Snowmen from Sweaters

For the past few weeks I have been preparing for my annual Ornament Exchange.  Every year my crafty friends each make handmade ornaments to exchange with each other.  This year we had 9 ladies participating.  

I decided to make some snowmen from my sweater stash which is taking over the craft room.  I drew up a snowman shape, sewed and stuffed them and then embroidered a face and X buttons onto them.

Then I added a fabric scarf and a little stamped saying that says, Let it snow.  Each one comes out so differently and they take on their own little personalities.  

I wanted to add a black felt hat to them and went over to Michaels to get some felt, but forgot it once I got there!  So I added a paper hat.  But I'm still going to buy some black felt for the next ones that I make.

It's hard to find cream colored wool sweaters so I took some creative license and made a couple of pink and a purple snowman.  It's a little unusual but I like how they turned out.  

The sweaters that have wool or animal's fur in them make nicer crafts than just cotton ones.  The fibers with the wool melt when washed and dried in the heat and they tighten up, giving the sweater a tighter texture.  They don't unravel as easily, either.

I got the idea to make them from Cynthia Chapman on Pinterest.  I'm happy with how they came out and I'd like to make more for next year.

Here they are sitting underneath the Christmas tree waiting to go to their new homes.  :)

 

Christmas Stamp Camp

If you know me, you know that I love having people over.  Last week I hosted a Christmas Stamp Camp, and six of my stamping friends came to make 6 cards each!

I had to work on cards that didn't take too long to make.  Here is the first one - an older die for sure, but I love the simplicity and how it turned out.

I ended up finding just the perfect piece of designer paper to put under the circle focal point that really made the card come alive.  Sadly, I forgot to take a photo of that one.  

Even though it was simple, the ladies all loved this card.  The deer is cut from glittery silver paper.

Why do I sometimes use older stamp sets and papers?  Well, because I have them!  I have lots of papers that I love to use up so it doesn't go to waste.  They're still perfectly fine to use and I love giving the older images a new look.  

I don't always have the money to buy all of the newest items now that I'm retired, so I get a few new things and mix them in with some items that I already have.  I seem to buy more than I can use before they retire, so sometimes it is like using a brand new set even though it has already retired.  

This card features a cute little snowman just enjoying his snowy day.  It was one of the fancy fold cards that everyone made.  He is from Snowman Season stamp set.

Didn't he turn out so sweet?

We put a white panel on the inside to write on for your sentiments and signature.  I added some little jade snowflakes to tie it all together.  

He glistens with Wink of Stella, although you can't tell in the photos.  

Cute, cute, cute.  

This next card has a shiny ornament cut from Lovely Lipstick shiny papers.  The colors looks funny in the pic, but in real life it matches the cardstock quite well.  

I used a border embossing folder and stamped the sprig from the Embellished Ornaments set.  We colored it in and then added a dimensional to the top of the ornament to let it "hang" on the card.  

The saying is from the same set and cut with the small arch from the Arch dies.

Lastly, this cute card features older papers and some cute mitten cut outs to decorate the focal circle.

I almost got rid of the mittens stamp set and dies, but now I'm glad that I kept them.  

The other two cards from the Stamp Camp are in the previous post.  I kept the cards simple to make and everyone in the class had lots of fun.  

If all goes well, we'll probably do it again next year.  I can't wait.  :)

 

Peace on Earth DSP & More Christmas Cards

I love the designer papers, Peace on Earth.  They feature some pretty blue colors that are easy to work with.  They can be for Christmas or for everyday.  

This card features those pretty papers and the Dove of Peace, alone with an older bird image that I embossed with gold powders.  The bird really comes to life on this card with the pretty blues in the background.  And check out how I layered the doves in the side panel!  This is one of the cards that I offered in my Christmas Stamp Camp last week.  It was everyone's favorite.  :)

This second card also features the pretty papers.  I used an older set of houses die for the focal image on this card.  You can't see in the photo, but the snow is glistening with the Wink of Stella glitter.  Easy and beautiful!

This third card I've already showed, but it is made using the Peace on Earth papers, as well.  I love using these blues in my Christmas cards.

I've pretty much used up the whole package of these papers.  I'd better order more before they are gone!

Have you tried them yet?  

 

Zippered Ornament Keychains

Last year I had made some cute little zippered "bulb" ornaments that you can hang on the tree, use as a keychain or carry around small items such as earbuds, cell phone connector, tea bags, lip balm, etc.  

I took them out the other day to start rounding up items that I can make for Christmas gift ideas.  Because they have a zipper, you can put a gift card in them or some small candy canes for decoration and hang them on the tree.  

They make a cute little "something" to give to everyone on your list.  I was disappointed that I only had five of them.  I'm off to get some mini candy canes and small gifts to put in them.

They're a fast and sweet gift for a little something to give someone.  I need to make some more!

 

Hope Your Christmas is Festive and Fun!

For one of my Christmas card classes, I took out the stamp set, Festive and Fun and made some cards with it.  Honestly, the images are just so darn cute.  I haven't had a chance to use them yet, even though I bought them a couple of years ago! 

I had fun coloring and making these cards.  It's the first time that I ever paired Pool Party with Garden Green, but I like the color combination.  

I added a small strip of designer paper to "ground" the two images.  Otherwise, they looked like they were floating on air!  

For the second card, I added a rectangle to the inside panel and folded it so that it covered part of the front of the card.  To open the card, open the rectangle to the right.  The inside of the card looks like a normal card.  It makes a cute fancy fold.

You can kind of see how it opens here.  I strategically placed the rectangle to reveal part of the saying, "May your season."  Then when you open it, you can see the entire saying.  This little rhinoceros pulling a sled of presents is so adorable.  I will definitely be using this cute little set again.

For the third card, I took out some older designer papers called Nests of Winter.  We fussy cut the birds and put a saying on the card.  I love how it turned out.  

What do you think of these Christmas cards?  Which one do you like best?  I love all three.  

 

 

Quilt #2 - The Bunny Quilt

My goal this year is to finish 10 quilts by December 31.  Today I finished Quilt #2, the Bunny Quilt.  I realize that there is only 7 weeks left until the end of the year, but I have a lot of quilts that are almost done.  Do I think I can finish 8 more in that time?  I hope so, but we'll see.

I had picked up the bunny panels while at a quilt show a few years back.  I put some green fabric sashing around the small bunny motifs and then made them the same size as the larger bunny panels.  

I framed it in a pretty tan and then added another cream border.  The backing is tan, also and I used the same color for the binding.  I quilted it with a stipple free-motion that I did on my domestic machine, a Bernina 550.  

Then I washed it to make it nice and soft and ready to give to the new baby girl.

Here is close-up pic of me working on the quilting.  I love the little bunny quilt and I hope my friend and her new baby love it, too.  

 

Halloween Tote Bag

 

For the past few weeks, one of our local quilt shops has been having a sale from a quilt shop buy-out.  Although a lot of the fabrics were older, I managed to find some cute fall fabrics that I thought would make a little Halloween tote for my granddaughter for a reduced price.

I chose the pumpkin scarecrow fabric for the pocket and focal point, then added some yellow pumpkins for the top of the tote and brown fall fabric for the bottom.

The striped fabric made great handles to finish it off.  I like how it turned out, not too big, not too small - just right for my four-year old girl.

There's still lots of fall fabric left over to make more or to save for next year's projects.

While I didn't get to see her on the actual Halloween night, we had our own "trick or treat" game the next day.  

Here she is at the door trick-or-treating for some candy and little toys that I bought to put in her bag.  I especially like her little hand as she was holding the bag.  No tricks here, just a little treat at my door.  

Life doesn't get much better than this.  :)

Sophisticated Sled Cards

This week I took out one of last year's stamp sets called Sophisticated Sled.  When I ordered it last year, the dies were already gone so I just got the stamp set.  The sled on this card is from Alpine Adventure from a few years back.  

I used a piece of designer paper for the background and added a cut strip along the bottom for snow and three trees from Forest Foliage dies.  After I made the card, I replaced the birds with a much darker paper so that they stand out more.  I got the idea from Tami White.

This cute card with the skates features the sled stamped and cut out.  I used papers from Country Woods to make it look like siding on a porch or a door.  I used the smallest arch die for the saying.  I got the idea from Maria Kelleher.  

For the third card, I used the wreath from Sophisticated Sled for the focal point and colored it in with Stamping blends.  The papers are from remnants from Quilted Christmas.  I love the little bird sitting on the saying.  

I had fun making these cards with the ladies who come over to stamp.  We were feeling in a very festive mood when we were done.  

 

Patchwork Christmas Trees and Birds

This week I had to make a gift for my quilt guild raffle.  Because we don't have a regular meeting in December, our theme for this month is Christmas.  (I know, already!)

I decided to make some little tree ornaments that are made using 1 3/4" strips of fabrics.  I sewed four strips together and then cut them out using a 60 degree triangle ruler.  I sewed a long strip of brown fabric for the trunk by folding it in half two times ad tucking under the raw edge.  

I have a lot of Fig Tree Christmas fabrics left from a few years back, and I like using them to make Christmas items.  They are such pretty reds and greens with a bit of a vintage look to them.  

After making the trees, I decided to make a couple of little bird ornaments to coordinate with the set.  And you know that I love making my little birds.  I added a crocheted flower and button accent to them for the "wing."  

While I have made these before, I had fun making up a new batch of them.  They're quick, easy and fun to make.  That's what I love.

What do you think of my little tree ornament assortment?  Would you put these on your Christmas tree?

I just want to make more.  :)

 

Starting Christmas Cards with Yuletide Village and Shepherd's Care

Last week I had a chance to finally take out Yuletide Village stamp set.  I had picked it up last year and thought that it would make a pretty scene.  It sure does!  I got the idea for this card and the next card from Catherine Proctor and Peggy Murwin.  I love the soft colors and the little church.  

The addition of the beige designer paper cut with the arch dies adds so much.  The paper was from Nests of Winter.  I added some snowflakes to make it look like a winter day.

Here is a tiny little town like something out of a Hallmark movie.  I used three strips of paper from various designer packs.  I like how it sets up the scene and the colors for the front of the card.  

For the tree cut outs, I used the Frosted Forest cut outs.  I thought they looked great for the winter trees.  

For our third card, I used Shepherd's Care.  I got the idea for this card from Mo Rootes.  Although it's hard to tell in the photo, I used a muted designer paper to stamp the scene onto.  The shepherd stamps so nicely - the shading is right in the stamp.  The background papers are from the Peaceful Garden paper pack.  

I added a touch of gold embellishments to make the card shine.  I stamped some dots for stars using gold ink.  This card was quick and easy to make.  I hope to make some more of them.  

Have you started on your Christmas cards yet?  I have three more Christmas card classes to go.  

 

Sweater Tree Ornaments

November and December are very busy crafting months.  I'm still working on fall/Thanksgiving projects, yet need to get started on Christmas.  This week I made up some little tree ornaments made from sweaters.  I love to recycle sweaters.  :)

They are just SO cute!  I sewed some antique buttons on them for tree ornaments and added a gold cord for hanging.  Looking through my craft supplies for something that I could use for a trunk, I had the amazing idea to use thread spools!

I found some vintage spools in various sizes and stained them darker to look more like a tree trunk.  Then I glued them onto the bottoms of my sweater trees!  I am so impressed with how cute this project turned out.  :)

I used a 60 degree triangle ruler to cut out the trees and then just sewed them leaving a small hole in the bottom for turning.  I made 2 sizes - the larger trees stand up with a bigger thread spool.  The smaller ones have a mini spool and are a little more top heavy for standing.

I finished up 11 of the little trees.  Now what?  I "need" to make more.  

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Thanksgiving Bowl Fillers

When I was at Hobby Lobby last week, I found some cute fabric with little Thanksgiving sayings on it.  So of course I bought it.  I love to make little things.

I cut out the sayings and sewed them into little bowl decor pillows.  They can also be used as pin cushions.  

When cutting, I had to give up every other row, because of adding in seam allowance, but I am happy with what I got from my piece of fabric.

I love the little sayings, the colors and especially the ones with pumpkins on them

What am I going to do with them?  I might leave them in a basket for decor, give them away to people or put them in my dining room "shop." 

I made 11 in total and there's still some panels left on the fabric to work with.  

They're so cute, right?  I love having them around for my fall decor.  I might put them on the table for my Friendsgiving parties as little favors.  So I might need to make a few more.  :)

What do you think of them?  Would you put them out as fall and Thanksgiving decor?