Bakers Twine......

I know baker's twine is currently all the rage among paper crafters - but I'm kinda cheap when it comes to things like that.  So, I did some google searches trying to find some for a good price. How does "free" sound?  You can use things you probably have in your craft stash to make a reasonable substitute.  Just think - you don't have to buy  a bunch of yardage of any one color and you can make colors to match your projects.

To make your own "baker's twine" you will need crochet cotton, permanent markers, and something to wrap the string around.  Here's the video slide show I found on youtube with instructions.

I made a couple of yards of six different colors and it only took a few minutes.  I love saving $$$ this way!  Here's a picture of four of the colors I made:

 I'm off work today and the hubby is gone to visit his family in northern Michigan - so I am playing in my craft room.  I am getting ready to start on a project using Mary's newest kit from svgcuts.com - the School Days SVG Kit!  Click the photo below to buy yours!   This is the free gift this week with a purchase of $9.98 or more.

Please share what type of crafty fun you have planned for today or this weekend!   

Any Alabama Fans out there?

I may live in Alabama, but I was not born and raised here. I consider myself a native Michigander (even though I was actually born in WA) but I've lived the nomadic lifestyle of a military family member. I support Michigan football - but after living in AL for 5 years, I think I've caught the spirit of the Crimson Tide!

I've been wanting to cut houndstooth for awhile but didn't have the patience to even try with my E - it just wasn't precise enough. This morning, me and the Lynx had a chance to play and I've been able to successfully cut this:

 I cut the houndstooth at 4.75" and it cut beautifully - you just have to be VERY careful when removing it from the mat so that you don't break any of the connections.  (WooHoo-found some black cardstock so I cut the file and posted the resulting cut instead of the .png file from Inkscape.)

I've also been working on a collection of hardware type components off and on for a couple of months - I finally took the time to finish and compile everything so that I can share these files:

If you are interested in any of these files, you can download them from my mediafire account - see the SVGs tab of my blog. (Edited: I apologize, I uploaded the files to the wrong folder on mediafire and they were not showing as available-OOPS!  I've fixed it now!)

Thanks for stopping by.  Wishing you all a safe and crafty weekend!

Next batch of svgs added

Most of these are files I made when I was creating a wedding album - and the music notes and guitar are from my Garth Brooks concert layout.

SVGs added

The following six files have been added to my mediafire account and are available for free download. As I upload files, I will post a notice here on the main page.

SVG Page Updated

Hope everyone is having a good morning/day so far!  I have been up and busy since 5:30 - trying to get a few things done before I have to get ready for work.  I had grand plans yesterday to get everything done but I got sucked in by the television - I turned it on to watch the news and then just kept watching.  Obviously I didn't get the train finished last night - have the engine done but still have to do the passenger car and caboose.

However, I did manage to set up a new avenue for sharing svg files.  I tried repeatedly to get the embed folder option to work with 4shared and no matter what I did with the security settings, unless I personally logged into my account, nothing was visible. I established a new account at MediaFire and the security settings are much simpler. Unfortunately, unless I upgrade to a pro account, I am unable to embed the folder into my blog.  Instead,  I added the link on the SVG tab of my blog - if you click on the link it will take you to my public folder on MediaFire and you will be able to download any files that I share there.  No password needed.

Obviously, it is going to take me sometime to review and edit all of my svg files but I will try to add a few more each day.  If anyone needs something specific, let me know and if I have it, I will make it a priority to get it reviewed and uploaded.

Going to get off of here now and see if I can at least get the pieces of the train cut out before I have to get ready for work.

Thanks for stopping by - have a wonderful day!

Stormy Weather

(picture from whnt.com)

The last couple of days/nights have been stormy here in northern Alabama.   While we definitely needed rain, it does make getting out and doing things rather unpleasant - and sleep is hard to come by.

Seems to be a lull in the storms for the moment so I will be headed out soon to do my errands.  Off work today so when I get home, I need to do some picking up around the house, start some laundry - and then I am going to hang out here in my crafty space.  I am working on making a train for my grandson's 2nd birthday at the end of the month - putting my new Lynx to the test!  It's definitely more complicated than using my old "E" but once you get the settings mastered - it is an awesome machine!

I've been working on my blog and have added page tabs at the top.  I've got slideshows of my scrapbook and card projects and my svgs.  Once I am finished, you will be able to visit the SVG tab and follow a link to my 4shared account for downloading any of my free files.  Obviously, it's a work in progress but I hope the end result will be user-friendly for those wishing to browse for ideas and/or download files.

OK - it's really time to stop procrastinating - need to get the body in motion and go run the errands.  I'll post pics of the train project when I have it finished - hopefully later this evening.

Thanks for stopping by - have a wonderful day!

Create your own Pumpkin Patch

Had to take a crafting break and look at this cute little pumpkin I made this morning:


I used American Craft Cardstock, patterned paper from GCD Studios Autumn Afternoon Collection, and a few scraps. I embossed with my Cuttlebug (divine swirls and argyle), used a little ink and added some black micro beads to the center of the flower (all I had was white core brown cardstock and it didn't look very nice for the flower centers). And, of course I used the AWESOME Pick a Pumpkin SVG set from svgcuts.com. In addition to the little pumpkin, there is a larger pumpkin, a pumpkin shaped box, and 3 cards with corresponding envelopes. Mary makes these kits so everything assembles so easily and there is even a step by step assembly video to help you out!

Clicking on the picture below will take you to svgcuts.com to purchase this set!