Touring Red Bird

My tinyest scrap play yet has taken the form of a wild red bird postcard who has flown off to Scotland to be friends with a tame pheasant and keep company with Maureen.

Oh, the sites he will see on his journey.

I really do try not to bind every postcard with this black and white stripe.  But more times than not it comes to be the best choice in the end.  And that doesn't bother me in the least...obviously.  

And here is one last bottle wrap...I promise. 

I like these B&J Malt Coolers and I needed a custom wrap for them. I didn't think my plan would work out so I kept putting it off. 

But now it was time to clean up my play space because someone is going to see it pretty soon. But I wanted this wrap done OR over with before cleaning up. I didn't want to be thinking about it anymore. 

It pretty much worked like a dream. But I don't want to make any more. So only my Marg cooler will have a wrap around it. 

I really tried not to add a swirl. But I just couldn't resist. 

CHEERS!

xxx

Annie

Rapid Transit Tag

This fortnight tag challenge from DragonsDream Tag It On is to have TEXTURE and use the color YELLOW and as always, to use one rubber stamp.

I don't use texture paste, so I had to figure out another way to add texture.  The bee is embossed with black and I added stitches all around.  I hope those count for texture.

The background on the front and back is scrapbook paper.

I was really stumped for an idea for this challenge. 

Here's what I have done with my tags.

Do you see that old skate key hanging there too?  Yes, from my actual steel wheel skates from my youth.  For the youngens, you needed that key to tighten the skate clamps to your shoe soles.  We didn't realise it at the time, but skating was a lot work.  Those wheels weren't made for coasting very far.  

It hasn't taken long to fill that dowel.  So I went looking for more display places.

I love these two old suitcases and the new Hobby Lobby trunks where I keep my precious received mail art.

Have a happy day.

Hugs,

Annie

Grounded Birdie

The Sunday Postcard Art this week is hosting the theme "UNIQUE"

I can't help but think these birds would have to be grounded.  

Then I had to try one larger...

They were quick and fun to create.  I found this bird on Pinterest and this blog: http://nicety.livejournal.com/910645.html  What cute things made in this paper and stitched technique.  Quite unique.

Please let me know if you'd like to find one of these grounded birdies in your letter box.  They'd be happy to fly in an airplane to get to you, or ride in the postal truck.

Happy Mail Day

Hugs

Annie

Happy Mothers Day

Wishing all who act in the role of a mother in any way, a very 

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

xxx

Annie

Sisters By Choice

I feel we're more like sisters than friends.

This fortnights tag challenge is to use the color black and stencils.  And of course, one real stamp.

Donna of Inky & Quirky sent me a few tags on which she created some background starts on one side of the tags.  This is one of those tags.  She painted the glistening green and stenciled black squares.  I first adhered her tag to mat board.  I then stenciled some darker black squares over the originals and I stenciled the while letters and numbers.  I added washi tape, stamped the girls on separate cardstock, cut them out and adhered them to the tag with pop dots.  

The back is inked, stamped and washi taped.

Thanks Donna for the great tag start!  

DragonsDream Tag It On hosts this tag challenge every two weeks.

xxx

Annie

Scrap Busting

My scrap busting projects are so small, they aren't busting anything.  But I'm busting with delight.

There is absolutely no noticeable dent in my scrap boxes.  Oh, who cares!  The fun is all in the fun of creating.  If I really wanted the scraps to disappear I'd toss them out on their ear.

The season for many refreshing cold drinks is nearly upon us and I'm getting ready for it.

After the wild orange keeper, came the wild red bottle/can wrap.

These little gems are such fun to make!  They practically design themselves with little effort from me.

Following is a tutorial for my process.  

Get your scraps together and some batting, a lining fabric choice and velcro.

Cutting measurements:

Body:

Batting - 8-1/4" x 4"

Lining - 8-1/4" x 4"

Tab:

Batting - 3" x 1-1/2"

Lining - 3-1/2 x 2-1/4"

Binding:

1-1/4" x 30"

Rubber Grip Strip:

7-1/4" x 3/4"

Velcro strips:

3/4" x 2-1/2" 

Glue the grip strip to the right side of the lining 1/2" from the top edge.  (It will get sewn down while you stitch the scraps on the front.)

For the body, layer lining piece right side down.  Place batting over lining.  Begin placing fabric scraps randomly on the batting.  Move the pieces around until your design looks pleasing.

For the tab, the batting is cut just inside the seam allowance so as not to add bulk after turning right side out.  Use the lining piece as a guide for placing the fabric scraps.  Allow 1/4" seam allowance on three sides and 1/2" seam allowance to the remaining long edge.

Here's my layout for both pieces.  Before pressing and sewing, I remove the spiral from the body piece and the bunting from the tab.  Also remove the lining from the tab (it gets sewn on later).  

Press the pieces to the batting.  I also use a glue stick to tack a few pieces down to help keep the scraps together while in the process of stitching them down.

After stitching the bases of the body and tab, I fused and stitched the spiral and the bunting.  You will have guessed by now what a marvelous time I'm having with fabric spirals.  They are a fun added element to the design.

The backsides look like this.  

For the tab, lay the lining piece right side down over the scrapy side.  Stitch the 1/4" seam allowance around the three edges leaving the 1/2" edge open.

Trim off the corners and turn the tab right side out and press.

Layer the tab right side up centered on the backside of the body piece (unstitched edge to the outside) I use a glue stick to hold it in place.

From the right side of the body piece, stitch the binding on all the way around.  Press the binding away from the body.  This is how it looks from the backside.

I stitch the binding to the backside by hand.  This is how it looks at this point.

Fold the tab piece out over the binding.  Press.

From the right side, stitch the tab in place by top stitching on the binding.  The photo below shows how that looks from the backside.

Add the velcro hook piece to the backside of the tab and the velcro loop piece to the front of the wrap as shown.

All done.

Now put that fun wrap to good use.

CHEERS!

xxx

Annie

Fabric Doodle Postcard

The Sunday Postcard Art challenge this week is Doodle

 (on your postcard).

Well, that fit right into my current passion for playing with my fabric scraps.  I'm not sure my Doodling with fabric and thread fits into the challenge, but I think it does.  Why not?

This postcard brings to mind the circus.  And I love a circus. 

The postcard back...

I loved playing with this fun theme this week.  Thank you Sunday Postcard Art. 

xxx

Annie

Wild Orange Keeper

I have to keep some info with me at all times and it has been cluttering up my little purse.  I don't need it that close, just within access if needed on the spot.  I decided it was time to make a "Keeper" for this info.

I have been looking at my scrap boxes and wondering why I don't throw them out.  To me scraps are small pieces and strips of fabric.  I've been wanting to make new yardage with them, but then think, what then?  So they sit.  Now I've thought of a "what then" project.

My Wild Orange Keeper

From Instagram I've already had a request to share my process in its making, so here is how it came about...

I got out my orange scrap box and also my box of previously fused graphic bits that have been rejected for use for one reason or another.  At this point I am totally excited to be using some of both!

Some of the graphic pieces are from Lisa'a Altered Art and many are printed on Magic Fabic

I got out my scraps of batting.  Decided on a finished size for my keeper.  I wanted to be able to tuck in a quarter folded sheet of paper plus a bit more.  Then I cut off the flap corners.

I decided on a lining fabric and cut it to size.

Next I pulled scraps of orange then went looking for a couple of pieces of black for pop and layed them on top of the batting.  And then chose a few previously fused graphic pieces to add interest.  At this point you have to be mindful that the graphic pieces will all be right side up when the Keeper is sewn together.  So you'll notice that my flower and group of girls photo in the center section are upside down.

I removed my "shaped" graphic pieces to add on "after" my wild orange base is quilted.  Everything got quilted as raw edge applique...so-to-speak.

I mostly just pressed the whole thing with my iron before sewing the pieces down.  I did however, glue stick lightly a few key pieces that would hold the surrounding pieces in place. 

After the base quilting, I fused on the shaped graphics and appliqued them in place.

**What do you know, I actually fused the pieces going in the right direction.** 

Next I got my binding ready and stitched it across the bottom that gets folded up.

Looky there.  When I stitched the quilting, I should have used a yellow bobbin thread.  Ah well, it adds some interest...I suppose.

Next I stitched the binding to the sides and top. 

I was being hap-hazard and it looks horrid.  But I still shrugged my shoulders.  

I intended to sew on velcro.  But I forgot to do that before stitching the binding to the sides.  So I added a large snap instead.

The backside.

Look at this mess.  It's so crooked (but I managed to take a photo where you couldn't really tell how crooked it looks) and the binding just looks horrid!

I LOVE how the fabric scraps and graphics all turned out.  But I couldn't live with the mess I made.  I had to fix it.  I took the binding off, straightened the base piece, then used a narrower binding AND now I can live with it.  :-)

I liked the way my binding dots landed the first time around better.  But at least now I have a Keeper that I love looking at and it doesn't send my mind reeling about bad binding and crooked-ness.

I'm a happy camper with a right side up flower on the backside.  This was quick and fun to make.  Just the right distraction I needed from my current project.

Wishing you a wild orange kind of happy day!

xxx

Annie

House #6

The Tag It On challenge theme this time is 

A Rainbow of Colours

at the DragonsDream blog

Hooray, another using of my Neocolors II.  (for coloring the house)

I hate when supplies are expensive then they just sit there staring at me, daring me to try and figure out how to use them.  

The number and words are stamped with Ranger Distress Inks.

And the back...

I'll bet you thought some sweet little old lady lived there.  :-)

Happy Tagging,

Annie

Spring Greetings

Happy Easter and Happy Spring

to Ruthie

and to Everyone

The bunny is from Nancy Halverson's book titled Easy Does It For Winter.

I really must learn to look at the photo "before" mailing the postcard...that stray fabric thread is driving me nutso!

Enjoy the season

xoxo

Annie