Oz-Inspired Birthday - Putting It All Together

"Follow the yellow brick road..." to a birthday surprise to even the big girls.


Gathering the Goodies:
* The Yellow Brick Road cake box.
* Yellow tissue paper (I cut in triangles to better fit in my box).
* Ruby Slipper Earrings.
* Oz Bottle Necklace - full of bits of the Emerald City's magic.
* A triangle that fits into the top of the cake box from the card stock (where I wrote my birthday message).
* The Lolly Pop Guild Cake Pop.

Together at Last:
I wrapped the bits of treasures in pieces of yellow tissue paper and placed them carefully inside the tissue paper lined yellow brick road box. Then placed the card on the top then topped it off with the lid.

I left the box with it's goodies at my friend's house before she was out of bed (I was on my way to work). It wasn't too long before I got a text to what she had woken up to.

It doesn't take much to make a person feel special once in awhile - too often we forget that. Do something special for someone - you'll be glad you took the time.

Oz-Inspired Birthday - Yellow Brick Road Cake

What better way to present a birthday surprise or two than in the form of a cake AND what better way to present a Oz themed birthday present than in the form of the yellow brick road? "Follow the yellow brick road..." - you never know where it might lead. Plus, I like to make a statement (sometimes with glitter, glitter, and more glitter). (Yes, if you have noticed a glittery theme - you're right. I pretty much glittered everything within inches of being nothing but glitter for this collection.)

Supplies Used:
* Yellow/Gold card stock. (Two sheets - one for the base and one for the lid.)
* Craft glue
* Loose glitter - I used green.
* Spray glitter - I used gold.
* Tissue paper (red). (Just enough to make a small carnation flower.)
* Twisty Tie.
* Wide ribbon.
* Scissors.
* Printer. (Optional)

Putting It Together:
I printed a brick pattern on one side of my yellow gold card stock. I did an internet search looking for brick patterns until I found the one I liked (took a bit, but I found it). Here is the link to the one I liked and used: Click here. (You can find pretty much anything on the internet if you look hard enough and long enough.)

On the backside of each piece of  card stock - I printed a template for a cake shaped box I found on Martha Stewart's website. (Found here.) I printed one slightly smaller than the other so they would fit together top and bottom. (100% and 95% to be more precise.)

I cut out the two side, folding and assembling the top and bottom with the brick side facing out. Then I secured the ends with thin layer of craft glue and trimming lid down as preferred. I glued a medium thickness of decorated red ribbon around the bottom edge of the lid. (I didn't want it to look like a hunk of cheese - a careful task.)

Let dry.

Using the craft glue and the thin end of a a paint brush I painted the words "Follow the Yellow Brick Road..." along the top of the box, then liberally covered with green glitter, shaking off the excess. I let dry.

I took small squares of red tissue paper (of course something I already had on hand in my supply) and a twisty tie to create a little tissue paper flower, trimming off the extra bit off twisty tie wire and curling it up along the bottom to attach easier. (I wanted a flat bottom to the flower.)

I sprayed it with a touch of gold glitter to give it a mystical poppy appearance. I glued it securely to the top of the yellow brick box by the green glittered lettering. Then I let it dry. I let everything dry.

As everything is secured and let dry - it's ready to start putting everything together. Stand back and be careful - no houses are falling on this birthday creation or the birthday girl it was intended.

Flower Pillow for Mom

I made this pillow awhile ago for my mom and decided to share it.

It's a round pillow embroidered with a flower. Each petal represents one of my mom's kids (five kids = five petals) with miltiple hearts in the center. Around the edge is embroideered the phrase "The Power of a  Mother's Love is like an ever-blooming flower."

Clowning Around

Ever thought about clowning around? Laughter is important to life and how we deal with. What better way then to clown around?

Years ago, I attended a weekend workshop on clowning and got hooked. I ended up doing a 4-H project on clowning and the importance of humor, which led to more clowning opportunities at camps, pre-schools, a couple church events, and even at the Ohio State Fair as a 4-H representative. The costume I have used through most of this was one I got to design and build as I continue to get use out of it with volunteering and working with kids of all ages.

The original costume pattern was for a "Hippy" costume that I adapted. I added green triangles to bottom of the pant's original pattern as well patches of green. The pants are purple with flowers with green accented fabric with little bees The vest is made from matching purple flowered fabric. The shirt has a small opening on on the top back made from white fabric with images of smiley faces, word "love," and swirls. The accenting scarf (originally used to cover my hair before I found the right wigs) is from the green with bees.

The hat was a plain black rimmed hat I found and added silk flowers and a bird nest with hot glue. At one time there was a little yellow bird perched on the nest and plain black shoes I added silk flowers to as well. (The shoes and bird have disappeared over the years.)

In later years purple and black stripped tights were added underneath in place of socks (Love post-Halloween sales!) with a bright pink straw bag to hold my toys and twisty balloon supplies and a green and white wig.

Baby Blessing Quilt: Part 8 (Putting It All Together)

A lot of time and heart has gone into this project, but now that it is finished I am very happy with the end result of this Baby Blessing Quilt. (I hope the new mother agrees.)

To be honest I have never seen or hear of  a Baby Blessing blanket before, but it was an idea I came up with a blessing for the new life and the friend who is now a new mother living a few states away. I couldn't be there when her daughter was born, but hopefully this will be something special to her.

Here is an  overview of how it all came together.

Embroidery Work of Five Pieces
Piece 1 (with short colorful blessing)
Piece 2 (with baby girl's name and birth date)
Piece 3 (with my own blessing)
Piece 4 (with Irish Baby Blessing)
Piece 5 (with Jewish Blessing)
 

The pieces were then sewn together using my trusty sewing machine and ironed. (See Step 6.)

I then added more embroidery and more fleece hearts. (See Step 7.)

I sewed the front to the back (wrong sides together) all the way around leaving a seam to be frayed. I chose a pink and white checked flannel for the back side. (Design choice.) Then using my machine I added swirls all the way around randomly to secure the two sides from creating a pouch inside.

It took awhile, but I then frayed the edges all the way around. This takes a lot longer then a more "finished" edge, but it was what I wanted for this project.

Finished and pressed it's ready to be packed and mailed to the mother and child.

Baby Blessing Quilt: Part 7 (More Embellishment)

After the five pieces were sewn together and ironed, I added more embroidery and fleece hearts. By adding more embellishments AFTER the pieces were sewn securely together allowed me to add images and words spanning more than one piece as well as reinforce the seams where they were sewn together.

I used a flower, more hearts, and a few words ("love," "dream," and "hope").

Baby Blessing Quilt: Part 6 (Piecing it Together)

I pieced the small blessing quilt together, first laying it out, then sewing the three pieces of the left side and two pieces of the right side before sewing the right and left side together.

It's starting to take shape... literally.

Part 4: Baby Blessing Quilt (4th peice)

The fourth piece of the Baby Blessing Quilt is larger than the rest with an Irish Baby Blessing embroidered in black on rose fabric with a butterfly and heart added (not obvious to see but the letters show better in person and the other bits are as much for texture as anything else - sometimes subtle additions can be a nice added touch).

Piece Four (still no square).

It reads:
"May all blessings of our Lord touch your life today.
"May He send his little angels to protect you on your way.
"Such a miraulacous gift sent from above.
"Someone so precious to cherish and love.
"ay sunshine and moonbeams dance over your head.
"As you quietly slumber in your bed.
"May good luck be with you wherever you go.
"And your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow.
          "-Irish Baby Blessing-"

Painted Birdhouse

From a family reunion Craft Station. (Who would figure with my family... )

Beaded Jewelry Collection

What can you get from an inexpensive bead ring kit that severely lacks directions? With a little creativity, imagination, and a desire to try some new things... a whole collection of beaded jewelry. One kit for $1 (at local Dollar Store) + a few things I already had on hand (equaling only an added few pennies here and there) = a new collection of beaded jewelry. (9 Pieces to be more exact.)


 Three beaded rings. (A Flower, a peace sign, & a cloud burst.)

+

One 'Marie Antoinette *after* the guillotine' inspired choker.

 

+

Two Beaded Slave Bracelets. (Water and Fire inspired.)

+

Bottled Amulet on Beaded Necklace

+

Beaded Rainbow Bracelet

 +

Beaded Twist Ring

+

And with the wire all used up there are still beads to spare.

=

So, to recap - nine pieces of jewelry (with beads leftover) from one box of wire and seeds beads.

Keep your eyes open, you never know what you might find. (Guess what kids, I still have another box that I haven't opened yet.)

Cross Stitched Feminism Pillow

We can find power and celebration in many things. We can turn old fashioned skills and arts into an expression of something else. I find some sort of strange comfort from turning something that used to symbolize much of a woman's bonds into something that can symbolize what we are capable. A woman doesn't have to reject the arts of her grandmothers to embrace the ideals of equality and feminine power.

For this project, I used the female symbol, cross stitched in black and red to embrace the ideals of feminism and equality.

I started with a template made on graph pattern for the pattern. The lettering and phrases around the edges were mostly just to get a template for the letters not for the final placement.

Using black and red embroidery thread, I cross stitched my female design with phrases around the edges that emulated the theme. "Never let the hand you hold, hold you down." "History and Herstory." "If your not outraged your not paying attention." "A woman's life is a human life." "I am not your Barbie Doll." "The meek are ready." "Proud to be a feminist." "equality.""I resist." And so on. I then embellished the sides.

When the needlework was completed I cut a square of a red velvet-like material (seen in a few other projects) for the backing. Instead of sewing them right sides together, I opted to sew them wrong sides together.

Wrong sides together, I pinned the edges securely, especially taking into account the stretchy nature of the red backing fabric. Then, using a strong backs titch hand-sewed the two sides together with black embroidery thread, using the stitches along a clear straight line as part of the overall design, but making sure to leave a small gap to stuff.

Using the opening I left, I carefully stuffed the pillow to the desire fluffiness with some poly-fil I had on hand, being careful not to rip open the stitches around the opening.

Once full, I pinned the opening (once again being mindful of the stretchy nature of the red fabric for the backing), and sewing it securely shut with black embroidery thread and the back stitch. I pulled the loose thread from the fabrics to give a fringed edge to the small square pillow.

A pillow to make any feminist proud. (Take ye inspiration where ye may.)