PiP = Project in Process: Upcycled Fabric Button Magnets

Posted by Crystal

I have a button maker.  I love my button maker.  I have decided to use my button maker to make upcycled fabric button magnets. 

Several years ago, I got a bunch of quilt fabric from someone who donated it to The Lunch Studio.  I've been hanging on to it for all this time just waiting for the perfect project to come along.

And now it has!

First, I use the circle cutter to, well, cut circles.  Duh!  The circle cutter works very well on paper, but you have to be more careful with fabric.  Be sure to cut on a old surface because the cutter leaves a mark.  I'm using an thick, hard plastic placemat I got at a garage sale for FREE!  I love free. 

Then, I put all my cut circles in a little dish for safekeeping.

I'll post another PiP once I actually make the buttons.  Then, I just have to figure out packaging and I'm good to go!

For now, I'm trying to decide if I want to do matching sets of magnets with all the same fabric or coordinating sets of magnets with all different fabrics.  What do you think, blog readers?

PiP = Project in Process: Glass Mosaic Tray

Posted by Crystal

A few weeks ago, I told you all about my newest creative endeavor: a glass mosaics class at the Flint Institute of Arts.

Well, feast your eyes upon my Project in Process...which I am now calling PiPs!  As you can see, I decided to incorporate the red glass.  :)

using craft goop to adhere the glass tiles to the tray

close up of the glass tiles

my two-fifths done tray

I'm using reclaimed materials, so I don't have enough matching glass to cut tiles for the rest of the tray.  I'm trying to think of other ways to finish the project.  Here are the three options we came up with in class:

#1 - Tile the left side of the tray in an entirely different pattern and/or color scheme and create some kind of dividing design down the middle.

#2 - Use up the rest of my already cut tiles to finish exactly half the tray and then tile the left side in a different style.

#3 - Use up the rest of my already cut tiles to create a border around the sides of the tray and then tile inside the border in a different style.

I think #3 is my favorite idea, so I made a mock up to see what it would look like:

option #3 mock up with triangle tiles

So, what do you think, blog readers?  Which option should I pick for my PiP? 

And, if you have any PiPs of your own, email some photos to us at flinthandmade@hotmail.com!  We would love to blog about your PiPs, too!