Mini Album for my Secret Sister

The Crazy Cropper Scrapbooking Retreat is almost here!!  I am needing this retreat in a BIG way!!  Life has been crazy busy with two shows at the theatre back to back, school starting, and well, just.... life.  Anyway, I am very much looking forward to a weekend of almost-uninterrupted scrap time.  (I say almost uninterrupted because I will have to leave the retreat for a few hours for my cousin's wedding.)

One of my favorite things about the retreat is the Secret Sister swap.  I am so excited about this mini-album I made for my secret sister. (Shhhh!  Don't tell!!)  I did not add any kind of title or words inside - the idea is for her to add her own titles, photos, and journaling.   I hope she loves it as much as I do!   I used this YouTube video tutorial to get started:  Cardstock Flip Mini Album

Finished album is approximately 8 1/2" x 8 1/2" when closed.
The closure is Spare Parts from Hobby Lobby.

Opening the cover reveals 4 center pages that open alternately, and have spaces for 4x6 photos.

Both sides open up to reveal binder rings with 6 pages on each binder ring.   These pages have spaces for 2" x 3" photos and journaling.  There is plenty of room for more pages if she wants to add to it.

The center back has 9 waterfall style pages.

The paper is the Caprice collection from Close To My Heart, and uses Bamboo, Chocolate, Crystal Blue, and Honey cardstock.   I inked all the papers and stamped the journaling spots with Chocolate ink.  Journaling stamps are from Autumn Leaves.

Quilted Memories

Change, albeit unstoppable, is my nemesis.  This last week of school has been a very difficult week.  For the last three years I have submerged myself in the friendships, the love, the magic that has been John Thomas Elementary.   And Friday, all of that came to an end.  I was thinking about all that has happened over the last three years, and how many wonderful friendships and memories have been made.  Some of those memories I tried to preserve in quilts.  The Lawsonland quilt and the Thomas T-Shirt quilt, both of which turned out to be wonderful treasures. 

I started thinking about how many memories there are in quilts.  Almost everyone has a special memory attached to that special quilt Great-Grandma-so-and-so made.  A quilt they received as a wedding gift.  A quilt they remember sleeping under as a child.   What is is about that warm and snuggly fabric that attaches so strongly to our memories?  Some quilts are worn and ragged from years of love and use.  Some quilts are old, yet pristine, specially preserved over the years.  But no matter the condition, they hold memories.  Hundreds of moments captured in time.

It reminded me of a quilt I made in 2007, just a few months after Hunter was born.  I wanted to capture a bit of time (a year, actually) into fabric.  12 blocks, 1 for every month of the year.

It ended up being a much larger project than I anticipated, because I ended up making 4 of these.  One for each Grandma, one for Aunt Jenn, and one for Great-Grandma.  And then I decided they had to be done in time to give all 4 of them as Christmas gifts.  Each block represents a month with hand prints or foot prints, and is embellished.  Yes, I am that crazy.  No, I will not ever do that again!!!
 

 

 I ended up not having time to have all the actual quilting done, so I gave them quilt tops, the backing and binding, and let the family quilt them or have them quilted as they desired.  One day the boys will inherit these, and when they do, I hope they will give their families the opportunity attach loving memories to their own childhood hand prints.

Momma's Little Monster

I have always hated those t-shirts for kids that say "Mom's Little Monster" or "Here Comes Trouble" etc.  Tell a kid they are a monster, or trouble, and guess what?  They believe you.  And they live up to that belief.  (geeez I sound like my mother....)

But THIS little monster is ADORABLE!!!!!   Found the idea on Pinterest, my new obsession, addiction, whatever you want to call it, there are some really great ideas to be found on there!

So, I took a pair of Hunter's jeans that he blew the knee out of, and magically transformed them into these super-duper-cute monster jeans.   And the best part??  HE LOVES THEM!!!! 

I used a pair of jeans, complete with hole in the knee, a piece of t-shirt scrap left over from a t-shirt quilt I made, a piece of felt scrap left over from AJ's Native American Diorama, (which I still need to post photos of...), buttons, a needle & thread.  I used embroidery floss because I wanted it to have that big, wonky, uneven look.

First, I stitched the felt to the t-shirt scrap.  I did this part on my sewing machine because I wanted it to be on there really well. 

Next, I cut the white felt into triangles to look like teeth.  I took this part, and put it inside the pant leg, glued it in place with fabric glue, then stitched around the perimeter of the hole.  Add a couple of buttons for eyes, and presto-chango... plain old holey jeans are magically transformed in to super-cute Monster Jeans!!!  RAWR!!