A few Halloween projects

I was supposed to get the inside Halloween decorating done this weekend.  I got about 2% of it done.  :0\  But... part of that 2% was putting together some new decorations.  The first one was super easy... just a new insert for my seasonal framed piece that I change out for most holidays.  I've been doing this for about 2 or 3 years now but didn't have one yet for Halloween (how is that even so?).  I'm kind of glad I waited because Stampin Up! released an MDS Subway Art template for Halloween.  I did some editing to it (increased & shifted about 30 elements on it one-by-one), added an additional background, added some shadows on a few of the words and changed some of the colors [changed anything that was either peach parfait or calypso coral (they didn't seem to go well with the rest of the colors) to elegant eggplant].  It took me about an hour or so but I'm really happy with the results.  Since I've made my sisters identical framed art, I'm going to need to scale these down to 5x7 for each of them now!  I've gotta figure out how to do that in MDS!  But in the meantime... my subway art is displayed....

Please pardon the dust.  oy!  The 3 candles are new this year; they made me laugh so I had 

to get them.  They're a little hard to see but they're a frankenstein, a ghost, and a witch.  

A tip for anyone who may read this and start making a framed piece that you'll switch out 

each holiday or season.... I keep all of them tucked inside the frame.  I simply open up the 

back and rotate them accordingly.  Simple storage that keeps them safe from damage, too.

Products used (everything is from SU! unless otherwise noted):

Cardstock: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie;

Digital Elements: MDS Software, Toxic Frameable Designer Template, First Edition DSP

 Other:   frame (unknown)

My second project was crazy easy.  I actually laughed after I was done making it because it was THAT crazy easy.  I saw the idea on a blog somewhere and now I can't find it (could have sworn I pinned it).  But since I just spent more time trying to find the original pin on Pinterest than it actually took me to make this, it's time I give up on finding the source and just get to it.  This project is to simply take a placemat & turn it into a pillow.  You have to make sure you pick a placemat that has two layers (a front & back).

          Step 1:  carefully undo about 5 or 6" along the bottom seam.
          Step 2:  stuff with batting.
          Step 3:  sew the seam shut.
          Step 4:  laugh at how easy that was (this step is not optional).

No lie... this took me about 8 minutes to make.  Would have taken 7 if I didn't have to wind a bobbin in the right color. 

I've made a few of them but for this post, I'm showing you the one I made for Halloween.  I found the placemat at Target in the Halloween section.  It was $2.99.  Right next to it was a Halloween pillow (not out of this design but still...) for $14.99.  I laughed.  Then I went home and made my own pillow with my new placemat and about a dollar's worth of batting.  I can rest my head easily.  ha!  I know that I could have spiffed it up a little bit but decided to keep this one simple.  I have another one planned in my head that will incorporate some extra decoration on the front.  If you're looking for placemats, both Target & Joann's have great ones for this purpose.  Just resist the urge to use it as a placemat after you turn it into the pillow.  :)

Now to get the rest of the decorating done before it gets too late and I cop out with the "well why bother now" attitude.  :)

Hope you had a great weekend!  Thanks for stopping in for a bit.

Colleen

Scalloped Butterfly Card

I had this vision one night right after I got my first order with the new catalog items to create a scalloped front panel on my card.  I've made plenty with a diecut edge but none that spanned the width of the card from the folded edge to the open edge.  So, I gave it a whirl.  I actually made this months ago and completely forgot about it and stumbled upon it this weekend while organizing some things.  The only challenging part was me being persnickety about how the scallops lined up.  I would have preferred it if they were centered but I went for it and liked the results.  This one uses a lot of new products introduced in July ... framelit, edgelit, embossing folder, paper piercing template, new in-colors, etc.  If you're interested in the specifics, I've added the "how-to" after the photos.

 Products used (everything is from SU! unless otherwise noted):

Stamp Sets: En Francais;  Patterned Paper:  Patio Party DSP;

Cardstock: Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit, Whisper White;  Ink: Midnight Muse, Versamark;
Sizzix:  Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Large Scallop Edgelit, Apothecary Accent Framelit, 

Delicate Designs Embossing Folder, Designer Frames Embossing Folder;   

Ribbon:   Whisper White 5/8" Organza Ribbon, Hemp Twine (retired);
Other:   Essentials Paper Piercing Template, Big Shot, Pop Dots (Recollections), Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Scotch ATG.

How To:

1. Make card base from Whisper White.  This is a landscape card folded on the left side.  (i.e. start with a 4¼ x 11" sheet of cardstock & score at 5½).
2. Place the Large Scallop Edgelit on the front of the card approximately 1" from the top edge (be sure your card is OPEN or else you'll score both layers). Align the left scallop against the score line and run through the big shot.

     For the front of the card:

1. With a 4 x 5½" piece of the Patio Party Summer Starfruit DSP, diecut the top edge using the Large Scallop Edgelit being sure to align the left scallop against the left edge of the paper.
2. Using the Delicate Designs Embossing Folder, emboss the scalloped edge of the DSP & lightly sand the embossed area.
3. Wrap the White Organza Ribbon around the Summer Starfruit DSP and adhere to the front panel of the card aligning the scallops.  Trim the excess DSP from the bottom edge.
4. Using Midnight Muse ink, stamp on a small piece of Midnight Muse Cardstock.  Diecut using the Beautiful Wings Embosslit.
5. Using Versamark ink, stamp on a small piece of Summer Starfruit Cardstock.  Emboss with Designer Frames Embossing Folder.  Cut out the frame with scissors.
6. Pop dot the oval frame on the front left of the card.
7. Wrap twine or linen thread around the largest of the diecut butterflies and knot to create the antennae.  Adhere with a dot of Multipurpose Liquid Glue. 

     For the inside of the card:

1. Adhere 4¼ x 5½" piece of Patio Party Butterfly DSP to the inside panel. 
2. From Whisper White Cardstock, diecut the large Apothecary Accents Framelit.  Then, pierce this piece using the coordinating Essentials Paper Piercing Template.
3. Adhere Apothecary Accent to the bottom inside panel (be sure it is aligned correctly so it doesn't show above the front scalloped panel when the card is closed.)  Adhere one of the butterflies to the Apothecary Accent.

Thanks for stopping by!

Colleen

Bring on the zippers!

When I was in grade school, one of the "hot" things to have was a cool pencil case.  I know.. this sounds miniscule but we all had the same copybooks & folders & uniforms & socks & well... everything.  The only things that were unique were our shoes, our book bags and our pencil cases.  My best friend, Judy, had THE COOLEST one and I wanted one so badly.  It was denim and it looked like a pair of jeans with cute little pockets on the outside.  It was made of softer denim and was just like a well worn pair of jeans.  Sigh.  I eventually did get one after years of loving hers but mine was lined with plastic which only made it stiff and well... it just wasn't the same.  I eventually gave up my pursuit but always kept that memory, lol!  It's the little things!

Recently, I've been perusing patterns for purses to make for my nieces.  But I got sidetracked because my youngest niece is a little too young for a purse so I decided to make her a pencil case.  I found this great one by Sew 4 Home that even had a little extra pocket on the outside.  The pocket is intended for a cell phone but since she's too young for that, I changed the dimension slightly to accomodate a small notepad.  I also eliminated the caribiner since 1) I couldn't find one in a decent coordinating color and 2) I saw no need for a caribiner on a 12-year-old's pencil case. 

My biggest nemesis when sewing is zippers.  I recently found out after reading some blogs that this must be a very common fear because so many of them that addressed the zipper fear.  One of them even stated "installing a zipper will immediately take you from a beginner to an intermediate sewer".  Hmm... I can relate to that.  I had only ever sewn one and that doesn't really count because it was in an intro sewing class (when I bought my big girl sewing machine) and it didn't serve any function whatsoever.  When I made my son's elaborate christening gown nearly 16 years ago, I got crafty and completely redesigned the back to avoid the zipper.  If something that called for a zipper couldn't be made without it, I avoided it.  It's not as though I thought I couldn't do it... I just feared frustration and completely ruining whatever it was I was working on.  I knew I could do it.  Just needed to take the leap.  If zipper installing officially catapulted my title to intermediate, then so be it!  And since it's just a pencil case... why not give it a whirl?  My fear is now conquered; yay me.  And (bonus!) the zipper actually works.  whew!

All this for a simple pencil case! 

I chose some fabrics from Heidi Grace's Botanical line.  I thought it was very cute and it also enabled me to use a smidge of her coordinating scrapbook paper to cover the ugly Staples label at the top of the notepad.  :)  The case was very, very easy to make.  I even finished off the inside with a French seam.  It's large but knowing my niece, I suspect she'll have it filled up in no time.  I'm hoping she doesn't have her heart set on a well worn denim pencil case complete with cool jean pockets on the outside.  ;)

I also made her a coin purse out of the same materials.  I never knew how these little snap frames worked (and they're not easy to find!) and was intrigued by it.  I found this adorable lunch money coin purse tutorial at Petite Purls by Rashida Coleman-Hale and had to make one.  Her photos & instructions are superb!  I actually like Rashida's much better (the fabrics she used are so cute!).  But, I wanted to make mine to coordinate with the pencil case so that's what I did. And instead of a button, I appliqued a heart on the front.  Voila!   From start to finish, it took about 90 minutes; I had to work in some reconfigurations because I couldn't find the same size snap frames as the tutorial used.  The next one will be quicker.  And there will be many; I had to buy a package of 25 of those snap frames, lol!

Now I just have to get these packaged up and mailed out to her before the school year gets away!  And then go find some more things to put zippers into!

Thanks for checking in.

Colleen

Swap Cards

Catching up on posting a few cards I did for our monthly swaps.

This first one was from July; the theme was to use at least one of the new in-colors (I chose Midnight Muse) and at least one Big Shot item (I chose the Beautiful Wings Embosslit).  The butterfly on the front of the card was punched from the stamped large flower in the Betsy's Blossoms stamp set.  It was somewhat of an accidental find.  Shortly after getting this stamp set, I was stamping the flower for a different project and accidentally smudged part of the outer image of the flower.  And since I don't like wasting anything, I grabbed the Elegant Butterfly punch and punched it out of the stamped image.  I loved how it looked so I incorporated it into this card.

 Products used (everything is from SU! unless otherwise noted):

Stamp Sets: Betsy's Blossoms, Sweet Essentials;  Patterned Paper:  Comfort Cafe DSP;

Cardstock: Lucky Limeade, Rich Razzleberry, Very Vanilla;  Ink: Rich Razzleberry;
Sizzix:  Beautiful Wings Embosslit;   Punches: Elegant Butterfly, Scallop Trim Border;  
Ribbon:   Very Vanilla 5/8" Satin Ribbon (retired), Hemp Twine (retired);
Other:   Big Shot, Pop Dots (Recollections), Glue Dots, Scotch ATG.

For this month, the theme was simply "Halloween".  I absolutely love Halloween so I was happy to sign up for this swap.  I kept it very simple and combined stamps from 3 different sets.  And, I also wound up using Cajun Craze instead of a more obvious choice of Pumpkin Pie or Tangerine Tango.  I like the deeper orange/red color for this card and paired it with Basic Black & Soft Suede.

Products used (everything is from SU! unless otherwise noted):

Stamp Sets: Toxic Treats, Seasonal Sayings, Border Banter;  

Cardstock: Cajun Craze, Basic Black, Soft Suede;   Ink: Basic Black;
Sizzix:  Chevron Embossing Folder;   Ribbon:  Basic Black 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon;
Other:   Big Shot, Pop Dots (Recollections), Scotch ATG.

Now I'm anxious to get some Halloween decorating started!  I hope the weather where you are is starting to feel very crisp and Autumnal like it is here! 

Thanks for taking the time to stop by.

Colleen.

Mini Scoop Tote

Some time last year, I found this great website called You Can Make This.  It has a huge library of electronic patterns for sale for sewing, knitting, crocheting, etc. It's great to have these as electronic documents... instant gratification!  I've bought about 10 or so patterns so far and have had some fun planning some projects.  This Mini Scoop Tote Bag is one of the first ones I've made.  It's an adorable little bag that would be great for a bunch of different things.  It measures 7" wide at the top, 4" wide at the bottom and a cute little 5" tall.  As I was making it, I thought it would be cute made with Christmas fabrics to deliver some cookies to a friend.  Anyway... I've recently picked out all kinds of different fabrics to use for these little bags.  I did goof up in one spot so this one will be staying at home here with them.  But, it was very fun and VERY easy to make....

Products used:

Fabric: Market Floral (Alexander Henry Fabrics), 

Fabulous Finds (Donna Walker for Fabric Traditions);

Other: Tailor Computer Printer Fabric (for label), Guterman thread; 

Dritz Fabric-Covered Button Maker, Bernina sewing machine.

 I love fabric-covered buttons!

I didn't realize that these fabrics weren't made by the same company 

until I  was writing this post.  Surprise, lol!  They coordinated pretty 

nicely together. I could have used the same fabric for both the 

interior & exterior but I prefer "simple" patterns on the inside of bags. 

My only dilemma now is choosing which fabrics to use next to make another one.  :)  

Thanks for taking a look!

Colleen

Meanwhile.... at the sewing machine...

I've recently unearthed my sewing machine again and have been busy making all kinds of different things.  Here are just a few using some of the SU! Summer Smooches fabrics which is one of my favorite lines.

I made this Notepad holder for my friend (and SU! upline), Kelly.  It just got delivered to her yesterday so it's safe to post now!  I found the tutorial by Lindsay (The Cottage Mama) for it on-line and had to give it a try.  I only made a few slight changes and after a slight mix-up with my label (I try SO hard not to forget to add it!), I was happy with the results.  Hopefully Kelly will get some good use out of it.  :)

My pictures aren't the greatest because I was in a hurry but they'll have to do!

Products used (products are from SU! unless otherwise noted):

Fabric: Summer Smooches (prints), Linen (unknown);
Cardstock:  Tempting Turquoise; 

Patterned Paper:  Summer Smooches;

Other: Tailor Computer Printer Fabric (for label), Guterman thread; 

Dritz Fabric-Covered Button Maker, Bernina sewing machine.

I really, really, really love fabric-covered buttons.  

I eliminated one of the pockets on the inside left from original pattern.  I would have preferred to add it but with only 3 patterns in this fabric line, adding another pocket made everything too busy.  So, I eliminated it.  I like that there's a pocket on the right that is hidden under the notepad.  It's a secret little place to tuck things.

 I bought the notepad from Staples and like that it's not your average lined paper; this 

one is specific for "project" details and thought it would be good for Kelly to document 

some SU! projects I know that she has swirling around in that creative mind of hers!  

I used some Summer Smooches DSP to cover up the decorative strip that was 

at the top of the notepad so that it coordinated with everything else. 

I have to order some "real" labels but in the meantime, 

I printed my own to add to my creations. 

From this same fabric, I also made a 2 different credit card wallets.  Even though they're very simple and easy to make, I know I can do better.  But I did learn a lot making them.  Sometimes it's the tinier projects that give me some trouible, lol!    I found the tutorial for the credit card wallet on the left at My So Called Green Life.  Unfortunately, I can't for the life of me find the pattern I used for the one on the right.  It was originally a gift card holder (of which I've made several) but adjusted it to have multiple pockets to use more as a wallet.  I'll find it amongst my mayhem some day soon and will come back and edit this post with the information!

I spent 7 hours yesterday at the PA National Quilt Extravaganza yesterday so the ideas are swirling around in my head (and my empty wallet!).  I'm off to go oogle my purchases and get busy behind the sewing machine again.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Colleen