I made it turn into this!

Here’s how to make these little makeup organizers.

Cut out your fabric depending on the size you want. I cut out two pieces each 9×7. Sew them together on the sides on bottom, making little pouches. To label them, I got magazine cutouts. I wanted 3 pouches, one for skin makeup, one for lips, and one for eye makeup.

*Side Note* You could make these for your kids with cute pictures of them in the plastic labels. Or snack pictures, etc… Think of all the options for labeling!

Then I got some plastic sheeting. I found some inside a business folder. They also sell plastic, but I bet you could find some around your house! Cut them in little squares, depending on your labels.

Place them on the front of your fabric pouches.

Stitch in place.

Now for the inside of my pouch I used waterproof lining. Make another pouch insert like you did the outside. You could use any kind of fabric, I just thought the waterproof would be great for traveling and it’s so easy to wipe it down.

Turn the outside of the pouch and the liner inside out. Insert the liner into the pouch. Trim the fabric so they are the exact same size.

Stitch all the way around the top leaving an opening enough for you to get your hand in to turn right side out.

Pull it through your opening.

I like to use velcro to close things like this. With a zipper, I get to lazy and just won’t close it. This way it closes automatically when I put it back in my drawer. I also like to use the sew on velcro, not the sticky kind.  You could do a zipper or snaps, too.

So get some velcro the length that you want it.

Pin it in place.

Stitch all the way around the top and the bottom of the velcro.

Now you have perfect organizers for whatever you need them for!

I love organization!

I think he’s the most intuitively creative person I know. He’s a contractor and he and his brother, Josh, own Meschi Construction, Inc. Together they build some really amazing homes. ( Check them out HERE)

The work he does nevr ceases to amaze me. He has the best eye for design. He is an absolute perfectionist so the craftmanship in his work shows because it’s so hard to find these days.  Aside from building homes, he’s designed and built some great furniture for us. I just really wanted to share some of the things that he’s created for us.

This is our dining room table.

He made these mosaic table years ago. He even forged the iron himself!

This is one of my favorite pieces. It’s a red display cabinet that houses some of our favorite treasures.

Here’s a  bookshelf he built for the girls.

This is an end table he did.

These are night stands he did for my sister and brother in law when they got married.

He made this gorgeous alter for a chapel.

His work always inspires me because it’s detailed and thorough and he puts all of himself in everything he does. That’s why he’s a big inspiration to me.  And him being SO adorable doesn’t hurt, either!

Meet Katie.

She’s awesome and incredibly inspiring and artistic. So creatively stimulating that I had to show you all her website. She’s guestposting here today. Then GO GO GO and check out the amazing things she does!

Ruffled Wall Décor Tutorial

This project was inspired by a wall mural I created with my visual manager while working at Anthropologie in Geneva, IL. (photos below are of the original piece I created)

To create this version, I did the following:

MATERIALS:

-Approx 1 yd worth of 1 1/2-2 in. wide strips of various FABRICS or PAPERS

-Large paper for backing (butcher paper, etc—I used a roll of pinkish paper I found at Lowes)

-glue gun

-tape and tacs

-sewing machine

1. I cut strips out of fabrics with different textures and dyed some of them to have more varied hue.

2. I pleated/ruffled them on my sewing machine (I don’t ever pin beforehand, I just pleat or ruffle as I go, so that I can get a lot done very fast.)

3.I started to place them on the paper into different organic shapes, playing with the color and line as I went.

4. I hot-glued the strips down onto the paper, and then cut them out, creating a scallop around the edges.

5. To put them on the wall, I first put painter’s masking tape on the back. I then positioned them on the wall, constantly stepping back to decide if the flow of shapes was pleasing to the eye.

6. I then attached them to the wall with thumb tacks! Done!

Don’t forget to enter for the giveaway!

]]> http://www.madebylex.com/2010/03/guest-blogger-blue-eyed-freckle.html/feed 8 http://www.madebylex.com/2010/03/lamps-shade-refashion.html http://www.madebylex.com/2010/03/lamps-shade-refashion.html#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:25:23 +0000 Alexis http://www.madebylex.com/?p=883 To finish off our lamp makeover, let’s make a great shade to go with it. Start with a basic shaped lamp shade.

Peel the tape off the top and bottom. If you’re using the same shade fabric to recover it you can reuse this tape. If the  color is different you can leave it unfinished or get some bias tape in a matching color.

Measure the circumference of the shade.

I used a light chiffon to recover this so you could see through when the light was on. Take your circumference measurement and times it by 2.5 to get the length you need. Make sure your width is the width of the shade PLUS 2 inches.

Then, ruffle each side of the fabric.

Take your chiffon piece and start by pinning  in to the top of the shade Make sure you fold the chiffon over the edge and that you get the pieces folded over on the backside pinned as well. After you pin the top do the same all the way around the bottom.

After you pin it well, get a upholstery needle and some thicker thread and sew the shade in place, going from from to back so you get all of it sewn. This takes a little bit of time, but trust me- chiffon and hot glue is a burn accident waiting to happen. I know from experience…

When you’re done sewing the top and bottom, trim off any excess on the back of the shade.

Now for the decor on lampshade. Get some ribbon. I used this charcoal grossgrain to tie in with my base. You will need 3 times your circumference.

Fold it over as shown…

…then fold it like this to create small box pleats.

Pin in place and do the whole strip like this.

Stitch in place down the middle.

Now you can hot glue this to your shade.

You can reattach the tape that some shade have or use bias tape to finish off the top and bottom. I didn’t have the right color so I did without for the pictures.

Add a lovely finial and you’re done!

I really love this detail.

And I don’t think I showed you all my MAJOR score of the year. I have been pining over old mailboxes for years now, finally came across this dream one and got it for FREE!

Isn’t it dreamy? I have BIG plans for his…

Enjoy! Add pics to the flickr group!

What you need:

A working lamp

paper

mod podge

I wanted a neutral looking lamp, but with lots of character. So what I did was took this great old book I had that has all sorts of vintage prints. Cut them into squares around 1.5 to 1.5 inches. The sizes can vary slightly.

Start by applying some modpodge to the lamp.

Put your paper on applying modpodge on top of it. If I’m being honest, I don’t use a paint brush. I use my hands. You can get it much more smooth by applying lots of pressure to it to smooth out any kinks.

Layer the pieces, overlapping them as you go. Apply pressure with your hands to them to get out any air pockets.

Going around small curves like this is challenging. Make the pieces extra pliable by applying lots of modpodge and use slightly smaller paper squares.

When it’s completed, allow it to dry.

Once it’s dried, apply a couple coats of “Laminate It” or a similar product. This seals it and gives it a nice glossy finish.

Here’s the completed look. I also sprayed my base grey.

I love the look of this lamp.

Here’s another one I did a while back.

I used this gorgeous orange color. You can really see the glossiness of the laquer here.

It’s all one color, but with so much texture.

Stay tuned next week where I show you a cool technique for the lampshade!!