The winner of the Custom Cozy from Saturday's Disney Pixar Blog Hop is...
Miranda from www.nanasscrapspot.com
Congratulations, Miranda! Please contact me to make arrangements for your Cozy :)
Monday, May 21, 2012
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Mickey With a Little Bling!
Hello and welcome to the Original Disney Pixar Blog Hop! If you just came from Amy's Blog, then you are in the right place.
I love being a part of this blog hop, because it always makes me feel like I'm a little girl again! So, between hops, I'm always on the lookout for new Disney fabrics that will be fun to feature on a new Cozy. When I recently found this fabric on Etsy, I just knew I had to order a few yards. It features Mickey, dressed in his signature red britches and some yellow shoes. Behind Mickey is a background of gray with a swirly black and white paisley design. It's fun, but elegant, don't you think? 
The red coordinating fabric for this Cameo Cozy provides a striking contrast with the gray fabric. Plus, it matches Mickey's pants perfectly.
While the red fabric brings out the fun side of Mickey, I decided to add a little bling (okay...a lot of bling!) to make this Cozy a little more grown-up. Check out this awesome button!
And what Cozy would be complete without a little love sewn into it?
Blog Candy!!!
If you would like a chance to win this Cameo Cozy (or an Expression, E2 or Cricut Personal Cutter Cozy) of your choice, just leave a comment, along with your email address, below. On Monday, May 21, one winner will be randomly chosen and notified by email.
If you would like to check out my Etsy store, click here.
To see what's happening on my Facebook page, click here.
Your next stop on this hop is at Amy's Blog.
In case you missed a step along the way, here's the whole lineup. By the way, rumor has it that a Grand Prize Winner will receive a ScrapN Easel-Ette. Be sure to check out all of these amazingly creative blogs for your chance to win some super blog candy!
Happy hopping!
Madison funkycards.blogspot.com
Cathie creativecutterroom.com
Amy Chomas amychomas.blogspot.com
Amy Voltz lovetocrop.com
Sarah pinkcricut.com
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Pretty Damask Cozies for Tamara
A new friend, Tamara, asked me to make some Cozies out of a new fabric I recently purchased. This Cozy covers a Silhouette Cameo.
The bold black/pink contrast is elegant, but fun. Here's the Expression Cozy
This sleeve will be sure to protect Tamara's Gypsy from scratches and dust.
...the Imagine Cozy...
...and the Expression 2 Cozy. I love the embellishment Tamara chose. The metal scroll work is perfect for this fabric.
I hope you love your Cozies, Tamara!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
The Favorite Thing in My Craft Room
I love my craft room. It's the one space that is entirely mine. I can go there when I'm bored, stressed, or feeling creative. I'm proud of what I accomplish there. But while it's "mine," my husband's touches are all around. He is constantly helping me turn it into a space that is pretty and efficient. Most recently he's put in some shelves and fabric storage cubbies. He also made a kick-butt cutting table for me. But, my favorite thing of all is a little picture. Here's the story:
My husband is a very creative guy. He is a good artist and craftsman. A few years ago he decided to try his hand at sewing and make a unique Christmas gift for me. He got the idea to make a Sympthy Doll here. What is a Sympathy Doll, you ask? According to the Make Magazine website the idea is to "make a doll that is so sad and pathetic that it inspires empathy and love from people. You really can't feel too bad around these dolls because you just know you don't have it that bad!"
On Christmas morning, this is the gift I unwrapped. It really does invoke sympathy, doesn't it?My husband used black felt to lovingly craft the doll. He hand-sewed the whole thing. Pretty impressive for my manly man, huh? :)
But...a few days later I was in my craft room and noticed a suspicious looking face looking up at me from my trash can. I dug through the trash and uncovered the sad little remnants of my husband's first attempt at making a Sympathy Doll. The severed head, body and original drawing were so cute! When I looked at my husband's original pattern, I noticed that he had been so ambitious--wanting to put plaid pants and a little scarf on my doll. But...when he started to put everything together he forgot about one thing: seam allowance!! Turns out, when he started to sew it together, it was way to small for him to stuff.
So, in a moment of frustration, the first Sympathy doll was beheaded, discarded, and forsaken in my trash can. When I found it, though, I was overwhelmed at how good my husband's intentions were and knew that I had to keep the remnants of his token of love. So, I framed it and it now hangs proudly in my craft room. I will never part with it :)
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Excited about Bags!
A new friend, Michelle, recently asked me to make an iPad tote for her daughter, whose birthday was coming up. She chose an adorable owl fabric. I'm really happy with how it turned out. I think the striped green fabric is the perfect accent.
I added a 4-layered crocheted flower and a little owl "bling." Cute, huh?
This matching cell phone case coordinates nicely with the bag. And...I'm so happy to say that the bag and cell phone case were a huge hit! Michelle's daughter emailed me and thanked me for taking the time to make them. Shortly after that, Michelle told me that her daughter had replaced her Vera Bradley bag for my iPad tote. How cool is that??!! Eat your heart out, Vera!
So after I made this set for Michelle, I was inspired to finally make something for me. It's pretty pathetic that with all of the hundreds of Cozies I've made in the last 2 years, I've never made any for me. So, because I wanted to and because I really needed one, I made a new bag to carry all of my school things back and forth. (Trust me...as a 4th grade teacher, I am always bringing papers home to check!
I used two of my favorite Michael Miller fabrics from the collection called "Gypsy Bandana." I've been saving this fabric for a long time because I knew I wanted to make something out of it--I just didn't know what.
I added 3 crocheted flowers to the top and used metal rings to attach the handles.
After using this bag for the last 2 weeks, I am so happy that I broke down and made it. It's sturdy and it's the perfect size. I get a lot of compliments on it, too :)
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Busy with Christmas Orders!
I have been so busy with Christmas orders!!! (But I love it!) Santa himself would be impressed! My sister and husband have stepped up to the plate, too. Linda, my sister who crochets all of my little flower embellishments, has been helping me assemble and edge the Cozies. She's done a lot of my mailing, too. Even my husband John has been cutting batting and muslin for me. I'm sure they are going to find some super-special presents from Santa under the tree this year :) They have been very, very nice!
So...what have I been sewing? Check out these pics :)
Xyron Cozy in a lovely blue/brown fabric.
2 e-Reader Cozies for a good friend in Florida
I made this e-Reader Cozy for a friend I work with. Her daughter picked the fabric.
Super-cute Imagine Cozy!
Rock star E2 Cozy!
HOT, HOT, HOT!
Ah...wish I was at the beach, basking in the sun :)
This sewing machine Cozy wasn't made for my machine--but it should work for Sheila :)
Again...very HOT!
Kindle Fire Cozy for a co-worker's daughter. I hope she likes it!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Something a Little Different
When Becky and I started to plan her Cozies, she had a lot of great ideas. She chose this lovely black and pink damask fabric and wanted to use black as a coordinating color.
Usually, I would make the 2 end panels black, but Becky asked for them to be made from the damask print.
She also asked for a narrow black band to be sewn into the end seems.
The result was BEAUTIFUL!!! This pink and black damask fabric looks so elegant with all of the changes Becky made.
This is Becky's matching iPad Cozy.
If I had a design team for my blog, Becky would be on it! :)
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Cricut Mini Cozy
I got my new Cricut Mini machine this week. So far, I haven't used it to cut anything out, but I'm impressed with it's design. It's small, streamlined, and fits on my desktop nicely. I like the fact that it will cut an 8 1/2 x11" piece of paper, too. No, it's not as great as the 12x12" machines, but it's better than the other small Cricut models.
Getting a new machine meant that I had to make a new Cozy pattern. Honestly, I didn't think it would be too difficult because the shape of the Mini is pretty simple. So, I did what I always do when I have to make a new Cozy pattern--I procrastinated! :)
First I checked out iTunes for a while and downloaded a great new Christmas album by Phil Wickham. (My favorite Christmas carol, by the way, is "O Come, O Come Emmanuel.) Then I ate a donut. It was a cream-filled, powdered-sugar-covered beauty! Then I answered a few emails.
Finally, I knew it was time for the inevitable. I had put it off long enough. I had to make this Cozy! For the longest time I just stared at the machine. Then I got out my measuring tape, jotted down a few notes, drew a picture of my plan, and set out to start the Cozy. After cutting, sewing, basting, quilting, assembling, fitting, ripping out seems, cutting again, assembling again and sewing on the binding, this is what I came up with. (Drum roll, please)
THE NEW CRICUT MINI COZY!!
Don't you just love this green argyle fabric???? It's my new favorite. I wanted to make this a "fun" Cozy because the Cricut Mini is just so cute!
If you want more information on the Cricut Mini, you can find it here.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
New Product Reveal: Gypsy Clutch
A new friend recently asked me to design a Gypsy Clutch for her. I loved the idea of making a Gypsy Clutch, but I did what I usually do when I have a new pattern to make--I procrastinated. Fortunately, Erica didn't give up on me and waited patiently. This is what I came up with :)
Erica has a few other Cozies in this cute Mary Engelbreit fabric.
Notice the little pocket that holds 4 extra styli. (I just love that word!)
A pocket in the top holds a few Cricut booklets.
The bottom pocket holds a Gypsy comfortably.
It stays closed with a ribbon that wraps around the back, tying in the front. The entire Cozy is quilted and all of the trim has been hand-sewn. I can't make to make one of these for me!! :)
Monday, November 28, 2011
Flippin' for Flip Cozies
Not sure if you all knew, but making Cozies isn't the only thing I do. I'm actually a 4th grade teacher. I teach in the same school I attended when I was a little girl. It's in a small, rural school district in Pennsylvania where everyone knows everyone else. I now teach the children, nieces, and nephews of some of my former classmates.
Apples really don't fall far from the tree :)
One of the other teachers in my school knows that I make Cozies. Her daughter, who is in 5th grade, asked me to make a Cozy for her iPod Touch. She told me that she loves the colors purple and teal. I gave my photobucket link to her and she picked out the beautiful purple fabric. I chose an identical teal fabric to go with it, added a crocheted flower, and this is what the finished product looked like. My friend's daughter was very happy with her new Cozy.
Another new friend in Canada requested some Cozies for Christmas presents. Like all of my other Cozies, these are fully quilted. They will fit an iPod Touch, a Flip Video Camera, and most cell phones. They close with a Velcro closure.
I made the pink Zebra Cozy to hold my niece Krystina's Christmas gift card. The red Cozy is for my mother-in-law's Flip Video camera.
My mother-in-law also gets a matching Cozy for her new iPad 2.
Quilted Christmas Stockings
For some reason, I am LOVING cardinals for Christmas this year. Not the baseball cardinals...the bird cardinals :) Just last week I purchased 24 feathery little red bird ornaments for my Christmas tree. (I'll post pictures after I finally put it up!) So, when I found some cute cardinal fabric at my local craft store this year, I did a happy dance!
After sewing Cozies day in and out, it was nice to work on these stockings. I drew a pattern on some poster board, did a little math, added a coordinating cuff on top, and this is what I came up with. They are fully quilted, hand-finished, and measure approximately 16 inches long. Not bad, huh?
I can't wait until they're brimming with little gifts to and from the ones I love :)
I know I won't have time, but I would LOVE to make some of these in a miniature version and hang all over my Christmas tree. Maybe next year...
I know I won't have time, but I would LOVE to make some of these in a miniature version and hang all over my Christmas tree. Maybe next year...Saturday, November 19, 2011
Winnie the Pooh Cozy
We have a GRAND PRIZE for this Blog Hop donated by ContainYa Crafts! You can have YOUR CHOICE of a Scrap'n Tote or a Scrap'n Easel! Each blog in this two-day hop has a special letter and when all of the letters are put together they spell out a secret phrase.
My letter is h.
Once you have stopped at each blog in the hop and collected all of the letters, simply email the phrase they create to bloghopcontests@gmail.com. All entries must be in by midnight on Monday, November 21st. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, November 22nd at http://craftychicsblog.blogspot.com.
But...that's not the only prize you can win on today's hop. Don't forget to check out the bottom of this post for your chance to win some more great blog candy.
See if you can figure out what I created for this month's hop before you get to the last picture. Here are some clues...
Just like all of my Cozies, this one has a little love sewn into it.
Tigger makes an appearance on it...
As does Eeyore...
And who can forget that huggable Pooh? Here he is chillin' with Piglet.
Here's another shot of this cute fabric.
Have you guessed what it is yet? Maybe this will help. The hand-crocheted flower on the front matches Pooh perfectly!
Give up? It's an Expression Cozy featuring everyone's favorite bear :)
The background of this fabric is a light blue cloud that contrasts nicely with the brightly-colored characters. The purple stripe and ends coordinate perfectly. Wouldn't this brighten up any craft room?
BLOG CANDY!!!
You can win this Expression Cozy (or an Expression 2 or Baby Bug Cozy--your choice) if you leave a comment on this post. A lucky winner will be picked on Monday, November 21st and will be notified by email. If you would like a chance to win, just leave a comment, along with your email address. For an extra chance to win, you can also leave a comment on my facebook page (Kathy's Cozies).
Be sure to check out my Etsy, shop, too!
Your next step on this hop is Amy at
http://www.lovetocrop.com/. You will find a wonderful project there because she is an amazinglyl creative lady. :)
Just in case you missed any of today's stops, here's the entire list. Happy Hopping!
Shawn
Melissa
Tami
Ellen
Madison
Cathie
Cindy
Lori
Amy C.
Kathy (Me)
Amy V.
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