Ghosties with Heart

I have been making these stuffie dolls that I call Ghosties for, what, maybe 5 years now??? It’s been a while! I haven’t made any in a while until the other day when my friend asked for one. After that one, I remembered how fun they are to make! And with this whole Valentine’s day inspiration crafty thing going on at my house, I got inspired to whip up a batch of more of them. More of them, with a Valentine’s Day twist!

Welcome Valentine’s Day Ghosties!!

Like I said they have always been fun for me to make. I love seeing their little faces and ears once I pull them through! They all start with the same pattern, but they all end up looking a little bit different. It’s like they have their own little personality.

Like this guy, doesn’t he look like a little puppy wanting to follow you home??

I closed my shop a little while back, but am thinking about reopening! I took most of these Ghosties and an assortment of other pieces I’ve made to one of my shops today. So if you’re local and need a ’Ghostie with a Heart’ swing by Twilight Artist Collective and pick one up.

Shared with these link parties!

and this one

Happy Birthday to Me, Happy Birthday to Me…

It’s my birthday! WoooHoo!! Another year at 25…. (I wish)

Notice anything missing from this picture?? Like maybe the icing on the cupcake? Well, last week was my son’s birthday. 3 years ago I got the best birthday present ever… The cutest little guy ever! So the other night we sung happy birthday, he blew out the candles, we all ate our cupcakes… Well, most of us. My son ate the icing off of his and then wanted to do it again! So we started over with the candles, another verse of Happy Birthday and more blowing out of candles!

A funny story… A few years back on my birthday I was lamenting the new number that was rolling over when I got an email from my cousin. She said, ‘Can you believe we’re 36???’ (or 24, I forget! I think that’s another sign of old age creeping in) But I was so excited, because I was thinking I was actually a year older than that!! It made my day!

And for my birthday, another giveaway to thank you for sharing the day with me! This week I’ll be giving one reader their choice of one of my wallets.

This giveaway is a little different than most, I picked another comment from the giveaway last week! Congratulations to comment Number 16, Hollie!

 

I’ll be in touch shortly with pictures for you to pick from!

I hope yall can celebrate with me today by having a great day!

And the Winner is plus a Purse Link Love!

WOW! I think I pulled a blogging faux paux… I was supposed to announce the winner of hte giveaway yesterday, but… I was totally in party planning/decorating mode and I’m not sure what happened to last week. Totally obsessed! Last night, or should I say this morning about 3 AM I realized that I totally spaced the giveaway! So with my apologies and without further ado….

It’s that time again…  Time for a drum roll…

And the winner of the da-atis giveaway is…..

Pally Jane!

I’ll be contacting you soon to see which one you would love best! Thanks for playing!

And for the link love… I need a new purse… But I want something different than the ones I usually make… So what’s it going to be? No idea. But here are a few of my favorites!

1. I love this bag by Made By Hank. I think it’s the piping!

2. This is a perfect rendition of the Tiered Bag from the book 1, 2, 3 Sew. This version is by the author, Ellen, from The Long Thread.

3. This is the size I’m thinking I need, by Warehouse Fabric.

4. I’m not sure this one from Amy Butler, via Sew Mama Sew,  will work for me right now, but I love it just the same.

5. I love the pleats. This bag tutorial by Made by Rae is adorable. I love this one and want to make a bigger version of it!

6. And this one by Kate Spade is adorable.

Feel free to share your favorite tutorials!

Another New Purse!

I said I was closing up shop, but I had a special order request from a friend months ago (like maybe even last year….) oops… Man, I’m lame when it comes to getting things done on time… But hey, once it’s done, it’s pretty cool right???

Check out this version of my typical da-a tis purse!

It’s pretty much the same as the others I was making. Same size, one of my typical images on the front, inside pocket. But I added the rings to the straps, I oriented the fabrics a bit differently. And I changed the bottom. I combined my typical purse pattern and tote bag pattern and then through in a different fabric for the bottom.  I love how the bottom turned out! Oh, and check out the little ‘Made by da-a tis’ tag! I got them through a great deal on Pick Your Plum ( a fun deal of the day site).

As I was finishing this one, I totally came up with a plan for a new one for me. I’m sooo in the midst of birthday party obsession right now, so as soon as that’s over, I’ll try out my new design!! Why did I make this one in the midst of birthday party planning??? No clue!

Have you made yourself a bag lately?? Any tips on great patterns out there? I’ll have some of my favorites tomorrow, but would love to hear of yours as well!

Sorry We’re Closed! and a Giveaway

Yep, I’ve Closed  the Shop, Shut the Doors and have moved on.

If you’ve followed along for a while, you might have noticed that I used to have a link to an etsy shop. Yes, right over there on the right. (under the picture of that adorable baby…) But wait, it’s gone! Where did it go???  It has mysteriously disappeared…..

You caught me. As my son says, ‘You were jus jokin’.’ It didn’t actually just disappear. I hit the delete button! I had an etsy shop a LONG time ago, but never really did anything with it. But what I did do was sew and sell things locally in about 7 or 8 shops. Then with the economy headed in the wrong direction a few of the shops closed. I had a baby…. Blah blah…. And man, sewing for wholesale and consignment is a lot of work!! But then I thought I’d go with it again….So last year I re-opened my etsy shop thinking, I can do the etsy shop, blog, work full-time, be an awesome  Momma, sew for the kiddo, make fun random stuff and do my photography business. i know what you’re thinking…. She’s insane… Yep, I kinda am! My husband just rolls his eyes, smiles and tries to come up with ideas on how to make things easier for me!

Wondering what is it that I make???

Well, I talked about how I started here with my I’m scared of really big cushions story when I re-opened my shop. Although I make all sorts of things, I sell a few particular pieces…

Purses

 Totes

Wallets

Baby Blankets and Ghostie Dolls.

When I started I also did pillows, but rarely do those anymore.

All my pieces are made from post-industrial recycled materials (scraps from an upholsterer that I reuse rather than sending them to the junkyard). So therefore each piece is different. And on top of that I freehand stitch images of birds and flowers and rocket ships and all sorts of things onto the pieces!

Why am I closing the doors on da-a tis, you ask?

First off it was getting a bit stressful trying to keep up. Secondly, I fell in love with blogging and making a wider assortment of things. Thirdly, I discovered quilting! And lastly and probably most importantly, I love seeing my son’s face light up when I make him something. I know that isn’t going to last forever, so I decided I wanted to spend my sewing and crafting time making him things while he enjoys it!

Are you still reading to figure out what the giveaway is?

I’m giving away one of my pieces to one lucky winner. I have a stash of pieces that I never sold nor took to the shops. Purses, wallets, totes, and Ghostie Dolls. You choose!

Ready to WIN? You have FOUR ways to enter!

Don’t forget to leave a separate comment for each entry!

1) Leave a comment telling me what your favorite things to sew are.

2) Become a fan of Feelin’ Crafty on Facebook.

3) Subscribe to Feelin’ Crafty.  

4) Share the Giveaway on your blog/FB or tweet about it or just somewhere out there in the internet world.

That’s 4 possible entries! You must comment on this post to win. The giveaway will close on Thursday, September 29th at 11:59 p.m. PST, and I’ll choose one winner using Random.org who will be announced on Friday.

3, 2, 1 Countdown to the New Year!

My very first appearance in an etsy treasury, A Spacey New Year!

I was featured along with some other very cool, space inspired handmade art.

1. Frank the Robot Screen Printed Notecards by naomicayne

2. Someday I’ll Fly to the Moon print by pumpkin and butterfly. I totally want this for my son’s playroom. He got an awesome spaceship for Christmas…  How perfect would this be next to that???

3. Robot Love Apron by sweetharvey

4. And my Rocket Wallet….

12, 13, 14… Advent Calendar = Check!

OH MY! That only took two weeks longer than it was supposed to! Finally finished on Day 14…

I checked out all sorts of Advent calendars and designed one made of 4 or 5 different houses… Well, I made one and hated it. I just really disliked it.  Here is Plan A:

So, Plan B. Technically I didn’t have a plan B, but I was determined that I was making an Advent calendar this year! So, Plan B actually included coming up with a new design…. I didn’t really have a clue what Plan B was going to be and I was already behind schedule…

I came up with the idea of all the pocket being presents. Maybe under a tree?  Maybe just presents? Or another house theme?? Then I started following this awesome blog, oohmoon. Katie, from oohmoon is making an art piece everyday and then giving it away for free for 24 hours. (If you haven’t already seen this, you should.) She was working on a series of animals and I had fallen in love with the owl. Then she made the owl in the tree with the fox. When I saw that, the design just popped into my head instantly!!

That was the design process. Then I made all the present pockets, positioned the tree pieces and Katie’s art, sewed on the pockets, layered the quilt pieces, appliqued the tree pieces, finished the edges and wah lah…

There is one other thing I have planned for this quilted advent calendar. I have a bunch of pearl beads that fell of the pearl fabric I used for the stockings. I want to stitch those to the quilt for a little snow effect. Cool? Leave it alone? Let me know…

As I was making this, almost done, probably about the 10th of December, my husband asks, ‘Is this something he’ll use every year?’  My answer was basically a look of shock, of course he will! Until he’s about 40 years old…

Handmade Holiday Giveaway

It’s up and online! Register yourself or Nominate an organization close to your heart.

Jessika from Oh My Handmade has put together an awesome giveaway this holiday season. Two baskets brimming over with handmade goodness! Check out the website for links to all the contributors. There are over 30 handmade businesses represented. Amazing things!

My little rocket ship wallet made into Basket #2, along with tons of great stationary, a cool book and and and… The list goes on. Check it out and mention da-a tis for your chance to win.

Oh My! Handmade Holidays Giveaway

‘Tis the Season to be Giving! I was thinking the other night about how much I love this time of year and how giving everyone is. If only it happened all year. Anyway, that’s a whole ‘nother story that is not what this post is about!

We have a few family holiday traditions around giving at Christmas. One of them I started with my son on his first Christmas. My son picks out toys to give to other’s who might not have as many presents under their tree. He’s only two, so he might not actually get the whole thing yet, but hey! I’m starting early!

Then there’s the OH! MY HANDMADE: Holiday Giveaway.

 

Ok, Ok, this is the first year that I submitted and was selected to participate, but I hope this is another start to a wonderful tradition!

This Christmas over 30 handmade businesses from around the world have joined together to offer a unique giveaway experience to Oh My! Handmade readers.

Inspired by the season of giving, on December 5th readers will be encouraged to nominate themselves and up to five charities, non-profits & organizations for a chance to win one of two prize baskets. Valued at over $500 the baskets are filled with beautiful handmade goodies.

Here’s a peek!

A New Purse

Mom wanted a new purse and picked the fabric, but I didn’t want to do the same old thing. So this is what happened…

I like it!

I just found this post in my draft folder… I guess I never posted it!