Fabric Flowers Tutorial!!!

OH THANK HEAVEN FOR BLOGLAND!!

I have been looking for a fabric flower tutorial for several weeks, and while participating in the

Tater Tots & Jello weekend-wrap-up party , I found it!

With this tutorial from THE BIRDS PAPAYA blog , it's going to be easier than I thought!

Whaaaa Hooooo!

Here is Sara's Tutorial:

 Fabric flowers seem to be ALL the rage right now. So (of course) I just had to get "in" on the action.  I have seen tons of tutorials all over blogland for different ways to make them, but I decided to go for one using a gathering stitch (say what now?).  A gathering stitch is not as intimidating as it sounds. Don't have a sewing machine? ask your mom/grandma/aunt/friend to use hers.

Step-by-step:

(I'm not very good at the wordy instructions, should have taken MORE pictures, so comment me if you get lost)

-Get some fabric. I used plain white cotton, similar to bed sheet material.

-Cut it into long strips (the longer the strip the bigger the flower). My strips were about 24" long and 4" wide, once folded over it's only about 2" wide.

-Fold over (wrong sides together if you are using a print).

-Using the lowest stitch level for stitches per inch (my mom's machines lowest was a 6) run a straight stitch down the fabric strip, about 1/2" away from the bad "frayed" edge.

-Once you've finished the stitch (from end to end) grab the thread from he ends and begin pulling the thread to create a gather. It will look like this:

Once you've done that, you can begin rolling your flower. Start the one end by just gently folding down the top corner of the one end (creating your bud-like flower's center) and roll the fabric around until the end of the roll.

Once it's been completely rolled, put a few stitches through the bottom with a needle & thread to secure your flower!! My first go I had a bit of trial and error with the rolling of the flower, so just get it until you like it and then put the stitches in!

 

The back (it's ugly, I know, but you'll never see it once you sew or glue it onto something!

All 3 in a cluster (ooooh la la) 

This was SUCH an easy project. I made three of them and the first was the hardest and the next two were a breeze.

I'm sew (pun intended) excited to use these around the house. I think these will be going on a project that is still in progress, but I may make more for pillow accents, or even lampshade accents.

The possibilities are endless...

I love the blogisphere, the idea's and creativity like this post from Sara, help inspire me, and that is why!

Thanks Sara! 

Homemade Sugar Scrub

Recently while doing some blog hopping we came across this fantastic blog.  She has the greatest idea's and inspirations, one of which we have posted here for you to see.  Follow D's blog, read her older posts, and be inspired!

HOMEMADE SUGAR SCRUB

Many of us are busy parents, grandparents, working, stressed... so sometimes we all deserve a little spa treatment.  With prices climbing and time being so limited, we sometimes don't get that pampering opportunity.  Although there are many commercial sugar scrubs in the market that are absolutely divine, sometimes you may run out of your favorite scrub or may need to cut personal expenses.  There are many homemade spa recipes that you may use to get that little personal luxury, so why not make your own!

I have tried a few recipes and found this to be one of the easiest and most functional for my needs.  I prefer brown sugar over white and salt only because I have sensitive skin.  This is a basic recipe, but you may try different variations, adding your own personal fragrance, personal oils etc...Just play with it until you get the perfect scrub that is right for you.

  

The ingredients that you will need are as follows:

-1 jar with lid
-1 cup Brown Sugar
-1/2 cup Baby oil---you may replace this oil with
 Jajoba oil or almond oil.(good for skin)
-1 tsp Vitamin E  in liquid form (good for skin too)
-1/2 tsp Fragrance (I used vanilla)
-1 tbsp Aloe Vera  (Optional)
-1 tbsp Peppermint oil (Optional)
You may find these ingredients in your local supermarket or organic shop.

To avoid making a mess, I mix the scrub directly in the jar.

Take the sugar and carefully pour it into the jar; next add the baby oil and pour slowly until sugar absorbs it.  Add vitamin E, aloe vera, and the rest of the ingredients.
  Take a spoon or small spatula and mix it well.
  Depending on how thick or watery you like your scrub, adjust the amount of sugar and oil until you get the consistency you want.  I like mine a bit watery.   

 Now you are all done.

Use the scrub in the shower or tub.  Massage the scrub in a gentle circular motion on rough patches, this removes dead skin, the scrub is also great for ingrown hair.
 Rinse with warm water.
  I love using this scrub on my feet and hands too.

ISN'T THIS FANTASTIC?  AND SO SIMPLE!

ALL KUDO'S TO SIMPLE GIRL!

Simple Card Tutorial

We promised to post tutorials from time to time, and here is  very simple gift card.
I attend a Stampin' Up paper crafting class every other month.  As part of the class we do a card exchange.
Each person brings 12 cards to the class, and then each person receives one from the other students. Each class I get to go home with 11 new, creative, fun, and beautiful cards! I love using these for inspiration when I am making something...
Now because  need to take 12 cards to the class, I try to keep them fairly simple so that I can make them "assembly line" style...

First, decide on a color scheme with your papers.

   Gather all your supplies, such as scissors, adhesives, paper punches, ribbon, stamps, inks, and whatever else you might be using.

The most common size card in scrapbooking is a 5 1/2" x 4". 

This is the size of the card that I based this tutorial on.

My card is white stock, and I have added 2 layers of paper on top. The bottom paper (solid green) 

measures 5" x 3"1/2" . The top layer (patterned paper), measures 4 3/4" x 3 1/4".

Place sticky strip or glue on the back of patterned paper, then center on the solid paper, press down to secure.

Measure and cut your ribbon (I used 16", to allow myself the ability to tie a decent bow-lol).

Find the center of your ribbon, then place a small amount of adhesive on the back of the green paper to secure the ribbon in place. I wanted to off-center my bow, so I had to adjust the ribbon to meet equally to the side.  Tie your bow and trim the ends.

From here you can move on to your embellishments. I chose to make 3 flowers, just using a paper punch to make the flower, and then used different buttons as the center.

I glued the buttons on (I refuse to sew on paper, I mean, really? Sew on paper?), and after the glue had dried I added little foam dot adhesives on the back of each. I used a couple of thickness' for the dots, so that the flowers would have different dimensional height. I also pinched one of the flowers to make the petals appear as if they were just opening.

From here, move on to your tags. Stamp your paper with whatever saying you would like to have (such as happy birthday, get well, etc.). Then use your paper punch to cut out the tag.  A great tip is to stamp your paper first, then turn the punch over so you can see the placement of the stamp with in!

Again I used the dimensional dot adhesives so that the tag stood up of the paper.

Now just attach your flowers and tag on the card, and it's complete!!!

Also, I did not have enough patterned paper in the same design, so I used to similar papers, and they both turned out great.  As a last little touch I glued a matching flower in the bottom corner of my envelopes.

This post is featured over on:

Making Cupcake Earrings...

 We love making earrings, and we love cupcakes (especially the one's with buttercream frosting), and look at the rockin' tutorial we discovered at Kara's Cupcakes!  A DIY post showing us all how to combine these 2 loves...

~MAKING CUPCAKE EARRINGS!~

I made these cute little cupcake earrings today for my upcoming cupcake tea party. Aren't they adorable?! My friend sent me a link to a tutorial on how to make them...they're from saucy's sprinkles.

Here's my tutorial...

Supplies you will need:

Polymer clay (at least 2 different colors)

Beads

Eye pins

Jump rings

Earring piecesTake the brown (or color you are using for the cupcake bottom) clay and roll it into a thick snake. Then cut the snake into small pieces...Use a knife or wire to make marks around the sides of the small shape (cuppy bottom)...Then take your other piece of clay and roll it out into a thin snake (this is for the frosting part of the cuppy)...Take the clay snake and attach it to the cupcake bottom. Then start swirling it around the top in a circular motion until it's as tall as you would like. Pinch the clay off at the tip...And here they are ready to go in the oven (just follow the packaging instructions as far as baking goes). I added small beads for sprinkles and inserted the connector throught the top...And the final result! Here they are after they're all baked with earring hooks added (I also sprayed them with a clear varnish)...

Every time we visit Kara's Cupcakes we find more trendy, fun, and creative things-not to mention yummy!!!!

Thanks Kara!

Enchanting Party Idea's

Wow, is this blog amazing!
We absolutely love Kara's Party Idea's!
So much inspiration! You will find TON'S AND TON'S of great party idea's to help you create the BEST party ever!  We thought you might like to add this great blog to those you follow... (and don't forget to add us too!)
Here are some photo's from just a few of the ~to!die~for~ parties!!!!

Enchanted Fairy Birthday Party

 

A Zebra Birthday Party 

 

The Cat In The Hat baby shower 

 

 See what we mean?

Testimonial of a grateful grandaughter

This blog is dedicated to my mother Sally Robison. She is the sister to my Aunt Peg, (hence the titles of all 3 blogs). My mom has had a VERY difficult year, her health has been so bad that we almost lost in in June.  She continues to fight the good fight, and carry forward, and each day we have is a gift she gives to us.  This blog makes her happy, and it helps to make her feel wanted, loved, and cared for.  When I read the post done by my niece about her grandparents I HAD TO REPOST IT HERE!

              *************************************************************** 

I just want to share a great blog post done by my niece Staci.

She has written a wonderful experience she had with her Grandma Sally and Grandpa Carl.

Exactly why we dedicated this blog to Peg's sister Sally!

Adorable!

Theamazingstaci.blogspot.com

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

My Amazing Grandparents

So if I am The Amazing Staci my amazingness has to come from somewhere right? Well I have found out where. Unfortunately for my parents amazingness skips a generation. I am just joking. they are amazing too. But where all this amazingness started was with my grandparents. You want to know an example of why or how they are so amazing? Well I have been saving my pennies to buy a laptop. Working my fingers to the bone pulling weeds, having birthdays, and just being awesome. Well any way the day before last I was having a rough go of life. (Ya see me and my friends are not getting along so well. =C ) Any way my parents had gone golfing (Who does that? Well my parents do because they are amazing. DUH!) and I was sitting home all alone being sad when the phone rang. Who might it be? Well it was my mum and my pop. Well my dad says to me,"Staci, I have a HUGE surprise for you. But I won't tell you what is it. You'll just have to wait until me and you mom get home in about an hour. We have some running around to do first." Well I asked him the obvious questions. Is it chocolate? His reply, "This is ten times better than chocolate!" Is it a call phone? "Do you have a steady job of which can support your cell phone bill?" me: no. "You really thought it was a cell phone?" Me: no but is does not hurt to dream big. Well anyway our conversation went on like this for a while and he would not budge. He has his mother's stubbornness. (Yes my grandma is as stubborn as and Ox and a Donkey. She is so stubborn she makes them look like they give in too easy.) So i an sitting home alone wait ing for my parents to get home driving myself nuts. Well finally I hear the dog bark and run up the stairs to fast you would think my fat little frame would go supersonic. Any way it is them. My mom had gone to Pirate O's and picked up some of the best chocolate on the planet. Kinder. It is German and amazing. You have to try it. So if you Fancie yourself a true reader and follower of my blog you have to try it. (By the way, I only have one follower. That would be my aunt. What is that about people? Maybe it is that I am so amazing I scare everyone away. Yeah that's it. :D apparently only my own kin can stand my amazingness and the only reason why is that she is amazing too.) Anyway I got the chocolate, and some of those wax bottle things that have some otterpop like liquid in them and ate made of wax that you are supposed to chew on. Then my dad gave me a laptop case. He said, "This is for when you buy it. You'll have a place to put it in." Of course I was close to crying. I hugged him and thanked him. Then he told me to grab a box for him out of the front seat of the car. This is just another one of my daily duties as the daughter of my parents. So I ran out there to get this stupid box they had not bothered to bring in. Then I notice that both of my parents are "taking out the dogs." By this I mean that the dogs were...doing there business and they were watching them so they don't run off. I thought to myself since when do they both take out the dogs? Then i get to the truck. I am barefoot and my dad had to park in the rocks on the left side of the drive way. So I am muttering curses at the world by the time I get to the truck. I open the door and there sitting on the passenger's seat is a big black bow with nothing on it other that the two little letters HP. I was stunned for a second and then I thought: it is probably just one of dad's computer programs. Then I think, but he gave me a laptop case. Do you see a connection? Well then I am getting excited and I run off (very carefully for I was holding all my hopes and dreams in a big black box in my arms.) towards the front door totally unaware of the rocks stabbing into my feet. I get there and my parents are smiling at me. By this time tears are running down my face. I ask them, "You didn't-" my dad laughed and told me that I was right. They didn't. My grandpa did. He had bought it for me. I have to pay him back of course but I was so greatful. I ran inside and called him. I probably thanked him about a hundred and fifty times. He told me that I was welcome and that now I have a lot of weeds to pull. I am so excited to got to work tomorrow and thank him in person. I am now typing these words on my amazing laptop. What kind is it? I have not the slightest Idea. But it is mine. :D Thanks grandma and grandpa.