LJ Design & Photo

I have always loved Gerber Daisies. However, I did not seem to inherit my mother's green thumb. My mom can bring back a plant that you may have thought was dead! When I saw these beautiful Red Gerber Daisy Photos in LJ Design & Photo's Etsy Shop, I knew that these photos were a must have for me. I love the red flowers on the red walls in our home. I will be taking one of these photos to my classroom so that I can enjoy the beautiful flowers all winter long.

Lorissa of LJ Design & Photo has many different themed photographic series in her shop, such as her motherhood series, Route 66, the Mohave Desert,Ghost towns and Night and much more! She recently started making cards and gift tags as well. When you have a moment to spare and would like to view some amazing photography, stop by LJ's shop. You will not be disappointed! To learn more about Lorissa's photography, visit her blog, Photography, Art, & Motherhood, or website, http://ljphotodesign.com.

Fleece Tie Pillow Tutorial

Curious George Pillow

Materials
You will need:
*Sharp pair of fabric scissors
*2 pieces of fleece 18"x18"
*Pins
*2 pieces of muslin(or any cotton fabric) 13"x13"
*Stuffing (Polyfill fiber or Scrap Batting)
*Thread

Making the Pillow (or just buy a 12"x12" pillow form at the store)
1) Cut the fabric 13"x13" and pin together.
2) Starting about 3 inches from a corner, start sewing all the way around the fabric square. Stop when you are about 5 inches from where you began. Turn the pillow right inside out.
3) Stuff your pillow to desired plumpness.
4) Turn under the raw edge, pin and top-stitch to complete.


Making the Pillow Case
1) Cut the fleece to the dimensions given above.
2) Place the fleece wrong sides together and pin.
3) Cut a 3-inch square out of each corner.

4) Then, through both layers, cut 1 "x3" fringe, to tie, all the way around the pillow.
5) Tie front to back for each tie, leaving some open on the last side. Once you have made the pillow, insert the pillow in the case and close the last few ties. You are done!

The Curious George Pillow above is available to purchase in my Etsy Shop.

Harvesting Herbs

Every year I plant herbs in my flower garden with the good intention of drying them to use year round. This is the 6th summer we have been at our house, and I finally remembered to cut some herbs to dry. I cut oregano, parsley, sage, and basil.


I could not find the jute cord to wrap them in, so I used strips of fabric from my scraps stash. They are quite pretty. The sage looks like a Christmas decoration with the red fabric.
The dill I had planted was past its prime, but it did have a surprise for me. There was a monarch caterpillar sunning himself on the plant. You can get a glimpse of him in the picture below. I hope that I remember to see if chooses my garden as his home for making a chrysalis.

Smiles Around the World Memory Matching Game

Smile Around the World - Memory Matching Game - 1st of a 3 Set Series

Sometimes I see a fabric that I just have to get my hands on. When I first saw this fabric, Smiles Around the World, I instantly loved it! I love all of the different children from all over the world with the cutest smiles. There are 21 different children within the design. I have decided to make three different sets of memory matching games with the 21 different children. Each set will include 7 different pairs of children with 14 game pieces total. The image above is the first of three games in the Smiles Around the World Set. You get to choose which color bag you would prefer, pink or blue, as shown below. Visit my Etsy Shop for details if you would like to purchase a set for a child in your life. And yes, I do ship internationally.

Trains Matching Memory Game - Educational for Children

Remember playing memory as a child? This fun game is educational as it builds deductive reasoning and logic forming skills. There are 14 quilted game pieces, 2 of each picture, and a fun cream colored Train Drawstring Bag. Rules for the game are included, but are not shown in photos. Visit my Etsy shop to see more memory games available .