Silhouettes

I wanted to share a project that I did for my mom's birthday.  It's really hard to ever get her anything because she never needs or wants anything.  The only thing she ever seems to want are pictures of her kids/grandkids.  So, I had seen these sort of silhouette photos done before and I thought they were very cool.  Usually, they end up in a round frame, but I picked this frame up because I really liked it.  She did too!!  It was super easy and a great take on a family picture.  I think I may hunt down and see if I can find some silhouette photos of Anthony from every year.  I'd love to make something to show is age progression.  But, in the meantime, I will make one of these to hang in my house!

Oatmeal Cave

My office is in some serious need of sprucing up.  I have yet to paint the walls or decorate it in any way, shape or form.  The builders grade paint and light fixture are starting to depress me.  So, I'm on a mission to spruce it up.  I have neither the time, nor the patience, to start painting it at this point (that would be a nice deployment project), so I decided to make some fabric wall art.  I came across this project awhile ago and loved the idea!  I was always too afraid to try it, but little did I know how easy it would be.  I think I spent more time picking out a fabric than actually putting it together.  I decided to hit up the local "fine fabric" store to get some Amy Butler fabric.  I LOVE her stuff.  I picked 2 patterns from her "Love" collection.  I've made one wall hanging fairly quickly (the one shown) but am working on make the 2nd one just a little more interesting.  Landon told me today that he should get some stock in Hobby Lobby/Michaels/Joann Fabrics as I seem to be there on a fairly consistent basis.

P.S.  Have I ever mentioned how much I love Photoshop?  I am nowhere near mastering this beast of a program, but did a 30 day free trial to see if it is something I'd like to purchase.  Needless to say, it's on my Christmas list.  My first project - a cheesball birthday card for my dad.

I'm really on a card kick...

I have one last card (at least for the next few hours).  A friend of mine here in Jacksonville had mentioned and been fundraising to create breast feeding bags to give to new moms in the hospital, vice the formula ones that you always receive.  I think it's a great idea (http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=106888179344869&topic=145#!/pages/Jax-Breastfeeding-Bags-Project/138516602864499) as I definitely could have used some better advice than what was given to me by a lactation consultant who seemed more aggravated by me than anything else.  I'm certainly not a card carrying member of La Leche League (not that there is anything wrong with that!)...but I do think more support and encouragement would be a great thing :)

Get stuffed

I am really into this card making right now....especially with embroidery.  I wanted to do a Thanksgiving card and I couldn't really seem to come up with a great way to embroider a turkey.  So, I just ended up creating one with a publishing program.  The funny thing about this card is that when I googled "turkey" to find a design, I was a little confused by the crescent moon and star image that I kept getting.  A light bulb went off and I thought to myself "not that Turkey!"  Maybe I should design a Thanksgiving card like that (because I'm super cheesey).  Anyhow, here is what I came up with...nothing to exciting, but it's to the point :)

 

P.S.  Here is one more card that I was working on the other night that I found under a pile of stuff on my desk.  

Hand Embroidered Baby Announcement

I've really been into this embroidering thing lately and always loved the way sewn paper looks.  So, I took the opportunity to combine the two and make a baby announcement for my younger sister who is set to give birth any day now!  We're still working on the lettering and layout and such, but I at least got the embroidered design down which is the main focus.  Here is a sneak peek...

Go Navy!

I don't know why I created a Navy ornament for Christmas...I just did :)

Did I just embroider something?

The other day, Anthony and I were in Barnes and Noble so we weren't stuck in the house during some nasty weather.  I wanted to check out pretty much all the sewing/crafting books they had (my search at 2 libraries on Monday were pretty fruitless) and Anthony could play on the train table and look at some books as well.  I did see one book I liked, but decided I shouldn't get it as it seems I have a lot of projects I want to do and should probably finish those before starting anything else.  So, I put it away...but upon leaving B&N, I saw a cute little cross stitch kit and decided to get it.  It looked like something to do and would be a nice break from sewing.  I got a little frustrated upon doing research in hopes of finding a way to integrate some cool, modern cross stitch into my sewing.  I also ran into a lot of topics involving hand embroidery and I immediately wrote that off (I need machines to do my work...I don't have the dexterity to do much else!).  I finished this little cross stitch this afternoon and remembered that I had some linen coasters a friend was going to toss last year, but gave to me instead.  I ended up just drawing on it with a pencil and just stitched away!  Granted, it isn't perfect by any means (having a child jump all over you while you're trying to follow a faint pencil line as your husband turns off almost all the lights, isn't exactly a great environment to do this in), but I am very excited about the possibilities :)

And here is a cat picture Anthony colored, next to one of my cats.  Anthony has really been on a cat kick lately and it's pretty cute.  Although, I do worry a little about his future.  I feel like, at this point, he could either end up a Veterinarian...or a hoarder. 

Project Flashback - Brag Book

I wanted to include this photo book that was one of the first projects I had ever completed when I first started sewing.  It's a little photo brag book with a twist :)  I love the pictures being stitched directly onto the paper.  It makes a fun little present/stocking stuffer and sold many of these on Etsy the past few years at Christmas time.  It's not a hard project, just a lot of steps involved...but I always love the end result!

Over the Shoulder Bag

A new friend invited Anthony and I to the zoo last week and we were excited to join her!  I went searching through my closet to try to find a soft sided bag that would not only fit the contents of my purse, but my camera, and some snacks/drinks for Anthony and I as well.  I wished I had one that I could wear over my shoulder (messenger bag style) to have these things accessible, as well as something soft enough to shove in the basket of the stroller (let's just say that my normal purse, by the name of Kate Spade, really does not like being shoved anywhere and is looking a little beat up because of the bad things I have forced her to do).  Alas, I had nothing.  While out shopping, I saw a few bags that were ok, but I really did not want to spend the money on one for a day at the zoo.  I made it through the day with an old bag from Target that had a strap that was literally hanging on by a thread.  So, I searched around the internet and found a very easy tutorial and just made one myself.  It has a button closure and even a nifty pocket inside.  Granted, a light color isn't really what I had in mind for a bag (hello dirt everywhere)...and I wanted to use up some of the fabric I already had, so I went with the light corduroy on the outside (see my nautical pillows).  The inside is a blue canvas that I had made a laptop sleeve out of a year or two ago.  I figured that the inside of my bag gets WAY nastier than the outside (thanks to Anthony's half-eaten lollipops, leaves I have to hold, spilling drinks, etc.), so I went with a darker lining.

It was a fun little project that I finished in just a few hours.  Now I really must focus on getting some housework done!