Feathers Galore!

Money has been tight around here for the past few weeks so my crafting budget is pretty tight. I am always on the look-out for materials that don't cost too much but that I can utilize as much as possible. Case in point - Feathers. I was at Jo-Ann Fabrics a few days ago looking for something to jazz up some headbands. That's when I saw the feathers. They sell bags of feathers for $1.99 apiece. Not too shabby. I bought three bags which had different colors and sizes. You can see them here. I am pretty sure they will last me awhile. I went right to work because I was so excited. This one is pretty basic but I like the way the "diamond" make it looks a little more upscale. Basically all I did was choose the feathers I wanted to use and figure out how I wanted to put them together. For the base I used an oval shaped piece of ivory colored felt. Then I used my glue gun to attach the feathers. I had to be careful about how I glued them on because I didn't want the glue to be clumpy or to show through. The jewel is actually a button and I cut of the loop on the back and glued the button to a tiny piece of black felt and then glued this on top of the black feather. Finally, for the band I used a dark colored piece of jersey material. I think it came out pretty cute. Can't wait to try more experiments with my feathers. I will keep you posted!

Also, let me know if you know of some good craft bargains! I am always up to try something new to keep my craft addiction going...it is a great stress reliever. 

Happy Thursday!


*UPDATED*
Had a little bit of free time today and was able to play around with the feathers some more. Here is another headpiece...no band yet, but I am happy with it!

Alicia ~ Sweet Mamacita

First Tutorial is Up!

Just wanted to let you know that my first photo tutorial is up. This is one about making fabulous fabric flowers that looks great on headbands, sweaters, pins, pillows, shirts, and bags. Hope you find it helpful, if there is anything confusing or you think I should change just let me know in a comment. Remember, this is my first one so I am still learning. Will try to make a video tutorial soon...

Enjoy!

Alicia ~ Sweet Mamacita

Headbands, Scarfs and More, Oh My!

I am in the process of trying to convince my mom that she and I need to sell our stuff on Etsy. I don't know if I have her completely sold yet. She makes really awesome jewelry, especially earrings and necklaces. I think the main reason she is hesitant is because she doesn't think anyone will buy her stuff. She is a perfectionist and very type-A and so when she finishes a piece of jewelry a lot of blood, sweat, and tears (figuratively) has gone into it. I love her jewelery, and not just because I am her daughter. I have these one pair of earrings that I wear all the time and constantly get compliments and asked where I got them. Even if she doesn't want to sell her goods, I think I will still go into business.

Sorry for the icky yellow tint of the photo

I love fabric flowers and buttons, so shabby chic!

My main obsession as of late? HEADBANDS. Part of the reason I am so into them is because I have a pixie cut and need things to make me feel less like a 12 year old boy and more like a cute fashionista (which I am not, but love to fake). Sure, I have bought a few, but it is not nearly as fun as making them. Plus, by making them you can tailor them to fit your wardrobe! And I am prone to headaches, so wearing those metal or plastic headbands are not really an option for me. I prefer to use jersey knit or a similar type of cotton material as the "band." This also makes the headbands adjustable for different head sizes because I usually just tie them in the back. So far I have made headbands with these cool fabric flowers on them. They are so quick and easy to make and require NO SEWING--- needlesss to say, this makes me and my glue gun very happy. They also look cute with buttons in the center. I wear these at work all the time to dress up my boring black uniform and always get compliments. Today I started to play around with felt and even feathers. I will post pictures of these soon. Hopefully I will also get some tutorials up in the next couple of days.

Before the headband obsession came the t-shirt scarves. I first saw them when I was perusing Pinterest. If you don't know about this site (really??) then you should check it out. But only if you have an abundance of free time because you will be addicted within a few minutes. Anyway, I saw these scarves and loved them. Scarves are so in right now and always add a little something to an outfit. Well as soon as I realized I could make my own out of old shirts I was raiding the closet looking for clothes I didn't wear anymore. Then I went to Goodwill and found some gently used shirts and dresses made out of jersey fabric. My whole world was changed. These pictures are just of the few styles I have made but there really are so many possibilities. Simply Google "t-shirt scarves" and you will have a plethora of DIY sites pop up with tutorials and pictures. Again, I will try to get some tutorials made this week and post them here. Until then, check out some of my favorite crafting blogs and get crafty!***Also follow me on Pinterest here (it's still a work in progress...) or on Twitter (@sweetmamacitas).

Alicia ~ Sweet Mamacita

A Place For Craftiness...

Welcome! Finally I have a place to display my crafts and hopefully inspire others to get crafty themselves. I love to craft and be creative, so I decided to extend my love to the blogging community. My goal for this blog is to post frequently, unlike my other attempts at similar ventures which have started with a bang but then fizzle out after a few months. I have high hopes for this blog because crafting is one of the de-stressers in my life that helps to keep me sane. So I will be posting pictures and video tutorials and links to other fun DIY websites and blogs. There will also probably be some recipes and other miscellaneous things thrown in as well. Some of my favorite things to make are scarfs and headbands but I also enjoy making jewelry and random nicknacks. So thanks for stopping by and I hope you come back often!

 Alicia ~ Sweet Mamacita