My Weblog

Bee Mindful

Sometimes, I make a card with a particular person in mind.  Today, I made this card just for me.  I've been reading John Eldridge's book "Waking the Dead" this week, and it's really insightful.  Too often, I think we live our lives unconsciously...mindless eating, mindless work, mindless entertainment, mindless worship. During devotions this week, God gave me the phrase "Be Mindful".  It is so appropriate, as there are many things of which I'd like to be more mindful. Romans 12:2 tells us "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." I thought this card would be a nice visual reminder for me.

I think that a lot of us crafters have artists that we really admire.  People like Julie Ebersole that make creativity look so easy! (Did you see her use of the scallop circle to make a tree on the amusenews blog this week? Genius!)  I'm also a big fan of Debbie Olsen, who takes cardmaking and turns it into an art form.  This week, she had a tutorial on her blog showing how to make these tag letters and bend them to adhere to an image.  I had to try it for myself!

I picked these Daisy D papers because they showcase sunflowers...red sunflowers! Beth made fun of me on her blog a week or so ago because I had colored the sunflowers an orangey-red instead of the traditional yellow. But here's a little secret...Beth's not much of a gardener!  I've grown a lot of varieties of sunflowers, and they come in many colors...pale yellow, mustard yellow, orange/red, even burgundy! So Beth, this red sunflower's for you!  ha ha!

{recipe: May Banner and Simplicity stamp sets (The Saltbox Studio), alphabet (SU), Daisy D papers, button and gingham ribbon (SU), Versafine Onyx ink and prisma markers}

Thanks for buzzing by today!

It's Here! It's Here!

My new Fall/Winter Stampin' Up! catalog came today!  Yippee! This is the bi-annual day where I get to tell my husband and kids "Dinner?!  I can't be expected to make dinner!  I have to look at the new catalog!"  They've learned to fend for themselves these days! ha ha Isn't that scalloped edge on the catalog too cute?

I'm really excited about this catalog...so many pretty new stamps, papers, and accessories!  Here are a few of my faves:

* Beautiful new brads and buttons!

*New Simply Sent Card Elements kits...reasonably priced, and a lovely new Christmas card kit to boot!

*New punches! Scalloped Square, Wide Oval, large circle, and scalloped edge!

*Nice natured-inspired stamp sets for masculine cards!

*A new rose stamp set that I HAVE to have!

*Flower Fusion felt flowers in three new colors!

A little bit of something for everyone with this catalog!  This catalog will debut online on August 11th. Now I'm off to study card samples and make my wishlist.  If you're hungry, I think there might be a frozen pizza somewhere...

Summer Fun

I'm back from a brief summer vacation. We took the boys to the Manistee, Michigan area, where we'd rented a cottage on a lake. The setting was so perfect, and the cottage had enough beds to sleep fifteen! So we called my sister, Jenny,and told her to drive up with her two youngest boys for the weekend. The boys had a great time together, as you can see from the photograph.

This photo just says Summer Fun, doesn't it? Today is my sister's birthday, and her present will be a little belated. Oops! Here's the card I made her. I think this image will remind her of the sunset we spent together on the shores of Lake Michigan. The colors reminded me of her son's brightly colored beach towels.

{recipe: Lockhart stamps, Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point and white cardstock, olive brads, Versafine Onyx inkpad, Prisma markers, scallop border punch}

Hope you're having some summer fun, too!

Sharing our Bounty

My family put their collective feet down and put a halt to my steady flow of zucchini dishes. Instead, I used our squash bounty to make zucchini bread this week.  The recipe made a LOT of bread!  I had three extra loaves, and decided to gift our neighbors. I stamped some lunch bags and added gift cards with raffia bows. Here's a close up of the cards: (stamps, The Saltbox Studio, kraft paper, versafine onyx ink, prisma markers)

Sam loved delivering these bags to the neighbors. After he was finished, we read the story "You Can Do It, Sam", about a little bear who bakes cakes with his mother, puts them in bags, and delivers them to the neighbors. I always love it when I can make a connection between children's literature and our every day life. That's the preschool teacher in me!

Thanks for visiting the cafe today! Now before you leave, make sure you grab one of those zucchinis.....

Tutorial Part 2: Stamp and Stitch

This is part two of my tutorial on how to stamp and stitch a creation using a new set, Simplicity, from The Saltbox Studio.

As you can see, I have backstitched the centers of the sunflowers, adding french knots to simulate sunflower seeds.

Here's a visual of the backstitching process, moving from bottom to top for each stitch.  Have you ever seen such short, squatty fingers?  I think those are Hobbit hands!

Here's the finished stitching. I've placed a square of 4 X 4 inch cardstock below the muslin.  I use this as my guide to fold edges and press with the iron, like so:

Mind you, the cardstock is my guide, but I did not iron the cardstock!  I pulled it out and pressed the edges each time.  When all edge are pressed, I slip the cardstock back beneath the muslin, then use a little tape to secure the edges. Again, the Hobbit hands!

Finally, you can attach the image to a 5 1/4 inch square notecard. I made a frame using kraft paper and my paper cutter.  I attach the frame using some foam dimensionals to make it pop out a bit. Done!

But really, this project is so cute. I think it deserves a frame, don't you?  Voila!  A work of art! I think these stamp and stitch projects would make great gifts.  I'm seeing Christmas ornaments in the future! Thanks for stopping by today!

Tutorial, Part One: Stamp and Stitch

I promised all of you a tutorial today on how to stamp and stitch your Saltbox Studio creations. Here is photo number one, where I have assembled my supplies:

I begin with a piece of muslin, approximately 5 X 5 inches square.  I like to iron my piece before working with it, just to make sure it's nice and pressed...no starch. If you prefer a tea-dyed look, I suggest you do this first, then allow to dry, and press.

I have chosen my images from the stamp set "Simplicity" from the new release of The Saltbox Studio. They are on blocks, ready to go. I have also chosen the three DMC floss colors I'll be working with, as well as the Versafine Onyx ink I'll use to transfer the image.

Today's coffee is a French Vanilla Latte with cinnamon sprinkles.  It's very important to match the right coffee to the craft project.  tee hee!

Next, I ink the image of the sunflowers ( I love these!) and stamp it onto the muslin.  Remember, the image does not need to be perfect, as it will merely be a guide for your stitching. For this process, the Spongebob Squarepants Band-Aid is completely optional.

I stamped the word Primitives over the sunflower image, leaving plenty of room around the perimeter of the muslin for folding later. Next, I leave the image to dry for a few hours before stitching. If you are familiar with needle arts, you know there are many different forms of stitching that you could do for this project. I prefer a simple backstitch because it lends itself to the primitve look.  It doesn't need to be perfect.  Actually, it looks a little more homespun when you let a few stitches go crooked.

Stop back tomorrow, and I will show the stitching process, as well as the next steps in this project. Bring your coffee! 

New Release Day!

Today is new release day for The Saltbox Studio! Five new fabulous stamp sets have been added to the line: Saltbox Greetings, Barn Banner, Simplicity, Americana, and Farm Friends.  Do you need them all?  Of course!  They coordinate beautifully with all of the images from The Saltbox Studio!

I'm so excited to show you my creation today. I think this idea is terribly clever of me, and you will definitely want to try it yourself.  Here it is:

That's right...I stitched this design!  Actually, I stamped the images from Saltbox Greetings and Simplicity on muslin, then stitched the images.  Here's a close-up:

If you stop back tomorrow, I will have a step-by-step tutorial.  Make sure you visit the Saltbox Studio today to see the entire line.  Also, visit the blogs of other design team members to see their wonderful creations!

Have a lovely summer day!

Sneak Peek: Farm Friends

Sorry... I didn't post yesterday. I was having a bad day, healthwise. I have a new apology for my family that usually goes something like "I know I haven't gotten off this couch today, but I'm feeling really Lymey."  I wish I was feeling Limey instead...that conjures up images of nice tropical looking cocktails served with a lime wedge.  If only!

Today's card features a sneak peek from the stamp set "Farm Friends" that will be released by the Saltbox Studio on July 28th.  I love this stamp!  Isn't it fun? I made the card using a template I had in my head for a while.  It's your standard 4 1/4 X 5 1/2 inch card base, but the front cover has a top portion cut out.  It's kind of like a pocket card without the pocket! Here are the details:

{recipe: Farm Friends (The Saltbox Studio), kraft paper, amuse notecards, versafine onyx ink, prisma markers, button and dmc floss}

Don't you love this quilt?  It is John Ryan's crib quilt, hand crafted by my sister, Tina. This amish-style quilt won an award at a quilt show...I love the simplicity of the amish colors paired with the intricate heart stitching in the blocks.  So cool!

One of the surprise joys of my summer (in a summer which was sorely lacking in the joy department) has been my vegetable garden.  After fifteen plus years of flower gardening, I put flowers on the back burner this year to concentrate on organically grown produce.  I am now harvesting zucchini, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and fresh herbs every week. It is so nice to make a meal with something plucked out of my garden. My kids get a kick out of these monstrous vegetables. I can't wait until the big tomatoes and peppers are ripe enough to pick...probably next month.

Thanks for stopping by! 

Sneak Peek: Barn Banner

Today I'm posting a sneak peek from one of the new releases from The Saltbox Studio. Barn Banner will officially be released on July 28th, along with four other stamp sets.  I love the banner sets because you can "hang" them on a pole from the stamp set "A Banner Year", or they stand alone as little framed works of art, as I've done today. This stamp set has words that will fit above the barn or below the barn, making it very versatile.

I am definitely living in Farm Country...4H festivals, county fairs, corn and soybean fields everywhere you look.  I love living in a community where you're just as likely to see a photo of a pig as you are a person on the front page of the local newspaper! Nothing says country like a big beautiful barn. This one reminds me of the Mail Pouch barns that you can still see when driving through the Midwest. 

I propped this card on my husband's quilt (a gift from his grandmother when he was a boy). The quilt squares on this card were made using the new papers from amuse...aren't they sweet?  They look like calico or homespun fabric.

{recipe: Barn Banner (The Saltbox Studio), amuse notecards and paper, kraft paper, Versafine Onyx inkpad, prisma markers}

Thanks for stopping by...don't forget to grab a cup of coffee before you leave!

Recycled

Yesterday I showed you the empty, unadorned box just waiting to be used.  Today, it has a purpose! It is now a gift box holding four cards and matching envelopes. I simply covered the part at the lid of the box that said "Crabtree and Evelyn" with some fancy papers and embellishments.  Here's a look at some of the cards inside the box:

Do you remember how fun it used to be to stamp something collage style?  That was before Stampin' Up took away their vintage section from the catalogs.  Well, I think it's safe to say that vintage will be making a return with the new catalog.  This stamp set, called "Dreams du Jour", is proof of that.

All of the cards use the new Bella Rose papers, as well as the new In Colors Pink Pirouette and Kiwi Kiss.

Are you tired of my new scalloped edge punch yet?  I hope not, because I'm using it all the time!

Can you see a little peek of the stamped envelopes at the bottom?  I love to coordinate my envelopes with the cards...but sometimes I get lazy and leave them blank.  At other times, it just takes a second to grab a wheel and add a little something to the front and flap.

Thanks forl ooking today!  Make sure to stop back tomorrow for a peek of what's to come from the Saltbox Studio!