Monday, September 28, 2015

Loads of Thanks

An empty little bottle plus......


 A "simple" tag plus....
A few bags of Reeses Pieces....

Equals a cute little Party Favor...

 
 
I ended up making 36 bottles (that's how many bottles 3 bags of Reeses Pieces will fill) - and they turned out very well. 
 
Deceptively simple-looking......the die-cutting took a LONG time.  I need 2 nails per tag and I punched out each nail individually.  I added washi tape to the cardstock and then used the Marvy Tag punch so that the washi tape wouldn't lift from the CS.    When all the stamping was done, I grunged the tags with 3 different colors of pigment ink and the adhered the nails & bolt.  A bit of Bakers Twine to tie the tag to the bottle and Ta-Dah!!  They're done!


Toodles for now...

Stamps, pigment ink & metallic cardstock - CTMH
Other Inks - Memento
Die Cuts - QuicKutz
Washi Tape - ???

Saturday, September 26, 2015

Air Plant Arrangement

 
I've never worked with air plants.......Tillsandia.......and honestly, I didn't really believe they were plants (although I never gave it much thought as to what they actually were.....??).  

 
They're kind of odd-looking...............hmmmmm they sort of remind me of something you'd find under the sea (don't you hear Sebastian singing "Under de Sea, under de Sea....."??).

 
We glued the plants onto the "wood".....although we did NOT put glue on the "root ball".......which was just a few wispy-looking dried up roots. 
 
And that stuff that looks like drift wood??  It's grape vine..............yes, grape vine!!!  

 
The wire is just some floral aluminum wire in wild and wacky colors - it's something that can be found at the floral supply store. 
 
Normally, I wouldn't have used the wire on this arrangement at all.......but the instructor wanted "some color" and he wanted us to "have fun - do something crazy"................ahem.  We worked in pairs so my partner grabbed the blue and gold and we just started twisting. 
 
If I received this - I would remove that tacky wire before I set the arrangement down..........just sayin'.
 
Toodles for now...

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Blankie for Miss Olivia


So what does it mean when the kids you made baby blankets for are now starting to have kids......that you're now making baby blankets for?  I know, I know.......it means that you're getting pretty demmed old, that's what!!!  Now I didn't actually make a baby blanket for Olivia's mom - but I've known her since was about 2 years old...........soooo close enough!!

 
Used mostly Bernat Baby yarn.......aside from the solid brown -  that's called "Cuddle" and it was a Joann's brand a couple of years ago. I like it a lot because it's a deeper saturation AND it's skinny yarn (my favorite).  

 
Picot edging is my choice for baby blankets...............mostly because it's simple yet gives a finished look AND it goes pretty speedy fast - and by the time I'm at the edging point - I am done, Done, DONE with that particular blanket................whew..............


I tend to make LARGER baby blankets because.............because..............well, I think because when I'm making the squares, I KNOW they're not big enough to cover a baby.  So I make fairly large granny squares AND then once they're put together I kind of go, "Huh, guess that's big enough for a baby??!!!"....... I'm currently working on another blanket - I'm making EVERY effort to keep it baby-sized.  We'll see how it goes..............

Toodles for now...

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Cat Got Your Tongue?


During a recent trip to Dland - I snapped a photo of this.......quite honestly, I ALWAYS snap a photo of the Cheshire Cat at the Alice In Wonderland ride.   I also snap a photo of Creepella & Chef Bo-Bo under Cheshire.  They're good sports - they nearly always look at the camera.....

 
I think I've always been partial to Cheshire...........he is a cat after all............and look at that tail - isn't pink and purply-pink stripes??  How could you NOT love that??  Ok, ok, so he's slightly mental - who isn't, come on - tell me, who isn't??


 
And I'm pretty sure he DOES make a lot of people laugh......in a "pee my pants sort of way"......  Found a new stamp company.....and yes, I was attracted by the snarky sentiments.  I think it's a newer company - I've ordered stamps and a couple of dies and have been pleased with both......check them out - Lil' Inkers!!

 
 
Sent this card to a handful of my friends.........the ones that make me laugh in a "pee my pants sort of way"..........you know who you are - and yes, it might be time to look into some Depends..........
 


Sunday, September 20, 2015

Sew Star Wars

 
Kind of looks like a poster I might have had in my bedroom (or hall locker - Gail, remember our locker in Junior year???) when I was a teenager....

 
But it's NOT - it's actually a bag.....one that I made with the fabulous "2-Zip Hipster" pattern from DUMD (Dog Under My Desk.....but DUMD is waaaay easier to type....) and some oh-so cool Star Wars Fabric.  

 
I'm good with the knowledge that I create things.......I get that it's part of me and that if I can't create something on a regular basis I start to wither away (spiritually.....not physically - not sure what it would take to get me to wither physically....).  Normally I create with paper, stamps and inks...... annnnnd also for many years with yarn and thread and cloth and now fairly recently with licensed fabric and excellently written patterns & instructions.  

 
Creepella is a helpful and patient model................and this gives you some idea of the size of the bag......plus it's yet another photo of the bag itself.......

 
As is this............a little peak at the outside pocket lining (which I thought looked very much like lasers - pew............pew-pew...........  The "Star Wars" area involved a bit of fussy cutting but as usual, I'm a fan of fussiness................of the cutting persuasion.  

I was so enamored by the successful outcome I took no photos of the inside of the bag - which is fully lined and has a couple of pockets, one holds my phone and another holds bits & bobs (a couple of pens, a tube of Burts Bees, a hair claw clip, a tiny bottle of lotion, a couple of flash drives and a pack of gum) - you know the essentials if one needs to leap onto the Falcon because a Death Star is looming. 

I really like this bag because of the awesome fabric.....truly I do - but I love this bag because I made it - I looked 2 zippers, a couple of different types of interfacing and 3/8 & 1/4 inch seams in the eye and I prevailed.  AND I went on to make a couple more (Jack Skellington and Mickey fabric) - they also turned out well enough that I claimed credit. 

I've been busy - I mean majorly busy but it wasn't been with stamping.  Oh sure, I've made a few cards (whenever we've received specific requests) but that's not where I want to spend my time.  I want to spend it surrounded by fabric and zippers and interfacing and I want to make things that are useful and pleasing to the eye (and touch).  Not sure what that means for my card-making days but I know that my oh-so creative-hungry soul is happy with this kind of activity. 

I hope you're all finding a little creative bliss too!!!

Toodles for now...


Edited immediately ('cause that's how I roll.....)

 
I did indeed snap a photo of the inside.......there are the two pockets (the Star Wars fabric) and the rest is just glorious full-liningness (a new word - I'm sure it'll land into Websters on the next go-round).