deena neimat :: i design stuff

I've been making Cyra some more felt food for her to play with in her kitchen.. she loves cooking for us!
I'll be posting a tutorial on how to make these carrots.. and maybe the milk carton if I can remember :)

Posted by deena at 08:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I started making cyra an apron out of scrap fabrics I had laying around.. I made up the pattern as I went along so it may take her a couple years to grow into it.. but I think it turned out pretty sweet.

Posted by deena at 09:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

i purchased this adorable letterpress alphabet poster from sycamore street press. And bought a frame that was already matted from a local craft store. I then used a spray adhesive to cover the mat with a matching fabric.

Posted by deena at 09:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Last year I made roman shades for our kitchen.. I bought the fabric from ikea.. and used this website to get a custom kit that would fit out windows. the kit came with a pattern that was really easy to follow.

Posted by deena at 08:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

here are our veggies (and flower)! cyra keeps trying to pick the green "apples".. I wondering who will be the first to attack my garden? the family of bunnies in our backyard or miss. cyra, any bets?

Posted by deena at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

So I finally finished a few pillows sold on etsy. I've made a couple changes to how I make them.
They now have and invisible zipper to which makes for easy cleaning.. and they are more "green" because you can stuff them with scrap fabric.. or old clothing.. how sweet is that?

Now that they are less costly to ship! check my etsy shop for the updated listings!

here they are unstuffed

Posted by deena at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I embellished this sweet alternative apparel tee last week.. using chalkboard fabric bought here as soon as i have a free moment.. I'll have a couple up on etsy..

You can use this idea to sew onto practically anything.. a bag, pillow, apron..

Posted by deena at 10:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

i made these adorable felt strawberries this weekend for Cyra..
there are tons of free felt food patterns online, check out the Keeper of the Cheerios for a great list!

Posted by deena at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

so we buy rice in bulk.. and i usually hold onto the fancy rice bags for a rainy day craft.. so I made this pillow for outside, I used chalkboard fabric purchased here
and cording left over from this project.
You can also use old coffee bags.. which are easy to find on ebay.

this would be a great idea for a playroom.. doing both sides in chalkboard fabric or even alternating with fun fabric that matches your room decor.. a sweet idea to allow your kids or guests to draw on the furniture!

Posted by deena at 08:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

so i love green.. and thought the green moss growing on our roof was sort of sweet.. in a charming kind of way. Apparently, our home insurance inspector thought it needed to go.. so I opened and upstairs window and raked it off.. i know what you are thinking.. crazy woman, at least that's what my husband thought. What to do with all this charming moss, that happens to be my favorite color?

how about a low maintenance houseplant.. I had a couple old pots, filled them with dirt and there you go. turned out pretty cute don't you think ? You can find live moss at any gardening store but it can be pricey.. so try going hiking, you'll be sure to come across some. For some extra charm.. it would be pretty sweet to spray paint the pots different colors or even spray them with chalkboard paint! I have a couple crafts coming up with all kinds of chalk fun.. stay tuned :).

here is a photo of Mr. Kobes.. watching me pot the moss.. He thinks I'm crazy too.

Posted by deena at 09:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

So nice weather is here.. and cyra is all about the bubbles.. which means we really really want to hold the bottle of bubbles.. and within 3 mins tops we have spilled bubble solution all over.

And I've tried the spill-proof containers.. and find that they don't work great and if there is another toddler on the horizon we are sure to fight over it.. I'm sure you've all experienced this. So here is my solution... the bubble station. Attached to the fence... no holding involved..

Here's how I did it.. I bought a 6" flower pot holder from Home Depot, along with an azalia flower pot.. (it needs to have holes on the side.) an orchid pot would also do..

I spray painted the pot.. then glued a small round disposable plastic container to the bottom.. you'll need something with a lid. I used the Ziplock brand.. I find that they are more durable than most..

When everything has dried.. place the pot into the holder and tie into place. I hope this works as well for everyone as it does for us.. less tears and more bubbles!! I'd love to see photos of your bubble stations if you try this!!

Here are also instructions on how to make your own bubble solution..

Posted by deena at 12:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

so we finally decided to be adults and purchase a kitchen table... we found this adorable table at a warehouse sale and recovered the seats in this sweet fabric

It was a quick and simple project that took me just an evening to complete.. if I had put more thought into it.. I would have chosen and outdoor fabric that would have been easier to clean..

Posted by deena at 08:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

i made these slippers during naptime today.. the tutorial is great.. I'm not one to pay attention to all the steps. ( i like to just look at the pictures:) ) but if you're going try this one.. it is alot easier if you read all the directions.. bye for now.. my feet have something comfy to slip on.

Posted by deena at 07:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Last spring on an attempt to have a picnic.. the handles of our basket broke... maybe I packed too much food :)
So I repaired it by cutting 5" wide of fabric bias strips and made a long handle, which I sewed together and onto the wicker basket.. it was really simple and a nice revival to a very once sad picnic basket.
I used heather bailey's pop garden fabric.

Posted by deena at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

here are a couple "quick" projects that use scraps you probably have in your stash.. looking for some instant reward? these each took 30 mins.

this bead necklace is a quick project that would make a great gift... I used a piece of Marc Jacobs silk. I found the wooden beads at michaels in the woodwork section.

Here is another..
pincushion a girl can never have too many pincushions!

Posted by deena at 07:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I made this heart mobile for cyra's room.. here's how i did it.
You'll need an embroidery hoop (I used one that was 7"), embroidery floss, scrap fabrics, felt, ribbon, pinking shears, filler and glue gun.

1) cut out your hearts using felt and scrap fabrics. You can choose to do them different sizes or all the same. I picked contrasting colors for each side.
2) use the floss to stitch around the border of the two panels of hearts.. before you are almost done stitching around the exterior of the heart, use the filler to lightly stuff the heart then, completely stitch the sides closed.
3) cut your ribbon the desired length.. and stitch to each individual heart.
4) once you are done with each carefully glue the other end of the ribbon around the inner circle of the embroidery hoop.
5) now you'll need to attach three more strands of ribbon to hang the mobile from.. try to place them equally around the hoop and knot them together.
6) when you are done gluing all the strands, you're ready to attach the outer edge of the hoop and tighten.

Posted by deena at 11:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I saw this adorable Japanese elephant fabric in this tutorial by Cathy Porter... And found it at a local fabric store. The bag was quick and easy to make.. I used a leather cord to save time from having to make fabric ties. And with a pile of small scraps I was able to cover little storage cans and make little booties that I've posted to my etsy shop.

Posted by deena at 03:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

here are a couple barrettes that i've been working on.. just posted to etsy!

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i made this flower pincushion today for a very belated birthday gift..

Posted by deena at 01:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

so after a long (busy) holiday.. i really needed a quick craft pick-me-up.. I don't know what it is about making things.. for me 30 minutes at my craft table is a great escape from a long day.

I bought these felt beads before christmas thinking I'd make garland for our tree and never got around to it.. so with some elastic cording and silver beading I made these..

I love how they turned out.. but most of my jewelry gets torn off by cyra.. so I may have to post these in my etsy shop for someone else to enjoy..

Posted by deena at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I've been wanting to make these peanut butter dog treats for kobei.. and since he has been on his best behavior this week.. he was due for a treat! He LOVED them! (thanks sugarlaws!)

So I made a couple extra batches and packaged them as tiny holiday goodies for his doggie pals. You can download the label I designed here. come on.. make some dogs happy.. enjoy!

Posted by deena at 08:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

cyra can't wait to meet her new cousin anya!

Posted by deena at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

i forgot to post all the birthday goodies from cyra's big #1

here are a couple resources that I used ..
Pom Poms from Martha
I learned how to applique here at This Mama Makes Stuff
I think felt food is awesome.. since Cyra is not quite old enough to play with it.. I figured she could wear it. The felt piece of cake is a hair clip.. I was inspired by this etsy seller

Posted by deena at 03:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

cyra had her first real Halloween! and our first piece of candy.. she went as little red riding hood.. and if Kobei would have cooperated, we would have had a big bad wolf too.

on my way to grandma's house

Posted by deena at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I looked for a birthday banner.. but was disappointed when I saw what was out there.. so I put this one together.. and here is how I did it in case you want to try.

download pattern here

1. cut out 2 shapes per letter.. you can use any type of fabric.. I used cotton quilting fabrics. You can also use this for holiday banners.. if I was going to make a "happy halloween" banner... I'd probably use fabric with that theme.. you get the idea.

2. for each letter.. sew the pieces together.. on the curved edge.. leaving the strait edge open. do this over and over until you have enough for your banner.

3. turn each right side out and press with an iron. next.. you'll want to stitch each closed.. I used a decorative stitch with silver thread.. then i cut the edges with pincker shears (zig zag scissors)

4. then I did two button holes on each letter.. doing this will allow you to use this over and over.. change the letters around to spell other things and so on.

5. for the actual letters... I used a pattern from Martha.. download it here.
I used felt for the letters.

6. glue your letters on w/ fabric glue.. and string onto a ribbon of your choice

.. and you are done!.. i'd love to see photos if you use this pattern... email me if you have any questions!

Posted by deena at 01:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

i made these fabric ghosts to hang outside our home.. they are really easy and quick to make.

here is what you'll need..
styrofoam balls.. i used ones that are 2.5 inches
white fabric
black embroidery floss
fish wire
masking tape

1. make a hole in the styrofoam ball.. to do this, i used a bbq skewer, once the hole is made, feed the fishwire through the ball to the other end, then use the masking tape to secure the fishwire on the bottom.
2. cut your fabric in 12" inch squares.. they do not need to be perfect.. i tore my fabric instead of cutting.. it was easier and i thought looked better.
3. find the middle spot of your fabric square and cut a small hole.
4. feed the fishwire through and tie the fabric at the bottom using the black floss.

And volla.. one scary ghost!

Posted by deena at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

wow.. thanks to everyone that voted, i feel honored to have even been a finalist with all the amazing and talented entries, i can't believe the tree stump won the home decor category with 2159 votes!
check out all the talented winners!

Posted by deena at 01:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

so here is my pig from the Wee Wonderfuls tutorial... little too early to hang on a tree.. for how it will make me happy in my sewing room.

Posted by deena at 08:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

so since cyra has been born i've been itching to redo her room.. and this past week, I finally got to it.

what finally inspired me to so it was this great tutorial I found online.. for "bird softies" @ http://www.spoolsewing.com/blog

here are a couple of the softies..

After painting, i decaled.. i used Ilan Dei's Anise design from http://www.whatisblik.com/

Then it was time to make pillows.. i found this beautiful woodgrain fabric.. and made log pillows.

Posted by deena at 10:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

i just picked this up from the printer today, i designed this invite for an opera concert.

Posted by deena at 01:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

just got a copy of the invite I designed for Tennessee Champions for Children.. I'm so excited how it turned out and thought I'd share!

Posted by deena at 09:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

so i've made my first pair of bitty booties, a pattern from HELLOmynameisHeather

how sweet are these? i'm obsessed.

Posted by deena at 10:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

so i've decided to start sharing things i've made on this blog.. i wanted a sweet sling for cyra but could not find one that i liked... i bought this beautiful japanese import fabric Notari Sweet Pea from Repo Depot and sling rings from slingrings.com

i think she really really likes it.

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