This is the time of year to go through the kid’s closets and try on summer clothes and shoes to figure out what doesn’t fit and move it down to the next child in line. To give the old shoes a little bit of new attitude, here is an idea to remake girls dress shoes.

In our case, we had a barely worn pair of white dress flats that mysteriously had glitter and nail polish all over them, hence making them unacceptable, in the opinion of the next child. Fair enough. So, I went digging and found some leftover bright colored spray paint and went to work.

Step 1: Clean shoes and scuff up surface if it is glossy, then cover any part of the shoe you don’t want paint on with tape (heel and sole) — masking tape or clear packing tape works well. Also think creatively to use tape to create stripes or circle stickers for polka dots.
Step 2: Stuff shoes with newspaper to protect interior from paint.
Step 3: Spray a light coat of paint over entire shoe. You will need to pick up shoe and spray near the sole. Let that coat dry and repeat until shoe is completely covered.

Step 4: Let paint dry overnight.
Step 5: Spray shoe with a clear coat polyurethane for a little shine if painted surface is a little flat. (optional)
Step 6: Let dry overnight to completely cure.

TaDaa! Fun and sassy shoes that make an older sister search for shoes to remake for herself.
Other ideas to embellish is to glue on some jewels or flowers to add more pizzazz. I recommend to start simply and aim for fun and not perfection.

It always happens that in the midst of a sewing or craft project that neat stack of materials and supplies that I have gathered becomes scattered all over the place: thread in one spot, notions covered by fabrics, pattern packet and instructions separated from each other.  Sometimes I feel like more time is spent searching for the pieces I need than actually sewing.  Here is a simple way to be stylishly organized.

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Time: less than an hour

Materials:

• Chunky Picture frame 11” x 14”
• 4 -2-1/2” finish nails
• 4 cup hooks
• 2 clothes pins & 2 1″ finish nails to attach these
  
• Spray paint

Step 1: Clean the frame

Step 2:  Figure out which side will be the top of the frame.  On the sides of the frame, screw in cup hooks, two per side on short sides of frame, 2 per side, place 1 one each side about an inch down from the top a corner and couple of inches from the bottom corner.  These can hold scissors, buttons, safety pins or anything else you might have to organize.

Step 3: Nail 2-1/2″  nails along bottom edge of frame at an angle, you may want to pre-drill so the frame wood doesn’t split

Step 4: Spray paint.

Step 5: Attach clothes pins, by taking them apart and nailing one side into the frame and then assemble again with the spring, this takes a little fussing about but they will be secure.

Step 6:  Hang frame in craft room and add your current project notions, pattern and tools to all the hooks and clips and be a little more organized for your project.

TaDaa!

Finished Sewing Square

So, I love the idea of chalkcloth, but the idea of writing with chalk just gives me the willies.  The mess of the chalk dust has stopped me from having fun with this fabric.  But this weekend, I found a solution, Chalk Ink markers.  The name is a bit misleading since they are not chalk, but they can be used on chalkboards and chalkcloth and just need to be washed off with a wet cloth.

Once I discovered the markers, I was immediately onto a project, I’ve been wanting to do–creating a message center for the family so we can keep track of things to be done and school reminders.

I already had a fabric-covered magnetic memo board, that I had made a few years ago and decided to rework it.  Go to your local Goodwill, re-use center, or Salvation Army and find a huge frame with a picture (you need the insert!).  Mine cost about $5.00 for a  24″ x 30 frame, which I spray painted white.  I then purchased a piece of sheet metal from the local home improvement store (less than $10) and with a metal snips cut it to size and glued it with a spray adhesive to the insert.

Before! fabric covered board.

In my case, I just peeled back the fabric and revealed the the sheet metal.

Sheet metal for magnetic surface

Used a can of spray adhesive and was very generous with the spraying  of the sheet metal.  I then rolled out the cut to size piece of chalkcloth on the adhesive covered sheetmetal and smoothed  it out (no air bubbles!) and let dry for about 1 hour.

Chalkcloth covered sheet metal for reminder board

Insert in the frame, secure  and TaDaa!

TaDaa! finished magnetic chalkboard

Time into this project after all the supplies were gathered about an hour or so of actual work.  Cost less than $30.

My kids love the board, checking to see what things they need to do and then the satisfaction of crossing them off or erasing them.  Of course lots of funny messages from Dad have been written along with loads of drawings already.

So here in Ann Arbor, Michigan the Fairies have taken over the city and given quite a bit of magic to families around town.  The Fairies appear to inhabit any home that installs a door for them.  We created some DIY kits for you to create some of this magic and lore for your own home.  My own girls delight in leaving messages and tokens for Fairies and especially love the Fairy responses (my favorite are the reminders that Fairies like things neat and tidy!)