navy (for, like, $2) and decided yesterday was the day to do something with it. Not only did I wear it last evening, but it became my first craft post on Mixology Crafts.

Now for y’all who missed the story on this: Cyndi and I fell into a great opportunity working with the crafting company Provo Craft (remember the crocheted owls in the 70s?). They needed a craft blog and we had the skills. I first met the fine people of Provo Craft in January at the CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) trade show, and we have been forging a friendship ever since. The Mixology Crafts blog will soon reside on their home page (www.provocraft.com)—exciting!

Now back to my skirt…

Here it is all finished and ready to wear. I pulled out the Cuttlebug and the die-cutting dies—being careful to select the ones I use only on fabric(paper dulls the blades!) I backed cotton fabric with a stabilizer so it would cut better and chose the paisley die to be the birds’ wings and a fun flower to put in the tree.

A tight (.05) zigzag, set to a wide stitch (5) made the tree stand out nicely. Glossy embroidery thread helped the look adding sheen.

Details..details…here are the details…

I am sitting here listening to the most delightful music in the morning. After hearing Paddy Moloney of The Chieftains on Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me (NPR) talk about his new CD I just had to have it for myself. It’s a mix of traditional Irish with traditional Mexican music. Check it out, it’s really spectacular >> The Chieftans featuring Ry Cooder “San Patricio” on Amazon.com. For you graphic designers out there, the (packaging) CD cover design is one of the most beautiful layouts I’ve ever seen.

It’s cold out, baby! This novel temperature (for Phoenix that is) gets me excited to pull out the scarves I used to wear up north.

A few years ago I knitted a scarf (my first actually!) and upon seeing it again I decided it needed a little flair. So, I unpackaged a nifty little tool I just acquired.

With the Knifty Knitter flower loom, I whipped out this pretty pink confection in under 5 minutes—no kidding! Then, I threaded the loose yarn bits through the scarf about 6 inches up so I could wrap myself up and tuck the end in. The flower looks like it’s pinned on, but actually it is fuss free.

It was so easy, I plan on “knitting” a few more flowers for my hair.