Laura Griffin Designs

Have you ever tried mixing Copics with fabric? The results can be amazing!

I’ve been playing around this week with designs for February’s Copic club project, and came up with the above custom key fobs. They make great gifts and will ensure you never lose your keys again! I was pleasantly surprised at how well Copics work on white fabric and had fun experimenting with different stamping inks for the background. Interested in making your own? I’ll be teaching a class on Feb 18th in the DFW area and sharing all the tips and tricks I’ve learned. Call the Googly store here and reserve your spot!

P.S. No sewing experience is required. (I can handle that part for ya.) See you soon!

I picked up a fun book called “Lunch Bags” recently that contains 25 patterns to help you dress up your lunch in style.

Most of the patterns are for sewing, but I couldn’t resist testing out the retro crocheted apple cozy pattern by Shannon Fowler-Wardrep.

I love all things vintage (doesn’t this look so 70s?), and since I’m an apple fan… I like that the cozy will help keep those beauties from getting bumped and bruised in my work bag.

My crochet skills are rudimentary… but I found the pattern fairly forgiving along the way (just don’t look too closely at my stitches!) It’s easy enough for a beginner to complete in one evening.

I used 100% cotton yarn in Hot Green and Natural (Sugar ‘n Cream), but I think the pattern would look great with a number of different color combinations.

…and ready to go.

Interested in making one for yourself? Click below to take a peek inside the book.

A couple of soft and cuddly cashmere dogs have made their way into my home. They like to play outside…

I can’t get enough of these luxe dog toys. They are easy to sew up in an afternoon and make the perfect baby gift for a close friend or relative. All you need to get started is a thrifted cashmere sweater from your local Goodwill store, a few fabric scraps, and some wool or bamboo felt.

I can’t put into words just how super-soft they are. As an added bonus – they’re green for the environment too! Want to make your own? Check out Betz White’s Sewing Green book below for the pattern and directions.

Happy sewing,

I have a tendency to dive into new craft obsessions, and my latest has been collecting vintage sheets and bed linens. Similar to felted sweaters, I love the idea of taking something old and breathing new life into it.

I’ve visited my fair share of thrift stores over the last few months in search of these “treasures” to take home with me. After amassing a large pile of sheets, I realized it was time to create something with them or risk being labeled an official sheet-hoarder. *lol*

I have seen some fabulous vintage quilts online… and decided to make a simple block version.

To start, I pulled out my trusty rotary cutter, and began making piles of 6.5″ squares.

After the squares were cut from 40 different patterned sheets and pillowcases, I started to sew them together into rows of 10. The quilt is 12 rows long, so each pattern is repeated 3 times. With 1/4″ seams, the finished quilt will be 60″ x 72″… a great size for getting cozy on the couch.

Here’s a lil’ preview of the squares all laid out…they will be sewn together later this week and then it’ll be time for quilting!

Love the way all the random colors and patterns come together in an eclectic mix. Who says you have to use one color scheme?

Interested in making your own, but don’t want to do troll through thrift stores? You can find some fabulous pre-washed sheets for purchase on Esty here.

I’ve been playing around lately with three of my favorite things…rubber stamps, Copic Markers and embossing metal. Interested in learning how to make these handcrafted embellishments?

If you live in the DFW Metroplex, I’ll be teaching a class this Saturday morning (Aug 27th) at Googly Eyes & Craft Supplies in Irving, TX. We’ll be making fabulous colorful notebooks during the class.

Like this one…

Or this one…

And you’ll learn how to use metal and copics on card designs too!

With custom striped ribbon…

Decorative wheels…

and how about some homemade baker’s twine?

Give the store a call if you’d like to sign up and come join in the fun!