Just the thing for Spring Cleaning! (A New Look for The Housekeeping Apron)

If you haven't guessed by looking at my website, I really love aprons! The Housekeeping Apron has been one of my best-sellers! My quilt shops seem to re-order it as often as Aunt Minnie's Button Apron or Vintage Aprons! There's something very efficient about this apron, though. When I am dashing through my house, picking things up, straightening, and cleaning, it's really handy to have a pocket this size to scoop up things and put them away! The trick, of course, is to remember to empty them while you are cleaning, but even if you start to hang up the apron and think, "Why is that thing so HEAVY?" you still have a chance to get those little odds and ends put in the right place.

Cleaning is an endless chore, but somehow, when you have a cute apron on, you feel a little more spunky and energetic! Yup! That's my secret! That, and a good dose of energetic music! So, break out the Spic and Span, the dusting rag, and The Housekeeping Apron, your favorite rock and roll music, and get that spring cleaning started!

Hey Valentine, You Are My Sweet Treat!


I decided that I needed to make something cheerful and pink--and what better thing than a paper valentine! 


I started by taking pieces of scrapbook paper to cover a foam-core scrap (16" wide x 14" high). 

Insert a little piece of wire, poking ends right into the middle of the foam.... and hot glue it to keep it in place!


Now, you can create some of the paper 'cocardes' which can be used to decorate this and many other things! I have one of the folding tables (Making Memories), which makes it easy to do. Cut a strip 1 1/4" x 12" using the handy cutter on the side, then use the bone folder to lightly press a line every 1/4". 

Accordion pleat the strip of paper, then glue together to form a circle.

Flatten the circle, and hot glue to a piece of paper. Trim the paper under the circle, so it doesn't show.

Make another heart 7 1/2" high x 9" wide, using cardboard or form core, then cover with paper. Arrange heart, cocardes, and embellish with buttons (use hot glue to adhere). 

Thread a ribbon through the hook to hang it..... do you love the old building I found, with the great walls? It was a dangerous episode, threading my way through nasty pieces of wood with nails sticking out, but the perfect color of wall is worth the risk! 

Here are a few other Valentine ideas...

Just a few little fabric hearts....

And a bag to collect all those lost socks in your laundry room! 


Happy Valentines Day to everyone!

More Creative Paper Ideas

Maria has been at it again! This is a tribute to one of my six (yes, count them, SIX) grandchildren, Olive. Maria took a small divided shadow box and papered the back of the little cubby-holes, then added sweet little black and white pictures of Miss Olive, herself.

Cute, huh?

When my son's family came to see me a few weeks ago, we stopped at Tai Pan Trading, to look at their wonderful trees and ornaments. You can see what Jace liked best:

Back at Roberts, I had my friend Annie make some boxes for Christmas treats, and they were deceptively easy to make. The boxes were sprayed with Design Master's Glossy Wood Tone, then the paper was applied using Mod Podge. The one on the right was embellished by placing a paper snowflake on the box then spraying with 'snow.' It looked almost like powdered sugar on gingerbread! Yummm!

Last of all, here is another banner idea with chipboard and paper! Once again, Maria used the Cricut to cut out the letters from glittered red paper on a black background!

Such fun!

Skinny Little Stocking

This little stocking is made using my Raggy Saggy Christmas Stocking pattern (check out www.fabricfolk.com for the pattern). The directions in the pattern indicate stitching lines on the stocking pattern shape, then cutting 1/2" away from the stitching for a seam allowance (which is then clipped and washed in your machine). This version utilizes the stitching lines for cutting lines, thereby making the stocking very skinny. This isn't the stocking to fill with CD's and other wide things, but it's great for candy and lady's shavers, and lipsticks and nail polish--and little bars of hand-made French soap, etc.

I stitched a little Christmas quilt to hang up this year... and I'm sorry, I don't have the pattern ready yet. It might be one of those things that appears for next year's new pattern line! I thought you might want a peek anyway!

This is a close-up of one of the four main sections of the quilt!

Oh, I just love Christmas!!!

Christmas Projects with Scrapbook Paper!

Maria Peregrina created this wondrous storyboard, with our new scrapbook paper.... and made this magnet board (paper glued onto pre-made magnet board). Beautiful, isn't it? Of course, Maria included some cards and holiday decorations, too!

Here are some other of Maria's creations:

The "NOEL" banner is wonderful, isn't it? And Maria used the Cricut electronic cutter to create the snowflakes! I asked her to make two banners--one used on the storyboard, and one for a tree which features all sorts of paper decorations.

Close-ups, of course:

The star was created from a tin star we had, covered with cotton batting, which I brushed with glue, and sprinkled chunky snow flakes from a jar.... the pleated cocarde was made from two 3" x 12" strips of paper, glued end-to-end, and pleated. The smaller cocarde is from one 1 1/2" x 12" strip, and a covered button is placed in the center. The sides of the star are covered with a pleated wired ribbon, glued to the front, then folded around to the back. You can also see a star (rusty tin base) covered with paper and a cocarde.

I made the paper doll by covering a wooden spoon with an image I drew and color-copied, and decoupaged. The clothing is scrapbook paper which is backed with cardstock. The wings are made from a wooden heart shape, covered with paper.

And a larger star, with the edges of the cocarde finished with Martha Stewart's wonderful edger.

Now, I remember I promised you a look at the paper snowflakes:

This paper snowflake is made from 1" strips of water-color paper (about 70 lb. paper). The strips are curled using one of the old wire curling tools. I hot-glued them together. The center is a series of five hearts, then more hearts at the intersections, and a lot of curly, meandering swirls on the outside.

Now, we'll escort you to the foyer next to the offices in back of the store:

Paper-covered topiaries (floral supply) in pots, with shredded crinkle taupe paper inside to cover the green form. Annie used the Cricut to make the stars on the wreath.

The little star at the top was gold--and I sprayed it cream to match the topiary!

And as a final tribute to paper, I'll give you a sneak peek at the gazebo (which you will see next time!):

I cannot tell a lie--I saw this on Pinterest! Isn't it awesome?????

The Happiest Season of All!

The last week at Roberts Crafts has been a blur.... We had to tear down Halloween, get Christmas displays up--all in time for our open house which started today (November 7). We did get a lot done, but will have much more to do. All the stores are participating in a contest, and we have to have everything ready to be judged by mid-week. The whole crew has been amazing, and Annie, Maria, Tiger, and Wendy in particular! I feel like the conductor of a symphony orchestra, and have been so pleased with our brilliant soloist artists! I will show you a bit at a time, of course.

The fireplace is a "Foamcore" prop which I made last week. It looks pretty good, huh? I guarantee it would not do well with a real fire, though. The tree is decorated with the extra-wide lime ribbon, bouquets of lilies, hydrangeas, and calla lilies, adorned with a triple-ribbon bow. The boxes are painted (lids and bottoms) with Krylon red spray paint (easy!), then covered with scrapbook paper. The balls are strung together on narrow ribbon, then wired to the branches.

Tiger stitched the quilt together... Annie made the wreath from red yarn pom poms, with a Dior bow. The base is two wire bases, one large, one medium, wired together and wrapped with acetate ribbon. The rest is hot glue magic! The store had a very limited amount of Christmas ornaments this year, so we had to rely on our imagination and make almost everything.

When you enter the store, I envisioned the song "Winter Wonderland", and in particular the verse that reminds us of "In the meadow, we can build a snowman...." so I created two large snowmen out of tea-dyed muslin. The nose is wool felt, and they have button eyes and smiles....

I painted the old dark brown wheelbarrow with some light green paint, put an alpine tree in, with a berry garland wrapped around, then some 'snow.' I put some pieces of quilt batting on the branches (just tore it), added the spray snow in a can, the rest of the batting at the base over some scrunched-up paper for height; all sitting next to our wonderful fence (thanks to Annie), created from wooden pallets!

And the bench is painted with Napa Red (Americana Enamel paints)... the snow on the ground is butcher paper, crinkled up, then piled with some of the fake snow from a bag!

And that's all for now! We have several other vignettes that are underway, and will be part of the next chapter in our Christmas saga! Wait until you see the paper snowflakes!!!!

Autumn is Here!

Autumn is my favorite time of year, even though it passes much too quickly! It's time to dig out sweaters and light jackets down here in the southern part of Utah. The days are still in the high 70's, and sunshine abounds, but those wonderful, crisp nights, and that great old harvest moon are sublime! This little sign announces to your neighborhood that you are ready for fall.... with that epic saying, "If I Only Had a Brain." I have designed two versions.... this wooden one, and a pillow made from Marcus Brothers' wonderful new plaid flannels!

As you can see, the pillow is nestled in a group of favorite fall things. The pumpkins and the pillow are all in one new pattern, and I will show you how to make the pumpkins in a couple of weeks! I still have to sew things for Quilt Market, for the Marcus Brothers booth, so after I ship all those things away to Houston, I will crank out the pattern!

And now, my friends and fellow Halloween fiends, here is my newest wooden word decoration. This is another special creation from Moosie's Woods, in Provo, Utah. Of course my favorite little Halloween critters are on parade!

Have a FRIGHTFUL day!!!!