Gingerbread Smiles

Happy Wednesday everyone.  Today I have a Christmas in July card to share with you.  

I created this card using the Polaroid Card Gingerbread from Treasure Box Design.  Unfortunately though this file no longer appears to be available.  I searched all over her website but could not find it listed.  In good news though she has quite a few other gingerbread files and right now she's running a sale for 70% off all collections.

This was a rather easy card to piece together since I used a premade card blank that already had a great print to it.  It's the last one I had like this in my stash though and that made me just a little bit sad.  It was from the DCWV Christmas & Winter box of cards.  

The blue snowflake print paper is from my stash as well but I can't remember what mat stack it came from.

This time I thought I'd do something a bit different for my stamped sentiment on the card cover.  Since this is a polaroid card I thought I'd use this cute polaroid stamp from the Craftin Desert Divas stamp set titled Capture the Good Times.  And guess what.  This stamp set is on sale too.  🙂

Belle Bust Burp Cloth

Of the different Belle style burp cloths I've made I have to say that the one I'm sharing today is my favorite.  I love the way that she stitched out and the overall look is (in my opinion) just gorgeous.

If you're new to my blog I began my burp cloth making adventure about three or four months ago.  At first I thought about using cloth diapers like I see so many others do, but then I realized my cloths wouldn't be any different.  So I went off in search of a pattern for making my own cloths.  That's when I found this pattern from Simplicity.

Another thing I decided to do to set my cloths apart from others was to use flannel fabrics.  They're soft fabrics and when I add the cotton batting in between the flannel the burp cloth is nice and absorbent.

As for the particulars for this burp cloth, the Belle bust applique is another fabulous design from Thanks For the Adventure.  The fabric is a flannel that I found at Joann's.  It's called Beauty & The Beast Friends.

Surfer Girl

Living in an area where the beaches are dubbed the World's Most Beautiful Beaches, it's no surprise that we see a lot of different water activities at those beaches. Everything from fishing to jet skis to paddle boards and surfing.  So when I saw this recently released file from Marjorie Ann Designs I knew it was one I needed to added to my stash.  This file is called Gone Surfing and will make not only some great cards but great layouts too.  (Now I just need pics of the kids out on their surf boards.)

For this card I decided to use the girl on her surfboard.  I added a few denim colored skittles from DoubleClick Connections to add a bit of texture to the card.

The stamped sentiment is from the Jaded Blossom stamp set titled Encouragement.

Too Cute To Throw Back

I found this ever so cute Whale & Hook flannel fabric at Joann's the other day and thought it would make a great addition to my burp cloth collection.  I knew I wouldn't have a problem finding a design to put on it since I have several sea life designs.  But Applique Corner released some new premier designs which included this adorable Too Cute to Throw Back applique.

Of all the different sea life designs I have, yes, including my whales and crabs, I thought this one was perfect for this fabric.  Next time I make one I might even be more bold with the fabric choice for the fish applique.  😀

Until then I think this one will be perfect for any cute baby around.  

Elf Candy Box

Today I have a plastic canvas project to share with you.  I've always loved stitching plastic canvas.  It is the craft that I first learned (well other than sewing in Home Ec) and sold at craft shows.  And like my other crafts it's one that I do in spurts.  Here lately those spurts are because of a precious granddaughter who likes to play in my yarn.  😍  But she was on vacation with mom and dad this past week so I was able to play a bit and created this Elf Candy Box.

This elf is one of many wonderful designs created by Dick Martin.  He was/is very well known for his plastic canvas patterns.  The man was sheer genius and over the years I have worked to build my stash of some of his patterns.

This one is from 1982 and is part of the Canvas Capers line put out by Leisure Arts.  It was an unopened kit that I lucked out and found on either Ebay or Etsy.  He's a cute little guy and I managed to get him finished the night before the kids came back from vacation.  Talk about timing....

Sesame Street Party Prep

When your granddaughter turns one year old, and your daughter asks you to help get things made for party décor you do it.  And sometimes the good ol' Dollar Tree comes in rather handy for such an occasion.  My daughter stopped in the Dollar Tree by her house and had little success in finding the colored "bins" we needed for different characters.  However, when we stopped in the one by where she works we had better success.

Using files that were shared in one of my FB groups I turned these bins into different characters.  I'm not sure what all my daughter will put in these but I know at least some of them will be food holders.

While scouring Pintrest for other ideas I came across one using the Dr. Seuss book Happy Birthday to You! as a guest sign in book.  I loved this idea so much that I went in search of a similar book for Sesame Street.  You can imagine my excitement when I found the Happy Birthday!: A Birthday Party Book by Sesame Workshop.  

When I arrived back home from picking up the book I started searching for pictures I could use for the sign telling everyone to sign her book.  That's when I came across The Printable Party Shop.  This blog has free printables available for download and so I downloaded a couple of the items including this sign.  Well, actually it's an invitation but I altered it a bit and added the verbiage I needed to create the sign.

Now I just need to get the other items printed so we can finish putting it all together and then next week I'll share pictures with you showing how we set it all up.

Ginger Christmas Tea

Christmas in July has begun but this week I'll be sharing more than just Christmas projects with you.  My granddaughter turns one in a couple of days and I have been asked to assist with making some things for the party.  So be on the look out for those.

But today I have a Christmas card to share with you.  I love making shaped cards when I can so when I saw this one over at Marjorie Ann Designs I just had to create it.  This is the Christmas Tea Ginger card and  you can find it here.

The stamped sentiment and the hearts along the edge of my card are from the Jaded Blossom stamp set titled Gingerbread Wishes.  This is a great stamp set that even includes a gingerbread die cut.