Sunday, February 23, 2014

This Card is Garrus Vakarian Approved

Oh, Boy. I've been a terrible little crafty blogger again, and haven't updated in a long time. I am really going to work on updating the blog as I make my various crafts-sometimes it's hard though when the object is a gift and you don't want to spoil the surprise. But I'll work on doing better, I promise! For now, let's get caught up-there will be a lot of posts one after another. Here we gooooo.....
 Yay! This post will mean that I am caught up! Now, just need to stay that way! *Glares at self*

I made this card for a friend who loves the video game trilogy Mass Effect and who, like my husband who also plays this, one of his favorite Characters is Garrus.

My husband told me a joke in the game that the main character, Commander Shepard, to get discounts in stores, endorses them with "I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite store in the Citadel." At some point Garrus and Shepard have some kind of shooting contest or something (as you can see, I am very versed in the goings-on of my husband's video games, haha) and when Garrus wins, he mockingly says  to Shepard,"I'm Garrus Vakarian, and this is my favorite place in the Citadel." We thought it would be funny if he was endorsing a birthday...

So I kind of took that joke and ran with it to come up with a funny birthday card:


"I'm Garrus Vakarian, and this is my favorite birthday in the Citadel!"

Our friend LOVED it! :)

"Valentine" Card

Oh, Boy. I've been a terrible little crafty blogger again, and haven't updated in a long time. I am really going to work on updating the blog as I make my various crafts-sometimes it's hard though when the object is a gift and you don't want to spoil the surprise. But I'll work on doing better, I promise! For now, let's get caught up-there will be a lot of posts one after another. Here we gooooo.....
I had this idea suddenly pop into my head one day in January and started to work on it, but didn't like the way it turned out because the scale seemed off. So I tossed it and didn't think about it for over a month because I had scrapped the idea. Then we got more printer ink one day and I thought I could scale the elements that  needed. I scaled them up to where I was happy (and re-cut them since they were scaled from my stamps) and got this card.  I finished a few days before Valentine's Day, and even though it's not really a Valentine's card , I figured it was a good time to give it to the hubby.

I think this is one of my favorite cards I've made:


The Little Makeup Bag That Could

Oh, Boy. I've been a terrible little crafty blogger again, and haven't updated in a long time. I am really going to work on updating the blog as I make my various crafts-sometimes it's hard though when the object is a gift and you don't want to spoil the surprise. But I'll work on doing better, I promise! For now, let's get caught up-there will be a lot of posts one after another. Here we gooooo.....

Here are some make-up bags I made recently. They were pretty easy - once I remembered which cut edge was the top and bottom anyway! I had sewn the first part and then went "this doesn't look right" so had to consult the video again and again to get it right. Oh well, that's all part of the learning process. :)

This was my first time sewing a zipper, so I was really proud of how well it actually turned out. It's not PERFECT, but it was a good first one.

After I made the first one and saw how big it actually was (I thought the seam allowance would have reduced it more), I wanted a smaller one to actually carry in my bag. So I reduced the pattern by 50% and made it again, and this is what I got:

It turned out to be about the size of a coin purse, so it doesn't hold much- but that's actually perfect for me. It's big enough to hold my mascara, eyeliner, chap stick and lip gloss, and that's about all I wear so it works for me! :)

But I did decide that, unless I am hand sewing it, I will not make one this small again. The tiny corners and short seams made it take longer than the larger original. But Trial and Error and practice are what we learn from.

Skulls 'N Roses Bag

Oh, Boy. I've been a terrible little crafty blogger again, and haven't updated in a long time. I am really going to work on updating the blog as I make my various crafts-sometimes it's hard though when the object is a gift and you don't want to spoil the surprise. But I'll work on doing better, I promise! For now, let's get caught up-there will be a lot of posts one after another. Here we gooooo.....

I made my very first handbag/purse recently. Since I am such a newbie, and the pattern didn't make the instructions explicitly clear, there was a lot of frustration in making this bag. There was much cursing, crying, walking away from the sewing machine, and YouTube-ing. Ultimately, I decided to do things in a way that made sense to ME, and it then it was TA-DA!  A very Erin-Like Bag!

I just love it, and have been getting many compliments and requests for me to make some for other people.

What do you think?




Feathers and Balloons

Oh, Boy. I've been a terrible little crafty blogger again, and haven't updated in a long time. I am really going to work on updating the blog as I make my various crafts-sometimes it's hard though when the object is a gift and you don't want to spoil the surprise. But I'll work on doing better, I promise! For now, let's get caught up-there will be a lot of posts one after another. Here we gooooo.....

This is the birthday card I made for my mom, whose birthday was December first. This card actually came together really quickly because I saw the feather design in my paper texturing plates, and had an idea with some of my other things. So I searched for a coordinating object, put it all together and...Voila! A beautiful card that my husband said looked store bought, and that my mom said she enjoyed very much.


Santa's Merryment

Oh, Boy. I've been a terrible little crafty blogger again, and haven't updated in a long time. I am really going to work on updating the blog as I make my various crafts-sometimes it's hard though when the object is a gift and you don't want to spoil the surprise. But I'll work on doing better, I promise! For now, let's get caught up-there will be a lot of posts one after another. Here we gooooo.....

Look at all the pretty Christmas cards! I sent these to friends and family, but I don't know who got what card, so hopefully they enjoyed them. :)







Kitty Cat Christmas Magic

Oh, Boy. I've been a terrible little crafty blogger again, and haven't updated in a long time. I am really going to work on updating the blog as I make my various crafts-sometimes it's hard though when the object is a gift and you don't want to spoil the surprise. But I'll work on doing better, I promise! For now, let's get caught up-there will be a lot of posts one after another. Here we gooooo.....
 I found an adorable Christmas stamp set with a kitty, dog, and mouse and presents and I just HAD to have it. I immediately went home and made some cards:



The inside of the kitty card.

Blank inside.


More Glitter Ornaments

Oh, Boy. I've been a terrible little crafty blogger again, and haven't updated in a long time. I am really going to work on updating the blog as I make my various crafts-sometimes it's hard though when the object is a gift and you don't want to spoil the surprise. But I'll work on doing better, I promise! For now, let's get caught up-there will be a lot of posts one after another. Here we gooooo.....
Here are some more glitter ornaments that I have made. Aren't they pretty?

(I made several others that are not here because they were gifts and I forgot to get a picture before giving away. Oops.)


Paint Ornaments

Oh, Boy. I've been a terrible little crafty blogger again, and haven't updated in a long time. I am really going to work on updating the blog as I make my various crafts-sometimes it's hard though when the object is a gift and you don't want to spoil the surprise. But I'll work on doing better, I promise! For now, let's get caught up-there will be a lot of posts one after another. Here we gooooo.....

Here are the paint ornaments I made for our tree/as gifts. This is a really fun and easy way to make unique ornaments... but can be really frustrating, too if the paint dries in a weird way or chips. But I ultimately found a way to keep them in a good position-yogurt cups from the recycling to hold them in place. Genius, I know. :)

I really like how these all turned out. The pictures just don't do them justice:




Anyone know what this shape ornament is called? I love it, and would like to find more, but don't know what the shape is.







These tiny ones are great for paint! I originally bought them for the glitter ornament project but that turned out terrible, so I don't recommend it. There were too many empty spots, and it was hard to get the materials into the tiny opening so it's just not worth it. Paint, though--that was super easy and only took a tiny bit, and looks great.

So there you are, adorable and easy paint ornaments. What do you think?