Springtime, Easter and an upcoming Baby Girl Shower have me thinking bunnies, bunnies and more bunnies! Smoothfoam have these hollow sphere halves which come in a variety of sizes. I decided to make a mobile to hang as a centerpiece over the dining room table for the baby shower. Of course the theme being bunnies my new Sizzix bunny diecut was perfect and of course the bunnies had to wear tutus!

 You will need:
Smoothfoam 12" Hollow Sphere
9"x12" craft cuts Kunin Classicfelt, 3 Candy Pink, 3 White, 1 Yellow
9" x 12" craft cuts Kunin Printzfelt, 2 Saralma
3 yards each of  4" wide tulle, pink, white
1 1/4 yards each of 1" wide Ribbon, white, pink, yellow gingham
1 1/4 yards each of 1/2" wide Ribbon, pink, yellow, green
6-1" Buttons, yellow
4-3/4" Buttons, green
6 Flower Buttons
Bunny, Flower Dies by Sizzix
Fabri-Tac by Beacon Adhesives
Big Shot or Fabi, rotary cutter, cutting mat, scissors, needle and white thread, ruler, measuring tape.

                                   

How to:

1. From the Saralma cut eight 2" by 12" strips. Cut the white, pink and yellow felt pieces in half to measure 6" by 9". Photo 1

2. Die cut four white and four pink bunnies. Die cut two pink, one white and one yellow flower set. Glue bunnies together in pairs. Layer flowers beginning with two large pink, one white and one yellow. Glue three layers together for each flower. Photo 4

3. Cut tulle pieces in half. Fold pieces in half and sew a basting stitch through both layers. Pull tight to fit around bunny's waist. (Not sure if bunnies have a waist? ;) Secure stitches. Repeat for all four bunnies.

4. Tie four yellow and four pink ribbons for bunny necks. Glue in place. Cut four 8" pieces of green felt and make a knot at one end. Glue knot to top of tutu on each bunny. Set bunnies aside.

5. Use ruler to mark edge divided evenly in half, in half again and repeat once more to make eight. Place a 2" width of felt on flat edge with mark centered in middle of strip edge. Stretch felt slightly over curve and glue at center top. Repeat for eight pieces. Tip: To remove bulk at center top trim remaining pieces to just meet the first two joined at center. Photo 2 -3

6. Glue white ribbon around edge extending 1/2" beyond sphere edge. Glue yellow gingham ribbon over top of white ribbon.

7. Cut a 3" piece of the white ribbon and make a loop. glue to center top. Cut pink ribbon in half and tie two bows. Glue to either side of loop. Glue yellow button to center of pink bows. Add a flower button to centres.

8. Alternate around gingham border, centered on the felt strips, a yellow button with a green flower center and the layered felt flowers.

9. Glue end of bunny ribbons alternating at center of every other felt strip.

The rest of the Smoothfoam design team are playing with the spheres too! Check out the Smoothfoam blog April 1st! Check out the Kunin blog too! I am their Design and Social Media Co-ordinator and we have some great projects happening! Keep creating!
 

March is (inter)National Craft Month and Kathy Cano-Murillo  aka Crafty Chica posed the question and wrote a wonderful blog post on "Why She Crafts". So why do I craft, the question is especially poignant for me this month. My Mom was born at the beginning of March and passed away at the end of March four years ago. The reason I craft, sew and create is because of my parents, my Mom. My first crafty memories are of sitting on the front porch in the summer with my little sewing machine sewing scraps from the material my Mom was making all of our clothes from. She would make herself a dress, me a jumper and my doll a skirt.

One of my other favorite crafty pastimes were the big sheets of newsprint my Mom would fasten up for me on the wall with a house drawn on it. I had the old Sears catalogue, scissors and a bottle of glue. What fun was that furnishing a house!

What is most remarkable is my Mom did all of this with me even though she never knew what it was like to have a mother or a home of her own. I created this Banner of Hope in memory of my Mom for Hope is ...a Place to Call Home.

My Mom was the result of an affair between a young Salvation Army officer and an older married woman he was staying with. A definite scandal in those days. Disgraced her father went into hiding after dropping my mother off at his Aunt's nursing home. Her mother did not want her. There my Mom spent the first six years of her life, her earliest memories of helping out with the residents, not happy ones. She was given a name, Bessie. From there her father picked her up but never said he was her father, she was then boarded out at different places for the next several years, much she would never talk about.

Why I craft, why I am creative is because of my Mother. She was always so proud of what I did and many of my designs would be proudly displayed in her home. She encouraged and supported my "making things".

I sew and craft because time stands still and imagination flows, the results are satisfying and most often make me smile. I went on to have two beautiful daughters and many crafty adventures with them. I love to share my ideas, my projects and techniques, teaching and see the smiles that brings. Basically I just love to make stuff and have found these most wonderful kindred spirits who do too. The most amazing of all, my Mom! With love, Debra

                        

It is that special Monday! The 1st Monday of the month and the Designer Craft Connection Blog hop is happening. A group of professional international designer members of the Craft and Hooby Association share projects, products, techniques and above all else inspiration!

This month we are sharing our favorite products and techniques, mine is a long time favorite with exciting new patterns and textures. I have been working with Kunin felt forever, well almost :). Love their new patterns like this Fancifelt Moroccan. The bib flower necklace below is an Embossfelt Cobblestone. Along with my favorite product, flower making techniques. Felt flowers are everywhere!

Want to make the cool flower with the picture cube check out how to here on the Smoothfoam blog.

The Flower bib below tutorial will be on the Kunin Blog tomorrow. Love the gray with my lavender sweater.

So check out the how-tos for these fabulous flowers and check out by hopping with the button sidebar all of the amazing projects, products and techniques by my talented designer friends! To the Joy of Creating! Debra