Rachael's Handmade Designs

I'm currently working on my home, upgrading here and there and adding touches that I love. A few weeks back I  installed kitchen cafe curtains (sewed them myself!) and as a simple decorative touch I added one of those retro three arm towel racks above the sink.  I found a delicate pillowcase that had embroidery on it that I loved and cut it down to tea towel size.  I've been displaying this on the towel rack ever since. This also gave me an idea.  Embroidery is cheap, easy and fun (seriously, the floss is practically next to nothing and you can get a whole pack of all sorts of colors at Joann's for less than $10) and, even though I've never done embroidery before, when I was little I did cross stitch, which is kind of the same thing.  Well, I've seen tea towels on etsy that women have embroidered and I absolutely love them. But lets be real - I'm not going to spend $35 plus shipping for a stinking tea towel!  And besides, personal crafts are...

How often is it that we just get so caught up with life that we sometimes forget to connect with the friends that mean the most to us? I've got a friend that I've known since 3rd grade. We don't talk much anymore, but when we do, its like we pick up right where we left off! So this card seems appropriate for those kinds of friends. I made this card using Art Impression's Texting BFFs set. I hope you like it! Leave a message in the comments!

What's the best part of spring? The colors? The birds singing? The sunshine? Yes, yes and yes. But don't forget the flowers, the holidays and the great family time! There's also birthdays, special occassions and there's always room for a simple thank you. (Its all about gratitude, right?) Today I'm bringing you the red floral version in the floral handmade card line I've recently created. Didn't they turn out great?! Each special, each a little different, and perfect for your loved one. And don't forget your grads! These would make a perfect keepsake greeting card for her to cherish in her scrapbook of her special graduation day. They're even so pretty that you could frame them and display them as artwork in your home. Just a few ideas to get you thinking. I hope you start thinking outside the box as to what you can do with handmade cards to turn your house into a home. Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!

Hello and Welcome Again!   Hope you are enjoying your long weekend and have taken a moment to honor our fallen soldiers this Memorial Day.   Doesn't May just *inspire* you?! I love spring and all the flowers and beautiful colors that nature has to offer.  With that in mind, here is another version of the floral cards that I've created for a very good customer of mine.    As you'll see, these are the same style of greeting cards as in the previous post, but that offering different floral imagery and sentiments will offer a greater range of appreciation for her customers.  And, its just pretty! :P         This line was so much fun to create!! I love the versatility of these images and sentiments. They really can be used at any moment for any last-minute or special occasion. I hope you've enjoyed this post and its inspired you to get stamping! Leave a message below and let me know what you think! Cheers...

Welcome Back. I've been taking a break lately from my rubber stamping because I've been having to deal with life and I just haven't had the time.  Last night I busted out the stamps and created a floral line using a number of different stamps and colors.  Pictured below are a birthday card and and just because card, perfect for any occasion.   My customer specifically asked me for floral pieces, so I hope she likes these.  What do you think? Do you have anything else to add? Leave a comment and let me know! Cheers!

Hello! I've been trying to jump-start my creativity. A few weeks back I posted another entry which featured some great questions from a book to help get you thinking in your creative mindset.  I thought I could find some more to help get me moving in that direction again. These questions were found at Carolyn Rubenstein's blog and are some great questions to help get you in the creative mindset.  I have edited the list to fit my needs.  My answers are provided. Try answering these questions yourself and see what you come up with! Where would I like to explore (anywhere in the world and beyond!)? Chichen Itza, the Mayan temples in Yucatan With an afternoon all to myself, what would I do with it? Ideally, take time for myself  to recharge by going for a hike or to the beach. What is my favorite spot in this town/city/state? Anywhere that I can see the ocean or hike in the woods away from people. How does the weather inspire me? ...

Welcome back all! If you're like me, you have a lot of jewelry. I have a very small tabletop jewelry box and I needed some way to display my long necklaces so that I could actually see what I have. So I went to good will and found this little beauty!  How perfect is that?! I looked it up when I got home. Apparently it's a scarf holder, but I gotta say, this works better for me! I even have enough room to display my rings! Sweet! Gotta love it! I paid all of $3 for this hanger, which retails new for $24.95. What can I say?! I love good will! What do you think? Anything interesting to add? Leave a comment and share your ideas! Cheers!

If you read this blog on a regular basis, you know that I have a passion for anything pinup or vintage. I want to share that passion with you, so I'm expanding this blog from just papercrafts to my other creative endeavors as well such as sewing and vintage hunting/finding. Check out this adorable vintage-style apron I created the other week! I found the vintage pattern and cute fabric at Hobby Lobby. This is my second attempt at sewing an apron. The first one, which was about two years ago, I did not use a pattern and was a total disaster as a result (: Useful tip: use a pattern! :)  I'm so happy with how this little gem turned out. Now I can bake a cake without getting myself covered in flour and cake batter! I plan to sew the other aprons from this pattern set when I return from Hawaii. They are the full vintage apron style, and now that I have this apron under my belt, I'm confident that I can sew them! Super fun, super easy! Got to go fabric shopping! :...

Hello All and Welcome Back! Have you heard? One of my favorite stores EVER , Collage (in Portland), has signed a new lease and is opening a new store!  They just signed a lease for SE Division Street and will be opening this summer. I'm so excited for these gals! What great news! I'll be zipping down to Portland to check out the new store just as soon as they open! Wahoo! Can't wait to see what they do with the store! Check out their blog here for more news from this great company. Cheers!

Good Morning! Here is another entry that I have created to play along at Art Impressions challenge, Spring Colors. (http://artimpressionsstamps.blogspot.com/2015/03/challenge-156-spring-colors-challenge.html?m=1) I used the same background stamp that I used in this blog post. I love it! So retro, it just tickles me. I used an image from the Girlfriends line, Texting BFF s - and a sentiment that comes separately. I love how it turned out! Coloring this image with my copics was SO fun - and I've made other cards with this image (coming up) and it turns out completely differently just by changing up the colors a bit. Talk about versatility! Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Hello Crafty Friends! I created this card for the Art Impressions Spring Colors challenge (http://artimpressionsstamps.blogspot.com/2015/03/challenge-156-spring-colors-challenge.html?m=1) Thanks for stopping by today! I wanted to share with you a new greeting card I came up with featuring a new background stamp I purchased from the fab shop Dolce Stamps (it's called "wireworks" and created by JudiKins stamps <and I also purchased "John" from the same company - he's a mod guy and will be appearing at a later date!>) and a new image I purchased from Art Impressions (love love love their images!!!) I used the Yoga Yolanda set for this card, along with candy dots and ribbon in a coordinating color.  The background was stamped in a pale green teardrop memento pad. This set makes me smile because I love yoga and the quote is so true! Very cute - makes me smile and very fun to color with my copics. I'm looking forward to sending this card in th...

Yes, it's been a while since I have been able to update my blog or send out a newsletter. So sorry! I have missed you all, but what with the holidays and life, things have just been super busy. Loads has been going on (I started a new job and I have a new boyfriend) so, much to the detriment of my paper creations, I have been out of the studio for quite some time.   I gotta say (er, write) that I've been meaning to stay ahead of the game on my creations, but it just hasn't been happening. A real bummer because Valentine's Day is usually rather a big seller for handmade cards. I just haven't had the time!!! I'm working on a life balance, but by the time I get home from my new job (I'm working downtown now and taking the bus so its early evening by the time I'm home) and have supper, its time to read for a half hour and then go to bed. I'm lucky if I even get to read! What do you do to squeeze in some crafting time during the week? I hav...