May Day is here as I type, and I'm back up in New York again, spending time with the younger two Grandbabies. The weather hasn't cooperated much with getting outside, but it's supposed to stop raining and warm up some. The ChiefHubby went back home to Indiana and reported in that it's the same weather there. He's hoping to check back into our "patch" after a surprising find of Indiana morel mushrooms- 107 of them to be exact- in only a 5-minute walk last week. I wasn't expecting to find anything yet, since it was still a bit dryer than usual for my finds. The dates were right, but it was too chilly out as well. But I decided to take a "fast 5-minute walk to just be sure". I got as far as the first 3 of those minutes when I spied a nice huge shroom. Always one to follow the adage of "there's always more if there's ONE"...I spied another... and another... and I nearly passed out when I took a good look all around me and found myself in the middle of a MOTHERLODE! That's only happened a hand full of times in my lifetime of shrooming, but when it has happened, it's quite exhilarating! I used to take HunniPi with me all the time, up to one point when she decided the morels were for peeing on. That was her last trip. I mean, thanks for helping find one, PuppiPi, but that's the line drawn for me. (I still miss her dearly.) I tried to get all of them into my arms as I plucked them up, but they were all so big (final measurements came to almost all 4-6 inches with the largest 2 being 7 1/2 inches each), I could only carry a few at a time. I certainly was not expecting to actually find one in the chill of the day, so I had nothing but an extra T-shirt to take off and pile them onto. I texted the ChiefHubby to round up Peanut and Princess (who were spending the afternoon with us) and come back to help me. Once they got within 20 feet of me, they were also finding a bunch themselves that I hadn't gotten to yet. Since we were leaving the next day for NY, there was no way for us to process so many of them, and we were able to share the bounty with some of our neighbors/friends close by, then took 3 prepped bags of them in salt water up to NY.
photo), he carried that 6 foot stuffed Mickey Mouse over his shoulder. The first kid is always the guinea pig who breaks in the Parents and then later breaks their hearts when he's the first to leave the nest. The nervousness of being a new Mom and new Dad gets worn away by that first baby. Brian was our big 'teddy bear' and was always great with younger kids than himself. Brett actually did the picking on his older brother- which brought a lot of fun with it... and a broken bed frame or two from jumping & tackling between 3 BIG kids: Brian, Brett, and DAD! I/m so very proud of the man Brian has become! He's fought his way and has achieved quite a lot more than most at his age. More than anything; he is Daddy to his 2 precious children who adore him! They had help from Mommy getting a cake and singing "Happy Birthday" to him over last weekend. The younger Grandbabies will have helped me sing "Happy 34th Birthday" to him via Facetime on Tuesday.
Of course, I'm keeping up with my crafting while I am up here in New York again- even as busy as I am with the Grandbabies! And with both my Sons having had their birthdays within the past 3 weeks of each other (April 14th and May 2nd), it reminds me that I was "Mom" well before I was "Memaw". When my FurryBaby, Hunni Pi, passed a few weeks ago; I caught myself thinking that my "Mom" days were now over. But that's far from true; the real truth is that I will always be a Mom. Once a Mom; always a Mom! Our kids will always need us in some way; whether to advise them, help them in some way, to gather the family together, or just be there for them to know the comfort that we're still here. A Mom's work is never done when it comes to her Children- that love never ends! And since May is also the month for Mother's Day, Linda, owner of The Funkie Junkie Boutique, has a theme just for MOM this next two weeks on Inspiration Ave! We're crafting up a spring storm of inspirational makes based on "We Love You, Mom!", Scroll along with me and see what I came up with...
It began with some Happy Mail from The Funkie Junkie Boutique !
I couldn't wait to get my hands on the brand-new Tim Holtz Rotary
Eileen Hull's Tiny Book Bigz Die was on clearance, and I got it at a great deal of a price!
These dies sold out quickly, but you'll find others, so
be sure to always check out the Clearance section at TFJB!
My main inside materials came in that Happy Mail:
all the brown wrapper paper!!
It's always great to recycle and reuse as much as possible. :)
I simply measured how wide the book shape was from the die,
and then cut stacks of about 10 layers until it was all cut basically the same shape and size.
Look how clean and easy that new TH Rotary Media Trimmer slices!
And I tried out matboard and other materials- just practicing with it.
All materials cut very nicely and evenly without moving around.
Once I had it all cut, I sewed stacks of 10 sheets together.
I cut the bases from matboard, but also had some thin, ribbed cardboard
that I always save from new pillowcases and sheet sets.
I cut a couple of those out, unsure of which would work best for these books.
Remember that "Let's Get Cozy" paper set from #3 Frozen Winter project?
Well, like I said then: this package of paper isn't just for winter...
that bunny quilting looked perfect for 2 of my books!
Here. I've cut out the outsides and insides of the cover bases.
I also cut buckles and some rounded discs and keys- not sure what all I would use- or not.
I simply started sewing all around the edges, and odd stitches here and there.
I also stopped to sew up several pairs of shorts and pants on the hemlines
for my ChiefHubby. I sewed SO MUCH...
I literally ran out of thread in one day!
All that was left was enough to fill one last bobbin.
I got out an old (Retired) Tim Holtz Bigz Die Sewing Room.
It had cute button and spool shapes.
I got kind of an assembly line going for the books themselves...
...when I decided to ditch the matboard and go with the ribbed cardboard.
To keep your spool flat: cut 2 spools and use only the middle of one.
After adhering the ends, use them to secure the thread,
wind it up the middle of the spool and secure to the other end.
The spool will lay flat on the top of the book.
I decided to glaze the button and one key.
The keys would make a cute bookmark on a ribbon through the spines.
It's time to sew the spines to the stacks.
Yes, I did retrim all the paper stacks. I left all the threads on,
as those would tuck under the covers.
I used a couple of firm clips to help me get those stitches in- as well as a pair of pliers!
Tying a couple of embellishment weights
(charms and IdeaOlogy) then adding the buckle to secure the ribbon.
Most of my ribbons are FREEBIE gifts that come with Happy Mail from TFJB!
Last is gluing all the covers in place and the embellishments.
Here's a list of helpful links for products used:
(Retired) Tim Holtz Alterations Bigz Die Sewing Room (not available)
Eileen Hull Bigz Die Tiny Book (no longer available)
For our older Daughter, Ashley.
For our younger Daughter, Holli.
For my Mother
The Backside of my own- as a Mom, too!
Closeup of stitching.
Closeup of inside bookmark key in my own Notebook,
The pages are crinkly and easily able to be torn out for use as scrap notes.
Backsides of all Notebooks.
Thanks, once again, for joining me for the start of our new theme,
"We Love You, Mom!"
Please, join along as each Design Team Member adds their own project to
You're sure to find some new and exciting products sampled that will be stocked by
and be available for shipping in the coming days!
To all you MOMs out there:
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!
Until next time...
Happy Blogging!!
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