There's nothing I like better than bragging about my friends and their crafting success stories.  Most especially my "sister" Tracy...I like to think that I was helpful in lighting her passion for crafting by showing her that crafting is not only fun, but very fulfilling when you give a gift that you made from the heart.  As I recall, she was one of my bestest students! 

I saw Tracy a week or so ago, and she told me that she has 3 nieces that are having babies and that she wanted to handcraft something for them.  She just sent me some pics of what she made for one of them and I wanted to share them with you.  So, so cute!

  Mommy Brag Book (Pretty in Pink)

  Baby Blanket

Gee, I wonder if she's having a boy or a girl?   

If you wanted to take it even further with this, you could make some burpy cloths by embellishing the burpy with the same fabric. 

What a great job you did Tracy!  I'm so proud of you!!!

 It's almost Valentine's Day!

Here's a really simple and cute craft  item that you can make for a little girl. 

It's a little handbag made out of felt.  Here's what you'll need:

2 pieces of felt, needle, thread, scissors, embellishment (optional)

Cut felt to shape/size that you want your bag to be.  (2 pieces - This particular bag is 6"x8". )  Pin pieces together.  When you get to the top of the bag, fold the top flaps forward so that you see the inside of the felt and pin.  Then sew together with a blanket or straight stitch.  Cut strips of different lengths and tie together for the handle and then stitch handle to attach to bag.  Embellishment is optional.  (Buttons, or ribbons work great.)

Fill the bag with Valentine goodies or a card!

Sorry folks, I was MIA last week tending to family matters on the Big Island.  Before I left, I did manage to get started on my "first ever" patchwork quilt.  I was able to cut the fabric in preparation for sewing. 

  Recycling a bunch of  old aloha shirts.

 My "tools".

 Cutting, cutting, cutting...

 One square down, many, many more to go.

Okay, I've watched the tutorials, cut my fabric, have my batting ready, and now...I'm ready to sew!  YIKES...I'm running out of time, my gift needs to be ready before the end of this month!

OMG, it's already the middle of January!  I took a little break from my holiday crafting madness, and am ready to get going again.  Here's a couple of ideas that I've been throwing around -- for those that don't know me well, what that means is that it's in the "thought" process, it doesn't necessarily mean that I've actually worked on it  .

You know, everyone is going green -- save the planet for the next generation and all that wonderfulness.  So, I'm going to be featuring several projects using recycled items.  I plan to make some projects that you can do with the keiki as well as projects that you can make for yourself or for gifting purposes.  My daughter, Shannon already does this with t-shirts...she turns old, unwanted t-shirts and transforms them into skirts and dresses!

  Shannon working on one of her projects.

I'm also going to be working on a patchwork quilt.  Mind you, I've never done one before.  So I'll share the progress on that project as well.   Remember me telling you that you should try your hand at all types of crafts - you never know what it's like until you try it!  One of my many "craft" wannado's was to try my hand at making a patchwork quilt.  It won't be one of those really intricate one's, but rather one of simple squares sewn together.  After I finish that, we'll see if I go any further with it.  Wish me luck!

Hope your New Year has started off on a positive note.  I'm certainly looking forward to another year of sharing ideas and projects with you!

Wishing all of you a safe and Happy New Year full of crafty creativeness! 

Over the next couple of days, take time to reflect on the past year..."the good, the bad and the ugly".  Learn from any mistakes that you might have made, forgive those that need forgiveness, set aside differences and start anew.  Life is a gift that is presented to us ~ make the best of it!  Live each day as if it might be your last. 

Are you making a New Year's Resolution?  Why not make one of them be to take time to tap into your creative side.   You know, many people look at crafting as a relaxing outlet...seriously!  Try it, you'll like it!

Best wishes for a Happy New Year!