I'm Mad

As you may or may not remember, I participated in the Oh Strumpets Valentine's Day Craft swap. I showed you last week that I sent my partner a few stuffed heart ornaments and bunting, you can see it all here in case you missed them.



Saturday I got an envelope in the mail with a card that had an image smaller than the card itself taped to the front, with two stickers stuck on either side and a bunch stuck to the inside with a random Far Side comic. I can't even use these stickers if I wanted to because they are already used now. The Love pennant is cute. On the post-it-note included my partner said she is "not a crafty person" but hopes I will enjoy the stickers. I guess they are nice to look at. My main issue here...WHY WOULD YOU JOIN A CRAFT SWAP IF YOU ARE NOT A CRAFTY PERSON?!?!?!?!?

Now for the most part I try to keep things positive on this little blog o' mine. I find that in blogland everyone is generally happy and positive...or I should say that's generally the part everyone blogs about. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. There's tons of shit in life that sucks so why put even more energy into writing and posting about it? Just to drag it out...I get it, it's not always a great idea. Today however, I am mad and I am going to talk about it.

I am mad that I spent time, money, my coupons and energy to make those felt heart ornaments. I spent time at Joann's looking for the felt and coordinating fabric, cutting out the stencil, cutting the felt and fabric pieces out, embroidering the back and sewing them together...3 times. I am mad that I spent time in Joann's looking for cute Valentine's Day fabric to make the bunting. I cut out all those triangles, sewed them together, attached them to the bias tape, cut out the felt hearts and stuck them on. I am mad that a few times I even second guessed myself whether I had put enough effort into these crafts for my partner. I'm mad I spent time writing a letter to my partner to include in the package. I'm mad that I looked forward to going to the mailbox every day waiting for my swap package. I am mad that I am now jealous when I look in the Flickr group and see what everyone else got, instead of being happy for them.

I know that when joining swaps there is a risk that you may not get something you like, well made or even anything at all. Of all the swaps I've participated in through other blogs, private and organized ones on Craftster and Swap-bot that's never happened to me though. I always appreciate when someone gives me something hand made. This sucks though. I even feel bad saying that like I'm not allowed to be mad or something. After thinking about it and talking to Jeremy and some twitter pals, I think I'm justified. I got screwed and it sucks. I made some awesome things for someone and she gave me something that looks like it was thrown together 20 minutes before she put it in the mail box.

So...I'm mad and even a little hurt about the whole thing.

Thanks for listening.


Jamie

Happy Valentine's Day!

I saw this print over on Pinterest not too long ago and instantly had to pin it. Jeremy and I are always joking about how we're the most awesome couple we know so it seemed perfect for us! I don't make prints or anything but I decided this would be a cute little embroidery to give him for Valentine's Day.


I stitched it up Sunday while watching some Disney movies. I have no idea where I got this little square frame but isn't it so cute?! It's about 3" x 3", I thought it was the perfect size, not too overwhelming or anything. I will be giving this to him this afternoon. We are having a Valentine's Day lunch together.

Side Note:
Why we had lunch instead of dinner...
I just started working second shift last week. I work from 3pm -11pm and he works from 5am - 5pm (you read that correct, he works 12 hour days and then Saturdays too...he's a lunatic.) He is fast asleep before I even get out of work. At first I was really upset when my boss asked me to switch shifts. I mean it still sucks because I don't see Jeremy as much anymore. I was also upset because I figured I'd be like a vampire and didn't know when the hell I would be able to do some of the things I love. Like go to Joann's, the library, not grocery shop or do laundry at midnight, etc. I figured out a different kind of sleeping pattern though, not the normal wake up, work, then do other life stuff that I've been so used to. I get up around 11am and have a few hours to do whatever I want before work. I can crochet, do laundry, go to the library or shopping all before going to work. Then I get out at 11pm, go home and watch a movie, eat a little something, read and go to sleep. I like being able to get up before work to do stuff and not feel like my whole day is JUST for going to work anymore.

Anyway...
Jeremy had to take a half day off work today to go to the dentist. This all happened yesterday so it fell together nicely. We will be getting lunch after his appointment! I'm stoked because I didn't even think I'd see him.

I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day and get to spend it with the ones you love!

Jamie

Valentine's Day Swap...Sent

Last month I signed up for the Oh Strumpets Valentine's Day Swap. I'm so glad I did because I really branched out with the type of crafts I usually do. I'm not really a hearts and pink kind of girl. This gave me the perfect excuse to look for fun heart fabric and all kinds of pink and red felt.

I knew right away that I wanted to make a bunting for my partner, Erin. Not for any particular reason other than, who the hell doesn't love a good bunting?! While at Joann's I found these two coordinating glittery heart fabrics. Although the fabrics themselves are kind of busy, I felt just the fabric by itself would be a little boring. I decided to cut out some hearts from that sticky backed felt to add. I originally went a little far and added white hearts with red X's and O's on the other flags but it was WAY too much so I got rid of those! I also used some pink thread and a zigzag stitch to attach it all together.




Also, while I was at Joann's I milled around in the area with Valentine's Day decorations to find some other fun tidbits to send my partner. I saw some cute little heart ornaments. They were a bit on the country clutter side though. You know what I mean? With the burlap, red gingham fabric and twine? It wasn't my taste but it gave me an idea...I could make my own stuffed heart ornaments!! I did a tutorial yesterday if you want to make some of your own! These are the three I sent Erin, I hope she likes them!



This was such a fun swap. Like I said, I branched out of my so called "comfort zone" and used different types of fabrics and themes than I normally would have. It was nice and refereshing. Plus now I have a few of the heart ornaments of my own!
I can't wait to see what Erin made for me!!

A special thanks to Becky and Olivia for organzing this awesome swap together over on Oh Strumpets!


Jamie

How to Make a Valentine's Day Heart Ornament

For today I present you with my first tutorial!! I am super duper excited and I really hope you try and make some of these on your own. They aren't hard at all and make the cutest Valentine's Day decorations. You could also hang them up whenever you want to bring a bit of love into your home anytime of year!

So let's get started!


1. Supplies:
Felt in any color you want
Fabric to compliment the felt
Embroidery Floss also to compliment your felt and fabric choices
Ribbon
Scissors and an Embroidery needle
(Not Pictured) A scrap piece of cardboard and some sort of stuffing - fiber fill, scrap pieces of fabric or yarn, etc.


2. Stencil
You will want to draw a heart onto your cardboard. Also draw a smaller heart to cut out of the center.
Cut out your stencil.
I drew this by hand but I have a feeling some heart cookie cutters would be the perfect template!


3. Felt
You will want to fold your felt in half and pin together.
Trace your heart stencil, the outside and the center.
Cut the largest heart out from both pieces of felt.
***Now if you kept your felt pinned together while cutting out the large heart UNPIN NOW!!!!***
Cut the center heart out of only ONE piece of felt.
(in a sleepy, crafty stooper I cut the center out of both sides of felt twice! You read that right, TWICE!! I'm a genius kids, a pure genius!)


4. Fabric
Trace the large heart onto your pretty fabric.
Trim around the outside a bit so that it is smaller than the big heart but still larger than the center.


5. Sew Fabric to Felt
Pin your fabric to the felt heart with the center cut out.
Stich around the center heart to attach your fabric.


6. Add detail
If you want, now would be the time to add any cute little details to the back heart. Make sure you embroider on the side that will face out.
I did this so that if the heart spins around, it will still look super cute!


7. Sew Felt Together
You will want to cut a piece of ribbon long enough to hang wherever you choose.
Pin this ribbon to the front piece of felt.
Pin the two sides together and embroider about 3/4 of the way around.
Make sure you stitch over the ribbon so it is nice and secure.
*Tip* Start your embroidery on the inside so that the knot does not show on the back of the ornament.


8. Stuff your ornament
Once you get to about the 3/4 mark you will want to stuff the ornament.
Don't overstuff or it might get kind of puckered looking (unless this is the look you are going for then by all means, stuff away!)
Once stuffed, continue stitching your ornament closed.
*Tip* Tie your knot on the inside so it doesn't show on your ornament either.


Now you can admire your adorable new heart ornament!!



I love all the different felt and fabric combos I came up with. All the emboidered details were just off the top of my head too.

I hope you try to make some of these for yourself or as a gift. If you do, leave me a link so I can see it too!

Have a lovely day friends!



Jamie

Oh Strumpets Valentines's Craft Swap

Oh Strumpets is organizing a fun swap for Valentine's Day!


That pretty much says it all! You have until Friday to sign up, I did and you should too!

Jamie

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm not much for romantic, Valentine's Day, commercial, forced mush. Never have been. Tonight I will be making a lovely dinner for Jeremy and I and we are watching a movie together.
Saturday night he and I had a wonderful date night. Date night is something he has started insisting on. I have no idea why or where it came from but I must say, it's pretty awesome. We ordered in and then went bowling. I seriously felt like we were on a second or third date, we had so much fun together. Not that we don't always have fun together but sometimes just being silly with the one you love is all you need. He stayed over and Sunday morning I made breakfast, we laid around watching Family Guy til after noon and then he went home.

I had started this cross stitch on the plane home from Vegas. I finished the birds a few days after I got home. I really wanted to add something more to it but couldn't think of anything. After such a lovey dovey weekend and Valentine's Day approaching, I decided that what these birds needed was a little more love! I looked through a different cross stitch book I checked out of the library a week or so ago. I found a heart/flower motif, altered it a bit and BAM...total Valentine's Day project!



These are the books I used.


I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day!