Tuesday, August 16, 2022

clean slate needed







#aftermath After months of piling supplies willy nilly around my work area, I'm afraid it's time to pay the piper. I need a clean slate on my desk and in my brain as I organize this train wreck so I can get going on the design of Ghost of Christmas Present for my Ebenezer Ornament Series.

So I'll be unsnarling the pile of floss, sorting and putting away the card stocks and felts, clearing away the accumulated paints, glues, and glitters, and finding a home with various family members for the little house reject samples all lined up in a row. (Rejected for minor reasons, like the innards or outsides do not match the final version of the pattern in some way, so will still make great Christmas gifts! All made with love.)

#mmmcrafts #sendhelp #coffeehelps #mariekondodoesnotlivehere #icouldusemarypoppinsthough

Thursday, August 11, 2022

All Through The House: detailed Benzie color guides, kits available!

All Through The House is the fourth pattern in my 'Twas the Night Ornament Series. Here are the detailed felt/floss/sequin/bead color guides for you below, so that you can easily make houses that look like my Benzie felt samples seen in the photo above, including the gingerbread samples. 

Benzie Design has long been one of my favorite places to purchase wool-blend felts (and they also have 100% wools). They have stellar customer service, quick shipping, and their felt, floss, sequins and beads are an absolute joy to work with! They will be very happy to help you with what you need, including a good many of the tools and other notions you'll need for this series.

First, some handy links to get you started:
To buy the All Through The House pattern: mmmcrafts.etsy.com

To buy the Classic or Retro felt palettes featured below:
Benzie 'Twas the Night felt palettes

To buy the helpful notions kit:
Benzie 'Twas the Night notions kit

To shop their beautiful sequins & beads:
Benzie Sparkle & Shine page

They are looking into providing a kit for the gingerbread samples also, so check with them about that. You can also purchase what you need a la carte from my guides below.

Looking to shop some of the notions locally? Check out this post.


OK! Here are the Benzie color guides:



Classic Palette Blue/Red Original House

BENZIE FELT COLORS:

Swan: House wrap 
White: A shingles, chimney rim
Ecru: B shingles
Chartreuse: Christmas tree (I cheated and used a color here which is not in the Classic palette. If you don't have the Retro palette, just use white for your tree, like the yellow house below. If you have the Retro palette, you could also use Moss, if you prefer.) 
Coral: Interior rug

STIFFENED CRAFT FELT COLORS:

White: Foundation, roof base, interior walls, interior window covers 
Black: Windows, welcome mat
Red: Door

CARD STOCK COLORS:

White iridescent glittered: Window frames, door frame, icicles 
Shimmer red: Chimney
White: Roof braces
Red: Door backing

FLOSS/SEQUIN/BEAD COLORS:*

House wrap: DMC 3845 clapboard, DMC 892 running stitch, DMC 666 year
Door: DMC 892 panels, teal 5 mm cupped sequins, Benzie Red seed beads, Benzie 4 mm Gold Metallic sequin doorknob w Benzie Gold Metallic seed bead
Windows: DMC B5200, medium grind iridescent glitter
Welcome Mat: DMC 666, DMC 3845, DMC 892
Christmas Tree, String Lights: DMC Diamant D3852, Benzie Teal and Red seed beads, 6 mm gold tinsel chenille stem
Interior Rug: DMC 666, DMC 3845
Hanging loop: DMC 5283
*All sequins/beads sewn with gold sewing thread




Classic Palette Yellow/Blue Original House:

BENZIE FELT COLORS:

Mustard: House wrap 
White: A shingles, chimney rim, Christmas tree
Ecru: B shingles
Peacock: Door (stiffened with Aleene's Stiffen Quik)
Swan: Interior rug

STIFFENED CRAFT FELT COLORS:

White: Foundation, roof base
Black: Windows, welcome mat
Red: Interior walls and window covers

CARD STOCK COLORS:

White iridescent glittered: Window frames, door frame, icicles 
Blue to match door: Chimney
White: Roof braces

FLOSS/SEQUIN/BEAD COLORS:*

House wrap: DMC 831 clapboard, DMC 3844 running stitch, DMC 3844 year
Door: DMC 831 panels, red 5 mm cupped sequins, Benzie White seed beads, silver 5 mm sequin doorknob w Benzie Silver Metallic seed bead
Windows: DMC Diamant D168, medium grind iridescent glitter
Welcome Mat: DMC 666, DMC 3845, DMC 831
Christmas Tree: DMC Diamant D3852, Benzie Teal and Red seed beads, 6 mm gold tinsel chenille stem
String Lights: DMC Diamant D168, Benzie Teal and Moonstone seed beads
Interior Rug: DMC 3844, DMC 831
Hanging loop: DMC 5283
*All sequins/beads sewn with silver sewing thread




Retro Palette Pink/Orange Original House

BENZIE FELT COLORS:

Flamingo: House wrap 
White: A shingles, chimney rim
Ecru: B shingles
Julep: Christmas tree
Chartreuse: Interior rug
Marigold: Welcome mat

STIFFENED CRAFT FELT COLORS:

White: Foundation, roof base, interior walls, interior window covers 
Black: Windows, door

CARD STOCK COLORS:

White iridescent glittered: Window frames, door frame, icicles 
Blue-green: Chimney
White: Roof braces
Black: Door backing

FLOSS/SEQUIN/BEAD COLORS:*

House wrap: DMC 608 clapboard, DMC 3850 running stitch, DMC 606 year
Door: DMC 603 panels, teal 6 mm cupped sequins, apple green 5 mm cupped sequins, kelly green 5 mm cupped sequins, Benzie Moonstone seed beads, silver 5 mm cupped sequin doorknob w Benzie Silver Metallic seed bead
Windows: DMC B5200, medium grind iridescent glitter
Welcome Mat: DMC 601, DMC B5200
Christmas Tree: DMC Diamant D316, Benzie White and Moonstone seed beads, 6 mm silver tinsel chenille stem. (If you can't source the pink Diamant you can sub in DMC 601 or D168)
String Lights: DMC Diamant D168, Benzie Foxglove, Teal, and Green seed beads
Interior Rug: DMC 3850, DMC 601
Hanging loop: DMC 5283
*All sequins/beads sewn with silver sewing thread




Retro Palette Olive/Mint Original House

BENZIE FELT COLORS:

Moss: House wrap 
White: A shingles, chimney rim
Ecru: B shingles
Julep: Door (which has been stiffened with Aleene's Stiffen Quick), interior rug
Chartreuse: Christmas tree
Flamingo: If you can't find bubblegum pink stiffened felt, sub Flamingo for the welcome mat

STIFFENED CRAFT FELT COLORS:

White: Foundation, roof base 
Black: Windows
Bubblegum pink: Welcome mat, interior walls and window covers (If you cannot find pink stiffened felt, sub white stiffened felt for the interior walls/covers and use Flamingo wool blend for the welcome mat.)

CARD STOCK COLORS:

White iridescent glittered: Window frames, door frame, icicles 
Mint linen texture: Chimney and door backing
White: Roof braces

FLOSS/SEQUIN/BEAD COLORS:*

House wrap: DMC 3851 clapboard, DMC 603 running stitch, DMC 603 year
Door: DMC 580 panels, iridescent pink 5 mm cupped sequins, Benzie Foxglove seed beads, Benzie 4 mm Gold Metallic sequin doorknob w Benzie Gold Metallic seed bead
Windows: DMC B5200, medium grind iridescent glitter
Welcome Mat: DMC 934, DMC 3851
Christmas Tree: DMC Diamant D3852, Benzie Foxglove and Red seed beads, 6 mm gold tinsel chenille stem
String Lights: DMC Diamant D3852, Benzie Red and Green seed beads
Interior Rug: DMC 580, DMC 603
Hanging loop: DMC 5283
*All sequins/beads sewn with gold sewing thread





Gingerbread Version, Pink/Red
 
BENZIE FELT COLORS:
Nutmeg: House wrap 
Flamingo: Interior rug
White: Chimney rim
Bellwether White Glitter: A Shingles (or sub White wool blend)
Bellwether Pink Glitter: B Shingles (or sub Pink or Flamingo wool blend)

STIFFENED CRAFT FELT COLORS:

White: Foundation, roof base 
Black: Windows
Red: Welcome mat
Brown: Door, interior walls and window covers (If you cannot find brown stiffened felt, sub white or red stiffened felt for the interior walls/covers, use red stiffened felt for the door, and sub Pink glitter wool or Pink/Flamingo wool blend felt for the welcome mat. You'll also need to change the doorknob color and welcome mat embroidery colors to contrast.)

CARD STOCK COLORS:

White iridescent glittered: Window frames, door frame, icicles 
Red shimmer: Chimney
White: Roof braces
Dark brown: Door backing (if you change the door to red, just match the door)

FLOSS/SEQUIN/BEAD COLORS:*

House wrap: DMC B5200 clapboard, DMC 666 running stitch, DMC B5200 year
Door: DMC B5200 panels, medium pink 5 mm cupped sequins, Benzie Red seed beads, Benzie 4 mm Red Metallic sequin doorknob w Benzie Red seed bead
Windows: DMC B5200, medium grind iridescent glitter
Welcome Mat: DMC 603, DMC B5200
Candy Canes: DMC 666
Gumdrop Shrubs: Tulip red permanent fabric marker, pink and white acrylic paint, medium grind iridescent glitter
Santa Claus: DMC 310 belt, 5 mm silver sequin, medium grind iridescent glitter
String Lights: DMC B5200, Benzie Red and Foxglove seed beads
Interior Rug: DMC 666, DMC B5200
Hanging loop: DMC 5283
*All sequins/beads sewn with silver sewing thread




Gingerbread Version, Green/Teal/Red

BENZIE FELT COLORS:
Nutmeg: House wrap 
Julep: Interior rug
White: Chimney rim
Chartreuse: Welcome mat
Bellwether White Glitter: A Shingles (or sub White wool blend)
Bellwether Clover Green Glitter: four B Shingles
Bellwether Julep Glitter: two B Shingles

STIFFENED CRAFT FELT COLORS:

White: Foundation, roof base 
Black: Windows
Brown: Door, interior walls and window covers (If you cannot find brown stiffened felt, sub white or red stiffened felt for the interior walls/covers, and use green or red stiffened felt for the door.)

CARD STOCK COLORS:

White iridescent glittered: Window frames, door frame, icicles 
Red: Chimney
White: Roof braces
Dark brown: Door backing (if you change the door color, just match the door)

FLOSS/SEQUIN/BEAD COLORS:*

House wrap: DMC B5200 clapboard, DMC 906 running stitch, DMC B5200 year
Door: DMC B5200 panels, teal 6 mm cupped sequins, Benzie Green seed beads (but I wish I had used Benzie Red), Benzie 4 mm Clover Metallic sequin doorknob w Benzie Green seed bead
Windows: DMC B5200, medium grind iridescent glitter
Welcome Mat: DMC 666, DMC 943
Candy Canes: DMC 666
Gumdrop Shrubs: Tulip red permanent fabric marker, apple green and white acrylic paint, medium grind iridescent glitter
Santa Claus: DMC 310 belt, 5 mm gold sequin, medium grind iridescent glitter
String Lights: DMC B5200, Benzie Red, Green, and Teal seed beads
Interior Rug: DMC 666, DMC 937
Hanging loop: DMC 5282
*All sequins/beads sewn with gold sewing thread


I hope these guides were helpful! (Looking for other color guides? Check here.) The way I've combined these Benzie Classic and Retro felt colors are just a few of the possibilities! Feel free to follow these guides exactly or come up with your own lovely color variations. I'd love to see what you make. :-) Here's the IG hashtag: