Sunday, October 31, 2010

slice fabrique (part 2)…

Okay, are you ready for some more Slice Fabrique projects?  If you don’t know what I’m referring to, please read yesterday’s post. :o)

I love little baby overalls…especially when they are “cute-ified.”  So I did my best to “cute-ify” this pair with a cute hoot owl on the front leg:

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And a stripey monkey hanging off the back pocket:

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Of course, every baby needs a 3 piece set like this one…but if you have the Slice Fabrique (and a lot of patience) you can totally personalize each piece.

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For this set, I had to hand-stitch the appliqued pieces – the fabric was too soft and stretchy for my basic sewing machine.

slice_fabric_set4   slice_fabric_set3

I’m not sure about this little bear…maybe it’s the eyes…oh well, he’s stitched on and hanging in a closet in Texas, so I can’t change him now.slice_fabric_set2

Next, I decided this little (pretend) boy needed a dinosaur t-shirt!

slice_fabric_tshirt2aslice_fabric_tshirt2d  slice_fabric_tshirt2b slice_fabric_tshirt2c

Be sure to see what Laura’s sharing today…and check out the Making Memories site for more information on the Slice Fabrique. :o)

Saturday, October 30, 2010

slice fabrique…

Did you know Making Memories has come out with a brand new SLICE die-cutting machine created specifically for cutting fabric?  I know you don’t, because it’s just being introduced at the Quilt Market in Houston, TX this weekend!  The new Slice Fabrique and new Slice Fabrique Design Cards were specifically made for fabric appliqué quilters.  Here’s a peek at the new machine (photo courtesy of Making Memories).

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Now, I will be the first to admit that I am NOT a quilter.  I can sew a mean straight stitch on cardstock…but beyond that, I am WAY out of my comfort zone.  But pushing ourselves beyond the limits of our comfort zones is the only way we can learn and grow.  right?  That’s what I kept telling myself after I accepted a huge assignment from Making Memories using the Slice Fabrique

I had to keep reminding myself how much I was learning and growing as I worked for hours and hours and hours (seriously, people…I have always admired people who sew and quilt, but my level of admiration and even adoration has increased immensely!) on project after project after project.  This was definitely the biggest, most involved, single project I have ever undertaken.  All of my projects were created to decorate a “room” in the booth at the show.  My assigned room was a Baby Boy Nursery.

Okay, okay, enough babble…here’s a peek at a few of the projects I slaved over worked on for my room!

First up, a set of baby onsies. 

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You want to see them a little closer, right?  I love this little whale with the water spraying.  The new Fabrique design cards have a fun new cutting option.  In addition to mirroring and shadowing (as the ms+ cards have), it allows you to cut a design in several pieces.  For example – the whale is actually FOUR separate cuts, then pieced together like a little puzzle.  This allows you to create images larger than the traditional Slice 4” size.  It also makes it easy to mix and match different fabric patterns to create a fun and whimsical look.slice_fabric_onsies6 

Doesn’t looking at this little lamb make you want to go to sleep?  (wait, not yet!)slice_fabric_onsies2

And this little turtle totally reminds me of the tortoise and the hare…slow and steady wins the race!  (this was my unofficial mantra the entire time I was working on this assignment, lol.)slice_fabric_onsies3

…never smile at a crocodile…especially when he has that crazed look in his button-eye!slice_fabric_onsies4

I love this little bug-eyed froggie…doesn’t he look like he’s just waiting for a fly to come along so he can stick out his tongue and snatch a snack?!?slice_fabric_onsies5

Next up – bibs.  You can never have enough bibs, right?  Especially cute little transportation themed bibs…with buttons! ;)

slice_fabric_bibs1slice_fabric_bibs5  slice_fabric_bibs2 slice_fabric_bibs3

The airplane is my favorite of the bunch.  I am allowed to have a favorite right?  Seriously, though, aren’t these designs the cutest?  I loved every single Fabrique card I was sent to work with.slice_fabric_bibs4

This is turning into a very long post.  That’s probably enough of my rambling for one day…I’ll be back tomorrow with a peek at a few more of my projects.  In the meantime, be sure to check out my cute friend, Laura’s blog.  She joined me on this fun little adventure – only she worked on projects for a little girl’s bedroom…and trust me when I tell you, they are super cute!  Click on over and peek at some of her work.  Also, check out the Making Memories website for more information, ideas, and news about the Slice Fabrique!

Friday, October 29, 2010

new arrival…

…that’s the name of the two sweet new baby lines by Pebbles Inc.   There’s a girl line and a boy line – and my first “new arrival” assignment was to use the boy line!  Obviously, I have tons of baby boy photos – but I decided to go a different direction with my layout.  You see…as soon as I set eyes on this super cute whale (see him down there in the bottom left of the card page?), I was reminded of a little story I wanted to record…and this cute blue whale, along with some of his buddies on the matching patterned paper were going to help me do it.

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Here’s the layout I created (you can click on it to make it larger if you’d like) …pebbles_newarrivalboy_wendysue_layout

If you happened to read my post from yesterday, you already know that I described Seth as being “cautious.”  Well, that was maybe a tad-bit of an understatement.  He gets very scared very easily and definitely does not like to step out of his comfort zone.  So, when we decided to go to Disneyland last year (his first time), I knew there would be several rides he would not be willing to go on.  We wouldn’t be going anywhere near dark rides, tunnels, high rides, fast rides, etc.  However, some of the rides he didn’t want anything to do with were a bit surprising.  Storybook Land, for instance, is a nice little (gentle & slow) boat ride narrated by a fun storyteller…and something anyone, any age, can enjoy. Well, when Seth saw that we were going to be "swallowed by a whale" while on our little boat ride through Storybook Land, he was less than calm.  He quickly sunk down in his seat with a panic-stricken look on his face and covered his ears (which is something he always does when he’s scared).    Luckily, (for everyone) he didn't see it coming until we were almost there, and then it was over fairly quickly.  Once he realized that as soon as we entered the whale’s mouth, it would only take a few seconds until we exited through his (missing) tail (which would result in no tunnel and, therefore, no darkness ) he calmed down and we enjoyed the rest of our ride.  As you can see from the photo on the layout, he was perfectly fine – this photo of him was taken after the “whale incident.”  No lasting damage. :)

…here’s a little close-up of my journaling – a (very) condensed version of the above paragraph.  pebbles_newarrivalboy_wendysue_layout_detail1

It’s hard to tell from the photos, but the whales on the paper strips are actually embossed, as are the white dots on the polka-dot paper – super fun!  And those felt stars are my favorite embellishment, I love the layers!  The rub-ons are on strips that are only about 4 or 5 inches wide, but it worked perfectly to place them on the left side, and then add just a few on the right side (nobody can tell that they don’t go all the way across the spread…well, except now you know.)

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I really love finding new uses for “themed” lines, and this layout definitely falls in that category.pebbles_newarrivalboy_wendysue_layout_detail3

I’m so glad I have recorded this funny little side-note and now I can add it to our Disneyland Album.  :o)

Be sure to check out the Pebbles Inc. Blog where the New Arrival Boy line has been featured all week long – there are some amazing projects and lots of fun ideas you’ll want to see!

ETA:  How would you like to win the New Arrival Boy collection? One lucky winner will be chosen at random to win the entire New Arrival Boy collection. Simply comment on TODAY’s post on the Pebbles Inc.blog before Sunday at midnight (EST).  They will announce a winner Monday morning. Good luck!

supplies2

New Arrival Boy 3x3 Cards (751064)
New Arrival Boy Mommy's Boy (751065)
New Arrival Boy Little Angel (751069)
New Arrival Boy Brand New (751070)
New Arrival Boy Precious (751071)
New Arrival Boy Word Stickers (732027)
New Arrival Boy 4x5 Rub Ons (735006)
New Arrival Boy Felt Embellishments (747001)
White Cardstock (American Crafts)
Pen (American Crafts)
Foam Dots (American Crafts)
Brown Crochet Thread

Thursday, October 28, 2010

his latest projects…

…if I had to describe Seth in three words, they would be

contemplative

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cautious

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and

creative

seth_close_light .

Yep, that just about sums him up.  Lately he’s been spending a lot of time drawing and writing.  Okay, not just lately…he’s always loved to draw and color…but recently he’s started adding words to his work. 

(Speaking of words, he loves to read and he’s already reading at a 3rd grade level…that makes this mommy so happy!) 

So…just for fun (and so I have a record of it), I wanted to add some of his recent “work” to my blog.

First up, a short Halloween story:

a_witch_story

(don’t you just love how 1st graders sound out words and write them exactly like they sound…how they probably should be spelled anyway?!?)

Little Witch by Seth

“A witch flew over a pumpkin and it said BOO!  Then flew away.  Then said goodbye.”

(if you read his page before my ‘translation’ are you humming the Target “hello good buy” advertisement song?  yeah, me too.)

Next, an entire book!  He sat in my office one night while I was working on a big project and came up with this idea all on his own.

 spooky_abc_1

Spooky ABC’s – A Halloween ABC Bookspooky_abc_2

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spooky_abc_5 spooky_abc_6 spooky_abc_7 spooky_abc_8 

He even stacked it up and stapled it himself.  I love that he stapled it with the pages out of order, and when he realized it, he just said, “Oh well, it’s like a game too…to read the pages in ABC order.”  :o)

And although he’s taken with writing, he still LOVES to draw and color – I love when he adds writing to his artwork – meet Fang and Frank…an aptly named mixed-media project. *wink* 

 

fang_frank

He practically begged to use those cute Matilda Chipboard pieces…how could I say no?

This next one is a little creepy in an “edward-scissorhands meets a pilgrim” kind of way …

old_mean_guy

Of course, it’s not ALL about Halloween:family_by_seth 

And what kind of mom would I be if I didn’t share this little gem?i_heart_mom 

And even though he’s super sweet

and super cute

and super creative…

he’s most definitely

still a boy…

seth_nightstand_note

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

halloween garland…

Earlier this month, during one of the sessions of General Conference, the boys and I colored these cute little printed wooden pieces Zach picked out at Michael’s.

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You’ve seen them, haven’t you?

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I’ve bought them before, but I never know what to do with them once they’ve been colored. 

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Well, this year I was determined to do something with them…

and this is what I came up with …

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I bought some really cute fabric from the quilt shop. 

The line is called Halloween Night, it’s from Moda, and I love it…

I’m going to do something fun with my leftovers…just not sure what yet.

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Then I ripped it up and tied it onto a long piece of jute.

When it was finally long enough (this took quite a while), I tied on our little colored decorations.

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I think the kids were excited to see all of their artwork combined with something I made…

and they get to see it every day, because it’s hanging right above our tv!

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