A few people have asked how I care for and store my hand-carved rubber stamps, so I thought I’d share what I do.

Cleaning:

1. After using your stamp, stamp any excess ink off onto a scrap piece of paper.

2. Rinse stamp off under running water (room temp), with or without mild soap. Be careful not to rub while rinsing. Small pieces of detailed carving can be lost this way.

3. Gently blot water off with soft cloth. Many inks will leave your stamp stained, especially dark inks. This is okay and won’t affect future stamping. Test stamp on a blank piece of scrap paper to make sure it is completely clean of ink.

Storage:

1. I store my stamps in a plastic covered, storage bin. This keeps them safe and in one place.

2. Carefully stack larger pieces making sure they remain flat. Any bending or overhang will eventually lead to cracks and breakage. I lost one of my favorite stamps by carelessly tossing it in the bin without giving it a flat surface to rest on. Smaller stamps don’t bend very easily and are less worrisome.

3. Keep stamps away from extreme heat and cold. I keep my stamps in a covered shelving unit, in controlled temps, protected from sun and dust.

Pretty basic stuff, but it makes a difference. These stamps won’t last forever and can eventually harden, crumble or crack. I spend a lot of time carving my stamps and want them to last as long as they can. Many of my stamps are over 2 years old and still work great. Some inks can affect their longevity, but as long as you stick to craft/scrap book quality inks, you should be okay. My favorite inks are VersaCraft and VersaMagic Dew Drops.

Hope this is helpful

First, I want to thank everyone for all the shop love. I truly appreciate all the kind words, support and the orders! Talk about a nice little lift in confidence, which I dare say, was lacking in the past.

Now on to pincushions. A few people have asked how I made these, so why not do yet another tutorial? They’ve been on my mind a lot since I made them. These are fairly easy, take about an hour, and it’s a great way to use up little scrap pieces. I am really loving the mixing of different fabrics.

You’ll need: paper, pencil, 6 pieces of coordinating fabric, 6×6 inch backing fabric, sewing machine, iron, fiberfill, embroidery thread and needle, and buttons.

A. To make the pattern, simply trace a circle (plate, lid) onto a piece of paper. The diameter should measure 4-6 inches, depending on how big you want your pincushion.

B. Cut the circle out and fold into 6 equal wedges. This is an important step, so refold until you have equal pieces. Now, cut out one of the wedges and that will be your pattern piece.

C. Using your pattern piece, cut out 6 pieces of fabric. Iron and arrange.

D. Sew two wedges together, right sides facing together, with a 1/8-1/4 inch seam allowance. I use 1/8 inch seam allowance for this. Whatever you use, be consistent when sewing all the wedges together.

E. Press seams open before (F) sewing on the next wedge. Sew on the third wedge making a half circle. Again, press all seams open.

G. Repeat with remaining 3 wedges. This will give you two half circles. With right side facing together, sew the two halves together down the straight side. Open and you now have a pretty patchwork circle. Don’t worry if the center points don’t meet up. That’s what the button is for (covering that part up).

H. After pressing all seams open/flat, use your finished circle to trace onto your backing fabric. I used felt for this, but any fabric will do.

I. With right side facing together, sew the two circles together by sewing all around the edge using a 5/8 inch seam allowance. Leave a 2 inch gap for stuffing. Trim with pinking shears (optional).

J. Turn right side out ( wouldn’t this make a pretty coaster?).

K. Start stuffing with fiberfill until you reach the desired plumpness. Slip stitch the open gap closed with regular thread and needle.

You can take it a step further and sew an embroidered chain stitch all around the perimeter of the cushion along the seam or move onto the next step, which is making the “petals” so to speak. There is a great tutorial on Whip Up on exactly how to do this HERE. You would do the same thing for this pincushion using the wedge seams as your guide.

And finally for the center, sew on your favorite button(s), bead or add a small object and your are all done!!

Any questions? Leave them in the comments or send me an email (it’s on my sidebar).

Have a lovely weekend!!

Many of you requested a tutorial for my pillowcase grocery bags. They are super easy and quick to make, involving only straight line sewing. The straps actually take a bit more time than the bag itself, but still easy enough. Hopefully these instructions are easy to follow.

Here is what you will need:

–Cutting mat or nice large space to work on
–scissors (rotary cutter optional)
–Thrifted pillow case (any size), washed and ironed
–Sewing machine, thread, pins and sewing needles(optional)
–hot iron
–About one hour of time and some good music.

1. Turn pillowcase inside-out and fold in half long-ways.
2. Cut a 3-4 inch strip off of one side. Save the long strip for the straps.
3. Open and lay flat. Pin together the open sides. You will be sewing this together in the following manner, leaving a 6 inch (15cm) gap in the center.
4. Cut a 2 inch square (a) off of all four corners (b) making sure to measure from the folded edge and and seam, not the rough edge.
5. Following THESE instructions, you are going to square off each corner (c).
6. When all four corners are sewn, flip the bag right side out through the open gap and sew the gap closed (hand or machine– I used my machine for this). Now you will have a completely sewn shut, empty pillowcase with squared off corners.
7. Now the fun (and kinda hard to explain) part… Fold the pillowcase into itself by stuffing the just sewn together gap-end into the bottom of the opposite end. The sewn together gap-end will be the inside bottom of your bag(d) and the squared-off corners will meet together on each side(e). Does this make any sense at all?
8. Once all the corners meet(f), iron and then sew around the top edge. Now you are ready for the straps

There are many ways to make straps, this is just how I do it. I just don’t like sewing all around the edges of a skinny strap and then try to turn it right side out of a little hole on the end.

1. Cut off the big hemmed end off of the remaining strip. Fold the strip in half long-ways and cut again. These will be your two straps. They should be 12-16inches long each.
2. With the right sides facing in, sew together the short ends of each strap, leaving one long side open.
3. Trim the corners(g) and turn right-side out.
4. Following the picture above, fold the ends towards the inside so that the raw edges are tucked inside(h-j). Once it is straight and flat(k), press with an iron and sew together(l-m).
5. Lastly, sew one strap to each side of your bag with big criss-cross squares(n) and you are done!!!

Now, my editor (Mr Creative Kismet, who really isn’t very creative as far as sewing is concerned, but did major in english lit) said “um, this sounds good and seems to make sense?”. What he was really trying to say was that he hasn’t a clue if this sounds right. SO, if any of you sewing buddies of mine out there in blog land think I need to tweek anything on this, please shout out, because I did use some of my own terminology which may, or may not, be helpful in this tutorial. Thanks!

I’ve been wanting to try making pendants using my own handmade images. I’ve had these little wood bits (circles and squares) that I’d been using for making clocks and decided to use them as the base. Here is what I did:

You’ll need paper (I used an old dictionary), wood bits from a craft store, waterproof micropen, pencil, scissors, craft glue, drill, small drill bit and clear glossy varnish.

1. Trace the wood piece on your selected paper.

2. Sketch out an image using a pencil, then trace/fill in with a waterproof micro pen. This will prevent the ink from smearing when the glue is applied.

3. When you are happy with your image, carefully cut out.

4. Decoupage image onto wood surface using thinned-out craft glue or modge podge. (I don’t like modge podge because it stinks). Allow to dry. Add watercolor wash at this time for a touch of color.

5. Very slowly and carefully, drill a hole with your smallest drill bit.

6. Apply a couple of layers of glossy varnish. Allow to dry overnight.

7. Use a jumpring to add to your favorite chain or beaded necklace.

I made these on Thursday and they were smooth. Tonight (Friday) they are bubbled up giving them a bumpy texture. I’m not sure why this happened, but I think I kinda sorta like it.

I get a whole lotta traffic to my Button Bracelet Tutorial post. Tons! It’s totally crazy how quickly and haphazardly I threw it together over a year ago, not thinking it would be of any interest. It makes me cringe a little at how sloppily I put it together. So, I gave it a face lift. Really it was an excuse to get out my buttons and make more bracelets. Especially this one, with my most favorite red and white buttons. Some are thrift finds, and some were hidden in my grammy’s button collection.

While I was making it, I got the insane idea to document the process photo….by….photo. Most of the photos are totally uneccesary, but if you watch the photostream, it’s not so bad. I always think these little projects won’t take very long, which is completely ridiculous, because it ALWAYS takes waaaaay longer than planned.

Check out:

***Button Bracelet Photo Tutorial

***Button Bracelet Tutorial (also on my side bar)

***Button Jewelry and Accessories Flickr Group (add your button creations to the group!)

Well, it’s not anywhere close to feeling like fall here in the Southwest. In fact, we probably have another 1-2 months of warm, summer-like weather ahead. That won’t stop me from dreaming about cooler weather, fall colors, jeans and long sleeves.

So, I made this little wristlet. I love the colors in this tapestry fabric, dug up from this batch of remnant upholstery fabric, given to me a while back. I didn’t have enough to make a matching flap, so I did the best I could to find something that coordinated. Won’t this go great with a rust colored sweater, jeans and boots?

The style is from this wristlet I made a while back. I ripped it apart to make a pattern for this one. Here are a few tips on how to make your own wristlet with pleats:

1. Cut a 8 x 15 inch rectangle.

2. Create pleats, using pins, wherever you desire. I have three top pleats and one on the bottom. The middle pleats make one full, top-to-bottom pleat. Press with an iron if needed.

3. Once you get it how you like, sew a straight seam along the top and bottom to hold the pleats in place.

4. Now lay the pleated piece on top of a piece of paper. Trace the shape and cut out. You may need to fold the paper in half to make sure it is symmetrical. This piece is the pattern for two lining pieces and the back piece of the the bag.

5. Don’t forget the strap (I used a small D-ring to attach this one) and the flap, which is basically a half circle.  Oh, and I did a 1.5 inch gusset on the bottom corners to give it a somewhat sqared bottom.  Hopefully, you can figure out the rest.

Now, with sewing bags, I am totally winging it. I’ve had to figure it all out on my own. So I am sorry that I can’t provide you with a pattern. I wouldn’t even know where to begin with that!  But, I can try to show you my thought process and how I got what I got.  I hope this is helpful.  Please, send me a line if you have any questions.  Cheers and good luck!

Seven of my good friends and family members are having babies! All due within the next 4 months! Five of them are having girls! This means I’ve got to get busy making gifts! I’m also in charge of games at a baby shower this weekend!!

So, I started making these bibs from THIS pattern. There is a pattern for two bigger sized bibs as well. I may make some of them too. I’m also planning on making a few sets of these really adorable cloth baby slippers(tutorial by Star Dust Shoes).

While I was setting up an assembly line for these bibs, I realized I didn’t have enough double-fold bias tape. I’d either have to go to the store to get more or use some single fold bias tape that I already had. I decied on the later, despite it being the more challenging choice. It wasn’t half bad and I actually like the result much more. Here’s how to do it:

1. Align center of bias tape to center of bib neck. Pin cut edge of tape to edge of bib neck–right sides together.
2. Continue pinning around the neck. You may need to make small cuts in bias tape to make it curve around–careful not to cut past the first folded line.
3. Sew a straight stitch in between edge and first fold–about 1/8″ seam allowance.
4. Fold over the bias tape, turning under the free edge, to create a nice binded edging. Carefully pin in place.
5. Sew together, starting at the very beginning of bias tape, all the way to the other end. Hand sew instead of machine stitch for an even nicer finish.

Does any of this make any sense? I’m still getting used to sewing lingo. You can see the difference here. The double-folded bias tape(right) is easer to use, but the single-fold looks nicer and is easier to tie.

Here is a list of tutorials that I like, have tried or have wanted to try. I had been keeping them bookmarked and tagged, but still found it hard to keep track of them all. So, here is my compiled list of wonderful tutorials by all kinds of amazing crafters and artists. Of course, there is not enough time in the world to make ALL of these great things, but when I need an idea for a gift or something new to do, this is where I can go- and maybe you too. There is a button on the sidebar incase you’d like to come back and see them again. I’ll be adding more as I find them.

By special request, here is a quick little tutorial on the art of easy rubber stamping.

Supplies:

#2 Pencil, ball-point ink pen, linoleum cutters, paper, ink pad and rubber printing block.

1.  Draw your image onto a piece of paper with #2 pencil. When you are happy with your image, go over again with pencil to make sure the lines are strong and dark.  If you want to do a very simple image, you can draw directly onto the rubber printing block with a pen and skip to step 4.

2.  Now transfer this image onto the rubber printing block by putting image face down onto block and rub with pencil. You will have a backwards image. This is especially important when using images with words, letters or numbers.
3.  Once the image has transferred, go over penciled lines with ink pen.  This will give you a good image to carve around.

4.  Now start carving using the smallest cutter (size 1) and carefully go around all the lines.  Make sure you have good light and a steady hand.  You don’t want to loose a nose, eye or very important line.  *You can cut directly over the lines if you want a reversed image.
5.  Once the image lines have been carefully carved around, use a larger cutter to get rid of the excess rubber.

6. When you are done carving, gently wash off little bits and dry thouroughly.  Start stamping on a practice piece of paper to see your finished image.  You may need to go back and carve any missed areas.

I’ve used my new stamp for making thank you cards.  I hope this was helpful to those who have not yet played with rubber stamping.

I still have a thing for buttons. They are perfect for accessorizing just about anything- clothes, pillows, dolls, bags. And I love handmade jewelry (even though I can’t wear any right now because of four small hands that like to tug and pull shiny & pretty dangly objects- ouch!). So it seems to only make sense that I continue to combine the two- Right? I’ll just have to look at them for now
Well, I saw a bracelet in one of those fashion magazines and it was made with 10k gold flower buttons and leather cord. It cost only $1400 (gulp!) I liked the simple design and thought, hey I could make one of those (a more wallet-friendly version). So, in the midst of my humongo list of halloween projects, I set out to try to make this bracelet, kismet style. Here is what you need:

Make the buttons:

After buttons have cooled, start making the bracelet. If you’ve seen my other tutorial, then you already know half the steps. I used 1 yard of hemp twine to string my buttons together. The bracelet is about 7.25in (18.5cm) long.

Here is another Peaches & Cream version using green hemp twine, my handmade buttons and “real” buttons. I pressed the handmade ones very lightly onto a stamp pad and stamped the round ones with a leaf patterned stamp and sprayed lightly with a clear coat.