It's Here

It's finally here. I'm up for voting on the Pepsi grant. Please check it out and vote daily at www.refresheverything.com/creationstation

This grant will provide a space in Kansas City for artists and crafters to meet. It would also supply a mass amount of craft supplies and tools for the community to use. Some of the items include sewing machines, screen printer, button makers, die cut machines, paper trimmers, glue guns, scissors, stamps, pliers, wire cutters and so much more. Anything you can imagine will be here. Please pass it on and help get us enough votes to make it to the top 10.

Thanks!

Pepsi Grant

A few days ago one of my cousins gave me a four leaf clover. It's insane the number of them she finds. We will be walking along and she will stop and bend over and come back up with a four leaf clover. It's like her eyes just zoom in on them like a magnet. Well, she gave one to me this time and it must have given me some luck, at least I hope.

This morning I was sent an email about a Pepsi challenge. They are giving away grants, huge grants, every month and the deadline for next month is tonight. Well, I applied, for the big one $50,000. There will be a random name drawing and if I am chosen people will be allowed to vote on my idea. The person or group with the most votes will win their grant. I want this so bad.

My grant idea is for a community arts and crafts space. It would include all kinds of tools and supplies including sewing machines, die cut machines, screen printing machines and more. There would be bins of supplies and places for people to donate or swap out supplies they no longer need or want. It would be so amazing.

Hopefully that four leaf clover will bring me more luck. If I get this grant, that clover will be framed and hung in the building we rent. It will stay there on display for all to see that a little luck can go a long way, or maybe I'm putting too much hope into a four leaf clover.

Button Flowers

Here is a simple project that I did with my craft group. We took buttons and threaded them onto wire floral stems, bent the middle and threaded the other end of wire back down through the top of the buttons. We then glued a styrofoam ball into a small clay pot. The wired buttons were then pushed into the ball and the ball covered hot glue and moss. We added a finishing touch with a piece of ribbon glued around the edge. I thought this was a really cute project and used the same sort of idea to make rings and hair clips.



The Wagon

Ok, so I guess I kind of fell of the crafting wagon but am now trying to catch up and climb back on. It's not like I haven't been crafting at all, I have been. I've actually been doing a lot of derby cars for one of the Salty Iguana restaurant owners. I may post some photos soon. So, what's to come? I'm going to work on a large amount of flat wooden iguanas in the next few months (photos will be posted of these), I'm going to make a rug out of t-shirts and a hulla hoop, and I plan on making a few polymer clay robot charms. Hopefully there will be some fun projects popping up on here soon. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

Owl Embroidery



I've been gathering things to send to one of my cousins for her birthday. I've mentioned it in previous posts along with photos of some of the items I have made for here. This is the last thing I made to send off. This little owl was a part of the test pattern in a package from Colonial Patterns. I love finding the test patterns inside because they are small and usually very cute.

Colonial Patterns are the small yellow paper iron on embroidery pattern packages you find in the needlework section of craft stores. I know that JoAnn's and Hobby Lobby sells them. They are located here in Kansas City on the Missouri side of town. They even have a small store inside where you can walk in and purchase all of their current patterns as well as get copies of out of print ones. Here is the website http://colonialpatterns.com/ so you can browse and shop online.

Fortune Cookie Bag Tag

 Here is a bag tag I made using the laminating machine that I talk about in the post about my circus yarn tote.

I just used a fortune that I liked and attached it to a piece of scrapbook paper. There is a fun orange foil type paper on the other side. I then ran it through my laminator, punched a hole with an eyelet and ribbon added.

You could probably get the same result using clear contact paper.



Missing You Card

This is a card I made for my cousin in Colorado. I used the cricut to cut out everything on/in the card. You can purchase card blanks at most craft or scrapbook supply stores. I find it fun and easy to already have my card and envelope. The blue paper on the front is just plain card stock that I cut just a tad bit smaller than the front so it would have the white border. I think the card and envelope sets are about $5 for 25 sets at Michaels and sometimes they are on sale buy one get one free. They also carry them in packs of 50. Places like Archivers sell all kinds of colors and shapes if you want to go that route. 

Circus Yarn Tote

 This is the start of my circus bag. You start with a sheet of scrapbook paper or other decorated paper. You could even use fabric. Then you laminate it. The bag needs two pieces the same size for the front and back, two the same size for the two sides, and one as long as the bottom of the front and as wide as the bottom the sides to use as a bottom. If you make your sides more narrow at the top your bag will have a smaller open end (top opening). I found this circus paper and loved it, so it became my new yarn tote. Remember that this bag will be sturdy but not sturdy enough for heavy items.

Here are all of the pieces laminated. I found this laminator at Costco. It was about $18 and came with 40 (I think) laminating pouches. There were a few different sizes in the box so it was a good deal for trying out new projects. It is the Purple Cow brand laminator. 

I used the Crop-A-Dile eyelet punch to add eyelets around the edges of all my pieces. The eyelets were very expensive but I got them 70% off at a Michaels sale. The next bag I make, I'll try using grommets and a grommet punch from the fabric section of the craft store. Hopefully that will save on cost.  

I then used a pink stripped ribbon to lace up the edges and tied a double knot in the ends to hold them in place.

Here I used a piece of white pillowcase ( I didn't have white fabric) to make a strap. I used yellow thread and a zig zag stitch to attach strips of the pink ribbon as an extra touch.

I used a grommet to make another hole to add the strap. Using embroidery floss I tied buttons on the outside and inside with the strap between the two. This lets the strap move and makes it look pretty on the inside.

That's it! I am so in love with this bag. It is my pride and joy of the year so far.



Cricut Card Making 4 Valentine's Day

 Here is my Cricut, cutting away.

 This might not be the best post to start with but here it is anyways. This is my lesbian cave girls card for Valentine's Day. I haven't been shopping for gay and lesbian holiday or just because cards, but I'm thinking that there isn't a huge selection. Hopefully the person I pass this on to will enjoy it and there will be more to come.

Here is one of two cards for a cousin of mine in Colorado. The bird paper on the bottom makes me think of mother and child but I think she is going to love it. Her birthday is on Valentine's Day and it's so hard to find the perfect card for her so this year I'm giving her a card for both occasions. This is the Valentine's one.

The Start of Crafting

I decided that I did not make or sell as many crafts as I would have like to in 2010 so this year my plan is to work on arts and crafts every day. I may finish a project a day or I may not. All that matters is that I work on something crafty every day. This blog will hopefully help keep me on track and help me show what I've been up to. I've also extended this idea to the craft group I organize hoping that they will join me in this crafting adventure. I've asked them to work on something every day, week, or month. If you're feeling adventurous, join me in this challenge. Tell me what you've been making. Hopefully those who read this will be inspired to get crafty and get more done in 2011.