Embroidery Hoop Project Finishing Touches

Quick follow up to my post on my embroidery hoop project I posted yesterday (or earlier today, actually...)

I decided it needed some finishing off - something to frame the hoop and give it a more completed feel. I happened to have a doily that fit perfectly around the hoop with the delicate scallops encircling in a way that I fell in love with.

I think this finishes off the project nicely, and so does Ellen.  She can't wait for it to dry so she can hang it in her room.

I love when things come together so nicely....

Sharon  :)

Embroidery Hoop, Buttons & Stitches

Hi There!

I had an urge to do a craft that I haven't done in quite some time - embroidery!  I got the idea from someone I am following on Instagram a while ago and decided to tweak what they did and come up with my own version.

Embroidery was one of the first crafts my mom ever taught me.  I remember embroidering on pillowcases and having so much fun picking out the different color floss.  Of course, the first ones I did were not very good, but they helped me learn the basic skills and I could always tear our the stitches and start over.

For this project I found a great remnant at the fabric store that is a wide, uneven weave.  I purchased a wooden hoop and glued the fabric to both sides - one at a time - after pulling the fabric taut and letting it dry.  I then trimmed the excess fabric off close to the hoop.  I purchased some brightly colored buttons and after placing them how I wanted, I put a tiny piece of scrapbook double sided adhesive underneath them, to help hold them in place.  I attached them with natural jute twine and then made strings coming from them so that they would look like the balloons that I meant for them to appear to be.

After that was done, I thought of messages I wanted to say.  I used a very fine sharpie and lightly wrote on the fabric. Taking a complimenting DMC floss, in my case, pink, I separated it into three strands (it comes in six).  I stitched and followed my letters as best as I could and tried not to be too particular about it.  This project was supposed to be about having fun - not about perfection.

The finishing touch was to take a whole piece of pink floss and tie a bow around the balloon strings.

For a quick, easy project, I think it turned out pretty well.  My daughter is quite fond of it, so I am giving it to her.  It makes me happy that she likes it so much - and I hope she takes the messages to heart.  I think they are words we could all use to remember.

Let your dreams take flight and let your heart soar!

Hugs,

Sharon

Graphic 45 French Country Creations

My mom recently re-did her kitchen.  She got to repaint her kitchen in her favorite colors and get new light fixtures and accents that she picked out herself.  Since I don't live near her and wasn't able to help, I did what I could made some new things for her walls!  I love making crafts for my mom - in fact - most of the items I create are for her! 

Lucky for me, her new colors go nicely with the Graphic 45 French Country line of paper - and as you will find out - I love Graphic 45!

Here is the card I made for her from one of the sheets of images of cut aparts:

 On the inside I used a Birthday wished sticker from SRM - their products are amazing and they have something for every occasion imaginable!  If you haven't used their products you must check them out! They make clear stickers that finish off your cards perfectly and the owner, Susan, is just the sweetest woman ever! They make more than just the stickers, and I love everything they produce.

For the wall canvas I took three sheets of the main page of the French Country paper and a 12x12 canvas.  I modge podged one sheet down on the canvas and let it dry.  Next, I fussy cut some of the
images out of the second sheet and adhered them down with foam squares and circles, depending on the shape and size of the pieces.  (I had to cut some down to make them well hidden under the paper.)

 Out of the third sheet I selected some of the images to fussy cut and not fully tack onto the second layer of pieces.  This allowed me to fold and distress them to give the canvas more dimension and variety.





















I enhanced the colors with Copic Spica pens. They add some shimmery color and a little 'pop' to the paper.  I didn't add any color distressing to the canvas - I thought about putting some on the stamps, but with the colors and background already being kind of dark, I chose not to.  I think the folding added just enough.  I edged the sides of the canvas in dark brown crochet trim and I am ready to ship it out!

Sharon

Hello and Welcome to my blog!

I am excited to be starting this blogging venture and am looking forward to the many new experiences and people I am hoping it brings into my life.

As I sit here typing this I find myself more than a little anxious.  In a couple of months I will be turning the big 5-0.  How I got to be this age I have no idea - the time just flew.  I am mom to three great kids - Beth, our oldest, will be 22 in October, and will be starting her senior year at the University of Washington Seattle in the fall.  We then have a set of twins - Ellen and Eric - who will be seniors in high school this fall.  Again - I have not idea where the time went.  All I ever wanted to be was a mom, and the big clock is ticking, ever so loudly,  as the on hands job ticks away and they will all off and on their separate ways, even if it is for just a couple months at a time.

That is how I came up with the name of my blog - Suddenly Sharon.  The mom job is kind of being down sized and it is time to be me.  All of a sudden I need to find out who I am and what it is that I do.  I love to most all types of crafts, and I am hoping to make time to create and share what I learn with others,  and hopefully connect with people like me out there who find themselves in need of friendship and companionship.

I hope you will join me on this journey of crafting and whatever fun things we come across and inspire each other to keep creating, smiling, and finding the joy in life- one handmade item at a time!

Hugs,

Sharon