New Blog

Hello again! I'm back to let visitors know that I have a new blog now that I am much more regular about posting to then I ever was for this neglected blog.

Now you can find me at Quill Alley, sharing my crafts and life in Sacramento.
Thanks!
Sarah Jane

the end of this blog.

It's been fun, but I feel the drive and inspiration I once had for my crafts has fizzled. But I'm working on other projects and finding inspiration in that. My short break from blogging during a busy time in life ended up turning into a long break. I came to the realization that this blog wasn't a project I had both the time commitment and inspiration to see through. And as all things come to an end, so does The Crafteteria.

Thanks to everyone who read my blog, and the entire online crafting community.

signing off,

Sarah Jane Hammontree

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qxSwJC3Ly0

Sometimes it pays to be crafty

Yesterday I downed a Starbucks Doubleshot and kicked apartment ass. I got a ton done including lots of cleaning, some blogging and fixing the very lumpy couch cushions.

The left side finished compared to the right side which is the "before."

How I did it: I cut open the inner pillow. In my couch the pillows each has three sections, so I had to cut into each pillow three times. Inside the stuffing had smooshed together into a big lumpy chunk. Smooshed is a technical term. I ripped the stuffing apart into tiny pieces, pulling it apart will my hands to make it fluffy once again and re-stuffed the cushion. I added some poly-fill to party since I some I hadn't used up in 4 years.

Still not clear whether or not the yellow pieces started out yellow... ew.
I scrubbed my hands really hard afterward.

If you are squeamish or bought your couch used, seriously consider using gloves, or have some around just in case. I didn't use gloves, but my cleaning habits are intermittent. Or I'm gross. However you want to word it.

If you have never stuffed a pillow before, it's important to start at all the corners, then stuff the rest. If you don't the end product will be round where it's supposed to be square. After stuffing, sew your pillows shut and zip the cover back on. You'll likely need to vacuum up AWOL fibers. Ta-da! You're done.

The final product: a comfortable cushion you no longer have to try unsuccessfully to punch into pillow shape everyday.

Didn't you hear how sexy vacuum lines are? It's a hot interior design trend in 2010.

This is by far not my most glamorous project, but considering how nice the couch looks I think it's pretty rad. We got our couch used and I wonder if they got rid of it because of the lumpy pillows. Why replace something when with a little elbow grease you can mend it yourself? Sometimes it pays to be crafty.

Kickass Painted Heels

I've been paint on and off for two weeks and finally they are done! I've had these shoes for a while and they are the comfiest heels ever! But the heels had become scuffed after being my go-to heel for the past two or three years. After picking up a similar looking heel at the thrift store for two bucks I finally plucked up the courage to risk ruining my favorite shoes. But I didn't ruin them and personally I think they look fabulous considering my poor painting skills.

I painted them using acrylic paint. Afterward I sprayed it with a seal. I'm all about fixing things instead of replacing them, so the the paint is partly functional. I'll definitely wear these a lot longer than if the scuffs got worse.

Sealing them, plastic bags covering what doesn't need to be sealed.

This was a really fun and challenging project. My ability to paint a thin black line has improved tenfold. If I could change one thing, it'd be the skull which I think looks pretty amateur. Here's a better view:

Also a close up of the waves, since they're the most detailed

What do you think of my shoes? Comments and Criticism welcome

Plot Update

I thought today I'd share photos of my garden plot. Unfortunately my utter lack of money has led me to only plant half the plot.

Tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapeno, radishes and some cornflowers that haven't bloomed yet.

Ruby corn, spinach, strawberries, peas and out of view are black eye peas.

Repainted cork board

I've been working hard on a project that isn't quite ready to share yet. I've very excited to show it off in the next few days.

I've been trying to organize and decorate my little craft corner in our bedroom. I painted this cork board. Previously it was a very unattractive beige wood. I painted (poorly) blue and purple leopard print with silver. I finally got it hanging over my craft table and have already used it for pinning up sewing project ideas.

Doll Clothes

Fire Spirit
Originally uploaded by SarahJSaturday

Yes, I'm one of those weirdos who likes dolls despite being an adult. I thought I'd share the dress I made recently. I have more doll photos on my flickr account here.

Sewing on such a small scale is definitely a challenge. I think it's fun and a quick project.

Do you like dolls? Do you think they're creepy? I'd love to hear your opinion in the comments.

New Look and Friends Inchies Art

I'm back from my sickness induced break, and even have a new layout! The new look is from Deluxe Templates. If you use blogger you'll love them. They have tons of great templates and even ones suited for specific types of blogs. I'm not being paid to endorse this, just wanted to share a great resource for bloggers.

I didn't get much crafting done but I did want to share something I made and forgot about. Around the holidays, three of my close friends and I did art on inchies. If you aren't familiar with inchies, they are tiny 1 X 1 inch squares for mini art. What you do with them when you're done is up to you but I decided to make more art for our apartment.


This project is a trial run for a larger project. I hope to get all of my closest friends and family to do some inchies and then combine them like this for art in my house. I think inchies are a really fun medium for creativity. Even people who aren't artists can fill up a 1 x 1 inch square and they are super quick to make.

Have you ever collaborated for a creative project?

Out Sick

Camping

I'll be gone for the weekend. Shipoopi and I are going camping at Lava Beds National Monument. Have a nice weekend!