Will this project EVER get finished?!!!

Do you have projects like that?  I usually tell people to start small so they don't get overwhelmed and quit before completion.  On this project, however, I did not take my own advice.

So what is the project?  Well, this is a little in-process photo I took.  It is the applique for a chair cover.  Not just any chair cover, though.  See my sister has seven kids.  And she asked me a while back if I could make something that gave each chair a name (assumedly so there were not so many squabbles over who sits where).

She has 12 dining chairs total, and if my math is correct, that's 9 family members plus 3 guests.  So I'm putting names on 9 and the other 3 will be different creatures.  (A frog, a cat, and a lizard - they live in Florida).  A while ago I scored some discounted vinyl at the Joann's in town.  Since most of the family is under 15, I wanted to make sure these were fully machine-washable and would stand up to a lot of abuse.

So I made most of the names out of vinyl with reverse-appliqued letters.  Praise God they turned out pretty good!  That was a LOT of work.  See, here's how it went.

First, I printed out the names.  Then traced them onto Freezer Paper (I love that stuff!).  Then I ironed the freezer paper right to the front of the vinyl. Beneath the vinyl is a fabric (fabrics for all of the names were different).  Took it to the sewing machine and stitched around each letter (like I said - a TON of work - most of it was hand-cranked instead of using the pedal).  Then for the fun part!

I took my itty bitty embroidery scissors and cut out the inside of each letter, to reveal that fantastic fabric underneath!  See how the vinyl makes those letters POP?!!!  Super coolness!!!

My sister is in town right now on vacation, and this was supposed to be her Christmas gift, but as you can see, it's not finished.  So I took her to dinner last night (thanks to husbands who took care of the kids!) and showed her first the fabrics, then each of the name/creature plates.  She was astonished.  Loved them.

So now, I just have to add the plates to the fabrics, make all 12 into pillowcase-style chair coverings, and hem.  No biggie, right, now that the hard part is over.  Should take me a bit less than the 6 months I've already been working on this project.  No problem - what are sisters for!
:) Caren

Miss Badger

Meet Miss Badger.  This little friend was made from a thrift store wool sweater that I washed in hot water to "felt" it.  I could not share this project with you all before now because she was a Christmas gift for my sister in law, whose maiden name is Badger (she was a teacher, hence "Miss Badger").

Miss Badger and Foxy were great friends.  (I introduced Foxy in this post).  They were both made using patterns from the book Countryside Softies, which I highly recommend to anyone interested in using felted wool for soft toys.

Look at this tail!  I love the button joint!

I love all the little stitching details.  The body was machine stitched, but everything else was done by hand.  I was going to add a little bow, but I kinda like her just as she is!

Now that Christmas is over, I am looking forward to the new year.  I look back at this year and am so surprised by all of the creations that have emerged from my hands.  To you, dear readers, I offer my wishes for a wonderfully creative, and peace-filled 2012.
Blessings,
:) Caren

A Hedgehog's New Home

Hi all!  Just wanted to let you know that I used Random Number Generator to pick the winner of my giveaway, and I'm happy to announce that THRIFTAHOLIC (from Toronto, Canada) will be giving one of my hand-made, felted wool hedgehogs a new home!  Thriftaholic, I've emailed you.

Have a very merry Christmas!
:) Caren 

Traditions Around the World

(source)

The poll from my readers on Monday's giveaway post was so enlightening.  First of all, a HUGE thank you to all of you who commented.  I had people from HALF of the United States (25 states!) as well as Austria, Canada, France Germany, Greece, India, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, Turkey, and the U.K.!  (And that was only the people who told me where they were from.)  I think it is a wonderful thing that you all, though you are so far away, can be as close as my computer!  

My husband and I have been talking about traditions lately, because we would like to start some with our children.  We follow Jesus Christ and want to give our children the understanding of why we celebrate Christmas, but aside from the spiritual, there are things that are just plain fun to do during this season!  That is why I asked you about your traditions (that and the fact that different cultures are very interesting to me!).  So here's what I found out from you, my dear readers, in those comments.

(source)

First of all, there were several holidays mentioned, including Winter Solstice, Christmas, Diwali, Thanksgiving, Easter, Hanukkah, and Yule.  If you are looking for traditions to start with your family, maybe you could adopt one of these:

Giving and receiving presents, putting Santa's footprints in talc on Christmas morning, attending church or temple services, advent calendars, watching "It's a Wonderful Life", putting up a nativity (or seeing a live one), putting up a tree (better yet, cutting your own tree and/or greenery), decorating, hanging lights (or driving through neighborhoods to see theirs), caroling, and drinking hot chocolate.

St. Nicholas shoe

Some more traditions involve St. Nick's shoes, having family devotions, sending holiday cards, seeing "The Nutcracker" (or dancing in it!), Christmas pageant, cleaning and/or painting the house, making gifts for others, inviting others for dinner, "adopting" a military family for the season, reading special stories, such as "The Velveteen Rabbit", "Twas the Night Before Christmas", or the Christmas story from the Gospels in the Bible.

Wow.  That's a LOT of traditions right there!

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!!  I've saved some of my favorite comments for last!  

Did you know that in Austria, they do not have Santa, but they have "Christkind"?

Sunrise - Christchurch, New Zealand

Or that New Zealand sees the sunrise first in the world? (How cool would that be, to have sunrise church service on the beach overlooking the ocean?!!!)

(source)

Or, did you know that in Germany, they do not do any washing during the "Rauhnächte" (rough nights), which go from December 24 to January 6 as it's said to bring bad luck to hang washing up to dry because who knows what strange creatures might use them to play tricks on you ...  

Here are a few unique traditions from the U.S. that you may want to adopt, like:
- Have Thanksgiving dinner, complete with spaghetti for the vegetarians (or baked tilapia (fish) for the "health-conscious") 
- Go out to a restaurant for Christmas breakfast and "leave an obscenely large tip".
- And last, but not least, is the tradition that I am going to start with my family today:

Making garlands for the Christmas tree from Fruit Loops! 

(You knew I'd be adding in some home-made creative stuff here, right?)

So from my family to yours, Merry Christmas.  May the light of God shine on you, no matter what holidays or traditions you hold to!

:) Caren

p.s. - Stay tuned to cadamsCREATIONS - the winner of the giveaway will be announced later today!

I am a Design Artist

[If you are looking for my giveaway post, click here]

I was contacted a couple of months ago by Pellon (yes, Pellon - the makers of the fabric stabilizers like Wonder Under!).  They asked if I was interested in becoming a design artist for them.  [Are you kidding me?!!!]  I was going to try to describe for you how excited I was about this, but there are no words.  Suffice it to say that I was doing a happy dance (for days!).

I did not consider myself "a designer", per se, but why not?  HELLO: my blog name is cadamsCREATIONS, is it not?  I guess I had never thought of it that way.  So now I am happy to introduce myself to one and all - yes, folks, I am a design artist!

So without further ado, let me tell you about the project I've just submitted to Pellon.  It is my very first, but there's more to come!  This project is a fun one.  It's all about making your kids artwork into an embroidered wall hanging.

My tutorial walks you through the entire process, step by step, with photos to help you along.  It looks complicated, but really it is not.  Your finished piece will use simple (yes, SIMPLE - I see some of you rolling your eyes) embroidery, reverse applique, a bit of machine sewing, and some bead work.  Did you know Pellon has a website with free tutorials?  It's at www.pellonprojects.com, and I'd love it if you were to check out my full tutorial on the Pellon website (click here).

If you do make a wall hanging of your kiddos artwork, please do let me know.  I'd love to see it!  I promise to oooh and aaaahhhh over it as if it were my own (though I'm not sure I could like anything more than I adore these little "space aliens" - they capture my Spunky's creativity AND his sense of humor - but I guess I am a teensy weensy bit biased!).


Have a fantastically creative day!

:) Caren


P.S.- I'm working on project #2 for Pellon, so stay tuned!

Giveaway Day!

[Update: this giveaway is now closed.  Congratulations to Thriftaholic, the winner!]

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!

It's Giveaway Day here at cadamsCREATIONS!  For those of you just visiting for the first time, welcome!

My little blog is where I share my fun creations: soft toys, bags, photo props, embroidery, applique, kids clothes, and other things that I dream up along the way.  I'd love for you to follow along and comment if you are inspired.

On to the giveaway!  One lucky commenter is going to win a unique, handmade, felted wool hedgehog!  But which one???

Will it be Snoot, with his adorable expression...

...and heart tattoo?

Will it be Sniffles, with sprigs of hedgie spikes sticking out through her buttons?

(All of my hedgies are about 90% hand-sewn)

Or will it be Stella, with her quiet, reserved manner and monochromatic color scheme?

(she's got a quirky little heart tattoo, as well!)

Tell you what.  I'm going to let the winner decide!  And just in case you'd rather make your own felted wool hedgie than win one, visit this post for a free tutorial and pattern!

HOW TO WIN:
Up for grabs: One unique handmade hedgehog (cadamsCREATIONS original).
How to enter:  Tell me, in the comment section below, where you're from and if you have any faith-based or cultural traditions in your family (I love hearing about other cultures and no, your comment does not have to be about Christmas).
Who can enter:  Anyone - anywhere in the world!
Giveaway Details (per Sew Mama Sew rules):  Comments will close on Friday December 16, 2011 at 5pm PST and winner will be announced by Sunday December 18th via email (and this post will be updated as well), so make sure to leave me your email address.
(Special thanks to Sew Mama Sew for hosting this Giveaway Day!)

Please note: You do not have to follow my blog to win this giveaway.  I encourage you, however, to look around and if you like what you see, do follow.  I love to give inspiration where I can.

Thanks all, and let the commenting begin!
  :) Caren

Pindsvin, the Danish Hedgehog

Here's a little peek at my embroidery project for the week.

My sister got me the Pindsvin (Danish for "hedgehog") embroidery pattern from Nicole at Follow the White Bunny.  I don't usually go by patterns others have made, but this one pushed me out of my "outlines only" comfort zone.  I was stretched to do some fill work for the spoon as well as the hedgie fur/spines.

 I have to admit, it turned out pretty sweet.

(Did anyone else notice that my circle is a bit wonky?  Hopefully not too terrible for my very first attempt.)  Anyway, thanks, Nicole, for such a fun little pattern.  And thanks E, for such a fun little pattern!

Blessings, one and all!
:) Caren

Advent & Anniversary

Today I'll be rambling on about my thoughts on advent calendars, so I'll share some pictures of the little people who got me thinking of the subject....

I want to start a tradition with my family.  I'm celebrating my 9th wedding anniversary today, so if my math is correct, this will be my 10th Christmas with my husband.  And my 5th with Spunky, my 2nd with Sunshine, and my very first with little Sprout (who is 11 months old today, by the way!)

So I picked up a couple of advent calendars for my "big kids".  You know, the pre-packaged kind with candy behind each door.  So, ignoring the fact that Spunky opened and ate three days worth even before December began, we started on Dec. 1st, right after dinner. 

So I got to thinking: we humans are a self-centered bunch. So how do we get our children to understand that it truly is better to give than receive?  Is it even possible?  I believe that it is.  And that it is my duty to see that my children have every opportunity to learn.  By example (how my husband and I live), and by doing it themselves. 

My boys! (Spunky & Sprout)

My heart was saddened by the advent calendar as-is.  Now, don't get me wrong, I am not judging those of you who do the advent calendar thing.  This is my conviction, and I believe it is for me, not necessarily for you, but I wanted to share. I'm starting a Christmas tradition in my house.  The advent calendar with a twist.   

I got my calendars from Hallmark - love the robot on day 9!

A traditional advent calendar (here in the U.S.) is a countdown to Christmas - and you open one day each day of December, and there's a little treat inside.  But I wanted to have an advent calendar that gave an opportunity to give. To love one another.  To share.  Not to feed the self-centered-ness and greed that we all have in our hearts.

So here's the beginning of our tradition.  We open the little "doors" on our calendar and then we give.  Yep, that's right.  Give that treat to someone else!  Now who likes that idea?  I'm telling you right now that our kids didn't - not one bit! Until we explained that brother shares with sister, so that means sister shares with brother.  OK, so they're both getting a treat, but they have to give "theirs" to each other.

Will it work?  Will it have a positive effect on the kids?  Will it teach them that it is better to give than receive?  I have no idea.  Parenting is not a "you have it or you don't" skill.  It's a process.  And I am being honest with you - I'm still trying to figure it out.  

So I told you all (in this post) that I made some stockings for the Stockings for Kids drive.  Yep, Lyanna was looking to get 50 stockings and she had 219 donated - yay!  At some point she had a giveaway from everyone who had donated to that point, and I won an advent calendar kit.  Fitting, right?!!  It has now been finished but not hangable yet - not sure how I'm going to do that (at the moment it's hanging by binder clips).  

I'm thinking up things for next year's advent, because I think doing the pre-packaged-share-with-your-sibling thing is the way to go this year - start small so the lesson sinks in.  So for next year, I'd like to have verses about loving one another along with a small action for each day. Something that doesn't involve too much time or effort, but trains us to give.  Even if it is a compliment.  Or an appreciation.  Or a piece of candy.  Whatever.  God gave His LIFE for us.  Is a piece of candy so much to ask?  

We love because He first loved us. (I John 4:19)

Blessings to you all this Christmas season!  

~ Caren

Myah Sue

Today's post is a bit different.  I know I usually share crafty ideas with you all, but I got a message from a friend that I want to share with you.  Some of you may know that I like to gift my creations to kids who are ill or disadvantaged in some way.  One such child is Myah Sue.  Her grandmother was my bible study leader several years ago.

A while back I posted about this magnetic playset idea here on my blog.  These are Myah's dress-up dolls. I sent them to her when I found out that she was going to St. Jude's hospital because of a brain tumor.

It was this time last year when I found out, and started to pray for this sweet little girl (who was four at the time, same as my Spunky - they used to play together).  I also made some "Sleepover Pals" for her.  Some little friends to take to the hospital and sleep over with her when she's away from home. (I blogged about these little dollies in this post.)

I just received a letter from Myah's grandmother and I really hope you don't mind but I want to share it with you all, because it may be the most beautiful letter I have ever read:

Dearest, sweet, loving, and faithful family and friends,

Today, in the peace that only comes from God, we share with you that Myah is in Jesus arms. Our grief is undeniable, but so is the joy that Myah is home with Jesus. No more visits to the hospital, no more finger pricks, no more pain…for that we are grateful.
Myah passed away at about 6:00 this morning lying between Mom and Dad. When our spirits were summoned at about 3:00, it was clear that her body was dying, but her heart was strong and her breathing was very much there. We hadn’t really said our goodbyes, and it became clear this was where God was leading us. Myah’s sighs clearly spoke to us over and over, I love you Mom, I love you Dad as we said our goodbyes and let her know that we would see her again in a blink, a minute (in God’s time). God’s peace was abundantly clear and her face shone out happiness, a smile, and heavenly peace.
In our eternal eyes, we were able to see visions of Myah running up to Jesus and jumping in His arms... We saw her holding his hand, jumping, Him swinging her around, and her fingers going through His hair, sweet glimpses of her new life, a life that we will share with her for eternity. 
What we want to share most about Myah is the enthusiastic love she has always had for God, Mom & Dad, her brother, her wonderful grandparents and close family, her church friends, her school friends, and really just about everyone she’s ever met. The song in her heart as well as the ones constantly flowing from her lips are life and love. Our desire is for Myah’s passing to extend far beyond being just about us and our sorrow, but the message she was chosen to carry. 
Please do not let the loss of Myah to be in vain, open your heart to know Jesus and his love in a deeper way. Reconsider your faith questions, ask God, and listen to His love. We don’t believe God was causing her to suffer; we don’t believe He was the root of her tumor. There is evil dwelling in this sin ridden world of sorrow and loss until Jesus comes back, and we long for the day to join Myah. We want everyone who knew her to join her someday and hear her sing again. Things happen even if you believe in and follow God; Christians aren’t exempt. We don’t know why we have this heavy burden to carry, but we have a hope that’s greater than what we’re going through. 
We would ask that you reflect on her life and how she lived and try to live in the same way. The things of this world like jobs, houses, cars, toys, and IPods were not important to her. Often, when something would break or there was housework to be done or on other occasions, Myah would say, “that’s okay it’s not important, people are important”. So let her life change the world by first letting it change your world. Many of you prayed earnestly for Myah and for us…maybe some of you who hadn’t prayed before or for a long time. Myah opened that path; please don’t just close it. Don’t look to the future for the next thing to feel good; live in the here and now, embracing your family and what’s important. Consider your life, evaluate the order of importance of what’s in your heart.—If God is not first, then when the things of this world like sadness and sorrow come against us, we will crumble. In the words of one of Myah’s favorite singers, The Donut Man, “life without Jesus is like a donut, cause there’s a hole in the middle of your heart.”
Finally, we would be greatly remiss if we didn’t somehow try to put into words the incredible blessings we have received from those of you who have surrounded us with love in all forms. Your love and blessings have given us strength beyond what we could have imagined. Your prayers, meals, housework, childcare, e-mails, facebook messages, texts, fundraiser participation, Myah’s celebration and prayer vigil last Friday, the carolers on Sunday evening…we could go on for days. Please read 1Corinthians chapter 13; Daddy read this the other night to Myah. It says, in part, (love) “always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres”. Your love and God’s love through you has sustained us. Thank you for protecting our time with Myah, for trusting and hoping with us in God, and for persevering with us through this journey. Please continue to pray for us and encourage us by sending stories of how Myah’s message has impacted your life and your relationship with Jesus. Those stories, in part, are the way God is redeeming our loss.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Blessings to you, dear readers, and may your hearts be full of the peace of God this Christmas season. 

~ Caren