Check out the bottle cap buttons!

I found this on the Interwebs, and you should see it. I can see these being used on toys and upholstery. Totally cool, go look.

http://ohnoelia.blogspot.com/2010/01/buttons.html

Giveaway for Baby Mamas

I'm totally obsessed with all things baby since I met my great-nephew Parker. Here's a cool giveaway:

http://ow.ly/16fv79

Good luck!

T Shirt Remod

My roomate Jim wanted a tank top for the gym,

so here's the trial run. I cut out the armholes and

neck, removed the pocket, then bound the

edges with strips from another butchered tee.

Add an iron-on transfer (probably illegally

obtained from the interwebs) and there you go.From

a plain pocket tee to a snazzy tank top in three easy

steps. Well, there were more steps, I had him try it on

a couple times in the process. He's super picky about the

fit of his clothes, so I cut down the holes a bit at a time

so to get it where he wanted it. It was easy, so I'll be making more for him. Next is one with the Sackboy

stencil...

Free Stencil Downloads

http://www.verybestbaking.com/promotions/free/stencils.aspx

I just came across these while entering a contest at Nestle. The stencils are for cakes and cupcakes, but since the download is a PDF file, they are easy to resize. I can imagine using them for many things, such as:

1. Use in a repeat pattern as a wall border.

2. Stencil some paint on fabric or paper.

3. Use those scrapbooking inks to stencil on cards, etc.

4. Use as patterns to make ornaments from fabric, paper, or recycled plastic. :D

5. Print coloring pages for toddlers.

And that's just off the top of my head. Now go make something!

Last Cards for Receive Your Own PC Swap

Three more postcard, this time it's a wrap. Receive Your Own PC crossed off the list. On the right is one inspired totally by the papers. It's a shout-out to Jasper Johns, I love his encaustic American flags, and while this one is not a flag, it is flag-like.

The idea for this one came totally from an article in the Dallas Observer a while back, it's all about the famous $30,000 millionaires of Dallas. The Dallas skyline with some beautiful oriental paper. Orange and blue make me happy lately.

(If you care to read the article, go here: www.dallasobserver.com/2007-11-29/news/douchebags-in-the-mist/).

This last one is a cutout of a dragon shape in a nod to my partner's penchant for oriental themes. You can't really see the dragon, and this picture shows the colors badly, but I love this one. I coated it with gloss sealer to protect the orange print paper and all those little cut edges. So now what will I work on??!!

Last Night's Swaps: Handmade Handbag and Craft for a Craft

This was for a handmade handbag swap. After two (2) false starts, I came up with this bag. It's made from a bargain buy so great I won't even say how little I paid, a placemat and napkin set I got a while back from the clearance rack. The placemat was heavy enough not to need interfacing, it's lined with the stripey napkin fabric, with an elastic loop and button closure. (Three stacked buttons there.) I bound the side seams on the outside, then squared the botton with a stitch across the corners inside. Easy, and cute, and from almost nothing!

This swap was a craft for a craft, and my partner likes Americana, red/white/blue things, so I made this heart-shaped potholder. All fabrics from my stash, and I used a new potholder from Landa for the substrate. Cut it, cover it, bind it, and voila, a new from nothing pot holder. Funny story about the applique stars....they were born to cover the tiny brown spots I managed to get on the front side midway through. That's me, destruction equals creation all over.

Two Cards

Here's another PC for the Receive Your Own PC swap. I have a penchant for cutting out images, do I layered this one with some bright card stock. You can't tell in the pic, but the purple background is handpainted with a slight texture. All from the stash Russ sent. I have tons more stuff, and lots of time, so stay tuned ...

A really bad picture of a card made for a friend. I loved this image I cut from a magazine. It reminds me of the time I lived in San Diego, and of stopping for fish tacos on the the drive home from Ensenada.