Summer ~ Snow Day?

Thank you to everyone who left me such sweet comments on my "Where Bloggers Create" post.  The  giveaway is now closed and the winner of the $25 gift certificate is Angela P.   Angela has been contacted.

Well here I am again in Issue 82 of Scrapbooking Magazine.
I know it's hard to think of snow while we are enjoying this beautiful sunny weather but I loved these photos and they were a perfect fit for for the sketch challenge this month.

Here is the sketch:

And here is my layout:

My simple technique for this layout was to use paint sample strips on the layout.  I used a large one on the top right side and two coordinating ones along the bottom, secured with brads.

I also love printing on my photos and it's so easy to do using Photoshop Elements.  A lot of blank space on the top photo made it a perfect canvas for adding text.

The text on the yellow paint sample is actually a rub-on.

Thanks for stopping by, have yourself a great day!

Where Bloggers Create 2014

This is my third year participating in Karen Valentine's "Where Bloggers Create" blog party over at My Desert Cottage.  I love looking at everyone's creative space and hope you take a minute to browse through my sewing studio.

This is the room where I spend most of my days and (sometimes) evenings!  It's where I create my custom designed personalized baby blankets for my business Sun 7 Designs.  I hope you enjoy taking a tour of my favourite room in the house.

This is the machine that I use to sew the blankets together.  It's a heavy duty Mega Quilter and I couldn't survive without it.

 I love receiving thank you cards from my customers and keep every single one on display!

My aqua Ikea cart that holds all my packaging and shipping supplies.

I keep my winning ribbons displayed in a shadow box frame on my wall.  I'm proud of what I have accomplished!

 I have three embroidery machines and, on a busy day, all of them are humming at once!  Love having my TV on and catching up with daytime television - ALL DAY!
My printer's tray on the wall holds a few of the hundreds of thread colours that I have for sewing.
Embroidery threads are in two storage cases kept in the cupboard.

 This is my newest and most favourite machine.  6 Needle Embroidery Machine!  I use an Ikea CD tower to store all my fat quarters which I use for my owl's wings and fabric teething toys.  I love having such a great selection.  And these buttons are my favourite - purchased last month from Ikea.

I love buttons and have these ones hanging above the painted threaded needle on the wall.

My sewing table is my pride and joy and was custom made for me many years ago by my dear father-in-law.

 I'm a big collector of mannequins and have several displayed all over my studio.  I recently recovered the one in the corner in alphabet burlap and added a few trinkets to her.

Love the cute camera necklace hanging from her.

All my trinkets and treasures on display along the top wall shelves.  I collect vintage sewing treasures and I'm always on the hunt for a new addition to my collection.

I found this shopping cart on wheels at a local garage sale this summer and have plans to make a fabric liner for it and store some of my 38 colours of Minkee fabric in there.

38 Colours of Minkee stored in 3 X-large Rubbermaid containers and on bolts.

My daughter bought me this adorable bicycle bin and I use it to store my Minkee fabric ends.  These remnants will eventually turn into stuffed Owls and Scottie Dogs.

I have 8 of these cubby holes where I store all my cotton and supplies for my burp pads, teething toys and car seat canopies.  Notice my cute "owl" containers holding my teething toy rings!

Ribbon for making my Softie (Taggie) Blankets.

My doll pram is one of my treasures.  I have used it as a display at trade shows and am saving it for a future grand daughter to play with.  I have a bit of an addiction to prams and have 4 of them, including a real Silver Cross that I used when my children were babies.

A vintage miniature doll crib that I got at an antique store on our way to Phoenix last year.  It's adorable and in beautiful condition.  And below that, my collection of old wooden spools.

The inside of the closet.  Never seems to be enough room, but I try and keep it organized.... Being so busy, I need to know where everything is.

Thanks for taking the time to stroll through my studio with me.  If you would like to follow my blog and leave me a comment your name will be entered into the draw for a $25 credit to my store.  If you "like" me on Facebook I will give you an extra entry into the draw.  Thanks and good luck!

Sun 7 Designs creates custom designed personalized baby blankets and other baby products in Calgary AB Canada and ships worldwide.  All items are handmade by me and are all customizable to coordinate with your baby's nursery or theme.

So now, re-fill your coffee and take some time to look through all the other studios on Karen's link-up page and leave them some love as well.  

Interiors to Inspire *class*

This past Friday night I took a class at Interiors to Inspire.   It's a local store here in Calgary and the girls here are so friendly and helpful.  This year I've been having a hard time getting to all my DIY projects due to lack of time so decided to take an evening for myself and take this class "Garden Friends".   Hoping it will inspire me to finish a few projects of my own - and that it did!

We started with these two adorable raw pieces and painted them with the first coat of Annie Sloan chalk paint.  This is the base coat that will show through on the finished product.  I chose antique white for my bird and grey for my owl.  

Choosing the paint colours was the hardest part of this class as they have so many beautiful colours to choose from.

The bird was then painted with a thin crackle medium and, after letting him dry for about 20 minutes, I put the final coat of paint on.  Choosing pink.  I lightly sanded him to bring out the antique white colour underneath which gave him that weathered look.  Up close you can see the fine cracks that the crackle medium created.

I rubbed the entire owl with a piece of candle wax and then painted him with the bright red paint.  I used a light sanding pad all over and removed the paint from the parts of the owl that were waxed letting the grey show through.  

Everybody's turned out completely different and they all looked amazing.  It was such a fun group of girls (10 in total) and Interiors to Inspire provided drinks and snacks and lots of laughter.

I put my bird on a shelf in my bedroom and my owl is in my kitchen.

I can't wait to take another class from these ladies.  If you are in Calgary, you have to check them out.  They will help you with any project and for a small fee, you can use their workshop where they will give you ideas, guide you through your project and keep the mess out of your house!