Versamark and Clear Embossing Powder

Two of my favorite things to use when stamping are Versamark ink and clear embossing powder. It gives a nice, clean look to a card and it also takes some of the work away from choosing matching cardstock colors. On the base of this card, the leaf pattern was stamped with the Versamark and the squirrel was embossed with the clear powder. Of course, I think it's hard to go wrong with a cute squirrel stamp... just ask my friends. They'll tell you I have a weakness for cute animal stamps.

"Give me all your candy or else!"

This is my first posting showing some cards I've made. I usually sew on my cards which is why they still fit in with "Stitchology 101". However, these cards are probably the one exception to that.

I don't usually do much for Halloween (my Dad and I actually trick or treat a couple months after Halloween; and affectionately call it "random Halloween") but when I saw this stamp set by Stampendous; I couldn't resist. It was also my first try with watercolor pencils. To cut out the hole on the front, I used my Quickutz nesting circles and then used the same circle with my Marvy scalloped circle punch for the ring on the outside. They have a pretty simple layout, but the cute costumed kids make all the difference.

Berenstain Bears and the Fabric Box

Ever since reading the book "Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room" when I was little, I have loved organization. So when I found the book "Sew and Stow" by Betty Oppenheimer I was excited to be able to mix sewing and organizing. Some of the projects include a lumberjack tote for firewood, knitting needle tote, laundry bag, shoe hideaway, and a lunch bag. The first one I wanted to try though, was the fabric box. Most of the projects include instructions and dimensions, but for the fabric box the author just gives suggestions on how to complete it. At first I was disappointed, but once I started on the box it ended up working out well because I was able to customize the box for a specific purpose. I made mine big enough to hold some of the greeting cards that I've made.

To put this box together, the front, bottom, back, and top are all one long piece. Then I just had to sew the two sides on (wrong side out, so the seams are on the inside). To give the box some structure, there is a layer of medium weight stabilizer in between the two pieces of fabric. All of the edges on the box, except on the lid, have raw seams. So I just did a zig zag stitch close to the edge to give them a more finished look. The final step was sewing a button on the front and a piece of ribbon on the under side of the lid for a closure.

While I like sewing, I'm not a fan of the cutting and the pinning. My favorite part is really picking out the fabric. I used three different patterns on this box. One for the outside, one for the inside, and another for the lid. Then of course I made sure that even the button and ribbon for the closure matched. Now that I've made one box, I'm planning on making a couple more. One for my sewing supplies and maybe a couple to sell or for my friends. The best part is that each one will be unique and I get to pick out more pretty fabric!

First Post

I'm using this post as a place to show my craftiness. I've found that it's hard to find people that truly appreciate handmade items for what they are; imperfect, rough around the edges, but made from the heart. Luckily for me, I have a crafty family to share my excitement with. Although I have a feeling that they sometimes get tired of me showing off the new paper/fabric/craft book that I just found. Even if it is something completely different from any other paper/fabric/craft book that I already have, it's still just a piece of paper, fabric or craft book; at least that's how it starts out. In the end it will be a unique scrapbook page, comfy quilt, or cute animal. So to save my Dad the effort of faining excitement over my newest project, this will be my place to show my crafts.

To go with my first post, here is one of my craft projects. I made it last summer, but I'm still proud of how it turned out. I even managed to sell of few of them in a craft fair where my Mom had a booth. The pattern came from the book "Knitted Toys" by Zoe Mellor, but my Mom and I had the idea for the glasses.