Crafty DJ

My First Chemo Cap

2012-02-05T10:21:00.001-05:00

I’ve come to the realization that just knitting scarves is getting old and boring. I like a little variety in my crafting and started looking further into places needing hand-made goods. One of the places I found is Halos of Hope. Their mission is:

We are a not-for-profit organization committed to providing in-need chemo patients with crafted hats donated by caring volunteers.

I started looking at their patterns and found one that I knew I just HAD to make. It’s called “Foaming Waves” and was designed by Maureen Keenan. Here’s a photo of my completed cap.

I used Caron Simply Soft Light in Pansy. I used size 6 needles (instead of 5’s) as I seem to knit a little on the tight side. I also followed the directions for the medium size cap. It’s a little big on me, but I have a pretty small head. I have confidence that it will fit someone.

I faced a few challenges along the way. I’m not an accomplished knitter, by any means. It may have been the size of the yarn, or just my inexperience with some new stitch combinations. I had trouble keeping the number of stitches right, even though I used markers for each pattern rep. I hope it will just take practice to have those issues eliminated.

The bottom row (the cast on) wants to curl up pretty badly. I attribute that to my “tight” knitting. I think if I do this pattern again, I will cast on to needles one size larger, just to get that row a little looser, then switch back to my size 6’s. Any suggestions?

I have a couple other things on the needles. I can’t seem to do just one thing at a time. I promise to share more photos as items get completed.

Till then, happy crafting!

Another Scarf Completed

2011-11-29T10:30:00.001-05:00

As I mentioned in previous posts, I got a little tired of the same red and blue yarn required by the Special Olympics Scarf Project. I did ten in all and shipped them off last week.

So I found another group who needs hand-knit scarves. It’s called Christmas at Sea run by The Seamen’s Church Institute. They collect items all year long for distribution to mariners at Christmastime.

I’ve completed my first scarf for this project.

This is the Seafarer’s Scarf pattern supplied by the organization. Mine looks a little different from theirs, but it does meet the dimension requirements. I used Loops & Threads Impeccable Big Yarn in Earth and size 6 US needles.

I’ve started a second scarf in the same yarn. The first scarf did not use nearly all of what I bought. This next scarf is a fairly simple 6x6 basket weave pattern (Mariner’s Scarf) also supplied at the Christmas At Sea web site.

Happy crafting!

My Tenth Scarf

2011-11-18T15:38:00.001-05:00

I’ve had this scarf off the needles for quite some time. This week, I finally found the time to sit down and weave in the ends. Here’s the completed scarf done in alternating colors in seven sections.

I found the pattern for this scarf through Knitting Pattern Central. I enjoyed working this pattern as it was done on size 10 1/2 needles and it went pretty fast. I was really happy with how it turned out, too.

This is probably the last scarf I’ll do for the Scarves for Special Olympics Project this year. As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m a bit tired of these colors. I’m currently working on another scarf for another charity using a brown variegated yarn. But you’ll just have to wait to see what that one is about.

Thanks for looking in on what I’ve been up to. Happy crafting!

Two More Scarves Completed

2011-10-25T15:36:00.001-04:00

Today, I finished two more scarves for the Special Olympics Scarf Project.

Here’s the first of the two. It’s actually the 8th scarf I’ve completed.

I did the scarf in half red and half blue. I used the Tweedy Eyelet Scarf pattern I found on Ravelry. It’s four rows of knit stitch and then one row with yarn-overs to create the “eyelet” pattern. I took me quite a while to figure out how to tell where I was without ticking off my rows on a piece of paper. Once I did figure that out, however, the knitting started to go much faster. I really enjoyed doing this one.

This is the other newly completed scarf, my ninth for the Project.

It’s a standard basket weave pattern which I’d wanted to do for a while. I added a selvedge stitch on each side. It’s done in in four alternating sections of color (red & blue), mostly just to do something a little different. Then I added the tassels on each end.

I have my tenth scarf on the needles right now, size 10 1/2 to be precise. So it’s going to go pretty fast. I’ll be back here to show it off once it’s all finished.

Thanks for stopping by. Happy crafting!

Scarves and More Scarves

2011-10-02T13:28:00.001-04:00

I know it’s been a very long time since I’ve updated this blog with all the knitting I’ve done. In spite of not sharing, I have been quite busy knitting for the 2012 Special Olympics Scarf Project. I’ve completed seven scarves and have two more on the needles.

I’ll start back at the beginning. This is the first scarf I completed.

I used a pattern from the 2009 Scarf Project. It’s a simple knit 2, purl 2 done on size 10 needles. Since it was my first scarf, I opted not to change colors as often as the knitted pattern stated.

My second scarf was also based on a 2009 pattern. I’m afraid I wasn’t happy with how it was working, so I made a change and it caused the finished scarf to wrap in on itself more that it might have otherwise. I blocked it, but it still looks like a tube. I’ve learned a valuable lesson.

I didn’t get a photo of the completed scarf, but here it is when it was getting started, using size 9 needles.

I made it half red and half blue, the two colors required for the 2012 Project.

You may have seen my third scarf in a previous post, at least the beginnings of it. Again, I made the scarf half and half in color. This time I decided to add some fringe. That was partly because the scarf was done on size 8 needles and took quite a while to do. So, I could shorten the knitting time by adding 3” fringe. I found this pattern on Ravelry. I’m considering doing another from this pattern. I really liked doing it.

My fourth scarf hasn’t been posted here (nor have the succeeding ones). I think I discovered this pattern through Ravelry, but it came from the Bernat site. This one tried to curl some on me too, but not nearly as bad as my second scarf. I gave it a little steam and it wasn’t so bad. Again, I did it in half red and half blue.

This next one I made (number five) taught me some new things. The pattern (also found through Ravelry) called for an extra stitch on each end “for a selvage”. I’m not well versed in knitting and had to look up what to do with a selvage. I chose the “slip-stitch selvage” as described at Beyond the Basics. It made a very nice edging on the scarf.

This scarf was done on size 9 needles. I liked it so much that I did another one as you’ll see in a bit. I liked how the fringe came out on the previous scarf, so decided to do it again on this one, also done in half and half on the colors.

My sixth scarf is a repeat of the pattern used on my first scarf. Since that was was mostly blue with a little red, I decided to make this one mostly red with a little blue. I really like this pattern, too. It’s a simple knit 2, purl 2. It’s really scrunchy and soft. I hope the recipient likes it, too.

My seventh scarf is made from the same pattern as the fifth. This time I divided the scarf into five equal lengths of color. I could tell I was getting short on yarn, so had to be cautious as I went. I had more blue than red and this is the finished scarf.

When I started this project in May, I purchased four skeins each of the two colors. After completing these seven scarves, this is what was left of all that yarn.

I have since used the red to start my eighth scarf. Red Heart yarn was on sale at Michael’s where I found more blue. I used 40%-off coupons for two skeins of red at JoAnn Fabrics. Nothing like reduced prices to feed my habits!

Here is the start of my eighth scarf. I found this pattern on Ravelry as well.

I’m using size 10 needles (unlike the pattern) and cast on 26 stitches. It will be a half-and-half scarf. I got a little carried away with knitting it and didn’t stop to change colors. It took me a while to learn how to tell when the eyelet row came up, so I did a lot of counting at first. Now I can see when to do it and it’s going a lot faster.

I can’t ever seem to just do one at a time, so number nine is also on needles. I had found this basket weave pattern some time ago, and even started working it. But I didn’t like how it was going. I think I chose the wrong size needles or something. So I ripped it out and did something else. Now I’m back to it, using size 9 needles and I added the slip-stitch selvage to it. It’s going very well, now, and the edges look great.

I haven’t completely decided on the color scheme yet. But I am planning to put tassels on it. I think it will help the bottom edges lay flatter. Plus it adds a little interest to the scarf.

I’m so glad that my sister gave me the inspiration to work on this project. It was a great way to pass the time this summer, not only while traveling, but also on those quiet afternoons when nothing else was more pressing. I’m enjoying it even more than I expected.

Thanks for stopping by. Happy crafting!

Third Scarf

2011-07-31T15:20:00.001-04:00

I have just completed my third scarf for the Scarves for Special Olympics project.

The scarf itself is half red and half blue, then I added two strands of blue and two of red to each tassel. I used this pattern from Ravelry. It was fairly simple to do, but it took quite a while as it was done on size 8 needles. It’s tight and heavy and should be very warm for a Special Olympian next winter.

Its dimensions didn’t come out perfect, so I hope they won’t mind that it’s a little bit longer and a little bit skinnier than the recommendations. I’m very happy with it, in any case.

Thanks for stopping by. Happy crafting!

Scarf Update

2011-07-03T16:29:00.001-04:00

I have successfully completed my first scarf for the Scarves for Special Olympics Project. It came out pretty well, considering I hadn’t done any knitting for well over 30 years. Here’s the finished scarf:

It’s approximately 6” x 60” with only the two visible stripes done in red. The pattern called for more, but changing colors was more hassle than I wanted to deal with while on the road.

I don’t have a new picture of the #2 scarf. It was shown in my previous post. It is now a little more than three-quarters finished. It will be half red and half blue. I may post a photo when it’s finished – or I might not. Unfortunately it rolls up like a tube and I won’t be able to block it until I get home in September. I think it will look good when done.

I’ve started on #3. I found a pattern on Ravelry that I really liked, so I’ve started that. Here’s a picture of this new scarf – so far.

It’s about six inches wide. It is done on #8 needles, so it’s going slower than the other two done on #10 and #9 needles respectively. There’s only one row to learn (and repeat) in this pattern. I’ve already messed it up a couple times, so I’ve found that I really need to keep my head on while doing it. Nothing wrong with that – just an observation. :-) I’m also thinking that I may add tassels to this scarf. It might jazz it up a bit.

I’ve got a couple other patterns picked out, but probably won’t start any additional scarves till I finish #2. I’m also toying with making another like #1, but red with blue stripes instead. It was easy, mindless and went fast. That may be a good thing for my next one.

Happy crafting!

Progress Update

2011-06-02T16:49:00.001-04:00

I have done more knitting in the past week than I ever expected. As I sit down to write this, I have 26 inches of my first scarf done. I’m quickly approaching the halfway mark in my 60-inch project. It’s looking good, I must say.

This first scarf (for the Special Olympics) is a very simple pattern. It’s knit 2, purl 2 to the end of the row. Then it’s purl 2, knit 2 for the next row. Repeat until desired length has been reached. It’s an easy pattern, which is exactly what I needed to get started. However… it has become BORING!

So I decided to start a second scarf, just to break up the boredom and make me reach a little more. The pattern I’ve chosen for my second scarf is also not difficult. I’ve added a “yarn over” and a “knit two together” to the knit and purl routine. This puts “holes” in the piece.

Here’s a picture I took a day or so ago.

I now have almost 8 inches finished. I plan to make this scarf half red and half navy. That way both of the colors will be in the scarf with minimal color changes. (I’m not a fan of color changes. LOL) I do like having the two projects going so that I can change up what I’m doing. So I guess there will be at least two scarves done for the Special Olympics folks. And I really am enjoying it.

Happy crafting to you!

It Shouldn’t Have Been That Hard

2011-05-28T10:40:00.001-04:00

Some things in life go smoothly – others just don’t! But it had a happy ending.

As stated in my last post, I have decided to make a few scarves for the Special Olympics program. I also stated that I was unable to find both colors of the yarn I wanted to use. Well, that frustration continued!

The other day, I went to the local JoAnn Fabrics store. I was looking for that same pair of Red Heart Soft Yarns. They had a fair amount of Red Heart, but almost none of the Soft Yarn – and zero skeins of the two colors I want. So by that time, I’d been to three different stores and was the proud owner of only one skein of yarn. It shouldn’t be this hard to find that yarn!

We’d been planning a trip to Ocoee in the near future. We had a Groupon to try a restaurant we’d never been to. I knew there was a Michael’s near that restaurant location. So that plan got moved up in time.

I called the Michael’s store and asked if they had the two specific colors I needed. I was told there were 4 skeins of the red, but no navy. Well, OK, that would at least get me some of the color I didn’t have. With that information, we took off for Michael's and lunch.

When I got to looking at the red yarn at Michael’s, the numbers weren’t right! No, she didn’t tell me wrong, did she?!?! No, she didn’t – I was looking at the wrong number on the package. My bad! There were indeed four skeins of red, so I swept them into my basket and started for the check-out.

But wait! Why not double check for the navy? And sure enough, I was rewarded with several skeins of the correct color number. Woo hoo! I threw three of the navy into my basket and then headed again for the check-out.

It was a pain trying to find the yarns, but in the end I have more than I had planned on originally. By the time I found it, I was pretty committed to doing the project, so getting more is a good thing. I’m already looking at more patterns and planning my next scarf.

Now that I have the yarn I need, I have been steadily working on my first scarf. The pattern calls for repeated stripes of navy and red. OK, the easy stuff is handled, but how do you change colors? Enter YouTube – again! I learned what I needed to do and changed from blue to red.

From watching the YouTube videos, I decided to carry the one color up the stripe until it was needed again, thus not cutting and weaving in the colors. What I didn’t expect was how bad it looked. If it was a shorter stripe, or if the colors were more similar it might have looked fine. But I just didn’t like it – not professional at all. See it running up the left side? Ugly, right?

I’m not an accomplished knitter, but I don’t want to send anything I wouldn’t like to wear myself. So I’ve decided to cut the yarns at the color change and weave them in so they disappear. Here’s how much better the red stripe looks after I did that.

I’m leaving the tails hang, for now. They will get woven into the scarf in due time. Since I’m also basically lazy, I’ve decided to do the rest of the scarf in blue until I get to the other end where I’ll add another red stripe to balance it out. Then I will have minimal color changes and fewer ends to weave in at the end. And I think the scarf will still look great.

I’m sure I’ve given you way to much information. All of this has been rolling around in my head and now that it’s in print, I can forget about it. Tag, you’re it!

Happy crafting! And thanks for stopping by.

A New (Old) Craft Gets Under Way

2011-05-22T15:44:00.001-04:00

As I was walking my three-mile route yesterday, I got to thinking about doing some knitting again. We travel in our RV in the summer and I can be a bit of a backseat driver if I don’t watch myself. So I was trying to think of something I could do and still be able to enjoy the ride. Knitting came to mind.

I remembered that my sister had made scarves for Special Olympics last year. That type of project seemed like just the ticket – something that was easy and wouldn’t require too much of my time. So I did some research when I got home and then wrote my sister for HELP!

I haven’t done any knitting in at least 30 years! So I went looking for help in casting on and other such important thing. Then I picked a couple of (hopefully) easy patterns from the Scarves for Special Olympics site. I made a shopping list and planned to have everything I needed by now.

We went to Wal-Mart which indeed stocks Red Heart yarns. They even had a few colors in the Soft Yarn… but not the two colors I need for this project! Luckily, I was planning a trip to Michael’s anyway. They had the Soft Yarn, but only the navy, not the red! (Insert frustrated expletive here.) I went ahead and bought one skein of the navy in hopes of finding the red soon. I guess I’ll have to plan a stop at JoAnn Fabrics this week.

I had visions of posting a picture of all my new knitting stash and it would be something t0 be proud of. It’s not what I’d hoped, but here’s what I’ve got so far.

All the patterns I found at Special Olympics were done on needles of size 8, 9 or 10. So when I saw this multi-pack with those sizes in it at Wal-Mart, I grabbed it. And here’s my one, lonely skein of yarn.

Hey, it’s a start, right!?!? I may have to modify a pattern until I get the red yarn, maybe half-and-half instead of stripes. We’ll see.

I’ll keep you posted. I’m excited about this project.

Happy crafting!

Inchie INKlings #7

2010-06-05T15:55:00.000-04:00

This is the sketch from Inchie INKlings for the current challenge:

This is the card I made, based on the sketch:

Thanks for stopping by.

OWH S&S Challenge #16

2010-05-14T16:13:00.005-04:00

Here is the Stars and Stripes challenge sketch for this week:

And here is the card I made, based on the sketch:

Thanks for stopping by.

OCC Sketch Challenge 12

2010-04-26T14:35:00.000-04:00

Here is this week's Our Creative Corner sketch:

And here's the card I made:

This is another card made to be sent to the great people at Operation Write Home.

Framed Paper Crafting

2010-04-24T16:17:00.000-04:00

We had some friends over for dinner a couple weeks ago. At one point, the conversation turned to my card-making. They asked to see some of what I'd done, so I brought out my inventory for them to "ooh" and "aah" over. I also showed them the framed work I had done after the craft fair. It was really fun for me to show off what I so love doing.

Then about a week ago, I got a call from a lady who knows one of those dinner guests. She'd been told of my paper crafting abilities and wanted me to frame her granddaughter's wedding invitation. We talked a bit and I agreed to do the work.

She brought over the invitation:

The wedding will be held locally at the winery up the road and the reception will be held here at Royal Highlands. In keeping with the wine theme, the bride's color is merlot. We struggled a bit to find a background paper in my stash that would come close enough to the real thing. Carol took several sheets back to her house and picked one which was pretty close to the actual dress..

I bought the frame and a few other supplies and went to work. I had a couple of ideas already laid out in my head and just had to work with them until I found just the right combination. Here's the finished piece:

I'm still letting the glue dry which is holding on the white flowers. I'll call Carol tomorrow and let her know she can pick it up. I sure hope she'll like it as much as I do. :-)

OWH S&S Challenge #13

2010-04-18T13:16:00.000-04:00

The sketch challenge from OWH Stars & Stamps this week is this:

Here is my card based on this sketch:

Here is the inside:

Again, I used the "recipe card" concept to include a full sized sheet of writing paper for the sender.

Thanks for looking.

OWH Challenge #12

2010-04-17T15:40:00.002-04:00

I've been making cards for Operation Write Home for the past several days and finally got around to doing the sketch posted at their Stars & Stamps Blog.

Here's my card based on the sketch:

In addition to using the sketch, I also used the "recipe card" tutorial to make the pocket inside to hold a full sized sheet of writing paper.

I hope some soldier will enjoy sending this card.

CPS-162 for Operation Write Home

2010-04-15T13:03:00.002-04:00

This week's CPS sketch is this:

Here is the card I made, based on the sketch:

Here's the inside of the card:

And now for the story: I have been following the Operation Write Home organization for about a year. I sent them a bunch of Christmas cards last winter and have wanted to do more. They recently posted a tutorial on making recipe cards. With a little pocket inside, it is even easier to include a full size sheet of writing paper folded up inside the card. So I tried making one and realized how very easy they are to make.

I started with what I call "cheater" cards, ones that use printed fronts with few embelishements. I had a number of sheets already printed, primarily E-Cuts from scrapbook.com. I went through those and came up with 7 cards in almost no time. Here are those cards plus one with a hand-made paper flower that is from Fred-She-Said. All nine of the cards are a finished size of 5.5 x 4.25.

In case you are not familiar with Operation Write Home, this is their mission:

Supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them.

So we make the cards and send them to OWH. They collect our hand-made cards and ship them to where ever our troops are stationed. Its a wonderful cause and a great way for us card makers to give back. Check them out.

One thing...

2010-04-04T13:22:00.001-04:00

Have you ever noticed how one thing can lead to another? Here's my quick story about that.

I've been making greeting cards for some time, now. I've been selling some to friends and relatives and one or two online. I sold a respectable number at our community craft fair in the Fall, and even more at our recent Spring fair.

Once or twice along the way someone would comment about not wanting to send the card but wanting to frame it instead. That's what one lady said to me at the recent fair. She actually bought one of my cards with a specific frame in mind. Unfortunately, that card turned out to be a poor color choice for the frame she had in mind. So she brought me back the card along with the frame and asked me to make something to put into it. She also brought a second frame for the same purpose.

Here are the original card and what I made instead to put into her first frame.

The second frame was a bit more of a challenge, only because I had the "perfect" shade of blue paper to put into it, but not a large enough piece to use. After much searching, I finally found a (rather large) piece of heavy card-stock in the painting isle at Jo-Ann Fabrics. It wasn't an exact match to the original, but it was the closest thing I could find anywhere.

I had already mapped out my pattern so the working of the piece went fairly quickly. Here is the final result for her second frame.

Having been asked to actually create something specifically for a picture frame has gotten me to thinking. Why not do it ahead of time and sell frame and artwork at the next craft fair? Why not, indeed! So now I'll be on the lookout for interesting and inexpensive picture frames that might lend themselves to my style of artwork.

Look out world! Making cards has just let me to a whole new artistic outlet!

Mojo Monday 132

2010-03-30T15:06:00.002-04:00

Here's the sketch from Mojo Monday for this week.

I chose to do the square version, though it would be fun to try a round (or otherwise shaped) card one of these days. Here's what I came up with:

I used "A Garden's Treasures" digital paper pack from Designer Digitals. I was able to print just the sizes of paper I needed. Everything fit onto one standard sheet of printer paper. Almost no waste at all.

Thanks for stopping by.

Mojo Monday 131 & Just Us Girls

2010-03-23T17:15:00.000-04:00

On Thursday, "Just Us Girls" came out with their challenge for the week. It was a color challenge, something I hadn't done yet. Since I do other sketch challenges, I kept an eye out for which one would lend itself best to the colors they wanted and the papers I had in mind. The "Mojo Monday" challenged filled the bill. Here are the colors and sketch info.

Here's the card I finished for the two challenges:

After struggling with the layout of the pieces, I decided that the three focals just didn't work when laid out straight like in the sketch. It was too "formal" looking for the whimsical flowers in the print.

I used my Cricut and "Make The Cut!" software to cut the Happy Birthday tag and its shadow layer.

CPS-159

2010-03-21T15:29:00.000-04:00

Another Sunday, another card sketch from Card Positioning Systems. Here is sketch 159:

At first I wasn't quite sure how to approach this one. Then I found a card idea I had in a folder that I really liked and I could easily see how to make a similar card using the sketch. Here's what I came up with:

I had made the lavender flowers some time ago, but didn't like them on the original card. I think they fit on this card quite well as it is a larger card at 8" x 5.5".

Just Us Girls #24

2010-03-18T12:18:00.000-04:00

This is a new challenge group I found this week, called "Just Us Girls" Challenge. This week's challenge is to make a card with a flap. I hadn't done that in quite a while, but thought it would be a fun task. Here is my card.

I have also been wanting to make a card with black accents. The style certainly seemed to lend itself to doing just that.

The cardstock and papers all came from my stash. The flower is from Prima Marketing. The button is from my MIL's button collection.

Mojo Monday 130

2010-03-15T15:49:00.000-04:00

Here's the new Mojo Monday sketch:

This is my card based on the sketch:

Thanks for stopping by.

CPS-158

2010-03-14T15:18:00.000-04:00

The new sketch at Card Positioning System is this:

Here's the birthday card that I came up with based on the sketch:

Thanks for viwing my work.

OCC Sketch Challenge 6

2010-03-14T13:31:00.000-04:00

This week's Our Creative Corner sketch is this:

Here's what I did based on the challenge:

Supplies:

Paper Pizazz Soft Tints in yellow and green
Paper Flair Embossed Motifs - daffodil bulb
Pale yellow ribbon found in my stash

Mojo Monday 129

2010-03-11T15:48:00.000-05:00

I have found another great location for sketches and ideas for my cards. This is my first entry with Mojo Monday. Here is the sketch.

After a couple of false starts (cards that turned out nothing like this sketch), this is what I finally created:

Thanks for stopping by.

CPS-157

2010-03-09T14:53:00.000-05:00

This week's sketch:

This is the card I made this week based on the sketch:

This card is made primarily from scraps I have in my stash. I recently re-discovered these flowers that had been hiding in a closet. It was fun to use them on this card.

When I first saw the sketch for this week, I immediately thought of a card I had made some time ago. It also fits the sketch.

Supplies used:

Ampad Pastel Cardstock + other cardstock scraps
Avec Quartet Stencils
Sulky Metalic threads in gold & purple
Pima Carnival Sparkle gold flower
Studio 18 purple rhinestone
gold peel-offs

CPS-156

2010-03-04T14:21:00.002-05:00

Here is the CPS sketch for this week:

Here is the card I crafted based on the sketch:

Materials used:

Paper Flair Emobssed Motifs
Offray 1/4" ribbon
Green & pink scraps from my stash
"Sacked Roses" Digital Paper Pack by Katie Pertiet - Designer Digitals

This is the first card I've made with these paper packs from Designer Digitals. I printed the pink roses sheet onto cardstock, trimmed it to 9" x 8", then folded it in half for the base card. I am totally thrilled with the outcome.

CPS-154

2010-02-14T10:31:00.000-05:00

A new week brings a new sketch challenge. Here's the sketch:

Once again, my idea for the challenge came fairly quickly. This is the result:

This is a small card, 5.5" by 3.75". The base is card stock from my scraps. The papers are "Soft Serenity" Bitty Scrap Pad from Provo Craft, which has been in my stash for ages. The flowers are from Prima.

CPS-153

2010-02-07T15:44:00.000-05:00

This week's CPS sketch:

Amazingly, my idea for the challenge card came quickly.

Once again, I used papers and cardstock from my stash. The hearts are Starform Stitching Stickers attached with foam tape.

CPS-152

2010-02-02T14:26:00.000-05:00

I wasn't sure I'd be able to make this card this week. We are painting and I've been removing wallpaper from the kitchen. I finished the wallpaper and needed a break, so went to my craft table. I'd been playing with papers and had the idea pretty well worked out, so I could put this together fairly quickly.

This week's sketch, CPS-152:

And here's the card I came up with:

It's made entirely from scraps in my stash so I can't quote products or brands.

CPS-151

2010-01-26T16:58:00.001-05:00

A new week brings a new card challenge. Here is the original sketch:

And here is the card I made, using the sketch idea.

Leave It To My Sister

2010-01-23T15:22:00.001-05:00

My dear sister bought a card from me and overpaid what I had asked for. I felt like she deserved a little extra when I shipped her the card. I had been wanting to try the "Beyond Birthdays" cartridge on my Cricut for some time. I've used the words and never made the actual card that the Cricut can do. So I did one and it turned out well. It was smaller than I like, but good for a little "freebie". It said "Thank You" on it and it served a double purpose: a gift for her and a heartfelt sentiment from me. (Unfortunately, I did not take a picture of it, so I can't show it here.)

So what happens? She gets the little card and falls in love with it! She asks me to make her 10 more! WHAT??!!??!!

I started looking through my stash for some suitable double-sided card stock to fill her order. I came across some nice sheets I'd bought ages ago and have only used sparingly. I made one card, just to see if the paper would work well. It did. I sent her a photo and she LOVED it. I picked 10 of the sheets and started making the little cards.

It's funny how things evolve and grow, sometimes. After seeing how really cute the cards turned out, I decided I'd find every color of this paper pack and make a card from each one. Turns out, there were 20 different colors. Worst case, she could pick the 10 she liked and I'd use the others for more thank you gifts in future orders. I wrote her to let her know what I was doing. She was delighted and said she'd take all 20 of them! WOW!

I finished them all a little while ago. I decided I needed photos, because it turned out to be a lot of work in spite of the Cricut doing all the cutting. Besides, I try to take a picture of every card I make.

So here is the finished set of 20 cards. They are not quite 3" x 4" in size.

Just wait till I send her the bill!!!

CPS-150

2010-01-18T15:12:00.001-05:00

This week's sketch:

My take on it:

Supplies used:

Paper Flair Blue Petite Prints paper
K&Company flowers
Cricut cartridge: Stamping

My New Favorite Inspiration Location

2010-01-15T09:55:00.000-05:00

I recently ordered an idea book called "Card Maker's Sketch Book". I've already made several cards using the sketches and ideas provided. It's an awesome book and I'd recommend it to any card maker.

This book led me to finding Tami Mayberry's blog, where a weekly sketch is posted. This is the sketch for the current week.

And this is the card I made, using the sketch.

I'm SO Excited!

2009-02-07T15:32:00.001-05:00

Today I sold my first greeting card!! I'm beside myself, it's so exciting for me.

In early December, I opened my store at Shop Handmade. People have looked at my cards, but no one had bought anything nor even asked any questions about any of my items. I know, it's only been two and a half months, but I had no encouragement at all along the way.

Slowly I put items into the store and a week ago I finally got a Valentine card finished. This is it:

It's made of hand-stitched hearts arranged to create the flower. And the inside:

Someone named Paul from Pennsylvania bought it and I sure hope it pleases the recipient.

I still have several other cards in the store, maybe they'll sell in time, too. I'm planning to put a couple of Easter cards up when I get the chance to make them.

I guess the bottom line is that I am very encouraged to finally have sold one of my works. I love making the cards and am glad someone else liked this one well enough to send me money for it.

Another New Technique

2008-10-25T15:20:00.000-04:00

Now I'm into doing dry embossing. I seem to find a new technique that I just have to try every so often.

Well, I found that these great embossing boards are finally available in the United States and so I had to get one! And then I had to make a card or two.

This first card is copied right out of the instruction book with very little variation on my part. But that's how I learn best and it really came out pretty well.

When this turned out so well, I decided to try another one. This time I tried not to follow the idea book quite so litterally. It's based on a card shown in the book, but I did a lot of things differently. But I'm proud of how it turned out, too.

I'm still doing the embroidery on paper and still love that, too. Perhaps my next card will combine the two techniques and we'll see what kind of fancy-dancy card I can come up with.

My Latest "Craze"

2008-05-21T16:26:00.000-04:00

So here's my latest "craze". My sister was selling stuff on eBay and I saw this book she was getting rid of called "Embroidery on Paper". I thought that could be fun for my cards so bid and won the auction and have been having a great time with the process ever since. I love doing it, too. Here's my very first project, a Thank You card for some friends.

I couldn't stop there, so I made this birthday card for another friend. Both patterns were from this new book.

This was a little more complicated than I really enjoyed doing. But it's a learning process and I learned I don't like doing this much detail.

I was poking around on eBay (as I do frequently) and found a card that I fell in love with. So I went looking everywhere for a pattern - but couldn't find one! So I copied the photo of her card and printed it. I used tracing paper to get the hole placement correct. I transferred the pattern to my own paper and started stitching. I must say I'm kinda proud of it.

While searching the internet for more patterns, I came across a template for what you see below. The problem is that it's only sold in Australia and the UK. I could not find a shop that would ship to the US. So I printed out all the templates and sat down with dot paper in various DPIs until I figured out how to make this one happen. I already had the square flower punch, so just needed to get all the size ratios set up.

Anyway, I've just been stitching away and having a great time learning the process. So I thank my sister for needing to get rid of a craft book. And I thank my teachers for helping me learn how to figure out stuff like this! I must have paid attention in the right math classes at least!

How FUN!

2008-03-10T15:36:00.000-04:00

Boy! Did I have fun this afternoon! We're sending a little Easter chocolate to our grandkids soon, so I decided to make them a card, too. As luck would have it, a pattern for this card came in to my email box just this morning. I couldn't wait to try making it.

Again, as luck would have it, we had some shopping to do at Wal-Mart where I found this great rick-rack. It was just perfect for this pattern. They had some in primary colors, too. I wanted to get that, but it's a bit pricey and decided not to get it -- at least not right now.

Another "plus" in making this card was that I could use up scraps that might otherwise just sit around and get old.

Here's a picture of the inside, too. I have tons of the acrylic peel-off stickers and finally found a cool use for these Easter ones. I just stuck them onto some white paper and used colored pencils to fill in the colors I wanted.

Now I'm anxious to send off the package and wish I could be there to watch when they open up the package and this card.

Scrapbooking with a Vengence

2007-12-20T15:24:00.000-05:00

I've been scrapbooking like there was no tomorrow. Since the page shown in the last post, I've done twelve more pages. Some are pretty rudimentary and will not be shared here, but there are a few that I worked extra hard on and am very proud of.

This first pair is done on pre-cut templates that I bought at a craft show well over a year ago. I actually took the first 2 pics while the coach was still on the sales lot but after we bought it. Everything else was taken over the first few months we were traveling in it.

I had to figure out picture sizes and reprint just about every single one so they'd fit in their allotted spaces. That was part of the fun, though. So here's our motor home!

This next pair is of our grandkids in February of 2006. Sha'Micah was about three and a half months old. She was such a little sweetie. We SO enjoyed her.

I found the design for her page in a craft book I recently added to my collection. It was a lot of cutting and hoping and when it all fit together, I was VERY happy.

I couldn't do a page of Sha'Micah without doing a page of Chrislon, too. He's not quite five in these photos and WAY full of energy.

I had so many pictures and wanted to get as many on a page as I could. So I was very happy when I remembered the alphabet templates I have. I had to use my (mediocre) math skills to figure out how big to cut the colored squares. That hurt my brain! But the rest of it fell into place pretty well. At least I'm very happy with it. And that's what counts most I guess.

Ok, no big tips on how to do what. I'm just showing off here, both my grandkids and my scrapbooking ideas.

My (Crazy) Family

2007-12-12T14:25:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't posted anything here in ages. It's not that I haven't been paper-crafting, but that I have worked on things like Christmas cards that couldn't be shared until after they were mailed.

I also completed the album of our 3-week trip to Europe in 2005. I'm a bit behind in my scrapping, wouldn't you agree?

But I did get a couple pages done at the last scrapbooking day we had here at Royal Highlands. This photo was taken in October of 2005 when the five of us siblings were together after our mother passed away. It's a silly picture and I don't even know for sure what the object is that we gave to him. But the photo is priceless in our expressions of totally having fun at Bob's expense.

Be sure to click on the picture to read some of what the background paper says about family. It's all SO true.

Anyway, once the holidays pass, I know I'll be paper crafting a lot more again. And that will mean a few more postings to this blog, I hope. Since I have nearly two years of pictures to get into albums, I think I'll have to go into overdrive if I ever want to get caught up.

Crafting again!

2007-07-28T13:25:00.000-04:00

My earlier withdrawals have been satisfied! I just finished my fifth scrapbook page since leaving home. It feels good to finish a page or two after so long a time off.

If you read my previous post, you know that I planned and sketched out a number of pages before leaving home. In fact, I wound up with 31! I was amazed at how many I did get organized. And once those are all finished, my European Vacation album will also be completed.

We seem to have free time here in North Carolina (see my travel blog for details). We're busy, but there are days that feel best just hanging around at home. So that's when I try to work in a little paper crafting. And that's been working out just fine.

I'll be making a couple cards in the near future and I just might post those pictures here. I guess that partly depends on how they turn out.

A Different Kind of Craft

2007-07-12T10:53:00.001-04:00

From time to time, I drag out my sewing machine and make something that isn't paper based. It's true that this doesn't happen with any great frequency, but when the need arises, I'll answer the call.

During our RV travels this summer, we will be stopping in Texas to see our grandkids. Chrislon is six (his birthday is today) and Sha'Micah is about 20 months at this posting. Anyway, grandparents can never come to visit without bringing something for the little ones, right? So I have made this teddy bear for Sha'Micah. (I had made one for her big brother when he was a toddler, too.) We'll have to pick up something for Chrislon while we're traveling.

I did all the sewing and stuffing, but I had a good friend paint the face onto the bear. She is quite a bit more artistic than I am and, besides, she has the paints and I don't.

We won't be in Texas till October, so this little bear will see a lot of the USA before she gets to meet her new owner. If only she could talk, right??

The Ramblings of a Craft Junkie

2007-06-27T16:16:00.000-04:00

It's just under three weeks until we leave on our big summer trip in the motor home. The current plan for this trip has us away for 96 days. So I have to be organized in order to do any crafting over those three months.

Last year I took everything. Every tool, every piece of paper and every kind of supplies I have in my stash. Most of it hid under the bed (there's a good deal of space under there). The problem with that is that whenever I wanted to craft, it seemed that Julian had already gone to take a nap. His being ON the bed made it impossible for me to get UNDER it to get my stuff. So this year I'm getting more organized so I only take what I'll really use and be able to keep it somewhere NOT under the bed.

My best friend suggested that I spend my time before the trip planning out pages, not making them. That way I'd have the proper tools, papers and supplies set aside and not take anything that I wouldn't be using. This plan is working well. I have 14 or 15 pages planned out (so far) and I think I'll be able to fit it all into my one rolling craft case. Of course, the possibility exists that I will change the plan of a page and then not have the supplies I need, but I can live with that. I will return in October and those changes can be completed once home.

The reality of all this planning of pages, however, is that I'm not getting to do pages. So I have nothing new to post. I haven't created anything all month. I'm in withdrawal! So a couple days ago I sat down and made a card. But the ribbon I glued to it is already falling off. Aaaarrrrggghhhh!! So I went back to planning. I've since come up with a couple ideas of how to fix the card and will try to do that in the next few days. But the planning will continue until the last possible moment. If I don't finish them all on the trip, they will still be easy to do once home.

Kid's cards can be difficult to make

2007-06-09T11:56:00.000-04:00

I seem to struggle with kids' cards. But with two grandchildren, I have to find ways to "git 'er done". I had printed the picture of the card below from Scrapbooks, Etc. online. I like the card, but didn't know who would get a similar card, nor when I might get around to making one ... if ever. I do that a lot; I've got tons of ideas clipped and filed in a binder.

Anyway, I was looking at the original when it occurred to me to make the flowers into balloons and then it would work for my grandson. He turns six in July, so I'm hoping he'll like the card. I guess if we put money inside, that would help, huh?

By the way, I used my Cricut machine to cut out the balloons. The words were printed directly onto the colored squares. I used embroidery floss to "tie" down the balloons.

Two cards I'm proud of...

2007-05-12T13:38:00.000-04:00

You know, sometimes things just "work". That's the case on these two cards. When inspiration hit me today, I ran with it.

Our very good friend lost his mother this week, so I wanted to make a sympathy card. I'd had these square paint chips sitting on my craft table for ages and I guess I finally found a good use for them.

Karen, you'll like this card I made for Chris's birthday. Do you know why? I often find it hard to make masculine cards, but this one just came together. It was a bit time-consuming, but I think the end result is way worth it.

I'm on a roll, so I think I'll head back to the craft table and see what other gems I might be able to crank out today. But I had to share what I'd accomplished so far today.

No! Don't throw that away!

2007-04-14T14:05:00.000-04:00

When you are a crafter, you look at everything before you allow it to be thrown into the trash!

I pulled something off a top shelf in our hall closet today, and it caught on some flower-pens I had made some time ago. Anyway, one of them got trashed in the process. But these leaves intrigued me... what could I do with them?

Since I'm "into" flowers right now, it seemed natural to put them all together and this is what resulted. I added the rub-on words outside, as well as inside, saying "Happy Birthday".

Some Scrapbooking Ideas

2007-04-04T15:46:00.000-04:00

There are a couple of cool things I used to create this scrapbook page that I wanted to share with my "crafty" friends. (Bob, you can skip this post.)

The orange and green sheets came from the Canon scrapbook web site. They offer lots of backgrounds, borders, fonts and tags in PDF format for free. Well, OK, you still have to spend your own money for paper and ink, but at least you don't have to pay Canon to get the files. They are all letter size so you have to get creative if you scrap 12x12 pages, as I do.

The other fun thing I did was in getting the Don Quixote in the top corner. First I "stole" an image from an online source (that shall remain namesless) and plugged it into my image editing software, making it the right size to fit the space. My sister-in-law gave me a few sheets of clear, full-page labels. So then I printed it onto one of those sheets and cut it to size. Voi-la! My very own sticker created to my exact specifications. So if you're ever stuck for just the right sticker -- this is one way to get around it.

Anniversay Card

2007-04-02T14:03:00.000-04:00

One day recently I started playing around with a card idea that I might mass-produce and then sell online (eBay or something). I tried this and that. Well, nothing was working out. But this card was the end result, even though I won't be mass-producing it.

As the design was coming together, I realized it would be a wonderful card for our friends (and neighbors) who will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary at the end of June.

I was so proud of how it turned out that I just needed to share. So if you check in here from time to time, you'll see other creations of mine -- both cards and scrapbooking.