Paper Ornaments: A Picture Tutorial

Materials:

• metal brads
• yarn or string
• scissors
• paper - I used pages from a vintage (replica) flower book. You could use something similar or some lovely scrapbooking paper, or whatever strikes your fancy! The pages I used are approximately 4" x 6.75". Using this size or the same ratio should give you perfect circles!

Follow the pictures...

Etsy Finds: Bronzed

Fall is upon us--

so close I can taste it...

I'm already wanting

autumn metallics.

Right now I've got bronze on the mind; rich but not too rich, muted and sophisticated.

vintage dress by PranceAndSwagger

hour glass neckalce by GwenDelicious

heels by lisunette

corsage brooch by TheBroochBoutique

woodland earrings by novella

liquid metal leggings by kellylynne

fingerless gloves by BellaBlueKnits

wrist wallet by WilmaWorld

tote by woodroots

silk/merino yarn by kangaroodyer

Giveaway Winner: iamthemandy

CONGRATULATIONS

to

iamthemandy!!!

She is the winner of my first Scapper's Delight Giveaway!

I would also like to say "Thank You" to everyone else who entered, as well. I will be sure to have more of these, so please keep an eye out for the next one. :)

And, in the meantime, take a peek at iamthemandy's wonderful handmade wares; she creates truly beautiful and 100% unique jewelry pieces from recycled and reused items. Check out her website, www.iamthemandy.com, for more info about her and her art. (And why not treat yourself or a friend to some of her great jewelry?!)

I love these earrings!!

Giveaway No. 10: Scrapper's Delight

(This Giveaway is now CLOSED. Congratulations to iamthemandy!)

It's giveaway time!! And this is a special edition, too: Scrapper's Delight is especially for crafters!

I hope to do a series of these kinds of giveaways...

I am calling this one . . .

Victorian

Blush

{sweetly feminine

fabrics, laces, and buttons.

shades of pink, peach,

beige, grey, & brown}

Included:

• An assortment of buttons (mostly vintage, some new)
• 6 pieces of lace, from 18" to 30" long, in widths of 0.5" to 3.5"
• 6 pieces of fabric, measuring approximately 5.5" x 9", up to 8" x 14"

These are some of my favorite materials to work with. They would be great for small projects, or for embellishing larger sewing projects. Also wonderful for sweet rag dolls and could even be used for scrapbooking!

To enter once:

+follow this blog and leave a comment telling me what YOU would do with these lovely bits.

To enter a second time:

+tweet or blog about the giveaway, and be sure to come back here and comment again with the link to your tweet/post/etc.

A winner will be randomly drawn one week from now on Tuesday, September 7th.

Good luck!!

PS--I forgot to mention that I should be able to contact you in some way. If your blogger profile does not have any email or website listed, please let me know where to contact you should you win! I will have to choose another winner if you cannot be contacted directly.

LOL Craft Fair!

Saturday, August 7th was the end-of-summer LOL Craft Fair. Which, in this case, means Lord of Life, as in the church, as in the church who always puts on an awesome fair. :) I would have told y'all about it but I kept forgetting myself! But I wasn't vending at this craft fair, I was SHOPPING! And did pretty well, if I do say so...

Alpaca Spinning Fiber from JP Alpaca Haven...so pretty! I couldn't capture the colors with my camera, though. :( It is a lovely natural mix on the right, and some pinkish/orchid on the left.

Beautiful, hand-embroidered dish towels from a local crafter.

FABULOUS linen and cotton bracelet from Tayla B Designs! Her blog is located here, where you can see better pictures of these adorable flowers.

Awesome, thick crocheted cotton pot holder from the same awesome lady with the dishtowels.

And this sweeeeet flower made from a zipper! The coolest part--wear it as a brooch OR hair clip! Handmade by Ryleigh's Room.

Handmade with Heart Clothing Drive

I am very excited to announce that my local Etsy team, Wichita Handmade, is hosting a handmade clothing drive! Here are the details:

We will be donating new, handmade clothing to benefit victims of abuse. The clothing will go to a local shelter whose mission is to break the cycle of violence against women and their children by providing a safe place to stay and support services such as counseling, education and referrals to community resources.

All items are welcome but we especially could use:

-Sweatpants / Sweatshirts
-House Shoes / Slippers
-Jackets / Coats
-Underwear
-Blankets
-Pajamas
-T-shirts
-Socks
-Tennis Shoes
-Mittens / Gloves
-Hats
-Scarves
...and other clean, new, handmade clothing items!

Sizes needed: infants up to women's plus size.

Donations will be accepted through Friday, November 5th. Give your donation to a Wichita Handmade member, or drop off at any of these locations:

Wichita Pottery
300 N. Meridian

Twist Yarn Shop
607 W. Douglas Ave.

The Onion Tree
120 n Hillside


For patterns, ideas, and updates, please check out the official Handmade with Heart blog.

It's here, it's HERE!!!

Finally! C & T Publishing has released Lunch Bags!: 25 Handmade Sacks & Wraps to Sew Today. And why is this so exciting for me?

Because I'm in it!! Oh, and um, one of my projects is in there, too. :P

Oh, and aside from the fact that I'm actually a part of this project, it's also exciting because it's a darn good book!! It has great projects, beautiful pictures, and I especially like the way the cover feels. (Hey, that's pretty important.)

I suggest you add this to your crafty book reading list today!

{Cover}

{My project!}

Knitting a Scarf. And Stuff.

While I finish my Cap'n Crunch--yes, I know it's almost 11:00am, and yes, I know I'm not 5 years old--I thought I'd begin with the sharing some of the knit projects I'm working on.

This scarf is made with some cheap boucle from Joann's. It was only $2, what was I supposed to do? And just because it's not some fancy brand doesn't mean it's not just as soft and BEAUTIFULLY colored. It reminds me of the inside of an oyster shell, so it has that mermaid-y thing going on. I'm using the same lace pattern that I used for a shawl last year, because I like it, plus it's easy to remember and makes for good mindless knitting. It is a wide scarf. I'm not sure how long, but I won't stop until I run out of string.

This second picture is just a mini-swatch to see if I want to make some mittens out of some wool I spun myself. I plan on leaving them the natural off-white color and doing some floral embroidery for a whimsical, rustic folk look. I think they'll be adorable! (Of course I usually think that.)

Giveaway No. 9 (A "Fan Page" Exclusive!): Mushroom Patch Pouch

Hello all and good Wednesday to you! Just wanted to let you know I am having my 9th Giveaway. However, there is a catch--you must go to my folk {on etsy} fan page to enter!! This is my "facebook presence," so if you're on facebook, all you have to do to enter is comment on the photo located at this link: Mushroom Patch Pouch

Same rules, basically, as all my other giveaways that I've held here at the blog, except it's, well, on facebook! Also, if you are unable to comment, you may have to log in and click the "like" button at the top of my page first.

Good Luck!!

Opera Dreams

Two days ago, for no apparent reason, I was struck by the sudden and strong urge to see the opera. I really can't say what brought this about. I've never been to one but have decided that I will definitely will once the season opens. I know everything is more casual these days, but I do love dressing up, so this will be a great excuse. My special personal project--one of them, anyway--for the next couple months will be to put together a fancy opera-seein' getup. Hehe. But until then...enjoy this treasury!

Gown by SagasAndSteamCo

Earrings by StJoshua

Perfume Oil by ForStrangeWomen

Clip by LovMely

Gloves by estylissimo

Shrug by lovechildboudoir

Necklace by plasticouture

Capelet by TickledPinkKnits

Bracelet by TheBrassGarden

Belt by ContrivedtoCharm