My foray into sewing...

I felt a strong urge to make my own rag bag after seeing Angie's bag, so I ordered the Scallop Square die through Stampin' Up, bought a few fat quarters on sale, bought a bag full of batting scraps at our church rummage sale, and waited for the video tutorial. I made it yesterday, and apparently I was in the mood for a bit of color in my life because I have begun to affectionately call it my "Clown Bag" because of the colors. I decided that I wanted to have the possibility of reversing it, so I used yellow fabrics on the inside for those few and far between gloomy days in Arizona. I, also, added a pocket on the inside for my cell phone so it won't get lost at the bottom.

It looks as though I will soon be helping my daughters make their own bags along with making one for my mom. My sewing machine foolishly thought it would be allowed to gather dust for a few more years, poor thing. Hope your day is filled with color!

Smiles,

Anne

A simple thank-you card...

A quick and easy card using my new Stampin' Up! Flower Folds and Scalloped Square dies, retired Designer Series paper, scalloped circle punch. and a jumbo brad. When I ordered the Scalloped Square die I was concerned that I'd have something of the same size as the cut/emboss dies I already own, but I wanted to be able to easily cut multiple layers of fabric, so I took the plunge. Thankfully, the square is larger, so it coordinates well with the other dies. Happy camper here! Hope the same can be said about you today.

Smiles,

Anne

Stampin' Up! Holiday Extravaganza

In case you're interested, Stampin' Up! has a special offer going on right now. For every $50 you spend on items in the Holiday Extravaganza brochure (before tax and shipping) you can choose one free Decor Elements item up to $16.95 value. Just let me know if you want to place an order.

Smiles,

Anne

Happy Birthday (to me)...

When I saw this tutorial I decided that I needed to try to make my very own electric votive cake. (Of course I made due with the supplies on hand as usual.) I have to confess that it looks much cuter in real life. For some reason my camera refuses to take a non-blurry picture of it. The best part of this cake is that the battery can be replaced so I'll be able to use it until the dog gets it and chews it up (LOL). Hope you have a great day!

Smiles,

Anne (older, but not much wiser)

A few flowers...

After seeing the amazing flowers made with the Stampin' Up! Exclusive Bigz XL Flower Folds die (what a mouthful!) I wanted to try the technique out myself. Of course I do not currently have the die (I just ordered it, though), so I had to make due once again. Luckily, I bought a set of cutting/embossing dies this summer (Hi, Vicki!), so I used those along with some fabric I had lying around (including a skirt I was supposed to repair a long time ago (oops!)). I look forward to making lots more when my die arrives because they're fairly time-consuming when you have to cut them out individually. Here's a tutorial in case you're interested. I haven't flounced mine up enough apparently. Perhaps a washing will fray them up a bit. Wishing you a creative spark today!

Smiles,

Anne

More candy holders for my church...

I've been a pillow box/Top Note box-making fool over the last few days in my attempt to donate to our craft sale at church. I don't crochet or knit well enough to make beautiful blankets, etc., but I can roll a die with decorative paper through my Big Shot like nobody's business. I've had my Sizzix Bigz Pillow Box die for quite a while, yet it's been gathering dust (shame on me!). I decided to dust it off for the good of others. As you can see in the photos I decided to get fancy and put in some windows. Oh so easy, yet effective. Hope you enjoy!

Smiles,

Anne

Here's the tutorial for the Top Note boxes again in case you missed it the first time.

An attempted CASE...

I absolutely loved this gift card holder, and of course immediately started my next Stampin' Up! order so that I can have all of the supplies to copy the idea. I think they'd be a wonderful item for our craft fair at church or hung on our Christmas tree with cash or gift cards inside. Anyway, I digress. Here's what I came up with using what I had on hand (gasp). I used the Sizzix Scallop Envelope die instead of the Sizzix Baskets & Blossoms XL Bigz die with these directions for making the envelopes large enough for a gift card to fit inside, then sewed up the sides and used an oval cutting/embossing die to punch out the handle. I used brads to attach the flowers and leaves to the bag, then used Crystal Effects to attach the centers of the flowers and cover up the brads. In case you're interested, the centers came from the Sizzix Daisies #2 Bigz die and the flowers were cut/emboss flower dies.

In case you're wondering, the Baskets & Blossoms die is still on my next order along with the Blossom Party and Leaves #2 dies. We'll see if I can live without them, or if I can't help myself (as usual).

Smiles,

Anne