Hope Hearts

Day #223
Heart #227-228

I'm sending these hearts to a reader who requested one of my brand-new Hope Hearts starter kits.  The kits provide directions, templates, ideas, and actual sewn hearts, so friends and family of a person undergoing medical treatment can express their care and support by making stuffed hearts.  A jar full of hearts made by loving hands can give a huge emotional boost to a sick person.  If you would like a kit, just send your mailing address to me at leslieandersen4@cox.net , and I will put a kit in the mail to you free of charge.

The large heart on the left has already been included in my countdown to 365 hearts.  It started out as a pincushion, so I opened it up and took out the plastic insert to make it a Hope Heart. 

This heart (below) is my favorite new design--a pieced heart with a small fabric-and-object collage in the center.  All of a sudden, I just can't get enough fabric collage!

I will be working on (and posting) more Hope Hearts in the next week or two.  I want to have plenty on hand so I can immediately fill any requests for Hope Hearts kits.

Matchbox Heart

Day #222
Heart #226

I'm taking a break from the wool felt scissors fobs for a while (I have a few more designs in mind for those, so I WILL do some more before the year is out).

Today's heart is in fabric-collage form; it is sewn together with a lot of different fabrics and trims, and glued onto a paper-covered matchbox.

It just so happens that the matchbox will hold one of my scissors fobs perfectly!

Next week I expect to have time to make a LOT of these; I've been trying to think of something to do for the Art Abandonment group I belong to on facebook, and I think these would be perfect (with some other words than "Happy Birthday", of course!!)  The idea is to make a piece of art and leave it in a public place to be found and claimed by a stranger.  I will put each fob-filled box in a plastic bag with a card explaining the concept, with the groups' email address so the finder can let us know that they found art (if they choose to do so).  Exciting!

Collage Heart

Ten days to go until I start my "heart a day" challenge!

Today I want to show you this pretty heart from Blackbirds and Bumblebees.  I love all the "extras" on it; this one is larger than most of the hearts I've seen, and it looks wonderful with the lace, ribbon, and pieces of jewelry.  It could stand alone as a wall ornament.  I think you will see me make one or more hearts similar to this!