Do you have any simple easy to make treasures that you adore?
Maybe something you got from your granny, or an old lady down the street?
Maybe something you found, something so simple with little to no dollar value, that you cherish like mad?
I have a little something like that, which inspired me to make the princess pincushion below.
Which, might I add, you can fill with all sorts of pin bottom goodies.
I'll tell you about it…
Many years ago I came upon this little pincushion below, which was part of a bunch of crafty things that the tiniest, littlest, prettiest old lady made.
She was no longer alive, but I discovered her pincushion and swooned over it.
It is one of my most beloved little things I keep around.
And bonus, I use it almost everyday, plus it holds all my pins.
It's so homemade, and precious.
Jar lid, faux pearls, love.
Of course, it's a little tattered by now.
What it is made from is one of those styrofoam balls you can get at any craft store, which has been halved and glued into a jar top after being covered in pink velvet. (run on)
It has gold decorative trim going around it, and then little stars pinned through faux pearls surround it.
Of course, many of the stars and pearls are long gone.
But, I love it so.
I imagine it lived in a very floral room of a Victorian house, amongst other pretty little things, before coming to live with me.
I decided (after wanting to do this for a decade) that it was fine time I make one and share this little treasure with you.
Of course, ahem, seeing as how nothing I do could be simple.
I didn't have a styrofoam ball, and for 10 years, every time I go to the craft store I forget to buy one.
So, in a moment of desperation, I whittled a piece of styrofoam off a big block Mister Lovee had.
He will be thrilled about it.
(actually, he loved the pin cushion so all is well, haha)
Anywhooo, without further adieu, let's make one, k?
All you need is to either carve a round piece out of a giant piece of styrofoam.
Or, like I said, buy a styrofoam ball at the craft store, and cut it in half.
Then grab some supplies.
You'll need things like hot glue, pins, fabric, plastic star confetti and trim.
I also took some gold spray paint to my peanut butter lid, but it wasn't necessary in the end.
I decided to cut up my fave piece of flannel fabric.
I love it.
I found it at an antique shop, and saved it, swearing never to cut into it.
Alas, I had to.
The princess pincushion needed some.
The thing is, you want to use felt, flannel or velvet, because it won't get so full of holes from pins as easily as other fabric might.
Cut a piece that fits around your halved styrofoam ball.
Run a bead of hot glue (set on low temp) around your styrofoam bottom edge pressing the fabric to make sure it is secure. Then trim any remaining fabric off.
Glue the styrofoam covered in fabric into your jar lid.
I used oodles of hot glue for that part.
Then comes the fun.
Embellish your piece in any way you would like.
I used pink velvet ribbon and gold fancy trim.
I then took some plastic star confetti I had, and pushed my pin through the center, like so.
And then simply went around the pincushion pushing the pins into the center of the stars.
Voila!!!
A super sweet handmade pincushion to love.
I love my new pincushion just as much as I love the old one.
Also, you don't just have to use it for sewing pins.
You can use it for brooches, lapel pins and hat pins.
With the holidays just around the corner, what a sweet little thing to make and gift, no?
Fill it with pearl end pins too.
(you can get the larger ones in the corsage/wedding section of the craft store)
I use pearl pins for pinning treasures onto my cork mood board.
They add some pizazz.
I think a princess pincushion filled with pins would make someone happy.
I did me 🙂
Will you try one out?
By the by…
Guess what?
I am giving my beloved new pincushion away.
So, if you'd like to enter to win, say howdy in comments and it might be yours.
If you'd like, share a memory of some old craft you love and own.
Maybe something given to you by your great aunt, or something you picked up on a thriftventure?
I'll draw a name in a few days.
I love little treasures as such.
They mean so much don't they?
See you soooon,
Love, V
ps: Oh oh, also…
Both Princes and Princesses like pin cushions, it seems.
(although this babe fancies himself a king)
I think he likes it, haha!!?
King Miles of the Santa Catalinas, you are such a sport!!!
(he has a birthday in 4 days, oh my!)
What a sweet pin cushion and gift idea! I may just have to make a few for some sewing friends! I have so many little crafty/vintage things…many came from my Me-maw! My favorite thing though, might be a wooden ruler that I remember always playing with when I was in her sewing room with her when I was little. It’s red, blue, and yellow and folds into three’s. I just love it and use it frequently now. Thanks for the inspirations V, you’re the best!
Jamie 🙂
Thank you for the tutorial! Such a sweet thing to make! I love it! I have a few crocheted flowers my mom made…. I treasure them and occasionally will use one on something special. She’s been gone for 10 years now…. I thought she would always be here to crochet for me…..
Me, Me, Pick Me…I want to win. Eeerrrr…..ok I will sit quietly and be respectful in class. You asked for a comment not a big display of exuberance. Is this better? Your pin cushions are awesome. My favorite old “thing”?…..I have a lot of cool stuff but I think my absolute favorites are two chalk and charcoal drawings of flowers that were drawn by my great grandfather in the early 1900’s. One is a rose and the other is a small cluster of sweat peas. They are so beautiful, simple, and well done.
I also have a true crazy quilt made by his wife that I love. It is done so well with all sorts of different fabrics and textures and the embroidery is amazing. I have not seen a modern day crazy quilt done with so many different stitches.
BTW…I would LOVE to spend a few days hanging out and creating with you. Your whimsical mind just makes me so happy. It could easily be my happy place….your brain that is. You have the whimsy that I WANT but it just doesn’t come to me as naturally as it does to you. Like, I have whimsy..some whimsy…but I have to WORK at it. I guess I don’t “have” whimsey as much as I can “do” whimsy. (spellcheck changed my “whimsy”‘s to “Whisky”s. I’ll let that settle a minute)……………………….. (Putting down the whisky in exchange for whimsy). It was much easier to “do” whimsy when my 14-year-old daughter was little. On second thought, had I done’ “whisky” it probably would have made whimsy a lot easier “do”. It is easy to hide behind children and be whimsical “for them”. My son, all 8-year-old nerdy-brainy boy that he is, just isn’t into whimsy. He is into FACTS and THINKING and LEARNING. Obviously, every parent’s dream, right? But it isn’t MY happy place. I can’t hide behind him and throw glitter in the air all in the name of being “fun mom”. I mean for one thing, I am too busy madly, vastly, deeply Googling to stay AHEAD of him or to simply answer his latest questions (today’s questions:
1. “What does Touché’ mean?” (yes, I knew that without Googling.- jeez what do you take me for?) I stumbled through explaining the definition, gave him several clumsily examples that sucked before finally reading the book passage that he was asking about and then re-explained it in that context. That little turkey threw it back at me about 5 minutes later, during a completely different conversation, and it was not only used appropriately, but so. damn. clever.
2. “If Alex is 1/3 Bob’s age and Alex is 13 I don’t know how old Bob is”
(Again I give a clumsy discussion on 1/3 is a fraction, 3/3 is 1 blah blah blah)
“But I know division, give me an easy one”
ok I say, what is 100 divided by 25? (he thinks for a moment)
“I said an easy one”
Ok, what is 10 divided by 2? “5 and 100 divided by 25 is 4”
3. “How do I fold my clothes for the suitcase?” Well, he isn’t good at EVERYTHING.
as usual my 3am comments get ridiculous.
Happy birthday Miles!
Love your pincushions.
Love the pincushions! Thank you for the tutorial; I will make them for my nieces for Christmas! Would love to have yours! Still loving your blog!
That is an awesome pincushion, so much better than the “tomatoe” ones!
My favorite old craft is a toilet paper roll Santa that belonged to my Grandmother. It has one eye missing, is all matted and a bit crooked but I still put it out on the mantle every year! Love your blog- it’s the first one I read everyday! Thanks Vanessa.
Drip Drop, Plip Pop,
Put my name in the shoe.
Sewing until morning,
Lke all the good elves do.
Titter, tatter sew it up,
Tink, clink tea in a cup.
Sugar cookies two.
Finger knitting maddness,
Rolling rugs with gladness.
Just to name a few.
Ta-Ta Pinkette
Very sentimental.Yes,please count Me in.The pen cushion is so sweet and I would love owning it,esp. since it was something YOU made. It would remind Me not only of You but My Great Grandma Mimmie,She was a seamstress by profession.Hugs and blessings to You-Denise
I absolutely love the pincushion and I would love to have one. Miles looks so Kingly wearing it, it is the perfect place for it. Such a wonderful furry one.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KING MILES, and many more to come.
Hope you have an awesome day.
It’s so beautiful! And I love the photo with Miles wearing it! I think we will have to try this.
Oh how sweet! I love the idea of using it for brooches, since I don’t really ever have any pins I pin things with. Mr. Miles look pretty adorable 😉 My grandmother used to craft constantly! She made and my grandfather built me a toy box when I was a child, it is sooo sweet. White and baby pink with a floral shabby chic wallpaper covering the back of the shelves. I have since disconnected the shelf part from the trunk part and the shelf is in my studio and the trunk is the trunk at the end of my bed.
What a sweet pincushion 🙂
I love handcrafted stuff, so my home is absolutely filled with items made with love from family, friends and strangers. My favourites must be the framed sketch my mother made of me when I was a baby, the bedspread my grandmother knitted to me, the little waffle turner my father made (I use it very often), and my collection of handpainted pendants.
Oh, and happy early birthday Miles <3
So pretty!!!! My favorite craft as of recent is an oldy but goody. The idea came from a mother’s day gift that my youngest daughter made for me earlier this year at school. She had taken 3 pens and bedazzled them with silk flowers, adhearing them with floral tape. I just recently received a stunning antique green glass goblet from a coworker. When I saw it, I knew it needed a bouquet of flowers to hold. I went to the craft store and picked my favorite flowers & floral tape. Now I have a beautiful multicolored bouquet to sit on my desk all year round. 🙂
What beautiful pin cushions! I like your idea of using pins to stick the stars in! Your pin cushion was particularly pretty with all the brooches, label pins and hat pins stuck in it, a beautiful functional decretive piece! I have a rock neckless my grandma panted a smiley face on, it’s still my favorite neckless! I love it, though recently it has gone missing D:
Must be the brownies again…
Happy birthday Miles!
Lovely blogpost!
OMG, Daneeeee, you are HILARIOUS!!! Hahahaheheheee!! OH loved it, pass the whisky, i mean whimsy 😉 Touche’ ahhh, such fun! Science + math and all 😉 hahaheheee!
Tiff,
I used to make those pen flowers like a mad woman in highschool, I loved that craft!! Maybe we’ll have to do it again. I used the green floral tape and everything. I something even did feathers and berries, and all sorts fo things, love it!!
All of you girls are sooo much fun!!! <3
Vanessa:
This pincushion actually made me cry a little! Happy tears, of course. It reminds me so much of something you might find inside my mom’s old sewing basket. Or Pansy’s sewing basket. You see, Pansy was a very old lady that lived next door to me when I was a little girl. Pansy didn’t have any children. Well, she had one and his name was Teddy, but he passed away when he was a little boy. So, Pansy took a liking to me. Anyway, she was more like a friend than a surrogate grandma. She used to bicker with me and play with me and sew all sorts of wonderful clothes for me. She was the only person my parents would allow to babysit me. She introduced me to the beauty of peanut butter on vanilla ice cream. But, it has to be natural peanut butter, not very sweet peanut butter.
Anyway, Pansy was a seamstress and she had all sorts of lovely, homemade bits and bobs in her sewing basket. This pincushion looks so much like something lovely in Pansy’s sewing basket.
xoxo
Kim
Gerushia’s New World
Kim, that’s exactly what I was meaning. Yessss, that sort of beloved little treasure that is meaningless and yet endlessly meaningful. An imprint left on the earth in a tattered sewing box. A memory of real peanut butter and vanilla ice-cream. And the beauty, is that a little sewing “something or other” can bring back that feeling.
That is exactly what I am talking about.
When I see my jar lid pin cushion I feel all those things.
And I whisper in the wind, to that old lady….saying…I have your pin cushion, I love it. It lights my little world. You are not forgotten.
Something so simple.
But I also think, sewing related treasures bring up that warmth.
Isn’t that amazing?
Oh Pansy.
Sigh……
xoxo
Oh my goodness Miss Vanessa!!!! I adore this little pin cushion so much! I ahve a thing for pin cushions BTW..tee hee! Always thinking about making them and I love this one. I will have to make one as I have a special someone in mind on my gift list who would love to have it! But of course, I would rally like to have the one that you made for myself!!! OOOOOOhhhhh I hope you draw my name. It would be such a treasure knowing that you made it and it came from you🖤 I wore the dragonfly necklace that you sent me a while ago from a past giveaway. Such treasure indeed. Also, I must mention that Miles looks super cute in his pin cushion crown…made me smile.
Lots of Love,
Dena
Oh, now you and Kimberly have me feeling very nostalgic.
My Grandmother crafted an adorable little chest for her leftover sewing thread stash among other little sewing treasures. It consisted of six larger matchboxes, two wide and three high.
First she covered each box using a lovely blue-grey with white polka dot wallpaper. She then glued all the boxes together and threaded on snowball buttons for pulls on each box.
It is well worn with one snowball pull missing and the matchboxes are showing through the pretty wallpaper in places…but I just so cherish it !
Memories…
Dixie, yes yes yes, these are the things I speak of.I love them
so. There is such an innocence and dreaminess that comes from little old
ladies and the things they make, isnt there? Its heart strings I tell
ya. I love that lil matchbox drawersey creation! Ahhh, another
sigh….. so lovely…
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 11/19/2013 1:40:38 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
My girl Rosie would indeed be a beauty queen wearing your pincushion crown!! I got my love for needlework from my Mom. She did beautiful embroidery work and for the longest time I was able to use a pillowcase she had embroidered a peacock on. It was beautiful. I love working with paper and have made your flowers. Thank you for this opportunity to be a queen!
Mary Jo
oh how pretty! Thanks for sharing the instructions….I think I can do this 🙂 oh and HOWDY girlie lol
xoxo,
Deb
FINALLY something easy yet elegant!!! I will actually try this one! Just Beautiful Vanessa…..
pssst, keeping fingers crossed lol
hugs
This is the sweetest little craft! I have a bunch of old brooches and pin type things and this would be perfect to store and display them.
One of my favorite old craft things is a pair of rose embroideries done by my great grandmother. They are displayed in old, oval, wood frames and I love them so!
Happy almost birthday to Mister Miles! Is he going to have a party? I am sure Mal would want to come, but then he would be rude and bark at the birthday boy and spoil it. I just can’t take that pup anywhere!
Love the pincushion. I hate it when I go to the stores and always forget something. Like for the past 2 weeks I’ve been needing to buy salt. I usually go with a list but kept forgetting to add the salt. So today salt went on my list and I remembered to buy it 🙂
Both of my grandmothers did those ceramics classes back in the 70s. I have a little frog that sits by the sink that is supposed to hold a scouring pad. My paternal grandmother made that one. My daughter has a dog pitcher my maternal grandmother made for her. She tried to paint in in colors like my daughter’s dog she had from the time she was about 2 until she was a teen. And I have one of those table sized Christmas trees you put a light bulb in and then put those little plastic thingeys in the holes on the branches so the light coming through them is colored. I love the things I have that I know belonged to my family members.
That’s real nice!
What a lovely idea. I would love to win this pincushion. Doesn’t Miles look grand. Give him a birthdy hug from me. Blessings
Your pin cushion is perfect for Holiday gifting Miss Vanessa and very pretty too!
Happy BIRTHDAY to Miles the ADORABLE King of the Santa Catalina’s!!!! He is a TREASURE!<3
My Mom is here visiting me and saw Miles and fell in LOVE, go figure! 😉
I always Love making wreaths for the Holidays with treasures I find while thrifting or as we call it, "sailing"! <3
Violet says, “Aaaah!!!! She putted it on her dog!”
She also said, “I love the stuff Fairy Godmuffer Vanessa makes.”
Me too.
You make such pretty things…all from your imagination! I have an old cross stitch I did for some of my old brooches that I treasure. I should get it out to enjoy. Sweet hugs my friend!
oh what a sweet tutorial!! Thanks!! And….the last pic with the wee doggy crown….too much cuteness!! My wee one saw, and said “Look! That dog must be having a birthday!” tee hee!