Happenin' HOW TO's: Easy Applique

Probably one of the easiest and most versatile craft projects you can do is to do an easy applique on fabric. The fabulous thing about Applique is that you can customize it to fit whatever it is you are wanting to make....Say you want to make a fabulous Holiday Tea Towel....you can totally do it....A Beautiful Butterfly T-shirt for your daughter....easy peasy lemon squeezy!

This is a Fun, Fast and Easy Tutorial on how to make your own applique for any occasion!


Before you Begin, You'll Need the Following Items:

Fusible interfacing of your choice -- I use double-sided fusible web
Computer/printer (or you could draw your design freehand)
Water soluble fabric marker
Fabric scrap
Item you wish to Applique - Towel, T-shirt, Onesie, etc

I highly recommend prewashing all fabrics before working with them. Not prewashing could lead to pulling and puckering later!

1. Step One - Pick Your Design

Google Images or clip art is a good place to start looking if you aren't wishing to do a free hand piece. If you are looking for letters, you can either use your font types on your word program, or you can google: Alphabet Coloring pages, which has some good easy examples.

Print image in the size you would like to use!

You can also just be creative and do it freehand....which I think makes some pretty fabulous appliques!

Draw the design you would like to use. I like to use heavy weight paper or cardstock to help keep it from bending.

Cut out your desired design for your template.

2. Step 2 - Transfer Design

Now take your template and trace the design onto the double sided fusible webbing. Make sure you trace on the sticky side of the webbing. (the sticky side will stick to paper when peeled back). Cut Out a Square around your new template. Peel one side of paper back and place sticky side on WRONG side of your fabric scrap.

Cut Out your design again!

3. Step 3 - Finishing

Attach your applique to your base fabric (tshirt, towel etc) make sure you play first so you know where you want it. Once you have it in the desired location, use a hot iron and press down for 10-15 seconds until it is firmly bonded.

Now you will finish by sewing around the edges of your applique. You can use either a straight stitch or zigzag stitch. I prefer zig-zag for durablilty and style!

Once you are done sewing, re iron your garment/piece and voila! You have a fabulous Appliqued Piece!

This Happenin' How To: was taught by Noah Baby Boutique: An adorable shop that creates Sassy and Chic Items, for Sassy and Chic Babies and Tots!

Featured Artist: ArtistS

Now that the ghouls and goblins are out of sight until next year, it’s time to get ready for a busy holiday season here on Etsy. It’s hard to believe that we only have 52 more days until Christmas! So getting into the spirits of this wondrous time of year, the Homefront Team has selected some team members that a few sales would definitely ring in the holidays with good cheer!




Our first Featured Artist for November is ArtistS (http://www.artists.etsy.com/) who sells amazing original paintings that would add that certain something to anyone’s blank walls.





Tell Us a Little About You:

I am an artist, a stay at home mother of three fantastic boys, and a proud Navy spouse. Originally from Louisiana , my husband and I have been traveling all over the US and overseas for the last ten years serving this great country. We are currently stationed in San Diego , California but are getting ready to embark on our fifth move to Pennsylvania . We are looking forward to living on the East coast and being closer to family, however, this will be our first major move involving children so we are excited and nervous at the same time. My oldest will be starting Kindergarten at our next duty station with his little brother not too far behind, so this move will bring many changes to our family and we are in the process of preparing for all of them.


How Did you Get into your Craft?:

I have been making crafts ever since I was a young girl and always knew that I wanted to make a living using my creativity. Painting, though, has always been my favorite activity, my true passion, and I can't get enough of anything that has to do with art. I started painting more when I became a military spouse because it was the perfect way to add color to the dreaded white walls that were standard in all of our rental homes. I painted so much that I had far too many canvases to hang in our house and I decided to start selling them here on Etsy. I also thought that having an online store was a perfect fit for the transient military lifestyle, we can sell our handmade items from anywhere in the world!


What is your favorite item in your store and why? How long does it take you to make it? How do you make it?

I can honestly say that every painting in my store is my favorite, in its own way. Each piece represents a certain moment in my life and what I was feeling at the time of its creation. Because I use many layers of paint on each painting, it takes a long while to complete each one due to the drying time and layering process. I usually only work on one piece at a time because it is hard for me to mentally separate myself from the painting until it is done.

What is something you can’t live without?

Because I am a military spouse that moves around often, I can't live without my GPS device. I remember moving to Washington State and while unpacking our household goods decided that we wanted to eat fast food for lunch. I got in the car and drove around for 30 minutes getting lost only to find out that the restaurant was about three blocks from our house in a straight line. Now, I feel confident driving around any new town knowing that will never happen again.

How has being a member of the Homefront Team helped you as an Etsy shop owner?

Aside from the obvious benefit of being exposed to a wider audience, the Homefront Team has helped inspire me to continue trying to sell my work. I enjoy looking through all of the Homefront shops and seeing all of the varied products and great talent that is listed here. Because all of our lives are somewhat similar, seeing each person's success proves to me that it can be done and dreams can be realized.

Check Out ArtistS's other AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL original paintings at http://www.artists.etsy.com/

FALL in love with the Homefront

There's something about Fall that calls for handcrafted decor and homemade treats. Discover a handcrafted Fall with the Homefront Team.

Visit these wonderful shops: LilacAve, Nikid, NoahBabyBoutique, ThistleDelight, SmokeyMountainScents, Laurora, BunnyBaubles, TerisTreasure, WellofCreations, HungryHippie

Posted by: TheYarnChick

New And Exciting Changes to the Homefront Blog!

image courtesey of www.kerismith.com

There are more changes going on this autumn, more so than just the color of the leaves or the temperature, or the contents of our closets. The Homefront Blog has some great changes in store. We'll call it a Blog Makeover, and how amazing and exciting these changes are!



The Homefront Blog will now be a place for everything from Feature artists and Vendors to Fun and Easy "How To" articles for those who want to get their crafty on!



Here are a few of the Great Things You will See in the New Homefront Blog!

• Great Feature Interviews with Amazing Homefront Team Members


• Fabulous Must Haves and Gift Guides that will tempt the wallet!


• Easy and Fun "How To" Articles on everything from working with paper and jewlery to decorating and designing.


• AWESOME and totally Fantastic Giveaways from some of the unbelievable Homefront Team Shops on Etsy.

So Pull up a Chair...some coffee....and spend some time with us! You will find us entertaining and informative....and a great resource for amazing Handmade Products!

Homefront Weekend Sales! October 2nd- October 4th

This weekend select shops from the Homefront Team is having some amazing sales and we wanted to let everyone we know about them! Each shop has a different sale and some even have longer sales then others.... go ahead, check them out... I dare you!



AHeronDesign is offering free Shipping plus 10% off on all orders until the 9th of October. Please put "Homefront Team" in the notes to seller in order to receive the discount!

Dont miss out on this sale only for the weekend! 10% off your total purchase after shipping! Leave "HF" in the sellers notes for discount.

TheQStore is offering a "FREE" Lil Bitty Q Tree Ornament with a purchase of any item in this shop this weekend only, leave a message to seller at check out and I will add a free ornament to your order.

BubbaRye is offering 50% off all items in shop! Prices are already adjusted for instant purchase!

Teri's Treasure is offering free shipping on ALL items in the shop! Free shipping is to the United States and Canada, discounted pricing for all other countries!

nikid2 is offering 10% off your total purchase after shipping. Dont forget to leave "HF" in the sellers notes for discount!



AStonesThrow is offering from October 2-October 4 all of the items in this section http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5967454&section_id=5549512 will be buy one get one 50% off. The difference will be refunded via paypal and the discount applies to the lower priced item.


Fraybabybibsandmore is having free shipping on everything and a free gift with every purchase!


KristynsKards is offering free Shipping on ALL Single Cards. Reduced Shipping on Card Sets. -- Already Adjusted! Buy 5 Items - Get 10% OFF Total Order -- refunded via paypal. Buy 10 Items - Get 20% OFF Total Order -- Refunded via Paypal.




Thank you for looking and I hope these sales are tempting enough for you to make a special purchase, give a heart or two, or an item you may keep in mind for Christmas.

Also, please come and join us in the Homefront Weekend Sales thread! http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6304195&page=1

-The Homefront Team

Halloween Fun for the Kids!

Halloween Time is creeping up on us and what is Halloween REALLY about? The kids! Here are some fun items from the Homefront Team that are strickly for the kiddos!


This delightful bracellet by C&J Jewelry is sure to make any little girl smile!


This pillowcase dress will be a favorite among all the little girls in the neighborhood! Visit Laurora for her Halloween and Autumn themed dresses!



These fun felt food Halloween Sugar Cookies by BeckyM are a sure way to make playtime alot more exciting!


This unique Candy Corn Handband by JensCraftCorner will make your girly girl the talk of school! Check out Jen's shop for a large assortment of Halloween items!

These custom made Candy Corn Ruffled pants by TeenyTinyFashions are the cutest thing I have seen, a serious statement to bring in the Halloween Season!

Jaana the Giraffe by mirkah would be perfect the plush for your little one to squeeze tight while listening to scary stories around the camp fire!

Thank you for stopping by the Homefront Street Team blog and looking at some amazing Halloween items and shops! Hope these handmade items by the Homefront Team inspire you to get started shopping or planning for Halloween!

Member Spotlight: Deb of LilacAve- BubbaRye- SerendipityDecor

Deb has been a member of the Homefront Team for awhile now, she is a loyal and active member that has brought many members laughs and honesty. She is a valued member of the Homefront Team. She has 3 different shops she diligently works with along with being a proud Navy wife. She recently moved to Hawaii with her family from Virgina. We want to share Deb with everyone!

-Where did you move from and are now living? How was your move?We were living in Norfolk, VA, and we moved to Honolulu, HI. I have to say this was our most difficult of 4 Navy moves. I think because we were in VA for 5 years, and our kids are now school age, plus kids,and a ton of accumulated furniture, toys, and stuff. Add into that a house to rent out, and selling a vehicle, in this poor economy, and there you have the recipe for a stressful move.

-How is this move different that your last duty station? Hawaii is dramatically different from Norfolk. Out here there are alot more family centered military programs. Our kids school is 95% military, I go to the gym on base for Zumba classes, we only shop the Commissary. And a larger percentage of military live on base, and there is much more of a community feel. Hawaii is also a breathtakingly beautiful place. It is hard not to look at the mountains or see that aqua blue water, and not feel thankful for the life we have, and the opportunities we have as military families to live in extraordinary places!

-Has the move effected your shop? If so, how?I had to shut down Lilac Ave for 4 months, since my inventory was too large to ship it all without damage. Meanwhile I knew supplies would be more expensive so I was stocking up. So as you can imagine, with no way to make money, but spending lots, my profitability for this year is not looking great. I am hoping that the back half and holiday turns that around, especially since I need no supplies :)

-Tell us a little about your new shop. Serendipity Decor is my new shop. It is a home decor shop, but mainly focuses on decorative pillows and shams. I have a huge stash of fabrics, and my mother is giving me all her stash, which is now mostly vintage. It's been really fun and new.

-What are your favorite items in your new shop? I love them all for different reasons. For decorating my own home the organic fabric with appliques would likely be my choice, but I get most excited about the vintage stuff. It is so unique and different....I love that!!!!

-What are you newest items? In Lilac Ave the newest items is the dessert line. I had a friend that purchased the Berry Spice Candle, and she was really pushing me to have a whole dessert line. I love the little dishes, and the scents are to die for!

In SerendipityDecor, the submarine pride pillows are the newest thing. As I had said, Hawaii seems to bring together military, and I've been getting to know a lot of the wives, whose husbands are on board my husband's submarine. At a party they mentioned the pillows. I know how prideful we are of being part of the "silent service". I know how much I love the submarine paraphernalia. So I made some of the pillows. What I wasn't expecting was how overjoyed my daughter was to have one. She squeezed it tight, and said she misses Daddy. It came to me, that not only could it be a fun thing for us proud wives, but something that may comfort our little ones.

-Do you plan on having a sale soon or upcoming events? I have a couple of plans in the making. There is a craft fair on Hickam Air Force Base on Nov 14th, and I plan on having a booth there. I'm really excited, since I've never done a base related craft fair, but have heard wonderful things about it. I have also started doing candle making parties, which I have hosted at my home, and been invited to other people's homes to demonstrate. I do plan on having a holiday party sometime in November. And for those that don't live locally, I was going to start offering candle making kits, so you can share in the experience from thousands of miles away!
-What other shops do you have?

My Soy Candles, Tarts, and Home Fragrance can be seen at http://www.lilacave.etsy.com/

My handmade cards are available at http://www.bubbarye.etsy.com/

And all my home decor can be checked out at http://www.serendipitydecor.etsy.com/

You can also become a Facebook Fan, keeping up with sales and new items.