Katie Sue Crafts

Cool Site of the Week

2010-05-27T12:49:00.004-05:00

I'm always thinking up ways to brand my product - creating packaging, thank you cards, product labels, stenciling and even printing on handmade greeting cards. I stumbled across Urban Fonts a year or so ago when designing the iron-on labels for my fabric products and have noticed myself using it more and more lately. There are hundreds of free fonts on this site and you can sample what your text will look like quite easily. When you find one you like it is very easy to download for Windows or Mac and it magically {with a few clicks} shows up in your word processor program. A font can say a lot about what you are writing; it can easily lend to the style and feel and is an important part of the design process. Have fun picking!

This is the font on my fabric iron-on labels that I bought from Jennifer's Jewels on Etsy. It is called "Girls are Weird" and is one of my favorites!

Progress!

2010-05-26T13:53:00.006-05:00

I love finishing a project; I'm a complete results-oriented person. My need for instant gratification can put a damper on large projects, but I got this quilt done in two days. It is a smaller, lap quilt size at 24 x 24 inches, great for a stroller or play mat. This rag quilt really is quite a bit of work, six hours or more, but the finished result is so cute. I just love the Moda fabric I used on this piece, it is so bright and cheery. I have already finished another quilt in the same size and hope to get many more done. So much fun!

New Project

2010-05-14T11:03:00.004-05:00

I made it to the quilt shop this morning and was happy to see they opened right when I arrived (dragging two kids to the fabric shop is not really all that fun). I found the cutest fabric set by Moda called Soiree by Lila Tueller and am going to work today on making a small rag quilt out of it. I made my first rag quilt yesterday, you can see it here, and am looking forward to making another out of this new cute fabric. Hopefuly I will have it done by Monday, so stop by my Etsy store and check out the finished project! Hope you all have a great weekend. These are the last days of my twenties (shhh...don't tell anyone I'm turning 30 on Monday...eek!)

Baby Bibs!

2010-05-11T11:21:00.003-05:00

I'm back! I've been on an extra long maternity leave spending some time with my children and doing some freelance writing. My etsy store is filling back up with lots of fun pieces. I've discovered a new love for making baby bibs; must be the new messy addition I have in the house. As always, I've got many, many ideas and very little time to craft. Keep an eye out, you might see something you like! I plan on bringing in designer fabrics very soon!

MIA Momma To Be

2009-02-03T21:03:00.003-06:00

I have totally been missing for 4 months from my etsy shop and my blog. I was dealing with a lot of crazy health issues. Once I started feeling better by the end of November, Chris and I found out that we were pregnant with our second baby! We are so thrilled and feel so blessed to be having another child. The holidays and a lot of morning sickness have kept me pretty busy, but now I'm back to etsy-ing.
I am overhauling my shop a bit and am going to start on a new line called Katie Sue Handmade. Cute zippered pouches, checkbook covers, and card cases out of some of my favorite fabrics. I've been adding some fun kawaii and Japanese imports to my stash that I can't wait to get sewing with.

Featured Friday :: Butterfly Baby Place

2008-10-10T12:00:00.004-05:00

My featured shop from etsy this week is Butterfly Baby Place. The shop is run by a great girl I have known for a couple of years now. We were pregnant at the same time with our first babies, which have grown into *wonderful* little toddlers. She's since had another child and started selling her handmade goods online. In her own words...
"I'm a stay at home mom who is so incredibly inspired by her children. So much so that I needed to find an outlet, which took the form of sewing. Creating is my way of harnessing all of the humor and love that I experience throughout the day. It's my way to share a piece of my life with the world. Even the name of my shop, Butterfly Baby Place, stems from my children and their interactions with each other. I've always tickled them with butterfly kisses and now my son gives his baby sister butterfly kisses, which melts my heart. So when thinking of a name, that image jumped into my head and I went with it."
Check out her shop today! Find cute aprons for your little chef and custom nursery decor.

How To Tuesday :: Fun Christmas Cards PLUS Giveaway!!

2008-10-07T16:16:00.018-05:00

I made these fun Christmas cards for my etsy store today. I decided to add a series on my blog called "How To Tuesdays" and these cute cards are our first project! These are really quite easy to make, it's coming up with the design in the first place that can be tricky. Well, I've already done that for you here! So easy to follow step by step and make your own beautiful cards for the holidays. Of course, it you just don't want to bother, you can always find unique cards in my shop. (hint, hint)

Step One :: Choose your supplies

This part is fun because you get to go shopping! Or, use this as a great opportunity to use up some supplies you have laying around. You will need to pick a color theme, I used bright pastel pink and purples. I find once you find the patterned scrapbook paper, the other supplies are easier to choose. You will need.

1 piece patterned scrapbooking paper that has a design far enough spaced out to cut atleast a 2" diameter circle - I used a 12" x 12" piece

A piece of coordinating cardstock - I used an 8" x 8" piece of heavy weight textured purple cardstock - this will make 2 cards

A piece of felt - I used pink

A spool of thread and needle - I used lime green

Glue Stick

Scissors, rotary cutter, exacto knife, etc. - whatever you have to cut paper with

Ruler or rotary mat

Step Two :: Cut your cardstock to size

Our sample is going to be a 4" x 4" card. Simply cut your 8" x 8" in half. Next, score each card 4" up from the bottom, this is the middle. I use a dull exacto knife, but you can use any sort of razor, you may want to practice on a scrap piece of paper before doing it on your project. Scoring is when you are putting a cut in the paper to make it fold easily, but it is a very light, almost unnoticeable cut.

Line up your ruler so you have a level line at 4" up and run your knife very lightly over the surface of the paper. Remember, you can always push harder the next time, but if you push your knife to hard the first time, you may accidently cut your paper in half!

Step Three :: Cut your patterned scrapbook paper

Now we will cut the patterned scrapbook paper which is the first layer on our card. For this card, we will measure a 3.5" square piece of paper and cut it out. This will leave a 1/4" border of cardstock. Use a rotary cutter or scissors.

Next, trace a circle around one of the individual designs on your patterned scrapbook paper. My paper allows for a 2" diameter cut out. You can vary this size as needed. I went hunting around the house until I found something I could trace around my design. I found a spray paint can that worked perfectly. Sometimes I use ribbon spools, tupperware, drinking glasses, and glue bottles. Make sure your image is centered in your circle and cut out.

Step Four :: Cut your felt

The last piece to cut is the felt. I simply placed my image on the felt and cut a square around it. With a 2" round image, the felt is 2 1/4" square.

Step Five :: Stitch your paper image to your felt

We will be using a double strand of thread to stitch with and a fairly thin needle, so we aren't making huge holes in our paper. Simply thread your needle, and with the needle in the center of your thread, tie the two ends together. Pick a starting point and begin by bringing your needle from the back of your felt through the front of your image. This way your knot is hidden. Stitch about 1/4" stitches. It is only important that you are consistent with the length of your stitches, spaces in between, and how far you are from the edge.

Step Six :: Glue it all together!

Now is the fun part! Glue your 3.5" square cut patterned scrapbook paper to your cardstock. I use a glue stick that goes on purple and dries clear. Try to center you paper and leave a 1/4" border around it, it doesn't have to be perfect though!
Next, glue on your 2.25" square felt embellishment. The easiest way to use a glue stick on felt is to apply it with a twisting motion. Don't pull the glue stick around the felt like you would a piece of paper, it will stretch it and frustrate you! Just put your glue stick on the felt and twist it like you would a volume button on your car radio. Make sure you get a good amount of glue on it. Center the felt embellishment on your card and you are finished!!

Want to buy a set?

I just listed a set of 4 of these cards in my etsy store today. They are made from pink cardstock instead of the purple in our example. Check them out here! They are pictured below.

Want to win this 'how to' sample?

Leave a comment to this post and let me know what kinds of Christmas Cards you will be buying this holiday. Do you like to buy individual cards or sets. How many cards do you like in a set? And also, what is your favorite style: Classic red and green, modern, humorous, religious, etc...

I will pick one winner from a random drawing on Monday, October 13th! You will win the ONE purple card we made in this 'how to'.

Next week....

Next week's 'How To Tuesday' will be handmade envelopes. It might be hard to find an envelope for your 4" square card, but making an envelope is oh so easy! Stay tuned!!

A Trip To The Zoo!

2008-10-06T16:25:00.001-05:00

We took a much needed break this weekend and took a trip to the zoo. Katie loves going to see all the animals and to ride the choo-choo. It is hard to get pictures of the little munckin lately, she is always giving me her *cheeeezzzeee* face (bottom right photo). She got to see the monkeys (top left) and the kitty cats (top right). She was a little scared of the rhinos, but I think her favorite of the day were the snakes and turtles. Yuck! She is such a girlie girl usually. No dirt or bugs for this girl! She's getting so big, almost 25 months old now.

Friday Featured :: Growling Monkey and Co.

2008-10-03T14:44:00.005-05:00

My Etsy shop of the week is Growling Monkey and Co. who is a new seller. I discovered her cute onesies as I was browsing through pounce. I thought this was a great item to feature in the political environment we are living in these days. She has fun halloween onesies and bows also, at great prices! This republican onesie shares the stage with an equally as cute democrat onesie. A great way to show your spirit during the 2008 Presidential elections. Your baby will look adorable!
She is a new seller on etsy, and while she states in her profile she has been selling her goods for years, she is awaiting for her first etsy sale!

Tasty Thursday :: Touchdown Chili

2008-10-02T15:02:00.007-05:00

I love SEC college football. In fact, most people I know love SEC football. When summer starts to turn to fall, all our attention turns to the college football prospects and schedules of our favorite teams. I have a personal attachment to the University of Georgia Bulldogs, class of 2003 here, they are my team through thick and thin. And well...it takes a lot of lovin' to make up for the show they put on last weekend against Alabama. It doesn't help the matter that just a year ago me and my family moved to Alabama, and YAY!, I get verbally harrassed just about everywhere I go.

Football, fall, family, and food. All go hand in hand. I always love to whip up something special for game day. I am going to do a short series on my blog every Thursday and include delicious recipes that you could try for your football festivities, they will be just as great otherwise also. I must add that I love to cook and trying out new recipes is a favorite hobby of mine. Any recipe I share with you will have been thoroughly tested and approved :)

Touchdown Chili

This recipe is pretty simple to throw together, aside from the fact that there are a lot of ingredients. But I promise you will not be disappointed. And, when you happen to add some of these ingredients to your pantry to try this recipe, I promise you will use them again and again! I think it is oh so important to follow this recipe to the 'T', at least the first time you try it. It will easily feed 6-8 people. Sometimes I halve the recipe for me and my husband and I still can freeze two bags to eat later.

Ingredients

2.5 lbs ground beef

1 diced yellow onion

6 oz beer

1 tsp brown sugar, black pepper, and salt

2 tsp red wine vinegar, hot sauce, ground cumin, and lemon juice

1/4 tsp garlic powder and ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 can black beans and 1 can kidney beans (drained - choose the size can based on how much you like beans in your chili)

37 oz tomato sauce

4 tbsp chili powder

4 tsp worcestershire sauce

Directions

In large 5qt pot, soften onions over medium heat, slowly adding beer until beer is mostly evaporated. Add beef and brown until cooked through, drain.
Add all other measured ingredients, mixing well. Bring to boil, cover, simmer on low, ENJOY!!

Great additions that we love : Rice, Frito's corn chips, cheddar cheese, and sour cream. YUM!

**The picture is from the etsy shop of a great new etsy seller http://www.aprilink.etsy.com/. Her listing is for some very unique party invites, click the pic to find out more!**

I'm in an Etsy Treasury!

2008-09-25T11:12:00.002-05:00

I have just joined a great team on Etsy. It is the SEUS team, south eastern United States. They are a great group to be a part of, we have so many new treasuries each time they come available. If you are part of etsy and live in the south east, we would love for you to join our team! We represent the following states:AL, GA, MS, LA, TN, FL, AR, NC, SC. You may contact me through my store at http://www.katiesuecrafts.etsy.com/ and I will help you join our team!

Christmas Time!!

2008-09-23T13:15:00.000-05:00

I have been trying to come up with some fun ideas for Christmas. I have found a new love of felt. I like how easy it is to work with. I have made three Christmas ornaments these past couple of days. Here is one of them. A cute little Santa you can hang on your door knob or he looks great in a wreath. I slipped in a cute picture of Katie helping take pictures! You can see all my ornaments at my store.

A martian named Lex

2008-09-19T16:07:00.000-05:00

Here is my newest project! I am participating in a month long contest on etsy.com, some of us in the forums are making fun halloween inspired things. We are going to have voting starting October 1st.
This is my martian friend Lex. He is completely designed and handmade by me. I also wrote a cute little short story of how he became an Earthling that comes along with him.

Katie Caterpillar Toddler Shirt

2008-08-18T14:56:00.000-05:00

Brand new Katie Caterpillar Toddler Shirt! I made this cute little caterpillar out of some scrap fabrics and added some decorative sewing to make a fun shirt. It is about 60% hand-sewn on a 100% cotton Old Navy white t-shirt. Virtually any size is available, but of course the custom nature of this project will create a different look everytime.
Katie had a blast in our photo shoot outside! Check out more information at my store!

Frank Part 2

2008-07-09T19:40:00.000-05:00

Here are some extra pics of Frank. See more in my Halloween in July post. I designed this guy myself. His green parts are made of an upholstery green microfiber. The purple and brown he wears are made of blend fabrics. He is all hand stitched except for his two halves were machine stitched together, as were his arms and eyebrows :) He is filled with polyster fluff. Frank was made with 'lots of love and wants you to adopt him today!

Happy Halloween in July!

2008-07-09T19:29:00.000-05:00

I am starting to make some halloween things for my shop and decided to try to make a plush doll. OH MY! I had no idea just how hard it was going to be. I am a very slow at sewing and stitching, but I think that my little Frank came out really cute. I spent 2 whole days dawn till' dusk (and then some) working on him. He is a tough little guy, I put him through quite a bit. He's not so perfect, but that is just the way he is. I mean, made from scratch by his master with some spare bits from here and there....well, he has his quirks!

Halloween Fall Mini Tote

2008-07-02T10:07:00.000-05:00

Today's project is a cute little tote for fall or halloween. I have lot's of this pumpkin fabric from years ago and I have made these little bags before. Sewing isn't my favorite thing to do, but these are pretty much just straight lines, so I can handle it! It turned out really cute, perfect as a gift bag or even as a bag to carry your lunch in to work. I can make this same bag in any fabric or design, so if you have something in mind, just let me know!

American Flag Magnets

2008-06-25T10:27:00.000-05:00

Todays Project! I started working on these yesterday and finished up this morning. It took me longer to get them attached to their cards than to handpaint them all! I did several different designs for my line called Patriotic Splendor. 3 different designs for a standard size flag magnet, a flag star, and a set of 2 mini flag stars. Check out the pics.

My Princess Frame

2008-06-23T16:09:00.000-05:00

I finally finished the My Princess frame I've been working on. Check it out! So cute for any little girl.

Working on the frame, handpainting each letter. Fun!

Katie Sue wants to help!

Finished Frame. So cute!!
view more info at http://www.katiesuecrafts.etsy.com/

Cucumbers Anyone?

2008-06-23T14:30:00.000-05:00

Me and Katie went out to water the garden this afternoon and decided to pick some cucumbers. How about 12? Oh my! Cucumbers anyone?

This is our first garden, so I am excited with how well it is doing. But I have no idea what to do with all these cucumbers.

Our first tomato. :)

My flowers are blooming! I germinated these guys from seeds this spring. I am so excited I didn't kill them!!!!

Welcome!

2008-06-23T12:46:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone!
Welcome to my blog, I am glad you found me. Blogging is a new experience for me, so forgive me if I don't get this right.

So why did I start this blog? Well, I have recently decided to turn some of my hobbies into products that other people may be able to enjoy for themselves. I found a wonderful website, www.etsy.com, and I can make whatever my heart desires and post it there for sale. It really couldn't be any easier. Forget ebay! (err...feebay)

I am finding that this constant creative mind set I am in is almost exhausting! I am sure all my fellow etsians understand this. Sometimes I have to force myself to take time and just zone out and focus on something else for a while. I am having a great time making things and listing them, it has been nice to get back to 'work'. (i am a stay at home mom to an amazing almost 2 year old little girl, which you will meet later!)

If you have a moment, check out my store. www.katiesuecrafts.etsy.com

It is totally a work in progress, I am trying to add a few new things a week. I opened shop the end of May and have had 3 sales (thanks Heidi:)) I have been making a lot of boyish things and was inspired to go girlie. So I am almost done with a cute "My Princess" frame. Lot's of handpainted pieces, so it is taking a lot of time. I thought it would be neat to blog about my projects and post 'making of' photos, so I will post the finished product a little later. I think it's neat to be able to see where and how things are made.

Check back a little later today and my new frame will be listed at my etsy store and I will post a few pics here about how I made it.

Thanks for stopping by!