René Louise Designs

Can you belive I found this at JoAnns (gasp)!!

2011-03-05T17:58:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love these fabrics? I found them today while at JoAnn Fabrics. I know, shame on me for buying fabric from the anti-quilt shop mega monster JoAnn's but I couldn't help myself. These were just too darn cute to pass up.

The quality is still below that of quilt shop quality fabric but it's a lot nicer than most of the fabric you find at JoAnn's and it had a great price of $7.99 / yard.

Oh and speaking of costs, you know I went to JoAnns for something to do, not really looking for anything in particular yet I ended up walking out of there with $76.00 worth of merchandise. How does that always seem to happen anyway? Am I the only one with this problem or is this a common problem with sewers? If you have the same problem I would love to know so I don't feel like such a sucker. :)

A giveaway heads up for my peeps...

2011-03-03T11:50:00.000-08:00

The Plaid Scottie is having a giveaway of some wonderfully yummy organic fabric from Birch Fabrics and a Denyse Schmidt book on her blog. Click here to check it out.

2011-03-02T12:15:00.000-08:00

Where have I been? Oh, here and there and nowhere all at once. I have been working on lots of quilts, but I'm working on them all at once so none will be finished anytime soon. That doesn't mean I can't let you peek at some of my Works in progress, like this block for the Mod Mosaic Scrap Bee swap on Flickr...

...and this block for the Be Attitudes BOM from Seven Sisters (A Nancy Halvorsen Pattern Book)...

and this block for the"Welcome to the North Pole"quilt I'm making (Piece O Cake Designs Pattern Book).

I hope you are having a great day!

I love binding!

2010-12-29T12:46:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love it when your quilt is quilted and all you have left to do is bind it? I think binding is my favorite part! You may think I am insane because binding is usually done by hand on the back of the quilt which is a much slower process than machine piecing the actual quilt top ,but hey I probably am insane like that!

Anyway, JayBird Quilts has a nice little binding tutorial up for creating Flange binding. You can see it here . I like to do this type of binding with prairie points, especially for smaller baby quilts. I think it makes the quilt a lot more fun.

I hope you are having a great Wednesday!

Well that was a rip...

2010-12-27T03:40:00.001-08:00

So by now you know that I didn't get up all the Christmas craftiness that I had hoped to, but I do have a very good reason...Fatal error. That's right, for some reason I couldn't upload photos or write a post because every time I tried I would get a message that read FATAL ERROR. WTF? After much fuss it is now fixed, thank the lord!

I hope to post more how to's in the coming weeks to make up for my lost Christmas posts and I really hope you enjoy them. Cheers to the approaching new year!

Day 2 - Christmas Craft - Merry Christmas Pillow

2010-12-03T18:17:00.000-08:00

Finished size 12 x 16 inches (I squeezed a 14 x 16 pillow form into it to give it an extra plump appearance) :)

Supplies:

6 different charm squares for border(I used 12 for even more variety--this gave extra 2.5 inch squares to use in another project)

4 different charm squares for appliqued letters and penguin

thread

sewing machine or hand sewing needle

1/2 yard white fabric (I used Kona) cut into 2 16.5 inch squares and 1 8.5 x 12.5 inch rectangle.

Cricut die cutting machine and cartridges (I used Cuttin' Up Font and Joys of the Season)

Any decorative items you want to jazz up your pillowcase such as embroidery floss, buttons, charms etc...

Note: All seems are 1/4 inch

Lets get started...

For the border of your pillow cover, cut the border charm squares in half and arrange in a pleasing manner like this...

(I alternated between 3 different colors, red, green and blue.)

You will need to sew 8 halves together and 4 halves together. Once they are sewn together you will want to rotary cut the sewn strips in half length-wise like this...

You should have 2 sets of 8 squares and 2 sets of 4 squares like this...

The next step is to sew the two short strips to the short sides of an 8.5 x 12.5 piece of white fabric. Press seems toward the borders. Now sew the long strips to the long sides of the sewn rectangle and again press seems toward borders. This is what it should look like...

Now, fuse the paper backed fusible webbing to the backsides of 4 charm squares following the manufacturers directions. Once you have the squares backed with the paper, decide what colors you want your letters to be. I drew it out in colored markers on a blank piece of paper 1st and decided to alternated the colors every 3 like I did in the border.

Place your 1st square onto the mat and load into the Cricut machine. Choose what letters you want. For example, when I put in the green square I chose a capital M (2 inches) and cut then I chose a lowercase r, h, s, and a (all 1.5 inches) then cut. Note: I used a new blade and had it set at 5 with the machine at a medium speed and high pressure)

Now, cut out the rest of your letters in the same manner. If you want to add an image like the penguin I used, select the image you want to cut and cut it out at 3.5 inches.

Once you have the letters and image cut you will have to gently peel them off. You may need to use a blade to help because the Cricut probably didn't cut your fabric thoroughly. Once cut out arrange the letters on your block and press with the iron to fuse them. It should look something like this...

Now is the time to add any decorative items. The only thing I had to do was stitch the eyes on the penguin (2 french knots)

You now have the front of the pillowcase complete! Yea, you're almost done!!

The next thing you need to do is sew the back of the pillowcase. Start by taking your 2 16.5 inch square back fabrics and press one of the long sides under on each of them (1/4 inch then 1/4 inch again) to make a sort of hem. Once pressed, sew close to the inner edge of the hem. like this...

Now that you have both back fabrics hemmed, overlap them by 3.5 inches and pin in place. They should both be wrong sides up. Note: I pinned them with both fabrics right side up. This worked, however, my pins were on the inside of the pillow case when I was finished, which I then had to get out and in doing so poked my self. ouch!

Your next step is to pin the back of the pillowcase to the front right sides together and sew all the way around. Once you've sewn all around you will want to clip the corners a bit and you may want to either serge or zigzag stitch the seam. (This make it a little more durable.)

The last thing you need to do is turn right side out and stuff your pillow inside. You now have a great little Christmas pillow to grace your sofa or give as a gift...

...enjoy!

Day 1- Christmas Craft -Kids Fabric artwork quilt block

2010-12-02T16:30:00.000-08:00

Today's Christmas craft is an easy one, and it's something your kids can help you with which means some fun Mom/kid time together. Here's what you do....

First gather supplies. (Your supply amounts will depend on the size you decide your project will be):
paper backed fusible webbing
fabric scraps of your choice
child's art work
thread
hand needle or sewing machine
your choice of decorative accents, ie...embroidery floss, buttons, charms, etc...

Now, have your child draw a simple picture. By simple I mean nothing too intricate, maybe a house or a dogie or a snowman like this one here that my son drew....

Once you have the picture finished take some paper backed fusible webbing and trace the pictures individual pieces one by one leaving a 1/4 to 1/2 inch perimeter around each piece. Like this...
After you've finished tracing, choose your fabrics. Since my son made a snowman I chose some white chenille for the snowman and Christmas fabrics for the background.

Fuse the traced pieces to the chosen fabrics with the paper backing left on. Once fused, cut out along traced lines, and take the paper backing off. Please note that the image will be reversed from what your child originally drew.

Your next step is to decide how you want to present the artwork. Do you want to piece a background block together or do you want to just place the artwork on a single piece of fabric? The decision is up to you, however if you want a pieced block then you will have to piece it together now.

Now that you have your background block ready, fuse the artwork onto the block. Try to make the artwork resemble the original artwork as close as possible in your placement. Resist the urge to straiten that crooked house out, the imperfectness of the artwork is what makes it special.

Once everything is fused onto the block, use your machine or hand sew a blanket stitching around the fused pieces in the thread color of your choice.

Now you are almost done! Add the final touches like cute buttons or embroidered accents to highlight your child's wonderful creativity...

...and your finished. What you decide to do with the block is up to you. Perhaps you will turn it into a throw pillow cover, or a wall hanging, or a pot holder, or if your feeling really ambitious you may put together several of these blocks and make an heirloom quilt. My son and I made a hot pad. I even quilted his name and the year into it. He just loves it!!

I hope you enjoyed this little how-to. -Rene'

Quick note...

2010-12-01T20:41:00.000-08:00

Just an FYI: Begining tomorrow I will be posting a Christmas craft how-to each day for the next 3 weeks. Stay tuned...:)

Finished projects...

2010-11-30T09:19:00.000-08:00

I finished the Charm Square totes I was working on (this one just needs a decorative button on the front). They all turned out just fine and will be given as Christmas gifts to some special people on my list.

Here is another project I completed a little while back. The pattern is from the book "Bits and Pieces: 18 Small Quilts from Fat Quarters and Scraps (That Patchwork Place)" I foundation pieced the 9 blocks and used fabric from BasicGrey for Moda Fabrics.

I just love foundation piecing because everything comes out so perfectly.

Hey!! Tomorrow is December 1st!! Yippie, the start of the Christmas countdown!

Happy Tuesday :)

Free crochet patterns...

2010-11-18T10:41:00.000-08:00

Do you like to crochet? Well, I do, and I especially like small projects because I like immediate gratification. :) That's where this cute little guy comes in. He is a free pattern from Red Heart. You can download the patten here. This will be a perfect gift for my Mother-In-Law because she is well known for her sock monkeys and her wonderful crocheted gifts (bless her heart).

She usually comes to our home for Thanksgiving week and thus is there when we put up our tree. If I can find the time this weekend I plan on making 2 of these for her. One for her to hang on our tree so we can think of her through the holiday season and one for her to hang on her own tree at home.

2 Finished projects....well almost...

2010-11-16T07:39:00.000-08:00

Okay show and tell time! :) I finished two projects and I want to share them with you.

Up first is this table runner I made with some charm squares and a bit of white Bella Solid.

The fabric is Prayer Flag by April Cornell for Moda Fabrics.

I also made this bag...

...with some Joel Dewberry Fabric.

This is where the "almost" in my post title comes in, because if you look closely you'll notice that I haven't added the toggle button on the front of the bag yet. (whoops) The thing is... I just couldn't wait to show it off; so, you get the "almost" finished version. :)

The pattern is Bow Tucks Tote by Penny Sturges for Quilts unlimited.

Don't you just love the colors of this fabric? How about the bows on the sides of the bag aren't they just adorable?

This was a fun pattern to make, however I found the instructions a little hard to follow. I had to re-read parts several times to comprehend it. I think if there had been more illustrations it would have been easier.

That's just my opinion so take it for what it's worth, because you know it could just be that I was having a brain lapse. (It wouldn't be the first time) :)

Happy Tuesday!!

WIP

2010-11-15T10:49:00.000-08:00

Here are 2 of my works in progress...the pattern is Charm Party Tote by Penny Sturges (Quilts Unlimited) I have 3 outsides of these pieced and quilted and a 4th planned.

Seven Sisters Quilt Shop is having a Deer Hunter's Widow- 18 hour sale today so I stopped in and bought the yardage for the lining and straps to get these bags finished up.

The fabric lines I'm using are: Cherish Nature by Deb Strain, Freebird by MoMo, Patisserie by Fig Tree Quilts, and Bliss by Bonnie and Camille all from Moda.

Just for shopping the sale today I was able to pick out a F.Q. and I also was able to select a prize from the prize table because I had a randomly selected receipt. I chose these Moda tea towels and a F.Q. of Wild Thyme by Carolyn Gavin/Lilla Rogers Studio for P&B Textiles. How great is that!!

Today's haul :)

Free Applique pattern

2010-11-15T04:00:00.000-08:00

I've been busy sewing Christmas gifts and I thought I would share my design for this appliqued reindeer kitchen towel with you. You can get it here ...enjoy.

Coming soon...

2010-11-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

Coming soon...new posts and lots of pics...I know you can't wait...but you will have to cause my camera battery is dead....again!

W.I.P...

2010-04-22T04:43:00.000-07:00

Here's some of what I've been working on during the past month...

quilt blocks I'm constructing for queen size quilt. This is going to be a birthday gift for my step-daughter. I have about 10 blocks made so far. The material is Verna by Kate Spain for Moda Fabrics.

I also made this little fabric basket one Saturday evening, following Pink Penguin's tutorial (I altered the dimensions a bit)...

I'm using it to store fabric, of course! :)

2010-04-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

Photos from my favorite quilt shop...

2010-04-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

I was visiting my my favorite little quilt shop the other day and decided to snap these photos while I waited to have my fabric cut. I knew you would all enjoy the gorgeous eye candy Rachel and Katie have displayed in their shop.

Signs of spring...

2010-04-16T18:55:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share the joys of spring with you....

Each day when I get home from work I walk around my yard to see whats new.

I was delighted to see these seedums growing on my retaining wall,

and this snakes head popped up (I don't remember planting it).

I hope your week is off to a great start, mine sure is! :)

Charming...

2010-03-18T09:49:00.000-07:00

I picked up some charm packs yesterday at my new favorite quilt shop and I am in love once again. lol This time it's with Sandy Gervais' L'Amour and JoAnna Figuero's Whimsy (both for Moda). I think charm packs are my favorite kind of pre-cuts because they are so inexpensive and versatile.

The photo below shows a lil' quilt WIP using the L'Amour fabric. I am going to make another side like this one and the same striping across the top and bottom then I will have a block in the middle with an appliquéd vase and a bouquet of (heart) flowers. I'm also thinking of using a pink minky fabric for the back. I hope it turns out okay since I don't really have a pattern to follow. I guess that's what makes it fun though, huh?

Do you have any cute ideas of projects to make using charm squares? If so I'd love to hear them!!

Random thoughts...

2010-03-16T05:20:00.000-07:00

Table runner (made from Hello Betty Retro)

The sun has been shining here for the past few days, giving everyone feeling that spring is on its way.

Don't you just love spring? Well, I'm sure it really depends on where you live as to the level of your love of spring, but let me tell you here in the north it is absolute enamorment! When I arrived home from work yesterday I was greeted by crocuses and a swarm of bees (and I mean a SWARM of bees). So many bees in fact that my 7 year old son stopped dead in his tracts, looked at me and said, "That's a lot ob bees Mom, I think I just pooped myself." I laughed, then he said, "No, I'm serious, I need to go check my underwear." lol

I try to teach my boys that animals like bees and snakes will not bother you unless you provoke them, but I guess I have a long way to go with Ryan. :) He actually used to like to find snakes in our yard (we live in the country) and chase them, but ever since I found a Michigan Rattle snake early last summer hes a bit hesitant. Again I told him if he doesn't bother the snake it wont bother him. He said "Can't you just kill it Mom?" (the same thing my husband said by the way) to which I replied, that it wouldn't be nice to kill it when it's just trying to have a nice nap in the sun. (to which he agreed wouldn't be very nice)

To be quite honest with you, I don't like snakes at all and want nothing more that to see the rattle snake inhabiting our swamp dead. However, they are a protected species so it would be a crime to kill it, not to mention that I read the majority of bites from these snakes occur when a person tries to kill the snake. (as in with a shovel in my driveway like my husband instructed me to do) So, the next time I see that snake I will be sure to get the shovel out and hand it to my husband and he can take that chance...not me!

Have a wonderful Sunny Day!

Still working on coasters...

2010-03-09T13:21:00.000-08:00

Quilted fabric patchwork drink coaster (top)

I'm possessed, or is it obsessed? Either way I really really love this fabric! But you already knew that right?

Quilted fabric patchwork coaster (bottom)

I've decided to quilt my coasters. What do you think? Quilted (as shown above) or not quilted (as shown below)?

I like them both and cannot decide. Help me please!!

Hello Betty!!

2010-03-08T05:46:00.000-08:00

Hello Betty Jelly Roll

Hello Crafty friends! I don't know what it is about this fabric line by Chloe's Closet but I just love these prints! They are so kitschy, and fun. I'm using this fabric to make napkins, coasters, dish towels, and a table runner for the shop.

Reversible napkin

Coaster

I want to buy more of this fabric, but I believe it's discontinued, so if anyone has a good lead on where I might be able to find it on the cheap I would love to hear from you.

Opening an online fabric store

2010-03-04T11:34:00.000-08:00

(flower granny squares I'm working of for an afghan)

Guess what? I'm opening a fabric store on ETSY !! This store will specialize in designer fabrics and precuts (jelly rolls, layer cakes, etc...)

I really want to supply quality fabrics at reasonable prices to my friends in the online sewing community (you). I'm hoping to sell mostly MODA fabrics, but maybe some Free Spirt / Westminster and Michael Miller too. We'll see...I still have get all the wholesale accounts set up, but I thought I would share with you my big, big plans.

Is there any advise you can give me? I'm sure I will need a lot of help in this venture!

What I've been up to...

2010-03-03T08:41:00.000-08:00

...doing some thirfting. Check out what I found this vintage looking hand stitched canvas. I'm planning on painting the frame on the canvas to give it an update and I'll be hanging this in the new craft space my husband is building for me. Here's an up close photo of the work someone put into this stitched art....

On the back there's a note from the artist to her niece and the year 1980. I love little things like that that give mystery to a thrift store find.

I also picked up this wing back chair for a mere $24.99.

My next project is to make a slip cover for it. This will also go into my new sewing space once the renovation is over.

Lets see...what else have I been up to...oh yeah I've been working on piecing together blocks for a quilt...

Its an Earth keeper theme. The fabric is Debbie Mumm for JoAnn's. The fabrics aren't something I would normally pick (more into brights) but they were on sale so I took the bait.

So that's pretty much what I've been up to. (besides laying around watching the 5th season of LOST on DVD, working and taking long naps on the weekends that is :))

What about you? What have you been doing or working on? I'd love to hear about it.

Mmmm....Jelly rolls and layer cakes....

2010-03-02T14:39:00.000-08:00

(photo borrowed from {philistine made}'s photstream)

I wanted to share a great deal I spotted and scooped up this week.... a layer cake and jelly roll in Chloe's Closet print "Hello Betty Retro" for only 15.99 each --(that is way below retail) I can't wait to receive them in the mail. I snagged them here and she has a couple left if your interested. She will ship in a flat rate box for 4.95 total. yay!

2010-01-27T12:19:00.000-08:00

I think I am the worst blogger ever.

I haven't been on here in a long, long time.

The thing is though, I can be a procrastinator for a while and then all of the sudden I get a burst of energy that propels my creative interests.

So, I start making lists of all the things I want to get done...

then I just go out and do them, without hesitation.

I am in one of those moods right now. I have a list of projects and things I want to accomplish that's like 2 pages long in my Day Timer. (Yes, I still use a Day Timer, I haven't learned how to put it on my Blackberry, nor do I want to learn)

I also have a backlog of projects that I want to post on here but haven't because I cannot find my Camera battery charger anywhere.

I'm sure I could use my Husbands camera, but I don't know much about it and to be quite honest, I don't want to learn any new technology right now. (Hence, not wanting to learn about the Blackberry)

Well, since I cannot take any photos of my own creations, I think I will post some of my favorite creations of other crafty broads...(OMG did she just say broad? ...why yes I did! hehe)

Okay, to start with I really love these crochet trimmed pillowcases by Rose Hip

They remind me of pillowcases I had as a little girl.

I also love the new Nicey Jane fabric collection by Heather Bailey, and anything made from it. Like this patchwork quilt made by Quiltville ...

Here's something else I am also loving...

these little loafers were made by WeePereas and are just perfect for a little bambino or bambina. Dontcha think?

Well, what have you been up to in my absence? Have you made some fab new creations? Leave me a comment and let me know. I just love hearing from you!

2009-12-22T04:35:00.000-08:00

I'M BAAAAACCKK!! Whats it been, like 3 months since my last post? Whew, that's a long time. During my hiatus I made lots of pretty things and worked on creating some of my very own patterns, to share with all. Above is a photo of my employers dogs sporting sweaters I croched for them for Christmas. I even made my employer a matching scarf to wear. I am now working on making some for my dogs. I can't wait to see how cute they will be in them.

2009-10-09T08:47:00.000-07:00

2009-10-09T08:33:00.000-07:00

AND THE WINNER IS comment #3 .....Jodi!!!!

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 3 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

2009-10-08T12:29:00.000-07:00

This week stinks!! I'm just gonna say whats on my mind right now and it may sound like babble so I'm sorry but here it is... I am tired of Life!! No, I am not suicidal. What I mean to say is that I am tired of this super busy stressed out life. It's always go go go, a constant blur, a hazy daydream...my head has been buzzing all week with lists of things I need to do or things I don't want to forget that I fear I will have a breakdown at any moment.

I long for the simple life of no cars and no place to rush off to. No driving to work or school or practices or appointments or to the grocery store or where ever. Why in the world did our mothers, grand-mothers, and great-grandmothers push for women's right to work outside of the home? Isn't it funny how we always want what we don't have?

Are you as overwhelmed by life as I am? Tired of trying to be every woman for everyone? If so leave me a comment, I sure would like any encouraging words on dealing with it all or at least I would appreciate knowing that I'm not the only one. As they say misery loves company...

2009-10-06T02:43:00.000-07:00

I am so busy making things for the upcoming craft show season that I barely have time to breath. I've lost a few pounds already from spending so much time downstairs in my craft area and not taking a moment to eat. It's all Coke and coffee for me. I've been making little girls twirl skirts, and toddler dresses, pincushions, crocheted urban hats, and ornaments.

Also, I found this super cute robot fabric at JoAnn's so I will be making some pajama pants for my sons, (just so they don't feel left out.) I've pretty much completed all of my swaps and I am not going to sign up for anymore until after Christmas. There are just too many other things to get done!

2009-10-05T04:20:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone...here it is as promised (although a little later than I would have liked :) ) my 1st giveaway! Yea!!

Here is a list of what I will be sending 1 lucky winner...

1 9oz jar candle (Cinnamon Balsam)
1 9oz jar candle (Holiday Memories)
6 wax scent tarts (Fruit Slices)
1 Flower Pincushion
3 crocheted bowls (small, medium, large)
2 bars of olive oil soap (lilac and apple)

*(All items are handmade by me with love)*

I will be choosing a comment from random on Friday 10/09/2009 and posting the winner that afternoon. So leave as many comments as you would like about anything you wish and GOOD LUCK!

2009-09-27T11:44:00.000-07:00

Ahh....I never thought I would say this, but...I'm glad it's Sunday. I made it through a weekend with a bunch of kids and lived to tell about it. In addition to my niece staying the weekend with me, my 11 year old had a couple friends over as well. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but it sure was exhausting!

I showed the girls how to make no-sew stuffed pumpkins, which they seemed to enjoy. I also put together a couple more items for my 13 crafty days of Halloween swap. I'm up to 12 items, I just need one more and I will be finished, but I am fresh out of ideas. :( (any help would be appreciated)

My husband brought me back some fudge and salt water taffy from Mackinaw Island today. It was just what I needed to give me a boost. I have lived in Michigan all my life, and one thing I've never understood is why Mackinaw Island is known for it's fudge and salt water taffy (among other things). I mean, Michigan is nicknamed the "Great Lake State" or the "Freshwater State" and there is certainly no "salt water" around here. Shouldn't it be called "Freshwater taffy". Also, it tastes more sweet than salty, I know there is salt in it but surely not enough to warrant being called saltwater. It's just one of those little things in life that I will never understand, unless of course I google it, but then I wouldn't have anything to muse over. :)

2009-09-26T18:19:00.000-07:00

I am addicted to sewing books!!

What a long day of shopping I had. I know you feel sorry for me, right? lol Well I am just now sitting down to work on some crafty projects. I bought some Halloween fabric today and a few pumpkins to decorate my front entrance. I am really starting to get in the Halloween mentality, but I am still dreaming of Christmas.

I am listening to Christmas music right now for Pete's sake. :) I downloaded Bing Crosby's Christmas Hits onto my iPod and it's been on a continuous loop ever since. I also stopped by Yankee Candle today and pick up some Holiday fragrances (Autumn Leaves and Autumn Harvest for the fall holidays and Macintosh Spice, which reminds me of Christmas.)

I am feeling the Christmas spirit so much right now that I think I am going to do my very first giveaway in the next few days. I am making some candles and tarts of my own in holiday scents. When they are finished I will post photos and give some away. So stay tuned and tell your friends. :)

2009-09-25T15:28:00.000-07:00

photo: Jeans I hemmed for my niece, Bailey.

TGIF--Soooo, I stayed home from work today. I wasn't feeling well this morning and I was running a low grade fever. I thought I may be getting the flu so I didn't go into work because most of my co-workers are extreme germa-phobes. I took some Tylenol and went back to sleep and I seem to be doing better now. I am begining to think my on-again / off-again alergies are just acting up. It's funny cause I don't have allergy related symptoms every year. It seems more to be an every other year thing. Weird.

In other news, my husband is away this weekend (off camping with the Boy Scouts). However, I will not have the house to myself as my 2 sons, my step-daughter, and niece will be here pestering me. :) My niece is a little jabber and I'm sure I will be exhausted by the time the weekend is done. (I mean the girl talks non-stop). She's a cutie though and I get a kick out of hearing her talk about all the goings on in the 6th grade. You know, she's big time now that she's in middle school. lol.

2009-09-24T05:44:00.000-07:00

So Autumn is officially here and that makes me happy. I love the Autumn season, its my favorite. Here in Michigan we've had the strangest weather through summer and now into fall. We had a mild summer with temperatures hovering in the mid to high 60's then all the sudden right around Labor Day we started getting temps. in the high 70's low 80's. My tomatoes are just now ripening and the pumpkins in the patch are smaller than average which really bums me out.

Anyhow, as I bogged before I've been working on seasonal / holiday projects. Right now I'm working on a Swap Bot swap package with the theme "13 Days of Halloween." I am supposed to send my partner 13 days of Handmade Halloween related items. So far I have 6 items (see photos above and below) and I have a couple other ideas, like a pair of orange earrings and some hand stamped note cards, but I really need some more ideas. I am open to suggestions if anyone has any. I would really appreciate the help.

Have a wonderful Thursday!!

2009-09-24T05:30:00.000-07:00

Halloween Button Bouquet. (idea stolen from ScrapStampSew)

2009-09-24T05:29:00.000-07:00

Crocheted Candy Corn

2009-09-24T05:28:00.000-07:00

Handmade buttons

2009-09-24T05:27:00.000-07:00

Small crocheted bowl

2009-09-24T05:25:00.000-07:00

Jack-o-lantern pin

2009-09-22T06:13:00.000-07:00

Well, it took me 3 days, but my craft area is finally clean!!!! My craft area (which is actually one end of our laundry room) had been a mess for months, causing me to carry my sewing machine from room to room throughout the house. I had fabric, tools, odds and ends, books, and everything else piled up on top of this desk. IT WAS BAD! So I went to the store and bought shelves and a boat-load of totes to store everything in. (see photo below) I am actually excited to get down there and do some crafting now. Do you have a special room or spaced tucked away where you craft? Leave me a comment and let me know where you create and I just may send you out something crafty (make sure you leave your email address).

2009-09-22T05:55:00.000-07:00

All my fabric is tucked neatly in side these totes.

2009-09-22T02:23:00.000-07:00

Little pincushion I whipped up last night. I need some of those plastic beads (granules??) to put inside of it to weigh it down. Does anyone know where I can purchase them?

2009-09-22T02:21:00.000-07:00

A mess of yarn my cats made. I would just throw it away normally, but I'm trying to be less wasteful, so I will try to untangle it. Then when I get frustrated and give up, I will have my husband do the dirty work (cause he so good at it...untangling that is) :)

2009-09-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

I was crafting it up last night and this was the mess I left and awoke to this morning. My husband, being the funny guy that he is, said "It looks like Hobby Lobby puked on our counter top." Needless to say, I went to Walmart this morning and bought some storage containers so that I can clean up my craft area downstairs. That way I can make a mess down there and not in my kitchen.

2009-09-19T18:02:00.000-07:00

I saw these for sale at JoAnn's today and I thought they were so darn cute. The thing is, I look at something like this and think to myself, "I could make that." So I took the photo and now in the next week or so I am going to try to make one with my own personal touches. I have some cute star buttons that I think would be adorable decorations on these little trees.

2009-09-17T15:08:00.000-07:00

Molly my office's resident dog really likes the crocheted candy corn I made for her! I couldn't get it back once I gave it to her.

2009-09-17T13:39:00.000-07:00

You know I am not very good at this blogging thing. I take too much time off in between posts! Anyway I've been quite busy with holiday crafts and swaps. I've been making Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas crafts non-stop and I love it!! I have been singing Christmas carols while I work. It's so uplifting and puts me in a great mood. I am looking for more ideas for Holiday crafts if anyone out there wants to share. Leave me a comment!

2009-09-17T13:34:00.000-07:00

This is a swap package I put together for the Crafty Christmas Swap on Swap-bot. The swap includes 3 F.Q's, 3 meters of ribbon, 12 buttons in Christmas red and green, 6 handmade ornaments in a hand crafted box, a holiday crafts magazine, and 2 skeins of yarn. I really had fun making the ornaments. I used red felt, pink ribbon and appliques I made from fabric purchased at Hobby Lobby on the cheap.

2009-08-07T15:54:00.000-07:00

fun summery fabric checkbook cover

2009-08-07T15:52:00.000-07:00

I love this fabric... I only bought a fat quarter of it and already have used that up. I think I need to go buy some more.

It's been way too long...

2009-08-07T15:50:00.000-07:00

I know its been a long time since I last typed on here, it's just that it has been one busy summer. My oldest son started soccer practice and he already has a tournament this weekend in Canton, MI. I've been having to rush him to practice each night mon-thurs as soon as I get home from work. So I drive for 40 min. to get home then another 40 to pick up my youngest son from day care and off to practice, wait 1.5 hrs. until practice is over and drive another 30 min home. The worst part is that my air conditioning doesn't work so I am usually really sweaty and gross feeling by the time I get home. A couple of times I've dropped my son at practice and then went to a store or the mall to hang out an cool down. The only problem with that though, is that I usually end up spending money I really shouldn't on things I don't need.

Do you like my newest creation? Fabric checkbook covers! These are really quick and easy to whip up, and really all you need is about a fat quarter of fabric. I've made quite a few in the last couple of days just for the fun of it. I think I will list some in my little etsy shop...we shall see.

2009-06-29T03:26:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the quality of the photos today. I took these photos on my way out the door this morning (3AM) and I really didn't have time to put a nice spotlight on my little subjects. I just wanted to post a glimpse of what I worked on this weekend. I had bigger intentions of completing a whole slew of projects, but of course that didn't happen. I was able to spend maybe 5 hours total all weekend long on my crafts (with lots of interruptions).

However, the weekend wasn't a bust by any means. On Saturday I took my oldest son and his friend to Lake Michigan for some sun and fun. I was also able to watch a movie (Juno) and a television program that I've been wanting to check out (True Blood) for some time. Both were good, but in very different ways. True Blood doesn't have the greatest acting but it is a nice escape from reality(you can't go wrong with Vampires).

Oh, and I have a new obsession....Swap-bot. Have you heard of this? If not you have to check it out!! It's a swapping website and there are a lot of craft related swaps going on all the time. www.swapbot.com

2009-06-29T03:14:00.000-07:00

2009-06-26T08:17:00.000-07:00

This is what I'm working on right now...little baby kimono style shoes. I am experimenting with the pattern at the moment (that's why you only see one) I asked a girl at work if she would take it home and try it on her 2 month old and give me some feedback. I am skeptical that it will actually stay on. I may need to make the opening narrower and the length shorter. I will know on Monday (if she remembers to try it out).

2009-06-26T08:13:00.000-07:00

2009-06-25T07:24:00.000-07:00

Here are my snowmen as promised. I know I said I would post them yesterday, and believe me I tried but my laptop is messed up. I've been letting my son use it to make his Lego animation movies with and he has it so buggered up that it keeps giving me error messages whenever I try to do something. I think he must have got into something he wasn't supposed to. Anyway, my husband is supposed to clean it for me this weekend so hopefully I will be connected once again. Until then I am blogging from work....shhh don't tell my employer!

2009-06-25T07:16:00.001-07:00

2009-06-25T07:16:00.000-07:00

2009-06-25T07:15:00.001-07:00

2009-06-25T07:15:00.000-07:00

2009-06-23T08:49:00.000-07:00

2009-06-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

It is one hot lady outside right now. It is supposed to be 90 degrees today, and here I am thinking of Christmas crafts! I've been working on a few different Christmas projects that I think are quite cute! I will finish up some of them tomorrow and post the photos for you to see. I've been making stuffed snowmen out of chenille, with button eyes and fabric scarves. I've been crocheting washcloths to go into my soap and washcloth gift boxes; and I've been making some paper crafts like the gift bag in the photo above. I am looking for new ideas for Christmas gifts to make so if you know of any spill the beans already!

2009-06-08T02:45:00.000-07:00

I was looking at this photo of the front of my home when I noticed something...

2009-06-08T02:44:00.000-07:00

...my little babies in the doorway watching me!

2009-06-08T02:41:00.000-07:00

This is what I worked on yesterday. The cross-stitching took a while but the piecing went by fast. Also, I managed to slice the tip of my finger open pretty good with the rotary cutter when I was cleaning up. It hurt for a while but my husband put super glue on it so at least the bleeding stopped. He is my hero!

2009-06-08T02:33:00.000-07:00

...up close of the front...

2009-06-08T02:31:00.000-07:00

...and heres the back.

2009-06-07T05:26:00.000-07:00

Check out this soda tab bag, cool right? I spotted this yesterday (my birthday by the way) at the Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts. It was a good day to hang out and take in the sights, sounds, and smells of a festival.

2009-06-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't blogged in almost 2 months, and that's horrible, but do you forgive me? :) Well, I don't really have any followers yet so I guess maybe no one noticed. Oh well, I am determined to do better. If you did happen to read this blog when I first started it and you are wondering what I did with the fabric that was burning a hole on my sewing table, here is a little something I did. I made borders for some microfiber hand towels I bought at the dollar store. I cut out the flowers from one fabric and hand appliqued them onto the other using iron on adhesive and co-ordinating embroidery thread. Then I finished them off with co-ordinating buttons.

Although I think they turned out quite cute, I did learn something from this little project of mine. I think it would have been much more appealing if I had used a lighter fabric in the background and a darker applique in the foreground. I'm pretty sure that if I would have done that the flower would have "popped" more. Oh well, at least now I know for next time right?

2009-06-04T13:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a tote I recently made. I was inspired by the dianthus in my garden, which have the same fuchsia hue. Come to think of it, the fabric I used in this tote is "Diane" from Jennifer Paganelli's Mod Girls collection. What a coincidence, "Dian(e)thus" :)...I know, I am a dork like that.

2009-06-04T13:36:00.000-07:00

The inside of the bag (yes, it's reversible)...

2009-06-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

...and here are the dianthus. :)

2009-04-13T10:11:00.000-07:00

How cute! I know this is really simple and one of the easiest things to make but I love pincushions!! This one caught my eye on etsy and I just had to post it here to share with everyone. It was created by buddydesigns (www.buddydesigns.etsy.com) It reminds me of my garden in summer. I just might take some of my scraps and make one for myself tonight.

2009-04-10T10:34:00.000-07:00

Layoffs---everywhere, everyone is getting laid off! My stomach is so upset right now. We laid off some great people at my place of employment this week. I just feel so bad for these good people.

It really makes me realize I need to tighten my own belt because who knows I could be next! I really should work harder at getting some projects completed at home so that I have a nice big inventory of things for the next craft show. The extra cash allows me to create more. If I didn't make things to sell I wouldn't be able to make things at all because I wouldn't be able to afford the materials. Of course I'm sure it's like that for a lot of crafters, you want to create beautiful things but it all takes money doesn't it?

Well, this weekend I am hoping to get a lot accomplished, but you know how that goes....it will be Monday morning and I probably will not have completed a thing. I know I should think positive thoughts right?

2009-04-09T07:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't get much accomplished yesterday. Since it was my day off, I woke up late (even though I told myself I was going to rise early to get some things accomplished--yeah right) then it was one errand after another. Before I knew it it was 9 PM and I was just returning home.

However I did pick up more fabric today and while I was at the fabric store I came up with a few ideas for projects. I will have to go back to the store sometime this weekend though because they are having a sale on simplicity patterns 99 cents a piece (starts today ends Saturday)and you know I can't pass that up!

2009-04-08T07:35:00.000-07:00

I am stuck, I want to create something but I just can't decide what to make. I have these 3 fabrics that I'm really loving right now (the top 2 are by Michele D'Amore, the bottom one from Timeless Treasures) and I want to use them in something but can't make up my mind. So instead of sewing something fabulous I spent an hour spooling bobbins and organizing my workspace. Maybe I will get some inspiration later today (fingers crossed)...