Need to craft!

These last few weeks have been full of excitement and fun. But, it has meant that I have had little, to no time to be making anything. I finally sat down yesterday and today and gave myself a few hours to just make something - anything!

The first thing I made was this headband:



It is probably a little difficult to see in the picture but each rose is made of felt. I used a technique I have been seeing on several different craft blogs that I have wanted to try that involve cutting a circle of felt into a spiral and rolling it up. It was super easy - and I love how it turned out.

The next thing I made was this pair of earrings:



They are made of fabric rosettes and I think they turned out pretty cute. I like the rosette trend that is going on right now, and thought I ought to try it as a pair of earrings.

I also made another felt rose and added some elastic to the bottom of it to turn it into a ring. I tried it with two colors of felt, and I really like the way it turned out.




This last pair of earrings I actually made a few weeks ago:



They are one solid piece of wire and I just LOVE the way they look in my ears. They are extremely cool, and I want to make some more using some different beads. They were also pretty simple to make, which is always a bonus.

I must say I am feeling much better after taking some time out of the busy schedule over the last two weeks to make a few things. It's amazing how theraputic making things with your hands can be.

Tomorrow I plan on starting the quilting of Boston's quilt...wish me luck!

Simply Charming

I have made a couple new necklace charms recently and have been overall pleased with how they have turned out:


I've seen a few "bird's nests" out there in creative jewelry land, and I really like the look. I am not necessarily thrilled with this first attempt, but I know exactly what I would change when/if I make another. I went ahead and put three eggs in there - one for me, one for Justin, and one for baby Boston who will be here before we know it!



My other new charm I made was a treble clef. This was an idea that struck me in the middle of the night, and I woke up the next morning and immediately pulled out my silver to make it. After I hammered the silver and got it into the shape of the clef, I realized the stem (the straight part in the back) wasn't going to sit the way I wanted it to without some help.

So, while I pondered how to overcome the problem, the charm sat for about 3 weeks. I finally figured out how to fix the problem, and I just love the look.

That's it for now. I think I am going to start making some more jewelry - I've definitely been missing it.

Some new friends

I have some new friends that have stopped by and asked to be crafted with.


These sweet little ladies will be joining me as I make cards and tags and other fun and cute crafts.


Little Miss Orange has already become a super cute tag:



And the girl with her bouquet of flowers has a special gift for someone:


I'm excited to see what the other ladies have in store for me.

Fabric Rosette Headband

UPDATE: I have a very basic tutorial here, if you are interested in knowing how I make my flowers.

I was finally able to figure out how to make the fabric roses I have been wanting to use on a headband! The finished product ended up looking like this:

Ah. Absolutely adorable! And it was SOO easy. I didn't have to do any sewing AT ALL! It was all done with hot glue as well as a fabric glue. From start to finish I think it took less than an hour and a half. I'm having to seriously restrain myself from sitting around all day making more, or going out to the fabric store and buying all sorts of cute fabric to use for the flowers.

I've made a few other headbands before I had figured out how to do this particular style. It's not to say that I don't like these headbands, they just weren't exactly what I wanted.


(mmm...don't you just love pictures taken when it is too dark? Nice and bright... :P)

I really like this headband, and apparently I have a thing for sets of three. I can't find the picture of my other headband I've made - I'll have to take a new one and post it later.

Anyway, I'm happy. I like all the headbands and I am especially happy I was able to figure out the fabric rosette.

Scrap Material Bag

This project wasn't exactly on my list of things To Do...but I got the idea in my head and I just couldn't let it go. I actually whipped this bag up in one afternoon with some extra fabric from the mod podge vase. I am really happy with the way it turned out, even though it is quite small.

It would serve as the perfect bag for holding scriptures and a manual, but I just finished making a cute scripture case for myself. I've used it successfully as a small purse, but only when I need the very minimal amount of things. In any case I love it. I love the fabric, I love the button, I love the fact that I made a successful button hole, and I love that it has a square bottom.

Currently my sewing machine is in the shop. While I was working on another project (this one IS from my To Do list) my machine decided it had had enough and stopped working. Hopefully I will hear back from the repair shop soon. Until I do, I'll just have to work on some other important projects that need to get finished.

Welcome Spring!

So, Spring hasn't officially started yet, I realize, but I just can't help myself. I LOVE SPRING!


Spring means Easter. This was simple enough to do. I have been wanting to fill this vase with Easter eggs for a few years (at Christmas it will be filled with Ornaments), and I finally bought some at Target. LOVE IT!

And my most recent craft to be finished:


I got this idea from something I saw over at Blue Cricket Design. I bought the frame at Goodwill, and then I painted it with the polka dots. I just used cheap $.29 sheets of felt and blanket stitched two pieces together.

I intend to change out the hangings every so often with different things. I already have some wood letters that spell out our last name I am going to decorate and will hang from the frame at some point.



Close up of the "Spring." It's hard to see, but each letter is lined with a different color of embroidery floss.


A close up of the flowers. I love each and every one of them!

HAPPY SPRING EVERYONE!

To Do...

I have a long "To Do" list of craft projects that I would really like to make some headway on. I have the list posted on my desk in the craft room, but clearly it's not doing anything to get things done. Maybe if I put it out on the web, it will make me feel more responsible for getting things checked off? We'll see.

As I get things completed I'll be checking them off my list. (These are in no particular order)

• Finish my scripture case (Completed 3/9)
• Make a calendar
• Finish my Sisters' birthday presents (Completed 6/19)
• Finish the pillow (Completed 3/11)
• Fix blue purse (Completed 3/9)
• Complete Rag Quilt (Completed 5/5)
• Make hangings for Welcome Frame (Completed 3/12)

These may not make sense to everyone, but I am excited to get these things finished. I'll have pictures of everything as I finish. I should mention that each of these items on my list have been started and most are near the stage of completion, I just have a bad habit of never quite finishing things.

Once I finish these I should be able to move on to some other crafts that have been stewing in the back of my mind for some time, yet I've not quite had the chance to get them started.