TaylorMade

DIY, Home Decor & Sewing

The Bow Clutch

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You know the saying great minds think alike? Well this happens in the art world, about 5x a week for me. Artists/crafters/creators get inspiration from everywhere and even subconsciously. So last week I “thought” of a great idea… how about a bow on the front of a clutch. Not novel, but I thought it was an original idea of mine. Then the day after I whipped it up, I saw this post from a blog called Simply Homemade. It’s like the fraternal twin of my bow clutch. In the past I might have been like who thought of this first? Well, since either of us invited a bow, or a clutch now I just think it is cool that two random strangers thought of making the same thing at the same time… I guess great minds do think alike :) 

For my clutch, I used a different fabric for the bow and the lining and of course I used linen for the main part of the bag. I have a linen obsession. 
I don’t have a full tutorial, but basically you make a standard clutch or zippered pouch for the unfancy and you cut an extra piece for the bow that is a little larger. I serged the edges and hemmed the edge of the bow. Then I made a little piece of bias tape for the center of the bow. Then, I just sandwiched the bow when I stacked the layers for the clutch. Cute with endless color options. I also added a label to the inside. 

I think my colors are so festive- I made this for a gift exchange because what girl can’t use an extra clutch? Perfect for wearing or giving at a Holiday Party.

A “Make Your Own Ornament” Party

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Ah sequins, so festive. 
I have a group of girlfriends who I have remained close with through the years and we all are living back in the same area again. We go by the “coyotes” – don’t judge I think we made up the name when we were 14ish. We grew up together and have been a group since 6th grade, some of us were even in the same kindergarten class! I am lucky to have them because I know its rare. Once a month, we take turns hosting “Coyote Night” and this past month it was my turn… craft hour and wine… yes please. 

How to host your own Ornament Party:
sequins, sequins, sequins – I got an array of colors and sizes

I also got a variety pack 

You need sequin pins, which are not the same as sewing pins and will be located by the sequins at the craft store. I bought gold and silver, and we were picky about which ones we used, then we realized you couldn’t even tell the difference.

Styrofoam Balls, these came in a 6 pack 

extras: ribbon for the hanging part, foam glue is optional, extra little dishes for each person

There doesn’t have to be any rhyme or reason to the ornament making and that is why it was fun. It is perfect for a girl get together because it it mindless so you can still talk, eat and drink :)

Some of us had a color scheme, some did a pattern, and some were totally random, I love them all!

Progress… it does take a while, thankfully for us we never run out of things to say.

A little later…

I wanted to keep all of them :)

This is the one I made, happy on my tree. 

 Has anyone else had a “make your own ornament party” yet? I think you should.

Cranberry Chutney Recipe

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Hello real world, did everyone have a great Thanksgiving? I felt like it was Saturday for five days, and I love Saturdays :) You might ask, why are you giving us a Cranberry Recipe the week after Thanksgiving? Well, cranberries are good for the whole holiday season. That and I made this for my Mom’s Thanksgiving which was the day after and I took pictures as I went, ha. 

A little back story: My aunt made this for Thanksgiving and brought it to my Mom’s house about six years ago. It was a REALLY big hit with us. Now, I wonder why every family doesn’t make it. It it the perfect accompaniment to every holiday feast. The citrus and black pepper cut the sweet and savory perfectly. Actually, just yesterday my Mom said. “I think I just need to have this on hand for life”. It’s that good. So, we emailed my uncle to get the recipe. Then I was curious and I googled it, I found many similar recipes that were named Cranberry Salsa but none exactly like this one. Does anyone make anything like this? If not, do yourself a favor and whip some up for Christmas. I followed my Aunt and Uncle’s recipe exactly. My Uncle called it “Hudson’s on the Bend Cranberry Chutney” which is a restaurant in Austin, TX, where they live. I wonder if this is some coveted secret?? My Uncle said “The trick to this recipe is to trust the ingredients…..don’t add to or subtract from”.

Hudson’s on the Bend Cranberry Chutney
12 oz pkg of cranberries
½ cup fresh lime juice and ZEST
2 shallots
½ tsp of salt
1 whole bunch of Cilantro
2-3 cloves of garlic
1-2 seeded jalapenos
1 ¼ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup coarse ground pepper
 

Blend together in food processor 
 

My food processor isn’t large enough so I mixed everything together in a bowl then “chopped” in batches
 

I put mine in mason jars and added a fake fall leaf with twine. But lets be honest, you could serve this out of some old tupperware with a plastic spork and it would be pretty. 

So… was this one anyone else’s Thanksgiving plate? All of the recipes I found online called for green onion and white sugar with no black pepper (which I have to say is a definite must). And does anyone have a secret family side that is out of the norm?

GPS Case Tutorial

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It’s not too often around here that my husband gets something “TaylorMade”. Sad but true. It’s hard enough to sew for boys let alone old boys. But last week he actually had a special request. That never happens. He asked for a case for his new GPS. 

I came up with this…

Is it manly enough? Houndstooth is about as boyish as my fabric stash gets. And black is always masculine. 
This is so easy I can hardly call it a tutorial but, you need:
-outer fabric
-inner fabric (something soft, I used flannel)
-small piece of batting
-snap set
-scrap piece of trim is optional
For Bryan’s GPS’s size I cut my fabric to 14″ x 8″.  Layer the fabric with right sides together and the batting on bottom. Y’all… I had a serious flannel lint problem! I had to use my lint roller between every step. Once its together its not so bad but during construction, I almost threw the whole thing away… see!

Sew the bundle together leaving an opening and clip the corners.

Flip it right side out.

With the outer fabric touching the GPS, place the GPS in the center of the rectangle and fold one side up to form a pocket.

Pin and sew up the sides of the pocket. Then flip right side out.

Add your snaps.
I added a scrap to the outside by folding and pressing a scrap to fit the outer flap them sewing it on with a zig-zag stitch. This will also close up the opening that you made to flip the rectangle.
The GPS now has a manly home :)
This could be a good stocking stuffer, quick and easy. What kind of man crafting do you do?
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