I've been busy

But not stamping! I guess since this blog is entitled "Jane's Creative Process" I can put anything craft related on it...right? Well, since it's my blog...I can put anything I want on it! LOL.

I've bought this adorable fabric to start my first quilt. The fabric is flannel and is from Joann's. I haven't even actually started sewing yet...and I'm exhausted!



First I had to wash the fabric, then I had to iron the fabric (this coming from a woman who refused to buy clothes she has to iron), and most recently...I cut a bunch of 6x6 squares out of the two fabrics. 36 of the bug/camo patterned fabric and 36 of the solid brown fabric. I have no idea if that is enough or not (really just playing it by ear here) but when I got too tired to go on...I decided it HAD to be enough. At least for now. I can cut more later if necessary. So that's how far I got on my quilt this weekend.

This has quickly reminded me WHY I LOVE PAPERCRAFTING! You sit down and you can make a card within a few hours (even if you're slow and perfectionistic like me). It is a relatively instant feeling of accomplishment. Then you mail it away and brighten someone else's day. And it didn't cost big bucks either.

The other thing I've been working on this weekend is learning to crochet. I'd figured out the basic chain and the single crochet stitch prior to today. Today I learned the double crochet stitch. I'm liking this stitch. Once again for the same reason...because it's a bigger stitch it looks like you've accomplished a lot more! I am almost through my first skein of "practice" yarn. A friend said she had a simple baby blanket pattern that uses only the stitches I know so far and she's going to get me a pattern. So that will probably be my first real project. I do wish my Mom were alive to see this day. She tried to teach me when I was younger and I just wasn't interested at the time. I am SURE I will never be as good at it as she was. But I'll be happy to be able to do a basic afghan.

Does anyone have any quilting and/or crocheting comments for me? Suggested reading? Good patterns? Tips/Comments? (Other than to tell me I am officially, certifiably insane?)

I hope you have a great weekend. I MIGHT actually do some sewing tomorrow. But right now I'm doubting it. I'm about "new crafted" out. I may go back and make a card so I can feel competent again! LOL.

Jane

Finally a card!

Well, last night I was feeling a little down...so it was time to make a card! This is what I came up with. I like it better in person...for whatever reason the colors didn't photograph very well. The cardstocks are a light olive green, a dark green, and a chocolate brown. The turtle is colored to match.



The stamps are all from Clear Dollar Stamps. If you've never seen their stamps...go check them out! They are clear polymer stamps...cute, CUTE sets (and singles) at a reasonable price.

Have a great day!

Jane

Sorry I've been MIA

Last week was crazy busy and then I went out of town for the weekend. So I haven't made anything crafty lately.

I went out on Friday and bought some quilting supplies and adorable fabric. $80 later I have a new hobby! :-)

We left town on Saturday morning and spent the weekend out of town with my cousins. Had a nice time and the boys had a blast playing with their cousins (they'd never met them before). Sunday we all went out in the desert for a picnic. All the kids piled into the back of the truck along with a couple adults and the rest of the adults piled into the cab. The road we had to go onto only a truck could handle. So I'm not sure if it's being around the left over hay bits in the back of the truck, the activity of hiking, the smoke from the fire, or a combination thereof...but my oldest son had a hard time breathing with his asthma after we got back. Of course I didn't take his nebulizer machine and it would cost $150 as a copay for an ER (and the small town doesn't have an urgent care). So we stayed at home but was up a good portion of the night. He's better today. I was wiped out from lack of sleep. I drove about half the way home and then had to hand it over to dh to drive the rest of the way. I was afraid I'd fall asleep at the wheel. I napped the rest of the way and then climbed straight into bed once I got home.

Here are a few pics from the weekend:


This is my "first cousin once removed" and I. At least I think that's the correct term. We always just called ourselves second cousins. Her mom is my cousin. We grew up together from the time I was about 10 years old.


Here are our kids roasting wienies. My oldest son is in the middle. The boy and girl on either side are my "first cousin's once removed children" (so what does that make them?) I give up...to me they are all cousins! :-)


If you look about half way up you can see a little TINY red shirt. That's how far our kids hiked that day! They were little mountain goats.


This is my first cousin and my youngest son.


See...told you they were all mountain goats that day!

Tomorrow I am going on a field trip with my youngest son. It's to the sewage treatment facility...how exciting! :-0

Have a great day!

Jane

A couple things...

Yesterday I came home from work and found a surprise in my mailbox! A big stamp set from CTMH. It had an address label on it - but I don't recognize the name. I don't know WHY I received the set. If any of my readers is the giver...I'd love to know who sent it!

The second thing I wanted to share is my "practice" piece of sewing. Mind you...these squares were not measured and cut...just eyeballed and cut. And I can see where I placed a pattern going the wrong direction. But regardless...I'm proud of myself. This required that I conquer a fear. And I found it to be a lot of fun! I'm definately going to see where this hobby grows!



I can't wait for payday so I can buy some basic tools, maybe some used magazines on quilting, and some fabric to play with! In the meantime I'll have to amuse myself with blog hopping.

Jane

All Stitched Up!

Well, after a weekend of playing at the sewing machine, I have a couple things to share this week.

First is this card:



There is some real stiching on here and some faux stitching on here...can you tell which is which?

The little "ewe" is from Michael's $1 stamps. Isn't he/she/it adorable? I colored just the face and then used liquid applique on the body so it'd puff up and look like he's covered in a wooly coat.

Hope you like it! I think the blue is a little boring. More than likely (in the future) I'd add some tone on tone stamping or some embossing to it. But I'd already sewed and layered (practicing) before I decided what I was going to do with making the card. So...it's a little plain...but that's ok once in awhile.

Jane

Rejected!

I got an email from High Hopes and I did NOT get the spot on the Design Team that I hoped to get. Major bummer! But I will just have to try again in the future.

Years (yes, truly YEARS) ago I bought a sewing machine. I wanted to learn how to sew well enough to create little preemie shirts to donate to Newborns In Need. I'm guessing this was probably at least 6 years ago. Well, for the most part the machine has set in my closet for all those years. I'd used it once (when a neighbor came over and helped me use it) but I wasn't brave enough to venture out and use it by myself. I'm a true chickenshit when it comes to trying new things. It's bad to be a perfectionist because you are afraid to try new things for fear of doing them wrong. Anyways, yesterday I decided it was time to break out the machine. I grabbed some cardstock and just practiced sewing straight lines. Today I plan on making some cards with the cardstock I sewed. I'm so proud of myself (yes, I am easily amused! LOL.) Just what I need...ANOTHER hobby that will cost me $$. :-)

I've also been teaching myself to crochet. My mom used to do beautiful work and she tried to teach me when I was younger. But I was too young and not that interested. And by the time I was old enough to be interested - she had passed away. (I was 27 when she passed away.) So far I've only learned the chain stitch and the single crochet stitch. But even as I watch my hands do the motions I can almost envision my Mom's hands doing it.

Yesterday we took the boys geocaching. That was interesting. I think it'd be fun to find another family and do a challenge to see how many sites you can each find in x-amount of time.

So...that's my exciting weekend. Hope yours has been enjoyable. I'll try to finish some cards today with my sewed backgrounds so I'll have artwork to share tomorrow.

Jane

Wanna Kiss?

Well, not THAT kind of kiss! LOL.

Stamp kissing is when you stamp one stamp onto another stamp. In this case I stamped my inked up leaf stamp onto an uninked canvas stamp. The canvas stamp took the ink off the stamp where it kissed it...leaving my leaf with a canvas pattern on it. You can also stamp onto another inked up stamp with a different color. This technique usually works best with solid stamps. My leaf is semi-solid and it worked ok. But a line image stamp woudn't work.



It's a simple technique but often one I forget about using. Hope you like it!

Jane