Projects 276-304: More Randomness

Well, we're into the last week of this crazy project, and I still have an additional 60 projects to complete... in 4 days. So not going to happen - I refuse to substitute quantity for quality!

So, I'm going to keep going and see how long it takes me to finish these projects (hopefully only an additional week or so!) and then on to a new and exciting challenge! More on that later...

For now, here's the bunch I've completed in the last two weeks. There's some real gems here made with new stamp sets, some Christmas gifts and cards, random cards and more Gnomes and Gnome tags! It's kind of been a make-what-you-need quickly kind of month!

Anyway, here's the roundup:

276 - Let it Snow Card
277 - Noel Card
278 - Happy Holidays with Tree Card
279 - Gnome "Doc" - Always quick with a bandage!
280 - Enjoy the Simple Things - mini blue card
281 - Gnome Tag - Robert
282 - Gnome Tag - Ivan
283 - Gnome Tag - Shmendrick
284 - Gnome Tag - Walt
285 - Gnome Tag - Friedrick
286 - Gnome Tag - Kitty
287 - Gnome Tag - Morgana
288 - Gnome Tag - Molly
289 - Gnome Tag - Clara
290 - Gnome Tag - Winnie
291 - Gnome Tag - Doc
292 - Shortbread Recipe Card
293 - Just a Sliver birthday card
294 - Hedgehog birthday card
295 - Mr. & Mrs. Anniversary Card
296 - In Colour Markers Case
297 - Lil' Peanut Baby Shower Card
298 - Love is like a Butterfly Card
299 - Peace on Earth Card
300 - November Perpetual Calendar Page (See above)
301 - August Perpetual Calendar Page
302 - July Perpetual Calendar Page
303 - May Perpetual Calendar Page
304 - February Perpetual Calendar Page

Happy Crafting!

Projects 261-275: Christmas in July!

Okay, first off, if you are family STOP READING NOW! Aunts, Mom and Grandma that means you!

Ahem. And now for the rest of you - Christmas in July!

I've started seriously working on gifts for my family. The lovely ladies are getting card sets plus their own personalized card cases... aren't I sweet?

The cases are actually made out of DVD cases (way too much fun) which also hold 10 markers perfectly, so I've started using them to hold markers as well - try to keep your stamping markers lying flat - this way the ink doesn't dry up on one side.

I also threw a quick birthday card in the mix as I have a friend with a special day coming up soon!

Still have to make those gnome tags and start a few other gifts...

261 - Tidings of Comfort and Joy Card
262 - Mini Thank You Card
263 - Christmas Flower Ball (So cool! See picture above - time consuming but not that hard)
264 - Birthday Flag Card
265 - With Love Harlequin Card
266 - Thinking of You Mini Card
267 - Little Bliss Card
268 - K's Card Case
269 - C's Card Case
270 - L's Card Case
271 - B's Card Case
272 - J's Card Case
273 - Blank Card Case
274 - Brights Marker Case
275 - Plum & Pink Birthday Card

90 more projects to go...

Projects 228-260: Final Month!

Final month of my project...

My boyfriend just told me that I've completed my goal - if I decided to take the weekends off! So good that he can do the math in his head like that. The only math I can do is 260 is not yet 365!

So, I'm going to try and complete 105 more projects in the next 24 days. Yikes! Keep your fingers crossed for me...

This past couple of weeks has seen a gnome resurgence! I still have to make the gnome tags for the new batch, and I have a bunch of Christmas stuff to get cracking on, so hopefully we can make it!

Here's the stuff I've completed since the last post:

228 - Sunflower Necklace (Clay)
229 - Moon & Star Magnet (Clay - no photo yet, it hasn't made it home from the Guild!)
230 - Dragonfly Necklace (Clay- again, no photo yet)
231 - Dragonfly Magnet (Clay)
232 - Wish Big with Presents Card (I got this idea from another demonstrator - how cute!)
233 - 3D Flower Birthday Card (this one is total cool - see above!)
234 - Little Bird Birthday Card
235 - Mini Merry Card
236 - Mini Flower Card
237 - Hello Flower Card
238 - Nautical Birthday Card
239 - Road Map Birthday Card
240 - Mr. & Mrs. gift card holder

And now the Gnome Resurgence!
241 - Robert - He thinks he's sooo scary...
242 - Ivan - He actually stuffs the toes in those huge shoes... don't tell him I said that.
243 - Shmendrick - Thinks he's a magician... nobody is fooled!
244 - Friedrick - Like C&W.... never gets the words right though...
245 - Walt - The goofball of the bunch!
246 - Kitty - The lady in charge! No one else has figured that out yet.
247 - Morgana - Dancing Queen!
248 - Molly - Watch out for her smile - she's wicked at cards!
249 - Clara - She dreams of the stage...
250 - Winnie - She's kinda stuck in the 70's... has a thing for Johnny Travolta...

And a few more gifty projects I've squeezed in this week:

251 - Green & Pink Flowers necklace
252 - Black & White Flowers necklace
253 - Blue Striped necklace
254 - Small Green & Burgundy flower necklace
255 - Small Red * Gold necklace
256 - Small blue leaf necklace
257 - Blue flower heart necklace
258 - White & Red heart necklace
259 - Blue Baby Bib
260 - Blue Baby Booties

105 to go....

Projects 54-79: Oh Christmas Tree!

Wow. There are a lot of projects in this category to be posted! It is December after all, and I love Christmas!

These projects are mostly Christmas cards, but there are also a few other items such as homemade wrapping paper, gift tags, and of course my Christmas Tree!

Some of these cards were made at various stamping events, and so some of them are not my design. I have noted the items that I did not design (but totally assembled myself!) on each photo in Flickr.

So, ready for the holidays?

54 - Christmas Tree (Easy to Difficult - your choice!)
55 - Wrapping Paper (Easy)
56 - Martha's Holiday Card (Medium)
57 - Homemade Tags (Easy)
58 - Jacob's Ladder Gift Card Holder (Hard - this one takes practice!)
59 - Lacy Christmas Card (Medium)
60 - Dasher Card (Easy)
61 - Happy Holidays Card (Medium)
62 - Green Bow Christmas Card (Medium)
63 - Rudolph Card (Easy)
64 - Christmas Treats Holder (Easy)
65 - Christmas Tags (Easy)
66 - Sparkly Tags (Easy)
67 - Joyful Tags (Easy)
68 - Snowflake Napkins (Easy)
69 - Warm Winter Wishes (Easy)
70 - Fancy Tags (Medium)
71 - Tree Gift Tag Holder (Easy)
72 - Season of Sweetness (Easy)
73 - Layered Christmas Card (Medium)
74 - Wrapped in Joy Card (Easy) * See image in post
75 - Snowflake Card (Easy)
76 - Peek-A-Boo Holiday Card (Easy)
77 - We Three Trees Card (Easy)
78 - Joy Card (Easy)
79 - Layered Christmas Tags (Easy)

Whew!

I'll keep trying to post every couple of days with the other projects as I complete them.
Feel free to harass me if I don't update this page on a regular basis!

Happy Holiday Crafting!

Day 10: Krafty Kitchen - Part 1

I have 3 wonderful women in my life (well, more than three, but I'm thinking of a very specific three at the moment). These women have been around my entire life, and have taught me a great deal - they've also become great friends in my adult life.

Which is why every Christmas I try to give them something that expresses how much they mean to me. Now sometimes these ladies do not use their gifts as they were intended...

"Your gift was so lovely, I couldn't use it!"
"But grandma, it's a dish towel!"
"Yes, and it looks so nice on top of my dresser!"


I love you, grandma!

Anyway, this year I'm going to try kitchen stuff again (it's been a few years since the last attempt) - and part one was completed today.
The wool sale I attended yesterday had some great deals on handicrafter cotton. So, today I made dish cloths for my 3 lovely ladies, and hope to complete another piece of the present tomorrow. No more details are available, as there's a possibility they are reading this (love you guys!), but the project is simple, simple, simple - about 20 minutes to crochet each one.

Day 6: The Best Laid Plans...

Okay, so that big project that I mentioned earlier? Not going to be finished today - seems I neglected to bring a few thread colours to finish it whilst on vacation this week, so it's going to have to be a project for tomorrow or more likely Sunday.

Instead, I started laying out plans for Boxing Day. Back story required:
Each boxing day about 30 of us friends get together for brunch and stockings. Now when I say stockings, I really should call them gigantic sacks that weigh 20lbs or so after they are filled with all kinds of goodies! The plan is for a homemade Christmas/Hanukkah/Solstice/Party, where everyone brings something homemade for everyone else!

My traditional gift is some sort of ornament for the tree (Christmas Tree, Hanukkah Bush, whatever, we're not picky). I've made cross stitch ornaments and clay ornaments, and I usually bake up gigantic batches of ginger bread and short bread to give out as well (I think I would be lynched if I didn't bring the cookies!). So considering I have to make about 30 ornaments for this event, as well as about 10 or so more to cover family members, I have to start early!

So, in lieu of finishing the cross stitch I've been working on for the last month or so, today I designed the ornament that I will be making for Boxing Day this year. It's made out of clay, and in some sort of wintery design, but I'm not telling you what it is exactly, because some of you are getting them!!!

I have a few more ideas percolating for Boxing Day this year - I'm going crafty crazy after all - so stay tuned.

Day 2: A gift that keeps on giving

Today's project was a set of gift tags to give away to a friend. Gift tags are a multi-purpose and personalized gift - just the way I like it! The obvious use is for gifts you are giving away - it adds to the packaging, making each gift unique and special.

The tags I made today are the first group in a number of sets that I am planning on giving away to friends and relatives this Christmas. There are a lot of crafty people in my life, and these tags will give them an extra special bit to add to the gifts that they give away throughout the year.

In terms of difficulty, tags can be any where from easy to hard to make, depending on the complexity and design. Having the right materials such as punches and stamps can make the project quicker to complete, although there is something to be said for simply using your own artistic skills and a pair of scissors!

As for a picture, well, I had to give the camera back yesterday, so no picture yet. I promise to put one up as soon as I beg, borrow, or buy a camera!

Keep smiling, crafters!

Feelin' Hot, Hot, Hot!

Okay, I love warm weather, but humidity values of 40+ Celsius is not nice. It's just plain gross. And quite often leads to nasty storms, and possible tornadoes - power outages are certain!

Usually, the storm passes, the sky clears, and it's a bit easier to breath.

This pattern also represents "library world". The humidity is summer planning season, the storm lasts from the first day of summer vacation until the middle of August. Then we get to breathe. I miss breathing! Not to say that the summer months are not enjoyable - quite the contrary! I see all the kids having fun, goofing around, and even reading! It helps me remember why I love my job.

Downside - I'm tired! It can take a little bit of extra effort this time of year to get things done around the house, and find the energy to be creative.

Now I know you're saying, "so why did you pick this time to start this crazy project?" Well, I'm going on vacation! First summer vacation I've had since I was in University - Undergrad, not grad school. One week off, no deadlines, no demands - just crafting, reading, visiting friends and general relaxation. Not that I'm counting down or anything... (3 work days left - yippee!)

On the crafting front, we girls made a serious dent in the Christmas/Hanukkah/Solstice present creation last night with our pendant making party. Check 5 gifts off my list (and a few more things for my jewelry box)! That's right crafters, less than 5 months 'till Christmas - let the panic begin!