A new project!

Guess what I've been up to?! Post coming soon....

Birthday cake for ME- coupon code for YOU

Hey all!

Tomorrow I'll wake up a whole year older (amazing how that happens, isn't it?!). In honor of another year of wisdom (and being one year closer to being half-way to fifty), I'm offering 24% off anything in my shop. How do I take advantage of this fine offer? you may ask. Simple. Just type coupon code CELEBRATE24 when you go to checkout. It's like getting presents for SOMEONE ELSE'S birthday!



Eyeglass cover re-newal: a tutorial

I, thankfully, am not required to wear my glasses all the time. However, my distance-sight is poor enough that I need them somewhere around me pretty much all the time. The bigger problem? My poor eyeglass case. It's ugly. It's falling apart. And the hinge has seen better days. And no matter how hard I look, I can't seem to find a new (to me) used eyeglass case. So we're going to cover it. And fix it so my dear little eyeglasses won't fall out anymore!

What you need:

-old eyeglass case

-fabric (I used two different cottons, but you could certainly line your case with felt or fleece, or put something different on the outside. However, cotton seems to be the easiest due to the way it stays put and it relatively soft)

-Mod Podge

-CLEAN paintbrush

Optional:

-ribbon

-velcro

-embellishments

Step one: Remove nasty, ugly, broken inside.

Mine is was just a piece of fuzzy plastic molded to the shape of the inside of my case. With some gentle encouragement (I mean really gentle, I was already pulling loose pieces off in class), it came free.

Step two: Trace your case onto BACK of fabric.

In hindsight, I may have used a scrap piece of fabric or paper to figure out the right size. I guess it depends on your comfort level.

So. Tracing. Before you cut, make sure to give yourself ample room for the fabric to cover everything. I traced one side, the folded my fabric in half to cut two, but left them joined so when I glued it down it would cover the hinge. I did the inside the same way, but made two top and two bottom pieces (I'll explain later) and cut them apart (so they wouldn't cover the hinge).

Step three: (An OPTIONAL step) Sewing insides together

I knew that when I put the inside layer in, I wanted it double-thickness, and I didn't want any seams to show. I could have simply turned my edges under, but I knew this would cause me less frustration in the end. IF you want to do this, put two right sides together, and stich around, leaving yourself a small opening so you can turn everything right-side-out again. Do this twice.

Step four: (Another OPTIONAL step) Adding ribbon/ embellishments

I mentioned before that the hinge had seen better days. I remedied this by adding a ribbon and some velcro. MAKE SURE TO ADD EVERYTHING BEFORE YOU GLUE IT DOWN! I measured my length of ribbon against the width of my case (I just wrapped it around and cut it where it overlapped). If you're adding velcro, wait until the end to add it. Mine was sticky so it didn't matter, but even if you had to sew it on you could do it at the end if you were careful.

Step five: MOD PODGE!

This is one of the best steps because we get to "Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!" (What can I say, I was a 90's kid!) Start by 'painting' close to, but not directly on the hinge. Leave yourself a small border so you don't fuse the hinge with glue! It's best to work with thin layers- you can always add more later! As you apply the podge, pull the fabric tight against the cover. I used closepins to hold it down while it dried and to give myself an extra set of hands. Don't worry about lifting and repositioning it while it's still wet, or tugging it to fit, fabric is forgiveable!

When you've got everything nice and tight, mod podge over the part you just glued. YES OVER TOP. This will seal it, and give a little bit more stiffness. I did NOT do the ribbon, as it was stiched to the fabric. Give it 20 min + to dry, the repeat everything you just did with the other side. I could have trimmed some of my fabric from the inside, but I decided it wasn't going to hurt anything by leaving it glued under the lining.
And YES Mod Podge dried CLEAR.

*Side note. After it was dry, I actually did a second coat of podge before I added the liner.



Step six: The Liner

For this step you're going to FIRST make sure your liner piece is going to fit. (Remember, felt or fleece would work just as well for this part.) Once you're assured of it's size, podge one part of the inside, again being careful to not fuse the hinge. gently but firmly press, folding over as you go to make it fit. Because I had two layers sewn together, the top layer is only attached by the stitches, and has a bit of give. To keep the inside soft, do NOT podge the inside again! Again I attached clothespins to keep it tight while it dried. Repeat for the other side and let dry completely (I left mine overnight).

Now put those little glasses of yours in there and enjoy a (looks like new to everyone else) eyeglass case!



Giveaway Update

It's week three and just one week away from Christmas!

Congrats to our winners so far;

Lisa-Anne who won a pair of feather earrings

Leah who won a pair of button earrings

and Sarah who won a headband from the shop or a custom designed one!

There's still on prize left! Get your names in!!

Giveaway time!

Dear0ne is having a giveaway!

Starting next week, each week from then until Christmas, I'll draw a name and the lucky recipient will win a hand-crafted Dear0ne item! How do you enter? Check out Dear0ne's facebook page and click 'like' for one entry.  Want more? 'Follow' Dear0ne's blog for another chance to win! Still not enough? Send a friend over and tell them to mention you sent them- that's one more entry for you and one for them too! Each person as an equal chance to win, but can only win once- we need to be fair!

Looking for an idea of what's up for grabs? Check out dear0ne.etsy.com for possible prizes.

*Note* If you happen to win and want to pass the item on as a gift, ask me about gift wrapping! Since you won, it's on me!

On sharing things of our heart (again)

Confession time.

I cried again. My friend mentioned she and her husband were starting to look into adoption agencies and my eyes welled up. I had to tell her they were happy tears so she'd understand the pain in my heart. I don't know why God has given me a heart for those who need a family. I watch movies and I cry, I see a donation box at Wendy's and I cry, I see ads and I cry, and I hear people tell me they're looking into adoption and I cry. They're not all sad, there are tears of joy when I think of who will become part of our family. But there has to be more to it than tears.

On sharing things of our heart.

Confession time.

I cried in church this week. It was Orphan Sunday. They showed a video with happy children and words about loving, caring for, adopting orphans. Words about the way our Lord loves, cares for, adopts us. I cried. My husband noticed and knew why I was wiping my eyes. My heart was so moved I couldn'd sing during worship. I mean, this time I actually wanted to, and couldn't.