Crafts

Repurpose old sweaters to make this adorable upcycled sweater craft! Embroidery hoop art is so charming.

I don’t know about where you live, but here in Chicago we have been FREEZING since, well, it feels like forever!  The temps have been unusually low and I’ve been craving everything cozy. 

Although the cold is annoying, I guess I have it to thank for inspiring this Upcycled Sweater Embroidery Hoop Art, because sweaters, blankets, and hot tea are all I seem to think about these days!  

This project is a fantastic way to give new life to any sweaters of yours that have seen better days!  Or, if your sweaters are all in perfect condition, buy some at a thrift store to repurpose and make these cute sweater embroidery hoops!

Supplies Needed for Upcycled Sweater Embroidery Hoop Art

This post contains affiliate links.  Please read my disclosure policy for more information.

• Old sweaters
• Embroidery hoops in various sizes
• Fabric scissors
• Hot glue gun
• For the Mitten Hoop:  Acrylic felt in color of your choice, embroidery floss (I used white and pink), needle, pencil & paper
• For the Plain Hoop:  Faux greenery of your choice, chalkboard tag, snowflake tag

How to Make This Upcycled Sweater Craft: Embroidery Hoop Art

I love how simple but cute this project is!  It only took me about 20 minutes per hoop, which isn’t bad at all! 

I began by cutting a sweater to be slightly larger than the embroidery hoop.

I pressed the pieces of the embroidery hoop together, with the sweater between them, and then trimmed all along the edge of the hoop to remove excess fabric.  

If you do this and the sweater feels a little saggy, just pull gently at the edges and trim additional excess fabric.

Once I had the sweater placed in the embroidery hoop just how I wanted it, I hot glued some greenery, a chalkboard tag, and a snowflake ornament to the top of of it.  

Do you see my pretty new cordless hot glue gun in this photo?  I didn’t know it was possible to be in love with a hot glue gun, but you guys, it is!  This cordless hot glue gun is a workhorse!  I think I could hot glue anything I wanted now!  Plus, not having a cord makes working with it so much easier. 

If you use hot glue regularly, you should DEFINITELY get one of these!  (Note: if you don’t have any Ryobi tools already, make sure you also purchase the rechargeable battery to go with it!  You can use the battery on any other Ryobi too, too.  Awesome!)

This embroidery hoop art came out looking simple but pretty.  I love it!  

For my next sweater embroidery hoop, I decided to use a fun, patterned sweater, and Jasper tried to interfere with my work.  (Poor Jasper needs a haircut.)  

Once I moved him out of the way, my sweater hoops looked like this. 

To add something extra, I drew a mitten on a piece of printer paper and then used that as a template for cutting out a felt mitten.  (Sorry this photo is kind of blurry.  I was taking photos in my basement and the lighting was awful!)

Next, I freehand stitched some details onto the felt mitten – like edging and a heart.  Embroidery floss is all you need for this!

I used my big daddy hot glue gun to secure the mitten into place on the embroidery hoop instead of sewing it on.  I was worried that sewing it would deform the sweater in some way and make it look wonky in the hoop.  

If you’re not into mittens, you could put any shape you want on your sweater embroidery hoop!  And if you’re not good and free-handing designs, just look for some clip art online that you could trace.

Don’t you just love that you can reuse old sweaters in such an adorable way? 

These repurposed sweater crafts look so cute on my fireplace mantel decorated for winter! You could display these anywhere though – they’d look great hanging on the wall, too!   

Have you upcycled sweaters before?  What did you do with them?  Leave me a note in the comments to let me know!

In life it is inevitable that all good things will come to an end, and while it’s always sad to see the good things go, it’s best when they go out on top.  Thus, while I’m sad to announce that this is the last edition of the Monthly DIY Challenge, I am happy to be ending it on a high note, with my friends and with some beautiful projects that all use metal label holders, including my DIY Labeled Picture Frames.

Before I show you my project, I need to pretend like I’m at the Oscars and give a quick thank you speech.  First, I need to thank the original mastermind of the Monthly DIY Challenge years ago, my friend, Kristi from Making it in the Mountains.  Our first challenge happened in 2014 with the “Great Crate Challenge,” and being a member of this monthly challenge is probably the reason I am still blogging!  I also need to thank Nicole from The Inspired Hive, who put together our link up every single month – even while juggling a full-time nursing job and raising two little ones.  Bre from Brepurposed, who designed our graphics and media kit, also deserves a HUGE shoutout.  I also can’t forget to thank Emily from Table & Hearth who was our lead hustler in terms of making contact with sponsors and connecting us with some of the fabulous brands we’ve worked with.  All of the other ladies in this group who pushed me each month to create something unique (and many times out of my comfort zone) – you all hold a special place in my heart!  And finally, all of YOU who have visited these posts over the past three years – thank you!  Okay, I hear my exit music playing so that’s my cue to get to the project now.

Okay, so my project this month is completely easy and completely customizable depending on your tastes!  In other words, it’s the best kind of project!  You can whip up a bunch of these DIY Labeled Picture Frames in no time – seriously.  

This post contains affiliate links.  To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

Supplies Needed for DIY Labeled Picture Frames

• Wood picture frames (I used these $1 frames from Michaels.  Such a bargain!)
• Wood stain cloths
• Acrylic paint or chalky finish paint
• Chip brush
• Drill
• Ribbon
• Scotch Tape
• Metal label holders
• Screwdriver

How to Make Labeled Picture Frames

Start by drilling two holes at the top of your frame.  I used a 3/16″ drill bit.  

Next, stain the picture frame (if that’s the look you’re going for).  If you don’t want a natural finish, you could totally paint your frame instead!  I used my FAVORITE staining option (LOVE these cloths because they don’t smell at all and the color dries really fast) on the front and back of the frame, as well as the little peg that holds up these inexpensive frames.Once my frame dried, I dry brushed some dark gray chalky finish paint over the surface of the frame to give it a weathered look. 

Then I attached a cute metal label holder to the bottom of the frame.  

Finally, I threaded ribbon through the holes in the top of the frame by using Scotch tape on the ends to help me pull the ribbon through.  I tied the ribbon into a little bow and pressed it into place with some more Scotch tape.  

I popped a picture of Jasper, my labradoodle, in the frame and added a “Good Boy” label to the label holder.  

You might think it’s crazy for me to have a framed photo of my dog, but I am the woman who went to a class about how to paint your dog’s portrait.  So there’s that.  

Plus, Jasper and I kind of look alike, so it just gets weirder from there.  (Note: yes, I need a new photo printer.  Those lines in his picture are terrible!)

Shortly after I put this project together, Jasper ate one of my son’s favorite stuffed animals.  The first thing he yelled in his anger was “you need to change that picture frame to ‘bad boy!'”  I think they’ve made up now, so I will be keeping the “good boy” designation in the frame . . . for now.

Clearly you could frame a photo of anything you want and make these frames in whatever color scheme you like.  The possibilities really are endless!  Because of that, I’d love for you to “pin” this project to share the idea with others!  

Now that you’ve seen my last ever Monthly DIY Challenge project, please visit my friends to see their ideas for metal label holders, too!  I know they’d love to have you swing by.

Thank you for your support of the Monthly DIY Challenge over the years!
-Bre

Six months ago when we brought home our labradoodle puppy, Jasper, I never would have imagined that he would become such a treasured member of our family!  Of course I knew we would enjoy having a dog in the house, but the way he has blended into our lives and filled our hearts is remarkable.  

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and the J.M. Smucker Company, but all my opinions are my own.  #pmedia #miloskitchen http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

Because Jasper is such an important member of our family, it only seemed right to involve him in my blog.  So, Jasper and I got to work on our first mother/dog craft project, creating an adorable DIY Dog Treat Jar filled with delicious Milo’s Kitchen home-style dog treats that he cannot resist!  

Supplies Needed to Make a DIY Dog Treat Jar

• Unfinished wood pedestal
• Unfinshed wood circle cutout
• Unfinished wood knob
• Wood stain
• Black spray paint
• Glass jar (I used a candle jar that I cleaned and removed all wax from)
• Glue that binds wood and glass
• Dog bone sticker OR vinyl cutting machine and vinyl

How to Make a DIY Dog Treat Jar

In order to get your dog pumped up to craft** with you, I highly recommend bribing him or her with Milo’s Kitchen home-style dog treats, because meat is the #1 ingredient and your dog will basically do whatever it takes to get some!  (**By “craft” I mean lie under the table on your feet while you work.) 

Step One: Stain or Paint the Wood Pieces of the Dog Treat Jar

Jasper and I began by using our favorite pre-loaded stain cloths to add some color to an unfinished wood pedestal, a flat wooden circle cutout, and an unfinished wood knob.  

Step Two: Decorate the Glass Jar

We set those aside to let them dry, and then we got to work customizing a glass jar that would hold the treats. 

We used a glass candle jar that I cleaned out for this project because I liked the shape, but if you don’t have one of those, you could easily use a mason jar or empty pasta sauce jar!

To help you with any of those glass jars that you might be using, here are some helpful tips on getting glass jars ready for crafts.

How do you clean out a jar candle for crafts?

I cleaned out this candle jar by melting the rest of the candle and pouring out the wax.  For the remaining wax residue inside the candle, I ran hot water over it until it softened, and then scraped it out.

How do you remove labels from glass jars for crafts?

To get labels off of jars, I soak them in water and remove as much of the label as I can by scraping it off.  If any parts are stubborn, I spray them with GooGone and let it work its magic.  

How do you remove ink stamps from glass jars for crafts?

Swap acetone or acetone nail polish remover over date stamps or other ink stamps on glass jars to remove them.  This gets them nice and clean for crafting!

Once your jar is ready, you’ll want to make it pretty!

I downloaded a dog bone shape and cut it out on my electronic cutting machine.  If you don’t have a cutting machine, just buy cute stickers in the scrapbook section of your favorite craft store.  I promise you’ll find something great!

Attach your vinyl cutout or sticker to your clean jar for a cute, decorative touch!  

Step Three: Glue the Glass Jar to the Wood Pedestal

Next, use a highly-adhesive glue that bonds wood and glass to attach the glass jar to the wood pedestal.  Make sure to double check that your glue will work for this type of bonding!  Not all glues do.  

Step Four: Paint the DIY Dog Treat Jar Lid

While that is drying, spray paint the lid of your candle jar to be the color you want.  I chose black to mimic the black dog bone on the front of the jar.  

Step Five: Glue the Wood Pieces to the Lid

Once the lid dried, I glued the wooden circle and wooden knob to the lid in order to hide some raised text that was on there, and to add a nice finishing touch to the piece!  

When the glue on both parts of this project dried, this DIY Dog Treat Container was ready to go! 

I got to work filling it with Milo’s Kitchen home-style dog treats and placed it on my kitchen counter so that my family will have easy access to the dog treats that Jasper loves!  

This DIY Dog Treat Container is such a cute addition to my kitchen!  (Not pictured here: Jasper trying to jump onto the counter to get his treats.  Bad dog!)

I truly believe that nothing says “I love you” more than something made with love and care.  That’s why a homemade dog treat container and Milo’s Kitchen home-style dog treats go hand in hand; they’re perfect for any dog who is a cherished member of your family!

Do you believe that dogs are family, too?  How do you show your pet that you love him or her?

-Bre