Bunco Eleven & Ten

Whew.  I have been a bit busy with creating and crafting.  I am hosting Bunco this month.  We will be meeting this week at my house.  How we do Bunco in this particular group of 12 great ladies, is the hostess serves dinner and provides the prizes.  So, every month we get together, have dinner, play a dice game, and get a prize for how well you played that night.  The best part is that you get to play each month, but only have to do the work once a year {smile}.  Pretty cool, huh?  And, this is really our excuse to get together once a month to chat, laugh, and basically keep in touch with each other {smile}.

Now, if you have been following my posts, (here, Instagram, or Facebook) you know that my theme is 'farmland'.   I make my gifts.  It's really an excuse for me to craft and share one of my passions (crafting) with my friends.  But, I can't give just a 'gift'.  So, I made a coordinating gift bag (and card) to hold the gift/prize, and a special altered clothes pin, for each person.

For the next several days, I will be sharing what I have created with you here, Instagram, and Facebook.  So, please stay tuned.  Also, not all the posts will be the same.  So, lets get started!  Here are prizes/gifts # 11, and #10.  (I don't make a gift/prize for me: 12 - 1 = 11)

Let's get started!

prize number: its a small mason jar

The kraft gift bag is heat embossed with my 'name' : Designs by Sharon.  I made this the focal point of the decoration.   I machine stitched the chocolate chip ribbon to the lace and adhered it the top of the bag.  I hot glued a button tied ribbon piece to the left upper corner.  

The prize number is clipped to the right side of the bag with an altered clothes pin, the recipient gets to keep {smile}.  

The matching card, is 'gift size' in that it is not large enough to be mailed thru the postal system.  I used digital paper for this card.  Along with some pink pirouette seam binding and a glittered button.

The prize is a refrigerator magnet that holds a wallet-size photo.  I used digital paper to decorate this, as well.  I also added a clay embellishment and a hand-stamped postage stamp.  (close-ups to follow)

and here is #10:

I used the same lace on each gift bag.  I heat embossed my logo on the front of each bag.  I also added an altered close pin to each gift bag.  I wanted to keep things the same, so everything would 'belong' and not seem random.

The gift card that goes with each gift bag, have the same layout and are the same size (2 3/4" x 4 1/4").  The cards don't have envelopes, due to their odd size, so I tucked them into glassine bags.  I thought it added a special touch to them.

This prize is a pair of quilted fabric coasters.  I used material I had on hand, to help keep costs low.  I'm not a very good sewer on fabric.   But I thought these little darlings fit my theme.  (Yeah, I'm a theme girl)

Well, thank you for stopping by!  I will post about every day this week, with prizes, food, decorations and various other 'pieces' of my hosting Bunco party.  Take care, and stop by again soon.

Book Box

One of the things that I have realized, is that, without deadlines, I just sit and create.  Create most things for me, or gifts.  But not so much for challenges.  Wow, that sounds kind of stuck up.  But that's not the intension.  I was on several Stampin' Up! only challenge design teams.  They were a lot of fun, and really made me be creative with my SU! supplies.  But, I secretly wanted to just craft.  Craft with what I had, no rules, no restrictions, no limits.  I used the excuse that I didn't make other things/different crafts because I alway had a deadline for my design teams.  Well, now, I don't have that excuse.  And, I still haven't crafted everything I want.  But, I do want to share with you a few (ok, two) pieces of a craft I am currently working on.

This piece is a 'cover' piece.  I am altering a paper mache book that opens into a box.  I wanted to create a shabby chic altered piece.  So, I used pattern paper from Lost & Found - Market Street.  Using what I have at home, and not spending more $ on supplies.  I machine stitched the floral pattern paper onto some crumb cake card stock. I stamped some chicken wire onto the floral paper.  I added some decorative shapes of different pattern papers, to help add some visual interest. The lilies are made of clay, as well as the rose on the seam binding.  The sage colored paper blossom is from Kaiser Crafts.  I added a Heidi Swap resist butterfly.  And a few gold sequins.  The sentiment 'everyday is the perfect adventure', comes from a retired Stampin' Up! stamp set.  I stamped the words onto a scrap piece of pattern paper and cut out the words.

This piece is going on the inside cover of the book box.  I'm not done yet.  But I still wanted to share with you.  I used a text paper from the same pattern paper collection (Market Street).  I added a decorative shape piece of a coordinating pattern paper.  I added a Melissa Frances resin key.  The main piece is actually a tag from Prima Marketing - Almanac.  Love the rooster.  I stamped the same chicken wire in flannel ink.  I also stamped a quote, 'I was born country and that's what I'll always be, like the rivers and the woodlands wild and free. ~ Alabama', in Baked Brown Sugar classic ink, along the left side of the tag.  I made a tiny tag from crumb cake card stock.  I stamped 'Celebrate today' from a Paper Trey Ink stamp set, in basic black classic ink.  I added a pool party polka dot brad to the top of the tag.  

Currently, I am working on the banner strung across the top.  I used a different pattern paper from Market Street, and a distressed polka dot pattern paper from Melissa Frances.  I used some brown bakers twine to string the banner pieces.

So, as you can see, I have been doing some crafting.  Just not very fast.  I'm not making this book box for anyone specific.  I'm getting a jump start on some crafts that I am selling at my next Craft Fair.

Thank you for stopping by {smile}.  I'm hoping to get this book box done this weekend.  I'll share photos once I'm done.  I still haven't decided on the ribbon to tie the book closed.  So, please stay tuned!

Happy Mother's Day + Blog Candy

Happy Mother's Day, to all of you who are celebrating!  I wanted to celebrate today with you all, and  give away some candy!  Blog candy that is!

here is the candy I am giving away:

The blog candy consists of one yard total of my favorite trims and two button cards of my home-made clay embellishments. 

The trims: one foot each of crochet trim
burlap ribbon, and pale pink crinkled seam binding:

one button card with two clay buttons:

one button card with clay embellishments
a disc with bird and flowers, a blossom, and a cameo

The clay embellishments are made from white sparkle clay and baked to cure. These embellishments will add a shabby touch to any craft.  Each clay embellishment is attached to the button card with a glue dot.

And here is how you enter.  Leave a comment with this post, letting me know your favorite childhood memory.  It can be anything; a family vacation, a stuffed animal you received on your birthday, the best cake your mom made you, whatever.  Also, include a way to contact you, if you are randomly selected as my winner, so I can mail you your candy.  (Candy will be mailed on Tuesday, in a padded envelope.)   Good Luck!

Oh, one little detail.  You have until Monday, May 13th @ 11pm MST to leave a comment, to be eligible to win.  One comment per person.

the sweetest sounds to mortals given

are heard in Mother, Home, and Heaven

~William Goldsmith Brown

Have a wonderful Mother's Day!