Button Zipper Pull

I thought I'd share something new with you today. For months I've been trying to come up with a good-looking and durable, but inexpensive zipper pull I can use on my purses with zipper closures. In the past I have attached a split ring and a charm. This worked great, but I couldn't decide on one particular charm that I could use repeatedly that would be identifiable with SewArtsy. I tried beaded zipper pulls, but I'm terrible at beading, and I don't want to spend the money outsourcing zipper pulls.

I noticed a couple of days ago that the covered buttons I was making fit perfectly between thumb and finger (I mostly use the 3/4 and 7/8 inch size, but they come in a variety of sizes), and if I could figure out a way to attach them securely to the zipper they would always coordinate perfectly with the purse I was working on. Here's what I came up with, and lo and behold it worked!

What you'll need:
*fabric
*covered-button assembly in desired size
*coordinating cording in desired length, 1/8" width fits through the hole in a Coats and Clark zipper

Step 1: Cut fabric twice the size of the finished button.







Step 2: Place fabric right side down over the button maker and then put the button face down on top of that. Push both pieces into button maker using the "pusher" (blue part). I trimmed my fabric just a tad to reduce a bit of the bulk.

Step 3: Cut cording to desired length and slip through hole in zipper - long enough to fit into button housing, but not so long that it has too much give once the button is done. Play with it and find the best length to suit you. (Mine was just over 2")

Step 4: Gather the two ends of the cording and lay them on top of the button maker. Place button backing on top.




Step 5: Press down firmly with the "pusher". Push as hard as you can until you clearly hear it go into the back of the button (the cording adds bulk to the back of the button, so you really need to push hard to make sure the back goes all the way in and the back won't pop off after removing the button).


Step 6: Pop the finished button out of the button maker, and voila, your perfectly coordinated zipper pull.






You can do this step before or after sewing in your zipper. And it will work on any zipper - try adding one to your child's windbreaker - it will make zipping up a jacket easier and much more fun! Have fun trying it out!

Happy Tuesday! Amy

A Revamped Nursery

So, you know I love to sew. You may know that I love African things. What you may not know is that I love artist Julia Cairns' prints! I think I have made, and am currently making, several things from each of her fabric lines over the past few years. Of course I've made totes for friends, but I have kept a few of my bigger projects because I just cannot bear to part with them!

Earlier this year I ordered her line for Quilting Treasures called "Radiance", and revamped our nursery, and I LOVE it! The colors are unexpected for a baby's room, yet are still soft and calm. And best yet - because it is not a baby print it will hopefully be well-loved for years to come by #3!

Included in the redecorated nursery are wall hangings I made using Anna Maria Horner's painted silhouette technique;



a gorgeous photo frame trio made by Fabrications By Lindsay;




















Vinyl wall decals of birds in orange from Ceejay77;









and made by me from the Radiance line are:

a new valance,












a covered pillow,















a do-it-yourself lamp
















a small wall hanging/cloth mini quilt,













and a lap quilt, into which I added some soft peach and green subtle prints from Moda.






I'm just so happy with the way everything turned out! What do you think?

I would love to know if you enjoy Julia Cairns' work as much as I do, and if you've made anything using her prints? Also, I have a fair amount of fabric left, and wonder if you have any wonderful ideas for nursery decor or baby/kid items to share?

Currently, I am also working on a new panel for a wall hanging from her "Sunset Safari" line. I'm trying a new quilting technique or two, so I'll post on that once I finish the project. And I'm soon going to be purchasing a stash of her newest line "Joyful Days" - I can't wait to get my hands on it!

Happy Tuesday, Amy

PS - the symbols I used in the silhouettes represent: peace (dove), wisdom and creativity (adinkra spider's web), charity (heart in hand), love safety and security (adinkra fence), trust and faith in God (adinkra stalk).

Autumn Arts and Crafts Festival at Claude Moore Park

So this Saturday was the kickoff for my craft show season. I think the weather kept a lot of folks away because the forecast was for rain all day. But we were blessed by sunny weather for part of the day, and a little cloud cover the rest of the day - no rain! It was hot and humid as all get out because of the moisture that was in the ground from the previous days' rain, but we managed still to have a great time. My friend, Diane, was good enough to come hang out with me for the day so I wouldn't be lonely. And while the number of customers was low because of the weather, those who came were appreciative of the artwork represented at the show.


One of my artist neighbors was Liz from Mad Hatter Ceramics, and she was a blast. We talked a lot about Etsy, Etsy teams (she is a memeber of the Etsy MudTeam), different craft shows, and swapped stories as best we could between customers. Check out her Etsy shop here! She has a unique style, does amazing work, and I think your friends and family would be excited to receive a piece or two as a gift. I bought one piece for my mom that I think she's going to flip over :o), and once I figure out who could best use it, my next purchase is going to be this bowl!

Another highlight of the show: a black rat snake that was probably a good 6 feet long definitely longer than my arm span - coming straight up the gravel road behind my tent. Yikes! Now I can say I've finally seen a snake in the wild. And boy was it a biggie!

Happy Monday! Amy

Craft Show Kickoff!

I'm counting down the days to my first craft show of the season. I hope to see you there! This Saturday, September 27, 10am to 5pm, at Claude Moore Park, in Sterling VA. If you've received my newsletter, don't forget to bring your coupon with you! If you're not on my newsletter list, please let me know who you are so I can add you! I don't want you missing out on coupons, discounts, and specials!

The show at Claude Moore is a great outing for families, with free stuff for kids to do! Fun, food, music and arts. Entrance to the park and show is free. Check out details here.

Come check it out and have a wonderful time!

Happy Tuesday! Amy

Oh...the resources available today!

If I were getting married in this day and age, I would be addicted to Weddingbee.com! Befriending and chatting with other brides planning their weddings. Having open access to others’ wedding plans, ideas, purchases and opinions is such a blast, not to mention the rewards reaped from reading about plans that worked out great, or just didn’t pan out at all, before you invest your own time and money! And having the support of other brides going through it all is priceless.

Recently, I worked with a bride (Miss Canary) on some custom zip bags that were added to gift bags she was making up for her bridesmaids. This was my introduction to the Weddingbee. She is a wonderfully thoughtful blogger, and is a real asset to the site. Even though I don’t need to plan another wedding, I still found her blog enjoyable to read, and I loved checking out the other items she bought for herself or her wedding party, and the artists she came in contact with. Check her out!

Spools, Spools, Spools

Going through as many spools of thread as I do, I’ve been wondering, “What in the world do I do with all these empty spools?” Of course I could just pitch them, but it seems so wasteful. Surely there’s something my kids could do with these! So off I head to the internet to find some ideas. Most ideas I found are for wooden spools, but mine are all plastic. So here are 2 ideas I found that I might try:

Fourth of July Necklace from Highlightskids.com

Sitting Spools from Funology

I plan on taking my empty spools on our vacation for a craft project with the boys. I’ll post photos of our craft endeavors when we return, especially if I come up with any really cool spool ideas. I’m thinking I’ll take glue, fabric scraps and paints with us, and see what happens! Maybe a colorful spool pyramid for the boys to build and knock over (which they will love even if they don’t want to do the decorating part!), and maybe some strung shapes like I’ve made with beads in the past, we’ll see!

Got any great ideas of your own??? Let me hear 'em!

And here’s an adorable spool creation I found on Etsy made by KreatedbyKelly!

Have a great weekend! Amy

Love and Joy

Ahhhh...vacation Bible school :o)

I remember just loving VBS as a kid - the songs, the stories, the crafts - and I'm hoping my little men do as well! This year our theme is Son Harvest County Fair, growing the fruit of the Spirit. Our church is decked out in farm decor with gardens sprouting, animals grazing, and farmers tending.

I'm helping in the craft department again this year (surprise, surprise), so I get to see all of the pre-K through rising 4th graders come through. They are having such a great time! Monday and Tuesday our kids grew love and sprouted joy! I can't wait to see their sweet faces again today!

John 15:12, (Jesus said) "Love one another as I have loved you."
Psalm 126:3, "The Lord gives us joy."

So far we've made bookmarks and cards to give to others to show our love, joyful watermelon music shakers, and piggy banks to remind us to be thankful to God for all he's given us!

My little men's crafts from day 1 and 2!

A New State and New Experiences

Tomorrow marks the first flight for my 2 year old son, Sam, and the first flight my 5 year old son, Caleb, will remember. We are all very excited about getting away for a small vacation. The boys are both enamored with airplanes (and cars, and trains, and trucks, and motorcycles, and fire engines, and ambulances, and lawn mowers - you catch my drift!), but I'm a little nervous about how they'll respond to the revving engines as we begin our flight. They could totally surprise me, as they do every single day, and really not be affected by it, and I'm praying that's the case.

So, we're off to Georgia tomorrow, to visit my cousin at her horse farm. I expect 5 days of wonderment as my little men also experience horses and farm life firsthand. It should be fun! I hope to have plenty of fun photos to show of on our return. As for now, it's all laundry, packing, and getting the dog and fish squared away for our departure :o) Once I get back it will be back to work, and time to buckle down to get ready for craft show season this fall with SewArtsy!

Blessings, Amy

Me, A Blogger?

"I know now, only one thing matters in these day. One thing, true love, love and love alone, true love." James Taylor, Jump Up Behind Me

June 13, 2008

Hi! I’m Amy, and last night I decided I’d really like to have a place to share my thoughts. So here they are, deep or shallow as they may be!

A little bit about myself: I’m 35, wife to Josh, and mom to Caleb and Samuel at this point. I love to sew and do crafts. I’m addicted to fabric—a condition I inherited from my mom, Bobbi. I swore I’d never have that sickness, but I found myself falling under its spell at about age 29, when my mom bought me my first sewing machine. I knew immediately how to use it after watching her sew my entire life, and the freedom it gave me to create my own ditties was incredible. Now I own my own little business, SewArtsy, and get to share my creative ditties with others. You can check out my stuff at www.sewartsy.etsy.com

I’m also deeply passionate about adoption! Josh and I have been blessed with our two little boys through adoption, and we are once again in the waiting process for another little blessing. I use my business as a way to inform others and support adoption by donating 10% of the sales from my baby items and Hair Clippy Caddies to Bethany Christian Services. Josh and I have been involved with them since 2002 when we started our first adoption process. Bethany treats birthparents with great care and dignity whether or not they decide to make an adoption plan for their child, as well as providing counsel and adoption services to those childless couples who face infertility or those families who want to add to their existing family through adoption. You can read more about their wonderful services at Bethany.org

Other things I like: the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Skyline Drive and the Shenandoahs, our doggie, Hannah, James Taylor, my ipod, browsing sites like Etsy, JCarolinecreative.com, Keepsake Quilting, and Fabric.com, sharing our adoption experience with others contemplating the decision to adopt, reading other blogs, and getting together with my girlfriends for our reading-is-optional book club!

Hope you’ll be back if you’re interested in keeping up with my musings! Blessings to you! Amy