Shabby Apple Winner

Drum roll please.... And the winner of the Shabby Apple Giveaway is.....  Melody!

Melody  Jan 23, 2012 10:47 PM

I love the look of pocket watches. This necklace version is pretty.

Congratulations Melody!  I will also contact you via email so that we can get your information to Shabby Apple.  I know you are going to love this sweet necklace.

A big thank you to Shabby Apple for such a generous giveaway! 

Have a great weekend everyone!

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Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope you have a sweet day!

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Valentine Cards for you!

Are you ready for Valentine's Day?  I'm slowly getting there!  I know my 5 year old daughter would be happy with store-bought cards, but hey, what fun is that for me?  Right?  So, I made some and thought I would share with you!  There are two different cards and an envelope.  Please note that these are for your personal use only, not for resale.

I found this cute little vintage clip-art from Free Pretty Things for You.  Sew sweet!  Keren has so many lovely goodies to share with you and she also does custom orders for blog design, banners, and buttons.  Check out what she designed for Renee's blog, Sewn with Grace.  I want that little mannequin - more sweetness.  You'll get plenty side-tracked at Renee's, too!

You can download the cards and envelope below.

Download card here

Download card here

 

Download envelope here

As you can see, you'll get four cards from one sheet.  I cut my cards so that they measured 4" x 4.5".  The envelope, when finished will measure 4.5" x 5".  Since there is a place on the card to put names for the recipient and the giver, an envelope is not necessary.

These little cards could be embellished in lots of ways - cut the edges with fancy scissors, add glitter, a bow to the little girl's hair, etc.  Have fun with them!  Below is a quick review of how I made the envelopes using the Martha Stewart scoring board that I posted about here.

 *Note, I colored the scored lines in with pencil so that they were more visible in the photos.

 

 

 

 

 

An alternate envelope that works just as well is a 5" x 5" card.  Instead of the dimensions used above, score all four sides at 3 3/8".  You can go here for a great video and explanation of how to use the scoring board for envelopes.

I hope you enjoy the cards and envelope. Unfortunately, I sliced the "you-know-what" out of my right index finger on, of all things, my cutting blade before I started making the cards this morning.  Thank goodness for the safety features on the blade, right?  Actually, I was on the phone, in a hurry, and didn't take the time to install the blade properly.  After I bled what seemed like buckets and nearly passed out, I made it to the bathroom for a band-aid and then got back to work!  So, hopefully the instructions make sense.

Be sure to visit Keren at Free Pretty Things for You and let her know you love her clip art!  If you have any questions, please email me!  Happy Valentine's Day!

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Valentine's Day Teacher Gifts

I actually got a head start on Valentine's Day this year and have checked off teacher gifts on my to-do list.  I purchased several boxes of Valentine's candy at Target and then fancied them up a bit at home.  I didn't have to spend a ton of money to come up with sweet, one-of-a-kind gifts.  And, I got my craft on!

From this:

 To this...

 

For each box of candy, I pulled off the plastic wrap and then taped the sides with a few pieces of scotch tape.  I then added grosgrain ribbon to the sides using double-sided tape.  I traced the heart onto card stock, cut it out, and glued it to the top of the heart using a sponge brush and matte Modge Podge.  Then, I embellished it with ribbons, stamps, and stickers.

 

Much better, I think!

Are you working on any Valentine's projects?  I would love to hear about them! Pin It

Dog Toy Tutorial

Since I've already spent too much money on my puppy a puppy can never have too many toys, I decided to make a few for my baby, Mr. Tinkles.  I saw some fleece dog toys at PetsMart made by Martha Stewart (well, not personally, I'm sure), but decided I could make them myself.  

You'll need  fleece, embroidery thread, an embroidery needle, and a pair of scissors.  First, cut two pieces of fleece in a 5" by 12" rectangle.  Use several strands of thread and put a knot in the end of the thread,.  With both pieces of fleece together, make a running stitch from one end of the fleece to the other end.  Don't tie off at this point.

Cut slits about 1/2" apart and about half way from the edge of the fleece to the running stitch, all the way down both sides of the fleece.

Now pull the thread and gather up the material.

Bring both ends together and pull tightly.  Take a few stitches to secure the ends together.

Pull up one piece of fleece to meet the other side and make a stitch.  Continue stitching all the way around until a ball is formed.

 Take a few more stitches and then tie off the tread.  Taah-done - a new doggie toy!

This is Mr. Tinkles trying to shake the living daylights out of his new toy.  On my lap, of course.

I also made him a little bow from a fleece rectangle.  He loves to play tug-of-war with it.

Isn't he the cutest thing?!  Gaw!

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Got lucky!

I had a few minutes to kill one day last week so I decided to hit the local Tuesday Morning store.  Lucky me.  I found a book that I've been wanting for a while (and, at about half the retail cost) and some charm packs of the sweetest fabric.  Not sure what I'm going to do with them, but for $8, I now have 128 cute little 5" x 5" squares.  Yay me!

 

 

Oh!  Don't forget to check out the giveaway on my blog from Shabby Apple!  So far, only three comments have been left and their chances are pretty good right about now!  Don't you want a beautiful, FREE necklace? 

Here's wishing you all a great week!

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Not too Shabby!

 Update!  Update!  Update!

Please see the updated rules below regarding the Shabby Apple Giveaway.  Changes in ways to enter the contest have been changed.  The contest ends this week so be sure to enter!

Yay!  I have something fun to share with you today.... its a Shabby Apple Giveaway! 

Aside from beautiful women's and children's dresses,  skirts, and arts and crafts at www.shabbyapple.com, you'll find jewelry and accessories!  Check out some of my favorites.

 Song Bird Vintage Style Earrings

Bridget Belt

and

Egyptian Blossom

Head on over to Shabby Apple, have a look-see, and you can use "lalabymona10off" to receive 10% off!  The coupon will expire in 30 days.

And guess what else?  Shabby Apple contacted me to offer one lucky lalabymona reader their own "Mad Hatter's Time Keeper" necklace!  Isn't it wonderful?  Its just dripping with vintage style.  I mean, who doesn't love Alice in Wonderland?!

To enter this giveaway, just leave a comment below saying why you'd like to win this giveaway.  

More entries you ask?  Why yes, you can receive more entries!  You can do one or more of the following and then leave a separate comment for each action:

• Become a fan of Shabby Apple on Facebook (1 entry) [You'll also get access to special promotions and discounts!] According to the Facebook Giveaway and Promotion Rules, we are not permitted to use the "like" function as a means of entry.  For more information, please go here to view the video which explains the new rules.
• Follow lalabymona (1 entry)
• Post this giveaway on your own blog (3 entries)
• If you've previously done any of those, leave a comment saying you've done so.

And now for the "rules" (dunt, dunt, dunnnnn - insert ominous, theatrical music)

This contest is open to US residents 18 and over and with a US shipping address (no PO Boxes). One winner will be chosen from all the eligible entries via Random.org.  If you're the winner, your name only will be posted in a future post announcing the winner of the giveaway. If you're posting a comment and don't have a Google account or OpenID, please leave an email address in your comment so that I can reach you if you've won!   Also, there will be no exchanges available for this item.

* This promotion is in no way administered, sponsored, or endorsed by, or associated with Facebook *

* Participants are not providing information to Facebook *

* lalabymona is in no way benefiting from this contest.  This is a promotional giveaway from Shabby Apple *

This giveaway will end on Thursday, February 23, 2012, at 11:59 pm Eastern time.

Good Luck!!!

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