Fun Pincushions For My Craft Room

Here is the sad pincushion I've been using for years and years. I put it together in a hurry and it sure looks like it. But hey, it worked!


Now we've moved and I'm setting up a new studio and I decided that I need something fun and colorful and whimsical that would make me smile. Heck, why only have ONE pincushion? I decided to make several so there would be one at every work station.

I started with a collection of random wineglasses left over from my Parents' 60th Anniversary Dinner Dance. I spray painted them in the colors I've chosen for my creative space...turquoise, red, ivory and black. I cut out muslin circles and sewed various lace trims across them, stuffed them full with polyfill and hot glued them in place. Then I started embellishing. LOVE this rose trim, I've got loads of it.

One of my rosette necklaces draped over the top gave me the direction I wanted to go. So pretty! Great timing, too, as I have just sold this necklace in my Etsy shop.

I haven't hand sewn in a year so I wondered if I could still manage to make rosettes out of 1/4" ribbon. Turns out I can!

Here's how the turquoise pincushion came out; so pretty, frothy, romantic and colorful. LOVE IT!
And here's the red one. Along with the rosettes I added buttons and tulle poofs. Love the heart pins on top!

Gorgeous!

And the black one. I added silvery leaves recycled from a pair of heavy earrings. Perfect accent!



And the tall white one. This one is specifically for threaded needles so the thread can hang down the side and not get tangled with the pins. I added the bit of primitive star garland on a whim and really like it. The muslin rosettes are hot glued, not sewn, and they worked wonderfully.


Here they are all together. When I walk into my crafting space they draw my eye and make me smile. Isn't that how you are supposed to feel when you're feeling creative? Soon I'll have the whole room put together and I'll post a tour.

I'll be linking up to the parties in my sidebar. Come take a look, you will find some wonderful inspiration and projects.

Red Felt Roses and a Wave of Butterflies

So, here's the bare bones of my Valentine's display at the end of my buffet counter. The big fancy butterfly got me to thinking, as did the empty spot on the wall behind these wonderfully graphic branches. And yes, those are googly eyes on the cork topper. Never underestimate what can happen when I have a hot glue gun in one hand and a pack of googly eyes from the Dollar store in the other hand. Just sayin'.

And now this little display looks like this....all red felt roses and Valentine hearts and scads of butterflies. LOVE THIS!

And here's how this journey went. I crashed my stash looking for properly Valentine red supplies and remembered the red yarn and Christmas ball wreath I had displayed earlier....

A heat gun helps to loosen hot glue, which helps when you are ripping the Christmassy aspects off a wreath you want to remake into a Valentine/butterfly/spring wreath. Away with ye, big shiny bows and a few glass balls. Also, red is a very hard color to photograph without flaring way into pink and glarey. So I am unhappy with most of the really red pics in this post.


Blogland is full of beautiful roses made of paper and fabric and I ADORE the wreaths made of totally HUNDREDS of tightly curled book page roses. Whoa! I was not ready to take that project on tho I applaud the ladies who have made such gorgeous wreaths. In my laziness I decide to do much fewer rolled red felt roses. I cut circles using a paper plate, a saucer and a margarine lid for 3 nice sizes and then cut each into meandering strips.

Rolled them into nice tight flowers and hot glued them to shape and added some salvaged rose silk leaves for a bit of greenery.

Instead of hundreds of rolled roses, it only took about 18 to dress this wreath up for a brand new look. But wait, there's more. Remember that big butterfly? My wreath needed butterflies. And then, I decided the whole vignette needed dozens of butterflies.

Out came all the butterfly punches, including the one standing on end, a Martha Stewart filigree butterfly punch that is awesome (and very messy) but makes the most gorgeous cut out butterflies!


I added a few to the wreath and branches and then Insanely Creative Christy took some double stick tape and did this with all the rest. She added a beautiful wave of bright red butterflies flying up the wall in a graceful curve of color! Gorgeous!

I love the way the butterflies look against the textured wallpaper.

And at the bottom I added a bit of doodled artwork by my middle daughter, Practical Mom Kelly. It goes perfectly with the other items and has the perfect sentiments for Valentine's Day....

...and our anniversary, which is February 13th. We have 40 years under our belts and come hell or high water, we're going for the big 50. This doodled gem has kids, grandkids, pets, teapots, pincusions, a bee hive and lots more. All in all, I am liking this Valentine Spring display alot and I'm already planning a twig wreath with rolled burlap roses and maybe a primitive nest and more pretty butterflies in a nice shade of robin's egg blue........

Joining the parties on my sidebar. Come visit and see what is happening in blogland this week!