Springtime Tulips

Here is a simple little file for a pieced tulip (or two, or three)., and a seasonal label. The actual file only has one flower in it for you to piece in whatever colors you'd like.The flower is in three pieces, and the stem in four for shading. Hope you like it.

The svg is $1.50 USD. Please use the Donate button to purchase, and leave a note about which file it is that you want. Upon notification from Paypal of funds received, I will email you the svg. Thanks a bunch!

Three Poppies with Buds

Each blossom has three pieces for shading and are not attached to the stems, so they can be moved to different ones to vary the design..

The file is $1.50 USD. Please use the "Donate button, and tell me which file it is that you want in the Messages box. I will email you the file upon receipt of payment. Thanks!

Crepe Paper Daffodils

OK - it's evident that I am a paper-flower junkie. I just saw this tutorial on how to make these beauties - perfect for an Easter centerpiece. And the matching egg-cup daffodil place settings are adorable and would be so easy to do. Love it!

Zinnia!

Woke up this morning to MORE SNOW on the ground, even though it was in the 60's two days ago! I'm hoping my budding lilacs, tulips and hyacinths weren't ruined. It is beautiful & sunny outside right now, and the snow is gone, so I'll keep my fingers crossed. 

Can't wait until I can plant some zinnia seeds in my flower beds. I had the most amazing fuschia, orange & chartreuse (my favorite) ones in my garden last year, and they last forever in bouquets. Until then, I had fun making this one. You can't see some of the layers (there's a neon fuschia layer just under the outer yellow layer) or coloration in the pix - I chalked some of the outer petals in fuschia, too, and reversed the paper so that some layers are textured and some not.  I found that stroking the petals on a thick Foamy pad with the cap on the end of my new Quick-Stik (LOVE IT!), worked really well together to get the petals to cup just the right amount. I cut the leaf by hand (gasp!), but will add a leaf to the cut file.

I saw this neat trick on a TV show the other day: The woman was using a hemostat (not what I called it in my misspent youth) to hold a pom-pom to use for chalking, instead of the ubiquitous Q-Tip. The pom-pom is so much nicer, and can be changed out for each color. My pom-pom is huge - I was too lazy to go down to my sewing room to get some small ones, and had these in my stash here in the study. At least with the bigger size, you can flip it around to get two colors out of one pom-pom, as you can see! I also really like using wedge-shaped sponges meant for applying makeup for chalking larger areas.

The svg is here.

Butterfly Favor Boxes

These were one of those late-night brain storm thingies. I needed a quick and easy favor box for a friend's daughter's baby shower, which had the theme of butterflies & flowers. I spent a LONG time working on some fancy flowers & butterflies to put on top of the favor boxes, and then I remembered the file I had downloaded from Heather M's blog earlier in the day. It was a cute little favor box with a round tab at the top for fastening. I incorporated the butterfly into the tab to make this cute little box. It is sized for a Baby Bug, but you can re-size however you want. My finished box is a 1¾" cube - perfect for a hand-full of mints or Easter M&M's! I chalked the white under-wings that formed the clasp of the box, and chalked the edges with a different color. I cut the lacy-winged butterfly in half and glued to the two sides of the clasp.

The svg is $5.00 USD. Please use the Donate button to make your purchase, and leave a note under  "Purpose" on the PayPal page telling me which file it is that you want. Upon notification from Paypal of funds received, I will email you the svg and any related files. Thanks a bunch!

Gerbera Daisy

I made this fun-to-make gerber daisy from the Saru's Flowers font, and the sun design from the Punch Dings dingbat font.They are so real looking - love it! 

The svg is here.

Cutie Pie Card

A friend asked me to make a card for a baby shower with a ladybug on it. I got the idea for this card from Dawn's site, where she does an excellent video on it. Her ideas are so cute, and her personality matches them!

Brittany's site where I got the cute body for the ladybug .svg is here. The body is one of Penny Duncan's Nesting designs (use 3 circles, folded in half & glued together back-to-back), which you can find here. She has done an amazing collection (34 so far!!!) of nesting designs. Thank you, Penny! The jumbo scalloped card is one of my designs. I am working on the nesting file, and will post it later.

Something we can all take to heart...

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I walked to the door and knocked.. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years.All the furniture was covered in dust sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters.In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.  She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her. 'I just try to treat my passengers  the way I would want my mother treated'.

 'Oh, you're such a good boy', she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?'  'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly.  'Oh, I don't mind,' she said.. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice'.  I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.  'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.  

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where  she had once worked as an elevator operator.   We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.  

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.  As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now'.

We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.  Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her. 

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.'How much do I owe you?' she asked, reaching into her purse.  'Nothing,' I said.  'You have to make a living,' she answered.  'There are other passengers,' I responded.   Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.  'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said.  'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life..  

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?   

In a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.. We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.    

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID OR WHAT YOU SAID  ~BUT~ THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL. 

Onesie Card with Lined Envelope

I loved making this onesie card. Got the svg from http://thealliancetrader.blogspot.com. She has some really cute stuff over there. She has made favor boxes from these onesies...so cute! I made a 3½" lined envelope to go with it, which is included in the svg file, along with the flowers (a couple different kinds.) I made the digi paper I used to line the envelope, and doctored the color in Photoshop, adding the black centers for the flowers. There's a nice 1½-inch circle left when the neck opening is cut. I used it to make the envelope embellishment. The little outfit this card will accompany is pictured below. It says, "You are my sunshine". Adorable.

Good old Walmart! This is a new line they're carrying. The quality is very good (retired dressmaker making this comment, so...). The fabrics are very nice and the details are perfect. Wishes & Hugs is the name of the line. Hope you like my card! If you download the svg, please leave a comment...I'd love to have some feedback! Is anyone out there???????

The svg file is here.

Bun in the Oven Gift Box

I saw the inspiration for this cute little oven over at Julie Campbells blog, stampedinhisimage.com.

She had seen it done by Lauren Meader for a baby shower gift. Lauren has a video showing how to make a cupcake (or "bun") out of little socks - so cute!

(Lauren's original box is here.) I had a blast making this - hope you do, too. I would love to see pictures, if you try it! 

I used flowers for the burners, cause I thought Julie's were so cute, but Scrappingtable.com has a dingbat named Jirai that looks just like little stove burners. I outlined the stove top with black.

I added knobs on the front, and used tiny brads to attach the handle & make a hook for the gift tag/oven mitt on the side. The towel & oven mitt are paper...this was a practice in restraint for this old dressmaker! I used acrylic for the window in the door, reinforcing it with a frame on the inside so I could use the brads to attach the handle. An svg file follows for all the components but the box, which is too big for my baby bug, but is easily cut using the template below.

The dimensions are:

Paper 8½ x 11"

Scores for long side:  1", 4", 7½" 10½" (you will score the remaining two lines after scoring the short side.)

Scores for short side: 2½", 6"

Now go back and score at the half-inch mark, between the edge of the paper and the 1" score line, stopping the scores at the score lines made on the short side.

Score the "drawer" at 1 1/8" for the fold, and then, if you like, score some decorative rows, stopping before you get to the edge (I scored mine in a descending order, with each row getting a little longer toward the bottom.

Fold on all score lines except the last two.

Cuts: Cut up to the 1" score line, then cut away the 1/2" x 2½" pieces next to the 1" center bottom tab. Cut remaining dark lines shown in the template above.

Use strong tape to adhere the sides together - I used Terrifically Tacky red tape.

The .svg file is here.

Just for fun... you've got to watch this video - so great!  It gets better and better...enjoy!