My Memories Freebies

Here are the latest freebies from My Memories!

Check the My Memories page to download and see what I did with them.

Purse Card

Check out the MyMemories Page - there are two new freebies available. Hurry, though, as they will only be available until Monday. On my freebie page I try to only use what comes with the kit. Here's my 'only use the template' version.

 



  Here's how I did it: I started off with the template. I then added a background from a STM Freebie from the week of December 5, 2011. It's named MUnderwood_spunky-back-paisley. I addded it as an embellishment so that it could be moved around to get the best position under the template. The butterflies and heart are from the Photo Shoot Mini Kit I rotated the butterflies a bit, and guesstimated how far down they would need to be in order to not be covered by the flap. I left the back plain.

 For the inside, I started with the background from the Sea Memories Kit The flowers are a page element from One True Love Floral Scatters (if you like it, grab it quickly, as I believe it is soon to be retired.) The vellum tag is from another freebie download. The 'vellum' is layered over the flowers, but is opaque, like real vellum, so that the lower layers show through. I wanted two different fonts for the verse, and the reference, so I used two separate text boxes. The swirl embellishment is from SunshineArtz DejaVu Kit and is titled SATZ_DejaVu_peaswirl-01

Crocheted Grocery Tote

Somewhere I have a chronological list of things that I've finished that need photos and blog posts. I can't find the list, and I'm probably the only one who cares about what order they were finished in. I finished this crocheted tote a while ago, but haven't used it yet (due to its' needing to be photographed for the blog). It is made out of the plastic sleeves that the newspaper comes in, and some colored grocery bags.

The directions for making the bag 'yarn' are here and the directions for making the bag are here.



The pattern was easy to follow, and all the pictures were very helpful. It does take a lot of bags. I was collecting the newspaper sleeves for at least a year, and then I still didn't have enough. Ultimately, it was a fun 'green' project, but took  too much prep work for me to consider making it again.

Stitches in Life

It seems as though more than three months have passed since my last post! Since my last post, I have spent 3 weeks total babysitting, helped my sister and brother-in-law move, my cat had to be put to sleep the next weekend, gardened for some friends, celebrated my Grandma's 90'th birthday, and have been dealing with a sprained back and tendonitis. I'm sure I left some stuff out, but I wouldn't want to bore you all. When Grace and Anthony moved out, I spent the next two or so weeks cleaning their apartment in the basement, and their upstairs office space. The office space is now mine. Yipee!! My doctors have repeatedly told me that my bedroom should not be used for reading, crafts, etc. "Your bedroom should be just for sleeping in" they say. I laugh and figure they don't have a clue about living with one's parents, and only having one room to keep all your stuff in. Now my bedroom is 'just a bedroom' and I am using the extra room for my desk and crafts. It's a bit of a disaster, but here are a couple of photo collages I created with MyMemories software. Clicking on the thumbnails will show you a larger image.

Dishcloth Project #3

The Dishcloth Project; my quest to knit all of the dishcloth patterns from my 3+ years of Creative Knitting magazines.

This dishcloth was completed sometime in 2011. The pattern is one of their 'must try stitch' features. Often the must try stitch is in one of the larger projects in the magazine, although not in this case.

The Details  

The Pattern: Creative Knitting, May 2007, 'Spring is in the Air Dishcloth'.  
The Yarn: Sugar'n Cream, Violet Veil.

Dishcloth Project #2

In December of 2010 I started on the Dishcloth Project. One of the knitting magazines I subscribed to had a dishcloth pattern every couple of issues. I decided to knit them all! Here's the second one - it was completed in April of 2011.

The pattern is from Creative Knitting, March 2007, Mock Cable Dishcloth. As I was knitting this dishcloth, I kept thinking that the pattern seemed really familiar. I finally figured out that the mock cable pattern was the same as the mock cable on my Wristlets! I had enough yarn leftover to make another dish scrubber.

The Details  

Patterns: Creative Knitting, March 2007 Mock Cable Dishcloth, and Mini Double-Thickness Scrubby Cloths from 2009 Knitting Pattern a Day Calendar  
Yarn Used: Sugar 'n Cream Twists, Taupe Twists

Scrappin' Saturday XIX

Welcome to Scrappin' Saturday - peek into the pages of my scrapbooks. 

Tatting Page: This is the first of several pages of tatting projects. Details are below the picture. 

Background: I used one of the sheets that came with the scrapbook.  
Photos: The photos were cropped to the desired size, then the edges were rounded.  
Die Cuts: The die cuts on this page were made using Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels One and Labels Two.
   
Other Embellishments: I traced both a tatting shuttle and a tatting needle using a sharpie pen. I used the computer to journal a paragraph about tatting, and the photos on the page, printed it onto a decorative paper, and used the cuttlebug with Labels Two to get the desired shape. I also took several of my tatted 'scraps' and glued them onto the page.
Projects Pictured: Medallions The pattern for the square one is no longer available from the site I downloaded it from. If anyone knows where to find it, leave a comment so I can update this post. The other medallion is actually a failed attempt of the Pearl Accent Earrings from the Big Book of Tatting. I blogged about the bookmarks here and here. They are the same pattern, just with different ribbons. The pattern is Ribbon and Lace Bookmark from the Big Book of Tatting.

My Memories Freebie

My Memories has sent a freebie link for me to share with you! Check out the 'My Memories' page for the link, and to see what I've done with the freebie. The freebie files are .png and .jpg and will work with any graphics software, not just My Memories software. In order to (hopefully) give you a better idea of the versatility of the freebie pack, I have refrained from using any other packs with it.

If you wish to purchase My Memories software, use the following code to save $10 at checkout! Here's the code: STMMMS47620

Scrappin' Saturday XVIII

Welcome to Scrappin' Saturday - come take a peek into the pages of my scrapbooks. This page is devoted to the two beach bag totes that I've made. One for myself, and one for my Grandma.

The Details

Paper: The paper is a 12x12 sheet of Decorative Scrapbook Paper.  
Photos: The photos were cropped square and the corners rounded with a punch.  
Journaling: The journaling was written by hand and consists of the pattern title and some notes about making the pattern.
Project Link: I blogged about these here. The project is 'Girlfriend's Beach Tote' from Mary Mulari's Travel with Style book.

Lady of the Thread Cross Stitch

Lady of the Thread is overdue for an update. I haven't taken a picture of her in nearly a year! This morning I finally finished the large green part of her skirt. It doesn't look very big in the photo, but when you're doing it one stitch at a time, it's gigantic!

The Pattern: "Lady of the Thread" by Lavender and Lace.
The Fabric: 28 ct black linen from my LNS
The Thread: DMC Floss
Date Started: 3-10-09

Goals for 2012

Did you make any resolutions regarding your crafts last year? What about this year? I was just looking at my list of craft resolutions for last year:

1. Finish at least 1/2 of the projects on my current WIP list.
2. Take pictures of completed projects.
3. Start Christmas gifts ASAP, and finish them by the end of August.
4. Empty &/or downsize sewing basket.
5. Frame completed cross stitch projects.
6. Update Etsy shop on a regular basis.

How did I do?
1) I should have finished 7 projects from my WIP list. I finished two.
2)I did well with taking pictures until April. Now I have a pile of things on my desk that I need to blog about, but can't because I haven't taken pictures yet.
3) Yeah...I'm lazy. 'nuff said.
4) Accomplished! I purchased a plastic container, so that when enough projects get done I can put the lid on and stack stuff on top. (Anything for more storage space!)
5) 2 out of 6. Maybe that should be 2 out of 4 - one I have decided to make into a pillow cover, and another will be attached to the top of a box. If I can ever find a box the right size.
6) I did fairly well with renewing items when the listing expired...

Although my resolutions didn't go very well, I did manage to complete a lot of projects, including some that should have been on my WIP list.

Here are my crafting goals for this year:

• Blog regularly
• Scrapbook regularly
• Keep Ravelry and Stitcher's Showcase projects updated
• Get ideas for Etsy shop out of my head and into the Etsy shop
• Keep working on finishing things in my WIP list
• Get better at photography (I got some awesome gifts for Christmas that should help me with that.)
• Have Christmas cards and gifts finished by November 1
• Reduce my yarn stash to one basket (that's my stash, before sorting it into two baskets) 

Upcoming posts: Projects that were finished last year, pictures and details about WIP's, some cooking and baking, and a Stitches in Life post.