Bird Feeder Candelabra

27 Wednesday Feb 2013

Posted by Tiffany Brooks in Birds, Tutorials

Tags

bird feeder, bird feeder candelabra, DIY bird feeder

Recently I was out antique shopping and came across this steel candelabra.

Though not an antique I just had to have it.

A few weeks ago I bought a set of old china for another bird feeder project so I knew I would have enough for both feeder projects.

Supplies needed for this project

~dishes
~candelabra
~glue
~bird seed

I used gorilla glue but you can use an glue that you prefer.

First thing I did was wash all the china. Dirt debris and dust may prevent your glue from sticking properly to your china.

As the china dried I sat out the china pieces I intended on using for this project and decided which pieces to use and how to use them.

Glue cups to saucers or small plates. I allowed these to sit and dry for several hours. Once I knew the glue was completely dry I then glued the saucer and cups to the candelabra.

I left my feeder inside for several days after adding my cups and saucers. I wanted to make sure the glue under the saucers was completely dry.

After a few days inside my feeder is dry and ready to fill with fresh bird seed.

If you have the ability to drill small holes in the bottom of your cups and saucers that would be ideal for rainy days. I did not add holes to mine as the china I purchased is very thin and old.

Fabric Organization

08 Friday Feb 2013

Posted by Tiffany Brooks in Organizing

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DIY fabric organizers, fabric boards, fabric organization, How to organize fabric, organization, organize fabric, organize sewing room, sewing room organization

As much as I love fabric I find it to be the one supply I keep on hand that is the hardest to store. Finding a way to store my fabric so that I can easily look for a particular color or design is a nightmare at times.

Last week I came across a blog at The Cottage Home she had her fabric organized in a way I had never seen before. I looked up the fabric organizers and the prices are a little to high for the amount of fabric I have. So as an alternate I purchased magazine backing boards.

I am not in any way affiliate with either company: retailer nor manufacturer. If you are interested in these boards this is the site I purchased them from TC Bulk. After searching many sites this was the cheapest place for this size of board.

I bought the largest boards I could find and ended up having to cut a little off the longest end so they would stand in my shelf. Since this is a light weight paper board I was able to use my paper cutter to adjust the size of my boards.

You can wrap your fabric any way that you like this is how I did mine. Starting from the far right end of my fabric I left just enough to hold as I started wrapping my fabric around the boards. The sticker in the top right hand corner is my item number and cost label. Keeping everything labeled makes it easier to calculate pricing as I am working on an item.

At the end I did not secure me fabric in anyway. Once I place these on the shelf they are not going to come apart as they are packed in so tight.

Here is my completed and organized shelf. I still have to finish the fabric on the bottom shelf but I do not think I have enough boards. It took me nearly 150 boards to do what is on the two shelves in this photo. I only purchased 200 thinking I could do the entire shelf.

I still want the fabric organizers from The Fabric Organizer and will purchase different sizes little by little but the magazine boards are a good start.

If you get a chance be sure to check out the wonderful blogs over at The Cottage Home and be sure to take a peak at her studio The Cottage Home Studio.

Update: May 28, 2015

I am excited to share with you my new cabinet I got several months ago. So long plastic shelf.

Store Bought or Custom Made

04 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by Tiffany Brooks in Sewing

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flower girl dress, tiffany brooks designs

Being a flower girl can be a special event for any little girl. But having your flower girl dress custom made can be just as exciting. Finding the perfect dress for a flower girl or any other members of the bridal party can be a challenge for the bride. Having the ability to get your desired dress custom made is a great option for any bride to be.

The first dress pictured is the customer sample picture from a local retailer. I was able to create the exact dress as well as add wider straps and a little layer to the bodice to edge. In the end the dress was a perfect fit for the flower girl needing no additional alterations.

When ordering dresses even after getting measured you may still need alterations. With a custom made dress you are fitted to your dress as it is constructed. Saving time and money in the end.

It’s always important to remember custom made does not mean your dress will be cheaper or more expensive than other retailers. Depending on the fabric selection and additional details to the dress your finished product can be cheaper, more expensive, or equal to a store purchased dress.

Dr. Rocky

31 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by Tiffany Brooks in Pets

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Tags

custom dog coat, custom lab coat, dog doctor coat, dog doctor costume, dog lab coat, personalized dog coat, personalized lab coat, tiffany brooks designs

Last year I had the privilege to make a custom doctors coat for a Yorkie named Rocky. Everyday Rocky goes to work with his owner who happens to be a doctor. While at work Rocky gets to wear his name badge around his collar but what Rocky really needed was a lab coat like his owner wears.

To surprise Rocky’s owner with a custom made lab coat her friend set out on a hunt for someone to create this one of a kind lab coat for Rocky. Through several failed attempts in getting someone to make a custom made lab coat she finally found my web-site and sent me a photo of what she was looking for.

Instantly I knew I could make this lab coat and was able to get started right away. Though challenging, making this custom lab coat for Rocky was a lot of fun. Creating a pattern for custom made items is not always easy or possible. I am so thankful I had the opportunity to make this for Dr. Rocky. Now while at work every day he will certainly fit right in.

Bringing in the Outdoors

31 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by Tiffany Brooks in Decorating, Holidays

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Christmas tree decorating, critter Christmas tree, owl Christmas tree, squirrel Christmas tree, woodland Christmas tree

As some of you may already know sewing is my life’s dream. But my second passion is decorating especially for the holidays. At Christmas I usually put up eight to ten Christmas trees. One for every room each tree having its own theme. Some of the trees I do the same every year and the other trees change like the weather.

Sometimes I see one thing and my mind starts spinning with endless possibilities.

Whether I see a something online or just as simple nick nack I think of the endless possibilities of that item being an ornament for my tree.
This year my mind went crazy when I found a few soft fuzzy owl ornaments and a straw squirrel decoration at a local store.

The hunt was on after that for anything and everything that could go on my “Woodland Tree”. It did not take long to fill my tree with everything from cattails and berries to porcupines and other woodland critters.

I very rarely look in the Christmas decoration department when I am hunting for ideas. And I always find it best to look in the most off the wall shops if I am looking at their ornaments.

I used the mesh for the first time in a few of my trees this year and what a difference the mesh makes. Adds a much different look than the ribbon I typically use.

Want to make your own curly-Q’s view our curly-Q tutorial and learn how.

Space is Limited

25 Thursday Oct 2012

Posted by Tiffany Brooks in Organizing

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fabric organization, hot to organize, Organizing, small room organizing, space is limited

Working out of the home can be a challenge for many. Finding a space to store supplies for projects can be a nightmare. As a seamstress working out of my home I always have fabric and other supplies on hand.
But where do I put it all until I have a use for it?

Many years ago we were living in a small two bedroom apartment. The apartment was bigger than our first place but little did I know 1200 sq. feet would disappear very quickly as we began to move in. My sewing room was a small office off the master bedroom. I soon found out this small office was much too small to be a sewing room. But as anyone would do in my position we make do with what we have.

I have yet after all these years found the right way to store the fabric I have on hand. But as you can see a tall book shelf and some storage bins are a great way to add some sort of organization for the small items. A few of the bins were big enough to store some small projects that were incomplete at the time. Having all the pieces to an outfit in one bin really helps when you are working on a project.

So far the plastic shelving (I bought the white one at Wal-Mart in the hardware department) has been a good way for me to store my fabric. I have the fabric organized on the shelves by fabric type. If I want to work on a quilt I know to go straight to the cotton shelf to see what cotton fabric I have on hand.

When organizing, I always look at what I have at the time. I had these shelves already so I had to think of a low cost way to organize with these. Ideally something with doors would have been a better way to hide the clutter. I settled for these bins at Target as they are durable and easy to arrange in different spaces.

This is how I organized my small work space in 2008. Soon I will share pictures with you of my new larger space. And I will let you in on a few secrets to storing without cluttering.

Custom Pet Tutu Dresses

24 Wednesday Oct 2012

Posted by Tiffany Brooks in Pets

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custom dog dress, dog dress, dog Halloween tutu, dog tutu, dog tutu costume, dog tutu dress, pet apparel, pet fashion, tiffany brooks designs

One of my favorite sewing projects is when someone sees and item in my shop for a little girl and they want one identical for their pet. This really is fun to recreate that one unique item to another for someones four legged friend.

Some would think that recreating a child’s dress would be just as easy since the pets dress is smaller. Honestly, it takes my twice as long to create these dresses for pets. It is a challenge as they do not get and elastic bodice or waist on their dresses. Many things have to be taking into consideration: pets size especially. It is a challenge that I love especially when I see the finished project.

At this time the little girl tutu dress is still available in our etsy shop.

Through The Years

11 Monday Jul 2011

Posted by Tiffany Brooks in Sewing

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hand sewing, my first dress, the begining

For over 20 years I have been sewing as my profession and a hobby. The very first thing I made was a little baby doll dress in 1988. Without a pattern I cut the dress out and sewed it all by hand. I remember we were getting ready to PCS to Germany and we were staying with my Auntie Donna. Christmas was just around the corner and my cousin Pam had come home for the holidays. She knew I wanted to make something so she went to the hall closet and found me a few things to use. I was so tickled that she did that and found something in there to use. I have kept that little dress for all these years. My plans are to frame it or maybe a shadow box one day. Thankfully it looks as good as the first day I made it after nearly 23 years.

This is one of my first projects but definitely not the last. Since then I have done many thing from home decor, baby clothing and accessories, and formal wear. My favorite things to sew today are just about anything for babies and little girls and of course pet clothing and supplies. I keep pretty busy with custom orders and alterations so this limits my time on adding new products to my store. When I do get the time I love to take advantage of it and create as much as I can.

The Pillow Case Dress has Returned

07 Thursday Jul 2011

Posted by Tiffany Brooks in Sewing

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custom made, DIY dress idea, easy dress, fast dress, pillow case dress, pillowcase dress, tiffany brooks designs

Last year as I was shopping at my favorite fabric store, I was chatting with the manager about what I’m making and she’s telling me about her projects she’s working on. She then ask if I have ever made a pillowcase dress. I said a what? (As you can tell I didn’t grow up in the depression era) She explained to me how to make a dress literally from a pillow case. I thought this was the craziest thing I have ever heard of. Leaving the store I never thought twice about this strange dress again. As time goes by I begin to notice these dresses everywhere. And then the custom orders start coming in this spring for them. I never thought in a million years I would be making these but they are really so popular.

This past weekend my boyfriend’s father came over to visit with us. I cooked up a big lunch and we sat at the table and chatted away. He has the most fascinating stories I could just listen all day. He begins to tell us a story about needing to get school clothes for all five children. Keep in mind, this was nearly 60 years ago. With very little money their mother Sue purchased a pillowcase pattern from the store. Since she had bad eyes and couldn’t see well enough to sew, she would cut out the dresses and he did the sewing. They made a great team! The next day they sent one of the daughter’s off to school in her new dress making sure to give her a belt so the other children wouldn’t make fun of her. As she came home to their surprise she was smiling ear to ear as all the children loved her new dress.

This story really makes you sit back and think about how lucky most of us are today as we can dress this simple dress up with such beautiful ribbons, laces, and other embellishments. So lucky to have had someone think this up so long ago. Makes you wonder if they ever thought it would come back like this.