Sage green themed baby boy quilt

Here you go, as promised, this is the beautiful quilt that my mum made for my friends little baby boy.

Simple, but really very cute with all those little animals.

Quilted lion cushion

Another quilted idea from my mum to share with you today... I saw something similar in a shop and took a photo, and this is what she created!

A great way to use up small pieces of fabric and can be made with any colour theme in mind.

Jungle safari quilt

I shared a baby card with you at the weekend, which I made for a friends new arrival. The jungle/safari theme makes a lovely change from blue or pink baby cards... so I was even more excited when my mum created this beautiful quilted blanket after I asked her to make something for the nursery.

All I told her was that it needs to be orange and green and have a jungle/safari theme. Isn't it absolutely beautiful! Here are a few close up's of the individual animals.

Lovely lion

Owl with pocket

Funky monkey

Elephant

Stampin' Up! fans may recognise some of the fabrics that were used, bits and pieces left over from the fabric range that is now retired unfortunately.

Batik in Koh Lipe, Thailand

Whilst I was in Thailand last year, I had a chance to create a piece of batik.

Batik is a cloth that is traditionally made using a manual wax-resist dyeing technique, and something I have tried before. But this was in 35 degree temperature, outside... and I was pretty chuffed with the outcome.

Here's a few pictures showing what I got up to...

Drawing the design, from scratch!

Waxing the outline

Colouring

Final background colouring

The finished piece :)

Baby's quilted blanket

This post is long overdue... after I returned form my travels I have struggled to get everything onto my blog. Whilst I was away, my good friend had a new baby. And this is what my mum created for me to give as the new baby present.

A handy quilted blanket... which doubles as a counting chart for her elder son too. The baby room is bear themed so I'm hoping they have been using it lots since I gave it to her in January.

I will be sharing some of the other quilting projects created by my mum from time to time... they are just too good not to show you :).

Especially for my mum

Of course as it's mother's day I was tasked with conjuring up something for my mum and decided to go with a quilting theme, as she is such a keen quilter.

Here's what I came up with...

Lots of scraps of DSP utilised in this card using a square punch, which I have then laid out on a top note (Stampin', Up! Die).

The lettering for 'MUM' comes from one of Papermania's stamp sets from the Urban Stamp range - Stitched Alphabets. Perfect for a quilter :). 

Hand painted... everything/anything

Whilst I was in Chiang Mai (Thailand) recently, I visited a handicraft centre just outside of the main city. 

The focus there, is on handmade paper items, mainly umbrellas and parasols, but there are some other items like the mulberry paper flowers I used in the card in my recent post.

As well as paper there's the opportunity to meet with local artists and choose a hand painted design for them to adorn whatever item you choose.

Many people were just getting items of clothing they were wearing decorated. If I had thought far enough ahead I would have brought items that I could use as gifts for family and friends, although I'm not sure how I would have carried them all home...

Instead, got my bag painted. It's one I acquired a few months back after the one I left home with fell apart. It's just a cheap one I picked up in Bangkok but I'm hoping it will last a bit longer as I'm likely to be treasuring it after my trip, now that it has been painted :).

This is after a couple of months of wear and tear, but you can still see the glitter (not too clear in the photo).

Check out more details of the places I visited where paper handicrafts were everywhere - over on my travel site if you are interested: Paper handicrafts in Laos and Thailand.

Clutch purse

I just had to share this with you, despite it not using Stampin' Up! products...

I needed a purse/bag to go with my outfit for the wedding that I attended in Mallorca last week, and I just couldn't find anything blue, to match the dress.  Fortunately Mum was available to make something and this is what she came up with... it even has a red butterfly to match with the dress.

Inside... with pockets for everything!

It was perfect for my camera, phone and money too, plus it could easily be adapted to match something else by changing the butterfly :).

Happy Mothers Day Mum

Being out of the UK I almost forgot that it is Mothers Day today!  

I did make a few cards in haste before departing last month, and fortunately had remembered this one for my Mum :)!

The base is Basic Black and I have embossed a piece of Real Red card stock, cut with one of the Designer Labels Framelits dies, with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder and used this for the background.

I've added a butterfly cut from Twitterpated fabric (adhered to card) using the Beautiful Butterflies die and then punched out a Decorative Label punch shape stamped with the sentiment from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set and decorated with one of the stamps from the Bloomin' Marvelous SAB stamp set.

Bag from old jeans

What do you do with an old pair of jeans when you wither can't fit in them anymore, or it's time just time to bin them?

Well, my Mum came up with an idea when she stumbled across an old pair of mine in her loft recently!  I needed a 'casual' bag so she simply, used my old pair of jeans to make one!

To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect... but as usual Mum came up with another brilliant design and managed to incorporate Stampin' Up! fabrics into it too :)!

You have to actually see this bag to appreciate just how brilliant it is!  Not only is it the perfect size for a handbag, it has pockets all over the place created from the original jeans pockets.

The strap is lined with Stampin' Up! fabrics and she has also created a little key chain inside and then some charms for the zip.

Then there are the pockets inside... check this one out:

It's just the right size for some pocket tissues or my iphone, so I won't lose it.  And finally, there's a bottle holder and more pockets and the whole thing is lined.

I've discarded my handbag for this amazing bag as soon as I got it... just love it love it love it!

Thanks Mum x

Another idea for fabric scraps

There are some gorgeous new fabrics coming in the new Spring/Summer mini catalogue.  

With quite a few bits of leftover scraps of fabric my mum found a great way to use these up before the new products arrived... 

Do you have lots of scraps of fabric leftover... why not make a pin cushion like this:

There are lots of ways to use up scraps of fabric, my favourite so far is definitely me gorgeous marker pen case which my mum made me sometime ago... check it out here.  She really is very talented!

Check out the fabrics on pages 170-171 of the main catalogue and keep an eye out for the new Spring/Summer catalogue which is released tomorrow (1 Feb)... I can't wait to see what my mum can create from these :).

Tomorrow I will be taking part in a blog hop with some of the other Stampin' Stars demonstrators, so check back here then from 9am to check out the new catalogue and some ideas using some of the new products.

Comfort Cafe bags

Have you seen the gorgeous Comfort Cafe suite of products in the main catalogue?  I couldn't resist asking my mum to create me some new bags with the fabrics and this is what she came up with:

Notice the little key fob in the first photo?  Mum has also used up the leftover scraps of other Stampin' Up! fabrics to create the heart shaped pockets on the front of these bags... 

Aren't these great!  If you would like to get your hands on some of these lovely fabrics just contact me in the usual way at jadedcrafter@gmail.com and order before the end of the month to be in with a chance of winning the stamp set that I am offering in my January draw.

Christmas stocking

With Christmas fast approaching, and hopefully most of your cards now made, it's time to think about other bits and pieces.  Therefore today I have Christmas stocking to share with you made with the Candlelight Christmas fabric in the Autumn/Winter catalogue...

If you are a regular reader of my blog you will know that I wouldn't have made this myself as my mum is the sewing expert... here's a close up of the Christmas tree that features a variety of buttons and sequins...

Normally tomorrow would be a day back at work, but I've quit my job, so will be making the most of putting my feet up for a bit.  I'm actually in London for a few days so you should be able to catch up on what I get up to on my travel site when I get around to updating it.

An idea for fabric scraps

Well I had a lovely weekend up in the Lake District, despite the weather being pretty rainy today, the rest of the weekend was reasonably sunny.  However I have had absolutely no internet or phone signal and no time to schedule any posts, so this one comes live for a change :).

 

I've been waiting a while to share this idea with you, as it was something I asked my mum to make for me to house all my lovely Stampin' Write marker pens, and I finally got it when I saw her this weekend...

 

If you look closely (sorry - rubbish photo!) you can see the scraps of Stampin' Up! fabric used to create the 'quilted' pattern on the outside of the denim material.

 

Here's a close up of one section and what's inside:

I'm so excited that I can now carry all my markers around in this lovely case ... and show off all the different Stampin' Up! fabrics :0).

 

The little pocket at the bottom that makes sure the pens don't fall out is made from little sections of the fabrics too...

I'm off to unpack, have a good evening x

 

Comfort Cafe butterfly thanks

Today I have a card created with the lovely Comfort Cafe fabric, as I really love these colours.

 



The base is Whisper White and I've teamed Summer Star Fruit (new in colours) with Pool Party.  If you look closely you will see that I've embossed the Scallop Circle die cut with the Elegant Bouquet embossing folder and then layered this over a panel of Summer Start Fruit card stock which has strips of Pool Party cut with one of the Finishing Touches Edgelits dies. 

 

The butterfly has been cut with the Beautiful Butterflies die after mounting the fabric onto card.

 

I'll be placing an order when I'm back from my trip so feel free to email me (jadedcrafter@gmail.com) with details of anything you would like to order and if you live close to me (GU16) you can save on postage.

Timeless glasses

By my calculations I should be home from Lake Garda, Italy tonight.  Sadly, this means back to work tomorrow too...

 

Here's another fabric project, which are fast becoming regular on my blog... thanks to my mum!

 



I've seen a few glasses cases made with Stampin' Up! materials on the web, but the creation of a 'his and her's matching glasses case set, one with a hard case and one with a quilted case, has to be the first :).

 

I'm not going to try to explain how she did it, but if you want a pattern I am sure my mum will be able to provide one. 

 

More importantly if you want to place an order for any of the fabrics in the catalogue's or anything else then just contact me at jadedcrafter@gmail.com

Flirtatious hair embellishments

Back to work and a very hectic workload today...

 

Here's a neat idea to use up any remaining scraps of fabric that you might have, or why not check out page 170-171 of the main catalogue, as there are lots of new fabrics now available as well as some of our old favourties.

 

This idea uses the Flirtatious fabrics to create little hair embellishments...

 



 

I must confess that I'm not the sewing kind, but my mum assures me these are very straight forwad to make, so those of you that can handle a needle and thread should have no problems :).

 

They would also make great back accessories... in fact, the ideas are endless.

 



Harvest time shopping bags

I'm out and about today... squeezing in some walking (hopefully) before the winter is upon us!

 

Tomorrow the new Stampin' Up! main catalogue will be released, so check back then to check out the new products.

 

With the end of September almost here, the harvest season is almost over too.  The Orchard Harvest range of DSP and fabrics in the Stampin' Up! Autumn/Winter catalogue are great for this time of year, but I actually think they could be popular well into the winter and next year as they include a lovely selection of colours.

 

My mum has been busying herself with these fabrics creating some gorgeous shopping bags which I think show off the potential with these great products...

 

The pear is actually a pocket on one side with the stalk embroidered using a chain stitch.  Here's a close up which shows this a little better...

 

Continuing the fruit theme, here's the other 'stripey' fabric from the pack.

 

The apple stalk and leaf is more embroidery with the apple itself creating a sizable pocket too.

 

If this doesn't encourage you to make a purchase of these lovely fabrics retailing at just £8.95 per pack (3 different patterned pieces measuring 68.6 x 45.7cm each), then I would be very surprised... I'm just hoping there's enough fabric left over to create me something else to share with you another day :).

 

If you would like to order these fabrics or anything else from the Stampin' Up! catalogues then just contact me at jadedcrafter@gmail.com

Retiring fabric at bargain prices

Oh my gosh some of the retiring products have already sold out! 

 

The lists are updated each day, and you can see things dropping off as they are marked with an X in the availability column... so contact me now to place your order and avoid disappointment.

 

And don't forget I am offering FREE postage on orders of £45 or more during the month of September.

 

As well as the stamp sets and card stock which seems to be selling fast, some of the fabrics are also retiring and they are a complete bargain at less than 3 quid a pack compared to the original RRP of £8.95...

 

Remember the lavender bags made from the Flirtatious fabric that I posted here last month.  Where here are some more, made using the Deck the Halls fabric ...

 



I actually think this fabric works well for a non Christmas project (such as this door stop) as well as a Christmas one. And at the price of a pack of just £2.69 - that's 70% off you can't possibly go wrong, even with postage (normally £4.95) that is less than the original RRP!

 

Why not check out the new Autumn/Winter mini catalogue for some more festive products.  I'm hosting my FREE catalogue launch event on Saturday 15th September form 1pm so why not come along and take a look in person and chat to some other like minded crafters.  There will be a make and take project for you to give it a try, so why not bring a friend.  Just contact me to book your place.

Deck the 'sunroom' with a door stop

Happy Bank Holiday!

 

Today I have another fabric project to share with you... although I have to confess that it's made by my mum as sewing isn't something I am too good at.

 

I've been moaning about the doors in my sunroom, as they don't stay open fully without somtehing in front of them, so mum has made me a door stop, from the lovely Deck the Halls fabric!

 

 

I think he needs some proper eyes, but there are no big buttons in any of the current Stampin' Up! catalogues, so we will have get him some when the new Autumn/Winter mini catalogue is released later this week. 

 

Yes, it's out on 1st September, so watch this space, or email me to be added to the mailing list to receive full details on release day.