Digi-Post 2

Latest Digi - Page

Just finished this one today. I have been wanting to scrap these pictures since I took them back in January but simply didn't have the time. Finally got the time with Spring Break and then found myself stumped as to how to put the page together. Luckily I had Carrie's help and with a few e-mailed rough (very rough) drafts and some good advice I was on my way to a fun flying adventure :-)

digi scrap info

If you have used a program to edit photos, you most likely have just the software you need to scrap digitally. What are the benefits? Well, there are quite a few.
-My "by hand" ones have pictures that pop off. I hate that. Digi pages print out one neat and clean photo.
-Do you ever cringe cropping that really cute photo into a frame, or cropping grandma out because she just won't fit? That doesn't matter with digi scrapping. You still have the original pic and you can adjust the frame size and picture size as you like it.
-Children. Ugh, scrapbooks are such a mess! The kids get to the scissors, those 12.99 papers you splurged for and any and every cute sticker you have. Stamps get all over them and we don't even want to think about those felt tip markers being mashed into oblivion. All I have is my laptop on the table. Easy peasy. Low stress.
-Crop nights. Ha! I love walking in with my laptop as these hard core scrappers haul in thousands of dollars worth of supplies that weigh a ton.
-$$$$ I have a digital camera, a lot of cute papers and elements are found on line and that page that would cost 4-14 dollars is only $2.00 for me.
-copies. I can print pages for family and each kid if I want instead of making a bad photocopy or redoing the page over and over.
-Kits. one kit is usable over, and over and over. You can adjust the color of that cute element that just isn't the right shade.
-Spell check for journaling and fonts gallore!

I can keep going.... But I'll just eave you some great sites to look at instead.

Tutorials and cute kits at 2 peas in a bucket:
http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/cg_list.asp?t=133

Shabby princess:
http://www.shabbyprincess.com/downloads.asp

And Craft Crave who finds the freebies people have to offer on their blogs.:
http://digifree.craftcrave.com/

Digi-Scrap-booking

I realized we are missing a great craft entry on this site...digital scrap-booking! Here are some of my pages. I use Photoshop to put mine together but there are other applications. The backgrounds, frames, and add on pieces came from my friend Carrie. I hope Carrie will post some of her pages as well as some hints for finding the scrap book materials online. She taught me how to digi-scrap and her pages are far superior to mine!

More Aprons from Lexi

Perhaps a bit vain but I thought these looked different on then on the manikin and so I modeled them myself, as I didn't have any other girls at the house. I think these photo's emphasize one of my favorite things about a good apron...they can make you look thinner than you really are :-)

Yep...More Aprons

I made a few aprons as Christmas gifts and thought I'd post them. In the past I've been asked how I make them and so I'm attempting to post a basic how to on the first one to give you all an idea.

I start with fabric selection which I try to tailor to the recipient of the apron. Then I think of the style and shape of apron and begin cutting out shapes and creating a rough pinning of the pieces which you can see below.

I then pin these rough pinned pieces to the manikin to see how they will lay and then make adjustments from their.

After all pinning and sewing is complete I put the apron back on the manikin to make sure it is still laying properly, make any additional adjustments and off it goes.This one is designed to look like a 1950's party dress apron.

Luck of the Irish Apron.

Pretty in Pink cocktail hour Apron.

Ice Cream Colors

A friend asked me to make her a baby blanket to give as a gift. The colors were pink and brown and the theme was polka dots. I found this pattern on Ravelry, however the actual pattern is on The Lion Brand Yarn website. The pattern is called Circle to Squares afghan (here).

Hook size used: I
Bernat Super Value yarn used:
07483 Walnut
07407 Winter White
53435 Cameo

These colors make me think of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream. lol I had fun making this one.

Round and Round

This I found on The Royal Sister's website. The pattern is called Grandma All Round (here). These I think would be a nice coasters for candy dishes or other small dished for a holiday party.

Hook size: I
Bernat Happy Holidays yarn:
31005 Silver Sparkle
31708 Green Sparkle
31707 Red Sparkle
Another impulse yarn projects awww.

These were quick to make and for any holiday by changing your colors. Also can be made in any size by changing what size hook you use.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

I found this pattern on The Royal Sister's website. The pattern is called Grandma Tree (here). The tutorial is really easy to follow, even for beginners. Also a quick little project while watching a movie, for some homeade decorations.

Hook Size: I
Bernat Happy Holidays yarn:
31005 Silver Sparkle
31708 Green Sparkle
31707 Red Sparkle
Another good project for inpulse yarn. :)

Will also be making more of these later in different sizes and adding them to my christmas garland

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

When reading a post on Attic24, she talked about these little stars that are on The Royal Sisters website. This pattern is called Grandma Twinkle (here). The tutorial was super easy to follow and they are quite quick to make. I'm looking to do more in the future in different sizes to make garland for the windows.

Hook Size: I
The yarn I used is Bernat Happy Holidays:
31005 Silver Sparkle
31708 Green Sparkle
31707 Red Sparkle.
These were an impulse buy at the craft store around christmas and couldn't resist.

Think I may do some in red, white and blue for 4th of July too.

Okay, not a craft but....Scissors were involved

Tip and Brag Post
Tip: If you find yourself feeling like a change...go for it! Change can be good, but make sure you have clear idea of what you are thinking so you can relay your thoughts clearly to the stylist. If your not sure what your thinking or aren't sure if you can clearly convey what your thinking look online first and print off a picture of what you would like. This will ensure you really get what you want :-)
Brag: While on my recent trip to Utah to visit with friends and family, my dear friend Carrie stated that she wasn't crazy about her hair. She felt it needed a trim or "something." So, as a former Theatre person with hairstyling know-how I offered to give her a new do should she have an idea. After a quick search of short hairstyles via google she found the hairstyle below and...

I think I hit it on the money. More over I think it was an excellent pick for her. It looks totally sassy on her and is easy enough to maintain with little ones! - Her daughter Gwynn pictured with her thought it was pretty good stuff too :-)

Snowflakes

These are some crocheted snowflakes I made for christmas. I found this pattern on the Attic24 website and couldn't resist making some. I had been at the craft store last last week picking up some yarn I had ordered and they had 3 skeins of holiday yarn up by the register and I couldn't resist. That is the yarn I used to make the above snowflakes, though they use very little yarn you can use whatever is in your stash as well.

You can use whatever size hook you want.

I used Bernat Happy Holidays yarn:
31005 Silver Sparkle
31707 Red Sparkle
31708 Green Sparkle

I will be making some more of these using different size hooks to get different size snowflakes to hang in my windows.

Apple Cinnamon Ornaments

Apple Sauce
A whole lot of Cinnamon.


You add the cinnamon to the applesauce until it makes a non sticky dough. Roll it out and use holiday cookie cutters to cut out shapes. (TIP: make sure dough is at least 1/4 in. thick.)

You can use a straw to make holes for ornament hangers
or press in a paper clip/ornament hanger before drying

2 options of drying

the FAST METHOD: Place cut outs on wire rack in a 150 degree oven for 1-2 hours or intil no soft or moist parts are left

the SLOW METHOD lay out on wire racks 2-3 days or until dried all the way through.



*these last for years if they don't break. And they make your Christmas storage smell great. They are brittle though. Be prepared for breakage in weak spots.

New Aprons by Lexi

I had a few requests for custom aprons this Christmas. Here are two I made today. I didn't use a pattern for either just winged it based upon what I thought worked for each person.
This one was a request from my friend Brittany who wanted one made for her mom. She came with me and picked out the fabrics, ribbons and beads. She gave a brief description of the apron her mother has been dreaming of and then gave me the artistic freedom to put it together. She helped with the final touches and was very pleased with the results. Hopefully her mom will be as pleased as she is.
This one was made for my Gramma who requested one after seeing pictures of the others I had made as mothers day gifts. She requested a feminine design for entertaining and so I designed this with her favorite color of blue. Hopefully it was what she was thinking.

Hexagons

This is a hexagon pattern I had so much fun with. I crocheted the hexagons to the blanket as I went along. The pattern is on the Attic24 website.
The yarn I used was Bernat Super Value Yarn:
07421 Black
07407 Winter White
53044 True Grey
00607 Berry
I had fun doing this blanket. I wanted to make it a little bit bigger to fit a full size bed but decided it worked for being on the couch with a book for now. My hubby said I could always go back later and add to it which I might do.

Crocheted Bag

These are two bags I made using a pattern from Attic24's wesite. The pink one I made just like the directions but the bag is a pretty big size. It works for the next to the bed or couch big projects. The black/grey one I made to use to carry projects with me.
I used Bernat Super Value Yarn:
Pink Bag:
53435 Cameo
53531 Rouge
Black/Grey Bag:
07421 Black
53044 True Grey

My Eyeball Bag

So I made this small bag in October thinking it would be fun for Halloween. The pattern is on The AntiCraft website. This was very simple.

I used a size F hook and Bernat Super Value yarn, colors:
07407 Winter White
00607 Berry (red)
07483 Walnut
07421 Black
00615 Carrot

Overlaid Checks blanket

This is an overlaid checks pattern that I found in The Crochet Stitch Bible. It is an easy pattern and a very quick project. I made this for a friend as a baby gift.
The finished size laid out is 3' x 4' (36" x 48"). This is 168 base chain stitches + 3.
I used a size G crochet hook and Bernat Super Value yarn, colors:
Color A: 53022 Dk Heather
Color B: 07681 Pale Navy
Color C: 53222 Fern

ch= chain stitch
st= stitch
sc= single crochet
dc= double crochet

To start make a chain using color A in multiples of eight until you have the desired length (or width) that you want, then add 3 more chain stitches.
R1: Do a double crochet in the fourth chain from the hook, (The 3 ch on the end are considered a dc) do 1 dc in next ch st, *1 ch, skip 1 ch, 1 dc in next ch, 1 ch, skip 1 ch, 1 dc in next 5 ch repeat from * to the end of the row. ch 3 and turn.
Repeat pattern until you have the desired length (or width) that you want. You should be about to see where the double crochet stitch and chain stitches go.

The color pattern is 3 rows of color A, 1 row of color B, 1 row color C then repeat. In the chain spaces do an overlaid chain stitch rotating colors B and C. Unfortunatley I couldn't find tutorial online for the overlaid chain stitch, but you should be able to pick up the book at your local library.

8-point Ripple Round

I've make this baby blanket along with anthor for a friend who is having a baby, but not finding out what they are having. I used left over yarn from the overlaid checks blanket to make this one.
I found this pattern on Ravelry when looking for a baby blanket pattern. The pattern , however, is actually on a blog site called Trinket's Yarn Box. It is crocheted and I used a size G hook.

I used Bernat Super Value yarn and the colors I used are:
53022 Dk Heather
53222 Fern
07681 Pale navy

Nurse Scrub Top

The wonderful thing about an older sister leaving you all of her old quilting scraps is that when in a financial pinch and in need of new scrubs, one can dig through the bin of fabric and for little to nothing be set to go. This pattern is Simplicity 3542 and was really easy to complete. I think I am going to make a few more tops using some of the other fun scraps!!

Shopping Bag Pattern

2 - 13 x 14 inch rectangles (front and back)
1 - 40 x 9 inch rectangle (side & bottom)
2 - 42 x 3 inch straps (folded over and hemmed to create a 1.5 in strap)
1 - 13 x 9 inch rectangle bottom insert
1 - 12.5 x 8.5 inch cardboard stabilizer for bottom

This is the order I sew the bags in, but figure out what works best for you. It took me a couple of bags to get a pattern going as I made these up loosely based on the bags you can buy at the stores.

-Place the bottom 13x9 insert in the center of the 40x9 rectangle and pin in place.
-Next space the 42x1.5 inch straps 6 inches apart on the bottom insert, tack in place and sew all three layers together. Repeat for second strap on alternate side.
-With the straps on the outside and the bottom insert on the inside of the bag, fit the two 13x14 panels in by aligning the 13 inch bottom with the insert and then working out to each side pinning in the side panel as you go.
-Sew each full side together with one long stitch reinforcing corners with a corner stitch.
-Turn bag right side out and stitch straps to the outside of the bag for stability.
-Place cardboard rectangle in bottom of bag between base layer and bottom insert to keep it in place.
- Fold and go...Enjoy!
Front of bags, the left has the side panels pulled out so you can see them.
The inside of the bag to help you get a better idea of how to put it together. The previous post also has a picture of the bag open on the manikin as well so you can see how the long panel wraps around the front and back panel. Let me know if you have any questions. (Sorry I don't usually make my patterns with directions, as I am usually the only one using them :-)
Oh one additional note you may notice my bags have stitching in the side panel, this is to create a permanent crease here because I am anal retentive, it is not necessary and I made Mindy's bags without. If you want it sew in an upside down Y in each side.

Aprons and Bags

I love sewing and creating my own patterns. Many of the inevitable patterns are inspired by pictures I've come across in books, magazines or movies. These were inspired by an apron pattern book I came across at Barnes and Noble. Although I didn't by the book or use and of the actual patterns it was a great way to get started and I highly recommend combing through "how to" or "pattern" books when wishing to start a new project, but lacking the spark of inspiration.
The aprons were made as a Mothers day gifts for my mom, Jeff's step mom Dana and Jeff's mom Mindy. The shopping bags were an additional gift to Mindy because she kept trying to steel the ones I made for Jeff and I when she visited.
Mya's apron. I went with a striped green and floral pattern to show off her gardening side. She requested a full bib with a towel loop and so I added those criteria while keeping the design feminine with pleating and a wide defining waste strap. The diamond pocket opens from both sides for easy access.

Dana's apron. I designed Dana's after what I imagined as the 1950's Batter Homes and Gardens classic apron. The colors are soft and made to go with a multitude of outfits. The round pocket looks ornate but it was easy to make and provides a nice space for small odds and ends. It's feminine with its ruffles but made from a durable fabric that could hold up to the kitchen mess.
The bags I made for Jeff and I a few year ago are khaki and green and fit our personality well. When making Mindy's I wanted to make sure and stay true to her personality as well, and so I went and picked a few neutral sheik patterns. There were a few of each but I only have one of each design shown here.
Mindy's apron. I made Mindy a reversible cocktail apron to match one of her shopping bags. Here a I have the entertaining side showing, but with a flip you reveal a standard camel colored fabric ready for the splashes and smudges of party prep. The sash (although not shown here) is also long enough to be wrapped around and tied in the front to create a fancy bow when entertaining.