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Hot Air Balloon Fabric Embroidery

Up, up and awaaay! My grandmother gave me this beautiful hot air balloon fabric from her extensive sewing stash. When I saw it, I immediately dreamed of embroidering over the lines to make the balloons really pop off the fabric. Inspiration in the greatest of places.

The problem?
I had never done any embroidery before.

To be clear, I've done oodles and oodles of cross stitch projects, which is a form of embroidery. We know this. But doing that super cool thing of stitching beautiful shapes on fabric? Never.

So I pulled up Sublime Stitching's Tutorials online and gave it a whirl!

I used the full six strands in my embroidery floss and did a simple backstitch. Here's what came out:

Not terrible, right? I wish I had used less strands (maybe three or four) instead of six. I also need to work on my spacing and consistency of stitch length, but otherwise, for a first try, I think I did a good job. Even better, it was a fun! It's faster than cross stitch, which is a huge plus when I get the itch to stitch but don't have a ton of time. And when I'm feeling particularly impatient about completing projects.

I'll have to do a few more hot air balloons. The balloons on the fabric vary in size, so it would be cute to do three finished in wood hoops and hang them together for decor. Better yet, this gave me more ideas for fabric I have stored away.

Have you ever embroidered on fabric like this before? How did it go? Do you have any embroidery tips for me?

#CUBBYPHOTOCHALLENGE :: January

Christmas is behind us but not forgotten. The ‪#‎CubbyPhotoChallenge‬ for the year is the FIRST PROJECT COMPLETED. I made this cross stitch for my aunt during my holiday break. She's been so supportive of my crafty endeavors I thought the best way to thank her was with a piece all her own. I've also been working really hard lately on staging my products. Learning to have the right background and accessories is tough but - what do you think? What's your first project completed?

{This pattern can be purchased in my shop as well.}

What To Do With All of Those Quotes From Pinterest

Like millions of people across the globe, I love Pinterest. My love is simple. I'm a very visual person so I see, I like, I pin. This formula works tremendously well for me. Unfortunately, I use the same methodology for online shopping and as you can imagine, that's no bueno. But I digress...

In my time as a pinner, I've amassed quite the collection of quote images. Some for fitness motivation, some aspirational, some funny. Over time, I've dove into my boards to see the clever words but for the most part, once pinned, they are quickly forgotten. The true tragedy of this is I actually really love most of these quote images. They are beautifully styled. For a while, I've been looking for a way to bring these quotes more to the forefront of my life. Being a crafter, one would imagine I would print them out and have them in a clever display in my home. Unfortunately, my tastes change too frequently to commit to a certain set and by printing I'm limited to the number of images I can see.

On a typical Sunday morning, a brilliant idea occurred to me. Sunday mornings are my time for laundry and cleaning. I turn the music up and go putt around my home.  My AppleTV is always the source of my music - not only for Sundays, but for every day. Until this point, my screensaver was a system standard of floral images and I was curious if I could load my own images into the screensaver. You can do it on a laptop, why not AppleTV? Turns out you can! Thus, a dream was born!

The process is really very simple. On any Apple device (MacBook, iPad, iPhone), download the images from Pinterest into your iPhoto library. I found this part particularly fun because it felt like shopping, except I didn't have to spend any money and there wasn't any pesky buyer's remorse.

Next, create a new SHARED album. The "Shared" part is crucial. This won't work otherwise. On the iPhone and iPad, it's the middle navigation button within iPhoto with the Cloud. On MacBook, on the top navigation, select "Shared". Next, hit the "+", give it a name and start adding photos.

All set? Now, it's time to tell your AppleTV that you want to see that screensaver.

Here's your path...
Settings > Screen Saver > Photos > iCloud Photos > Select Album Name

You're all set! If your album is new, you'll need to give the iCloud time to catch up. My album ended up being about 60 pictures (can you imagine if I printed all of those?!) so it took about half an hour for the pictures to fully sync on all devices.

Play with your settings as well! I have my screensaver start after 5 minutes and have it set on "Flip-Up" style. But you do you!

Also, because I loved this idea so much, I added it as my laptop screensaver. To reset your laptop screensaver, here's your path...
System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver > Screen Saver > Source (change to your album)

The best part of this is how easy it is to add to it. Next time I find a quote I love, I just add it to my Shared Album and boom! It syncs everywhere.

Now, these beautiful quotables are in my face, reminding me to be ambitious, get my butt moving and stay rad.

[Originally posted on JabberJawsBlog.com]

Simple Beaded Bracelet

First up for #JustStashJanuary is one of the easiest projects to do, but I can't get enough of it. I found these beautiful teal toned seed beads in a box and of course, I have stretchy cord sitting around. I mean, really, who doesn't?! The two were clearly destined to be together for all of eternity!

As I said, this is the easiest project ever.

1. Unravel cording that can wrap around your wrist four times with a little to spare. Don't cut the cord from the main spool! This will prevent a potential bead catastrophe.

2. Spill your beads and make a plan! In this case, my plan was RANDOM! Aren't those the best?

3. Start stringing from your open end... and stringing... and stringing... until you have your full length. Wrap around your wrist to make sure it's the right length.

4. Satisfied? Cut your cord from the spool and tie the ends. Double knots are great but add a little security with a dab of glue. Super Glue, Gorilla Glue and E6000 are all great choices. Don't forget to trim the ends!

Wrap around your wrist and enjoy to your heart's content! Got more beads? Make more bracelets then stack them and get trendy with your bad self!

#JustStashJanuary 2016

The challenge is on! Once again, I'm taking the annual challenge with my friend Virginia over at Scribbles & Bits to curb my supplies spending addiction and clear out my craft cubbies. Too much craft shopping leads to a blown budget and overflowing flowing cabinets. What better time to declutter with creativity than the start of the year?!

So, what's the challenge all about?
It's simple.

1. Only use craft supplies you already own.
2. The only allowable purchase is adhesive. Real adhesive... meaning, put down the washi tape! That's cheating.

Dig out those projects you've been meaning to finish. Create something new and exciting from supplies you've been holding on to. Find inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram to source some creativity.

Follow along with my creations as well as Virginia's on Instagram at @jen_evans_ and @myscribblesnbits. Don't forget to use the hashtag #JustStashJanuary to share your inspiring creations!

Let the craftiness commence!

Coming in 2016

New year... new exciting things in store for The Creative Cubby!

First thing's first, the Cubby Challenges! My love of photography is growing but I'd love even more to connect with all of you. Through photography and crafting, I'd love to see your perspective on the world. Therefore, I've created two challenges to keep the inspiration flowing. Use the hashtags #CubbyPhotoChallenge and #CubbyCraftChallenge on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook so share your images with everyone. I can't wait to see all of your inspiring posts!

Also coming to the blog... monthly Tip Tuesday posts. Once a month I'll be sharing a tip, trick or skill. Most of these will be accompanied by a video tutorial, so stay tuned with hilarious outtakes! Let me know if you have any special requests - especially if I've written something in a tutorial that would be better represented visually.

Speaking of making projects easier, I cannot wait to debut my printable Project Cards. Think recipe cards for all your crafting and DIY projects. I'll break down the materials and tools needed for a project and provide you space to mark off what you have and what you need to buy. No more wasted materials! There will also be blank versions for your own personal projects. Look for them in future posts!

And on the note of shopping, have you noticed the "Shop This Project" section on select posts? Now you can see exactly what I materials or tools I used and where I bought them at the bottom of each blog post.  I'm all about making it easy for you!

Fiiiiinally, some of my favorite features are making a return this year. #JustStashJanuary, Camp Crafts Week, Pumpkin Carving Week and a themed Christmas will make a return. Plus I'll be adding a new one for Earth Day.

Keep up with all the fun by signing up for emails following the details below.

Don't forget to follow on Facebook and Instagram as well!

Ready or not, 2016... here I come!

2016 Craft Challenge :: #CubbyCraftChallenge

Time to share your inspiring perspective and ideas with the #CubbyCraftChallenge.  The challenge: Create a project using the materials or designs above. Anything your heart desires! Use the hashtag on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to share your creativity with other cubbies! I'll be sharing mine on the blog and on social media... probably with a tutorial because we all know I love to share!

Interested in Photography? Try the #CubbyPhotoChallenge

Stay up to date and get the posts delivered to your inbox by following the below...

Happy Crafting!

2016 Photo Challenge :: #CubbyPhotoChallenge

Time to share your inspiring perspective and ideas with the #CubbyPhotoChallenge.  Use the hashtag on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to share your beautiful images with other cubbies! I'll be sharing mine on the blog and on social media... probably with a short anecdote because we all know I love to tell stories!

Want to get crafty with your bad self? Try the #CubbyCraftChallenge

Stay up to date and get the posts delivered to your inbox by following the below...

Happy Photographing!