Sweet little fabric flower

Dear Shayne,

I hope you like flowers, because I'll be posting quite a few in upcoming months. I am wacky and have decided to try handcrafting my wedding bouquet, so I need to start practicing.

Here is one I whipped up last night just to try out the pattern. I think it came out great!


I made it using this fantastic tutorial from Wise Craft. She's a crafty goddess and also seems like a very sweet person, which is always a bonus. If you haven't checked out her blog, you really should.

She used a fabric covered button in the center, but I didn't have the energy to make one for my practice flower, so I used a regular ol' button. I still think it's cute, but I'll probably try a covered button on the next one.

Oh, and here is Kaesea wearing it as a hat. You know, for scale:


(Do I have an awesome kitty, or what?)

love,
kelly

Yay! I made something!

Dear Shayne,

I'm going to blame the heat for melting my brain lately... I have not been crafting much. However, I did manage to make something the other night after the sun went down. Wanna see? Of course you do!

I was inspired by this amazing photo from Flickr friend Little Chrince -- it's her her wedding bouquet. It's fantastic -- I love it!

Through Little Chrince, I found the amazing Etsy seller, Violonjello. (Seriously click on that link to see the lovely things she's making. Look at this beautiful bouquet. Wow.)

I'm almost embarrassed to show you what I have made, after linking to those two amazing artists, but here's my first attempt at a felt flower. I tried not to get too hung up on being perfect -- sometimes that homemade-y look is nice, right?


It's Browns colors (first game is today -- go, Browns!) but I'm not sure what will come of it. It's pretty big for a pin (over 3 inches wide) and I think I'd feel self-conscious wearing it in my hair. But I may try it anyway. This was basically a practice flower, so I'm not getting too hung up on what I do with it.

I used some really beautiful 70% wool felt that I have. It feels great -- so much nicer than acrylic "craft" felt. (I know you'd disagree, Miss Wool Allergy!)

The buttons are from my huge button jar -- I love how that orange button fit perfectly into the dimple on the brown button. You can see that better in this photo:


The back looks awful (messy, messy stitches) so I definitely have to work on that when I make the next one.

love,
kelly

More fantastic packaging: BooDilly's

Dear Shayne,

After raving about Woodmouse Loves Wood's awesome packaging yesterday, I realized that I never told you about the fantastic package I got when I ordered something from Esty seller BooDilly's.

Shame on me! Victoria is an awesome blogger and artist and I truly admire her work (you may remember her from when I won this awesome mini quilt -- remember that? Love that thing!)

I kind of tore into the package before taking photos, but this is what I ordered -- a vintage 200 year calendar:

I don't know why, but I just loved how it looks inside. My first thought was to use it to craft with, but I'm not sure I can tear into it -- how could I properly display such a gem? I may have to think more on it:


She wrapped up my purchase like a gift with a vintage sewing pattern and a ribbon (which I will totally re-use).

She also included a personal note that she tucked inside of an unused card -- so I can use the card again! (What a great idea -- I may have to start doing that myself. Love that.)

Plus, she put her business card in the sweetest little decoupaged envelope. Another item I can (and will!) use again.

Here's the sum of my loot (including, of course, the calendar I ordered):


In addition to BooDilly's, where she sells awesome vintage finds (check out this skull illustration... I am drooling over that!) she also has another shop where she sells her amazing art: The Silly BooDilly. Check it out -- it's so inspirational!

love,
kelly

I couldn't resist

Dear Shayne,

Remember this super cute skunk I told you about a couple of weeks ago? Well, Woodmouse Loves Wood had a sale last week and I couldn't help myself.

I bought him:

(Dude -- the sale is still going on and those suitcases you liked are on sale right here.) (Sorry!)

Bonus: Woodmouse Loves Wood is one of those awesome Etsy sellers who really goes the extra mile and sends you all kinds of sweet goodies when you order from her.

Look at this cute little muslin bag my skunk came in:


Plus, she also sent a little handwritten note and a plantable business card (plant the card and grow wildflowers!) Oh, yeah -- and a card with info on how my skunk was made and also ideas for what to do with the cute little muslin bag: potpourri sachet, a dry snack pouch, a nature walk "treasure bag," and when you are done, it's fully compostable!

It's all just so sweet:


I know I don't "need" that skunk, but... I kinda needed him.
Ya know what I mean?

love,
kelly

Crafty friends rock!

Dear Shayne,

I must admit, I haven't been too terribly crafty lately... must be the heat of summer or just general busy-ness. Fortunately, my good friend Dawn has stepped in to save the day -- she's just sent me something super crafty that I can show off to you right now!

It's this awesome vinyl Nancy Drew pouch:


It's fantastic! She did a great job, including lining the pouch with super-cute Nancy Drew fabric:


And can you see her little label in there? It's her Flickr ID, "You're Fabulous." Because she is totally fabulous!


Wow. All right. I need to get crafting around here so I can show off something I made myself!

love,
kelly