We are a family of kissers....I was raised that way and am now raising my little girl to be the same way. In our home, we don't say goodbye or goodnight without a kiss or two and an "I love you". I still remember as a little girl making sure that those words were the last words my parents or brothers heard before leaving each other...even if something else was said after I told them I loved them, I would repeat them just one more time....a bit obsessive I suppose, but I those words were important to me...and they are even more so now.
My husband usually takes Sierra to school each morning, but this morning I wanted to....I was sending her off on an all-day field trip and I desperately wanted to be with her every extra minute possible and make sure she knew how loved she was before heading out into the big, bad world for the entire day. She and I have a ritual when I take her to school...I suppose she and her daddy have their own as well. I know she won't let him walk her inside....he has to say goodbye outside and can't watch her walk in :) Lucky for this mama, I get to walk her all the way to her classroom...and she lets me grab her sweet face and kiss her and tell her I love her....one day she'll know how much this means to me, but for now I am so thankful she indulges me. She even reminds me if I haven't kissed her quick enough that she's ready for her goodbye kiss.
I am happy to be sharing a card on the Moxie Fab World blog today...My friend Cath invited me to share some inspiration from my own home and then create a card based on that inspiration. I've shared some sweet antique pictures on the Moxie Fab World blog that are hanging in my craft room and a bit of a tutorial on the sewing pattern flower shown in the card above. I'd love to have you visit. Links for the supplies used can be found there as well. This special card is hitting the mail today and will arrive in my mom's hands very soon...I made it just for her.
Next up...this is for far too many of you to name, but I've thought of each of you while coming up with a simple bow tutorial. I hope you are able to follow along and take something away from this. Here we go...
Step 1:
This is my most favorite step...that of choosing your color....with so many choices available it is so much fun to sort through the colors I have at home and find just what I need...and this is truly how I do it...each one is set out next to my project until just the right color comes to mind.
Step 2:
Very simple...thread it through the area chosen for your bow...whether it's through the top of a tag, photo hanger as in this image, or simply wrapped around your card. I'm a bit anal and always make sure that the ribbon isn't twisted in any way...makes for a fluffier bow in the end.
Step 3:
Take the right end of the ribbon and wrap it up and over the left end to form a secure knot.
Step 4:
Form a loop from the left end of your ribbon that is very close to the knot and pinch with your thumb and pointer finger on your left hand. Wrap the right end of the ribbon down and around the loop, tuck and pull on the loops. Here is where my anal side comes out once again. I always make sure that one end is up and one end is down...that's a very important step for this particular type of bow and you'll see why in the next step. I also tug on the ends to loosen the knot and continue to pull the loops tight. This also helps you get a perfectly sized loop...you don't want them too loose or floppy...or lopsided...or tiny. While tugging on these loose ends, I also make sure that my loops are full and rounded instead of twisted in any way.
Step 5:
Next, simply lay a second strand of ribbon diagonally under the center of the first bow.
Step 6:
Instead of knotting in the center like we did with the first bow, immediately form a loop with the left end of the ribbon and tie a second bow...so essentially what we are creating is a double bow. The top bow will lay diagonally across the top of the bottom bow. Keep tugging and adjusting the lengths of the loops until you've created a bulky, puffy bow. Scrunched seam binding is incredibly forgiving and these bows are so easy to tie....promise...just try one...and then you'll want to tie a hundred.
Step 7:
The final step is just to clip your ends so that they are the lengths you want. Keep in mind that with the scrunched seam binding, the ends spring back like curls, so you can trim too much off if you're not careful.
I really truly hope this helps....my tutorials aren't the best...but if you have any questions at all, please send me a note and I'll try and help.
Here is the finished product...
Another sewing pattern flower shown here using a different Papertrey Ink die than used on the first flower...this uses the Delightful Dahlia die collection.
You may also notice some sweet goodies piled in the center of this sewing pattern flower...the crocheted flower and Bitty Bloom are from Pixie Petals etsy shop...she has a giveaway planned for you all right here on my blog...so stay tuned...it will be lots of fun.
Happy day today.
Melis
