The Secret - A Fibre Art Mixed Media Piece

This has really been SUCH a fun week for creating!  I don't know what it is, but I have just really enjoyed making stuff - even more than usual, which is saying something seeing as making stuff is my favorite thing in the WORLD to do.  Ever.  Just say'n.





I decided to try something new tonight and I created a fibre art piece.  I have seen these done by many mixed media artists and I have even been fortunate enough to be gifted one, but I had never made one like this, so I was totally inspired when I saw the Gingersnap Stitching Challenge!





The Secret.

Can't you just hear them whispering and giggling about some scandalous gossip?  I totally can.  They are such a funny little couple with all of their silly secrets.  But, as the house staff, they do tend to know just about everything about everyone, so LOTS of secrets are to be had around there!





These two know it all!  They've got the scoop on every sweet and naughty thing that has taken place on those acres of land.  And they simply CANNOT keep them ENTIRELY to themselves, so they share and giggle about the latest news together!





What they always seem to forget is that there are other eyes in that house.  Other ears.  And other whispers and giggles.  And these two have their OWN little secret...at least they still THINK it's a secret!

Tee-Hee!!!!

Supplies:

Stamp:  Scrolls Work Ma & Pa 
Ink:  Momento
Fabric:  From the various IKEA curtains and panels we bought and trimmed to size
Hardware:  Various

A Triple Predicament and The Ruffle Headband that solved it

Well, you see, here's the thing.  This week has been a bit busy, to be quite honest.  I've had quite a bit of creating to do along with holiday stuff and other stuff, and, well, STUFF!  Lots of STUFF!  HA!  And....I did make a SUPER cute card the other night, but I realized that I can't share that one with you yet, so hmmm...that led to predicament numero uno:  Nothing to post today.

WELLLLL....we had a bit of time between an appointment yesterday and the holiday concert at the school last night so we stopped to grab a bite and decided to wander the Gap for a bit.  That was silly.  I don't 'wander' at the Gap, you see.  I buy stuff at the Gap.  Particularly when everything in the store is buy one get one 60% off.  SO.....that led to the purchase of a super cute grey knit top and an even CUTER olive cardigan.  (P.S.  I {heart} cardigans.  Just say'n.)  (Oh!  And I {heart} the Gap, too.  Just say'n.).  WEll....THAT led to dilemma number TWO! - New cardigan without a single coordinating hair accessory.  *sigh*

And...the final snare in my trifecta was that little problem that we had just come home from the concert at around 9:15pm.  I fed the dogs, took them out and it was now around 9:30 pm.  Oh...and I had just opened my awesome mail that included an envie stuffed with BRAND NEW Riley Blake fabrics from Samantha Walker.

Hmmmmmm......so.....9:30 at night....I have to get up at 5.  I want to wear new stuff....I need a coordinating hair accessory.....I have brand new fabric.....

Yup!  That's when it happened!


My new ruffle headband was born!  Yay!  I pulled out a super cute strip of the fabric from the envelope that happened to already be cut in the perfect size/shape for the project I had in mind....(okay...so maybe that's HOW the project came to mind, but you know...just say'n and all....).  I stitched (using a long running stitch) the fabric in a tube inside out over a stretchy headband I had on hand, scrunched it all together and pulled it right side in (this was a bit of a pain, to be honest, but I don't like showing seams!), and then gathered my stitches and finished off the ends for a 15 minute headband!  Yup!  15 minutes!


Yes, folks, all three of my predicaments were resolved in a matter of 15 minutes.  And CUTENESS was had by one and all.  For reals.  I love this thing!  And I am happily wearing my new cute top, my new cute cardi, AND my new cute headband....with some cute jeans and my Toms.  Just say'n.


Oh, and yes, I did fix that lapel so I won't go to work looking ridiculous.  Well, no more than usual, anyway!  HA!

Have a super happy Friday!!!!!! 

Jingle Out.

HAHAHAAAAA!!!!!!  *love.*

Holiday Craft Idea : Vintage Yarn Tree - Only, new. Just say'n.

Vintage holiday decor can be SO cute, but, sometimes it is hard to find it in good shape, so if you want that look, but can't find any good stuff at your local thrift shop - NO FEARS!  Jingle is here!  Hee-hee!!!!! 

(No, seriously....I totally crack myself up!  HA!  And no...I'm not wearing a cape.  Yet.  Just say'n.)


I created this fabulous yarn tree with just a few supplies.  You will need a Styrofoam cone, yarn in your choice of color (mine is red with gold strung through it - I don't know the brand because I got it through Freecycle), your favorite  patterned paper (mine is Samantha Walker for Creative Imaginations), a good glue (I used Helmar Craft glue), and a pretty ribbon (Martha Stewart, com'n at ya!), and a sheet of coordinating felt.


Begin by punching or using a die cut machine to cut lots of circles from your patterned papers.


You then fold the edges of the circles over to create this cute little shape.  Set those aside.


for the very top of the tree cover the top with the glue and wind the yarn beginning in the center and working toward the outside.  You will trim off any excess.


Run a stream of craft glue down one side of the cone.  You do not need to cover the cone, just give yourself a bit of something to tack things to.  Hold the end in place at the top and begin to turn the cone to tightly wind the yarn around the tree.  The key here is to keep it tight so you don't have gaps.  I found it best to move the cone and hold the yarn rather than trying to move the yarn around the cone.



As you work, continue your bead of glue each time you reach the end of it.  Again, just one line down one side is sufficient.

As you reach the bottom of the tree be sure to keep your yarn close and go all the way to the very edge.


Fold the tail under the bottom of the tree.  You can secure with a dab of glue to make your life easier if you would like.


Trace and Cut a piece of felt to cover the bottom of the tree.


Now it is time to decorate your tree!  Adhere the folded circle accents using a strong adhesive.  I think I used my ATG for this part, but you could certainly continue using the craft glue.


Once you have the paper pieces added how you like them, wrap the ribbon around the tree a bit above the base and adhere a bow to the front.  (Yes...I cheated and wrapped the ribbon and then added the bow.  It just turns out better when I do it that way!  LOL!)


And your tree is complete!!!  Fun, right?  Right.  Just say'n.



If you decide to make one I would LOVE to see it!  Let me know!!!

I am joining the following parties:

Samantha Walker Blog Hop Time!!!

Yes, my friends, you are in for a SERIOUS treat today! We are hopping along with the entire Samantha Walker Designs Creative Team and it is going to be pretty much awesome! Just say'n!

I have created some really fun projects to share with you today! And...the other girls are A.MAZ.ING. so you TOTALLY need to check out what they all created, as well! PLUS...there are goodies being given away!






This is my yarn tree! I covered the cone in yarn and then added REALLY fabulous Christmas in the Kitchen paper circles. I will be posting a complete tutorial on this project tomorrow!






I also created this super pretty banner for my mantel! For this one I used Be. bare elements chipboard trees from Creative Imaginations and covered them with Samantha Walker papers. I added some of the wonderful stickers from Samantha Walker (Creative Imaginations), some crepe paper, and glass glitter to make it complete! I LOVE the dimensional chipboard sticker that I used for the center!!! LOVE!!!!


























I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this! It was so fun to create and it looks SO cute hanging on our new fireplace!!!!

I also created a super fun holiday card!






To create this I first stamped the image from the Encompassed Grace set on the cardstock. I then stamped it again on a scrap piece and cut it out. I placed the scrap one over the original image and spritzed the entire card front with Radiant Rain Shimmering Mist from Luminarte (CI).






After it dried I added the sentiment rub-on over the stamped, masked image area.






I then layered ribbon, baker's twine, and two Samantha Walker stickers over the image to complete the card!

I wish you could see how shimmery and fabulous it is!!!

So...come on back tomorrow for the tree tutorial and today, continue on to see what everyone else has created! You should have reached my blog from Eva's Blog and you will be heading on over to Julie's blog! (If you just happened upon my blog today you can start the fun over at Samantha's blog!)

Also, leave a comment here for one chance to win a set of Luminarte Twinkling H2O's! You get one chance for each of the blogs you comment on along the hop! ****UPDATE!  As it turns out, there are LOTS of prizes to be won!  Just comment on EACH of the blogs INCLUDING Samantha's blog to enter to win!  You get chances for each blog you comment on!******

Click the link below to move to the next blog and thanks for visiting!

Let It Snow! (No...not really...but it sounds good.....)

We saw them last night. A few little flurries. It is almost like the weather was warning us. It's coming. The snow is coming. Now... I am not actually a hater when it comes to snow. I love it. The thing is, I commute 50 miles each way to work, so unless it happens to be a weekend when I don't have to go ANYWHERE, I am not too fond of snow. However, if it IS a weekend when I don't have to go anywhere I am ALL for it! Let's build a fire, make some hot chocolate, put on some comfy pants and enjoy the day!!! Plus, the puppies love to play in the snow! I just don't like it when I have to drive in it. That part isn't fun. Even a little. Just say'n.

It is, of course, Tuesday, which means SKETCH TIME over at Skipping Stones Design!



I used Echo Park papers for this one and two Skipping Stones Stamp sets...one is a sneak of next months release (aren't those snowflakes FABULOUS????!!!) and the other is from the Grunge Backgrounds set that I love and adore! LOL!



Our sketches this month come from the amazing Maile Belles! We also have some great guest designers whom you can check out here! I am talking ROCK STARS, folks! ROCK. Freaking. Stars. Just say'n.

Sooooo....what else could make this Sketch Tuesday even better? Well, how about a SALE!!! This will be the last Christmas sale of the month (so you can get your stamps in time for the holiday)!

Here is this week's deal and it will go on through Next Tuesday at midnight:
Buy any 3 stamp sets and get Birthday purses, or heart song for FREE!
Here is how:
Buy any 3 stamp sets. When you are checking out with pay pal there is an area to "leave a note to seller" This is where you indicate if you want B-day Purses OR heart song for free. IF you would like to get BOTH of them for free simply buy 6 stamp sets. You will automatically get both of them for free!!! This is the only time Skipping Stones has offered the chance to get 2 pre releases sets for free.
Be sure to buy your 3 or 6 sets before Midnight on Dec. 14th!!!

Today I am linking with the following parties:

Dude, Seriously? Santa is kinda Creepy. Just say'n.

No, for reals, though... we've all heard the song...

"He sees you when you're sleeping...He knows when you're awake..."

Have you ever stopped to think about that line? I mean, REALLY, SANTA? (Read in true Seth Meyers tone). REALLY? Don't Ya THINK that's just a wee tad bit creepy, Santa? REALLY?

I'm just say'n. Thus, the inspiration for this fun little card.



FUN!!!! These are part of a SUPER cute set of Santa Stamps from Scrolls Work called Santa Story. I love them! I used Echo Park papers and I flocked the Santa Suits to make them fuzzy and EXTRA cute! *LOVE!*



Just keep in mind...that Santa guy...he just might be a bit of a creeper. I'm just say'n! ;-)

Ooopsies!

So...It's Monday.



And...I am not all that bright apparently, because I totally spaced getting my full post prepared for this morning. I do have a REALLY cute Scrolls Work and Echo park card that I can't WAIT to share with you later today!

In the meantime, I did want to announce two Giveaway winners so we can get the ball rolling and get your gifts sent to you!

The winner of the Modes4U giveaway is: Martha! Congratulations, Martha!

And ...

The winner of the Scrolls Work Stamps giveaway is Lillian Child! (Who, by the way, has the most hilarious blog name ever - seriously...go check it out!) Congratulations, Lillian!!!

If the two of you could contact me asap with your full name and mailing address I would love to get these out to you! Congratulations and Happy Monday!!!