resolution and a knot bag

So is it too late, or maybe too early, for a New Year's resolution? Mine. Is. To. Blog.

I've been so bad. Where has the summer gone? We've had a lot of craziness since move to Chicago and trying to get settled into life here. It's just so amazing how the days seem to melt away...I always have good intentions to post, and then I forget. I promise to try to be better!

This week I've been sewing little bags that are available in my Etsy shop! My initial intent was to make project bags for knitting (I love keeping my knitting projects organized in project bags).

These are Japanese knot bags. One handle is taller than the other...it's meant to slip into the other and form a closure to the bag.

They are great to hold a skein or two of yarn and your needles. They would also be great as a craft bag to hold small goodies, for cosmetics, or even as a little wristlet purse. The possibilities are endless!

The bottom of the bag is flat...this allows it to stand on its own.

Another added bonus is that the bag is fully reversible...cool, huh?!

You NEED one!

knitting for a new friend

The hardest part about moving to a new city is making new friends, especially when I now work from home! I've tried getting invoked in things that will allow me to meet new people...I volunteer for a battered women's shelter, I joined a gym right next to my house, and I go to a knitting group every week (yes, exactly what I said...it's one of my favorite things to do!

I've been fortunate to make a new great friend, Aimee, through knitting! Her birthday was last weekend so I made her cupcakes.



I used a recipe that I found on Pinterest (love Pinterest!), which can be found here. It's a strawberry lemonade cake that I modified for cupcakes. Sooooo yummy! The frosting is the best I've ever had!

I've never really decorated cupcakes before but thought it would be really cute to theme them for our knitting group! I cut strips of pink fondant and added slits to resemble knitting. Then I added toothpicks with little fondant balls to look like knitting needles. I loved how they turned out, especially considering how disastrous it could have been being my first time making them.





I wanted to make a little birthday gift for Aimee to go with her cupcakes so I made a set of gift tags she can use when she gifts her knitted projects.



I made all of the tags using Crumb Cake cardstock and stamped with the "Hand Knit" stamp set (I was so excited to finally get this set). I also used the "knit happens" stamp my favorite retired set "Fashion Statements". I stamped in black, colored each tag with pink and black gel pens and added a fluffy touch with white liquid appliqué.











I made her birthday card by knitting with toothpicks (quite challenging) to make a small knitted project to match the cupcakes.





This inside was stamped using the new happy birthday single stamp...such a great font!


Here's the finished product...






I am pleased with the results...Aimee loved it, which was the best part!

wedding season

I've been so busy the last few weeks with orders for wedding invitations, party favors, and baby shower invitations...I have tons of photos of everything swimming around on my iPad to share. I created many blog posts but couldn't get blogger to cooperate in posting but I think the kinks are finally ironed out and here I am!

My friend Sherry is getting married next month and she's having a destination wedding in St. Lucia. -this is where I mention having a destination wedding is the best way to get married...we had the most amazing trip!-

She asked me to create some thank you cards for all of the couples who will be attending and here is the final product...






I stamped a palm tree (fitting for an island wedding) from the "Plant Hope" stamp set I recently ordered just for this onto Very Vanilla cardstock, which I had printed with verbiage. Then I heat-embossed the tree in silver.


I layered the card onto silver and Elegant Eggplant cardstock sheets (all colors of her wedding). I tied it all together with silver organza ribbon and I think they turned out quite lovely.


She also asked for a set of post-wedding thank you cards, which I made to coordinate with the other cards.





Lastly, I enclosed a personal card from me that also coordinates.


Wishing you an amazing wedding and a lifetime of happiness, Sherry!

mom's birthday

May is full of holidays in our family...Mother's Day, my parents' anniversary, my sister-in-law's birthday, and also my mom's birthday! Here's the card I put together for her using the new Gumball Green In Color...




How much do you love that color?! I also used the new "Floral District" paper, which I love!




A touch of a few butterflies, some bling, and tied off with seam binding ribbon. The ribbon is so versatile...if you pull a few a few threads at the end, it produces the above effect. My favorite!

Heather

mother's day

I'm so in love with the new paper from Stampin' Up!








The paper is out of the "Floral District" pack and punched with the blossom punch to create the flower. A little pearl added for bling...so easy!

happy anniversary

Recently, my parents celebrated their wedding anniversary. I made them an anniversary card using the bird punch (my ultimate "go to")...clean and simple.





Lots of embossing...and I love the all white look. What do you think?

handmade for hc

My friend, Heather (H.C.) just moved from Huntsville, Alabama to the top of a mountain near Chattanooga, Tennessee. She saw my recent blog post where I had made a onesie with a bowtie and wanted one for her little guy.

I couldn't decide which houndstooth to use (Alabama football fans) so I made two...


But then I felt as if her daughter might feel a little left out, so she got a shirt, too!


So sorry for the blurry pictures...I was in a hurry to get these to the post office so I only had a quick second to use the old camera phone.

Heather and her family (Hi A.C. We miss you too!) are taking a trip to the beach this weekend (so jealous) and she wanted some cute towels for the kiddos. Here is my first attempt at making beach towels.












Well? What do you think? I think they'll be rockin' them out! Need a personalized beach towel this summer? You know who to call!

blinginghomethebacon@me.com

cherry-o

I had to share this cute little hat I knitted up last Saturday...don't you just love it?! I'm so in love with the dangling cherries!


Since I'm new to the Chicagoland area and don't really know anyone, I just joined a knitting circle. I'm meeting so many nice people and getting a lot of knitting done!

lots of new stuff

Stampin' Up! has revamped their entire catalog (which will benefit you, the consumers in a positive way). They decided to get rid of all their current stamp pads...in their place will be "better" ones.

I didn't believe it.

I was very upset when I learned that SU was changing their ink pads...especially after spending so much money acquiring all of the current pads.  I've been whining and complaining all week to my sister-in-law, who is also an SU demo, and we both agreed that it was "so stupid" on their behalf!

HOWEVER...

I ordered a bunch of the new products and had them overnighted (one of the MANY perks to being a demonstrator is that you get to order products before anyone else!)...I received them today and...WOW!  The pads are really so different!

They aren't as thread-like as the old ones, more like dense sponges.  Also, I always stayed away from ordering stamp sets that contained "solid" stamps...because I could never get the whole image stamped!  It was so frustrating.

I was on the phone with my SIL when the UPS guy arrived...the first thing I did was open the new ink pads and tried them out.  I used the bird from the "Always" set to test.  Perfect!

Another plus?!  They are now making colored labels to put at the end of the ink pads (in English, French, and Spanish).  FINALLY, I don't have to use my label maker to do this anymore (they're affixed to the bottom of the ink pads, you just peel off the one you want).

I'm so excited!  I had to share!

Oh, and the other products?! AMAZING!!!  More framelits and embosslits please!!!

You need it all!!!

In case you don't want to miss anything that is saying farewell...check out the retiring lists!

Stampin' Up! retiring accessories list

Stampin' Up! retiring stamp sets

Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini carryover list

There are also some items that you can still purchase that were not put on the carryover list:

Simply Scored Scoring Tool (122334)

Simple Scored Diagonal Plate (125586)

Mixed Bunch Stamp Set (Wood-Mount 125535, Clear-Mount 125537)

Apothecary Art Stamp Set (Wood-Mount 125525, Clear-Mount 125527)

Loving Thoughts (Wood-Mount 125843, Clear-Mount 125845)

Love & Laughter (Wood-Mount 125475, Clear-Mount 125477)

Baby Prints (Wood-Mount 125470, Clear-Mount 125472)

Tea Shoppe (Wood-Mount 125545, Clear-Mount 125547)

BUT YOU ONLY HAVE UNTIL THE END OF MAY!!!! 

THE NEW CATALOG IS RELEASED JUNE 1ST...A FULL MONTH EARLIER THAN LAST YEAR!!!  WOO-HOO!!!

Want to place an order?  Host a party?  Come to a workshop? Join SU for only $99?

Email Me!

blinginghomethebacon@me.com

a fine day for a pink wedding

Quite a while back I posted the save-the date cards I made
for my friends Mallory and Nicholas.  

Well, the time is drawing near and the invitations are all done!

They are getting married on Bastille Day, French Independence
Day for those of you who aren't familiar with it.
Both the bride and groom have lived and traveled all over
France and he now teaches French.

So it would only be fitting that their wedding is on that day.

They are both such great people and I'm so excited for them!

Their colors are black, white, and pink...oh so Parisian!

(or Basic Black, Whisper White, and Pretty In Pink...
in the Stampin' Up! world)

I just shipped off their invitations this week and they were thrilled
(phew!)

They decided on the pocket invitation style.
I used 12 x 12 cardstock to make the folder, 

scored, added a pocket, and corner-rounded the flap.

The background of the invitation was hand stamped using
the "Artistic Etchings" stamp set on white and the verbiage
was printed on vellum and layered on top, accented by an
organdy ribbon.

I had also hand stamped each response card...
I think it just added a little extra touch!

Mallory's sister asked to also make some decorations for her 

shower.  I made giant pink tissue paper pom poms, 

which I wasn't smart enough to take pictures of 

before I sent them off in the mail!

I also made 3-dimensional Eiffel Towers...

How cute are these?!

I also made the shower invitations...

yes, there was more verbiage, but I blurred out personal information.

The bride requested that the invitation be written in French!

How clever!

Do you need invites or announcements for an upcoming event?

Email me!

blinginghomethebacon@me.com

onesies for baby H

My friend Monisha back in Cincinnati just had a beautiful 

baby boy named Hezekiah.  Of course that gave 

me an excuse to hop on the sewing machine!

I made two onesie sets for him...

The "H" is for both his first and last name...

His daddy is a huge fan of wearing bow ties,
so what would be more appropriate?

I just love the bright colors!  I hope he likes them!