Southern Scraps

I'm sure you've seen the flower belts and sashes all over the internet- JCrew and Ann Taylor Loft have their versions. Some other crafty folks have their versions: I Am Momma- Hear me Roar , RufflesandStuff , and ohsohappytogether . Here is my version: I made it to go with my Easter skirt and you can see me wearing it here . There are a total of eight flowers (one is the center of another.) I arranged them all on top of a piece of felt and then glued them down when I was happy with the arrangement. I cut the excess felt away. I made a sleeve from felt and glued the flowers on top of that. It was getting late when I finished this and I completed this in a hurry so I could wear it Easter. I need to go back and let out the hem allowance on the sleeve so the ribbon will lay flatter. The ribbon wants to roll a bit as it is now. I'm also thinking of making a sash with a velcro closure like the one at ohsohappytogether because it's really hard for me to tie...

I created some gift card holders .  For design inspiration, I turned to some of  my favorite sketch sites. The first card is created with this week's sketch from The Sweet Stop . I turned the sketch sideways. Image is from Heather Ellis- Pure Innocence and is colored with copic markers. Papers are from Cosmo Cricket. Next is a card/gift card holder   using the sketch from CPS . I put the sentiment tag on the opposite side. I thought it worked better on this card there. This image is one of the Darling Sisters by The Greeting Farm . Image is colored with Copics. Papers are by K&Co. Here's a little tip for making those corners. Punch a scalloped circle with a 1 1/4 inch scalloped circle punch. Cut in half and then in half again to make four corners. Thanks for stopping by. I may be linking these to the parties on the side.

I did not buy a new outfit for Easter this year. Instead, I made most of it. I took my first try at a skirt. I started to do this last summer, but the skirt pattern I have is too small - I bought it in high school and well, let's just say that 20 years later I am not the same size. I didn't quite have the courage to try it without a pattern, but last week I managed to summons the courage to make myself a pattern and  skirt using THIS tutorial. I  was happy with the way it turned out until I took a good look at the photos. I'm not sure I like the way it hangs, but I still love the pattern in the fabric. The colors are perfect for spring. And it was comfortable so I will wear it again. I'm not crazy about an elastic waistband so I made myself a belt to go with it. I also made a bracelet. More details on the belt and bracelet later... I'll be linking up to the parties on the side this week including Get Your Craft On

photo credit here He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Matthew 28:6 (New International Version, ©2011) Wishing you and your family a Happy and Joyful Easter and hoping you truly know God's love and salvation.

It's Earth Day! The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air , Clean Water , and Endangered Species Acts. Read more about the history at earthday.org. Image: Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Taking care of our resources should be a priority for all of us. I believe we are biblically challenged to do so as well. Psalm 115:16 (New International Version, ©2011) 16 The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to mankind. The Lord has blessed us with the earth and our life here. We should take care of it. As crafters, we do a great job of recyling and repurposing. We can take most anything that is headed for the trash pile or landfill and make it great! Here's a list of common household garbage that can be used in crafting. Click each item for a link to a project. bread tags soda can tabs aluminum soda cans magazines Pringles cans, nut cans, any metal...

I've seen a lot of banners and handmade garland and such in blog land. I've been wanting to make my own since I started seeing them in the fall. I finally got around to this for Easter. My banner was the perfect finishing piece to my mantel decor. You see that I used most of the things I created to decorate my mantel: the broken jewelry cross , glitter eggs , butterfly specimen art , and egg topiary tree . Here's a closer look at the banner and a tutorial: Materials used: Cardstock Making Memories foam stamps- dingbats Paint Spellbinders cross die Making Memories Slice and basic cartridge for letters Martha Stewart lattice border punch flowers, punches, buttons, rhinestones, and other embellishments jute string *Cut cardstock into 4.25 x 5.5 inch pieces. I got four pennants from a piece of 8.5 x 11 inch cardstock. * Stamp dingbats on pennants. * While these dry, die cut crosses and letters. Prepare what ever other embellishments you need to. * Adhere...

Sometimes my ideas take on a direction of their own. I was inspired by Allison's post at House of Hepworths to get out my tray ( purchased at Christmas ) and create an Easter/spring centerpiece. I purchased some white birds at Michael's on clearance and envisioned adding eggs and bunnies with them. (Look close in some of the photos and you may see a glimpse of them in the background.) Meanwhile I also wanted to use the glitter egg picks that I purchased from the Dollar Tree and found this cute idea at Joann's. When I got the egg topiaries done, the birds just didn't go with them. Oh well, when Easter is over maybe I can bring them back to the table. For now they are on a side table with a flower arrangement. On to the topiary: this is a really cheap inexpensive project to do. I purchased 3 inch clay pots from Michaels' for 89 cents each, a bag of easter grass for 69 cents, and the Dollar Tree egg picks for 1.00. Not counting paint, that's less that $5! You ...

Last year I bookmarked Jen's (Tatertots and Jello) ruffled burlap runner as a project to try. Last weekend I decided it was time and that I wanted one with Easter time pastel colors to go under a centerpiece. (I've still got to put the centerpiece together, it's still an idea in my head.) After fighting with my machine to make ruffles for a week, and running out of thread on day three, I have finished. Let me clarify a little- in addition to having issues with the machine and having to redo some stitching and work on the machine, I only had about thirty minutes each night to sew. Thus, a week long project. Mine is not nearly as neatly done as Jen's. We'll just say mine is more "shabby".  I'm not going to post a tutorial either. No need to reinvent the wheel. Her tutorial is great and you can find another one at Oopsey Daisy . I used materials from my stash which is really my grandmother's stash. (She passed away almost eight years ago, but I co...

I had to take a trip today for a doctor's appointment. No fun- I don't like doctors, even for checkups. But once I got that out of the way, I did have the opportunity to shop some stores we don't have in my town, one of them being JOANN's. They are having a great sale on fabric and related items. Notions are 50% off and remants are 50% off. I scored a couple of remnants. AND, McCalls patterns for 99 cent . Yes, 99 cent - patterns that are up to 18.95 for 99 cents!!! I picked up several. There's still a couple days left, so if you are near a Joann's, RUN! (A.C. Moore also has styrofoams balls and eggs for 50% off. Stocked up on a few of those there too. ) Here are a few of the patterns I picked up: M6084 M5977 M5901 Has anyone used any of these patterns before? Have any tips? I'll let you know what I make and how it works out. (Someday, be patient.) I know that some of the things I bought patterns for, like the yo yo projects and some scarves, I ...

Head over to Positively Splendid for a chance to win an Epic Letterpress Combo Kit. Just think of all the crafty things you could do with that!

Etsy treasuries are fun to create. Here's one I curated featuring numbers. It's totally out of the realm of things I'd create, but still fun to look at and inspiring. Let me know if it inspires you to create something.

Hope everyone's week got off to a good start yesterday. Today I'm sharing the Easter vignette I created on our sofa table with DIY projects, and dollar store and thrift store decor. I've used my DIY Dollar tree hurricanes again. One is filled with book page eggs and the other is filled with foam eggs left over from my topiary . I've got bunnies I picked up at the Salvation Army thrift store and a yard sale. I took a liking to vintage bunnies this year. Most of them were 25 cents to $1.00. Here are some more: I've also displayed a crochet egg filled with mini eggs that my mother-in-law made. She has made all sorts of fabulous ornaments and things with crochet and sugar water starch. My best score at the thrift store was this wooden Easter sign. It was $1.00! At first I was going to alter it and cover it with scrapbook paper and embellishments, but when I cleaned it up, I decided to use it as is. One last shot: And about that blue Easter gra...

Today is Bella's birthday. She's 2. Bella is our Belgian malinois shephard. And our child! Since we don't have any kids, she gets all the lovin' and attention. And she's worth it. We drove all the way to Texas from Georgia to get her in 2009. She comes from a reputable breeder and was well trained even at 12 weeks. She's incredibly intelligent, curious, and so loving! Here are her special treats that she got today. The sell these at Pet Supplies Plus. They are iced cookies but there is no sugar in them or anything bad for dogs. Bella really enjoys them:  It got a little messy! Thanks for stopping by. Hope you got to enjoy something today.