{caden's teddy bear}

This last Christmas I decided to try something new, making stuffed animals for my younger kids. This first teddy bear I made was somewhat difficult because the pattern did not offer good instructions at all. I used this How Joyful pattern, which is free.  I have sewn for a long time, and I have made lots of different things and followed lots of different patterns, but this was the first time making a stuffed animal & I could not for the life of me figure out what I did wrong with the feet.  They are funky looking and usually this would drive me so crazy that I would take it apart & fix it, but for now it's staying with some weird feet.

Despite his imperfections Caden loved his new teddy bear when he opened it on Christmas morning.

Edited to add photos of the back of the bear. 

birthday bags

As you can see from many past posts I am addicted to bags. So here are some new ones. These two bags I made for some little neighbor boys. We got them some matchbox cars for their birthdays, but I wanted to make bags for them to carry the cars in also.  We also used them for gift bags so they serve a dual purpose. 

I thought they turned out pretty cute, but wish I would have made the plaid one a little wider.  I also wish I would have appliqued thier initials on the bags as well.  Now I know for future reference.

a new little one...

These fun baby items were ones I made for my cousin's baby shower back in May.  I have wanted to make one of these little "tie onesies" for a long time.  They are so adorable!

I also made a changing pad and baby wipes case that fold and wrap up together.  I found the tutorial for the folding changing pad here, which wraps around the wipes case and a diaper and closes with velcro.

January Club Projects

I am so behind on posting projects. This semester of school has really bogged me down and I haven't had much time for crafting, which I have missed greatly. I still have managed to do a little, but not nearly as much as I would like to. These projects are from our January Stamp Club.

This first little candy bar holder is madef from an envelope that is slightly larger than 5x7. It is called a bag-a-lope and you can find the directions here on Splitcoast Stampers. If you have never visited Splitcoast Stampers you must give it a try. It is a great resource for anything to do with any sort of paper crafting, 3d crafts, etc. They have tons of resources for techniques too.

Spidey & Lightning Scripture Bags

This last Christmas I took the Handmade Pledge, but instead of just buying handmade, since I am a crafter at heart, I wanted to make as many gifts as possible. This was a little difficult as I was very busy with my photography business, so it left me with little time to create. But I really wanted to make some things for my kids that they really wanted or needed. I had some great ideas for my girls...2 of them had already asked for the school bags that I made them. I knew I could also make flower clips, headbands, or any type of jewelry & they would be happy. But what would I make for my boys? That task was a little harder.

My oldest boy, S-man (8 yr. old), was baptized on the 19th of December & as tradition we give our children their first "real" set of scriptures with their names engraved on them & a scripture bag, for their baptism. Well, the bag I bought S-man barely fit the scriptures & I knew it wasn't going to last long. The bags that would have fit better were more expensive than the scriptures themselves & I couldn't see how that made any sense at all...so I thought this was something that I could make for him...but what about Mr. C (my 5 yr. old)?

Well, the day after S-man's baptism when he grabbed his scripture bag (the one I bought him) as we were heading out the door for church, Mr. C insisted that he have a bag too. So he headed back to the bedroom & went in search of a bag that he could carry to church. Well, the only one he could find & was satisfied with was big sister, Missy M's, little pretty, flowery scripture bag. So he went to church with that! This was when I decided that he needed his own "church" bag as well. Both of the boys were so excited when they opened their bags on Christmas day & that really did my heart good.

You can't really see it in these photos, but I made a pocket out of the printed fabric on one side of each bag, but it was a little too short, so it doesn't really hold much in it. It's still there, but I'll be adjusting the pattern a little to make it deeper next time, so it will hold items in better.

The Spidey & Lightning fabric I used on these bags were scraps left over from these bags that I made for my sisters boys back a few months ago. It's amazing what little scraps can be used for, so don't throw those little pieces away, unless they are truly too small for any project!

Simply Crafting,

A little creativity...

I know I haven't been here for quite some time, but I still have done a little creating. Actually I've done a lot, most of which I can't show you because it's in the form of our school yearbook. This is the 3rd year I've done the yearbook for our elementary school. It's a lot of work & that's basically why I haven't been here for the past few weeks.

I started making jewelry 5 years ago right, before I had my last baby! I actually started at a perfect time because I had just gotten all the supplies & then a few weeks later (at 7.5 months pregnant) I ended up in the hospital for a week with pneumonia. It was a horrible week (the week right before Christmas to top it off!). After the first round of antibiotics I felt 90% better, but they wouldn't let me leave! My kids couldn't come see me, which I think ended up being harder on me than it was on them. So I had my hubby bring my jewelry supplies (amongst many other things to work on) and I made lots of jewelry that week.

These first 4 bracelets (the two above & just below) I made yesterday for my niece's new baby (I'm going to her shower tomorrow~the baby isn't here yet).

These last 2 I made for a friend's little 3 yr. old girl!

Christmas Journals

I made these for gifts for Christmas this year. The ones in front were my favorites, but I liked how most of them turned out!

Name Frames

These are some Name Frames that I made. I have made over 20 of these & everyone loves them. You can make one of these at my upcoming Christmas Stamp Fest on Dec. 1st. email me for more information.

This project is $25! You will get one of the brown or burgundy frames that you see in the 1st 2 pictures. If you want it painted a certain color then you will have to paint it ahead of time. Let me know if this is what you want to do & I will get the frame to you ahead of time.

Otherwise you can choose the name, colors, stamps, embellishments, etc. This doesnt' have to be a persons name, you could do "JOY", "NOEL", etc. Email me with any questions or to sign up for the class!

Holiday Highlights 3 Class-Paper Globe & Paper Bow

Here are 2 more projects that are available to make at my Holiday Highlights 3 Class next week. The paper bow is $0.75 each & the globes are $1.50 each or 3/$5. Both of these projects were so simple to make. Email me if you'd like to sign up for this class by this Monday, Nov. 12th. The money is due that day!

Gratitude Journals (Hol. High. 3 class)

These are some Gratitude Journals that I made. You can make these at my next Holiday Highlights class on Nov. 17th.

The spiral bound journal (first pictured) is $6 each & you get the book, the papers, ribbons that are tied to the spirals, the die cut stickers.

The 2nd journal (the 2nd-4th pictures) is $9 each & you'll get all that you see here: the book, papers, die cut stickers, ribbons, brads, paper clips, etc.

I've made several of these journals with the fun tabs & gave some to my sisters-in-law this last week. They are not crafty at all so I wasn't sure if they would like them but they loved them. I also taught a bunch of young girls to make these at girls camp this summer. They all loved them & had a lot of fun. This is something you could make for you, a friend, a daughter, grand-daughter, mother, sister or niece.

You must register & pay by Fri. Nov. 9th to attend & make these fun projects. If you'd like to make them but can't attend email me & we'll work something out.

Holiday Highlights 3 Class-Ornaments & Can

These are some of the projects for my next Holiday Highlights Class on Nov. 17th. You can make as many ornaments as you want for $4 each or 3 for $10. The cans are $3 each. (The Gratitude Journals are will be shown above.)