Toy soldier army men Christmas tree

In honor of Veterans Day I thought it would be appropriate to share my first Christmas tree of 2012. I scored these super sized army men at the 99 cents only store and I thought them being green and all they would make a great Christmas tree. I've made a lot of things with the standard size army men but this is my first with these big ones. All I did was stack a few cake plates and a candle stick and arrange them on each level.

Thanks again to all who've served!

Tuskegee Airmen Richard T. Lee, Purple Heart recipient Brian Bennett and myself at Ventura Stand Down

I volunteered this past weekend at the Ventura Stand Down to sew for the homeless vets. It was truly an amazing experience. Two very special vets I had the pleasure of meeting were probably two of the most different you could possibly imagine. On the right was a Tuskegee Airman! Richard T. Lee attended the event along with his equally adorable wife Madeline who was a volunteer in the clothing area with me. He was so fun to talk to and he sat by me regaling me with stories as I hemmed and repaired clothing at lightning speed! On the left was probably the youngest attendee, Afghanistan vet and Purple Heart recipient Brian Bennett. Another equally charming man who was gracious enough to pose with us and was as thrilled to chat with Tuskegee Airmen Lee as I was!

I was told through out the entire weekend that no one has ever thought to bring a sewing machine to this event and I was so pleased to offer my services to all who came. With just a few stitches new clothing fit properly and beloved garments were back in tip-top shape!
And a very special thank you goes out to Clair Hope (who took a moment for a photo op with me!) for organizing such an amazing event that provides so much to those who served.

I saved all the ends of the pants I hemmed and plan on crafting something special with it to commemorate the event. Stay tuned!

Now onto what my fellow crafty bloggers have to share with you:

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
This week at Craftside there is a tutorial on how to make recycled silverware journal handles, a chance to win a copy of 1,000 Ideas for Decorating Cupcakes, Cookies & Cakes along with a recipe for fondant, an interview with the author of The Urban Biking Handbook and an inspirational quote and art from Camille Kuo.

The Crochet Dude
Drew reviews the Knook - a kit that teaches you how to knit with a crochet hook!

Mixed Media Artist
Continuing with her clothing obsession, Cyndi has taken out her acrylics to use on a summer dress!

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Look at this cute coffee can recycling project. It also uses craft stash scraps, so it’s both eco-nomical and eco-logical!

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy has some important news about a very popular knitting loom.

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi has a Crafter Companion paper fairy idea to show off this week!

Aileen's Musings
This week Aileen offers you a re post of her Chunky Canvas Bird Cage Tutorial.

About Family Crafts
Now is the perfect time to get a jump start on your holiday crafting and Sherri will help you get a jump start on making your holiday gifts.

How to make a digital camo quilt block inspired by the book Dare to be Square Quilting

Dare to be Square Quilting is so awesome! I love everything in it. Right now I currently have one unfinished quilt that I must finish before I start a new one but I just had to make something after savoring every page of Dare to be Square Quilting. So I got my creative wheels spinning and what popped into my mind was my favorite print based on a square is digital camo. I have a small stash of scraps left over from the Fallen Soldier tote bags and the quilt I am currently using is a simple white one so I thought I would add a very special square onto it.
I cut a square of the digital camo uniform scrap and placed it in the center of one of the blocks.
All I did was satin stitch around the camo uniform square twice. It is so amazing that 3 square inches of a very special fabric can transform an ordinary quilt into one with so much meaning and feeling that I will cherish now.

If you like making quilts based on squares I bet you will love:
Dare to be Square Quilting: A Block-by-block Guide to Making Patchwork and Quilts
by
Boo Davis

“Boo Davis is a rock star! Dare to be Square Quilting is the perfect patchwork primer for beginners and a refreshing review for experienced quilters. A must-have book for any quilt or craft library.” --Denyse Schmidt (author of Denyse Schmidt Quilts)


. . . My approach to quilting is an approach for true beginners. I don’t like triangles, circles, hexagons, diamonds, rhombuses, or any shape that makes measuring a chore. (Can we stop right here and ponder the word rhombus? Man, that word is hilarious.) In this book, every project is designed using only squares and rectangles. Why just squares and rectangles? Because straight seams are easy to stitch!

Craft a modern quilt with independent quilt-maker Boo Davis, whose fun, slightly quirky designs take quilts into new graphic territory. Using only simple shapes like rectangles and squares you’ll see robots, skulls, alarm clocks, and owls come to life as fabulous, full-size quilts. With 10 charming quilt patterns, and 15 eye-popping patchwork projects perfect for afternoon or weekend crafting, Dare to be Square Quilting reinterprets quilt traditions such as basket weave, rail fence, and housetop designs in a bold new way. With advice on color and fabric selection, and an extensive how-to section on quilting, Davis teaches the fastest, simplest, and most reliable methods modern quilting has to offer.

Dare to make a quilt that’s funny, fabulous, and from the heart . . . Dare to be square!

BOO DAVIS is a designer, illustrator, and the founder of Quiltsrÿche quilt studio. Her quilts have appeared in The New York Times, Revolver, BUST, HOW, and British Vogue as well as on Boing Boing, UrbanOutfitters.com, and Thrillist. As a graphic artist she has received recognition from Print magazine, Society for Publication Designers, and Society of Professional Journalists, among others.

One final tid-bit, this is not the first time one of Boo's fab quilt designs inspired me, I did a skull quilt based on the one shown above. You can see the tutorial on how I made my skull quilt inspired by her's at Craftside.

How to make fallen soldier uniform pendants

It is important to always remember the soldiers who give their lives for us every day but we do dedicate a very special day to them. So it is this weekend that I bring you my second fallen soldier project. Last year I posted about the tote bags I made for two Gold Star Moms out of their son's uniforms. This year I have to share with you a pendant that I made with scraps from one of the fallen soldier's uniforms, SPC Nick Steinbacher.

If you would like to make one here is how I made the uniform pendant:
I made a little square window the size of the Judikins pendant. I then could move the window around to get just the right bit of digital camo to fill the pendant.

Then I placed a bit of double sided Scotch poster tape on the back to stabilize the fabric, prevent it from fraying when cut and to stick it in the pendant.

I cut out the digital camo uniform piece and stuck it in the pendant.

Then I filled the pendant with Gel du Soleil Sunlight Curing Epoxy.

I am so grateful to all who serve and give me the freedom to do what I do.

Thank you.

How I Memorial Day Crafted by making fallen soldier tote bags from their uniforms and Crafty Blogger links

These are some tote bags I made from the uniforms of two soldiers that were killed. When my friend Carolyn the mom of fallen soldier SPC Nick Steinbacher told me about a lady who makes these and that she was super busy I said I would make them for her. I also made some for another Gold Star Mom, Kat the Mom of another killed soldier Marine Cpl. Christopher Leon .

Aileen's Musings
Aileen's excited to share her first how to video called Ribbon's & Lace. Take a quiet moment, grab a cuppa and stop by and see what its all about.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy is learning more every day when it comes to her Etsy shop, like the importance of tags and the number of items you should list, but it's definitely a work in progress.

About Family Crafts
Is getting to be that time of year when people get out more whether it be day trips, camping trips, or gathering with friends and family and having picnics and barbecues! Find out how you can incorporate crafting into your camping and picnic fun.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside's got a hot new Look. Learn, and Create video featuring Barbe Saint John showing us how to make a Steampunk hair pin, a free bow graphic download, how to add words to a journal page and a bow, and an inside peek into 1000 ideas from 100 Fashion Designers.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Read loads of great tips on Cross Stitch and then share your own - what tips and tricks have you learned that keep you out of tight spots?

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Madge shares her Zen Master Slacker Mommy's Guide to Letting Things Ride.

Mixed Media Artist
Can you ever have too much fabric? Cyndi thinks not! Come and add your favorite link to Cyndi's favorites.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
How to make a recycled sweater gearhead hot pad inspired by the book- The Journal Junkies Workshop

The Artful Crafter
Advice on selling large lots of craft supplies.