Baby Gift for Ava

My mother in law and sister in-law spend a week every summer at Viking Village in the Adirondacks. They decorate their cabin from top to bottom in watermelons. For many years I had my cherry kitchen. I am forever getting them watermelon things and they keep me supplied in all things cherry.

When this darling (perfect condition) Gymboree cherry dress jumped off the racks at me at Goodwill, I knew it was time to spread my cherry love to the next generation. Baby Ava may be surrounded by watermelons, but she can represent with the cherries.

First things first, I asked my sister in-law how she felt about used clothing. I seriously doubt this dress was ever worn. It is in mint condition, but you never know. People can be nervous about used clothing. She was fine with it.


I made some denim bloomers from this MADE tutorial. Easy peasy.


And some cherry-esq shoes from this tutorial. Squeel! I love these! By the way, I was in such a rush to get these off to the post office, I didn't have time to do any kind of photo shoot. I quickly posed in front of Cliff's Macbook camera.

Hey Ava, watermelon is fun, but cherries are so cheery! Is there anything cuter than a onesie? Yes, a onesie with a cute applique.

This is the face I'd like to make for my niece. Do you think babies can focus in on Skype? Doll inspired by this tutorial.

So there you have it. One thrifted dress inspired an entire shower gift!





Check out other frugal projects at Frugal Friday!
Also, I am going to try for this:

Heart to Heart Valentines Swap

Once again this year I participated in the Heart to Heart Valentines Swap. I was pretty much stuck for ideas until I saw this post and learned how to make picture holders out of little metal tart tins. I just so happened to have 14 of the tart tins!


Here they are lined up like little soldiers. The photo is of my Aunt Janet and she is holding a quilled heart. The quote by ee cumings says, "I carry your heart, I carry it in my heart."  I figure the recipients can use the photo holder for their own picture after Valentines is over. The hardest part was thinking of how to package them. I ended up using Gorilla tape to secure the wire underneath. It's less permanent than hot glue, but I figured if it all popped apart in transit it would be very simple to fix. Simply press everything back in place.

Today I received my package! Oh my word! The amazing stuff inside! I will let Sarah share it on her blog, but I do want to say thanks to all the creative talent that participated!

CSI Typography Contest II- Special Dates Glasses

I made these glasses for Cliff for Christmas. The glasses are from Ikea.
 
I created stencils by using the Ellison press at school to punch out the numbers on labels. Then I filled the stencil with etching creme. I had to let the creme sit much longer than the directions said. I wonder if my bottle was expired? Anyway, they are pretty subtle but I love them. I love being reminded of these important dates.
 
The first one has our wedding date and the second one says, "11-15-85."  I thought the year would be a dead giveaway, but Cliff couldn't remember the significance. And, that is how Christmas turned into a pop quiz for my dearest. (Truth be told, I had to consult my high school diary for that date, so maybe it wasn't so obvious after all.)

November 15, 1985 was our first first-date. I was 14 and Cliff was a senior. I was so sure my parents would never let me go on a date with a Senior.  I had a huge crush on him and I thought it would be fun to see their reaction. So, I told them, "I have a date with a Senior." and waited for the chips to fall. The joke was on me. My mother said, "Oh, we know his parents. They are way more strict than us. You can go."

We went on a few dates and that was it until 1-1-01 which apparently is in the dishwasher.

This is another entry for the CSI Typography Contest. 


Hope you are having a great day!

CSI Typography Contest

I spent last weekend at the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) convention. I was helping out at the Quilled Creations booth most of the time, but I did get around to many of the other vendors. From across the room I saw this red head and I thought, "Hey! I know her!" Sure enough, it was Beckie from Infarrantly Creative. (And, I actually don't "know" her, but I do read her blog everyday so I feel like I know her.)  Anyway, we started chatting and bonded a bit over our love for transforming junk.

Beckie told me she was super busy getting sponsors for her various blog projects and she wasn't kidding! Look at this prize package for this week's CSI Project!

I am fixing to do another special typography project soon, but I don't think it will be done by Friday noon. So I am tossing my hat in the ring with this favorite project. It was a special love note for Cliff.

When I saw this great quote art on Ohdeedoh I started looking for the right canvas to make our own quote art.

I found this frame for just $4 at a local thrift store. It looked like it was a framed canvas. However, when I took it apart it was just a thick frame and a thin fabric wrapped cardboard.

 It was perfect for this project!  I recently saw someone who used a cut up book to make a text mosaic and loved the idea for the background. Perfect since my husband is a writer.

I used the Elison press at school to cut two old books into squares for the text mosaic. I used an old book of quotes and a book called Love and Glory. If you look close you can see lots of fun quotes, my name as one of the characters in Love and Glory and of course the word "love" many times. I chose the books mostly for their shades of age.

I used Modge Podge to glue the squares in an alternating pattern. I tried to select a variety of shades of yellowing.

Next I printed out a snippet of ee coming's poem i carry your heart printed in a large American Typewriter font. I scribbled with a dark pencil on the back to make carbon paper.

I secured it to the canvas with painters tape. This worked really well and did not damage the collage at all. I used a pen and pressed hard to trace the words.

I call this method the poor woman's Silhouette. 

Next I used a Sharpie marker to fill in the letters. They are not perfect, but I am pleased with the overall effect.

I'd say it took two episodes of Glee (on Hulu) and two episodes of Dancing with the Stars to make this project. I can think of many other cool backgrounds. Perhaps a smaller photo or scrapbook paper.

I hope you didn't mind the repeat!