For the love of handmade

If you are a long time blog reader, you know that I have been challenging myself to learn how to sew toys.  I'm getting better at it, and hardly cry or swear at all during the process anymore.  I take a deep breath, pull out my how-to books and try very hard to follow along.  My latest attempt was a bit of a cheater project.  A long time ago, I purchased an unstuffed, muslin doll form from the bargain bin of a dimestore.  I came across it recently and decided to use it for a practice a session.  While making it, I taught myself how to make a doll wig from yarn, used fabric markers to draw her face, and got a little better at making doll clothes.  The whole project was intended to be a way for me to learn something, but my daughter kept wandering into the studio and dropping hints about the doll.  "That sure is a cute doll you are making, who's it for?"  Finally, when the doll was stuffed and the wig was waiting to be attached, I told her it was for a client.  I was thinking it wouldn't turn out and I didn't want to admit that it was another doll for my "Frankenstein Creations Pile".

But then, amazingly the doll began to actually be cute.  And Valentine's Day was around the corner.  So I closed my studio door one day, finished the doll, and hid her with the intention of giving her to my daughter as a Valentine's Day gift.  But the day before, I had second thoughts.  Would my daughter be disappointed to "only" receive a handmade gift? I was shocked at myself!  How could the queen of crafting say such a thing?  A lover of all things handmade?  It made me realize how brainwashed I was by society.  I really think we all sometimes fall under the spell that store-bought is better.  As crafters, we can claim we are immune, but I know very few people who don't have the same moment of doubt I did before giving a handmade gift. 

On Valentine's Day, all my fears vanished.  I awoke to squeals of delight as my daughter found her doll.  I could hear telling her Daddy, breathlessly, that Mama had tricked her and told her the doll was for a customer.  Looking at the pictures I took of my daughter and her doll (who is named Valentina) reminded me that handmade can be even more loved than store bought.  Another lesson learned.

Home Sweet Home

Home Sweet Home

Happy Valentine's Day!  Today I'm sharing my last Valentine themed craft.  I thought this one would be a good one to end with since it would also make a cute housewarming gift.  It's a simple house-shaped, paper mache box, painted with Folkart Paints.  What makes it such a love filled home though, are the hearts that flow out into the world from the chimney.  They are simply paper hearts attached to wire.  I filled a glassine bag with chocolate Kisses to tuck inside the box and my sweet home was complete.

I hope that your home is filled with love & kisses today too!

Holiday Headbands

Valentine's Day Headband

When I was a little girl, I always decorated for the holidays.  I was crafty even then and would sit for hours cutting out and making decorations for my bedroom.  One year, I had a large, tall box and I made my brothers and sisters color pieces of paper green and then we glued them to the box and pretended it was a Christmas tree.  Why I didn't just use green paper is beyond me, but we had fun. 

Now, my little girl is into the holidays too.  We decorate the whole house together (I guess I never outgrew that!) and she loves to deck herself out in festive accessories whenever she can.  And she always has festive accessories because she has a mama who loves to make them.  Aren't we the perfect combination?

Heart Headband by Laura Bray

I recently designed a cute felt, heart headband for my monthly Mommy & Me article in When Creativity Knocks' Journal, be sure to check it out!

And, if you want to get a jump start on St. Pat's Day, why not visit my tutorial for making a Shamrock Headband from last year? 

Shamrock Headband by Laura Bray

Homemade Valentines

2012 Valentines: Shaker Cards

I have to say, with the current state of the California pubic school system, it's a daunting task to make homemade valentines.  My daughter has 30 children in class with her!  That's not good for her education or for making valentines!

But she really loves to make homemade valentines, and now that she's 6 1/2 (don't forget the 1/2!), she's more involved in the creative process, so we poured over magazines, brainstormed, discussed the pros and cons of including candy (she decided "no" on that because there is a child with diabetes in her class and she didn't think it would be fair to him), and finally we came up with a design.  We have broken the work up and are making 10 valentines a day in order to avoid overwhelm and keep the experience enjoyable.  So what was the design?  Shaker Valentines!  Two pieces of vinyl sewn together, filled with punched hearts and glitter (we used Art Glitter's Gala Glitz packs because they have tiny beads and nice chunks of glitter), and a card stock frame.  My daughter is so proud of them.

Here's a little round-up of previous years:

2011:  I was lazy and downloaded free printables from A Fanciful Twist

2010: Felt Fortune Cookie Valentines



2009: Paper Lollipop Valentines

So how about you?  Do you make or buy your valentines?

Flowers and Doilies Heart Box

Flowers and Doilies Box by Laura Bray

I have been the mad Valentine crafter this year!  Seriously, I might have to do double posts to get all my projects up before next Tuesday.  I think I'm more inspired because I've started a new creative habit.  A month or so before a holiday, I go to the craft store and pick-up some items that go with the holiday.  Then I put them all in a basket in my studio and leave them out.  Every time I walk into my studio, I eye the basket and usually can't resist going over and grabbing something.

For today's featured craft, I embellished a red, wooden, heart box that I have owned for years.  It's been kicking around my house forever, and now that it's embellished, it looks like it will be around for a few more at least.

As I said, the box was already red, so this project took no time to make.  I used Martha Stewart Crafts' Eyelet Lace stencils and some FolkArt paint in Winter White to create the doily patterns on the box.  Then I followed a basic felt flower tutorial I found online to make the roses.  Glued them on and I was done. Well, almost done!  We must not forget my signature polka dot ribbon around the edge!

Now, what should I put in the box?  Love letters?  Cookies?  What would you use if for?

Button Bon Bons

Button Bon Bons by Laura Bray

Looking over past years' valentine posts, I have come to the realization that I have a slight obsession with chocolates.  How many crafts can a girl do that involve the creation of faux chocolates?  Apparently quite a few.

My latest faux chocolate recipe was featured over on the Buttons Galore and More blog a few days ago.  The project also incorporates a couple other addictions of mine.  Namely, felt and buttons.  I hope you'll go visit!

Here are some of my past chocolate projects:

Faux chocolates made from tea lights

Mini-cupcakes decorated to look like bon bons



Glittery Valentine Wreath

Valentine's Day Wreath

In January, I was cruising the aisles of my local Michael's store and saw some red berry wreaths marked down 70% from Christmas.  They actually reminded me more of Valentine's Day than Christmas, so I snapped one up to create some Valentine's Day door decor.

The wreath was a bit shop worn.  After all, the poor thing had just survived the Christmas shopping season, so I used some of Plaid's FolkArt paint in Lipstick Red to touch up the berries that were beat up.  Then I added some sparkle with FolkArt Extreme Glitter in Red.  I didn't paint all the berries, just hit some here and there to give them a sugared look.

I had a wood heart that I painted in FolkArt Winter White and then coated with Hologram Extreme Glitter.  A polka dot ribbon (you know how much I love polka dot ribbon) finished the look.  Now my front door looks festive and it barely cost me a thing!  Now that's love.

Homemade Microwave Popcorn

I have great childhood memories of popcorn. We had a really cool air popper (it was the latest and greatest thing in the late 70s, early 80s). It had this really cool cup on the top that you would fill with popcorn, and then tip into the popper. It also had a metal cup that fit into the side where you could melt butter during the popping process. We had a lot of fun making popcorn with it until a new fangled invention, the microwave, came along and with it, microwave popcorn.

Now I'm trying to eliminate as much processed food from our lives as I can and microwave popcorn seems to be to be a big bag of chemicals with a few popcorn kernels. I toyed with the idea of searching for a new air popper, but I need another kitchen gadget like I need a hole in my head.

Then I heard a rumor that you can make popcorn in the microwave with just popcorn and a brown paper bag. I played around with the idea and finally have it down so that my popcorn turns out perfectly every time. And I have to say the popcorn tastes so much better than the expensive stuff I used to buy. Here's what works for me:

Homemade Microwave Popcorn
Supplies:
-brown paper lunch sack
-popcorn kernels
-butter & sea salt (optional)
-microwave oven

Recipe for Microwave Popcorn

Directions:

1. Pour 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels into the brown paper sack. Roll top of sack closed.

2. Place sack in microwave. Use the microwave popcorn setting. This step is going to vary for everyone because every one's microwave is different. Through trial and error, I know that I can use my microwave's popcorn setting as long as I pull it out about 30 seconds before the cycle is complete. Your best bet is to stand in the kitchen and listen. Once the popping sound starts to slow down, you need to pull your popcorn out.

3. If you are so inclined, melt about 3 tablespoons of butter in the microwave and pour into the bag. Add a pinch of sea salt, and then roll the bag up and shake it. I do this over the sink, because the melted butter does absorb through the paper sack and I don't want butter to spray everywhere.

4. Turn on your movie and enjoy your popcorn.

This recipe makes approximately 4 cups of popcorn.

And, while you are in a movie & popcorn mood, I highly recommend watching these fascinating documentaries:

Marwencol  A fascinating story about a brain-damaged man and the dioramas he builds.  Check-out the link to see his fascinating photography.

Cropsey This one gave us nightmares.  It's a story about an urban legend that the filmmakers discovered was true.

Forks Over Knives This movie really motivated us to eat healthier.  A fascinating look at how much what we eat affects our health and really makes you rethink everything you think you know about eating healthy.  Although the message is vegan, we still found a lot of information that we could incorporate into our meat & dairy lifestyle. 

All these films can be found on Netflix.  What movies have you been loving lately? 

UPDATE:  I just read that the FDA doesn't recommend using brown paper bags for food prep.  I found another good method for making homemade microwave popcorn in a glass bowl, with a vented lid, here.  Of course, then there's the issue of microwaving plastic.  (Sometimes I feel like it's impossible to be healthy!)  Maybe I'll just have to go back to the old-fashioned stove top method. 

Valentine's Day Countdown Calendar

Valentine Countdown Calendar by Laura Bray

Check-out my super cute, felt, Valentine's Day Countdown Calendar over on the Buttons Galore and More blog today!  It's one of my project designs that actually came out exactly the way I originally envisioned it.  (That doesn't always happen!)

Will you be my Valentine in 14 days?

CHA Winter 2012

I know I've been missing from the old blog lately.  It's CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) time though and you know that what means.  Busy, busy!

I wanted to pop-in and show you one of Plaid's displays at the show.  It's for the Extreme Glitter product and I'm super proud to say that I did the projects!  It was so fun to work with their product and even more fun to walk onto the show floor today and see my work in their booth.  They had me make accessories for a bunch of different celebrities.  FUN!

If you are at CHA, please stop by Plaid's booth and see it.  Hope you are all well.  I'll be back to my regular blogging schedule soon-I promise!  While you are waiting for me, why not check-out some of my new friends blogs.  I've met all of these people in person over the last couple of days.  Isn't it fun when you realize your favorite bloggers are actual, real, live people?

Cathe Holden-Just Something I Made
Elise Ann Durenberger-Mamacow Creations
Ken Oliver-Ken Oliver's World in Progress

The Perfect Snack

I had the perfect snack last week: A hot cup of tea, a clementine, and an anzac biscuit.  It made me inordinately happy just to look at it, let alone eat it.  The flavors went perfectly together and I felt all warm and cozy inside while I ate it.  And it was fairly healthy.  The cookie recipe was from Cooking Light and had oatmeal and coconut in it. 

Sometimes I wonder, do other people get as much joy from food as I do?  Tell me, what's your perfect snack?

Button Note Cards



Haberdashery Projects b Laura Bray

As you all know, I'm on the design team for Buttons Galore and More. One of the products I love the best is their Haberdashery kits. Just the name alone is enough to make a retro-style girl happy. 

Spring Garden Haberdashery Kit from Buttons Galore & More

I love how the kits come all boxed up together, it makes crafting quick and easy.Inspired by the buttons, ribbons and embellishments I created a set of sweet, matching note cards. When I was done, I used the box as a place to store the cards. Wrapped up in a ribbon from the kit, I have a great little gift and all I needed to add was some card stock and glue.

Haberdashery Note cards

I'm so excited by these kits, I'm thinking I might need to throw a haberdashery party. Wouldn't it be fun to invite the girls over, hand each one a kit, and craft together? You could make cards or you could even make one of my Haberdashery Hearts.  I used one to kit to make 3 note cards and the heart and still had some goodies left over. Have a great weekend!  Do  something creative.

Haberdashery Heart



Travel Jewelry Pouch

Jewelry Pouch by Laura Bray

I'm not a jewelry maker.  There I said it.  Like knitting, I have always admired jewelry makers, and I have a strong desire to make it.  But, also like knitting, I can't do it!  I've tried and tried, but I am just challenged.  My jump rings are always wonky and nothing turns out the way I would like it to.  So, when Cousin approached me about being a guest blogger, I thought they were crazy.  I mean, they sell jewelry supplies.  But it turns out they wanted someone to share some ideas about how to use their products in areas other than jewelry making.  Ah!  Playing on my weakness.  I get it.  Seriously though, the greatest thing about the arts and crafts industry right now is the very fact that we have the option to use products for non-traditional purposes. 

So, long story short (not really), go over to Cousin's brand-new blog and get my tutorial for making a super cute and easy felt, travel pouch.  It's a great little project that can be used by makers of jewelry and collectors or jewelry alike.

Jewelry Travel Pouch by Laura Bray

Color Cafe

Journal page by Laura Bray

Do you love color?  You must know by now that I do!  While I was avoiding getting ready for the Craft & Hobby tradeshow this weeekend (ahem), I sketched and sketched.  I recently bought myself the book, Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists: 52 Creative Exercises to Make Drawing Fun (Lab Series) by Carla Sonheim. 

I'm tickled pink by how much my drawing has improved by using her simple advice.  My six year old daughter loves the book too.  All week, I've been finding her hidden away with my book, drawing away.  It warms a mother's heart.


Journal Page by Laura Bray


I'm also over at Color Cafe today.  Hop over and take a look around.  It's color inspiration on steriods.

Felt Food: Ravioli

Felt Ravioli by Laura Bray

Here's another play kitchen idea for you!  Felt ravioli!  Makes me hungry just thinking about it!  Here's how to make them.

Ingredients:

• White or cream colored felt
• Stuffing
• Red felt
• White embroidery floss
• Sewing machine

Recipe:

Ravioli:

1. Cut white or cream felt into 2" x 2" squares.  You'll need two squares per ravioli. 
2. Place the squares together and stitch 1/4" in from the edge.  Leave one side open.
3. Stuff with polyfil or stuffing of your choice.  Sew last side closed.
4. Using pinking shears, cut round the edges of the ravioli.

Sauce:

1. Cut a free form, amoeba-like shape from the red felt.
2. Embroider on Parmesan cheese with white embroidery floss.  I did a straight stitch because that's what our Parmesan looks like.  If you buy grated Parmesan, you might want to do french knots.

To store, I bought some foil containers with lids at the grocery store.  And, yes, I actually delude myself into thinking they will be carefully put away after playtime.  Hope spring eternal.