Frosted Designs Challenge...Brads/Eyelets

Happy Friday!! Today is my last time to post a Fabulous Friday Challenge as a Design Team Member for Frosted Designs. I have truly enjoyed my time on their Design Team, but have decided not to continue for another term. (I am going to begin piano lessons and watercolor painting classes in the near future; and I would also like to take cake decorating classes while I am on summer break, so I didn't think I wanted to juggle being on 2 design teams as well).

Anyhoo...this week's Frosted Designs Fabulous Friday Challenge is to incorporate eyelets and/or brads into a project. As you can see, I incorporated both elements into the layout above of Justin and his beloved beagle, Hunter. (You can click on the layout for a larger view to read the journaling blocks). I did a lacing technique on the middle of the layout using eyelets and torn muslin; and used brads to attach the journaling blocks around the outer edge of the layout.

Click HERE to go to the Frosted Designs blog and to get all of the details for entering a project and winning a prize!

Happy Scrappin'!!

Frosted Designs Challenge...Ribbon or Twine

Happy Friday! This week's Fabulous Friday challenge at Frosted Designs is to create a project using twine or ribbon. My layout above incorporates both of these elements! Using jute twine, I formed a lasso and I also did a little decorative stitching in the upper left corner with jute as well. I used a piece of torn denim to create a ribbon that I attached to the top of the journaling tag that's tucked inside the pocket with the tickets and other memorabilia. Here's a close-up view of the stitching and denim ribbon...you can click on either picture for a larger view:

This challenge runs through noon next Thursday, February 9th, (and there's a prize for the winner!!), so why not enter a twine/ribbon project? I'd love to see what you come up with!!

Blessings,

Frosted Designs Challenge...Use Acrylic, Vellum or Transparency on Your Project

This week's Fabulous Friday Challenge at Frosted Designs is to incorporate acrylic, vellum and/or transparency products into your project. The layout that I created to commemorate our 15th wedding anniversary in 2002 fits the bill for this fun challenge! (It's hard to believe that has been 10 years ago and that we'll celebrate our 25th anniversary this summer...life is SO GOOD!) Anyhoo, here's the layout...you can click on the photos for close-up views:

I took a photo of the beautiful bouquet that sweetie surprised me with, and layered a piece of vellum with a Maya Angelou quote over the top of the photo:

I pressed and dried one of the roses from the bouquet, placed it inside of a clear envelope, and incorporated it into the layout:

Last, but not least, I created the title/header by using metal letters and tags with words describing our wonderful 15 years together:

I hope that you'll take a minute to join in our fun Fabulous Friday Challenge at Frosted Designs by linking up your project too! There's a prize being given away, so you won't want to miss out!

Wishing you a blessed day!

Frosted Designs Challenge..."Cardstock Only"

This week's Fabulous Friday challenge over at Frosted Designs is to create a project using cardstock and no patterned paper. I created the monogrammed cardset above using various colors of cardstock that I random stamped a design on. (I saw a similar design on a website a couple of years ago, but I don't remember the name of the website...sorry!) I attached the stamped cardstock to plain white card bases, along with a knotted piece of black grosgrain ribbon. I then stamped and punched out the letter "B", and used 3-D dots to attach it to the colored cardstock. Easy peasy!

Thanks for looking! I hope that you'll enter a cardstock project in this challenge...I'd love to see your creations!

Blessings,

Giveaway!! Whimsical Fleece Scarf...

NOTE: This is a "sticky post" and will remain at the top of my blog through January 1st. Please scroll down to read current posts - thanks!!

Recently I found a tutorial HERE on how to make the super cute felt flowers shown above. (Fair warning...these become addictive to make!) So, in the evenings while watching TV with Mike, I have stitched up A LOT of these cuties and I decided that I needed to come up with something really fun to attach them to.

Hobby Lobby had fleece-by-the-yard marked 30% off, so I thought "why not make some scarves"? I bought a yard of pretty, soft blue fleece and brought it home. Using my rotary cutter and self-healing mat, I cut the yard of fleece into 4 - 9" wide pieces and then cut fringe in each of the ends:

I then proceeded to stitch my felt flowers to the fleece scarf. (Say that 5 times really fast...felt flowers fleece scarf - hee! hee!) To make the fringe have a "curly-q" effect, simply pinch each piece of fringe and pull it to stretch and form the "curls":

 

Here's a close-up of the curly fringe and flowers:

These are so quick and easy to whip up, and they make great last-minute gifts! (You could add blanket stitching around the outer edges of the scarf, but I decided to just leave mine with a plain edge). I posted this project as part of Frosted Designs Fabulous Friday challenge for this week, which is to create something using cloth/fabric. The challenge ends at noon on Wednesday, Dec. 28th and I hope that you will enter a project in their challenge - I'd love to see your creations!

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Now for the giveaway part of this post!!! Just for fun, and to thank my wonderful followers and blog friends, I am giving away one of these cute, soft scarves! Here's what you need to do to have your name entered in the drawing:

1. Between Friday, Dec. 23rd and Sunday, Jan. 1st, become a follower of my blog and leave me a comment to let me know that you are.
2. Post a link to my blog/this giveaway on your blog and leave me a comment to let me know that you've done so.

That's it!! Just two simple things to have a chance to win this fun scarf!! Giveaway ends at midnight, Jan. 1, 2012. Winner will be posted on my blog Monday, Jan. 2, 2012.

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On a final note, I thought I'd show you something else that I did with one of the felt flowers. I attached a pin to the back of one and pinned it to a hat that is part of the hat/scarf/glove set that I bought for my sister. Here's a picture of how the felt flower dresses up a plain gray fleece hat:

Pretty cute, huh??

Thanks for reading/following my blog!! Wishing you a blessed day!

Frosted Designs Challenge..."Glitter"

This week's challenge over at Frosted Designs is to create a project using glitter. To be perfectly honest, I am NOT a fan of glitter. As a matter of fact, I really, really dislike using it, and I avoid it because it clings to everything and is so messy. (This goes back to my OCD tendencies of being a bit of a neat freak - ha! ha!)

Anyhoo...after much thought and deliberation as to what I would make to submit for this challenge, I finally decided to make a home-spun looking winter wreath for my front door! I used a basic green wreath and made a bow out of some scrap burlap and buttons that I had on hand. I then added felt snowflakes, a metal "welcome" sign, white berries, and last-but-not-least a felt snowman that has been dusted with "snow glitter". Here's a close-up view of the snowman:

I hope those of you who are not "glitter challenged" will enter your projects in the Frosted Designs challenge this week! You have until noon Thursday, Dec. 15th to link up your creations. I would loooove to see what awesome, crafty projects you come up with!!

Have a WONDERFUL day!

Frosted Designs Challenge...Using Metal on a Project

This week the challenge at Frosted Designs is to create a project using metal elements. In the layout above, you can see that I used several metal pieces, but the part that I want to highlight is the journaling:

This was a fun way to use up several of the metal word embellishments that I had collected over time. (It was kinda tough to get really good photos of this layout, but you can click on the photos for close-up views, if you'd like). I would love to see any projects that you've created using metal embellishments, so please consider entering your artwork in this week's Frosted Designs challenge...there's a prize being given away, too!!

Thanks for looking! Happy scrappin'!!

Frosted Designs Challenge..."Embossing"

This week over at Frosted Designs, the challenge is to create a project using dry or heat embossing. I created this card, using paper that had a dry embossed pattern on it, and I love how it turned out!

Please hop on over to Frosted Designs and link up an embossed project of your own! Entries will be accepted through noon on Thursday, November 17th, and a prize is being offered!

Thanks for looking! Have a TERRIFIC day!

Frosted Designs Challenge...

The Fabulous Friday Challenge at Frosted Designs this week is to incorporate food or candy into the design. (Either real food, photographs or images of food). I decided to put a different spin on my project by not only using food/candy but by recycling a 26 oz. soup can as the container to hold the goodies! The handle of the candy pail was created using a a piece of a metal coat hanger that I wrapped around a pencil to form curly-q's at the top. I applied Terrifically Tacky Tape to the green cardstock and then attached it to the can. The bolts were attached to the can using JB Weld, a heavy-duty adhesive, to ensure that they wouldn't fall off.

On Monday I delivered this little treat to my dear friend, Linda H., who has been down with a broken leg for the past few weeks. I thought this would be a fun way to brighten her day, and she loved it!

Be sure to head over to the Frosted Designs website to check out the other fun projects, and while you're there, why not enter a project as well??

Have a blessed day!

Hair Bow Storage/Display Board Tutorial

This week's Fabulous Friday challenge over at Frosted Designs is to create a project using "fancy trim". Here is the project that I came up with...it's a hair bow storage/display board for a little girl:

I made this cute display board for my adorable great-niece, Kayle Ann:

And, because I'm sure that you too have adorable little girls in your lives who also wear super cute hair bows, I am sharing a tutorial with you so that you can make a hair bow storage/display board too!

Here's a list of materials that you'll need for this project:

• 9" x 14" artist canvas
• Acrylic paint, (I used Folk Art "Sunny Yellow")
• Various decorative ribbons and trims
• 13 buttons
• Hot glue gun
• 2 thumb tacks
• 4 mini binder clips
• 4 screws
• Staple gun
• Sponge brush
• Hammer

Begin by painting your canvas with acrylic paint:

Once the paint has dried, layout the design with ribbons. Using a staple gun, attach the ribbons to the backside of the wooden canvas frame. Your board should now look like this:

For extra stability of the ribbons, you may want to add staples to the front as well. You'll be covering up the staples with decorative buttons, so they won't show:

To create the loops for the headband hangers, cut 4 pieces of giant rick-rack about 3 1/2" long. Fold rick-rack in half and staple to the back of the canvas as shown:

Your board will now look like this:

Screw binder clips to the bottom of the board...these will hold hair elastics:

Cut a length of giant rick-rack to use as a hanger. Fold the raw ends of the rick-rack under and use a thumb tack to secure on the sides of the board. (You will need to hammer the thumb tacks in place.)

Tie 1/8" satin ribbon through each of the buttons and form a bow. Using a hot glue gun, attach the buttons to the ribbons on the canvas as shown:

Create a decorative ribbon, using 1/8" satin ribbon and a button, to attach to the center of the hanger. Your hair bow storage/display board is now finished and ready to hang on a wall to hold the adorable hair baubles that belong to the special little girl in your life:

The "Fancy Trim" challenge at Frosted Designs is open until noon on Oct. 20th, so why not join the fun and enter one of your projects? I'd love to see what you create! Click HERE to see the rules and the wonderful prize.

Happy crafting,

Frosted Designs Challenge..."Fussy Cutting"

This week's challenge over at Frosted Designs is to create a project using "fussy cutting". I created the above layout, (using a photo from a couple of years ago when when I had short hair!), and hand cut all of the stamped images. I then attached the images to the layout using 3-D dots so that they would "pop" off of the page and add the extra dimension that I so love! (To see an enlarged, close-up view of the layout, please click on the photo).

I'd love to see your "fussy cutting" creations...so why not enter your fantastic projects in the challenge over at Frosted Designs?? You have until noon on October 6th to link up your project(s)...click HERE to check out the challenge and prize details!

Happy Scrappin'!!

Tutorial: Simple Felt Clutch

Hi, Everyone! I'm really excited to be the Design Team Member hosting this week's "Show Me Sunday" tutorial over at Frosted Designs! The tutorial I am sharing, (both on the Frosted Designs website as well as here), teaches you how to whip up a super cute felt clutch in just a matter of minutes. These are great little accessories to carry in your purse to discretely hold "unmentionables". They also make terrific/inexpensive gifts for friends and co-workers...just add pens, pencils, markers, notepads, candy...the skies the limit! Here are the supplies you'll need for this project:

• 9" x 12" piece of felt for clutch (I used hot pink)
• Scraps of felt for flower (I used baby pink, yellow, and lime green)
• Embroidery floss (I used black and green)
• Tiny piece of fiberfill
• Velcro
• Scissors
• Any other decorative trim that you'd like to add (I ended up not using the rick-rack on this clutch)

Begin by folding the bottom of the short side of the felt upward to form a 4 1/4" pocket. Fold the top down 3 1/4" so that the top overlaps the bottom of the clutch. Press to hold folds in place.

Using a blanket stitch; stitch around the outside edges of the clutch and across the top edge of the inside of the pocket with six strands of embroidery floss.

Not sure how to do a blanket stitch? It's an easy stitch that adds a wonderful, finished look to all kinds of projects! Here's a simple diagram to show you how:

Your stitched clutch should now look like this:

To create the felt flower, loosely draw two flowers on a piece of felt. You'll also need to draw an oval on a piece of yellow felt for the center of the flower:

Cut the pieces out and layer them. Add a tiny piece of fiberfill batting under the yellow oval to give it a slight "puffy" effect. Using two strands of embroidery floss, stitch the layers together in the flower's center, tucking under the yellow edges and catching them with the running stitches as you go:

Cut two leaf shapes from green felt, and stitch "veins" on the leaves with a slightly darker green embroidery floss. Carefully gather the bottom of the leaves to add a little more detail, and then stitch the leaves to the underside of the felt flower:

Carefully tack the felt flower to the top flap of the clutch. Attach an adhesive-backed Velcro circle to the underside of the flap to hide the stitching where you attached the flower:

Your cute felt clutch is now complete!

A few variations can easily be made to this project. You can cut the felt in half or into thirds to make smaller clutches. Also, you can divide the pockets into two or more sections by stitching up from the bottom. A ribbon handle or strap can be attached to the underside of the flap to create an adorable purse for a little girl. Lastly, by slightly adjusting the size of the clutch, you can create a cover for a plastic travel baby wipe case...a cute accessory for a girly diaper bag!

On a final note, if you haven't taken the opportunity to check out the Frosted Designs website, I HIGHLY recommend that you do so! I just KNOW that you will be totally inspired and will come away with some fabulous crafty ideas! Once you've browsed their site and taken in all of the fantastic ideas there, you'll see why I feel so honored and privileged to be one of their new Design Team Members, and to be able to collaborate with the other amazingly talented DT members there!

Thanks so much for letting me share this project with you! I hope that you will enjoy making and giving these to the special ladies in your life! Have a WONDERFUL week!

Happy crafting!