Stainless steel refrigerators getting you down? Sure they look cool but they’re not magnetic so there is no longer a place to post up your shopping lists and recipes. A full sized bulletin board is very demanding of space and inevitably becomes a tangled eye sore filled with expired notes and numbers. Who wants to search through a rectangular mass of garbage just to find a business card someone might have given you three weeks ago? But ho! There is a solution dear reader. I have been noticing the growing popularity of long magnetic strips for notes in various home décor magazines. My only problem with them is that sometimes a magnet is not powerful enough to hold up thicker papers such as postcards or recipe cards.
This week I will show you how to make your own space conscious bulletin board for your kitchen or room of choice.
You will need:
32″ to 1 yard of 1 5/8 thick grosgrain ribbon (I used Grosgrain in Mint with white polka dots to evoke a cute retro vibe)31901-6101
1 yard of 15 mm ribbon (I used Imported Chambray Ribbon to accent the polka dots) 38792-4
3 ½ x 30 inches of a medium weight fabric (I used a stone gray cotton)
Magna-Tac 809
Spray mount (I recommend Super 77 Multipurpose Adhesive
One 28″ x 1 ½ ” piece of ½ inch thick foam board (you will have to visit your local hardware or art supply store to find the smallest board to cut your slat from.)
T-Square ruler + pen
Utility blade
(If you aren’t able to get all these supplies, improvise)
Making the Board:
(You may want to periodically wash your hands in-between steps so you don’t soil the surface of your ribbons.)
Measure and cut our foam board to the dimensions mentioned above.
Lay out your piece of fabric on a flat surface
Give a light spray of Spray adhesive to one side of your foam board and lay sticky side down carefully onto your fabric. Flip and smooth any bubbles with a sleek edge like a credit card.
Apply a pea size drop of Magna-Tac to one end of the foam board, on the ½ ” exposed foam part. Smooth the fabric on the same end over the glue so that you create two triangular tabs of fabric at the corners. Pinch the corners with your fingers and hold for 30 seconds. Cut off the tabs with your scissors. Repeat on the other end.
Apply a thin line of Magna-Tac along the rest of the exposed ½ inch foam to bind the fabric tightly around the foam board. Follow the same technique to smooth the remaining edges onto the back of the board.
Apply Spray Mount to the wrong side of your 1 5/8″ thick ribbon and carefully smooth along the length of the fabric-covered board. Be sure to leave 2″ of ribbon at each end so you can wrap it around the back for a more finished look.
Smooth remaining 2″ of ribbon around the back…You may need to use Magna-Tac to secure it in back.
Cut 2 three-inch strips of your 15mm ribbon and set aside. Cut the remaining 30″ of ribbon in half and make 2 bows. Hot glue the bows about 1″ from each end of the front of your board.
Hot glue the 2 three inch strips into two separate loops and then hot glue those to the back of your board, just behind where you glued your bows. These will be your hooks to attach your board to the wall.
Due to M&J Trimming’s 5,000 sq ft showroom being located in New York City, we have decided to make a video for customers who have not yet had a chance to visit us. We hope this video will help you learn more about M&J Trimming and what we have to offer.
For those who had a chance to visit us in New York City and have photos of the showroom, please feel free to share. You can also share your story about your visit to the showroom. We’d all love to hear from you.
This blog is for all of you who follow Gossip Girl every week for wardrobe inspiration. If you’re not familiar with the TV series, it is based on the lives of some high school students from the Upper East Side of New York City. The show pretty much resembles a catwalk full of designer clothes. The main characters, Blair Waldrof, Serena van der Woodsen and Jen Humphrey wear brands such as Gucci, Balenciaga, Chanel and many more in every episode. I can’t promise you that I can teach you how to copy the pattern to a Chanel suit or how to reproduce the latest It-bag. However, I can give you tips of how to get a similar look and create accessories that match the ones Upper East Side socialites wear in this hit TV Series.
Let’s start with Blair Waldrof. Her signature style is preppy and classic. You can get her look by wearing school girl uniform inspirations, plaids, peter pan collars, pearl necklaces and knee-high socks. One of her signature accessories are headbands.
In the episode “All About My Brother” she wore a red and white striped ribbon headband with a double bow on the side. I recreated this headband and it was easier than you can imagine. The first step is to make ribbon loops; you can use fabric glue or your sewing machine. For this headband I did a 4″ and a 5″ loop and then I sew it in the center. Then put one on top of the other and wrap another loop around them and glue it (or sew it) at the bottom. For the headband I used a 17″ piece of ribbon, but I recommend you measure your head before you cut it, otherwise you take the risk of having a headband too tight or too loose. Attach a 3″ of elastic to the two ends and glue the bow you made before on the side of it. Just wear it with the right outfit and you’ll get the look of Blair Waldorf.
Mothers day is just around the corner. Almost any sensible woman above the age of 25 will tell you that lighting is key. Bad lighting such as overhead fluorescents can drastically alter her appearance not to mention the all around mood of the room. Help a lady out this Mother’s day with the gift of flattering light.
This week I transformed a thrift store lamp into 2 different looks using spray paint, fabric and trimmings. I wanted to lean towards a monochromatic color scheme for the lamp itself, leaving a broader range of possibilities for the trimmings to match any room or style.
You will need:
A lamp + lampshade
Primer and Spray paint
Fabric (amount depends on the size of your lampshade)
Trimmings of your choice (You will have to measure out the appropriate amount depending on the size of your lampshade and how much coverage you want)
And of course a lightbulb with the appropriate wattage.
Making the Lamp:
Lay your lampshade on its’ side and roll it across your fabric tracing it with a pencil as you go. You will only need to roll it about ½ way around.
Create a second line about 1 inch outside of your original tracing and cut it out.
Wrap the fabric around the lampshade folding the 1 inch seam allowance behind the top and bottom edges of the shade. Secure with Magna-Tac as you go. (keep in mind that if your fabric is thin and covering a shade that is thin as well, your seam will show through once the lamp is turned on…so try to be as neat as possible.)
Lay down 2 coats of primer to the lamp base and when it is dry spray paint a couple coats of top coat in the color of your choice.
With the end of April and the beginning of May, flowers seem to be blossoming beautifully this year. The beautiful flowers and the warm weather is definitely a reminder that Mother’s day is coming up soon. It’s one of the greatest days for us to show our appreciation. Did you know that Anna Jarvis created this special day in 1908? She was a homesick gal who moved to Philadelphia in 1864 from West Virginia and after her Mother passed away she wanted to honor her by honoring all Mothers.
If you have not yet decided on a gift, may I suggest the flower pin? Almost all women enjoy the sight of beautiful flowers. However, after a couple of days the flower seems to just die away. For that reason I’ve made my own DIY flower pin. This way, my Mother can keep it as a reminder that the love I have for her is as gentle and internal as the flower pin I’ve made her.
Not only can she use the pin on her garments or handbag, but she can use it on accessories as well. The one I’ve made here, I hooked the pin onto a chain and created this stylish necklace. I’ve also made other styles of flower pins so she can switch the flowers to match her garment. The pins are very easy to make. Just choose a couple of trims you like. Either grosgrain, silk, satin or any decorative styles of trim. You can also mix and match like I did.
If you decided to make a flower pin, please do share. We’d all love to see how it turned out or if you decided to make something else, I’m sure everyone would enjoy it as well. The more ideas the merrier.
Materials:
½ yard of any style or fabric trim you choose. (Recommend size 1 ½” or larger in width)
½ yard of another style of fabric trim you choose. (Smaller than the other trim you’ve chosen)
Stitching needle
Thread (Color should match with the fabric trim you’ve chosen)
Lay the smaller trim on top of the larger trim. Make sure the smaller trim is aligned with the left side of the larger trim.
Using straight pins, pin the trims in place.
Using the matching thread begin hand-stitching the trim along the left side. Be sure to stay close to the edge and start from the backside of the larger trim.
Space each stitch at least ½” apart.
When you get to the end of the trim, remove the straight pins
Then using your fingers, push the end of the trim back towards the beginning of the trim.
Stitch the end in place.
Turn the trim around so that the larger trim is facing you.
Make sure the edges of both ends of the trim is facing you as well
Stitch the edges together, allowing the trim to form a flower shape.
Turn the trim around and add your button in the center.
Stitch the button into the center.
On the backside of the flower, now stitch the pin-back onto the center.
Now your flower pin is ready to be wrapped in a pretty box for your Mother.
The history of the garter belt is quite an interesting story. After the ceremony the couple would depart to the bedroom and consummate the marriage, with guests in tow as witnesses. Guests would try to snatch pieces of the bride’s clothes in hopes that they would soon to be the next to wed. Of course couples were not too happy with this ritual so the groom would toss the bride’s garter to the guests to distract them. Today, the garter toss is a bit more civil with the groom tossing it to his groomsmen and other single men during the reception.
The bride can use her garter to express who she is as a person, coordinate to her colors or surprise her new husband with a unique themed garter. For a more traditional look, you can use any one of the gorgeous laces that M&J carries, add some elastic, a simple satin ribbon and a button. Now you have a personalized garter for your special day. You could also use a blue ribbon as your ‘Something Blue’.
Whether or not you choose to actually toss the garter is up to you, but it’s became a standard item in the bride’s attire and can be a fun way to surprise your groom on the wedding night.
For over 70 years M&J Trimming has carried items such as fine laces to Italian buttons.With over 5000 sq ft of items filling the walls from ceiling to floor, many editors and producers from top magazines and network television has taken notice of the wide selections that we offer.Within the industry, M&J Trimming has been defined as the “candy shop” for the fashion industry.Now into our 72nd year of business, M&J Trimming reassures that we’ll continue to stand strong within the fabric trimming industry and keep on providing our costumers with only the finest quality and widest selection.
M&J Trimming has been featured in:
You may have also seen us in the following television shows and network.
Rhinestone encrusted shoes are still running strong, ladies.This season the trend has graduated from decorating the tips of simple flats and moved on to high heels.The real deal is off the charts in affordability for most of you and the less expensive versions of this fashion movement are likely to be stocked with plastic jewels.And yes, you can tell the difference.
If you want the look without the price tag, it¹s only a few steps away, no pun intended.All you need is a simple pair of heels and Swarovski sew-on or flat-back jewels in the color or colors of your choice.
I created an example using Swarovski Sew-on jewels from their new line of cosmic colors. You are sure to turn some heads when your heel-clad feet are reflecting the city lights at night.
Some other alternatives are glass sew-on jewels. They’ll also give your heels a little glamor.
Louis Vuitton’s Spring ‘08 collection features shirts and skirts with
stripes of sequins circling the front and back. Like with all designer
clothing, I’m pretty confident that this collection’s price tag would
leave anyone stumped as to how such a simple design arrived at such an
inflated price.
It’s not always necessary to spend a large amount of money on a piece of
clothing you saw on the runway. Some pieces can easily be recreated
using pieces of clothing you already own. If you’d like you can also
purchase something similar and add little touches with embellishments to
make it look the same as the one you saw on the runway.
For example, I’ve easily recreated a piece from the Louis Vuitton Spring
collection. You can purchase a regular solid shirt from any
department store. Then with some sequin trims, sew it around the
shirt. It can easily be done by hand or with a sewing machine. It’s
just that simple!
Here’s a list of items that are being used on today’s Martha Stewart show. I hope this makes it easy for those searching for the items. If you cannot view the items online, please call customer service and let them know about the item number that you’re interested in. Have fun decorating your flip flops.
mjtrim
Dara
Kristin
Eleah
Milton
