Hi Cutie Pie

I am so excited to be a Guest Designer for the latest MarkerPop Challenge! If you haven't played along with them before I highly encourage you to join in the fun!  This time around the challenge involves a highly versatile sketch that you can customize in so many different ways!

This time of year I try to focus on all of the things that I am thankful for. With that goal in mind I created a card with a Thanksgiving motif. This year I want to make sure I let those all those amazing people in my life know how thankful I am for their love and friendship by sending them some handmade happy mail!

I started by using my Misti to repeatedly stamp the knife, fork, and mug images in Desert Sand on a kraft card base for a tone on tone background.  The Misti makes it really easy to stamp these little images repeatedly and create fun custom backgrounds for your cards!  Next I pulled out my masking paper to create a fun photo of these cute Lawn Fawn friends (Turkey & Mice) and their favorite Cutie Pie;  I used Copics to bring these cuties to life!  The sentiment is also from the Cutie Pie set and that Polaroid style frame from this fantastic Mama Elephant set was the perfect way to finish it off!  The photo is mounted on some foam for dimension and the card base was cut down just a smidge so it will fit perfectly in an A2 envelope!

Thanks for stopping by today and don't forget to hop on over to the MarkerPop Blog to join in this fun challenge!

MarkerPop Challenge #106

MarkerPop has a fantastic challenge for this time of year... create a Halloween card with any brand of products they sell in the shop!  This is easy-peasy even if you don't have a ton of Halloween themed items, no seriously, I only have one Halloween stamp set and it's retired!  Luckily the set I have is from Lawn Fawn, a brand MarkerPop carries, so I did some clever masking to add the witch hat to the adorable retro cat from Avery Elle's latest release!

The background is stamped with the Wplus9 set 'Ink Splats' using Distress Inks in Picked Raspberry, Twisted Citron and Seedless Preserves.  I did spray the splats with a light mist of water to get them to blend a little betters since these inks are not really made for stamping with, but I like the sort of splotchy look you get with them on these stamps. This witchy kitty is colored with Copic markers and fussy cut before being mounted on the focal panel with a little foam tape.

The greeting is a combo of the Lawn Fawn Stinkin' Cute sentiment and Concord & 9th's amazing Sophisticated Script.  The focal panel is cut with the largest stitched rectangle in the My Favorite Things Blueprints 29 Die-Namics set.  Finally I added a few sequins from Craft Medley's Rhythm n' Blues to give this kitty a little sparkle!

Make sure you check out all the other amazing Halloween creations over at the MarkerPop Blog!

Lawnscaping Challenge 139

The fantastic Lawnscaping Challenge team had a beautiful Pinterest board for our inspiration this time! 

All those beautiful fall leaves inspired me to create some cute place cards for our Thanksgiving table, we are pretty casual so these pops of color will be a fun addition!

I used the Stitched Leaves Lawn Cuts to cut paper from the Fall Perfectly Plaid Petite Pack, Polka In The Meadow Petite Pack and Polka After Dark Petite Pack.  Each leaf was cut in two different papers to create a front and back since I knew they would be visible from the sides.  I then cut some stitched rectangles using these Lawn Cuts and folded them in half to create the base.  Of course I needed more stitching, can't get enough, so I cut smaller stitched rectangles from the Fall Plaid papers to create nameplates and message mats.  Next I wanted the scripty thanks die to pop so I went with some solid red cardstock from stash.  The stamps above and below the thanks are from Critters in the Forest and Cutie Pie, they were selectively inked to create the message I want each of my guests to see across the table!  To finish up, I wrote each name in with a Picket Fence Distress Marker for a cute chalkboard look!

Thanks for stopping in and don't forget to check out the next Lawnscaping Challenge!

Lawn Fawn Love

The weeks are just flying by!  Now that fall is here I want it to stay forever, it has been so gorgeous here in the Rockies, sunny days, cool mornings that are perfect for walking with Tiny Boss and warm afternoons that are great for soccer games and playground time!  This is hands down my favorite season of the year!

This week I was fortunate enough to have some crafty time to play with some of my favorite Lawn Fawn products... critters of course :)

This first card features the new Jump for Joy Stamp Set and coordinating Lawn Cuts.  I was lucky enough to be able to score these and the Perfectly Plaid Fall Petite Pack at my local scrapbook store Scrap2it!  One of my favorite things about fall is the crunchy leaves and beautiful autumnal wreaths hanging all over town.  The small stamps in this set were perfect to use for creating a wreath!  I colored them very simply with Copic markers, die cut them, adhered them to a circle frame (I made this with two of the stitched circle dies) and then added some details with gel pens and Wink of Stella in gold once they were all in place!  I loved the idea of tiny red heart berries, but after coloring them I realized there isn't a matching die :(  oh well, fussy cutting worked and then I added some glossy accents on top to make them pop a bit.  I had planned to adhere my critters over the wreath but they just didn't look quite right, they looked better off to the sides but needed something to bring them together... da, da, da... big scripty words!!! seriously the best sentiment set EVER!  The thanks sentiment made the card come together perfectly!  Yay!  The rest of the card features the adorable plaid papers and a little bit of white gel pen detail!  

My second card was completely and totally inspired by the amazing Jennifer McGuire and this recent video.  I used the Lawn Fawn Baaah Humbug stamp set, their dye ink in Freshly Cut Grass, some Copics, masking paper and my MISTI.  I was able to complete 12 cards with Tiny Boss napped!  That is a record!  Definitely going to be making more of these for sure!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  See you soon!

Lawnscaping Challenge 138

Lawnscaping?  It's just a fun way to say creating with Lawn Fawn!  I am a Lawn Fawn addict and I was so excited that I had time this week to join in on the current challenge 'Geometric'!

I knew I wanted to create some fun windows or insets in my card front so I grabbed some Lawn Cuts and started playing around with a layout, it took three tries but in the end I was really happy with how it turned out!  I backed each opening with papers from the new 6x6 Perfectly Plaid Fall collection and then added some Copic colored images on top of each one!

Hope you get a chance to get crafty today!

Spotted!!!

Wow, I feel so honored to have my card "Spotted" over at the My Favorite Things Card Challenge Blog!  I have fallen hard for the all the amazing My Favorite Things products.  I especially love the Birdie Brown stamp collections (can you get any cuter?!) and the Die-namics Blueprints sets, together these stamps and dies make completing a card during naptime a snap!

This card features the Harvest Mouse stamp set and the 
Die-namics Tags Blueprint 5.  Those little hearts are part 

of the tag Die-namics and they are awesome for filling shakers too!

Thank you so much for stopping by, see you soon with some more crafty goodness!

My Favorite Things Superstar Card Contest

Woah, nothing like squeaking in at the last minute!  The contest closes today and I finally was able to complete the card that has been floating around my desk for a week!  This is my first shaker card and I am really happy with how it turned out; I can't wait to make more in the future.

This card uses the following products, which I love and adore, from My Favorite Things:

Die-namics Blueprints 29 - Window the dog is looking through and flower boxes!
Die-namics Tag Builder Blueprints 5 - The heart confetti in the shaker window!
BB You Make My Tail Wag Stamp Set - Dog and dog/cat bed.
BB I Knead You Stamp Set - Sleeping kitty.
BB Cool Cat Stamp Set - Vase and fish bowl.
BB Lucky Dog Stamp Set - Sentiments, inside and out.
BB Hog Heaven - Flowers in the window boxes.

All of the images were colored with Copic markers and fussy cut... it took a bit but I think it was so worth it in the end!  Thanks for stopping by to check out my Superstar Card entry!

My Favorite Things Challenge Card

Wow, I feel like it has been such a whirlwind start to the school year! My son is playing soccer it takes up most of my evenings driving through construction to pick him up or to go and watch his games, but we have had awesome weather to enjoy so I really can't complain!

Anyway... I am back with another card to share with you.  I created this for the My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge #298.  I love the MFT Stamps card challenge blog it is full of awesome inspiration, great color ideas, fun challenges and there are links to download ALL of the previous sketch challenges too!

My take on Sketch #298 used the awesome Strike Up The Band stamp set by Birdie Brown, I am just so in love with all of her fantastic stamp designs and this one might be edging out the Harvest Mouse set as my current favorite!  I was really feeling sparkly when I created this card so there is glitter galore, but I think it works perfectly with that sweet sentiment! The sentiment and background stamps all come from this same set, they are stamped in Versamark and embossed with either Ranger Princess Gold or Wow Opaque Black embossing powders!  The bunny is colored in with Copics and his gold accents are embossed with the beautiful gold powder again.

Thanks for stopping in!  I hope you are having a fantastic end to your summer!

Fabulous Florals & Flamingos

Now that The Daily Marker Coloring Challenge is over I wanted to join in on a few other challenges.  This week over at Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge they are using awesome Hero Arts products to make fabulous floral cards!  As a lover of Hero Arts designs I have quite a few in my collection which made it easy to create this fabulous floral & flamingo card!

I began by stamping the background stamp (Hero Arts & Studio Calico design) with three different shades of Ranger pigment ink, the lightest shade ended up being just too light to see so I restamped using just the two darker shades... good thing I was using my Misti!  After I heat set the pigment ink I spritzed both orange and pink Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist lightly over the whole thing and heat set that as well.

For my florals I used the Color Layering Hibiscus set from Hero Arts and stamped the larger images on vellum using the same pigment inks as before and then heat setting them before cutting them out.  I also stamped some of the smaller flowers and leaves onto the background using Altenew Crisp Inks and some Versamark with gold embossing powder for the stamen.

I really felt this card was calling for a flamingo...or maybe I have just been dying to use my new Color Layering Flamingo set, but either way I love the addition of this gorgeous lady!  The flamingo is stamped using Altenew Crisp Inks for the pinks and Lawn Fawn Hippo for the eye, beak and legs.  Then I used the coordinating die cut to cut her out.  Tip I got from the awesome Nichol Spohr is to die cut the flamingo first then use your Misti and line up the legs to get them just right!  It works perfectly!  The sentiment is also from the flamingo stamp set and looks amazing embossed in gold!

Thanks for visiting, I hope to be back soon with some more crafty creations!

Cards, Cards, and More Cards

Hi there, I wanted to drop in and share a few more of the cards I created with images colored during The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge!

'Happy Birthday to My Hero!'

This is the super cute card I made for my awesome husband's birthday this week!  It features owls from several different Lawn Fawn sets, one of my favorite things about the Lawn Fawn designs is their ability to mix and match seamlessly!  I found this adorable card on Handmade by Yuki (she is so darn talented that you should definitely grab some more coffee and browse her fantastic blog).  I loved the dimension that she created by placing some of the scene elements behind vellum!  Hubby really like the card which made my whole day!

'Magical Day'

My inner five year old LOVES this unicorn set from Avery Elle.  I was able to create a super shimmery glitter effect by blending out my Zig Clean Color Markers with a clear Wink of Stella pen!  This is true unicorn perfection!  The fantastic circle framing the unicorn is from Mama Elephant, I have been debating about getting this die and I am so, so, so glad I did... it is pure awesomeness in an unassuming metal die!

'Hooray For This Day'

How darn adorable are these raccoons?!  I saw this Rowdy Raccoon stamp set from Mama Elephant and I couldn't resist.  These little rubbish robbers are just too cute; there is even one wearing a cowboy hat and riding a stick horse!  But I digress... the card is made with just one image stamped over and and over again to create this cheering crowd!  Each critter is cut with the coordinating die and then they are progressively popped up on different levels of foam tape to create the dimension similar to spectator stands.  The banner stamp is from Avery Elle and the sentiment is from an Ali Edwards Story Stamp Set.  The yellow stars are from this fantastic Simon Says Stamp set and they were stamped in this yellow ink from Lawn Fawn onto some scraps of yellow paper and then I gave each one a shimmery shine with my clear Wink of Stella pen... oh how I love that pen!  I think this would be a great card to give to someone graduating.

'Jelly Good'

This card was just a quick one to check out the newest My Monthly Hero kit from Hero Arts.  Sadly the kit is now sold out but you will can purchase this beautiful ombre mermaid ink pad and the super awesome Color Layering Octopus stamp set that were released with it.  I am definitely going to have to try out the vellum layering for dimension, as seen above, with this stamp set.

Happy Friday!  Thanks for visiting and I hope you all have an awesome weekend!  

Coloring Challenge

Hi there, are you participating in The 30 Day Coloring Challenge over at The Daily Marker?  This is my first time participating but I am LOVING every single minute of it!  Did you know coloring can relieve stress?  Sign me up for anything that relieves stress!  Grab something to color with and check out the details of the challenge over at The Daily Marker!

I thought I would share a few of the cards that I have made with all my freshly colored images...

'Believe in yourself!'

This card features lots of fantastic stamps from Lawn Fawn, including Critters In The Sea, Mermaid For You, and Life is Good.  The sand hills were made with the Stitched Hillside Borders from Lawn Fawn and the white outer frame is from My Favorite Things.  All images were colored with Copic markers.  The background features Distress Inks blended and spritzed with Tattered Angels mist (I find that this process creates a really nice blend with a bit of sparkle).

'More Than Naps'

This sleepy little kitty is from Newton's Nook, if you are looking for adorable cat images this is the company to check out!  The image was colored with Copic markers and after die cutting it I mounted it on an felt background to make it feel even cozier!  The inner white rectangle and striped rectangle mat were both cut with these dies from Lawn Fawn.  The outer frame is from My Favorite Things and the heart tag is an older die from QuicKutz.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you get in some coloring today!

Padded Camera Strap Cover Tutorial *Updated*



Let me start by saying... I am just learning to sew; I am not an expert seamstress.

I have been wanting a padded camera strap cover for a long time and I finally feel confident enough with my sewing skills to try making one. 

I really only quilt so this whole "tutorial" is based on quilting-style sewing (if that makes any sense).

Supplies Needed:

-sewing machine

-matching thread

-beautiful outer fabrics (prewashed & pressed)

-solid lining fabric (prewashed & pressed)

-fusible batting (low loft)

-chopstick or knitting needle

-printer paper & pencil

-ruler

-scissors

Step 1:  Undo one side of your camera strap.

Step 2:  Fold the strap in half and trace the wide nylon part.

Step 3:  Using a ruler add 1/2"* lines around your tracing except where the fold of the strap was.

*When using a thicker batting add another 1/4" to all sides but the fold. Seen Below,

Step 4:  Cut the pattern out!

Step 5:  The fun step, choose your fabrics!  You will need front of strap, back of strap and a lining fabric. Cut a loooonnnggg strip of your outside fabrics and then fold in half, lay your pattern on top lining up the folds and cut.  You will measure the lining fabric after sewing the outer fabrics together.

Step 6:  Lay the outer fabrics together, right sides facing each other and sew along one long edge using a 1/4" seam.  Now press the seam toward the darker fabric.

Step 7:  Lay the outer fabric right side facing out on top of your fusible batting, cut the batting to fit and fuse with your iron.  (Follow the batting instructions carefully)

Step 8:  Lay your lining fabric on the opposite side of the batting and fuse.  Trim any excess lining fabric.

Step 9:  Run several lines of stitching/ quilting through your sandwich, I did this on my second strap and found that it was much easier to turn the strap right side out in the end!

Step 10:  Fold your short sides inward toward the lining a little less than 1/2"  Sew down through the outside to secure, I used a straight stitch at 1/4" and another a 1/4" from the first row of stitches right along the edge next to the lining. (Turned over to show detail in picture, it is just a cleaner look to go through the front of the fabric)

 

Step 11:  Fold the whole strap in half lengthwise with the outside fabric facing in and the lining out, secure with straight pins, sew a 1/4" seam along the open edge.

Step 12:  The hardest step.  Turn the whole thing right side out.  Use a chopstick, knitting needle, or like me a long paintbrush.

Step: 13:  Press the whole strap cover nice and flat again.

Step 14: Slide the end of the camera strap through the cover, I used a little painters tape and secured the strap to my long paintbrush and pulled it through.

Step 15:  Enjoy!

*Updated from the first post, I found just a few things (like more fabric and a little quilting) that made this strap even easier to work with than the first one I posted! 

If you make one of these comfy-cozy straps for your camera please link a picture in the comments, I would love to see it!

A New Crafty Adventure

Now that I've got my apartment mostly unpacked and set up, I wanted to get crafty but no matter how many times I pushed photos and bits around on a page I just wasn't feeling 'scrappy' so I decided that it was time to try something new... sewing!

My sweet Gram gave me a 'Fast & Easy' sewing machine for Christmas seven years ago; it has been used on lots of scrapbook pages but never with fabric and I thought it was about time that my sewing machine met some fabric!

So I did a little research online and found this really great blog (and Etsy shop) entitled Diary of A Quilter!  Amy Smart has designed some really amazing modern quilts and written a great step-by-step tutorial to get even the sewing challenged like me started quilting!  I'm hoping to tackle her 'Charm Pack Baby Quilt' in the next few weeks; since I do not have a baby nor know anyone who is expecting I think I may try to make this more of a throw blanket size for snuggling up on the sofa.  I chose this pattern because it required the least amount of cutting, the majority of the pieces are already cut for you by Moda!  (By the way, this is the same company that puts out BasicGrey, Cosmo Cricket and My Mind's Eye fabrics!)

To get myself motivated to sew I set up a little sewing center in my dining room 'den'...

Note the machine really is called the 'Fast & Easy' !



Here are the key components of my sewing center...

I bought a great book today that is written by Deborah Moebes and she actually wants me to love sewing! 
It's filled with lots of really useful information and great projects!  Click here to get your own copy of Stitch by Stitch.

Next I filled one of my favorite stack and lock containers with the sewing essentials I currently own... I see a trip to JoAnn's in my future, but in the meantime the machine instructions, thread, bobbins, needles and snips are handy!

I dug out my old iron... I guess we'll finally have to become friendly.

I made a trip to several quilting stores in my area to get inspired... I LOVE the yellow and grey bird fabric!
Here's where I went Holly's Quilt Cabin and Snappy Quilts, both are very cute shops!

And last, but not least, I changed out the needle on my sewing machine (probably a good idea after 7 years)
and set her all up with new thread and a freshly wound bobbin!

Now I'm off and running, hopefully I'll be back in the next few days with a little progress report!