DYI Posies and a Contest!!!!

I love having flowers in the house. Unfortunately it isn't as easy in the winter, as it is in the summer. In the summer I just walk outside and cut whatever I fancy for a vase. In the winter, I have to buy them or hope that someone else does (which never happens). Ryan surprised me with a bouquet of gerber daisies on the anniversary of mom's passing. She loved gerber daisies and could grow them very well. I nursed them best I could and I finally had to toss them yesterday. Not to bad for two weeks - gerber daisies aren't known for their longevity. I missed the little posies, so I tried to think about what I could do to replace them. I had a rare opportunity to peruse etsy. I love etsy, but I like when other people find cool things and pass them on. I liken etsy to an anchor store - Macy's or JCPenny's - too many choices, too overwhelming. So I bit the bullet and looked myself. I found some cute fabric flowers and thought, "I can do that!" I went off and did it. The bonus is that I have a permanent bouquet AND I used up some of my remnant fabric. I'm thinking of turning one into a corsage for a jacket, sweater or hair thingy. I might just have to add this to the PP inventory - let me know what you think!

First I cut out two sizes of circles in fabric and complimentary felt.

I then sewed around the circle - leaving an irregular width from the edge. It doesn't have to be perfect - it adds to the character. I used white thread because it was there and threaded, I suppose if you wanted to get real sassy you could use contrasting thread for an additional flair!

You'll end up with a pile of thready circles that need to be organized and trimmed.

I then organized them into piles that I thought looked fun together.

I used wire to poke through the fabric and then through the bead at the top.

See the bead? I ran it back through and twisted it, I secured a smaller bead at the base underneath and then twisted the wire.

Vwa-la! I clustered three to four posies together and then clustered three of those groupings. I wrapped them in the same wire to keep them from separating.

Will you be my Valentine?

Okay so while I was making my flowers, I had the idea to make an owl. I like owls a lot - their trendy, but cute. So with all that extra fabric, I decided to make a quick stuffed friend.

A little bit of felt, fabric and buttons and you have a fluffy little friend.

Even Drew likes him.

The Owl tamer...

Guess what - I'm giving an Owl away! All you need to do is make a comment in the comment section. I'd love to hear some ideas for other little stuffed friends. Then I will draw the winner at random on that random number website that everyone uses. Once I draw the winner I will contact you and you can tell me if you want an Owl for a boy or a girl. Plus you might see your stuffed "idea" come to life in the coming months. The contest will close Friday at 3pm EST. You can enter once per day - happy commenting!

Thanks