Origami Shirt and Tie from a dollar bill

My first attempt...I was delighted to have made the tie but realized it was too long and I was unable to make sleeves but at least I was on the right track!




Some time ago I saw a photo of an origami shirt and tie...I had done several shirts with pants and even a dress but not a shirt with a tie. I looked high and low for directions but could find none. So, I was intrigued and studied the picture so I could try and figure it out. A big help was that it was done with a dollar bill so I could look at the markings for reference. So I will try and show some of the steps. If you're not familiar with origami it may seem difficult but studying the pictures should help. I will try and post the steps at a later time. It is a fun way to leave a tip. I've also made an anniversary card with the suit and a dress also made from a dollar. I was going to post the steps I took to create my shirt and tie but found a great tuturial here!

Mini Teapots

Not sure why I felt compelled to make these but I know I was inspired by Mary Engelbreit. I love the cheerful upbeat looks of her designs. These were done with the clay that always stays pliable and I've had them for a few years now...but I think it could be a fun project for a little girls tea party. I used a toothpick to create some of the details.

Tea Cup Topiaries

I wanted to share a picture of something I did a few years back. It was inspired by a wallpaper border and thought it might be a fun idea to share.
I made tea cup topiaries to go on each table and thought I might offer some as gifts.

You'll need:

Tea cups or other vase-type containers

sand

branches

3" Styrofoam ball

moss

I took mismatched cups as well as some adorable ceramic boots and filled them with sand. I then took branches cut from bushes and vines in the yard and wedge them in a 3" styrofoam ball covered with sheet moss.

After wetting the sand in the cups I covered the top of them with the moss as well. I had considered using plaster in the cups to stabilize but didn't know if I wanted to do that to the items I was using. I showed them to some friends a few days later and much to my surprise, the branches are leafing out do to the wet sand, which makes them look more authentic!

Wooden Pins

These are a variety of layered, wood pins I've made out of some of the beautiful scrap pieces of exotic woods from my husband's workshop. Many have both a magnetic holder and a tradition pin backing. The magnetic hold is nice when I want to wear one on a jacket and don't want to poke a hole in it. The down side to a magnetic holder is throwing a jacket over a metal framed chair may secure it more than I planned! I've had to pry it away on occasion!

Foam Cornices

This is a project from a few years ago...I did it using the 2" dense foam, stencils and a dremel tool. I wanted to create a cornice but because we have block or brick wall I had to attach to the wood frame around my windows so decided to try a create a dimensional cornice for my bathroom window that could be support by shelf brackets attached to the wood frame. I would be easy to make any design or lettering and tape the design or use repositional adhesive sprayed on the back to hold it in place and dremel away...it's fairly quick and a fun project...I thought of building a faux mantle doing the same thing. The thicker foam has a tongue and groove feature so I took advantage of it on top. The "stone" color was sponged on using a mottling of gray and white.

Laney tag

Single strand wire...Plantin Schoolbook tag.