I'm Addicted To Shoes!!!

     That's right. I admit it: I am addicted to shoes. Okay so they are for dolls but what the heck I am having a blast!!! Just because I haven't posted for a while, doesn't mean I haven't been crafting, lol. For me not to craft would be like holding my breath and not breathing!
     Since I have 3 grand daughters (and since I love to sew) it only seems natural for me to make some clothes for their dolls. They love their American Girl dolls but the clothes are soooo expensive. So I pulled out my serger and sewing machine but, since I have not made anything for a while, I really needed to brush up on my skills. The tensions were way off, lol.
     Next, I needed some patterns. I came across this wonderful site called Liberty Jane patterns. I purchased a few patterns and LOVED the fit (and so have my grand daughters). Well, now I have a wonderful collection and have set about to make a wardrobe of clothing with the latest styles. I have also Partnered with Liberty Jane so I have permission to sell my creations on my Etsy Store HERE .
     One thing I learned from Cinnamon owner of Liberty Jane Patterns and Liberty Jane Clothing, is that you are not making doll clothes but rather, clothes for dolls. This simple adjustment in the thought process has really put me in a great frame of mind not to mention a totally different prospective on what I am hoping to accomplish. I highly recommend that if you undertake this line of crafting that you consider purchasing her book available HERE . This idea book is just full of tips. No, I am not getting paid to do this however I thought you might enjoy it as much as I did. Anyways, here are a few of the things I have been working on:

      Aren't these just adorable? These were made with a Miche Designs pattern "Bow Tie Slip-Ons".

 

     I decided to use the same fabric both for the outside and lining. All the trim on the shoes were made by me with some cording that I braided myself.

 

 

     For this pair I used a small fabric print for the lining. This was a leftover scrap I had from a dress I made.

 

     Again I used left over scraps. I love how it looks when you tie it into the bow. This is when I realized the tension was off. Now I am on the right track!

 

     These are just a few using this pattern. Wait 'til you see the rest using different fabrics and patterns, lol. Ok, you twisted my arm, here's a sneak peek at what is to come:

 

     These are made from a faux suede and I used the Eden Ava Couture  pattern, also available @ Liberty Jane Patterns. Of course these were just screaming "bling me"!!!! I made these with a cork sole as well as trim.These are an exception fit.

     There you have it, my shoe fetish. I hope to continue to expand this segment on my blog at least once a week. This will give you, my followers, a new insight into crafting as well as showcase my projects.Just in case you are wondering, yes, I have used my Cricut on my doll clothing as well.

     I hope you have a fabulous week end. I have several posts ready to show you this week so be sure to follow me.

 

Boston Marathon Bombings And How We Are Connected.

     Good morning my fellow crafters. I do not have a project for you today but wanted to share a few stories and thoughts on the Boston Marathon bombings. I'm sorry I have been MIA but, in light of Monday's events I think you can understand. This tragedy in Boston has consumed us all. I am happy to say God was surely watching over our friends and family on Monday's awful day. My daughter's brother in law was handing out Powerbars at the finish line. Thankfully he had already left the area before this happened. My son's girlfriend was right where the bomb went off but left with a friend 25 minutes before hand for a pee break, lol.

     Finally, we were so concerned for a young woman who grew up in our home town, her brother is great friends with my youngest son. We had all wished her well on her FB page. She has worked so hard to train for this wonderful event. Her name is Laura Wellington and had reached the 25 mile mark and was headed for the finishline but was abruptly pulled off the track because of the bombings. Once we heard she was ok, we also heard of her emotional journey to reach her family.

     In spite of the evil in our world, it is so important to remember that there are far more loving, selfless, caring people among us. Laura's story is one of them but there are thousands more yet to be told. Laura wanted to thank this couple who were there when she needed it most. Again, with this media we have today she was able to track down this couple. We ARE all connected. We come from the small town of Sutton, MA. The couple who helped her were from Alaska! Below is the story that went viral. Thank God it did since it was such a shot in the dark to find them 

 

Tale of kindness goes viral

Thursday, April 18, 2013

PrintEmail Comments (2)

By:

Gayle Fee

There were countless tales of heroism in the wake of Monday’s horrific Boston Marathon bombings and even more stories of small acts of kindness, tales that reaffirm the notion that, in the face of unspeakable evil, most people are inherently good. Here is one of them …
Laura Wellington, a 25-year-old Cambridge claims adjuster, was one of the runners who didn’t get to finish the marathon. She was stopped a half-mile from the finish line and, when she learned what happened, panicked, knowing that her family was waiting for her in Copley Square. As she walked down Mass. Ave, Laura made frantic calls and was finally able to reach a friend, who was with her family and assured her they were OK. Here, in Wellington’s own words, is what happened next:
“I was just so happy ... that I sat down and started crying. Just couldn’t hold it back. At that moment, a couple walking by stopped. The woman took the space tent off her husband, who had finished the marathon, and wrapped it around me. She asked me if I was OK, if I knew where my family was. I reassured her I knew where they were and I would be OK. The man then asked me if I finished, to which I nodded ‘no.’ He then proceeded to take the medal off from around his neck and placed it around mine. He told me, ‘You are a finisher in my eyes.’ I was barely able to choke out a ‘thank you’ between my tears.”

They separated, but after the initial shock passed, Wellington thought about the couple and how much that gesture meant to her. She posted her story on Facebook in the hopes that she might find them and tell them.
“This couple reassured me that even though such a terrible thing had happened, everything was going to be OK,” she said.
By yesterday afternoon, her story had nearly 250,000 “likes” and had been shared more than 150,000 times. At around 1 p.m. yesterday, Kailee Cunningham posted to Wellington’s page saying, “That’s my mom and dad!”
Wellington was able to contact Brent and Karin Cunningham, who live in Alaska, and say a proper thank you.
In an interview with a local radio station, Brent said he gave Wellington his medal because “I just had to.”
“I got my medal and she didn’t,” he said. “It was like, I cannot not give it to you, you deserve it. And she just started bawling.”

More On:

Boston Marathon bombing

Laura Wellington

Kailee Cunningham

Author(s):

Gayle Fee / Boston Herald

     If you would like to show your support for the City of Boston and its people here is a thought: tomorrow we are asking that your show Boston pride by wearing  apparel from any Boston sports team. (Red Sox, Bruins, Patriots, Celtics etc) or wear blue and yellow the official colors of the Boston Marathon. If you do not have any of this why not make a Boston Cream Pie or some Toll House cookies? The original Chocolate Chip Cookie originated in Massachusetts.

     Yesterday there was a campaign for people to show their support by running and showing a sign that was Run For Boston. It was unbelievable to see the people from all over who posted pics on their FB page.

     I leave you with pics of my son's girl friend. We are blessed to have her in our lives and are thanking God today that her friend needed a "pee" break!

     God Bless you all and please keep those injured both physically and emotionally from these bombings in your thoughts and prayers as well as all those who aided in providing the best care these people could have had.

 

 

      An Update: Laura's story will be told on 20/20 Friday night. It is so inspirational in the midst of this tragedy. 

 

LauraWellington.jpg

  MEDAL OF COMPASSION: Laura Wellington did

A Special Birthday Gift

   

    How are all my Pinquettes doing today? I am so excited to share a very special project with you today. First I would like to give you a little background. My friend Beth and I became friends through 2 of our children back when they were just starting school. We became very close friends particularly since our daughters had major health issues that required frequent trips to Boston for their individual treatments. Her friends and mine became friends as well and, every month we would get together for breakfast. Mommy time, lol.
     Sadly, one friend succumbed to Breast Cancer and another struggled with Bone Cancer as well as Breast Cancer and eventually moved away. However, the bond between Beth and I continued to grow stronger. We have been through a lot together with enough happy and sad times to last a life time.
     One thing we vowed was to never forget  Linda, the friend we lost. On one of my birthdays, Beth presented me with a silver ball. She had it engraved with the year we met and also included our names on each side. It opens to allow you to slip a gift inside. Sometimes we add candy, other times a gift certificate to our favorite place: Dunkin Donuts. We try to always add a little something different. Alas, it was missing for several years when Beth's husband died and she had to move.
     This year however, Beth found it and gave it back to me for Christmas. Only special friends could really appreciate what this meant to me. Anyways, now that it was back in my possession, I decided that since she had gone to all the trouble to polish it up, the least I could do was to fresh it up further with some new decorations. The Pinque Peacock stick pins and buttons and 3 Girl Jam ribbon would be just what I needed for an elegant touch.

     This burgundy tassel on top has certainly seen better days! The 3 Girl Jam ribbon along with a button and angel stick pin from the March Release were exactly what I was looking for.

     First I took some Prima flowers I had and made a bow out of the luscious ribbon and sewed the Pinque Peacock button in the middle. I used a ribbon to tie it to the top of the ball. I added the stick pin to the flower and stuck it through the flowers.

     I also bent the long end of the stick pin over and added a fairy charm to the end. Now our silver keepsake ball not only has our names engraved on it, but, we also have our angel Linda watching over us.
     If you haven't tried any of the Pinque Peacock products yet, then, what are you waiting for? As you can see they are so versatile even if you do not make cards or scrapbooks they are perfect for all sorts of projects. You can purchase them HERE .
     Also we would like you to join us for several amazing events. First up, the April Release of PP newest products. Oh my are you going to be impressed! All you have to do is click the badge on the top Right sidebar of this post.
     Secondly, are you ready for a giveaway? Of course you are, lol. Well,  Jessica is having a fabulous giveaway when she reaches 300 followers. you can learn all about the details here:

~ ~ 300 FOLLOWER GIVEAWAY ~ ~

~~** Sticky Post**~~
Please be sure to scroll down to see the Daily Inspiration from the talented Pinquettes!

*************

Hi Pinque Peacock fans, followers, family and friends!

First, a huge Thanks to everyone for being such awesome Peacocks. The launch of Pinque Peacock shop has been a phenomenal success.

Now to celebrate with a fabulous prize!
YAY!!!!

Prize Includes:

~ One Cricut Destinations Cartridge

~ One Thank You Embossing Folder
~1 set of Pinque Peacock Purple Beaded Stick Pins
~Several Pinque Peacock Handmade Felt Poppers
~ One set of NOT EVEN RELEASED YET Pinque Peacock

Teal Fabric Covered Buttons (1.5" eyelet) with small purple star flower accent

~ One Button BINGO Stamp by Unity Stamp Co.

Be sure to read & follow the rules to grab as many opportunities to enter as you can.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Rules & Ways to Enter

*For each item below, you must comment on THIS post only that you are doing it or have done it. Comments on any other post, while appreciated, will not qualify.

Follower with the most points wins!!!!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

1-Point Entries

1. Be a follower of the blog....Pinque Peacock

2. "Like" the Pinque Peacock Shop on Facebook

3. Hook up with us on Twitter Pinque Peacock

4. Follow us on Pinterest Pinque Peacock

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

2-Point Entries

1. Post about the 300 Follower Giveaway on your blog, with a link to the blog...Pinque Peacock

2. Post about the 300 Follower Giveaway on your FB or Twitter, with a link to the blog...Pinque Peacock

3. Grab the 300 Follower Giveaway button on the sidebar and place it on your sidebar.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

5-Point Entries

1. Shop at the Pinque Peacock ~ no min amount of purchase.

2. Use Pinque Peacock product on your project and send us a link.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Now you're ready to win! Grab

as many or as little points as

you want. We super appreciate ya!!

Wine Plaque Mixed Media

     Hello fellow crafters!!!! I am so excited to be a Cricut Diva! That's right, I am now a member of the CricutDiva DT. For my first post I thought I would share with you a project I submitted as an example of my work for the application process in order to be  considered for the team. I love mixed media and have taken many online course so this is a favorite of mine. Our goal is to show you what you can do with your Cricut and the versatility of projects you can make with them.

     This project used 3 cartridges. I used: Word Collage, Celebrate With Flourish, French Manor and, as an extra bonus, Mini Monograms. Let's get started since I have a wealth of detail to share with you, lol.

     Let's start with this picture. I used an 8" x 10" canvas board and painted with Martha Stewarts Satin cream paint. It is hard to see in the pic but I also inked the edges of the frame with Antique Linen distress ink. I then cut the wine words from Word Collage using the wine section. This was all cut @ 6" with vinyl. I have a confession to make. This is not the original I started with! At first I tried a stretched canvas that I painted a wine color and was going to paint over the vinyl with the cream. Hint: not a good idea to start with a dark base if you plan to go over with a lighter color!

     I was satisfied with how this was proceeding but wanted to add some corners to the canvas. This is where French Manor comes in. I am not sure if the image on page 63 were glasses or not, but for this plaque, let's just pretend they are! I cut the Border+shift key and cut them @ 1.25" times 4 for all the corners.

     I have this wonderful stamp that I love and thought the Steam Punk look just fit in so well here. This is an Inkadinkado stamp that I used Archival Brilliance Coffee Bean to stamp with. I also had this wonderful braided cording that went fabulous with this project. Now what to do for the hands of the clock?

     Did you know that French Manor has a clock face with hands image? Well it does. It is on page 31 under Layer. I used my gypsy and moved the clock image off the mat so all I would cut is the clock hands @ 1". How cool is that, lol. Now on to my main image: the wine bottle and glasses.

     I bet you were wondering why I placed the word collage off to the side, well, here is why. I wanted to use this wine bottle and glasses as my focal point. The die cut is from Celebrate With Flourish and I cut it at 8.65" x 9.35". I used the main image as well as the shadow feature. All the edges were inked with Aged Mahogany and also sprayed with Glimmer Mist Brick and Fern. I also used some Gold Stickles to add a touch of class!

     I wanted a more realistic look to the glasses so I cut them separately out of Graffix clear plastic. I know it can be difficult to use the plastic or acetate without having the glue show so, I'll share my secret with you. I used a glue dot in the center of the glass which I knew I would cover with a Monogram. The stems were adhered with Glossy accents. If you have a spot that you are not happy with, no problem. I truly believe Stickles were made to hide mistakes!!!

     The little monogram circles were cut @ .75" from Mini Monograms. I also found a small cork in my stash so I just inked it up with some Aged Mahogany.

     If you remember in the first pic, I had glued a piece of fabric to the bottom part of the canvas. When I had laid everything out, it looked odd to me that the bottle was "just There". By adding the fabric, it gives the impression that it is resting on the table. The grapes are left over from small wine favors we used for one of my daughters weddings. Yes, I do have quite the collection of supplies! Before I show you the completed project I just wanted to show you the back. Why you ask? I like to show how everything should be finished off for a professional look.

     I had used Zutter rivets to secure my ribbon but didn't like the look of the rivets or ribbon ends showing. All you have to do is cut a piece of brown paper or card stock, a little smaller than the completed projects. Add a bead of glue around the edges (I use Arlene's Quick Tack) and then lightly mist with water. As it dries it lays taut and gives a nice finished look.

     I hope you have been inspired to use your cartridges for out of the box embellishments. If you have learn a little (or a lot, lol) I would love if you became a follower as well as leave a comment. I read each and every one of them and it always makes me smile!

  

     

Happy Easter And An Announcement

     First I would like to wish you all a very Happy Easter. We had a wonderful day with family and had way too much to eat! I realize I haven't posted much lately but that just means my creativity is exploding, lol. I have been taking a short break from my papercrafting to do some sewing creations for my grand daughters American Girl dolls. I have found a wonderful company online called Liberty Jane patterns, and, oh my are these dolls styling!! I will definitely be using my Cricuts in order to style them up so, be on the lookout because I am just about ready to share them.
     Of course I have to share a project with you so I thought since it is Easter that I would share a card I made a while ago using my copic markers.

     Although I was pretty satisfied when I first completed this, now I will definitely do more since I am a certified Copic designer and have learned a lot more about shading, blending and highlights. I love this stamp so much probably because it seems to be more versatile so that it could also be used for sympathy or thinking of you. I also like the background paper since it has a wonderful sheen to it.
     Now on to my big announcement. I submitted my application to be considered for a position on the newly formed CricutDiva Design Team and, I am please to announce I am now officially a Cricut Diva. Okay, so you all know I would love to think of myself a Diva, lol. Be sure to head over to the
CricutDiva Blog  and follow us as we seek to inspire and share our Cricut projects with you.
     Have a wonderful week and God Bless all of you.