Sew Mice Friends

 

Cross-stitch is becoming my favorite hobby!  I get a kick out of counting those tiny squares and using the thread to "paint" a cute picture or design.  In keeping with my resolve to curve my crafting spending this year, I decided to work on this adorable Picture Kit from Design Works to hang in my craft room!  I've had this for about 3 yrs!  I found it in JoAnn Fabrics and IMMEDIATELY fell in love.  But I was so intimidated by all of the detail that I didn't touch it....Until Now!

 



I like to use hoops and since this is a big project (9" x 22"),  I rolled in each end of the aida cloth and attached mini binder clips to secure them.  I covered the area with tissue paper before attaching the hoop to keep it as clean as humanly possible, tearing away the paper as I get to the section I want to work on.  You experienced cross-stitchers out there will notice I have not worked in the white sections yet.  I've read that it's best to stitch white sections last to prevent it from getting soiled before the project is completed.

Aren't they the cutest things!! I remove the hoop when I know it will be awhile before I can get back to it and just roll the cloth to prevent creases.  I'm fully aware that it may possibly take me half the year, or more!, to finish this.  I don't care.  It's just such a joy to see these adorable little characters come to life!  I'll show updates from time to time so check back and watch the magic happen!

The Coloring Studio

If you want to find a way to relax from the comforts of your home, try coloring!!  As we all know, adult coloring books are all the rage now!  I've bought a few but one that is quickly becoming my favorite is The Coloring Studio by Stampington & Company!  This was the first page and, trust me, the rest of the book does not disappoint! 

The drawings are so different yet so appealing.  I've used colored pencils and markers so far and absolutely love the results.  I got this book at Barnes and Noble but you can also get it online at Stampington & Co.

I'm posting the ones I'm very happy with on my Instagram - @happyscrapn48 - so check them out!  Debra :-)

Happy New Year!!!

Hi everyone!  Can you believe it?!  It is now 2016!  I don't know about you, but there are a lot of changes I want to make this year.  Among others, I hope to be more active on my blog. 

And since this is National Papercrafting Month, this will be a great time to start sharing more layouts 

 



and cardmaking projects.

 

 

 

One more major thing I will attempt to do this year is to buy less scrapbook supplies and use what I have in my stash this year.  (Did I really just announce that to the world!?!)  The fact of the matter is that I have a miniature craft store in my crafting room!  I'm sure a lot of you can relate but it is getting to the point where I can't concentrate on my projects for seeing the closet and drawers bursting at the seams with supplies!lol

 

So, let's see how creative I can be in using just what I have in my craftroom.  If you would like to join me in this quest to buy less and use what you have more often, leave me a comment and let me know how you are doing and  I will keep you posted on my progress also.  It will be neat to see how I pull this off because I LOVE TO BUY SCRAPBOOK SUPPLIES!!!

 

In the meantime, HAVE A BLESSED NEW YEAR!!

Debra :-)

Christmas...

...IT'S JUST AROUND THE CORNER!!!  Can you believe it!  This is the first day of November and it is sooo hard to believe that we can officially say that Christmas is next month!

I apologize for the lack of communication last month but this little elf has been busy preparing for the annual craft fair that will be held in the Boonsboro Ruritan Club in a couple of weeks.

This is one of the MANY cards that I have been working on.  

I love this time of year.  It makes me so thankful to have my family around to celebrate the holidays with.  I saw one of my cousins today and it was just so good to be able to sit down and talk with her.  We haven't been able to do that for over a year.  

I know it's early for "resolutions" but from now on I am going to make seeing extended family a top priority.  Life is so very short and we shouldn't miss an opportunity to let our loved ones know how much we love them.  

I challenge each of you to use this month to reconnect with a loved one that you haven't seen in awhile and to be grateful for the MANY blessings that God has given us.  You'll be so glad you did!

Be Blessed!

You're Just My Cup Of Tea

I think this is one of the best cards I've made.  I almost hate to give it away!  I used chipboard stickers, a template and just old fashion tearing!

You're Perfect...

I LOVE this stamp set!  It was one of the Hostess stamp sets offered in the 2014-2015 Idea Book.  All of the paper used was from my stash.  The sentiment came with the stamp set.