Carrot Harvest

Oh to have such good helpers in the garden! My *garden helpers* are of the very large, furry, four legged canine variety who would dearly love to chase these mice and bunny!

Today's card is for two challenges. This week's HOUSE MOUSE AND FRIENDS challenge is to create a summer card with any House Mouse, Happy Hopper or Gruffies stamp. This carrot harvest House Mouse stamp says SUMMER to me, especially as I wait most of the year in anticipation of working in my garden. In addition to the House Mouse and Friends challenge I used this week's MOJO MONDAY layout sketch shown below. I chose to use the square layout since this is a fairly large stamp. Isn't the detail in the scene fun? If you look closely you'll see a tiny ladybug crawling up the carrot leaves. So instead of a flower at the bottom of the layout I decided to play along with the ladybug theme and give my card another ladybug crawling amongst the carrots tops. The carrots I have growing in my garden are coming along quite nicely. Luckily, I have not had a ladybug problem, or (touch wood) any type of vermin or buggy critter problems this year. As you can tell though, the carrots in my garden (below) are not ready for a harvest quite yet. But they are doing well - and definitely need thinning out! Card recipe:
Stamp: "Carrot Harvest" from Stampabilities
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, and Tim Holtz RANGER "peeled paint" Distress Ink. Image colored with copic markers
Embellishments: Michael's tiny spools satin ribbon, Martha Stewart fern punch, wooden ladybug, and machine stitching.And in other news let's all shout Yippeeeeeee Skippy! The Canada Post postal strike has ended and, supposedly, we are to begin receiving mail and I can also FINALLY mail the stack of cards I've had ready and waiting to mail. Three weeks is an awfully long time to be without mail delivery!

Until next time!
Cheers!

Jennifer

Dogwood Stripe in Denim - Sleeveless Top #3

This is probably my favorite of my three simple sleeveless tops that I made this past weekend. You can down load this pattern from Colette Patterns FREE right HERE.

I just love this beautiful Laura Gunn fabric designed for the Poppy Collection for Michael Miller fabrics.I used this same fabric last fall to make one of my "ALICE TOTEBAGS" which I sold on etsy. You can see that post HERE about my Alice bag. Today I wanted to use the fabric in an entirely different way. This top is going to be great with jeans and denim, khaki slacks, skirts or capri pants. To make this top a bit different from the other two sleeveless tops and also to use embellishments of items I had in my sewing stash, I found just enough lace trim to add to the box pleat down the front. Then I added three buttons at the top that just the right color. Instead of using a contrast or store bought seam binding, I made my own self binding for the neck line and used a narrow binding of a khaki color that I happen to have just enough of for the armholes. I actually like the armholes bound this way better than having the extra bulk and accent around the armholes. Less to draw attention to the size of my arms!I think I'll stop at three sleeveless tops for now. It was so quick and easy to make these tops and to use up bits and bobs of embellishments in my sewing cabinet drawers. Plus, summer appears to be with us for a while now, so these tops are already being worn to keep me cool and comfortable.

If you enjoy sewing your own clothes I hope you'll try out this pattern and let me know what you made.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Bloom in Bark Sleeveless top

When I find a pattern that fits well and suites my tastes I tend to make several of that item. Especially in a top as versatile and simple as the Colette Pattern's SORBETTO TOP which you can download FREE right HERE.

For this top I used this gorgeous Joel Dewberry fabric called Bloom in Bark. My sister commented after I made the black, grey and yellow top that she preferred browns and teals. I knew I had to make up this top in this fabric and I love it.

The only difference, or change I made in constructing this top is that since the fabric is bold, bright and didn't need extra embellishments I didn't add buttons on the front box pleat. Also, so as not to detract from this yummy floral pattern, I made my own bias tape rather than using a contrasting color of bias tape. It is so simple to make your own bias tape and I think it adds a lovely finish.
So here you have it: Sorbetto Top #2. Are you ready to see a third? Yes I did make three. My summer wardrobe is very limited and because this top is so easy to whip up, takes a minimal of fabric, and can be made unique with the addition of trims and buttons I am making a small wardrobe of simple sleeveless tops for myself in a variety of styles and colors.

Cheers!
Jennifer

Simple Sleeveless Top

Yesterday we got a MUCH needed downpour of rain. A real gullywasher! My garden needed the rain and since I was confined inside for the day, I got the opportunity to sew. I love rainy day sewing! This is the simple sleeveless top I whipped up yesterday afternoon and I am so pleased with it. It will be perfect to wear with black slacks or skirt on hot summer nights when I want to wear something a little dressier than a tank top. Are you drooling over the fabric? I wish computers had touch sensory because this GORGEOUS fabric called Bryant Park and designed by Khristian A. Howell for Anthology Fabrics feels like silk or satin. The heft is just enough that I don't feel like it is 'see through' and yet it is lightweight and cool to wear. The pattern I used for this top is a free pattern from Colette Patterns and this particular simple sleeveless top is called "The Sorbetto Top." Don't you love the design, how it flows, the pleat in the front and the simplicity of the pattern. This is a two piece pattern (front and back), has front darts, a center pleat that you can dress up or leave plain if you choose, and the shoulders and armholes are bound with bias tape. You can make your own or purchase a package from your local fabric shop. Are you REALLY loving this pattern now that you know how simple it is? You can download it FREE HERE! <----Click
I turned my top inside out so you can see how simple it is to construct. I didn't want any bulk at the shoulder seams so I used french seams (don't know if you can see that in the photo though). For the side seams I used a simple serged finish. All you have to do to construct this top is staystitch the neckline, insert the box pleat on the front, sew the darts, shoulder and side seams (finish as you wish), bind the neck and armholes and hem. VOILA! You are finished. It takes all of a couple hours TOPS to make. The top doesn't have any closures. Just slip it on over your head. It is loose fitting enough that it easy to get into and yet not so floppy as to be revealing or sloppy. And the pattern sizing was perfect. I'm not the easiest person to fit and this pattern fits me perfectly. I didn't have to make any adjustments at all. If you are looking for a rainy day project and something new to wear, check out your fabric stash and see what you might have onhand and then download the free Colette pattern for this Sorbetto Top. I'm going to make another one this week using a different fabric and make my own contrasting seam binding for a whole new look.

Until next time,
Cheers!

Jennifer

Snail Mail for YOU!

Canada Post's strike continues! ARGH!! The strike has impacted me, as a greeting card maker. I have a stack of cards for various occasions to be mailed out but I cannot until the strike ends. The word is that the strike will (HOPEFULLY!) be resolved by the end of this week. In defiance of the strike, I used these stamps, from Papertrey Ink to create a snail mail for you card.
This week's Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge is the layout below and that which I used for my card. I used a Martha Stewart design paper stack (I think it was Martha Stewart...) for the background paper which matched so well with my Stampin' Up! cardstock in a pail orange. I also had coordinating grosgrain ribbons in the green and orange. I added a little machine stitching and found a button in my button jar to tie a piece of bakers twine to and attach to the punched doily at the top. The doily punch is my new punch from Stampin' Up! I think I'm going to have a lot of fun using this punch!

This was a quick card to make an assemble. I just hope the strike ends soon so I can resume sending snail mail cards.
Until next time,

Cheers!
Jennifer

Rest in Peace pretty Camilla

I have made sympathy cards for animals to include dogs, cats and horses. This is the first time I've made a sympathy card for the loss of a chicken. A sweet friend's most prize hen was killed by a coyote and my friend is heart broken. My friend said, "Camilla was a wonderful momma and she raised my whole flock. I'm in tears that in spite of all the precautions we took when we saw a predator in the area he dug in under the fence apparently and got my lovely hen. I miss her spirit, her protectiveness, her diva personality. I feel dumb for loving a chicken, but I do..."
I don't think it is dumb at all to love one of God's creatures, no matter what kind of animal it is, so I wanted to make a special card in remembrance of Camilla for my friend.For this card I used a Stampin' Up! set titled "Roosting". It is a retired set and I'm so glad I have it as it has lovely stamps of a beautiful rooster, baby chicks, an egg basket as well as this lovely stamp of a hen. I tried to color the hen as close as possible to match my friend's lovely Camilla hen using copic markers. The background chicken wire is a background stamp by Darcie's. I stamped the chicken wire with versamark and then embossed with ultrafine antique gold embossing powder. Camilla's name is computer generated and I punched out the image and name with my spellbinders nestabilities oval and scalloped oval dies, added a bit of raffia and some burnished bronze brads and a bit of sponging and spritzing of walnut ink to age it and finish it off.
In the past two weeks I've made and sent 12 sympathy cards for the loss of pets. So sad... I hope it will be a long while before I find the need to make more sympathy cards.

Until next time,
Jennifer

Western Reining Competition - The Kemptville Slide

Yeeeeee Haaaawwww! Yesterday the mister and I attended a Western Reining competition in Kemptville, Ontario. It was called "The Kemptville Slide." In Western reining competitions the competitors have patterns they are required to ride as well as spins and the slide! It is very exciting to watch. One thing I absolutely love about Equestrian events is that men and women compete together. There are no men's events and women's events exclusively. The second thing I absolutely love about Equestrian events is that they are so varied. You have English style of riding which might include events such as Dressage, jumping, cross country, just to name a few. In western there are reining, cutting, western pleasure, western showmanship, just to name a few. I love them all!
So that is enough chatting from me today. I wanted to share my day with you in a photographic montage. This is post will be very picture heavy but I hope you'll enjoy the photos of my day at a Western reining competition.






















And that was the day. I hope you enjoyed my photographs.
Until next time,

Cheers!
Jennifer

Grazing horses

This card is also for the Teapot Tuesday Challenge to make get well cards for Jessica who fell off her horse and was seriously injured. And, as I mentioned in my previous post, we were instructed to use horse images and flowers on the card. Since I jumped at the opportunity and challenge to use my horse stamps I made two cards using the challenge requirements. The grazing horses stamp is from one of my most treasured Stampin' Up sets called "Bareback" and I've used it a million times...at least! *wink* For this card, since the previous challenge card was of a more elegant card, I wanted this to have a more outdoors-y/western theme. Below is the teapot that inspired the horse theme for this week's Teapot Tuesday challenge:I have been having a lot of fun lately using my Pierceabilities templates. I have a few but up until the past few weeks haven't used them much. The piercing at the bottom of this card is made using the piercing template and I thought it had a western feel to it.

I stamped the image as well as the background which is another Stampin' Up! stamp, called "weathered". The flower I made was with a Stampin' Up! flower punch. The corners are also punched and then I ran the corners through my Cuttlebug with a floral embossing folder to give the "photo corners" a bit of texture.So this card was inspired by my Gyspy mare. I was out at the barn yesterday morning to be there for her visit with the farrier. Oh my, she was enjoying the sweet grass and the breezes that were blowing. She'd rather be grazing than be in the barn to have her hooves trimmed.
After her visit with the farrier it was time to take her back out to the field. Call me crazy but I think my mare has the best looking bum of any horse ever! And yes, I even took a brief video of her as she was led back to the field. Just watch her swish her tail and sashay away:

Time for me to get out in the garden. I'll leave you with this goodbye photo of the Gypsy mare as she heads out to graze with the rest of the horses.
Until next time,
Cheers!
Jennifer