Have you ever wanted to try making a quilt, but thought it was too time consuming? Too hard? Too frustrating? Well, I have great news for you - starting next week, I will be sharing instructions on how to create a beautiful baby quilt using the super simple Fence Rail quilt block, shown above. If you don't have time to learn quilting, this project is designed for you because each step should only take a few hours a week. When you are finished, you will have a great quilt to give as a gift or keep for a little one in your life.
The first step will be next week, and the whole project will take about 5 weeks to complete. I hope you are all as excited about this process as I am!
When designing jewelry that I plan to sell, I try to create something beautiful that can actually be worn. This means sometimes a piece a less artistic than it is functional. These earrings are a perfect example of that principle. Made from crackle glass beads and creamy Druk glass beads, this pair of earrings is simple, stylish and sophisticated - or everything a woman could want in a pair of earrings! Afterall, why spend tons of cash for a pair of earrings that can be too heavy or bulky to be worn comfortably, just because they are more artsy? The artistic pieces are great, but every jewelry collection needs its functional pieces as well!
This little guy seemed perfect for a summer project. The pattern is from the Lion Brand Yarn Website; another of the amigurumi patterns they have listed there. He was so quick and easy to make you could easy put together a whole octopus family the kids - perfect for a trip to the beach or the sand box (with a little imagination!). This project is sure to be a hit, no matter who you give it to!
An invitation to a get together is the first impression your guests will have of the event. An invite that looks slapped together does not give a promising first impression. But, you don't have to spend a fortune on the invites.
The above invitation was put together for a family barbeque. It was simple and inexpensive. By layering dramatic green tones of scrapbook paper that I found on clearance, I created a striking background for the simple glitter foam flower stickers. A $1 "You're Invited" stamp on plain white paper and colored with colored pencils completes the card. It is simple, fun and, best of all, inexpensive. Guests loved them and it only took a couple of hours to make a dozen of them!
It took me roughly 8 hours to make the above 48"x48" quilt. I used in great method from "Crazy Shortcut Quilts" by Marguerita McManus & Sara Raffuse - a book I highly recommend because it turns the most difficult part of a quilt (the actual quilting) into a fun step.
There are several different varieties of quilt designs in the book, and since I was trying it for the first time, I chose the simplest and smallest to do. Because I don't have a full size quilting machine, I am forced to do all of my quilting on my little Singer, which can be very challenging once I start working on something larger than a twin size quilt. However, the book illustrates beautifully how to create simple crazy quilt blocks, do all the quilting and then sew the blocks together!
I've decided that Wednesday will be the day I discuss my quilting projects, and starting next week I will be going step by step through the current project that I am working on. (Which will unfortunately not be one from the above mentioned book.) Hopefully I will inspire a few beginning quilters like myself to follow along and maybe even try some of the things I'm doing.
(Don't worry jewelry fans and all other crafters - I am aiming at having different projects from different crafting disciplines every day of the week. Mondays will be crochet projects, Tuesdays are for jewelry, Wednesdays are quilting, Thursdays are paper projects and Fridays will be some of the eclectic other things that I have been working on. This will help ensure I post more often with a little more consistency. Hopefully, everyone will join me!)
Earring are a simple accessory that can add drama or glamor to any outfit, year round. However, summer seems to be the perfect season to show off your favorite pair of earrings. With up-dos all around, summer is the perfect time to dangle something pretty from your ears!
These two pairs of earrings that I recently created would be great for whatever summer might bring. The pale yellow faceted beads in the above earrings are simple enough for day to day wear, while the dramatic contrasting orange and cream in the earring below are sure to get you noticed when you wear these to a summer party!
For whatever reason I need to wear them, summer is my favorite time to create jewelry and earrings become the simple must-have accessory for women!
Even though these last few weeks have kept me too busy to post, they have not kept me too busy to craft! My projects have been eclectic to say the least, including the above crocheted amigurumi pig that I made using the free pattern from the Lion Brand Yarn website. It was super easy and took me about 5 hours over two days.
I love amigurumi projects - they tend to be so adorable and sooo easy to do. Many of them take very little time and can even be done on a road trip. Plus, my younger brother loves them, so I know they will never go to waste, just sitting on a shelf somewhere. As an added bonus, they can make such wonderful gifts, for young and old alike.
Have you ever wanted to try making a quilt, but thought it was too time consuming? Too hard? Too frustrating? Well, I have great news for you - starting next week, I will be sharing instructions on how to create a beautiful baby quilt using the super simple Fence Rail quilt block, shown above. If you don't have time to learn quilting, this project is designed for you because each step should only take a few hours a week. When you are finished, you will have a great quilt to give as a gift or keep for a little one in your life.
