Simply Handmade

Housewarming Party

2009-05-07T21:19:00.002-06:00

We have a new and improved Simply Handmade blog! It’s really pretty much the same, just a little cleaner and prettier, with some added functionality and a new address that is consistent with all of our other Northridge Media Blogs. We hope you won't mind updating your bookmarks and feed readers. To celebrate our new digs, we are giving away three six-issue online subscriptions to Simply Handmade. Head on over right now to enter to win >>>>>

Bella Bella

2009-04-30T06:17:00.003-06:00

Doesn't the My Mind's Eye "Bellezo" Line from Bella Bella by Carina Gardner just scream Mother's Day? OK, maybe it is not right to put the word "scream" next to this calm and beautifully composed line, but seriously, I cannot think of a more perfect fit for "Mother." I love the vintage warmth and I can't stop thinking about how amazing it would be to make an altered gift & matching card with this line.

Incidentally, the "French Flea Market" line from the same collection would be awesome for Father's Day! Love that dark rusty red w/ the cool blue. WOW.

FREE ONLINE ISSUE: MINI ALBUMS BOOK!

2009-04-22T21:59:00.001-06:00

It can't get much better than this! We just rolled out an exciting new option where you can view our complete magazines online, along with over 30 back issues. No more waiting around for the mail to show up; this is even hotter than hot off the press! To celebrate the wonders of technology, as well as our new upcoming Mini Albums Idea Book, we are giving you free unlimited online access to our previous Mini Albums Idea Book. The print version of this hot book sold out in record time, but now you can have it forever, with love, from us. Come join in the fun and check out our online issues right now!

And hey, what better way to celebrate Earth Day than to GO GREEN with an online subscription?

Click here for your free online Mini Albums Idea Book.

2 hearts

2009-04-22T05:05:00.003-06:00

Made using these heart templates. The left one was made with the 3" and 3 1/2" hearts. The right one was made with the 3" heart after sewing on some Making Memories Just Chillin' ribbon. Fabric is "Bubblegum Basics" by Barbara Jones of QuiltSoup for Henry Glass & Co.

My sister was just asking me what I was going to do with these and I had to be honest and say, "I have no idea." Then we thought of 3 great things to do (thanks, Jen!):

Tie ribbon through the top and attach it to a gift bag
Make a bunch and "heart-attack" someone's room
Sew a magnet inside the felt one! I'm the most excited about that option.

WINNERS

2009-04-20T23:22:00.003-06:00

A big congrats to Julie Temple, you won the Silhouette!

And another big congrats to Andi (RrlScrapGal), you won the Big Shot!

Email your addresses to me at tammym at northridgemedia dot net.

Thank you to everyone for chiming in and stay tuned for more fun giveaways!

Not heartless

2009-04-20T08:49:00.005-06:00

That heart on Kanye's lapel looks handmade, does it not? I really like it and I think am going to try my hand at my own version today. Here is a pdf of (non-broken) hearts in four sizes you can use as patterns, if you'd like. And if you do make a handmade heart, share a link to a picture or your blog post about it in the comments, we'd love to see! Here are some ideas for how to use these hearts:

pin • hairclip • doll's purse • applique • patch • accent for the lid of a box • embellishment on the cover of a mini album • accent for a headband • party garland

Spring Daisy Frame

2009-04-16T15:02:00.005-06:00

For all you lucky Quad-City Iowans, we heard that Angela Ploegman will be teaching a class at Scrapganza in Davenport this Saturday, April 18th at 10 AM on how to recreate her spring daisy frame featured in the April/May issue of Simply Handmade. Hope you can make it!

Only Two Days Left!

2009-04-15T11:43:00.004-06:00

Only two days left to leave a comment for a chance to win a fabulous die cut machine. And don't forget that you can get an extra entry by posting about the contest on your blog!

The winners will be announced on Monday. Check back to see if you're one of the lucky recipients!

Easter Eggs Roundup

2009-04-08T21:33:00.004-06:00

Pull out some of your supplies and put them to good use on your Easter eggs this year! Straight-from-the-stash products like rub ons, glue dots & glue lines, flowers, stickers, ribbon, and lace are all it takes to make those eggs a little bit more exciting than the standard fare. Try some of these techniques or make up your own!

left to right:
1. Blooming Eggs from Sweet Paul
2. Masked Eggs from Martha
3. Lace Eggs from Martha
4. Sparkly Dot Easter Eggs from Domestifluff

How To Make It: Bunny Basket

2009-04-03T22:57:00.042-06:00

This project & pattern are for personal, non-commercial use.

This cute little bunny basket would be great for holding Easter goodies or collecting eggs at an egg hunt, but once the holiday has passed, it would also look sweet in a child's room or nursery as it corrals toys, burp cloths, or other odds and ends.

YOU WILL NEED

One fat quarter of patterned fabric
One fat quarter of sturdy fusible interfacing (how sturdy depends on how sturdy you want the basket – and it doesn’t have to be fusible)
¾ yard of white felt
Scraps of felt for bunny’s eyes and nose
Embroidery floss to match the eyes and nose, plus make whiskers (optional – as you can see, these whiskers are invisible)
Bunny head pattern (download here) – print without choosing the "fit to page" or other similar options and it will print the right size for this project.

CUT OUT

Basket body:

21 ¼” x 4 ¾” from fabric
20 ½” x 3 ½” from interfacing
21 ½” x 4 ¾” from white felt (note that this is ¼” longer than the fabric piece)

Basket bottom:

6 ¾” circle from fabric & interfacing
8” circle from white felt
NOTE: I used plates as cutting guides – see note below for adjusting the size*

Handle:

12” x 3” from fabric (optional)
12 x 1 ¾” from interfacing
12” x 4” from white felt

Bunny head (head is 6 ½” across and 8 ¼” tall):

2 from white felt
1 from interfacing, then trim about ¼” all around
2 inner ears from fabric
Eyes and nose from felt scraps

*NOTE: To make a different sized basket, cut out your circle and measure its circumference. Add 1” and you have the length of the basket body. For the height, add ¾” to however high you want the basket. Through trial and error, I found that when working with felt, I needed to add anywhere from ¼” to 1” because of its bulk. So just play around with your fabric before sewing any seams. And remember that it doesn’t have to be perfect.

CREATE THE HANDLE

1 Set the fusible interfacing in the middle of the felt. Fold the ends around to meet in the middle; iron the felt to the interfacing. (Use dry heat; don’t steam.)
NOTE: You can stitch the felt in place and leave the handle as is, but if you want to make the underside match the lining and have those little borders on top, read on.

2 Lay the 12” x 3” piece of fabric face down on top of the felt handle, which is face up. Align the right edges.

3 Stitch down the handle, ¼” from the edge. When you fold it over and around, you’ll have a nifty little border with no seam showing.

4 This next part is a little trickier, but not too bad. Wrap the fabric around the bottom and back up to the top so you can tell where on the fabric to stitch next, or at what point the fabric will be ¼” from the left edge. Make a little snip in the end of the fabric to mark this line, or just make a little dent with your fingernail. (Sorry I didn't take a picture of that!)
5 Unwrap the fabric and line up that mark with the other edge of the handle. Once again, right sides will be facing. (In this picture, the handle has been flipped around so I’m working with right edges again.)

6 After getting it lined up, you can either go ahead and start stitching ¼” from the right edge, or you can snip off the excess fabric first, which will make it easier to keep things lined up as you sew – plus, you’ll be able to see what you’re doing much better.

7 Sew ¼” from the edge and turn. This is the point at which I was crossing my fingers and hoping pretty hard that it would work. I thought of this method at the last minute, and I didn’t know if all the interfacing bulk would make turning impossible or not.

8 Luckily, not! Use your thumb to push the felt through.

9 Voila. Press to get things nice and flat. Set aside.

CREATE THE FABRIC LINING

1 Fold the short ends of the long body piece together, right sides facing. Sew the ends together with ½” seam. Press the seam open.

2 Grab the bottom circle piece and match the edge up with your body piece, right sides facing. You can pin them together, or you can just match them up a little at a time as you sew.

3 Sew all around the circle with ¼” seam allowance. Overlap your stitching a little at the end for strength. Don’t turn.

CREATE THE FELT BASKET

1 Repeat steps 1-3 of the lining instructions using white felt, only in step 3, sew around the circle with ½” seam allowance and turn right side out. (In the picture I'm doing ¼” – and it wasn't enough, I had to go back and sew it ¼” more. LEARNING CURVE.) You can see how you kind of bunch up the felt as you go, or maybe "shape it" is a better term. Be the master of the felt.

NOTE: An alternate way to do the bottom, which I just found a tutorial for -- and had I found it sooner, probably would have utilized -- can be found here. Basically it involves trimming your thick interfacing just a little smaller, sewing it to thin interfacing, and sewing your thin interfacing to the fabric, or in this case, to the felt. OR -- and I feel like kind of an idiot for not thinking of this as I made the basket -- you could just stitch the circle of interfacing to the felt bottom before sewing the body of the basket to it. Duh.

2 Place the lining inside the basket to see if it fits well. If so, trim the seams around both the felt and fabric circles to about 1/8” to get rid of the bulk.

SEW IN THE INTERFACING

1 Set the circle of fusible interfacing inside the bottom of the basket, making sure it fits. (See note above -- you can do this before sewing on the sides, and it will be a little easier.)

2 Sew all around the edges to keep it in place. (Basket can be inside out or right side out as you sew, whichever works better for you.)

3 Turn the basket right side out if you haven’t already. Place the long piece of interfacing inside, making sure it fits. Trim the short ends if necessary (they should just meet each other, and not overlap). The top of the interfacing should be about ½” to ¾” below the top of the felt, enough so you have some room to turn the top of the felt down over the interfacing. I had to do a little trimming along the top where the two short edges met because one side was slightly higher than the other.

4 Align one of the ends with the seam in the felt. Stitch in place. Bring the other end around, wiggle it to fit just right, and stitch the other end in place on just the other side of the seam.

Looks like this on the outside.

5 Optional: Make a few snips in the top of the felt (keep them about ¼” away from the interfacing). Fold the ends of the felt over the interfacing and press in place. It's OK if it doesn't totally stick; you can fold the felt over as you sew in the lining.

6 Another option: Sew the bottom of the "body" interfacing to the basket.

ATTACH THE HANDLE, SEW UP THE BASKET

1 Place the lining inside the basket and use the edge of the felt as a guide to see how much you need to fold down the top of the fabric onto itself (wrong sides facing). Remove the lining and press the fold. This will give you a smooth edge when you stitch the lining to the basket.

NOTE: First I pinned the handles in place, and after bending a pin in half (4 layers of felt + 2 thick layers of interfacing!) I had a moment of compassion for my sewing machine and decided to sew on the handles by hand. After doing one, I decided to give my machine a chance on the other, and it did fine. So either by hand or machine, whatever works for you. You will probably want to change the needle after this project, though.

2 Put the lining back inside the basket and hold the two top folded edges together. Pin if you want. Sew around the edge of the basket, about ¼” from the top edge.

3 Catch the handle ends as you go (let them extend about ½” below the seam). Backstitch to keep them secure.

4 You are done with the basket! Now for the bunny.

MAKE THE BUNNY

Here is the pattern, in case you didn't see it at the beginning. Print without choosing the "fit to page" or other similar options and it will print the right size.

1 Sew the fabric inner ears to one of the felt rabbit heads. Straight stitch, no fancy stuff. You could cut the pieces bigger and appliqué them if you really don’t want raw edges, but I thought frayed would look cute.

2 Arrange two small brown circles and a little red triangle on the face. Play around with the placement – eyes close or far apart, high or low on the face. You could make one eye big and one eye small, use googly eyes, buttons, whatever.

3 Use embroidery floss to stitch the eyes and nose in place. Stitch circles around the eyes and a little red mouth with leftover floss. 18” of floss (2 strands) was enough for each of the eyes and the nose/mouth, but 24” would be a good length to be safe. STITCH WHISKERS, TOO! I forgot them. So I'm pretending they're invisible.

4 Layer the back of the bunny head, the interfacing, and the front of the bunny head.

5 Stitch around the edges with 1/8” to ¼” stitch; leave part of the head open.

6 Stuff the ears and face with a little cotton batting. (This was some leftover upholstery fluff from another project; I placed it behind the interfacing layer because it’s brown and showed through the felt.)

7 Finish stitching the head closed. Trim around the edges to even things up.

8 Hand stitch the bottom half of the bunny’s head to the basket. I used a running stitch, but reinforced it at both ends and a few spots in the middle.

9 My favorite feature: it makes a little pocket! Perfect for little treasures or a special note.

Die Cut Machine Giveaway

2009-04-02T22:03:00.011-06:00

In the April/May issue of Simply Handmade we took a closer look at some of our favorite die cut machines. We reviewed machines from Sizzix, QuicKutz, Pazzles, Provo Craft, and Making Memories and now we are giving a Sizzix Big Shot and a QuicKutz Silhouette away to two lucky winners! To enter, leave a comment on this post telling us which of the featured favorite dies from the article is your favorite. We'll make it easy...they're on page 69. Next week we will share some tidbits about these awesome machines. In the meantime, grab a copy of the April/May issue and enter your comment by Friday, April 17th. Don't worry, we'll remind you between now and then - we wouldn't want you to forget!

P.S. You can earn an extra entry by posting on your blog about the contest. Just add a link to your blog in your comment!

Easter Knitting & Crochet Patterns

2009-04-02T12:17:00.005-06:00

Pull out those knitting needles and crochet hooks, here are some super cute animals to whip up next week while you're waiting for the Easter Bunny to arrive. Most shops promise to email the pattern in PDF format to you within 24 hours.

$5, Chester the Bashful Bunny Knitting Pattern (PDF), from Danger Crafts. (Also check out Maddox the Mischievous Monster.)

$4, Amigurumi Easter Pattern set (PDF), from AmyGaines. (P.S. Check out her Matryoshka dolls pattern!)

$6, Bunny Gurumi Crochet Pattern (PDF), from Luvly Gurumi. (Or you can buy one already made for $32)

$12.50, Little Bunny with Argyle Sweater Crochet Kit & Pattern, from Demonsterative.

Easter Round Up

2009-04-01T09:07:00.008-06:00

If you act fast, you can probably still get some of these handmade beauties in time for Easter. (Which I thought was the 19th, but it's actually the 12th, so pardon the lateness of this post.) Check back tomorrow for a round up of bunny & chick-themed crochet and knitting patterns that you can make in time to give to any little kiddos who might love a handmade animal in their Easter basket. And speaking of Easter baskets, I'm working on a free tutorial that should turn out really cute if things go according to plan. Disclaimer: I said IF. Look for that on Friday!

$17, Modern Bunny Rabbit Applique Onesie (or Tee), from Olive and Ollie.

$5, Little wool-felt lambs, from Dwaallicht. (Made by her grandmother! The larger sheep are available for $10 here.)

$25, Lil Bunny Girl, from Dayanra. (Check out her Bunny Family, too.)

$6, Little Lambs Pacifier Clip, from Fawn and Finch.

$9, Easter Egg Holders (crocheted, set of 3), from Kimono's.

$5.75, Chubby Li'l Chick (unfinished MDF shape), from Damboise Designs. (Also check out the bunny.)

FOR GIRLS' HAIR

$2.50, Fiona the Felt Bunny Clip, from Emma Lee's Boutique.

$3.95, Blue Easter Bunny Hair Clip (no slip), from Hair Bow Holders.

$3.65, Bunny Bow Tie Little Girl's Ponytail Set, from Baubles N Bows.

August-September calls...

2009-03-30T16:23:00.003-06:00

are going out right now! Watch your inboxes! Sorry the magazine's not about a hundred pages bigger, we had to choose between some really great handmade submissions. Thanks, guys, for being such talented crafters!

April/May Sneak Peak!

2009-03-27T14:03:00.008-06:00

Oh yes, it really is almost April. And to celebrate, here's a peak at some of our favorites in the April/May issue of Simply Handmade. If you don't already have it, you might want to get it so that you can get rolling on VERY important craft projects like springtime décor and cute butterfly creations.

And did you know we have a breakdown of some of the industry's top die cut machines in this issue? Get the low down on cost (both the machine and the accessories), size, compatible designs, and material capabilities of our five favs. And if that's not enough to get you excited about cutting everything in sight, maybe this will: we're hosting a giveaway in April and you could win a die cut machine of your very own. Don't forget to check back for more details and directions!

Your Daily Dose of Doilies

2009-03-25T05:29:00.004-06:00

Doilies are back, baby! Some may say it's debatable, but we will agree to disagree. Doilies are cuter than ever and they're all ready to make your next project granny chic. (So... does it make the concept uncool to even use the word "granny"? I think it might. No offense to actual grannies! They are the best and we love them to pieces!) Anyway, check out these great ideas, some using doily designs, and some using actual, factual doilies:

Doily Bird Framed Print from tracemyface's Etsy shop

Vintage Doily Needlebook from ravenhill's Etsy shop

Doily Pillow Cover from nuka's Etsy shop

Doily Necklace from lostintheforest's Etsy shop

Doily Clock from andfurthermore's Etsy shop

Cream Corduroy Tote from marmadesigns's Etsy shops (this is a peacock doily -- double trend)

Lace Doilies in Grey - Tea Towel from jezze's Etsy shop

Handmade Pillow Cover from pixieblossom's Etsy shop

Messenger Style Laptop Bag No. 2 from trackandfielddesigns's Etsy shop

Some darling Emily Martin dolls from her blog, Inside A Black Apple

A simple tutorial from Martha Stewart Living for adding a doily image to a cookie tin lid, plus 9 great pdfs of colored doilies ready for printing.

LUCKY Winner

2009-03-17T15:04:00.003-06:00

Pardon the pun....

The random winner of our Almost Spring Giveaway is number NINETY TWO! So, Scrapper With the Catch of Her Life, email your address to Tammy at tammym[at]northridgemedia[dot]net and start planning how to use those pretty things!

Thanks to everyone for playing and have a happy St. Patty's Day!

Etsy roundup: All Things Green

2009-03-16T17:16:00.007-06:00

I've been reading your comments about spring, and it's been making me so happy! It has brought to mind some beautiful images: spending time with the little ones outside in the grass, planting pretty flowers, getting pink-cheeked from riding bikes. (And I have never hung sheets outside to dry, but now I really want to give it a try.)

Thanks to all of you for sharing.

In honor of St. Patrick's day tomorrow, here are some cute green things we've spotted on Etsy.

Pale pink on green damask Mary Janes, from Gracious May's shop. (I know, drool.)

Organic Cotton Spring Deer Tee (L), from Bonspiel's shop. (I have purchased from her before, she makes really great quality stuff.)

Felt flower hairband, from jenmenkhaus' shop. (Lots of cute little felt & fabric creations.)

Almost Spring Giveaway

2009-03-13T13:05:00.007-06:00

Leave a comment by midnight on Monday, March 16 saying what you're most looking forward to about the coming season. (For me, it's fresh air in my house from keeping my windows open all day and night.) One person will be chosen at random (winner posted Tuesday, March 17th) to win all of the following:

3 sheets from Pink Paislee's Enchanting Line...

3 8x8" transparencies from Anna Griffin's Flora line...

16 sheets (2 each of 8 designs) of paper from Anna Griffin's Flora line...

4 sheets of paper and 1 sheet of die cuts from Scribble Scrabble's Ruth's Collection (color's a little off on this, sorry, it's more vibrant IRL)...

Stamps from My Favorite Things, felt flower & star from Total Class Creative, Ribbon from We R Memory Keepers, dimensional stickers from Anna Griffin, and 2 sheets of stickers from AdornIt.

Calling all crafters: October-November issue

2009-03-12T05:05:00.001-06:00

We are now taking submissions for the October-November issue of Simply Handmade. We want to see your lovely creations for the following categories, due to creations@northridgemedia.net by Tuesday, May 5.

Halloween Mini Albums – Whether you showcase several years of costumes together or document a single year’s preparations and decorations (or something else entirely), we want to see the cool little books you put together for Halloween.

Halloween Fun/Décor – Devilish decorations, spooky sweet containers, frightening party favors – all the ghoulish and ghostly things you craft by hand during the scariest time of the year.

Giving Thanks – Gratitude journals, fun ways to do “thankfuls” at Thanksgiving dinner, place cards, greeting cards.

Thanksgiving Décor – Fall wreaths, table settings, framed quotes about gratitude/fall, etc.

Where the Heart Is – This is all about HOME as a motif – homes pieced from fabric or paper, stitched with thread, painted, framed, put on a pillow, canvas, etc.

Holiday Cards – From extra-special creations to cards that you can realistically recreate in bulk for everyone on your list.

Gifts – Make it a handmade holiday with one-of-a-kind creations that you craft for the ones you love. (Could be anything!)

Include in the email: Your contact info (name, address, phone number, email address, blog/etsy), what materials you used to make the project, and anything interesting about it that might not be noticeable in the picture.
Other info: You can send more than one thing, but it's better to put them in separate emails. You get your project back, along with two copies of the issue and some product (currently it's mainly scrapbooking supplies, but we're working on expanding that to include general craft supplies, too).

We can't wait to see what you come up with -- look for calls for this issue around the 15th of May.

P.S. We just went through the August-September submissions and loved what we saw. Calls for that issue should be going out early next week, so watch your inboxes.

Handmade Animals

2009-03-11T06:14:00.000-06:00

We just found the work of Tamar Mogendorff and fell in love. The bird houses on the wall are my absolute favorite, but I can't stop there. She has a a bunch of beautiful creations on her website that I've been looking at over and over...and over.

CARDS Cover Contest! VOTE TODAY!

2009-03-09T09:40:00.003-06:00

We are jump starting a new blog for CARDS with a cover contest! And not just any cover contest, a cover contest where YOU decide the winner! Head over to the CARDS blog today to vote for your favorite. It's only open a few more days!

Home Sweet Home

2009-03-09T05:15:00.001-06:00

I had another post in mind when I sat down to write, but then I found this:

(From Holly Becker's flickr photostream -- also, check out Holly on Haus Maus -- such a lovely blog -- and Decor8.)

And this:

(A scan from German Country Homes Magazine, found on Boxwoodcottage's flickr photostream.)

And this:

(From ohdeedoh. They have great inspiration for beautifully decorated -- but real, not catalog-y -- children's rooms.)

Just a few pretty places to browse through and feel inspired. I wondered if I should even post decorating-related pictures since our magazine is about crafting, but I feel like there is so much overlap in the worlds of crafting and decorating -- when you're interested in one, you're usually interested in the other, too. It's all about creating, you know? When you decorate, you're creating an environment, and when you craft, you're creating beautiful things to put IN your environment, or to give to other people to put in theirs. It's all domesticity.

At any rate, it's nearly spring and I couldn't resist these lovely, happy colors!

Spring Ideas from the Feb/Mar Issue

2009-03-06T12:17:00.005-07:00

Ikat & Blackboards

2009-03-02T09:03:00.010-07:00

Photo by Simon Upton for Elle Decor, (March 2009)

Sue me for saying so, but this is the first Ikat I've seen that I would actually put in my home. Ikat is making the rounds in the interior design & fashion worlds, but I didn't catch the fever until seeing this antique print. What do you think? Will it translate to the scrapbooking world? I don't know...but I'd put one of these framed up on my wall any day!

And another thing that I'd like to grace my wall: these blackboards by Spell It Out Designs. I have never seen self-adhesive vinyl with a blackboard surface. So cool!

via the poppytalk handmade blog, one of our favorites. Thanks!

Long time, no see

2009-02-26T09:17:00.007-07:00

Um, sorry for such a lack of posting! Suffice it to say, the April-May issue needed some TLC.

So we're doing a feature on die cut machines in this issue. (Lucky me, I got to try a bunch of different ones out! Incidentally, can you believe that it is 2009 and I have never used a Cricut before? I feel so stone age.) Anyway, we look at 5 machines and show some of our favorite die shapes from each:

QuicKutz Silhouette
Pazzles Inspiration
Sizzix/Stampin' Up! Big Shot
Provo Craft Cricut
Making Memories Slice

I am really into die cutting right now thanks to this, and as I was browsing online the other night I found that Sizzix is having a sale on some of their dies. Computerized die cutting is super cool, but I do love running a steel die through a machine. Here's the list I'm trying to narrow down:

Christmas star $9.99 (reg $19.99) You could do such cool felt flowers with this. UPDATE, 3/6: NOW ON SALE FOR $5

3-D Circle ornament $9.99 (reg $19.99) Great price, could make these for any occasion. UPDATE, 3/6: NOW ON SALE FOR $5

Telephone & Address card $11.99 (reg $15.99) Look at the outline of this die. Tons of possibilites. There is another notch in there to the left of the one you can see. UPDATE, 3/6: NOW ON SALE FOR $6

Pocket $5.99 (reg $19.99) Great price. I like basic shape dies, they're a great blank canvas and come in handy on lots of different projects. UPDATE, 3/6: NOW ON SALE FOR $4.79

Not on sale, but very cute:

Flower Layers #2 $14.99

Dog $19.99 At first I rejected it as cutesy, but the plaid paper they cut it from makes me realize it could totally have a great 50s retro vibe. Great to cut from vintage fabric and applique on a quilt/bib/onesie.

Flower Layers w/ Leaf $19.99

Elephant $11.99 Again, almost cutesy, but really just plain cute. Love the silhouette of it, lots of baby project possibilities. UPDATE, 3/6: NOW ON SALE FOR $6

And there's also this cute owl on sale for $8.

And while we're looking...

2009-02-16T09:51:00.000-07:00

These flowers from the Prima blog are pretty dang hot too.

Signs of Spring

2009-02-16T09:11:00.000-07:00

With Valentines Day over and done, spring is right around the corner. (Right? Please say yes!) And what better way to celebrate than to break out the new Signs of Spring line from Prima. I love love love this clothesline pattern. And the bright colors on the bird paper. Ok, and all of it. I still have a lot of love leftover from Valentines Day, I guess. But really, what's not to love?

And a cute layout by Cindy Tobey tying it all together.

Anne Spencer

2009-02-13T13:17:00.004-07:00

For anyone who lives on the Wasatch Front here in lovely Utah, our amazing Simply Handmade photographer, An ne Spence r, is having a show tonight at the Kayo Gallery in downtown Salt Lake. 177 E. 300 S. Check it out.

Fridge Valentine

2009-02-13T08:06:00.004-07:00

Loving this little Fridge Valentine that Laura McCollough of A Kiss on The Chic whipped up. I bet her little girl adores it, and if she's anything like mine, opening the fridge 20 times per hour, then she has a constant reminder of how much she is loved!

Last Minute Valentine Inspiration

2009-02-13T07:36:00.003-07:00

left to right:
1. Be Mine Card by Betsy Veldman
2. I Love You Card by Jen Gallacher
3. Teacher, Be Mine Gifts by Betsy Veldman
4. Crocheted Heart Card by Julie Masse
5. Icecream Cone Cupcake Boxes by Betsy Veldman
6. You're so Tweet Tea Towel by Lisa of Always Home, pattern by Joan Gorman

Simple, quick AND stylish

2009-02-11T21:55:00.008-07:00

Amy is on the hot tamale train this week! As promised, here are more super-hip valentines that you can simply print, fold, and give. Thanks, Amy -- muah!

Click on each image to download a pdf.

10 cent Valentines

2009-02-11T09:47:00.010-07:00

Seriously, and that's rounding up. It's more like 8 cents. If the paper is $0.70.

You can get 8 valentines from 1 sheet of double-sided patterned paper (this is Making Memories) and whatever heart punch/die cut you have (or you can just fold the paper in half and cut out a heart the old fashioned way). These dies are Sizzix/Stampin' Up!.

1 Cut your 12 x 12" paper into four 3" strips.
2 Cut each strip at about 5" and 10" (maybe more like 4 7/8" and 9 3/4" if you want to get technical). This gives you three pieces: two cards and one 2 1/4" block to cut a heart from. The cards are a little less than 5" long (half that when folded).

Note: The strips in the picture are a little on the skinny side, I threw that together a bit too fast...your hearts probably won't be that crunched for room.

3 Cut out a heart from the 2 1/4" block. Use the negative of the heart, too, and you have decorations for both card fronts.

4 You could add other stuff, like buttons or ribbon -- whatever you have on hand. This is an American Crafts felt flower and a Kaiser Craft gem (the gem is from the current Fortune Cookie Studio Calico kit).

Hearts Afire

2009-02-10T22:25:00.006-07:00

It might be a little late to decorate the halls with this beauty from Skip to my Lou this year, but since it would take me at least 10 months to make this anyway, I think it's perfect timing to add to the list for next year. Wow, look at me being all prepared.

There's still plenty of time for making valentines for vday 2009 though. If you're really cool and the thought of staying up extremely late for the next 2 or 3 nights doesn't make you want to cry, you could make these fortune cookie valentines courtesy of Martha or these cute offerings from Molly at the purl bee.

If you're pretty cool, but who are we kidding, you need your sleep, maybe these quick cards found in the Prima Hybrid gallery would be worth a shot.

And if you're insanely cool but need a quick "print and sign" valentine for all of your "acquaintances" (i.e. people you don't love enough to give a fortune cookie or a painstakingly hand-stitched heart to), then check back tomorrow for another free valentine option.

Vision Statement

2009-02-10T21:34:00.004-07:00

Our vision for our publications is to showcase the work of amazing everyday artists and inspire beautiful new projects/layouts/cards/jewelry in the process. So, seeing Julie's post on the Cosmo Cricket blog the other day with a layout inspired by one of our favorite projects in the feb/mar issue of Simply Handmade is really exciting for us! (In fact, I think my mention of it was the first time Tammy cracked a smile in a week filled with 2 very sick, snotty, and clingy kids, doctor visits, impending work deadlines, and a cold of her own to boot.)

We get the opportunity to work with such wonderful and talented people every day and it is a lot of fun to see how one great piece can inspire another work of art. Thanks to Julie for posting and to Pamella Brown for the inspiration! Oh, and you can download directions for Julie's layout and that cool flower on their blog.

Valentines!

2009-02-05T15:14:00.004-07:00

Our fabulous art director, Amy, whipped up these super cute valentines to print (click on them to download a pdf). She doesn't need any more work to do, but doesn't this look like a great start to a beautiful scrapbooking/fabric line, hint hint? Maybe next year...

P.S. When you print, be sure to reduce the page to fit your printer's margins.

February/March Issue

2009-01-31T10:11:00.000-07:00

A look at some of the love inside:

In which a girl loves a booth.

2009-01-29T23:54:00.004-07:00

Dear Sassafras Lass,

I liked your booth so much.

Will you come help me decorate my kids' room?

Hey thanks!

Yours,
Tammy

P.S. And also the rest of my house.

That little monkey went up and down with his umbrella.

A brave pink deer.

Diorama-rama.

The best way to get home next to clicking your heels.

Bungle Jungle

Yup, that sign idea is getting lifted. Name plaques at the heads of wee little beds, maybe?

Happy giraffe.

Great product images on their blog. Thanks for all the inspiration, Sassafras folks!

Home.

2009-01-29T00:18:00.004-07:00

Just got back from sunny California! It was so lovely and warm. CHA is now a blur of super cute new products, sore feet, saying the word "cute" approximately a million times, and hanging out with really really great people. I miss it. I'm happy to be home, but I still miss it. Anyway, I need to go to bed, but I wanted to quickly post a few pics from the show.

New felties from Sassafras Lass. Shut up, I know.

GORGEOUS silk ribbon from Beaux Regards.

Vintage is back. Iron on patterns to stitch.

The cutest li'l alphabet I've EVER seen. Thank you, Eric from Cosmo Cricket. He hand drew all those letters, whadda man.

Black Apple Valentines

2009-01-26T06:05:00.001-07:00

Last year, Emily Martin posted these oh-so-lovely Valentines on her blog, Inside a Black Apple (one of my personal favorite places to visit), and they're all ready for downloading and printing. What a lovely gift! Here is a link to them, and here's a link to her Etsy shop, where you can buy prints of her paintings, paper dolls, and other sweet things.

Of to CHA! I'll post pics when I get back.

A Fair and a Convention

2009-01-22T20:02:00.015-07:00

Here's some random inspiration/a fun way to while away an hour. The New York International Gift Fair is going on this Sunday through Thursday. If you go to their online catalog gallery, you can browse through some very chic and lovely catalogs. Boutique-y stuff. I'm a sucker for that.

WHIMSY PRESS

JAPAN
This got me looking up more stuff by Shinzi Katoh and I found this super cute water bottle.

PETUNIA PICKLEBOTTOM
These have got to be some of my most favorite bags to imagine how awesome it would be to win one. Cuz DANG they're expensive. Inspiring picture though, no? I love it.

ELEGANT BABY
You should check out this catalog for no other reason than to see the representations of the, shall we say, upper 1% of our population. Beautiful; movie stars. But I don't care if your monthly clothing budget does exceed my mortgage, nobody goes for a picnic in a fancy white blouse and brings along pomegranates. Nobody.

Oh and you know what else is next Sunday through Wednesday? THE CRAFT AND HOBBY ASSOCIATION CONVENTION! This is my first time going and I'm super excited. Guess who will be there: Paris Hilton, Jane Seymour, Vanna White... I was thinking we could get together and discuss what it's like to be outrageously thin and beautiful, talk about the trappings of fame, etc., etc.

But possible brushes with celebrities aside, I'm going to see what I can snag for a blog giveaway, our first ever. Stay tuned for that next week (probably Friday).

Birthday crafting for grandma

2009-01-21T15:05:00.013-07:00

My sweet grandma M. turns 92 tomorrow. What do you get someone at that point in their lives? Not The Dark Knight. I figured she would probably enjoy pictures of her grandkids and to get a bit of regular mail. So I sent her this package:

And inside is one of those cute 2-up albums from Target that they sell in pairs. I got it for a steal when they went on sale after the holidays and embellished it with paper, stamps, and velvet flowers/leaves (supplies at the end of this post). Oh, and gold Glimmer Mist! I sprayed it on the stamped piece to give it a little sparkle.

The first page. I did a bit of calculating, and if you divide the album pages up into 12 months you can fit about 12 pictures/month. Some of the spots will be for paper cut to 4 x 6" and written/stamped on. I added some favorite pictures from this month and will be sending her more each month (or week if I can be on the ball).

ALBUM
Album: Target
Red paper: Basic Grey
Green paper: Anna Griffin
Green scalloped velvet ribbon: I think Making Memories? I got it in a Studio Calico kit
Red velvet flowers: Maya Road
Gold velvet leaves: 7 Gypsies
Stamps: Stampin' Up! (Big Deal Alphabet)
Ink: Close To My Heart (Desert Sand)
Glimmer Mist: Tattered Angels (Gold)
Pearl (self-adhesive): Making Memories

CARD
Kraft cardstock: Unknown
Brown scalloped cardstock: Bazzill
Red paper: Basic Grey
Green sparkly chipboard flourish: K & Company
Red velvet flower: Maya Road
Green velvet leaf: 7 Gypsies
Die: Stampin' Up! (Top Note)
Embossing plate: Stampin' Up! (Backgrounds 1 Texturz)

TITLE PAGE CARDS
Paper: Scenic Route
Number stamps, script alphabet stamp: Ma Vinci's Reliquary
Flourish stamp, Ruby Red marker: Stampin' Up!
Red ink: Tsukineko (Pearlescent Poppy)

Continuing Education

2009-01-19T06:18:00.001-07:00

My friend Susan (shop currently closed due to pregnancy and stuff) was over for book club and told me about this upholstery class she signed up for. I thought it sounded really fun, and although sometimes the fun things you want don't pan out, this one did.

So now my next eight Tuesday nights will be spent in the abandoned, leaky basement of a local middle school, learning the craft of upholstery. (Negative? No, charming.) We had our first class last week and oh.... I loved it. The teacher is a tailor by trade and he LOOKS like you think a tailor would look -- older, thin, neatly groomed, a short beard. He is completely amazing at what he does and we are going to learn so much.

I wanted to share some pictures I took. Probably a little nerdy of me to be snapping pictures of our surroundings, but at least I tried to be subtle by waiting till the end. Who am I kidding, I am totally geeky. Anyway, there were these awesome old industrial sewing machines there, in good working order:

I almost sewed on this Pfaff, but we ran out of time. I did learn how to change the bobbin, though. At the bottom middle you can sort of see a lever -- interesting tidbit: to lift the presser foot and pull out the fabric, you're supposed to push against the lever with your right knee instead of lifting the one on the back of the machine like normal. Note the band-aid denoting the 1/2" seam allowance mark.

And I thought this poster was pretty neat, in all its retro, taped-on-the-wall, textbook-y glory. That'd be a cool one to frame, with all those chair and couch drawings.

We're all going to make ottomans. I put dibs on the gold velvet fabric that was just laying around, how lucky can you get.

Are you crafty?

2009-01-17T08:05:00.000-07:00

Of course you are, or at least it's a pretty good bet if you read this blog. You could get published by us, you know. And we would love to do just that. Just take a picture of the things you make (original designs only) and send them to us -- details are below. Here is a list of what we're currently looking for:

Summer Break Mini Albums – Whether you went on a trip or just chilled out at home, make a little book about the good times.

Altered Clothing – anything from decorated Onesies to screen printed or stamped t-shirts to items you’ve made by recycling clothes (reclaimed sweaters, sock animals, etc.)

Toys for Kids – cuddly plushies, cute things crafted from wood, or anything else made by hand for kids of all ages to play with

Altered Canvases – paintings, mixed media pieces – anything made with a canvas

On the Wall – things you’d display on your walls: frames, artwork, shadowboxes, decorations etc.

For the Nursery – sweet things made for baby’s room (and for baby)

Deadline: March 5
Email a picture to: creations at scrapbooktrendsmag dot com
Subject line: Aug-Sep, [name of the section(s)]
Include in the email: Your contact info (name, address, phone number, email address, blog/etsy), what materials you used to make the project, and anything interesting about it that might not be noticeable in the picture.
Other info: You can send more than one thing, but it's better to put them in separate emails. You get your project back, along with two copies of the issue and some product (currently it's mainly scrapbooking supplies, but we're working on expanding that to include general craft supplies, too). If we choose your project, you'll get an email from us a week or two after the deadline.

The Weather Outside

2009-01-16T06:46:00.005-07:00

When the weather outside turns to frightful, there's not much else to do but think of things to keep you happy about being inside. A great cup of hot chocolate and a stack of fun projects to complete is one of the best things yet.

Here are some great ideas for a blustery winter day or two (or thirty):

We love these Wintery Wooden Trees from Fancy Pants Designs. Isn't their Arctic Chill line great?

Studio Calico has some great ideas for Valentines Day on their blog. Love those mailboxes. And isn't that layout totally cover-worthy? It's adorable.

Close To My Heart is declaring the month of January "National Papercrafting Month." You can get your juices flowing and celebrate by coming up with a great entry for their papercrafting contest that is going on right now through Feb 15th.

Jamie Johnson has a fun idea in the QuicKutz Idea Gallery using the QuicKutz Bag Purse Die for a little Valentine gift bag. You could mass produce this for your kid's friend valentines without taking too much time and embellish more for extra special friends.

Budget clutches

2009-01-06T13:48:00.004-07:00

Everyone at Studio 5 was really nice, I loved doing this feature. For all their talk about New Year's resolutions during the segments leading into this one, though, they had to have a giant plate of delicious-looking cookies in the waiting room as I was leaving. I resisted... but only because my hands were full.

Here are some individual shots of the wallets.

This was made with Cosmo Cricket fabric -- I wish I had credited them on air, but it being my first time on TV I forgot a few things. Like that the idea was Heather Brown's (thanks, Heather!). Other supplies are by Maya Road (flower), 7 Gypsies (leaves), Stampin' Up! (letter stamps), VersaCraft (fabric ink).

You know how sometimes you buy a thing just because it's super cute but you don't really know what you'll use it for? I had some vague notions of using this farm animal Japanese fabric on a patchwork quilt one day, but this project ended up being just right for it. I'm happy I used it instead of holding on to it forever.

Not sure on the manufacturer, but I got it from Reprodepot.com -- same for the brown fabric. Letter stamps are Hero Arts.

I thought of this phrase the night I was prepping the wallets, but I am not the first person to think of it, as I found out when I googled it, wondering if I was being too geeky. I found it in this article, along with the term "frugalista."

This fabric is Heather Bailey -- the big letter stamps are Stampin' Up!, little ones are Hero Arts.

Thrift is the New Black

2009-01-05T21:56:00.004-07:00

Go Tammy!

I am loving the little ditty she came up with, "thrift is the new black." I think it's powerful enough to become my new mantra.

Many thanks to Heather Brown for her "Spend it Like You Have it" wallet that Tammy recreated on the show. You can download a free pdf from the Dec/Jan issue of Simply Handmade showing Heather's wallet and the instructions here.

Wolf and Little Red Fabric

2009-01-05T06:22:00.007-07:00

How great is this week's Spoonflower winner - Wolf and Little Red by Gumball Grenade? You can buy it at Spoonflower's Etsy shop until 1/11. I am lovingly picturing the adorable little girl's room that would result from mixing this fabric in with lots of fun reds. A great red toile or damask paired with this fabric would make some gorgeous bedding.

And it would win me over even more if it was on this bed. Ah.

Save Handmade Toys petition

2009-01-02T22:43:00.004-07:00

Some of you may have seen emails about this going around lately. It's a petition to modify the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act passed in August 2008, meant to prevent unsafe toys from being imported into the US. Apparently it's worded such that toys handmade by individuals in the US/Canada/Europe will be illegal, unless they undergo independent 3rd party testing. So the petition is to add an exclusion for those small manufacturers of handmade children's toys. You can sign the petition here if you're interested. And you can read more about it at the Handmade Toy Alliance site, they explain it better than I have. :)

Ornament Week: Thursday

2008-12-11T09:52:00.002-07:00

Some variations on Saturday's ornament. These little felt flowers from American Crafts are great for this. Just hot glue them together with some ribbon in between, glue on a button and you're done!

Ornament Inspiration

2008-12-10T22:04:00.006-07:00

1. Button Ornaments by Martha Stewart
2. The Light of Stars Paper Wreath by haru (make mini ornament wreaths with scraps!)
3. Clothespin Dolls by nillakitty
4. Froebel Star by Jeanette Lund
5. Cookie Cutter Ornaments by Martha Stewart
6. Red & Turquoise Felt Ornaments by Constança Cabral

Ornament Week: Monday

2008-12-08T21:55:00.004-07:00

Our Monday offering is another cute felt ornament by Salem Morin.

You'll want to gather the following:
• Felt
• Fabric
• Ric rac
• Floss
• Poly-fill

1. Cut out your star. Cut a star from two pieces of felt (front and back pieces). Cut another star, same shape but a little smaller, from your fabric.

2. Sew fabric star to felt with floss.

3. Sew front and back together. Add the ric rac between the front and back as you sew, leaving part of it hanging out. It's a little tricky to get it started, but once you get going it gets easier. Add a loop to hang it from before you start and remember to leave a nice big hole to fit the stuffing through.

TIP: Crimp in the ric rac on the inside corners and fold over on the outside corners.

4. Stuff it.
5. Embellish. Add buttons and bows for a little more excitement.

Ornament Week: Saturday

2008-12-06T11:52:00.008-07:00

Hey peeps, sorry for no ornament yesterday, I've been choosing stuff for the April-May issue. As a result, I don't have how-to pics for this one, but it's pretty dang easy.

1. Die cut two 2" scalloped circles from corrugated cardboard after you've torn the top layer off. (You know the free photo book Snapfish did in conjunction with Oprah? I used the box mine came in. It's nice and thin, and it's white, so it would look pretty to leave it untorn.)

Die cut machine (Big Shot) and scallop die (Scallop Circle #2) are both Sizzix for Stampin' Up!.

2. Hot glue them together, with a loop of red velvet ribbon in between.

3. Accent the front and back with a little sumpin sumpin.

Super-cute button flowers are from evalicious, I love them. Self-adhesive, too.

You know, these would make really cute little friend gifts, and they're so easy. By George, now I know what I'm making for the other playgroup moms.

Ornament Week: Thursday

2008-12-04T10:29:00.000-07:00

Is your snowman feeling a little lonely? This little tree was created to coordinate with our felt snowmen from Wednesday. It would be so fun to carry the green houndstooth through a bunch of handmade ornaments to pull together a gorgeous Christmas tree. So, 3 down and 17 to go. Wow, how many days left til Christmas? I better get on it!

To make this tree you'll need the following items:

• Fabric
• Ric rac
• Sequins
• Thread
• Poly-fill
• Floss

1. Cut out a front and back tree shape. I did a tall, skinny triangle, but you could do a more complex tree shape too.

2. Trim the tree. Stitch on some ric rac with contrasting floss. Add sequins by knotting some thread and pulling the needle through the sequin so that the knot is on the front and you can tie it off in the back.

3. Add a trunk. Cut out a little tree trunk rectangle out of a scrap of folded over fabric. Stitch the bottom and side closed, turn right side out and stuff before closing it up. You can be messy closing up the top because it will be hidden inside your tree.

4. Add a loop. I used the same ric rac/ribbon that I used for my snowman so that they look even more related. Same technique too - just glue the ends to the back of the front piece to hold it in place and then you can sew around it when you stitch up the final product.

5. Stitch and stuff. Stitch around the tree with floss, leaving an opening at the bottom for the trunk. Fill with poly-fill, add your trunk and then finish stitching around the tree, stiching the trunk into place.

Ornament Week: Wednesday

2008-12-02T22:04:00.015-07:00

Next up on "Handmade Ornament Week" are these felt snowmen designed by Salem Morin. They come together pretty quickly and we have lots of pictures to help along the way.

You'll need the following items:

• White Felt
• Fabric
• Thread
• Ribbon
• Buttons
• Poly-fill
• Floss
• Sticks

1. Draw a pattern. Use it to cut out two felt pieces (front and back) for your snowman.

2. Add a hat. Pin on a scrap of fabric and cut around the snowman's hat. We were going for imperfection and just trimmed along the edge of the felt, but you could get more intense if you want and leave extra room to fold under when you're sewing.

3. Sew it. If you just set the back down and do all your work on the front part then it will be hidden nicely inside after you put it all together. Stitch around the hat and then tie it off on the back.

4. Add a scarf. Arrange a piece of ribbon around your snowman's neck, leaving some extra room so that it will still fit after you stuff your snowman. You could tie it, but it might look better if you just loop it around and then sew it together. Don't sew it to your felt though, we want to remove the scarf when we stitch the snowman together. By the way, isn't this American Crafts ribbon perfect? I love that it's gathered - plus it hides my stitch well because I just sewed right over the existing white thread!

5. Add a nose. A carrot nose, of course. I just stitched along the wide end so that the small end could poke out.

6. Add Buttons. A snowman is never fully dressed without buttons.

7. Add arms. We just rooted around for some twigs in the backyard, but you could use wooden skewers if you live in a land with no twigs. Like Death Valley. Or the Sahara. Use a hot glue gun to attach them to the back of the front piece.

8. Close up shop. Now that you're done with the front of the snowman, you can add the back. Before you sew the pieces together, pull out the glue gun again to attach a ribbon loop on the top to hang it with. Stitch all around, leaving an opening where you can add in the stuffing. You can use a pencil to push the stuffing around, filling up your snowman so he's nice and healthy looking. Snowmen are like Santa's - something's wrong if they're not a little on the chubby side. Once you're done with the stuffing, finish off your stitch.

9. Add mittens. If your twigs were kind of sad or you had to go for the skewer option, or if you just have lots of cute fabric scraps that you want to use, you can make your snowman even warmer with some cute mittens. A little edge of ric rac (also from American Crafts) along the top makes these mittens even more fun.

Don't forget to add your own handmade ornaments to our Flickr group!

Ornament Week: Tuesday

2008-12-02T09:37:00.024-07:00

We're kicking off "Handmade Ornament Week" (Oh, haven't you heard about that? Probably because we just barely made it up. Oh it is Tuesday? Tuesday is the new Monday!) with a little stamped, stuffed ornament that would look cute on your tree, or hanging from a doorknob or cabinet.

Or, if you're like me, on a little potted plant from Ikea because it's the only green thing in your house because you haven't set up your tree yet because it's in your storage unit and that's an hour away and when on earth are you going to find time to get down there and good grief when you put it up it's just going to be a constant battle to keep two toddlers from knocking it over seventeen times a day so is it really worth it?? Where is my holiday spirit? But I digress.

ANYWAY, you'll need the following items:

A rubber stamp with a holiday image
Craft/fabric ink, made for stamping on fabric (in a pinch, StazOn -- or any ink, really -- will probably work, especially since this won't be getting washed)
Fabric
Poly-fill
Ribbon or cord
Floss

Stamp is Stampin' Up! (Winter Post set). Ribbon is unknown.

1. Stamp it. Ink the stamp really well (wipe off the edges if you need to) and press it down firmly on your fabric for about 20 seconds. A tight weave will give you the clearest image. I used plain muslin, but a really subtle pattern would look cool.

2. Heat set it. You can use an iron or an embossing gun. Or a straightener! (I found this to be handy because you need to use dry heat and this way I didn't have to mess w/ the steam from my iron.) I placed another piece of muslin (the back of the ornament) over the stamped side to protect it.

3. Sew the ribbon. Fold it in half and sandwich it between the two pieces of fabric with the ends at the top. Sew back and forth a couple times to get it very secure. You can skip this step and catch the ribbon as you sew around, but this way is a little more accident proof... right up my alley, in other words.

What it looks like from the other side.

4. Sew around your image. Easy breezy. Bunch up the ribbon inside and make sure not to catch it as you sew. Leave a spot to turn the ornament right side out, and reinforce your stitching at the starting and ending points, or it will open up as you turn.

5. Trim the edges.

6. Turn right side out. Stuff. Whip stitch the opening closed. I felt like it needed something more, so I blanket-stitched around the edge with some cranberry-colored floss. Maybe it was too much? I can't decide.

Think about all the stamps you have. Isn't this a fun way to use them? I love it! Here are some other ideas for stamped ornaments:

Stamp a name or a monogram
Add some color by embroidering details (like a scarf) with floss or narrow ribbon
Do a bunch of snowflakes in non-traditional holiday colors: hot pink, light blue, and bright green

Show us your handmade ornaments! Upload them to our Flickr group. We'd love to see the lovely things everyone is making for their trees this year.

COMING TOMORROW: Felt snowmen!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-26T06:50:00.002-07:00

I'm guessing that most of us don't have enough "roasted turkey" paper in our stash to make a whole turkey out of it (maybe a turkey breast?). If you find yourself running out, you can just print this turkey template to make your Turkey Day preparations go quicker.

via swiss miss

Amy Butler/K&Company Fabric

2008-11-21T20:48:00.000-07:00

The wonderful collaboration of Amy Butler and K&Company provides us with some great fabric and scrapbooking coordination. And, above all of that, they even have gorgeous bags & totes so that you can coordinate how you haul around all the coordinating fabric and coordinating scrapbooking supplies in.

Cosmo Cricket Fabric

2008-11-20T20:31:00.005-07:00

Cosmo Cricket, one of our favorite companies for fresh and unique design, has a couple of great fabric collections based on two of their great scrapbooking lines, Halfway Cafe & Hey Sugar. Hey Sugar is one of our favorite lines ever (LOVE those stickers and journaling cards. And rub ons. And button fashions. Ok, all of it) so we are over the moon about having this paper in fabric. Be sure to watch for lots of fun applications in our upcoming issues!

Heather Bailey Fabric

2008-11-20T09:52:00.002-07:00

Not only does Heather Bailey offer gorgeous fabric with fun names like freshcut, pop garden & bijoux, she also has some great ideas of what to do with it! With some great free patterns, patterns that you can purchase from her store , and a myriad of ideas from her flikr group, you'll have plenty of projects in mind by the time you're through looking. A lot of them would make wonderful handmade gifts too!

Oh, and if you're thinking of buying some of her awesome patterns (I know I am) here's a coupon for orders through December!
You can also find her scrapbook line marketed by Autumn Leaves. It is, of course, lovely as well.

Heidi Grace Fabric

2008-11-20T08:35:00.000-07:00

Heidi Grace's quilt collection is carried by Jo-Anne's and includes almost 50 different patterns. Fabric choices include her Birds Tale, Day Dream and Midnight Kisses lines.

Trendspotting: PB Kids

2008-11-19T23:01:00.012-07:00

It looks like Pottery Barn Kids has taken a turn for the crafty with their holiday lines. Check this Thanksgiving Countdown Calendar out:

Very cute! I've never seen a Thanksgiving countdown calendar before, but hey, why not? It's a great holiday to be excited about. You might say that any celebration involving pie is countdown-worthy.

Also some felt leaves:

Those wouldn't be too hard to make yourself, I don't think. Heck, find a leaf and trace it for a template.

For Christmas, this rather spectacular and huge tree advent calendar:

(Unfortunately I couldn't find a bigger image on their website, it must be sold out. I did see it in their store, and it's pretty neat, cute details on the pockets.)

And felt baked goods:

But here are my two favorites:

and

Ack! I don't know if it's the 5-year-old girl in me coming out or what, but I really want a "mouse house" around, for no other reason than it's adorable. My grandma made a little rabbit house when I was a girl, with a front that unzipped so you could see inside to where the little rabbit family lived. The mom rabbit had a little lacy apron and everything. I've been wanting to make something similar for my daughter lately, so if I don't get Mouse House, maybe I'll make my own little house. That would make a fun article, no?

Has anybody out there made something similar lately? Upload an image to our new Flickr group, Simply Handmade Dollhouses.

Oh, and I almost forgot, just about everything from the Brooke Bedroom:

Especially this cute little owl pillow (and the one to the left of it that you can't see too well):

And ESPECIALLY these butterflies:

That is all.

Oh, and the woodland decal...

and the fairy village.

OK now I'm done.

Basic Grey Fabric

2008-11-19T13:28:00.000-07:00

Basic Grey's new fabric is being talked about all over! It is produced and sold by
Moda and it lives up to their reputation for stellar designs. They have converted two lines (more coming? please?) so far, Sultry and Urban Couture.

Anna Griffin Christmas Fabric

2008-11-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

For those Christmas projects, Anna Griffin also has a Christmas line.

Anna Griffin Fabric

2008-11-18T12:20:00.002-07:00

I never thought I would say there is such a thing as too many good fabric options, but here I am saying it. It took way too long to narrow it down to my favorites. Anna Griffin has a bunch of different lines and some great variety. From crisp Mediterranean prints to swanky paisleys, a fun circus act to bold silhouettes, she's got everything I need!

This striking blue pattern reminds me of these West Elm Chairs. Incidentally, it doesn't look like they're selling their mini chair ornaments again this year. Sad!

Isn't this chair great? This photo is from Anna's booth at the International Quilt Market.

If only I had a penny...

2008-11-17T08:15:00.008-07:00

for every time someone said "I wish that patterned paper came in fabric!" I would be independently wealthy and basking in the sun somewhere. Well, some scrapbooking industry favorites have decided to indulge the fantasies of crafting extraordinaires everywhere, developing fabric lines to add to their list of product offerings. This week we are going to feature a few of those companies and their beautiful fabrics, as well as a few companies that did it the other way around, creating pattern paper from fabric designs. Break out the bobbins and stock up on some extra thread - you might just be persuaded to use it all up!

image courtesy of Heather Bailey

Amy Butler holiday templates

2008-11-11T15:11:00.014-07:00

Who doesn't love Amy Butler? Everything she does is beautiful and she has some very cool AND free holiday patterns on her site right now.

Our poor tree has been seriously underdressed the past few years. The random piece of fabric "artfully arranged" around the bottom doesn't hold a candle to this button up skirt. I love the Lotus fabric used in the photo too - so perfect.

Tammy is already planning all of the different ways she can use this flower featured on the Snow Mum Pillow. Maybe some of them will make the cut for a future issue of Simply Handmade!

[Tammy's note: In addition to the pillow itself, which is awesome, I'm picturing just the top 2-3 layers on a clip/purse/pin/belt. Or the whole big flower glued/sewn to PINK patterned paper/fabric and mounted inside a deep frame in my kids' room. Although I'm really digging that white-on-white.]

daytime television

2008-11-11T14:47:00.008-07:00

We are currently selling a boxed set of one of our other publications, CARDS, and it was featured on Good Things Utah yesterday morning. We're feeling famous.

Check it out:

This set would make a killer gift for someone special!
You can buy it here:

salivate

2008-11-10T22:39:00.008-07:00

Wow. This photo from our Brownie Mix Bag shoot is a true diet-killer.

And to further assist in holiday poundage (you can thank us later), here is the recipe, courtesy of Northridge Media Editor-in-Chief, Pam Baird.

click for a high-res version

Hot off the press

2008-11-10T15:46:00.002-07:00

The first issue is hot off the press and it's beautiful! This book is generating a lot of excitement around the office and everyone is on fire about it! Issues will be shipping out to stores and subscribers soon. In the meantime, here are some sneak peeks of a few of our favorite projects in the book:

Ad ideas

2008-11-08T10:05:00.002-07:00

You can get some great ideas for creations from ads too. These ads sparked some great ideas and half of the work is already done - you don't have to pick out which products to use! These trees made with My Mind's Eye's pattern paper would look adorable on a table. Group three of varying heights on a tray in the center of your table with little ornaments or tinsel filling the base of the tray. Their snowmen would be great sitting on a child's bedroom window sill.

SEI has a beautiful "family" word album that would make a great gift or keepsake.

And how cool is this idea for creating your own personalized stockings? This has been on the Christmas to-do list for ages and Ellison makes it easy with their Sizzix Big Shot. It cuts felt! Ooh, there are so many beautiful things that could come of this.

step-by-step

2008-11-07T10:09:00.001-07:00

One of the things we love about this book (and we think you will too) is that we re-create some of the more intense projects and photograph the steps as we go. For example, for this holiday season, there are many different levels of projects included - some can be mass-produced for neighbor gifts, some take a little more time (co-workers? mother-in-law?), and some will keep your creative juices flowing for a night or two and you'll come out of it with a gift for someone truly special. As long as you have the will-power not to keep it for yourself, that is.

Hi and welcome!

2008-11-06T14:16:00.008-07:00

Hey y'all. This is our fancy new blog for Simply Handmade, a hot(!) brand-new(!) magazine (more of a book, really) to hit the newsstands this month. It's going to be awesome. We're showcasing the best of the craft and paper-crafting worlds in one beautifully-photographed package.

In the premier issue, look for (among other things):

an antiqued frame with decoupaged paper flowers
a holiday countdown display
bunches of ornaments
a hand-sewn wallet to keep your budget in line
over 50 top-notch projects in all

It's such a fun book to work on, I love it! I think you will, too.

Bookmark us and check back here often for behind-the-scenes stuff about making a magazine, sneak peeks of upcoming issues, bonus projects/tutorials, and general things that we think are cool. See you soon.

Simply Handmade

Housewarming Party

Bella Bella

FREE ONLINE ISSUE: MINI ALBUMS BOOK!

2 hearts

WINNERS

Not heartless

Spring Daisy Frame

Only Two Days Left!

Easter Eggs Roundup

How To Make It: Bunny Basket

Die Cut Machine Giveaway

Easter Knitting & Crochet Patterns

Easter Round Up

August-September calls...

April/May Sneak Peak!

Your Daily Dose of Doilies

*LUCKY* Winner

Etsy roundup: All Things Green

Almost Spring Giveaway

Calling all crafters: October-November issue

Handmade Animals

CARDS Cover Contest! VOTE TODAY!

Home Sweet Home

Spring Ideas from the Feb/Mar Issue

Ikat & Blackboards

Long time, no see

And while we're looking...

Signs of Spring

Anne Spencer

Fridge Valentine

Last Minute Valentine Inspiration

Simple, quick AND stylish

10 cent Valentines

Hearts Afire

Vision Statement

Valentines!

February/March Issue

In which a girl loves a booth.

Home.

Black Apple Valentines

A Fair and a Convention

Birthday crafting for grandma

Continuing Education

Are you crafty?

The Weather Outside

Budget clutches

Thrift is the New Black

Wolf and Little Red Fabric

Save Handmade Toys petition

Tags

Ornament Week: Thursday

Ornament Inspiration

Ornament Week: Monday

Ornament Week: Saturday

Ornament Week: Thursday

Ornament Week: Wednesday

Ornament Week: Tuesday

Happy Thanksgiving!

Amy Butler/K&Company Fabric

Cosmo Cricket Fabric

Heather Bailey Fabric

Heidi Grace Fabric

Trendspotting: PB Kids

Basic Grey Fabric

Anna Griffin Christmas Fabric

Anna Griffin Fabric

If only I had a penny...

Amy Butler holiday templates

daytime television

salivate

Hot off the press

Ad ideas

step-by-step

Hi and welcome!

LUCKY Winner