DIY: No Sew Legwarmers

La Vie en Rose apparently knows us all too well.  We are obsessed with our glue gun, and not really big on having to sew things together.  So, thanks to them, we are able to have toasty leg warmers - no sewing required.  Yay!

Glue gun lovers, this one is for you!!
Instead of sewing them, I decided to glue it up this time around so those of you without the desire to stitch can still participate. Of course, you're welcome to sew them if you prefer.

(1) Start it. Cut the sleeves off of an old sweater with a thick ribbed knit, so that it doesn't unravel. I cut these off of John's sweater *months* ago when I did the first post about legwarmers and they still haven't unraveled so I'd say it's safe. The end of the sleeve will be at the top of your knee and the underarm end will go down by your feet.

(2) Cut it. Put them on and see if they're too long. If they are, mark down the right length and cut the excess off. Slit each one down the middle from top to bottom. If you *don't* want your legwarmers to be tapered and instead want them to be straight legged then fold them in half with the two cut ends together and cut the taper off from the TOP to BOTTOM so that they are now straight. 

(3) Ribbon it. Cut ribbon 2 inches longer than the legwarmer and in sections (so the glue doesn't dry), glue the ribbon on using fabric glue sticks in your gun (1/2 inch in from the edge). Tuck the ends over the other side and glue down at each end. 

(4) Connect it. Next, glue the ends back together. Put your glue down on the inside of the ribbon between the ribbon's edge and the edge of your legwarmer slit. Section by section, glue down the other edge. 

(5) Button it. Place your buttons out into the exact way you'd like them and then one at a time, pick them up and glue them on. I like to apply the glue to the edges of the button so that it doesn't show through in the button holes. Be sure that the legwarmers match each other- you don't want one to have buttons going down much further than the other!

(6) Wear it! I liked leaving my ends tapered. I think it looks interesting and different than regular legwarmers when worn with flats. It creates a flare shape. You can also wear them with boots, as pictured below. Forget expensive boot socks!

DIY: Stitched Heart Bookmark

These could be great gifts for anyone - especially avid book readers, but we think they might also make wonderful stocking stuffers for the holiday or keep this on hand for Valentine's Day next year!  This tutorial comes from Thirty Handmade Days - and they have other wonderful DIYs, so check them out!  (they also have a free template you can use for these on their blog!)

Supplies:
-felt
-white embroidery thread
-paperclips
-hot glue gun
-scissors
-fabric marking pen 
They are really easy and quick to make. Read on to see how I made these sweet little bookmarks.

Start by drawing your shape onto felt. To help keep the felt in place while cutting, use a straight pin to stabilize the two pieces.

 

Now that your felt hearts are cut out, it is time to stitch. 

 

 

Stitch a running stitch along the perimeter of the heart. It is the simplest stitch – just up and down through the felt.

Once you stitch all the way around, you can secure your thread by running your needle along the very top of the felt, pulling though and cutting off the excess. You will be gluing the heart down with hot glue, so you don’t have to worry about this string coming out.

Now that the stitching is done, you can glue the bookmark together.

Put a small dot of glue on your plain heart and glue down the paperclip. Add more hot glue over the surface of the plain heart, and very lightly press your stitched heart down on top. If you smash the two hearts together, two things will happen: hot glue will ooze out of the sides, and you will be able to see the outline of the paperclip. Pressing lightly keeps the surface smooth and pretty.

 

You may have already noticed the sweet cards that these bookmarks are clipped to. Since Photoshop tends to send me into fits of hysteria, I asked Mique to design a card for these bookmarks so that they can be given as Valentines. She, of course, came up with something fabulous with very little help from me.

Download your Homemade Valentine bookmark cards for 30days subscribers and personal use only.  Thanks!