#65 grand opening

my etsy shop is now open

today i open my etsy shop, 

please, join us!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/littlecottagecrafter

i am so excited 

(almost teary-eyed) 

to finally see that 'grand opening' 

banner on etsy

there is no better way to open the shop 

but to showcase the holiday seasons
because
--it's the most wonderful time of the year--

please feel free to browse around

i promise to bring you more 

handmade and one-of-a-kind items 

only from

aLittleCottageCrafter: the shop

and as always

thank you for shopping 

aLittleCottageCrafter

♥

in the light the disaster in the Philippines,

i will be donating 50% of the sales from 

now through December 15, 2013

to the victims of the typhoon in the Philippines

[make & give - handmade to help]©

go to etsy.com/shop/littlecottagecrafter

thank you for your generosity

click here to shop and to help 

♡♥♡

#64 breast cancer awareness 2013

celebrating october

the breast cancer awareness month

at the new york city

susan g komen race for the cure 2013

it's pink and white tie dye shirt and rubber band bracelet

for 

team cottage crafter

this year

let's do it, let's do it, let's do it all again!

♡♥♡

#63 flea market finds

very excited to find vintage stuff for my craft room

at a flea market

on a very lovely autumn weekend

this brings back memories of the

same sewing machine my family had growing up

 the sewing machine that sent 6 children to college

so happy to have one for only $20

it is from 1955 and still works!
it also comes with a hideaway cabinet
yes ... for $20

the metal embroidery hoops 
(hard-to-find nowadays) 

and good quality wooden hoops

in different sizes and shapes

all of these for just $3 ... can you beat that!

would love to display these metal and bakelite knitting needles 

-not quite sure if i will be using them in my projects-

i rather use bamboo needles

the old mason jars and buttons

add to my collections

♡♥♡

#62 fall wreath

{autumn is back!}

oranges ♥ dark yellows ♥ olive greens ♥ browns

are here again

fabric-wrapped wreath

a piece of fabric cut into strips and 
wrapped around the wreath, 
add some embellishments 
to complete the project

simple wreath

a simple burlap orange ribbon
makes a big difference on 
this willow wreath

happy fall !

♡♥♡

# 61 back to school idea

with the use of some scrap fabric

run the sewing machine across to form the lines and margin

just like a sheet of notebook paper

embroider the cursive letter using stem stitch

easy as abc ...

enjoy the last few days of summer cause

back to school is just around the corner.

♥♡♥

#60 doctor who party idea

[doctor who party idea]

one thing that my kids get excited about

on the morning of their birthdays- 
>> aside from the presents, of course <<

-is the surprise themed decoration 

i prepare for them every year
>> party or no party <<

from thomas the tank engine, to spongebob, to nascar

to mario, yankee baseball, angry bird, to club penguin

and this year, for my teenager's favorite

DOCTOR WHO

a backdrop for the photo shoot

DOCTOR WHO is widely available on BBC in UK

it's been a challenge finding them in 

party supply stores in the US

so i made them myself

so simple...

happy crafting and enjoy the party ☺

♥♡♥

#59 ottoman makeover

[ottoman makeover]

this ottoman needs some makeover

i would usually paint over a furniture

to give it a different look

but it just will not work on this one this time

>> if you can't paint it, cover it <<

i made this slipcover for the ottoman
using 2 yards of gray gingham fabric
from IKEA

♥♡♥

#58 sewing tutorial

[how to get a clean edge on your project without the serger]

this sewing tutorial 

will show you how to get a clean edge on your fabric

and prevents it from fraying

without the use of a serger

this can be helpful on your projects

such as

pillow cases, bags, blouses, etc.

[how to]

happy sewing!

♡♥♡

#57 backyard project

[garden transformation]

you must have seen this photo

of the old swing set from the a previous post

my kids have outgrown this

and

we decided to transform it to a garden.

i am so hoping that these plants
will last at least for rest of the summer

(gardening is at the bottom of the list-
 if it's even on my list of my crafts :)

we did container gardening hoping that 

the plants will thrive better

we started the garden in the early spring

we are expecting to put more plants 

as the season goes by

with no intention to spend a fortune on this project
we picked up some stuff around the house -

the signs i made, the pots were old,
the bricks were found around the backyard,
the tree stumps are from the pine tree
downed by hurricane sandy
the accessories are from the dollar store

what used to be the sandbox 

we made a raised bed to plant some tomatoes

notice the chicken wire around the sandbox?

we put them to protect the tomatoes 

from our backyard friends ☺

right by the garden -
is the firepit we built this year

for those cold nights
and nighttime camping treat
- s'mores -
(where's the tent?)

we can't wait ---
to see more flowers bloom 
to pick up some red tomatoes
 to make more s'mores
to put up a tent and camp out
and maybe
an outdoor movie night.


happy summer!

♡♥♡

#56 teacher's gift idea

something to give our teachers and teachers' aide

for the end of school-year and hello summer 
gift

thank you to lisa storms for this awesome idea
-for the free printable, click here



♡♥♡