July calendar - - it's almost here!

Sorry the shot isn't so clear... but it's almost bedtime around here. At this point I take what I shot. It's almost July and I haven't posted the calendar yet. I used two QuicKutz dies, the flag and the cannon blast. Doodling with a black pen and then highlighted with silver add some texture to the otherwise bland red background. Highlights provided with the glitter glue make the cannon blast aka fireworks and the dots on the doodling pop. This month's saying is

"Many public-school children seem to know only two dates: 1492 and the fourth of July; and as a rule they don't know what happened on either occasion."
Mark Twain

I thought twice about using this quote, but having stood in front of a classroom, it's sadly true - mostly.

I found this little collection of prepackaged 3" calendar pieces that I will use for next year's calendar. They have an antique-y feel and each month is printed with a different saying and picture.

The Mini Calendar Card Set is by Jerri Bowlin.

Be Creative! Thanks for checking this out.

Creatively the Second Time Around - old shoes and boots

Somewhere I saw this a really cute boot planted with plants. Whose shoes were going to become the guinea pigs? And I found this mud encrusted pair sitting around and thought why not. They hadn't been touched in months. If you put a glass inside the boot you can then add flowers and water and have a very unique vase.. but clean them first....

Be Creative!

perfect summer evening

The perfect ending to a long day. Company picnic yesterday. Although we were given the day to work on the picnic, work at work would have been easier. It's going to take all day to recuperate. Must remember that age is a limiting factor!

Regardless of my ailments, the event was a success and I was rewarded with this great shot yesterday evening... click on it to enlarge, right click and save the picture. Show me what you do with this shot!

Be Creative...

Creative Fiber Fabricatons - Ribbon fabric

Welcome to another installment of Creative Fiber Fabrications. This week I'll share with you how to make glorious fabric out of fabulous ribbons. I was going to divulge my favorite ribbon source , but to my dismay, Quilter's Resource is no longer. So I will have to spend a long day searching so I can replenish my supply! I could just cry. I'll save both the wails and the new sources for another post.

Ribbons can easily be sewn together to create fabric. If you have a steam iron, a sewing machine with a zigzag stitch, it won't take you long to create some luscious fabric. First off is a footstool I purchased at an auction refreshed with ribbon fabric.

Same ribbon, this time sewn into a runner for an antique radio and record player (it still works!).

The runner was finished off with some machine embroidered tassel trim on each end. In the close up you get a better look at the detail of each of these ribbons.
After you select the ribbons you want to use for your fabric, it's time to steam the ribbon. If you think this isn't important you will end up with an unruly, wavy piece that won't showcase your wonderful talents. With medium-high heat (depends on the fiber content of the ribbon) and high steam, press your ribbon until you see shrinkage. This small step will guarantee a smooth outcome later on.
Use a monofilament thread through the needle and a matching to fabric sewing thread in the bobbin in your sewing machine. Select a zigzag stitch just wide enough to catch the edge of each ribbon as you sew them together. On a Bernina, use your #10 edgestitch foot and guide one ribbon to the left of the guide and one ribbon to the right of the guide letting the zigzag stitch set at center needle position sew the two pieces together.

Monofilament thread is a clear thread available in either black or clear. Black is best used only on black items, not dark, it must be black. However the clear is very versatile and can be used inconspicuosly on most items. I happen to like YLI monofilament the best. It is soft and pliable and gives me no monofilament headaches when sewing.
These are just two things that ribbon made better. Finally a close up of the stool... don't you just love the scrollwork and roses? Of course if you live in a dust bowl, it takes a paint brush to clean it.

on line FREE photo editing class

You've simply got to go check out Jessica Sprague's site! She is having a Free Photo Editing on-line class. Click here to sign up and register - I promise it's painless. See you there...

Creative Paper Concepts - Hope

Second Creative Paper Concepts posting! This is exciting. I have already planned out the next 3 months of postings. That is great news. I have some fun things to share!
Supplies are not much different than week one. Add green silk ribbon, 4mm. A crewel needle will help you 'sew' the background paper. Some flowers, glitter, glitter glue, adhesive, glue dots, stamp and ink, and a great background paper. I think I purchased this one at a now defunct scrapbook store in Huntsville, Alabama. It was really wedding paper, but the overlays of ribbon and pearls (on the paper) make it so versatile. Can you tell where this is going?
Background piece is a 6" square and the insert is 5 3/4" square. The corners are a punch. The font is QuicKutz Stardust. I think I said it was Magnolia last week, sorry, sorry. Made a mistake.

Oh, added a velvet leaf too. I am so depleting my stash of those. Need to find a resource for those. Anyone know any place - mail order preferred, or I'll wait until I can get to Huntsville AL next July.

These flowers had a too-white frosting on them. I used a Color Box chalk in to "subdue" the whiteness. It worked. Added gold glitter to the small flowers. Use fabric glue to adhere the gold metallic trim to the bottom of the piece.

So here is the piece combined with last week's. I added two jump rings between each of the pieces. I wanted a bit more length. If you aren't adept at jump ring installation, a gorgeous piece of silk ribbon will do nicely.

So to the winner... I used random.org to provide a winning number. Too hard for me to pick amongst friends. The cute wire hanger will go to...........drum roll please.........












And the winner is: Helen! Wow not only was she the first to post, but she had to work the hardest to get it done. And because I found one more hanger, I will pass this on to another faithful reader. Drum roll please.......

Tammy Enos....

Both of you please email me your addresses so that I can get your hangers in the mail...

Congratulations to both of you ladies.
Next month, I'll do another give away, so stay tuned.

Creative Second Time Around

Wow, it's the first Creative Second Time Around. What a cool topic. How many of us have objects that we are about to toss that could find a new life with a bit of help? We moved last July and I still have this enormous black hole full of garage sale stuff. Too lazy to have the garage sale, I now find myself pulling items out on a steady basis. Lesson to self: have the garage sale soon after cleaning out.

Today's little dittie is a cutie. No I didn't think this one up. It's in a Bernina publication somewhere, can't remember which one or when it was published. Nonetheless, it's worth sharing. A lone tea cup and saucer - if you don't have one go visit a discount retailer, you'll surely find one there, remade into a pin cushion. This does make a great gift!Adhere the cup to the saucer with a really stout adhesive like E600 or Locktite. Let dry. Stuff some batting into the cup. Cut a fabric circle about twice in diameter of the top of the cup. Run a gathering stitch around the outside of the piece of fabric.

For this set - I embroidered an initial surrounded by a crest on red velvet. Use a water soluble stabilizer on top and a tear away stabilizer underneath for the best results. All machine embroidered, but you can substitute! Once the fabric is embellished, draw up the gathering stitches. Stuff the little poof with stuffing. Glue to the inside of the cup with the same super octane glue you used to adhere the cup to the saucer.


Then add a bit of lace, some buttons, some silk ribbon roses and leaves to the base.


If you don't have a cup and saucer, use a lone sugar bowl, an egg cup or any other container you find that needs a new life.



Enjoy and Be Creative!

a little explanation

~What once hung in a house keeping out the wind and rain now hangs on our back fence perched above a ledge and snuggled under the wisteria.

~What once held bottled water in Switzerland is now holding flowers for any occasion.

~What once held sugar on a "Cafe Tisch" in Germany, now holds a potted plant.

~However the coolest make-over is the darling stick horse. My friend Charlotte made this for my first granddaughter. 'Pony' lives with Oma at her house. She lives in the guest room and eats dust bunnies. Now that there is granddaughter number 2, Pony drinks out of a bottle and takes #2 on voyages of mysterious destinations around the yard. #1 is very gracious and allows #2 to play with what once were her things. Pony's previous life was a quilt - can you believe that? Isn't Charlotte the most clever person?

And with this - tomorrow is the first installment of Creatively the Second Time Around. Stay tuned! Don't forget to leave a comment on the Creative Paper Concepts post from this last week so that you can have a chance at winning a darling little hanger for which you can create your own special hanging!

Be Creative!

Creative Fiber Fabrications

It's the first Creative Fiber Fabrications post. Now I have a chance to share with you an absolute favorite of mine - crazy patch quilting. All I have to say is that I love it. I love it because I don't have to settle for just one fabric, nor one fabric type. I don't have to settle for one color nor one color thread. I don't have to settle for one type of thread nor one thread type. It's a perfect way to combine that which you have into a creative piece of art.

If you aren't familiar with this art form, click here or here. I found both these websites had plenty of information on the technique.

Now I'll share with you how I got started with crazy quilting. Coming from Europe, we didn't have Victorian ladies sitting around cutting up curtains for dresses much less for crazy quilting. We didn't even have Victorian ladies. Sometime while my children were young, I can't remember which program it was, I saw a program on PBS on crazy quilting and from that moment on I was addicted. Was Judith Baker Montano on the show? I have no clue. But her book, A Crazy Quilt Oddyssy was. So I went out on a mission to buy that book. Back then there was no Amazon.com, no Barnes and Noble, no Ebay. Luckily I went into a small handwork store here in Lubbock called Pocket Full of Stitches. They had the book! And I bought thread and needles and beads and buttons. And I was hooked.

One would think this story ends there. No. It's funny how life takes it's winding turns and around each corner is a new landscape. I was still working for a major sewing machine company and we had our very own retreat in LaVeta, Colorado at Ricky Tims studio. We are all sitting there working and a very beautiful woman comes into the studio. I was so engrossed in making "trees of life" pieces that I wasn't paying attention. Finally one of my colleagues asks if I knew who it was and I looked up and there was Judith Baker Montano in the flesh. I thought I had died and gone to heaven right there on the spot. She invited all us to her home that evening. Oh geez. Now I knew I had died and gone to heaven. And we went and we saw and we took pictures. It was one of those lasting moments in my life.
What I'm sharing with you today is a very simple wall piece. It's a perfect way to display your art work without being pretentious. I purchased a wooden plaque at a craft store. Created my crazy piece to cover the plaque, backing it with batting as I stitched. I drilled 3 holes in the plaque so that I could insert antique door knobs into the finished piece. Used a staple gun to adhere the piece to the back, inserted the door knobs, fastened the door knobs, and attached picture hangers to the back.Isn't this hand dyed lace exquisite? This piece comes from a friend of mine, Jenny Haskins, a well known fiber artist. She is the embroidery queen, in my opinion.
A close up of some of the stitching. Strong contrasting colors and thicker thread create the best affect.A couple of machine embroidered leaves (stitch on water-soluble stabilizer) adorn an antique button from my mother.The finished piece hanging up, adorned by some jewelry and pins. If you have time, check out here and here for some extraordinary "stitch recipes" created by a super talented lady who also used to be a colleague of mine.

Be Creative and thanks for visiting...

Creative Paper Concepts

Welcome to the very first Creative Paper Concepts. Every Wednesday, I'll post some creation that has to do with paper. Which means that as long as it has paper anywhere on it, it's fair game for a Wednesday post.

Today's project is a very easy to make wall hanging. Somewhere I bought something that had these cute hangers on them and I took them off. I couldn't bear to part with them, so they've been taking up space for many years. Just like fine wine, they are now of ready for consumption after their little aging process.

Supplies:
2 coordinating designer papers
Brown cardstock
Small black tassel
8" 1/2" ribbon
5 1/2" 2" sheer ribbon
1 large flower
1 medium flower
6 small flowers
6" tiny gold open cording
Flourish stamp
Frayed Burlap Distress Ink
Creamy Brown Color Box Chalk Ink
Gold glitter
Glitter glue
Wire hanger
Corner punch
Various adhesives
QuicKutz Magnolia font

Outside dimensions are 6" square, the inside designer paper is 5 3/4" square. Check out the photo for a closeup shot of the corner punch used. It creates an opening into which you can slip the inner designer paper. Also the shear ribbon that is on the lower portion of the piece. I also layered the medium flower under a small flower for this embellishment. In the closeup, you'll notice that I sparingly applied glitter glue to the edges of some of the petals of the small flowers. Adhere your flowers with glue dots - nothing could be easier.














This flower came just the way it is. Isn't it scrumptious. I've been dying to use it and finally the opportunity presented itself. Stick a few smaller flowers around the large one and you have a great piece for a corner.











I punched two holes into the paper background so that when I ran a ribbon through it would hold the hanger in place on the backside. Make sure your holes are far enough into the paper so that the end pieces don't show on the front.










This tassel had lost it's hanger which made it perfect for a glue dot.



















Attach your die cut letters and enjoy. Be Creative! To celebrate the new Creative Paper Concepts, I've got blog candy to give away. I have another hanger! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post by next Wednesday and by random drawing, someone will receive the hanger in the mail! Just tell what you'd do with the hanger.

exciting news...

No pictures today :(... Instead I have decided to share with you how I plan to give this blog a bit more direction.
Although it's been fun so far, I find that the lack of direction irritates me. And yes, at least this blog is all about me. So....

Mondays you can expect a post labeled: Creative Second Time Around. I'll be sharing some re-purposed items with you.

Wednesdays will bring you Creative Paper Concepts. Anything paper goes with this label!

Fridays you'll see Creative Fiber Fabrications. This post could bring you some simple sewing, embroidery, hand work, home dec items, clothing, wall art, who knows.

So stay tuned and Be Creative!

QuicKutz Club project and supply list

Here's our fun project for this Saturday June 20, 2009. We start at 10am..

Doesn't this look like fun? I'll have a template for you to trace for the shape. You'll need to cut it out yourself. We'll be playing with some Core-dinations paper! Now this is sooooo cool. When you sand it, the core color is revealed.


Here's what you will need to bring:
4 pieces of designer paper
1/2 yd coordinating ribbon



3" punch (if you have one)
Ink for edging
Scissors
Journaling Pen
Cheetah adhesive runner
Adhesive of choice
Tiny glue dots
QuicKutz:
2" embossing die of choice
String Bean font

Optional: Stickles in a coordinating color to your paper.

See you there!



Be Creative!

sorry sorry, it's been busy around here

So here is why I haven't had one moment of time to create! We had some of my husband's classmates over for tapas. So I decorated the patio and then I undecorated the patio and then I decorated the patio and then the guests arrived and then we undecorated the patio.

It was as if they let the Keystone Cops loose. Most of you aren't old enough to remember black and white TV let alone the Keystone Cops. Leave a comment if you remember and prove me wrong!

We did have a great time. Each person brought tapas to share. We had so much food. But did I take pictures of the food? No I can say that thought never even crossed my mind. But we had tamales, jalapeno poppers with shrimp, dessert pinwheels, deviled eggs topped with pico de gallo, crostini with mushroom toppers, sangria that was out of this world, I made some mozzarella balls/basil/tomato bites and there was so much more I can't even begin to list them all.





Both of the tables were full and the potting bench repurposed to a bar was filled with drink concotions to wet anyone's whistle.

When the wind started to pick up a bit I made the quickest tablecloth weights you can ever imagine. Nothing like washers attached to the tablecloths with safety pins. Put a 2-5 on each safety pin. Depends on size of your safety pins and the size of your washers. Instant problem solver. Of course I have some very cute ones...but haven't seen those since we moved last July. :(





The blue bench is another quick repurposed item! Thank you son for leaving me to take care of your skate box. If you have kids or grandchildren who've taken up skateboarding, then you might be familiar with this item. Last week, the box took on new life. I unscrewed the sides, sanded the top and painted the entire thing blue... instant extra seating. Children beware, if you leave things at Mom's, they are liable to not be in the same state as when you left them! Also painted an antique coffee table yellow for our grandchildren a while ago. They can pull up their chairs and eat in peace. Listening to them while they eat on their own is an absolute delight.





And here some are outside while the outside was still decorated......













And here some are inside after we undecorated the patio...

So now to the reason for all the "decorating". It's spring. I live in West Texas. Weather is subject to change. Although I was fortunate enough to miss the afternoon storm, we did get one in the evening. Water, hail, wind, lightning. The works!

It's not summer yet, so spring still has a right to roar every once in a while.





Be Creative!

QuicKutz Club sneak peak

I used 4 pieces of Penny Lane paper....
1/2 yd ribbon to coordinate...

Remember Club is Saturday June 20th, at 10 am!

See you there.