a Prize, a Project, and a Parade

First, a big THANK YOU to Jo at Serendipitous Stitching for the lovely gifties she sent to me for winning her Halloween Blog Hop drawing.  Jo sent Blackbird Designs "Spell of the Moon" pattern,  a beautiful dark pumpkin colored piece of 32 ct. fabric to stitch on, and a lovely holiday card (my first of the season).  I will enjoy stitching this during the stitch alongs I have joined: Gifted Gorgeousness,  Halloween Ornies, and WIPocalypse.

Next is a recently completed project of mine.  This button wreath was simple to make and is "cute as a button" (well ... cute as a bunch of buttons).  You can find many of these online - just search "button wreath".

And last, but not least ... a parade!   We were lucky enough in Atlanta to get a break in the rain this morning for the annual Children's Healthcare Christmas Parade.  Here are a few photos:

Ringling Brothers Circus walked a giant tiger (balloon) down Peachtree Street.

Paddington Bear waves "Hello".

Let's not forget "Frosty the Snowman".

Santa and Mrs. Claus closed the parade, riding on a giant Rudolph float.  There were many marching bands, balloons, floats, and much more.  A wonderful parade!  Merry Christmas.

Junk Journal

I made this junk journal for a swap in one of my art groups.  I spent about 3 months pulling it all together and really had a lot of fun with it.  The cover evolved as I worked on the project.  I added the cross stitched bluebird, and even a little face made from a piece of an aluminum can that I embossed.

I made several handmade charms to attach to the binding coils.  I have a closer view of the charms & how they were made posted on my hobby site, here:  http://www.hobbyloco.com/charms.html

You can see from the top view that I made the book really thick and chunky.  It is full of all types of papers, pockets, tags, postcards, and random bits of this and that.  There are easily over 100 pages, many are undecorated, but I did embellish a few to get the book started.

I have already posted several of the pages on my Journals & Sketchbooks blog here: http://cherylsjournals.blogspot.com/ - however the pages posted below weren't included in that post.

These pages all feature needlework - crochet or cross stitched motifs:

 

The beach scene on this page was cut from a piece of a junk mail ad.  This seashell is one of my original cross stitch patterns, and is available as a freebie here:  http://www.hobbyloco.com/XSpatterns2.html#seashell

This page has a watercolor painted background and features a cross stitched squirrel.  Also a freebie pattern of mine, available here: http://www.hobbyloco.com/XSpatterns1.html#squirrel

 I couldn't resist adding a small crocheted doily to the book.  I crocheted this doily from a free pattern found here: http://www.freevintagecrochet.com/free-doily-pattern/spool52/five-point-star-doily

If you are curious to see more pages from the junk journal, be sure to visit my other blog here: http://cherylsjournals.blogspot.com/

Have a fun & creative weekend!

CraftersTown

I have been selling at Etsy since they first started in 2005.  Things were slow to start there for awhile & then they really took off! 

Etsy has grown so large that I have been swallowed up and have disappeared into the sea of shops.

Sadly, my sales have dwindled and I am trying to venture out and see what other avenues I might find in which to sell my handmade items. 

 
Have you heard about CraftersTown ?   http://crafterstown.com/

A handmade marketplace that is made for Crafters BY Crafters.  You can open a basic shop to sell your handmade items for free.  The basic shop allows you 30 listings and you pay no fees unless your item sells. They also offer premium shops with unlimited free listings, and NO SALES FEES at all.  You only pay the small monthly shop fee.

They seem to have gotten off to a slow start, but I can see the potential.  Already I am getting more views on my items at CraftersTown than I do at Etsy.  No sales, yet ... but it has only been a few days, and it hasn't cost me a dime!

CraftersTown has been running a contest and giving away 50 free 1-year premium memberships.  (That means unlimited listings and no fees for a whole year!)  If you hurry over to the blog, maybe they have a few left to give out: http://blog.crafterstown.com/ 

*Right now the categories are wide open!  They really need some crafters and artisans to fill up the marketplace.  If you sign up and open a shop, give me a holler and I will add you to my "circle".

My shop is here: http://crafterstown.com/shop/cherylasmith.html 
I'm just getting started, but I plan to add all kinds of goodies in the coming months.

Quilled Paper Eggs

Every year I decorate a few eggs for Easter.  I like to try something new each year.  This year I decided to try quilled paper eggs.

These quilled paper eggs took a long time to finish, but were very simple to make.

I cut pastel colored paper into strips 1/8" x 4.25", using my Fiskars cutter.  I twirled the strips with a small quilling tool, and attached the quilled paper to hollowed eggshells with white tacky glue.

I just love the way they look!

 If you want to see more of my "egg-speriments", visit my egg decorating page at my hobby site:  http://www.hobbyloco.com/eggs.html

In the past, I have decorated eggs with buttons, embroidery floss, wax resist (pysanky), acrylic paint, and plain old food coloring.

Happy Crafting!

Twelfth Full Moon of the WIPocalypse

Since this is my busy season ... and I stitch all day long for work, I tend to rest my hands at night.  So, I haven't accomplished much "pleasure stitching".

My only finish for this month is the Candy Land Gingerbread House, which I plan to finish into an ornament. 

The pattern may be found here:
http://www.thesilverneedle.co/freecountedcrossstitchpatterns.html

I also made a bit of progress on my linen bunny sampler ... but will photograph it next month.

On a craftier note ... I managed to finish a couple of handmade Christmas postcards for a swap.  I used printed scrapbook papers, a flower shaped punch, and glitter glue to make bright holiday trees.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and create lots of happy memories.

a turkey to share

While working on an overhaul to the free pattern section of my hobby site, I noticed that I didn't have any Thanksgiving cross stitch patterns posted.

To remedy this, I stitched up a nice little turkey. 

This turkey would make a wonderful embellishment to Thanksgiving projects such as cloth napkins, table placecards or greeting cards.

I stitched this turkey with variegated floss, but I have also included a pattern to stitch a turkey silhouette in a single color.

Finished size when stitched on 14-count aida is approximately 2-1/4" x 2-1/4".

FREE patterns for this turkey can be found here:
http://hobbyloco.com/patterns/turkey.html

Happy Stitching!

Halloween Art

Time to make Halloween art and decorate!

I received my completed Halloween banner from I swap in which I participated. It is so colorful, and looks great hanging on my wall!

Over the weekend I participated in an "inchie-a-thon" with my friends at ATCsForAll.com.

I made over 60 Halloween inchies! It was a fun whirlwind of creating and trading ... and next week I will start receiving all those great miniature works of art in the mail.

What fun!

A Shrinky Dink Pattern to Share

I was recently asked about a pattern I created to make a shrink art doll several years ago.  I was unable to locate the pattern, so I created a new one and made another art doll with shrink plastic.  This art doll measures about 7" tall when assembled.

I used a regular black sharpie marker and colored pencils to decorate the shrink plastic.  I punched holes with a 1/4" hole punch before shrinking and later joined the pieces with silver jump rings.  I punched a row of holes across the top of her head before shrinking, and later attached colorful fibers to create her hair. 

I have decided to post the pattern for this doll as a FREE printable download on my hobby site, along with more info and tips:
http://hobbyloco.com/shrinkydink.html

Enjoy!

a button egg

I always love to decorate eggs at Easter time!  I just finished making this egg last night.

I used a wooden egg that I had on hand, but these could be made with any egg form (styrofoam, plastic, or a hollowed real egg).

I glued pastel buttons onto the egg using white tacky glue.  I then filled in the spaces with pastel beads and microbeads. 

Valentine Button Fairy

I recently made this Valentine button fairy for a swap. 

I found some lovely clip art for her face/head, printed on cardstock and colored with Indian ink pens and a clear glitter gel pen.  I then coated her head with clear polyurethane. 

I used a red chenille stem with a loop at the top and a set of square sparkly buttons to form her body.  I added red fibers along the length to add a bit of interest.  I then glued the head between the chenille stem loop and the top button.

I made 2 hearts, crocheted with red thread, to use as her wings.  I then glued them behind her upper body.

I think she turned out quite well.  Happy Valentine's Day!

Winter Button Fairies

These mixed media button fairy art dolls were created for a swap in one of my art groups last month.

I used public domain images and edited them in a graphics program. I printed the images in black & white on heavy cardstock and embellished them with blue glitter glue. I coated the images with several layers of clear polyurethane, and added iridescent snowflakes.

I threaded white buttons and beads onto white chenille stems, bending hanging loops at the top. I then glued the heads to the top of the button bodies, and added white tulle netting for wings.

I made these before I purchased the big bags of buttons... but now I have plenty of buttons for my next project!

Ho-Ho-Holiday Stuff

I was just taking a break from my endless stitching (no joke) ... and happened across Totally Tutorials and their vast collection of fabulous tutorials.  Lots of fun Christmas projects and links to Christmas printables.   Things usually start to slow down for me around Dec 21st ... I sure hope I have some time before Christmas for crafting.

I have to give a shout out to Parent Map Magazine for placing my puppets at the top of their wonderful Etsy Holiday Gift Guide, which features a wonderful selection of handmade items for children.

a handmade holiday home

I made this little house ornament yesterday from felt, embroidery floss, a few sequins, beads, and buttons.

Did you know that American Craft Week is being celebrated Oct 1-10?   If you love American craft, you may join the celebration - find events in your area here: Participants & Events, or support handcrafted goods and small businesses by buying handmade, or just go make something!

Speaking of handmade, the indie tot has put together a Holiday Toy Guide for 2010, which is filled with handmade and eco-friendly toys.  I am so delighted to be included this year!  You may download a free copy here: http://www.theindietot.com/Holiday-Toy-Guide-2010.pdf

a touch of Halloween

Here is a Halloween "ribbon fairy" that I made for a swap in one of my art groups.

I made four of these (one to keep and three to trade). I used public domain images and edited them in a graphics program. I printed the images in black & white on heavy cardstock and hand colored them with Indian ink pens and black shimmer paint. I coated the images with several layers of clear polyurethane, and added embellishments.

I then attached several lengths of ribbons and glued everything together, adding a small ribbon loop on the back for hanging.

The project was pretty easy & I think the Halloween ribbon fairies are quite bewitching.

a button fairy

I made a button fairy for a swap in one of my art groups. This was
the first button fairy I ever made & think she turned out rather well!

Here are the details:
Her face and wings were created from public domain vintage art, which I resized and edited before printing. I hand colored both with Indian Ink art pens and added glitter glue to the wings, which I then coated with Diamond Glaze to give them a hard clear coat for stability.

I strung an assortment of buttons (the birdhouse is a button, too!) on a green chenille stem for the body, and bent it into a gentle curve leaving a loop at the top for hanging. I then stiched blue glass beads to the fronts of the buttons to cover the chenille and add some sparkle.

I added fibers to the back of the body and attached the head & wings. I added a tiny ribbon rose to complete the little garden fairy.

I enjoyed the project - I always love trying new things!

Puffy Hearts

I made these puffy hearts for a swap.   I had originally envisioned myself creating a wild, bright, funky, colorful assortment of hearts ... in reality I ended up making a more traditional, somewhat Victorian style assortment of hearts.

You have to follow the path that your muse lays out for you & that is where my muse went this weekend.

The hearts were made from cotton and velvet fabrics with lace, ribbon, ric-rack, machine stitching, hand embroidery, glass and plastic beads, and buttons. They measure about 4" across and just under 5" tall.

I hope they are enjoyed by the swappers who receive them.   I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

My Strength Returning

September has been cruel to me this year.   At the beginning of the month, I came down with the nasty H1N1 virus and have only recently gotten back into the swing of things.

Last week, some tree cutters knocked out power to my building and caused a huge power surge that fried most of my electronics.   Ouch!   I spent the weekend trying to replace items & have been getting whacked over the head with technology.

At least I am getting my strength back, and along with it my urge to create.


I have been getting caught up with my art projects and swaps.   Above is my little Halloween sticker project.   I dusted off my Xyron sticker maker and I made sets of Halloween faux postage (sticker stamps) for the participants in my Halloween postcard swap.   They turned out really cute!

I have more projects nearing completion & will post photos soon!

Fabric Beads & Charms

I have been having a "charming" weekend.

I made a batch of fabric beads: felt and fabric rolled around toothpicks and sealed with Diamond Glaze, then the ends were coated with gold embossing powder, and fibers were added for a bit of sass.

Then I decided to make charms out of several of the fabric beads. The charms were made from fabric beads, random plastic beads and shrink plastic charms strung along on black coated copper wire.

I think these little charms would be great for an altered book or charm bracelet.

I am participating in a big Art-a-thon weekend at ATCsForAll.com, and trading the charms along with inchies and other artsy goodness. Lots of fun!

May Giveaway Day!

I just stumbled onto the Sew, Mama, Sew! May Giveaway Day!

The list of participants has just been posted. There are hundreds of giveaways going on from now through May 31st!
Good Luck!

I have been keeping a list of crafty giveaways on my hobby site: Big List of Crafty Giveaways and Contests.   If you have a crafty giveaway to add, simply post your link here with a comment & I will add you to the list!

Have a fun & crafty day!

Don't forget to enter my humble giveaway for a hand stitched finger puppet.

handmade charms

I took the weekend off from stitching and made some charms for a handmade charm swap.

I happened to have quite a bit of polymer clay sitting around that I hadn't touched in ages ... so I thought I would put it to use making charms.

They weren't very difficult to make.   The hardest part was conditioning the clay for use.   After the clay was ready to use, I rolled it into small ball shapes.   I flattened the balls into disc shapes, and used some buttons and rubber stamps to press images into the clay.   After baking, I used acrylic paints to accent the embossed images and sanded them for an aged appearance.

I finished them with a glossy coat of varnish and added jump rings for attaching to a charm bracelet.

I can't wait to see all of the charm returns from the swap!