Mother's Day Cards

Hello Krafters!

Some time ago, I started doing ten minute or less cards. I challenged myself to do this because, as my family grew, it became difficult to actually finish a card. It left me frustrated and honestly, I had no desire to craft! While my crafting has evolved into something other than paper crafting, I still LOVE to create cards from time to time. 

This past Sunday was Mother’s Day. I realized at 12:15am on Sunday, yes you read correctly, that I failed to make cards. I was tired and sleepy, but I knew I would not have time later to make any so I had to think fast on my feet. I did an assembly line to get five cards completed as quickly as possible. 

I cut three sheets of 8.5”x11” card stock in half for A2 style cards (4.25”x5.5”) and scored them using the Martha Stewart scoring tool and set them aside. I then picked up the very first paper pack on top of the pile, which happened to be G45’s Secret Garden. I also used a Glitz paper pack. I cut them using a die from MFT and the top note die by Spellbinders. After I cut the pattern paper, I went to the flower storage and grabbed some Gardenias and skeleton leaves.  I also used some hemp cord. I laid out the elements using a card I created a while back as a guide. I changed the layout slightly on each card so they would be “unique”. Before gluing everything down, I used a stamp (I cannot remember which company) for the sentiment. 

After the cards were assembled, I wrote a quick note and was done! I was turning off my light by 1:47am and heading to bed! It took me a little over 30 minutes to create five cards. Not too bad if I say so myself. 

That’s it! I hope you enjoyed today’s post. Until next time..Krafthead~

Faith of a Mustard Seed

Hello Krafters,

I couple of weeks ago; I was asked to make a 15 simple cards making a mustard seed the focal point. The individual wanted the saying, “Faith of a mustard seed” on the card as well. It was also noted, she wanted the card to be about the size of a posted note. I was up for the challenge! Besides, I still LOVE making cards!

I cut the white cardstock into 3x6” strips and folded it in half making a 3x3 card. I had an old pattern paper pad (FAITH) I purchased online many years ago and thought it would be perfect for this. I saw the pad at Hobby Lobby some time ago, so it may be available. I cut the pp to slightly smaller than 3” and layered it on cardstock for added stability. I used the rounded rectangle MFT die to cut a window out of the pp/cardstock layer and added transparency to it. To secure the mustard seed, I used a tiny piece of ATG tape. I chose not to use a liquid glue because the tape was strong enough to support the seed and I did not leave any room for it to move. Finally, I decided to print the sentiment instead of making a stamp with the Mint. To add a little “flair”, I cut fish tales in the sentiment banner.

Since I made cards, I needed to make envelopes, to go with the set. For this, you could use the envelope maker by WRMKs. I used the Crafter’s Companion to make mine. I started with a 5x5 square of printer paper and tweaked the instructions to get an envelope that fit perfectly for the 3x3 card.

That’s it! Easy peasy and the recipient was overjoyed at her set of faith cards! Also reminded me to have just a little faith in all things! Thanks for stopping by, Krafthead~

Happy Hump Day Krafters!

Also, happy Pi Day! Spring is nearing and this is a perfect time to purge and organize. I am in the process of purging some of paper crafting items to make room in my crafting space. If you have been following me for a while, you know I have a decent size stash. Since my love for crafting is evolving, I made a vow not to go overboard! I was in the middle of organizing some fabrics and thought this would be a great post to share. I must say, my fabric “stash” is laughable at most. As pretty as fabrics are, I will not buy more than I need (keep repeating 5x)! I am a sucker for remnants though. It is a great way to build a stash as well as play with different types of fabrics to see what you like and what you don’t…remember to buy them when they are 50% off!

I decided to organize my fabrics by type. In the bin, I am storing my fat quarters and scrap pieces of fabrics. To me, it is easier to grab a little piece of fabric instead of searching for one or keeping it with the original bolt. I have them categorized in the bin by type and I tried to keep the colors consistent. In the second bin, I am keeping vinyl in there. As you can see, I don’t have very many colors. I will add more as I need them.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a space for large bolts of fabrics. So they are stored on this shelf under my heat press. It is out of the way and secure until I can find another solution. I found these at Wal-mart for $1 per yard…How could I pass that up?

In the drawers, I am keeping flannel and felt fabrics together in this drawer, I have fleece and nap type fabrics together in separate drawers. I found keeping the upright, with perhaps something sturdy in the middle, allows more space and easy to see what you have. Finally, I keep all of my fusible fabrics and interfacing together.

Again, my stash is very small in comparison to many. My thought is, why not get organized now? I believe it can be too overwhelming to do it once the collection gets bigger.

That’s it! I hope you enjoyed today’s post! Have a wonderful day, Krafthead~

Mug Rug

Hello Krafters!!

I hope the new year has been good to you and your family so far. I have to admit, we are just a few weeks into the year and it has been a lot of twists and turns already! I am hopeful this year is going to be great despite how it started! It is all about the finish!

Today, I wanted to share a new found krafting love I have. Embroidering has become a comfort to me. I love the sound of the machine and seeing the design come to life! Aside from the embroidering, being able to create a project In the Hoop (ITH) is amazing! A simple project I did was an ITH Mug Rug. What is a mug rug you ask? It is a coaster for your mugs. I found a rug mug design for free on Oma’s Place. She has great detailed step-by-step instructions which makes this project even more enjoyable. For this project, you will need a 5x7 hoop or larger. 

The first thing is to bring your design to the program. For this one, I used the Futura software to use with the Singer Embroidery machine (I have a video on YouTube showing how to transfer files to the machine). The design is blank and I wanted to add a phrase to it. I pasted the design on to the mug rug which is also a design from Oma’s Place (a video is to come on how to use multiple designs on one project).

Next, follow the instructions as written. I like to use painter’s tape to hold down my fabric as I am constructing the rug mug. Once the final step was completed, I use Steam A Seam to close the mug rug once it is flipped to the correct side. I skipped the step to add it in the beginning. One thing I will change in the future is to change the closure. Ironing the final project helps it to look neat and flat. 

This can make a great personalized gift. Just add a matching mug, coffee or tea!

I hope you enjoyed today’s project! Until next time! Krafthead~

Materials:

Solid color fabric
Pattern fabric
Fusible Fleece or batting
Steam a Seam or Heat and Bond
Embroidery thread
Tear-a-way stabilizer
Iron
Embroidery machine with a 5x7 hoop or larger