Upcycled Fashions - Christmas Plaid Edition!

If this isn't embarrassing, then I don't know what is.

  

Today's challenge was to create whatever I could think of (for my pets of course) from this plaid nightmare...I mean, nightgown.

Enjoy!!

First I cut off the end of the sleeves, which already had elastic in them for a ruffled look.  Fancy.

Then I stitched on jingle bells.  Voila! 

Chanel has brand new Jingle Bands for Christmas!

I cut off the lace collar and took it in about 6 inches with the sewing machine to make a "snazzy" collar for the cats.  It already had a button closure so I kept that part.

Looks kinda cheesy to me, but I think the cats rocked it as best they could.

Next I opened up one of the sleeves.  The round edge is from the shoulder.  I thought this would make a perfect plaid jacket for Sebastian!

This project was a lot more detailed.  I lined the inside with fleece, cut a hole out for the head, added velcro for the neck closure and straps for the tummy closure.  I think this was my best upcycled transformation.

Here are some more views of the jacket.

Ok, so then I got inspired to make a few toys.  Here's an easy upcycled toy anyone can do!  First cut three strips of fabric (luckily this gown was a long one).

Tie into a knot at one end and then braid it! 

It can be as long or as short as you'd like.  Perfect for tug-of-war!

Sebastian gives it his tug of approval.

Here's a squeaker bone toy I made out of this same fabric (the middle bone) a few weeks ago.

And last project of the day...bow ties!  I'll be selling these ones with the rest of my bow tie collection at my craft booths.

What a stud!

I still have haven't even touched the backside of the gown.  Hummm, all the possibilities.

That's all for now.

I hope you are inspired to upcycle some of your own "fashion" pieces from the past!

Christmas Tree Paw Print Ornaments!!!

 Give your pooch something of his own to bark about this year when your guests "ooooh" and "aaaaah" at your glimmering Christmas Tree!

I adopted Sebastian the morning of Christmas Eve last year so this Christmas will be extra special as we celebrate our one year anniversary as a family.  

This ornament is sooooooo easy and fun.  Just follow these simple steps to create your own:

INSTRUCTIONS

First things first - make sure your pooch's paw is clean to avoid a dirty paw print!  Roll a piece of Sculpey into a ball and then flatten it with your hand (Sculpey can be bought at any craft store).

Make sure you have enough to fit the whole paw plus additional room for decor and ribbon hole.  The first thing you want to do is the actual paw print, trust me!  Make sure you press down each area of the paw.  If it doesn't work out the first time, roll it up into a ball and start over.  If your dog is wiggly, this will be the hardest part.

After you get a decent paw print you're happy with, it's time to decorate!!  Start with the hole for the ribbon.  You can do a circular hole with a nail of some sort or you can do a flat rectangular hole with a misc. object.  The end of my spoon worked perfectly.

The decorations for the ornament are endless!  You can use rhinestones, beads, carve your dog's name, make shapes out of sculpey, etc.  I used a nail to carve the year "2010."

When you're all done decorating, bake the clay at 275 degrees in the oven.  This piece took 6 minutes.  Larger dogs will require bigger pieces of clay and will need to bake a little bit longer.  Then glaze the ornament to give it that finished look and extra protection.

Let the glaze dry, string some ribbon through, and voila!!  Time to hang that baby up on the tree for all to see.

Cheers to Holiday crafts!!!

1st Sew DoggyStyle Craft Booth - Oct. 30th

I've been meaning to blog about this all week!  Holiday season is kicking in and I'm getting eye strain from starring at my sewing machine all day (and some nights).  And how can you ever be "finished" creating products for a craft booth?  You can't!  

Pooch Parade Oct. 30th

One of the first things I wanted to do for my first booth ever was to create a sign that was unique and different.  I think I scored with this one.  The lime green and pink popped out from far away.  I may have spent more time on this sign than I had, but I will have it for years to come!  Also, this sign was $80 cheaper than paying for a banner, can you believe that??  The letters are made out of wood, hand painted, and attached by magnets.

So what sold?  Bandanas and pawty hats stole the show!  Here is one of my very first customers with two pawty dogs.

Some other items I worked on for this booth are backpacks, squeaker bone toys, and this hot pink bed!  Also included was original paintings by Liliana Garcia.

All in all, my first booth was a great experience, lots of fun, and to top it all off...I profited.  Could I ask for more?  And for those of you locals who have never been to the Pooch Parade, they have it every year in October.  Don't let your pooch miss out next year!