[Don't miss the free download at the bottom of this post!]

Last week, I hinted at a special collaboration I have been working on with one of my favorite fabric people.  Today, I am super excited to announce that I have been working on some fun tutorials with Kelly of superbuzzy!  As many of you know, I have been a huge superbuzzy fan for a long time, so I was honored to be able to create some free tutorials for all of you Japanese fabric fans.  (Of course, any project where the postman shows up with a box full of Japanese fabric and accessories is a dream project in my book!)

For our first collaboration, we came up with an adorable Zakka Lunch Kit.  The tutorial includes all of the instructions to make a bento bag (above) and a sandwich wrap that folds out to a place mat (below).  The projects are beginner-friendly, but we’ve included some nice finishing details so that they will hold up against rough-and-tumble little ones and frequent trips through the washing machine.  I know a lot of us are thinking green these days — so I love that these fabric bags and bento boxes help cut down on all of the lunch time trash.  (It doesn’t hurt that the projects are seriously cute, too!)

After you sew up these projects, you may want to take a look through the superbuzzy shop.   I am loving these mushroom clips and magnets!  (I also heard a rumor that there might be some new Echino goodies!)  Maybe you’d even like to try your hand at making cute bento-style lunches.  superbuzzy has some cute bento books (in English!) that show you how.  I was inspired to give it a try too.  Here’s my little hedgehog sandwich:

We had so much fun putting this one together that we’re going to be making this a monthly thing.  So I hope you’ll visit us again to see what we have in store for Halloween!

Click here to download the Zakka Lunch Kit tutorial!

And you can always find the free superbuzzy patterns right here on the free pattern page.  We hope you enjoy!

Hello there and welcome back for our next installment in the DIY picnic project.  Last week, I etched some glass canning jars.  I think they looked lovely, but a little plain.  This week, I created an embroidery pattern to decorate the lid top.  Yes, it’s possible that I’m procrastinating on sewing the picnic blanket (the next craft on the list), but if you’re looking to procrastinate, I think embroidery is a perfect activity.

Now, I know that not everyone wants to embroider French phrases, so for this free download you have two options.  There’ s a PDF of the pattern in English and a second PDF in French.  You may have your pick.  (Scroll down to the bottom for the download.)

I was having so much fun putting this together that I drew a few more pictures to embroider.  I haven’t had a chance to stitch these yet, but wanted to include them anyway.  I might need to make a little fabric menu.  Here’s a little sample:

I didn’t make too much of a fuss over the embroidery.  However, I thought it might help to show how I transferred the design onto the black fabric.

I printed out a copy of the pattern making sure it was the correct size for my jar lid.  On a protected work surface, I layered the pattern, some Wax-Free Tracing paper in white (color side facing down), and the fabric.  Pressing firmly, I traced the design with a pencil.  While the pattern didn’t transfer perfectly, there’s enough there that I could follow the design.  (All that extra white mess comes off with a damp cloth or fabric eraser.)

After I back-stitched the lettering and outline in white and filled in the cat with satin stitches, this is what the design looks like (below).  Now, I was ready to trace around the lid top and cut out the fabric.  I also cut out some felt to layer underneath (batting would work too).

I tied a ribbon around the top for a punch of color.  Now, I’m ready to fill up my jar with treats for my picnic.

Here is where you can get a copy of the embroidery patterns.  First, we have the French:

Next, we have the English version:

If you have any problems with the download or have a question (or some comments on my French!), please send me an e-mail at kleecreel at everkelly dot com.

I hope you have a wonderful, relaxing weekend.  All the best, Kelly

I don’t know if you’ve been to any craft stores lately, but I keep seeing unpainted wooden bird houses everywhere.  The small versions used in this project only cost a $1.  Every time I saw them, I kept wishing they were cuckoo clocks.  That’s when it hit me: why not make your own?

Now, to be honest, as much as I love cuckoo clocks, the tick-tock sound is very distracting for me.  (Not to mention an hourly chime!)  These are quiet, display-only birds.

This project is pretty simple — almost all paint and glue.  However, you’ll need a drill and possibly a rotary cutter (if you want to make the fancier gold/white version).  I think this project would look equally cute in a monochromatic color scheme — or of course, you could go traditional and add tiny trees, wooden people, and dark wood trim.

All of the instructions are in this handy (free) download.  Just click on the image below to download the PDF and then choose “Save as”:

If you make one, I’d love to see it!  Just drop me a note.  And, as always, if you have any questions about the instructions (or if you – gasp! -  catch an error), drop me a line at kleecreel at everkelly dot com.

Here is a little sample from the instructions:

I hope you enjoy!  XOXO, Kelly

[This is number 4 in a series of tutorials on creating the perfect DIY picnic-for-two.  You can find the kick off post here.  So far, we've dressed up our picnic baskets, sewn a removable fabric liner, and made some fancy but inexpensive lace napkins.]

This week, we’re transforming some canning jars into adorable containers with the use of some vinyl rub-ons and glass etching cream.  I found these vinyl appliques in my stash:

The Supplies

Here’s what you’ll need:

- Glass jar

- Vinyl Rub-ons

-Armour Etch and foam brush

- Glass cleaner and rubbing alcohol

- Gloves & other safety gear

- Baking soda

- Bucket

The Steps:

1) Prep your jar by cleaning thoroughly with glass cleaner.  Cut out your vinyl rub-on and apply to the outside of the jar.  Tape off the top and bottom.  Here is the clean jar all prepped and ready:

2) Glass etching cream is serious stuff, so be sure to follow the directions and take necessary safety precautions.  The cream can also damage sinks, so cover your work surface.  Wearing gloves (eye goggles wouldn’t hurt either), apply the glass etching cream to the glass jar using a foam brush.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  Here is the messy, gooey action shot:

3) After 5 minutes, wash off the excess cream into a bucket in the sink.  Peel off the tape and vinyl stickers to reveal your glass etched jar.  I found this handy tip to add baking soda to the water to neutralize the acid before pouring it down the sink.  The water can still burn you at this point, but this is supposed to protect your sink.

Hopefully, I haven’t scared you away with all this talk of acid.  Once you have your supplies rounded up, this is a fairly quick and simple project to do.

What’s next for the picnic project?  We have just two projects left: a picnic blanket and some insulated food wraps.  I think  I will finish just in time to enjoy some great end of summer weather.

Are you ready for the next installment in our picnic project?  Now that we’ve made over our picnic basket (part 1) and sewn a removable liner (part 2), it’s time for some napkins!  In our house, we learned that you could never have too many napkins.  My mom was always armed with extras, so I decided to make two sizes. 

I made some cocktail napkins (above) and a full sized dinner napkin that could easily double as a place mat (below).  The cool thing about this project is that although these napkins look fancy, they are super cheap to make.  That yummy off-white fabric above?  Muslin. The black lace?  It’s hem facing. (The kind that comes in a pack at JoAnn’s for a couple of bucks.)  Grab some black and off-white thread, and you are ready to go.  This is a seriously quick and affordable project.

Instructions: Cocktail Napkins

1) For each cocktail napkin, I cut out two squares of muslin (FRONT and BACK) that measured 8.75″ x 8.75″.  On the FRONT, I pinned a strip of lace hem facing 1.75″ from the edge.  Using black thread and a narrow zig zag stitch, I stitched the lace directly onto the muslin.

2) Pin the two squares right sides together (so the lace is facing IN).  Sew a 1/4″ seam around all four edges, leaving a 3″ gap on one side so you can turn your work.  Trim corners and flip the napkin right side out.  Press and turn under raw edges in the 3″ opening.

3) Top stitch along all 4 sides 1/8″ inch from the edge.  You’re done!

Instructions: Dinner Napkins

1) The dinner napkin is a single piece of muslin 18″ x 18″.  As in step 1 for the cocktail napkin, sew the lace hem facing directly onto the muslin using a zig zag stitch.  Since the back of the fabric will be exposed, it is important to match your bobbin thread to the fabric.  (The top thread is still black.)  The photo below shows the back side of the napkin.  If you prefer, it would be simple to cut a second square to hide these stitches.

2) Attach bias tape edge.  This link is a great tutorial for attaching bias tape (including how to make your own). I decided to use a very narrow bias tape (1/8″) and while I love the way it looks, it’s very tricky to miter the corners with such a narrow edge.  If flawless corners are critical for you, I might recommend a wider bias tape.

3) I normally finish my bias tape by hand, but in this case, I top stitched it instead.  The beautiful weather outside was just too good to ignore, so I went for the speedy option.  It turned out great.

There’s more picnic fun ahead including a picnic blanket, some insulated food wraps, and some glass etching!

P.S. – I haven’t tried washing these yet, but when I do I plan to wash them on the gentle cycle (cold water) and line dry.  This is how I treat all of my table linens, and I’m hoping it will help the lace trim hold up in the wash.