Ruffle Obsessed

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!!

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

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

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

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 =)