Baby shower cupcakes

As I mentioned earlier, I am throwing my sister a baby shower in February. One of the most fun parts of planning a shower is the guest gifts.
This time I decided to go with something that each guest can use. Cozy Sock Cupcakes!
These were inspired by a seller on Etsy... I can't remember who now... but a simple search for sock cupcakes brings up several sellers offering similar things.
I just bought some cozy socks, rolled them and wrapped paper around them. The ribbon is a sewn felt ribbon and is adhered with mini staples. then the paper (Prima) flower is attached with a straight pin. That way the sock won't fall out of the paper (*wink)! I wanted them to look more like cupcakes... instead i think they look a little like flower pots. But Still I'm happy with them :)


That's all I got done today. My baby is home sick again, this time with stomach flu. So I am in full nursemaid mode, rubbing feet and just spending quiet time together. Why has this winter been so brutal?

Anyway, looks like more wintry weather tonight into tomorrow, so I may have both girls home! Hoping you are all safe and healthy out there!
See you soon!

Baby boy card!

Since my sister is getting ready to have her first baby boy .. I've had a lot of baby on my mind! Today I made this cute baby elephant card for expectant parents!

I just love the simple-ness of this card... and yet the dry embossing and the metal frame really make it pop. It has a little bit of the "Pottery Barn" style to it... :)

Well as for other news... I apologize for not getting the tags and valentine's to Art Partners this week. Because of the snow, I never got the rest of the supplies... but all is well now! I will be sending out first thing on Monday!

I hope you have a great weekend!

Snowed in!

Yea! A real snow day.

Time for cocoa, jammies and a book - Light in the Attic book (by. S. Silverstein).
This is one of our favorites! We seem to pull it out so often and have read each poem several times. But yet, it seems that we never get sick of them!

One poem that was especially hilarious to us today was "Peckin".
I'm not sure if it's cause we are giddy about the snow, or if we are just plain cabin feverish... but this one made us laugh so hard our guts actually hurt. Not to mention, added many new wrinkles to my face!
If i could find a picture of the illustration, I would definitely add it here... it is half the fun.

Here it is:

PECKIN'

The saddest thing I ever did see,
was a woodpecker peckin' at a plastic tree.
He looks at me and "Friend", says he,
"things ain't as sweet as they used to be."


So as you can see, I didn't get a lot of work done today. In fact... none! But we still had fun and are looking forward to sledding and riding tomorrow!
Stay warm friends!

New Tags for Spring!

I am putting together a few new designs for the Spring Tag line.
The darker tags are 100% recycled material.
Each is hand distressed and inked. Stamped and strung.

Each is a set of four.

I will be sending this set off to Art Partners, Inc in Clarksville this week. Muse, next week.

Also, The paper fabric bookmark workshop class is going to be through the Muse (Frederick, MD) on Wed. April 13th from 7-9pm. I have taken several classes in the past and they have all been such fun!
You can sign up for this and other classes at www.shopthemuse.com! I'm so excited to be teaching my first class with the Muse!

Tomorrow the gals are coming over for a fun art day! I will be making Valentines! (for Abby's class).
I hope you are staying warm this week. It is really cold here lately... the heat just doesn't turn off! Hoping for spring soon...
See you later in the week!

Almost ready... Caps for Good

A few months ago we started knitting caps for the Save the Children organization. So far we have 11 baby hats to donate! Thanks to Rene' and Stacie, i will be sending these in very soon!

If you have any to donate, Please send them to:
SAVE THE CHILDREN
c/o The Doe Fund
173 Cook Street
Brooklyn, NY 11206

Wire Hearts Valentines!

So yesterday I made a bunch of wire hearts at Stacie's house. She showed me some wire techniques and set me free in her jewelry room! (I just love it!)


Here's a card a made! I hand sewed on the hearts and embossed the layer with dots.
Inside says, Happy Valentine's Day".

Hammered Hearts

Yea! Snow day!

Actually... it didn't snow as much as we expected... but the kids still got a free snow day! So we geared up early and headed out to sled on the hills.


And I got to have a little play time at Stacie's! I made these cute hearts out of nickel and copper wires. I shaped the hearts and then hammered them to a perfect finish!

I'm going to add these to valentine cards! I can't wait to see how they turn out!

Now for the big question... school delay tomorrow?

Heart House

Here's another Valentine! This one has tons of sewing and features a vintage french book page "house". I love all the different layers of designer paper...
We are expecting snow tonight! I hope it snows a lot... we just love when it is fluffy and white outside!
Hope you are having a nice week too!

Valentines...

Now that the holidays are over, I am really starting to think hearts!
I'm not sure why, but it looks like I am stuck on this color combo - blues, reds and pinks! It is such a refreshing combination and it's cute without being too cutsie!


I am really going to concentrate on vamping up my etsy store. It has been kind to me and I've been neglecting it. So stay tuned for more scheduled listings and new ideas!

Paper Fabric Bookmark workshop coming up!

I will be teaching a class for the Muse in a few months... featuring Paper Fabric bookmarks.
I will have details of the class soon...
but for now, here's a sneak peek at the project!

Check out the current class offerings here!

Tomorrow I will start on new tags or pendent charms... See you soon!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011!

It's officially the Year of the Rabbit!

cute little bunnies will be hopping around this year... my brand new nephew will be one of them this March!
I can't wait for all the awesome things that will happen...

This year I will definitely try to be better organized and calm.
Starting with one closet and one drawer at a time... I will take out the old unused supplies and set out the items I need.
I will keep better tabs on projects and my finances... (always a confusing thing for me :) )

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your family and friends and have a JOYOUS NEW YEAR!

New week starts new projects! Stay tuned!

Beach house in Ft. Myers!

Here's a few pictures taken in the garden of the house we rented in Ft. Myers. I am amazed at the garden and how much work it must take to maintain this paradise. The pictures don't do it justice.
There were peaceful buddhas placed in several nooks, towering palm trees and trailing vines everywhere.
The floral scent as you pass thru is the icing on the cake!
If you are planning a trip to Ft. Myers, this is a great place to stay! The owners are really nice and very helpful. You can find info here. I'm not sure if this is the link we went thru, but there are many more photos here!

Ok. That's it for now. I'm busy busy making my holiday gifts! I will share some with you as we approach Christmas!

Baby it's COLD outside!

Ok... not too cold! Actually a balmy mid 40's I think... and tomorrow in the 50's?
But compared to Ft Myers, FL last week... it feels like freezing.

Why Ft. Myers? Last week our little foursome took a vacation to Ft. Myers, Sanibel and Captiva, FL... we spent our Thanksgiving holiday there and took in some rays.
The weather couldn't have been better. Partly cloudy (mostly sunny), warm days (in the mid 80's at noon), and not a drop of rain! A little bit of heaven on earth!



Speaking of heaven, did you know that Ft. Myers is seashell heaven? We walked and walked for miles and collected tons, (I MEAN TONS), of shells. We collected a bounty of sand dollars (which are drying as we speak) and beautiful whole shells that you don't find many other places! That is because the waves just lap the shore (no surfing waves here.)

We walked out onto a sandbar during low tide and collected the most sand dollars there! there were also tons of sea stars, conchs and sting rays! Beautiful rays swimming in schools. I wish I had a camera that could take pictures thru water glare (bummer!). The birds were amazing. Cranes, egrets, pelicans, some orange beaked things (I will check on their names), sandpipers, gulls, and ibises... all were beautiful to watch!



The house we stayed in was a retreat all it's own. I will share pictures later this week from the garden "oasis". Dr. Nick B. (owner and master of this home & garden) has made a place where you never want to leave. But more about that later!



The kids had a great time. We mini golfed, got henna tattoos (not me - just Em), built sand castles and went fishing on a pier! Abby caught 3 crabs and a catfish that put up a good fight (good struggle for us!). She said her heart was pounding a mile a minute... and felt her chest... it really was!

One other place we had to visit was a chocolate store called NORMAN LOVE Confections. OMG! Beautiful chocolate and cakes! You just wanted to sit and stare at the pieces all day. we only had a few minutes before heading to the airport... so we purchased six pieces for tasting and then picked some to ship home! I can't wait til UPS arrives this week!



The flights to and from were on time and traffic was a breeze. Kids had fun on the airplane at at the various airports. We hope to return back there again and try the parasailing, dolphin and manatee watching and maybe a little windsurfing (a perfect place to learn with a good breeze, but no huge waves!)

We each took a moment to share what we are thankful for. I am thankful for my family and that we are healthy. Thankful that we love and support each other no matter what. I am also thankful for being able to create and share the things I love.

I am thankful for my friends and the unconditional love they provide me.

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving with your families.
See you later this week! Can't wait to share the garden pics!

Christmas Houses

New houses for you winter birds!

My friend asked me to make a large collage birdhouse as a Christmas gift for her mom... something with a vintage holiday feel. So we found this 9 inch wooden birdhouse and i got to work!

Started with the usual collage covering with vintage book and hymn pages and then whitewashed with gesso. The roof is then painted in an ivory color while the rest of the house stayed whitewashed.
Then the fun begins! Lots of Old World Christmas images and embellishments. Pearls, jewel and satin ribbons. Ultra fine frosty glitter covers the roof and the words, "hope, believe and love" and stamped on the front.
I really hope she loves it!

Then I moved onto a few birdhouse ornaments. Again using the same techniques... these houses will surely find a safe place to rest on someone's Christmas tree! PS... snip the gold cord for mantel decorations!


Well that's it for today. If you live near me... hope you are staying dry and warm! This cold rain really calls for a hot cup of cocoa and a roaring fire...

Knitting Caps for Babies in Need

ATTENTION ALL KNITTERS!

The SAVE THE CHILDREN 'CAPS FOR GOOD' organization is collecting knit hats/caps for babies in need around the world. (last year the program was under the name KNIT ONE SAVE ONE). Something as simple as a warm hat to a newborn can mean the difference between life and death. There is a ton of info, including patterns and guidelines, at www.goodgoes.org/caps. There you can also obtain an address for mailing these caps.
I am planning on sending a package of hats out in late January. I am happy to send yours in as well. If you live local to me (New Market, MD) please PM me and I will gladly send them in on your behalf.

So if you can spare some time and yarn this winter... won't you consider making & sending a hat to a baby in need?

New Christmas Tags!

The holidays are fast upon us! Just two weeks til Thanksgiving.. and Christmas is not far behind! This time of year always feels like a rush... but this year I am committed to enjoying the process. The cooking, gift making and giving, taking in the meaning of the season and all the rest... I will vow to immerse myself into the spirit! (please gently remind me if things start to look crazy around here...)

This week I have started my holiday gift tags. All these tags are upcycled from 100% recycled file folders. So far I have two designs going up on etsy this week and following soon after at the stores. Each set of 4 is $4.50.

These tags are distressed and distressed some more using Tim Holtz Stamps and inks And finished with a shimmery glitter spray!





And these vintage style french tags have lacy beading and a jewel brad.

I will be making more of these tomorrow and later this week will probably be spent making more holiday cards!
Hope you are having a great week! see you soon!

More Calendar Pages

Just a quick one today. These are a few snaps of the newest batch of calendars. Going out to stores on Monday!