LINK

Right now all the ribbon is on sale at craft stores, I LOVE the wide sparkly stuff. I scooped up this gorgeous gold. Using Cheryl's technique, I used wire to secure my bow, and I added a brooch in the center. For gifts you are going to give away, you can add a button in the center, a charm, a polymer clay or decoupaged design. you get the idea!


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MY NEW BOOK: "Crafty Chica's Guide to Artful Sewing: Fabu-Low-Sew Ideas for the Everyday Crafter".

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2009.

Labels: fabric, glitter, holiday

I bought a hecka lotta bracelets at Target's Dollar Spot last week. Sequin bangles for a buck each? I scooped up six! I knew I wanted to transform them, but I didn't know how. I set them aside until an idea popped in my noggin. Rubber stamps! Crafty Chica™ Tango Permanent Fabric Markers™ !

Here is how I did it:


1. Admire the bracelet in its naked form. OK, done with that, time to add some crafty love!

2. Using permanent stamp ink, ink your stamp and press firmly and roll it over the bracelet. Repeat until it is entirely covered.

3. Let it dry a few minutes and then fill in with Crafty Chica™ Tango Permanent Fabric Markers™ !

**
MY NEW BOOK: "Crafty Chica's Guide to Artful Sewing: Fabu-Low-Sew Ideas for the Everyday Crafter".

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2009.

Labels: fabric, jewelry

Arizona Republic reporter Richard Ruelas asked me to participate in a Snuggie makeover feature recently and this is what I came up with!

The criteria was to take a Snuggie and make it more fashionable - but make it still be a Snuggie.

I took two Snuggies and chopped them in quarters, sewed on appliques, added some iron-on transfers and then sewed the pieces back together. We now have two Snuggie mash-ups in the house! I didn't think I'd ever wear one of these, but I must admit, it works great for late night crafting and writing!

Here is the article!

**
MY NEW BOOK: "Crafty Chica's Guide to Artful Sewing: Fabu-Low-Sew Ideas for the Everyday Crafter".

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2009.

Labels: fabric, holiday, sewing

Can I just say I LOVE, love, love this idea?

This is a large embroidery hoop that is covered in fabric, but wait - there is more! It is actually a corkboard! Ditch your boring rectangle board and add an artsy touch to your office decor!

Supplies:

Large embroidery hoop
Corkboard to fit snug inside back (draw on paper to make a template and then cut cork board)
Fabric
Aleene's® Fabric Fusion™ Permanent Dry Cleanable Fabric Adhesive™
Aleene's® Tacky® Transparent Tape for Crafters™
Foam brush
Clips

Directions:

1. Open the hoop (paint it if desired).
2. Use a foam brush to apply Fabric Fusion inside both hoops.
3. Insert the fabric and replace back hoop. Pull until it is taut and apply clips all around, let sit for 30 minutes.
4. Remove clips and trim excess fabric.
5. Set the hoop right side down on table.
6. Apply Tacky Tape generously around inner areas of taut fabric inside the hoop.
7. Set the corkboard inside so it fits snug up against edge of hoop.
8. Press in place.

**
MY NEW BOOK: "Crafty Chica's Guide to Artful Sewing: Fabu-Low-Sew Ideas for the Everyday Crafter".

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2009.

Labels: fabric, home decor

This is an exclusive project I made for dead.azcentral.com, CLICK HERE for printable directions and all kinds of other educational info about Dia de los Muertos!

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MY NEW BOOK: "Crafty Chica's Guide to Artful Sewing: Fabu-Low-Sew Ideas for the Everyday Crafter".

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2009.

Labels: Day of the Dead, fabric

Can you believe this purse started as white? I used Tulip Cool Color Spray as the base.



But - I didn't spray it. I wanted fine control and high intensity color so I experimented. I poured the paint into small cups and found that it was light, yet had a lot of body and a rich texture. Somewhere between watercolors and acrylics. Truth is, they compared to the high end fabric paints that come in those teeny bottles. I used make-up sponges (see below) and smoothed the paint all over the panels of the bag. Perfect! And it only took one coat.

I used chalk to sketch out the flowers and then my Crafty Chica Tango Markers to fill them in. I added embroidered accents, stitched on some buttons and even threw on some glitter!

The moral of this story: Always experiment with your supplies to find new uses. It's just another way to cook up secret methods that will further define your own signature style! Oh darn, I just spilled this one, didn't I?
**
MY NEW BOOK: "Crafty Chica's Guide to Artful Sewing: Fabu-Low-Sew Ideas for the Everyday Crafter".

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2009.

Labels: fabric, flowers, paint

I made this project from my glitter fabric (scroll down to see earlier post). I cut a swatch for my wrist, sewed on a fabric image of La Virgen and seamed the edges with a tight zigzag stitch. I added rickrack, and stitched on some matching elastic. That big yellow piece is not a button - it is a vintage clip earring. I glued the clasp down and then stitched through the opening. I added a milagro charm too.

I am 100% smitten with this bracelet. So much that I plan to make more of these with all kinds of different images. The glitter is sealed down, but still so sparkly!
**
MY NEW BOOK: "Crafty Chica's Guide to Artful Sewing: Fabu-Low-Sew Ideas for the Everyday Crafter".

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2009.

Labels: fabric, glitter, jewelry, sewing, wearable art

PHOTO: Gift box I made with my very own glittered fabric!

It's no secret that I'm addicted to the sparkly stuff. To me, glitter is a metaphor for life. The more sparkle the better. Especially when it comes to crafts!

Last year while working away at Duncan Enterprises headquarters, my co-workers turned me onto huge rolls of glittered canvas. These colorful backdrops have become regular fixtures in our house. I use them for all kinds of photos, but it's been hard to even consider cutting them for craft projects. I was determined to make my own!

I found a successful method and I'm divulging it here, only if you promise to only use my Crafty Chica glitter because it looks the best (IMO!!!). This is a small piece, but you can coat huge pieces as well to make amazing, flexible, sewable, durable, not-very-flaky fabric.


TIP: I used a heavy white craft glue. I experimented with different types, and Aleene's Tacky worked best. Very thick and ultra sticky.

While the glue is still wet, pour a thick row of glitter across the top and then move the fabric so it flows down and covers the rest of the wet canvas. Let it dry for an hour, and then take it outside and seal with HIGH GLOSS SPRAY VARNISH. This is what makes it usable and keeps the glitter sealed in. You can also use Aqua Net Hairspray if you don't have high gloss spray varnish. Here is a little video so you can see how cool it looks!



Here is an applique I made with my glitter fabric. Stay tuned because I have other projects coming up.
**
MY NEW BOOK: "Crafty Chica's Guide to Artful Sewing: Fabu-Low-Sew Ideas for the Everyday Crafter".

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2009.

Labels: fabric, glitter, sewing

Here is a project I did for ILoveToCreate.com!

• Aleene's® Fabric Fusion™ Permanent Dry Cleanable Fabric Adhesive™
  
  
• Crafty Chica™ Tango Permanent Fabric Markers™
  
  
• Crafty Chica™ Little Chica Paint Packs™
  
  
• Tulip® 3D Fashion Paint
  
  

  		65018 Purple
  		65130 True Red
  		65404 Green Metallics

• Crafty Chica™ Chunky Glitters™
  
  

  		25692 Rockabilly Rudy
  		25694 Glamour Queen Green
  		25695 Popstar Purple
  		25697 Sci Fi Silver
  		25702 Sunset Pink

• Crafty Chica™ Market Tote™
  
  

  Bird with Roses

• Miscellaneous
  Sewing Machine
  Ribbon, 4 yards of 1 1/2"
  Towel
  Paintbrush
  Scissors
  

**
MY NEW BOOK: "Crafty Chica's Guide to Artful Sewing: Fabu-Low-Sew Ideas for the Everyday Crafter".

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2009.

Labels: fabric, summer/4th of July, wearable

This may be my kitschiest project yet: Empanada pin cushions! After seeing so many fiber artists have their way with cupcake pincushions, I thought I'd throw a little needle love to Mexican puff pastries.

Empanadas are basically fruit turnovers. My Nana Cano used to make them every weekend - cherry, pumpkin, pineapple, lemon, apple and even mincemeat for my dad. Puff pastries are also popular in other countries as well, but my design is inspired by the ones I've grown up with here in Phoenix.

I actually made these last Saturday night at The Dirty Devil nightclub where Patrick's band was performing. Under the light of my iPhone, I stitched away. I used white felt, and then painted it to give it a realistic look. It worked. The next day, both my kids picked these up to take a bite and were mad because they were fake! I would call that a success!

NOTE: Yes, you can use a sewing machine on these, but because I knew I would be working in a dimly-lit area (the nightclub), I chose contrasting embroidery thread to hand sew.

Here's how to make them!
Supplies:

1 piece of white craft felt
stuffing, like batting
needle, embroidery thread
brown, yellow and white paint
Scissors

1. Take a piece of white craft felt. Fold it over from the short side, and cut out the shape of the empanada. Keep the fold at the bottom. Now cut the other end of the felt into a strip that is about 3" wide.

2. With the felt still folded in half, stitch the empanada about half away around the curve. Stuff with a lot of batting.

3. Take the strip, fold it lengthwise and stitch it with the embroidery thread along the edge of the curve, gather it here and there to make it ruffled.

4. Tuft the empanada in the center with three stitches. Cut the edge in a curvy design.

5. Add a bit of white and yellow to the brown paint until you get a nice baked look. Use the paint brush to stipple all over the empanada. Let dry.

6. Insert pins!

**
MY NEW BOOK: "Crafty Chica's Guide to Artful Sewing: Fabu-Low-Sew Ideas for the Everyday Crafter".

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2009.

Labels: fabric, Latin-inspired

Embroidery work by Jenny Hart for my second book, La Casa Loca: Latino Style Comes Home (Rockport).

Here in Phoenix, we have a lot of Mexican gift shops that I L-O-V-E! You can find all kinds of small imports and really super low prices. and practice your Spanish! I especially love the patterned napkins and tea towels. Sometimes they are printed with an outline like the picture below, other times, they are hand drawn with a pencil and/or ballpoint pen. They always have big, juicy flowers, leaves, fruits and other motifs - ripe and ready to be colored with thread.


In my Artful Sewing book, I incorporated a piece of one I embroidered into a belt I made.

The time you want to embroider but are out of patterns - draw your own design! For more info on the art of embroidery, check out Jenny's site, SublimeStitching.com!

**
MY NEW BOOK: "Crafty Chica's Guide to Artful Sewing: Fabu-Low-Sew Ideas for the Everyday Crafter".

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2009.

Labels: fabric, Latin-inspired

Yoli's sample scarf.

My scarf I made in her class!

My friend, Sacred Yoli rocks. She came on the Crafty Chica cruise and showed us how to decorate these super cool silk scarves using Crafty Chica Markers (you can also use glitter markers, metallic, fine point, etc) and alcohol ink. You simply draw, color, squiggle, whatever you want, onthe scarf and then spray it with rubbing alcohol that you put in a small bottle. It makes the colors bleed and makes them very vibrant. Let it dry and then use rubber stamps and ink to add a layer of words, images, whatever you want. You can also sew on trim. I've been using mine as a headband, and I've also been snipping off pieces touse in altered art projects.

Here is Yoli's tutorial on this project!

And if you want more inspiration - check out what Krissi Sandvik, also a Crafty Chica cruiser, did recently!

Peace, love, and glitter!
Kathy :-)

P.S. Check out my new book and product line!
**
MY NEW BOOK: "Crafty Chica's Guide to Artful Sewing: Fabu-Low-Sew Ideas for the Everyday Crafter".

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2009.

Labels: fabric, wearable art

(Photo by John Samora)

Here is a project from my new book, Crafty Chica's Guide to Artful Sewing: Fabu-Low-Sew Projects for the Everyday Crafter.

This is one of my all-time favorite projects because it is very clever (or at least I think so)!

What we are doing is making a pillowcase from scratch. Don't shoo me away just yet - read on, please! Think about it - we are only sewing a rectangle. You can handle that. Pillowcases are a fast and fun way to use up excess fabric and give your bedding some customized design. But these are not just any pillowcases - these are pillowcases that you will stitch on an outline and then color in with markers (Crafty Chica markers, of course!).

Here are the general directions below - you'll need to check out the book for the complete blow-by-blow.

You'll start with a large piece of white cotton fabric and fold it in half to the size of your pillow - a little bigger. Use a disappearing ink pen and draw/trace your heart pattern on one side of the pillowcase (the book comes with the template of the sacred heart shown in picture).

Use a tight zig zag to stitch around the design. Think of it as a coloring book, and you are sewing on the outline. If you don't want to machine sew, you can embroider the design.

Once you have that, color the design in with the markers.

Now fold in half and sew. The book has much more detailed instructions, like the exact measurements and how to add a cute border cuff. You can use this technique for other kinds of fabric projects too, like toss pillows, skirts, jackets, totes, etc.

**
MY NEW BOOK: "Crafty Chica's Guide to Artful Sewing: Fabu-Low-Sew Ideas for the Everyday Crafter".

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2009.

Labels: fabric, home decor, sewing

These pictures do not do this project justice! When we overhauled our art studio, I didn't like that all my shelves of supplies were in plain view. Yes, it is a separate room with door, BUT I wanted the room to also have a comfy vibe to it. I have a cushiony chair and rug in there too, and wanted to be able to change the room from a workspace to an inspiration corner on a moment's notice. I needed to hide the supplies!

This is a total makeshift job, but I pulled it off for the amount of time I had to spare (1 hour). If I had the entire afternoon that day, I would have sewed on some trim, used different colors of paint, etc. But it's OK, this works perfect for what I visualized.

I screwed the hooks into the top of each end of the shelving unit and then hung a lightweight cafe rod. I picked up a $6 set of magenta curtains (they look red in photo), ironed them and hung them. But then they looked too bland for the rest of the room! I used my Crafty Chica Rose Stencil ($3.99) and Crafty Chica Paints ($12.99), and added designs all over the front using blue painter's tape and a makeup sponge.

But then I saw more spaces in between the roses...I have design OCD, I have a hard time stopping myself from adding the next layer, and the next, and the next... so I pulled out a prototype of a stencil that did not move forward in the line - it is a beautiful milagro heart design that is currently seen on the back of the Crafty Chica Loteria game cards.

OK, now that I said that, I know some of you will ask me "Kathy, when can we get the milagro heart stencil?" Well, you can get it now! Simply use a craft knife to cut it out of the Loteria game card (it is the same size as the prototype stencil if you use the large gamecard, as opposed to the caller's deck). The weight of the game card is thick and glossy and will work wonderful as a heart stencil too!

Back to the curtains - after I finished with the stencils, I added Tulip Permanent Fabric Glitter Spray all over it.

Because the curtains were longer than the shelving unit, I trimmed off the ends and stashed the extra away for a future project.

The moral of the story is that just because you have a so-called "craft room" or "craft corner" - doesn't mean it has to have supplies spilling out everywhere. Your creations will be much more fulfilling to make and give if you assemble them in a positive atmosphere. Decorate the boxes that hold your paints, make your own set of curtains for your shelves, or cover your jars and paintbrush holders with cheery paper.

Every little bit of happiness counts when it comes to crafting!

Peace, love, and glitter!
Kathy :-)

**
MY NEW BOOK: "Crafty Chica's Guide to Artful Sewing: Fabu-Low-Sew Ideas for the Everyday Crafter".

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2009.

Labels: crafty advice, fabric

CT Publishing was so nice to donate 50 of these blank canvas books for our cruise members. This is the sample I made for the class. I used Crafty Chica paints watered down to cover the pages, and then stencils with white paint. I then inserted batting and added blanket stitching around the edges and loaded each page up with appliques and stamped letters, trims, charms and ribbons.

On the cover is the Crafty Chica Studded Heart Iron-On ($3.99)


Pssst..see that "la estrella' patch? That was an applique that did not move forward in the first batch of chica products. I have a little stack of them left over from the prototype phase, that I can use on special projects. I love them!



**
MY NEW BOOK: "Crafty Chica's Guide to Artful Sewing: Fabu-Low-Sew Ideas for the Everyday Crafter".

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2009.

Labels: fabric, sewing

This tote comes with a silk screened heart, but why color in th elines when you can let your pens explode all over the fabric! I decorated this from edge to edge and love the look of it!

• Crafty Chica™ Tango Permanent Fabric Markers™
  
  
• Crafty Chica™ Market Tote™
  
  

  Heart

**
MY NEW BOOK: "Crafty Chica's Guide to Artful Sewing: Fabu-Low-Sew Ideas for the Everyday Crafter".

See the new line of Crafty Chica products at HERE Amazon.com!! All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2009.

Labels: fabric, Valentine's Day