Grocery Bag Holder

I am super excited about what I made today!!  Since we moved into our condo this past August, our garbage bag collection has been sitting in a ripped gift bag and just looking generally untidy.  BUT NO LONGER!

Ta da!!!  Introducing my new grocery bag holder!  I got the idea for the pattern from http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2009/01/grocery-bag-holder.html The one on that site looks 10x cooler than mine but for today I wasn't really concerned about spending time making something look cool - I was going for function, and FAST!  One of my goals for the coming year is to simplify my life and declutter.  So with that, I wish you a Happy New Year!!!  JEM

Christmas Scarf

Oh my goodness, it's been a long time since I finished ANYTHING!  Work got busy, so many Christmas concerts, etc., and then we got a kitty (who makes knitting a challenge!).  But, a friend of mine asked me to knit a scarf for her friend for Christmas, and I've gladly obliged!  Anything to keep crafty.  :)

This is a wonderfully soft baby pink scarf, made with the same Charisma yarn from Michaels that I used on my sister's scarf.  Non-itchy is a big hit :)  The scarf is about 4 feet long, and has a border to prevent it from curling in too much.  I just have to block it tonight, and I'll give it to my friend tomorrow!  

And since she's so cute - Sunny!  Merry Christmas everyone!  JEM

New "Stuff"

Hey everyone!  I'm super excited about a bunch of new products I received in the mail the other day, and I want to share them with you!  Here we go!!

This is a sticky note pad that has a picture of a tree I took in Victoria, BC, while attending Capernwray Harbour Bible School on Thetis Island.  It's in a bird sanctuary that I explored with my friend Matt one day.

This is a larger notepad with a picture of the lighthouse at Cape Spear, Newfoundland.  I took this photo when I was there this past summer with the jazz choir I sang in.

This is a cloth bag with a photo I took at Capernwray Harbour of an old piano that was outside.  I think it might be a nice book bag.

Yay!  A pen with my business info on it.  And polka dots.  Like the polka-dot door!

I'm super pumped about these!  My new business cards - what do you all think?  Unfortunately I couldn't get the bird graphic on them, but I was able to make the font easier to read.  All nice and ready to send out with the products people buy from me!  *wink wink*

Ok, I can't claim this as mine, but it's so cute that I just had to let you see it.  I love birds.  Especially owls.

We've been waiting for a mouse pad for a while, and now we have one.  I took this photograph in Vancouver, BC when I was there last November.  Wow, I can't believe it's been over a year already.

And some more owls for you - return address stamps.  I don't care if these are Christmassy or not, I'm going to put these babies on all my Christmas cards this year!

And last but not least, a journal with the same photograph as the sticky note pad.  I absolutely love this picture.  The sky always amazes me.  Anyway, if there is anything here that you absolutely love and would maybe like to purchase from me, let me know!  I'd love to make you a deal :)  JEM

Anna's Scarf

My sister wanted me to make her a scarf - with holes in it.  This is the closest approximation we could find.  It's made with lovely acrylic yarn (no itch!) from Michael's called Charisma.    I wish I had found this yarn sooner - so many scarves I've made feel so itchy even though they look great.

The yarn curls in a bit so it looks a bit thicker but still loose.  Just in time for winter - due to be given to its owner in 15 minutes!  Gotta run!  JEM

A Gift for Anna - 3 in 1!

First, I made an envelope from an old calendar - two cute kittens playing :)

The front of the card.  The cardstock is leftover from my wedding invitations, the corner punch from my MIL, the letter stickers from a scrapbooking kit I purchased when I went to Alaska on a cruise, and the flower picture is actually from a promotional flyer that I thought was really pretty!

The first fold of the card.  More of the promotional flyer, decorated with stars, circles, and flowers fastened with brads.  I kind of went brad crazy on this card - 15 of them!  The decorations are mine, the brads from a friend.  The quote is from a friendship calendar I received from a friend a few years back.

Aww :)  More cruise ship stickers, decorations and my friend's brads.

The last fold of the card has a flower from the friendship calendar I got the quote from, and room for a personal message.

I didn't want to waste any of the pretty promotional card so I used the remainder on the back. 

And here is her gift!  The pattern is "Bernard the Fox"  except she wanted it black (I'm pretty sure!), so black it was.

I definitely have some learning to do with my amigurumi.  Apparently I'm not making the stitches tight enough and that is why the stuffing shows through.  At least this one just makes him look like he has spots!  The really cool thing about the legs is that they have pipe cleaner inside of them and they are bendable, so you can make different poses!  Neat :)

Bernard taking a nap - *yawn*  Wish I could join him!!  Happy Wednesday everyone... <3 JEM

And the winner is....

Thanks to everyone who voted and gave feedback on the sample business cards!  I have decided to take the majority vote - which is Number 3!

And now for the random winner - - - Katia W!!  Congrats, Kat!  You will receive a custom greeting card made by moi...

Have a great day :)  JEM

Vote for Your Favorite Business Card!!

Hello everyone!  Hope you're all enjoying your Saturday!  I've decided that I should include a business card with the products I make for people.. You know, garner more business?  Yes, garner.  Look it up :)  Anyway, I would love it if you would place a vote for your favorite design!  This is #1.

Business card #2.  If there is something you like about a certain design as well, but think it needs some improvement, please let me know.  I'm always open for suggestions!

Business card #3.  To hopefully stimulate audience participation, I've decided to make this into a bit of a contest!  If you leave a comment, a winner will be chosen at random at the end of Sunday, October 23rd.  You will receive a handmade card by me!  Hopefully that is something desirable ;)  Have a great weekend!

Braided Forest

This cowl took me a couple months to make.  It's 4 separate braids that are tacked together at regular intervals, and then joined at the back for a seam.  I got the yarn on Granville Island in Vancouver, BC.  Each little fold of braid took me 1/2 hour, and there is about 50 of them, so that was quite a lot of time!

If I did this project again, I would probably do fewer braids to make it a little more snug around my neck, and use only one color, but it's still pretty nice.

Here's a closeup for you to enjoy!  Happy Thanksgiving!! <3 JEM

Anniversary Card 2011

Probably one of my most creative cards to date.  Hubby gets the credit for the poem (well, I made it gerbers cuz I don't have any violets to attach!).  The main body of the card is actually a recycled grad photo display from my mom!  The white paper and flower are from a friend's stash, and all other paper is recycled from a friend's wedding invite.  The letter stamps are mine, and the flower stamp and metal accent are my MIL's.

Hehehe!  I slid in white paper where the picture usually goes.  I'm feeling pretty creative at this point!  I even put wedding rings on the frogs...  The letter stamps once again are mine, and the frogs and grommets are from the MIL.

The grommets come through the back of the card, but I don't feel like covering them up.  The card is pretty thick, so they didn't really flatten out like normal, but I think they will stay in.  Enjoy!  <3 Jem

Cassandra's Birthday Card

September 28th is my friend Cassandra's birthday!  I had a friendship calendar from a friend and I thought the quote for today was perfect for what I was feeling.  It's been a while since Cassandra and I have spent time together and I hope that will change soon!  For her card, the white cardstock is from my friend Beth, the calendar page is from Lisa, the brown paper is from my mom, and the edger punch is mine.

I love the feel of this card - kind of earthy and pretty!  The white cardstock and brads are from Beth, the brown paper from my mom, the sparkly cream paper is recycled from a friend's wedding invitation, and the stamp and edger punch are mine.  The ink is from my mom.

Does anybody have ideas for covering up brads on the back of cards?  I'm not a huge fan of the bulge covering with paper creates...  <3 JEM

Wedding Card for Beth's Brother

I'm so excited - Beth commissioned me to make this card for her brother's wedding this weekend!  My first wedding card - and it was a lot of fun!  The white cardstock is from Beth, the blue layer is leftover from a scrapbook I made when I went to Alaska with my family to celebrate my Mom completing chemo, and the picture is from a Precious Moments calendar from my Mom (the year?  1980!)!  I used my edger punch to fancy up the border.

The plaid paper is from the outside of the calendar picture, the flower is mine, the brad from Beth, and the stamp is one from a set my husband and I bought to stamp on decorations we had at our wedding this past March.  The ink is from my Mom.

I personally think it's sooo cute and I would make more but alas, it is one-of-a-kind!  If anyone else would like an original work of art, don't hesitate to ask!  Happy Wedding!  JEM

Dad's Birthday Card

Here's my Dad's birthday card this year!  I made it manly using some wildlife. :)  The cardstock is from a card I had made previously but had never used.  The white paper is from a friend's stash, and the stamps, colors, and cutouts on the edge are from my MIL.

The stamps inside are from my MIL, the grommets are from my mother, and the white paper is from my friend.  My husband said now all it needs is a gun... Yeah, right ;)

I decided I didn't want the grommets to come all the way through, as I didn't feel like covering the back of the card.  Hopefully they won't pop up the paper on the inside of the card.   Until next time, Jem :)

Mom's Birthday Card

This is my Mom's birthday card!  I'm super excited about this card because I got to raid my MIL's stash while we were staying at my in-laws house.  The photo of mom and daughter (awww!), the green paper, and the ribbon were from my mom.  The stamps are mine, the brown card is leftover from our wedding invites and the metal buckle and punch I used to beautify the picture are from my MIL.

On the inside, the stamps again are mine.  The metal clips and punch are my MIL's, the green paper and grommets are from my mom, and the ivory paper is recycled from a friend's wedding invite!

On the back, I covered up the grommet marks and the end of the ribbon with some more paper from my mom's stash, and put my logo on the back.  I feel so lucky to be able to experiment with stuff from other people's stashes - I had so much fun making my Dad's birthday card - which you will see tomorrow!! JEM

Beth's Birthday Card

Here is a birthday card for my friend Beth!  She loves horses so I decided to use a photo from a birthday card I received many years ago from my Uncle.  The brown cardstock is from my wedding invites and I used my MILs corner rounder on it.  The corner punch on the photo is mine.  I also distressed the photo with an emery board for fun.

On the inside of the card I used ink and brads from my mom.  The stamps are mine, and I used the trimmings from the photo to fancy up the inside a bit.

Something quick, but I hope she likes it!  Bye for now!  JEM

6 Month Anniversary Card

Here is a card that I made for my husband on our 6 month anniversary!  We've been reading through 1 John in the mornings, so I thought it would be appropriate to quote for the occasion.  I am STILL using up the brown cardstock from our wedding invites!  The corner punch is courtesy of my MIL, the patterned paper and olive ink from my mom's stash, and the white paper and brass brads from my friend's stash.  The stamps are mine.  The sources are the same throughout the card.

I placed some colored paper on the next page and I just wanted you to see the effect it has with the corner punch.  :)

The only thing I don't like about brads is that they go through the paper so you have to cover them up.  It makes things kind of lumpy!  This page is a classic case of not measuring correctly...  I kind of like to just eyeball things, but it didn't work out here as the rest of the text is squished.

On this page I tried out my new corner stamp!  I really like how it lets the color of the paper underneath blend in.  However, it wasn't the easiest to line up when punching, which is odd because it's a corner stamp.  Hopefully it was just my error and I'll get better at it!

We're going to Earls tonight with a gift card from my parents - yum!  Take care!  JEM