Grab a Button!!!

I finally did it!  I am now officially dedicated to my blog.  I have created a button!!!

Check it out over on the sidebar to the left... then grab it and go!  Be sure to leave me a comment so I can check out your blog and share the love  : )

If you are looking for instructions on how to add your own button, I found Shabby Blogs very helpful! There are also other great tutorials for getting fancy with your own blog.

You're Invited to a Party

One of the blogs that I frequent is having a week long party - a "Crafty Party" and everyone is invited!!!  Head on over to Sew Many Ways... and check out the links to tons of fun projects.  Then add your own link!  It is a fun way to check out tons of new blogs/sites and projects too. 

Hope to see you there - happy crafting!

Scrappin' Inspiration

I am so excited!  I am going on a scrapbooking get-away next weekend.  I love these weekends when I get to surround myself with hundreds of creative people who share my addiction.  I have been spending my morning preparing myself for this adventure: pulling supplies off my shelves, packing up photos and papers, and most importantly checking out blogs.

Here are a few things that I may be scraplifting next weekend!

"let them eat cake" at LA Creations

"hedgehog" at Daughter of the King

"Splish Splash" at Bee Cee Creativity

"Adore" at Studio Jullene

"Yellow Brick Road" at Basement Chronicles

These all inspire me for multiple reasons; do they inspire you? 

The Sky's the Limit

Another day another project.  Today's project makes me feel doubly good because I actually finished it and it is for VBS.  My church's VBS theme this year is Sky: Everything is Possible with God.  For those of you not familiar with Vacation Bible School, there is always a mission project for the kids to focus on over the week.  The year's mission is to collect donations for mosquito nets (you can read more about it on Group's website).  Every time a child brings in a donation, they get to put a mosquito clip on the netting display.  These clips, although cute, can get a little pricey.  So here is what I came up with:

The church had a plastic bin full of mini-clothespins (which translates to free) and I have the Campin' Critters Cricut cartridge, so I volunteered to cut out these cute little flies to make our own bug clips for our mission display.  And another bonus: the older youth at the church will be doing all the gluing!

This would also be a fun craft for the little ones - imagine all the places they could use these!

The Drawing and the Toy

For those of you that don't know, Pinterest is a very dangerous site for the craft addicts out there.  And I finally fell prey to one of the pins I came across.  There is this wonderful blog by a woman who creates stuffed toys based on childrens' drawings.  Apparently her waiting list is super-dooper long, so I thought "I'm crafty; I can totally do this on my own."  And so it begins...

Here is the drawing that my son made.  This is Mete-Or.

We decided that the drawing of Mete-Or was a good size (about 6x12 inches)

so all I had to do was trace out the pieces directly from the drawing as my pattern.

and then the fun task of embroidering all of the details

Once the details were all stitched, I was able to sew the backside to each limb, turn right-sdie-out, and stuff with fiber-fill.

 

I then attached each limb to the front of the body, sewed on the back, and filled the body before stitching Mete-Or closed.

Here he is: Mete-Or as a drawing and stuffed toy!

A couple of things:

1.  I will definitely be doing this again.  My son absolutely loves it and now my other son is begging for one (he is still creating his perfect drawing though).

2.  I'd be happy to do this for others - leave me a comment and we'll work it out.

3.  You can check out the blog that inspired me at Child's Own Studio

Feel the Love

My Valentine's Day projects started last week.  You'll be getting the full story tomorrow, but I wanted to share one of my projects with you today.  The boys decided they wanted to give cake pops instead of candy or grocery store valentines.  I thought it was a great idea - who wouldn't love a little piece of cake on a stick?  But alas, I had to go and make things more difficult for myself.

Not only did it have to be heart-shaped and red, the cake had to be something fun (I used Fun-fetti cake mix) and I had to tie them each with a festive bow.  The steps to make them are simple, but it does take a TON of time - especially when you have to make 48 (that's right, I made 48 of these little beauties).

I give total credit to Bakerella - check out her site & blog, but I highly recommend buying her fantastic book!  You can "see inside the book" at amazon.com.  I love, love, love it!!!

Tomorrow I will be sharing the story of "The Great Valentine's Day Party Prep"... it will make you laugh, cry, and be thankful that you are not as foolish as I am.

I am so proud

I think most boys go through a comic book phase.  I think this has been happening for many years, and that it will continue for generations.  My oldest is currently embracing this phase of his life. 

Now, don't be confused by the title of my post today.  Coveting comics is not something that would make a momma proud.  But I am completely in awe of my child's devotion to comics as an art form.  He loves the character development, he loves the relationships, he loves the action, he loves the art work, he loves the witty banter between characters, and he loves that absolutely anything is possible in the realm of comic books.  He asked for (and received) a comic book kit based on one of his favorite animated characters.  But in just one afternoon he realized that this kit was holding him back.  I saw the creative wheels spinning in his little head.  He needed more that what was being given to him.  So he sat down with a blank piece of paper and a black pen and started to create. 

Now this is his work in progress.  I am not privy to any dialogue or additional illustrations.  He has informed me that he will suprise me when he is done.
I can't wait to see what he comes up with!