Things I've Made Archives - Page 19 of 136 - Ashley Hackshaw / Lil Blue Boo

Hand Stamped Party and Table Decor

June 5, 2013 by Ashley Hackshaw

In the new issue of Moyo Magazine I wrote a column about DIY Party Decor:

…..a few photos were used from the projects below but I thought I’d share some additional photos that are centered around DIY stamping! It’s very easy to carve your own stamp…and depending on the theme of your party or gathering a single stamp can carry all the way through:

Add tiny accents (dots, stars, hearts etc) with a smaller stamp made from a pencil eraser:

For these invitations I printed out the “Home Sweet Home” on regular card stock, rounded the corners of each invite and added the stamp:

Roll some fabric paint onto a paper plate and use it to stamp your table cloth and napkins:

Having a wine tasting? Stamp a few old book pages with a hand carved stamp:

I wrote an article on wine-themed decor over at Parade:

Also wine themed: tese wine cork stamps….cut one in half and they double as place card holders! (View the tutorial here)

Here are basic stamp carving supplies you might need:

1. Linoleum Cutter Set

2. Ranger Archival Ink Stamp Pad

3. Speedball 4″ Brayer

4. Folk Art Paint Best Selling Colors

5. Speedball Speedycut Blocks

DIY Subway Art Pillows

May 31, 2013 by Ashley Hackshaw

I’ve been doing some redecorating recently. I’m taking photos as I go so I can share the before and after with you. I’m going from beige/beige/beige to grey/white/black…..crazy right? Ha. My friend Paul came over to give me some ideas and his first suggestion was to carry over the subway art sign I made a few years ago. Here’s the sign in our breakfast area:

When I first made this I was inspired by the black and white vintage subway signs from Restoration Hardware (original tutorial here):

I loved Paul’s idea of taking it to a pillow as a similar accent. I picked a few street names that were important to Mr. LBB and I and here’s the result:

Diesel uses them as a ramp to get up to his perch:

I found a pillow cover with a nice thick upholstery fabric from Ikea….and added the white canvas letters. They are just slightly frayed on the edges giving kind of a vintage feel:

You could use freezer paper to paint your letters onto a pillow or cut out fabric letters to make your own. I have a Silhouette machine so it was so much easier to use that to design and cut out the letters….but cutting by hand would work too. First, I ironed fabric interfacing/fusible web to the back of my white canvas. Any fusible web should work….but if you are using the Silhouette make sure to use the kind that has the shiny clear look to it so it sticks to your cutting mat well:

Designing my pillow on the Silhouette machine software (see fonts at the bottom of this post!):

The cutting machine:

My canvas was so thick the machine didn’t cut all the way through in places but it was easy to trim:

If you don’t have a cutting machine just trace your letters onto the fabric with a disappearing fabric marker and cut them out:

Here my letters are placed onto the pillow cover:

I ironed the letters to adhere them into place (the fusible web on the back is what does this):

Then I carefully stitched each letter with a straight stitch:

It’s easiest to sew the letters all at once and then trim the thread in between as the last step:

Material & Sources:

Ikea Karlstad pillows in Dark Gray

Silhouette Cutting Machine

Fusible Web

White Cotton Canvas by the Yard

Looking for vintage subway fonts? Here’s a list of a few I love! Links are at the bottom of the image:

amble / underground nf / helvetica / franchise / lane – narrow / copperplate / bebas neue

Recycled Tie Photo Album

May 6, 2013 by Ashley Hackshaw

It’s been almost two years since my dad passed away and I’ve been saving all of his ties to make something from. I wanted to make something for my mom, sister and brother. My dad’s ties represented so many different parts of his life….from special events to all of his favorite golf clubs and important tournaments he played in. I came up with the idea of making a photo album using bits and pieces of each tie so that everyone would have a patch:

I added a little tag into the front of each album: Made from the neckties of Norman Virgil Swenson Jr., 1947 – 2011, “Golf’s Ultimate Gentleman”:

Every tie reminds me of some part of my dad’s life….like the pretty blue tie he wore in my sister’s wedding:

To make the albums I purchased simple 4″x6″ albums from the craft store:

Other supplies you may need: sew-on snaps, fusible interfacing, etc.

Here are the ties I used:

I even took the ribbon off of this belt to work the DeBordieu design into it. We used to own a house at DeBordieu beach when we were little….it’s where most of my childhood summers were spent:

Here’s how I made the albums…..they only took me a few hours with an assembly line:

Step 1: Cut apart the ties and press them flat with an iron. Add fusible (iron-on) interfacing to the back of each tie. Begin cutting pieces of the ties into random angles and piece them together until you have a large enough piece to cut for the main piece of the album (approx. 11″ x 7.25″ for my album). Iron all your seams open and flat. Apply fusible interfacing to the back of the finished patchwork.

Step 2: Cut the front of the album (approx. 11″ x 7.25″ for my album). Cut two pieces (with fusible interfacing) for the front and back inside cover (approximately 5.5″ x 7.25″). If you would like a personalized tag in the front, create text and print onto iron-on transfer paper.

Step 3: Turn over the inside edge of each of the inside covers, iron flat and sew with a 1/4″ seam. For a tab closure, cut the end of a tie off and sew it to one side of the front to keep it in place as you assemble the rest of your album cover. Finish the top and bottom edge of the front cover with a serger or zig zag stitch.

Step 4: Lay the two inside cover pieces onto the top of the outside cover piece and sew the seams using a 1/4″ seam. Your album covers should look like the ones in the 2nd photo below. Use some fusible web or a few pins to secure your “tag” to the inside front cover and stitch it into place.

Step 5: Stitch the top and bottom seams of the cover as shown in the first photo with a 1/4″ seam. Carefully trim your corners and turn the cover right side out using a small pencil or stick to push out the corners. Sew your snaps into place on the “tab” and the cover”.