Happy Birthday AJ!

Today is my niece's birthday......she is 22 years old today! Happy Birthday AJ! It seems like yesterday I raced home from college to see her......that round little red head and those crazy little faces she'd make.....so funny! Now she's the one in college but she still has a round head and still makes crazy faces!

AJ is going to Ireland at the end of this month so in honor of her trip a made an altered matchbook with 4 little 2.3 by 2.5 inch collages on chipboard inside of it.....

This is the book closed......

Laddy........

St. Patty........born on March 17th....

The Irish Rovers..........

Black Irish curls............

This is the matchbook opened showing the first page.....

Conversation Heart Generator

Here is a cool little site that lets you make your own conversational hearts!


http://www.acme.com/heartmaker/

I made this one for the Honey Girl Studio!

Conversation Hearts

Do you ever eat conversation hearts around Valentine's Day? Those tasty little heart shaped lumps of pure sugary lexical delight have been around for a long time.....since the 1860s! In the 1860's, Daniel Chase, the brother of NECCO's founder, Oliver Chase, began printing sayings on the candy. He experimented first with hand tools, and then devised a machine in which the cloth was replaced with a felt roller pad, moistened with vegetable coloring, usually red, which pressed against the die. The die printed the words on the lozenge paste and the double purpose machine cut the lozenges into little hearts! I once had a friend in college who use to write X-rated messages on them with a thin red Sharpie! She was a bad girl!.....Yes, Jane, you were bad!

The present day Sweethearts Conversation Heart dates back to 1902.

To meet the demand for its Conversation Hearts, NECCO produces them from late February through mid-January of the following year. The entire production--about 100,000 pounds a day-- sells out in just six weeks. Whoa! That's a lot of hearts!

My friend Carol sent these conversation heart stickers to me today! I had to create a few things with them right away!

Imagine getting kissed by this little rascal!

She's the Conversation Heart Fairy!

An ATC with a little pug........... well, he really is a "cute pie"! So ugly, he's cute!

More Chocolate?

Felt cupcakes! All the yummy-ness but none of the calories!
I have this little display of felt cupcakes I made on a vintage cakeplate on my dinning room table.

Speaking of felt goodies........... yes, I've been making more felt chocolate covered strawberries. I can't seem to stop! I have a half dozen in this papier mache French collaged chocolate box on
Ebay. Click here to eyeball it!

Cake on Petite Cake Stand.......
on Ebay..... click here!

I'm off to the studio.......... I have an idea for a little something using "conversation hearts".....

Just a few thoughts for Sunday.....

Here are my random thoughts for Sunday, February 1, 2009.......

First and foremost...... GO STEELERS!!

Over 1 billion chicken wings will be eaten today on Super Bowl Sunday! When I was young, my brothers and I would go to my aunt Dede's house on Super Bowl Sunday to watch the game and she would make a big pot of Chop Suey. Why Chop Suey on Super Bowl Sunday? I have no idea but it became a tradition. I suppose it was because my aunt made really delicious food but it was only things you could make in massive quantities.....like chili, chop suey and homemade mac and cheese! I miss that tradition.

French Chocolat Box with hand sewn felt candies .......just posted on Ebay....click here.

Toodee the studio monster is ready for spring!!!!!

A special box and felt candies for my friend Jacque in California!

I hope you have a wonderful Sunday......it's partly sunny here and almost 40 degrees which is a welcome change from 14 degrees!

Have you met Sammy?

A Very Short Story

His name is Sammy! He wears a pink felt hat.....

He lives in a cupcake wrapper......
on top of a collaged wooden block.....He's on Ebay......right now.....click here!
The End

Winter Blahs!

This cold, snowy weather is really starting to wear on me! Check out those ginormous icicles on the back side of the house! Wouldn't want to walk under those babies for fear of icy impalement. I'm so sick of having a cold nose and cold feet! I've been looking at the seed catalogues and dreaming of gardening but it's not working to get my mind off of the coldness. Here is an ACEO I made, inspired by the seed catalogues entitled: "Jardin de Paris".

I just posted her on Ebay.

Creature of Habit.....

I love Friday nights! I like to get my Antique Week paper and maybe another magazine, put on my jammies and snuggle up under a blanket and read. Yes, I'm somewhat of a creature of habit, especially during the winter months when there isn't much to do. Speaking of winter, I'm getting pretty sick of it and I heard that there is another major winter storm heading this way early next week. Good Grief!!!!

So tell me, are you a creature of habit and if so what is that you do?

Something nice.........

Something nice and totally unexpected happened to me this morning..... I went through the Duncan Donuts drive thru to get my cup of Joe.........I was singing along to a Smashmouth CD and was deep in thought thinking about of all things, heaven....you know like when you get there will there be people you recognize? will they recognize you? who will meet you to take you there? how old will you look there? is there really such a place? Anywho, when I got to the window to pay for my coffee, the lady handed it to me and when I went to hand her the money she said, "the lady in front of you paid for your coffee". I was so taken back that I said, "she paid for my coffee, why?" The Duncan Donuts girl just shrugged her shoulders and smiled. What a nice thing! It wasn't just that I got a free cup of delicious hot coffee....but that a total stranger bought it for me! I rode all the way to work (37 minutes) in the dark with a huge goofy smile on my face sipping my coffee. I believe this was one of those RAKs (random acts of kindness) that I've always heard about....... and it could have possibly been a sign......a sign that there really is a heaven! The next time I got through the drive thru I'll pay for the person's coffee behind me and suprise them.....I hope it puts a big goofy smile on their face.

New Ebay Postings and Felt Strawberry Tutorial....

I don't know about you, but I love chocolate covered strawberries! The only problem is all of the calories but if you make them out of felt, there are zero calories. I've included a tutorial on how to make felt chocolate covered strawberries so make sure you read to the end of the post. They are easy to make..... a little time consuming but they are so stinking cute!

I just posted this one on Ebay. It's a 3 inch paper mache box complete with French writing (it says Chocolate Covered Strawberries)!

Real pirates wear pink, right? Well, this one does because she's a Valentine pirate!

If you'd like to own Pinky the Valentine Pirate with Polly Parrot, go to Ebay! I just posted her.

You are very lucky if you have a best friend....a true pal..... a B.F.F. ..... whatever you want to call that person in your life. Click here to view it on Ebay.

Mermaid Cupid is also on Ebay........

Ok, now the cool tutorial! Felt Chocolate Covered Strawberries! Here we go.....

First cut a piece of red felt, 3 inches in diameter (this will make a 1 and 3/4 inch long strawberry).

Cut it in half (this will make 2 strawberries)

Using 4 strands of yellow DMC

Sew on a wavy piece of brown felt (this is the chocolate).

Fold it in half, right sides together and sew along the flat side.

Turn it right side out and stuff it with a little poly-fill then run a basting stitch around the top, draw together and knot off the thread.

Cut a felt stem and sew it on top of the strawberry. Then pop it into a candy wrapper!


Hope you enjoyed the tutorial! Let me know if you make any berries!

And the Winner Is.........

I used a random generator to pick the number of the pennant winner and the winner is............PammyJo from Grammy's Altered Life! Congrats! Please email me your name and address and I will send it out to you on Monday.

Cupid Mermaid

By the sea.........by the sea...........by the beautiful sea............
Available over at Very Vintage Valentines!

Check out the previous post to enter into the Valentine Pennant give-away!!!

GIVE AWAY!!!!! New Ebay Items!

I'm getting into that Valentine mode! I love Valentine's Day! I have so many good memories of Valentine's Day......I remember when I was little my Dad would usually stop at the drug store and get a small heart shaped box of candy, you know the kind with the fancy gold foiled lettering....for me. When I was in highschool, I got my first dozen of roses on Valentine's Day from my boyfriend. And this is the best Valentine memory......... Gary and I were engaged on Valentine's Day! So in keeping with the Valentine's Day spirit, I've created this pennant to hang just about where ever you like! It has been collaged on both sides. A piece of sturdy chipboard is sandwiched between the two collages, so it won't curl. It measures 7 inches across the top.

I've named the little French guy in this collage, Pierre La Fou-Fou! Pierre is standing in a shower of hearts. The bright pink circles have just a touch of ultra-fine glitter on them and the bright pink velvet ribbon just sings "Valentine's Day!"

Side 2: Love Birds sitting in a Love Tree. Bet you didn't know there was such a thing as a Love tree......well it only blooms at midnight on Valentine's Day so I'm not suprised you missed it!

Close up of the Love Birds....

So, here's how to win this baby! It's simple, just leave a comment and then if you have a blog please leave a link back to my blog (feel free to use a picture of the pennant in your blog if you'd like). I will randomly draw the winner on Thursday. I'll send you the pennant and a little suprise as well, because ya know, everyone likes suprises! (and no, it wont' be a puppy!...or a pony!)

I just posted these items on Ebay. Click on the title to take you to the item.

The Valentine Queen!

Flirt the ACEO Paper Doll

Well it's about -12 degrees here this morning and I'm off to make some hot coffee, eggs and hash browns! I hope all of you have super Saturday doing whatever it is you like to do best!
Smiles-
Melissa