You Could Make That

REMEMBERING MY MOM

2013-05-12T07:42:00.003-05:00

Friday, January 6, 2012

A TRIBUTE TO MY MOM

My mom.

January 8, 1927 - May 5, 2013

http://mankatofreepress.com/obituaries/x6225257/Mary-Susan-Vose

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

And from a year and a half ago:

This Sunday, my mom will be celebrating her 85th birthday.

What do you get a woman who has everything . . . on her 85th birthday? I decided the best gift I could give her would be acknowledgement of the reasons why she is so special to me.

So I made a simple little accordion book, and filled it with 10 things I love and admire about my mom.

(There's a link to a YouTube video showing you how to make your own book, at the end of this post)

My mom is an avid reader, so I used a great old book cover for the front and back of the accordion book. Just tear out the pages and wrap the cover with some pretty papers.

Then, after deciding how many pages you want, fold a long piece of paper, accordion style. My book needed 10 pages, so I had to use several pieces of paper pieced together. Then glue your typed script or photos on each page.

Fill up the book with memories of the most wonderful things you know about the person you're making the book for.

My mom and dad - right about the time they met.

Once the book was complete, I wrapped it up with a little charm made just for mom, with a birthday sentiment on the back cover. She really is, one LOVELY lady!

A Christmas time lunch just a couple weeks ago, with my mom!

You can never repay your parents for the gift of life, but I think it's important to let them know how grateful you are for that gift and the many ways you love and admire them.

"Happy Birthday Mom!"

A little YouTube video showing how to make your own accordion book!

PURPLE POSIES and A GIVEAWAY WINNER

2013-04-01T09:07:00.002-05:00

It's April 1st and the day has started out great! I checked my email first thing this morning to find that my painting, "Purple Posies and Chartreuse", will soon be on its way to California.

I have paintings in my Etsy shop, but this painting sold from another site where I have my paintings listed . . . Daily Paintworks. Daily Paintworks is an exciting group to be a part of. There are some extremely talented member artists, weekly challenges posted by the site, and lots of great art tutorials. After joining, each member starts up a virtual gallery with tools in place to help you sell and promote your work using an auction format or prices you set yourself. If you're interested in improving your skills and being a part of a large community of creative people, it's a great place to start.

Purple Posies and Chartreuse - 24"x36"

And my Giveaway Winner is:

Christina!

Congratulations Christina - your Spring Note Card Bundle of 8 cards will soon be on its way to your door!

So, today?

Selling a painting is great inspiration for getting out the brushes!

BIRD AND HARE ORIGINAL ART NOTE CARDS FOR SPRING and A GIVEAWAY

2013-03-26T22:43:00.004-05:00

For me, nothing says spring better than seeing all the creatures come out of hiding after months of dark, bitterly cold, and snowy days. We can finally look forward to the change of seasons! Hearing the first, brave birds singing their hearts out is a reminder that winter really is almost over here in Wisconsin.

So, I was inspired to draw some birds and rabbits in honor of the approach of warmer weather. The first two are sweet little birds - a robin in song and a wren gathering dinner. Included on each of the bird cards is a snippet of some fitting poetry by Emily Dickinson.

On the other two, I drew Belgian Hares, caught in a rare, still moment. One is just a simple line drawing, and the other is more detailed and distinguished profile of the hare. He is set in a vintage frame graphic I found at the Graphics Fairy.

Eight note cards are all wrapped up in a glassine bag
ready for use or gift-giving.

THE GIVEAWAY:
Leave a comment on this post by April 1st and I'll choose a winner via random.org to receive a free bundle of the 8 note cards - on its way to you on April 2nd! Please email your contact information or leave it in the comment itself! That's it! That's all you have to do!

And if you don't happen to be the winner, the spring card bundles
can be purchased at Gillyflower Cottage/Etsy.

Sharing on Graphics Fairy's
BRAG MONDAY

KEEPING TRACK OF BOOK CLUB BOOKS

2013-01-20T08:08:00.001-06:00

How does your book group keep track of what you've read? Does your group have a special system? Well, over the last 13 years or so, my book group is forever trying to recall the many books we have read together. We just never took the time to write them all down, but we always wish we had kept track.

And the years marched on.

That is at least 150 titles, and who could remember all of those without some sort of a system?

So, for our last book group gathering, I made a little book tracking system for each of us. It won't go back all those years, but there is a card labeled "aforetime" for some of our favorites from years past.

All of the cards fit neatly in a little folder made of cream card stock.

The cover reads, "Books we've enjoyed and some we've endured!" and is made with this Sweet Birds With Nest Frame graphic from The Graphics Fairy.
(The font used is a mix of "typewriter" which is on my word processing program, and "The King and Queen" which can be downloaded free of charge here.)

The whole packet slips into a heavy weight gray wool case with plenty of room for more cards - for the years to come.

Now we have no excuse!

Want to make your own Book Club Record Keepers? All the PDFs needed are available at my Etsy shop, Gillyflower Cottage.

To go to the 20% OFF SALE click GILLYFLOWER COTTAGE.

Sharing on:
The Graphics Fairy - Brag Monday
Made For You Monday
Market Yourself Monday

GILLYFLOWER COTTAGE

2013-01-19T20:34:00.000-06:00

Just a post to show what is now available at Gillyflower Cottage . . .

DICTIONARY HARE TAGS

2013-01-14T13:59:00.000-06:00

I've been selling gift tags in my Etsy shop for awhile now - angel tags made from my drawings of cemetery statues, sheep tags from my drawings of Suffolk and Welsh Mountain Sheep, and just recently I added some English Hare tags to my shop using graphics from The Graphics Fairy.

I used my angel tags on a lot of Christmas gifts and the sheep tags work for any occasion.

I've even made gifts of an assortment of the tags themselves.

Every item I sell on Etsy is tied with twine and sent with a blank tag attached.

Bakers' twine make a great tie also - or even a thread of burlap fiber.

Now, I've added these rabbit tags that would be great for spring or Easter gift giving. They're extra long tags with plenty of room on the back for your sentiments. The printed tags come with a bundle of twine ties . . .

Or, you can make the tags yourself with the PDF - also for sale at Gillyflower Cottage. They print out with three tags per page.

See them here.

VALENTINE BANNER

2013-01-13T18:10:00.002-06:00

There may no longer be young children in this house, but I think one still needs to decorate for the "other holidays", like Valentine's Day, kids or no kids! Big people love the holidays too!

So, today I made a valentine banner for the front entryway, and also put a little valentine tree in the dining room. I typed out some love quotes in the typewriter font, cut them in strips, and glued one onto each piece. Then you can embellish to your heart's content. I just used ribbons and some cut out hearts, but you could add buttons, charms, lace, sheet music . . . anything!

The quotes are easy enough to type out, but if you'd like to have mine sent to you, just leave a comment on this post, with your email address and I'll send you the PDF.

Enjoy!

And, of course you must have the essential Valentine's Day question . . .

Just a couple punches at the top of each piece, a little ribbon woven through, and you're done! This is an easy project that would probably be even more charming if you let your young children help!

This banner is available for purchase at Gillyflower Cottage on Etsy.

AN EMBARRASSING STASH

2013-01-11T21:44:00.000-06:00

Do you ever find yourself acquiring large of amounts of one particular thing? You know you had good intentions when you stockpiled this item, but for the life of you, can't remember what those intentions were?

Well, I recently sorted through my stash of fabric and realized I had an amazing amount of solid

cotton . . . mostly white.

I'm not sure when or why I got it all, but I decided it was time to finally DO something with some of it. I took on a project that made a small dent in the pile and made some white dinner napkins. They have a deep 8" ruffle along one side, measuring about 22" from end to end.

A mostly white table setting.

It's been a pretty boring winter in the weather department here in Wisconsin. Maybe I'm trying to make up for the lack of anything white outside the window?

What would YOU do with yards and yards of white fabric? I'm thinking a new dust ruffle for our bed might be in order. I could use up a good 8 yards making one of those . . .

I'd welcome any ideas!

MAKE YOUR OWN BOOKPLATES

2013-01-07T22:25:00.002-06:00

Today was one of those days when I just had to make something. Days like this happen to me on a regular basis. I just want to hear the sewing machine hum, or the sound or my scissors cutting through some cardstock.

My motivation today came by way of something else I love to do - read. It's nothing new or earth-shattering. But sometimes all you need is a little push to get started on a project of your own. I hope this motivates you!

Have you ever borrowed a book from someone and kept it too long? Then you decide it's time to return the book and it's been SO long that you don't even remember who you borrowed it from? With a bookplate in all your books, you'll be sure to have all your books returned to you. Yes, you can buy ready-made bookplates, but that's no fun. It's always better to make your own of anything! So I started to look through some clip art on the Graphics Fairy and picked one to use for making my own bookplates.

First, I found the perfect vintage clip art from the Graphics Fairy.

Then I "pasted in" a box with text to show the bookplate information.

That's it! From now on, just make it a habit to glue a bookplate into every book you buy and your books will always be able to find their way home again.

And while you're at it, why not make the perfect gift for your fellow book lovers?

All you need to prettily package some up for your book-loving friends is a stack of personalized bookplates, a glassine bag, and a pretty sticker. I bought my bags from an Etsy seller - they're very inexpensive.

Glassine bags are nostalgic and old fashioned. They're also waterproof and air-tight, and the bookplates show through the foggy wax-like paper to give the recipient a look at what's inside.

Fold down the bag, apply a sticker, and slip the package inside a book the next time you loan one to a friend. You can make up a bunch of packets ahead of time, leaving the "owner box" blank, for someone to fill in with their own information later.

They'll appreciate it and so will you, when your book is returned to you!

You don't want to go to the work of creating a bookplate yourself? If you'd like the PDF I used for this project just leave your email address in a comment and I'd be happy to send it your way.

BIRD TOWELS AND SOMETHING EXTRA

2012-12-31T09:18:00.000-06:00

Looking through one of my favorite sources for graphics, The Graphics Fairy, I came upon a few vintage bird graphics that I knew would look great printed out onto some natural 100% cotton osnaburg. So I made a couple "patches" using one with a swallow on an old advertisement for chocolates, and another showing two lovebirds on a nest. The heart and arrow on the second graphic is a good one to use for Valentine's Day projects. You can find them here, at the Graphics Fairy website. Just do a search for any topic and you'll find it on this blog - she has everything!

Make sure you use Leslie Riley/TAP paper, it does iron on transfers without the shine and plastic-like feel you want for a project like this. I find mine at our local art supply store, or you can also order it online.

Then, I machine hemmed two towels out of 100% cotton toile to a finished size of 21" x 29". Then printed out the bird graphics on Transfer Artist Paper. After ironing under the edges of the patch, I machine stitched it to a corner of the towel. The patches are about 4" x 6".

Add a little fabric loop for hanging . . .

And don't forget to miter the corners for a clean finish.

And here's the

SOMETHING EXTRA!

Using the same toile fabric, make a little 9" x 9" pillowcase.

Slip in a square of cork (you can buy cork by the roll at places like Michaels).

And you have a pretty (and washable) fabric trivet for your table.

Not only does this look nice, but it doesn't slip around on your table, AND it's washable! Just slip out the cork, wash, and replace the cork. Make it out of a fabric that coordinates with your dishes or wallpaper.

WORDS OF LOVE

2012-12-28T22:33:00.002-06:00

In preparation for Valentine's Day and all the loving decor that goes along with that day, I've made some Vintage Inspired Valentine flash cards. When my kids were young, we would celebrate our Valentine's Day dinner with heart shaped meatloaf (frosted with ketchup), a red jello mold, and anything else that would conjure up thoughts of the day. Being a former teacher, I'm kind of surprised I didn't use cards like these to add to the celebration.

Below, are the cards I used last winter for a milestone birthday celebration.

The possibilities are endless . . .

These cards could be made to fit most any occasion.

Pre-made flash cards, or PDFs to make your own . . . check them out at Gillyflower Cottage.

TIME FOR SOME HEARTS

2012-12-27T16:01:00.000-06:00

I waste no time in boxing up the Christmas decorations. Once Christmas has come and gone, I'm ready to move on. Don't you love *sparse* after all the extras with Christmas?

So. What's next?

Valentine's Day!

It's time for hearts, and pink, and white, and red! I looked around on Pinterest for inspiration and then got started. I got out some of my burlap stash, which seems to multiply in my sewing boxes, and cut out hearts. Many hearts. Then I rolled up a few linen roses, attached some white ball trim, book page leaves, antique buttons, and a little string. Here are just a few. Rustic and humble.

This swag is available for purchase in my Etsy shop, Gillyflower Cottage.

What am I working on tomorrow?

Osnaburg hearts with antique graphics transfers.

Sharing on:
Fabulously Creative Friday
Funky Junk Interiors

MY FAVORITE ROOM - CHRISTMAS 2012

2012-12-13T17:36:00.004-06:00

No words needed for this post. Just a photo by photo tour through this beautiful shop in the heart of downtown McKinney. This feminine little shop is all decked out for Christmas and it looks beautiful!

WHITE WELSH MOUNTAIN SHEEP TAGS

2012-11-26T17:40:00.000-06:00

This was a fun one to draw - majestic and haughty looking, standing on rugged terrain with the wind ruffling up his wool. I love the wild look of all that wool; he looks so indignant about being photographed.

According to the definition: Welsh Mountain sheep are small, hardy sheep from the higher parts of the Welsh mountains. The males have horns, and the females are polled or hornless; they have no wool on the face or legs, and they have long tails (normally left undocked).

I took away the tilt of the head, which makes him look a little less "put out". When I finished the drawing, I printed it out in a warm sepia tone onto cream colored cardstock.

The PDF for this sheep tag, available in my Etsy shop, Gillyflower Cottage, prints with 4 large and 3 small tags per page. "To" and "From" prompts are on the front, with plenty of room on the back for a message.

Here I have one of my Angel Bakery Towels wrapped around a bottle of wine, and topped off with a White Welsh Mountain Sheep Tag.

Check it out at Gillyflower Cottage - the PDF is only $5.25. So once you purchase and download, you can print out as many as you like.

MONCHES FARM IS READY FOR CHRISTMAS

2012-11-05T07:21:00.000-06:00

My husband and I took a trip out to Monches Farm on Saturday. It was a sunny, brisk day - perfect for a drive in the country. Anyone who has taken the trip to Monches at Christmas knows they will be in for a real treat. You can stand in one spot for a long time just trying to take it all in. It's a pretty magical spot. I always check with them before I start taking photos, just to make sure they're okay with it. Many shops aren't so gracious, but the people at Monches are more than happy to have me snap to my heart's content! Enjoy!

If you live anywhere near southeast Wisconsin, you might want to take a drive to Monches and attend their Holiday Open House the first weekend in December.

SUFFOLK SHEEP GIFT TAGS and A WINNER!

2012-10-30T21:19:00.000-05:00

First of all, the winner of an Angel Wing Baker's Towel is, Sandi@The Primitive Skate. I'll be emailing you, Sandi!

So that it would be completely fair, I asked my husband to pick a number, and he picked yours! So I'll be sending a towel and tag off to you before the end of the week. After he named Sandi's "number" in the comment list, I went to look at her blog. It seems that the angel towel is going to a real angel herself - Sandy works in an Alzheimers/Dementia Unit at a nursing home. It takes a very kind and caring person to do the work you do, Sandi. Congratulations! Thank you to everyone for entering the giveaway.

ORIGINAL ART - SUFFOLK SHEEP TAGS

When the colder weather sets in, we turn to projects indoors. The garden has been cleaned out, pots and patio furniture prepared for the snow and winds that are soon to come, and we settle in to work on other things. For me, that means sewing, painting, and drawing.

The project I'm working on now is a set of soft sheep drawings - just small drawings that I want to fit into large matting and frames. I have just finished the first drawing - a Suffolk sheep. So tonight I designed some gift tags with that drawing and put the PDF into my Etsy shop, Gillyflower Cottage.

The PDF can be downloaded and printed to make as many gift tags as you like. There are 4 tags per sheet - 2 of each style.

Next up? White Welsh Mountain Sheep . . .

WIN! Angel Wing Baker's Towel GIVEAWAY!

2012-10-28T18:32:00.001-05:00

Just a short post to encourage you to

LEAVE A COMMENT AND WIN A TOWEL!
(DON'T FORGET! YOU MUST LEAVE ME AN EMAIL ADDRESS SO I CAN NOTIFY YOU IF YOU WIN! EMAIL ME IF YOU STILL NEED TO LEAVE THAT INFORMATION!)

(Drawing will take place TONIGHT at 6 p.m.)

ANGEL WING BAKER'S TOWEL

(19" x 29", 100% cotton)

Use it to do the dishes, as intended, or as packaging for a hostess gift.

And all you have to do is leave a comment to enter.

The towel is packaged and ready to ship on Wednesday with angel tag tucked in too!

ANGEL WING BAKER'S TOWEL

2012-10-27T08:26:00.000-05:00

Before you start reading . . . please note:
LEAVE A COMMENT AND WIN A TOWEL!
(Drawing will take place Tuesday, October 30th, 6 p.m.)

ANGEL WING BAKER'S TOWEL

What do you do when you can't sleep?

Sometimes, when my mind won't sit still, I just get up and walk down to my sewing room to see what inspires me. That's what happened last night and when I walked into the room, the first thing I saw was an angel wing stencil I had recently purchased. So I got to work.

And the next thing I knew, a new listing was born in Gillyflower Cottage.

INTRODUCING:

The Angel Wing Bakery Towel

11:48 pm

29 inches long

weighing in at less than a pound

Take a look!

There's a strip of a heavy black and cream print along the bottom of the towel.

Boulangerie - the french word for bakery - along the bottom of the towel.

And a set a of angel wings centered above.

I put a handy little loop of matching fabric on the back.

Wrapped around a bottle of wine and tied with twine or ribbon and one of my angel tags, this would make a nice hostess gift for your holiday party season - an angel tag will be tucked in with each towel order. Buy a single towel or, for a better deal, a set of two.

Sharing on:
Saturday Night Special
and
Petite Hermine
and
Made By You Monday

THOUGHTFULNESS

2012-10-26T14:37:00.001-05:00

Usually my days just go by in a string of easy, enjoyable, creatively filled hours. But, as with everyone, sometimes you have a couple days where things aren't so easy and enjoyable. I guess it takes days like that to make you fully appreciate the simple days.

For a "simple" day, nothing beats a morning of looking at some pretty shops, and lunch in a charming little retro diner with a friend of almost 30 years . . .

. . . who greets you a little pack of assorted teas, a beautifully decorated cookie from the bakery, and a hug.

There is just nothing like a simple, uncomplicated day.

DOWNLOAD ANGEL PDFs AND MAKE YOUR OWN TAGS!

2012-10-24T16:22:00.001-05:00

There is a new addition to my Etsy shop, Gillyflower Cottage. You can now order the PDF to download, print, and make your own Angel Gift Tags. Last winter I did some drawings of angel statues. These tags are made with those drawings. All you need to do is print, cut them out, punch a hole for the tag string, and you're done!

After printing the tags and adding a tie of burlap fiber or string, you can add a little glimmer with some Diamond Dust glass glitter or use them as is. Or, gather them up in a neat little bundle tied off with some baker's twine and a pretty seal.

You can make BATCHES of them for some very inexpensive hostess gifts. Fill up some gift bags NOW with a bundle or two of angel tags and a sweet smelling Christmas votive, and you'll have some useful (and inexpensive) little gifts all ready to go!

A SALE AT GILLYFLOWER COTTAGE

2012-10-18T20:29:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post to let you know that there are a lot of new items in my Etsy shop, Gillyflower Cottage. To kick off the Christmas shopping season, for one week (October 18-24), you may enter the coupon code

SHOPGILLY

during the checkout process and receive 10% off your entire order! If you are not familiar with coupon codes you can read about how to use it by going to Etsy's help page. The 10% discount includes any custom orders taken during the sale week (i.e. table runners in different lengths than those given, or tags with alternate script)- so send me a note for your custom order idea through the contact email given at the shop if you'd like to take advantage of the sale.

Stop into Gillyflower Cottage to see multiple views and close-ups of each item.

ANGEL TAGS FOR CHRISTMAS

2012-10-15T21:04:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year when I start thinking about Chrismas. Mid-October, with crisp mornings and some dark, ominous looking skies. Christmas shopping, getting the tree, sending Christmas cards, and wrapping your gifts!

Well, I was looking through some of my angel drawings from last winter, and decided to make some vintage looking gift tags using my own drawings to tie on gifts this year. These were drawings I did with various angel statues for inspiration.

Then I thought, as long as I'm printing these out I should also print some sets of tags for my etsy shop. So here's a little preview of what was added to Gillyflower Cottage.

A serene angel tag bearing the word "Noel".

A small angel who appears to be looking down on the manger scene with script proclaiming the excitement of that first Christmas morning.

Another elegant angel with the symbolic star in her hair.

Large Hare gift tags (3 1/2 x 8 inches). The design on this tag is not my own drawing - this graphic comes from an antique dictionary page and would work for any occasion from Easter to a baby gift.

Neatly bundled and ready to make someone's packages extra special.

If you're looking for Santa Claus and snowmen on your gift tags, this is not the place. But if you're looking for quiet and serene gift tags that speak to the beauty of the true meaning of Christmas, you should stop by Etsy and check them out!

DOOR COUNTY LUMBAR PILLOW

2012-10-14T17:28:00.003-05:00

Door County is one of our favorite spots to go in the summertime. If you're not from Wisconsin or the Midwest, you may not be familiar with it. It's a charming and quaint area filled with B&B's, restaurants, shops and cherry orchards.

We are especially fond of Door County because we spent our honeymoon there 23 years ago, and we continue to drive the 3 hours north every June to celebrate our day every year.

I know a lot of people love this spot as much as we do. So, I decided to make one of my "Name Your City/Burlap Lumbar Pillows" with the name of this great place on the front. I went to the fabric store looking for a sturdy, colorful, and happy print - with one more qualification.

It had to have cherries in the print!

So here's what I found. I love it and I know I'll have to make one for myself as a reminder of our yearly trips to Door County.

The words "Door County" are printed with fabric ink, heat-set, then sewn onto a strip of the cherry print. This lumbar pillow measures 12" x 16, which is a bit shorter than my Name-Your-City Lumbar Pillow.

The back of the pillow is made of the same cherry print and has an envelope closure. I hand felted a Golden Rainier Cherry "button-ball" to hold the pillow casing closed. I think that might be my favorite part of the pillow!

The pillow looks pretty on the front AND the back!

So now I'm thinking, what other destinations have we enjoyed that I could print on a pillow like this? Fish Creek (in Door County)? Sanibel Island? McKinney? The Whistling Swan (our honeymoon B&B)? White Gull Inn (our new favorite)? Suggestions? I think the especially beautiful colors this fall have inspired me to sew more than ever!

Check out my new pillow at Gillyflower Cottage.

FLOWERS, MORE FLOWERS, AND A TUTU

2012-10-13T20:37:00.000-05:00

This post is all about some new paintings in my Etsy shop,

Gillyflower Cottage.

That's it! Just photos!

Poppies - 24" x 36"

Purple and Chartreuse Tulips - 24" by 36"

Pink Tutu - 30" x 40"

BIRDS AND THE BEES . . . AND A FEW SHEEP

2012-10-11T12:59:00.000-05:00

If you have a "make it" blog, or even if you just like to make things, then you understand how I'm feeling. I kind of feel like this every day, actually, but sometimes you get specific creative urges.

You just want to use your hands to make something.

Sometimes you have the urge to sew.

Sometimes you feel prompted to paint - and that's the way I feel. It's windy, sunny, and pretty chilly today. A good day to stay inside, light a couple great smelling candles, make a fresh pot of coffee, and use that bright sunshine coming in the window to work on a painting project.

I have a couple of great photos of some sheep that I've been saving for a day like today . . .

Aren't they awesome?

So it's time to get out my supplies!

Also, for the "birds and the bees" part - I have a few new paintings in my Etsy shop to share today.

A Green Honey Creeper

A couple bees . . .

. . . and a Nuthatch. They were part of a little painting challenge I took part in a while ago.

Thanks for stopping!