Hi everyone! Wow, the time has just flown since the end of our last season! We really appreciate all of the kind emails people have sent us, asking about the show. We have missed you!

As you may have seen our announcement on Facebook, we are taking a small break from filming new episodes. We’ve had to make room for some exciting projects…and a little bit of life-balance as well. Although you have not seen new episodes of The DIY Dish, there are a few other places you may have seen our projects and what we have been up to!

For example, Kris recently shared a fantastic project on Studio 5! You are going to LOVE the look of chenille blankets with this easy technique she shares! Not into blankets? How about some gorgeous throw pillows using the same technique! Take a look…

We also had a column in the Spring 2012 issue of Where Women Cook Magazine! It is on newstands now.

In the magazine, we share a few things: a delicious quiche made by our friend, Cindy, a small (but darling!) spring project, and….oh…ya…Kris had a FLOOD in her quilt shop this past January! Yes, we share the story behind that, too. Let’s just say that over 3,000 gallons of water in a quilt shop isn’t something to jump for joy about. You can pick up your copy of this gorgeous magazine today! Here’s a sneak peek:Our days have been filled with cleaning, writing patterns, running a quilt shop, grocery shopping,writing a new book that will be in stores, taking kids from here to there and everywhere.  (You get the picture, right?)  We’ve also been speaking at a few different women conferences about such things as creativity, balance (still working on that!), bringing beauty into your life and home, etc. We love meeting new friends, learning from them, and of course,  sharing our love for all things DIY.

So when will we be back with new episodes? We don’t have the perfect answer for that, but we hope it will be soon. We can’t wait to share what else we’ve been up to and hope that you will stay around in the meantime.

Our very best wishes,
Kim  Kris

**We want to know what YOU have been up to! Leave a comment here on our blog and tell us about a project you are working on! And why not have a giveaway, too! 

Our friend, Cathie Filian, and Plaid want to give you  an amazing collection of crafty goodness! We are so thrilled that someone will win this! Cathie Filian is as sweet as they come. You may know her from Creative Juice on DIY Network and HGTV. She’s an inventor, a writer, the spokesperson for Plaid, and she has a gazillion (yes, a gazillion) exciting things happening now and in the future. She’s full of energy and creativity and you will LOVE her books, 101 Tees: Restyle + Refashion + Revamp and 101 Snappy Fashions: Oodles of One-Piece Designs for Babies. Not only will you win those 2 books, but you will also win:

• Two blank white baby onesies, one mini size glue gun,
• One Hot Glue Gun Helpers finger protector
• Twelve plastic sheets of stencils
• Five iron-on designs
• Three bottles of fabric paint
• Two small stenciling brushes
• One pair of craft scissors
• And then, of course, those 2 fantastic books: 101 Tees and 101 Snappy Fashions

Doesn’t that just sound fun?! So leave us a comment and you could win!
This giveaway is for US Residents, 18 years and older. Void where prohibited. The last day to enter is this Friday, March 30, 2011.

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Getting ready for Mother’s Day? Don’t miss these popular kid’s DIY Mother’s Day crafts, printables, activities and food ideas from the 2010 Kid’s Mother’s Day Roundup!

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Gathering is a technique used in many sewing patterns for such areas as sleeves, ruffles, and waistbands. This video tutorial teaches you the basics of gathering using a sewing machine.

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All Patterns only £2. Rent my In-depth videos for £2 – view over 14 days. Follow this series to make a dress from start to finish. Make Your Own Clothes – it’s easier than you thing.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

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The popular online photo editor Picnik has been purchased by Google and will no longer be available to users without a Google+ account. However, some of the Picnik team members have created PicMonkey, a new, free photo editor.

Upload a photo and easily manipulate it in zillions of ways, from a standard crop and resize, to dozens of customizable effects including Polaroid, Holga, Lomo, film grain, and more. You can even add mascara and lip tint to your subject. The “weight loss” effect is funny, but I decided this plant did not require a diet.

Altered photos can be saved as jpgs or pngs. Note that PicMonkey runs on Flash, so it won’t work on the iPad.

And a tip for entrepreneurs: it’s cool to name your service after a primate these days. I’m thinking of joining the ranks of PicMonkey, Mail Chimp, and Survey Monkey by starting a second blog called “How About Orangutan.”

Technorati Tags: Boutique, crafts, sewing

The popular online photo editor Picnik has been purchased by Google and will no longer be available to users without a Google+ account. However, some of the Picnik team members have created PicMonkey, a new, free photo editor.

Upload a photo and easily manipulate it in zillions of ways, from a standard crop and resize, to dozens of customizable effects including Polaroid, Holga, Lomo, film grain, and more. You can even add mascara and lip tint to your subject. The “weight loss” effect is funny, but I decided this plant did not require a diet.

Altered photos can be saved as jpgs or pngs. Note that PicMonkey runs on Flash, so it won’t work on the iPad.

And a tip for entrepreneurs: it’s cool to name your service after a primate these days. I’m thinking of joining the ranks of PicMonkey, Mail Chimp, and Survey Monkey by starting a second blog called “How About Orangutan.”

Technorati Tags: Boutique, crafts, sewing

I realized this afternoon that I basically explain this technique to an Etsy Labs visitor at least once a day, but had never put the instructions online. So, here it is. Fusing! Plastic! Bags!
Do you have one zillion plastic drugstore and grocery bags under your sink, or perhaps smushed into a drawer? Ever wanted a cheap and easy use for them? One that leaves you with an intriguing and useful homemade craft supply? Do you have an iron? Why don’t you fuse them together?

What you’ll need
Plastic bags (thin, flimsy ones work best)
Parchment paper, freezer paper or plain old copier paper
Iron (and your favorite ironing surface)

Making it

Flatten out the bag and trim the bottom seam and handles off. This allows the bag to be opened up into a larger rectangle of plastic.

Turn the bag inside-out if it has printing on it. Once the ink heats up, it comes off the bag and makes a huge mess. If the bag has an interesting design that you’d like to preserve, try using a clear plastic bag layered on top of the printed one.
We find that between 6-8 layers of plastic gives the best results. So, you can either fold your bag twice until it is 8 ply thick, or use three or more bags layered on top of one another. Trying to fuse less than 6 layers often results in little holes forming in the finished piece and a generally weaker material.
Sandwich your plastic bags between the parchment paper

Next, run a hot iron (we set ours to “Rayon”, but you will need to experiment a little to see what works for you) and keep the iron moving constantly. Make sure to get the edges, and after about 15 seconds, flip it over and iron the opposite side for a few seconds.

Peel a corner of the paper back to see if the plastic is fused together. It should be fairly smooth and “one sheet” to the touch (watch out, its a little hot). If the layers are not all melted together, iron it some more.


Peel the parchment paper away from the finished plastic sheet. Voila. Now, you can use this stuff to make a million things. We’ve made re-usable grocery totes, wallets, and floor cushions; I think its an inexpensive way to make waterproof linings for beach bags and makeup clutches.

Here are a few more rad examples of what you can do with this stuff, courtesy of Etsy seller Eclipse

Alright, y’all. Don’t forget to open a window when you do this to avoid potentially brain-damaging fumes. Send us pictures of your creations, or add them to the Etsy Labs flickr pool

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When doing goldwork embroidery that involves plunging threads, I admit that I’ve always been a Plunge-Sooner-Rather-Than-Later kind of gal. Being this kind of Plunger has both its advantages and its disadvantages. Recently, though, I’ve converted (or revolted), and now I’m a Plunge-Later. This is how things went:

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