Brenda Walton

I design products for crafting, corresponding and celebrating. I am a licensed artist living in Northern California. Read more
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Paper Mache House Ornament

Happy New Year! I am very excited to share with you one of my favorite crafts – the art of paper mache. It’s gooey and sticky and a whole lot of fun! It utilizes simple materials, many of which are already in our homes. I’m delighted by the versatility of this medium and the wide range of creative possibilities!

Today, I’ll be sharing my instructions for making a paper mache house ornament. These instructions are easy to follow and produce a beautiful, unique result. Whether you are a seasoned crafter or a beginner, you’ll enjoy creating these memorable, personalized gifts. Now, let’s get started on our paper mache houses!

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Since there are several stages to this project, I recommend making more than one house at a time. This will allow time to dry the paper mache layers thoroughly while gathering ephemera. Plus, you’ll love your little house so much, you’ll want to make more right away! 

For inspiration, look at artist Linda O'Kane’s work on Instagram. Her hand-painted spun cotton houses are positively charming and unique, and have become treasured collector’s items!

To make sure you have all the elements you need for the project, I recommend gathering ephemera, book pages, vintage cancelled postage stamps, ribbons, and trims while the paper mache is drying.


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It’s gonna get messy! But that’s part of the fun. Before you begin, cover your work area with kraft paper or newspaper. Also, tape a piece of freezer paper down to your work surface. Freezer paper is great because nothing will stick to it. You can also use the freezer paper as a palette for mixing acrylic paint later on.

Although the stage of adding layers of paper mache is somewhat time-consuming, it’s very worthwhile. Paper mache adds a soft, subtle texture resembling antique stucco. It also adds to the thickness of the house, softening all the points and right angles. And it adds strength to the house, making the ornament considerably more durable throughout the years (especially if enjoyed by young children!). 


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M A T E R I A L S  (Some of these are affiliate links):

House templates courtesy of deliacreates.com *

white poster board or heavy card stock

masking tape

Elmer’s Art Paste  (mix prior to project) or homemade paper mache paste 

Aileen’s Tacky Glue

Mod Podge Matte

hot glue

thin kraft paper

paint brushes

printed ephemera, old book pages, vintage wallpaper, stickers, book pages, cancelled postage stamps, postcards, washi tape, Dresden trims, fabric scraps

rubber stamps

acrylic paint or gouache

metal embellishments, buttons, ribbon, velvet flowers

Stickles

awl or large sewing needle

bone folder

X-Acto knife, stainless steel ruler and cutting mat

gold florist wire (or very thin wire)


* Delia’s templates are created as SVG files, but can be scaled to the desired size and printed on a home printer. The houses I’ve made are about 4″ tall.  I chose not to cut out the windows that were included on the template. Delia’s templates are free for personal use.


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D I R E C T I O N S :

1. Premix paste (or prepare an alternate paper mache paste).

2. Tear thin kraft paper into approximately 1” pieces. The more irregular, organic the shapes, the better.

3. Tear small 1” pieces of masking tape.

4. Cut florist wire, 1.5” long (1 piece for each house).

5. Loosely cut out the printed template pieces, scaled to desired size. Tape to poster board. Use a ruler and bone folder to score on the fold lines. Using an X-Acto knife, cut out the house, roof and chimney (Glue or tape together two layers for the roof to make it thicker).

6. Assemble house and chimney. For the house, begin by taping the side walls together first, and then the bottom.

7. Cover the assembled house, chimney and roof entirely with masking tape.

8. (Optional) To make the ornament hanger, use an awl or a large needle to make a small hole in the top center of the roof. Fold a piece of florist wire in half. Thread the folded loop through the hole in the roof, so that about ¼” loop is showing above the peak of the roof. Secure the wire in place by taping the ends inside the roof.

9. Tape the chimney(s) onto the roof. 

10. Cover the house with paper mache. Separately, cover the roof and chimney. To begin the process, dip the torn kraft paper into the paste. Hold it over the bowl and use two fingers to squeegee the excess paste off. Add a second layer of paper mache. Allow to dry for 24 hours, if possible.

11. (Optional) Paint the house creamy white with acrylic paint. Paint the roof and chimney the desired colors.

12. Glue background ephemera on to the house. This will be the base layer for all of the other elements you’ll be adding on top. 

13. Use hot glue or quick dry glue to adhere dimensional elements, like ribbon, fabric scraps, buttons and Dresden trims. Add glitter and gems.

14. Use hot glue or quick dry glue to adhere the roof to the house. If using hot glue, only a few dots are necessary to secure it. In order to get the correct positioning, adhere one panel of the roof, and then adhere the other panel onto the house. 

15. (optional) Finish house by brushing on a protective sealer, like Matte Mod Podge.


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If your house is a gift, you may want to add a handwritten note to the base.

The book “Papier-Mache” by Sarah Hand is one of my favorites, and has inspired me to try so many different paper mache projects. Please check out Sarah’s Instagram and inspiring blog. Her second book, “A Happy Book of Little Gifts” is also wonderful! 

These sweet little houses make for truly charming and personal decorations and gifts, and are perfect for occasions throughout the year. And they provide a great opportunity to use up some of those collected ephemera and dimensional embellishments that you may have been saving. I love making these houses and seeing how each one turns out uniquely different. I hope you will give it a try. It’s a wonderful project to do with a group of friends! Please tag me when you share your own paper mache houses on Instagram. Happy crafting!

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Laurelwood Collection

I’m delighted to present the Laurelwood Collection, born from the pages of my European travel journals. These new designs are filled with rich, vibrant colors, vintage-inspired typography and lyrical imagery. 

With this new collection for FreeSpirit Fabrics, I wanted to bring the beauty of classical gardens indoors, with original florals -  many of them painted while exploring Paris and London.

Here’s a sneak peek at the Laurelwood Collection:

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Printemps, Citrus


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Festoon, Blush


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Woodland, Wine


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Enchanted Garden, Cream


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Trellis, Multi


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Regency, Sapphire


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Veranda, Cream


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Sweet Briar, Plum


The Laurelwood Collection will be available soon, online and at quilt shops nationwide. I’m excited to see your beautiful quilts!

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My Favorite Correspondence Essentials

I have some very exciting news to share: I’m co-teaching a mail art workshop with artist, calligrapher and friend Mike Gold! On May 15, 2021, Happy Mail: Art of the Decorated Envelope, will be a fun-filled day of demos and projects to inspire your creativity. Mike and I are excited to share our tips and techniques for decorating stunning and memorable envelopes. Save the date! 

In celebration of National Letter Writing Month, I thought it would be fun to share some painted envelopes I’ve created recently. I’ve always believed that handwritten letters are a wonderful way we can stay connected with each other. And, we all need more of that! Even a quick note to say hello can be a great boost to the spirits. Do you know of someone who needs a little love?

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If you’re new to mail art and decorated envelopes, you may want to know about recommended products. I painted these examples in gouache, which is a wonderful medium for the quick floral illustrations I paint on envelopes. In addition to gouache, I use a wide variety of tools and materials for calligraphy and illustration. 

Here are some of the products I use and recommend.

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Both of these watercolor paper pads are great, for different purposes. The 140lb Canson Cold Press Watercolor Paper is the perfect weight for foldover cards. The 300lb Fluid 100 Cold Press Watercolor Paper is beautiful and thick; great for single panel cards.



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The 36 color Kuretake Watercolor set is a great bargain and the colors are lovely and vibrant. The set even includes some metallic colors.

I recommend having a tube of Opera Rose watercolor on hand, because this hot pink hue is not included in the Kuretake set. I use that color a lot in my work!

The Lumi Accent Colors are vibrant and almost flourescent. These colors are great for adding touches of brilliance to your paintings.



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I use both watercolor and gouache in my work. Both mediums are water based, and can be used together or separately. This Winsor and Newton Gouache Set includes the 10 basic colors. These paints can be mixed with the Opera Rose and Lumi colors shown above.

This 30-well palette is wonderful for mixing gouache colors. If the gouache dries out overnight, it can easily be reconstituted with a little water.



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The Paul Rubens Metallic Watercolors are sooo gorgeous that I use them on just about every hand painted card! They have a beautiful shimmery, metallic quality and can be used in conjunction with other water based mediums. 

The Finetec Pearlescent Watercolors are luxurious and quite opaque, and the set includes a variety of golds and copper. They’re wonderful for hand lettering with a brush or a dip pen. 

Nuvo Drops are a fun new product that reminds me of cookie icing. I like to use it as accents on envelopes. When it dries, it’s shiny and slightly dimensional, and it’s also very durable. I used Nuvo Drops for the dotted writing on the pink envelope shown at the top of this post. 

Diamond Stickles is also perfect for glittery accents. And, they are very durable, which is a consideration for mailable art.



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Paper Mate pencils are great for preliminary sketching, because the points are very fine, and they produce a pale line.

I use a Faber Castell Kneaded Eraser for sketches because it is very gentle on the paper. One of these erasers will last a long time!

I use a Stabilo Watercolor Pencil for preliminary sketching on colored envelopes, because a regular pencil line wouldn’t show up.

Pigma Micron Pens are great for writing addresses and sketching. The point is very precise and long-lasting.

I like to use the White Signo Uni-ball Gel Pen for addressing envelopes. It’s opaque and shows up really beautifully on medium and darker color papers.

The Princeton Heritage Brush set includes 4 different brushes in a variety of sizes. Princeton makes high quality, durable brushes that are beautiful for both painting and lettering.

I use Pentel Aquash brushes almost every day. The nylon points are very precise and long-lasting. These brushes are ideal for for traveling. When I’m in my home studio, I use them for painting as I would a regular brush, without adding water to the barrel. 



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Look at all the pretty colors! Paper Source envelopes are the best! The high quality paper is perfect for both painting and lettering.

The Envelope Punch Board is a brilliant, indispensable tool that enables you to make your own envelopes from any paper! The simple directions are included on the board for making 66 different envelope sizes and shapes. 



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Dr. Ph Martin’s Bleedproof White is a very opaque, premixed gouache. Mix it with watercolor, gouache and other water based mediums for increased opacity.

I use Dr. Ph Martin’s Black Star India Ink for addressing envelopes, because the matte finish is waterproof.

Lawn Fawndamentals Glue Tube is a good quality white glue with a fine point. Perfect for making your own envelopes with the Envelope Punch Board.

I recently discovered this Postage Stamp Washi Tape and use it as an accent for envelopes and notecards.

This sweet Special Delivery Clear Stamp set will be showing up on all of my future correspondence!

The Par Avion Rubber Stamp Set includes some great French postage-themed designs. It’s packaged in a cute tin, and includes a black ink pad. 


I’m sure you have lots of ideas for making beautiful correspondence. Now, let’s start painting! We hope to see you on May 15!

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Woodland Mushroom Card

I really enjoy sending handmade cards and lately, I’ve been sending more than usual. I dearly miss my friends, and want to stay in touch during these times when we can’t actually see each other in person. This whimsical mushroom card is perfect for all occasions, and loved by both adults and children.

The woodland theme for this card makes it delightful and charming. There’s plenty of room inside for a heartfelt note. And, this beautiful hand painted card will be displayed and enjoyed for years to come.

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Please check out my Instagram post for the diy video!

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This Woodland Mushroom card uses supplies you may already own and have on hand.


M A T E R I A L S   for the card

downloadable mushroom card sketch

watercolor paper

stainless steel ruler

exacto knife

bone folder

pencil and eraser

watercolor set

brush set

brush

masking fluid

rubber cement pickup

white glue

hermafix or paper clips or binder clips

clear glitter

scissors large

scissors small

M A T E R I A L S  for (optional) envelope

envelope punch board

kraft paper


D I R E C T I O N S

Measure and cut a 5″ x 14″ piece of watercolor paper. Using a bone folder, score a horizontal line at 7″. Burnish the fold line, and fold the card in half. The fold line will be at the top edge of the card.

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Sketch the mushrooms on the card front, using the downloadable sketch as reference. Your drawing doesn’t need to be exact, but make sure the large mushroom meets the top fold to provide a 1.5″ wide hinge area.


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Apply masking fluid to the dots. Let the masking fluid dry thoroughly for 30-60 minutes, until it becomes almost clear. By making several cards at once, you can stagger the drying times.


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Paint the mushroom, stem, and flowers. Let the paint dry for at least 30 minutes.

Sketch the door, using the downloadable sketch as a guide. Loosely cut it out and paint the door front. When dry, fold it in half and cut it out.

Cut out the mushroom card. Use Hermafix (or paper clips or binder clips) to temporarily hold the front and back panels together. Begin cutting with large scissors, and then use small scissors to cut detail areas.

Remove the masking fluid from the mushroom dots, using the rubber cement pickup.


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Paint white glue on the dots using a small paint brush. Generously apply clear glitter. Shake off excess.


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Glue the door on to the card. Write a message inside the card.

Make an (optional) coordinating envelope using kraft paper and the Envelope Punch Board.


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Since there’s a bit of down time involved in making this card, you could make several of them at once. While you’re waiting for one to dry, you can move on to the next one. Let’s support for the USPS and send lots of handmade cards!

Many thanks to my friend and talented papercrafter Debi Adams for this lovely photo.

Happy crafting!

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My Favorite Watercolor Essentials

During these months of quarantine, I’ve enjoyed teaching virtual painting sessions with friends almost daily. It’s incredibly fun and such a special way to create together and stay connected. It’s one of the happiest parts of my day, and really fills my heart and soul and creative spirit. 

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Some of my artist friends have been painting for years, and others are just getting started. Together, we paint colorful landscapes, florals and abstracts inspired by Klee, Matisse and Picasso.

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It’s exhilarating to try new techniques and subject matter, seen through the eyes of these inspiring artists. I’m learning so much from them!

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Since I’ve compiled a list of essential supplies for these painting sessions, I thought it would be helpful to share this information. Shopping for paints, paper and brushes can be daunting, because there are so many possibilities. But with a few well-chosen supplies, painting can be a joyful, carefree and creative experience. So if you’re new to watercolor or simply want to refresh your current stash, here are some essentials I use every day and recommend.


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I’ve always loved Winsor & Newton tube paints and think they are wonderful but they are very pricey. This Kuretake Watercolor Set (36 colors for $33.25), is a great deal and the quality is remarkable. The colors are vibrant and saturated, and they diffuse beautifully. 

I use Dr. Martin’s Bleedproof White ($9.99) for both painting and lettering. It’s highly concentrated and is even more opaque than white gouache. I combine it with Kuretake watercolors when I want an opaque effect. 

I recommend a tube of Winsor and Newton Opera Rose Watercolor ($8.48), because this color isn’t included in the Kuretake set, and it can’t be made by combining other colors. It’s essential for those of us who LOVE pink!


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Princeton Heritage brushes are a pleasure to use, because they hold a lot of color and keep a perfect point. The set of four different sizes and shapes is a great deal ($29.90). 

The Princeton Heritage size 16 brush is excellent for painting large washy areas ($18.27).

Arteza Water Brush Pens ($11.89) are convenient for traveling or painting in the garden. Just unscrew the reservoir and fill with water. Reattach reservoir and squeeze gently to release water. When I fly, I take these brushes on the airplane and paint on my tiny tray!


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The Canson Watercolor Paper Pad ($13.16) is good practice paper and very economical. I really enjoy sending hand painted correspondence, and this paper is the perfect weight for cards, envelopes and tags.

If you want the very best quality watercolor paper, Arches Cold Pressed Watercolor Paper ($48.85) is a dream to paint on. The gummed pad allows for beautiful washes that will not buckle the paper. After the painting is completely dry, it can easily be removed from the pad using a bone folder (shown below).


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When you’re ready to begin painting, use any household spray water bottle or purchase these spray bottles ($7.39) to moisten your paints with a fine mist to soften paint cakes. They will be ready to use within minutes.

The butcher tray ($14.16) palette is a great surface for mixing watercolor, because it’s white and perfectly flat. Alternatively, if you’re on a budget, use a white dinner plate or platter instead. 


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Papermate Sharpwriter mechanical pencils ($5.36) are great because they keep a nice point and they’re perfect for preliminary sketching. 

A kneaded eraser ($3.80) will last for years. It’s a gentle way to erase or lighten pencil lines, and will not harm the paper surface like other erasers can.

A bone folder ($6.99) is essential for separating paintings from the gummed Arches pad. Its many other uses include scoring and folding paper to make greeting cards and tags. 


For online watercolor instruction, Creativebug is a wonderful resource. You’ll find inspiring classes for all levels of experience on a wide variety of subjects, including drawing, painting, composition, color mixing and collage.

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Yao Cheng teaches classes for beginners and experienced painters, and shares valuable information about supplies and techniques. 

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These florals are part of a lesson in Yao Cheng’s Intermediate Watercolor class, which I highly recommend.

Thanks for visiting today! I hope this information is helpful and you’re excited to begin painting. B

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DIY Embellished T-Shirt

I hope you and your loved ones are all safe, happy and well during this most unusual time. My family and I are fortunately enjoying good health. And now that we have some free time, we’re keeping busy with a long list of projects we have been planning but haven’t had the opportunity to begin until now: building dry stack stone walls in our garden, baking bread, making soup, mending clothes and embroidering. I find that any kind of stitchery project is very calming, particularly right now. 

Today I have a project that combines both applique and stitchery. Applique is a technique of adhering one piece of fabric to another. In this project we’ll use iron-on fusible web to adhere embellished designs to a t-shirt. It’s very easy and such a satisfying project! And you’ll make a wonderful gift that children will treasure and enjoy, using some supplies that you may already have, like fabric scissors, needles, embroidery floss and felt.

This project features the Storytime Softie Panel fabric from my recent children’s collection for Blend Fabrics, with whimsical characters and bright, happy colors.

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Just a few notes before we begin: 

:: I use 100% wool felt for projects because it looks more natural and feels softer than synthetic felt. 

:: I use only good quality embroidery floss, like DMC, because the threads are colorfast and won’t fade or run when washed. DMC products are widely available at craft stores.

:: The felt details and all of the hand stitching are done prior to attaching the image to the shirt, so that the image is smaller and easier to stitch. Also, the embroidery stitches are not visible inside the t-shirt, where the knots might irritate the child’s skin. 

:: The applique images fit best on t-shirts size 5 or larger.


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For this t-shirt, I embellished the fox face with wool felt on the nose and ears. I also hand-embroidered the spots, ears and whiskers. When the embellishing was all complete, I appliqued the fox face on to the t-shirt and reinforced it with machine stitching. All the details are included in the directions below.


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Each of the six designs in this fabric is about 8 x 8″ -  the perfect size to applique on a child’s t-shirt, pillowcase, apron or tote bag. So many possibilities!


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M A T E R I A L S

Storytime Softie Panel

t-shirt (solid color, stripes or subtle pattern), size 5 or larger

wool felt (assorted colors)

sewing pins

embroidery floss  (assorted colors)

embroidery needles

sewing machine

white sewing thread

sewing scissors

embroidery scissors (optional)

embroidery hoop, 10″

two-sided fusible web, lite

iron and ironing board or towel


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D I R E C T I O N S

Prewash the Storytime Softie Panel fabric and the t-shirt (or pillowcase or tote bag) and dry in the dryer. Iron the fabric. Select the image you’d like to use, and cut it out along the straight edges, as shown in the photo above. You want the fabric to be larger than the embroidery hoop. 

Applique Wool Felt. Loosely cut out felt for the ears and nose, leaving a 1/2′ margin around the edges. Iron fusible web on to the felt, following directions provided on the packaging. Next, cut the felt to the desired shapes. Peel off the backing and iron on to the image. 

Embellish. Place the fabric into the 10″ embroidery hoop and pull it taut. Hand-embroider details, like ears, nose, whiskers, spots … whatever you choose. Take your time and have fun with this step! For the fox shown above, I appliqued blue felt for the nose and pink felt for the ears and then added embroidered details, using a running stitch for the ears and a satin stitch for the spots. 

Applique image. Cut out the image, using the grey cut line indicated on the fabric. Iron fusible webbing on to the back of the image. Next, cut around the actual edge of the image (the colored edge). Peel off the fusible web backing and iron on to the t-shirt.


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Machine stitch around the edges of the image, plus any other details you’d like to accentuate. With the t-shirt turned inside out, use steam or spray starch to iron the applique area one last time.


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This project can be done more easily by omitting the embellishing steps. Simply applique an image to a t-shirt using fusible webbing. 

Or … you can add dimensional embellishments as I’ve done, with felt, hand embroidery and machine stitching. It’s a slower process but very gratifying. Either way, it’s a charming and sweet project that will delight the little ones in your life! 


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You can use coordinating fabrics from the Storytime Collection to make tote bags, aprons or pillowcases embellished with these colorful applique designs. 


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Please stay well, hug your loved ones … and happy crafting! 

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DIY Springtime Garden Corsage

While crafting together, my friends and I recently had an epiphany. 

For many years, we’ve been collecting precious, beautiful treasures found at yard sales, estate sales, rummage sales and thrift shops. As a result, our craft rooms are overflowing with all the things (too many things!) that we love: vintage millinery flowers, pom poms, embroidery threads and stacks of colorful wool felt, carefully tucked away for that special day when we would finally use them. 

Well, that day has arrived!

If you have vintage embellishments and treasures you’ve been saving and are now ready to use, this project is perfect for you! 

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These floral corsages are gorgeous and will make a memorable handmade gift. You’ll have lots of fun combining colors and textures with felt, millinery stamens and flowers, vintage beads, faux mushrooms and whatever else you happen to have in your stash!

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S U P P L I E S 

* downloadable template

* scissors (for paper and for fabric); pinking shears (optional)

* hot glue

* quick dry white glue

* wool felt (assorted colors)

* small piece white poster board (4″ x 3″)

* needles and thread

* thin florist wire

* brooch pin

* embroidery threads

* elements for embellishments, like millinery flowers and stamens, buttons, old jewelry, velvet leaves, pompoms and mushrooms

Rose die, Sizzix #656545 (optional)


I N S T R U C T I O N S

Cut out the pieces. On a copier, enlarge or reduce the template shapes to the sizes indicated. Select the desired felt colors from your collection and cut one large flower as the focal point, four medium flowers, and five leaves. For the pin back base, loosely cut an oval piece of poster board and a piece of felt (slightly larger than the oval on the pdf). 

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Assemble the flowers. For a dimensional appearance, pinch each flower in the center and stitch through the center area in an X shape to make the petals pucker slightly. Then assemble the flowers by stacking three or four layers, adjusting the positioning as you go. Stitch or hot glue them together. For a special touch, add an embellishment in the flower center.

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Assemble the leaves. For added detail on the leaves, hand stitch a line down the middle of each, using three strands of embroidery thread in a contrasting color. Hot glue (or white glue) a piece of florists wire down the center back of each leaf, so leaf shape can be styled.

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Assemble the base. Stitch the brooch pin on to the felt oval, positioning it above the horizontal center. Use hot glue to adhere the felt oval on to the loosely cut piece of tag board. 

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Next, use the oval template provided to cut the pin back base with scissors or pinking shears. As an optional final touch, hot glue a velvet leaf on top of the brooch pin.

Ok, now for the exciting part! 

Assemble the corsage. Turn the base over, right side up, and position the flowers as desired. Beginning with the largest flower, hot glue it onto the backing piece. Next, hot glue the smaller flowers in place. Finally, hot glue the leaves in place. 

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When your Springtime Garden Corsage is complete, wrap it up with a pretty satin bow. Happy crafting!

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New Storytime Fabric Collection

I’m very excited to introduce Storytime, my newest collection for Blend Fabrics. I‘ve always loved vintage children’s book illustrations, and have collected antique books for many years. Several of those charming illustrations served as inspiration for this children’s collection of eleven different fabrics.

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I thought you might enjoy seeing a little bit about how I design a fabric collection.

First, I draw rough sketches in pencil on tracing paper. When I’m happy with the designs, I transfer the refined sketches to watercolor paper and then begin the painting process. 

For Storytime, I wanted an opaque appearance to the painting, typical of vintage children’s book illustration. All of the illustrations in this collection were painted in gouache, an opaque type of watercolor. It’s water soluble and very easy to use.

I use Winsor & Newton gouache and Canson Watercolor paper. My favorite brushes for gouache are Princeton Round. I use several different sizes, but the one I use most often is size 8. The brushes are well made, and hold a beautiful point for detail work.

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Once the paintings are complete, the illustrations are scanned, the elements are “cut out” and arranged into a repeat pattern in Photoshop. This process may take many hours (sometimes even days - eek!), finessing and refining elements so the repeat looks completely natural. And finally, I like to experiment with several different background colors until I find something that sings!

The completed Photoshop files are sent by Blend Fabrics to be printed overseas, onto high-quality white quilting fabric. The printed fabrics are wound onto bolts and shipped all over the world for creative crafters to enjoy! 

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I’m very happy with the finished fabrics, and the colors are just as bright as my original illustrations! I can imagine so many fun projects to make with them!

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I’m really excited about The Daydreams Softie Panel fabric! It includes instructions to make darling, three-dimensional softies. It’s also perfect for creating appliques for pillowcases or children’s tshirts, using two-sided fusible web. 

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The Storytime Collection will be available online soon!

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Embellished Paper Valentine Slipper

I’ve always loved crafting for Valentine’s season, making special cards, honeycomb garlands and favor boxes for friends. So when I saw this adorable project by Jan Hobbins, I was smitten! Jan’s project uses my Ballroom Slipper die from Sizzix to make this darling little shoe, which measures about 5″ long when assembled. It’s the perfect size to tuck in a sweet treat, a love note or a small gift. 

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The Ballroom Slipper is surprisingly quick and easy to assemble! Hop on over to Jan’s blog post and this video for helpful DIY details. 

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Jan added a little ribbon loop to the back of the shoe as a Valentine’s ornament. 

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Embellish your shoe with hearts and glitter, all available at scrapbook.com. Many thanks to Jan for your inspiring project!

Wishing you and your sweetie a very happy Valentine’s Day!

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California Dreaming

I have long adored the bold and luminous watercolors of artist and textile designer Helen Dealtry, based in New York City. You may be familiar with her scarves and home decor products, and her bedding and murals for Anthropologie. When my friend Dena Fishbein and I noticed Helen’s Instagram announcement of an upcoming Northern California workshop, we immediately signed up!

“A Day of Floral Painting and Arranging” was held at Front Porch Farm in the lush and verdant Healdsburg countryside. Colorful flowers and organic fruits and veggies grow abundantly in the surrounding fields ~ the perfect setting for a day of botanical bliss!

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How amazing to see Helen’s demos in person, and to begin to understand her approach to painting. She uses a lot of water when she paints, working very quickly and deliberately, and she stands up, swaying to and fro and instilling joy and enthusiasm into every brush stroke. 

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Our hostess, Front Porch Farm owner Mimi Buckley, provided a continuous feast throughout the day.

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Helen showed us how to observe subtle details in the leaves and flowers.

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Many thanks to Paige Green for so beautifully documenting this memorable day with her gorgeous photos.

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Dena dove right in and made the magic happen! Although we have been painting with watercolor for many years, we both are very excited about learning new techniques.

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After a beautiful lunch, we learned how to arrange flowers with professional florist and farmer Zoe Hitchner. Following Zoe’s demo, we each created an arrangement from a gorgeous selection of colorful dahlias, persimmons, roses, boysenberries and cockscomb ~ all fresh from the gardens of Front Porch Farm.

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It was wonderful to see the variety of gorgeous floral arrangements created by the students!

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Dena and I enjoyed making new friends from all over the country in this bucolic setting. Many thanks to Helen, Zoe, Mimi and Front Porch Farm for a very special day!

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Everyday Collections for K&Company

This sampling of collections designed for K&Company includes designer papers, embellishments and albums for scrapbooking and card making. The designs and color palettes were inspired by my travels, flea market discoveries, and by my garden.

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