Guatemalan Malnutrition Center Benefit Sale

Last weekend, I and many vendors had the opportunity to be a part of a benefit craft show for the Guatemalan Malnutrition Center. I have a few items leftover and I would love to be able to donate more so I am offering these items for a sale this weekend. The more I sell, the more I can donate. So if you didn't get a chance to come out and are looking for last minute Christmas gifts, here is what I have to offer. I can ship USPS and locally deliver.
Thanks for your help in this very worth cause!

Click here for more info about the Guatemalan Malnutrition Center

My most popular item: Natural Stone or Slate Coasters Slate have a faint French script with a swirl design, Black or Hunter Green on left have 4 different Bible verses along with the swirl design, and the Dark Pink flower design has 2 sayings: Enjoy the little things and Enjoy every moment. They all have a felt backing to keep your tables safe.
$14 for a set of 4 or if you buy 2 more sets, the price drops to $12.  Thanks to USPS Flat Rate, this isn't awful $$ to ship anymore.

Hand Sewn Fabric Stockings hold gift cards, treat bags, notes, whatever you like! $5 or 2 for $8

Jumbo Binder Clips are repurposed to hold a special picture, recipe, or memo. Also great for highlighting a dish on a buffet or place setting. $4 or 2 for $6
Cherry, Flower, Pink Bird, B&W Bible verse, Christmas Blessings, & Comfort & Peace are available.

The last of my Magnetic Sticky Note & Pen sets. "Do Good", "Be Nice", or Cherry theme are available. These are magnetic & ready for your fridge. $4

Handcrafted Layered Flower Bookmarks These 2 designs are what I have left from all of them! $3 or 2 for $5 See this link for them "in action".

The last of my Sticky Note & Pen sets. Gator or light pastel theme left. These hang with a little loop which would be perfect for a cubicle or by the phone. $4

Paper Stockings hold gift cards or secret notes perfectly! Great to hang on the tree or finish off a package. $3 each or 2 for $5

How about a little whimsy? This is a funny little poem about wanting to make Christmas Fudge but getting too busy...so here is a bag of chocolate. $3 each or 2 for 5. I have 7 left.

Last 3 Stationary sets left. Cherry/Skull design, and 2 Red/Black/Vanilla/Bird design. $12 each

"Pretty Protectors" Plastic case comes with mini notepad, pen & stick notes, nicely wrapped & protected for your purse, bookbag or diaper bag. Some use for coupons, too. $8 each, buy 2 or more and the price drops to $7 each.
Variety of themes pictured

Popular with only 3 left, these come with a funny little poem about Rudolph's Repair Kit. Contained inside the jars are Cinnamon Disc hard candy. $3 each or take all 3 jars for $6

Jumbo Clothespin clips are perfect for holding a special picture, recipe, or memo. $4

Gift Tag Decoration/Ornament $1 or buy all 5 for $4

 Everything here is handcrafted by me using only premium Stampin' Up Products.  Isn't it fun what you can do with a little Paper, Stamps, & Ink?

Please let me know if you are interested as soon as possible!

Thanks for looking!

Blooming Quilted Flower T-shirts - Using your Sizzix with Material

Hello!  Who doesn't love a handcrafted gift, especially if it was custom made for them?

What does a one year old really need?  

Up popped inspiration and I decided to come up with this design to work on with my mom.  

 Hope you like it and try it for yourself!

Credit where credits due: My upline with Stampin Up, Beckie Kareck, created a tutorial to share with her downline on making Layered Fabric Flowers using the Stampin Up! Exclusive Sizzix Flower Folds XL die and the Sizzix Big Shot quite awhile back.  The original design was from Jill Olsen, who was part of pioneering Stampin UP into the fabric world and opening up so many other options!  Thank, Jill, for a great idea!

This project was made for twins on their first birthday.  Their parents are dear friends and the "Lemonade & Sunshine" party was fantastic!

So, onward, here is my journey with this project:

[Design outward] Fabric + Quilt batting + fabric [again, design facing outward]; Cut with Sizzix die; sew around the edge about 1/4" in= puffy flowers.  I did these using this techinique pictured below.  They are {coordinating} hair clips that I clipped to the bag for an added pop.  

The letters on the bag were made with My Digital Studio.  I just love that program!

Here is what we altered from the above idea for the t-shirt.  

I noticed the quilt batting was still visible.  Not a big deal but I was pondering about other options, when my mom suggested fleece since it is puffy [like quilt batting] but comes in a huge variety of colors [like felt] that could coordinate with whatever fabric I went with for their flowers.  Happily, it was on sale at JoAnn's.

This is what they look like just cut out.  Because this die has "scores" or creases, you can't cut as many layers and with some of the other dies.  I cut 2-3 at a time.

With the thicker fleece, I did 2 at a time.  Just lay it over the part of the die you want.  This die has 4 flowers to choose from.

 

Easy peasy and ready to applique as is, but we have more planned!

This is my test layout plan/idea of how I want it to look before the flowers were "quilted". Wanted to see how it might look.

Now I send it to my mom's because her sewing machine was already set up.  She loves to do this kind of thing.  I want to get my feet wet with sewing, rather than having my mom carry out my ideas.  I brought my grandma's sewing machine form Ohio that she & my mom made my baby clothes on.  Hoping to carry on that tradition.  

In fact, we carried the machine into my work area, got it all set up, only to realize the bobbins and threads and other necessary items were not on it and packed in some other box.  So she took the project back to her house to complete the steps needed.  Oh well, another day I will learn that.

So after she sews it, it looks like this.  I only wanted the bottom flower sewn to the shirt [and the rick-rack stem and leaves].

These are the other flowers that she sewed around the edge.  We did a funky color on purpose since the designs are whimsical.

I sewed the flowers together by sewing on the button.  I wanted the other layers to be more 3-D/floppy.

Side View to see the fleece that coordinates inside.

The completed sewn on flower.

over view of the completed flower.  I didn't use the smallest flower.  After all, it is for littles and I didn't want it to be too bulky.

Coordinating for the twins, and not exact, like the mama prefers.

Back to the gift bags, I made a tag with their lower case initial to hang on the other side [using MDS].

I added this little pop to the back of the tag and some glitter since everything could use a little glitter. ;)

Thanks for looking!  If you make one of your own, or have any questions, please let me know!

While you are here, would you consider following me?  Pretty Please?


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Abigale's 1st Birthday Party

So Miss Abigale turned One Year Old last week. How did that happen?  Anyway, since I just had to incorporate papercrafting into her birthday party, I thought it would be perfect to share it on the blog.  Maybe someone else can get some inspiration, too!

  

Abigale's Birthday invite I created using My Digital Studio from Stampin' Up!

Flowers are made using heart hand held punch along with circle and scallop circle of her newborn pictures.

Boy Favors [No stamping and very simple. Frankly because I realized I had way more boys than I thought and I didn't think they wanted the prissy butterfly favor boxes anyway!]

 This was the handmade part of the favors [the rest is typical boy-bugs & a ball, girl- big ring and candy all around...and raisins [because sometime you have to be "that mom" a little bit at least.]  Used the Beautiful Butterflies Sizzix die because it cuts through fabric beautifully and quickly!

 

 The frilly girly boxes made using the Fancy Favor Box die for the Sizzix Big Shot from Stampin' Up. And the Beautiful Butterfly die as well.  Some I used an embossing folder on, too, for different looks and textures.

 

The butterfly looks wilted after washing and not sewing on properly but there really is a butterfly on her #1.  A better view from her lovely One Year Old Pictures, taken beautifully by the talented Karissa Barber of K.Barber Photography:

Love them.

"Death by Oreo" Cupcakes

Strawberry Cake with Vanilla Buttercream frosting. [Cupcake Toppers is what I am really showing here but who doesn't love a good cupcake picture?]

 

Peanut Butter Overload Cupcakes [Toppers were made using My Digital Studio, Scallop Circle punch, and Beautiful Wings Sizzlit.

Could have embellished this a lot more but frankly I ran out of time!

 

Happy Family after a great birthday party day!

Hair Flower Tutorial using Sizzix Big Shot

I have finally been able to get back into the swing of PaperCrafting things!  After getting together with my upline and friend, the awesome Beckie Kareck, when she was visiting this area, I was inspired to try this flowering hair accessory.

Here is my Stampin' Up Big Shot with the fabric already loaded and ready to cut.  I learned that you can cut 8 layers of cotton at a time!! To make this project, though, you have to use synthetic fabric like polyester or nylon. Also, notice the Melon Mambo paper..used as a shim, it makes the die cut perfectly through, no ravels.

I used the Scallops #2 to get these 2 different sized scallop circles.  I used shear fabric with glitter and sparkly black.  This was hair bling for a wedding but I have since because comfortable with wearing it all the time.  Sequins in the daytime is hip right now, don'tcha' know. ;)

Now you want to use a surface that won't melt and I thought the bottom of a pot would be perfect.  And you need something long and heat resistant to hold down the scallop cirlces..which led me to a wooden spoon. Now get your heat tool [normally used for embossing] and put it less than an inch from the fabric.  YES, an INCH, not the 7 inches we normally tell you so you don't scorch your paper.  The point is to melt the fabric to get the rustic rough edge.  As it melts, keep moving the fabric with the spoon so you can heat around each edge. It might smoke but that stops quickly.  As many times as Beckie has done them, she said she hasn't had any fabric catch on fire yet! ;) 

This is the circles after melting each of them.

These are the supplies used: Fabric, synthetic I did 5 layers to get 10 scallop circles, of which I used 7 or 8.  Clear Rhinestone Brads.  The Sizzix Big Shot and the Scallop Circle #2 die, as mentioned before.  I then attached the finished flower to a hair pin by sewing but easily could have adhered it to a pin.

Okay, flash makes a bad close-up.  But you get the idea.  This is the finished product.

Finished Project in action in my "un-done bun" on the way to the wedding..

I am including this as one of the projects we are doing at my upcoming Christmas in July Stamp Class and Retired StampStuff SALE on July 24th..  More to come about that...I am back to blogging slowly. thanks for reading..tell me what you think.  Directions good or clear as mud?