What thoughts come to mind for Father's Day gift giving? Do you send or give only cards? Perhaps you shop for the perfect gift and still come away with less than what you wished to give him. Want to know a secret? Men adore handmade gifts from the heart. 

Ask a few male friends or family members and they will most likely tell you given the choice heartfelt and handmade trumps store bought signs and mugs that read, "Greatest Dad". Maybe your little ones want to give that sign or mug to send the message  they love their Dad and, they still can with a handmade gift from the heart.

A great example is the Men's Fedora Hat by Vogue (left). Toss out the thoughts that you could never sew this hat pattern! With only three pieces, lining and interfacing this is one gift idea to make in a few short hours. My husband gave me a great idea for the fabric with the suggestion of wool shirts and coats from the thrift store! Is there an old coat, tweed jacket, or wool shirt (make sure it's not in use anymore!) that could use new life? Upcycle into this amazingly easy to sew Fedora for Father's Day. 

The internet holds thousands of craft ideas for making gifts, including the page at Red Ted Art. With more than 40 links to handmade gift tutorials, there is bound to be something you and the kids can create for Dad that is sure to fill his heart with love and pride.

Dads adore handmade from the heart; they're kind of cool like that.  As you plan, search and create the gift for the perfect man in your life, I wish each of you success, joy and inspiration today and always!

Sher

Crash dieting won't get you anywhere, and in fact the weight tends to stay and/or increase. There are several options to solve this painful dilemma:

•  Take the piece(s) or outfit to a seamstress or tailor.
  
•  Alter your outfit and/or favorite apparel pieces for the occasion.

Redesigning is not for everyone; however, if you have the time, patience and the heart to take apart your favorite special outfit this is a good time to learn and understand garment construction. Below are a few tips and basic steps in reconstruction. 

4. Take it apart only where needed and start your reconstruction. A few fun ideas for increasing sizes are:

• Add in side panels. Make them not so obvious by adding in fabric that contrasts or of a different texture. 
• Take out sleeves and turn into a vest.
• Take out elastic in the waist and gain an additional 3"-4".
• Add in a top panel all around to the top of a skirt, with gathers below (2 - 3 paneled skirt).
• Open front of dress into a scoop line or v-neck; add in false front.
• Add color blocks in different shapes (Diagonals work best).
• Make backs of dresses into lace up style bodice.

In all my years of sewing and DIY projects, I imagine I have enough experience to qualify as a professional "Handy Woman". I adore sewing; however, while alterations are good work with terrific outcomes there is a strong sense of satisfaction and pride from DIY or sewing repairs. Recently, I received a fun compliment when a loyal customer stated,"You are so talented you could make #@#$%  look good!"

If I would have taken pictures over the past 30 odd years of all the last minute repairs of melted lace and beads on wedding gowns, torn suits, zippers, torn or shredded upholstery, broken and/or burned furniture, and recently a bathtub (the rust and lyme were so thick it took more than 20 hours of chipping and scrubbing to clean) there would be enough to publish a coffee table best seller! Extreme Repairs include that mess of fabric pictured above. The hood was burned in a welding accident. Metal pieces were melted into parts of the fabric and the poly fibers melted so much it turned to a plastic like material. Ahh yes, well...repairs that are extreme in nature seem to be how I roll! 

Challenge: "See what you can do?"
The young man handed me his coat with the, "I can't believe I did this." sort of look and asked me, "See what you can do with this?" He bought it recently and was shocked at how fast the fabric melted (Good word of caution there - check the fabrics in your child's coats).  First step: Cut away burned areas and see what's left. I carefully seam ripped the hood off, having to actually cut away some.  Once the hood was off, it looked quite repairable.

That's about it! It's how I roll on a day to day basis around here. There is always a new project waiting on the side lines for those days when I am not crocheting, designing, sewing, etc. Future challeges? Bring 'em on!

Wishing you all success and inspiration today and always, 
Sher

Love You. 
Give yourself a Valentine - better yet, why not every day?  Give yourself the gift of love.  

Try any of these gifts to yourself:

o   Essential Oils & Warming Bags

o   Plants for spring or seeds to plant

o   Movie & Spa Day

o   Lunch or Dinner with Your Best Friend or a Dinner Party!

o   Get that New Book You Have Been Wanting to Read (while you are at it, a new book mark!)

There is no sin in being single; many prefer it that way.  This does not mean those of us who normally won't recognize the holiday of love, can't start now. No matter how you plan to spend Valentine's Day, it's never fun to be without a way to celebrate it. Make it cardless and think green (or red?  or what ever color you choose!). Gift yourself, a neighbor, friend, co-worker, partner or spouse. If you have children, get them in on the scheming and planning of a DIY I<3 U Day! 

Wishing you much success and inspiration today and always,
Sher

A more in depth approach to this golden rule: replace "tools" with "skills" and then "knowledge". The difference is now the golden rule has turned into a metaphor for learning. You are probably asking, "What does this have to do with trends in fashion, sewing, DIY, crochet, etc.?"  I will answer with this: if you don't have the knowledge to use the tools, or the skills to apply use to the tools, your outcome will be disastrous.  Disasters in fashion, sewing, crochet, knitting, upcycling, and even your employment are costly in time, money and emotional well-being. 

I am a firm believer (my mission) that people can rethink their plan in any arena and design their world to fit them. This does not mean we all fit the same molds in apparel and home decor or crafts.  Obviously, though we may have similar tastes and styles, we are each different. The current trend (and it's not a trend to me, but okay, I'll bite...) is upcycling - everything.  Good things can go overboard like HERE with humorous look at a craft fail. 

Each piece pictured in the spring fashions have a basic foundations - jacket, straight skirt, sleeveless shift, button down blouse, the classic tank.  The accessories are those found in about any thrift store in our old bags and boxes of accessories we've stored away. 

Where does upcycling fit with these fabulous trends?  Many will make their own garments based on these designs and with skill and knowledge they will make most of them from upcycled garments. However, some will try without having the skills and guess where it will end up? With exploration first, find out what you enjoy, are good at or want to learn. Once you have in mind what you want to learn, begin with learning the basics skills and build your knowledge base from there.  In crochet, learn to chain; in knitting, learn to cast on; in upcycling you will need several basic skills such as sewing or using hand tools and knowledge of your own personal style and tastes.

My point: as long as you have the skills and knowledge and know your style you can pull any of the trends off with upcycling.  Follow the Second Golden Rule.

Whether you are making changes in style to your home or apparel keep these in mind:

• Stay true to your style.  
  
• Because it's all the rage, doesn't mean it fits your style.
• Learn the skills and build your knowledge foundation.
• The skills and knowledge will give you the right tools for the job.

For Little OnesChildren about the age of 4 - 7 seem to show the strongest interest in gifts and the tradition of stockings.  Here are a few suggestions for their stockings.

Playdough
From all the recipes I've ever found and used this has to be the best I've come across.  The trick seems to be the gelatin powder.  Substitute a generic form for the brand name and the results are the same.  
http://www.modernparentsmessykids.com/2012/05/play-dough.html

Colored Bath Crayons
Kids love to play in the bathtub so adding a little creative fun will be no worry with this simple recipe for crayon soap.  I made this last season for my grandson and it was a great hit with him (Mom & Dad too!).  http://www.ehow.com/how_6519814_make-bath-crayons.html
I have a few tips when making this recipe:

•  Use Ivory bar soap when possible. It's buoyant and rinses clean.
  
•  Use only a little water when mixing.
  
• Be generous when adding food coloring.  Only a drop or two does not make vibrant color.
•  Not to worry about stains when mixing.  It washes cleanly with hot water.
  
• I froze mine until ready to wrap for gifting. They also dry faster when they are frozen.

Zipper Pulls
I've always like this idea of something to hold to while pulling that zipper up or down.  I wonder how many zippers would have been saved with using a zipper pull? Use your imaginations on these.  I came up with a few good ideas for items to make zipper pulls with.  Making these is just a matter of creativity.  Your materials needed are probably all around your home and in that junk drawer that still isn't cleaned out (No, I haven't done mine completely either!). Materials you may need:

• Wire (I have used stripped twist ties)
• Wire Cutters (Needle Nose Pliers work well)
• Key chains/fobs
• D Rings, Key Rings or Clips
• Misc. items such as old jewelry, pony beads, toy compass, old toy figurines, mismatched game pieces, etc.

I found a terrific link to a strong tutorial on making a unique zipper pull for all ages: http://www.ucreatewithkids.com/2012/08/diy-bottle-cap-zipper-pull.html

Button Bobby Pins
For a thoughtful and inexpensive gift, make sets of Button Bobby Pins. This is an idea for all ages of girls and young women. Here is a link to a smart tutorial I found on making these with strong tips for making the task easier!        http://tipgarden.blogspot.com/2012/04/button-bobby-pins.html

Hacky Sacks
I love hacky sacks! Admittedly I am not good at playing the game but I have made as gifts and incentive rewards many hacky sacks.  Instead of re-creating the wheel on the pattern or tutorial, I found a terrific pattern at TLC that uses those stray socks left by the washing machine.   A green gift! 
http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/make-hacky-sack-out-of-orphan-sock.htm

For A Little Older & Adults

Personalized Bookmarks
Again, such a wonderful way to express how much you care about your teen or older adult style, likes and interests.  Is there a favorite book, author or game character? Bookmarks have the ability to be entirely personalized.  Suggestions are:

• Embroider initials, author, or other item on the bookmark
• Make felted bookmarks from wool (use old sweaters)
• Download and print, then laminate (or Mod Podge) pictures of favorite things (fairies, game characters, authors, titles of books, etc.).  Attach a tassel at the top.

The bookmarks I made in the past had pictures which came from an old publisher when I lived on the West Coast - Green Tiger Press, http://greentigerpress.com/. The sky is the limit when you create bookmarks. Here is a link to get you started:
http://tipnut.com/make-bookmarks/

Locker Magnets (or Home, Office)
There are so many sites dedicated to making these simple little charms for home, office or the student locker, that it was tough to decide on any one link to get you started.  They are super easy to make and you can use so many things from around your home to get started.  Some use bottle caps with stickers inside, others make more elaborate magnets using scrap fabrics, card stock and over the top embellishments.  It's your gift and you know best what the recipient will like. One tip I will offer: Look around your office or home for unused, unwanted magnets and scrap materials to make these with. Magnets can be a little pricey when you find them at craft stores, so I'd try around home first.  Ask your relatives or friends if they have a few they are not using.

Car/Air Freshener
A quick and easy project to be completely creative with!  This is perfect for teens who just started driving (or those who are), lockers, homes, offices, etc.  Here is how to make your own fragrant air fresheners:
Materials:

• Old scrap fabric or fabrics you want to upcycle (sweats, towels, blankets, etc.)
  
• Ribbon or string
  

• Thin cardboard (from cereal or other food boxes, mailers, soft drink boxes)
  
• Glue
  
• Scissors
  
• Marking pen
  

If you are not inclined to drawing, download and cut out shapes or trace shapes from an item you want or have. Trace the shape w/the marker onto the cardboard and cut out.

Use the cut out to trace two of this shape onto the fabric you selected.

Fold ribbon or string in half and glue ends together on cardboard cutout.

Glue fabric shapes to each side of cardboard cutout.

When dry, drop enough Essential Oil (they are natural and found in most stores) onto the covered shape. To refresh the customized air freshener, give a bottle of the essential oil along with several of the air fresheners you have made as a set in the stocking stuffer. 

Bath Gifts
This could be a bit more personal and most likely for the older adults, unless you are making animal or shaped sponges for children.  

Soap Cozies, scrubbers and other bath gifts are terrific as stocking stuffers.  Make it an entire spa set with this pattern by Day Dreams and add a little essential oil to the gift. 

If you are handy at sewing, use old wool scraps and make soap cozies by sewing a small pocket for the soap and adding a pull string.  The wool will felt naturally as it is used.  

Here we are at week six in the series of my gifts to you.  There will be a 'bonus' week next week so be sure to keep an eye on the feed.  If you haven't subscribed yet, why not now? Subscriptions are free and you are sure to receive the latest in patterns, news and discounts first! Enter your email to the right!

The Basics of Pillows
Pillows can be personal. Some won't travel or sleep without their own pillow while others love a personal lounging pillow to toss on the floor or couch. By asking and answering these basic questions, you will save yourself from any embarrassment or wasted time when making the perfect pillow as a gift. 

On the topic of new uses for old materials, there are plenty of fabrics around your home to use for making most kinds of pillows.  Old sheets and pillow cases, those fleece throws, t-shirts, jeans (Yes, denim makes great pillows), favorite apparel (that you haven't worn in 20 years because it will never fit again). Get the imagination going and see what's in the closets before dashing off to the thrift or discount store. 

That's it! Easy, right? The basics are to decide on your material, size, who it will be for, and what to stuff it with.  Keep upcycling and repurposing in mind.  One more thing: Pillows do not have to be square or round!  What about oblong, oval or animal shaped?  What pillows you have made that are fun and useful? Have you made one that is still being used for the favorite lounge around pillow? 

Wishing you much success and inspiration on this project, 

Sher

It's That Time of Year . . . 
You know the one - the holiday season. There are still a few months yet, but getting a jump on what you will be making or buying to give for gifts should start with writing your ideas down so your best ideas don't land behind the cabinet or refrigerator.