Yes, More Sunflowers

After making the sunflower stamp class, I wanted to do more projects using the pretty papers.  So I made some decor blocks and put Bible verses on them.  First I painted the blocks and then decorated them with my stamping supplies.  Pretty, right?

These blocks make nice gifts or something cute to sit on a shelf in your home.  

Here are a couple of smaller ones.  I found the Scripture stamps at Hobby Lobby but I need to look for a few new ones.  Maybe I will look online for some.

This pic shows all three of them along with some yellow washcloths that I crocheted.  I usually pair them together in groups of 3 or 4 - they make nice gifts along with a pretty bar of soap.

You can even pair the wooden blocks with a matching card for a gift.  I just loved working with these pretty sunflower papers.  :)

Look how cute they look together!

In my sewing room, I whipped up some sunflower bookmarks to go along with the projects.  I just want to make more.  

I was having such fun!  

Sunflower Fun

My last stamping class featured some sunflower cards using Radiant Sunflowers stamp set and Sunflower Fields designer papers.  Here is my first card.  We used sponge daubers to color in the sunflowers.  I love how they turned out.  

For my second card, we cut the designer paper into thirds and mounted it onto a brown piece of cardstock.  The little sunflowers are from the Pop Up Petals stamp set and the images int he set coordinate so nicely with the Radiant Sunflowers set.  

This card has some pretty green background paper from an older paper pack.  I added two sunflowers along with leaves, also colored with sponge daubers.  The saying is heat embossed with white powders.

I had so much fun playing around with sunflowers that I made a fourth card.  I folded down the top part of the designer paper for a different look.  I cut out some vases from Earthen Textures and added some sunflowers to them.  The ladies who came to the class enjoyed making the cards.

Here's a pic of me enjoying a sunflower maze at a local farm.  I love this time of year!

 

Sewing Book Sleeves and Bookmarks

Recently I had the idea of making some book sleeves to carry around any current book that I've been reading.  So I came up with up a pattern and made a couple to try it out!  

I really loved making them and will definitely make some more.  My sleeve is about 8x10 inches and has a pocket on the outside to hold your cell phone and some pens or a bookmark.  The sleeve can hold a book or a Kindle or anything else that is about the same size.

It will also hold a small sewing cutting mat or ruler and your rotary cutters or scissors will fit right into one of the pockets.  

The first few sleeves that I made were quilted but then I tried working on a couple that didn't have quilting and I still like the look of them.  Because they don't have the quilting on the top and bottom, they were faster to make.

While you can use any fabrics, I looked through my stash to see if I had any fabric with books on it.  I found some cute little house fabric that says Books on one of the houses.  Now I'm on the lookout for fabric with books on it.  

The bookmarks are fun and easy to make.  I ironed a stiff interfacing to the inside so that they wouldn't be flimsy and added a ribbon at the top of them.  I think they turned out so cute.

I will definitely be making more of these.  It's time to take out some whimsical fabrics and give it a go.  (In my spare time, of course!)

Art Gallery Cards

Last month I was browsing through my 6x6 designer papers and came across a package of Beautiful Gallery images.  They remind me of going to an Art Gallery, only you make the artwork!  For my card, I chose Stippled Roses for the main flower because I thought that it was kind of vintage looking.  This is one of the prettiest cards that I've ever made.  (I know I say that all the time.)

I cut a framed arch with the pretty papers, stamped on the inside piece with some words and then added the beautiful flower image.  The leaf cutouts are also from the Stippled roses set.  I love the colors and everything about this card.  :)

For this card, I copied the idea from Sandy Bennett on Pinterest.  I love the deep, moody colors.  I used an older embossing folder that has a sort of damask look to it, stamped words onto the light blue strip and added the printed image with a border.  It's even more beautiful in person.

My third card is a lovely landscape scene with some added sprigs, cut out in both vellum and in cardstock.  The saying is framed with a fancy circle die.  

I had so much fun making these pieces of "artwork" for my gallery card class.  The more I made, the more ideas that I got.  Someday I hope to make more.  

 

More Blocks

This block is made using Magnolia Lane designer papers (retired).  I added the pretty oval from Framed Florets to frame another Scripture saying.  The flower is fussy cut from the papers.  I cut out a couple of green sprigs and a green leaf banner to complete the project.

I try to always add some embellishments, buttons and ribbon to my items.  

For this project, I used an open frame that I found at the Goodwill shop.  I added some blue paper from Peaceful Garden and a cut out from Fragrant Layers.  I stamped some flowers and a butterfly from Extraordinary Life to add as embellishments.  Lastly I added the Scripture square as the saying.  

Here are couple of smaller blocks made with a pretty paper that has shiny copper leaves on it.  So I embossed some flowers in copper powders and added then to the blocks.  They're little (about 3.5 x 2 in) but make a sweet little encouragement.  

I had fun making these projects.  

 

More Valley in Bloom and Fern Decor

Last weekend I picked up this little easel with a thin wooden sign and remade it into this pretty decor piece.  I used Valley in Bloom paper, some cut out ferns from Fern and Flora, flowers, a couple of butterflies and a Scripture saying.  I just love how it came out - I think it's my favorite one so far.

These two little blocks, about 3 inches square, make a nice little gift to give to someone that needs encouragement.  They're made using the Moonlight Flora paper and some Scripture stamps.  They're made to be a set, but can be used separately.  

I'm off to find more blocks to make more.

Wooden Stamped Blocks for Home Decor

One of the things that I love to make with my SU papers and stamps are home decor blocks.  I find blocks of wood at thrift shops and local craft stores, paint them and cover them with pretty papers for a nice block that you can set on your desk or on a shelf.

This block (not sure what to call them) features papers from the Valley in Bloom papers.  I then added some ferns from Fern and Flora, some flowers, a butterfly or two and a stamped Scripture image.  I have a small bucket of Scripture stamps that I have collected over the years.  

Once made, I spray the blocks with Krylon to preserve the stamping so that it doesn't smear if it gets wet.

This block is a little bit smaller, about 4x4 inches.  It has the lily paper, also - the papers are so beautiful and make a great background.  I added the green fern, some flowers, moths and another Bible verse cut out with Everyday Arches.  

The long block at the bottom is a very weird size, but with a linear stamp and some side embellishments, I like the look of it.  It was fun playing around more with the lily papers and the fern cut outs.  

I could go on all day.