A Few Etsy Favorites

Just a few things I have my eye on these days.

I Feel A Project Coming On ...

Great vintage photos for a test project. I can't wait to get these printed up to try out my next project. This is another one geared toward family Christmas presents. I'll admit right upfront that this isn't my original idea ... but then, they rarely are. I love to see what other people are doing and then take it my own direction. This one is great if you have old photos from your own family that you can scan and have reprinted.Projects, projects ... I LOVE getting my hands on a new project!

Quote Book

My oldest daughter just put this great book together as a birthday gift for one of her friends. She had some really great ideas and the whole thing came together so nicely that I thought I would share it here.

She found loads of great quotes that her friend would enjoy, sorted them into different categories and then formated 6" x 5.5" pages on the computer. She color coded the quotes per section. The covers of the book are chipboard cut 6 1/4" square and covered in lovely scrapbooking paper. She added details to the front cover to spice it up. (The hand-stitching is my favorite) Then she made dividers with ribbon loops sewn on to help organize the book. The whole thing is ring bound so it can open up all the way. It's gorgeous and her friend LOVED it.

New Fabric Lovelies!

I get to make another baby blanket! Yay! Gift giving is such a fun thing for me. I'm already turning over ideas for Christmas gifties too. I think I'll have a completely new project for everyone this year ... of course, I won't be able to post anything about it until after the holidays. Boo. Oh well. For now, I get to make a lovely baby blanket for a lovely girl. I love the fabrics too; a super baby-soft fine wale corduroy print and a great coordinating cotton print for the other side. The colors are deep and rich, perfect for a fall 'arrival'. This blanket is going to be a bit smaller than usual, since I bought all the fabric on the corduroy bolt. I'll post a better how-to this time with pictures for each super simple step. Keep an eye out in the next few days for it.

Undiscovered Pretties - MorninGloria's

I found a great new Etsy shop for you to enjoy. MorninGloria's just opened on July 23rd this year and was found tonight with the Pounce tool. Look at the lovely hair pretties she makes for us to enjoy!

I love this set of three. They would look great in pearl or iridescent beads for a bride too. These particular pieces are set on silver flat clips, but she is happy to customize them for you. Go see which ones you like best

Finished!!!

I just finished up this great class from a fantastic Etsy shop called The Sequined Shoe. Kara is truly ingenious! I wish I'd been that driven as a 17 year old. What in the heck was I doing with all my time?Her art journaling class centered around music inspiration gave me the opportunities to create these goodies. Admittedly, this is not my normal style of art ... but it was a lot of fun to get my hands dirty and glue stuff on to layers and layers of thick, wrinkly paper while listening to some of my favorite music. My girls are both dying to try their hands at it now too.

** Posted edit: Just realized I have one more page to do for random lyric interjection ... and I forgot to make the doily flower embellishment. Oops. Back to work.

The Urban Baby Blanket

Today was a big project day around the house. The big one for me was to make 2 baby blankets for my nieces. I've found that that practical blankets get the most miles, so I've reinvented the blankets my great-grandma gave to me. I make mine 45" square, which is a lot for a wee bundle, but believe me you'll keep this size for years.

Here's a quick how-to:

Just find two coordinating, fabulous cotton woven fabrics that match the style of the recipient. Get creative. My favorites are corduroy or denim for the back paired up with a softer flannel or madras plaid. The options are endless, but don't just shop for baby prints. Wash up the fabrics to pre-shrink and remove any sizing. Iron them flat and smooth. Measure them out square and trim any excess. Sew them right sides together with 1/2" seam allowance leaving a 4-5" opening.

Trim the corners. Turn blanket right-side out. Press around the edges to get a nice sharp look and turn the edges under at the opening to match the seam. Stitch this closed as close to the edge as possible. Now stitch a square about 4" in from the edge to help hold the fabrics together.
Tada! Today's Urban Baby Blankets!