Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Christmas Fairs Are Here!

  We are so excited to finally be packing our van for setting up for The Italian Heritage Center Christmas Fair this Saturday November 1st in Portland. We have been working all summer towards getting ready. Time seems to go so fast when you look back.
  I think we have a better set up than last year. My DH has helped us make some really great displays. He made the screens and peg boards so that we could hang our lighted frames and put shelves up to place our Christmas cones.
  We also use bookcases to house our new fairy dolls that
we hope do well at the fair. They are so cute. We have
This pegboard was made by my husband.
This bookcase holds our fairy dolls
great fun making them, I even put
a doll inside a
frame that is
about gardening.
I really like that one.
  We have some really cute gift boxes that would hold small gifts or candy.
  There are lighted luminaries that would look great as a Christmas decoration.
  We have coasters that we made from pictures of Maine's seacoast. I really like them cause they show lighthouses. My sister, Rochelle, took those photos. Putting them on coasters really makes them look even better.
   We made more Christmas stars from fabric so they will last a very long time. It is pictured on the right hanging from the edge of the pegboard.
 
Japanese art of fabric tucking
 
                                           



  These Christmas cones are a new addition to our crafts. We love making these too. They are time consuming but well worth the effort when they are done.
  We already sold the Nativity one to my niece. I will make another one if sales on these go well. 
  This technique is called Kimikome. Not sure I am spelling it correctly. But it is the Japanese art of fabric tucking. You find a design you like and transfer it to the cone. The cone is not styrofoam but smooth foam. Then you choose your fabric and tuck pieces in to make the picture pop. You really get creative here.
  We have the 15 inch ones in the picture but we also sell 9 inch ones too.
   Of course we are selling our cards, Christmas and  other occasion cards. I love how we used our ladders, that my DH made, to display them this year.
  We decided to box them together and label the occasions so that people could peruse them instead of a turnaround display. Hoping this is a better way to use space.
  We also made boxed sets of Christmas cards this year. We did not do that last year. I love how we used acetate to not completely cover the box so you can see in to the design. The sentiment is on the back so you do not have to open the box at all.
  We have large and small gnomes this year. I think they are adorable. You can see them on the left of the picture. The small ones have a poem on the back for gift giving.
Charlotte's Birthday card





















  I just had to show you the birthday card I made for my sister-in-law, Charlotte. I used a new technique that I had never done before. It is a combo of an easel card and a step card. I know how much Charlotte likes the ocean so I chose to use all my dies on this theme. It folds up to a square card that you can send through the mail, but we were going to New Jersey for the football game so I decided to hand it in person.
  Well, in closing I hope I see some of you at our Christmas fair this Saturday. We have one more the next weekend in Windham at the High School. This is a two day fair so we should be really busy. We have never done this fair so we are a little nervous. Wish us luck...
 

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Christmas in Summer?

     I feel bad that it has been so long since my last post. I didn't realize it has been since March.
A purple gnome
In my defense, I have been wicked busy with summer activities and projects.
    We are getting ready for two Christmas fairs in November: One at the Italian Heritage Center in Portland and the other one is a fair we have never done in Windham. They are a week apart so we are working like busy elves preparing for them. We have made more gnomes like the one in the picture to add to our inventory. I love making them. Their noses are the cutest.
Happy Birthday, Adrianne!
   My sister, Adrianne has a birthday at the end of this month so I made this diorama card for her. I have not used this die for a little while. I love making this card because Becca Feeken's tutorial is so easy. I think I might make a few more Christmas cards using this die for our fairs.
 
One version of this card
  Another diorama card I made using Katelyn
Lizardi's die. I got it for 15.00 marked down from 34.00. I could not pass it up. It is a diorama card but different from Becca Feeken's die. The ends are open and you make the bottom of the card the part that you add pieces to make a scene. The die cuts are from Night of Bethlehem from Stampin Up. Love this stamp and die bundle. I plan on using it for many projects for our Christmas Fair.

Here is another version of this die.
     My husband and I decided to take out the bricks that we had in our front yard patio. The water would pool there when it rained right in front of our steps. It would freeze in the winter and be treacherous. Russ fell and hurt his shoulder and had to have surgery. It was a smart move on our part to have it done before the heat wave showed up.
Add caption
Add caption
   Our neighbor, Don is really good at working on these patios with this type of stone work. I love how it looks like we put down little smooth rocks and then we put stone dust down. It is a much bigger patio now.  We will have an easier time snowblowing come winter, too.
  We were able to put our patio furniture there and add a bench and two Adirondak chairs to the seating. Love it... If the weather would cool off a bit, I will be able to spend more time out there.
  A new addition to our inventory is the Advent Box. It is a lovely box that uses drawers that you make and add pulls. The pulls are from Tim Holtz.
An Advent box
  The hardest part to making this box is getting everything straight. I had to have my sister, Chris, guide me as I was putting the sections together to get a better fit.
I just love how it came out...

  I have a lovely time with my brother and his family up from New Jersey. They stayed with us a few days and then headed to Boothbay where they had rented and Air BnB. It was located overlooking a cove. It had lovely flower gardens, too. We had a barbecue with them on their last day there. I will leave you with a picture that shows you how beautiful Boothbay, Maine is in the summer.


Image result for boothbay maine images
Boothbay in summer

 



Sunday, March 31, 2019

Westbrook Spring/ Mother's Day Craft Fair!!

Annual  Spring/Mothers Day Arts and Craft Fair at Westbrook Armory
 A great fair
     My sisters and I are so excited to be at the Westbrook Spring/ Mother's Day Craft Fair this April 27th and 28th. This is our first time there so we are super excited to meet other crafts people and new customers. The organizers have been so helpful and seem to really know what they are doing. We are hoping it will be one of our annual events.
     It looks like there are many talented crafters there with great items for spring and for Mother's Day gifts. Hope we see you there!

Cork Trivets
A spring sampler
    We are working on  many  items for this event that we think customers will enjoy!
These cork trivets are so much fun to make.
My husband makes the frame and I have been cutting the corks to fit. You have to boil them in order to make it a little easier to cut.
   
  This spring sampler is another example of items we will be selling at the fair. I absolutely love making these. I use die cuts that I own to embellish the theme. My husband makes the frames for me. He is so talented and so good to me.
   We have many unique cards. The ladder that my husband worked on to make it easier to see these wonderful Father's Day cards is perfect in order to see and touch cards
For Dad
for fathers.
    He added the strips across the ladder to keep cards from falling. The cards you see here are the shirt cards. I also see an apron card and a pocket card.
    I cased these other Mother's Day cards from Pinterest. Love how it looks like a dress with pears that a mother would have worn. I made the next one a little bigger.

Mother's dress card

Mother's Day card









 
Eclipse cards

  I will end this post with the two cards I really liked doing for this craft fair. It is the eclipse method. If you look it up on Pinterest, there are many posts that will tell you how to do this technique.  I used a Stampin Up stamp set; can't remember the name of the set though. It has a two step method of stamping. I like the shimmery red back paper. I think these will be a hit at the fair. 
 Will be posting more about our offerings for the fair in weeks to come. Be sure and check them out. Thanks for stopping by.

Sunday, February 24, 2019

February Here and Gone!

Working on craft fair items.
  I cannot believe how fast this winter is moving along. We have had alot of wet snow lately. Today it is raining most of the day now.
  I am working on items for our craft fair either this spring of this fall. I love Stampin Up's dandelion set. I used this set to make these 5 cards to put in a box to sell.
 

A finished project




  My sister, Chris, got me interested in doing these frames with added embellishments. I love looking for quotes that add to the frame. You cannot tell from the picture but the inside is recessed so that the extras don't stick out. I plan to make more like this one.


Add caption

 I have been having fun making these baskets from a die I bought from Wish. It really cuts out the fine design quite well.
  You cut out 4 pieces and glue the edges together to make the basket sides. Then you cut out the bottom and glue that on.
  I cut out an inch strip to make the handle and then added the ribbon and flowers. It really makes me think of spring. Now to add something to the inside.




 
The front

The back
  The most fun I have had this month is making my granddaughter, Evy, her birthday card. I made a card in the box using some castle towers and flags. I used a punch I have to make the turrets.  I have the knight die from, I think, Marianne Designs.  I also used the dragon on the back. 

    I added two unicorns on the side which you can not see here. The girl I just printed out from my computer after searching pics of princesses. I think Evy really like it.
    I also made unicorn decorated sugar cookies to go with the theme of her party. I must say that they came out pretty good. 
Unicorn cookies
  Evy's birthday party was alot of fun watching the kids play and interact with each other. Really made the month of February a fun month.... I will leave you with some pictures of her party.




Birthday Girl
Festive decorations

Izzy helping her sister.

Saturday, January 19, 2019

A New Year! More Fun!


  The New Year is starting off with a bang! My sisters and I are hoping to get into a Spring fair . We have applied to the USM Gorham Spring Fair that is held in April. Won't know if we are in until after February 15th , so we are working on projects in hopes we are approved. Time will tell.
   My sisters and I started a company called Sisters' Designs. Calla Lily Studio  My sister, Rochelle has a blog, too. She is over at Creative Corner Studio. Here is a link to her projects: Creative Corner Studio
Our Logo
We enjoy crafting so much that we get together once a week to share and explore new ideas in crafting. We do not have a website but each of us has a blog. My sister, Chris's blog is Calla Lily Studio. Here is a link to her projects:
  We are all gearing up for this year's events. Our goal is not so much to make alot of money but to help offset the expenses for our addiction: Crafting. Our husbands are a big help when it comes to setting up for fairs and taking it down.  We really do appreciate their help. 







 Here is the latest card that I have made for my brother-in-law, Mark. His birthday is in January.. We go out to dinner to celebrate all our birthdays when they come up. 

Happy Birthday, Mark!

  I used some stamps that my son and his family gave me for my birthday. I love the ship and the compass. I cased the layout from a card I had saved to my board on Pinterest.  I think he will like it.
Happy Birthday, Tatum.






   My niece, Emma, has a daughter whose birthday is in February. I love making cards for kids. So fun. I used the stamp and die set from Stampin Up called Birthday Blast. I had the large number die set from Stampin Up and the sentiment. Wish I could make the party but will be away to Florida at that time.
 
Add caption


  These luminaries are just two of the ones I am hoping to make for the Spring Fair. The one on the left has a handle on it and the one on the right my sister, Rochelle,  made . She showed me how to make it , so of course I had to buy the die which is a Spellbinders die, I think. I am hoping to make more of them . I like using flowers and ribbon to embellish since it will be spring. 


My Studio

  My goal or resolution for this year is to get more organized with  my crafting supplies. I am pretty happy with what I have done so far. I plan on stamping every set of my stamps in a notebook to help me find just the stamps I need for a project. I will put this in a notebook and have info on where they are in my studio 
  My other goal is to post more on my blog. I have not done as much this past year because of a surgery and health issues. I am feeling more like myself  with foot and health issues really much better. No vertigo for ages now. Also, my hip may have piriformis syndrome.  I think I spelled  it right. Stretching has really helped me. 
  Looking forward to a wonderful year with family, friends, and crafting. 

Getting Ready!!

    I have been getting ready for an upcoming craft fair at USM on April 22nd. My sisters and I are excited about doing a spring fair. We di...