My First--and Second--Hand-Carved Stamp

For the longest time I've wanted to make a hand-carved rubber stamp; I've seen them on Craftster ever since I became a member of that site, and I think they are cool!  I bought a set of linoleum-cutting tools about a year ago, and several months ago I picked up two blocks of "Speedy-Carve".

The only thing missing was an ink pad, and that fell into my hands when I attended Fork and Talk in Little Rock, Arkansas, (hosted by Craft Gossip and sponsored by EK Success Brands).  One of the items in the huge bag of products I received that day was this big black ink pad.  Perfect! With all the materials ready to go, I finally had the motivation to give it a try.

Here is an in-progress shot of my SECOND carved stamp; you can see the tool I used at the top of the picture.  I traced the heart and wings from a plastic template I already had made (I use it to make sewn hearts).

And below you can see the finished products:  my first two carved stamps!  Yay!  The one at the top of the picture is actually the first one I made.  I tried to carve the words in the center...and realized what a newbie I was, when I stamped it the first time and the words were BACKWARDS!  AARGGG!  So I just carved them off the stamp and resovled to try again later.  I finished the second stamp last night, in about an hour.

To get the words onto the stamp, I printed them off the computer, then drew over them (on the right side of the paper) with pencil.  Then I put the words face-down in the center of the heart and traced each letter with a pen (I thought it would give firmer pressure than a pencil) to transfer the pencil marks onto the stamp.  It worked great!  (Although I must say, the directions that came with the stamp did NOT work great:  "Use slightly warm iron to transfer images:  pencil drawn, newsprint, freshly printed ink-jet and laser-print images."  My freshly printed ink-jet letters did not transfer at all with the slightly warm iron.)

So, now that I have these awesome new stamps, what am I going to do with them?  I tried stamping the one with words onto a card; hmmm, looks okay, but kind of plain and boring.  So I tried something else.

Oh, yeah, that's better--I glued some randomly-cut pieces of bright paper to the card, then stamped on top of them:

I made a lot of cards!

And I stamped a envelope for each card using the stamp without words.  I intend to use these as inserts with swap packages and etsy sales, and I will write the recipient's name inside the heart on the envelope.  (Hey, if you join a swap I'm in, maybe that will be YOUR name!)

I'm so happy with how this stamp came out; I especially like the all the little lines in the background that make it look hand-made.  The carving was actually much easier than I expected; it just takes patience and a steady hand.

I've ordered more Speedy-Carve...now I just need another good idea...

We Forked and Talked, Part 2--The Goodies!

In my last post, I left you in suspense about the contents of the big yellow bags we each received at the Fork and Talk event in Little Rock last Saturday (hosted by Craft Gossip and sponsored by EK Success Brands.)  Let me show you everything I got, starting with the bag!  It is one of those big, reuseable shopping bags; I never have enough of these!

We got this nice assortment of scrapbooking supplies; most of the items pictured below are stickers (yes, even the ones that look like cake decorations!), but there is also a large package of ephemera, and some beautiful Martha Stewart glitter.

We also received three heavy-duty paper punches in different designs, several rubber stamps, and a large ink pad.  My favorite in this group is the stamp set on the far left; you can use it to turn index cards into recipe cards, and the food images on the stamps are really cute!

Then, there were the two embroidery kits (in the back); one makes a pillow and the other is for embroidering kitchen towels (I love that one!)  There was also a kit to make a ring, and the item in the foreground is a finished flower clip to put on your bag or shoe or shirt.

Yes, there's more!  We all got a great set of perler beads, some Martha Stewart pie-shaped boxes for goodies (not just pie!), and a big, wonderful pad of scrapbooking paper.  I will use that for all kinds of things other than scrapbooking (which I don't do!)

The picture below shows my favorite thing in the bag: an American Girl Crafts kit, containing a nice wooden box, and lots of  stencils and paints to decorate it with.  I know I will have fun with this, but I can't guarantee mine will come out looking like the picture (I have a feeling mine will include weird things glued all over it!!)

I'm showing you this "Java" kit last (below), because we were all asked to evaluate it.  We started working on it at the Fork and Talk event after the lunch, and it was a good group activity since we could chat while we sewed.  The kit includes pre-cut felt pieces to make a coaster and a coffee cup cozy, and the thread.  It should also include directions and a needle--but my kit was lacking these!!  One of the ladies at my table was kind enough to let me borrow her needle for a while so I could get started on mine.

The kit is well-thought-out and easy to do.  The instructions give you the basics, then advise you to look at the picture to decide which color thread to sew where--I like that, because I hate to read directions! 

This would be a good kit for any beginning sewist, young or old (although I don't think many young girls drink coffee, but they could make this as a gift for an adult.)  I hope that a person who starts sewing with this kit would use the experience as a stepping-stone to explore other ways of using felt, and fabric, and sewing in general.

Just before everyone left the restaurant, we posed for a group photo.  I'm in the back on the right.  I love this picture!  It captures the happiness and energy we all felt from spending time with other crafty-minded women!

We Forked, We Talked...

I just got back from my weekend in Little Rock, Arkansas, where I attended the second blogger's meet-up, called "Fork and Talk", hosted by the website Craft Gossip and sponsored by EK Success Brands on Saturday.  I had so much fun!  Since I had also attended the Fork and Talk in September, seeing the editors and many of the same bloggers was like meeting up with old friends!

The meeting took place in a private dining room at the classy Trio's restaurant.  I took the picture below facing the mirrored wall, so you can see the whole dining room.  This was before we started. That's the quilting editor, Scarlett, seated at the table.

Needlework editor Denise got things started, then we went around the room and each blogger told a little about herself.

When it was my turn to speak, I showed off my Scrappy Snappy Pouches, because they were such a hit when they were featured on Craft Gossip last fall!

I sat next to Suzy, whom I have kept in touch with since the last meet-up (she has joined Craftster and we have been craft-swap partners); she announced that she is expecting her first baby in December!  Congrats, Suzy!!!

We had a lovely lunch, with our choice of five selections from Trio's menu.  (The "I Heart Craftgossip.com" buttons I made and handed out to everyone were a big hit!  You can see that I had some left over, so they are posing with my menu!) 

I had the Quiche Lorraine--YUM!

We played a fun game:  each table was given an 8" x 10" photograph of the editor at that table, and we gave the photo a makeover!  Here are the editors posing with their photos.  And the winner is...

SCARLETT, at my table!  We won--again!  I was at her table last time too!!

Everyone at the table got to choose a prize, and I was quick to snatch up this vintage embroidered tablecloth that Scarlett had brought.  She has encouraged me to get crafty with it--so I am going to cut into it when I am brave enough!  I'll show you the results when that happens!

As things were winding down, we each got a packet containing everyone's business card, so we can find each other on-line and keep in touch.

And for the grand finale...we each got a BIG BAG OF GOODIES from EK Success Brands!  I am going to keep you in suspense about what's inside...check back on Thursday, when I reveal the contents!

Thanks so much, Craft Gossip and EK Success Brands, and especially to the four editors who worked so hard to make the afternoon a fun success:  Denise Felton (needlework editor), Scarlett Burroughs (quilting editor), Anne Weaver (sewing editor), and Stacie de Klerk (jewelry editor).  It was fantastic!

Craft Gossip Invitation!

I've gotten my invitation!  On Friday I will travel to Little Rock, Arkansas, to attend the second "Fork and Talk" blogger's meet-up, hosted by editors of the website Craft Gossip, and sponsored by EK Success Brands (which produces crafting supplies and kits, including Martha Stewart and American Girl Dolls).

I attended the first Fork and Talk last September.  Since then I've had several of my projects featured on the Craft Gossip website, which has really helped to boost my readership, and inspired me to constantly work to make my blog as interesting as possible.  I love Craft Gossip!  Since I also love making little crafty things and giving them away, and I know all the other bloggers at the meet-up love Craft Gossip too, I decided to make pin-back buttons to bring with me and distribute to everyone at Fork and Talk next Saturday.

I got this wonderful button-making machine for my birthday last year.  It makes high-quality buttons, and I've discovered that I can be very creative with them--often I print words from the computer, like I did for these buttons, but I can also draw a tiny piece of art and turn it into a button.

The words are printed on pretty scrapbook paper, and the hearts are stickers (I started out cutting each little heart from paper...it was taking too long, so it was stickers to the rescue!)

I'll be blogging all about it next week--I can't wait to see what new products will be in the swag bags--I'll show you everything, and I just might be giving some of it away to readers!

Giveaway PREVIEW

Sometime yesterday afternoon, my number of followers hit the 100 mark!  I'm so thrilled about that, and the timing is perfect, because my Seven Days of Giveaways celebration (in honor of 100 followers, and my blog's one year anniversary) starts on Saturday.  Today is a preview of what I will be giving away.

The whole kit and kaboodle:

There's so much stuff it will hardly stay within the confines of this blog!!  Each day I will post a picture of that days' prizes.  The first person to comment will get one of the bigger handmade items plus an extra goodie or two.  The second person to comment will get three Michael Miller fat quarters (pictured below--THANKS Susan!) plus an extra goodie.

Below are some of the "goodies"--EK Success Brands craft kits and products that I received at the Fork and Talk event hosted by  Craft Gossip in Little Rock, Arkansas, last September. (They are having another one in April--I hope I can go!)

The fun starts on Saturday, March 17th and will go on for seven days.  Each day I will post pictures of the days' prizes, but the trick is, I will post at a different, random time each day, so whoever are the first two to see the post and comment on it (and give me their mailing addresses) will win.  Good luck to all of you!

I LOVE SCISSORS!!

In case you've ever wondered what my favorite sewing/crafting tool is, wonder no more--it's SCISSORS! 

I love them because they are so functional, and they come in so many sizes, shapes, and colors.  Here are most of the scissors I own; I know I have more (where are my two pairs of stork-shaped embroidery scissors?) but these were all I could find when I wanted to take a group photo:

This is the first pair of real scissors I ever owned.  My parents brought them back for me when they went on a short trip to Spain, when I was 13 years old. They are pretty dull now, and the screw tends to fall out when you are cutting, but I love the decoration on them.  They are my favorite pair!

One of these two is my most expensive pair of scissors--but I don't know which!  I remember that the embroidery scissors were really expensive when I asked my husband to get them for me for my birthday about 20 years ago; they are super-sharp and well-made.  The Ginghers are my prettiest scissors; I treated myself to them a couple of years ago.  I am left-handed, and so are these scissors; one of the things that made me want them was that they are "true" left-handed scissors--they don't just have a left-handed grip, but the cutting edges of the blades are actually reversed--it sounded great, but in reality, as a person who has always used right-handed scissors, it seems very awkward and is hard to get used to.  Otherwise, they are great!

These three are my "work horses"' that I use every time I sew.  The orange handled ones are left-handed Fiskars; I've had them forever and they always work great and rarely need sharpening.  The blue handled pair has the name "Durasharp" on the blade; I don't remember where I got them, but they are amazingly great scissors!  This is the only pair that I use for both fabric and paper, and they never get dull!

These Cutter Bees are my newest pair of scissors.  They were part of the huge bag of goodies I got at the Blogger's Meet-up hosted by Craft Gossip and sponsored by EK Success Brands, back in September, in Little Rock, Arkansas.  Everyone had a pair of these sitting at her place at the table when we walked in--I was so excited to see free scissors!! 

I already had this pink pair, and let me tell you, if you need scissors for scrap-booking or other kinds of paper-cutting, these are the ones to get!  They are fantastically sharp, but best of all, the tip is extremely small and sharp too, so you can easily cut into small corners.  I love them!  But then again,

 I love all my scissors!!

Raccoons! (A Product Review)

The biggest and best thing I got in my "swag" bag of free goodies at the Blogger's Meet-up this past September (in Little Rock, Arkansas, hosted by Craft Gossip and sponsored by EK Success Brands), was this cute kit to make two plush raccoons.  The kit contains everything you need to complete the project, including a needle and stuffing.

This is an "American Girl Crafts" product, designed to go with the American Girl dolls, so a girl can make a large raccoon for herself and a smaller one for her doll.  It's a really cute idea!  The kit comes with an instruction booklet with lots of pictures.  The material is felt, which is perfect for this sort of project, since the edges won't unravel.  Each piece has little holes punched in it where the stitching will go, so you just sew through the holes, like those big sewing cards you might have done in kindergarten!

 As an introduction to hand-sewing, it's not bad.  There are a large number of pieces to assemble, which might be a bit confusing to a young sewist (it is recommended for ages 8 and up), but the details are exactly what make these raccoons so cute, so with a little guidance from an adult I think it would go together quite well.

The circles on the tummies are open on top to form a small pocket--that's a nice touch.  My favorite detail is the shiny sequins that are sewn onto the eyes, which makes them look alive.  I love the overall design of the raccoons; the simple outline combined with the surface details makes them very appealing.  I've noticed this kit in my local Hancock's fabric store; there is a small section of American Girl crafts, so the product seems to be widely available.

I made these raccoons for a special purpose--which I will tell you about in my next post!