Summercrafter

Sweet Life.  That's the name of this super easy and fun pattern from Camille Roskelley' s book Simply Retro . It's the next project on the Quilt Along hosted by Jana, hop on over to her blog and see what other people have made. We are almost done with the book!! I opted out of making a full quilt since I already have done one baby quilt and I am working on another baby quilt and one full sized quilt, both from this book.  So I decided to make a pillow using these Kate Spain Fat Quarters I got this summer.   And I used some "word" fabric full of Christmas cheer, I already had for the back. Wondering what that flap is for?  It's a zipper cover.  I used to be a Zippophobe (to use the word from The Patchsmith, Amanda .) It means "someone who has fear or anxiety at the thought of inserting, installing, attaching or assembling a zipper into any type of sewing project ." So yep! I finally faced my...

As Summer comes to a close, for those of us that are school minded that is, I wanted to give it a proper farewell. Unfortunately, it seems as if Summer and I have hardly had a chance to sit and relax, this year. It's been so hectic with sports schedules, caring for the sick and keeping a house when people are here most of the time.  There is just much more to do and the pool suffering from a bad case of algae, we haven't stepped foot in it either.  Nevertheless, I thought I should make something to remind me of Summer when Winter Recess comes around.  So, I made these Beach themed Christmas ornaments for the Christmas Once a Month  hosted by Julie . (I'm posting a few days early, shhhhh) I am just going to showcase them in pictures. Pictures updated on September 6, 2013 with bling!!  I really love the bling!! They are about 4 - 6 inches in ...

  Hey, you Christmas Lovers, have I got news for you! If you need a little holiday inspiration to cool you off this summer, you'll want to stop by The Crafty Quilter's Blog starting July 12th and see what a few little blogging elves are up to.  Each day a new Christmas tutorial will be posted by these lovely ladies for your Christmas Crafting enjoyment.   July 12:  Amy – Amy Made That! July 13:  Amanda – The Patchsmilth July 14;  Elaine – Summercrafter (that's me!) July 15:  Sarah –   Sarah Rose Quilts July 16:  Patricia – Quiltinglines July 17:  Sheri – Sunshine in the Attic July 18:  Julie –  The Crafty Quilter    July 19:  Wrap Up and prizes     Here's a sneak peek at my starting point. ; )   And if you are not the crafty/quilty type, they sure make for some great Christmas eye candy. And they'll be giveaways! And who doesn't like free stuff? ...

I just want to formally thank Julie from the crafty quilter for this great idea of Christmas Once a Month projects.  Just add the tag below if you want to join in! I have collected several Mary Engelbreit Christmas Craft books and while all my favorite projects have been marked for years, it's only now that I feel "obligated" (in the best sense of the word) to get them done! This month's project is from this book below.   A black and White checked Scottie, the best part is the back which is red corduroy.      I can't tell you how long it took me to finally find red corduroy in a fabric store in sunny South Florida. Finally, when Wal-mart had the fabric close out, I found what I was looking for. But that was years ago! That's how long I've been waiting to do this.   The book had a dog template on a grid. I just cut some tracing paper about 16 by 16 and drew it out free hand. It's easier than enlarging on a copy machi...

Isn't it true that sometimes you just want to make things prettier? Okay, maybe that's just me. Other times? Well, it's just not worth it. In my house, there is a mystery of walking tape. Mostly, it disappears out of my craft area (more times than I care to count) and I am just too tired to pour out my wrath on any of the two possible culprits. So here it is, a non-sensical craft, I mean does anyone do this besides me? But I just want to show you, that almost anything is "craftable!" This one is NOT considered to be part of the Christmas Once a Month Project so I'll share this now instead of the 15th!  First, take your regular scotch tape dispenser. Then, take it apart. Choose your favorite card stock or paper with a print or pattern. I chose a scrap piece of Christmas paper and traced the dispenser card (backwards) on the paper. Cut it out and there you go! If you used card stock that will be firm enough to p...

OK. I was going to call this Christmas Once a Month Project #4 but really that would be cheating since I made felt ornaments for the 3rd project. So let's just say these are a continuation, okay?    Materials: Felt, floss and needle, beads, ribbon (hot glue only for large piece assembly)     I really like doing the blanket stitch, more embroidery!       I used this Mary Engelbreit wrapping paper as a guide.     This "Fried Egg Flower" may be my favorite even though it's not too "Christmas-y."        I really wanted to add dimension to this candy cane with beads or something, but I had to stay true to the illustration. I just whip-stitched the red patches on and secured the long green stitch with a tiny one in the center.        Here is the leaf which was fun to stitch. I used light green beads to blend, the backg...