Clearance sale - 50% off and $5.99 Shipping

Just a quick post to let you know that you can take 50% off of the entire store (excluding the AMM rosette fabric, Crate Paper "Paper Heart" collection and the American Crafts Flutterbys). We added a bunch of button tags in the store as well as October Afternoon products that were not previously in inventory. Check it out and take advantage! OH AND DID I MENTION THAT SHIPPING IN US IS $5.99?!!!

Use code CLEAR2 at checkout.

Thanks!

Rosette Fabric Tutorial with Michelle Philippi

I love handmade gift packaging.  It transforms the most inexpensive and simple gift in to something so much more.  It’s like food – you eat with your eyes first.  Same thing with gift giving – let them delight in the packaging first.

I bought some bags of those Lindt chocolate balls.  They have raspberry ones out for Valentine’s Day, did you know?!  I dropped some in glassine bags and then embellished for a pretty presentation.

This new fuschia rosette flower fabric from AMM is amazing.  I don’t sew, and I don’t scrapbook so I’m sure I didn’t do this beautiful piece justice, but I added in chunks of it to my bag tags to really kick up the fancy factor.

I also used a lot of pretty vintage buttons and lace and pearl trim from AMM.  My husband told me that these packages reminded him of the 20s and the flappers.  I love that comment – mission accomplished!

More of me can be found on my blog.

Rosette Heart Pillow Tutorial

Not too long ago, Michelle got some wonderful rosette fabric in the store, in creme, fuchsia, and turquoise.  Each color is sold in 12.5x12.5" squares for $3.99.  She sent Michelle, Marie and I each a square to work with.  Today, I'm going to be working with the creme fabric so here's a pic of the other two colors.

So are you ready for me to show you what I'm going to teach you how make?  A vintage inspired heart pillow.

Step 1:  The first thing you need is a heart template.  You can either freehand a heart and cut it out or you can print and cut one out.

Step 2: Fold your fabric so that the right sides are touching and then pin your template in place.

Step 3:  Cut around your template then remove the pins and set your template aside.  You should how have two perfectly mirrored hearts.

Step 4:  Pin your hearts together so that the right sides are touching and pin in place.

Step 5:  Using a 1/2 inch seam allowance sew 3/4 of the way around the heart.  Secure the beginning with a back stitch, but not the end.  Once you have sewn 3/4 of the way around smooth the fabric along the thread to make sure that there is no gathering.  Once everything is smooth back stitch the end.

Step 6:  Turn the heart right side out and stuff with fiber fill.

Step 7:  Turn the ends of the opening 1/2 inch inside the heart so that the right sides of the fabric are touching and pin in place.

Step 8:  Using a slip stitch sew the opening closed making sure that you start your thread inside the pillow so your knot is hidden.

Step 9: Embellish your heart.  I used a vintage safety pin and added a jewel and a metal heart.

MOVING SALE & SCRAPBOOK WAREHOUSE SALE

If are in my neck of the woods here in Long Beach, CA., come by this Saturday at 7:00 am at 2378 Charlemagne.

My neighbor and I are having a yard sale. She is moving and will be selling off all of her furniture, household items, clothing, purses, shoes, jewelry, patio furniture and I will have household items, clothing for men, women, boys and girls, bedding, jewelery and a scrapbook warehouse clearance. It will be good, so we hope to see you!

Some Freebies for you ~

I got inspired by the color pallette in this photo. I really love using a blue/denim color in my layouts because it really reflects me. I live in jeans, so adapting this look into scrapbooking seems like a natural merge for me. With that in mind, I created a few images that you can use for your own projects.

This is a denim for you....

Here's a country floral...

And here's a pretty vintage image that you can use to integrate that vintage look along with the denim.

To add some texture to your projects, try and use burlap or crochet trims. We have plenty in stock in the AMM store, so stop on by and check it out in our trims section.

We have 3 more days of our 40% off sale in the store. Use code 2012 at checkout and you'll also get $5.99 shipping (US only). See details on our homepage.

Oh and we have a giveaway on our message boards HERE. Just post a note in the thread letting us know what you are currently working on. We'll announce the winner this Saturday.

A GIVEAWAY and an UPDATE re Button Tags

First, we are doing a giveaway of all of the little extras that we have been collecting from previous kits.

Here's a quick photo for you.

If you'd like to win, just go to our message boards HERE and leave us a quick comment about what you are currently working on. We'll choose a winner on Saturday.

SECOND - Our last batch of button tags went fairly quickly, so I added in a few more today. You can find them in the AMM store HERE.

Hope you are having a wonderful week!

NEW Button Tags

We have more of the cute little button tags and findings tags now available. You can find them here in the AMM store. Each is unique and usually there is only 1 available.

Enjoy!

40% off Sale with $5.99 Shipping

ENJOY 40% off now through 1/15/12. Just use code 2012 at check-out. US customers will also receive $5.99 shipping. This includes everything in the store, but the following:

Crate Paper "Paper Heart" Collection


AMM Rosette Fabrics


American Crafts Flutterbys

Enjoy!!! Hope you are all having a great NEW Year!!!!

Party Pockets Tutorial with Michelle Philippi

My aunt hosted a little New Year’s Day get-together and I thought it’d be cool to take something fun for the occasion. After Christmas I think a lot of people are tapped out either on money or desire to head out to shop, so I rummaged around the house to see what I could find to make my festive packages.

I knew I wanted to go with black and white and gold and silver and steer clear of Christmas type. I found a leftover box of gold Christmas crackers, pulled out all the remaining silver Hershey candies, found some gold & silver toy coins in the party box as well as some leftover party horns, and I had some silver Airheads candies in the pantry.

I had some little black lunch bags and folded those up to create pockets, and stitched some fun tinsel ribbon trim from AMM, along with some other gold ribbon that I had.

And then I embellished them with pretty silver and gold baubles from AMM.

And then I decorated the front of the bag, filled them, and now we’re party ready!

Thanks for stopping by today – and Happy New Year!

More of me can be found on my blog.