Getting Crafty

   Recently, I have been working to "redo" our office/guest bedroom. I wanted a bulletin board type something to hang on the wall to "catch" my random ideas and gather inspiration. Here is what I made:

  It is a cork board (got it on the cheap) covered with fabric. (I used an old pillowcase to have enough.) Then I criss cross ribbon across it and made it prettier with buttons. Oh, and I put some magnetic sheets underneath on the bottom half, and made some little magnets out of stray buttons. This way I can use push pins, magnets, or the ribbons to hold pictures and notes. VERY fun.
  Of course, we don't have it on the wall yet... but that is a whole different issue. For now, the board is made and it makes me happy. It's a cheerful addition to my work space.
   Speaking of "working" on crafts, you may have seen the earlier post with my cherry blossom stamping. I later added Bible verses to these. This one I made for a friend for her birthday, so it is slightly smaller for mailing purposes. Here I used Philippians 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice." Perfect to help celebrate a good friend.

  I also have a nephew who will be turning 6 in May. He loves music, often just walking around the house singing or humming to himself. He says he likes "all colors", so I wanted to make him something musical and colorful. I used Psalm 98:4 as my inspiration to make this:

 Unfortunately, I used the wrong sealant (seems to be my issue lately) and smeared this picture a bit. It will still be fine for him and I can use it as a learning experience, but it still was disappointing. The "song birds" here - I used old sheet music (yay for the Goodwill!) and put water colors on it to make it different colors.
     Now, I've been making hair accessories (barrettes, headbands, etc.) for a few years now. Some very popular ones are always the little lady bugs and the cheerful bumble bees. For a while, I've been wanting to try to make butterflies. Yesterday, I finally figured out how to do it.
   Here are some of my first flutterbys...

That's all 10. Here are a few of them, more up close. The striped ribbon I got for a quarter a few months ago is just perfect for this. Hooray!

In true Hannah fashion, I experimented with the heart ribbon and different colors, as well.

I try to remember to think of my potential customers, so you see some pink and orange here. Of course, I would choose (and perhaps do a bit) tons of purple. Well, okay, sometimes it's not purple. Sometimes it is lavender, or orchid, or plum, or wisteria... Tee he he. The back/underside of these looks nice, too.

  I made these with two loops on the top and two loops on the bottom, but perhaps I'll make a bigger one with 3 or 4 loops. Wow. Look out! It was a little bit of a challenge to figure out how to make these. I think I could use one ribbon to make all 4 loops, but I like doing just 2 and 2. I also dared to use fancy pins for the antennae, but had to be careful so it won't poke any little kiddies when worn.
  Also, just let me take a minute and plug my business here... fyi, YES, I do take orders... hair accessories, wall hanging/pictures, Christmas ornaments, and more! I love to design new variations for custom orders, as well. These make fun ways to decorate your home or unique gifts.
   I know, I know, it's still Lent... but Easter is only a few days away. I am going to use a few of these butterfly clips for gifts with Easter cards.  Butterflies are a beautiful reminder for us. Praise the Lord for Good Friday, followed by Easter Sunday! Be thankful for your Baptism into His death and resurrection.
    "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." -II Corinthians 5:17