Nuts About You

Its a little 'possum hanging from the tree proclaiming, "Hang in there!"  What a cute idea that I found on Pinterest and copied from Linda Callahan. 

I had fun taking out this new stamp set, Nuts About You and playing around with it this week.  I love the tree image and the little animals that go with it.  In my second card, I added some squirrels and a couple of birds to complete the card.  Note the little bird in the nest that is sitting on one of the branches in the tree!  I think the grass in the background just adds a great bit of dimension for the images.  Fun cards.

I used the new color Hello Honey and paired it with Lost Lagoon and Baked Brown Sugar.  Aren't they great names for the colors? 

Gift in a Box

This week in my stamping classes we made these really cute gift boxes out of the wooden stamp cases.  Inside the box is a set of 4 note cards with envelopes and 3 pieces of chocolate!  They make a nice gift to give.  And the cool part- it's all contained in a little box.  I found the idea online by Linda Gutierrez. 

Here is a close up of some of the coordinating note cards.  I made them with two of the new In Colors: Blackberry Bliss and Hello Honey.  I stamped a small tag stamp on the envelope.  Attach them to a gift or just give a little note to someone.  And the chocolates, they're for you!

Here's are some more note cards made with a different set of stamps.  You can make write anything inside and use them for any occasion.

This project can be made with different colors and for different seasons.  I think it would look really cute for Christmas with some tags in it.  What do you think?

Word Pillows

This week I've been working on some pillows that have words on them.  I found the idea from youcanmakethis.com.  I made my pillows with the words "faith, hope and love" on them.  They're made basically using scraps of fabric for the letters and the patchwork around the edges.

 I traced the letters onto Wonder Under to make the fabric fusible.  I ironed them on, stitched around them with matching thread using a small zig zag and then added some patchwork to match the colors that I chose.

 I wanted these to have greens and browns in these to match my decor.  I added a bit of reddish orange and some yellow with the flowers to give them some contrast.  They came out with a bit of a whimsical look to them- something that I love.  What a great idea for home decor!

Next up- I want to make one in fall colors with "thanks" on it and maybe a couple for Christmas.  I'm thinking perhaps "joy" or "noel" for the holiday words.

These pillows would also look great with a name on them for a kid's room!  They would make awesome gifts, too.  I am going to make one for my niece.  I think I'll use the same colors that I used in her quilt.  Then when she puts it on her bed, it will all match! 

I set them in a basket and like how they look there, too!  The hardest part- deciding on the word and your colors.  After that, it comes together pretty quickly!
What word would you choose for your pillow?

We All Have Different Ways

I admit it, I love reading crafting magazines!  I can't just casually walk past the magazine section of the craft store without stopping and picking up a few of them to look through.  It's like they call out to me.  I have to restrain myself because I usually want them all!

While I was browsing through one today, I came across this page from Mollie Makes magazine.  It says, "We all have different ways of being creative every day."  It is so true!  Just on this one page there are photos of pretty colored fabrics and thread, ribbons and trim,  a mannequin, flower and even a clothes basket! 

Creativity can take on so many different forms.  How are you being creative today?

The Bright and Cheerful Quilt

I've been busy finishing up a quilt for my niece who is getting ready to go off to college in just a couple of weeks.  I have been working hard on it to get it finished in time!  For those of you who know me, you know what a feat that is!

I chose these bright, cheerful colors for her to wish her bright and cheerful days at college.  I hope that it reminds her of home and those that love her when she gets lonely or homesick.

 I made this quilt using four packs of charm squares from Moda called Wrens and Friends.  Some of the fabrics have cute little birds in them.  Then I added a small white sashing in between the blocks to lighten it up.  I offset the rows just to give it a little visual interest. 

When I quilted it, I put a freeform flower in each of the white strips.  If you look closely, you can see the flowers in this photo.  This took WAY longer than I thought that it would when I was quilting it, but I love the whimsical look that it gives the quilt. 

 

On the back I put a light teal fabric that has little birds in it that I found at Joann's.  I love how the back ties in with the colors and brightens up the whole quilt!  I ordered some of the dandelion border from Moda to complete the border.  For the tag, I appliqued a bird cut from my Sizzix machine and signed the quilt on that.  It was a cute way to tie in the bird theme.  Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of that.

Oh, yeah- I also made her a key fob to match the quilt! 

I sure hope my niece loves her quilt!