Love Letter's with The Sewing Loft

Paper, fabric and sewing are definitely my vices, use them in a cute project and you'll see my entire afternoon schedule change so I can dive right in and make it.

This is absolutely how I felt when I saw  Heather of TheSewingLoft's adorable project for LOVE LETTERS, sweet embellished paper envelopes filled with candy, earlier this month, and she's sharing the instructions with us today.  So grab some scrapbook papers, your sewing machine and some tiny candies and we'll spend the afternoon making these, okay? ... cause you and I will need dozens to pass around Valentines Day don't you think!

Here's what you'll need::

* solid, embossed and printed papers in reds and pinks for Valentine's Day
* little candies like M&Ms or Sweet Tarts
* parchment paper (kitchen) or vellum (scrapbooking)


Basic Instructions:

1. To form your envelopes, cut paper and parchment into 4″ x 5.5″ rectangles. You'll get 4 rectangles from one sheet of 8x11 paper and 6 from a sheet of 12x12
2. For the stamps, cut paper of choice into 1″ x 1″.
3. Position stamp in upper right hand corner of paper along the 5.5" edge and stitch all around edge stitch.
4. Stitch some fun straight or squiggly lines to represent the cancelled postage.  If needed, lightly draw these lines with a pencil 1st and then stitch over them.
5. With your machine or marker, add some fun words like XOXO, Romeo, Cutie Pie, Hugs and Kisses, Sweet Thing, Heart Throb, etc. to the letter where the address goes.
6. Match up your embellished envelope with parchment paper, wrong sides together and straight stitch around 3 sides - one short and both long - to form a “pocket”.  Fill the pocket with small candies.  Be careful - overfilling will make the pocket hard to close and may cause the papers to rip.
7. Stitch up the opening, trim any loose threads and you are set!

A special thanks to Heather for sharing this project with us.  Visit Heather's blog for more fast and easy projects for handmade Valentine gifts at TheSewingLoftBlog. You can also follow her on Facebook at TheSewingLoftFB.

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Valentine's Day is for the Birds! - Bird feeder tutorial.

Today we have a guest post from Mia4Art!!

A fun craft for my preschooler: Valentine Bird Feeder

Materials: cardboard, shortening, pen, scissors, glue gun or glue, bird seed & ribbon

Cut out two rectangular pieces of cardboard. Place three points on each piece of cardboard in order for your preschooler to create a heart line drawing. The two points at the top form the letter V.

I instructed my daughter to make the letter C and backward C to connect the V to the bottom dot. A pen or crayon would be best for this.

After cutting out this heart, help your preschooler use this heart to trace onto second piece of cardboard.
After tracing, cut out second heart.

 

 

After cutting the two hearts out for your preschooler, fold the ribbon in half and place at top of heart about an inch down. Put glue over the heart and part of the ribbon. Place the second heart ontop like a sandwich.

Your preschooler will enjoy spreading the shortening on both sides of their heart! "Spread the Love!"

After spreading the shortening, have your preschooler dip their cardboard hearts into a plate of birdseed. Using their fingers they can sprinkle any areas that are empty.

Lastly, go outside and select a winter tree to share the warmth of Valentine's Day!
My daugher loves peeking outside of her window to check to see if any birds have come to visit!

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Introducing Art by Laurie

Today we introduce you to Laurie of Art by Laurie!

Q: What motivated you to start your shop?
I had mainly been painting commissioned portraits for most of my career. Although I realize how fortunate I am to have made a career from this, I now have the opportunity to expand, paint not only stranger’s faces but whatever I wish. Etsy has given me an outlet to show this work, and to see if there is an interest in my new endeavor.

Q: What is the story behind your shop name?
“Art by Laurie”, although not the cleverest of names, does convey the idea that there is a variety of subject matter. My website “Portraits and Pastels”: http://www.laurieportraits.net/ is the website where I showcased a sampling of my portraits and artwork.

Q: Do you have a favorite Etsy Shop (non-child related)
This is a hard one; there are so many wonderful Etsy shops. I love the shops that feature well crafted and unique designs. This shop, Radiant originals by Julie Campbell, is an example: http://www.etsy.com/shop/radiantoriginals

Q: What surprised you most about having your own craft / online shop?

I didn’t realize how much fun it would be! I have found a connection with so many like minded people from all over the world. There is a genuine camaraderie between Etsy sellers. There is a friendship and a desire to help each other.

Q: What do you find most challenging about being an Etsy seller?

Creating fresh new ideas for paintings that both I can be proud of and that hold an appeal for others.

Q: What's your personal philosophy behind your shop / products?

I draw on my memories and experiences to try and create a story or a connection between the subjects in many of my paintings. There are many paintings about the children in my life. In other pieces I try to give images that create a nostalgic moment or a pleasant memory.

Q: How would someone (other then you) describe you?

Perhaps a little quirky, but I hope I am thought of as kind.

Q: What music do you have on while you are creating?

Well performed music from almost every genre, depending on my mood. From opera crossovers like Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman, all the way over to country music like Zac Brown Band and The Band Perry.

Q: What do you do when you aren't working?

Now that my children have grown and deserted the nest, I enjoy taking day trips with friends, working on my home and garden (Whatever the deer leave for me) and helping out at the hospital ER.

Q: Anything else you'd like to tell us or share?

Without trying to sound like schmoozing, I truly feel that Etsy is a well run, professional website. There is many forms of help and easy to understand quides. All and all I have had a great experience here so far.

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Valentine's in a HURRY!

Still looking for the perfect Valentine's for the kids to take to school or to mail family and friends?  Here are five EtsyKids Team Members who offer custom personalized Valentine's that you print yourself!  They will email you a digital file you can print yourself!  Quick, simple and oh so affordable!  

Retro Pink and Brown 5x7 Printable Photocard from GreenBeansieInk

Valentine Printable, iPhone design for SweetHearts box from MadeByAPrincess

Valentine Printable Cards, Forest Woodland from polkaprints

Owl DIY Printable Sticker or Favor Tags from kidEprints

Personalized Printable Boy's Airplane Valentines from PamperYourParty

♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

Looking for more than just a card for Valentine's Day?  Lots of EtsyKids Team Shops have top quality Valentine gifts made up and ready to ship out to you today.  See what we have to offer here. 

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Cardboard artwork with the kids

Today we have a guest post from Amber of AmberParis.

She is sharing a fun activie to do with your kids and all you need is cardboard and lots of glue!

start with lots of cardboard…one large piece to serve as the base/canvas and many many smaller scraps cut/ripped down. I cut a lot of strips with a paper cutter and also cut several piles of squares, circles and triangles. I also gathered some various thin wood odds and bits to incorporate. and some empty ribbon spools.

add a big container of homemade paste…we mixed some elmer’s into ours to give it a bit of extra hold.

we looked at some of louise nevelson’s work prior to this project, but I didn’t give the kids any instructions beyond letting them know they had to put paste down EACH time they added something new to the piece…my 3yo had trouble remembering this step…but in the end, the paste was a sculptural element in its own right!

once your kids are happy with their piece and/or tire of art making, set the art works somewhere safe to dry for several days.it took nearly a week for ours to dry, but the paste was also inches-thick in areas!

now it’s time to shop for spray paint! my kids only got to “shop” through my selection of colors in my studio, but a trip to the hardware store to choose from the many colors out there would be fun!

 

give the pieces a good coat or two of spray paint and then allow to dry thoroughly. we loved ours so much, we framed them to hang in our living room!

 

When Amber is not having loads of fun with her kids she is sewing and making fun felt play food! She sells the yummy enough to eat felt food in her etsy shop.

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Valentine’s Day Wreath Tutorial Using Curled Grosgrain Ribbon

Today we have a guest post from Nikki In Stitches! She is sharing a lovely tutorial to make a pretty Valentine's day wreath.

This Valentine’s Day wreath couldn’t be sweeter…or easier to make!
See what I mean about the grosgrain curlicues? Too cute, right?

Before you can get started on your wreath, you need to “bake” your ribbon to curl it. You can get the full how-to here. After you’ve baked a few batches, you’ll be ready to follow the super simple how-to below for making the wreath…one that I know you’re going to want to leave up all year long!
Enjoy,
Nikki, In Stitches

Materials:
Foam wreath form
1/3 of a yard of coordinating fabric for wrapping your wreath form (I found mine in my stash!)
Scissors
Straight pins
6 spools of 3/8″ ribbon, each containing 10 yards (I used 4 red with white polka dots, and 2 solid white.)

Directions:
Cut strips of fabric about 2″ wide, and use them to cover your entire foam wreath. Use straight pins to hold each strip in place. (Just use two at the start to anchor your strip of fabric down, wrap, and then put two more at the end. Repeat with each strip until the entire form is covered.)

Gather your curlicues that you’ve already baked and cut into about 4″ lengths.
Pin the first one to the foam wreath by placing pin right in the center of the curlicue.

Pin the next one in place in the same manner, placing it close enough to the first so that they start to force each other to fold in half.

Repeat.

Repeat A LOT of times!

Repeat until your entire wreath form is covered!

Pssst! Ready for another cutie patootie project? Check out my “too stinkin’ cute” curlicue ponytail holders on All Things For Mom here!

Nikki In Stitches sells a lovely collection of hair accessories for kids and Mums! Visit her etsy shop.

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Vacationing on a Budget

Today we have a guest post from Sweet Child of Mine.

For many people at the moment money can be a difficult issue, and with summer vacation only a few months away here are a few tips to help make a vacation less stressful on the wallet.

I live without many of the luxuries that most people consider to be necessities. I don't have cable, my cell phone is a TracFone that I share with my husband, and I drive a 15 year-old vehicle. One thing I refuse to do without though is vacationing. My husband and I agreed early on that we would take lots of vacations, because neither of our families did when we were growing up. Sure, we took some trips, but it definitely wasn't something we did every year. Vacationing is so important to us, because it gives us a time to relax, make some great memories and see new places. While I tend to let loose with our budget a little while vacationing, there are many ways to save money but still have an enjoyable trip. Here are some ways you can have a great trip on a budget.

1. Start a vacation fund. Deposit a small amount of every paycheck into a savings account. Even if you can't save up your entire vacation budget this way, every little bit helps. The more cash you have, the less you'll need to charge to a credit card.

2. Travel in the off season. This may not be an option for those of you who have kids in school or work for the school, but for everybody else, this is a great way to save money. An added bonus is that most destinations are less crowded. Most hotels and airlines have less expensive rates between September and May (excluding holidays and Spring Break). We have traveled during the first three weeks of May the last few years, and it has worked out for us. Spring break is over, schools are still in session and the weather isn't unbearably hot. You will need to check to see if there are any special events (sporting events, Nascar races and Bike Week, etc) in your destination during your desired travel time, because this could result in higher prices and crowding.

3. Eat in. If you are staying in a resort or hotel with a kitchen, you can save a lot of money by cooking some of your meals. If your hotel doesn't have a full kitchen, but has a microwave and mini fridge, you can still cook some of your meals. Even if your room doesn't have a mini-fridge, you can take a cooler (or buy a cheap foam one if you flew) so you can store things like sandwich meat, juice and milk. You can use the coffee pot to heat water for things like instant oatmeal and Easy Mac.

4. Save at restaurants. Even I don't cook all of our meals. It is vacation after all! There are a few ways to save money on your restaurant meals. One way is with gift cards. If you receive gift cards for Christmas or other occasions, you can save them for vacation. You can also buy discounted gift cards on websites like eBay or Plastic Jungle. During the holidays, many restaurants have a promotion which adds $5 free when you buy a gift card for $20-$25. Another great way to save on gift certificates is to purchase them at Restaurant.com. You can buy $25 gift certificates for as low as $2 with promo codes. Purchasing an Entertainment book in your destination city is another great way to save money. They are full of coupons for dining, movies and other attractions. You can also check for any Groupon deals in your destination city.

5. Use discount travel sites. Websites likeTravelZoo.com andKayak can help you find discounts on airfare, hotels and rental cars.

6. Go on timeshare tours. Okay, now you think I'm a nut job, so let me explain. My husband and I have gotten several free or cheap trips and free Universal tickets by agreeing to see a timeshare presentation. It just takes about 2 hours of your time. If you already have your lodging reserved, you can take a timeshare tour and earn money or discount attraction tickets. Last year, when my family vacationed in Myrtle Beach, my husband and I went on 4 timeshare tours and earned $400! That paid for our gas money, which was the largest expense of our vacation. This year we went on two tours and earned $70 and a $164 discount on Disney tickets. We could have gone on a third tour and earned another $100, but that place would not allow us to keep our children with us, so we declined. If going on timeshare tours is not your cup of tea, that's fine, but if you don't mind sacrificing some time, this is a great way to save money!

7. Buy a timeshare. Now you think I'm totally nuts. First of all, let me explain how most timeshares work now. When you hear timeshare, you probably think of being stuck at the same resort for the same week every year with a complicated process and fees if you want to go to a different resort. Most timeshares are not like this any more. Trust me, I know, I've toured with eight different companies and only one still used the old system, and that was over six years ago. Most timeshare companies use a points system now. You purchase X amount of points and then you redeem those points at any of the company's resorts whenever you want, as long as you have enough points. With some of these companies, you can even use your points for airfare, food, and amusement park tickets. Obviously certain locations and times require more points than others. If you plan on vacationing every year for the rest of your life, this will save you money in the long run. Plus most of the companies give you an actual property deed that you own forever and can be passed on to your children. You can save even more more money if you buy from an owner selling their timeshare instead of the company. Plus you are staying at really nice resorts, not hotels. The resorts have a full kitchen, and laundry facilities either on the property of even in your villa. This will help you save on food costs and travel because you won't need to pack as much clothing. My husband and I bought our timeshare five years ago and don't have any regrets. We are actually hoping to buy more points soon. The pictures shown are actual resorts where we've stayed with our timeshare.

Some of these suggestions may not work for everybody. I know people have different needs and standards, but hopefully everybody will find at least one helpful tip. Most of all, I just wanted to show that even with one income and a tight budget, you can still have a wonderful family vacation. You can't put a price on making sandcastles with your children or seeing the joy on their faces when they meet Mickey Mouse.

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