DIY Tutorial – Ombre Stenciled Pillowcases

The Spring season is upon and as you may have noticed from my posts this week, I have all things pastel on the brain. I've also been working on sprucing things up around my apartment. So when I received these Stencil1 stencils by Ed Roth and FolkArt multi-surface paint, I knew that I wanted to make something for my apartment with soft pastel colors. And because I can't stop myself from sewing, I put a little twist on the traditional use of a stencil and used it to create an embroidery.

DIY Tutorial – How to Sew a French Knot

The french knot is one of my favorite embroidery stitches. It's very easy to make and it looks really cool. Essentially all you do is make a knot around your needle an pull the end of the thread through the knot.

Refashion – Zip Back T-shirt with Tutorial

Today I have a very easy, fun and satisfying DIY refashion to share with you. If you've ever inserted a zipper, this will be a breeze for you. Yesterday, in my DIY Outfit post I shared my inspiration for this top as well as sewing patterns and fabric to make it all yourself. If you don't feel like starting from scratch, you can grab a striped t-shirt from your closet or the local thrift store. Read on for all the how-to details.

Craft from the Past – Valentine's Day Tote Tutorial

This DIY Heart Stamped Tote bag project is perfect for the Valentine's Day season. It's an easy, satisfying project and I put together a complete tutorial telling you how to make one yourself. The tiny hearts are made with the eraser end of a pencil carved into a heart shape. Super easy and fun!

My favorite part of this bag is the contrast handles. If you ever hesitated about bringing in a contrast fabric I think this one will convince you to go for it. So in case you missed it the first time or are just in the mood to make your self a "love"-ly tote, go check out my DIY Valentine's Day Tote Tutorial.

Related:
Totes Posts

Tutorials

Crafting on Pinterest

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Winter Wardrobe No. 6 – Triangle Bag with Tutorial

A while ago, probably more than a year ago, I was in this hip boutique that featured Japanese products in a very hip area of town, when I spied a very cool tote bag. It was sewn on the bias and made a triangle shape. It was so cool and looked deceptively simple. I went home and started playing around with fabric and even paper. And then I found this tutorial from Between The Lines and thought "wow! she's really figured it out!". And now at last I've made my own Triangle Bag.

DIY Tutorial – Hand-Warming Muff for Dottie Magazine

Today I'm really excited to announce a new collaboration with Dottie Magazine. Dottie is a new online fashion and lifestyle magazine. Their first issue went live recently and it is gorgeous and inspiring. I was thrilled to be asked to contribute a project to their website. When I was a little girl, one of my favorite dress up pieces was a white faux fur muff. I always felt glamorous and girly when I wore it. So to celebrate the winter season I developed an easy DIY tutorial to make your own hand-warming fleece and flannel muff. This is an easy sewing project that doesn't require a sewing machine and is sure to keep your mitts nice and toasty all winter long. I hope you enjoy!

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Mini DIY Tutorial – Origami Paper Wrapped Candles

Happy New Year! For the first post of the year, I have a little mini tutorial. It's the perfect quick craft project to spruce up a drab corner of the house. The other week I was at the grocery store and found these tall candles in glass jars for just $1.50. I decided to spruce up the plain white glass with a little origami paper and washi tape.

Mini DIY Tutorial – Painted Christmas Utensils

The other day I picked up these simple wooden utensils from IKEA. Using a few basic craft tools, I prettied them up with for the holidays. These were really fun to make and I love how they turned. The series of red and white stripes and dots gives the utensils a kind of christmas in Scandinavia look. You can easily improvise the stripes and dots until you get the look you want. It's very sweet, a little rustic and awfully festive.

DIY Tutorial – Christmas Juice Glass Set

My favorite part of the Christmas season is Christmas morning; waking up early, rolling out of bed, exploring what Santa left in my stocking and of course a big family breakfast loaded with savory egg casserole, sweet cinnamon rolls, bitter coffee and the juicy mandarin oranges from the bottom of my stocking. So when I received the opportunity to create this Christmas DIY as part of a campaign for Martha Stewart Crafts and Plaid Online, I knew I wanted to make something special for the Christmas morning breakfast table.



To prepare for the post I received a big box full of Martha Stewart painting and decoupage crafts. The decoupage products are really cool. They work on fabric, paper, wood and glass. In addition to the glues, they also have pre-made fabric and paper pieces that you can use in your decoupage projects. What's even cooler is that when applied to glass, the decoupage is dishwasher safe. You can find the full range of Martha Stewart products including craft paint, glass paint, decoupage and jewelry at Michael's stores or at Plaid online.

DIY Tutorial – Turban Headband

You know those days when your hair looks less than stellar (as in a tangled funky mess) or you desperately need a haircut and just want it off your face (me right now)? Those are the days when you need a chic turban headband to cover up the mess and make you feel like a 1940s movie star. 

As soon as I saw this headband from Anthropologie I knew I wanted to try my own version. I love the graphic, tribal print on the fabric and the simple loop at the top. This project is very easy to make, only taking about an hour to complete. The turban style look is created by looping two pieces of fabric together at the center of the headband. It's a cool, retro look and really easy to replicate. The fabric I used here has a hint of animal print flair in it mixed with the cool blue colors I love so much.

Mini DIY Tutorial – Tassel Jewelry 3 Ways

When you get started on something, do you ever find that you just can't stop doing more and more? That's what happened for me with tassels this week. I had a stash of new wooden beads to play with that paired quite well with my tassels. As the focal point of these necklaces, the humble tassel can be quite a showstopper.

DIY Tutorial – How to Make a Tassel

When you think of tassels you probably think of winter ski caps or heavy window coverings. But they can be used for many more things, even in the summer! Tassels can be used as part of a boho cool necklace, on the corners of a tablecloth, as a keychain or zipper pull. Fun right? Lucky for us they're super easy to make. You probably already have all the materials you need.

DIY Tutorial – Half Circle Zip Pouch (with free pattern)

Whether hitting the road or hitting the town, every girl needs a little pouch or two or three to carry all of life's little necessities. Fill them up with with jewelry and makeup, your favorite art supplies or a few snacks, then throw it in your purse and you're ready for the day. Everything you need will be easy to find and readily accessible. These fun little pouches use just a few pieces of fabric and can be made very quickly. This is a great project for featuring a little swatch of fabric that you love so much but just can't figure out where to use. I used swatches for fabrics I designed on Spoonflower. Head on over there and you can purchase your own fabrics in this arrow and heart designs.

Mini DIY Tutorial – Polka Dot Jeans

So, you may have noticed that I've been posting a lot about polka dots the last couple weeks. Well, I have one last polka dot post for you and it comes with a mini tutorial. There are lots of polka dot jeans out there these days and a few tutorials too. I had an old pair of very cheap skinny jeans that I had almost forgotten about, so I decided to try my hand at making them over with some painted on polka dots.

DIY Tutorial - Polka Dot Scarf Guest Post on PopCosmo

Today I'm super excited because I have a guest post on PopCosmo of a really fun and easy DIY Polka Dot Scarf. This scarf is so easy to incorporate into your wardrobe. I've been wearing mine pretty much non-stop since I made it. It dresses up a plain outfit and pairs well with other prints. Kim and Chloe are great ladies and it's been awesome to collaborate with them. About a month ago I posted about their DIY Camera Strap here on Lula Louise. So head on over and check out my tutorial. It's seriously going to kickstart your summer.

Go check out the tutorial on PopCosmo!

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DIY Tutorial – Stamped Mini May Day Tote

May Day is an often overlooked holiday but in my book it's well worth celebrating. To help you do just that, here is a little flowered tote perfectly sized for hanging a small bouquet on a neighbor's doorknob. I made this tote in two variations, one decorated with stamped fabric paint and the other with embroidery. Of course you can use these sweet little bags any time of year for things like party favors and gifts. I hope you enjoy!

DIY Tutorial – Gold Tube Bead Necklace

These days, I'm seeing large dramatic beads everywhere. So when I saw these at the bead store, I just had to snap them up. This necklace is really simple to make and shows off the gold bead perfectly. Choose any color or combination of seed beads for a variety of looks. You'll be able to match practically any outfit you own.

DIY Tutorial Braided Fabric Bracelet

Whether you pile them on or wear one at time, these casual braided bracelets are a great addition to your spring wardrobe. They take an hour or less to make and you can use any fabric you want (as long as it will be comfortable on the skin) making this project a great way to use up fabric scraps. So let's get started!

The hardware was fairly easy to find at the jewelry supply store and should be available online as well. Different sized end caps will determine the thickness of the braid. I double stacked some of my fabric to make it fill the endcap.

Refashion - DIY Pocket T-shirt Tutorial

Adding a pocket to a t-shirt is a great way to bring new life to plain old boring shirt. It's really fast and easy and you can use pretty much any fabric. I used a piece of this self-designed fabric that I had printed with Spoonflower. If you get tired of the pocket (I mean, it happens right?) or want to change it to a different fabric, just use a seam ripper to remove the stitching.

DIY Fabric Sketch Book Cover Tutorial

Every designer needs a sketchbook. There's nothing quite like putting actual pen (or pencil) to paper and drawing out the vision you have in mind. It's even better when your sketchbook is super pretty to look at. Patterned fabric is one my favorite things in the world and this sketchbook cover is a great way to showcase a precious little piece of fabric. Once you get started, you'll want to cover all the sketchbooks and day planners you can get your hands on. This would certainly make an awesome Valentine's Day gift for your favorite designer, artist, note taker or list maker. Enjoy!