Wishing On Clovers

Patisserie Birdhouse

I have a nasty habit of buying random things when I go to craft stores. This is a recurrent problem, and I always say to myself “Oh, I could use this, I have to get it!”, and in the cart it goes. To some people, this could be seen as a good thing (and in ways it is), as a way to acquire interesting craft supplies for a rainy day. The only thing is, some of the things I pick up are so off the chart I know deep down they will go unused for ages, only to be discovered one month during a cleaning raid of the craft room.  I wonder if other crafters have this same habit, or am I in a boat of my own? Eventually the items will get used; I’ll try a new project, get an inspiration (in which I am happy for my spur of the moment purchase), or just have an urge to do something different.  That is where my “Patisserie Birdhouse” came from.  While browsing my neighborhood craft store, I noticed a sale on plain, unfinished birdhouses.  I picked up a few and sat them on my kitchen table so I could always notice them, forcing me to paint them.  This is for my Mom, I’m going to give it to her as a present, and I hope she likes it!  This was a really fun and speedy project, It was my first time using decoupage!  I created the little signs and window on an image editing program, printed them out and just decoupaged them on! I filled a tiny basket full of clay made breads, and made a topiary from some Christmas berries from a floral arrangement! There are about 10 coats of paint on it though, I kept mixing colors to try and get one that I liked!

Not made for Gingerbread

Most people always give me that odd look when I go on and on about Moomins.  I love Moomins, a lot.  In New York I almost dropped over when I read that the Scandinavia House was having a Moomin special. I ravage every bookstore I can find trying to get all the Moomin books, and I’m constantly on the look out for Moomins.  This year for Christmas I wanted to make my own gingerbread house.  Actually I wanted to make three, all from scratch.  Now I know that I was obviously insane.  I don’t know how people do it; I think they must have some super gingerbread gene that I did not inherit.  I knew I wanted to make a Moomin House, it was a must! No knowing where to start I searched on the subject and found a great detailed pattern for just what I wanted!! I made three batches of dough, the first one was disastrous. The last two not so bad, and on went the house making.  The baking wasn’t so bad, but remember that they bake bigger than what you cut, so don’t put them too close together and trim them right when they come out of the oven. Two things that I didn’t do.  The biggest challenge was keeping the thing up and together.  That post could go for ages, with speech details that wouldn’t be fit for this site, hah.  3 full days of gingerness and I’m done.  When it was all put together though, I was ecstatic! 

Quick Crafts

Today has been a low key Friday.  The temperature dropped to freezing, so no more waterfall hikes till the Spring comes back! Thankfully, that means more time for hot cocoa and sewing.  This week we spent most time just getting things in order for our weekend trip to NYC and birthday events.  This weekend is my super cute nieces' 2^nd birthday, as well as her equally as cute brothers' 100 day celebration. I had a few extra hours to make some ‘quick crafts’, which was a hot air balloon ornament for a SOSF trade, and some Swedish Hearts to decorate the tree!

Sweet Holidays!

Free Holiday Cupcake Gift Tags (pdf)

Over the past couple of days I have been designing me some cupcakes to use for different projects.  The first thing I wanted to do was create some gift tags for the holidays to sweeten up the packaging! I also want to share them with you!  Available for free download are my Holiday Cupcake Gift Tags for your Holiday presents!  All you need to do is print them on some heavy paper (i.e. cardstock), cut them out, and presto! The file is an Adobe PDF file, if you have any problems just let me know! (Right click the Link to "Save As" or click on the picture to open)

Around the World Christmas Greeting Advent Calendar

I finally found some time today to take a few pictures of my Advent Calendar that I have been working on.  I call it “Around the World Christmas Greeting Advent Calendar”.  This project has changed several times; I don’t believe the final outcome is anything like what I had in mind.  There are 25 votives, each filled with sand and pebbles. 

Inside each votive is a piece of paper with a Christmas greeting on it, one greeting from 25 different countries.  Each day, one votive will be turned facing you so you can see the greeting! This project turned out to be an educational one as well! While I was researching the many ways to say “Merry Christmas”, I found out so much about how other areas celebrate Christmas! So far we have Iceland, Norway, and South Africa!

When I was making the greeting cards in Photoshop, I thought they were going to be much smaller than they are.  Even when I was cutting them out and gathering them all up, I didn't notice they were a little on the large side.  It wasn't until I got ready to roll them up (Originally I was going to have them as scrolls that you would unroll) that I noticed.  Also the plan was to pin each one up on a map, to coordinate with the country, but I think I need a larger map!

Love is in the air

Here's my Artistamp for the 2006 LOVE stamp exchange!  I love the picture, I took it at my favorite alpaca farm near my house.  These little guys are only babies, and they were so cute!  I love alpaca's, they are such interesting animals.  I was happy to be able to use them in my stamp! Sharing the alpaca love! ~~ Not alot of crafting happening this week, tonight is Cirque du Soleil and tomorrow Madama Butterfly.  Maybe this (wet and rainy) weekend!

Artistamps: FDC

While participating in a mail swap, on a package I received an odd stamp. It was called an “Artistamp”, something I had never heard of before. I became intrigued, and of course, had to make some of my own. I found some great sites for inspiration, and off to work I went! This is the first set I have made, titled “Cupcakes and Muffins”. I got slightly carried away and made some First Day Issue cancellations to use on postcards of the same design, and a Frist Day Cover (Cachet), where I printed a design on an envelope, applied my stamps, and ‘canceled’ with my FDI cancellation. After I made them and printed them up, I figured out all sorts of ways to make them look a little more like ‘real’ stamps, another time I suppose.

How do your cupcakes grow?

I have openly admitted I have a cupcake problem.  Every idea that comes into my mind somehow ends up with some sort of cupcake.  I just can't help it.  When I read the call for a project called "Found in the Kitchen" on a postcard forum, I jumped at the chance to express my love for cupcakes... on a postcard. The idea was to make 12 handmade postcards, all from items found only in your kitchen.  I doodled out tons of designs, which again, were cupcakes, but what seems great in your mind doesn't always work with cardstock and glue. Wait, what am I saying, everything works with cardstock and glue! Anywho, I finally managed to get my working design, and churned out twelve postcards! And I also learned that the mod podge glue I bought was 'glitter'.  That was great to find out after having my significant other brush it all over the postcards. ^_^

The flower is a cupcake liner
The stem, leaves, and butterflies are from a box of mix
The hill is a cupcake recipe! ^___^
(I bought the cardstock at a paperstore, hehe!)

I've gone bag crazy!

I seem to have bags and purses on my mind these days! I recieved my BackTack the other day and it is amazing, I love it, I will post pictures soon!

This bag has a little fleece kitty on it, and is lined with the same material as the handles (cats!)

The black as white bag I like alot, I hope the person I sent it to likes it as well!   Also shown is a wall pocket with matryoshka style people on it, and at the bottom is a calico cat that when you press his tummy, he sings "Its a small world". ^_^ So that's what I've been doing these past few days! ^_^

Project Spectrum - April

Finished my Project Spectrum (Flickr) project for April a few days ago, but for some reason I never uploaded it here! The theme was Orange and Yellow, which posed as a challenge for me since I never, ever use those colors. I wanted to try and steer away from my safety (...felt) and try something new, but I couldn't think of anything for the life of me! I had one week to go, and I got the idea to make a flaming sacred heart, then tattoo birds, and next thing you know I'm cutting out felt again! So after I had it all nice and cut, I didn't know what to do with it, I was going to frame it.. paint the frame... and somehow from that the keepsake box was born! I painted a wooden box and glued the felt onto it!