Happy Birthday Mom

I was going to share another christmas card with you today, but then remembered I should share this one with you.  It is my mom's birthday today.  Happy birthday MOM!!!

The DSP is actually retired from Stampin' Up!, but these are her favorite colors and I love this paper too.  Behind the image, I stamped French Script in Blush Blossom and sponged the edges with Old Olive.  The little bird was stamped with Taken With Teal and clear embossed, glitter in the swirls and I used dimensionals on both the image and the sentiment.  Some little paper flowers with stickles in the center finish off the branch.  I actually love how this turned out. The bird is from Inkadinkado.

I'm off to get busy - gotta pick up my daughter soon.  I'll have to show you her wall hanging she is making.  It is so pretty and the colors happen to be what her room is done in.  She's doing a great job.

Enjoy your day:)

Sweet Sunday

I have been swamped since Monday everyday! My daughter started sewing camp Monday and goes from 9-12 everyday. I thought or my plan was to go and drop her off and get home and get crafty until I had to go get her.  Hasn't happened yet this week.  I'm hoping to clean my craft room and get on my projects, or at least start before the weekend.

Today I want to share with you another christmas card.  Hope you don't mind, but I was serious when I said I needed a head start.  Last year I handed out none because I was so busy doing classes.  My father even commented "You make them and don't send any out?"  I want to send them out this year. 

How cute is this little guy.  I love penguins, especially chubby ones.  The DSP is from the dollar store I think.  I colored him with my Stampin' Up! markers and used Liquid Applique on the whipped topping and his pompom.  I love the 3D look.  I used my swirls folder in my Big Shot on the pink cardstock.  I received this stamp set last year from a friend.  I believe the image is from Stampendous.  I will definitely being doing some more of these cute guys. And maybe some christmas stockings this year to match:) And did you notice my christmas tree in the sidebar counting down the days til christmas?  I know some of you don't want to even know, but I love christmas and especially love to tease my girlfriends.

I will have some more sewing projects to show you as well in the near future.  Linda's Quilt Shoppe is opening a second location!!!  It is expected to open the first week of November if all goes well.  The new location will be in Westbank behind the Superstore, so if you get the chance to, check it out when it does.  You will be amazed at all the talent and the gals that work there.  I was asked to make up samples for the new store of purses, totes, infant clothing, a quilt - I can't remember exactly what they all are but there is about 14 or 15 projects I think.  That's where I've been the last couple of days.  Picking all the patterns and fabric.  Man it is a lot of work when you have soooo much to choose from and you want it all!  I am stoked and grateful that they would ask me.  I'm really excited to get started.

That's it for today and I will be back tomorrow with another to share with you.  Could be another christmas card - not sure yet. 

                                  

Snow Swirled

Hello there and hope you all had a great weekend.  Went too fast for me though.  Closer to school for the kids too. 

Today I wanted to share another christmas card with you that I also may demo in my card class in September. 

This one is simple but elegant.  I used Snow Swirled from Stampin' Up!   Embossed with silver and a glittered star on top with Iridescent Ice.  The silver layer under the navy that the tree is on was outlined with a silver marker.  Didn't have silver cardstock so I compromised.  A MS punch along the side of the card and a piece of silver elastic cord tied to the fold.  Keeps it elegant looking and easy for anyone to make.

Tonite I am going out with my two BF for dinner.  First time we've have gone out in a long time and well overdue for all of us.  Really looking forward to it.  I might even share some pictures.  They won't be as good as Kelli's (my friend and upline), but I will do my best.  We are going to Yama's which is my favorite Greek food restaurant.

Must go and get ready.  See you all tomorrow and thanks for dropping in.

Reindeer Shaker

Sorry I have been missing for a couple of days.  Been busy filling the orders that came in.  Will show you when they are done, but wanted to share with you a christmas card that was in my stash.  It is a Stampin' Up! set called Holiday Lineup.  The DSP is retired though from last year, but I love the colors.  Colored them with markers and put Crystal effects on the eyes and a little red pompom on Rudolph's nose.  The shaker part is the scallop circle punch and I just added glitter around the edges.  I used micro beads inside.  Thinking of doing this one for the christmas card class I am going to do in September.  Still deciding on a date for that.

That's it for today.  Keeping it short and sweet.  Will be showing a few christmas cards now that the time is getting near.  I know a lot of my friends, and family don't like to hear that LOL.  But time to start planning and early is better.

Enjoy your day! Thanks for stopping by.

First time quilter

Do you remember this post - Tropical tote for teacher.  And inside were her gifts I made.  This is also one of the gifts I want to share with you today.  Keep in mind, this was my first time tryng to quilt, so a small project was just perfect to try.

Her and I had similiar tastes so knowing her favorite color was blue, it was easy to work with.  There are four placemats and a heart-shaped oven mitt. 

If you clik on the picture, you might even be able to see the silver within the print.  I just love the fabric - so springy and cheery. The pattern was a lot of fun to do too.  Need some of these for me now.

A close up of the "mitt".  Me being the perfectionist that I am struggled a little with the bias.  Made my own from the co-ordinating fabric and trying to sew it with no wrinkles or folds was so hard.  But I got it as close as I could and Mrs. P loved them.

For those that want to know, the fabric is from Linda's Quilt Shoppe.  They have gotten the largest and best (for local) selection of quilting cottons.  I believe the pattern is also from there. Go check them out and tell them I said hi:)

Just wanted to add as well, that I will be posting my Retired Stamp Sets I will be finally getting rid of.  Four years now with Stampin' Up! and I have yet to sell any retired sets, it is so overdue:)  My hubby is threatening to move me out of the house and into the garage!  I have too many that I'm not using, some have never seen ink.  Keep your eyes open and I will let you know as soon as they are up.

Memory is the strength....

Thank you for all the well wishes for my mom.  She is home now and resting.  Told to take it easy and no stress.  They did all kinds of tests and they really don't know what caused her to have trouble breathing.  Sent her home with an inhaler and hoping that helps.  Thank goodness that she is home now.

I want to share with you a favorite of mine.  An altered address book.  This is really one of my favorites - I love how the rose stamp from Kitchen Sink Stamp turned out.  Took a LOT of practice, but I finally got it to look almost real.  I need to practice with the others now.  Mounted the rose on some Old Olive that I cut with my Oval Nesties.  The sentiment is one of my favorites too from SU, but retired.  Not sure if you can see the vellum butterfly sitting there.  A MS punch for the white hearts layer.  I used my BIA to bind the spine.  I always like to hang a keychain on the spine with a charm and this one has 2 intertwined silver hearts.  The DSP already had the lace border on it so I thought it was perfect for the spine area. 

They are a lot of work, but I just have a lot of fun doing these.

I received my new SU products today.  Time to start playing with my NEW Christmas goodies and wait til you see them. I love making Christmas cards and I never have enought to give out at Christmas.  This year, I plan on starting right away and trying to build up enough.  I will be having a few classes come September for Christmas projects and will let you know once I figure out the dates.  it's never too early to start.

I received three emails yesterday enquiring about the Little Miss Sunshine outfit I posted and another regarding my Hibiscus purse.  Gotta get busy and get these done too!!  It's going to be a busy week, but I'm happy about that.  Thanks ladies for liking what I do and supporting me:)

Just a quick one today .......

but thanks for dropping by:)  I really appreciate it.
This morning I got a call informing me that my mom (stepmom) was rushed to the hospital by ambulance.  She is still there getting tests done.  Same as what happened to my uncle last weekend. 

Please say some prayers for her that all is okay and that she comes home soon.

I will know more as soon as my sister finds out from the Dr's

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.  I'm going to escape to my craft room, I think I need some "escape therapy".  Last weekend, my uncle had a heart attack, and we were robbed for the second time in a month.  Now this.  That is three and I'd say we are done right?????

Little Miss Sunshine

Isn't this adorable?!  I had so much fun making this little set.  It is sized 6-12 months and is 3 pieces - sun bonnet, dress and bloomers.  Three different cotton prints were used and of course, Texture Magic where you can see I used it on this beautiful hibiscus bag. 

This is a closeup of the halter top part that was textured.  See the stitching I used?  A built-in with little flowers to show off once it shrinks.

Here is the back - fully lined and has elastic around the back to keep in place.  A closeup:

and the sun bonnet:

This is actually the back, but I wanted you to see the bow and the texture.  I used the same built-in stitch.

And here it is all together.  Sorry about the coloring - not sure why it is like that.  You can see the overall prints though - adorable!  Wish my daughter was this small sometimes so she can model it for me:)  My husband just shakes his head - LOL.  He said the closest I will get is making the baby clothes so stop wishing.  Guess I will have to just get a mannequin.

You can purchase the pattern and Texture Magic here.  Both my Hibiscus bag and this little outfit were on display at Father Pandosy's farm Quilt Show celebrating their150th birthday. 

If you are wanting one, send me an email.  I do custom orders as well.  I'm hoping to get a few more done for the craft fair.  I had so much fun putting this one together.

Thanks for dropping by and enjoy your weekend!

Just swinging by...............

So glad it is Friday! I love Fridays cause it is the beginning of a weekend.  I plan on getting lots accomplished this weekend.  Sewing, listing all stamp sets for sale (been wanting to get this done), and hopefully some Christmas cards.

This card was made for my nephew who turned 4 and love monkeys.  I love these little guys.  They are so cute and really suitable for all ages.  I colored him with markers and used my scallop circle with Baja Breeze for the clouds.  Scallop Oval and oval punch for the sentiment.

Keeping it short and sweet.  That's it for today since I am a little later getting this out.  Had kids' friends here today and need to get them  from the pool and get them home.

Hope you stop in tomorrow!!

Princess bank

Thanks for stopping by today.  I spent part of my day with a family emergency.  I learned that my favorite uncle (and the one I am closest to) had a heart attack last night.  He is still in the hospital, was having more chest pains this morning, but if all goes well, will be home in a few days.  He is getting some tests done and some other technical stuff (terms I can't remember) over the next few days.  He was always there for us to talk to when my Mother was in the hospital just before and after she passed away. He tried to make the situation easier, visit us, stay with us if that's what we needed - just being there to talk to.  He always was available for that.  And still is.  I'm not a religious person, but my friends and family, please say a prayer for him that he gets through all this and is stronger.  He despises (spelling?) hospitals so it is really tough for him. 

I want to share an altered project that I did for a birthday present for my daughters' friend.  Her favorite color is purple. (sorry it is a little blurry)

I got this piggy bank last year at M's.  Wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but decided to alter it with DSP for a birthday gift. 

I tried to color the image with my Copics.  Not as good as I hoped since I'm still learning the shading technique:)

I used Modge Podge to adhere the DSP that I had in my stash to the entire piggy bank except the bottom front panel where I put her name and the very top points of the crown where I stuck rhinestones. 

If you look closely, you can see the slit on the top centre where you drop the coins in.

All in all, I like it.  She liked it too.  I have another one to do now for my daughter, but she doesn't know. Just have to find the perfect DSP.  Her room is Kiwi green, turquoise with pinks and purples. At least I have lots of colors to choose from:)

Thanks for dropping by.  I really appreciate it.

Summertime Splendor

I still don't have the My Digital Studio from Stampin' Up!  I will one day, but I want to get my own computer and my Dreamscape studio all set up first then I won't be sharing the computer with the kids.  But that doesn't mean I can't use some of the downloads for this awesome program.

I saw on many blogs actually, the Summertime Splendor designer paper used on simple cards with just a few embellishments.  I had to, of course, check this out.

So here is the stationary set I came up with.

And they were all pretty simple.  The layering and embellishments took a little time but I like the result considering all the backgrounds are printed from my printer and just cut down to size.

From the Heart

Thinking of You

Thanks so Much

With Sympathy

and Birthday Wishes.

They all use the Scallop Oval punch and oval punch.  I glittered the butterflies from the Embosslits for all the cards and the scallop trim border punch on the cardstock base.  You can see they printed up really well and know I will be using these a lot now that it is saved on my computer.  That's the cool thing - it's there whenever I need it.

These would make awesome gifts for moms, grandmas, sisters, aunts - will have some of these for sure at the craft fair too:)  If you are interested in any My Digital Studio products or Stampin' Up! products, call or email me. 

Thanks for dropping in and enjoy your day!!

Hibiscus meets Texture Magic

Today I want to share with you a new pattern and product. Isn't it gorgeous!! I love it and the fabric is definitely one of my favorite tropical prints. It is a drawstring bag with beads on the ribbons as accents. Here is the inside.

Next time I will add some pockets. It is pretty roomy inside but pockets are always a great addition. This is also the small version. The bottom is what I especially wanted you to notice. It is done using a product called Texture Magic. You sew it on the wrong side of the fabric you want to texture, and use steam to make it shrink down and it will form this really cool effect. Take a look at this.

Neat huh? This is the before and after below;

and here is the comparison close up of the two fabrics:

I love the result and will be definitely doing some more of these. The Texture Magic isn't cheap though. So you really have to plan on what you are making with the piece before you start cutting. I got this bag and an infants outfit with the piece I had. It shrinks 30% down from original size. You stitch any pattern you like or just stipple. I did diamond shapes that were an inch apart on this bag. It was a quick bag to sew up too. The "texture" took the longest.  Both the Texture Magic and pattern I got here.

Will be definitely doing some of these up for the craft fair and a few more for me and my daughter and maybe some gifts:)

Thanks for dropping in ..........really appreciate it. Hope you come back tomorrow. Some My Digital Studio stuff to share with you.

Elements of Style

I am feeling better now.  I have a stye in my left eye and this one is like no other I had before.  My whole eye swelled closed half way including part of my cheek.  It was painful and hard to work on anything because everything was blurry.  Usually I wait and pop it myself but my dear hubby went to the Pharmacy and told them what I had. Long story short, I have been using Polysporin for the eye and the swelling is finally almost gone. Still a little blurry and really itchy, but I can at least do stuff now.

So on to my card today.  It was my girlfriends' birthday, and I wanted to do a pretty card using the Elements of Style stamp set from the Summer mini. I love this stamp set.  I saw this card on Sandi MacIver's blog and loved it, so I totally cased it. It's so elegant looking to me.

Here is a closer look:

And a closeup of the butterfly:

I used chalks to color it with Q-tips, sponged the edges, my Stamp-a-majig to position the words and the front panel is up on dimensionals.

Needless to say she liked the card.  It so suited her.

Thanks for dropping by and visiting.  I have a really pretty sewing project to show you tomorrow so hope you drop by again.

Does this diaper make my butt look big????

I just love that saying.............so cute.  Which leads me to my next baby/infant outfit I finished a few days ago.  This is the 2 pieces of a 3 piece set.

Hard to tell in the picture, but it is a skort and tank top.  This one is 12 months size.  This is the skort close-up - maybe you can see the two little pockets on the front.

And the tank top.  The embroidery was done on a piece of cotton then I cut it with a die in my Big Shot.  I didn't like how the design and especially the wording were turning out on the small rib (nap) of the tank top, so I opted to do it this way.  I think it still works although I would have rather it be right on the tank top.

I satin stitched around the edge of the embroidery panel piece with embroidery thread.  Hard to see, but here is a close up of the design.

Sweet huh?? I just love these cute sayings.  And I have more of them to use so you'll have to come back and see.  And lastly, the third piece of the outfit is the visor.

Yes it is a little different than my last one here but I wanted the visor part to shade the child's face really well.  It is totally adjustable the same way with velcro and a d-ring. 

So tell me what you think.  I had a lot of fun doing this one.  I love doing baby outfits and using spring/summer fabrics and of course, the embroidery is a bonus for me!! 

See you tomorrow!!!!