Halloween Themed Tiny Tin Sewing Room

Hello! It's been a while since I posted. My recovery is going well and I am so happy that I can do things as long as it doesn't require me to lifting or putting too much pressure on my left arm.
I created these 4 Halloween themed tiny tin sewing rooms this week. At first I was going to make just Halloween themed rooms. Then, looking at black sewing machine with gold details made me think "How fun would it be to put together sewing room with Halloween colors...".

I love how they turned out!

These will be seasonal limited addition and available in my etsy shop. I might make more depending on how well they are received. It is fun to do things bit differently. Now I hear Christmas bells ringing... ;)

Magnetic Bookmark Tutorial

I would love to share how to make this easy and useful magnetic bookmark today.

I had these paper pads for a long time and I thought they were the perfect size for creating many bookmarks of various designs. I wanted to make some for my neighbors who brought us dinner after my procedure: a little extra with a thank you note. Also, I am going to see my family in Japan soon. I always love to have some small gifts for my friends when we get together.

{You will need}

Thick scrap book papers with different designs
Thin magnet with adhesive
Cutting tool

{How to}

1. My papers were 6" x 6". I cut the papers 2" wide. Now you have three 2"x 6" strips. If you are using regular size papers such as 8 1/2"x 11" or 12"x 12", you can cut it to make it into the same size as mine or make up different size strips.

2. Fold the strip in half.

3. Cut the magnet about 1/2" to 3/4".

4. Stick the magnets to the paper centered at the ends.

5. Now they are ready to enjoy!

I usually have several books I am reading laying around in the house or in my car. It is nice to have a stack of these bookmarks. I hope you enjoyed my tutorial today. Thank you for visiting!

Note: I will be gone till the middle of this month (I will be in Japan, Yeah!!). Stay tuned for my post about my Japan trip! :)

The Story of the Wisdom Book

About four years ago, near the end of my pregnancy with Rachel, my dear friends threw a baby shower for me. Before the shower, I made a small booklet with a pink cover. I wanted the guests to write down some wisdom they learned over the years that they could share with Rachel. I thought that when she is older and ready, we can sit down together and read it. I belive we all have something to share and can enrich each others lives. All the gifts I recived for the baby were great, but the things written down in the small booklet I treasure the most.

One of my dear friends, who helped with my shower, was throwing a baby shower for her sister recently and asked me to make a personalized booklet. I was so flattered that she still remembered it and of couse I said, "Yes!" The picture above is the one I created for her sister's baby.

It is very simple to make, but what's written down holds such great value. Wisdom is one of the greatest gifts we can receive, don't you think?

Smart Bookmarks

I found this neat idea at Ucreate. You can find the tutorial here. This is a magnetic bookmark and it won't fall out of the book.

I thought it was such a clever and fun idea! I wanted to make some for me (since I started reading "Twilight" for the second time, I needed it really bad. No more random objects between the pages!)

Also, Father's Day is coming up. I made some for my book reading father-in-law too, this will be part of the gift for him!

I made several bookmarks from different papers and color coordinated them for gifts.
Like it was mentioned in her blog, this will be perfect stocking stuffers and book club gifts.



I gave one to my husband and my boys too, since it is so easy and inexpensive to make, I can't stop! I can think of a lot more people who would love these bookmarks. With a find like this I had to share with everyone!

Tutorial--Topiary for people who don't have a green thumb--

My grandfather, who I was very close to growing up, was a gifted licensed gardener. His backyard was a beautiful Japanese style garden. He was very knowledgable about agriculture. He grew all sorts of vegetables and flowers. He made it look easy. Unfortunately I did not inherit his talent. I would love to be like him and have attempted many times. It so far has not worked! I still love to have green in my house, so I decided to make a topiary out of fake greenery stems a few years ago. I've made several since then, today I picked out greenery stems with tiny white flowers and decided to make a tutorial for anyone like me who doesn't have a green thumb.

First you will need a container, foam, artificial plants (two stems), glue gun, wire cutters, a knife to cut the foam, and fake soil. If you can't find fake soil, you can always use dry moss.


Cut the foam to fit the container. You want to be careful, if it is too loose it will fall out eaily and make a mess.

Cut it so that you have to push the foam a bit to get it all in. I've been told to glue the foam to the container, but my method allows me to change the topiary easily.

The stems I bought were too long for this project so I cut them off. When you cut the stems keep in mind you need to keep enough of the stem to insert into the foam until it reaches the bottom. Use the glue gun to secure the stems. Wait until it drys before continuing on.

Here is what mine looks like before I bent the stems down.

To secure the stems together I took branches from each stem and intertwined them around the base stems.

Take the ends of both plants and intertwine them together to form a circle. Then I braided the other branches around the main stems.

Here I was working on some loose ends. Trying to get it to look just right.






I used this fake soil to cover up the foam. I bought this a long time ago, so I don't know if stores carry this one anymore, but you could always use dried moss. You can find dried moss at craft stores.






Place the fake dirt on the foam and gently press in. If you are using dried moss, take a little at a time and use the glue gun to secure them to the foam.


There, you now have a pretty topiary that you don't need to worry about, it will never die!