Friday, February 27, 2015

Wild and Crazy Puppets

Here is my hand puppet that I mentioned a few days ago.
I know it does look a little wild. I didn't have a pattern or directions on how to make this so I was really playing it by ear. I drew a simple pattern around my hand for this. It took me three tries to get the hair on it  but here is what I did. I looped fuzzy yarn around my fingers. Then I laid it on the head of the puppet on the inside. I had wrong sides together. (Felt really doesn't have a wrong side but this is what would be on the inside when finished.) I sewed with my machine about 1/4" from the edge of the puppet all the way around except the bottom opening. After it was sewn, I turned it. I clipped the loops in the yarn for the hair. I used left over pieces of felt for clothes, mouth and nose and glued them on with white glue. The eyes are the wiggly kind that you can find in most any craft department. I glued them on also. Now the puppet is ready to tell whatever story that child who received it wants. Maybe it will tell another child about Jesus.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

I love shopping card


This will be sent to my sweet granddaughter in college in New York City. She's got to have love from home from time to time. Of course, her mom sends her love all the time.
Materials needed:
Old Olive card stock 4 1/4 x 5 1/2"
Melon Mambo card stock, this was from a scrap
Doily from SU
Silk and paper flowers
Brad
Image from My Best Friend, from Quick Cards

I used 4 layers of petals and put the brad through each one. Then I punched a hole in the Old Olive card stock and inserted the brad.
To get the doily large enough to show above and below the image, I cut the doily in half and placed it to fit with the image. The Melon Mambo card stock covers up the cut part of the doily.

Monday, February 23, 2015

Using the Old to Make New

Ok, so I'm a little OCD when it comes to OCC, Operation Christmas Child. My hubby tells me that these days I eat, sleep, and breathe OCC and he's right. I'm constantly combing through Pinterest looking for ideas of things I can make for my shoeboxes. When I go in any store, I'm looking to see if there is something on clearance or on sale that I can buy for my shoeboxes. After Valentine, when items were 50%  and 75% off, I bought 1500 suckers to go in shoeboxes, both my personal ones and the ones at the packing party we will do at church. I know National Collection Week is not until the week before Thanksgiving but suckers are things that will last a long time.

So I saw some cute felt dress up dolls that I thought would be perfect for my shoeboxes. I looked as several sites to try to find some free patterns. I finally found one but the patterns were so small that my hands would curl up permanently if I tried to cut them out. Then it hit me! I still have scads of the old Sizzix dies that I used to use with my Sizzix machine. And they will work in my newer Big Shot machine. I have the doll body, dresses, overalls, bath time, shoes, and some where hidden around here, I know I still have a hair die. These are perfect for making the felt dress up dolls for shoe boxes.



Here is the doll body. I actually used adhesive backed felt for this and mounted it on card stock before I cut it in the machine. This will give it a bit more weight and should make it easier to play with. I cut out all different colors of clothes to go with it. I was trying to find a good way to package this. One site that I read suggested the boxes from baby wipes but I don't use that many wipes. No baby in this house any more! I decided to use the jewel cases from cd's or dvd's. I bought some at Wal-Mart that I will be taking back. They are the slim ones and do NOT work for this. I had some older ones at home that I have acrylic stamps in. I had taken the cd holder part out and just used the plastic case. Works great for that but it also works great for these felt dolls. I will be looking for some more of these thick ones in days to come to put my stamps back in them! lol



I used red double sided sticky tape on the back of a piece of felt cut to fit and adhered it to the back side of the case. On the front side I put a picture of the dolls facing out so the children can see what is in the case. On the inside of the picture, I wrote a scripture. The clothes stick to the felt piece easily and can be taken off to put on the doll.


This is what the front looks like.

I also have the "Beary" dies of bears and clothes that SU had a couple of years ago. 

I cut these out too and packaged them the same way as the dolls.

These will be great in my shoeboxes and I think some little girls some where in the world will have a great time playing with them.

It is wonderful the way Operation Christmas Child delivers these gifts children around the world who have nothing or very little. The most important thing to remember about OCC is that with each shoe box, there is the opportunity for the children to learn about the love of Jesus Christ. These shoe boxes open doors that otherwise, would not be opened. Think of every shoe box as a gospel opportunity!

Saturday, February 21, 2015

A Snowy Get Well


My grandson, who currently lives in North Carolina, slipped on icy steps this morning and fell and broke his right arm. He is 13 and was outside playing with his little cousin. I think this is his first broken bone. No fun but it is a part of childhood. Jacob, get well soon.

Materials needed:
Light blue patterned paper 4 1/4 x 5 1/2"
Old Olive card stock 1 1/4 x 5 1/2"
Rich Razzleberry card stock 2 1/2 x 3 1/2"
White card stock
The More the Merrier stamp set from SU a few years ago
Various colored markers
A band aid

I greeting of "Watch Out" was done free hand.

Monday, February 16, 2015

Fishing for a Birthday

Fabulous Fellas stamp set by Katy sue designs
Rich Razzleberry card stock
Soft Suede card stock
Old Olive card stock
Pastel chalks
button
thread

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Butterfly Garden


Materials needed:
Butterfly Garden embossing folder and stamp set by Jenny Ellory
Old Olive card stock
Calypso Coral card stock
Strawberry Slush ink
White satin ribbon

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Wild Birthday

Oh me, oh my! Can I complain just a bit? I've been trying to get some posts on here for much of January & here it is February. Hopefully, I'll get this one today. Computer problems, sewing machine problems, kids problems, grown up problems!! Well, things are getting worked out and none of the problems have really been too serious, just frustrating. I'm going to choose to praise the Lord anyway because I know that things could always be worse. God is still good and He still brings me through the difficult times!

Ok, I've made this card for Parker, our missions pastor's son. Parker is such a sweetie and I always enjoy when I get to see him. He will be 6 in about a week.

This is really an easy card to make. Just stamp, cut and paste.
Materials needed:
Pumpkin Pie card stock 4 1/4 x 5 1/2"
Patterned paper (this is left over from Tall Tales from a couple years ago) 4 x 5 1/4"
Animal Stories stamp set SU!
Pumpkin Pie card stock for matting for the stamps
White card stock
So Saffron card stock
Priority Mail stamp set or other set with Happy Birthday
Curly Label punch
Pumpkin Pie ink
Basic Gray ink
Island Indigo ink