Make It Your Own: Updating a T-Shirt with Stencils

Stencil Refashion by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

Hello there! Today I want to share a really fun & quick project to personalise or update your t-shirts! This is really easy to do and the perfect project if you feel like a creative project but don’t have a lot of time on your hands. It only took me a couple of minutes plus the time it needs to dry. I love those little projects that you can squeeze in after work.

The lovely folks over at Stencil Revolution offered to send some stencils for me to try. What I love about their company is that it’s a small, family-owned operation that developed out of what originally was a street art forum. I love supporting upcoming creative businesses and I really had a great experience with them. They offer a large variety of designs and sizes (for decorating walls etc), I stuck to smaller sizes as they seemed a better fit for decorating shirts, fabrics and tote bags.

These stencils are not very expensive but are very long lasting. It’s a hard plastic sheet that you can wipe and wash and reuse many times. I had specific project ideas in mind when ordering the three larger stencils. But I picked the arrow stencils knowing this would be a motif I will probably use over and over again! Obviously, you can use these for walls, furniture, bags etc., too. I just love a t-shirt refashion and I buy plain white & black t-shirts every once in a while for exactly these kind of projects.

Stencil Refashion by Thisblogisnotforyou.comStencil Refashion by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

So, how does it work?

First of all, here’s what you need:

– stencil templates 
– fabric paint (I used black and light blue/turquoise)
– small dry sponge
– old plate or plastic container to pour the paint in
– masking tape
– a piece of cardboard (big enough to place under the area you are using colour on)
– iron & iron board

Stencil Refashion by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

  1. Prepare the shirt/fabric and template.
    If necessary, you might want to iron the shirt to make sure there are no creases. Clean the template if you used it before, to make sure it’s dry and there no residue colour. Use some masking tape to tape the template into place. It’s very important that it doesn’t move once you start with the colour.
    If using this on a shirt, place a piece of cardboard between both fabric layers. Otherwise, the colour might come through and leave stains on the back. A hard, smooth surface also makes it easier to get a neat result.
  2. Pour fabric paint onto your dish and dab your dry sponge in it. Dab it a couple times more onto the plate to have some of the paint come off. Using too much paint might need to colour bleeding. If you want to get crisp edges, make sure you use less paint and apply it in several layers.
  3. Dab the paint onto the fabric. Try not to use stroking motions as this might lead to blotches and colour bleeding as it gets under the template. This will also give the paint more of a sprayed “graffiti” look.
    If you want an ombre effect as I did with my project, start with the lighter colour. I used the light blue for the first layer, let it dry a bit and then dabbed over it with black again. For the colours to blend softly you really want to use as little paint on the sponge as possible. Work in layers until you get the opacity that you like.
  4. Let it dry. I usually remove the template afterwards. If you remove it while the paint is still wet it might smudge and blur.
  5. Once it’s dry remove the template and iron your fabric from the wrong side to set the colour.
    That’s it, you’re done!

Stencil Refashion by Thisblogisnotforyou.comStencil Refashion by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

I’m planning more projects with these stencils. They would also make a great project to do with kids. That Bill Murray will go on a tote bag for sure!

I’m looking for some nice gold or rose gold textile paint. Do you have any recommendations?

xx

Charlie

Please note: As always, all opinions are my own. All my product reviews are completely honest. I was gifted this product, but not asked to review it or given compensation for doing it.

Happy crafting!

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Paper Ball Decor: Recycling Book Paper

book paper ball decor by thisblogisnotforyou.combook paper ball decor by thisblogisnotforyou.comToday I thought I’d share a sewing-related craft project which is super easy to make. You can make these paper balls from different sorts of paper and in whatever size you fancy. They are very quick to make and perfect for parties or home decor.

book paper ball decor by thisblogisnotforyou.combook paper ball decor by thisblogisnotforyou.com1. For the book paper balls get some old book from the flea market or your own shelves. Draw a circle onto the paper using a glass/jar/cup and tracing it with a pencil.

book paper ball decor by thisblogisnotforyou.combook paper ball decor by thisblogisnotforyou.com2. Cut it out (you can cut through several layers at once to speed up the process) and repeat until you’ve got enough pieces for the amount of paper balls you want to make. You will need approx. 8-15 circles per paper ball, depending on the thickness of the paper and the size of the paper ball. For bigger ones I’d recommend using more.book paper ball decor by thisblogisnotforyou.com3. Stack them on top of each other and stitch down the middle with a straight stitch and a wider stitch length. My standard machine had no problems tackling 12 layers of book paper. However, if you are using more than 12 layers and they get stuck in your machine, you can simply sew them together by hand or try using a stapler.

Leave long thread tails and knot them on both ends. Cut off the thread tails on one side. You can  later use the long thread ends on the other side of the paper balls for hanging them up somewhere.

4. Gently bend apart the layers with your fingers, distributing them evenly until there are no big gaps left. Now it’s time to hang them up!book paper ball decor by thisblogisnotforyou.comYou can also try and make them using colourful scrapbook paper or pages from old fashion magazines.

It’s also a great project to make together with your kids and for showing them how to use a sewing machine.

You can hang your finsihed pieces up in your home, make mobiles or decorate your garden with them for your next party.book paper ball decor by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Hope you enjoyed this post! I’ve started my new job last week and have been very busy working on my new pattern which I hope to release at the beginning of August. That’s also the reason why you probably won’t see too many new makes this months. Posting on le blog less frequently doesn’t mean I’m not busy 🙂 I regularly post pictures of WIP on Twitter and Instagram, so feel free to follow me there and check out what I’m doing in the meantime (link below).

I still have to figure out how to combine my new work schedule with my favourite hobby. Any advice? 🙂


Happy sewing!

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Make Your Own Soap!

Make your own soap by thisblogisnotforyou.comAhhh, our flat smells heavenly! One of the many benefits of making your own soap. I love making soap because you can create the perfect soap bar with your favourite fragrances and ingredients. And, believe me, picking up the finished soap bar for the first time and smelling it is such a bliss!

You can make soap-making as easy or hard as you want. I decided to go the easy way, inspired by the ladies over at A Beautiful Mess and bought a goat’s milk soap base. If you want to make soap the hardcore way you can create your own base; there are some fab recipes out there. But it’s much more complicated and you will need a lot more ingredients. If you are trying to make soap for the first time, I would recommend starting with a melt-and-pour soap base. Make your own soap by thisblogisnotforyou.comMake your own soap by thisblogisnotforyou.comMake your own soap by thisblogisnotforyou.com

How To Make Your Own Soap

First of all, some basic supplies and ingrediences you will need for making your own soap:

– bowl for melting the soap base (microwave/double boiling)
– grater (for orange/grapefruit zest)
silicone mould (brownie/cupcake molds are often cheaper than soap molds, but are the same thing)
– wooden spoon/cocktail stick for stirring
melt-and-pour soap base (You can buy containers in different sizes. I bought 1kg and used about 500g so far from which I got about 12 bars) I bought goat’s milk soap base and really loved it. I’m sure there are also some vegan alternatives out there.

Ingredients you can use:

– orange/grapefruit zest
– various essential oils (lavender, orange, grapefruit, mint, rosemary etc.)
– poppy seeds
– coffee powder or beans
dried lavender (also great for keeping your closet moth-free)/rosemary

You can basically use whatever fragrances you like. Using essential oils works best, as you only need a few drops to get a long-lasting scent. Dried herbs or blossoms are also nice. Using zest is fine, as the soap base preserves and keeps it from going moldy, but don’t go to crazy with adding fresh ingredients and don’t use more than a couple of teaspoons.

Make your own soap by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Make your own soap by thisblogisnotforyou.com1. Make sure your silicone mould is clean and dry. I placed it on a wooden board, so I could move it while the soap wasn’t completely hardened yet.Make your own soap by thisblogisnotforyou.com2. Cut your soap base into smaller cubes with a knife and place them in a clean bowl.Make your own soap by thisblogisnotforyou.com3. Before you melt the soap base, make sure you have all ingredients handy. The soap hardens quite quickly, so it’s better to zest the orange/grapefruit and open any plastic bags before you start melting the base.

If you want to make different soaps, prepare a few clean bowls you can use for the different soap mixes. I did not melt the whole amount of soap base at once but only melted enough to make 3-4 bars at a time, so I could try different recipes without having to hurry too much.Make your own soap by thisblogisnotforyou.com

4. Melt the soap base by double boiling or in the microwave. For some reason double boiling did not work with my soap base, so I heated it in the microwave. It melts pretty quickly, so be careful. Mircowave for no longer than 30 seconds at a time. With either method, make sure you don’t burn the soap (or have it explode in the microwave – ask me how I know this!).

5. Once the soap base is melted completely, add your ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon before pouring it into your silicone mould. Stir the soap slowly, otherwise it might form bubbles.Make your own soap by thisblogisnotforyou.com6. Let the soap harden. It only takes a couple of hours, but if you want to be on the safe side you can leave it in there over night. I put a piece of paper over the silicone mold to keep the soap dust-free.

7. Once the soap was hardened I put it in the fridge for a couple of minutes before popping the bars out of the mold.

Make your own soap by thisblogisnotforyou.comGrapefruit / mint / poppy seed: zest of half a grapefruit, 10 drops of grapefruit oil, 3 drops of mint oil, 1tbsp poppy seeds.
Orange / mintzest of half an orange, 10 drops of orange oil, 4 drops of mint oil.
Lavender / orange: 1 tbsp dried lavender buds, 10 drops of lavender oil, 5 drops of orange oil.
Rosemary / olive oil: 1 tbsp dried rosemary, 1tsp olive oil, 5 drops of rosemary oil.
Coffee: 1 tbsp of coffee powder.

Make your own soap by thisblogisnotforyou.comMake your own soap by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Grapefruit/Poppyseed/Mint (above) and Orange/Mint (below) are my favourites! I created the narrow white layer on the orange/mint bars below by pouring some clear melted soap base on top of the first layer after it was hardened.Make your own soap by thisblogisnotforyou.comI wrapped the soap bars in recycled paper (I cut strips out of a shopping bag), which I taped together on the bottom.Make your own soap by thisblogisnotforyou.comBefore I gave some of the soap bars away to friends and family, I wrapped them in music paper (which I had printed out) and attached small labels with twine.Make your own soap by thisblogisnotforyou.comMake your own soap by thisblogisnotforyou.com


Happy soap making!

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There’s a tree branch in our living room. Let’s hang it on the wall.

tree branch wall decor by thisblogisnotforyou.comThere’s a tree branch hanging on our wall. At first I was afraid this thing could attack me by falling down, but I didn’t (so far) and I love it. Here’s a selfie of our shabby couch with our new (not so new anymore) roommate.tree branch wall decor by thisblogisnotforyou.comI found this nice little guy when I went running after a day of stormy weather. Out of pity I picked it up and carried it home. I thought Londoners would be used to so much weird stuff that they’d ignore this, but they stared anyway.  (The branch is about 1.5m long, our couch is just so big, that it makes it look tinier than it is)
tree branch wall decor by thisblogisnotforyou.comMr Thisblogisnotforyou was a bit surprised but was willing to help me find a place for it. We hung it on the wall with two small nails and a few bits of string. tree branch wall decor by thisblogisnotforyou.comI was planning on decorating it with white mini origami cranes and just hung this necklace there for the time being. But we liked this so much, we kept it like that. tree branch wall decor by thisblogisnotforyou.comIt has a great effect and it’s such an easy and really simple DIY decor project. I love tree branches because I love wood. That’s probably why I chose to live in a place with this:tree branch wall decor by thisblogisnotforyou.comAnd…this:tree branch wall decor by thisblogisnotforyou.comThis hole in the floor has eaten so many pins that I stopped counting. And a battery. But it hasn’t stolen any of my chocolates yet, so I can live with it.tree branch wall decor by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Hope you all had a great weekend and lovely mother’s day. I sent my mum a pair of leather feather earrings and she loved it. She even sent me a pic with both her and my sis wearing the earrings on the same day. Aww! 🙂

There will be more sewing-related posts later this week (including the start of the cape sewalong!), but the weather has been so horrible that I couldn’t take any pictures for the blog.

Anyone attending the London Blogger Meet Up on Saturday? I’ll be there!

Over and out. ♥

Inspiration Wall DIY by thisblogisnotforyou.com
other wall decor projects by me

Happy sewing!

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More Shrink Plastic Fun! Earrings and Pendants

shrink plastic earrings by thisblogisnotforyou.comI made these cute little earrings and necklace charms for my friend’s birthday. She loves owls and books, so these were the obvious choice!shrink plastic earrings by thisblogisnotforyou.com

The owls and books are about 1inch/2.5cm. I made the holes with a hole punch and used pliers to attach the hooks of the earrings. Earring hooks are quite inexpensive and you can get them in DIY/craft stores or order them online. I always have some at home in case I need small gifts. Using shrink plastic, beads and wire or even fabric, you can make some cute little earrings in no time!shrink plastic earrings by thisblogisnotforyou.comThe shrinkage is about 50%, which you have to consider when you choose the size of your image. You can draw directly on the plastic using a permanent marker. If you want to add colour, you can sandpaper the shrink plastic with very fine (!) sandpaper and then simply use crayons, acrylic paint or water colour. I recommend to keep the finished make from getting wet, as non-water-resistant colours might blur (even after baking the plastic).shrink plastic earrings by thisblogisnotforyou.comshrink plastic earrings by thisblogisnotforyou.comI made these chevron earrings for myself (I got my friend to wear them for the pic 😉 ).shrink plastic earrings by thisblogisnotforyou.comIf you like my shrink plastic DIYs, you might want to check these out, too!

DIY Lace Collar Necklace by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

shrink plastic earrings by thisblogisnotforyou.com


Happy crafting!

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