Fabric Flower Pin = Gift Wrap Bow

Last week I met a friend for lunch. We were celebrating her birthday.  I had her gift for a while but had not wrapped it. It was a lovely garden stone. It can be laid flat in a flower garden or it has the option of hanging on a porch. 
It was too heavy for a gift bag. I wrapped it in tissue and used a large shirt box. I covered it in a lime wrapping paper but I didn't have a bow that was big enough. I decided I wanted to make a bow that could be used as a pin on a scarf, hat, sweater or even a tote or handbag.

I used pinking shears to cut a long strip. I used it like ribbon and wrapped and taped it around the top quarter of the box. 

The inside of an embroidery hoop makes a great template for a yo-yo. I traced around it on the backside of the fabric. Cut it out and took a large running stitch around the edge. I love making yo-yo's.

I found scrap complementing fabric and made two rolled flowers. 

Once I put the three together, I knew the yo-yo needed a little something extra. I went to my button jar and tried several different options. I settled on this beauty.

I love polka dots.

I finished the back by cutting a piece of felt to fit around all three flowers. Hot glue is an amazing invention. I then added a pin clasp. To attach the pin to the package, I opened the pin and stuck it in to the fabric strip. I love how my  handmade bow turned out! Do you have a wrapping trick that you use?

sharing:

http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/2012/11/whatever-goes-wednesday-144.html

http://www.mygirlishwhims.com/2012/11/your-whims-wendesday-85-and-features.html

http://www.sew-much-ado.com/2012/11/we-did-it-wednesday_13.html

http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/2012/11/wow-us-wednesdays-92.html

http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com/2012/11/wow-me-wednesday-77-nativity-vinyl.html

http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2012/11/wednesdays-adorned-from-above-link_14.html

http://www.semihomemademom.com/2012/11/show-share-wednesday-12.html

http://www.finecraftguild.com/party-40/

http://raegunwear.blogspot.com/2012/11/what-we-wore-read-and-made-thanksgiving.html

http://www.the36thavenue.com/2012/11/diy-christmas-ideas.html

http://growingupgabel.com/2012/11/pin-it-link-party-3/

http://www.504main.com/2012/11/tickled-pink-no-123.html

I've Been Tagged! You're IT!

Good morning! I've been tagged for a game of blog tag by Sunshine and Lollipops. It's an opportunity for bloggers to get to meet and know one another. 

Here are the rules:

1. Every tagged person has to tell 11 things about themselves.
2. The person who tagged you asked 11 questions, answer them.
3. Ask 11 questions for the 11 blogs you are going to tag, please choose blogs with less than 200 followers.
4. Mention the blog that tagged you, but don't tag them back.

11 Things about me:

1. I am the oldest child and I have one younger sister. And no, we are not twins. :) We get asked that a lot.
2. I married my high school sweetheart at the ripe old age of 17! I have been married to said sweetheart for 30 years!
3. I have two children. A son, 25, and a daughter, 23.
4. I am originally from MS and grew up in a rural area with chickens, pigs and lots of fields to hoe and grow vegetables.
5. I have picked cotton. Once. I was 7.
6. I love country music. My husband does not. ;)
7. I live in the beautiful state of SC and have for 26 years. We moved here for my husband to finish school at Clemson University.
8. I love to travel and just got back from a trip to CO.
9. I love coffee. I am a 4 cup each morning girl. 
10. I am saved by grace and am thankful for God's merciful love.

Sunshine and Lollipop asked me the following questions.

1. What is your favorite craft/hobby? I change this often. Right now, I would say embroidery. I also love to machine sew and really any thing that has to do with a needle and thread. My other love is reading. 
2. How long have you been into your hobby/crafts? I learned to embroider, cross-stitch, etc. around the age of 12. My grandmother taught me. I learned to sew on a sewing machine at age 15 in a home economics class at school. My grandmother continued that education.
3. Do you have a special room or designated place to do your hobby? If so, what do you call this space? I call it the guest room. :) Well, that is for any sewing on my machine. Embroidery is done in my large comfy chair in the den while I watch a DVRed program. I did have a craft/office combo room but my husband has commandeered that room as a full office since he works from home now.
4. What time of day do you craft? I usually craft in the afternoon. I cannot do anything creative if my house is a mess. I do all my morning chores and then can feel free to make a crafty mess. ;) I can't see well enough to craft at night.
5. What is your favorite tool for crafty/hobby? This is hard because I have so many. I do love my embroidery scissors that have a curved blade. I can nip threads so close without a tag left.
6. What was your last purchased tool? New needle packet.
7. What would you purchase if money were no object? If you're meaning something for crafts, I would have a studio built just for my use. Wouldn't that be divine? 
8. If you could live anywhere, where would you live? I would live where it is warm year-around. Maybe with mountains and ocean together, so I am thinking Hawaii! Aloha!
9. What is your favorite season? Summer! I love flip-flops and shorts weather.
10. What is your favorite TV show? Justified!
11. Do you like sports? What's your favorite sport? We are huge baseball fans and I love watching Braves baseball. I also am a huge Dukes basketball fan. 

The Grand Finale! My 11 questions to ask.

1. How long have you been blogging and what is your main focus on your blog?
2. What is your favorite craft/hobby?
3. What is your current or latest project?
4. Do you craft for yourself or for gift-giving?
5. What is your favorite holiday?
6. Who is your favorite author?
7. Do you have a favorite blog that you have to read? If so, share the name and link. :)
8. Where is your favorite place to vacation?
9. Do you love to cook or eat out?
10. What is your favorite food?
11. Tea, coffee or wine?

I am tagging the following blogs. Please let me know if you want to play and I will check out your answers! 

1. http://phaedrasadventures.blogspot.com/
2. http://gracelangdon.blogspot.com/
3. http://livingforhisglory2.blogspot.com/
4. http://lifewithremii.blogspot.com/
5. http://stillwoodsfarmhouse.blogspot.com/
6. http://www.arahbellas.blogspot.com/
7. http://sugarspiceandeverythingnicely.blogspot.com/2012/10/cold-weather-calls-for-soup.html
8. http://ohforpaperssake.blogspot.com/
9. http://blessedbeme-rita.blogspot.com/
10. http://southernchiclove.blogspot.com/
11. http://graycardigan.blogspot.com/

A Month Of Thankfulness - Days 9, 10, 11 & 12

I have had an unusually busy last two weeks. I decided to take a weekend off from the blogging/online world and just spend time with my family and friends. Friday we had a Thanksgiving dinner at church. We have only been going there since April but already feel a connection with so many. We were blessed to be there and so,

Day 9 - I am thankful for Seacoast Church. 

Saturday I spent the morning running errands while my guys went to the Clemson-Maryland game. Good thing they are Clemson fans and my hubby is an alumni. Bless Maryland's  heart. Our son's girlfriend, Kristin, and I had a girls night and had dinner and a movie. Kristin had never seen Steel Magnolias and that was the choice for the evening. Many giggles and a few (her) or lots of tears (me) made a wonderful evening.

Day 10 - I am thankful for my relationship with Kristin. Not only is she Cody's long-term girlfriend, I am honored to call her friend and a daughter of my heart.

Kristin and Cody. This was taken at the last Braves game of the season.

Stan and I went to early service yesterday morning and then spent the afternoon with my sweet niece, Jordan. She turned 6 in June and she is our little miracle. We are so blessed and thankful for each and every day of her sweet life. The saying about an adopted child being carried in the mother's heart instead of their womb is true for our entire family. Jordan climbed trees with her Uncle Stan and we colored and watched Scooby Doo. Then we took her to a friend's birthday party at Chuck e Cheese. When the 2 hour party was nearing the end, Stan looked at me and said he knew why grandparents napped, it was because they are tired!!! LOL. It has been a long time since we have run after a 6 year old all day.

Day 11 - I am thankful for Jordan and the joy she brings to our lives.

Jordan and I coloring and watching Scooby Doo. (yes, that is stacked boxes of hardwood in the background. We only have our bedroom and bath left to do!)

Yesterday, tree climbing!

This is one of my favorite photos of our daughter, Hanna, and Jordan. 

Have you ever seen such a sweet and trusting face? She adores her Uncle Stan. 

2009 Grandkids photo for my mom.

Day 12 - I am thankful for my sister, Angie. We fought like nobody's business as kids but have grown in to the best of friends. And she is willing to share her sweet baby with me. See day 11! :) Angie is a wonderful sister, aunt, wife, daughter and momma. I love you, sister!

Okay, it is so sad I had to go all the way back to 2008 to find a picture of Angie and I together. And I am 30 pounds heavier with short hair! Ugh. New goal for 2013 is take lots of family photos. 

Jordan, Angie and Lionel. A beautiful family. 

A Month Of Thankfulness - Day 8

Day 8 - I am thankful for my momma. Not only is she a great mom but she was a great wife to my dad for 42 years. In the last months of his life, while battling cancer, she cared and nursed him daily, meeting all his needs. My mom is also a great nanny. My adult kids love and adore her and our sweet little Jordan, my 6 year old niece, does as well. Mom treats both her sons-in-law as her sons. And now my mom cares for her mother. My grandmother lived with her for several years and after a massive stroke, she lives in a nursing facility. My mom goes each day to check on her, do her laundry and love her when she isn't recognized by her mother. So, today and every day, I am thankful for my mom, Linda. Love you, Momma.

Here Come the Holidays - SPARK Link Party & Printcopia Giveaway

It's November, that means that not only are we all gearing up for the holidays, but it's also time for our new November SPARK themed party!

Time to inspire and be inspired with our recipes, stories, home decor, photography, crafts, DIY projects, Etsy items, and more.

The November theme for the month is-

A big welcome and thank you to our party giveaway sponsor this month-

Printcopia is a photo printing company that creates personal photos on canvas prints. The process is super user-friendly, just click the link and upload your photo. You even have to option to upload from Facebook or Instagram.
One lucky winner will receive a custom 8x10 canvas print (ARV over $40)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

SPARK is co-hosted by these lovely bogs

and these November guest hosts

SPARK Participation Guidelines

1. Become followers of each of the co-hosts as well as our guest hosts. We all have a variety of follow options on our blogs to make it easy for you.
2. Only family friendly links
3. Feel free to link up your Etsy items (not your shop), but no more than 5 items per Etsy shop
4. NO giveaways or linky parties
5. Link up to the original post, not your main blog
6. Please grab a party button (found at the end of this post) and display it on your blog somewhere. If you're not a blogger, a shout out on your social media sites is greatly appreciated. The more the merrier!

November Theme- Here Come the Holidays

 

Remember, each month has a unique theme, and we ask that you only link up posts or items that are relevant for that month. Please grab a button to post on your blog and help spread the word!

<a href="http://www.justalittlecreativity.com/search/label/SPARK" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/h425/myartsybaby/th_WinterSparkButton.jpg" /></a>

Have fun!

Cinnamon Ornaments and A Month Of Thankfulness - Day 7

Last week our daughter visited for a few days. We decided to do a bit of crafting, in anticipation of the holidays, while she was here. One of the first projects we worked on was the tried and true Cinnamon Ornaments. Oh, they made my house so divine. We made them to use on our gifts in place of bows.

First we had to gather our supplies. This is such a simple recipe, not much was needed. 

Ingredients:
1 cup applesauce
1 to 1 & 1/2 cups ground cinnamon (Walmart has a brand, 5th Season, for only .50 cents for 2.37 oz., I used almost 3 for the recipe)
cookie cutters
wax paper
cookie sheet with parchment paper

Mix in a large bowl 1 cup each applesauce and cinnamon. Mix. You will need to use your hands and mix well. If too soft and sticky add the extra cinnamon, if too stiff add just a bit of applesauce until you get a good consistency to roll with a rolling pin. This make take you a little bit of time but it is worth it to get it right.

Place wax paper on counter and sprinkle with cinnamon. Sprinkle cinnamon and rub it on your rolling pin. Place dough on to wax paper and roll to 1/4" thick. Using cookie cutters, cut out ornaments and place on the parchment paper lined cookie sheet. I used a wooden skewer to make a hole at the top of each ornament.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees and bake 2 hours. Turn off and leave until oven is cool. We did these in the evening and just left them overnight. They turned out perfectly and my house smells oh, so delicious. 

Beware! Probably goes without saying, these are so not edible! My son came in while we were working on these, picked one up and almost had it to his mouth before Hanna realized it and stopped him. I cannot imagine the burn that much cinnamon would cause. Ugh! So not for eating, just smelling. :)

We have stored our cinnamon ornaments wrapped in tissue paper and in a plastic storage bin. This will help the ornaments keep their wonderful scent until we are ready to use them for gift-wrapping. 

A Month Of Thankfulness - Day 7 - I am so thankful for the insurance representative I spoke to this morning. He went out of his way to be helpful and kind. I have severe asthma. I take three medicines. The one that helps me the very most, our insurance has stopped covering it. So, that one medicine cost me $225.00 a month! Yikes. We already pay almost a thousand a month just for our health premium. When I called to see if I could appeal the decision, etc. he was able to get me signed up for a three month mail order supply for $155.00!!! Wow, what a difference. I am so thankful for the $520.00 savings! Yay! 

sharing:
http://www.littlebeckyhomecky.com/2012/11/fantabulous-friday-38/
http://navywifeypeters.blogspot.com/2012/11/submarine-sunday-6.html

A Month Of Thankfulness - Day 6

Day 6 - I am thankful to live in the USA and the freedom to vote! Stan and I went this morning, waited in line about 45 minutes. It is worth the time!