Ideas For Gifts
It is spring time and along with flowers comes ladybugs. Using the Your Story machine I created this cute ladybug book for the short one and the smallest one. I made a sewn red and black felt ladybug top for the front cover and then cut all of the pages out of white card stock in the round shape to match the top, next I illustrated each page with a story I wrote called Leatrice Loves Candy. I bound the edge of the pages using the Your Story and then finally glued the fabric cover on.
These are the individual illustrated pages of the story book
The gum drops and candies were cut on the Cricut and the “Yum” on the last page was created using the Country Life embossing folder on the Cuttlebug. The green line throughout is colored masking tape — Happy crafting xoxo
Old vintage canning jars can be found at yard sales and thrift stores and they look cool but what do you do with them once you get them home? For the black thumbs who can’t keep a plant alive, a terrarium is a perfect place to let living things in.
Terrariums a virtually no maintenance and is simple to build. If you have any open or closed glass container you are ready to start building.
(You can even ask the pet supply store staff if they have any plants that are browning and may not look great in an aquarium but could be priced at half off and would work perfectly for a terrarium.)
Learn how to build a terrarium from my piece over at the Phoenix New Times Jackalope Ranch blog: Restyled: Vintage Canning Jar into a Terrarium
Now available Miss Scarlets School of Patternless Sewing by The Crafty Chica.
What do you do when you wake up one day and realize the career in engineering you worked so hard for just isn’t for you? Drop out of the corporate life and start sewing! That is just what Scarlet Santana did. This over the top, vintage wearing personality in Miss Scarlets School of Patternless Sewing not only proves to everyone in her life that if you dream it you can do it, she proves it to her self and to the spirit of her teacher, her nanna. Thanks to her secret admirer Marco, a local record store owner, she has the space and when the students show up with issues of their own, the adventures begin.
This book is sparkly and glittery all over as all of the characters learn to celebrate life, loves and sewing — pattern free!
Piñatas often hit the recycle bin as fast as the candy’s punched out of their guts. But I grabbed this one from a family Christmas party and help on to it to re-work it for Beatrice Moore, owner of Bragg’s Pie Factory. The annual Mutant piñata show opens this Friday at Braggs.
If you want to make a piñata you have two options: Do all the work and start from scratch, or you could use an existing piñata’s structure and restyle it into a mutant.
Learn how to restyle a piñata into a mutant from my piece at the Phoenix New Times Jackalope Ranch blog post: A Piñata, Restyled (into a Mutant!)
What’s better then home cooking? Home cooked baked goods – that’s what! This week I am sharing the brownies I made for Valentine’s Day and decorated with powdered sugar. What made these extra special? I used my Cricut and the Valentines Day Cartridge: Love Struck to cut out paper “candy hearts” designs. I laid those paper cut outs on top of the brownies and used a flour sifter to coat with powdered sugar. Results? Love, kisses and a smiles all around.
Step 1: Mix up Brownie Recipe. For my homemade brownies click here: Valentines Brownies
Step 2: Pour the mix into a 5 inch pan.
Step 3: Take out of the oven, allow to cool, place paper cut outs on top
Step 4: Fill a hand squeeze flour sifter with powdered sugar and coat the top of the brownie. Remove paper hearts.
Step Five: Enjoy!
Happy Crafting and Happy Eating – Yum! xoxo Lovely Lula
