Book of Mormon Card Game

My husband Micah has been blessed with the opportunity to illustrate a card game with a couple friends here in Houston, TX.  We want to spread the word to all who would be interested in this artistic venture of Micah's.

It will be on Kickstarter.com to raise money to fund the production of the game starting Monday, April 21st and will be open for donations for 60 days.  The way Kickstarter works is you pledge an amount of money and when the goal is reached, everyone receives the promised merchandise, according to the amount you pledge.  (If the goal isn't reached the money is never collected-no loss to you.)  Here is more info on Micah's blog.

We hope you like the game!  I've played it and it's lot of fun.  It is a lot like "Mafia".  The name of the game is "Reign of the Judges" and is based off of events and characters of the Book of Mormon.  

If you think the artwork looks great right now, you will be further impressed.  Please check back to the kickstarter website for more updated images of the card game.  If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment on the kickstarter website! (only backers can leave feedback...)

Please pass on this info to anyone you know who might be interested in this game or just interested in funding a worthwhile project.  Thanks!

Crystal Heart Lace Chokers for My Valentines DIY

I went shopping at a bead shop last week with a coupon- buy one get one free.  If only I didn't know I could get unlimited amounts of strands with this deal I wouldn't have bought so many.  Oh, well.  My little girl was with me and was so very patient that I let her pick out a strand of the most beautiful ones (she liked).  She chose some lavender cut glass hearts.  And so I made a Valentine's Day necklace for each of my girls.  Here are some instructions:

Christmas Fabric Folk Doll Ornaments

I had fun making more folk dolls for someone who needed them for their church school. There were 30 dolls in all, so I decided to make a larger variety- the ones with the sari's are one of my newer ones.

Bridal Headband for an Indian Bride

A few weeks ago I was contacted by a local woman asking if I could make a special headpiece for her to wear for her wedding.  She was planning to wear a silver and beige top with ivory and pearl net sari.  I was a little intimidated with the request because her wedding was in 4 weeks and I've never made something like she was requesting.  (Not to mention she was VERY specific about how she wanted it to look and even how it would be made.)


She sent me the extra piece of fabric from her top and her sari, a few pictures, a call on the phone, and I made it.  She was actually very ecstatic expressing her appreciation and approval when she saw the finished piece (that really helps my self-confidence!)  And here is the finished piece.  I have to say, I 'dream' about doing business and seeking approval of my work from people in other cultures that I admire.  I was pretty excited to share the news with a few family members and friends that I had this little commission.  Below shows the process and the photo of the piece that inspired the bride.

the process

It is made with sari top brocade, felt, bias tape, embroidered pieces from the sari, pearls, and ribbon.

photo from etsy-click here to see

Gold and Green Sari Jewelry

I really liked a bracelet that my friend Dora had in her Etsy shop but, of course, I had to see if I could make one myself for myself.  I looked all over at bead stores to find the beads, certain that she found them nearby.  Nope, she found them at a bead show a long time ago.  So I looked online and found some that would work pretty well for me.  I had bought these gold beads recently and thought they might look good together.  I got distracted and still haven't made the one like Dora's.  I need better garnets...

Dora makes awesome jewelry!

I don't usually make necklaces, but thought I would try this one out.  I usually make head jewelry.

I've listed this in my shop if you're interested.

Thanks!

How to Sew Small Circles on a Ladybug Pattern

If you haven't seen these before, you can purchase an inexpensive pattern to make one yourself here.  Here's  a tip on how to sew those small little dots on with a satin stitch that actually looks good.

If you want to make one from my pattern you can find it here.

First off, pin the dots where you want them. My first thought is to use a baste stitch, or a long stitch (length 4), but it is actually less secure for when you use the satin stitching. Use a normal stitch length (2-3) and sew very close to the raw edge of the dot- See Below Picture. (If you want extra secure dots, use 'wonder-under' or other double sided fusible interfacing.)

Use the side wheel to hand 'crank each stitch so that it doesn't veer off the curve, pivoting the fabric every 3 or so stitches.

For the Satin Stitching, use Zig Zag stitch with a length at about 0.5 or near 0. Keep your hand on the wheel to pivot it every 3 or so stitches so it has a uniform look to it- Otherwise it will look more like polygon. If you want it to look really good, patience is the key.

For the more confident seamstress, just slowly sew using both hands to constantly pivot to make the curve. I admit, I wasn't as patient as I could have been while making this ladybug. I think the next one is the one I will list in my etsy shop.

Idealeon

Green and Brown Head Piece

I made this simple head piece with some of my favorite colors: Green and Brown.  I like the colors of Nature.  I'm trying to maybe make more simple jewelry that would be more versatile to wear more places than just Renaissance Festival.

Idealeon.com

Etsy Shop