Ballerina party prep

Within the next month, I will have celebrated the birthday parties of all 3 of my kiddos.  A lot of work, but at least I'm all done for the year afterwards, right??  I really do enjoy crafting for their parties - it's an excuse to decorate the house and try out new ideas that I find on other crafty blogs...  Like this tutorial, making gorgeous hanging balls out of crepe paper and styrofoam balls.

I'm fresh out of styrofoam balls, but I did have some crepe paper (who doesn't? lol) and some tiny styrofoam wreaths.  Sooo, you go from this:

to this:

I cut 24-inch strips of crepe paper, and rolled each strip into a rosette, adding a dab of hot glue here and there to keep it all together (be careful if you try this:  I now have a bubbly burn on 1 finger...that hot glue gun is equal parts friend and foe...)  I used around 20 rosettes for this one wreath - 3/4 of a roll of crepe paper.  Not a bad decor item for freeee! (since I already had all the stuff!)  Here are some close-up pictures:

Thanks for looking!

PTI blog hop: embroidery floss!

2 days ago, I was trying out different ideas, hoping one of them would translate into a ballerina invite or favor for Sofia's upcoming party.  No luck there (she informed me the color scheme wasn't to her liking - pink and hot pink are apparently the way to go), but then I remembered that it was almost blog hop time!  And lucky me, the piece used embroidery floss :)  The challenge this month is to be creative with floss - I don't know how creative this is (it's straight-up stitching), but at least I can join in the fun.  I actually love this card.  Maybe because I'm getting into the girly-ballerina-thing that Sofia's so excited about, but adding tutus to anything is fun times.  And I know it's an old trick, but it was the first time I used my copics to color the clear rhinestones - how about that?  Instant project match!  Love it.

Hope you enjoyed my creation!  Can't wait to have a quiet tea and check out the other projects :)

stamps: sew suite (SU), fancy flourishes, signature greetings (PTI)
dies: edgers #1, eyelet border (PTI)
papers:  basic grey, whisper white, blushing bride (SU)
misc: clear rhinestones, grey felt, pink tulle, copics

vegtastic!

Are you on complete cuteness overload from these carrots??

I can't take it.

These "paper smooches" sets are just too much.  I stamped, cut, and colored the carrots first.  Then, I tore a little piece of brown cardstock to make a dirt mound for the veggies to stick out of.  The yellow strips are stamped with a few PTI background sets and then machine stitched.  (Do they look like sun rays?  If yes, we're on the same page.)  My sewing machine has a semi-permanent place on the crafty table!  Who'd have thunk it... The clouds block is from Hero Arts and I stamped the heart-outline-image from "vegtastic" onto some pretty gingham paper... as I wait for my PTI gingham stamps... *stares out the window and sighs*

Hope you like it!

MIM - copics

MIM time again - this time, to color an image stamped on a non-neutral paper.  I don't know why I chose to work with such a deep color - *smacks self on forehead* - but whatever.  I think it ended up looking so pretty. I love the depth it gives the flower to color it with the copics.

I used PTI's "YOTF: marigolds" and "Framed" - and I'm mostly mentioning which sets I used because I MUST know how you manage to stamp the frame (from "framed") any kind of straight.  I always have to stamp on a separate paper and cut it out.  Which, to me, defeats the purpose - no?

Have a great day and thanks for looking!

sewing tags, part deux

I'm posting out of order.... I finished sewing the base of these tags yesterday, although I had no idea what I'd put on them for a focal point.  That almost never happens to me.  I usually decide on a focal point first and then layer from the top-down, as it were...

Searching through my stash, I found these little die-cuts that I had stamped with some images from "everyday button bits" - borrowed from a crafty friend!  They add such a sweetness to these sewn tags!

Soooo, I didn't sew those tags today, but I did sew something:

I had some scrap fabric that I sewed into a ruffle and then secured to a soft band... perfect frame for her chubby little face, don't you think?

birthday tags & sewing machines.

There was a lot of under-the-breath-muttering that went into this project.  I must have sounded pretty bad over the phone, because my sister packed up her 2 kids and ran over to help me out with my machine.  We're not friends, let's put it that way (my machine and I, obviously... I like my sis just fine.)   But I'd like for this relationship to work out...for so many reasons... but let's start with paper, I guess.  Work my way up to fabric later on...

Love the look of stitching on cards.  I know my stitches are far from perfect, but I think they're pretty cute.  In a "look what I finally accomplished" kind of way :)

I've never even tried the zig-zag stitch on my machine before!  I feel like I just ran a marathon.  I need to eat some chocolate to calm my nerves.

I look forward to becoming better acquainted with my sewing machine... tomorrow.

Here are the deets on my birthday tags:  I stamped the tulips from "friendship jar spring fillers" and the "happy birthday" greeting is from tag it's 1.  The tag shape and papers are all SU.  I need to use up some of my stash. Why do I keep buying more papers without using up the old ones?  It's inexplicable... some women can't resist a new pair of shoes - it's patterned paper for me :)

paper smooches

Sooo, while we're trying out new stamp companies... I'm adding paper smooches to the list.  I've always liked Kim Hughes' (the owner/illustrator) funky style and her stamps are adorable.  With a capital "A".  I couldn't resist :)

Everything was paper-pieced, even the tiny red hearts in the sentiments.  I put my paper-snips to work, lol!  I love my SU papers, and they were a perfect fit for my cute green apple...  thanks for looking!