Crafty Carnival

Free Christmas Printables - letter to santa- reindeer food - home baked cookies

I made these cute printables for Christmas and I thought I would share them!  The first is a letter to Santa (fill in the blanks), the second is labels for home baked goodies, and the third is for reindeer food!

 

To make the reindeer food.. simply print out the bad toppers.  Use a paper trimmer to trim off the excess on the side, and then trim out the bag topper leaving a good size block of white as shown in the top picture.  Add some oats and some glitter to zip lock baggie.  Fold the bag topper over the top of the zip loc baggie, and staple it on the sides to hold it in place.  This is a really fun and unoriginal (it's all ready all over the web... LOL!) project, especially for pre-school kids!

 

Download dear_santa_letter.pdf

Download mrs_clause_cookie_label.pdf

Download reindeer_food.pdf

Please do not sell or profit from the things you make using these printables.  They are (c) 2008 Missy Ballance, but I didn't print that on the printables because I didn't want to mess them up for you :)  Thanks!!  xoxo

Swap Sign Ups Open

Here are the ATC cards I'll be teaching tonight at The Paper Garden here in Sacramento :)  There are 8 of them.  All of the images are the images I illustrated for A Muse, and most of the patterned papers are A Muse too!

Here are the details for the swap:  I will accept 10 people (20 in two groups of 10 if I get that many :).  Each person will make 10 ATC cards all the same.  Then mail your ATC cards to me and include $2.00 cash for return mailing.  I will then take the ATC cards and divide them up so each person gets back 10 DIFFERENT ATC cards (1 from each person).  You need to get your ATC cards to me by November 22nd.  Be sure to include your return address so they get back to you properly :)  International swappers are okay too!  And you can do both groups if you want too!  Then you will need to make 2 sets of 10 cards and you will recieve 2 sets of 10 cards :)

Here are the rules for your ATC cards:

• Please sign and number the back of each card
• Use at least 2 pieces of card stock and 1 embelishment
• The theme is "Holiday"  but this can be VERY loosely translated
• Make sure they are 2 1/2" by 3 1/2" (this is the finished size :)

That's it!!  So do you want to sign up?  Email me (missyballance@aol.com)  AND leave a comment here!! 

So far we have:

Group 1:

1. Missy Ballance (me)
2. Snowda G.
3. Elaine
4. Renae B. (my mom :)
5. Tammi Wood
6. Nicole Ellison
7. Kristina Lewis 
8. Erin L.
9. Tamara S.
10. Kim L.

Group 2:

1. Kristina Lewis
2. Erin L.
3. Tinla W.
4. Tracy C.
5. Nikki K
6. Michelle H.
7. Me, again :)
8. Kim R.
9. Nancy P.
10. Tammie Wood

OKAY!  Thank you everyone!  We are all full now!!!

 

 

Etsy shop update and sale

Did you vote?  I did, and I'm so glad it's almost over.  I think this country will be better off no matter who wins.... fo' sho'!  But I do think Obama will win, and I kept my voting reciepts because I think it's cool to be a part of something that is going to make history.  I love that our country is making strides in directions that I know many of us thought would not happen in our lifetimes.

In other news... I did the You Bazaar show this weekend.  It was a really fun show and I rode there with Amy of Pepto Girl , so I had lots of good conversation.  I also got to reconnect with my friend Lauren.  I love her... I met her at Baz Biz a few years ago, and she is just so fun and hip and cute!  Hopefully I'll see her at Indie Sacramento on Dec. 6th too!

Indie Sacramento is my next big show.  Amy is promoting it with the help of the Downtown Business Association, and some of our other crafty friends, like Tamie and Stacy and Lauren.  The show is going to be a big huge hit, I know it.  They are still accepting a few vendor applications as of yet.  They want the show to be very diverse so have not closed apps yet, so if you want, I think you can still apply!!

So after doing You Baz, I really felt like my table was too full of a big mish mash of all of my crafty stuff (plus, merchandising...NOT my strong point).  I didn't like the way it looked, and Amy and I kept joking about how cool it would be to have an assistant... to do this stuff for us.  LOL!).

  So I just spent the entire day loading up all of that stuff into my etsy shop.  I think once I get some of this stuff cleared out I'll feel better about what I have going on in my sewing room over here, and I can get back to making some little mohair fun!  LOL!  I haven't been doing too much of that lately!  So please, check out my etsy and grab a really good deal!!  Here's some of the stuff I've listed.... and there's way more too!  Some of it is on sale, but some of the items are newer, so they aren't marked down yet.... get your Christmas list out!  LOL!

A Cute minky teddy bear that is child friendly.....

 

A mini mohair lion in a vintage cake topper...

 

A set of twins in snow suits....

 

And TONS and TONS of stationary at really good prices!!

xoxo

Missy

You Baz this weekend in San Francisco!!

 

I'll be at You Bazzar this Sunday, November 2nd from 10-5!  You Bazaar will feature 30+ select craft vendors selling quality handmade wares and a series of rotating workshops throughout the day with some of your favorite plush designers. This will be a fun family friendly event to kick off the Plush You SF Show, opening Friday, Nov. 7th 2008 and excite customers for the holiday shopping extravaganza Bazaar Bizarre San Francisco.  Admission is FREE!!

Please come see me!  I'll be doing a workshop for these DIY plush dolls.  You can make them into anything you want!  I made the bottom ones into little girls!  The workshop will be from 1-2 pm.  You can read all about the workshops  here.  Cost for my DIY plush is $15.  The number of kits is limited and even though I think it's a bit optimistic to think about selling out, I still want to offer you a presale.  If you are coming to the show, and you want to buy a kit from me now, I'll hold it for you to pick up at the show so you can make sure you don't miss out :)  Just email me. Or if you are in the SF area, you can stop by Urban Fauna and pick up the kits there too!  Even if you don't want a kit, you should stop by!  I heard it's a way good fiber store!!  :)  wink wink!!

Take my class!!

I am doing another class at The Paper Garden (916) 487-2737!  It's an ATC (artist trading card) class!  I'm so excited because ATCs are so useful for so many things!  And who wouldn't want 8 little mini pieces of stamped goodness?!  We will be using the holiday images I designed for A Muse, and maybe a few others as well :)

And thank you so much for all of the input on the Halloween costumes!  Gracie has now found an AWESOME thrift costume, and we are still working on Daisy.  I'll definately post pics.  They are going to a carnival on the 25th and they are supposed to wear their costumes.  So I should get some good pictures even BEFORE Halloween!  But I have a party to go to as well, so I might just be the monster thing.

My kids are pissin me off....

Okay... maybe it's not that serious but I got your attention :)  They are kind of making me really really mad though (I'm totally stomping my feet and crossing my arms here).  The thing is... I want to make them Halloween costumes (just to catch you up, they are 4 and 7 year old GIRLS).  But they want to BUY Halloween costumes.  Ummm.... don't they know who I am????  LOL!  I'm not really kidding tho... I'm mad.  Granted, I'm not Martha, but I did make a leaf blower from a shoe box for the kid next door (in less than 10 minutes), and I'm kind of like MacGiver (sp?) when it comes to crafting stuff...I can make a personalized tote out of a paperclip and a piece of gum, so I should GET TO MAKE MY KIDS COSTUMES! 

But, noooo... they want to buy the stupid, cheesy HSM costumes for $30 ea.  (and if you don't know what HSM is... then I'm way jealous of you, and I'm not going to ruin your ignorant bliss... be happy for yourself that you don't know what it is... cause you probably will someday, and then you will be singing "we're all in this together," in your head... allllll day!) 

So anyway... I think I might make the costumes anway... and if they REALLY don't like them, I'll try to sell them or just throw them in the dress up trunk.  So here are my ideas.  The first pictures is just kind of a working sketch, and the second one is a more realistic version of it with notes to help the terrible picture along.  

Essentially what it is, is a monster.  I want to make it out of fake fur (pink, turqoise, or lavender) and I want to buy the cute stripey tights at Target.  then I want to buy a second pair of the same tights and cut them up and make long fingerless gloves out of that pair.  I want to make a dress type thing from the fake fur, and then also a head band, and add some cool eyes to the head band.  I think the costume will be both cute and warm.  

 

Anyway, I hope it all works out... we'll see... I'll keep you posted... but IN OTHER NEWS!!   BABY TOTORO ARRIVED! !  yay!  He came on 10/5!  I thought he was going to be here on 10/4.  My husband and I were so excited we were jumping around yelling 10-4 good buddy... all day.  But then he didn't come until the next day!  We were so happy to meet him.  My sister did an AWESOME job!  She did everything perfect and right and he's perfect!  He even smells good!  And my bro-in-law was such a good support too.  They are both exhausted, so we are giving them a few days to get settled in before we go back, but they won't be able to keep us away for too long :)

And finally, I've been working on my kits for You Bazzar!  There are some finale details that still need to be worked out... but basically, it's a DIY plushie kit!  You get a blank plushie (no sewing or stuffing for you! :) and a bag of inspiration.  Then you get a little blue print with some inspiration on it, and you can draw an idea for your plushie before you work on it.  You also get some odds and ends to add to your doll.  Then you can sew or glue all of your details onto your doll and you have your own plush!  You can even paint or draw on it if you want!  This plush can be anything from a lil girl to a robot or dog or monster!  ANYTHING!  Here's some pics to tease you with :)

 

I made a kid!

A baby goat you silly... out of mohair!  I just finished her recently.

 

I've been working my tail off in my sewing room for a few special orders, and just trying to get some of the ideas I have out of my head and into material things!  Here's two more creations I recently finished.  The brown bear is my most favoritist bear I have EVER made.  She is so sweet and cuddly and just huggable.  I am going to make another one for my husband for Christmas because I just think she is just so full of love, and he has been bugging me to make him a bear for months.

 

I also finished the red bear.  I didn't dress her or anything though because she went to live with my mom, and my mom has a little blue dress with puff sleeves that she wants to put on her.  She soooo fits in at my mom's house too because my mom does a lot of decorating with deep fall type colors.

So the first three creations are off to PLUSH YOU!  Which starts October 10th.  I can't go, but I'm hoping to search flickr for pictures when it's over and see what everyone else got to see in person.  I'm hoping to be able to actually GO next year.  I will be at the San Francisco one tho!!  I hope there are at least a few of my readers in the Seattle area that will make it to the show.  While you are in Seattle visit A Muse!  This is the store that I have licensed stamp designs with!!  I'm sure they would love to see you!!

And finally... I've updated my new website a little bit.  I'll be on the Indie Fixx Galleria for October (starting on October 5th).  I'm super excited about this and I hope it brings some new readers and collectors my way!!  :)

If you are feeling frisky, leave me a comment about what you want to see more or less of.  I have so little time to create and write with soccer and everything right now, that I'd really love some direction on how to spend that little bit of time!  LOL!  Thanks in advance!! xoxo Missy

Sad news from the desk of me...

I have kind of a major announcement to make.  Today is my final pattern release for Pimp Stitch .  It is this adorable mr. and mrs. clause!  Don't they just make you want to wish for snow?  And a starry Christmas eve night?

So as I was saying... I'm leaving Pimp Stitch.  WHAT!???  I know!  I love Pimp Stitch, and everything about it!  And I have loved being a part of it thus far.  The other girls and I have had some really great times and bounced a lot of ideas off of eachother!  Four heads definately work better than one.  But now Pimp Stitch is huge and it requires a lot more time and commitment than I have to give.  I love what Tamie, Lauren and Amy are doing with the site and the blog, and I will be their biggest cheerleader as they forge further into stitch land with all of their brilliant ideas and stitchi-ness!  (Gawd, I love these girls!  :)

So here's the deets:  My embroidery patterns will be available here on the Pimp Stitch website until October 21st, and then I will move them over to my Crafty Carnival shop site after that.  I will still be posting updates here on my blog and cheering Pimp Stitch on from afar, I just won't be involved anymore, thus freeing up some time for me to work on my other ventures... cause you know I always got something cooking!  I also want to mention that there are a lot of things that have been in the works for months, and have not yet been released!  So just when you think you've seen the end of me... nope... not quite yet.  There will be some fabulous new releases... but you'll see them when they come out :) 

And one final note:  The Mr. and Mrs. Clause patterns were so gorgeously stitched up by my friend, Georgia from Australia!  I wish she had a blog so I could point you in her direction, but she says she's too busy chasing little kids :)  I think she is a fabulous stitcher and she should be a pro pattern tester for sure!!  :)  Thank you Georgia!  And thank you to my other four stitchers as well!  You all did a wonderful job, but I had to pick just one :)

DO you stitch? I need HELP!

I'll keep this short and sweet.  I have a pattern release for Pimp Stitch coming out on Tuesday... I have already designed it and it's ready to go, but I still need to stitch it... well I'm way short on time this weekend... oops!  So I'm wondering if there is a stitcher out there that would be willing to stitch the two designs for me (which are kind of big) and take pictures and email them to me.  If you are a stitcher and you would be willing to do this... I will love you forever AND give you the two new release patterns to keep forever, plus you can pick two more patterns from my shop for free :)  I know it's not a lot... not in exchange for your fabulous stitching and your time... but think of the good crafting karma you'll get!  LOLOL!  Interested?  email me: missyballance@aol.com .  I'll take up to 3, but I'll be overly gracious and thankful to get just one! (OH!  And I need the pictures by Monday morning, so you really do have to be free this weekend.  LOL!  and if you can't do it this time, but want to be on my own personal stitcher list for another time, when you would have more time... email me for that too!  LOL!)

UPDATE:  I have all the help I need as for today, THANK YOU!  But if you would like to be put on the mailing list for future requests, please just let me know :)

xoxo

Missy

I got me some new diggs! Whoot!

I've been working on a new website that will incorporate all of my work!  My other sites that I've had in the past were so specific, that I often felt my creativity was crippled, so it was time :)  I haven't finished it yet, but I wanted to give you all a sneak peek anyway :)  Click here to go to it....

 

I still have a lot of udating to do and fine tuning and tweeking, but for now I've added some super cute stamp kits!

This is my favorite.  It's a stamp kit for making tickets and a ticket holder.  I think this would be a great gift for a friend, teacher, child, or anyone you like!  I wrote on the back of the tickets to make them coupons.  The one in the picture says "good for 1 SNOW cone" but if I was making them for a friend, I might put good for a cup of coffee, or a hug, or a bottle of wine shared for two :)

You'll have to go to the new website to see the other kits I put on :)