Turkey Birthday Cake

My birthday frequently falls on Thanksgiving and ever since I was little I always celebrated it with a Turkey Cake. This year Sonja was going to make me a pink turkey cake b/c I love pink!! Here's what she made. :)

It was chocolate sour cream. So good. It even had glitter hearts and sparkly sugar on it too! Perfect for me!

It was beautiful and tasty!

Lauren

Felt Christmas Card Snowmen Hanger

After doing this felt craft and the Bucilla Penquin Snow Hanger I have decided no more felt projects for me. They are beautiful in the end but I find myself frustrated and angry during the entire crafting process. I don't like seeing the stitches and that is difficult with felt. Crafts and sewing should be fun and not painful. I don't have the patience for felt, but I have patience for sewing hundreds and thousands of sequins and beads on projects..... yeah I don't get it, go figure.

So I started with this Bucilla Project here that I picked up. Pretty cute, it is a card holder. Thought it was different and would make a nice christmas gift.

Again I cheated with using fabric paint rather than embroidery, I find I can control the end outcome better! I also used fusible interface rather than the pellon they gave (because they did not include enough!!! Bad Bucilla!).

Here are some during pictures. :)

The end product- the top part.

The entire portion, it is huge!

The back I covered with fusible fleece, again there was not enough included in the package to cover the entire back.

I am giving away some of the felt projects I had purchased to my mother. She likes them. Me, no more they are just taking up space in my craft room. And I don't have a lot of space to spare! LOL

Here's to finishing another Project! Wahoo!

XOXOXOXO,
Lauren

Iron Craft 49- Kids, Another baby wrap

So I am actually early for this Iron Craft! Go me! I loved my baby bath towel/swaddler I made for Alicia and I had enough leftover yellow jersey to make another one. And so I did! I love vintage patterns! :)

This time I have a friend who is having a boy so I decided to make it more boy themed and I used an iron-on patch I found one day at Hobby lobby of a sail boat.

The final product.... The color did not come off evenly on the bottom of the sailboat but it isn't horrific!

Not bad. Here's to another fabric point! :)

XOXOXO,
Lauren

Hand Embroidery Attempt #2

Ok I think I am finally getting the hang of hand embroidery. Granted I am only doing a simple running stitch, but this is my second attempt on silk duponi. This is a mini bag with some flowers. :) I actually flew through this project.

Up close...

This would make a perfect gift for someone. Just can't figure out who yet. :)

Yay for getting another project done! :)

xoxoxo,
Lauren

iron craft catch up!

Even though I have not been blogging I have been attempting to do Iron craft while they were assigned. I just need to catch up with them!

1. For IC 46- holiday gift. I hand embroidered a scarf. Now I did have some help b/c it was pre-stamped with the design. I wish it wasn't b/c it was difficult with having one side open and sewing on it! I finished the open seam with some stitch witchery. :) Love that stuff!

Also hand embroidering on silk duponi for my first attempt probably was not the smartest idea!

2. For IC47- for the table I prepared a sweet potatoe casserole for thanksgiving. OMG it is soo good but of course I forgot a picture!

3. For IC 48- wreath. I did not particpiate. I have a lot of wreaths! I actually need to slow down on wreaths. Too many!

4. For ic 49- for the kids- I am almost done with it and will be posting soon. :) Yay!

XOXOXOXO,
Lauren

Asian Needlepoint

Finally, the asian needlepoints are framed!! This was such an ordeal b/c I had no idea needlepoint needed to be blocked before framing. This would have been nice had the lady told me when I was turning them in (and paying for them) at Michael's. Let me tell you, I was not a happy cramper b/c I got a rude phonecall from Michael's several days later saying they could not complete my order. Additionally, they could not refund my money either nor could they give me (or do it themselves) someone who could block my art. Rudely, one of the ladies said I'm sorry honey (very sharp) you just have to find someone on your own I can't help you, the person who took your order wasn't doing her job. My response- well apparently you need to be fired b/c you didn't properly train her.

Since I had zero leads, I called around everywhere here in Mobile. I put an add on craigslist and my facebook page but no bites. I called Hobby Lobby one day and they said they could stretch it but not set up to block it. So I just went with stretching/lacing.

Basically, for all you non-needlepointers out there. While you stitch your needlepoint by hand, unless it is basted to a frame while sewing it will begin to become crooked. Needlepoint is only 1 stitch on the diagonal going a certain direction. And that is the direction the canvas will stretch. The degree always varies on your tightness and how big the design is. This was my problem nothing was straight.

Blocking is the best way to get it to go straight but the one lady who blocks is out of business. No one else does it. Lacing/stretching is ok but will not be perfect. At this point, I did not care.

Finally, after much angst they got laced and then back to Michael's to be framed. I love the ending. I put them over our bed. The larger, main needlepoint means "Bless this house" the smaller ones I thought meant luck or happiness but I had done these so long ago that I did not keep the information. Either way it matched and it was lovely!

Here are some pictures. Sorry the lighting in our apartment stinks. I waited several weekends to get decent shots but they still are not optimal.

Up close
The bigger one, which means Bless this house.

Yeah I am very in love with the big picture.

The smaller ones..

Finally! :)

XOXOXOXO,
Lauren

Where have I been???

So again it has been a busy few weeks.... There have been little blog posts. Nothing. Like someone pulled a plug. But I guess I have some explaining to do!

Luckily no plug has been pulled. Yes I have been very busy. Even during lunch at work I haven't even been able to plug out a skeleton post to work on later. I have been busy. Lots of behind the scenes....

1. Baklava Bellydance (my bellydance group I dance in!) has decided to start an advanced class/student troupe. I am going to head it and I have 5 wonderful ladies to begin dancing with... Our first practice is this friday! We had a meeting last Friday night (yes black friday) to discuss logistics, future planning, etc. But that has taken a lot of thinking time!! I can't wait. Their name will be Raq Garden (raq= egyptian word for bellydance/dance so it is my little garden blooming with new dancers!) I thought it was cute!

2. The Bellydance Superstars are coming to Mobile, Alabama.

They are starting an East coast tour of the smaller "Club Bellydance" show where the first half is local dancers followed by a second half of the bellydance superstars. We were approached and I am showhow running this event! Eek! But it is sponsored by Baklava. The date will be on leap year so only a few months to plan. But my goal is to sell out! Wahoo. Now we need to start phase II where we begin to do media and public relations! OMG I am soooo busy! We are also making new costumes based on the midnight madness/black ab costume I made. Mine is done but I am making sure needles and beads are in girls hands!

3. It was my bday and I did take an "electronic break" :) I'm not 32, I am Lauren version 3.2..... just more awesome than the previous version. ;)

4. Prepping for christmas! I did make a few gifts, others I have purchased things online. I am almost done. How awesome is that???!!!!

But I am slowly working on sewing and refashioning. You may begin to see some other posts coming in with crafts. You may also see some more bellydance posts since I will interface the troupe with my blog. Sometimes it is just easier to put it up on a blog rather than search in an email. Breakdown of moves, to homework, costume help, etc. I may also see some exercises for targeted muscles on here. Between my physical therapy and now getting ready for performing with the bellydance superstars, I'll also be putting up some exercise moves.

So hopefully I will make it through December and that means I have made it through 1 entire year without conventional clothes shopping! I can't believe it! Actually, I have sort of enjoyed it. And it just came in handy b/c I just found out I was a victim of credit card fraud. Someone stole my credit card! They charged to Gap and Chico's clothing store (and a few other stores! I mean do I look like I am going to buy things from Disney? I have no nieces or nephews or children- no I'm not shopping there!). When I was talking to the lady on the phone, I had a good alibi that I didn't purchase clothes! LOL I gave it up this entire year!

Hope everyone is making it through the Holiday Season! :)

Cheers,

Lauren