Appreciation Gift

I have so many to thank in the coming weeks as my kids' activities wind down for the year. Today, Shelby gave these picture frames made into dry erase boards, to her Brownie leaders. After taking this photo, I attached a dry erase marker to the picture frame using velcro. A Starbucks gift card accompanied them. Shelby wrote their names which you can see in the photo below.
I used digital scrapbook supplies from CatScrap to design the 8x10 insert. I printed the 8x10 at Costco, put it in a Walmart frame and done!

I was totally inspired by this idea:found HERE. Pin It

showering...

The big celebration, welcoming 3 babies in the very near future, was last night. Above is a little onesie I made. These were taken with my iphone, inside, at night so the quality is kinda "meh".

And here is the only picture (with blankets open) that I have of the blankets I made for the new girlies who are on their way. I really have gotten the hang of this pattern now and totally love making them. You can find online directions here and here. This last one helped me to finally conquer the perfect mitered corner...the whole 90 degree angle cutting thing turns out to be important!

I also made stacks of burp cloths from flannel after seeing that idea online, and not having any diapers for burp cloths on hand. I totally loved how those turned out too. Very soft and sized right. With the strips left over from the self binding blankets, I was able to make nice contrasting sashes on the burp cloths. I did not measure my final product, but once I got in a groove, I was making 4 from a yard of flannel...which can be really inexpensive when JoAnn's has it on sale.
These simple projects really are improving my sewing skills and confidence. I am feeling more at ease about giving "handmade" gifts too b/c my workmanship has improved. Pin It

the first gifts have been wrapped

My annual calendars have been printed awhile. And my super father in law came through with a new stand for them this year (copied from an idea I saw online). Finally today, everything is in it's bag with tissue and a tag.

A little progress is good...

since I have done plenty of shopping...and stacking of purchases in the basement...but no wrapping at all.

This final picture is of my DIY cake stand. I bought a heavy glass/crystal plate for $3 and the goblet for $1.25 at the local Thrift Store (and then got 30% off of the total sale!). I glued them together with E6000 and they are bonded together forever. This is on it's way to the center of my dining room table where it will await some treats from Cookie Day.

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celebrate: fabric banner

I am disappointed that I did not get a better picture of this b/c it turned out really great. Just how I saw it in my mind. And that doesn't happen very often for a novice sewer like me.

My picture leaves a lot to be desired as my wall offered no contrast to the beige linen fabric. Hey, I have three ugly bare nails though. How many people can say that?!

I sent this off to celebrate my good friend Martha's birthday. Now that I know she received it, I wanted to share. Banners are my current go to gift idea. And I thought this one was perfect as it is generic enough to use for many different occassions.

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want vs. need

This has lately been the mantra of my mother. Trying to keep all of her little ducks in a row starting with her own children and working down to the grandchildren. It's a tough economy and she wants us to be secure and thrifty :)
So often when we find ourselves saying: I want that! or even I need that! She will say: want vs. need? And it often does make me think twice.
Yet, I still have a list of things I just plain like. Which makes me want them. Or want to make them. Or need to make them...

bird nesting kit found on etsy

a laptop--every Sunday ad is calling to me and I swear a Dell at Costco today almost jumped right into my cart on it's own accord

fabric like this Michael Miller Christmas fat quarter set:


stockings: (which I already ordered from HERE along with a fifth that displays a dog bone:)

Maybe a cute purse like this, brought to my attention by a catalog I received in the mail

Brighton jewelry, or even better a pair of sunglasses

Ok, I must stop. The point is, the more I am out in the world shopping or browsing online for others, the more temptation that surrounds me. I have made a small dent in my Christmas shopping. And I have even handcrafted several gifts--those are pluses. I just wish there was not so much great stuff to want...and a lot less to actually need. Pin It

Holiday Preview Week at Little Dreamer

As blog editor there, I have been working diligently to prepare a full week's worth of posts that include new product, page and project samples, sales and freebies. Do NOT miss it!

My own little calendars are even featured today. My family, please turn away! Just kidding. I have something new to add to my calendars this year so the whole surprise will not be ruined.

Remember, shop ::HERE::.

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a sample of what's on my to-do list

I have started my 2010 calendars for gifts. My coin quilt is farther along than this picture indicates but still not close to completion. More gifts nearly ready (for my postponed gift exchange) but not quite. I have another banner started for another gift giving purpose and loads of creative ideas circling around. The problem? My job, the kids, the laundry, the dirty house...I have so much to do that I go around in circles trying to decide which is first, end up procrastinating and that is just ineffective! I need to make the best use of my remaining 45 minutes before the kids return from school and then tackle tomorrow head on!

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making an impressive teacher's gift

for not alot of cash!!

(Ok, this is a complete knock off of the same post I made over at the Blue Finch Studios blog. I think it is good enough that it bears repeating here!)


Here, is a wrapped set of 5 YOUprint notecards. Mine are a variety, but you can certainly just buy one style and do the same thing. I used tulle I had to wrap them which I think is especially festive. You can buy this at your local craft store from a roll so it is the correct width, you just cut it like you would ribbon.

To take it up another notch, you can add a little tag from one of the sets. I punched a tiny hole in the corner, and attached the tag to the tulle with a small safety pin.

Invitation size envelopes are readily available at office supply stores, usually in white. For a colorful variety, check out an online vendor like Paper-Source. I found it was easier to attach the labels directly to each envelope in order to package them up neatly.

In the next day or so, I will show you a very fun, creative way to package up a set of gift tags. Thanks for reading.

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a very weird dream

I had the strangest dream last night about moving into this old apartment (formerly inhabited by a very old woman) and when I got there it was still full of her things (oh and I was alone, no family, a single girl, I was, in this dream). And the things were so appealing to me...like milk glass bowls and dishes, vintage sheets and pillowcases, really old furniture with lots of character, some begging to be re-finished. I woke up this morning nearly laughing b/c I think it stems from my new fondness for blogs that focus on vintage and me acquiring a taste for such things. I mean, I am the person who bought vintage sheet fat quarters on etsy afterall! Right after I woke up, it was all very vivid. But as they day wore on, I forgot about the dream.(photo from craftzine)

And then I ran across this photo and I tell you, this EXACT PRINT, was in my dream. Weird. I cannot even begin to interpret what this all could mean. I do know this much, I will be making a little pillowcase laundry bag :)

In other news....check out all the new etsy listings over there --------------------> from the Blue Finch Studios shop. You can get a freebie from the blog but I highly recommend purchasing a set that includes the labels. Printing on the sticker sheets is just plain fun! These would make awesome teachers' gifts. I can guarantee no one else will have the same gift and you will be the coolest mom in the school. GUARANTEED. Just print out a set of 4 or 6 or 8 and tie them up with a bow. Pin It

progress + things in progress

The baby quilt is complete! It survived both the washer and dryer, is heavenly soft and I feel proud to give it as a gift. Regardless, my kids knew who it was intended for and would have held me to it anyway :)

This a little art gallery I have going in my upstairs hallway adjacent to the window seat I have been making pillows for. Two of the three plates are from Orla Kiely at Target, the other I just picked up b/c it coordinated. The frames are from Ikea and were bright yellow which did not work so I spray painted them (using the same color as my office hutch) green. They are sized to hold an 8.5x11 sheet of paper so my intent is to rotate the kids art work. The best part? This is exactly what I see when I look out my office door. It is an extension of the things I love :) Slowly, I hope to collect plates to add and perhaps bump it up to 5 frames for artwork.

And in progress is this coin quilt. I really love all the piecing, sewing all the "coins" together. What I do not love, and am not good at, is cutting. Especially large pieces or long strips. I'd like to get the top done and then purchase a yellow print for the back and then perhaps bind it in grey or a combo of these prints? Not sure. I also am getting anxious to try free motion quilting, which requires a new foot, so I am working up to that purchase. This quilting bug has really bitten me.

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mini cooler=BIG smile

Each season I think I am going to kick my Vera Bradley buying habit but those people are just creative geniuses and the stuff always gets cuter and cuter. Today I went to a gift shop that I love, to get a 50th b'day gift and while there treated myself to this cute wristlet. (I really wanted to share a picture from the VB website but those devils seem to have changed all their photo files to PNGS.) Anyway, I love the new brown/green/purple color scheme. And guess what? They have this crazy promotion going on where you can buy a cooler for $15. Please click on my crazy promotion hyperlink to see it. I cannot wait for Spring and a chance to hit the park with my lil' packed lunch and cool drinks. Oh, and I got mine in the same pattern as my wristlet. Yea! Oh, and I did manage to get the birthday gift too... Pin It

creative party touches

First, is my basket full of calendars. Again, the template can be found here. Those were a super, big hit. I think this would make a terrific favor for a bridal or baby shower, and you could highlight the upcoming big day in some way. Next, here are the super easy drink "identifiers" I made using 2 circle punches, cutting a little slit and adding some bling (Well, Shelby did that part). I had made lots of sweet treats and bought some others, so I put labels on some cello bags for people to take home a few morsels with them. Last, is my new M&M dispenser, filled courtesy of my children, bought at the $1 Store (in it's first life, it was an olive oil bottle, I just took off the spigot.)

Moving on, we have my buffet tricked out as a dessert station/candy bar. Here is a close up of my homemade candy:

Well, it was lots of fun and most of the clean up is already finished. Good times!

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homemade cousins pen pal kit

These are just the digital versions of what I compiled for my nephew, Justin. He lives in NC while all the other cousins live in Ohio. They are in town this weekend so I will finally give him this as part of his Christmas gift. The top pic is the return address label I made, the next is a pdf file that when printed onto card stock, and then cut in half, becomes tw folded note cards. The bottom is the free digital kit I used. Darling stuff there, huh? I also included some store bought items like markers and stickers along with a sheet of stamps. This is a variation of some of the things I did as Christmas gifts but the "cousins pen pal" part came from Family Fun Magazine. Love that magazine. I subscribed when Olivia was a baby...as if she would be crafting yet? I was just very anxious. Actually we did make Thanksgiving cards using her tiny footprint that first year, turned them into turkeys and mailed them to family. To this day, one of the cutest things I have done.
Just winding down, waiting for my little gathering later today. I am on the record saying that I love the shopping part, the cooking part, the decorating and creative touches, the cleaning? Not so much. I figure at this stage in my life, that is just not going to change. Dave really helped me out earlier in the week in that department was a nice surprise. I will share some of the things I made for tonight later this weekend.

ETA: Ooops, just realized I had shown a real address so the first picture has been deleted. Feeling sick over it too since it was my nephew.

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handmade christmas gifts

So finally, something to hang on my Ikea tree. Handmade ornaments! I have just been freestylin' some simple shapes from felted wool. The red is from a woman's wool thrifted blazer, and the beige was a man's sweater. Most of this ribbon was the $1 spot stuff from Target. I am having a blast making them, and do so when I should really be doing other things. like housework. Oh well.

Inside the envelope is a do-it-yourself stationary set. I gave these to Shelby's teachers today and they went wild over the idea. I printed out address labels and notecards for each of them but also included a CD with the PDF files for them to make their own in the future. I attached the explanation on the sticker, and then more detailed instructions on the letter inside. I also included the instructions on the CD as another PDF file. I took lots of inspiration from here. I have used digtal scrapbook supplies that I have either downloaded for free or purchased. These are all for personal use, so I am just giving them as gifts. I am going to kick out a few more of these tonight. And I also have a more specialized one planned for my nephew who lives in NC--a pen pal kit.
Once again, these pictures were taken in the dark of night, making a flash necessary. Please forgive me.

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