Beauty Is As Beauty Does

what's up

2011-01-14T19:14:00.000-08:00

I'm a big time blog slacker. The truth is I hate to resize all my photos and them wait the time it takes it upload them. Above, the Chicago Super Dawg. went there when my sis was in town. Didn't eat any "dawgs".
Skipped to my lou down to Sprinkles cupcakes. They were so-so for gourmet. Hated the plastic-tasting dots.
However, the kids are always anxious to try a cupcake as evidenced above.
Speaking of "dawgs", haley dear with her new little man Mack. he is such a great dog. Except when he bites my friends. Well, just one of them! ;)

Shots from Renegade Chicago

2010-10-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

Just a few...

2010-10-18T18:31:00.000-07:00

Me in front of the washington monument
The cutest little shop in Virginia; called "On a whim". google it. It's awesome!
I love my own headbands. I don't wear these, but I love them so much!!
The awesome PINK dressing room at the Juicy Couture store. Yum!

Midnight scenes

2010-10-07T16:48:00.000-07:00

A while ago when I couldn't sleep I was super busy enjoying the ugly light that was scattered all around my studio space. Everything looked beautiful, so I thought, though really I knew it wasn't very nice light. Overhead chandelier light. Hmph.
The gnomes protecting my jewelry display.
My ever-growing collection of binders. I don't know why I am so fascinated by binders. But I am.
A girl can never have too much lipgloss.
My ipod surrounded by beaded baubles.
Notebooks I made for the shop. Nobody seems to like them as much as I do. Another hmph.

Can't play catch up....

2010-09-22T06:28:00.000-07:00

I've been such a blog slacker! I obviously can't play catch up with the many things we've done over the summer, so I will just start anew with fall postings! ;)

The Best Show on Earth

2010-07-14T16:46:00.000-07:00

I'm going to have to give it up for my hometown flea market; a place I absolutely must visit each and every time I go "home" to Missouri. Even though they have oodles of crap, it's totally legal to smoke inside, and the oscar meyer weiner handcart has been there for years, it's still totally rad to visit and shop. Yes, indeed, shop. The place changes names and I just call it the junk store, but really there are so many treasures to be found inside.

Hmm....I'm pretty sure this phone is just one step away from Pottery Barn. I mean, it's a push button phone made to look like a rotary phone. I like the rotary phone look. It's cool.
This is just one view of the oh-so-scary-full-of-cobwebs-and-other-dead-things basement of the building. Filled to the brim with a hoarders delight of chairs, junky appliances and other peed on furniture. I'm sure a lot of it has never been peed on.
Oh my, so many things to look at, and so so so little time.

2 months!!

2010-07-13T16:24:00.001-07:00

We've been super busy around here doing our summer stuff! Here's just a peek!

Stuff

2010-05-11T08:11:00.000-07:00

See my little gnome man? I may be slightly obsessed with these bearded creatures.
Here's my *new* babycakes cupcake maker. It's pink! It makes baby cupcakes! It's cute!
Here's my mother's day gift (above) from my daughters! Sugar Monkey cupcakes! Yum! (Yes, I shared!!)
I grew them, I birthed them, and now they cost me a fortune! Being a mom is great!
And last but not least, this awesome vintage thermos, caraffe, I don't know what's it called. But it will be going camping with us this summer! Sweet!

Inspired Camping....

2010-05-03T16:01:00.000-07:00

I've searched and searched for a pink tent. None. Well, not in the United States. Baaa! And I wish I had a cool tent like the one above or the vintage VW camper like pictured below. But, I don't. So, I've been thinking about really cool ways to "glam" up my camping....and I've been very inspired lately. What would you do?

(all images via weheartit)

Today is one of those days...

2010-04-29T06:02:00.000-07:00

I'm working on some paintings, painting some things, and other paint related projects;I'm making a big batch of product for the Twinkled Twig. Shh, it's a secret!
I'm editing pictures of this sweet girl:
and more editing of this sweet girl:
Life is good, and 'work' is fun! I couldn't ask for a better Thursday!

Doing the Duke of Hazard....

2010-04-25T19:40:00.000-07:00

This would be Graham's favorite thing to do these days, to my intense dismay. He will climb in and out of the car via his window. It drives me crazy!(no pun intended)

2010-04-23T10:40:00.000-07:00

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colors around my house

2010-04-20T17:27:00.000-07:00

This was a lucky shot, the remains of the hard boiled dyed easter eggs after the kids ate them:

Don't let this picture fool you, these little confetti dots are really the size of button holes. And when I say that, I mean the size of holes inside buttons. Teeny tiny.
We had to wash allllllll the boys' rubber duckies. Which number over 100, but here's one bowl:
And here we go, one of my many many button projects:

just a quick one

2010-04-20T06:10:00.001-07:00

I'm so busy working last week and this week, so here's just a few pics! Below is Ashford laying on his brand new blanket from Grandma. Finally. (It's ok, he is the 6th grandbaby)

My awesome flea market finds lately. Actually, they are thrift store finds, which I think are even better than flea markets!!Boots, vintage sheets and towels, clipboards, jars, and cigar boxes. Yippee!!
And, lastly, my girls modeling their new outfits, won by way of bribery. I find that bribing them works best to get household chores done, babysitting hours, you name it, an outfit from Justice does the trick with my tweens! Haley was especially proud of her scratch-n-sniff shirt. But as a mother, I'm a little leery about peeps scratching and sniffing my daughter all day!! :)

The Lazy Blogger

2010-04-15T17:09:00.000-07:00

That's me, the lazy blogger. I had all these *grand* plans to take nice pictures of the things I've been working on lately and post some really pretty pictures, but this is what you get instead, lazy photobooth pics taken real fast so I have something to post! Ha! So, Callie and I are gearing up for our Twinkled Twig booth at the Kane County Flea Market. Yippee! It is always great fun to brainstorm (and sometimes brainwash-wink ;) for our booth. Above is just one of the hundreds of rings I've been making from buttons, some vintage and some new, and some mixed together.
Here's one of the rolled silk flowers put into hairclip mode. Ooh la la. They are very time consuming.
It is a photobooth pic, that's why the words on the packaging are backwards. But, here's just some of the stuff put into it's nice eco-friendly packaging with those oh-so-cute toppers. Can't wait for the merchandising (arranging for all you non-retail peeps) of our booth. It's fun!
I've been making thousands (really) of these suckers. Thousands.
And, probably my favorite piece to date, the cashmere headband. Made by hand. By me. I just love how organic the shape of the cashmere is. I love love love it. Interested in coming to The Twinkled Twig booth? The Kane Co Flea Market is every month, once a month, the FIRST SUNDAY and whatever Saturday precedes it. So, look for us. Look for the *pink* and this summer we're adding another special color to the mix. Can't wait! ;)

Things I just cannot pass up at the flea markets......

2010-04-09T21:34:00.000-07:00

I love to thrift. Super love it. Usually when I go I have a purpose, something I need to find or suddenly had a great idea for. But, there are somethings that I absolutely don't need, and these are those things. Number One: above, granny square blankets. It just makes me sad that some mother, grandmother, friend, or sister spent hours on such a beautiful blanket and it ended up at the thrift store. So I buy them all. Really. And some day I will blanket the world!
Vintage fabric. Yum-o-licious. However, I do have my limits on this stuff. I'm not real keen on old polyester, you know, like granny dresses. I mean, sometimes they're cute, but I can pass on them. Like two days ago, I found this awesome totally retro vintage 1981 Strawberry Shortcake fabric. Passed on it. It was a super great find, but I left it for someone else to enjoy.
Vintage and/or retro furniture. Sweet.
Oh my, gnomes. I fear that someday I will become that crazy old lady with the outrageous gnome collection.
Kick-ass jewelry. Even if I couldn't possibly wear it all in a year. It's fun.
Genuine cowboy boots. I don't want mall imitations. Just the good worn stuff.
Dishes. Certain kinds. I am picky. I'm the lady you see turning over all the dishes to see the marks on the bottom. Move over Antiques roadshow, I actually know what I'm doing here.

Tomorrow I'll post my finds from thrifting this week.

A sneak peek.....

2010-04-05T16:52:00.000-07:00

To celebrate Earth day this year I will be posting a whole slew of d.i.y projects made with stuff you probably already have around the house, or your mom does, or your aunt, or grandpa, you get it.....crap. I love to upcycle things into better stuff, more usable things, and I have a TON of cool projects coming your way in April!! Yippee!! I might post some early, too....just for fun! Here are just a few of the projects that I will be posting!

I love you Liberty of London.....

2010-04-03T14:17:00.001-07:00

I've found that every single time I go to Target now I come home with another Liberty of London something. Flower pots, notebooks, file folders, pillows, and now the girls Easter clothing. Not too gussy this year, but coordinating, kind of. With Haley's crazy sense of style sometimes it's difficult to tell!

This is how we built it:

2010-03-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

Our Fairy Garden that we built today....

2010-03-27T16:08:00.000-07:00

I can check this off my list of things to do this year!! Building fairy garden was on my list of 2010 things to do and I can't really say why I wanted to build one, just that I did. So, the kids helped me gather things around the house and a bunch of stuff from nature and we spent all morning putting it together. I LOVE the way it turned out!
The gnomes (there is another one behind the house you can't really see) guard the garden from other non-fairy creatures.
The pathway between the two fairy homes is made of buttons, rocks, and sand. With a little fairy dust sprinkled on for shine!
Lexi and Haley were the geniuses behind the mirror-pond. And it's an acrylic mirror to boot!
We braided willow branches to use as the arches by each of the fairy homes.

My kids make me happy, usually

2010-03-24T16:25:00.001-07:00

I was trying to get a picture of all four of them in the same spot we took one last year during spring break, but Ashford would have NONE of the camera in his face. He would move exactly opposite as wherever I wanted the photo. So I thought taking one from his perspective would be just as cute.
My sweet Graham, with his sweet fake smile
Haley and again, Ashford avoiding the camera at all costs. He is impossible to photograph!
Totally sisterly love. Can you feel it?
And obviously how the boys feel about getting their picture taken!!!

Today I love...

2010-03-24T16:10:00.001-07:00

Majestic Midwest trees.....
Quaint homes tucked in between mcmansions.... (and within miles of my own home!)
Diners down the street with charming signs straight from another decade:
My awesome thrift store rugs perfect for photographing newborns:
And Ruth's vintage dollhouse that I've been trusted to repaint, re-stain and redecorate! Cool!

FuN, fUn, FuN!!!

2010-03-09T09:45:00.000-08:00

Bazaar Bag

2010-03-05T14:49:00.000-08:00

This project was inspired by an Alice in Wonderland box that my friend Callie gave me for Christmas. It's not like decoupaging something is new to me, but I just felt it would be a cute, back-to-the-basics craft idea. I call it my Bazaar bag because I literally tore up this month's issue of Bazaar magazine to make it!

1. Gather the supplies you'll need: Mod Podge, a magazine, a craft box (or purse in this case), a brush for brushing on the Mod Podge, scissors, a hole punch and brads.

2. First things first, start tearing up the magazine pages! They don't have to be pretty, nobody will know! I used the text mostly for the outside of my box.

3. Brush on a liberal amount of Mod Podge onto the craft box.

4. Start layering on the torn magazine pages. Brush on another layer of Mod Podge after you put on the torn magazine pieces.

5. After the entire box is covered with the magazine pieces, set aside to dry while you make the magazine flowers.

6. You'll need to cut out various sizes of the letter "X". I use rounded corners when cutting mine because I think it makes the flowers look nicer. There is no rhyme or reason or pattern to the way I cut, just a few different sizes. Also cut some circles for the centers of the flowers.

7. Start layering together the "X" shapes having the larger ones on the bottom working up to the smaller ones on top, and on the very top of the pile should be the circle shape. Hold with your fingers while you punch a hole in the very center of all of them.

8. Secure the pile with a brad. Make as many as you like.

9. I made four magazine flowers. The next step is to curl the "petals" of the flower using a pencil. There really isn't a science to this one, either. Just wrap the petals around the pencil and repeat until it is as curly as you like it.

10. I also like to "crunch" up my center of the flowers just to make them more crinkly and fluid.

11. Then, glue the flowers on the box/bag one by one until you like the way it looks!

12. I glued mine all together in one corner on one side of the box so the text of the box could still be seen.

2010-03-05T13:46:00.000-08:00

Where the magic happens!

2010-03-05T11:59:00.000-08:00

I really do consider the space in which I work my own personal wonderland. Unfortunately, it is situated in the cold and dark basement of my home so it doesn't quite feel like wonderland a lot of the time. I often find myself moving it around the house, at least seven times so far in this house. I did it again a couple weeks ago when I caught the organizing bug. Here are some pics of my space for you to take a gander at while I finish getting the other Alice posts ready!

2010-03-05T10:58:00.000-08:00

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A nice place to sit...

2010-02-27T16:00:00.000-08:00

Paint the Roses Red (or pink, or green.......)

2010-02-27T14:00:00.000-08:00

2010-02-27T13:27:00.000-08:00

The perfect table starts here!

2010-02-27T12:01:00.000-08:00

A headband perfect for tea parties!

2010-02-27T09:09:00.000-08:00

Wonderland Garland!

2010-02-26T11:59:00.000-08:00

What a great way to welcome your friends into Wonderland but with a garland fresh and funky! I suggest it over a doorway, a mirror (looking glass :)) or you can make several of these omitting the wording and string them atop an entire ceiling for a festive touch of wonderland!

Welcome to the Party!!

2010-02-26T09:58:00.000-08:00

Now that you've eaten lunch, it's time to step into Wonderland and eat some cake! I've been baking vegan style and tried these chocolate cakes first, and wanted to share them with you! Enjoy!

2010-02-26T06:18:00.000-08:00

2010-02-21T16:18:00.000-08:00

just a few--edited on the plane

2010-02-11T09:02:00.000-08:00

Happy 5th Birthday Graham!!!!

2010-02-01T07:23:00.000-08:00

Here I am, pregnant with my first baby boy...Graham! It was the first time I did maternity photos. I was so delighted with being pregnant after five years of trying, so this one meant the world to me!
His birth announcement in the paper above, and just born below with my favorite OB doc in the whole world; Dr. Pourtabib; (the principal on Glee reminds me of him!)

Graham; one day old, with a very bloated me; yes, I did my hair in the hospital.
Jason with Graham right after baby was born. A thoughtful nurse took this pic!
Graham's official birth announcement; he was due on February 12th, but I have incredibly fast labors so the doc induced him early by almost two weeks so I wouldn't have him on the kitchen floor; or in the car, or wherever else. He was still a big boy!!
And yes, I photographed Graham more than any of my other children. He was so spoiled!!
Graham at six weeks above, and eight weeks below with us in our matching fleece:

Graham at six months above and below.

Graham's first Halloween; I dressed him up as a cowboy.......9 months almost.

His first summer; he was a cute fat baby!!!

one year pictures!

baby boy turns two years old!!!

My big boy turns three years old; above, and some recent ones of him below:

Happy Happy Birthday Graham Porter!!!!!

Galena outtakes....some of my favorite things:

2010-01-25T14:35:00.000-08:00

Oh, yes I did!!!

2010-01-08T10:56:00.000-08:00

While out west this fall, I saw at the local grocery store a chia Obama. I thought it was humorous. I'm thinking that pretty much anything in Chia-form is going to be funny. Fun with a green fro! So, I found chia donkey today, on the cheap, and needed a good laugh, so I got it. And grow it, I will....to chia and beyond!

It melts my heart....

2010-01-05T13:35:00.000-08:00

They sure are pretty

2010-01-04T23:18:00.000-08:00

For the birds....

2010-01-03T17:06:00.000-08:00

The National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is doing a little bird count. So, help the cause!! If you would keep an eye out for the birds in your backyard February 12-15, then record your findings at www.birdcount.org then researchers can begin to understand the ways bird react to changing environmental shifts. I love my birdies!!!

New Year, New Goals....welcome 2010!!

2010-01-01T05:21:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! What an original blog post, huh? Well, I put my new year GOALS down on paper and now out there in cyberspace, but with very random pictures stored on my desktop! So, here's my list, in no particular order or importance, with pictures from the past!!! (above photo is my sis and I with our dad and his enormous "sugar daddy" on a stick. I don't think I've ever seen him eat one since.)
photo: Christmas 1980, damn, I'm cute in those piggy tails!!! Dad in his leisure suit and my sister in her long flowy holly hobbie nightgown. Ah, those were the days!!!

GOAL: MAKE AN AWESOME LITTLE FAIRY VILLAGE, where, yeah, the fairies can really live!
photo: My mom, my sister, and that's me, the not-so-cute baby....and where are we looking?

GOAL: TRAIN FOR AND RUN THE INDY MINI!!!! Because my butt WILL look cute by May.
photo: Me, circa 1980--and yes, I truly am a natural blonde!! You can see my mom always tried to brush out my hair but those little curls of mine kept creeping in little by little!!!

GOAL: LEARN TO SOLDER, FINALLY.....because my supplies are just sitting there, waiting.
photo: Family Christmas card in 2005, perfect example of little Graham always sticking out his tongue. That was the last time I was able to have the girls wear somewhat-matching outfits....

GOAL: BE A VENDOR AT RENEGADE CHICAGO....yeah, baby.
photo: Jason and I when he still had hair on top, and apparently wearing denim shirts was still cool, too.....1997!!

GOAL: SPEND MORE TIME DOWNTOWN CHICAGO, I can't believe I neglect my city so much.
Photo: My kindergarten picture. I'm so happy I'm wearing pink! 1980.

GOAL: MAKE TONS OF STUFFIES, not just owls....I love my owls, but I want to expand!!!
Photo: My friend Roman took this pic of me at a record store in Columbia, MO....I think I was trying to act tough like the stormtrooper or something nuts like that. Thanksgiving, 1996

GOAL: ORGANIZE STUDIO SPACE IN BASEMENT and, like, um, actually work down there!!!
Photo: Pretty obviously my wedding day, 1998...with butterflies in my hair ( I made my own sculpted metal tiara with seed beads and pearls...it was so cool!!)

GOAL: PAINT MORE ON CANVAS, not just any ole' chunk of wood that I find lingering around.
Photo: That would be one of my senior pics, 1994, and to this day cannot figure out why my hair looks red in all those pictures....

GOAL: GET MY ETSY ASS GOING AGAIN....expand, create, inspire, delight.....LIVE....a good life.

"SIMPLICITY IS THE ULTIMATE SOPHISTICATION." --Leonardo Da Vinci

A New Year's Eve post

2009-12-31T15:02:00.000-08:00

So, I was making my list of things to do in 2010 and one of my goals is to get my etsy up and running again. I often have requests for things, especially these family history ornaments, so I thought I would offer them on the blog at a special rate before they go live on etsy in 2010. I will offer them for $1 each (you supply photos)....email me at artsyamanda@hotmail.com. Happy New Year!!!!

Make a list...or 52

2009-12-31T11:48:00.000-08:00

I bought myself one of those listography weekly planners for 2010 so I thought I would share the lists-to-make inside (without all the clever illustrations from Nathaniel Russell) Here you go: (and they sometimes correspond with the weeks of the year, just an fyi)

1. List your goals for the upcoming year

2.List the children and babies you know

3.List your favorite dance songs

4.List your heroes

5....your favorite sports

6....movie characters you would date

7....ideal Valentine's Day gifts

8....People you admire

9....your favorite oscar-worthy films

10.....your favorite foods

11.....favorite TVprograms

12....beers you have tried

13.....fashion trends you haven't liked

14.....April Fool's joke ideas

15.....your favorite animals

16.....what you would spend your million-dollar tax refund on

17.....ways you are mindful of the earth

18....your favorite dog breeds

19....interesting facts about your mom and/or grandmother

20....countries to visit someday

21.....hobbies to try

22.....your past favorite vacations

23......the things you like to do on Memorial Day

24.......summer goals and plans

25......interesting facts about your dad and/or grandfather

26....your crushes

27.....American cities you want to visit

28......the things you find sexy

29.....movies you can watch again and again

30......interesting places you've visited

31......things you would enjoy collecting

32.....classes you would like to take

33.....your favorite websites

34......people you would like to meet

35....your favorite animated movies

36....your favorite High School memories

37......your past jobs

38.....your favorite movies from High School

39.....books you want to read

40.....jobs your family members have had

41....staples in your life

42.....what you are listening to these days

43.....halloween costume ideas

44......your favorite horror films

45.....the causes you favor

46.......your favorite songs from the 80's

47......bands you wish you had seen live in concert

48......what you are thankful for

49......your holiday wishlist

50.....your favorite holiday films

51......things you would like to do one day

52......memorable childhood gifts

Bonus: ...memorable news stories from the past year

Think PInk!!

2009-12-30T20:12:00.000-08:00

What the world needs now, is pink...more pink!!!

Oh, Deer!

2009-12-30T15:12:00.000-08:00

Found this adorable white deer planter at the flea market in Missouri...for only 50cents!! I don't know what I'm going to do with 'her' but she had to be mine!!

Just had to share...

2009-12-29T20:43:00.000-08:00

Our neighborhood has a snowman building contest after the first heavy snow of the season. This is my across-the-street neighbor's snowman....ha ha ha....I love it!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

2009-12-25T10:27:00.001-08:00

Traveling to Missouri always means visits with my peeps here! Angi and I have known each other since, what? Fifth grade? Can't remember, it's been that long! But here we are having a little photobooth fun for the holidays!! Merry Christmas!!!

and...my one pic of my kitty Poe that has to live at my parents house. She didn't really care to get a pic with her original mommy. I miss my kitties!! My other cat, bouvier would only let me take a pic from the distance, so that comes later.....oh, and I'm wearing a hat that Angi made!

Christmas Eve slacker.....

2009-12-24T08:30:00.000-08:00

I drove the uneventful drive from Chicago to just outside KCMO where my family lives yesterday. What a drive, with four kids, but we had a blast....and arrived safely! However, I'm slacking on my crafty posts....perhaps later I will get to them! Until then, here's some pretty things to look at...

2009-12-21T18:43:00.000-08:00

I've been so busy trying to put together these crafty posts and living life in general that I forgot the very core of my blog; to practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty. I do enjoy reflecting often on the world around me, especially in these bleak Chicago winters with the snow all around. However, I love the snow. I love the winter white, even when it's not so white anymore. But, as I drove home yesterday from church (my bi-weekly 30 minute drive leaves much time for reflection) this was the first thing I saw as I left; the photo above. Yes, I literally grabbed my camera while driving and began to shoot away. So precious the view I didn't want to forget.

The quote I put with my photo is from Ralph Waldo Emerson;

"Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience." Indeed.

Project twenty-five!

2009-12-20T13:11:00.000-08:00

I love these giant clothespins that are all around the craft world these days. They are perfect for making photo holders...and easy to personalize for peeps you dig: Start with an unfinished wood one, only 1.99 at craft stores...or something like that
I painted mine a deep turquoisey-blue-green:
Then after it dried I did one side at a time with rub-ons and stickers, etc....
and the great thing about these are they are two-sided so each side can be different!!
Have fun and be creative!

Project twenty-four!!!

2009-12-19T07:34:00.000-08:00

Start with a 2x4 and cut it into 3.5" blocks. I painted my blocks black and then sanded the edges:
Then I glued various patterned papers on the blocks:
I added letter stickers, then embellished with slick paint and glitter:
And here's the final word...."create"....it was one of my christmas gifts to my friend....

Project Twenty-three...

2009-12-18T06:10:00.000-08:00

Here comes another easy, fast....but cute project!! These can be as funky or as elegant as you wish depending on what kind of frame and fabric you choose...now I started with a rather inexpensive but solid wood frame from Goodwill...all of 95 cents here and painted it that lovely aqua blue that I happen to have around:
After the frame is dry, I gathered my supplies of fabric, glue gun, gluesticks, and foamboard. I like using foamboard as opposed to corkboard for this project because it likes the push pins better for some reason....who would have thought?
I cut my foamboard to size so it will fit snug inside my frame, then cut the fabric so at least 1.5" is around the edge for pullover to the back of the foam...
I hot glue it in place (only on the back) and then pop it into my frame.....
Then use clear thumbtacks to hang necklaces, bracelets, etc from the board....my daughter has four of these all grouped together on her wall and her jewelry is all together and she can see it...plus it looks cool!!

Project Twenty-two!!!! (one of my faves!!)

2009-12-17T17:30:00.000-08:00

I love to make things out of other's junk. I love to scour thrift stores and figure out ways to upcycle the stuff that people donate. Here are two of my ideas for this year: First, oops, the two pics below are reversed. I found these glass jars at Goodwill for 1.99 each. I spray painted the silver lids aqua blue:
The jars are really nice, and good sizes for storing craft supplies, so my intent was to make them into personalized storage jars to gift for a crafty friend:
I used Love,Elsie rub-ons to write on the jars, each one a different jar-worthy supply:
Buttons, ribbon, and gluesticks were my choices for these three jars!
This isn't a good pic of the finished jar with lid, but I like the way they turned out!
My next project had to do with these cork boards I found at Goodwill.....from IKEA, and they only cost me 49cents each!
See, had to prove it.....here's the price sticker, and they aren't even worth that much they are so poorly manufactured and cheap. (I know, because I tore one apart to see its quality)
So I then painted a couple coats of yellow-green on the board:
Then used a white gel pen and a few rub-ons to personalize it into a "dream" board, or in other words, the perfect place to tack up pages of inspiration or other random bits and pieces!!!

Project Twenty-one!!

2009-12-16T17:12:00.000-08:00

I'm finally starting to catch up here! It's been crazy around my house trying to get ready for Christmas, how about yours? So, I'm obsessed with birds in a major/minor way and so inevitably every year something birdy enters my life. I've always, always had random blown glass bird ornaments on my trees, even in place of the angel at the top some years! I love all things birds and birdhouses, although I don't have any trees really big enough to put a bird house in (but they're growing!!) So, I must feed my bird passion around the house. I started this project with the inexpensive (1.00) 3" wood birdhouses found at the craft store:
I painted them all different colors:
and then added patterned paper to the roof, rub-ons all around, and rhinestones, etc...
I added ribbon gingerbreading to this one (above) and then started added slick paint to decorate the rest of the house:
I'm going to make a ton of these, along with some wooden bird-shaped ornaments and make an entire bird tree for next year!!!

Project Twenty!!

2009-12-15T06:26:00.000-08:00

What a nice gift; an altered, personalized clipboard to organize thoughts and creative ideas! Now, obviously I'm on a little kick with collage lately, so I started with a thrifted clipboard:
and really, I think I paid more for the ones from the thrift store than the brand new ones at the office store, but whatever, that's upcycling at it's best and one less clipboard in the landfills!! I painted it with my new favorite metallic pink on the front, and plan to use aqua on the back;
Then I started my unplanned goodness of gluing things here and there, bits and pieces and rub-ons, etc....
I added cut-out words and then selected ribbon to tie to the clip part of the clipboard:
A little ribbon always makes everything look nicer!!!1

2009-12-14T06:10:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, monograms used to be all the rage, but I still like them. I like to use them to personalize gifts or use for decoration in my home. You can start with any size monogram, this one is about ten inches in height:
I painted it metallic pink:
Then started adding various elements such as ephemera, paper punches, rub-ons, etc
Then I finished it with puff paint dots and ribbon. A clear coat of acrylic sealer will make it all last longer!!
not the best pictures, but deal with it....

Project Eighteen!

2009-12-13T05:48:00.000-08:00

Here's an oldie, but a favorite of mine because one can always use magnets. And these are so easy and cute, and very customizable to whomever you are giving them!!
So, for this one I started with this very random sheet of patterned paper, I wanted it to be bright and colorful
Then I glued down cut-out words from my darling fairy book....and added glitter
Here are my preferred glass stones; clear and large and I used to be able to find them at Target in the vase aisle for $5 a bag, yet I haven't seen them there for months, so I don't know if they are discontinued or what; maybe Hobby Lobby?
I used mod podge on the flat side of the marbles to glue them to the paper; and then I let them dry for about five hours; only because I had other stuff to do, I think once the mod podge has turned clear it is probably dry enough to cut out.
After they are all cut out I hot glue these massively huge magnets to the back! I most definitely recommend spending the little bit of extra $ and getting the larger magnets so it will hold the weight of the marble and whatever paper/s on the fridge for your giftee!

Project seventeen!

2009-12-12T15:47:00.000-08:00

OK, here we go again, fast, easy, and extremely inexpensive!! You need a good gift to give to many peeps, this is the one! First, I started with these acrylic 5x7 frames from wal-mart (I hate that place, if target had them I would get them there, but whatever) they are 1.00 each or something like that:
I grabbed scrapbook rub-ons, paper, puff paint, etc from my ever-growing stash of crap:
And then I kind of but not really planned out the rub-ons to make a "border" around the frame; like a framed frame....oooohhh:
And then I added the word "girfriends" to the bottom of the frame with rub-on letters:
And it looks pretty good as is, right?
But I wouldn't be me without a little sparkle and pizazz and dimensional paint...so I dotted away:
And then I replaced the white paper with pink and here we go!!

Project Sixteen!

2009-12-11T15:30:00.000-08:00

I like collage. Maybe you like collage. Maybe not. Maybe you have a friend who likes collage. Here's an easy crafty gift, a collage!!! I literally grabbed some supplies from my stash and didn't think about it too much: glue stick, old books, cardboard, 7 gypsies walnut ink (for aging stuff that is new but you want it to look old) paper, puff paint,etc etc
I found a disney fairy book which is full of wonderful words and phrases perfect for a girly "wish" collage, so I spent a good hour cutting out all kinds of words and then lined them all up to use later:
I'm pretty random when I do my collages, painting, gluing, rub-ons, pictures, etc....
The one above I started to be a girly "wish" page and the one below is about love birds, complete with a very random "love story" (click to see them larger)

Project Fifteen!!

2009-12-10T19:02:00.000-08:00

Here we go again! I have a love/hate relationship with ink jet iron-on transfer paper. It seems the possibilities on what can be created are absolutely endless. One year I did "dream" pillows filled with rice and lavender that you could heat in the microwave for an instant soothing neck pillow. This year I wanted to come up with something a little bit different. So, first, I thrifted my fabric, meaning I bought shirts and then cut them up to use in a few different ways. So, here's the back of a white t-shirt:
Here's the iron-on transfer paper, though I wasn't impressed AT ALL with this particular brand. It is supposed to work on light and pastel colored fabrics, but the heat made the transfer glue turn yellow, and I tried it six different times. I finally just gave up and decided my project would feature an "aged" look!!
OK, so after you've designed your project on your computer, you have to print it out with the "mirror-image" turned ON in your printer options. I like to use photoshop to make my designs but any photo/picture application should work. You have to print it out on the white (non patterned) side of the transfer paper, then iron it on face down to the fabric:
Here's my ironed-on design, see what I mean about the glue turning yellow? It was white on my computer screen! I printed it several times and used all the iron heat settings, but it did the same thing every single time:
Next, using the back of yet another thrifted t-shirt, I sewed right side facing right side together and left about two inches around my image for a border:
I stuffed it with easy polyfil and then sewed the small opening closed:
I added ribbon at my seam and a flower with a wax seal center. I'm going to add a beaded "hanger" to the top of it for a door-knob hanger....

Project Fourteen!

2009-12-09T18:46:00.000-08:00

Here we go, trying to get back on track and catching up with the holiday spirit! I, personally, LOVE this one....so easy to make, so easy to give and you can combine it with so many different kind of books to make the perfect gift!! I started with vintage velvet ribbon:
In three very luscious colors: green, orange, and pink! I'm sure you can find velvet ribbon at Hobby Lobby or something like that, but I don't know for sure because I found mine at the thrift store! Next, you'll need some interesting charms. I admit it, I'm a thrifty gal, so I stuck to my budget: all the charms below were only $5 (total!!!!!) and really, anything you stick on the end of velvet ribbon is going to look great!
I cut about 12" for my ribbon then folded over one end and sewed it closed. I didn't do anything fancy with my sewing because I'm not a fancy gal, and because I kind of like to be able to see the thread, and think it would look cool with some contrasting embroidery thread, too...
Next, I sewed on three charms to the end of my velvet. I like them to be a bit dangly, and was thinking I should sew on jingle bells or something between the charms, but that will be later:
Here we go!! How cute is that? Easy, cute, and super affordable!!

Project Thirteen!!

2009-12-08T01:06:00.000-08:00

This is one of my all-time favorite gifts to make and give: photo cards. As a photographer, too often I am in the rut of always just photographing my clients and I don't spend enough time on the world around me. This project kind of forces me to relax and look for the good in the everyday. And it only takes a few supplies!!! You will need black cardstock, white cardstock, gluesticks and photographs!! Oh, and of course scissors or a paper trimmer. Me, I'm a basic scissors kind of girl because I have a perfectly level eye, but some of you may need "help"!!
Of course, check out the place where you live for interesting shots. From my house to my friend Callie's in the next town over (heh, doesn't everyone I know live in "the next town over") is this stretch of country back-roads with the most magical places to photograph; an old church, the cemetery (though I don't recommend the cemetery for happy photos!!!) etc. Those place were my initial thoughts of what to photograph, but I ended up with these shots instead of somewhere else:
I had them printed at my local Walgreens with grins and then mounted them on the black cardstock:
After cutting out the images from the black cardstock, I mounted it again on white cardstock that had been folded in half. Essentially you get one card from one piece, with scraps.

You'll have to trim the extra off the sides and bottoms, and then here's your finished card:
I used a white signo pen from uniball to add a signature to all my cards for the final touch. Wrap them up in sets of eight with envelopes and you have insta-gifts!!

Project Twelve!

2009-12-07T00:37:00.000-08:00

I have a bit of a collector's bug. It's in my blood to find a stash of something and just keep adding to it. Like a great store display, the more the merrier, and it just looks cooler. Such is the case for vintage spools. I started gathering them because of their texture and color and the collection just kept growing. A few years back I finally decided to actually do something with them!
First I painted them all in bright colors to match my idea of a funky tree:
Next I started with strips of scrap ribbon and glued it on, along with buttons:
Then I literally went through my scrap stash and glued on whatever I could find: broken jewelry, old feathers, flowers, beads, etc:
With all the different stashes of scraps I think they all came out pretty fun!

These rhinestones were a bracelet I wore to prom in high school!!! Keeper of everything; yes.

Project Eleven!

2009-12-06T18:08:00.000-08:00

Our thirty days sure are going by fast! This is another easy one, thoughtful but not altogether quick. I've been making these awesome little art journal prompt cards...simply with index cards as the base:
Then I hand-wrote the 52 questions (one for each week of the year!!) onto the cards (the questions you will find below are from Emily Falconbridge)
I, personally, like to use my own handwriting to make this gift a bit more personal. Some of you perfectionists out there may need to type and print, but I dig my own handwriting. After writing all the weeks and questions, I glued the cards to patterned papers; all crazy and various themes to mix it up.
I used a photo album from Target that holds exactly 52 pictures to put the cards in and wrap up with a blank sketchbook....but I'm not showing a pic because some of my blog readers will be getting these for Christmas!!! :)

52 questions:

1.What do I wish for this year to bring?

2.Am I afraid of change?

3. Do you believe in fairies?

4. When I look into my eyes, I see....

5. How do I feel today?

6. If I could do it all again would I change anything?

7. What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

8. What was the last thing that made you laugh out loud?

9. What was the last brave thing you did?

10. Name 5 movies that inspire you creatively:

11. What keeps me awake at night?

12. What are you grateful for right now?

13. What was your best/worst hairstyle to date?

14. What is the last good book you read?

15. What makes you "you"?

16. What is the truth?

17. What is your superpower?

18. What is on your to-do list this week?

19. What gives you hope?

20. What is your latest obsession?

21. If you had a free day with no restrictions, what would you do?

22. Which direction are you going ?

23. How can I be kinder to myself?

24. Name something you don't understand but want to...

25. Have you had a hug today?

26. On my walls I would write....

27. What have you found lately?

28. What are your favorite days of summer/winter filled with?

29. Do you have a recurring dream?

30. Who do you need to thank?

31. What three words would someone use to describe you?

32. Why did I do that?

33. What are you crossing your fingers for?

34. How do you create your nest?

35. What kind of goddess are you?

36. What do you never want to forget?

37. What sparks your creativity?

38. Where is your happy place?

39. What brings you joy?

40. What are you taking for granted?

41. When you close your eyes and imagine yourself passionate, giddy, inspired...what do you create?

42. What is your favorite holiday?

43. What were you doing this time last year?

44. What daily qualities are you called to be?

45. What is art?

46. What top three things happened to you this week?

47. What makes your house a "home"?

48. What scares you?

49. What is the best gift you've ever given/received?

50. What have you discovered about yourself lately?

51. If your art were a song, what would it sound like?

52. What is there too little of in the world?

Project ten!!

2009-12-05T19:10:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, I'm a bit behind on these posts, but I will catch up and keep them coming!! So today's project is so easy and is so so so so cute! I started with choosing a solid color of one of my wool sweaters (I know, we were supposed to be finished with the sweaters...not the case!). I picked hot pink (of course)
And I forgot to take a picture of the 100 of 1.5" leaf shapes I cut from the wool. Oh well, certainly you can handle that task, right?
And I used these coolio round foam wreath shapes (Michaels, 3.99) and then I spent oodles of my time hot gluing the damn leaf shapes all over the foam in a pretty random order:
I know, NOT a good picture. It was late at night and my flash went off, but you get the drift...a leaf wreath. I'll try to post natural light pics soon in an update!!

Project nine!!!

2009-12-04T17:39:00.000-08:00

Here we go! I started making these ornaments about five years ago as a tribute to the geneaologists in the family. I originally used only pictures of the peeps that were older than 50 in the family or passed away already. You get the idea!!! However, our "family tree" didn't seem complete without the addition of all the other family members, so I started adding in modern pictures. Now our "family tree" has literally hundreds of ornaments on it and I've made them for both sets of grandparents as well as friends. Here's the process:
I originally started with scraps of cardboard that I would find in the recycling. Cereal boxes, notepads, toy packaging, whatever...it all works great. I now keep the backs to these legal pads as they are abundant in our home.
I like using wallet size or smaller of pictures. Wallet is really the largest I suggest, but I have been known a couple times to use 4x5's when the photo was just that amazing.
I then cut and tear the cardboard into rectangles about 3-4" sometimes larger.
Then I use scraps of patterned paper to cover the most part of the front of the ornaments. Pages from books and magazines also work nice. I really do just grab a stash of scraps and junk to adorn my ornaments.
Next I very very randomly glue on pictures. The less you "think" about it, the cooler they look in the end.
Then I very randomly tear more paper and such and stick in on the corner of the photographs and the cardboard. There really isn't any rhyme or reason to my process.
I love using leftover word stickers that don't work on my scrapbook pages as they are perfect for these ornaments. After the stickers, I use glitter, more scraps and a bunch of ribbon to embellish the ornaments in a very random fashion.
They really do look nice all hanging together, generations together forever on our family tree!

Project Eight!

2009-12-03T13:04:00.000-08:00

And when I say easy, I mean it! I'm all about using what I have around the house and can find real fast. I scrounged up some old KI memories patterned paper and an old book and of course, acid-free 8.5 x 11 white cardstock and other colors, though I didn't end up using the bazzill.
I cut oodles of poinsettias out of the patterned paper:
Then cut and folded all my 8.5 x 11 cardstock to small card size: And then I tore out some pages from the old book and trimmed the bleed around them:
I love tearing corners and using them for just the right amount of texture on a card:
Here's my base card: you can make six fronts from one piece of 12x12 paper:
I glued on my book corner and then cut a horizontal strip from my stripe paper, making sure the stripes stayed vertical:
I glued on my stripe then finished off the card with one of the cute poinsettias. Voila~
Seriously easy. Seriously cute and you can still embellish more, more more if you wanted!!!!

Project seven!

2009-12-02T16:00:00.000-08:00

I'm sooo excited for today's project, one that is near and dear to my heart (and my pocketbook). I started making felted wool owls as my very first experience with wool. I made hundreds of these little guys; literally, hundreds. I sold them online, to my friends, at the Kane County flea market, etc. They are so darling and soo cute. I love to make them and then name them for their personalities that shine through. So, here's a basic pattern on 8.5x11 paper:
I'm not a perfectionist at all, so think like that when cutting and sewing these dudes and dudettes. I open up one side of my sweater and lay the pattern down to cut around. I suppose some of you out there will want to actually trace the pattern onto the sweater, but I never do that. I just cut right around it.
Then I cut out eyes, nose, a chest, and wings. I like to use a bunch of different color and patterns of wool to bring out some oooomph in my owlies. If these aren't for children under 3, you can use buttons on the eyes, too.
Here are my pieces just roughly placed where I want them to be. I start sewing them on one by one and it's not an art at all, this sewing pieces on.
I, personally, like my thread to show but you might want to match the colors or what have you. I've used the same spool of white thread for over 300 owls.
Once the features are in place, flip the bird (ha!) over so right side is down on right side of whatever color sweater you are using for the back of the owl. I sew along the edges first, leaving the bottom of the owl for the last. After I've sew, then I cut out along the sweater. I then turn it inside out, stuff it and then sew the bottom closed.
I like to add flowers and bows. Here's my finished owlie I made in about 10 minutes. The one below is just a smaller version I whipped up in a few minutes, the small ones would make darling ornaments!!!

Project six!!

2009-12-01T07:45:00.000-08:00

So, you remember a few days ago when you were cutting up your sweaters and making distinct piles out of the pieces, well now is the time to get out the piles of sleeve cuffs and waistbands. We are going to make decorative bracelet cuffs and headbands out of them! These are so neat!
So, here's the pile of waistbands. They are stretchy, so when you're measuring them for headbands, you literally need to wrap it around the head of the person you're making the headband for and stretch it a bit, then cut it.
I stretched and measured my big head for this one, and apparently needed a good 14" of length (keep in mind, it's longer when you stretch it!!!! )
Then I gathered some of my yo-yo's and made some felted wool flowers, etc...for the decorative bracelet cuffs, there is no cutting necessary. I just sewed on a bunch of stuff onto the different sizes of sweater wrist cuffs and voila:
Nevermind my ugly arm here, but aren't they sooo cute? There are a million different ways to decorate these, but I kept it simple with my all-purpose yo-yo's and some beads.
Here's the finished headband. After measuring the 14" of length, I sewed the ends together, then made this flower out of scraps from another sweater and sewed it on. Over the summer I made a bunch with feathers which are really trendy right now and they sold fast. Enjoy!!

Project five!!!

2009-11-30T19:23:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday!!! So....today's project can be very cool if done with a little time. Something I don't seem to have much of anymore these days...but here goes.....starting with a pile of sleeves, you can choose to either match up some awesome color combos or mix them all wacky, but choose some sleeves:
I seriously just start at the widest end of the sleeve and just cut strips. I think chunky strips are really the coolest, but I goofed and cut 1.5" strips.
Then, saving just ONE as the starter chain link, I cut open all the other pieces at the natural sweater seam to open up the strips. I know...cutting them open just to sew them back together...it all goes around:
And just link all the pieces one by one until the scarf is as long as you want. Now, I'll have to post real good finished pictures tomorrow, but if you rewash-n-felt the finished piece, the end result is stunning...trust me. The chunkier the strips the more dramatic the end accessory!

2009-11-29T14:59:00.000-08:00

I'm late again! Today's project uses the sleeves from yesterday's cardigans. We really want to utilize the whole sweater in all of our projects!
I measured my sleeves to a total length of 9.5 inches long. Then I measured and marked the 2" from the widest part of the sweater (leaving the original cuff which will end up going by the elbow, makes sense, right?) I then cut notches at 2" down in both sleeves. This will be where the thumb sticks out.
For the most part, that's all it takes to make these awesome little hand/arm warmers. But, I lik to embellish them so I made some felted wool ruffles and of course, some yo-yo's.
I started with 14.5 inches of some already felted wool and they are about 2" wide. It's all up to you on how wide you want your ruffle to be.
Ruffles are super easy to make, so don't make it harder than it needs to be. I just start at one end with my needle and thread and start sewing down one side.
When you pull the thread tight....voila your ruffle appears! So you can make it as tight or loose as you want. I made mine fairly loose as I wanted to make sure they fit all the way around my cute little hand warmer.
These are really simple and fun to make, and honestly very useful. Another option would be to sew individual fingers but that sounds way too time consuming for me. Enjoy! Tomorrow we're doing a really cool different looking scarf...so stay tuned!

Project Three!

2009-11-28T17:32:00.000-08:00

I bet you thought I forgot, huh? Project three from our first week of 30 days is a simple cut and sew-a-little cardigan sweater for kids and/or tweens. I say for kids/tweens because once we have felted the wool sweaters, that's about the only peeps who can fit into them!
I start with measuring my sleeves of my WHOLE sweater;
This has already been felted. Then I cut my sleeves off in to short sleeves and then cut a straight slit all the way up the middle of the sweater.
It's that simple!! The fun part is embellishing the sweater; if you want to, with tons of different fun things. I've used just one button at the top before, a flower applique, and yo-yo's like shown below. Anything goes, really....
I'll probably add some big buttons to my yo-yo's for some fun....enjoy!

Thankful for doors....

2009-11-28T06:39:00.001-08:00

Obviously, these fun photobooth pictures from la photo cabine have nothing to do with my post. But I will post them anyway.As I observe the world around me, I often succumb to the natural editor in me. I begin to analyze and sift through all the rift raft around me and carefully categorize things around my world and my life. I'm pretty sure I am always composing some kind of "letter from the editor" though I have no official publication; just this, my blog where everyday is a letter from the editor. I have a soft spot in my heart for a lot of editors in the publishing field. I enjoy flipping to their semi-hidden page of fame in each issue of their magazine du jour and seeing what words of wisdom they have bestowed for the month. Like my monthly horoscope it is something I can't wait to read whether or not I find myself agreeing with it.

One of my favorite editors; whom I have mentioned before on my blog is Stephen Drucker from House Beautiful. He used to be a writer for Martha Stewart publications but is now at a desk where he is suited for well written letters and encouragement in the design field. I also enjoy Anna Wintour of long Vogue fame with her non-committal approaches to today in fashion. I have a list a few lines long of editors who write as rich and wonderful as they edit and another seemingly unknown would be Jenny Doh who edits Somerset publications. Her letter in December was probably one of the most inspirational pieces I've read in months. Some lines from her letter:

"....she is an artist who knows that we have choices to either....gripe about what we don't have or choose to count the blessings that we do have...."

".....be an opener of doors and a believer in hope....doors can be opened equally for everyone; though some choose to walk through them and gain traction to build better lives...even at the risk of being hurt and disappointed..."

" It is risky to open our doors, open ourselves. But in the long run...it is far riskier to keep them closed and chance living an existence where joyful stories of success are absent."

I have to say for far too long I have closed all doors, been a firm believer in not opening them to hurt and disappointment....until recently. As an artist, woman, friend, lover....I have opened many doors and get closer to walking through them all the time.

Come back at 3:00 CST for today's project!!!

Project two!

2009-11-27T13:05:00.000-08:00

Hello day two! I'm so excited to post today....coffee and tea cup cozies! Yep, I'm totally ripping off the cardboard cozies from Starbucks. I mean, you would think that by now Starbucks would have figured out the eco-friendly thing by now. And maybe they have and the peeps of the universe haven't caught on yet, but here goes....use one as a pattern:

...here are the measurements to one that I traced and then cut out....
And then put the pattern on my sweater and cut it out like so:
Voila! You just need to sew the sides to overlap about an inch and then embellish the way you like:
Seriously, I could make hundreds of these little puppies and if everyone would actually use them instead of the cardboard ones I'd give them out...what a good idea...have fun!

Day One!

2009-11-26T11:51:00.000-08:00

Here it is! The first of thirty projects to try from Thanksgiving until Christmas! Since you know now how to felt and cut your sweaters, you also know how to make yo-yo's--you're all ready to go with the first project!
You'll want to play around with a lot of different sizes of yo-yo's for this felted wool necklace. We learned to cut the 4,5 and 7 inch circles but you can also cut whatever size circles you want--just remember the "rule" is to cut a circle twice the size in diameter as the finished yo-yo you would want. I made a bunch of teeny tiny baby yo-yo's out of circles only 1.5" in diameter. They're really cute!
After you have sewn as many yo-yo's as your heart desires, play with the different sizes and colors and patterns to make a "bib" shape that you like. I'm all about not doing the symmetrical alignment with my yo-yo's.
After you decide what pattern and placement for the yo-yo's, sew them all together along the backside edges. Then use beads and baubles, scraps...whatever...to embellish the centers of the yo-yo's and add some sparkle to your "bib".
You can finish the necklace by sewing ribbon on each side or chains, or use leftover broken necklaces (like I did in the first picture). Voila!
Here I am, this morning with my new Sweater yo-yo necklace, I wore it to our Thanksgiving dinner. These make awesome gifts and in later posts in the next 30 days we will make headbands, too! Enjoy! Remember to leave a link in the comments to your crafty projects!

2009-11-26T08:02:00.000-08:00

Getting ready to craft; part II: making felted wool yo-yo's

2009-11-25T14:05:00.001-08:00

See my cool, colorful piles of wonderfully cut felted wool? You can do it, too!! First, I cut a pattern out of those nifty plastic mesh cards that I just happen to have laying around the house.
My largest circle is 7 inches in diameter, then 5 inches, then the smallest one is 4" in diameter. The "rule" to making yo-yo's is usually a diameter twice the width you want your finished yo-yo to be. Now, perfectionists need to skip on out of here, because this Virgo doesn't do 1/4" seam allowances on yo-yo's. Especially on the felted wool ones. I like it rough and wooly!
So, anyway....I like to use my SLEEVES first and make as many felted wool circles as possible from the sleeves. I cut open the sleeve down its natural seam and once open, cut the circles using my handy pattern plastic. I always save scraps for other projects, and you should, too!
Starting at the edge, just sew a straight line all the way around your circle, pull tight to tuck in the yo-yo in the middle and finish with a strong knot in the center. I can crank out about 40 of these puppies in an hour. Good TV helps, but so does really strong pain killers.

Getting ready to craft; how to cut your sweaters...

2009-11-25T13:44:00.000-08:00

OK, so now that you have your big pile of felted wool sweaters; you'll need to cut them to get ready to work for you... I recommend cutting the sleeves off and then cutting the ribbed pieces off the bottom of the sweater at the waist.
Separate your pieces into distinct piles and get ready to craft!!

My Tuesday rocks, how about yours?

2009-11-24T13:37:00.000-08:00

When I get down in the dumps or gloomy, I go thrifting for sweaters. It is a good, usually fairly inexpensive thrill. Starting on Thursday, that's right, Thanksgiving, I will start 30 days of crafty projects....and all the first week will have to do with using felted natural-fiber sweaters to upcycle into something fabulous. So, today I will chat about what it means to thrift and felt.
When I head out to do my thrifting here in Chicagoland, I head towards the nasty-smelling local Salvation Army store where nobody speaks English and unfortunately for me, I don't speak Spanish. But, I go there often enough I think they have accepted me for the most part. I look for 100% wool, virgin; merino; whatever...as close to 100% that I can get. If it's not 100% I look for the additional percentage to be made of another natural fiber like mohair, angora, etc...so repeat this mantra to yourself: ACRYLIC DOES NOT FELT. I WILL NOT BUY ACRYLIC. ACRYLIC IS NOT OUR FRIEND. Got it? No matter how cute or fuzzy or wonderful that acrylic sweater is, it's a man-made fiber and won't work for our projects. So, don't waste your money.
Speaking of money, I'm a really thrifty gal, especially when I know I will be cutting these sweaters into pieces. Just think of your maximum for purchasing about 1/2 yard of 45" fabric. What are you willing to pay for something fantastic? For bright colors such as pink, turquoise, yellow, purple, etc...I will pay up to $5.00 per sweater for a great color of wool. Sometimes it really hurts to see that tag is from Bennetton or Banana Republic and that I'm not going to wear it, but cut it up....but such is life in the upcycling sweater business.

When it comes to stripes in great color, polka dots, patterns, etc...I will also pay up to $5.00 per sweater. They are just the bomb, and cool no matter what you make out of them. For everything else like solids in red, orange, gray, tan, black, white, etc...I will only pay up to $2.00 per sweater. It's like boring broadcloth to me and well, I'm cheap. Even if it's name brand, tan is tan is tan.

Some exceptions to my pricing rules are wool ruffles, extremely bright stripes, or dots or like in one of my pics above, 100% wool granny squares!!! Go granny go granny go granny go!!!

Here's how to felt your sweaters once you bring them home:

1. Fill washer with hot hot hot water; heat is our friend when felting. It's what shrinks the little wooly fibers and causes them to "chain" together to be cut later

2. Wash on a normal cycle with detergent, for good smelling sake....

3. As soon as wash/rinse cycle is finished, throw the wet sweaters into a high heat dryer for one normal cycle. Or until dry.

4. You should notice the sweaters have shrunk considerably with just one felting session. Your XL sweater may now fit your two year old. The more virgin the wool, the better the felt the first time around. If you don't like how it felted, do it again and again until the fibers are really chained together.
OK, so on Thursday I will start posting crafty projects and the entire first week will be devoted to things you can make with felted wool sweaters. Stay tuned...and get those sweaters washed!!

upcycled sweater season!!

2009-11-18T20:28:00.000-08:00

I am a natural fiber maniac. I spend my free time sifting through nasty-smelling thrift stores to find the perfect natural fiber sweater to felt and upcycle into something fab-u-lous. This time of the year is very abundant in sweater thrifting. And it's gggggreat!!! I'm so inspired to sew, sew, sew and create oodles of wonderful things. Of course there are my owls, which are always my friends. Pictured above is my "new" laptop bag that I just finished sewing out of felted wool sweaters. I think it turned out soo cute. I can spot wool/angora from a mile away (and I can ALWAYS tell if something is acrylic, tag or not) and nothing makes me more giddy right now than to imagine all the possibilities from a sweater. Here are some of my project ideas for the next few weeks: owls, bags, headbands, bib necklaces, felted wool yo-yo's, flowers, cuffs, braided scrap headbands, big wool blooms, pillows, scarves, leg warmers, and the list goes on. Happy felting and sewing!!

Yeah, I'm a suburbian mom of young girls

2009-11-17T18:39:00.000-08:00

That's right, I went to see Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene of Twilight fame. Lexi & Haley wanted to see them, so off we went. How fun! I really did enjoy screaming like a girl, because well, I am a girl, and though kind of grown-up, I still act like those teenagers.
Yummy. I love me some hot Twilight actors.
Haley, Lexi, and Kenzie with the crazy crowd of on-lookers. We're so cool. Go New Moon!

The Most wonderful time of the year....

2009-11-15T15:00:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty certain that all the upcoming holidays are supposed to be of good cheer. Yippee!! Great ads in the Sunday paper! Food! Candy! Cookies! Drinks I can't drink! Dead animals stuffed with a mixture of stuff and cooked, carved, served up to look....appetizing. Yum! And shopping! Shopping! Did I mention the shopping? This year I dread the shopping.

Yuck. Shopping.

Price-checking.

Budgeting.

Finding the perfect something for someone.

Wrapping paper and bows.

Boxes.

Gift tags.

Blah blah blah.

Usually I like all these things. A lot.

But I'm zapped. The world is full of too much stuff.

Crap.

Unnecessary.

Useless.

Waste.

Filler of land-fills.

Next summer's garage sale goodies.

Two years from now Goodwill donations.

Fads.

Just too.much.stuff. We are going to drown in stuff.

Stuff. Stuff. Stuff.

Last year Callie and I had a thrifted, homemade, upcycled holiday and it was swell. We still had to buy stuff,

but for the most part we gave homemade everything; and it was very cool.

This year I'm going to try to out-do last year. My challenge is not to buy anything brand spankin' new unless I absolutely, positively cannot get it any other way. I'll keep you updated!

My favorite blogs:

2009-11-03T14:34:00.000-08:00

Stealing bandwidth from blogs just isn't cool, and I'm not techno savvy enough to get screenshots, etc. So, here's a list of links of my favorite blogs. Well, they're my favorite today. The list could be different tomorrow. Enjoy!

www.inthewishstudio.blogspot.com

www.gypsygirlguide.com

www.hulaseventy.blogspot.com

www.embers.typepad.com

www.heidiswapp.typepad.com

www.suaviloquy.blogspot.com

www.papayaart.com

www.vintagefern.blogspot.com

www.emilysparkshandmade.blogspot.com

www.thompsonfamily.typepad.com