Sew Fantastic!

Although you haven't seen a post in 2 years...(whoopsies) I swear I have been keeping up my crafty oath! Lately the medium I have been using is my sewing machine. Since the last post, my Hubby and I have moved to a new city and been subject to some ups and downs, but I have loved the sewing! Here are a few of my favorite creations!

My CUPCAKE!

So this card might just be my most favorite yet. It is so "sweet" (I couldn't resist). I used this fabulous green paper I bought from Michael's for the base and used bright pink to accent it with. Started by using a spool of ribbon to trace an arch for the cupcake wrapper. First I wrote "Wishing you a happy birthday" in the lower right hand corner, then I accordion folded the paper and used my brown watercolor pencil to create the depth on the wrapper. After gluing the wrapper to the card, I cut out the pink polka dot paper for the cupcake frosting, glued on top of the wrapper and card and added a ribbon which incorporated both the pink and green used in the card.

The envelope was the easiest I made yet. I used the remainder of the paper that I used to make the cupcake wrapper, folded it in half added some 'wings' on the inside to secure the sides and rounded the fold. Then, as I went with cupcakes, I added a hand drawn cupcake by first using a permanent marker (fine tip) and wrote the Birthday girl's name and colored using my most favorite watercolor pencils. A little bit of water and presto, you have a wonderful, simple and cute envelope!

Happy Birthday Lis!!!

Meggie A.

Missing You

A care package with the long past created bookmark (from a previous entry) chili, beef jerky, the new Starbuck's Via instant coffee, Gatorade packages, and of course his favorite; Tang single servings are just a few of the items I placed in this box o' stuff. I also added pictures of his kids and wife, and a handmade card. I used lots of colors, and although it is hard to see in this picture the card is on navy blue cardstock, with the gray patterned paper layered with a green "speech bubble" and brown little bird. I lined it with light blue paper inside. No envelope for this one--it just laid nicely on the top of all of the stuff.

Choo! Chooo! Chai Train Comin' To You

So my dear friend moved to Washington D.C. recently, I may have mentioned it before, and we used to go daily to a little coffee shop called Chickory. We went nearly every day for a year, and not long into it, we began dubbing our daily morning coffee/chai tea runs "coffee trains". While we didn't have the opportunity to go as often as we liked the further into our careers and after job and offices changes as we liked, we still enjoyed the "coffee train" when we could. We used the time to catch up with one another--it was an exclusive date.

I guess you would be able to deduce that since she moved there have been no coffee chai trains for either of us.

However, her boyfriend who lives here (while she's there) called me this week and asked if in honor of his trip this weekend to see her if I would like to go on a chai coffee train run...of course I said "YES!" On my way out of the quaint coffee shop, I had a sudden thought! I should see if I could buy the chai tea powder and send it to Sophie in D.C. with Shane! So after a purchase of what I think is the perfect gift, I had to make a card.

I cut the coffee cup and steam out of the card and pasted a light grey paper behind the cut out--worked out quite nicely. Although, I added too much (then I subtracted--always less is more, I need to remember that) I was able to resurrect the card.

Happy Chai Train!!

Two Fashionistas

My two dear friends, both living in the same fabulous city (which is not where I reside) needed to fabulous cards. Both are fashionistas, one more Jackie O. in her refined and classic style, one a bit more Hobo and free spirited (whom, may I add has her own blog on her free-spirited fashion forward work dress that you can check out at JRose). But both know the ellegance and sassy-ness a LBD (Little Black Dress) can bring to the table--so what better to draw but a LBD? So, in honor of our friendship (I MISS YOU BOTH!!!!) these cards are made just for you!

Card number one (the pink number) is made with two sheets of scrapbooking paper, a cute pink polka dot one that I have used before, with a light pink liner. Then I drew the fashionista modeling the LBD and exacto knifed it out and glued it to the card. I used the same methods for the burnt orange card.

Coming Soon....

For my fashionista friends on the east coast: Fashion meets cards. Will be posted soon!

Art for the Ultimate Artist

So this week is my Granny Goose's birthday--she is the woman who taught me to paint. She and I did a painting together when I was about 9 years old and she got it placed in a gallery. It was my first piece to go up in a gallery--and it got offers too. She ended up giving me the painting for my 1oth birthday, and to this day I credit her with my ability to be artistic at all. My Granny and her father, my great-Grandpa, were and continue to be on a level of artistry and recognition through the Bay Area that I could only hope to achieve. They are artists and I am merely the apprentice.

In honor of her birthday, I painted her a card which she or my great-grandfather would have painted if they saw Lake Montez for themselves. Their art is like looking at a picture, and while mine is no where near that, I still hope she will enjoy the scenery of something she once would have painted.

This one goes out to you Granny Goose.

Meggie A.