Tara Miller Designs

Black Friday Cyber Monday Discount!

This weekend, Black Friday through Cyber Monday everything in my Shops is 20% off, just use the coupon code "blackfriday" to ge the discount! happy Shopping. 

Pinterest Pass/Fail

I have been a long time Pinner on Pinterest and I LOVE it but the one thing that really irritates me is the lack of ratings or success rate for many pins. Other than dusting off google and searching for the Pin subject on blogs there is really no way to learn if that DIY, recipe or product is any good. So for my own interests and maybe for those who follow me on Pinterest I have started a Pinterest Pass/Fail board so I, at least, can remember. 

The rules of my board are pretty simple (and may be subject to change later on) but when I try something from Pinterest and it is successful I leave it on its originial board but also pin it to my "Pinterest Pass/Fail" board with the word "pass" in the description along with the subject of the pin and any comments. I might add some suggestions for a recipe, add why it was so good/fun or suggest tips for making the project/DIY a little different. 

Now should the Pin be unsuccessful then I remove it from its original board and just pin it to the Pass/Fail board, add the word "Fail" to the description along with a short snippet on why it failed. 

I am hoping other's might follow suit with their own boards so we can weddle out the bad, unsuccessful pins to keep Pinterest fun and full of worthwhile Pins. 

Let me know if you are intersted in joining my board and I will add you. 

Put your name on it

I have been intending to put Devon's name on her door at the new place for a few months now. I even bought some really neat vinyl at TJ. Maxx (contact paper) for $4.50 for 2 rolls! The plan was to cut it with my cricut and then install it on the door. However, I didn't have any transfer tape. I hate buying cricut brand supplies because the price is outrageous so I researched alternatives. Apparantly you can use clear contact paper (which I purchased from Wal-mart for $5/roll) and used that. Her name cut like a dream. Once I had isolated the letters, I cut a piece of clear vinyl a little bigger than her name and placed it sticky side down on the name and pressed hard to get good contact. Then I flipped it and pulled the backing off. I was left with the clear contact paper with Devon's name backward on it. Then I lined it up on her door and pressed. You want to make sure you use a credit card or hard squeegie for this. You want the letters to really adhere to the surface so you can pull the contact paper away without the letters coming too. 

She loves her name on the door! Once #2 is born and ready to move it with her big sister, I will add her name as well. I am tossing around the idea of labeling the bathroom downstairs for guests....hmmm

Getting ready for baby...

If you don't read me over at Fabric.com's Blog, you may not know that I am expecting baby #2 in Sept so I am busy getting everything ready for our new little girl! I have been washing and folding, sewing and knitting for the new babe and made some time to share 2 of my finished onesies so far. I found a whole pile of tiny white tees that never made it onto Devon so I am working hard to revamp them for #2. First, I appliqued my favorite apple design from Jen at BeeBee Mod (no longer available) in some Heather Bailey Nicey Jane and micro dot Red. The letters were too tiny to cut out the centers of some of the letters so I embroidered the letters in green to give definition and highlight the little letters. I love it!

My second is 12 mo tee that I tried a reverse applique by cutting a 4 in circle from heat n bond and then cut a 3 in. circle out of the middle, leaving just a ring of transfer paper. I applied this to the RS of the cotton and ironed it onto the WS of the tee. Then I stitched around the circle and then cut out the knit fabric from the front. lastly, I wrote "Love" with tailors chalk in the circle and embroidered it. It is just perfect for my soon-to-be cutie and can't wait for her to wear it! I included a shot of the shirt inside out to give you a better idea.

 

Drowning in Fabric Scraps

I have more scraps than I can handle, especially considering I just cleaned out the studio closet. I am marking fabric scrap grab bags in my shop 20% so stock up until they are gone! Use the coupon code: Springclean20

 

 

Fun Long Distance Grandma Gift- Wearable Kid Art

While my mom lives close, Devon's Besta lives 3 hours away and thus misses out on some of the benefits my mom get by being within "pop-over" distance such as a collection of kid art. I decided to rectify the situation by giving Devon some Shrinky Dinks to decorate. We then watched them bake and shrink and she picked which piece to send to who. In the end we made a gift for Besta (Norwegian for Grandmom), Auntie Brandi, my mom (AKA Lovey), me, one for Devon and the last one goes to my grandmom. They make great gifts that kids can be proud of and send safety to loved ones anywhere.

 

Materials:

Ruff n Ready Shrinky Dinks (these are easier for little ones to color) cut in half lengthwise and then in thirds, making 6 pieces

Markers (I used washable markers)

regular hole punch 

jump rings, key rings or anything else you wish to attach your finished art. 

Layout your 6 pieces and let you kid go to town. Once finished, write their name on the front (I forgot and wrote it on the back) along with their age. Punch a hole where ever you prefer.

lay out the pieces with the ruff side down on a cookie sheet and bake according to the directions. Once cooled, your child can pick which piece goes to whom and gift wrap. These art gifts make great pendants (just round the corners a bit), key fobs, or zipper pulls. Grandma will love it and it's a great way to preserve some kid art for life. 

I picked the one where we traced our hands, one over top the other. So sweet!

 

Big Girl Bed

We just moved and alot has changed since then. Highest on my priority list has been getting Devon's Big Bed ready for her. Can you believe it wasn't until she was 3 that she tried to climb out of her crib. Pretty nice for us but she wasn't too pleased with the results. She was always so content with her books and jumping that I guess she didn't see the point. When she did climb (err... fall out) we rushed out and got her mattress. However, we could only put it on the floor which I have since been told is the best place to start the transition since they don't have far to fall. In the meantime, I procured from my parents our an heirloom bed that I had earmarked for Devon since she was born and I found it in the basement. It was my bed and my dad's bed before. It is solid wood and beautifully made. However, having gone through 2 kids one of them my dad who rough housed with his 2 brother's daily on that bed, it needed work. 

On a really nice day last week, Devon and I got to work sanding and painting. Well, I sanded, Devon rode her bike, helped me sand a bit, colored the garage door with chalk and then colored her un-sanded foot board with chalk. I believe she also picked some flowers. Then we took a trip to pick out spray paint and Devon choose from the 3 I offered (turquoise, kelly green, and cherry red) the red. It was a great choice and she never wavered. When we got home, we set to work. Devon's job was to not get on the paint tarp and to hold the paint lid. She took both jobs serious but whenever I took a break to stretch my back, she was jumping around all the pieces. I gave the bed a full 24 hours to dry and cure before they travelled up to her room and set up. Once the bed was complete, she fell in love all over again. She has not gone back to her crib once, though it is still in her room just in case. She loves her big bed.

I was unable to get out all the ding and dents created from 50+ years of wear and tear, so I left most and love the look it created. The charater is still intact but the overall appearance is classic and beautiful.  

2011 Loose Ends

So I have a tendancy to say I am going to do things on the blog and then do them but forget to write about the turn out later. This post (a a few to follow) is an effort to tie up these loose ends from projects in 2011.

Tea dying (also coffee dying) This did not turn out well. I even left it to sit overnight and the color is only slightly different. I don't recommend it since it is messy with minimal results. I am going to work on bleaching in 2012 so stay tuned. 

Christmas projects round up:

From Mom!

For my SIL

For my mom, Devon's Lovey!

For my Brother

Camera Strap Covers for my Brother

For my Devon!

 

Cozy new friend

Remember that busted up blanket in my last post? Well, once I brushed her off and added the new bias trim the family is fighting over her. She is shining bright and loving the attention. Plus she really goes well with my new christmas pillow cover. Now I need to look around and see what else needs some bias trim...

Dyeing Fabric with Tea

 

During nap today, I dyed some muslin with tea. It was the least messy fabric dyeing I have ever dealt with and it smelled wonderful! I based it on some instructions I googled but in the end I eyeballed it all since I didn't have tea bags and I was working with 2 + yds of lightweight muslin. Teac dying will give your fabric an aged, vintage, antique look. I am planning on using the dyed fabric to make cafe curtains with a Greek Key trim as seen in Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts (love this book!)

I started by filling my sink with roughly a gallon of hot water and to that I added 9 tbsps of loose leaf tea (Mine of Ceylon Cherry which I hoped would add a bit of red but no dice). I then waited 5-7 min for the water to darken. I added the fabric to the tea and carfeully swished my fabric around until it was wet through. I let it soak for 30 min and then came back and swish and stired some more. I left the fabric for the rest of the afternoon until it was a good dark, antique color and then drained the water. I rinsed the tea leaves off a little and placed the wet fabric in the dryer (you can hang it outside as well) to dry.  As I type my fabric is still drying and I want to wait for the light of day to see the finished resulting color. Can't wait!