DIY Inspiration: Terrariums

I feel like everyone's been talking about terrariums lately.  My friend Dan made this really cute one, filled with succulents and little rocks and posted this photo (filched from his Facebook page), left, of it in progress.

While I haven't gotten around to making my own yet, I have been giving them a lot of thought.

Should I make an open one, like Dan's and the ones I have seen selling for a pretty penny at Sprout Home?

Or do I want to do something more enclosed and traditional - the whole self-sustaining system?

While I figure out what I'm going to do next here is some DIY inspiration to get you started on your own terrariums.

A really simple how-to on Design*Sponge.

Cute mason and jam jar terrariums on CRAFT.
 

A thorough how-to on About.com.

 And, of course, the Fairyland Terrarium that Martha and Julie Andrews made on the Martha Stewart show the day I shadowed the art department.

Upcycled Undies

A couple of weeks ago I posted a link to Colette Patterns cute mini-bloomers pattern with the promise of posting my own, once they were finished.

Over the weekend, I had a bit of spare time to complete the project and added a cute little bra-top to match.  Obviously these aren't really undergarments - more for lounging around the apartment with your hunny, drinking hot coffee and watching the rain (or, you know, feet of snow) fall.  His cardigan or button-down from last night would be a great robe-replacement over this sweet set.

For my bloomers and bra, I up-cycled an old Dwell duvet cover my friend Sarah had given me - I love Dwell's modern designs and color palette and was definitely inspired to make this set when I saw the fabric folded up in my large piece stash!

The finished mini-bloomers with elastic waist and navy grosgrain at the legs.

I finished the seams on the inside of the bloomers with a Hong Kong Seam.

There is a super tutorial on seam finishes over at Craft Stylish.

 

The bra top obviously offers no support, but it's a cute compliment to the bloomers.

I made a pattern for a triangle top and finished with an elasticized ruffle, as opposed to making a string bikini/halter.

I

  I finished the back seam of the top with a flat-fell seam (like you see on the side of your jeans).

The top just slips over your head.

Umbrella Tote Bag

Everyone has one.  A broken umbrella they don't know what to do with.  In New York, it's hard to walk down the street on a cold, windy, rainy day and not see one or two laying on the sidewalk or in a garbage bin.  And, if you get caught in the rain, you inevitably have bought one of those $3 jobs from the vendors who seem to come out of nowhere at the first drop of rain.  We all know that those things never last.

I have, or should I say had, an adorable little pink and white striped umbrella that I picked up at H&M one rainy Saturday, caught in SOHO and not expecting rain to fall.  It lasted a while, but let's be honest, an umbrella can only flip inside out in the wind so many times before becoming obsolete.  So what?  It doesn't work as an umbrella anymore, but what about that fabric?  I could no longer use the umbrella to shield me from the rain, but there must be something, being a resourceful gal, that I could do with the fabric.

So, I made a tote bag.  It's simple, it's light, it's handy.  It took about an hour to make- start to finish.

Start by removing the fabric from the skeleton of the umbrella.

It should look something like this:

Fold the umbrella in half, along the center seam

Then fold it in half again.  Using a straight-edge and a blade, cut your umbrella into a rectangle

Stitch the open edges

I used the scraps from the side to make long handles for my bag. 

Sew them together into a long even tube, right sides facing and open at the ends.

Turn them inside out and press with a cool iron.

I left the tab on so the bag could be neatly rolled and carried in the bottom of my regular handbag.

Here's the finished product, all rolled up and ready to go

Very handy for grabbing groceries or a trip to the store.  Just remember to toss it into the bottom of your handbag before leaving the house!

Easy Apron

This summer, dear ones, I cam across this cute fabric - pale pink polka dots and dark chocolate birds on a creamy yellow background.  I bought it without knowing what I could make of it - perhaps a cute summer top?  I searched for the right top inspiration, but never found it.  So, I folded the fabric away, still keeping an eye out for that perfect pattern to make a summer top (for that far away day when summer returns).

When baking bread the other day, I decided I needed a new apron.  I was wearing a very cute, yet utilitarian apron from Anthropologie.  I like the apron I have already, but it's just kind of... blah.  It's an unbleached linen with orange embroidery and trim, cute, but fairly plain.  And, to be honest, sometimes a girl just wants a little flounce when she's whipping up cupcakes for a birthday or hors d'oeuvres for a dinner party or, you know, re-heating leftovers.

I went searching online and came across this 1951 pattern that was exactly what I was looking for.

one square = one inch

First, transfer the pattern.  I pretty much always use pages from the Sunday New York Times when I make patterns - it's a great way to recycle - and for something I am going to make over and over and over again, it's fairly durable.

Using a ruler, make a grid pattern based on the above diagram.

Then transfer the pattern.  It's really easy - that's what the grid is for!  If you haven't done it before, just take a deep breath and go slow, one square at a time.  This, by the way, is the most time consuming part of the whole project.

After you cut out your pattern, lay it on the fabric, something like this:

Make pleats according to the pattern - lining up circles and triangles - and baste along the top edge.

I decided to use this hot pink grosgrain around the edges.  Measure about 5" up from the bottom and mark lightly with a pencil or a disappearing sewing pen and pin the ribbon (or whatever trim you decide to use) and top stitch.

Once you have the trim on, it time to pin and sew the waistband pieces.  It should look something like this:

 

The original pattern called for a pocket, but I didn't love the way it looked when I pinned it on.  It would be great to have a pocket on this cute apron, but I am really happy with the way it looks without!

Stitches/Craft

© Briana Campbell, 2009

I made this little octopus (it's yet to be mailed) for my dear friends Jen & Tony's newborn son, Maxton.  On my Etsy site, you can see a different octopus I had made - I think it's cute, but it didn't come out exactly how I was imagining.  For Maxton's new friend, I enlarged the pattern a bit and made the tentacles a bit fatter.  I also decided on closed eyes - I think it's a softer, perfect for a newborn.