DIY Nerdy Reindeer Ugly Christmas Sweater


Sebastian and I are getting ready for our first Christmas in Seattle.  It took us a little while to calm down from all the excitement of a new city, but we've managed to keep up on our yearly ugly Christmas sweater nonetheless!  Besides, Sebastian wouldn't skip it for the world.


We initially just planned on putting a nerdy reindeer on this sweater as you can see from our original materials photo. But if you've ever made an ugly Christmas sweater before, you probably know one thing leads to the next.  There's no "stopping point" when it comes to these things.


INSTRUCTIONS

1. Draw out your pieces on the back side of the felt and cut out.  If you can't draw, there's lots of reindeer and eyeglass images online you can print out.
2. Glue the pieces into place, including your buttons as eyes (I suggest hand sewing the reindeer nose on).


So after the nerdy reindeer was done, Sebastian and I glanced at each other and said, "Nope...not enough."  I started digging through my craft supplies and pulled out my green boa and ornaments.  The gold ornament balls are the mini ones from Walmart designed for the miniature trees - they work perfectly for a small dog like Sebastian.


The boa and ornaments are all hand sewn on.  I wouldn't suggest gluing these items as much as dogs move around.


Sebastian put the sweater on and sat there patiently while I continued to add things.  Such a sweet little dog he is!  (Candy canes are from Walmart mini tree collection too)


At last, we were finished (not really)!  We made a team decision to stop and run down to Kerry Park just a few blocks away to get some photos of the new sweater before the sun went down.


As usual, Sebastian made a scene and impressed the surrounding audience with his posing skills. 


The ornament balls around the cuffs are a must-do if your dog will tolerate it.


And that completes our ugly Christmas sweater for 2014.  Merry Christmas to all of our furry friends out there!



XOXOXOXO,
Erika and Sebastian

Sebastian's One Minute of Fame on the Rachel Ray Show

If you happened to watch Rachel Ray yesterday, you may have spotted Sebastian!  But if you missed it, here is the video of his 1 minute of National fame.  Thank you Rachel Ray!






Link to his DIY Ugly Christmas Sweater shown in the photo.




XOXOXO,
Erika and Sebastian

DIY Wreath From Our Nature Walks


Sebastian and I have been taking lots of nature walks in our new beautiful state of Washington!  Over the past weekend, we went to Olympic National Park and many other beautiful places nearby.  


All you need to buy for this project is a metal wire frame (from any craft store) and some flexible craft wire.  You will also want a glue gun if you add pine cones or items without stems.  Everything else is based on what you find outdoors!  


First is the background greenery.  Pine and Fir trees work perfect for this so make sure to grab a lot of these branches to make the background look full.  Then just intertwine the branches around the wire frame, making sure they are all going in the same direction.


It'll look sloppy at first with branches sticking out everywhere.  Use the green craft wire to help shape and contain the wild branches!  Cut an 8-10" piece of wire and wrap it around the branches, twist, and then tuck into into place so it's not visible.  You should have 5-10 pieces of wire wrapped around the frame when you're done, depending on your liking.


Tuck in all your fancy findings utilizing the green craft wire and the wire frame.  Then use the glue gun for pine cones and berries.


Making these wreaths is actually part of a family tradition we've done for several decades now.  But this is the first time I've ever made one with items from Washington.  I made sure to grab moss because moss is everywhere here! (you can see the moss on the left side below)


Add a ribbon and you're done!  We chose a bright yellow ribbon as we are preparing for a gloomy winter in Seattle.

NOTE: When you are deciding what items to collect, try to stay away from ones that will wilt right away.  Berries and pine will last through the season, but freshly fallen red leaves will turn brown too fast.


We end our nature wreath project with a photo of Sebastian posing on the trail bridge in Olympic National Park.




XOXOXOXO,
Erika and Sebastian

Cute Ikea Rug - Just Add Paw Prints

We (Sebastian browsed with me) found this adorable Ikea door mat for only $6.99 last week.  I love the hiking boot print because I'm an avid hiker.


What you'll need:
Tulip Matte Black fabric paint and a paint brush


Use a paw print stencil if you are too scared to wing it like we did!  Randomly paint your paw prints in the available spaces and set aside to dry.  


We are super happy with how well the black paint works on this rug - just one coat.



XOXOXOXO,
Erika and Sebastian

NEW Matching Scarf Sets in our Shop!

Have you seen our matching scarf sets for sale yet?  If not, be sure to check them out here.  They were popular last Christmas and make great gifts! 



We are working on more options for male dogs and cats, don't worry!

Please note: most of these scarves are chiffon/mesh so they are purely for fashionable accessories and not warmth.


XOXOXO,
Erika and Sebastian



DIY Recycled Sock Scarf


No excuses to be walking around naked this Fall.  Here's a super easy scarf you can make in 5-10 minutes!  (Knee-high sock worked perfect for 10lb Sebastian)


Make a yarn pom pom.  We used these simple instructions from Brit+Co:


Step 4: Rock it out!




XOXOXOXO,
Erika and Sebastian



Cheesecloth Ghost - Dog Edition!


This is such an easy and fun ghost any dog lover can make for their Halloween decor.


What you'll need:
Aleene's Fabric Stiffener - 1 bottle
Aleene's Tacky Glue
Cheesecloth - 6 yard bag
Plastic Wrap
Recycled items (Water bottles, cans, plastic bins - basically anything you can find to help shape your masterpiece!)
Buttons or Googly eyes
Brown Paper Bag material
Masking Tape
Craft Tub (large enough for mixing)
Gloves
Instructions:
Follow the instructions in the Step-by-Step Photo Collage from Aleene's for most of this project. 


You can see the set up of recycled items and balloon in the third photo above for the ghost.  I had a heck of a time trying to find items that looked like ears and a slanted dog face.  Once I started playing around with the brown paper bag material, I realized it was perfect for the job!  

Shape your dog head onto the top of your recycled body piece (I used a large plastic chex mix container).  Hold everything in place with masking tape as you go.


After you are happy with the shape of your dog head, cover it in plastic wrap as you don't want the cheesecloth to soak into your masterpiece and ruin it.  Make sure the plastic wrap is on tight and will not affect the shape of the ears, nose, etc. that you've created.


Now it's time to do the last two steps in Aleene's photo collage.  Dump the entire bottle of Stiffener into your mixing tub.  Then fill the stiffener bottle with water and dump that in too (you should have equal parts Stiffener and water).  Mix well.  Dip the cheesecloth in until it's covered and then wring out the excess glue/water.  Gently pull the cheesecloth apart so it's a nice open piece of fabric.  Then lay it over your masterpiece making sure all 4 sides are covered.  You will have enough cheesecloth to drape your layers 4-5 times.  Let sit overnight.


Once the cheesecloth has stiffened, your ghost dog will stand up on its own without anything underneath!  Add some eyes using buttons or googly eyes with some Tacky Glue and voila!  Set it on the fireplace mantle or somewhere it's sure to get noticed.


Sebastian looks a little concerned about this ghost, but t I know he wont lose any sleep over it.



XOXOXOXOXO,
Erika and Sebastian

DIY Recycled Pocket Poop Bag Dispenser



Is it obvious we like to recycle yet?


Instructions

What you'll need: A shirt or pants with a FLAP pocket.  Any size will do.  This flannel shirt is a size 18Month and fit the poop bag roll perfectly, but a bigger pocket could fit a water bottle and treats!





And there you have it.  Add a hook through the loop and you can attach it to your dog leash or jeans or purse or???? 


How do you like to sport your poop bag dispenser?




XOXOXOXOXO,
Erika and Sebastian

link within

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...