1.Tell us a little about you and your blog.
I recently started my English blog. I love being creative, it gives me so
much energy. My blog is a place for me where I can get inspired to craft
and to show people what I do. I try to be as “professional” as possible -
meaning that I want what I make to be well fitted, nicely made and look
professional, even though it’s hand made.

2.How and when did you start crafting?
I have always been crafting, my mother is very creative and I have always
made things with her. I learned how to knit when I was 8. My mother is the
same way with my girls as she was with me.

3.How often do you craft?
I have to do something creative several times a week. And if I don’t get
to craft, I’m always creating something in my mind, making plans and so
on.

4.Where do you get your inspiration?
I find inspiration from other blogs, from my girls and from magazines.

5.What is your favorite medium to work in?
Right now it is sewing, but that is only because it is too cold to be
outside in the barn doing wood work.

6.What is your guilty pleasure?
that will have to be buying fabric.

7.What makes you smile?
Definitely my girls

8.What is your favorite thing to do (other than crafting)?
May I say favorites… spending time with my girls, reading and teaching
Sunday School

*You can learn more about Tone and see her SYTYC projects on her bio page*

*Tutorials made by Tone @ Bless by Tone for her win of the Season 7 finale*

The pillows are so easy to make – I med two pillows last night for this
tutorial in 45 minutes. Princess and Angel are starting school in the fall
and last night they had a sleep over in the kindergarten. Their
kindergarten is on a farm and they were going to sleep on the hey loft -
with eight kids and two adults. I thought the adults deserved a little
something extra and decided to make the tutorial and gifts into one. Here
is the tutorial:

For the pillow with another fabric on the bottom, I still use the same
procedure.

The butterfly pillow is also made the same way – but I cut the butterflies
without a pattern – for the birds I made patterns, three different kinds
of birds, cut in different fabric and turned both ways.

Now it’s your turn.

Tone (and do come for a visit: Bless, by Tone)

This was one of the closest finales we’ve ever had.  Tone and Kate were neck and neck the whole week! But it was Tone that pulled ahead in the end.

Congratulations Tone!!

Here are all of her projects from this season.  She gave us great stuff the whole competition.

And as a thank you for all her hard work, our sponsors have provided these fantastic prizes for her:

The Toasted Coconut is a fun little shop full of vintage inspired accessories. Cute things like earrings and necklaces and scarfs and headbands and belts and leggings and bloomers. Just about anything you could want.  Emily will be providing a fun gift basket for our winner with a few of her creations in it.  And from now until further notice, 10% of all sales will be donated to the Japan Disaster Relief.  Emily is giving the winner a gift basket of products from her shop.

Lisa from Scratch is a great shop with fun little totes and clutches and iphone pouches and all sorts of fun little goodies.  Lisa is one of those lucky ones that quit her day-job to sew full time.  I’m soo jealous.  I love her fabric choices and color combos (especially the orange and green stuff). And if you can’s just decide on one she has or you need a million of them (million may be a stretch) she does custom and wholesale orders too. Lisa will be giving the winner a $25 gift card to her shop.

Lily Bella Fabrics is run by one lucky stay-at-home-mom named Christy. She carries awesome modern designer fabrics (like Kate Spain…why did I not know about her before?!?).  And the best part?  She carries the whole line.  No searching through 10 different shops to find all the coordinating prints. She also carries charms, cakes and rolls as well as scrap bags and a few patterns. One stop shop, that’s what she is. Christy will be giving the winner a $25 gift card to her shop.

Thank you so much Tone for your hard work and inspiration to us all!

1.Tell us a little about you and your blog. I’m a part time working mom of a one-year-old and happy wife of a man named Nolan. We’ve been married for almost 5 years and he’s my best friend. Despite being an analytical engineer, he gives me the best input for all my projects (unless it involves ruffles–then he’s not so interested). I started my blog when my son was 5 months old and I needed a creative outlet along with crafty accountability. Since then I’ve had so much fun challenging myself to come up with original projects. I love the blogging community!

2.How and when did you start crafting? My mom is INCREDIBLY crafty and talented! She was always making something new–decorations for our home, clothes for me, costumes for my brothers, doll houses…. For a few years she even owned a toll painting business where she taught classes and sold items she painted. She taught me simple painting skills and gave me the greatest gift by signing me up for weekly sewing classes when I was in junior high. I refer back to the skills learned in that class on an almost daily basis. I took a break, for the most part, from most things crafty through high school, college and a few years after (although I did become quite the butcher-paper-decorating-master thanks to coordinating Vacation Bible School). My love of crafting was rekindled after my son was born.

3.How often do you craft? I probably do a little something crafty on a daily basis, but the bulk of my work is done on my days off, Mondays and Fridays.

4.Where do you get your inspiration? All over the internet! I love pouring through link up parties and blog after blog to see what everyone is making. I also have a few go-to sites when creating new clothes–Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Anthropologie, Mod Cloth and Down East Basics.

5.What is your favorite medium to work in? Fabric–especially knits.

6.What is your guilty pleasure? My most recent one would be McDonald’s Cinnamelts. They are AMAZING. All sorts of yummy, cinnamon roll goodness. I find myself counting change and rushing to get ready in the morning just to go buy one. I think I could eat one every day.

7.What makes you smile? My son’s silly antics. He’s quite the mimic and entertainer. My husband and all the sweet things he does to take care of me. Ruffles. Ruffles. Ruffles.

8.What is your favorite thing to do (other than crafting)? I think watching TV while browsing all around the internet is what consumes my time the most. I love to relax and enjoy a media-centered evening with my husband.

*Learn more about Jill and see her SYTYC projects on her bio page.*

Well, after almost 2 weeks in a hotel and a drama with the place we had planned to move into, we’re finally in an apartment and {mostly} unpacked.  It feels so good to be settled and getting back to our normal routines. Can I tell you how gorgeous it is here!? And I LOVE how many things there are for families to do in the Twin Cities!  Abbi and I have already had so many fun adventures while daddy’s working.

And can you believe that we’re to the finale of Season 7 already!?  It always seems to come so fast!  This season has been full of so many great ladies.  I know I say this every time, but they really are so amazing and talented!  I hope you’re still checking up on all the other ladies.  If not, here’s a little reminder of where to find them

Kim @ Bugaboo, Mini Mr & Me
Tori @ Apostrophy Designs
Charity @ Cannwin
Shannon @ GoogieMomma
Amy @ Nap Time Crafters
Jill @ Made it on Monday
Becky @ Beckymae’s Journey
Macey @ Olivia Renn

And the two that have made it to the finals are Kate @ See Kate Sew and Tone @ Bless by Tone and they really out did themselves for the Wild Card round.  Like all the other finales I’m not making it anonymous.  I’m sure you’ve all figured out their aesthetics by now anyway.

I’d also like to give another shout out to the fabulous sponsors of this season.

Jill already won a $25 gift card to Little Birdie Baby Shop. Congrats Jill!!!

2nd place will receive … A $30 gift card to Funky Polka Dot Giraffe & 4 ebooks from Whimsy Couture

1st place will receive … a gift basket from The Toasted Coconut, a $25 gift card from Lisa from Scratch & a $25 gift card to Lily Bella Fabrics.

So with out further ado… the season 7 Wild Card Finale!!  Good luck you two!

Craft #1 – Ruffles n’ Cream Couture Frocks by Kate @ See Kate Sew

1.Tell us a little about you and your blog.
I started making name signs as gifts for friends having babies years ago. People always asked if I sold them, so about a year ago I decided to take the plunge and open an Etsy shop. I realized that many of the shops I enjoyed were the ones tied to blogs–I loved being able to “peek” in on the seller’s life. I guess I’m kind of creepy that way. But to me it made the Etsy experience that much more personal and enjoyable. So I decided to start a blog around the same time–I guess I’m an exhibitionist and a voyeur :0) I figured it was a way to get my name out there, share the projects I was doing, and also as a bit of a “diary” while my kiddos were growing up. (It’s just too hard to keep up with those “Baby’s First Years” books, am I right?) I’m enjoying the whole experience of blogging, and even though my Etsy shop is temporarily closed, I love doing that too.

2. How and when did you start crafting?
hmmm…well, necessity is the mother of invention. I come from a long line of cheap-o’s. Why pay good money for something you can make yourself? Call it a family tradition–my mom and aunts were a bunch of DIYers, refashioners, thrift shoppers and upcyclers from long before it was trendy or blogworthy!

3. How often do you craft?
I’m an all or nothing kind of girl. When I’m working on a project it consumes me–nothing, and I mean NOTHING else gets done. Picture kids running haywire half-clothed and gnawing on stale crackers through a filthy house while I’m wrapped in a glue gun cord and pieces of thread wearing yesterday’s jammies. Now you know how Kim from Bugaboo works. I kid! ) Honestly though, I do tend to go in spurts–when I get an idea, whether it be a home dec project, a sewing project, whatever–I run with it till it’s done. Then I pack everything up and vow to be more balanced next time in my crafting and force myself to cook a healthy meal. But you know how that goes…the next inspiration strikes…and before you know it it’s dirty kids and stale crackers again…

4. Where do you get your inspiration?
Anywhere. Other blogs are always a great source of inspiration. I really consider myself more of a “sewer” (as in “one who sews”, not an underground pipe for yuck) than a “crafter”, so I love looking at runway photos or fashion blogs and translating those ideas into outfits for my girls.

5.What is your favorite medium to work in?
In line with the last question, I’d have to say fabric. I can get lost in fabric. And when I make something that turns out the way I envisioned it–I’m just that much more addicted.

6. What is your guilty pleasure?
Ah! Where’d this question come from??? Well, I guess I’d have to say coffee. Anytime, anywhere, any type–hot, cold, iced, foamed, flavored, decaff, regular…I’m not picky.
That and any potato product–like Bubba–boiled, broiled, fried, whipped, mashed, smashed, diced, sauteed, baked…okay, now I’m hungry. And thirsty.

7. What makes you smile?
Of course my kids. They all have great senses of humor and crack me up on a daily basis. I love having a bit of a bigger family–and watching them together always brings a smile to my face (and maybe a tear to my eye, depending on how hormonal I am). And of course my husband–he’s my daily support and just hearing his voice makes me happy.
Okay, enough of the mushy–I love British humor, dry wit, and intelligent sarcasm. THAT makes me laugh out loud.

8. What is your favorite thing to do (other than crafting)?
I’m a reader. Reading falls under the same heading as crafting & sewing for me though–I get completely consumed. So I have to limit the amount of books I bring in the house or I’m up until 2 am saying “just ONE more chapter…”. I’ve been known to steal my kid’s books when I get really desperate. I can’t even have the newspaper delivered to my house–I will read it front to back every day of the week if I do–and a momma of 4 and 7/9 just doesn’t have that luxury.

I also have a great love of photography. With digital photography now it’s become so, so easy. About a year ago I got a Canon Rebel and Photoshop Elements, and having been teaching myself how to use them both (along with the aid of so many great tutorials and tips found online). I was privileged to do my cousin’s wedding back in October–which was a ton of fun and a great honor. It’s something I would love to explore more once I have this baby! )

*If you would like to learn more about Shannon and see her SYTYC projects you should check out her bio page*

*Tutorial made by Kate @ See Kate Sew for her win during the Kids Can Do challenge*

You need:
velcro
vintage sheet or print fabric for the back
white fabric (I used a white sheet for this…leftover from my ruffle duvet)
heavy weight home decor fabric for names and boxes
a baby photo and recent photo for 12 family member/ancestors


make the game pieces
Scan in all of your photos and print them out onto your fabric paper. This is my favorite kind, June Tailor from fabric.com. Make sure to format them in whatever program you are using so they are all the same size. Mine are 3″ wide by 4″ tall.


Cut them out, leaving as much space around the edges as possible.
(This is my cute husband.)

For each piece, you’ll also need a back layer of white fabric and some inner layers for stability. I raided my scrap pile for the interfacing. I used one piece of felt or two layers of duck cloth. Both worked great and feel pretty much the same.