Sew Very Carrie

Breaking Dawn Fever!! Literally >:(

2011-11-17T08:57:00.006-05:00

Well, as any Twilight fan can tell you, tonight is the premiere of Breaking Dawn 1. I am a Twilight fan, and not only because of the books, and the movies...but also for the CRAFTING!!
I was supposed to board a plane yesterday bound for my old stomping grounds in Florida for a Breaking Dawn Extravaganza with 15 other great girls. But instead I am stuck here at home with bronchial pneumonia. Major BUMMER!!!
The best part of this Extravaganza was that each gal was making a Twilight themed craft for everyone. My task was to make charm bracelets, similar to Bella's with a wolf charm and a crystal heart charm. I had already finished all the bracelets before getting sick, so I mailed them to FL, and hopefully they will arrive in time!

I also added an acrylic charm made with either the Breaking dawn cover image or a picture of Edward, Bella and Jacob. I used Tim Holtz acrylic Fragments and Glossy Accents to make them.

I also made special pendant necklaces for me and my bestie:

Back:

I made little purse boxes with paper rolled roses for each bracelet:

Well, at least my bracelets will make the premier party, even if I don't.

I'd invite you to my pity party, but I'm probably contagious! LOL >:(

Crafty Sistas!

2011-10-18T20:37:00.004-04:00

My sister came to visit us this weekend and we did a whole lotta crafting in a short amount of time...it was great!!

I wanted to try some pumpkin painting, so I picked up some medium sized black pumpkins at Mike's and we free hand painted them with fabric paints. The kind in the squeezy bottles.

Together:

Mine:

Sister's:

This was fun, but time consuming...I had debated about buying the large pumpkins for this craft. Thank goodness I didn't or we never would have finished!

Then we made some bird cage pendant necklaces using Tim Holtz bird cages. I love how these turned out! I put an owl in my cage and my Sissy put a raven in hers. Then of course we added some dangle charms too.

Together:

Mine:

I named this owlie Timmy ;)

Sister's:

It was an awesome weekend that also included bowling, fall festivaling and movie watching at home and at the theatre! Love having visits from my sister, miss you Jay! xoxo

Art Journaling!

2011-10-02T15:42:00.004-04:00

My first completed layout from an Art Journal Club I went to today. It was a MUCH needed outing for me and I had a blast! I didn't know a soul in this club, and everyone was very friendly.

We used the Distress Stains and stamps from the Dylusion Stamps line.

On the right page I added an envelope I made journaling tags for. I really liked the stamps, and I could see wanting all those Distress Stains too, the colors are beautiful!

Quilt Along Week 2 Done!!

2011-07-25T19:40:00.002-04:00

Better late than never! ;) I was a day late with getting these done. We lost our a.c. over the weekend and the last thing I wanted to do was sew and press seams with a steamy hot iron.

I am fairly happy with these, although I am running out of the black and white polka dot seen in the left black/white square. I am having to sub with some other polka dots I have. Hopefully it will all look okay in the end.

I also wish I hadn't used so much red in the background of the middle red/white square. But there is no way I am going back and redoing it! LOL

So I have yet to work on the new squares for today, but plan to do some cutting tonight and sewing tomorrow. Trying not to get too far behind, wish me luck.

Quilt Along Week #1 Done!

2011-07-16T16:15:00.003-04:00

Finished my quilt along squares for the week, and I have to say it was fun and easy! Here they are:

They were so fun and easy in fact I decided to also make a black and white combo quilt...

And then I decided to make a red and white combo quilt...

Hopefully I can keep up the pace for the next 3 weeks. But how nice will it be to have 3 quilt tops made when I am done?! Woot! :) If you want to join along you can do so HERE.

2011-07-11T10:26:00.002-04:00

The quilt along starts today! And these are the fabrics I've chosen:

I've decided this quilt will be for.....

ME!!

So I made sure to add in some Chocolate Lollipop (second in from the right) by Anna Maria Horner. I have used this fabric so many times in so many ways, but what can I say, I love it! I think this quilt will pretty much wipe out the bits and pieces I have left of it. :(

I will also be using white, and the background and back of the quilt will be white.

The first square is the Star of Virginia, pretty appropriate since we are fairly new residents of the state of Virginia. You can find the tutorial for the square HERE and info about the quilt along HERE.

Perfect Summer Quilt Along

2011-07-05T15:03:00.008-04:00

Yippee!! Just saw this link for a summer quilt along that you can find and join HERE and HERE and this is the amazing quilt you will be making:

We'll be making 3 squares a week, so over 4 weeks you'll have a 12 square quilt top.

I am especially excited because about 5 minutes before I found it, I was just sitting here thinking that I need to start a new stash-busting quilt. So this is it! Lucky for me it will all be planned out for me, gotta love that. :)

I know some are buying fabric collections to make this quilt but for me it will be a stash buster and my plan is to not buy any fabrics for it.
Wish me luck, and join in!

Teacher Totes Yay for Summer!!

2011-06-15T17:13:00.004-04:00

Tomorrow is the last day of school for my son. YiPpEe!! He has been in school since August 16th...moving from Florida to Virginia in the middle of the school year will do that to you. So I guess you could say he has been over educated this year!

I made his teachers each a big tote/beach bag using the Lands End type bags as my inspiration. I have always wanted one of those bags with my initials embroidered on it. Someday....

Anyway here they are:

I can't even really say how long it took me because I made 4 more bags for my family, so 9 total...seems like it took weeks! hahaha

A fun diversion was making the tags to go with each bag, love paper crafting!!

So tomorrow we will deliver the bags and get ready for summer, hallelujah!!

Cuff Love

2011-05-20T20:41:00.003-04:00

I have a LONG list of crafty ideas and things I want to try and create, but do I ever have enough time??? No. :(
About 2 months ago I bought 12 two inch wide aluminum bracelet cuffs with the grand idea of making cuff bracelets for my Etsy shop. Well, hasn't happened yet ;). But, I saw a cuff bracelet swap on Craftster and joined knowing it would get me started!
Let me tell you I had so much fun making this bracelet!! Can't wait to make many many more, in fact I ordered 12 more cuff blanks.
Here is the cuff in action:

My swap partner likes butterflies and the colors blue and purple, so I am hoping she loves it.

I covered the aluminum cuff with fabric interfaced with heavy interfacing and fleece interfacing. So it is very comfortable on the wrist, and you can still bend the cuff to make it the perfect size.

The flower was made with batik fabric that I fused to itself and then cut with my Big Shot die cutter to make all the layers. It is hand sewn together with glass beads

My partner hasn't received it yet, so I am a little nervous. Creating these bracelets is very addictive, and I have 3 more in the works for my shop. Wish me luck! xo

Hangin' With My Peeps

2011-04-21T13:07:00.004-04:00

I decided my Easter plush project for gifting this year would be little chicks.
My first little chick was super cute but very small and needed to be hand sewn. I decided that because the plan was to make and send several the pattern would have to be bigger so I could machine sew them. Much faster that way!
And in the end I think they turned out pretty darn cute.

Here is the whole peep party:

Sent a couple to my parents:

Me and the hubs (notice I get the pink tutu and rolled fabric rose! teehee):

All this peep making has tuckered me out, time for a nap in the hydrangeas:

One of the tags I made to go with the chicks:

Some of the other tags read, "to my peeps" "to my favorite chick" "to one cute little chickie" and so on.

Here's a little chick package ready for mailing:

They should all arrive by Easter and I hope everyone enjoys them! Happy Easter!! xo

Bright Blooms

2011-04-07T08:56:00.005-04:00

Just completed my Mini Art Quilt for Round 4 on Craftster, and I was sorry to see it go! But I am really hoping my swap partner will love it too. :) She wanted something in the tree theme so this is what I cam up with:

My partner is also an owl fan so I added a little owl nestled in the leaves.

I sewed each leaf individually, then turned them right side out, tacked them on the tree and then added a button. It meant for a lot of hand sewing, but I wanted the tree to have that texture.

This is the back side:

The quilt measured about 18x25 when it was done I think.

And speaking of being a fan of owls....
Looky what my Mommie found for me at Goodwill for $6! A beautiful ceramic owl lamp:

Now I know this might not be for everyone, but I just love her!!! I named her Olivette and she perches in my entryway. She makes me happy :) it's the little things right?

Trying to find my MOJO ;)

2011-02-28T22:37:00.004-05:00

There have been some big changes in my life over the last few months...the biggest being my family moving from sunny Florida to the Northern Virginia/D.C. area. I could go on and on about it but I am trying to move onward and upward, so no pity parties here!
But, with all the change I feel like I have lost my creative, crafting, sewing mojo...
In an effort to get it back I headed to a good source of inspiration: CRAFTSTER.ORG and joined in their mug rug swap. In case you are unfamiliar with a "mug rug" it is basically a small quilted place mat used to put your coffee or tea cup on. AKA a mini quilt. I figured this was something I could handle and it would get me sewing again.
I signed up for 2 partners and got to work!

Mug rug #1

This partner is a nature/owl fan, loved using my wood grained fabric! I also sent both partners a little goodie bag of tea bags and Starbuck's Via and made a matching tag.

Mug Rug #2

This partner likes kawaii, and I have had this cute fabric in my stash for a while and knew it was too perfect!

Here is a shot of the backs:

Luckily both partners loved their mug rugs, woot woot!

Did my plan work?? I think it did! I had a lot of fun planning and sewing these mug rugs. And it has motivated me to finally get my sewing closet organized and orderly...more on that later, yes I typed "sewing closet". I am not quite ready to photograph yet. ;)

I hope to keep my rear in gear, I appreciate everyone who reads my blog, thanks for sticking with me! xo

Auld Lang Syne - Mairi Campbell

2010-12-31T20:07:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year to you and yours! Wishing you a happy and healthy 2011, may all your dreams come true!

Christmas Eye Candy :)

2010-11-03T19:39:00.004-04:00

I am addicted to all the special Christmas edition magazines that start to appear this time of year. For me they are total eye candy, and I love to gaze at them and dream and get inspired!

I was just browsing at Target in the magazine aisle for some eye candy earlier this evening and came up empty handed...boo. But, I just happened to plop down with my laptop a little bit ago and stumbled across this little gem

Amy Powers who blogs at InspireCo just posted the holiday issue of her new ezine which is called Inspired Ideas. You can view the ezine HERE. It is FABULOUS and is just chalk full of holiday eye candy!!

I would recommend getting yourself a cup of tea, or maybe hot cocoa and giving yourself plenty of time to browse this little gem. I think you'll love what you see. I sure did...now I just need a printed version of it too! ;)

Boo 4 Me!

2010-10-25T18:22:00.006-04:00

Recently my Hubby and I made a trip up North to do some house hunting. We knew it would be a very fast paced trip, as we would only be in town for about 24 hours.

That being said, my son decided he would rather stay home. So lucky for us, my parents offered to come down and stay with him while we were gone. My son was thrilled of course and they had a blast and he got all the love and spoiling that only grandparents can give! :)

But, when I arrived home I had the greatest surprise waiting for me! My Mom and Son made me an adorable Halloween art piece that I just LOVE!!!

It is made with felt and is stretched over wooden stretcher bars. My Son cut out all the letters and hand stitched it as well. It is so perfect for me and fits beautifully over our stove. I am so grateful to my Mom for working on this with him!!

Philly Favors

2010-10-15T13:15:00.005-04:00

I love to make favors, for parties or as little gifts, surprises, or tokens etc. I just need an excuse and I am ready. So when my hubby started talking about the meeting he is hosting in Philadelphia and needing something to welcome each person attending, my mind smiled.

I decided to make candy bar sleeves, and picked Hershey bars in honor of Pennsylvania and went patriotic, Liberty Bell with my decor.

The great thing about these sleeves is when you pull the knotted ribbon, your candy bar slips right out. Super easy, super cute, and there are endless ways to decorate them.

My hubby also wrote a short welcome letter that I printed on parchment paper and wrapped around each candy bar before inserting them into the sleeve. I added some extra "Thank You" sleeves for him to give out, because when you host a big event you always feel grateful for any help you receive.

I had so much fun making these!! I plan to make them for Halloween as well as favors for my son's teachers and friends.

I found a wonderful blog You Can Stamp It! that has a great tutorial for making candy bar sleeves...you can find it HERE. What can I say, I'm too lazy to type the directions out myself ;) forgive me :) please :)

Sweet Fall Owl Wreath

2010-10-13T22:00:00.005-04:00

My Mom sent me a link a few weeks back of an owl wreath she saw on the web. She knew I would love it, and she was right!! I saved a copy of the picture because I was soooo inspired to make my own. This is the inspiration wreath:

Look at that adorable owl!!
I cannot find the website it came from, my Mom thinks it was HGTV.com but I have been over that site with no luck. I thought it was from CountryLiving.com, no luck there either. Well, it's out there somewhere...sorry I can tell you where.
I hunted at Michael's for a sweet little owl, not much to choose from. But I found one I liked enough so off I went!
Here is my wreath:

Now for a closeup of my sweet little owl.

I love looking at this wreath everyday, sure makes me smile!

Ruffle Obsessed

2010-09-11T09:52:00.004-04:00

I have been on a major ruffle kick lately...putting ruffles on everything I sew! There has been so much craziness in our lives lately, and much more to come, but my sewing has been a huge escape for me. When the craziness began, I decided I wasn't going to do any sewing until everything was settled. Okay, that lasted about one month. I couldn't stay away!! I guess sewing is just such a huge part of me that it can't be separated. :)

Of course the actual things I have been sewing are not things that I need...so I listed them in my poor, neglected Etsy shop. It had been so long since I had listed anything, some of the format had changed so I felt like I was completely new at it. :)

Here are some pics of my latest creations, I am really trying to improve my photos, taken with my cheapo camera.

In other sewing news, I am participating in a Sew-a-long on StacySews blog using Amy Butler's new book Style Stitches. Of course, the bag I chose to make has ruffles!! Big shocker there! It's called the Miss Maven, and here is a pic of it from the book:

I'll show you the fabrics I have chosen once I get my act together. It uses 2 sided fusible Peltex which I have never used before. I almost bought some on Ebay thinking I would never find any in my dinky town, but guess what?? The Walmart had it for $3.50 a yard!! Saved about $10 right there, yippee!

Okay ruffles, here I come!

Happy Momma's Day!!

2010-05-09T08:58:00.002-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there! Hope you have a wonderful day =) I had fun making a variety of "Mom" themed cards for friends and family.

Feeling Very Appreciative

2010-05-07T09:44:00.002-04:00

We have been blessed with so many wonderful teachers the 4 years my son has been in school. Teacher Appreciation Week is a great way for me to show how grateful we are for all they do for our son. Plus it gives me even more reasons to sew and craft!! =)
I made a card and new bag for my son's homeroom teacher.

She was thrilled with the bag. It is a great design, I bought the pattern from may & mae on Etsy. It's called the March Bag and you can find the listing HERE.

Then I made some supply boxes to hold all the little necessities teachers need, INCLUDING chocolate.

I even found mini staplers that use regular size staples! I was inspired to make these from a great tutorial found HERE, such a fantastic idea.

I bought the smaller version of the storage box she used which had 7 compartments instead of 17. Both size storage containers can be found at Walmart. I added a coat of gloss Modge Podge on the top of mine to seal and protect it.

My son also has a number of other teachers and Teaching Assistants that he works with so I wanted to make something special for them too.
I designed a Starbucks themed card, to go with the Starbucks gift cards we planned to give them.

Exterior:

Interior:

Then I made little fabric fold over wallets to hold the gift cards.

These were a lot of fun to make and really a great way to use and combine scrap fabrics.

Sure hope all they feel all the appreciation we have for them! Ahhh now I can relax... well maybe for a little while?

Happy Easter Images

2010-04-04T13:28:00.002-04:00

Have been having a wonderful time Easter decorating, crafting, gifting and landscaping! It has been so beautiful here in Florida this weekend, and it really feels like spring, and a time for rebirth and new beginnings!

Hope you are having a fantastic Easter weekend as well! xo

p.s. the tutorial for the adorable fabric carrots can be found at www.shinyhappyworld.com

Sweet Pea

2010-03-03T10:54:00.005-05:00

My Bunco group had a surprise baby shower for one of our players last week, so I had fun making some baby themed goodies!

I think I my have had as much fun making the little onesie card as I did the actual gift!

The sweet pea stamp is adorable, and it actually came from the $1 bin at Mike's a while back. The stamp was rectangle shape and too long for the card, so I just colored the words on the stamp with a Stampin Up marker and stamped that first. Then I cleaned the stamp, colored the baby portion with the markers and stamped that above the words. I used color pencils to shade the pea pod.

Directions for a onesie card can be found HERE =)

When debating about what to make for her gift, I thought about all the cute clutches I have seen lately. I figured why not make a diaper clutch? That way when you don't need to carry the big diaper bag, you can grab the clutch and have wipes and dipes handy when needed.

She's having a girl, so I went with pink! It is just big enough to hold a wipes case and a few diapers.

I was a little nervous about the gift because I don't really know the Mommy to be that well, but she really liked it so I was thrilled =)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T17:46:00.002-05:00

Nothing says Happy Valentine's Day than a cute little chunk of plush cheese, right??

Well, maybe not for you...but it is for a great girl I know. Her sister's Valentine's request was a stick of butter, because she LOVES butter...

She even had a dream that I made her a stick of butter, and I am happy to report that it lived up to her expectations =)

I also made some more box bags, these are so handy and really can hold a lot because of their shape.

If you'd like to give the box bag a try, my friend Stacy at Stacy Sews has the perfect tutorial you can find HERE.

And last but not least I FINALLY was able to make the Swaroski crystal hearts that Martha featured last year.

I had to modify her directions a little because I do not have the budget Martha obviously has for Swaroski crystals! LOL But I think they turned out beautiful anyway.

You could uses a variety of beads or crystals to make these, as long as you have small sizes for the bottom point.

Hope you all have had an awesome day, xoxo

Love Notes

2010-02-12T09:38:00.002-05:00

Today is the day for my son to exchange Valentines at school! I used to love this day when I was little =) I think he could take it or leave it. Oh well, he still wanted me to make handmade Valentines for him and use a gator theme, so that was alright with me.

I made a simple folded card that could hold a JUMBO roll of Smarties, and a last minute addition of a mechanical pencil. Because according to my son, everyone likes mechanical pencils! Duh...

Here is the front:

And the inside:

But of course I couldn't stop there...I made some Valentines for my friends and family and my son's teachers. I have been doing a lot of crafting lately with my new Big Shot and having so much fun! I decide to do a little purse shaped card with a flower brooch on the front that they can remove and pin on their sweater, jacket or bag =)

Front:

Inside:

Brooch:

The Brooch is made of interfaced fabric and felt, that I cut out using the Big Shot and a flower die, stacked them and added a faceted heart scrapbooking brad and added a pin back to the back. Super simple!

Hopefully everyone receiving these handmade Valentines will be feeling the love! XOXO
I have more Valentines goodies to show, but some are still under construction...gotta get busy!

Sorry about the dark pictures, but it is a cold, gloomy, rainy day here in the sunshine state =( But hey, at least there isn't snow!

Welcome 2010!

2009-12-31T19:29:00.002-05:00

Wanted to wish all my blogland friends a very Happy New Year!!

I sincerely hope you all have a joyous, healthy and prosperous 2010.

Reading creative blogs has been a fun and happy part of my life over the past year. I have also enjoyed using this blog as a way to keep track of all the creative things I have been busy with. I know my posting has slowed a bit, but I am grateful to all of those who have stuck with me. I appreciate so much all the kind comments, and your interest in my endeavours.

I was reminiscing today, looking at photos from 2009. To be honest I had completely forgotten about some of the things I have made! I picked some of my favorites and thought I'd share them again, I guess you could say "the year in review" ;)

If you celebrate tonight be safe! It will be a quiet one here, my boy has strep throat =( but we will watch fireworks off the back patio. Here in Florida, people shoot fireworks for every holiday! LOL

Take care and see ya next year! xoxo

Carrie's Christmas Workshop

2009-12-15T17:16:00.002-05:00

I have been a busy elf for the past month! I am really trying to make all my gifts this year, well, except for the men in the family....they just don't seem to be interested in all my crafty things...

I have been sewing, sewing, sewing, with some more sewing still to do but I wanted to post some pics of some of what I've made so far.

My awesome Mommie gave me a Moda Jellyroll, and yardage of Mary Engelbreit Christmas fabric and I used it all up and made...

Purses big and small and quilted covered journals:

I had just enough of the strips left to cover these Christmas journals I found at Michael's.
There is a tutorial for covering journals at MODA BAKESHOP.

Those last little purses are so cute and easy to make!! Find the tutorial for personal use HERE.
The pattern does not call for quilted fabric, I just chose to use fabric I had quilted =)

Then I made some fabric covered monogrammed 2010 day planners.

These day planners came from Michael's, and they have a nice cardboard cover, and fit in your purse and were only $1! I used the NO-Sew HeatNBond to attach the letters, and they will be stuck for good...

Then for the dogs lovers I bought some new leashes that have reflective threads weaved into them, and added bows and attached via split ring, little fabric bags to hold the plastic bags we need to take with us.

This is one for my friend Frannie who loves Mickey so much her beloved pooch is named Mickey =)

I still have several bags to finish and some other goodies to bake...wish me luck because I NEED it!! My first holiday guests arrive Saturday!

Happy Kitty ;)

2009-11-07T11:17:00.004-05:00

Okay, another swap done! Only 2 more to go woo hoo!
This was the Sock Doll Swap on Craftster....now I love making creatures from socks, so even though I NEED a sock creature like I NEED a migraine, I couldn't resist.
Here a couple sock cuties I created in the past:

You can't go wrong with socks, they have great patterns, colors and are soft. And, if you get them at your dollar store they are CHEAP!
My partner for this swap wanted something "cute A/O pretty" and she like cats, so this is what I came up with:

Hope she loves her! My partner should receive it today, so we shall see...
I heard from my partner in the Book Club Swap and she loved her goodies, and has already been using the patchwork bag and wore one of the headbands, yay!
On the Christmas front, last night I cut out and interfaced all the fabric for 10 bags! Now I can start the sewing. I am so proud of myself, but must confess I stayed up too late and today I am dragging. Oh, well, no pain no gain right?
Hope you are having a great weekend!

It's November?!?!?

2009-11-02T09:10:00.002-05:00

I am starting to feel the panic already. =) Seems like I just put up all the Halloween decorations and today they are coming down! =(
I have a LONG list of projects and things needing to be done by Christmas...hope I can manage it. I am also in the middle of 4 swaps, why did I do that to myself?? But one more swap is done yay!!
Here are the pics of what I sent:
Patchwork Bag for her knitting projects

A knitting needle case, here it is rolled up:

And unrolled:

And some fabric headbands made with Heather Bailey's Tutorial

I also sent 3 skeins of Vanna's Choice yarn in her fave colors.
Now they are off to the opposite end of the country, San Jose CA. Safe travels!
I winged the needle case, so hopefully it will work...the headbands are quick and fun to make and will definitely be on my Christmas gift making list. The only issue is you kind of have to know how big the person's head is you are making it for. Hopefully these will fit her.
My goal this year is to make most/all of the gifts we give...do you think I can do it??

Halloween Gifting

2009-10-25T08:30:00.003-04:00

One of my best friends here has 2 daughters, both of whom have October birthdays. I am in such a Halloweeen crafting mood right now, so I went that theme for their gifts! They received sock skeletons, cat zipper pouches with gift cards inside and other Halloween trinkets.

Robert Mahar of Mahar Dry Goods was recently on Martha and featured his sock skeleton. If you are a fan of making sock dolls I highly recommend giving this a try! I had a lot of fun making them.
Then I packed them up in some Halloween boxes I found at Target, just added a felt ruffle to the top.

If you are interested in the zipper pouches, they are from an Indygo Junction pattern, I make them smallest size, but I don't add any polyfill, makes it easier to put things in the pouch ;)

So true ;)

2009-10-23T22:02:00.003-04:00

There is a blog I follow called Whimsy Love, the author Nikki is very inspiring and talented and I always love to see what she is posting.
Her post today really rang true for me, as I am enjoying a surprise visit from my Mother and Grandmother. Both of whom are very creative and talented and have made me many wonderful things over the course of my life.
Anyway, take a peek at her post, I think you'll like it ;)
Whimsy Love

Coraline!

2009-10-16T10:53:00.003-04:00

Happy Friday! Okay, just a warning, this post has a ton of photos in it so hang in there =) My partner just received her package in the Coraline Round 2 Swap on Craftster so now I can post all the pics! I loved this swap and making all these goodies, I think it was one of my fave swaps ever!

So, my partner's fave character in the movie/book was Coraline's Dad and since he wore a Michigan State sweatshirt in the movie, I made a bag for her from a sweatshirt I bought on eBay:

I used the Birdie Sling pattern from Amy Butler, but had to modify it a little because of the size of the sweatshirt. The pattern also called for pleats, but that wouldn't work so I skipped them entirely WOO HOO, I hate making pleats.

I added a fabric flower with a Coraline button in the center since her Dad was such a great gardener:

It's on a pin back so she can remove it if she wants too.

Next I made a little Pink Palace pouch. The Pink Palace is the old Victorian house split up into apartments that Coraline and her family move into:

This is the back, I embroidered Pink Palace, just in case she was like, "What the heck is this??" HAHAHA I used the tutorial HERE but made some modifications. OOOH how cute would a haunted house pouch be?? Okay, I digress...back on task!

Then of course I had to make some sort of plush, so I went with the circus mice! This is how I packaged it, cute little circus mouse with little gray rats:

And here he is on his own:

Then I was kind of stuck on what else to make so I went back and read through my partner's questionnaire...and saw that she really wanted a t-shirt. Woops..totally missed that one. Off to Joann's for fabric paint and a t-shirt. Then spent the next afternoon painting this on the top front of the shirt:

I tried to make her smirking....eh, not so great but not so bad. I just saw a pic of my partner wearing it and it actually looks great and she loves it!

Then for good measure I added a pumpkin pin cushion I made because she is a sewer and they are just too darn cute!

Here is a tutorial for the Pumpkin. When I stuffed mine I used plastic pellets in the bottom and made the shape of the pumpkin a little more round. Oh, and I added a vintage button on top for the stem.
Okay, I think that was a long enough post! Thanks for hanging with me =) Have a great weekend! xo Carrie

Wow, it's October!

2009-10-14T17:06:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone! Happy fall y'all. Hope it's fall where you are, here in Florida we are still steamy. I miss fall!
But, I am still crafting for fall of course. And big time into swapping right now. Swapping seems to go in cycles for me...I swear off swaps and then there are times, like now I have been signed up for 6 swaps.

My most recently completed swap was a Halloween Altoid Swap on Craftster. My partner is a horror movie fan, as am I, especially the movie Halloween. Now, I am an old school Halloween fan, so I went with that.
This is the outside of the tin:

I attempted to make a pumpkin like that shown in the movie (notice I wrote attempted)haha and a street sign for Haddonfield which is the town the movie took place in.

Then the inside of the tin:

What always scared me the most in Halloween was when Michael would look in the window at his awaiting victim. So I tried to make a window frame for Micheal to peer into. I painted Michael's head/mask on layered cardstock and use wood trim for the frame. Oh, and added a quote from Dr. Loomis about Micheal.

This is a pic of the whole package:

I had a lot of fun making this tin and my partner seemed to love it!
Next I will post the Coraline Swap goodies, they are currently in transit, so I don't want to spoil it for my partner =)

Summer break =)

2009-07-15T08:51:00.008-04:00

Wow! I guess I've been on a summer blogging break of sorts...but I have been enjoying reading everyones blogs! We had a great beach trip, I turned another year older(UGH), and have been painting just about every room in my house. My sewing list is sooo long right now, I'm dying to get back to it! Hope you all are having a great summer!

Wanted to share some pics with you.... The first 2 are pictures of my fave bday gift that I got from my friend Cheri. She made me a set of 10 "Thank You" cards and this is the adorable box they came in:

And here are all the cards, look at the variety!

I love them, and it will be hard to part with them!

I have been able to squeeze in a little sewing for the "We Love our Blythes and Pullips" swap on good old Craftster. I decided to swap Pullip items this time around and had a lot of fun making 2 dresses and a chaise lounge for my partner who is new to Pullip collecting.
Dress #1:

Dress #2:

And a comfy chaise lounge for relaxing:

I love creating these chaise lounges, it's like building mini Ikea furniture, only you have to cut out all the pieces first! LOL
Hope she likes everything, I already received my goodies, so that will be my next post! =)

Something for ME!

2009-06-08T15:26:00.006-04:00

We will be heading to our annual beach trip soon, and I wanted to make a new bag for myself for the trip. I wanted something bright and summery, and I found this wonderful fabric combo that I fell in love with. Here is a closeup of the fabrics and my quilting.

I quilted the whole bag and added sunny yellow rick rack.

I had just enough fabric left over to make a bag to hold my books and magazines for the beach.

I did a simple little log cabin pocket for the front.
My goal for the summer is to do some more quilting on bags. I have been totally inspired by a recent book purchase PATCHWORK STYLE. The photos and fabric combinations in this book are lovely. I love quilting, but I seem to have a short attention span, so quilted bags are quick and rewarding!
****I just found this link to Patchwork Style that includes 2 FREE PATTERNS in the top right corner of the page. Have a look HERE!

I'm back! sorta...

2009-06-02T12:12:00.004-04:00

I know I've been gone a while...and I wish I could say I was on some fabulous adventure. But the truth is I had the flu which turned into bronchitis and I have been sick as a dog for about the past 9 days. Not fun or exciting =(

Prior to getting knocked out by germs, I was very busy making zipper pouches. Zipper pouches are one of my favorite things to make, super easy quick and take little fabric. First, I made these little cuties for a dear friend's daughter. She is having an "End of the School Year" bash and these will hold the invites and serve as the party favor too!

The zipper pulls are made with some cute pink peace sign earrings I found at Target.

Then, I was asked to do a personal swap with a fellow Craftster who is making her first trip to Disney and wanted 2 pouches to carry cash and cards in. I found this really cute Tinkerbell fabric.

For these zipper pulls, I used these cute Mickey beads. They sell these Mickey bead bracelets in the Disney parks, I always buy them when we go, because when you take them apart you can use them in so many different ways!

If you have some spare time make a zipper pouch! You won't regret it, there are about a million tutorials out there, but I found THIS ONE for you that is really well written and will make the perfect pouch. Go for it!

And lastly I leave you with a picture of how my dogs spend their day. They both sit on the left side of the couch in my hubby's office looking out a front window. They bark and growl at anything outside that moves....such fierce watch dogs!!

The pillows on that side of the couch are all squished....drives me nuts! =)

EtSy FriDaY FUN!

2009-05-22T08:51:00.006-04:00

Happy Friday! I had a message this morning that my Chocochippies on Etsy were added to the HANDMADE J.U.N.K.F.O.O.D. Treasury on Etsy.

You can take a look at all the goodies chosen for the Treasury HERE. There are some really cute things on this Treasury, I really like that donut ring!

More Fabric Folios!

2009-05-19T19:01:00.002-04:00

Remember the fabric folios I made for Teacher Appreciation? Well....the teachers REALLY liked them and I was asked to make 8 more!

I made them all different so each teacher could have the one that most suited her tastes. I really like making these, and sure hope they love them and find them useful.
The school year is winding down, YAY!! I think I want summer to be here as much as my son does. They sent a note home today saying this would be the last week of homework for the year. What a relief! HAHAHAHA
Anyone have any good ideas for a craft project I can do with 2nd graders at the end of the year party? I have one idea but need another.....HELP!

Yikes...where have I been?

2009-05-12T20:12:00.006-04:00

Okay I guess this should be an update post...
Teacher week ended on Friday, but I did give 2 more gifts that I neglected to post.
Day #4:
A Cupcake fabric bucket filled with dry erase markers. Dry erase markers are always needed by our teachers and I thought she could use the bucket to hold them, or to hold whatever she wishes!

Day #5:
Then for Friday, I made her some Georgia Bulldog pillowcases.

I found this cute pink Georgia fabric, and knew she had to have it because she is such a huge Georgia fan. I wasn't sure if I should make a bag with it, because it is so baby pink. I was asking aloud what to make....and my hubby answered very matter of fact.."pillowcases". He's so smart! I must be rubbing off on him HAHAHA

These pillowcases make such great gifts, my Mom got me hooked on them a couple of years ago. I found a good tutorial for you all if you'd like to give them a try. You can find it HERE

And last but definitely not least...I received my stuffie from the Craftster Swap. This totally adorable owl. I love the fact it's so colorful and I love all the details she added!

Owls are a fave of mine, and I love all the owly variety out there in the crafty world...every owl I see out there is so different from the next!

Fabric Folios and a Pink Wig

2009-05-06T15:49:00.004-04:00

Teacher Week Day #3
I had purchased a Tutorial off Etsy a little while back on how to make patchwork portfolios and had been wanting to give them a try...finally got to do it for the teachers, and had fun making them! Mine aren't the same size as the tut says they will be...I may not have printed the pattern pieces correctly, oops. Anyhoo, they are really easy and quick and turn out super cute!

On the inside I added a notepad, pen and gift certificate to Artsy Abode, one of my fave little boutiques for Brighton and Pandora goodies.

Once I finished the teachers' folios, I quickly made myself one with this adorable skully fabric, you can sort of tell in the pic, but the fabric is glittery too!

With all my required gift sewing done for the week, I am sitting relaxing in the a.c. (It's 93 outside!!) making alterations to a candy pink Blythe wig....one of my Pullips is getting a makeover. I didn't think about her head being so much smaller than Blythe...luckily it's an easy alteration. More pics to follow on that subject.
Off to football practice later...ugh

Cupcakey

2009-05-05T18:38:00.003-04:00

Teacher Week day #2....
My son and I planted a cute pink plant in a pot we hand painted to look like a cupcake paper liner and then added a little cherry on top.

The cherry is made by adding a wood bead to the end of a wood dowel. I made a cupcake tag just to give a little hint it's supposed to be a "cupcake" =) then my son wrote a cute note on the back of the tag.

I got this idea from Nikki at Whimsy Love. She used way bigger cherry beads, which I like better...but I was trying to be a good girl and use up beads I had on hand. Next time, I will use the bigger beads too! =)

When we took it to school this morning, all the kids said, "Hey there's a cherry on top!" Made me smile.

Garden Beauty and Teacher Week!

2009-05-04T19:56:00.004-04:00

Well my favorite flower is blooming beautifully in my yard....HYDRANGEAS! =) I love 'em!

I'm not the only one that appreciates their beauty, check this little guy out:

If I was a lizard, I think I'd lounge on hydrangeas too!
And if I had money to burn...I'd buy myself this Dooney & Bourke Hydrangea tote...GORGEOUS!!! Oh well...a girl can dream.

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week at my son's school, which is fun for me because I get to make lots of cutesy things for my son's teachers. I figured chocolate is always useful on a Monday, so we got jumbo Hershey bars and I wrapped them in beautiful scrapbook papers and decorated them with pretty flowers and cut little tags.

My son wrote a little note on the back too. Tomorrow's gift is a cutie..so come back and have a peek!

Little Cuppy Cake Bucket

2009-04-30T23:08:00.003-04:00

Finally something to post! I have been under the weather since Saturday...really not sewing until today. But my sketchbook is now full of many new ideas and plans =)

One plan, was to make some little fabric buckets for some gifts I will be giving soon. My Mom gave me this adorable fabric, and I think they look great.

I added a little dollop of frosting with sprinkles and a strawberry on each one HAHA

I must confess tho- when I sketched and planned these out, I don't know what I was thinking with my measurements. When I sewed the first one up, it was not bucket shaped at all! More like ice tray shaped...yikes! I guess when I am not feeling well I need to stay away from numbers. Luckily my head was clear enough today to get it right!

Sorry about the weird photos...my camera and it's focus are dying a slow death...must get new camera...maybe for Mother's Day?? I want a pink one =)

I was proud of myself tonight..I added some new things to my Etsy! I added 3 of my Owlies to the shop. Maybe I'll put a couple of these buckets in there too. Oh...and my swap partner really liked her jellyfish, YAY!! Goodnight xo

Stuffies Swap Spoiler

2009-04-24T16:15:00.005-04:00

Well, I sent my swap package today for the Craftster Stuffies Swap so hopefully, my partner won't see this! I usually wait till they have received, but I have been done with the stuffie for a while and I want to share it =).
My partner requested a squid or octopus or jellyfish stuffie, which I thought was great, since I have never made any of those. So, I chose jellyfish! I didn't really plan this stuffie for long, sort of just winged it, and it turned out exactly like I wanted!! Here she is in action...

Now she's resting...swimming makes you tired!

The top of her body is six pieces and she has a flat belly. I used rick rack yarn and fleece for her tentacles, and added a ruffle around her middle. When I finished the top part of her body and added the ruffle, it looked like a baby bonnet! HAHAHA I was worried a little then, but when I added the tentacles and eyes it definitely reduced the bonnet factor.

I decided to make her a couple of extra goodies too...like some jellyfish earrings and some little note cards.

My friend had a jellyfish stamp that was too perfect!

I really hope she likes it!

I'm so pleased with the jellyfish, I think I might make some more and add them to my Etsy shop. My poor shop has been so neglected...my goal is to get in gear and update it! Do any of you out there have an Etsy shop..and if so, how often do you update it? And leave me your shop name too...I love to visit the shops!

Happy weekend!!

No Way!

2009-04-21T20:16:00.002-04:00

I was reading CraftApple's Blog yesterday and she had mentioned that she googled her blog name and found some interesting things...So of course, I tried it. Although technically I Yahooed, not Googled "Sew Very Carrie".

One thing I found was that my Waldorf inspired doll I made in the Craftster Dollar Store Challenge, was written up on Dollar Store Crafts. I was surprised and happy...because she looks so darn cute. They are my pictures, but I had kinda forgotten how great she turned out! =)

I know to many bloggers this is really not a big deal, but to little ole me...I felt famous for about 5 minutes! HAHAHA

Here she is!

Seeds Please

2009-04-17T17:03:00.004-04:00

My hubby's company always does something nice for their clients in the spring and this year they had special Zinnia seed packets made for the reps to give out. My Hubs asked if I could do somehting with the packets to spice them up a little...oh yeah, no prob!!

So I headed to the Dollar Tree because I knew I had seen some colorful garden gloves there and sure enough I found what I needed. I had to laugh at the clerk, when he saw all the gloves I was buying he asked, "You planning to put a lot of people to work in your yard or something??"
I added a ribbon loop to the packets and then used a ribbon to tie a bow around the gloves and attached the packet in the bow.

But I think my favorite part are the little library clips I clipped to each seed packet.
I decorated the clips with paper flowers and an acrylic flower brad. Scrapbooking brads are perfect for this because the legs of the brads are very bendable and can wrap right around the hole in the top of the clip. All of the supplies for the clips were purchased at Michael's, and can be found in the scrapbooking section.

You know....this would be a perfect gift for Mother's day...decorate a cute little terracotta pot and have the gloves and seed packets nestled inside. Just thinkin' =)

Paper Fun!

2009-04-15T20:45:00.004-04:00

I have been doing some paper crafting, one for charity and one for a birthday!
A fellow paper crafter on Craftster asked me to create a chunky page for her to add to her "Book of Hope 2009" that will be auctioned off to raise funds in her Relay for Life for the Canadian Cancer Society. I was so honored she asked me to participate. The theme of the book is Hope...and this is the page I created.
FRONT:

I envisioned a butterfly flying above the rough waters. And that hope can give you wings to do so. I layered the butterfly wings so they are 3 dimensional and then used crystal effects on them to make them shiny.
BACK:

You can see some of the other pages crafters have created for the "Book of Hope 2009" HERE Can't wait to see all the pages once they are together!

I have a scrapbooking friend that recently turned 40 and as a surprise gift everyone made her a 6x6 inch page to commemorate the event. I didn't have a picture of just the 2 of us, so I had to come up with something else:

I had just recently purchased this license plate stamp set and I love it! So versatile, I know I'll be using it a lot. =)

Helloooooo Kitty!

2009-04-13T13:36:00.003-04:00

Hope your Easter was wonderful, ours sure was! I was so happy to see what was waiting for me in my basket Easter morn...the super cute Hello Kitty Greetings cartridge for my Cricut! How did The Bunny know??? ;)

These are all the fabulous things I will be able to cut out with my Cricut using this cartridge

The thought of creating a 2 foot Hello Kitty makes me very happy!! And check out the little bat and HK in her black cat Halloween costume. Gotta love it!
I'm getting ready to do a plush swap on Craftster...sure hope my partner is a HK fan so I can whip up a little card for her. I am proud to say I have been a HK fan since 1978, wow, over 3 decades of HK love...go kitty!

Happy Easter to you!

2009-04-11T22:59:00.002-04:00

Hope you all have a wonderful Easter! We had a fabulous Spring Break in Orlando and are home just in time to set out the Easter baskets and cook a yummy dinner tomorrow. Enjoy your day! =)

Spring Breaked....

2009-04-04T16:35:00.004-04:00

We are officially on Spring Break here...YAY! I told me son yesterday morning that this was his last day of school before break and he answered, "Oh good I have a 9 day weekend!" Gotta love it =) We will be heading to Sea World for a few days to have some fun!
My Anna Maria Horner pattern: Multi-Tasker Tote arrived yesterday and I have already sewn one. Here it is!

I'm really pleased with it, and plan to make MANY more. The construction of the tote is different than any I have ever made before, and honestly when I first read through the pattern I was like.."What??" But once I got going it all came together beautifully. The only thing I did differently is that I also interfaced the lining because I wanted a sturdier bag. I was concerned it might affect the gathering above the strap, but, no problem there. I think next time I might make the straps a little narrower though.
I made the Multi-Task Tote to take on our trip and wanted it to match this adorable little wallet/pouch I bought at Kohl's the other day.
I think they look pretty great together, very Springy, definitely colorful and fun.

I'm off to enjoy my 9 day weekend, Happy Spring!

A Birdie Herd...

2009-04-01T23:17:00.004-04:00

I've been busy making birdie pouches...12 to be exact! They will be my Easter gifts for friends and family. I filled them with chocolates.

This time I actually felted a beautiful wool sweater from the Salvation Army to use as the body for the birdie. I was excited to actually find a wool sweater...they are few and far between here in Florida. =) We don't personally own ANY! HAHA

For the birdie's belly I used a pretty daisy fabric and instead of the wing shape included in the pattern I cut heart shaped wings.

Oh, and I added a jump ring with ribbon and rick rack to the zipper. In case you want to make your own birdie herd you can find Betz White's pattern for purchase HERE

Can't Hardly Wait =)

2009-03-28T21:23:00.004-04:00

I usually try to be strong and resist buying purse/tote patterns. Mainly because I have about a trillion bags I have made for myself and don't NEED any new bags, and for the most part I just make up my own designs as I go along.
But a little while ago I saw this bag design on Anna Maria Horner's blog and fell in love:

I love how the handles are encased on the sides and then the casing gathers..think that looks really cool! But, lucky for me the pattern was still in printing and not available...whew...close call.
Weeks passed...then today she blogged that the pattern is now available and in a moment of weakness....I bought it! Now I am so excited to make it! Can't hardly wait for the pattern to arrive!

Check it Out!

2009-03-28T20:48:00.004-04:00

I received my Arrested Development Swap package yesterday from my partner Barbolot and I scored BIG TIME!!
First some awesome grocery totes:

Check out the pockets! First the one inspired by Lindsey's Hot Ham Water

And this one inspired by the notion that Lucille thought a banana would cost $10

Then an adorable seal pin cushion, this is the seal that bit off Buster's hand. =(

Then check this out! 2 pillowcases of my fave 2 characters Buster and Michael..

How cool are those stencils??? And I love the embroidered sayings..."hey brother" and "family first".
This was such a fun swap and I just love everything I received!

Mystery Bag Sew-Along

2009-03-25T17:38:00.004-04:00

I realized that I hadn't posted my finished bag for the Mystery Bag Sew-Along that I participated in on Lola's Blog. SO without further a do...

Oh yeah....forgot to mention that I changed the fabrics I chose to use. I had forgotten I bought this fabric to make a bag, I saw this same fabric as a VERY simple tote bag in a boutique for $34 bucks! =) I am really pleased with it and had a lot of fun doing the sew-along.
The mystery aspect was great, I was really looking forward to the last day so I could see how it would all come together. I had never done a sew-along before, but if you ever come across one, I say DO IT! =)

Swappin' Big Time

2009-03-20T12:51:00.002-04:00

Well, the Chunky Houses Swap on Craftster is winding down, and I have received all of my lovely houses. Here is a picture of my new neighborhood:

I think they look gorgeous together and have been keeping them on the mantle for everyone to see. They are getting ready to do another round on Craftster so if anybody out there is interested, I say go for it!
My husband and I are HUGE fans of the show "Arrested Development" and miss it greatly...although we do quite often watch the 3 short seasons of it's life on DVD.
I knew I had to participate in the Arrested Development Swap on Craftster and I had so much fun making these goodies for my partner barbolot. If you are a fan of the show you will probably like all of these things, but if your aren't you might say, "what the?" HAHA =)
First off, we both love the character Buster, so I made her a Buster Bag which was inspired by the episode titled "Beef Consomme" in which he wears a blue sweater and gray pants to his father's trial.

This is the scene in the show that inspired the bag.

MICHAEL: All right, I'll be sure to tell Buster. All right. Bye. (hangs up) Mom wanted me to tell you that she doesn't care whether you live or die, but if you're not dead she would like to see you at the courthouse tomorrow in the blue sweater.

BUSTER: Damn it! I hate the blue sweater.

MICHAEL: She said it would look nice with the gray pants.

BUSTER: Damn it! She's right.

Of course I had to add some sort of flowery thing to it, so I made a felt flower and a little Buster button for the center of it.

The Bluth family owns a Frozen Banana Stand business so I made her a Banana Stand apron:

close up of Mr. Banana:

And last but not least, barbolot's favorite episode is "Bringing up Buster" in which a bird gets into Buster's condo and walks across his pillow...he is thrilled with that of course...so I made her a little bird zippered pouch and filled it with candy.

The bird is made from a pattern I bought from Betz White and it is so cute in person!!
I just sent the package yesterday, so I really hope she likes everything. =)
Have a great weekend, my baby boy turns 8 tomorrow, 8 is GREAT!! So we will be having some fun this weekend, hope you do too! XO

Night Owls and Nani Cats

2009-03-19T09:59:00.003-04:00

I was feeling the need to make a new stuffie, so I thought why not an owl?? I love all the owls and birds you see everywhere right now in fabrics, paper crafting, clothes, jewelry, etc. I read or heard somewhere that in the crafting world, "birds are the new cupcakes"...and that is just fine with me, although I am and will always be a cupcake fan! =)
So I drew out a pattern, then enlarged it a little and tried to keep it simple, for quick and easy sewing. I dug out all my safety eyes, and fabric and wool felt scraps and "Voila!" some little Night Owl pillows were born!

Now of course, while trying to photo them our cat Nani Cats had to get right in the middle of it. She's very nosey...I love this picture, she's perfectly in between the owls!

Here, she is trying to intimidate me to give her some treats in return for the successful photo shoot.

I'm a push over and she knows this...

One Lucky Irish Girl

2009-03-17T10:28:00.003-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you! Hope the luck of the Irish is with you today. I sure feel LUCKY in life!

I made this necklace for myself with supplies from Mike's, the line is called Fresh, and I love all of it. You can see it HERE.
So enjoy your day, eat some corned beef, drink a green beer and feel LUCKY! xoxo

Diaper Bag #723

2009-03-15T17:59:00.002-04:00

Okay...not really but it does seem like I make a lot of diaper bags! =) I really like this one, I think the fabric combo is so nice.

I don't personally know the Mommie that will be receiving this bag...so I hope the combo will be to her liking. She's had a boy so I wanted something in boyish colors, but still somewhat feminine.

Well then, as a nice change of pace from diaper bags, I have decided to participate in a Mystery Purse Sew Along. It has just started so if anyone out there would like to do it to, it's not too late! Here is an older link to the Sew Along that lists all the needed notions etc. CLICK ME . And here is a link to the first set of directions she just posted: CLICK ME. Each day she will add the next step to her blog. FUN! Lola is a great seamstress/bag maker so I know it will be a huge success!
After much internal debate I have chosen these 2 fabrics for the Sew Along...I think they are beautiful and would make a lovely spring bag.

I'll make sure I post a picture of the bag when I am done!

Yummy in my Tummy

2009-03-12T13:33:00.004-04:00

I spent yesterday afternoon being very domestic.
First, I baked some delicious, big chocolate chip (with pecans added) cookies using the recipe found HERE. This is the best recipe I have found for making really big cookies =)
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Then I made some adorable gift tags with the Yummy stamp set from Stampin' Up and some polka dot paper and ribbon from Mike's.

Then I bagged up those cookies....

And shared them with friends....Yummy for your tummy =)

Liddle Lamzy Divey

2009-03-04T12:46:00.005-05:00

Well, what a shock, I have entered another challenge on Craftster...this time the "Craft a Favorite Song" challenge. You can check out all the entries HERE and they are awesome!
For my song I chose, "Mairzy Doats" which is a song from the 1940's that my Grammie would sing to us when we were little and we loved it. The song is a play on nonsense words, but when sung even by little ones it sounds like something else. My favorite part of the song was about the liddle lamzy divey, or "little lambs eat ivy" I always imagined a little lamb frolicking and eating ivy.

So I created a very little lamb locket in honor of my Grammie and how special she has always made me feel

Here are the lyrics, composed in 1943 by Milton Drake:
Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?
Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?
If the words sound queer and funny to your ear, a little bit jumbled and jivey,
Sing "Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy."

You can hear it HERE

Here are some details and photos:
I have a couple of of silver 2 1/2 inch pocket watch cases that I bought at a sale and decided to use one as a locket/box frame for my Liddle Lamzy. First I printed the lyrics and used that as my base for inside the case. Then I used watercolor pencils to draw a meadow. I used some old decorator sample books for the fabric for the lamb, they had the perfect texture. Cut out my lamb shapes and the ears and glued everything down. I put a small bead under her face to give it dimension. I painted details to her face. Then I did my shading and added micro beads and a flower bead around her neck. I had a pipe cleaner that was just the right color to frame Lamzy.

I think the voting takes place March 6 through March 12, of course Lamzy would love your vote, I would be forever grateful =) Have a great day XO

Come on Over to My House....

2009-02-23T15:53:00.002-05:00

Well, after that brief sewing break I am back to paper crafting =) I am doing the Chunky House Swap on Craftster and you can read more about it HERE, but basically it is like a chunky page, but in the shape of a house. I loved the Chunky Page Swap I did last year so I knew I had to do it, plus I'm such a sucker for swaps...We were put in groups of 5, you make 4 for others and one for yourself.
Lucky for me, I have a whole bag full of dollhouse windows, and doors etc. that my Mom gave me a while back, so I knew I would use them. Once I picked all the paper I wanted to use, I painted a window frame for each house.

I used scrapbook paper for the houses, it's a new line from K&Company called Que Sera Sera and it is GORGEOUS! See the line HERE
So these are my finished houses, with all their embellishments, and paint and ink and buttons, and whatever else I could find:

This is the whole development:

This is what the backs look like, each one has different paper. I used my Cricut to cut out the letters...gosh I love that thing!

And here is a closeup of the happy lady smiling at you through the window:

I really hope my partners like them....I'm nervous!

I'm Bringing Sewing Back! YEAH!

2009-02-19T10:27:00.002-05:00

I was thinking that all I have been sharing on this blog lately is paper crafty stuff...but I have been sewing too! First I made 2 of this bag, one for me and one for a friend. I love this A.M.H. fabric, called Chocolate Lollipop. I know, it's from an older line, but I still love it. =) I saw some in Asheville this summer and bought a couple of yards, CHEAP! I used this pattern you can find HERE. I really like this pattern and plan to make more for gifts, etc.

Then a friend asked me to make a diaper bag for a friend of hers and wanted a lady bug theme. I found 2 great fabrics at Joann's and this is what I came up with. My own pattern, super simple with 6 exterior pockets. The middle pocket holds a wipes container and the outside pockets hold bottles/sippy cups.

Sorry about the blurriness of the pics, my camera is not working well...=/
I'm getting ready to go deliver it now, so hopefully she'll love it! 2 more diaper bags to make for our friends, everyone (not me) is having babies again! Go Mamas!!

Happy <3 Day!

2009-02-13T09:54:00.002-05:00

These are the teachers' gifts for my son's teachers. Don't ya love the little cheese boxes?? Not my original idea, the tut for the box can be found HERE. I used a 6 x 12 piece of paper however, because I wanted to give a little more candy.

My son wanted to give his classmates a Florida Gator Valentine, he is a huge Gators fan. So this is what I came up with. The gator holds a Blowpop in his chompers =)

It was so funny to hear his NON Gator fan friends' reactions to these! LOL I think that might have been the main reason he wanted Gator Valentines!

Bluey Wins!!

2009-02-09T15:09:00.002-05:00

"FLY" Little Blue Bird won the Papercrafts Challenge on Craftster, WOOOHOOO, TWEET TWEET!!!!
Thank you very much if you put in a vote for Bluey, I really appreciate it. You are awesome =) The prizes for winning can be seen HERE and HERE.
Pretty spiffy! Thanks Craftster!

Charmed...I'm sure =)

2009-02-07T16:44:00.003-05:00

My charms are done! First I made 2 sets of 7 Blythe themed charms for the Arte-du-Blythe charm swap. We have 7 people swapping so our bracelets will have 14 beautiful, different charms total. Can't wait to see the finished bracelet. Here are the sets I made:

And my lovely Fiona modelling the charms:

Then, my cupcake charms for the Craftster swap. I think I had as much fun making the cupcake cards as I did the charms.

We have 12 people in this swap, so the in the end we will have a nice chunky bracelet. I actually found the bracelet I'll use for these charms today at Michael's, big silver links with a really pretty "C" initial charm hanging in the middle. I'll post both bracelets when they are done.
I love charm bracelets...anyone else out there collect charms???

"FLY" little blue bird

2009-02-02T18:44:00.003-05:00

I decided VERY last minute to submit an entry into the Craftster Paper Crafts Challenge: "Chinese Menu". The premise was to recycle common items into whatever you wished. These were the guidelines as posted in Craftster:
"Your project can be anything, but you must incorporate one item from Column A and two items from Column B in your project.

Column A (Choose one)
take out menu
newspaper
junk mail
old postcard

Column B (Choose two)
magazine or catalog
phone book
childrens' book
sheet music
advertisement flyer
brown paper bag

So I rummaged in my recycling bin and found an ad flyer with a great colors and a map on it, a paper shopping bag from the Biltmore, and newspaper. I had sheet music, and used a 5x5 canvas I got for Christmas.

This was my finished piece:

I'm so glad I decided to do this challenge, even if I don't win, because I really like my little bird! =) And I never would have sat down to make this if it wasn't for the challenge.
If you are interested, go check out and the entries HERE
I think you may have to be a member of Craftster to vote in the challenge, but "FLY" on over anyway ;) and I'd be very grateful if you cast a vote for little blue bird xo

Charmed life...

2009-01-31T21:51:00.004-05:00

I'm participating in a couple of charm swaps right now and working on Valentine's gifts too. So, this is what I was up to today and this is what my work area looks like right now...

But, I made a lot of progress and should be able to finish up tomorrow. One of the swaps I'm doing is for the Arte du Blythe group I ma in and it's a Blythe charm swap. I took some photos to make shrinky dinks with and it has worked beautifully before, but this time I was NOT happy =( Will have to retry tomorrow.
We have a winner for the pin cushion!! Only one comment so she is the lucky winner!! I've got your addy EC and I'll mail it Monday. Thanks for your comment, you are a sweetie! =)

Have a heart...from me to you!

2009-01-28T15:13:00.004-05:00

As I was cruising around the other day, I found a site with free pincushion patterns. One in particular really caught my eye, the Homespun Heart Pincushion. I have to be honest, I need another pincushion like I need a migraine, but I have a weakness for them. It's a super easy project, you can find the directions HERE. You can make it with a single fat quarter, another weakness of mine ;)! Here is my finished cushion:

It's actually pretty big so I think next time I might make a smaller version. I was able to make 3 with the 1/2 yard of Valentine's fabric I had. So guess what....I have one to give away! So, if you'd like a chance to win this little pin cushion made with lots o' love, leave a comment in this post and let me know what you have a weakness for...fabric? pin cushions? cookies? puppies? kittens? Yikes...I guess I'm pretty weak!
I will randomly pick a comment on Saturday morn and post it. Good Luck!

Hey Cookie!

2009-01-27T10:38:00.003-05:00

While my G.G. was visiting we tried out a recipe for BIG 5 inch Chocolate Chip Cookies. I love BIG cookies, especially for gift giving and thought they would be great to give the teachers for Valentine's. A BIG wrapped cookie is a great treat, but every time I've tried to bake them before, I haven't been happy with them. I am a cookie snob I guess, I like the cookies I bake to look perfect. =)
I followed the recipe you can find HERE minus the sea salt and they turned out PERFECT and BIG! They baked evenly and when done were lovely round thick cookies. The recipe made 18 cookies, and I plan to bake them again for Valentine's gifts. Give them a try, but make sure you give yourself 24 hours for the dough to chill. You won't be disappointed!

A blog I follow Lola..Again posted a cookie quiz so I took the quiz too! Here is my result;

Quizzes Girls Games

I love fortune cookies, so I think it's a good match for me! =) Although I'm not sure I would consider myself mysterious...but maybe I should!

Lucky Me....HOO? Me!

2009-01-23T16:11:00.004-05:00

My little Valentine Owlie arrived today, YAY! He's is adorable and best of all I WON him! I was visiting Nikki of Whimsy Love's blog and she was offering a giveaway, and lucky me won. Check him out:

So sweet, thanks Nikki!! You can visit her blog HERE
On to some more owls...HOO? Owls! These are the Valentine's cards I made for the Craftster Classroom Valentine's Card Swap. My cards say "Love Owl-ways" and I really like the little owl stamp I used. He's a cutie too.

I am loving this swap because just about everyday I am receiving a Valentine in the mail and by the time it is done I will have 24 Valentine's. Just like in elementary school. It's always a nice surprise to see what will be waiting in my mail box. =)

SWAK XO

2009-01-17T09:12:00.003-05:00

I have been lucky enough to have my Grandmother aka G.G. visiting with us for a few weeks. And my Mommie aka Sweetie also came down to visit with us and G.G. too. Oh and G.G. is Sweetie's Mommie. Okay...are you confused now?
Well, amongst all this confusion we have been crafting, YAY!! This is a project I have been working on, for Valentine's.

Just paper piecing on a canvas. Then I painted the edges, added some Modpodge, baubles and ribbon. The monkey is a pattern that can found in the current issue of Cloth Paper Scissors. They used a larger version to make a pieced pillow top. I made the froggie pattern after I was inspired by a frog I saw on a cellophane treat bag. I think froggie is my favorite. ;)

Blythe Charm Swap

2009-01-12T08:26:00.004-05:00

This is another swap I am participating in. We will all have a lovely Blythe charm bracelet when we are done. Yay! I'll post pictures when it's done.

Yay I'm famous! Ok, not at all...

2009-01-08T15:23:00.005-05:00

I am a member of Craftster and LOVE Craftster, do all kinds of swaps on it etc. I do periodically post completed projects and visit the site a lot. It is a great online community and I HIGHLY recommend joining it. Well, anyway, I was looking at their "Best of 2008" and under "Most Popular Swaps" category was the Chunky Book Page Swap I participated in. And I noticed that 2 of my chunky pages are featured in the photo. YAY!!! Mine are the ones in the upper left and lower right corner.

I recognized the LOVE one right away, but it took me a while to recognize the BLESSED one. If you ever have a chance to do a chunky page swap DO IT! So, fun =)
The Link to Craftster's "Best of 2008" is HERE

Great finds...

2009-01-07T16:57:00.003-05:00

I received a number of yummy gift cards for Christmas and once school was back in session, I hit the stores!!!
Michael's had Martha goodies on clearance, I got these awesome rub-ons and cutie pie pennants for $1.49 each. YAY!

Then I found this FABulous mushroom fabric at Joann's which was not expensive per yard and then 30% off, WHEE!

Then, after school I was rooting around in the garage and found a bag of "old" junk jewelry and lookie what was hiding in there!!! I don't remember the story behind this one, I will ask my Mom. But I LOVE IT!!! The little faces are really sweet.

So other than the fact that I lost my NEW Brighton sunglasses somewhere along the way it was a GOOD day. =)

Resolutions....

2009-01-06T12:27:00.004-05:00

Well, it's January 6th and I've already broken one of my resolutions....My resolution was to NOT participate in as many craft swaps this year, mainly to save some $, and I have signed up for three already...oh well, you only live once right?? =)
The first is a bookmark swap on Craftster. I had to make 4, easy peasy lemon squeezy. I did elastic style, which I love because it will not fall out of your book. Yay!

Bookmark in action:

If you want directions there is a great tutorial HERE
So, Happy New Year and happy reading!

Polar Kitty

2008-12-24T10:46:00.004-05:00

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

2008-12-22T10:33:00.005-05:00

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...

2008-12-19T13:31:00.006-05:00

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...

2008-12-15T22:35:00.002-05:00

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...

2008-12-11T20:36:00.002-05:00

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...

2008-11-18T15:16:00.006-05:00

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

2008-11-14T20:55:00.002-05:00

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...

2008-11-13T10:19:00.002-05:00

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!

2008-11-09T11:33:00.002-05:00

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 =)

2008-11-03T12:05:00.008-05:00

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!!

2008-10-31T13:05:00.005-04:00

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

2008-10-30T12:54:00.005-04:00

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....

2008-10-27T23:38:00.009-04:00

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...

2008-10-23T13:40:00.006-04:00

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!!

2008-10-20T07:39:00.003-04:00

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!!!

2008-10-16T21:37:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-13T12:44:00.003-04:00

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!!

2008-10-12T18:02:00.003-04:00

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...

2008-10-08T21:49:00.004-04:00

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!!

2008-09-29T09:23:00.003-04:00

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!

2008-09-27T22:56:00.005-04:00

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

2008-09-22T16:11:00.007-04:00

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!

2008-09-20T08:52:00.004-04:00

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!

2008-09-17T16:13:00.002-04:00

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!

2008-09-16T23:27:00.005-04:00

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

2008-09-12T22:49:00.004-04:00

New green eyes for Fiona.

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