stitching on paper

Ever since I learned how to turn a sewing machine on I have stitched on paper. I am sure in the awesome world of great seamstresses this is a big no no. Well, I can't help it. There is something about paper and thread together that make me very happy.

What started out as scary and frustrating, is not my favorite thing. I have broken a hundred needles, clogged my bobbin too many times to count. I break my thread on a daily basis and have to look up how to change the tension every. single. time. BUT I love it. I love it. I love it.

Enjoy the process. If you get frustrated, keep going. I promise one day you will love it. 

 

sari ribbon place marker

If you are participating in The Documented Life Project and are anything like me, you may be having a hard time leaving your planner or journal alone!

As I was creating challenges over the past few weeks, it occurred to me that I needed a longer place marker. Because my book is so chunky I knew my sewing options were limited. Here is what I came up with ----->

I grabbed some beautiful recycled sari ribbon a pal gifted to me, and some colorful thread.

Next I moved the detachable arm piece of my sewing machine out far enough that I could rest my planner on it. I opened my planner to the center and rested it on the arm, stretching the original place marker out as far as I could.

I opened the sari ribbon up and wrapped it around the end of the original place marker, getting as close to the book as possible. I secured it with a straight pin until I had it under the foot of the machine. Once under the foot (it will move a little) I lowered the foot and removed the pin. I stitched back and forth a few times to secure the two markers together. Moving downward from my stitching,  I opened the sari ribbon and wrapped it around the original marker.

Once secured, I stitched the sari ribbon, rotating from horizontal to vertical stitching every few inches.

Lastly, I trimmed the ribbon and threads. I added a pretty bead,  knotting the ribbon just below it a few times until secured. If I need more length as the year goes on, I can undo one or two of the knots and easily make my marker longer.

Now my planner has a pretty place marker that can handle the bulk of my book! I love it!

Want to make your place marker longer or prettier? This was an easy and FREE project. Just dig through your stash and grab a piece of ribbon or colorful twine and stitch away. Don't sew? Use a tacky fabric glue and set aside to dry overnight!

READ HERE -----> to see how I added a removable zipper pouch (in about five minutes) to my planner here!

READ HERE TO LEARN MORE AND JOIN ME IN DOCUMENTING YOUR DAILY LIFE! Enjoy!

i wanted to carve a feather stamp

Sometimes we don't always get what we want, but we might get lucky and like what we end up with.

So I wanted to carve a feather stamp. Feathers are my favorite thing right now, but...but it turns out that if you don't use your stamp carving tools for months you lose your touch. What I ended up with looks more like a leaf or branch of some kind, but I like it. I like the imperfections in each feather/leaf - not unlike in nature. If you want to have your own little imperfect feather leaf here is what I did ----->

1. Grab an eraser. I like the cheap ones from The Dollar Tree if you are just starting out. They aren't the best quality, but they come in a 3 or 4 pack for a dollar and are great for beginners.  I also like how they stay rigid when you go to stamp with them. You will also need a stamp carving tool. I use this SPEEDBALL set and love it. And you will need a pencil to draw your word or design on the eraser.

2. Draw your design. Don't forget to use tracing paper if you are writing a word or special design that will need to be drawn in reverse.

3. Start carving. Slow is key for me. This particular tool came with several cutting heads in the base of the handle. I used the smallest one for outlining my design first, then went back and carved out more with a larger, deeper cutting tool.

4. Finish off with the flat blade to smooth things out. My homemade stamps don't always look pretty when I am finished, but they stamp great!

Obviously I need to brush up on my stamp carving skills some more, but I think I will keep it. I like it's quirky shape and style. Here is what it looks like on a tag card project I did. Enjoy!

TAG CARD: gelli printed tag. painted deli paper scraps. book paper scraps. oil pastels. paint pens. machine stitching. thank you stamp from dollar bin at Target. my hand carved feather leaf stamp. recycled seam binding.

tutorial: 1 mini project, 4 mini gifts & big happy new year

I have been a little behind since the second half of this year started. Not my fault. Seriously. I never let art or meetings or appointments or shopping take precedence over family life. Never. So I am a teeny tiny bit behind in making and delivering a few of my gifts. Nothing huge. Just a few little THANK YOU's I wanted to make sure to deliver to people that matter in my life, but might not know it, like the postman, the kids teachers, and even my bank teller. I thought since I was behind anyway it might be nice to change things up a bit and surprise them with a NEW YEAR gift instead...it works for me. And the best part is you just need some scraps and a few supplies!

I made all four of these in just under an hour. Grab this stuff to make your own: * scrap of canvas or duck cloth. Mine was only 2 inches high by 12 inches long. * some paint *paint pens *hole punch *eyelets *scissors *sewing machine *cotton balls *bakers twine *bead ball necklace chain *bead ball key chain *aircraft cable key ring *felt or fabric scraps *glue gun *silicone finger caps

Step 1. Paint circles on your canvas scrap. **If you want both sides of your canvas pouf to be the same, you will need TWO of each color circle**I took mine all the way to the edges to allow cutting and stitching later.  Add little designs using paint and pain pens. Let dry completely.

Step 2. Stitch around the edges of each circle a few times.

Step 3. Cut each circle out. You can trim your threads or leave them dangle. Cut tiny pieces of felt or fabric and stitch on for a little 3-D embellishment. Using a coordinating thread makes it pop!

Step 4. Place one of each color circle RIGHT SIDE DOWN on protected surface. Place a small dot of glue on cotton ball and lay on WRONG SIDE of circle. Run a small line of glue along outer edge of circle and place MATCHING circle on top of cotton ball RIGHT SIDE UP. Using silicone finger tip protectors, quickly press edges of circle together.

Step 5. Punch a hole near the top edge of each of your canvas poufs using a heavy duty hole punch.

Step 6. Add eyelet to hole you have punched.

Step 7. Add twine, chain or rings to complete your canvas poufs.

Enjoy what my little girl likes to call "those jelly fish things!" Hey I see an UNDER SEA party theme somewhere in there!

sewing stuff: she loves pretty too

When my sweet friend, and other NO. 1 fan, Lorraine at Serendipity Studios wanted me to create a painted pillow for her I knew it had to be special. She is special. She laughed when she read this - so here you go Lo- because you loves pretty too!

Can't wait to visit her beautiful studio again- it is amazing! This will fit her bright and beautiful personality perfectly!

If you haven't stopped by here and met her - do it today! She is beautiful, kind and wickedly talented! AND SHE LOVES PRETTY TOO!

art stuff: tag love

I love tags and I use them for everything. They are cheap and you can buy them in bulk. Most recently this is my favorite.

A little art paper, dylusions inks, some stitching and this stamp set (my favorite). Add a little ribbon and and you have a pretty card for that special someone.

art stuff: she loves pretty

My number one fan loves PRETTY and so I always find myself creating things for her.

This painted pouch found it's way to her most recently and she did what she does best - applaud and drool and make me feel really, really good.

She has a gift for making someone feel like they are worth what they are doing, giving, creating. She has a gift for making someone feel cherished and loved.

I trust her judgement and I value her friendship. She is a gem and she deserves all the pretty she can get. I love you SK.

art stuff: pretty stuff & a chance to win

This is on the worktable this week - pretty zipper pouches...

These two bold and bright babies are sold, but look for more in my etsy shoppe next week! If you like this you could try to win THIS ONE in an auction over at this talented girls blog! But hurry - you only have until Friday!

newsworthy: win this pretty painted pouch

I gave a little peek of this here, when I talked about Roben-Marie's awesome Mixed Media Essentials stamps and what I did with them, but...

...I wanted to give you a few more shots of what this pretty painted pouch looked like.

You can win this in an auction over at Roben-Marie's blog next week, so be sure to stop over and read all about it!

Good Luck! ...But don't worry if you don't win this one - more coming to the etsy shoppe here soon!

art stuff: more fun with ART POPS

I continue to play with Roben-Marie Smith's new ART POPS! These pretty little cards are so inspiring and fun to create with...just look and see--->

ART POPS allowed me to journal over the fabric on my cover. I am in love. Here are a few more peeks at this yummy journal.

More of these recycled beauties coming to my ETSY SHOPPE soon! Just another way to make old junk pretty.

To read more about the new ART POPS and see my first project click here! Want to play with ART POPS in your next project? Get them HERE!