Fabric Postcards 2.0 (freebie)

Good morning,

Some new postcards sprung up out of my sewing machine recently. This first one is a combination of applique with ribbon embellishment and homemade fabric word phrases. I made up the postcard backs myself and printed them off. The fabric word phrases and how they’re made are discussed in THIS post. 

The backs are finished off by turning the fabric to the back (used some light heat n bond as a temporary fixture), ironing it in place and then a simple stitch all the way round. The postcard backing was attached with an iron, but I added some glossy accents to the perimeter of the card so it’ll hold well on the edges. 

These next ones were fun to make. As you can see they’re finished off with binding, but I again turned the fabric to the back, ironed it in place then ironed the postcard back on top glueing the edges with a thin strip of glossy accents. 

When I made up my own postcard backs I didn’t want anything fancy but fairly simple and so made up the ones in the photo directly above. 

Here is a copy of them if you'd like to print them off to use on your project. Just click on the image below and it'll take you to another page, you can print them off from there. These are made for 4"X 6" postcards.

I also made two cards with some fabric art on them. I used Karolina b craft as inspiration for these two. I like to make them as she’s done them, then I’ll branch out from there with my own designs. I did add some word inspiration. 

These were each fastened to an off white card backing. (One was taken in darker surroundings but it’s the same card set). I used a tip from my friend Diane at The Beaded Lime (check out her gorgeous art work). She used carpet tape to fasten these on to her cards. Cheap, and believe me when I tell you it will NOT come off. Lol.

Well thank you for dropping by, tell your friends about the freebie.

Blessings,

Carmen

Framed Fabric Art

Hello,

Playing around with these seascapes has been really enjoyable. They remind me of Vancouver Island, one of my favorite places. I was lucky to find some fabric locally with clouds on it . It works perfectly for this seascape. I added some mountains, some embroidered grasses and then I glued seashells onto the fabric with glossy accents. 

Here’s another seascape using slightly darker colors but with the same cloud background. Each strip of fabric on both of these seascapes is sewn into place with some stitch lines added for texture. I’ve added seashells and starfish here as well, and stitched on some merino wool by hand. 

This one is more of a simple landscape. I embroidered on some flowers and added appliqued tree branches and leaves. The butterfly is 3D (with glitter glue for a bit of shine). Then I appliqued on a sweater, which was stitched in place before I added the embroidered hair. 

Last but not least are two flower appliqués. For these I took bits of fabric and ironed ultra hold heat n bond on the back. Then I cut the flower petals and ironed them in place. Stitching came next, not only on the petals but also in between for this random look. 

I got these Matt’s with backboard off of Amazon.ca. They come with crystal clear bags to seal them into.

Hope you enjoyed these. Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Blessings,

Carmen

Fabric Postcards

Good morning!

Does anyone else love Pinterest a little too much? I just love looking for ideas and tutorials. Lately I’ve been looking at fabric crafts and decided to make some postcards. These were really a lot of fun to make. I did mess up a bit, but not enough to ruin anything. Lol - - - live and learn. Here’s what I made. Some are in a plastic sleeve already.

(These jellyfish were inspired by Krebsbachhuber Crafts) 

(These beach houses were inspired by Stitches by Julia)

On the beach scenes I attached seashells. Wish I had some starfish ⭐️ . So many stores in town have closed and it’s hard to find some things, so they have to be ordered. I’m sure you run into the same if you’re not living in a major city. 

Anyway, these are lots of fun to make and the backs on three of them have cardstock postcards so they can be mailed. By the way, did you know you can address them and leave them in the crystal sleeve? Just make sure the stamp is on the outside. (If you like your messages to be private, a slip of paper will hide it, just make sure it isn’t on the side with the mailing address). The  other two I backed with fabric.  They can be framed or mailed in an envelope. 

You can sew these on or glue them on. There are several free postcard printables available on Pinterest, but I used these ones by Ihanna, Ihanna. I don’t  know if I like the zigzag stitching so I may be making the next few with proper binding. 

While I was playing anyways I threw these two together. They’re slightly larger and fit in 8x10 frames. They’d be good for a kids room. I plan on making some larger landscape themed fabric pictures to frame soon. These are also in a plastic sleeve to keep them clean. 

Well, that’s all for today. I hope you enjoyed these. 

Have a great week,

Carmen

Mini Booklets

Good morning!

Today I’m bringing you some more mini booklets I made up. These ones are all already sold to a lady who likes to use them as little “just because” gifts for her friends and family. I make these using the Zutter Bind-it All, but there are multiple ways you can bind these if you’d like to try to make some. I’m hoping to make more soon. 

The photo above was sent to the lady who purchased them. As you can see, each had a different amount of pages. This was due to the paper packs I used - - some had more choices than others for this size of booklet. 

Here is a photo of my Zutter machine. It cuts the holes in the paper and binds the rings into the holes.

Each booklet has a number of sayings and encouraging scriptures in it. For a sample of what I’ve included, check out my Booklets of Hope post, in which I’ve outlined a few of them. 

In addition, I found this free booklet online. I love this little booklet. It’s a free printable put together with glue. I make little covers for them using scrapbook paper. Since it’s personal use only, I don’t sell them, but they do make great little gifts. The booklet is called “I Am” by Stephanie on the “What’s On My Porch” blog. 

That’s what I have for you today, but I’m behind on posts so check back! 

I hope you’ve enjoyed my little booklets. Thank you for stopping by,

Blessings,

Carmen

New Salves

I’m popping in to say that my Miracle Salve is working like a charm. I’ve been using it on my feet once a day, and they are getting nice and soft. My girlfriend used this recipe on her face and has affirmed its softening properties. I’ve been collecting different recipes for a while now and decided to try two others. 

This next one is a salve for pain. It’s kind of like a liniment and is great for sciatic, arthritic or muscle pain. I just want to add a disclaimer here that I’m not a doctor or nurse, just someone who prefers natural to chemical solutions. All remedies come from the earth and are changed or added to so they can be patented. I choose to know what’s in my products, and I’m feeling more strongly in that direction about food products as well — but I digress. 

The red color is due to cayenne and St. John’s wort oil. There is also my own arnica oil from dried flowers, and essential oils. It smells great. 

Lastly, I just made up some Cold sore therapy. This one has some very special ingredients in it. I have a friend who seems to get cold sores and I made it specifically for her. I’m hoping it will work as well as the natural one she got from a Penticton market quite a few years ago. 

This one has lavender, peppermint, tea tree oil, Vit. E and Rosemary extract. There are some lovely and unique base oils as well. It smells wonderful. 

I’m looking forward to trying these last two (I have extra of the cold sore therapy). I know they’ve come with rave reviews, so I’m excited. 

Thanks for popping by!

Blessings,

Carmen

Going Natural with Miracle Salve

Hi there,

Is anyone else feeling like you’d just like to get back to basics? I know I do. I’ve looked at the ingredient lists in cosmetics and creams & lotions and decided I’m going to make my own from now on whenever I can. 

I bought a few books in the spring on herbal recipes and benefits of natural remedies. Since I used to make soap, I’m familiar with the benefits of essential oils, but not as familiar with herbs, teas and other helpful remedies. 

In the spring I made an antihistamine cream, an eye serum and an oil for cooling hot flashes.

I wrote out the uses for it on the backs so wouldn’t have to remember.

Then recently I made this Miracle Salve. I’ll show you that and if you’d like to try to make your own, see Kelly at Primally Inspired for the recipe and those cute little labels. 

Here’s what Kelly has to say about this cream:

“It works wonders for dry hands and feet. Just rub some on your hands and feet before you go to bed, let the nourishing ingredients work their magic when you are sleeping and you’ll wake up with baby soft skin. It’s that good. You can use this homemade salve for hands, feet, face, elbows, even lips! Heck, I even use it for my dog’s paws. In the cold, harsh winter months when I need extra moisturizer to combat dry skin, I use it as my nightly face cream – I love this stuff so much!”

I agree with Kelly. I’ve used it for a couple of days and can feel a difference already!

In my recipe, I chose to use avocado oil and shea butter for the base oils. I used Frankincense, Peppermint (2 drops) and Lavender (7 drops) for my essential oils, and 10 drops of the frankincense because of its awesome properties. 

Frankincense oil reduces redness and skin irritation and reduces inflammation. It reduces the appearance of wrinkles and combats signs of aging. Studies found that it strengthens the skins elasticity and tightens it. That’s just for skin use, there are many other benefits as well. 

If you decide to make this amazing salve, do brush up on your essential oils. As an example, Frankincense should not be used on pregnant women and Peppermint should be used sparingly on skin. There are so many oils you can choose from for your own combination of oils. 

This recipe made two 4 ounce containers. 

Thanks again to Kelly from Primally Inspired for the recipe.

Blessings,

Carmen

Cupcake Mug Rug

Good morning crafters! 

Today I have a cupcake pattern that can be made into a mug rug, a coaster, or whatever you choose to use it on. A T-shirt maybe? Your imagination is the limit. Mine was part of a birthday gift.

I chose to turn it into a mugrug, and I’ll include a template for the cupcake below. 

It is a pretty simple piece to make. All I needed was some scrap fabric and batting. 

The completed mugrug

For this mugrug I used mostly materials I had on hand. 

Supplies:

Cupcake pattern (below)

Fabric scraps for cupcake base and frostings, cherry or heart

Heat n bond - I used ultra hold. (for cupcake pieces only)

Backing fabric and batting each  9.5” x 5.5”

Front square- 5.5” x 5.5”

4 matching strips of fabric - 1.5” x 5.5” 

Approximately 45” binding fabric, 1.25” wide

Embroidery thread and needle.

(Iron, scissors, rotary cutter, square quilt ruler, thread, sewing machine with optional quilting foot)

Instructions

Print off each pattern piece on to cardstock, then cut them out.

Trace pattern pieces for cupcake onto the paper backing of the heat n bond. 

Cut out the heat n bond pieces allowing extra for a bit of a border around each piece. 

Lay the pattern pieces on chosen fabric pieces for cupcake (back side of fabric facing glue side of heat n bond) and iron into place. 

Cut out the pattern fabric pieces on the lines. 

Position your cupcake pieces on 5.5 x 5.5” fabric. 

(You can add the batting and do some quilting on the background for the cupcake, or leave it. I chose to leave it.) 

Remove paper backing and iron down each piece of the cupcake.

Add your batting and stitch them in place starting with the cupcake liner..

** with the ultra hold heat n bond you don’t have to stitch them in place.**

If you’ve used the cherry you can embroider a little stem in the top of it. 

Your cupcake side of the mugrug is done

To complete right side of front: 

Stitch 1.5 x 5.5” strip to right side of cupcake square (batting in place)  right side to right side, iron down over the seam. Do the same for remaining 3 strips.

Using a quilting ruler, square edges and cut any excess. 

Lay backing fabric wrong side up. Place your front piece and batting on top, right side up. 

Using a quilting ruler, square edges and cut any excess. 

Sandwich your mugrug for binding:

Place clips or pins to hold them in place. (You can stitch the edges if you like, a scant 1/8” seam)

Place your binding on the front edge and stitch in place using 1/4” seam.

*Binding will be folded in half lengthwise, then folded to the centerfold on each side and ironed in place.

(If you’re unaware of how to bind, please check YouTube for a short tutorial. It’s easy!) 

Hand stitch the binding back side, if you prefer not to stitch it in with the front. 

Done!

Click on the image above and print. This image can be sized larger or smaller. 

It looks like we are full swing into the Christmas season. If you want some recipes, decor, ornament and other ideas, check out my Christmas Sleigh Ride posts. 

Sleigh Ride 1

Sleigh Ride 2

Sleigh Ride 3

Sleigh Ride 4

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Carmen