Carved in time

I stitched up this hoop for a gal in the Ongoing Holiday List swap. I think it turned out sweet. :)

My favorite part was stitching in the "bark". At first, I didn't feel like it looked right and then I'd step away from the hoop and say to myself..."Cool!".

I did crayon tinting on the tree itself. You can't tell but the inside of the heart is tinted a tan to make it look more like the inner portion of the tree. It's stitched in split stitch and the heart is done in stem stitch.

Stashbustin' Ornaments Pt 4: Poinsettia

Before reading this tutorial, check out my Ornament GIVEAWAY rules!

Here's a super easy and quick poinsettia ornament that would look lovely on a tree or as part of the wrapping of a gift. :)

Materials Needed:

• red and green felt
• gold craft beads or you could use sequins
• 8" piece of coordinating ribbon
• scissors
• craft glue (not pictured)
• needle and corresponding thread (embroidery or sewing, doesn't matter)

Poinsettia pattern
     Click on image to print!

Step 1
     Cut out your pattern pieces as specified. Don't worry if your pieces aren't exactly alike.

Step 2
     Overlap the large petal pieces using your thumb to hold them in place. Using a threaded needle, tack the layered large petals in place. Don't worry about the knot of this stitch showing in the back and just leave the threaded needle dangling in the back so that you can use it again in the next step.

Step 3
     Now do the same with the small petal pieces and tack them down as well. Allow the threaded needle to dangle out the back again.

Step 4
     Time to add in the beads to the center of the flower. Using the threaded needle, sew the beads in place as you like. Just be sure to cover enough of the center of the flower so that you can't see that the petal centers.

Step 5
    Fold your ribbon piece in half and tie an overhand knot to secure it. The piece that I used here is only about 6" and in my opion, too short. :/

Step 6
     Stitch the knotted ribbon into the center of the back of the flower. When you have done this, knot and cut your thread.  Add craft glue on the back in a circular fashion. Make sure that you have your stitches in the center and that you have covered over the knotted ribbon.

Step 7
     Add the leaf pieces to cover the stitching and knots. Add more glue between layers of leaves if needed.

Allow to dry and you're done!

See more of my Stashbustin' Ornament tutorials on My Tutorial page!

A Holiday Gift for my Husband

Today, the stars were aligned. Today, the perfect fabric was on sale. Today, I made 2 recliner remote control organizers! :D

I was out picking up some craft supplies this morning when on a whim, I decided to look at fabric. There it was, the perfect color (olive green, the pic below is washed out due to the pile of the fabric.), the perfect weight AND on sale! I took that as a hint..."Get to work Woman!"

And so I did. ;)

I started cutting fabric and figured out quickly that I had enough to make 2 organizers, a His and a Hers, so I did. The underside is lined with that no-slip shelf liner. (I wasn't sure how well it would hold, but it is very secure. My cat won't be using it as a play toy!) The "back" pocket is easily big enough to hold a magazine or two and the "front" pockets can hold a couple of remotes.

I'm very happy with today's crafty spontaneity!

Stashbustin' Ornament Pt 3: FROSTY!

Let's face it...one of the Most Popular faces during the Holidays is this loveable guy!

I watched the claymation movie of Frosty the Snowman every year as a child and I made sure that I had this movie on DVD when I had kids. Our family tradition is to decorate our tree and then watch this movie to kick off the Holiday season every year.

Materials Needed to make your own Frosty ornament:

 

• white and black craft felt
• scrap bits of craft felt in red, green and orange
• craft glue (not pictured), Elmer's doesn't work well with felt!
• red sequins
• embroidery floss, red, white and black
• scissors
• vanishing fabric marker
• 6" piece of red ribbon (not pictured)
• polyfil or filler of choice

Frosty Pattern (click picture to print!)

Step 1
      Cut out the 2 head pieces, 2 hat pieces, facial parts and hat decor as directed on the pattern using the scissors and fabric marker.

Step 2
     Glue the eyes and carrot nose in place on one of the white face pieces. I find it easier to place the hat down as I like it first before gluing just to get placement as I would like it which for me, is a jaunty angle. You can pin the hat into place if you like as well.

Step 3
     Draw in his smile and eyebrows with the fabric marker. Using a Back Stitch, stitch those into place with the black floss.

Step 4
      With a small bit of orange floss, stitch the nose down using version of the whip stitch.

Finished face should look something like this...

Step 5
     Glue the red strip and holly leaves on to the front hat piece and just the red strip on the other hat piece. Once the glue is dried, stitch the red down using the whip stitch.

Step 6
     Put the red sequins into place on top of the holly leaves and secure them. I used a French knot to do this (5 wraps) but you could use a red seed bead or simply glue the sequins down.

Step 7
      Stitch the hat piece with the holly and sequins into place on the decorated face with a whip stitch. You could also use a button stitch or a simple basting/running stitch. To make sure that the hat is aligned properly, lay the other face and hat piece on top of the backside of the first piece. Pin this hat piece into place if needed and then stitch the back of the hat to the back of the head.

Step 8
     Now it's time to assemble our Frosty! First, tie your 6" piece of ribbon into an overhand knot.

Step 9
     Knot up a piece of black floss and starting at the point where the white and black felt meet, pull the threaded needle through.

Whip stitch around the hat until you reach the middle of the top of the hat. Place your knotted ribbon in between the felt pieces and continue stitching. Be sure that your needle passes through the ribbon to help hold it in place.

Stitch all the around the hat with the black thread.

Step 10
     Knot the black thread on the inside of the hat to secure it.

Thread your needle with white floss and continue stitching along the white face pieces in the same manner. When you are about an inch and a half from finishing, STOP stitching!

Step 11
     Gently fill your ornament with polyfil. Be sure not to overstuff which will cause your stitches to bulge.

Finish whip stitching the white felt. When you are finished stitching, knot your thread about 1/4-1/2" from the felt. Put your needle in between the white pieces and pull your needle through the back of your ornament which will hide your knot inside.

You now have a handsome Frosty ornament of your own! :)


Frosty's Girlfriend is an upcoming tutorial! I can't have him spending his Holidays alone. ;)



Check out my other Stashbustin' Ornaments in My Tutorials!


Remember to make your version of my ornaments to win some of mine! Read the rules for participating HERE!

(Why yes, I do love exclamation points. LOL!!)

30 Day Blog Post Challenge Part 6

26. Post one confession/secret
     Um...I live my life openly. I don't really have confessions or secrets. If you want to know something about me or my opinion on a matter, just ask. However, be sure you really want to hear what I have to say, I don't sugar coat or beat around the bush.

27. Mountain hideaway or beach house?
     Mountain hideaway please! I prefer a nice babbling brook and a good area for gardening along with this log cabin in the mountains. :)

28. What is on your mouse pad?
     Uh...I don't have a mouse pad. ???


29.  Hugs or Kisses?
     It all depends on who is hugging and kissing. I only kiss my husband (romantically) and my kids when then go to bed but hugs are a wonderful thing! :)

30. Top 5 favorite websites visited
CRAFTSTER!
Feeling Stitchy
Mr XStitch
Craft Gossip
Zambombazo (I use this one for my classroom, lots of pop culture relevant to what I teach. :) )

30 Day Blog Post Challenge Part 5

21. What's your favorite Broadway musical?


     I've never scene a musical on Broadway but I do know that if I ever did get to do so, I'd love to see Phantom of the Opera or Grease. :)

22. Who's your favorite Care Bear?


     I can't name a single one of the Care Bears so I guess I'll give this question a pass.

23. What do your parents do for a living?


     (How old was the person who wrote this??)  My dad is retired from a paper plant where he worked as a manager. My mom worked in home health care.

24. Computer or television?



      Computer over TV any day but I prefer a good book to both of those hands down.

25. If you could go to Disney World with any celebrity alive today, who would it be?
       First, I could care less about celebrities as a whole so I couldn't come up with a name here. Then there's the fact that I have no desire whatsoever to go to Disney, too much hype and expense.

Stashbustin' Ornament Pt 2: Ribbon Wreath

Read here for more info on the Stashbustin Ornament GIVEAWAY!

While poking around in my stash, I noticed that I have waaaaay too much ribbon in a variety of colors and widths. I decided that I needed to put some of it to use!

Ribbon Wreath

Materials Needed

• Green ribbon, 1/4" wide is used in my example piece
• Red ribbon for the bow, about 6-8" needed per wreath
• Glue, I used tacky glue but hot glue would work.
• Tiny red pom poms
• Scissors

Step 1
      Cut two lengths of green ribbon, each about a yard long. Pin the ends down about 3/4 inch on each ribbon creating a loop. You hot glue the ends down if you wish.

Step 2
     Now, let's begin ribbon braiding! Stick one of the the loops into the other. Hold the two ribbons together with your thumb for the next step.

  
Step 3
     Without twisting your ribbon, take the tail of the ribbon on the left and insert a loop into the loop that is pointed to the left.

Step 4
     Now do the same as step 3 only on the right hand side. You will need to gently pull the loops on the left to tighten it down on the loop that you have just inserted.

Step 5
     Continue in this manner with loops and tightening until you have braided a piece that is approximately 6" long.

Step 6
      To end your braid, pull the end of a loop through and tighten as you have been. Add a bit of glue in the center to help better secure the ends.

Step 7
     Overlap the other end of the braid over the spot of glue. Add a bit more glue on this end. You have now created the wreath!

Once the glue is dry, you can clip the excess ribbon.

Step 8
      After the wreath has dried, cut an 6-8" length of the red ribbon. Tie a overhand knot in the center. Glue it to the top of the wreath where the two braid ends overlap.

Step 9
     When the glue on the red ribbon has dried, tie it into a bow knot. Trim the excess red ribbon if needed. Glue on the red mini pom poms. (This part will help the wreath maintain its round shape!) You can also glue down the bow knot ends if they aren't behaving.

Step 10
    Glue a loop of ribbon to the back for hanging and you are done! :)

I've also tried using the 1/8" wide ribbon and it can be tedious. Ribbon that size would make cute gift toppers or ornaments for a mini Christmas tree.

Now, it's your turn! Make some mini wreaths! :)

Also, check out my other Stashbustin' Ornaments on the My Tutorial page! (Scroll to the bottom. )

Happy Crafting!

30 Day Blog Post Challenge Part 4

16. What is the first thing you notice about a guy or girl?
 I notice a guy’s mouth and hands.

17. What is the last movie you've seen?
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2

18. What was your most recent trip of more than 50 miles?
We went to visit my family in Tennessee back in July.

19. What is your favorite pizza topping?
mushrooms. Honestly, I'm not much of a pizza person anymore. The tomato sauce doesn't play nice with my tummy. If I eat it at all, I prefer a white pizza made with alfredo sauce.

20. What is the worst thing that happened to you during the past week?
I tried to break my toes with falling frozen reusable ice packs. Fortunately, I did not succeed in doing so but my foot is super sore. :-/

30 Day Blog Post Challenge Part 3

11. Top 5 favorite bloggers you like to read

Faster Kittykill! Blog! Blog! – She’s so upbeat and fun! I just LOVE her! :D

Refabulous…It’s new again. – Her work is amazing and I love what she does with reclaimed fabrics.

My Hiding Space in Cyberspace – I always find great patterns and chatter here.

Dearest Jackdaw – Her photography simply blows me away. So beautiful…

Missing Willow Farm – The pictures of her farm that she posts remind me of home when I’m feeling nostalgic. One of these days, she will find me on her doorstep waiting to play with her pups. J

12. A photo of yourself and what you did today. HAH! I don’t do photos of me. If I did, it would break your monitors. Nope, I’m serious. Besides, I’m spending my day giving exams at work. How much fun is that? Bleh.

13. Tattoos; if you have one, post it and it's story. If not, what do you want? Nope, no tats on me...ever.

14. What type of music do you like to listen to? I pretty much love it all! If it has a catchy beat or a great beat, I’ll sing and dance. I’d have to say my all time fave though would be alternative. I enjoy Korn, Five Finger Death Punch, Alterbridge, Metallica, Disturbed…all the bands whose music I can’t sing while at work. ;)

15. Top 5 favorite Sports players (male or female) I am very decidedly against most forms of sports as far as televised and publicized sports are concerned. It’s overhyped, overpriced and I just have much more interesting things to do with my time.

And then the penguin came....

Isn't this guy just adorable? :D

I made him for a gal in the Ongoing Holiday List Swap on Craftster. I found this pattern on Robotrish.com .

I learned with this project that regardless of what kind of amigurumi I make, my kids will want one. I make them an ami a year for Christmas but they always want more! LOL  I have to be sneaky about it now though. They've become to nosey for Santa's own good. ;)

30 Day Blog Post Challenge Part 2

6. Were you ever a boy/girl scout? I was a brownie (pre-girl scout) but I was kicked out because I was too tomboy. Apparently the leader didn't care for my bugs and frogs that I put in her purse. :D

7. Summer or Winter? Winter with a good book, a comfy couch, a cozy blanket, a roaring fire and a cuppa.

8. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees? Um, bees? They're less likely to kill me. :/

9. What would you do if you only had 24 hours left to live? I'd spend every second with husband and kids making memories.

10. What is the first thing you notice about people? That would be their mouths from my years of language training. I've learned to watch mouths when I don't understand what someone is saying and given that I work with people from all over the world, this happens a lot.

30 Day Blog Post Challenge

(snagged from TwistedTruth...)

I never think to post about Me so I thought this challenge would help me to remember. Instead of doing 1 a day, I'm going to do 5 just because my life is crazy busy. :)

First, the questions:
1. What is your favorite food?
2. How many languages can you speak?
3. Top 5 favorite board games
4. Do you believe in soul mates?
5. What is the best piece of advice you've received?
6. Were you ever a boy/girl scout?
7. Summer or Winter?
8. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees?
9. What would you do if you only had 24 hours left to live?
10. What is the first thing you notice about people?
11. Top 5 favorite bloggers you like to read
12. A photo of yourself and what you did today.
13. Tattoos; if you have one, post it and it's story. If not, what do you want?
14. What type of music do you like to listen to?
15. Top 5 favorite Sports players (male or female)
16. What is the first thing you notice about a guy or girl?
17. What is the last movie you've seen?
18. What was your most recent trip of more than 50 miles?
19. What is your favorite pizza topping?
20. What is the worst thing that happened to you during the past week?
21. What's your favorite Broadway musical?
22. Who's your favorite Care Bear?
23. What do your parents do for a living?
24. Computer or television?
25. If you could go to Disney World with any celebrity alive today, who would it be?
26. Post one confession/secret
27. Mountain hideaway or beach house?
28. What is on your mouse pad?
29.  Hugs or Kisses?
30. Top 5 favorite websites visited

Now, for my answers to 1-5. I'll pick up another set of 5 tomorrow. 

1. What is your favorite food? Easy, my favorite food is chocolate, preferably dark. I don't need any sugar or milk getting in my way!


2. How many languages can you speak? I'm fluent in Spanish and French. I can read Italian and Latin. I speak just enough German to get me arrested i.e. everything I shouldn't say in polite conversation. I am fascinated by Japanese but know very little. I'd love to speak 7 languages fluently before I leave this life.

3. Top 5 favorite board games - Geez, I haven't played a board game in forevAr. I'm more into card games like Yahtzee, Uno and Spades.


4. Do you believe in soul mates? Yes, and I married mine. He is my rock, the love of my life and my best friend. :)

5. What is the best piece of advice you've received? My papaw used to tell me "You get further with honey than you do with vinegar." in reference to how to deal with other people. Asking for something nicely is more likely to get you what you want rather than throwing a fit or demanding.

Stashbustin' Ornaments Pt 1: Gingerbread Girl

Read here for information on the Stashbustin' Ornament GIVEAWAY!

Everyone hears about gingerbread men. Well, I think we need to start with a gingerbread girl! Isn't she the sweetest?

Materials needed as she is shown above

• tan felt
• red felt scrap
• mini ricrac, red
• black and red embroidery thread (I had originally planned to use white but changed mid stream.)
• red ribbon for hanging (not pictured)
• scissors
• craft glue, Elmer's doesn't work well! (not pictured)
• vanishing fabric marker
• polyfil or stuffing of your preference (not pictured)

Gingerbread Girl Pattern - Click on picture to print!

Step 1
     Cut out pattern pieces and trace the body using the fabric marker on the tan felt. Trace the heart and hair bow on the red felt. DO NOT USE YOUR GOOD FABRIC SCISSORS! Felt will dull them very quickly!

Step 2
     Using the fabric marker again, draw on her face. I used black thread to do her eyes and mouth. Her eyes are worked in French knots (wrapped 3 times) and her smile is a baste/running stitch.

Glue on little circles of red felt for her cheeks. I've tried stitching these on before and the needle shreds smaller bits of felt so I think it's better just to glue them on.


Step 3
     Glue on her heart where you think it should be. Now, grab the rectangle red bit of felt which will become her bow. Bring your needle loaded with the remaining black thread up through the center of the rectangle to secure your thread. Wrap the thread around the rectangle and pull gently to form your bow.

Stitch her bow in place. Be sure not to put this piece too closely to the edge because it will cause problems when you sew her up. :)

Step 4


      Glue on the mini rick rack into place. Trim excess after the glue is dry.

Don't have rick rack? Use some pretty holiday trim or braid some extra embroidery floss together. :)


Step 5
      Cut about a 6" length of you ribbon to create your hanger. Fold it half and tie the end in an overhand knot.

Step 6
     Lay the decorated body on top of the second undecorated piece. Pin the knotted ribbon in between the two layers of felt. Starting with a goodly length of red embroidery floss, begin to stitch these two pieces of felt together. I've used the whip stitch, but a baste/running stitch or a buttonhole stitch will work just as well. Start your stitching at the bottom of her "skirt".

When you get to the top of her head, be sure to put your needle through the ribbon hanger to help hold it it place. Stitch all the way around until you reach the opposite side of her skirt.

Step 7
     Time to stuff her! Do the arms and head first. Be careful not to overstuff her. If the seams look like they are bulging, remove some stuffing. You might need to use the wrong end of an ink pen or crochet hook to get the filling into her arms. Now, fill the body.

Step 8
      Whip stitch the bottom of her "skirt" together with the remaining red thread.

If you find that your filling isn't even, you can use a needle placed through the back side to reposition it with a bit of wiggling. 

Now it's your turn! Show me your gingerbread girl ornaments! Feel free to substitute and make adaptations as you see fit. Use what you have in your stash and your imagination! :)