Mad for Paper

Valentines Day may not be the best day to admit this,  but I am having a love affair with the Bustle and Sew Softie patterns.   Meet Natalie: She is a pattern from the February Issue of Bustle & Sew magazine.  I made her for a very dear friend, she named her Natalie. She is about 6" long from beak to tail. all hand sewn. Helen at Bustle and Sew makes the instructions very easy.  I had never made anything like this till a month or two ago when I made my first pig from her patterns: Then my second pig as a gift for my sister.  She named her Genevieve. Now, Natalie, and I am also working on a third pig as another gift.   Apparently a lot of people like pigs! I am not affilliated with Bustle and Sew, just a big fan. Thanks for stopping by, Ang

I couldn't not make another one of these adorable pigs:  I made this one for my sister.   Her husband is french, so I thought a little french gal was appropriate. My sister chose the name Genevieve, perfect!   A little beret and scarf:   And, again, last but not least:  These fun softies are designed by Helen at Bustle and Sew .   I have no affiliation, other than I just adore her patterns.   She has lots of cute stuff. Ang

This is a little late, oh well. A couple of years ago I decided to make most of my gifts  for family and friends.  I actually succeeded this year.   I really enjoy it.  The planning, creating and giving of a homemade gift makes me really happy. This year my favorite was this little guy:  Is he adorable or what?  Look at that nose. The designer probably intended it for kids but my sister in law loves pigs so I couldn't resist.   His designer is Helen over at Bustle and Sew .  I have been following her blog for a while, she posts lots of crafty stuff.  She also has an e-magazine that I subscribed to a couple of months ago.  She lives in the UK and the magazines are not only filled with patterns, she also includes little stories from the town she lives in.   I find it very charming, check it out. So back to the little guy.  I have never made a softie before.   He was so easy and fun t...

Another, new to me, sketch challenge.   The Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge was recommended to me by a pal over at the PTI forum.  Here is the sketch: I needed a little note book for a project my girlfriend and I are working on.  I decided to make her a little notebook also.   I recently purchased a couple of Skipping Stones Stamps .  They have some really funny stamps and sentiments.  They are great quality made in the US.  I bought these during thier "Blogs for Boobies" fundraiser.  Gotta love that! (I am not affiliated with them at all, just like thier stuff). Here are the notebooks: I wanted them to be cheery and bright.  I think I accomplished that using my Cosmo Cricket DeLovely 6X6 pad. I paper pieced the purses.  I really love paper piecing.   Here are some close ups: I had purchased these two notepads at Target a couple of years ago.  They are cute, about 3" X 5", s...