Sew Crafty...

With over 30 years of experience Karen Copeland is our featured artist today! She is a crafty mother of four!

Karen is inspired by fabric and enjoys searching Etsy for new prints. Her shop is full of all sorts of unique items, however "Ella Funt" happens to be my favorite! Fitting, don't you think? She's sooooo soft and cuddly, I want to put my arms around her! Please check out Karen's site http://soandsewcrafty.etsy.com/

Karen was introduced to Etsy by her sister who had recently gotten into candle making. When asked what was the first thing Karen could recall creating she responded "I think it was Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus, made from folding old reader's digest then spray painting them and putting a Styrofoam ball on top and decorating!"

Some more of my favorites from Karen's shop are "Sammy the Scarecrow", and a husband and wife set of bunnies "Rupert and Renee".

I'm certainly glad Karen joined the Etsy community, and I'm sure after you visit her shop you will be too!

The Beanbag Groove

Just last week, we celebrated my daughter Elle’s 2nd birthday with lots of friends and family and Music with Mar. Mar is a very talented woman who lives here in the Tampa Bay area and has written and recorded some wonderful children’s music and developed a class that parents can bring their children to. Elle & I listen to Mar’s CDs in the car all the time, and love to go to Music with Mar classes to play and sing together. Mar said the other day “Elle’s in her very own “Music with Mar” world when she’s here” and what a happy world it is! One of Elle’s favorite Music with Mar songs is The Beanbag Groove. I made beanbags to include in the kid's favor bags with their names embroidered on them.

Once again my little one has inspired another Elle Belle product, and I’m looking forward to making another set (in a more child friendly fun print – I made these in black and white polka dot and music notes because that was theme for Elle’s party) very soon to list in my shop.

These beanbags fit so well with my desire to encourage my daughter’s curiosity and imaginative play. I am continually surprised by how creative her little mind is, even at only 2 years old. It’s so important to me to find toys for her that help her think on her own and provide more than just entertainment value. She’s been zipping around the living room while trying to balance the beanbag on her head, throwing it onto the wood floor to hear it splat, mushing the beans around with her little fingers, shaking it to a rhythm, counting each one, using it as a pillow for her dolls, pointing out the letters embroidered on them… it’s wonderful how even the simplest things can provide hours of enjoyment… and it didn’t even require batteries!

The finished size of these beanbags is 4x4 and I filled them with navy beans (they had a nice feel and make a good sound when they shake). They're so simple to maket, my only tips for you if you’re going to make some yourself is to set your stitch length shorter than usual to ensure there’s no gaps for beans to slip through and not to make the opening that you turn them through too small or it’ll be more difficult to pour the beans in. I made a “funnel” out of a piece of card stock to pour the beans into the bags, and didn’t fill them up too much so that I could top stitch them closed on my machine (I avoid hand sewing at all costs!!). Have fun and if you don’t want to do the work yourself, or can’t embroider on them yourself, check out my website http://www.ellebelleonline.com/ or Etsy shop ellebelleonetsy.etsy.com to buy a custom set for your little one. I hope to have them posted by the 15th.

Have a creative day!
Stacey