Spring Break Simon Says Stamp Monthly Card Kit Challenge:

I've been a subscriber to Simon Says Stamp's Monthly Card Kits for two years now, starting with the April Card Kit 2012. I've LOVED all of the kits, with their good selection of papers, cardstock, stamps, and embellishments. I always feel like I get my money's worth, and at $19.99 ($24.95 including shipping), it is actually one of the more affordable kits on the market, compared to Studio Calico, Maya Road, and others.

Unfortunately, as med school has taken over my life for the past two years, the kits have piled up in my closet and on my desk. So, I'm giving myself the challenge to use as much Simon Says Stamp card kit material as possible. I will be mostly focusing on cards, but I might use some of it to make layouts for scrapbooking/Project Life as well. Stay tuned and hopefully join me on this crafty week of adventure! 

Best,

~Z

Spring Break Productivity

Hi Everyone,
I'm on spring break this week (YAY!), so I want to craft as much as possible (and study, too, of course!). I made a BUNCH of cards this past weekend, and I can't wait to share them with you over the next few days. I also did a few hauls, at Tuesday Morning, Ebay, and my local quilt store, so I'll share those with you as well. I even made a video of one of my hauls, but I haven't decided if I am going to put that up or not, as I get sort of weird and self-conscious of me talking on video.

I can't wait to share all the crafting that has been happening around here, so stay tuned!

To start, here is a picture of the birthday card I made for my friend Matt:

As you can see,  I have some fabric laying around in the back: get ready for some quilty goodness coming up as well! In addition, here is a preview of what I'm working on next: 

Have a great day,
~Z

Tuesday Morning Fabrics

I went to Tuesday morning after the last block exam to cool my head after 3+ hours of examination, and often end up buying to coolest things. My wallet doesn't always thank me, but it is quite fun. This last time, I saw that they had fabrics, what the quilting world calls fat quarters, 7 in a bag for $3.99. This is unbelievably inexpensive, as fat quarters can go for as much as $3-$5 each. I bought one to try it out.

My findings:
The fabrics vary in quality and texture (and size), but they are usable. I am going to use these to improve my quilting/sewing skills. I can cut at least 12 5"x5" squares out of each fat quarter, and I can perfect my half-square triangles using the Jenny Doan technique without sacrificing the good quality, local quilt store bought (i.e. expensive) charm packs that I have been hoarding. I'll let you guys know how it goes!

Fabric Box for February Challenge!

Hi all! Sorry I haven't been around in a long time! School has been crazy, as I started my final semester of didactics this past January, the laa semester of classroom work before we go out on rotations/clerkships. Oh, and take that little exam called USMLE/COMLEX Step 1.

However, that does not mean I have not been crafty! I joined a Wellesley online fb group for crafters, which led to an invite to a quilting forum, which issues monthly challenges specifically to use up stash. This month's challenge was to make a fabric box, which I whipped out in a couple of hours.



The tutorial for the box can be found at here, and I did stray a little bit from the tutorial because I was on a binding kick (having finally learned how to bind quilts, thanks to Jenny Doan's tutorials), and I wanted to bind everything I could get my hands on.

Hope all is going well!
~Z

Grandmother's Dresden (completed)

My grandmother and I have been watching Jenny Doan's videos, and she fell in love with the Dresden Plate pattern, which she calls the "big flowers". We have been quilting on a budget, and so we improvised. Thus, some of the Dresdens have 20 and some more or less pieces. But here she is, so proud that we finally finished it (and without a ruler, either!)

Finally completed! 

Here are some close-ups：

Yay for one WiP finally completed! I hope everyone is having a great Saturday!　Love, ~Z

Fall WIP

School has been busy, with practicals and challenging classes-Pathology, to name one, so I haven't been crafting as much. I did stop by a quilt shop a couple of weekends ago, though, and they had a nice selection of scraps, which you could stuff into a baggie for 3 dollars:quite a good deal! Here is the top I pieced with some of the scraps.

It is not bad for 3 dollars, but still only half the size I want, so I am sort of at a standstill while I consider my options. I have plenty of warm hued fabrics to finish it out, but it would be quite difficult to replicate the scrappy spontaneity that made this top so pretty. I'll keep you updated once I do make a decision, I guess.

crafting update

I have been away for quite a while, as between my medical mission to Guatemala, and the Cranial Academy conference in La Jolla, I've managed to make the rooms quite a mess. Finally, I've started cleaning them up and getting things organized enough to craft again.

I was on a card making kick for a while, and I hosted a card and stamping night at Whitney's house with Kate, Whitney, and Amanda. We had a great time, and I delighted to show them the techniques I've been learning from Britta Swiderski, Nichol Magouirk, and Kristina Werner on Youtube, from embossing to coloring to blending. But I needed a break.

So, I started quilting again. Summer in Vegas is the perfect time to quilt because we are forced inside due to the 100+ heat, and it is usually quite chilly inside from the air conditioning. I found a beautiful Dove in the Window pattern when I was searching on Google images, and with a little adaptation of a Lemoyne Star pattern, made up my own. I'm hand quilting, so it is slow going, but it is nice to get back to needle and thread again.

I'm hoping to make an entire quilt (12 stars), so I'll have to hurry to finish before school starts. I've heard the second year of med school is the toughest: Pathology, Pharmacology, and Microbiology: definitely no time for quilting (or crafting) then!