Encouraging Spring and Sunlight!

For some reason this winter has been hard on me.  Not sure if it's because of the mild winter last year which may have spoiled me, or just that I have a new baby and I don't feel like getting out as much and lugging so much around with me often.  So I am in a hurry for Spring!  In my quest to lighten my spirits, I decided my house looks "too dark."  Maybe it's all the cloudy weather, but...I decided to start painting to "brighten" my days.  I love this room and have always loved it - it's been our dining room and now our "homework" room.  There is no t.v. just a table and a couple of hutches and a cherry chest that Brent built for me when we were in high school.  So it used to be a dark mauve as shown; now it is a light green/sage color.  I love it and thought I'd share.  Happy Spring!

Wreath Tutorial

Hi, everyone! I found a little time today to complete a wreath challenge at UCreate following this tutorial found at StoneGable: http://stonegable.blogspot.com/2010/03/tutorial-spring-wreath.html. It was the challenge issued by Kari at UCreate for her "Create With Me" series for March 2011. I really loved the Cherry Blossom wreath that was the sample, but I wanted to try to create a little different look with mine. And this is the first wreath I can ever remember creating with flower stems. (I typically like to use paper cut-outs for holiday-style wreaths.) Anyway, I went to Hobby Lobby this morning and found quite a few purple flower stems that I like, and they were all on sale. I already had the top wreath, and the bird (that can be removed and is not glued to the wreath) came from the Dollar Store. I had fun with this, but I think I would have liked to have more of the smaller stems to make it look fuller next time. Thanks for the challenge and I enjoyed participating, Kari!

So I did....TWO of them!

My last post was regarding a purse that I really, really had to learn to make. So the very next day I went out and got my supplies...I only needed the purse handles, some lace, and some fusible interfacing (I bought fusible fleece instead of craft fuse per the instructions). I already had the fabric and thread. This fabric was originally intended for an apron. But I've had the fabric for a few months and haven't done anything with it...until now. And I must say that it probably made better handbags than it would have an apron. One purse is for Carly and the other for me. I made hers a little softer in color and with more lace...that's what she wanted me to do when I asked her. (She was so excited that I made us matching bags!) For hers I used two different laces that I found at JoAnn's. The little twisted flower accents I made out of some silky fabric that I was going to use for our purse lining but it didn't mesh well with the fleece fusible interfacing. (So I used the cotton polka dots print instead.) Her little pearlized accent buttons are also from JoAnn's...and the handles, too. For my purse, I wanted a more mature look, so I used the dark brown rose lace I found at Hobby Lobby, along with a more sophisticated-looking lace under and above the roses. All of the lace I used on my purse was bought at Hobby Lobby. Also, my big twisted light purple rose is attached to a pin so I can remove it altogether or just move it around for a different look on my bag.

As for this tutorial, it was just plain awesome! Very clear instructions, easy-to-follow, and I want to thank Christie for taking the time to share it with me...or anyone who wants to look it up at a lemonsqueezyhome.blogspot.com. (I really think she should sell the tutorial in her Etsy shop! She is selling the purses she made in her shop under seller "lemonsqueezyshop" and the purses are beautiful!) And thanks to Disney for featuring her on rufflesandstuff.com, or I might have never found the tutorial. Not only did I create two pretty purses, but I learned how to use the zipper foot on my sewing machine!! And it took me a little longer to create these purses than 45 minutes...but I am still learning to sew and use my machine. Not that great at it, yet. But I took my time and got everything right and the end result shows it.

I am so happy to have matching purses with my oldest daughter for Mother's Day! ;) THANK YOU, LADIES!!

Chocolate Brown Bunny

I recently came across http://ishowoffcrafts.blogspot.com/ and found these super cute brown bunny vinyls that look just like the chocolate bunny you put in the Easter basket. I loved the way she created different Easter decor with it and decided I wanted to try my hand at it, too. So last night I came up with this altered frame. I don't remember where I got the frame itself...maybe Big Lots? I don't know since it's been in my stash for years. I painted the plain wooden frame with "buttercream" acrylic paint and let it dry. Next I cut the scrapbook paper to fit the window, rubbed the vinyl bunny onto it, and placed it in the frame. Then I wrapped the ribbon around, tied a bow, and used hot glue to hold it down. I didn't feel the frame looked quite complete so I made this pink yo-yo, and some twisted roses out of fabric in colors that matched the paper. Next, a rhinestone glued to the center of one flower, and it's done! It was fun, cheap, easy, and (I think!) adds a nice touch to my Easter decor.

So Disappointed!

Hello, friends. I just have to tell you that I am very disappointed with my latest project. I crocheted a poncho for Jayna in purple and camoflauge and I really thought it would be so cute for her this Spring. However, it's too large and just looks awful and slouchy on her! Boohoo! I am working on one for Carly to match so they can wear them to the park together or whatever, but I'm feeling it's going to be too small! So great. Lots of hours gone that I could have made something much cuter and that would have been wearable. What do you think?