Rag Quilt

Of all the quilts I have made using different fabrics, techniques, kits etc. my favorite quilt still has to be the Rag Quilt.  There is just something so cozy and simple about them, you just simply cannot help but love them.  The squares used in this quilt are 6" square.  Most people get souvenirs when they travel, I buy fabric!  This particular quilt was made entirely from my stash (fabric - not cookie) to lighten the load of fabric in my craft room (so I could squeeze in additional acquisitions).  The fabrics are not from any exotic location, but they were picked up by the meter in Lloydminster, St. Albert, Sherwood Park, Spruce Grove, Edmonton, Camrose, Calgary and Canmore!  This quilt along with a book and chicken soup should help with my cold symptoms (I hope)...
Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

The Stockings Will Hang....

As many of you will know my preferred medium for crafting is FABRIC!  When I saw the Stampin Up Holiday Stocking die I began to think what I could do with it, and this is what I came up with.  I am going to make 12 of these for my son's Grade 2 class and fill them with some Christmas loot!
I used fat quarters that have been sitting in my stash (fabric - not cookie) since Shop Hop of 2009!!  I appliqued the die cuts to some red twill that I had in my stash (fabric again - not cookie) and then blanket stitched around the whole thing to hold front and back together.  Quite quick and easy, the next one though I will attach a ribbon to hang it.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Beau Chateau Fabric Cushion

Today's project is based on the Beau Chateau Fabric from Stampin Up.  The 9 patch blocks and borders are 3 3/4" as are the borders with 1/4" seam allowance.  The backing is 14" square with 1 5/8" borders around it.  The inside is a pre-made pillow form (used the 40% off you know where coupon for it)!!!  Very easy to make.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

New Home Kit

My friend Karen is moving into her new house this weekend.  While at the Edmonton Stampin Up Regionals one of the demonstration booths was based on these paint cans (unused) by a demonstrator by the name of Krista Frattin.  She has templates for how to do this, and I think that if you contact her you can get the exact instructions.  I have difficulty following patterns, so I did this one on my own using my favorite tools - measuring tape and Exacto knife!!
In the can is going the strawberry table runner, strawberry jam (product of MY kitchen), and high fibre buns from Cobs bakery.  I think nothing (except maybe casserole) makes a house smell like home like fresh bread and jam.  Hope she loves it, and hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Strawberry Table Topper

I found these panels at Lori's Country Cottage in Sherwood Park this summer.  I thought that they were really pretty and summery, so I bought them.  Now what to do with them??  Add to stash (fabric  - not cookie).  Today I decided to get one panel out and make into a table topper to give to a friend along with a jar of strawberry jam (made by me) in honor of moving into her new house!  Thank goodness for the stash.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Coffee Talk Swaps

My friend Karina (karinaskreations.blogspot.com) hosts a get together at her house once a month where we do Stampin Up projects, and of course swaps.  As some of you know I have compliance issues with my creativity (hence, this blog) .... I use all sorts of product, and so these swaps are always a dilemma as to how I will get them done only using Stampin Up product.  Well, I am quite proud to say that this one is almost exclusively Stampin Up built except for the holes for the bakers twine being made with my sewing machine, and of course the sewing thread.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Halloween Tea Towel

When I made a Canada Day table runner, my friend Kathleen asked, "Who makes a table runner for Canada Day"?  To which I responded "Who doesn't"?  This is sort of the same thing; who makes Tea Towels for Halloween???  Me!!
I found the flour sack cloth and fabric all in a kit at My Sewing Room in Calgary and since I had previously made placemats with this same Halloween fabric thought that this was a must have accessory for my kitchen.
The Halloween fabric is secured to the flour sack fabric with Wonder Under and then blanket stitched around the whole piece.  TAH DAH!!
Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Block a Day

I recently saw a blog entry where the objective was to make one 9 patch block a day with 2 1/2" squares for 70 days, and you would almost have your quilt done.  I thought BRILLIANT!.. Then I thought that is a lot of cutting for a scrappy looking quilt, how can I make this easier?  I have in my stash (fabric - not cookie) a layer cake bundle of fabric entitled Happy.  This fabric is from Moda fabrics (link to their blog on the right hand side of this screen).  I searched all over the Edmonton area last spring to find this fabric because it made me HAPPY.  I did find it eventually at Quiltessentials in St. Albert.  To go along with the objective of the block a day I decided to make pinwheel blocks of the day using this layer cake fabric.  These are the first two blocks, and the great thing about the layer cake fabric blocks is that I can get 2 pinwheel blocks from each 2 colors thereby actually making 2 blocks at a time.  The fabric still makes me feel HAPPY.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Make and Take Projects

These are the Make and Take projects that I made this weekend at Regionals here in Edmonton.  I love these!!  The cards are made with colors I would have never used, and stamp sets I would not normally use (flowers -- really???), but the cards look so BEAUTIFUL and were so easy to make.
Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Card Keeper

The card keeper.  Hmmmm, it is not often that I am at a loss for words, and yet I am not sure what to say about this product.  The card keeper is the name of this box as it appears in the Stampin Up Holiday Mini Catalogue.  It retails for $10.95 Cdn.  I received this box at the Stampin Up Regionals event in Edmonton this weekend, and I am glad that I got it for free as I would be really sad if I had exchanged tender for this.  To complete this box according to instructions requires 5 sheets of Designer Series Paper.  I have yet to find any Designer Series that comes in 5 identical sheets.  I covered the lid with the paper first, then found out that once the paper was over the lid, the lid did not fit the box.  Took the box apart at least 3 times to get it to fit into the lid (and it's still not a great fit).  The rest of the box went together alright I guess.  I used Daffodil Dot Designer series paper and had to call on Karina (karinaskreations.blogspot.com) again for extra paper.  I did manage to piece it with only having 4 sheets of paper, however, it looks pieced.  I still love the Big Top candy paper and so put some on here, along with a Real Red border, and made the Old Olive border using the Cricut Delicate Edges cartridge.  I thought maybe some ribbon and buttons would help this, however, it still needs help.
The inside of the box as you can see is filled with the swaps I received this weekend while at Regionals.  Should be good for card making now until Spring.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

The Hoof Beat goes on

A very good friend of my family (since I was a child - yes dinosaurs still freely roamed the earth) sent a birthday present to my son.  Now, this friend is a true horse lover, she owns and rides Arabian horses and loves anything knick knacky and what not that has horses on it.  So, to say thank you for her gift I used the 2 left over fabric panels (not truly left over - I got them to make this for her) to sew a pillow for her.  The finished size fitted an 18" square pre-made pillow from one of the craft stores.
The thank you card was made using Early Espresso card stock with Old Olive, and Wax Paper Resist technique again sponged with Pear Pizzaz and Marina Mist.
For those of you who might want to point out there is not enough Stampin Up product here, don't worry, I will put all of this in a Stampin Up box to ship it in!!!
Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Horse Birthday Party

 My son LOVES animals.  Our house is always in some state of Zoo affair.  Currently, we have the privilege of sharing our habitat with 2 gerbils, 1 snail, and 1 dog.  So, for his birthday party this year he decided he and his friends should go horse back riding.  Of course never the one to miss out on a theme I galloped around finding all the right stuff for this party.  '"
The invitations were made using the Cricut Cartridge Create a Critter - horse cut at 2 1/2".  The background paper is Stampin Up Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake and Pumpkin Pie for the Bandanna.  The background for the field that the horse is standing in was created using Wax Paper Resist technique and sponging the bottom half with Pear Pizazz, and the sky was sponged using Marina Mist. 
For the loot bags I looked all over the greater Edmonton area and could not find anything that was appropriate for a kids party.  A short drive away though in Stoney Plain, I was able to find at Sewing with Class  these fabric panels.  Melinda, who is the owner of the store was most helpful in assisting in how these panels could be made into loot bags and she had the coordinating green fabric in stock which I used for the backings of these bags.
The children and of course my son loved them, and with a few extra horse items found by Grandma at the Dollarama the bags were FANTASTIC and all horse themed.

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Cupcake Small Quilt

I finished this Snap Sack mini quilt this evening.  I love the colors and the cupcakes!  I love cupcakes, maybe I need to go bake and decorate some.  I think I will use this as a table centerpiece as the completed size is 19" by 19".  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Goin to Regionals Kit

The Regional Event for Stampin Up is today in Edmonton.  Now, a while ago I made card fronts for this event....but alas, I knew I could do better.  Well, day before (as I'm known for) inspiration strikes!  Thanks to Karina ( karinaskreations.blogspot.com)  for having the Stamp of the Month Club otherwise I would likely not have had a current stamp set, and seasonally appropriate stamp set (as the "kind" lady from Millet would point out), and thanks to Stampin Up for having a buy 3 packs of paper and get another for free pack last month as I NEVER would have bought the Frightful Sight Designer Series Paper - but since I could get if for FREE - why not???
The cookies are the ones from yesterday's blog ( a fresh batch - those are gone, quick trip to Costco for more cream cheese).  The cards they are in are strips of paper cut 3" wide and 6 3/8" long and scored at the 3" mark from both ends leaving a seam for the cookie to fit in.  The Jack of all Trades is stamped and then cut out with the 2 1/2" circle punch.  I did use a dimensional to raise him off of the Frightful Sight Designer Series Paper.  The cookie is wrapped in food plastic wrap, and attached to the card with sticky strip.
As for the bag, it is the leftovers of today's labours attached to a medium size kraft bag.
I have been using the 4 frames stamp set to label all of my projects as the one frame has an oval in the center and when stamped in Real Red - I consider it a Red Eye!!!
Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

The Most Delicious Cookies

I have been singing the Package Man song by Bill Shontz all evening.  My Stampin Up cookie stamp arrived this afternoon, and so my son and I just had to make cookies this evening.  The reason that this song comes to mind is the story goes that Georgie made the most delicious cookies and was told to see the Package Man about selling these cookies.  The chorus is that a cookie is just a cookie and it's the package that will sell.  I thought this was appropriate for this situation as Stampin Up is usually about the packaging and here we are making cookies.  They are very tasty if you are wondering and you will note the cookie snitching that was occurring as I tried to take this picture!!  My son is taking them to school tomorrow to share with his class.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...


Kathy

Due to the popularity of this post when it hit Stampin Connections, and to inspire your own creativity, here is the recipe for the Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies:

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

cream together:
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter (not margarine)
1/2 block of cream cheese  (125g)
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla

add in :
2 cups flour

I used a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter to cut the dough into circles and stamped them after transferring to cookie sheet ( I did not have to use flour on the stamp face).

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit  for 12 minutes. 

Store in large cookie jar 2 miles from home as you will likely be eating lots of these and the exercise will help rationalize that they are actually a healthy lifestyle choice : ) and for my Registered Dietitian friends: please eat a fruit or vegetable while walking to the cookie jar (help with getting the 5 - 10 a day)!

From the Cookie Stash

Anyone who knows me will know that I have never met a cookie I didn't like (unless it has raisins or worse yet BOILED raisins).  When we were in Billings, MT a few weeks ago I discovered these cookies at Albertson's and just had to bring them home.  I baked a batch for my son's first day of school, and a few since then.  Last week a co-workers daughter started Kindergarten, and my son and I both thought that a half dozen of these cookies would make school AWESOME.
The cookies are a Nestle (?) prepackaged cookie, however, NO TRANS FAT!!  I was so excited.
The packaging for the cookie is a left over baggie from a promotion Stampin Up ran just before Christmas last year (2010).  The label is cut from the Decorative Edges Cricut cartridge and the A+ comes from a stamp set of Stampin Up a few years back.
Hope she likes it and that this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Advent Calendar

This is the BIG project that we made last weekend in Millet!!  Isn't it AWESOME?  It uses the 25 & Counting Stamp set from Stampin Up along with the Peekaboo Frames die cut set.  We were given a 6 x 6 magnet sheet to cut strips to anchor the stamped dates to the muffin pan (Pampered Chef ), however, I chose to use 2 1/2" circles on the back of the stamped dates to make the back look complete.  I cut the Stampin Up magnet sheets with my Cricut at 2 1/2 " and the deep cut blade.  I did the original magnet cuts with a package of Cricut magnet sheet, however, when placed on the pan and turned over the magnets fell off the pan.  Hmmmm, so I called my awesome Stampin Up lady Karina, to see if she had any magnet sheets, and as usual she had what I needed.  A quick trip to her house, and now the Advent calendar is done!
The magnet sheets come in a 3 pack and with very careful cutting I was able to get 9 of the 2 1/2" circles cut out.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Jack of All Trades

This is a quick card that I made using the Jack of All Trades stamp set.  I used old olive paper, pumpkin pie designer series paper, whisper white and stamped the images on.  Very quick and easy, will try harder next time, but.....
Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Stamp of the Month Club

My friend Karina offers at Stamp of the Month Club.  I love this because it is just like Block of the Month except with stamps.  Each month you get a stamp set and 3 sample cards to show you what you could do with the stamp rather than the usual put on shelf to trap free radical dust (although this is helpful there are cheaper ways to do this). 
This month the stamp set is Jack of All Trades.  I especially love the pumpkin by the fence as  I have fabric in my stash (fabric - not cookie) that will match this.  Now I can coordinate treat bags for my son's class!!!  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

More Candy Christmas

I think I have found my new favorite Stampin Up Designer Series Paper!  There seems to be nothing one cannot do with this stuff....  While making the last Christmas Tree the left overs looked like mini trees so this is what I came up with.
The card stock base is Old Olive Real Red and Whisper White.  The real red was stamped with the Bells and Boughs greeting in white craft ink and clear embossing powder - then "cooked" with the heat tool.  The whisper white card stock was put through the Perfect Polka Dots embossing Folder.  The  Big Top Candy Paper was Cut in 4 1/2 inch circle and then cut like a pie into 9 pieces.  The edge trees are glued down and the middle tree has a dimensional behind it to raise it.  The "star" at the top of the tree is a button from the Brights buttons collection.
Not a traditional Christmas card, but fun I think.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Last Minute Swaps

These are the last minute swaps for the Millet, Alberta Stampin Up event.  I will swap these with the regular group with whom I will mingle.  For these cards I used Old Olive card stock and daffodil for the back ground.  The foreground is half whisper white card stock and the rest Designer Series Paper from the Big Top package.  This candy paper is where I got the idea for yesterdays post with the candy Christmas.  I used the Bright collection buttons just because I had package of them, and I love buttons (just not sewing them), and the stamp set is Birthday Bakery (which just possibly has been discontinued -- OOOPs).  Maybe no one will notice (??).  I used the Stampin Write Markers set to color the baking in coordinating colors of the Designer Series Paper :)  The markers made the coloring fairly easy although still spent about 45 minutes to get 12 cards colored at midnight (red eye crafting).  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Candy Christmas

I know it is too early for Christmas but I think this card is NEAT.  I am going to a Stampin Up event with some friends this weekend in the metropolis of Millet, Alberta.  I originally made 12 swaps (I will post these another day) and thought I was quite genius for getting these swaps done early and up to the standards of the ladies who organized the group (only current Stampin Up product, more than 2 layers, had to have an embellishment...almost took the fun out of it....almost).  However, there are 13 people including myself participating in this High End swap so now I have had to come up with a last minute project to swap with the "regulars".  While I was making my last minute project this idea came back to me.  So, I completed this, and not my swaps as there is always tomorrow evening (red eye crafting).
For this project I used the Designer Series Paper collection entitled Big Top, cut a 4 3/4"inch circle in half and folded back on itself a couple of times to make the tree.  A very thin piece of chocolate chip colored paper for the stem, and Bright collection buttons for the tree decorations.  The card stock for card base is old olive, real red, and whisper white embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder and the greeting is from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set. Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Late entry:  I have just found out that there is an actual template for making these trees.  When followed the trees turn out very symmetrical.  You can find the instructions at: inkspiredtreasures.com/2010/11/page/2/.
Thanks Connie.  

Cupcake Thank You

After the cupcake party I needed to make Thank You cards for my friends that came and celebrated with me.  Of course, still obsessed with cupcakes I made these cards at 2300 hours last night (red eye crafting).  The cardstock is Stampin Up: chocolate chip, certainly celery and pretty in pink colors.  The certainly celery eyelet border was made using the Elegant Edges Cricut cartridge cut at 1/2".  The ribbon I am not sure when or where I got it, but it was in my stash (craft - not cookie), and the greeting is from the Swirls and Curls Verses set (hostess set from the 2011 Summer Mini Stampin Up catalogue). 
I think these are happy cards, and I hope my friends appreciate them as much as I did their celebrating with me.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Cupcake Party

This year I decided to throw myself my own birthday party.  When your birthday falls in the middle of August it is really hard to have a birthday party as all your friends are away (at least that's what parents tell their children).  So, I decided to have my own. 
I chose to have a cupcake theme party because I love cupcakes and who doesn't?  I asked my dear friend Karina the awesome Stampin Up lady to plan some cards that would be easy for all of us to make - keeping with the cupcake theme.  If you want directions as to how to make these cards visit her website at
karinaskreations.blogspot.com.The cards were easy to make and a lot of fun.
I sewed the little cupcake loot bags of course.  I used various cupcake fabric that was in my stash (fabric - not cookie), and a pattern from the allpeoplequilt.com website.  I believe the totes are called mini treat bags.
We ate cupcakes and some other goodies, and I think it was a lot of fun.  Time to start planning next years party.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Hello September...Goodbye June

In late May of this year I decided that I would join the Count On It block of the month club offered at Sew Divine.  I rarely come across a quilt I don't like (there was one in a store in Montana - but that's another story).  Seeing as how this was only a small 11 1/2" block even I should be able to get it done in a reasonable time.  I got the June one done for mid June and until last evening it was on the hanger!!  Late yesterday evening (red eye quilting) I got this finished and up on the rack.  Who knows maybe I'll get one more done before 2012 :)  I did alter the original pattern of Nancy Halvorsen as there is supposed to be a curly thing in the center, but I think it looks like a worm!  Hope this inspires your own creativity.....

Kathy

Baby Ensemble

This is a baby gift for a colleague of mine who is having her first baby (a boy) very soon.  I picked up this Wilmington Prints quilt kit several months ago at Quilters Cupboard in Lloydminster.  When I opened the kit at 2230 hours last Thursday evening (red eye quilting) the pattern seemed very overwhelming, so, since I had procrastinated on this project for 6 months I decided I had to make the quilt that very evening.  I took the original quilt panel and added 1.5" border of the striped fabric all the way around.  Hmmm, still needed more. The pattern called for several pinwheel blocks, but since I had now added to the panel these dimensions would not work, so I made four of the 5 1/2" pinwheel blocks, measured the length and width and added a 5 1/2" border between the pinwheel blocks.  Picked up some flannel Friday evening, and free motion quilted and put on the binding this weekend!!
The card was made using all Stampin Up product.  I made the background using wax paper resist technique, stamped the baby sleepers (a hostess set from 2010 - I think) on Designer Series Paper, the clothes basket is the bottom of the cupcake punch and I ran it through the Square Lattice Die to make it look like wicker.  The mini clothespins are a new item in the Stampin Up catalogue for this year.  I love these clothespins!!!  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

In Color Swaps

I will be attending with a few of my friends the Regional Event for Stampin Up in a few weeks.  We are to make card front swaps with current product.  These are my swaps for this event (note the Red Eye).  I used the 2011 - 2013 In colors for this swap, the sewing was done with my regular sewing machine as I used a blanket stitch around the designer series paper.  The card is embossed with the Framed Tulips Embossing Folder, and the flowers are created from the Fun Flowers Die with the exception of the white middle portion coming from the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch and then run through the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder.  Hope this inspires your creativity..... I meant to use the Early Espresso Card Stock for this project, however, was all out, so made do with what I had.

TTFN

Kathy