Check out my Diet Coke Zipper Clutch!

Authored By: ellie g Author/Writer
September 28, 2011 --11:20 AM

‘Member how I love Diet Coke? Did I mention that? Oh yeah, I mention that….on about every post. Well I do. And I can NEVER find stuff with the Diet Coke logo on it. (well…there is THIS FRIDGE with a big stinkin’ logo on it. We are STILL in love!) But all the cute t-shirts and bags and stuff always seem to be regular Coke.

So……..I decided to take matters into my own hands and make something awesome! (and I also made one for my cute friend Char’s birthday. Because she loves Diet Coke as much as I do. And then, my darling sister requested one too. And because we are besties, I obliged.)

To make this super fun gift, you’ll need:

2 pieces of cardboard product packaging. I, of course, used Diet Coke. But you can use any product you want. (Again…I suggest Diet Coke…did I mention I really like that? Why would you want to do anything else?) Cut them to be 8.5 in. x 7 in. I used packaging from a 24 pack of soda. It gives you a lot more design to work with. And yes….I really drink that much.
2 pieces of fabric for the lining. (same dimensions)
1 seven inch zipper. (the kind that has a stop closure; meaning it won’t separate when opened all the way)
Heat fuseable vinyl. (I used Heat n’ Bond)
Any trim you’d like

Start by fusing vinyl pieces to the fronts of all your materials. Follow the product’s instructions to complete this step. You should end up with 4 pieces that now have a protective plastic coating on them (PS…..heat fuseable vinyl and I might have just had an affair. Seriously….I’m DYING over how cool this stuff is!)

Next you’re going to layer your zipper and materials for sewing. Here’s the order:

Product packaging-Right side face up
Trim (if you have it)
Zipper-face down…..meaning the zipper part should be touching your product packaging piece)
Lining-Wrong side facing up

It would be extremely difficult to pin through thick cardboard. But you REALLY need this “sandwich” to stay lined up. I like to use binder clips to keep everything in place. And remove them as I sew. Just like you would pins.

Sew (using a zipper foot) along your first “sandwich”. Go SLOW! This cardboard is thick. But your sewing machine can totally handle it. I recommend switching to a heavy duty needle though. (the kind you’d use for denim)

Next, repeat the “sandwich” on the other side of the zipper and sew it as well.

Flip everything over and make sure it all lines up. I had to press down on the cardboard and just get it to loosen up a bit.

Then “sandwich” everything so it looks like a pouch. Outsides on the outside, insides on the inside. This clutch will not be “flipped” because of the cardboard. So no need to sew inside out.

Then just sew along the edge. Again, SLOWLY. I decided to round my corners. It makes for a prettier finish.

I used a 1/2″ seam allowance, and then trimmed the edges to be about 1/4″ seam. Then sewed around again, just for stability.

And Ta-Da! You’re done!

That cute little lining peeking out….squeel! I just love it.

There’s nothing like giving someone a gift you KNOW that they’ll love. This little beauty holds a can of Diet Coke. Such a fun gift. And it would hold a gift card as well. The options are endless….to let your loved one know you love them.

Of course, I’m totally keeping this one. It’s now adorning my purse and holding all my business cards! So if you wanna see it….you gotta get a card from me.

I’m totally drinking a Diet Coke as I write this. And it has a fresh lemon squeezed in it. And seriously….I feel quite close to perfect right this second.

Linked to:

Do you have anything to say? 24 Comments

Filed Under: NOT crafts, organize it

Add Your Thoughts Here: Journal

Authored By: ellie g Author/Writer
May 31, 2011 --1:01 PM

Normally we meet here for “Manic Monday”, but because Monday was a holiday, I decided to take a vaycay from the computer. In fact, I’ve been pretty much computer free since Friday. Yay!

Sometimes you just need to do that. Take a breather from technology and let the REAL people in your everyday life know that you still want to devote your time and attention to them.

But it’s Tuesday, and I’m back. Back to the computer…..and back to a MOUNTAIN of laundry. GRRRR!!

Okay.
I gotta admit.
I have insomnia.
Bad!

So bad, that I frequently only get 4, or less, hours of sleep.
So bad, that I regularly go to bed after 2AM.
So bad, that if I wake up in the middle of the night, I’m pretty much up….for good.

I do take medication to help. But I can’t take it EVERY night. And besides…I don’t want to be tied to medicine to be able to get restful sleep.

I’ve read a lot of things to try and help. I’ve been putting the computer away earlier. Trying to wear myself out during the day. So far not a ton of success.

But I want to share the new thing I’m going to try.
(not because I have a success story yet…..but because I think it’s a COOL idea!!)

I started off with a notebook that I’m going to keep next to my bed, in my nightstand. It’s there ready for me to write down any thoughts I have, ideas I wake up with, or “to-do” things that strike me in the night. (or anything else that it making it so I can’t sleep.

Of course I found a super cute one. Because who wants to write down a brilliant idea in an ugly notebook?

This one is by Mead. And has a totally cute pattern, with a magnetic closure strip. LOVE IT!

Then I got some self-adhesive label holders and made labels for the categories I wanted in my “thoughts journal”. You could put anything that plagues your brain at night.
Mine has things like:

To Do: House
To Do: Blog
Ideas: Decorating
Ideas: Blog
Thoughts & Dreams
Lists
Sketching
Gratitude

Those are just the ones I felt that I’d use. You could do any that you think you’d like to put in yours. It’s SO customizable!

Then, of course, I couldn’t just leave it like I bought it!
What?
Of course not!

I added a little elastic lace loop for my pen, and my initial, and some turquoise ric-rac.
I don’t know of many items that aren’t improved with a little turquoise ric-rac.
I’m thinking of adding some to my toilet.
(these are the jokes, folks. Don’t write and tell me that toilet ric-rac is a bad idea.)

And last night, at midnight, when I was still wide awake….I took ten minutes to write a list of re-organizations that I want to do. It doesn’t mean that I’m doing them for sure. It just means I didn’t have to sit and think about them.

I don’t have a miracle story, like how I wrote this list and immediately went into peaceful slumber.
But I do have a pretty list.
And a pretty book.

And something to do while I’m up doing nothing……

I’d love to know what you do to cure your insomnia! I’m open to just about anything at this point!

Do you have anything to say? 43 Comments

Filed Under: organize it

Organize Your Paper Life

Authored By: ellie g Author/Writer
May 27, 2011 --12:07 PM

Thank you so much for all the lovely birthday wishes this week. This week has turned out to be CRAZY! We had the birthday, then an unexpected trip to a U2 Concert..(now THAT was fun) Then a subsequent day of recovery.

(SUPER late night! Super bad blisters on feet! Note to self: Even cute high heeled boots are sometimes not worth it!)

I feel like my life has been spiraling out of control….into a vat of ginormous chaos! How on earth will I ever tackle summer? I decided that getting organized is the best way to begin.

Organize my thoughts, organize my schedule, organize my priorities, organize my home.

It’s gonna take some time.
But the first corner I tackled is the “catch-all” corner.
It’s a hidden corner by the fridge.
We put our mail there. And things that get dumped out of back-packs.

It’s a nightmare.

Now, the lovely people who built my home…..decided that we’d be better off without drawers.
Not kidding.
My kitchen has a total of 6 drawers.
And 4 of them are so small you couldn’t fit more that a few spatulas in them.
It’s been one of the biggest challenges of my home life. (my master bath has none! NONE!)

Without drawers, I’m not left with a lot of lee-way when it comes to hiding clutter.

Look at the difference when I get things off the counter and into organized folders! Yay! I love this solution!

I started with this SPONTAN Magazine file from IKEA. It is a $10 solution. I love that it has super clean lines, is modern and very versatile. We have more than one of these in our home.

But this time I decided I wanted something different than just plain white. It is VERY out in the open, and I wanted it to be fun and add to my kitchen decor. It was useless to try and hide it…..

So I found a patterned paper that I love. Houndstooth, of course. And I got out the trusty Mod Podge to help me transform my plain white file holder…..into a super chic one!

If you decide to do this:

Try and use paper/fabric that has a repeating pattern and little to no distressing. The distressing will not line up well to create a seamless look.
Use plenty of Mod Podge under your paper so that it will hold down your creases and bends. And work out all the bubbles. Thinner paper is MUCH easier to manipulate….but it likes to bubble more.
After you are SURE that everything looks like you want it to….put a nice coat of Mod Podge on top of everything. I actually did two coats…just because I know this will get some heavy use!
It is attached to my fridge using 3M velcro strips. A lot of them. But it has been stuck like glue. And can be removed at any time!

I got some really fun expandable file folders at Wal*Mart. As much as that store frustrates me sometimes…..their office section is HEAVENLY! It is bursting with pattern and color and things that make me swoon. Go there! You won’t be sorry.

I also used some self-adhesive label tabs to label each folder from the top. And each level is for different things: