Crafting - repackaged the little fire starters

 I have decided to repackage the little pine cone fire starters I made a while back!!  They are harder to handle and store when they have wax on the outside of them so I tore some rectangles of brown paper (box stuffing from online purchases) and wrapped each one and tied the ends with thin cording.  This way they store easily without transferring wax to any surface and are still easily used to start a fire.  I am working on reimagining fire starters that do not have any exposed wax.  I used bags from when I purchased bananas at the grocery store.  So many reuses in this project!!!  Therese

Sewing - little flannel handwarmers filled with white rice

I have made several batches of these cute little handwarmers with flannel we received at the fabric sale.  I took them as a project to my quilting campout weekend and sold quite a few to the ladies there.  The remainder will be at the Rhubarb Tea tomorrow.  

They are two 4" squares of flannel stitched all they way around leaving an opening.  Trim the corners and turn inside out, press and fill with a slight quarter cup of white rice and then stitched all they way around again which seals the opening as well as strengthened the integrity of the unit.  I added a tag that indicates that they need 20 seconds in the microwave when used as a handwarmer.  On the other side of the tag I put instructions for use as a cold pack - 3-4 hours in the freezer.  As you can imagine they have many other uses.  For example, they can be tossed into a container as a "Corn Hole" game or they can be placed in a saucer or small container and used as a pin cushion as well.  It was a very good use of the flannel scraps!!  Remember to store them in the pockets of your winter jacket and you will find them when you need them.  Therese

 

Event - Gramma Link Africa "Everything Rhubarb" Tea on Saturday, June 21st

 

You are all invited to come and join us for tea and some rhubarb pie.  There will be LOTS of rhubarb on the bake table as well so shop for supper and put some in the freezer!! We have some very accomplished bakers and always have a great variety of wonderful baking, jams, etc.  We will have our merchandise for sale as well so a lot of handmade items - aprons, potholders, bowl cozies, etc.  Lots to choose from as well as small quilts!!!  Therese

All occasion card featuring a sunflower over a sunflower background embellished with a bit of ribbon

Another card for an up coming family event.  I started with a brown card, added a torn background of really great sunflower gift wrap and then added my sunflower (Biblical Impressions).  The sunflower was stamped and embossed with gold embossing powder and then watercoloured.  After it was dry, I added paper piercing, a green layer and added it to my large card using 3D foam tape.  Going to a special person who loves sunflowers!!

Therese
 

All occasion card featuring a cup of coffee over a hand decorated background embellished with flags and eyelets with string

Another card for upcoming family events!!  I started with a navy card to fit in a large envelope.  I trimmed a piece of hand decorated paper in blues and added some small paper pierced paper flags on the left hand side.  I covered them with a red strip of cardstock and then added three pewter eyelets into which I tied a piece of white string which I watercoloured to a bit of a gray to coordinate.  I added this large embellished background to my card.  I stamped the coffee mug (Stamp Barn) in black, watercoloured it and added paper piercing before adhering it to my card front.  Love the blues!!  Therese
 

All occasion cards featuring collaged backgrounds, embossed strips and layered lighthouses

I made these cards for my son and sons in law for Father's Day.  I found the light house photos in my stash which I took in PEI on one of our trips there.  These were sized and colour printed.  I layered them onto black and added a decorative border on the right hand side using decorative scissors, paper piercing, border punches and scored lines.  For two cards, I trimmed a collage to fit on my off white cards and adhered them into place.  For the third card I used a colour printed background for my background.  For the strips I started with a blue strip of cardstock and added green and other blue strips to make up my element which I then embossed and paper pierced.  They are unique but similar.  I glued the strips to my backgrounds and then mounted my light houses over them using 3D foam tape.  Therese
 

Graduation card featuring a graduation cap, some ribbon and a colourful yet significant background

 Our oldest grandchild is graduating from high school this year!!!!!!!!!  They are headed to university in the fall and have jobs lined up during the summer so life is going along as it does!!!  I found a similar greeting on a card on line and loved the message so I worked it up for the greeting on this card.  I laser printed it and trimmed it down to fit on my large card.  I chose this specific background because it was bright and colourful and also illustrates how life goes - no straight lines, some wide some not so much, lots of overlapping but if you follow your heart you will stay on track no matter how wiggly life is and whether you are up or down compared to everyone else.  I added some ribbon flags on the side and paper piercing on both pieces.  Therese

All occasion card featuring a collage background, die cut trees and a large yellow moon

 For this card I started with a brown card and trimmed the brown collage to make a background that fit.  I added paper piercing and then die cut two sets of trees to use for my focal element.  I had to cut the die (TH) twice to get the width I needed.  I cut one from a piece of brown water damaged cardstock which had colour variations in it.  The other layer I cut from a lighter beige cardstock in the same way I cut the first one.  I layered them, adhered them to each other and then embossed the bottom edge.  I then tore off the bottom of this large element and then trimmed it to the same size as my background.  After adhering it to my card I coloured a 1 3/4" round punchie with yellow and shimmery gold paint to make my moon.  Once it was dry I added some glue and slipped in behind the trees!!  Perfect!! Therese

All occasion card featuring rose collage background, ribbon and a rose topiary

Another card featuring a collage background.  This one was made a little differently, in that I covered the whole hand decorated sheet with a piece of rose tissue paper.  You can just barely see the snowflake background through the tissue.  I trimmed it to size, added a blue ribbon and adhered it to a green card.  I watercoloured the topiary in coordinating colours, added paper piercing and then layered it onto a green cardstock rectangle.  I left some space on the right hand side which I punched with a border punch to add some detail and texture.  I layered this focal element onto my card using 3Dfoam tape and then tied a short piece of the same blue ribbon to the one on my card to simulate a bow.  

Therese
 

All occasion card featuring a bright collage background, a stamped image and some colour and paper piercing

 This card also started with a dark green card!!  I trimmed the bright collage to size, added some lines of paper piercing with my pattern tracing wheel and adhered it to my card front. I stamped a bridge (SU) in brown on ivory cardstock, watercoloured it and then added paper piercing after it was dry.  I layered it to a piece of orange cardstock and as a final touch I added several small leaf punchies.  Therese