Easter Treat Wrap

Easter will be here this weekend.  I wanted to put together a little something for our annual Easter picnic.  I decided to make a treat topper for my family this year.  You can fill this fun little wrap with all kinds of small treats or a non candy item.  If you have a pair of decorative edge scissors you can even trim the top for a little extra fun.  So when I designed my wraps I chose two to fit on a regular copy page.  These work best printed on card stock.  I also like to print mine double sided with a print on the opposite side.

 In this example I hole punched the top and tied it with some ribbon.  I put a pack of gum inside my wrap. you can easily add a clear cello bag inside with your items as well.

 Here is my alternative choice.  I love being able to design two on a printed page.

This is the other side of my wrap.  When you open it up you can see a print on the inside.

Score the card stock at 4", 4 1/2", 5" and 9". Fold the card stock in half at the 4 1/2" score line.

Now fold the 4" and 5" score line in the opposite direction to create the bottom of the treat bag cover.

I featured a tutorial for Valentines Day with further instructions on how to make a wrap. http://digitaldesignsscrapbooking.blogspot.com/2014/01/valentine-treat-wrap.html

Graphics kit I used to create my wrap came from Bunny Trail by Forever Joy

DSLR Camera Strap and Wristlet Tutorial

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Last year I finally purchased a DSLR Nikon and 50mm lens.  It was totally worth the extra cost over my micro 4/3 point and shoot.  I use my point and shoot mainly for video.   I wanted to add some comfort, color and a cover to my DSLR camera strap. As well as a wristlet strap for my point and shoot camera.

 I have been sewing these for over a year now and have learned a few things along the way.  If you are like me you may also love to personalize your stuff. Especially your camera.  When I get together with my family and we all have our camera's along mine doesn't get mixed up with all the others and is easy to spot.  The camera strap that came with my camera works just fine, however I love the soft feel of the minky fabric on my neck.  It was especially nice when I took my camera on a long trip and it was around my neck for an extended period of time.

A wristlet strap also works great  for my point and shoot camera as well as my car keys.  If you have come to my blog you are here because you  would like to learn how to make your own! Let's start out with the wristlet tutorial. First off I purchased a special foot from the fabric store.  These wristlet straps are very thick and my regular sewing foot wasn't doing the job.  Once I had the right equipment I picked up my supplies.

 These fobs are simple to make when you have the right material on hand.  For this project you will need: 1-1/4 key fob hardware, a 11" length of 1-1/4" wide cotton webbing and coordinating fabric. Ebay is a great place to buy the cotton webbing and hardware.  I cut my fabric about an inch wider than the webbing so that I can fold the edges under for a finished look and sew them to the backing.  I use cotton duck fabric because it is a thicker fabric and I think it looks great with the webbing. From the pics you can see that I have sewn the fabric to the webbing with a slight edge. Once you have sewn your printed fabric to the webbing you are ready to fold the webbing in half and sew a 1/2 in seam across the top.

You can now add your hardware.  Gently insert the unfinished side into the fob hardware.   I usually cover my fob with a dishtowel and then  pinch it closed with pliers. I have also used a rubber mallet to carefully pound the hardware closed. For a more durable wristlet I take a dab of fabric glue or E6000 and run it along the side edge of the fabric next to the hardware to keep it from fraying over time. If you are using this for your keys you are ready to go.  If you are using this for a camera or camcorder you need to add your camera loop. Now you have a finished camera or key wristlet!

Ready to learn how to make a DLSR camera strap?   I usually start with 3 items.  Fabric, medium to heavy weight fusible interfacing and minky.  I cut the fabric, minky and interfacing 28 inches long by 3 1/2 inches wide. I want my finished strap to be 2.5 inches by 26 inches long.  I iron my fusible interfacing to the  underside of my printed fabric. Then I fold under the ends of my strap about one inch and sew a  1/2 inch seam across. Just like the edges of the strap pictured below.

Minky, cotton duck fabric and fusible webbing 

Next I sew my finished seam on only one end of the minky fabric just like I did for the outside strap. So that you understand I have left one side of the minky fabric un-sewn.  I turn wrong sides together and sew my side seams 1 inch wide down each side of the strap. One tip I can share with you is that the minky fabric stretches as you sew.  When I come to the end of the other side of the strap that has the minky edge that is not finished I give myself a 2 inch gap. I don's sew all the way to the finished edge of the strap that has the un- sewn minky. I remove my project from the sewing machine and sew the other minky edge to fit the opposite printed side edge.  Then I complete my project by sewing both side seams together. Now you are ready to turn the fabric inside out.  I usually like to press my finished project.  Now you are ready to insert your camera strap and enjoy a personalized strap that is unique and functional.

 My finished DSLR camera strap cover!

I also sell these at a local store and would love to make one for you! These make a fantastic personalized gift! You can check out my designs here:

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DIY Tiny Cards

I recently joined Deena Rutters creative team.  One of the many exciting parts of being a team member is getting the chance to design some fun pages with her amazing kits.  I just fell in love with her latest releases  Roots and Wings from Pixels and Company!

This kit is just packed full of spring!  I couldn't wait to design some darling pages with it.  I decided that I needed to create a fun digital card to give to family and friends.  

Did you know that journal cards can be used for many things? I used some of Deena's journal cards to create a tiny greeting card.  The finished dimensions end up being 3 x 4. I left the inside of the card blank. I also trimmed the corners.  I can really write anything inside the card.  This card can now be used for many sentiments.  It really becomes so versatile.  Journal cards are really big right now and you can create a ton of these tiny cards!

Here's an example of how I created the envelope with a printed pattern. I printed the paper as a 5 x 7. I used a template design from Lori Whitlock.

Here are a few cards I created with various digital scrap booking kits.  I used the program Heritage Collector Storybook to size these cards down. The folded cards measure 2 x 3. 

I printed these from my home computer.  They really look amazing printed professionally from your favorite printing company. 

I had a blast putting these fun baby cards together!  These were both printed as a 4x6.

My scrapbook page created with Roots and Wings. So many fun things to create!

I love creating and sharing fun spring scrap book pages.  Happy spring! 

Pedestal Birdhouses

These were so much fun to make. I love filling my flower box centerpiece with fun spring decor!  What inspired it all was my no sew table runner I made last week.

After I finished making the runner I decided that I still needed something to complete my project.

My sister told me about these unfinished birdhouses at Walmart that were very reasonably priced.  So I picked up these three and one more not pictured I will add it later.  My sister is super creative and you can check out her blog for some amazing ideas!  http://heritagecollectorstorybook.blogspot.com/

So while at the store I found some paint to match the decor of the runner.  The pedestals were purchased from the wood connection and painted cream to match my flower box. 

These would also be darling with some scrapbook paper.  I can think of many ways to dress up these little birdhouses.  I couldn't be happier with how this project turned out.  My kitchen table looks like spring has arrived!

In keeping with a spring theme I also added this fun little birds nest in mini cake dome.

This is how my runner looked before the pedestal birdhouses.