Polar Kitty

Polar Kitty is on guard for a little boy VERY EAGER to open presents. She's been sneaking under the tree to make sure all the presents remain safe. Unfortunately she's squishing them as she goes, she does weigh 18 pounds after all....

Actually I think she's trying to get away from all the company...haha

Merry Christmas to you all and best wishes for a fabulous 2009! See you next year =)

Florida Snow People

My Mommie arrived yesterday, with loads of felt beads, and goodies to make snow people. These are the only snow people we will see this Christmas here in Florida. =) The little beauty in top photo is my favorite of those I made. She made the adorable Christmas tree for me with the button and beads. LOVE it!

I'm not ready...

This is the only part of my house that I would consider ready for company, which starts to arrive on SUNDAY!!! And as you can see this is only one corner of the great room.

YIKES, I am in big trouble, and will be working HARD the next 2 days, scrubbing and washing, and straightening and dusting and honestly, probably hiding things. My walk in closet will definitely be OFF LIMITS to visitors. LOL So wish me luck, I'm off to start in the guest room which is also my craft/sewing room so I'm sure you can imagine....

P.S. Do you see the football tucked under the tree?? That is not a gift, it is my son's Jags football, and I bet it was thrown across the room, and that is where it landed. So I am thankful that there aren't any casualties laying around it...=)

Christmas pup...

Here is one of 2 pups I made for a family friend to give as Christmas gifts to some Golden Retriever owners. They will be shipped to their new homes tomorrow. I found these pretty beaded ornament hooks at Target and I think they are perfect! Thanks for the tip Mom! =)

Santa's helper...

I'm trying to get myself into the Christmas spirit, because right now I'm just feeling STRESSED. So in the spirit of fun, here is my special Santa dance, check me out!

Santa Dance

Eat your heart out Hallmark...

This year I am making my Christmas cards, and some for my Mom to send too. I finished hers and I am almost finished with mine. I think I have about 15 more to make for my family to send. I love making cards, and there are soooo many great products out there now that I couldn't resist. Here is an idea of what I have been up to.

This is one of the designs I made for my Mom. She has a Himalayan kitty named Sissy Sue and my Mom is a knitter (AMONG ABOUT 1,000 OTHER THINGS)so when I saw this rubber stamp I knew it would make the perfect card.

This is a matchbook style note pad I made with a paint sample strip you can get at Home Depot. I'm giving these to kiddos in my family and friends so they can make their Christmas wish lists. We love sock monkeys in my family so this was another must have stamp set!

I still have one more project to show you, but I have to put the finishing touches on them and take photos. Hopefully tomorrow, it's a CRAZY week =0

Glittery Glamour

This is the last item for the ornament swap. Yes, I know it is not an ornament, but the swap called for 3 ornaments and another handmade item. I could not find any retro pin-up girl fabric anywhere, but I did find some pink glittery fabric with retro dresses and glamorous words printed on it. I used a vintage button in the yoyo flower.

I hope she'll like it. I have another post for tomorrow with my favorite recent project that I am so in love with!! I wanted to post that today but I didn't have any pictures.
Speaking of pictures, I need to start developing some of my pictures. I have 425 pictures on my camera right now and whenever I want to take pictures I have to delete some to make room. How awful is that??? I saw a commercial the other day that had a bunch of people doing random activities all standing together waiting to see who would be deleted. That is my camera. How much would it cost me to develop 425 pictures? Too much I'm afraid...

Beauties...

I know I said that I wasn't going to give specifics about my projects, but these are for an ornament swap I am doing. I think I'm safe to say that because I don't think my partner visits this blog. *Fingers Crossed* She is a fan of retro pin-up girls and that is the theme of her tree. She also has a turquoise and pink color scheme so I hope these will be perfect!


I have been buried in magnets and buttons and rhinestones...But more on that tomorrow =)

Hello there Kitty!

I am still working away at Christmas projects, but it was a busy/fun weekend with company and football games and birthday parties so I wasn't able to get as much done as I had hoped. And now I am coming down with a cold AGAIN, so not too much hope for this week either. But, I will do my best.

Here are some ornaments I made with Hello Kitty flannel fabric. I really had no plan when I started but I like the final result.


Have a great week! XOXO

Cake Face =)

Well, actually a cupcake pincushion. Now I can't say who or what this is for, but it is a gift....

Super easy and super cute, her little whipped cream hat is actually a yoyo---can't say enough about yoyos!!! Love them so....xoxo
I put pellets in the bottom so it is nice and weighted and won't fall over.
This was a free pattern on the web from Fantastic Toys so thanks so much to them!

Happy Halloween!!

Wishing you and your family a safe, fun and happy Halloween!! I'm off to make some alterations to my son's Boba Fett costume. Should be a great night!!

Polar Bear Parade

Yes, I know it is still October and yes, I know we still have Thanksgiving to celebrate....but it is full-on Santa's workshop here at my house! I am in full swing now and will be posting my handmade goodies from now until Christmas. Most of these things will be for gifts and swaps, so in the hopes of not spoiling it for anyone, I won't be posting who these goodies are for. Here is my first batch, this cute little family will be split up but for now are enjoying each other's company =).

I found this fur at Joann's. It's nice and soft, but doesn't shed. I actually bought the fur first and the polar bears came as a result. I used a free pattern found on the web. Super easy and really you can do a lot of variations with it, so give it a try. You can find the pattern HERE
I am still mourning my Ashlette's fracture, I think I need to get a Pullip PAPIN to make me feel better...LOL

Treats and Tricks....

I thought I was done with Halloween treats, but I forgot about all of the goodies Hubby has to deliver for work. So that is what I spent the morning doing, and got them all ready for delivery today.

Now, other than trick or treating I think I am done, YAY!

On a horrifying note....tonight while putting on my Fave Blythe Ashlette Fiona's new outfit and boots, I BROKE HER KNEE!!!! I could not believe I did it!! I almost wanted to cry, yes a grown woman wanting to cry over a doll...but honestly I am very careful, and hardly even put any pressure on her leg. =( so I am sad and she is mad

I seriously question the Takara quality. If I was buying for a young girl I would buy an Ashton Drake over a Takara, NO DOUBT. Sorry Takara, just venting but I do love my Ashlette the most of all my dolls and feel horrible...Poor Fiona.

Randomness...

I feel lazy today, rainy here, and a poor son with strep throat...so we are moving in slow motion. But I have been working on a few things. I just finished up 3 sets of valances for a client of a friend. I usually don't do things like that for hire, but in my usual fashion I couldn't say, "No." But now that it's done I'm happy and she's happy. That's all that matters right??
One thing I did recently was draw a "logo" for a scrapbooking club I am in, we call ourselves Scrappy Chicks. This is what I came up:

The group liked the finished logo so I think it's a keeper. =)
The creepy doll swap has ended for me. I received my last doll yesterday from Brazil (how awesome!!) and I LOVE her!!! This picture does not do her justice, she is so well made and I love all her seams and stitches. She even had a hand drawn card with her. What a great way to end this swap.

I am doing 2 more Craftster swaps for Christmas, the Stocking Swap, and Ornament Swap. My partner for the Stocking Swap is STACY who was my partner last year and we had an awesome swap. YAY!! Then my partner for the Ornament Swap likes 50's retro, pin up girls, pink and glitter, so that one will be sooooo fun too. I can't wait to start working on these.

We have a winner!!

The comment picked in the drawing belonged to......stacysews!

So congratulations to you! You'll be hearing from me. And thanks to everyone for leaving a comment and saying such sweet things about the Punkin'.

I plan to start doing monthly giveaways on my blog so please visit again. =) Have a good week.

Punkin' Head Giveaway!!!

I would love to give one of my Punkin's a new home, maybe yours! Just leave me a comment and on Monday I will randomly pick a name. Make sure your comment includes a direct link or email that you can be contacted at in case you're the lucky winner! Good luck everyone, and Happy Halloween =D

M&M's

I bought these test tubes (by Martha) back in September. Thank goodness I did because they are LONG GONE and can't be found anywhere around here. I bought them at Michael's so maybe if your lucky they are still out there. They came in a package of 8 and I must say I wish I had MORE!! I filled them with Halloween M&M's and added a hand made tag with ribbon.

I used another Martha product, her skull and crossbones paper punch to make the tags. I really like this punch and love paper punches in general. My only complaint is that it does not entirely punch the design out, you still have to clip little paper connectors to get them out. So, it takes a little longer. Then I just run them through my Xyron to turn them into stickers. Oh, I also stamped Happy Halloween on the back of each tag.

Too bad M&M's aren't toxic, then I wouldn't want to eat them so badly! =D

Punkins!!

I finished my pumpkins!! These have totally put a smile on my face! =D I had cut them all out weeks ago after I found this great light orange fleece. I drew out patterns for 3 sizes; 3 inches, 5 inches and 7 inches.

Last minute I added the green rick rack and I love it!

I did get the medium size added to my Etsy SHOP and I am trying to get the big and baby pair added but am having trouble downloading the pictures..UGH! So eventually that pair will be there too. **EDIT I have sold the big and baby pairs already so they won't be going in the shop but there are still 3 of the medium size available. =)
Now I just need to find what I did with my patterns, I want to make some more baby ones because they are just too cute and I need to keep some...LOL

I'm still here...

Sorry, no new projects to show you this time. I have recovered from an ugly cold that had me down for a week! I have so many projects going on right now but nothing is done and I feel like I am all over the place. Tomorrow I am doing a craft project with my son's class so I am up to my elbows in construction paper!!! I hope that by next week I will have several goodies to show you =)

In the meantime, I caught this on Martha and thought it was really fun! A duck tape and staple tote bag, but beautiful!! Have a peek =)

No Sew Tote

Okay my Creepies are all done!!

Well, all my creepy girls are officially done now and are being sent out today to their new Mommies. Hopefully they will all be pleased and not be too creeped out by my work. I must say that I will miss them but I took pictures to keep. Wouldn't that be a great scrapbook for future generations to come across??? They would certainly begin to wonder and want to hear stories about crazy Greatgreatgreat Aunt Carrie. LOL
So here is The Black Widow:

And last but definitely not least The Wicked Witch:

I made a card to send with each of them

and inside is a great quote I saw in one of my magazines. "Where there is no imagination there is no horror." -Sir Arthur Canon Doyle. That is a great quote because for me, making these dolls was a great adventure for my imagination. =)

It's a Hoot!

This is my new fall t-shirt, yay! And I'll tell ya how I did it:

First I found this adorable owl Halloween t-shirt at Target for $5. What caught my eye was the yummy chocolate color and the fact it had a lovely owl on the front. His feathers say Trick or Treat which is cute, but then I could only wear it for Halloween, so I needed to find a way to hide that.

Enter yoyos in beautiful falls colors. I used a 3 inch circle to make my pattern and cut out 11.

The yoyo for this shirt is a finished yoyo, where the top edge is folded under before sewing. You use as gathering stitch and sew all the way around the circle. Oh yeah end of thread is knotted. Once around pull your thread to gather it up and knot it off. If you need more info on sewing yoyos visit HERE

Once gathered I knotted the thread on the back of the yoyo.

Next, I decided where to place each yoyo, and started sewing them on at the bottom row. I sewed on the 2 outside yoyos and filled in the centers. Then I moved up to the next row, and then the top row.

The best way to sew on yoyos is to use little stitches in the creases that way they aren't visible. I made little stitches all the way around each yoyo so that with wear and laundering they won't pull away from t-shirt and reveal the text below.

This is what the back side looks like. You can see I stitched around the perimeter and I knotted on the back.

Then of course, some lovely button eyes. They are not an exact match but that is okay, adds to the whimsy right??

And voila! You are done HOO-La-La!!

A Break from the Creepy, YAY! Cute

If you are my swap partner for the Black Apple Doll Swap on Craftster, LOOK AWAY NOW! =0 Okay, I guess that was fair warning. I have yet to finish all my creepy dolls, the last 2 are almost there, but I need a cute break.

I signed up for this swap because I have been wanting to make a doll with the pattern created by an artist named Emily Martin who was featured on Martha Stewart. You can find the pattern HERE
I would recommend this pattern to anyone new to doll making, it is a very easy pattern to put together and I think you'll be pleased with your results. If you are an experienced doll maker, you could always add accessories or clothing, paint a detailed face, etc to increase the challenge.

My swap partner wanted a Christmas themed doll and enjoys cooking/baking so I had the perfect Christmas cookie fabric to use. I also made her a candy cane apron and a star cookie to hold. I am pleased with how she turned out, hopefully she'll be pleased too.

I am pleased with how she turned out, hopefully she'll be pleased too. I requested a Halloween themed doll, can't wait to see what I get! The mail deadline isn't for several weeks tho-... must be patient.

More Creepiness!

Okay, maybe I should say More Scariness! I didn't really know I had this in me, but I like to make scary dolls. I think it's all the horror movies I've watched over the years. =) Here is Creepy Doll #2 "Revenge of the Prom Queen"

And Creepy Doll #3 Psycho Cheerleader

The other 2 creepies are almost done, I hope to finish Monday and get them sent to my swap partners. Hope the aren't too creeped out. LOL
Never fear, I haven't crossed to the dark side....I am working on a new doll design, rag doll type. I finished one prototype, and I like her, but she is not quite what I want. I will post a pic once I sew the last button on.
And I just got my swap partner for the Black Apple Doll swap on Craftster, cannot wait to work on this doll. My partner wants a Christmas themed doll, YAY!!! I love Christmas!!! And I know exactly what I plan to do. She will be adorable, I just need to decide if I will paint or embroider her face. I think after all this creepy doll face painting I should paint a sweet face. =)

Quiz Wednesday!

I am definitely obsessed with handbags, but I can say that I make most of my bags rather than buy them retail. But I'd take a Brighton bag over 10 of mine any day!!!
In fact I have been dreaming about a new Brighton bag lately and just found out a boutique up the road is now carry it, curses! So today's quiz is about the beloved handbag, these are my results:

What Your Handbag Says About You

You tend to be relaxed throughout the day. You are naturally at peace. You are a high maintenance person. You feel lost outside of your normal environment. You are a very creative person. Your life tends to be a whirlwind, but you always seem to pull it together. You are an outgoing and expressive person. You always speak your mind, and you're very approachable. You are a very unique and special person. There's no one else who is anything like you.

What Does Your Handbag Say About You?

Give it a try and comment on your results =)

Beware! Creepiness ahead!

After my last post about cute, sweet Fiona this post is a major about face. I have completed my first doll for the Craftster Creepy Doll Swap. This one is titled "White Wedding" and basically she is a zombie bride. Poor girl.

I think she turned out great. She started as a doll head on a wire and was very perky with pretty long brunette hair....and then I got a hold of her. I sewed a body and added the forearms that came with the head, weird. She doesn't have legs just a ghost like dress. She is only about 5 inches tall so she's mini creepy. I have completed all the heads for this series of dolls, 5 total, all very different but very creepy. I have been surprised at how easily it is for me to make these kind of dolls. I think of myself as more of a pink sugar cupcake kinda girl, I guess I have a dark side.....oooooooh....spooooky...

Fiona

New green eyes for Fiona.


Bye bye orange eye chips, you have been altered. =)

Quiz Wednesday!

We love to play the American Idol Game on our Wii so I thought this would be a good quiz to find my "perfect song". I do like this song, considering I was a major roller skating princess in the 80's!! Give the quiz a try and let me know your results.

Your Karaoke Theme Song is "YMCA"

You're the type of person who can't have fun unless everyone else is right there with you having a blast. You have an amazing knack for figuring out what people want, and you don't mind going the extra mile to make them happy. The spotlight is something you enjoy on occasion, but you prefer that not all the attention is on you. If you've gotten people to sing or dance along with you, then you're song is a success. You might also sing: "Macarena," "Hot, Hot, Hot" or "Stayin' Alive" Stay away from people who sing: "The Greatest Love of All"

What's Your Karaoke Theme Song?

Dolly Day!!

I know I am a little old to be playing with dolls, but it's SOOOO FUN!! I got really brave today and did a lip redo on my Ashlette Blythe Fiona. I actually even carved Fiona's lips a little and then did a repaint and gloss!! I love the end result and am so relieved I didn't screw it up. Here is the result:

She actually looks like she is smiling a little now, and the lip color is so much better than her stock rose color, yuck. I did learn that the more color blending you do the better, and using an extremely small brush helps of course. Here is how her lips used to look:

Okay, now on to the creepy stuff. I am doing the Creepy Doll Swap on Craftster and have to make 5 creepy dolls. I decided to do some dolly recon for my projects. I bought some cute little dolly heads and arms and plan to creep them out and then sew them some soft little bodies and make clothes etc...I did my first doll head today. Here is a before and after:

I plan to give her ratty hair and tattered clothes etc. What do you think?? Does she look creepy enough?

Wednesday Quiz Time

I love to visit blogthings and take all their random quizzes, so I decided once a week I will post my latest quiz and results. Since Labor Day has passed and we are moving into fall (although I live in FL & there isn't much fall here yet) I would do the "What Type of Fall are You?"quiz.

You Are Apple Cider

Smooth and comforting. But downright nasty when cold.

What Part of Fall Are You?

Give the quiz a try and leave me a comment about what type of fall you are!