My Lil' Farm Magnetic Game (with Doodlebug Design) and tutorial

I could not wait to share this new project with you! I went out of the box and created a magnetic game with the Down on the Farm collection from Doodlebug Design. I am so happy with how it turned out! 

(Links in this post are affiliate, you don't pay extra by using them but I get a small commission on your sale, thank you!)

It even comes with its own little box to store all the magnets: 

Here is the list of what you need to make your own plus a quick tutorial:

- Down on the Farm Odds & Ends die-cuts: my inspiration and the most important supply!

- Patterned papers: I used "Counting Sheep" and "Horsin'Around" 

- Cardstock in blue and green

- A small cookie sheet: bought mine at Dollar Tree

- Adhesive magnetic sheets: found at Walmart

- Laminating sheets: bought mine at Daiso but I also saw some at Walmart

1/ Laminate* how ever many die-cuts you want from the Odds&Ends pack and fussy cut each of them afterwards. That is the longest part of this quick project.

2/ Once they are cut, place an adhesive piece of magnet behind each of them.

3/ Cut and glue the patterned papers and cardstock to the cookie sheet to create a scenery. That's it!

I found a small metal box in my stash that I decorated so that all the magnets could be stored in it but you can use any container.

I can not wait to offer it to my friend's daughter! I think she will have tons of fun with it! What do you think?

* Don't have a laminating machine? Use an iron like I did! Look for "laminating with an iron" on YouTube ;)

Fall stamped embroidery with Right At Home

Hello crafty friends! This is my third and last post as a guest designer for Right At Home. It is also my absolute favorite project.

If you follow me here or on Instagram, you already know that earlier this year I picked up a new hobby, hand embroidery. Up until now, I was purchasing patterns online created by other artists but as soon as I received the Right at Home Fall Leaves stamp set, I knew I wanted to use it to create an embroidery project!
After doing a quick test of my design on paper, I stamped directly on fabric (a natural linen) with regular Versa ink. Here is a look, in the hoop, before the stitching began:

It took me quite a while to pick colors and types of stitches but once the decisions were made I didn't stop until I was done and I LOVE the result!

Who knew you could make pretty embroidered wall art with stamps?! It was a first for me and it definitely won't be the last time I use this technique!

If you're inspired to make your own and would like more details on the type of stitches or colors, or you're just in need of help, I will be happy to respond to your questions in the comments.

To all my American readers, I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am very thankful for you, loyal followers and commenters, in the US and everywhere else!

The 100 Day Project: Day 100/100!

Today marks the 100th day of #the100dayproject! If you finished, congratulations! If you didn't, don't stop and keep working, keep learning! I am here to share a bit more about my experience with #my100daysofstitches and embroidery now that I've successfully reached the end.

I talked about the challenge (and last year's) at the half way point in this previous post. I also shared the first three projects I had created by that time, two hoop projects and one sewing project:

I had purposefully left the door open to any kind of stitches when I started the challenge but I got totally engrossed into embroidery and that's all I did in the second half! After the minute work required by the Yumiko Higuchi pattern (in red above), I found the outline embroidery of these three mermaids relatively easy:

 (inspired by a stamp image found on Pinterest)

In the meantime, I discovered more and more talented artists on Instagram and found several patterns that I was dying to make. When I asked if a beginner could handle them, I usually got the answer that with patience and a willingness to learn, you can embroider anything. So I went ahead!

My next two projects were purchased as PDF patterns on Etsy. As with my very first project, I received detailed supply lists and stitching guides with each of them.

This LOVE one by BrynnandCo was challenging but at the same time I love it so much that all the efforts and frustrations were totally worth it! I undid and redid many stitches until I got it right. The satin stitch (which is the one used the most here) is notoriously difficult to master. 

I am still currently working on my sixth project even though I was hoping to be done for day 100. I had transferred the previous patterns using a fabric pencil but for this one, I purchased a water soluble material that you can put into your printer and stick on your fabric (it's like this one but I found mine at Daiso!).

This pattern by Thread Folk is actually easier than it looks and is very forgiving. I'm doing it one color at a time and it is a bit of "Color by Number" or "Where's Waldo" fun! I'll make sure to share it again when I am done.

If you would like to learn:

1. It is not an expensive hobby to start. All you need is a hoop, needle, threads and fabric. I bought everything between Michael's and Joann's (with coupons of course).

2. I am self taught and you can too, thanks to You tube! Less with the last two projects, but I have watched and re-watched may videos showing the different stitches. Just look up the stitch you need to learn.

3. I love the fact that you can take projects anywhere with you (something I am not able to do with my paper crafting). I took one on vacation in a tiny little tote. You can embroider pool side or in the car...

4. I recommend you choose patterns that excite you. That is what will get you through the frustrations and the learning curve! You can find a lot of free patterns online but I liked buying mine on Etsy because they came with very helpful stitching guides.

I was a complete novice and each one of these designs taught me something different. I didn't realize it when I picked them but they turned out to be a great array of work style and stitches. I figured at the start that I could learn embroidery in 100 days and I believe I now have a pretty good grasp on it. I would call it a success :) Even better, I have developed a fondness for modern embroidery and will most likely continue to enjoy it!
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#the100dayproject (2017 version)

Hello friends! I am here today to talk about a totally different craft i've been dabbing into.
If you are a long time follower you might remember that last year I participated for the first time in #the100dayproject on Instagram. Click on the link if you want more explanation but it is basically a challenge to exercise your creativity in one form or another for 100 days. All kinds of artists post what they do on Instagram with their own hashtag for the project.

So last year I successfully made a 100 project life cards (I wrote about the experience here) and this year I wanted to do something totally not paper related. I decided just a day or two before the start in April that I was going to do a 100 days of stitching with the idea to give embroidery a try but also be open to other types of stitching (machine, paper...). This project was a great motivator to try something I've been attracted by for a while.

Yesterday was the halfway point and I have been busy doing a bit of hoop embroidery (or sewing) every day. I have created three projects so far and working on my fourth. The first one above is a pattern I purchased on Etsy from Sarah K Benning. In retrospect, I think it was a good one to start with because it doesn't involve any special stitches.

My second project was a bit more ambitious and a result of my discovery of the book "Zakka Embroidery" by Yumiko Higuchi at my library. I love her style and decided to try one of the patterns in her book.

It was definitely more challenging but thanks to You Tube I was able to learn the different stitches involved.

For my third project I decided to get the sewing machine out and tackle in a weekend something that was on my to-do list for years! I made, just in time for the start of the nice weather, cushions for our patio chairs:

For my fourth and current project, I am trying another style of embroidery and I am not posting too much about it yet because it is a gift for someone who follows me ;)

As you can see in the photo above, you can find all my Instagram post about my 100 day project under the hashtag #my100daysofstitching.

Last but not least, as a 100 day project participant, I was interviewed by Sally Harris for the 100 Creatives podcast and you can listen to me rambling about my project, my inspiration and pocket scrapbooking on Episode 17 :)

Thank you for stopping by today! If you are doing the 100 Days Project, leave me a comment so that I can follow you!

Happy crafting!

Gifting: Gift card snow globes

Very much inspired by this find on Pinterest, I created two of these little snow globes for my son's teachers this year. It is an easy last minute gift, requiring minimal supplies, and Target has a perfect snowman gift card for this project. 

~ and I guarantee you lots of ooohs and aaahs :) The teachers loved them!

Trés inspirée par cette idée trouvé sur Pinterest, j'ai créé deux globes de neige avec à l'intérieur un chèque cadeau pour les maîtresses de mon fils cette année. C'est assez facile et peut se faire à la dernière minute avec un minimum de matériel, et ici les magasins Target ont même un chèque cadeau parfait en forme de bonhomme de neige!

~ effet garantie lors de l'ouverture du paquet :) Les maîtresses ont adoré!

Supplies: jam jars, glitter and mini ornament from Michael's, glue gun, water

Off the page! (tutorial and challenge for Burlap & Buttercups)

I am hosting the weekly challenge at the Burlap & Buttercups blog today and I hope to see some of you play this month! My challenge is to create something non-scrappy and "off the page" with your embellishments. You can find all the details here (and you have the rest of the month to enter).
Je vous propose un challenge aujourd'hui sur le blog de Burlap & Buttercups and j'espère vous voir jouer! Mon challenge est de créer quelque chose de différent, "hors-page" avec vos embellissements de scrap. Vous trouverez tous les détails pour jouer ici (et vous avez le reste du mois pour participer). J'ai créé les deux accessoires çi-dessous avec les fleurs et ruban du kit de juillet. Le tuto en image est trés simple mais si vous avez des questions, n'hésitez pas!

As examples, I created these hair accessories with the Petaloo Flora Doodles flowers and ribbon from the July kit. I am also sharing a quick tutorial:
For the headband: I simply purchased a pack of cheap headbands at Dollar Tree and wrapped the red ribbon from the kit around one of them (not overlapping or it will be too short). I then glued the ends and glued the Petaloo flower slightly off to the side.

For the hair clip (also from Dollar Tree), I covered a piece of patterned paper with transparent tape (I did not have any but I am sure Aleene's Paper Glaze would work nice too). I then traced the barrette on its back and hand-cut the shape. After a little sanding to smooth the edges, I glued the Petaloo flower on top and decided at the last minute to add some cardstock leaves.

Happy weekend to you all!

Homemade bowling game

I love to venture away from scrapbooking once in a while and after seeing these guys on The Long Thread website (which is a gold mine of crafty ideas btw), I had to make them for my little nephews! The funny thing is that even my DH got into it! He did the sawing and painting and all I had to do was paint the cute little faces and make the hats. I also sewed a little string bag to put them and the ball in (not shown).

J'aime bien changer de cap et faire quelque chose de différent de temps en temps et quand j'ai vu ces petits gars sur le site The Long Thread (qui est une mine d'idées!), il fallait que je fasse les mêmes pour mes petits neveux! Ce fut encore plus sympa quand mon homme décida lui aussi de s'y mettre! Il s'est chargé de scier et de peindre les batons pendant que je me suis mise à la couture des chapeaux et d'un petit sac pour ranger le tout.