Purse for a toddler

My granddaughter turned one in May and since she took her first real steps in a store (Target), I think it is time she had a purse, don't you?

I followed the basic directions given here but instead of lining my purse, I chose a fabric to make it reversible. After turning down the top edge of the solid pink bands on both fabrics, I sewed the strap ends inside one print, tucked the second bag inside as you would do with the lining, pinned the button loop in place and pinned the folded edges together all around the purse opening. Back stitching was done over the straps and button loop for durability, and the then two buttons were sewn to complete the bag.

 

I used fat quarters of fabric to make this with a little fusible interfacing to give it more body. The body of the bag began as 11" x 5" rectangles (two of each print) to give you an idea of the size. The only hand sewing was attaching the two buttons.

Flamingos, Fireworks and Fiesta Fun!

No, those three things aren't related, but they've been a big part of my week.

Here is my most recent class project, this one from Vanilla Arts Art of Coloring series. The flamingo image was created by Amy. We colored it using Copic markers and Prismacolor pencils.

Last night was my city's fireworks display which is visible from my front yard. Yay for me and my neighbors! We have enjoyed this annual event for years, inviting our extended families and friends to join us for a terrific view with the comforts of our homes nearby. The weather was beautiful last night and the bugs were at someone else's party with only a few mosquitoes crashing ours.

My grandson got to hang with the big kids, "big" being two 11 year olds and another 6 year old who is half a year older. My youngest niece, an aunt to the three other boys, allowed the kids to sit on her car's roof with their legs through the sun roof. Pretty great seating for the guys!

And the last F in this alliterative blog post is for Fiesta. Tonight we are joining neighbors as we celebrate their daughter's wedding. The ladies were married four months ago with immediate families and closest friends at a beach locale that obviously was not Michigan!  The end of February in Michigan....I wouldn't want to participate in anything outside because that leads to another F: frigid!

Tonight's celebration is a fiesta, so my new stamp purchase from Stampin' Up (Birthday Fiesta) was used for the first time.

The patterned paper is not a Stampin' Up product, but the stamps and dies used are all part of Birthday Fiesta. I did not stamp the llamas (or are they alpacas?) because of using the back side of one die cut. I used a Copic multiliner (similar to a Micron pen) to replicate the markers on the stamp.

I had fun with everything, but then again, I almost always do. Look for the good, look for the humor, look at all that is good around you. It is there, always.

Stop worrying and make something!

Sometimes the fear of not doing something well prevents us from even trying. Isn't that silly? Unless you're about to try sky diving without a parachute, you are probably not going to hurt yourself in an attempt to do something artistic or crafty.

I know this and still sometimes put up emotional obstacles. I was doing that again recently until my inner voice told the outer me to stop this and just make something! I'm not looking to sell my work so there isn't the stress of public acceptance. I'm not expecting anything I make to hang in a museum. My goal is to learn and to have fun, so why was I beating myself up?

There are long answers, short answers, unrelated answers and no answers. The good news is that I am done with that again, hopefully for a long while. When the inner voice reminded me that I'm not in competition with Mother Nature, my instructor or the people on either side of me, I knew that was right and calmed down and enjoyed creating again.

Here is my proof:

Amaryllis

Dogwood

Trillium

These are all class assignments with one more that needs to be restarted. Botanicals scare the heck out of me. Isn't that silly? I can't keep a plant alive but that shouldn't apply to painted plants.

There is something in each picture that I really like and at least one thing that causes me to wince in each, but overall, I am happy and plan to frame each one.

I would like to say that I'll return to these images and paint them again, starting over fresh, but honestly. I have so many things that I want to create, that might not happen.  The objectives of each class will hopefully stick with me and allow me to merrily flit from one project to the next.

Edited to add: Here is a photo of them framed. By framing standards, these are not expensive, but they are matted, under glass and were sprayed with a sealant the day before framing.

Copic reds

Ahhh, red....I love red!  I love Copic markers too but sometimes have trouble finding the right red or combinations of reds and other colors (highlights and shadows) to create something realistic. Thanks to classes, I'm learning. 

This class was taught last month at Remember When? Scrapbooking by Amy (Vanilla Arts Co) based on a Penny Black stamp with a wooden fence/paneled wall background. This is a beginner level class in Copic Club. 

This teacup full of strawberries was also taught by Amy at the same shop last month. The strawberries are even more amazing seen up close.  This is part of the Advanced Coloring class taught monthly. Advanced doesn't mean more difficult, it simply means you have a working knowledge of how to use the markers, how to get them to blend and have (or are willing to purchase) more markers to achieve the desired affect. 

Part of the secret to these successes is using a bit of Prismacolor pencil after the Copic coloring is done. The strawberry image is not quite finished in the above photo but I am having trouble with iCloud for Windows. The photo is in there, but I can't access it on my PC to bring it here. The only thing missing are some shadows and a line indicating a table edge in the background.

For information on live or online classes with Amy, click on Vanilla Arts  or look for Remember When? Scrapbook Store and Vanilla Arts Company on Facebook.

Cash star: 5 bills create a star

Another birthday in my clan means time spent searching for a way to present cash creatively. This was fun and an easy fold. I will definitely do this again!

Clear instructions are here and also here. The first link uses plain paper in the instructions but also offers a video.