Anita Goodesign "Life's a Beach" Wall Hanging - Machine Embroidery

Now that the craziness of tax season has subsided,  I finally found some time to start sewing my highly anticipated beach quilt wall hanging. I put some thought into choosing my fabric because I need soft, pastel beachy tones to offset the bright embroidered images.  There are twelve motifs on the Anita Goodesign CD  I will be working from and I divided them into three categories: surf, sand, and foliage.   

I'm not sure what size my quilt will end up but I would like to hang it in my family room in a long rectangular area over my TV.  Each block will be 6 inches square because the largest hoop my Brother PE770 will accommodate is 5 x 7 and I can add an inch when I remove the block from the hoop. I'll decide how big to make my sashings and border after I lay out the squares and see what looks good. It's always a work in progress for me.  

These motifs are applique designs so I get to add pretty fabric to the embroidery to cover large areas. 

After the applique fabrics have been placed and stitched, I stitch the rest of the design like a regular embroidery pattern.

Here's my first block all stitched, trimmed and ready to sew into my quilt.  Only eleven more to go! I'll post them as I finish them.  

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and be fabulous.

Nancy

Mason Jar Posies - Z Fold Box card

Interactive cards are just good fun to create. There are nooks and crannies of all sizes and shapes  to embellish!  I wanted lots of flowers in my mason jar and this darling Lori Whitlock svg file made it easy to pile on the layers of blossoms and give depth to my fancy bouquet.

I'm pretty sure I have more fun creating these movable greetings than my recipients do receiving them.  I guess I should give more credit to my Cricut for measuring, scoring and cutting these intricate folds, but I prefer to let my friends think I'm clever and good at math. 

Adding my card to these challenges:

Addicted to Stamps 

Pile it On

Avenue 613

Dragonfly Dreams

The Crafty Addicts

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and be fabulous.

Nancy 

Penny Black Springs Eternal

I've been obsessed with stamping and making cards since the dawn of time...actually about 1995. Stamps, like everything else, seem to go in and out of style.  I can actually look at a stamp and guess pretty close to the age.  But some artwork stands the test of time.  There are several designers whose images I still love.  Penny Black is one of them.  She has a lot of fabulous new stamps  but I actually like some of her older designs the best.  I own several of these little girl stamps, circa about 1998, and I still smile when I color the images.  Water color, colored pencils, markers...you name it...I've used them all and they turn out great.  For this image I used copics and colored pencils.   The card base is a Lori Whitlock center step  SVG cut on my cricut.

The current Retro Rubber Challenge inspired me to get out this cutie and make a spring card. The baby bunny handing the little girl the tulip is adorable, don't you think?


I used the pretty Just Us Girls Challenge colors:

I'm also adding my card to these challenges:

Addicted to Stamps - Not a Square Card

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Spring

613 Avenue Create - Spring

Thanks for visiting.
Go forth and be fabulous.
Nancy

Tom Holtz Crazy Birds- Richele Christensen Class

An Easter message from a wacky little bird in an Easter hat and bunny ears says it all. I couldn't resist posting this cute bunny from a Richele Christensen class a while ago because he is just so adorable. Richele posted some of these darling Easter birds on Facebook this week and I wanted to make sure you hop on over to her californiaartgirl blog to check out all her gorgeous work.  

I have known Richele since I took classes from her many years ago at the Stamp Art Shoppe and I am one of her biggest fans. She became a designer for Hero Arts during that time and we used to beg her to sign her artwork in their catalog.  What a bunch of shameless groupies!

She now travels all over the country as a Tim Holtz designer/instructor and creates stunning artwork in mixed media and fabric.  Even though she is so accomplished and "famous" she is still a sweet and supportive friend.  To know her is to love her. 

"Sup Kitty Cat - Stampendous Laurel Burch

I desperately needed a break this morning from our busy tax business so I cruised on over to Splitcoaststampers where I know I can always find an interesting challenge.  Sure enough, they had a fun sketch challenge so I dove right in and colored this delightful Laurel Burch kitty with my beloved copics.  It worked!  Now I can go back to my pile of paperwork feeling renewed and energized. Sometimes you just have to do something artsy to clear the cobwebs!

Adding my card to Addicted to Stamps Challenge

Thanks for visiting.
Go forth and be fabulous.
Nancy

Spring/Easter Bibs - Better Than Chocolate

What do you give your sweet little snuggle bunny friends when a big chocolate Easter bunny is out of the question?  How about a stylish  Easter bib for their gooey chocolate drool? Guilt free and adorable, yes?

I have sewn these fun and easy bibs in every theme I can fathom. There are loads of  darling machine embroidery applique patterns out there. ( I downloaded these from Etsy.) I'm a quilter so I love picking out coordinating fabrics for the appliques.  Easter colors are so bright and cheery!

The internet has several free baby bib patterns (check out my Quilting for Baby board on Pinterest) or you could just trace one of your favorite bibs.  Here is a really good basic pattern and tutorial.

 I like to piece the front with two different fabrics for a little extra flair. I line them with white flannel and use terry cloth on the back.  I prefer snaps over Velcro because I think they look better and are  just as easy to attach.

You don't need to use machine applique to make these bibs adorable.  There are so many cute fabrics and/or simple appliques out there.  I hope you give it a try!

Thanks for visiting.
Go forth and be fabulous.
Nancy

Celebrate - Elizabeth Crafts Die Cut Wedding Card

Spring is all about new beginnings...and weddings. I have been especially busy this year making cards for some of my very favorite couples.  My go to wedding gift is a gift card because I think a beautiful handmade card is the perfect "wrapping."  

I love that these gorgeous Elizabeth Crafts rose die cuts have both a base and a detail layer. I cut the base and leaves with iridescent shimmer sheets and the detail layer for the roses with metallic silver card stock.  I like using die cut sentiments because they can be placed anywhere on the card and they add beautiful dimension.  I layered two Spellbinders 5 x 7 Card Creator dies on the base card and couldn't stop myself from adding rhinestones around one of the frames. Ever have one of those moments when you just keep adding detail because you can?  Then I seriously started to rethink all the "fluff.".  Too shmancy?  Hey, it's a wedding card.  It's supposed to match the wedding dress!

Adding my card to the Stamp Ink Paper Challenge.

Thanks for visiting.
Go forth and be fabulous.
Nancy

Happy Easter - Mo Manning Copic Coloring

Wow! Spring is here in all its glorious splendor.  After a long brutal winter, we are finally witnessing the earth awakening from its slumber.  Oh wait, I live in sunny California. But hey, we endured some serious rain this year!   At this time when I feel so blessed by my Savior's sacrifice and love, I'm happy to pass this love on to my family and friends by sending them handmade Easter greetings. 

These delightful Mo Manning Digital images take me back to my childhood when families looked forward to attending church on Easter Sunday decked out in full holiday regalia.  We wouldn't think of setting foot in the chapel without a frilly new dress, ruffled socks, shiny white shoes, lace gloves and a perky hat. Isn't the cute little dog in  this Mo image hilarious?  He looks like a real dog would look if forced to wear tied on bunny ears! And his sweet little companion is oblivious to his pain. 

Here's another darling Mo image, slightly less whimsical but just as adorable  The base for both of these cards is a Lori Whitlock SVG cut file that I sized to A6 and cut on my Cricut.  The notches in the lace border are just the right size to decorate with some narrow satin ribbon.

I wish you all a wonderful, blessed Easter and an abundantly beautiful Spring. 

Go forth and be fabulous.

Nancy