Free Tutorial: Carefree Cup Cozy

Today I needed a fun, useful gift for my husband's boss. I quickly made a couple of these and she was thrilled! Happiness all around. :)

I also found a really cute "coffee cup cosy" poem, originally by Yvonne Lowther, and adapted it to use as a gift tag.

Click Here to download the JoyfulRose Carefree Cup Cozy Template
(Note: These are PDFs, so you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open all the files in this tutorial)

Click Here to download the single Cup Cozy Poem

Click Here to download the full page Cup Cozy Poem (4 poems on a regular letter-sized page)

Supplies for 1 Cup Cozy:
About 12" wide x 4" tall outer fabric (I used Babyville Boutique Sassy Girl Cheetah PUL)
About 12" wide x 4" tall inner fabric (I used JoAnn Fabrics Cream Fleece)
4" of 1/4" wide elastic
3.25" of FOE (I used Babyville Boutique Solid Brown Fold Over Elastic)
Label (I used Babyville Boutique Little Bird and Hearts "Love")
3/4" Button
Sewing Machine, needle, thread, scissors, cutting board, needles

Note: this pattern and tutorial are for a small store-bought coffee cup. It's made with elastic so it can expand to fit a cup snugly, but if you're using a much larger or smaller than average cup, you made need to alter this tutorial to fit. :)

Instructions:
1. Print and cut out the Cup Cozy Template
2. Fold PUL in half width-wise, place Template on fold, and cut. Do the same for the Fleece
3. Match up PUL and Fleece, right sides together, and sew along top, bottom, and one side. Clip corners so they'll turn nicely
4. Turn right side out and cover-stitch
5. Place FOE along the side that wasn't sewn and use a wide zig-zag to stitch. Use Fray Check on edges or heat-seal
6. Place Label in center and middle of Cup Cozy and sew
7. Loop elastic, match raw edges to edge of FOE and sew very securely
8. Measure in about 1.5" from sewn side of Cup Cozy and sew button in the center, very securely
9. Make another one so you have a pair!
10. Print poem using above download link, wrap Cup Cozies with poem, and give to your favorite coffee or hot chocolate-drinking friend :)

Free Tutorial: Wildly Cute Essential Oils Holder

Do you need an awesome gift for your favorite guy?

I recently introduced my sister and brother-in-law to essential oils and needed a manly Christmas present for him. That's how this awesome camo essential oils holder was born. It's now under the tree and waiting for Christmas morning!

Finished Size: About 3.5" wide x 7" long.

Note:
My essential oils holder is made to hold 10 of the 5/8 dram bottles, or 8 of the 5/8 dram bottles and 1 of the 2.5" long roller bottles. If you'll be using different-sized bottles please take that into consideration when cutting fabric and elastic.

Supplies:
About 9" x 5" PUL (I used Babyville Boutique Camo)
About 9" x 5" Coordinating Fleece or another soft, thick fabric (I used JoAnn Fabrics Cream Fleece)
Label - Born to be Wild, from Babyville Boutique
Button - 3/4"
About 20" of 1/4" wide Elastic
7" Babyville Boutique Brown FOE (Fold Over Elastic)
Sewing Machine, Thread, Scissors, Cutting Board, Pins, Fabric Marking Pen

Instructions:
1. Cut PUL and Fleece to 4.75" wide x 8.25" long
2. Place PUL and Fleece right sides together and sew along both sides and bottom, using a 5/8" seam allowance.
3. Turn right side out, top-stitch, and then sew FOE along the top
4. Cut about 4" of elastic, fold in half, match ends to bottom of FOE on outside, and stitch along FOE sew line (be sure to sew this part very securely, back-stitching several times)
5. Sew label so that the top of it is about 1.5" above bottom of Holder, on outside
6. Sew button so that the top of it is about 1/2" above bottom of Holder, on outside
7. Cut 2 pieces of elastic, each about 7 and 3/4" long
8. On inside, measure 1" below top of of Holder and draw a horizontal line with your fabric marking pen. Measure 1.5" below that line, and draw another horizontal line
9. On inside, on first line, starting from left side, put a little dot with fabric marking pen every 5/8ths of an inch, for a total of 6 dots. Do the same for the second line, making sure dots line up vertically with those on first line
10. Mark the elastic: for both pieces of elastic, measure in about 1/4" from edge and make a dot with marking pen. Measure in about 1.5" from that dot and make another dot. Continue until you've made 6 total dots
11. On inside, on first line, starting from the left side, match 1st dot of one of the pieces of elastic to 1st dot on fabric and stitch vertically (be sure to double-stitch each of these lines to make sure the elastic doesn't come undone as it stretches to hold your essential oils bottles!) Continue matching dots and sewing until all 6 dots are matched and sewn. Then do the same for the 2nd row and 2nd piece of elastic
12. Add essential oils bottles and enjoy!

Free Tutorial: Simply Cute 10-Minute Stockings

Need a super fast, super cute Christmas gift? These stockings are perfect! It takes about 10 minutes to do all 3. They're about 4" x 5", and are just right for a full-size candy cane and some candy. Use them for decoration, as gift tags on a present, or make a bunch for Christmas tree ornaments! Also, they take so little fabric that it's a great way to use up scraps.

Click Here to download the free JoyfulRose Stocking Template
Note: it's a PDF, so you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open it

Supplies:
Stocking Template
Scraps of non-fraying fabric (I used 3 different patterns of Babyville Boutique PUL, but you could also use felt or fleece)
About 15" of 1/4" wide ribbon (I used Babyville Boutique Pink Floral Ribbon)
Sewing Machine, thread, cutting board, scissors, pins, needle

Instructions:
1. Print and cut out template
2. Fold fabric in half, wrong sides together
3. Trace template onto fabric and cut through both layers of fabric
4. Cut a 5" length of ribbon
5. Keep fabric wrong sides together, fold ribbon into a loop and place at top left corner
6. Sew along sides (not the top!) with a 5/8" seam allowance, using a wide stitch (or hand stitch)
* Tip: Be sure to stitch securely, especially the top sides.
7. Make at least 2 more stockings.
8. Fill with goodies and enjoy!

Free Tutorial: Fast and Festive Gift Bag

Need a quick gift bag? This one is super easy! It takes about 15 minutes, including gathering all the materials.

 Supplies:
About 1/3 yard of fabric (I used Babyville Boutique Chevrons and Solid Red PUL)
About 20" of 1/4" wide ribbon (I used Babyville Boutique Forest Friends Ribbon)
Sewing Machine, cutting board, scissors, pins, thread, needle

Instructions:
1. Cut the chevron BBVL PUL a bit wider than your gift and twice as long (I added about 4 inches of red PUL at the top and bottom to make it more Christmas-y)
2. Fold the PUL in half lengthwise, right sides together
3. Sew the 2 sides together and turn right side out
4. Sew a 20" long BBVL ribbon to the back
5. Insert gift, gather top of bag, tie in a cute bow. 
Done and done!

Free Shipping Day at Spoonflower!

Today Spoonflower is offering free standard shipping to anywhere in the world! Great time to stock up on fabrics for the upcoming holidays. :)

Click Here to order!

Perhaps some Minecraft-inspired designs for Halloween?

Or maybe Princess-themed designs for your little gal?

Or maybe awesome Steampunk designs for Cosplay?

How about gorgeous quatrefoil for gifts?

100+ New Designs at Spoonflower!

Chevrons, Quatrefoil, Houndstooth, Damask, Steampunk, Frozen Inspired, Minecraft Inspired, and MORE!!!

We've been hard at work over the past few months creating new, unique designs for you. Perfect for the upcoming holidays!

Head on over to our Spoonflower shop and take a look. :)

http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/joyfulrose

Spoonflower Tip: JoyfulRose Minecraft Inspired Grass Block Pillow

I received a question last week about making pillows using my grass block design. Thought I'd post a quick tip in case anyone else has the same question. :)

I've taken screenshots of both of my grass block designs: the regular and the rotated. Click the image below to see a detailed picture. Pink lines mark a 20" square (about 50cm). Blue line indicates a yard.

If you purchase 1 yard of fabric, you can make one 20" pillows/cases. You'd have about 16" of fabric leftover.

If you purchase 2 yards of fabric, you can make two 20" pillows/cases. You'd have about 32" of fabric leftover (great for a little throw blanket!)

Remember that if you cut 20" squares and sew them together, they'll end up about 18" or 19" depending on your seam allowance. :)

Hope that helps!

Click here to purchase the regular minecraft inspired grass block (design on the left)

Click here to purchase the rotated minecraft inspired grass block (design on the right)

Spoonflower Free Swatch Day!!!

Guess what?! For the next 24 hours you can get a free swatch of faux suede from Spoonflower!
Spoonflower is the company for which I do a lot of fabric, wrapping paper, and wallpaper designs.
Click here to try it out!

Click here for more info:
Spoonflower Blog - Free Swatch Day Info

Spoonflower - Creations Made from my Designs! - Minecraft Grass Pillow and Valances

 I LOVE these valances and Minecraft grass pillow!

They were made Becky's (aka: beckymay78) Mom for her daughter's room. Merry Christmas indeed!

She used my designs found here:
http://www.spoonflower.com/designs/2477265
http://www.spoonflower.com/designs/2478953

Thanks Becky for the pics!

Spoonflower - Creations Made from my Designs! - Minecraft Backpack and Cushions

Love this Minecraft backpack and cushions!

They were made by Danielle (aka: daniwillis) for a 12-year-old's birthday! So very cool.

She made them using my designs found here:
http://www.spoonflower.com/designs/2477105
http://www.spoonflower.com/designs/2479856

Thanks Danielle for sending pics!

Spoonflower - Creations Made from my Designs! - Minecraft Bedroom

Check out this amazing bedroom!

It was made by Tania (aka: taniaflynn) using a couple of my designs, found here:
http://www.spoonflower.com/designs/2477271
http://www.spoonflower.com/designs/2478953

I'm constantly amazed by the ingenious ideas that my customers have!

Thanks Tania, for sending the pic. :)

Spoonflower - Creations Made from my Designs! - Valentine Creeper Box

I absolutely love this Valentine's Day Minecraft Creeper Box!

It was made by Sara Baese (aka: sbaese) using my Minecraft Inspired Creeper Pixels - Green Gift Wrap, found here: http://www.spoonflower.com/designs/2477105

What a clever idea! Thanks to Sara for sending the pic.

Spoonflower - Creations Made from my Designs! - Minecraft Dog Collar

Isn't this Minecraft Dog Collar fantastic?!

It was made by Kristin Wills (aka: kristineileen91) using my "Enhanced Minecraft Inspired 3/4" Blocks Collage" fabric found here: http://www.spoonflower.com/designs/1276143

I love it! Makes me wish our dog was still with us. :)

Thanks Kristin, for sending the pic!

Spoonflower Customer Service Rocks!

We're going to ComicCon!

My boys need bigger Minecraft costumes so I recently placed an order for more fabric from Spoonflower. Shortly after, I realized I made a mistake in my ordering. I contacted customer service and "chatted" with Tara R. She was awesome! She fixed the problem right away and was very kind. I LOVE good customer service!!!

Spoonflower - Creations Made from my Designs! - Minecraft Quilt

Check out this gorgeous Minecraft quilt made by Tracy:

I love all the detail; perfect for a boy's room!

It was made by Tracy Forsberg (aka: papatece) using my "Minecraft Inspired Collage 3" Squares" fabric found here: http://www.spoonflower.com/designs/2479785

This is what Tracy said about the fabric:

Christina - I want to thank you for your design!!  I have a 10 year old grand son who is wild about Minecraft.  I have 6 grandsons and am making quilts for all of them.  I chose your 3x3 pattern and blocked with black flannel and then machine "quilt-stitched" between each block.  Did not get pics of him when we gave it to him (sorry that I did not have my camera handy as he was super excited), but did take pics of the finished product.  Thanks again!"

 

Thanks for the pics Tracy; your grandsons are so lucky to have you!

Spoonflower - Creations Made from my Designs! - Minecraft Room

This is the most amazing Minecraft room I've ever seen!!!

Maria Nilsson (aka: naquadria_sweden) used three of my Spoonflower fabrics to make the blanket, cushions, and curtains for her son's room. I think she did an incredible job!

Links to my fabric designs:
http://www.spoonflower.com/designs/2478953
http://www.spoonflower.com/designs/2477237
http://www.spoonflower.com/designs/2479856

Thanks for the pics, Maria!

Spoonflower - Creations Made from my Designs! - Minecraft Backpacks and Messenger Bags

Look at these awesome backpacks and messenger bags!

 

 

They were made by the very talented Norma Agron (aka: norma_iris), using my Spoonflower fabric found here: http://www.spoonflower.com/designs/1276241

Check out her Etsy shop for more amazing bags! https://www.etsy.com/shop/normasbagboutique

Holi 2014: Festival of Colors in Spanish Fork, Utah

Today we went to the Festival of Colors! It was our 4th time going, and I finally captured the shot I've been wanting to get since 2009.

The timing was perfect!

We drove up about 5 minutes before the 11am "throwing of the colors", paid to park in the lot across the street (totally worth it), and my husband and I ran to the grass in front of the temple while my sisters watched our 4 kiddos.

Set up the tripod, set up the camera, took a few test shots, and the countdown began! I felt like a paparazzo while I took picture after picture. After, I played back the pics I'd taken and was absolutely giddy!

A huge thank you to my awesome husband and wonderful family. :)

Here's the pic in black and white and color:

Fun, huh?!

10 minutes later, we packed everything away, got our kiddos, and the whole group of us went onto the grounds of the Lotus Krishna temple in Spanish Fork, Utah.

We bought our colors, played, and had a fun time participating in the 12:00pm "throwing of the colors". (Don't worry, the babies were covered up during the actual throwing. The rest of us wore sunglasses and bandanas around our mouths and noses)

A couple of my husband's co-workers were in town from India, and we had a great time with them!
Here's the before and after pic of our group:

Aren't my son's "after" faces hilarious?! They enjoyed the festival, except when they got chalk thrown into their eyes. Poor kiddos. Next year maybe we'll just have them go under the pavilion for the actual throwing of the colors!

Me, my husband, and our sweet tiny girl after the color throwing:

A fun, fun day!

And yes, that baby sling has come in very handy. :)

Spoonflower - Creations Made from my Designs! - Minecraft Pillow

Isn't this pillow awesome?!

It was made by Elizabeth Joshi (aka: libby1) using my fabric from Spoonflower, found here: http://www.spoonflower.com/designs/2479785

So awesome! Thanks for the pic, Elizabeth!

Spoonflower - Creations Made from my Designs! - Minecraft Pencil Pouch

My customers are so creative!

Michelle-Nicholle made this pencil pouch using my fabric from Spoonflower: http://www.spoonflower.com/designs/1276249

 

 Thanks for the pictures Michelle-Nicholle (aka: mdrahmin). LOVE it!

Spoonflower - Creations Made from my Designs! - Minecraft Bedding Set

Don't you just LOVE this bedding set?!

It was made using my "Minecraft Inspired Pixels - Green" design found here at Spoonflower: http://www.spoonflower.com/designs/2477105.

Thank you to Haidee Corps (aka: haidest) for sending me this pic. You, your Mom, and Mitchell are very talented!

Spoonflower - Creations Made from my Designs! - Minecraft Body Pillow

I think this is the coolest body pillow ever!!!

It was made by Karen Williamson's mother for her son's Minecraft room. She used my Spoonflower fabric design found here: http://www.spoonflower.com/designs/2479856

Love it!

Thanks for the pic Karen!

Vote in the Spoonflower Fabric of the Week Contest! Chinese Paper Cutting

This week's contest is Chinese Paper Cutting! Color palette: red and white.

My design is based off of my "Hope" design with cherry blossoms, but with a frame of blossoms surrounding a delicate butterfly.

I'd love your vote!

Spoonflower - Creations Made from my Designs! - Minecraft Christmas Stocking

Thanks so much to Lisa George (aka: the_black_scottie) for sending this pic.
It's a stocking she made using my "Minecraft Collage 3" Squares", found here: http://www.spoonflower.com/designs/2479785

It looks so awesome! I love how she embroidered Cameron's name on the stocking.
Thanks Lisa!

Spoonflower - Creations Made from my Designs! - Yellow Brick Road Picture Backgrounds

Thank you to Andy Ritz (aka: crackerboy) for sending me these pics! 
I LOVE how he used my wrapping paper design as the background for his amazing Wizard of Oz collages.
Design found here: http://www.spoonflower.com/designs/1248012

Thanks again Andy! I love your creativity!