Too Cute to Spook

This sweet little witch from Authentique’s Halloween collection, Thrilling, is definitely too cute to spook, don’t you think? She reminds me of my own wee Missy Nik out trick or treating in the witch’s costume my mother made for me all these many years ago. I loved that witch’s costume more than anything. So much so, that I made my mother take the hem out and extend the dress as I grew older. And years and years later, my own sweet little girl got to wear the same costume. First pinned up….then let down as she, too, in her turn, grew and grew.

I still have that witch’s outfit. I’m planning on squeezing into it for the Halloween costume party I’m going to soon. Or at least the hat, anyway. I’m sure that will still fit.

I may not be as cute as this little witch, but that’s ok. I’ve got this sweet little Halloween wall hanger to make me smile. And I’d rather be spectacularly spooky, gruesome and thoroughly frightening….

……like my real self!

Hahaha

Thanks for stopping by, my friends! Mr. Pete is coming home today for fall break. It’s going to be a great weekend. Hope YOU have a wonderful weekend, too!

Simply Handmade Sewing

I think this may just be the strangest spring I’ve ever seen. Although Mother Nature has graced us with a few nice days here and there, it’s been pretty much non-stop cold, rainy gloom. And today we are rounding out the week with more of the same….

Fortunately, even amongst the drear, there are a few flowers blooming in my yard to remind me of sunny days ahead. I’ve been enjoying keeping a watch on them from the warm and secure confines of my sunroom, wrapped up all snug in my blankie. And still harboring the hope that all these showers will bring more May flowers, I have another pretty flower to share with you today, mixed in with some happy news.

Look who made the cover of Simply Handmade Sewing!

What a happy surprise for me! I hope your weekend is filled with all kinds of happy, too!

 

An Easter Table with Therm O Web

Hi everyone! Happy Friday and happy Easter to you! Do you all have big plans for the holiday? Spending time with friends and family? I have managed to come down with a cold, just in time for Easter weekend. So my plans of spending a quiet holiday at home have now expanded to spending a quiet holiday at home in my pajamas. 🙂

There’s not a lot of time left for preparations, but it’s not too late to set an adorable bunny table for your Easter gathering. I’ve come up with some last-minute table setting ideas that are super quick and easy to make, and are kid-friendly, too. And I think these guys are sure to bring a smile.

I kinda get a kick out of these cutie pie bunny napkin rings. I think they would work in any color, in solid cardstock or patterned paper, all the same, or mix-and-match, like mine. The band is a simple 1″ x 6″ strip of paper, with a bit extra for the ears. Perfect project for using up some of those paper scraps we all tend to collect.

I used my Epiphany Crafts tools to help make the noses, but simple paper or button noses would work, too. Just use whatever you have on hand.

For the treat bags, it’s more of the same. A bit of paper, string, and a button nose. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

I have the complete step-by-steps up on the Therm O Web blog, if you’d like to learn more.

And while you are there,

We’d like to invite you to join us for our First Therm O Web Easter Egg Hunt!

Simply visit our website and search for the 6 hidden eggs!

Gather up those eggs and unscramble them to form your discount code!

Then use that code to save $5 off every $25 spent plus free shipping on all orders $50 or more (after discounts)

It’s a perfect time to stock up and save!

And that’s NOT it!

Enter to win a prize basket full of some of your favorites! Our Zots, Memory Tape Runner XL and a Refill, our Glue Stick Super Stik, HeatnBond Hem Tape, HeatnBond Lite and some of our StitchnSew Fleece! Details are on the blog.

Thanks so much for stopping by, my friends! Wishing you and yours a very blessed and joyous Easter!

Last Minute Easter Treats with Epiphany Crafts

Hi Sweeties! Happy Monday! Hope you all enjoyed the first official weekend of spring. I don’t know about you, but it hasn’t been very spring-like here, which is a bit unusual for us. This weekend was actually rather cold. Seems like March has come in like a lion, and plans on leaving like one, too.

It’s a bit hard to believe, but Easter is now less than one week away. So just in the nick of time, we are sharing some last minute holiday ideas on the Epiphany Crafts blog. There’s not many days left, but there’s still time enough to whip up a patch of cute paper bunnies.

If you’re looking to add some quick, last-minute festive touches, then these bunnies are for you. They add instant cheer to any nook or cranny in your home, or would make a great table setting decor. Replace the Easter sentiment with a name tag, and I could so see these used as place settings at your holiday table. What a cute take-home gift these would be. And better yet, they really are fast, too.

Simply cut bunnies from patterned paper, stitch them to two sheets of cardstock, leaving the bottoms open to stuff with fluff before stitching all the way closed. This gives you a paper “pillow” that’s now sturdy enough to stand up to the test of time.

For super quick bunnies, a simple bow around the neck will suffice. Or have fun adding a few extras, like my die cut sentiment banners and leafy branches.

I also added custom brads made with my Epiphany Crafts Round 14 Shape Studio Tool and Brad Settings. And topped things off with hanging charms I made with Epiphany’s square studio tool and charm settings. Sigh……..aren’t they pretty?

I have the complete step-by-steps, along with the bunny pattern, up on the Epiphany Crafts blog, if you’d like to take a peek.

And on a personal note, this is my very last design team project for Epiphany Crafts. I have had the MOST wonderful time on this team, and have loved every single minute. The products are amazing and the company is truly out of this world! A huge thanks to them for having me these last few years, and a huge thanks to all of you for all your support and kind comments.

Goodbye Epiphany Crafts! I love you!

And I love all of YOU, too!

The Robin’s Nest & Epiphany Crafts

Hi Sweeties! Happy Wednesday! And happy first day of spring to you!

This week, the Robin’s Nest is joining us on the Epiphany Crafts blog. I was given a handful of their pretty papers, but more intriguingly, a collection of their fun Dew Drops to play with. I spent some time pondering all the creative possibilities of the Dew Drop, and ended up settling on a pretty layered flower embellishment for a sweet little gift box. Together with an Epiphany Crafts Scallop Bubble Cap, they make for a very unique partnership that I hope you will enjoy.

The gift box itself is a milk carton box pattern I made from soft floral paper and tied with seam binding ribbons. I added some stick pins to the top, along with a custom brad made from Epiphany Crafts Round 14 Shape Studio Tool and Round 14 Brad Setting.

Made a hanging tag and sentiment banner. Then created my flower from die cuts. Topped it with the fun Dew Drops and Epiphany Crafts Bubble Cap.

I have the full step-by-steps, along with the milk carton template, up on the Epiphany Crafts blog, if you’d like to take a peek.

If you haven’t heard we’re celebrating our 6,000th Facebook Fan with an unbelievable giveaway! We’re giving away a set of 6 Tools! Yes…6! Just click here to go to our Facebook page and enter to win! It’s easy peasy!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, my friends! Wishing you all a wonderful day!

 

Truly Blessed

Hi Sweeties! Happy Monday to you! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. It was actually warm and sunny here, which was a most welcome change. I spent some time sitting out on my front bench, just soaking up the sunshine. I think that’s what finally motivated me to pack away all my winter decor and snowmen and start to arrange things for spring. I am SO ready for spring.

And speaking of spring, I have a fun spring wall hanging to share that I made for our special Lucky/Green feature this week on the Epiphany Crafts blog. I truly am a lucky girl, so I decided to create a project that celebrates just how blessed I am, today and everyday. I pulled in a bit of the green, and a lucky shamrock made from Epiphany’s Heart Studio Tool for St. Patty’s Day, but kept the rest of my hanging less holiday specific so that I can enjoy my sweet hanging year round.

It’s good to stop and remember that in EVERY way, I am truly blessed!

I have the complete step-by-steps up on the Epiphany Crafts blog, if you’d like to take a peek.

Thanks so much for stopping by, my friends! Wishing you a fabulous day!

______________________________________________________________

Supplies:

Epiphany Crafts Heart 25 Shape Studio Tool and Heart 25 Bubble Caps
Epiphany Crafts Round 14 Button Studio Tool and Round 14 Clear Button Caps
Patterned Paper: My Little Shoebox, BoBunny, My Mind’s Eye, Simple Stories
Cardstock Stickers: Simple Stories
Stamps: Hero Arts
Memo Pin: Tim Holtz
Trim: Papertrey Ink, Stampin’Up, The Kraft Outlet
Ink: Clearsnap, Stampin’Up
Paint: Delta
Pen: American Crafts
Corner Rounder: EK Success
Other: Wire

Sweet Spring with Epiphany Crafts

Hello Sweeties! A very happy Wednesday to you!

This weekend, we are having our annual spring garden party at the garden center. For weeks now, we’ve been talking and planning. Can’t wait to see all the beautiful fresh blooming plants that are coming in. The weather hasn’t really been cooperating, but I am ready for warm weather, sunny skies, and flowers. So flowers is what I made for our special Round Tool highlight this week on the Epiphany Crafts blog.

Just a simple spring wreath filled with lots of crazy flowers to add some festive cheer to my home.

I’ve never seen flowers like these before out in nature, but they do make me smile, and they were a ton of fun to put together. The flower shapes are die cut from Sizzix’s Alterations Tattered Florals die. I mixed and matched patterns and colors, stacking and layering. Pop dots between some of the layers add depth. I threw in some canvas scalloped circle die cuts from Little Yellow Bicycle’s new Naturals collection here and there, too.

Then topped each flower with a custom Epiphany Crafts round bubble cap. I used both the Round 14 and the Round 25 Shape Studio tools. And see those silver brads? Those are Epiphany’s Round 14 Silver Brad Settings. How awesome that you can make custom brads as well as custom bubble caps!

I have the step-by-steps for this wreath up on the Epiphany Crafts blog, if you’d like to take a peek. And did you see? Epiphany Crafts just announced their new design team yesterday. 🙂

Thanks so much for stopping by, my friends! Wishing you all a wonderful day!

Most Completely

Hello my friends! Happy Friday! It’s been another lovely, slow morning here at our house. Threats of icy rain worried the schools into a three-hour delay, which meant all us lazy-bones got to sleep in. Insert giant happy face!

Bella Blvd is joining us this week on the Epiphany Crafts blog. I was given the Lovey Dovey line to play with. So, so sweet for Valentine’s Day, of course. But the cute animals also made me think of a new baby. Wouldn’t this plaque look adorable in a little girl’s room?

I fell in love with the animal prints from the Cute Cuts sheet and the larger size of these cuts make them perfect for home decor projects like this. I simply fussy cut the snail and elephant from the sheet and layered them onto several background papers.

Cut a strip from the Borders N’ Blocks paper to create a quick and easy road for my animals. Trimmed out the speech bubble from one of the blocks for the sentiment.

Tied the plaque with a string bow and added it to a recycled corrugated cardboard base. Finished off with a few custom matching bubble caps made from Epiphany Crafts Round 14 and Heart 25 Shape Studio Tools. Sweet and simple!

The rest of the team has come up with some absolutely adorable things to share with you all. Be sure to stop by the blog to take a peek. And don’t forget to enter the prize drawing while you are there! You can win loads of sweet Bella Blvd papers along with two Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio Tools. Plus the matching bubble caps and charm settings. Good luck, everyone! And thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies:
Epiphany Crafts Heart 25 Shape Studio Tool and Heart 25 Clear Bubble Caps
Epiphany Crafts Round 14 Shape Studio Tool and Round 14 Bubble Cap
Bella Blvd Lovey Dovey Collection: Patterned Papers, Cardstock Sticker
Bella Blvd Sophisticates Sprinkles & Lace Punch Patterned Paper
Other: Recycled Corrugated Cardboard, String, Paint, Brown Ink

Happy Valentine’s Day

Hi Sweeties! Happy Friday! I hope you all had a very nice Valentine’s Day yesterday. Do anything special? I was expecting to have a rather quiet day, myself, but it ended up being the most lovely day full of surprises. One of which was this beautiful luncheon at my friend, Joanne’s, house.

Although we had a crafty play day scheduled, lunch was a complete surprise. And look at how pampered we were. Heart shaped rolls and pink beverages. Heart confetti and handmade flowers. Joanne pulled out the antique family cut crystal and her own wedding china and stemware. And not only did we get a wrapped chocolate bar as a favor, there was also a box of cupcakes to take home for each of us.

What a fabulous Valentine treat, right? Makes me feel like a princess!

Speaking of Valentine treats, I have one more to share with you today that I made for our special Valentine feature on the Epiphany Crafts blog this week.

There’s something about Valentine’s Day that just calls for Conversation Hearts. I don’t care to actually eat the things, but traditions are traditions, after all. And they sure look cute all packaged up in these easy treat containers.

I have the full step-by-step tutorial for creating these little cuties up on the Epiphany Crafts blog. And is anybody interested in winning Epiphany’s brand new Hexie Tool?? Be sure to stop by the blog for details!

 

Pinterest Inspiration with Epiphany Crafts

Hi everyone and happy Friday! Waving a giant hello to you all from Myrtle Beach!

This week is Pinterest Inspiration week on the Epiphany Crafts blog. I made a sweet lovey frame that I hope will add a little festive cheer to my front entryway table for Valentine’s Day.

Now I don’t know about you all, but Pinterest is a constant source of inspiration for me. I could spend hours each day pouring over all of the amazing projects and photos there. For my project, I was inspired by this gorgeous frame.

SourcePinterest

I was really drawn to the graphic design and repetition of all the hearts, and that was the springboard for my frame. But as you can see, I went a bit more crazy with the pattern.  First I made a quilted background grid by piecing 1″ squares of chevron print paper in alternating directions and then machine stitching every piece in place. Then using the Epiphany Crafts Heart 25 Shape Studio Tool as a punch, I created a paper heart for each square, save one. Machine stitched down each column of hearts and then gently lifted the sides to create a bit of dimension.

The last square got a custom embellishment made from Crate Papers adorable Fourteen collection and an Epiphany Crafts Square 25 Shape Studio Tool. I added a custom button and bow and a few more layers, and matted the whole onto recycled corrugated cardboard.

Well, I’m off now to get back to my scrapping here at the beach retreat, or at least (eh hem)……….pretending to be scrapping at the beach while I’m busy snacking and chatting. 🙂 Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, too! Thanks so much for stopping by!