Tiny Vinyl Tutorial

More miniature stuff! This is a completely non-functional, somewhat strange craft, but here goes. My husband is an avid record collector and we’re getting him a record store gift certificate for Father’s Day, so I thought it might be fun to make some tiny vinyl records to go with the gift!

I made the version above after the Pet Sounds album from the Beach Boys. The goat photo was borrowed from the internet, but I wish I’d had time to get to the girls to the petting zoo to get a photo. Then I just changed the names of some songs by bands he likes (“December Gurls” references the Big Star song, but December because our daughters were both born in that month). Once you start substituting the word “Daddy” for other words in song titles, things can get pretty strange.

You can see the cute version made by my younger daughter in my post on Alpha Mom, along with the instructions and template. My older daughter is busy thinking up all kinds of funny song titles for hers that we’ll finish up in the next few days (like the soon-to-be hit “Daddy is Not Stinky”).

Tiny Weaving Project

Make a tiny weaving! Check out this miniature weaving project for kids that I made for Skip to my Lou’s Craft Camp. With some embroidery floss and chipboard, you too can create a tiny weaving perfect for jewelry or other itty-bitty crafts. Here, we made one into a pendant for a necklace. This is a good project for older kids or teenagers.

HandMAYde is better!

How many times do you see something in a store, catalog or online and think “I can make that”? I do it all the time. Not very often do I actually get around to making the thing, but this week I hope we can all get motivated.

We’ll be featuring projects inspired by items from stores, but done DIY. Whether you make things for thrift, for fun, or both, this week will be good! These clothing projects make me wish I had a sewing machine when I was younger and might have actually worn interesting clothes. It’s too late for me now.

Here’s a quick round-up of DIY knock-offs from around the web. Thanks to Gigi for compiling this list!

Knotted Bedding from Kojo Designs.

Upholstered Headboard from Design Sponge.*

Britt’s Anthropologie-Inspired Tables from Design Sponge.

Chevron Rug Tutorial from Adventures in Dressmaking.

Gradient Shower Curtain from A Little Lovely.

Golden Raindrop Dress from Tea Rose Home.

Layered Jersey Skirt from Sewing for Scarlett.

Flower Sash from Ruby Mines.

Ruffled Tee from Adventures in Dressmaking.*

Ruffled Tank from Ruffles and Stuff.

Tiered Cardigan from Welcome to the Good Life.

String Pendant Light from Made by Girl.

Teapot Lamp from Retropolitan.*

Wallpaper Mirror from Mitzi’s Collectibles.

Seashell Mirror from Lee La La.

Colorpath Pillow from Make it Lovely.*

Window Headboard from Remodelaholic.

Ribbon and Bird Chandelier from Living with Lindsay.

Bouquet Handbag from Make it Lovely.*

iPad Clutch from P.S. I Made This.*

Ruffled Duvet Cover from Kiki Creates.

*Pictured above.

Update: While I encourage you to find inspiration from things you see here, you will of course want to add your own creativity to projects to make them your own.

Spool Stacker Toy

Another guest post — from another Jessica! This time Jessica from A Little Gray has stopped by with a great project to recycle your thread spools, get the kids involved in the process and maybe teach some counting and color identification as well. Jessica just had a baby three weeks ago, but was generous enough to come up with this tutorial for you! Thanks, Jessica!

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Hi, I’m Jessica from a Little Gray. I’m really excited (like probably way too much) to be a guest blogger on The Long Thread today! This was one of the very first crafty blogs I started reading, and obviously, Ellen is a sewing guru! I love to sew and I blog mostly about making things, but also some about music, thrifting, food, art, and whatever else interests me… And of course, a little about my two biggest inspirations, 2 year old Hendrix and 3 week old Elsie.
Today I’m sharing an idea for a kid craft and toy all in one, and a fun way to upcycle all those empty plastic thread spools you may have been collecting (and not knowing why.) It’s a fun color sorting and stacking game for toddlers or preschoolers who have outgrown the big plastic ring stackers. And the best part is, your child can help you create it, which makes playing with it that much more fun! Come check it out here.