Back to Blogging!

Thanks to a sweet friend and fellow artist's support and encouragement,  I have decided to come back to my blog.  I have missed  sharing ideas, projects and stories with you all.  I am thrilled to get going again.  So without any further delay, here is the first project of 2012!  

I thought the perfect way to get back into the swing of things would be to make something for the friend that is responsible for my return.  I decide to use two of my favorite art forms - crochet and cards.

  

This sweet little flower bracelet was inspired by a pattern by Lia Govers,  Free Flower Bracelet Pattern, I made the following modifications to make it the size I wanted.

* I used six chain stitches to form the initial round (instead of 8) and for round one I used a double crochet to form the petals (instead of a triple crochet).  If you are interested in the exact pattern I used you can email me and I will send it to you. 

My friend is crazy about buttons, so I found a great Tim Holtz button to use for the clasp.

It is always important to me that a gift be presented in a special way.  So I made a card in a size that would accommodate the bracelet nicely.

I just cannot get enough of this dress form die, from Sizzix and Tim Holtz.  It is so much fun.

Inside I tied a simple bow to hold the bracelet in place.

I don't want to ruin the surprise, but I do hope she is reading this...Thanks E!

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Jamie



Have you ever been so sure you were right...

that even when found out you were wrong you still remembered the facts incorrectly?  That is what happened to me last year while playing Secret Sister with my fellow teachers at The Children's Place.  I had no doubt in my mind that I knew who was my SS.  I was so sure that I purchased a monogrammed note pad and made a special necklace just for the person that I KNEW was my SS.  All to find out at the end of the year luncheon, that I didn't know at all.  I was shocked to find it was someone else.  She said she loved the gifts even though her name began with "T" and the note pad was had a monogram "M".  What a sweet girl.  So I ran home that day and whipped up a little something special for her and here it is.

  I made her a 6 X 6 card that held a special little broach, that I knew she would like.  I used my Tim Holtz Sewing Room die to cut the dress form and those wonderful stamps from Papertrey Ink .  I  absolutely adore dressing up this dress form with papers and jewels.  It's like barbie for grown ups!  Miss "T" seem to like her gift.  She put her broach on her sweater the minute she opened it.

The crazy thing is, when I see some of the cute gifts that I received last year I still think of that wrong person for a moment and then have to remind myself from whom it really came.  Have you ever been that sure about something only to find out your were way off base?  I would love to hear your story. 

Enjoy your long weekend!
jamie

P.S.  Don't forget about the drawing for donations posted on 29th.  Just 5 more days left to enter.

Make a donation, enter a drawing!

Hi friends!  Today's card is a little Breast cancer awareness project.  It is a pretty basic card with a very important reminder.

  As most women today have, I have had breast cancer touch my life though the diagnosis of two friends.  I am thankful to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for funding research that has been key in treating these friends of mine and keeping them in my life.  One of these friends is Nancy Firchau.  She is celebrating five years cancer free by participating the 3-Day for the Cure.  It is a 60 mile walk that takes place over three days.  Fundraising in this tough economic climate as proven to be quite challenging, so I thought I would throw in a fun little twist.

If you go the The 3 Day, click donations, find Nancy Firchau's page, and make a donation, you will be entered in a drawing for this the group of goodies.

The package includes one CTMH My Creations Display Album, one set of K & Company - Grand Adhesions Dimentional stickers (8 pieces), and one set of Ki Puffies fabric stickers (5 pieces).

When you have made your donation, leave a comment here or email me and I will add your name to the drawing.  All donations made between now and September  9, 2011 will be elidgible to win.

I had the good fortune to walk in the local race for the cure last year, and had such a great time.  Here is a picture of the group I walked with that day.

Thanks for considering contributing to this great cause.  Be sure to let me know when you make your dontation so that your name goes into the drawing!

Have a great day!

jamie

 

Gift Card in a Box

Good Saturday afternoon everyone.  Today I want to show a little project that I came up with this summer.  I love to give gift cards to friends for birthdays.  I know it's kind of boring, but this way I know they get something they really want.  I came up with a fancy little gift card box to add some pizazz to an other wise pretty uncreative gift.  The entire box was assembled with paper and chip board, so as for the base of the box nothing outside of the normal craft room supplies needed.

This is the top of the box.  Embellished with some of my favorite goodies.  Resin Crown by Melissa Francis, cute seam binding ribbon and a great felt flower I made using a flower die from My Favorite Things, it cuts felt like a dream.

Next I am showing a picture of the top of the box with the card open.  I assembled the box so that the card was just a flap on top on the lid.  Nice and tidy, all one piece.

This photo shows the inside of the box,  sorry for the reflection.  I loved having the rhinestones as part of the hinge, but they made photo taking tricky.  The gift card sits in the bottom of the box (on top of the blue ribbon).  The tail of the ribbon is visible and with a slight pull it helps the card pop out of the bottom with ease.

Lastly, my box all dolled up and ready to give.  I am crazy obsessed with Cellophane bags.  They really add to the presentation of any gift. 

That's it for me today...I have a long list of chores to accomplish this weekend - fortunately I added "make something good" in several different spots on the list (wink).  So I should have more to share at the beginning of the week.

Thanks for making me a part of your weekend!

jamie

Back to School with more digital images

Happy Wednesday afternoon!  School starts here in North Texas on Monday.  I always like to give my nieces and nephews a little treat to wish them well on their first day.  This year I came across some great digital images on line and decided to create the gifts around these images.  Thanks to the girls at eighteen25 you can find the printable images here and here.  After you check out the images give their blog a visit, it's full of super cute ideas.

Anyway with the "sharp" theme in mind, I went shopping and  was thrilled to come across these little tubes of colored pencils at Michael's.  They were only a dollar a piece!

 

They did have a sticker holding the lid in place so if you purchase them be sure to have some undu on hand.  It was a little sticky but didn't take very long to remove them.  Then I used the images I printed to decorate the tubes and attached a little tag.  I love the fact that I could change the sizes of the images and designs to custom fit my project.

Super fun and super easy!  I can't wait to deliver these little goodies! 

Do you have any back to school ideas?  I would love to hear what you are planning.

Thanks for stopping by,

jamie 

The cutest thing I have ever seen...

No it's not something I made, but something I came across this morning while reading email.  I should definitely add that had I owned this hat - in blue -  when my boys were babies, I know their pictures in it would have been cuter (wink). 

This was on an ETSY sight you can find here.  Along with some other super cute hats and headbands for little ones.  Are you dieing?  She just makes me smile.

Photo credits: Ann James Photography

Now on to a little stamping...

I am still using this little silhouette stamp more than anything else I own right now.  Every time I start a project, especially when I am using those vintage inspired digital  papers by Iralamija,  I look down and find this stamp in my hand.

The super cool thing about this card is that the six smaller papers behind the main image are actually one panel.  So instead of measuring, cutting and piecing six different pattern papers you need only cut one piece.  So easy and I am pleased with the out come.  "Easy" and "happy with the result" rarely go together when I am stamping and I'm delighted to finally use them both to describe a project. 

Short and sweet on the inside. 

Have you been working on any quick and easy projects of your own lately?  I would love to see what you have been up to.  Email me a photo and I will post it here.

Thanks for stopping by!

jamie

 

Banners & Silhouettes, I'm hooked!

I am in love, love, love with the silhouette stamps that I see these days.  If it features children add one more love to that statement.  Here I combined the banners, children's silhouette stamps, and a favorite new find of mine...digital images by Iralamija.  Each banner is made with a different digital image I purchased from her  Etsy shop.  (Click the name above to go to her shop)

I have been a little leery of digital images in the past but really couldn't find any shabby chic style papers at local craft stores.  So I took a chance and bought a few.  Then I went back and bought a few more.  No waiting on that stinky old UPS man either, she emails them to you within 24 hours of your purchase.  They print out beautifully, you can resize them and print them as much as you like!  You can let go now, you don't have to hoard papers for fear you "will want another piece of that beautiful sheet music with the roses behind it" and not be able to find it.  It is on your computer!  Can you hear the angels singing?

I enjoyed making this card so much I decided to keep the blueprint and enlarge it a bit to make a cover for my lesson plan binder.

Yes!  Those scrabble tiles are some of the images she has available.  Is your heart leaping with joy?  I printed mine on regular copy paper, cut out, glued them to chip board squares and distressed the edges a little.  I can't wait to do lesson plans now.  If you plan to make a project with dimension for a binder cover I suggest making it about 1/2" to 1" smaller than the size of the opening.  That way there is enough room in the plastic sleeve for anything extra thick.

I hope your week is off to a good start!

jamie