This is the Christmas pennant banner that I made to add to my personal Christmas decor this year. I'm always making gifts and things for other people, and often do not get to enjoy my own creations. SO, I love how this turned out, and I'm keeping it for myself! It's perfect for our family room mantle.
Here's a few close-up shots for the detail. I love the little bow tied with crochet trim.
A fun touch was adding the little vintage trinkets safety pin!
Layered buttons and an antique brad completed the look!
The layout is basically the same as the baby pennant banner in the post below. I used jumbo eyelets to attach each pennant.
Here's a shot of the entire mantle with my cute little trees & white lights! Since the fireplace is non-working, I arranged several sizes of candles, which are beautiful when lit. The banner is the perfect touch for a homey setting!
In addition to the shower decorations in the post below, I also made this adorable little button-down beanie hat. I have recently ventured into the crochet world, and I'm attempting to teach myself a few things. This hat is fairly simple, although I kind of put my own twist on the pattern, which I ordered from an etsy shop. Basically, if you know how to chain, slip stitch, single crochet, & half double crochet, you can make this. Check out Little Birdie Secrets' etsy shop & her blog, which has many crafty ideas and tutorials.
I had so much fun making this adorable baby pennant banner! It has been so long since I've paper-crafted, so this was a real treat! It was made as a decoration for a baby shower that I put together for a friend of mine, & unfortunately, I did not take any pictures of it actually hanging. Oops! You'll have to take my word that it was very cute!
I set eyelets to attach each of the pennants. I tied a yellow bow through one, pulling some yellow into the palette. As an alternative to the ribbon, I attached an accordian flower to the eyelet holding the last two pennants together.
A variety of double-sided designer paper (SU) was used for each pennant base and for each of the large circles. The large scallops are made from plain cardstock. And then I embellished with various accessories: felt flowers & glimmer brads, stacked buttons, and even a cut-out stamped onesie image!
I used a tiny vintage trinket safety pin + a glue dot to attach it. So much fun! I loved the bright colors! And the best part is, this was not simply a shower decoration, it's also going in the new baby's nursery! How sweet!
I love all the fun color combos, and no two are the same! We added packages of Fun dip to each colored envelope for a sweet treat! Fun & cuter than a store-bought box!!
Here's another project that I neglected to post after finishing it. I needed something for a wall in my bathroom, so I decided to go DIY style! I actually made 2 of these, but one got accidentally broken during taping up the backing:( I will spare you the details!
Much better, huh?
Here's another rag quilt bag I made back in October. I think I forgot to post it. This was a special order for someone and the fabric was upon request. Cute combo! I'm charging $25 for this size (9 square front). Email me with questions!
fa-la-la-la-la....la, la, la, la.....I couldn't resist the tune:) Well, 576 fabric strips later...I finally finished my 1st rag wreath! Actually, I should multiply that by 10 more that I cut for the wreath class last week- hence the late post!! Needless to say, I am pleased with the outcome and from the feedback I've received, so was everyone else who made one. It was fun to see the variety as several ladies chose their own fabrics:)
Unfortunately, I do not get to personally enjoy the one I made. BUT, the friend I gave it to was very happy with it! The great thing about this fabric is that it can be used year-round for anyone who has decor to match! I love the subtle greens and the deep red really 'pops'. I'm actually in the process of making another one to give to my mom.
Choose a section to begin with and work your way one row at a time from the 2 inside, up to the 2 outside rows. After finishing a row, fold the strips down to make it easier to continue to the new row.
I took my free time this weekend to work on a fun project that I've been itching to finish! I covered 3 canvases with adorable little girl fabric for Isabella's room! She recently moved out of the crib and into a 'big girl' toddler bed (therefore freeing up the crib for Josiah)! How weird to not see a crib in the corner anymore, after being there for 4 years! 
I love this dainty Tea & Sweets fabric! This busy pattern didn't call for much, but I wanted to add a little dimension. I used some of the SU crocheted fleurettes (on the Clearance Rack, here)
with Sherbert designer buttons (click here- also on Clearance Rack!) in the middle, and draped ribbon in between. Check out the cute rick-rack from the retired Fairy Tales ribbon bundle (previously on the Clearance Rack). 
This was simple enough to embellish. I continued the twisted ribbon draping and attatched two fabric flowers on each end. 
They were made from scallop circles with my Big Shot. I folded several and hot-glued them together.
The fabric is a busy pattern, but it's small, so nothing stands out, specifically. I decided to break it up with the scallop squares and a felt object in each. I made the cupcake & heart free-hand. The bird and teapot were made using a K&Co stencil pattern kit, which I dot-to-dot traced on a piece of felt. I then used embroidery floss to hand-stitch the images and then cut them out & glued each to a square.
I love the effect! I actually just picked the kit up off of a clearance end cap at a local craft store. I wasn't even sure what I would do with it, but the little bird caught my eye. How thrilled was I to discover the teapot included as well! I added the ribbon bows at the last minute. I think they sort of tie in with the other 2 pictures.
What a fitting card for our first snowfall of the season today! The kids were excited about it and got to make a quick run outside to 'touch' the snow!
I re-did the fabric flower brooch from the post below. I wasn't happy with the 'floppiness' of it. Depending on the fabric, you will need several layers of each flower piece to make it look right, which is one of the changes I made. I also decided to add an antique brad to the center, which added alot, in my opinion. Here's the die cut ingredients layered to make this brooch: 2 of the large flowers from the Island Floral Bigz die, followed by 2 tulle circles from the Circle #2 die (the large), then 2 scallop circles, and topped off with a small flower- also from the Island Floral die. Before inserting the brad, I slightly frayed the edges of each die cut with my fingers. Lastly, I attached the pin to a small piece of felt on the back, using hot glue.
Here are a few cute Christmas projects. They're simple yet festive! 
Now through Dec 16, you have the opportunity to purchase Amazing cards, Beautiful packagine, & Cherished gifts at a 20% discount! Choose from the bundles below! Click on the picture above to download the pdf flier. Email me to order!
Here's the make-&-takes for my Open House Monday evening. This simple card features the new Friends Never Fade stamp set + Greenhouse Gala designer series paper. I love the bright and sunny Daffodil Delight! The 1 1/4" squre punch was used to punch the ds paper. The wording is from my new Fabulous Phrases set! I've been in need of some new word stamps. And the clear mount option is perfect for aligning 2 or 3 words together.
I used the Bigz Scallop Circle die. The inside of each notepad is regular lined notebook paper, which actually runs through the Big Shot very easily. There's about 25 sheets of paper in each notepad and I think about half of them could be run through the machine at the same time. I used my Crop-o-Dile to punch a hole and tied it all together with some retired ribbon I had on hand. Definitely a fun project that makes a great personalized gift!
I always love it when something is new to everyone! For those of you who missed out, we made a total of 4 projects: 
I love that this is held together by a little binder clip ring, decorated w/ribbon! This basket uses a 6x6 piece of ds paper. Score at 2" all the way around. Then, score from each corner point to the middle & fold points in. Click here for a tutorial on how to make this PLUS the other basket option.
I love this little guy! And so easy- just choose your paper and punch! The hardest part is putting the tiny black eyeballs on the whites of the eyes. I used my stylus to help position them onto drops of liquid glue. The finished owls (front/back) were attached to the jumbo paper clip using large glue dots. Someone mentioned that you can find the paper clips at the dollar store! I think I got a big pack of these at the office supply store awhile back. If you don't own this adorable owl punch, you must get it!
I thought this was very striking! Love the effect! Just a square w/a few folds. Click here for detailed instructions.
This card kind of has a 'vintage' feel to it. You can get the stencil through SU and there's lots of possibilities for using it & it's very inexpensive! I lined this one up on vanilla cardstock and left a little off the paper. Then, I smooshed VersaMark on top of it, poured on clear embossing powder, & heated with my heat gun. Next, I used a sponge to apply color around the stencil. The embossing part of it 'resists' the ink and makes the image pop out! You can watch a video tutorial here.
Here's my 1st attempt at a rag quilt! I've made several of the rag quilt bags, so I thought I would give the quilt a try. It was basically the same- just more squares. And actually, after finishing, I wish I would have added even more squares! If you ever try this, keep in mind that if you don't pre-wash your fabric, some of the pieces might shrink during the wash/dry rag process. Plus, the scallop edges kind of curl up more and I just think the whole thing kind of looks smaller. I made this one 6x6, so it's small and could be considered a lap quilt. I used Beatrix Potter flannel fabric + several others including cotton, chenille, & fleece. 
They all worked great together and give the quilt lots of texture. Here's some basic instructions and some pics of the assembling process.
