June Pfaff Daley

A new home

2010-08-23T19:36:00.009-04:00

It's official! My revamped blog (which has been neatly incorporated into my new website) is up and running. Visit me here. Bookmark the new place and feel free to stop by often. I'm baking cookies as we speak.

Signing off

2010-06-27T14:09:00.009-04:00

This month could go on record as the most neglected blogging month thus far, but I'd like to think I had good reason. Besides juggling a very steady workload at Daley design, I've been getting to know my new licensing agent and publisher.

As of Friday, it's all official. I've placed years of work in very capable hands and have joined what feels like an extended family over at Penny Lane. I'm so excited to go forward with this partnership. It's a new beginning that I can't wait to have unfold.

Since my studio door has been closed more than open, I'll be taking a few days off to spend with a very patient and supportive immediate family. Have a great week and I'll be back here sometime after the 4th.

Happiness is...

2010-06-16T17:26:00.008-04:00

The short list including really good ice cream on an equally delicious sugar cone; night rains so there's no need to remember to water flowers during perfectly sunny days; perfectly sunny days; finishing projects that seemed endless; eating dinner outside; planning vacations; anniversaries; hanging out with old friends; time at the pool with a pile of unread magazines; painting ice cream cones; finding cute shoes in a size 11 (that's not a typo); smores; listening to 5-year-old sandbox banter; sleeping in; being loved; being missed when you go away; having a job that doesn't feel like a "job"; movie nights with buttered popcorn; coffee in the morning; keeping up with the laundry; blue skies; being trusted with preteen secrets; long days and ice cream. It's worth mentioning twice.

"Happiness is..." is available as a print in my etsy shop. Hope you're having sunny days too.

Crochet creations

2010-06-09T07:10:00.013-04:00

Somewhere in between design projects, website redesign (yes, it finally is coming soon!), end-of-school madness and pursuing several art opportunities, I found time to do a little shopping. Imagine that. My friend Robin has a completely gorgeous etsy shop called Well of Creations. She crochets one-of-a-kind pieces including totes, yoga mat bags, wrist cuffs, headbands and the most charming business card/coin holders like the one you see above (that's mine, but I bet Robin would make you one like it if you asked nice ; ) Many of her items feature personal touches like that hand painted flower patch.

Check out Robin's shop and tell me she doesn't have an eye for rich and unique color combinations. I'm ready to purchase a yoga mat and carry it to my pretend yoga class, just so I can buy this bag for it.

We're especially loving the flower headbands. They tie in the back so one size really does fit all.

Finding a headband that stays put and fits plus "is comfy/doesn't itch/bother my head/looks stylish and cool" is truly a challenge so these were pretty exciting finds.

Robin is also sponsoring a fundraiser. All proceeds from her wrist cuffs go to educating impoverished girls in India. She's been featured on the msnbc news feed here.

Just in case you needed another excuse to shop.

Picking time well spent

2010-05-29T15:21:00.001-04:00

These days I'm really busy. Busy with more work and projects and ventures than I've had for awhile. And that's saying a lot. I could easily let myself drown if I'm not careful. But today I woke up and stubbornly decided that work or no work, I was not going to miss strawberry season. So the girls and I took off for the pick-it-yourself field right after they rubbed the sleep from their eyes.

I'm thinking it's important every once-in-awhile to get the behind-the-scenes tour...

and keep in touch with where food really comes from...the beginnings, the inbetweens and the delicious endings.

Nora stayed close while Cara wandered the field in search of the very best berries (but we won't go into my sweet picker perfectionist : ) While I was busy filling our strawberry bin, Nora took my camera to snap a few of her own strawberry photos. Here's what I saw her carefully arranging and photographing when I turned around...

Tell me that girl isn't really funny. Her 5-year-old creativity amazes me. seriously.

We managed to pick nearly 15 lbs of berries in under an hour. Strawberry shortcake is on the menu tonight and tomorrow and maybe the next night.

Back at the strawberry weigh-and-pay, we met some fuzzy duckling friends that amused us and yes I'll admit to having a sudden urge to paint ducks.

Today's morning was certainly more memorable and inspiring than where I'm sitting now. I'm reminding myself that I need to make time for random outings. Because who wants to read a post about the lady behind her computer all day anyway? Enough said.

Learning to drive in NYC

2010-05-20T08:02:00.009-04:00

Don't take that title literally. I would eat worms before I ever personally drove through the heart of New York City. I'm talking about learning to drive with an art license. Surtex has been forever on my radar as the place to go to figure out the business and put my big foot in the door. While I didn't feel ready to exhibit/invest in a $4000 booth, I did think that it was time to see the show and take in the entire conference program to better educate myself. So I made the plunge and spent the past three days learning everything I could. Art licensing was a hazy, intimidating subject to me only months ago. Now that world is suddenly becoming clear. I made several excellent contacts and I can say with some certainty that my career is ready to take some exciting turns (not without hard work, but I'm feeling ready.)

While I was mainly focused on Surtex, I did have a sliver of time to catch some New York sights. Sights mainly geared to places where I could pick up surprises for my well-behaving...ahem...kids back at home with their Dad.

This impostor had to suffice for the real thing. I'm sure I'll be back some day to properly see New York. In the meantime, I'll keep you posted on what develops. I do believe that the first step to pursuing anything you might want to do is learning everything possible about it. Education brings comfort. Maybe not enough to ride in a NYC taxi without several seat belts strapped around yourself, but enough to hail the next ride with confidence.

The right equipment for Illustration Friday

2010-05-14T20:28:00.007-04:00

To be honest, when the Illustration Friday prompt came this morning I wasn't exactly running for my brushes filled with inspired bliss. "Equipment" brought images of tractors, backhoes and other heavy machinery...technical, mechanical kind of stuff that didn't speak to me. However, I was determined to participate. So I looked "equipment" up in the dictionary rather than settle for my preconceived, stifling notions. Definition #2 felt more comfortable:
2, that which equips; supplies; gear.

After finding a way to relate, I illustrated my type of equipment as seen above.

That's what I love about Illustration Friday. A common word is able to produce a wide range of inspiration and images.

And yes, if you're wondering, I do think heavy construction equipment would be happier with more color and of course glitter. Just my thoughts.

What I really wanted for Mother's Day (cough)...

2010-05-09T12:14:00.003-04:00

This carefully chosen gift made me laugh out loud. All I had asked for today was a little peace and quiet...but I'll take humor too. And whom do you suppose will be making pancakes this week?!

Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms and may the force be with you.

Rack refurbishment

2010-05-03T10:57:00.014-04:00

An antique luggage rack has been on my rummage/yard sale radar for a loooong time. When I spied this one two weeks ago (priced at $4), I grabbed it immediately. Luckily, there were no injuries. I had plans for this rack to live in our guest bedroom so suitcases would also have a nice place to rest.

I didn't even think twice about those worn ribbons.

Instead, I saw a beautiful and functional piece of furniture that was perfect for an easy makeover project.

I happened to have this ribbon in my stash (also purchased at a rummage sale in a box like that one.) It was exactly the right width and had the same charm of the original luggage rack ribbon. I knew it was meant to be.

It took about 30 minutes to transform my find including the ribbon replacement and a good polish. A project that was finished up just in time for our guests over the past weekend. Suitcases are now within arms reach at this hotel. And we don't even charge extra.

The box under the rummage sale table

2010-04-27T09:56:00.011-04:00

Over the past weekend, I managed to find time to squeeze in a couple of rummage sales. This is my absolute favorite way to find materials for mixed media paintings and sewing projects. Supplies purchased like this are a mere fraction of the retail price. Besides you can't find trim from the 1940s at your local Michael's.

While wandering the second sale of the morning, I spied a box under the table in the "craft/sewing section." (ALWAYS LOOK UNDER THE TABLE. This is where the really good stuff hides...trust me.) I didn't need to spend much time weeding through to know I had struck gold. I added a few other things to the box and then asked the nice lady if she could give me a price for the whole lot. She looked through my stash and consulted with her coworker. Then she turned back to me, smiled and said, "How's $2.50?" I told her that was more than fair. So are you curious as to what's in that box?! Here's a sampling...

Yards of fabric...

Lace and trims.

Hundreds of buttons...

A rainbow of rick rack, seam binding, bias trim, elastic (most unopened)...

Charming wooden spools of thread, measuring tapes and old sewing notions. The box also contained half yards of colorful fleece (perfect for kid projects), unopened ribbon spools, crochet thread and tulle.

Never underestimate a rummage sale as a source for materials. And you'll probably get a better deal if you collect a box of stuff and ask for a price on the entire lot. Have fun and let me know what treasures you find!

Happy Earth Day to you

2010-04-22T19:23:00.006-04:00

Love the earth for the sake of us big peeps...

...and the little ones too. What a gorgeous spring day for a celebration.

Prints of Love the Earth are available in my etsy shop.

How to get unstuck

2010-04-18T09:42:00.014-04:00

Five-year-old Nora is definitely on a roll. She's learning how to communicate with words and pictures and can't get enough of documenting everything. Nora spent the better part of yesterday preparing for family movie night. She made tickets, money and the sign above. (That's MOVIE with the extra "V" corrected, 8:00pm with drinks and popcorn and a cost of $5...play money accepted.) When she asked me if she could tape the sign to the door of the movie theater/aka Mom and Dad's bedroom I said something like..."No tape on the doors. It takes off the paint and makes Daddy nuts." Admittedly, I was working at my computer and only paying half attention. I felt her disappointment about the no tape, but I repeated that she would have to find a different way to hang her sign. She thought for a moment and then skipped off as I continued to work.

I did a double take when I went upstairs and saw Nora's creative solution to sign-hanging without tape. A great reminder from a preschooler that with a little creativity and drive there's always a way around potential roadblocks life throws our way.

A Friday-To-Do List

2010-04-16T13:08:00.007-04:00

Nora seen composing our Friday-To-Do List using preschool shorthand.

1) NORA = Clean Nora's Room (check)
2) M = Pick up disc at client's office for Mommy's design work (check)
3) L = Library (check)
4) BB= Clean both bathrooms
5) L = Lunch (check)
6) N = Nap

Somehow we spent too much time at the "L" and got behind with things. Friday priorities. I'm sure going to miss my little helper when she checks into kindergarten next year.

Now back to our last to-do's...

zzzzz.

Things that fly

2010-04-09T11:33:00.014-04:00

I love having artists as friends. Not only do they challenge and inspire me, but they're generous and supportive. Did I mention creative, fun and unique? I treasure them all. I was delighted to find this package in my mail from a fellow Art of Can artist. The wax seal is a big clue as to what lurks inside...

The amazingly talented and creative Dale Busta (the guy who has won Red Bull's Art of Can like a zillion times) sent me one of his trademark aluminium can bees.

Dale burns the label off the can and welds the pieces together somehow (I won't even pretend to completely understand his process.) I do know that the craftsmanship and attention to detail is incredible. And if you ever have a project (or want a bee of your own) contact me and I'll put you in touch with Dale. I don't think there's much that Dale can't figure out how to make.

Speaking of things that fly, do you remember these? Our family went out to dinner at a place that creatively served up kid's meals on Frisbees. I'm in shock that my kids had not recently handled or played with this classic toy, but now they're hooked. We're all having a great time rediscovering the Frisbee and loving a restaurant with a worthwhile take home toy.

Thanks again Dale (you rock.) And thanks to the The Rusty Bucket for thinking outside the basket, box, plate or anything else that doesn't fly so well outside.

Not just for showers in April

2010-04-05T13:01:00.007-04:00

I just finished the above painting which was inspired by the spring rain and this week's prompt over at Illustration Friday. In case you're wondering about that, the theme of the week was "Dip." However, I read my weekly e-mail reminder really fast and saw "Drip." So all weekend, I'm thinking and painting "drip" which led to water, rain and flowers and how the very toughest moments in life prove to be the ones that reward us in the end with inspiration and valuable life lessons.

I very sheepishly discovered my mistake when I went to submit (whoops!) Regardless, I'm happy with the illustration and the inspiration that came from reading an inspirational prompt incorrectly.

I probably could have skipped the true confession paragraph above and played off "dip" with this painting...(not me, ahem, but: the flowers were dipped in rain drops giving them the strength to bloom even brighter) However, that wouldn't be keeping it real, now would it? And I would never lie to you. Just a self reminder to stop and smell the flowers/slow down especially when reading e-mail. : )

Prints of "Showers often bring flowers" are now available for sale over in my etsy shop.

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T15:08:00.004-04:00

Sweet wishes from me to you for a bright and cheerful Easter day. In between our celebrations over here and waaay too many chocolate eggs, I'm finishing up a new painting. Hopefully it will be ready for show tomorrow. And don't let me forget that somebody needs to eat all of those hard-boiled eggs in the next few days. We need an eat-as-many-as-you-decorate rule.

Signs of spring

2010-04-02T15:57:00.006-04:00

So tell me, just how is one supposed to work with all of this going on outside? It's been taking my very best focusing skills to get just a little done.

I've also been on a major decluttering kick...I'm pretty sure there's something in the air that demands it. Six stuffed garbage bags and five very large pieces of brightly colored plastic (several with wheels) are outta here. What a feeling that is.

And we couldn't wait one second longer to decorate our eggs that happen to fit right in with the vibrant landscape. We're so happy to have our spring back. I'll be returning soon with cookies to properly celebrate.

Just how do you do it?!

2010-03-24T10:51:00.007-04:00

The long interval between entries over here can only mean one thing. Actually, it can mean many things, but in this case it's a combination of me sneaking out of town for a few days and then coming back and becoming completely overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with looming deadlines, kid activities and the general keeping-of-the-house in some sort of liveable state. I'm doing everything possible to keep up including working further into the night than I like (all the way through American Idol, the evening news and then some.)

Which brings me to my point today at the risk of sounding cheesy...I think you are amazing. I really do. Whether it's being able to see over the top of your inbox, taking a walk, making dinner or updating one of the blogs I love to read: I am WOWed. No matter what you have going on behind the curtain, you look pretty great from where I'm sitting. And just in case you ever thought for one second that it might be, It's not all fancy cupcakes and sparkley glitter over here. I'm one step away from the 'pile of laundry' blog post. Now back to more of that looming work I'm talking about, that I really can't talk about, but hope I can talk about soon.

Five already.

2010-03-15T12:46:00.008-04:00

Today's the day. Nora officially turns five. The quickest five years ever I might add. Nora didn't manage to nail down exactly what type of cake she wanted before the cake order deadline. However, Nora's clever mom decided to attempt a Barbie Merliah mermaid cake timed to the release of the new movie. Not that I didn't get helpful hints in the last few days...

Nora: "Hey Mom, did you now that Barbie in a Mermaid Tale is being released on DVD this week?"

Mom: "Really. Isn't that interesting."

Nora: "Yeah. It's in stores now. I sure hope someone gets that movie for me for my birthday."

Mom: "Nora. Nora. Nora."

Nora (shrugging shoulders): "Well, I'm just saying."

When Nora saw her cake for the first time she called it, "AMAZING" and "the BEST birthday cake ever." Pretty high praise. Although catching her staring in awe at the cake was even better. I knew she meant every word. Nora didn't see the imperfections that I did. She thought the cake was perfect and so it was.

In the end, lucky Nora did get her movie (after all those not-so-subtle-hints) and she got to eat her favorite cake too. Another perfectly happy birthday.

the Crocorator

2010-03-14T17:00:00.012-04:00

From the very depths of our studio swamp, the Crocorator was born. And this weekend, he was finally put to the ultimate test.

We're talking the annual Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. This is where the cub scout fashions a racing car of his choosing from a kit containing a block of wood, wheels and axles. (In some cases the scout is given two kits when Dad cuts crocodile teeth too deep into the axle joints, but I digress...)

Brendan's crocodile car design was once again inspired from the pages of Ed Emberley (an all time favorite around here.) After Dad cut the wood to match our scout's rough sketch, Brendan and I held a creative meeting. My cub scout wanted the eyes to stick up like headlights so we used clay to fashion the eyes and nostrils. After the clay pieces were baked, Brendan attached them with adhesive. Then, I showed him how to use a few different colors of paint to create a leathery gator skin. I loved seeing that spark when Brendan noticed how the layers and different colors of paint added an interesting dimension. He was sooooo proud of the final piece. And while this reptile didn't end up being the fastest croc in the swamp...

...he did win a trophy for design which was carried around the rest of the day. There's absolutely nothing like a trophy smile : )

Eye-catching Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

2010-03-10T13:14:00.022-05:00

We have another big birthday coming up around here. Miss Nora will be turning five in a couple of days. We've already sat down together for the official birthday cake consultation. Along with that important decision (that changes daily), we sorted out exactly what kind of treat she will bring to celebrate at preschool. Cupcakes were a nobrainer, but the type of cupcake was another story. It had to be different and in Nora's wiser-than-age-four voice, "It had to catch the eye" (yeah, she really said that.) This ice cream cone cupcake won in a close battle with caterpillar cupcakes. I found the basic idea for these in a Good Housekeeping article saved from several years back.

After baking up 24 or so vanilla cupcakes, I gathered two types of frosting, Redhots, non-pareils and vanilla wafer cookies. I cut the vanilla wafers in half and then trimmed each half into a triangle shape.

Next, I frosted each cupcake with chocolate icing and added a triangular vanilla wafer for the cone.

Then using a large star decorating tip, I generously piped on the lavender icing for the ice cream.

I finished each cupcake with a Redhot for the cherry and non-pareils for the sprinkles. They turned out so cute and came together way faster than those reindeer. I made a few extra to taste-test after which my client gave her final seal of approval. Nora is *very* excited to come to school tomorrow with her special birthday treats. Now to narrow down that cake.

*find more recipe ideas over here (one of my favorite blogs.)

Brave

2010-03-06T14:07:00.006-05:00

This weeks topic over at Illustration Friday is Brave. I've had this idea in my head for a couple weeks so that prompt finally encouraged me to get it on canvas. Here's a courageous bird sailing out to sea on the very top of the boat.

The more I thought about 'brave" I came to the realization that putting yourself out there is one thing. However, the true test of bravery is the ability to keep your spirits and your head held high even when those unexplored waters turn rough.

Prints of "Brave bird" are now available for sale in my etsy shop.

Adventures in print

2010-03-05T07:55:00.013-05:00

I am honored once again to be included in the latest issue of one of my very favorite magazines, Cloth Paper Scissors.

My article is about the making of a mixed media series featuring superheroes or to be more exact: Women superheroes. I had so much fun creating these pieces. They made me feel like that 7-year-old girl who...

...adored/idolized Wonder Woman. I recall crafting WW bracelets and tiaras out of paper and wearing them everywhere. I *believed* if I spun around really, really fast in a circle, I'd actually become her. Needless to say, I never could spin fast enough. However, seeing these pieces in print inspired by my idol was pretty satisfying just the same.

I had a limited number of magnets printed up of "I Wear my Cape." They're for sale over in my etsy shop. These look especially cool on a black or stainless steel fridge. The juxtaposition of the 50's housewife in her apron and heels with a modern mixed treatment framed on a steel fridge...totally love that.

Now getting back to my little world of capes, tiaras and a bird or two...I have to paint today. It's been over a week and my hands are starting to twitch. Time to save my world with dioxazine purple and quinacridone gold.

Art & Soul in Vegas?!

2010-03-04T09:38:00.005-05:00

I realize that retreating in Vegas (with two fabulous girlfriends) sounds slightly suspicious. If you happen to be sitting there with a smirk muttering "yeah right" (like practically ever person who listened to me try to explain VegasArtRetreat) here's posted proof that art was indeed made.

Mind you, the art came after breakfast. We LOVED this particular Paris buffet so much that we dined here every single morning. I can't think of any breakfast favs that couldn't be found on one of the many bountiful buffet lines along with the delightful waitress and new friend, Debbie. After a delicious breakfast topped off with a made-to-order crepe we were pretty much (minus girl scout cookie breaks) set until dinner.

Day one class was "Perching Pixies" taught by the fabulous Stephanie Rubiano. Stephanie's wry sense of humor was a good match for the three of us as she showed us the ways of a jewelers saw and bench block. I happened to be extremely skilled in securing my bench block to the table. In fact, it took all four of us to get it off the conference room table at the end of the day.

Here we are with the freed bench block and one of my favorite instructors : )

I completed my little Nora pixie (now a sturdy wooden cutout) in class. Isn't she a cutie sitting in great Aunt Ev's china tea cup? Heather freaked out *quite a bit* that I had the nerve to glue a pixie to one of great-Aunt-Ev's-china-teacups, but what's the point of having heirlooms all stashed away? Pointless I say. Besides I have 11 more...plenty for a proper tea.

Day two was "Gridlocked" with Lisa Kaus. I loved this class and Lisa...an organized, professional and helpful instructor. This piece, painted and built on a wooden block surface, is all about my family of five and the sweetness of home. I had so much fun attaching little bits of this and that including an original doorknob from our house.

On day three, we explored the feminine icon with Katie Kendrick. Katie is the warmest soul and a patient teacher. I painted this forlorn gal, who refuses to give up on love. I'm not quite sure were she came from...I kept thinking how she looked a little KellyRaeRobertsish (another artist whom I deeply admire.) Whatever the case, this girl doesn't feel completely mine, which isn't necessarily the point when taking classes. By repeating what's learned in a class, eventually art that's unique to the artist will surface. The whole point of classes and workshops is taking in new techniques, being open to experimentation and not stressing so much about the end result. Plenty of time for stressing back in Kansas (or Cincinnati.)

On the very last retreat day, we made dolls from clay with Jan Harris (Judy Wise's stand-in.) Judy couldn't attend due to health issues and even though she was deeply missed, Jan did a great job of instructing the class. For whatever reason, Heather and I chose to make extremely large dolls (see doll head in oven compared to rest of the class! yikes.) The Vegas air (bigger is better, more is more) must have been starting to rub off or something. Here we were, all intent on getting these girls done, so what do we do? Well...make the biggest versions possible of course. Completely logical. The right brain had clearly taken over.

Here's an in progress shot...mine is the doll on the left. And as you may have guessed she did NOT get finished that day, but hopefully very soon. I'll be sure to post the end results when she's complete. This was such a fun class...kindof makes me want to get a pasta machine and toaster oven all my own to devote entirely to clay. hmmmmmmmm.

So that wraps up my five incredible and inspirational days with proof that art can be made in this sleep deprived city. The fun part, involving stomach-hurting-laughter, was a given with Heather and Claire. I'm soooo looking forward to the next "retreat"...right after I recover from this one. ; )

A deal for those of us who didn't win big in Vegas

2010-03-01T11:21:00.010-05:00

I'm finally back. My sincerest apologies for being gone so long. Sandwiched between today and valentines day, I was retreating in Vegas for 5 fantastic art-filled days. A retreat that took 5 days prior to prepare and 5 days after to recover. So I agree "retreat" is hardly the word especially when combined with "vegas", but on paper it did say Art and Soul Retreat. More on that coming soon. In the meantime, I thought I'd share this find (If you use cheapy craft paint with as much joy as me) that I stumbled upon over the weekend at Michaels. Americana paints (reg. $1.19) are on sale for 69 cents through March 6th. If that wasn't good enough, there's a rebate out for $5 back on ten (form found hanging on the paint shelf at my store.) This makes paint as low as 19 cents per bottle! What a great excuse to try out some funky new shades (regardless of how the slots and the tables...eh hem...treated you.)

I'm still muddling through catch up work (and unnecessary trips to craft stores), but I'll be back in a day or so *promise* with a complete retreat recap.

Happy Valentines

2010-02-14T09:25:00.006-05:00

Despite deadlines and a towering laundry pile, I'm reminding myself that today is special. A taking-time-kind-of-date reserved for coloring, crafting, puzzle-making, Wii challenging, baking (with chocolate and heart sprinkles), Lego building, reading-out-loud, talking and listening, board game playing and finally later, movie and popcorn sharing.

Hope your day is filled.

Meet Picasso

2010-02-12T06:25:00.007-05:00

Introducing our new two-year-old, bellyrubloving, laid back, tabby boy Picasso. This cat business all started after years of constant kid-pet-pleading resulting in little Penny last May. Shortly after Penny came to live with us, I couldn't help but get Mary Beth's words out of my head...how two cats together were so much better than one. Errrrr....thanks Mary Beth. So after mulling that over for several months, we all decided it was time Penny had a special friend of her own. This past weekend, we drove to the animal shelter and spent a good two hours looking for a young cat that might be a good fit for all of us. Mind you, this new cat would have to pass the "Nora test." A test so difficult and grueling that only one cat (out of 50+) would still be purring at the end. Picasso, you are a *very* special cat.

After a couple days of isolation, we let these two meet. You are witnessing their first interaction. Just look at that Penny offering a firm handshake and 'how do you do." I wish I could say that we haven't had hissing (or even a little growling) over the past couple of days, but I think that they're doing quite well all things considered.

Here they are sitting down together for a staring contest. Fingers crossed that they become great companions and that I can soon completely agree that two cats really are better.

Snowed in

2010-02-07T08:27:00.006-05:00

Sometimes a weekend blanket of snow isn't a bad thing. Especially when you have hours and hours of design work and...

a brand new, fire-engine-red mixer that you were lucky enough to get for Christmas.

Now, I'll be getting back to business. Of course that's right after the cookies. Priorities you know.

Really?!

2010-02-02T15:55:00.007-05:00

Pardon the forlorn groundhog/sea lion, but you get the idea. Six more weeks of Winter??! To quote my 4-year-old, "You have got to be kidding me." Not that it matters much. After enjoying a steady, yet unrushed workload (the kind that pays), my inbox has suddenly quadrupled ensuring that I won't be emerging from my hole any time soon. Not that I'm complaining...I knew it was coming and I'm thankful for it. This just means more pizza and less blog.

Also please accept my sincere apologies, if you come back here to check in only to find Mr. Groundhogsealion. I'll try to climb out with an update as soon as possible. Until then, Happy Groundhog Day.

De-Muddling

2010-01-31T17:02:00.018-05:00

Maybe it's that time of year or the weather or something, but I've recently caught myself starting to google, half-seriously, "What should I do now?" If only I could bing the Internet to provide a personalized step-by-step artistic path...what to prioritize and/or what to let go. Cold, dreary weather is a creative drain. Fortunately, I was able to snap out of it this weekend to organize my studio. In the process, I realized a thing or two.

I'm pretty sure that one of the best cures for a muddled and disorganized head, is a neat and organized work space. Messiness is distracting.

I marvel at design, craft and sewing books that manage to keep a single focus from beginning to end with beautifully, illustrated step-by-steps along the way. This is not possible in actual life.

I believe in being prepared for any occasion. However, it's also important to be able to see what you already have.

I sorted through overflowing fabric bins and let go of uninspiring pieces. Extra stuff adds weight rather than inspiration.

Now the challenge is to keep things in place while I let go of January. Hello to a clearer, warmer (fingers crossed) and brighter February.

Smart Marks

2010-01-26T17:42:00.019-05:00

I have to tell you about the brand new 'art just for fun' that has arrived over in my etsy shop. It's a set of wisely affordable owl bookmarks that I designed using the owls I painted back when.

For the background, I scanned the wise entry from a really old dictionary. Then, I placed the owls in miniature in sequence on top of the entry with a shadow effect (all done in Photoshop.) Wise and Wiser are on the front of the bookmark while Wisest has the back all to herself.

The bookmarks have been offset print (front and back) on a heavy coated stock with rounded edges for extra charm. When they came back from the printer, I hand punched each top and added a cord. These bookmarks are available in sets of four. They're perfect to stick in a card (Valentines maybe?) or enclose with a gifted book. Or maybe you'll want a couple for yourself to mark various places...wise cookbooks, wiser craft magazines or the wisest decadent novel.

I've also made individual 8" x 10" owl prints available if a larger, frameable version is preferred. Fly over to my etsy shop to check out the goods. And as always, thank you for stopping by to see what I've been up to and for supporting my artistic journey. I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate each and every one of you! I am so grateful for a community that never fails to inspire. Thank you.

How to score points with an 8-year-old

2010-01-24T08:41:00.013-05:00

If you asked me to explain Pokemon in 100 words or less it would go something like this: errrr...little alien-like creatures with different powers...ahhhh...expensive trading cards that 7-8 year old boys can't get enough of...some cards having lots of power while others not so much...errrr...battling?...hmmmm. How's that? Yes, my understanding of the world of Pokemon is rather deficient. I did learn just a tiny bit more when I went to research this popular yellow guy for my son's birthday cake. For example, did you know that Pikachus' can shoot electric from their cheeks? me neither.

Here's the plan I came up with to use the majority of two round cakes to build Pikachu. The small striped triangle on cake number two is the only piece not used. It can be thrown to any kitchen intruders to keep them at bay while you're decorating the cake.

I decorate our cakes with butter cream icing mainly for the taste even though fondant would probably be easier. This guy is all icing except for the red cheeks and mouth which happen to be strawberry fruit rollups.

The cake ended up being a huge hit with this 7-year-old turned 8. Besides my getting to know that happy little yellow Pikachu better, I even earned a few cool points upping my evolutionary Mom status. Yeah...I'm trying to sound all pokemonish. My apologies to the diehards...I did say "a few" cool points.

A nice reminder to have aRound

2010-01-20T13:49:00.013-05:00

"The grass is greener on the other side of the fence" is a timeless proverb. Trying to keep up with the Jones' can leave your head spinning. The phrase happens to be permanently stuck in my head after years of hearing my mom repeat whenever I chose to whine about whatever bugged me about me at the time. Of course I knew the true meaning was that the grass might seem greener for other people, but seldom was greener when you came right down to it.

I've been wanting to paint a circular canvas for awhile. When this idea popped into my head, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to break out of the box : ) I chose a 16" round canvas and started the piece by adhering ripped map pieces along with flowery and grid (fence-like) decorative paper.

I wanted my choices including canvas shape and materials to work with the whimsical nature of the idea. Raffia was a given for the grass. I also happened to have those cool wooden sticks (kids building sticks from back when). And have I mentioned my latest obsession? Much like half of the crafting universe... it's GLITTER! (check out the Martha Stewart vintage line...ahhhhhhh.) The point here is to think creatively when on a mixed media adventure. Sure a fence is simple enough to paint or make with paper...but what about a painted fence from actual wood...hmmmm.

This process shot is a behind-the-scenes as to how I work. A little paint and then a little adhering (with gel medium), then more paint and more adhering, etc. I build up the layers plunging right through that awkward-i hate-this-piece moment that happens at right about the halfway point with every painting I do.

In the end, I'm very happy with how this painting turned out. I'd keep it if I had more wall space. Until I figure out how to get more of that, I've listed the original over in my etsy shop. No prints will be made of this one. It's a circular one-of-a kind.

*bonus points* if you can answer why most paintings are square or rectangular. I really wanna know because circles seem more fun!

Fabric coupon holder tutorial: Buy 1/Make 1 Free

2010-01-13T05:35:00.028-05:00

Introducing my fresh, new, handmade coupon holder/organizer created with supplies I already had on hand. Now brace yourself. Below is "the before" that I actually purchased a long time ago...

Admittedly, it was embarrassing to pull this out of my purse. Nothing to do with the coupons themselves (pleeeze!), but just look. I'm not quite sure what I was thinking when I purchased a cow coupon holder, but apparently it was the most appealing fabric (to me) at the time...hmmmm. Along with the questionable fabric, it is showing signs of heavy wear. The point of the before: I based my new and improved coupon holder on the old by taking the cow apart to see how he was made...an inexpensive way to get a pattern for anything you might want to replicate.

The fabric I used was a sample upholstery square purchased at a yard sale over the summer. If you can get your hands on these, they are perfect for smallish projects. If you can't find them by chance at yard sales, befriend an interior designer or upholstery shop for last season's samples.

materials:
heavy fabric (1- 9" x 11" piece; 2- 2-1/2" x 4" pieces)

3/4" wide Velcro (2- 9" pieces)

1/2" wide double fold bias tape in a coordinating color (approx. 47 inches total)

sewing machine

iron

(as usual please refer to pictures if my nontechnical sewing language becomes confusing.)

directions:

1. Attach two 9" pieces of 3/4" wide Velcro to the 9" x 11" piece of fabric. The Velcro will go on the 9" top and bottom with the sticky on the good side of the fabric and the fuzzy on the back side of the fabric. (I used iron on Velcro and followed package directions. I also sewed the Velcro to make sure it was extra secure.) After the Velcro is attached, place this piece aside for a moment.

2. Cut two 2 1/2" x 4" rectangles from fabric for the sides of the coupon holder. Sew double fold bias tape to the 4" top and bottom of each.

3. Starting from the bottom right corner of the Velcroed fabric, sew double fold bias tape (approx. 31" long) to the edge sandwiching in your first side.

3+. See how the sides are getting sandwiched? The top and bottom of the side pieces remain unstitched...only the sides of the sides will be attached to the Velcro rectangle. Sides attach at bottom of Velcroed main piece and then 5 inches in from there.

4. Continue to sew the bias tape up the right side of the main piece, across the top and then back down the left side sandwiching in the second side like the right. The only edge that will not have bias tape is the sticky Velcro-edged front.

And that's it. You should now have a coupon holder that looks sort of like this one and opens and closes like so. Moooove over cow coupon organizer (oh come on...how could I resist??! : )

Proof...

2010-01-12T13:14:00.005-05:00

... that I haven't been goofing off. Unless, like my husband, you don't see the "work factor" involved in sewing together two-sided pages, adding brads and glitter, gluing feathers and finally stringing sequins, dice and beads from 25 early bird mouths for chunky/fat book participation. But I bet you do. And it was on my "to do" list...right after 'grocery shop' and 'schedule yearly doctor checkups for the kids' (btw anything written on a "to do" list is most definitely a job/work that must be completed. ) This is all in prep for February's much anticipated art retreat.

If you don't know what a chunky/fat book is (like I didn't two years ago), it's a collaborative project that brings together a little bit of each participating artist into a 4" x 4" *typical* book spiral bound by the organizer of the event. Pages include lots of embellishments and unique touches so no two finished books are exactly alike.

There they are. whew. All 25 pages shipped off yesterday to our kind organizer down in Florida. I can't wait to get my hands on the finished project. Okay back to more work (really...it's on the list.)

Filling up on inspiration

2010-01-07T08:17:00.017-05:00

When I start a painting or a series of work, I almost always use an inspiration box before I begin the piece itself. For me, an inspiration box is an empty plastic container that I fill with any papers, clippings and embellishments that even remotely relate to the piece(s) I have in mind. I never end up using every item in an inspiration box for a piece, but the exercise helps me zero in on suitable elements without being overwhelmed (and believe me my stash of stuff can be quite overwhelming.) Pictured above is the beginnings of my latest piece, "A New Day" if you're recognizing inspiration.

The other place that needs to be constantly refilled with inspiration is the artist herself. I try to make it a point to kick myself out of my studio on a regular basis which is how our family began 2010. We visited a new-to-us-museum for a sensory-filled day that started with the age of the dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs that were juxtaposed with modern glass art in a room nearby. If you look carefully you'll notice similarities (a rib cage pattern to the right and a cloudy blue sky at the bottom.) See how one can play off the other? Not saying that this artist was dinosaur-inspired, but he/she certainly could have been. The more I look, the more dinosaur shapes I see.

The industrialized shape, texture and color of a replicated railroad station proceeded those organic places we visited. There's lots to gain from these types of displays too. I am especially fond of the curved "ALL ABOARD" signage.

Floor number two brought us pure eye candy...the vibrant world of Barbie. (A sea foam green and hot pink inspired painting is in my very near future.)

After a full day of exploration, we ended in the world of Egypt where I found this comforting proverb. My 2010 is already feeling more inspired. Lucky too...based on daily coffee spillage. How do you find inspiration?

Happy New Day

2010-01-01T20:32:00.016-05:00

I've been thinking about beginnings and endings a lot lately. Freebie calendars with the new months of 2010 have been popping up in the mailbox for weeks making me think about all of those days. Days that have shaped and formed who we are, but how we still determine who we will be in the days ahead. I thought about new year resolutions...starts and hiccups to becoming who we want to be. My whimsical translation? A broken shell of old days resulting in a renewal of sorts...a fresh beginning.

While I did intend for this piece to be new years appropriate, I think it's even more important to remember that fresh beginnings can happen any day. Taking on a whole year and placing all of that resolution weight on January 1st is too overwhelming. If we don't get it right today, there's always tomorrow.

*prints available in my etsy shop.

One sweet iPod

2009-12-30T08:41:00.010-05:00

I'm finally back. I see that Penny did a nice job of filling you in while I was baking, wrapping, entertaining, cooking, laughing, enjoying and eating...way too much eating. And like she said, two days after we're Merry Christmasing, it's time for Happy Birthday. ahhhhh yes...the Christmastime Birthday syndrome...Ours is a cute 11 year old girl who happens to now own a green iPod.

So here's a peek at the cake I came up with to kick off her year. Simple...really. Just a cake baked in a rectangular 9" x 13" pan and frosted in iPod green with white and black for the details. The little wires are red licorice left over from the Rudolphs and the ear buds are mounds of white icing with a few details piped in black. Granted everything would look sleeker in fondant, but for taste we all prefer plain old buttercream icing.

Off the subject of cake, are iPods A*M*A*Z*I*N*G or what??! I remember my black/no color Walkman...kindoflike having a stereo attached to your waist. And those headphones?!? (I'm betting very few birthday cakes were modeled on that technology.) More confirmation that Mom and Dad truly lived with the dinosaurs.

my first Christmas

2009-12-28T09:20:00.005-05:00

errr...hi there.
I've been asked to drop in and let you know that all is well. This is my first December. They told me that things would be chaotic, but I had no idea. Makes me want to hide under a bed if I wasn't so curious. Paper and lights and people and shiny things and food...
Speaking of which, I used my big eyes and best manners to get a taste of that ham. delicious. Then somebody (one of the short ones) spilled a whole cup of chocolate milk that nobody but me noticed ;> )
And just when I thought things had mellowed out one of them had a birthday. More paper, more people, more noise, more food. Anyway, I'm here to pass on wishes for a warm, wonderful holiday season. She said she'll be back soon (hopefully...I'm not so fond of typing.)
I need to go now and find a quiet spot for a long, cozy nap.
XXOOXX Penny

A whimsical Christmas tree dishtowel

2009-12-20T13:28:00.016-05:00

Using the same basic construction as outlined in my playful dishtowel tutorial, I sewed up another dishtowel especially for the season.

First, I gathered fabrics and trims. The Christmasy fabric in the bottom left hand corner was the inspiration for the other colors in my fabric palette.

After I settled on fabrics, I drew my basic design. The simple pattern shapes are meant to compliment fabrics that have a little more going on.

Laying the pattern pieces aside, both edges of the dish towel received a fancy border. I also added a red ribbon to conceal the edges of the ruffle trim. (BTW the red ribbon seen in the finished hand towel replaced the originally selected brown trim in the fabric collecting picture...and while it may have been easier to just take a new photo of what ended up being the final fabrics/trims, I thought proof of changes mid-project was comforting. Sewing is nothing to sweat about. And I can say that now that I've been sewing for almost a whole year. ; )

Now the fun part...the canvas of the piece. I used fusible web to attach the pattern pieces to the towel and then zigzag-stitched around the shapes.

And that's it. This is an easy project to add a touch of Christmas whimsy to the kitchen or to make as a last minute gift....but maybe not to use to clean up after reindeer cupcakes.

Your vision is fine: That IS a lot of Rudolphs

2009-12-16T14:47:00.014-05:00

Have you had too much sugar yet? These guys went to preschool today along with me and the preschooler herself. The first time I made Rudolph cupcakes was about 6 years ago for my oldest after I spied them in Family Fun magazine (check out the link if you need a festive snack idea in the next week.) With this latest batch, all that's left is a crumb or two and me vowing to lay off the high calorie posts for at least a week. Yes, I will paint again...

a really fast + easy = candy recipe

2009-12-13T08:38:00.014-05:00

I won't lie to you. I do make a ridiculous amount of candy this time of year, some types more involved than others. The more complicated varieties come together when the elves are at school or in bed to avoid holidaycandymakingstress, a real condition. This however, is an easy recipe for delicious candy treats that even preschool elves can make by your side. Around here we call them reindeer noses. To make your own, you'll need:

ring-shaped pretzels (can be hard to find...Meijer's store brand has them or just use mini pretzels)
rolo candies
m&m's

First, unwrap the rolos. Put the rolos on a baking sheet and throw them an inner tube/pretzel ringing each rolo. (If you are using a different shaped pretzel just place your rolo on top and call it a raft.) Place in a preheated 275 degrees oven for 4-5 minutes.

Remove from oven. Immediately press a m&m into the center of each melty rolo. Leave the candies on the baking sheet until they are cool and hardened.

That's it...*really.* Place on a festive dish and enjoy!

*Linking some good advice here about embracing holiday baking shortcuts (and I'm totally with Jen on the 80% off gingerbread in the attic ; )

Tornados and gingerbread

2009-12-07T11:27:00.010-05:00

Yesterday, with all the fixings, my three sugarplums spent the afternoon assembling and decorating the gingerbread houses left for them by St. Nick.

This has become a fun tradition that we do every year. I crank up the Christmas music and think about how (I'm sure) this will be a fond memory of their childhood.

This house had serious structural damage/crackage from the start. Perhaps St.Nick should think twice before being tempted to buy these a year in advance (you know when gingerbread house kits are 75% off and "he" reasons that no one eats the things anyway so why not save a little cash and keep them around until next year? eh hem.)

I found it quite humorous that the kits included the following note in the directions: "Do Not become DISTRESSED if your house cracks. Just repair with icing." Same thing for roof slidage. Luckily no one became "DISTRESSED" and a very cheerful afternoon was had by all...even if this year our gingerbread village looks like it suffered some sort of unfortunate weather related event.

Secrets Revealed

2009-12-01T19:30:00.005-05:00

The ultimate "who-done-it" was held two weeks ago and all was revealed. Cincinnati's Secret Artworks auction (blogged back here) is a fundraising event featuring the exhibition and sale of original 5" x 7" works of art from local, national and international artists. The 'secret' behind each piece is the identity of the artist which is revealed after purchase. I contributed three secrets to the cause. So without any further chitchatting, here they are unwrapped...

My three wise, wise, wise owls.

One is just a little smarter than the one before (or at least that's what they think.)

All flew off the boards and into the hands of some very appreciated buyers (thank you if you happen to be one of them!) Nothing worse than a 'wise owl' hanging around too long at the party.

And is it really December already???!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T06:32:00.005-05:00

I have many things to be thankful for this year including the biggies...family, friends, faith, health and home. Of course that's not forgetting the little pleasures like making art with zippers and lace : )

Thank you for stopping by throughout the year and for your comments and e-mails. I treasure the inspiration and friendship that those words bring. Have a happy and safe holiday!

A playful dishtowel tutorial

2009-11-24T11:08:00.025-05:00

I'm a huge fan of this store's artsy dishtowels. I figured it was about time I made a few myself. After all, when you break it down it's just a fabric rectangle with trim and applique, right? The Totally Tutorials supplies/tutorial exchange with Ruby Jane's Retro fabric was another spark that led to this project idea. If you were here yesterday, you read about that and my final piece of inspiration...a newly acquired, 1944 children's dictionary.

These fabric ink jet sheets have been waiting ever so patiently on my shelf for some time. Finally, they had their day. I loved the entries from my new (old) book and how they "played" off the fabric swatch from Ruby Jane. Here was the perfect opportunity to combine her fabric, a bit of the dictionary and experiment with the fabric sheets.

First, I scanned in the definition of play from that charming dictionary. I followed the fabric sheet directions by loading a single sheet into the printer and printing. I then did the colorfast treatment according to the package. The entire process went smoothly with no ink bleedage or distortion. I really can't believe I haven't tried this until now.

other supplies needed include:
fabric swatches (click here for Ruby Jane's shop)
fusible web
21" x 29" piece of heavier fabric (main body of dishtowel)
trim
scissors
sewing machine
coordinating thread

First, iron the edges up and under approx 1/4 inch in on all sides of the dishtowel fabric. Then pin and sew close to the inner edge.

Iron fusible web to the back of all fabric swatches. Peel off paper backing. Arrange and pin fabric pieces on the dishtowel. Iron fabric swatches to the towel.

With contrasting thread, zigzag-stitch around the various fabric pieces.

Here's a peek at what my machine was set at for this part.

After the applique pieces are stitched, pin ruffle trim to the bottom and top edges of the dish towel. Next, sew the trim to the front edges of the dishtowel.

Finally, attach red trim on top...reminiscent of the fancy borders from the original children's dictionary (note the right edge of the "play" definition fabric snippet.)

And there you have it...a playful, retro dishtowel whipped up in under two hours to add a bit of whimsy to your kitchen or to gift. I can hardly wait to make more dishtowels integrating initials, recipes, photos...all kinds of personal touches turned to fabric as easy as clicking "print." And make sure you visit Ruby Jane's shop for Anthro-like retro fabrics. You know what they say about all work and no play... ; )

Piecing together inspiration

2009-11-23T11:47:00.012-05:00

A few weeks or more (that's heavily leaning on the "more" side), the sweet Ruby Jane from Ruby Jane's Retro Fabric selected me and others to create tutorials with her fabric. This is part of the exchange program over at Totally Tutorials which connects supply sellers to creative types with free supplies for tutorials.

I was completely charmed by that little piece of nostalgic fabric when it arrived. I turned ideas over in my head. I wanted a project that would go together in an hour or less (for this crazy time of the year), but that involved my learning at least one new technique and/or experimenting with one new material.

In an unrelated yet related venture, I happened upon this charming 1944 children's dictionary at a rummage sale. It was a no-brainer purchase. And it reminded me of the exchange fabric and how I needed to get a tutorial out into the world. After all a deal's a deal.

Paging through this dictionary was delightful. I scanned a few snippets of my favorite smile-inducing definitions from the book.

I love the colorful, scalloped edges on the sides of the pages and all of the fancy trims used throughout the book. As I was reading this dictionary page-by-page, something clicked. I had an idea for my tutorial. The final product wouldn't be wheel invention, but it would combine nostalgia with practical and provide an opportunity for me to experiment with an unopened material that's been on my shelf for some time. And I realize I'm being all secretive-like, but I had to explain the inspiration before the project. And honestly the project is not quite done yet, but I promise the easy step-by-step tutorial is coming up next. Perfect *I think* for holiday gifts.

Hanging Acorn Frame tutorial

2009-11-17T10:19:00.015-05:00

My girls and I went for a fall walk the other day. Crunching under our feet were hundreds of little acorn hats. We stopped to inspect them closer, loving their tiny details...an absolutely gorgeous crafting material. We collected as many as our pockets could hold and brought them back to the studio for some acorn brainstorming. While my daughters dreamed up a family of acorn people, I worked to create an acorn frame with a hanger.

materials needed:

acorn tops of various sizes

flat wooden frame with at least an 1 inch border

hot glue gun

brown craft paint

paintbrush

20 inch piece of 1/2 inch wide brown ribbon

a photo or piece of art to frame

step one.

Remove the glass and back of the frame for crafting purposes. Paint the frame with brown craft paint.

step two.
Attach the ribbon middle to a large acorn top by hot gluing the ribbon into the acorn.

step three.

Hot glue the ends of the ribbon to the top of the front frame corners like so.

step four.

Hot glue acorn tops to the front of the frame. You will cover where the ribbon was previously attached.

step five.

Insert the frame glass along with a photo or a piece of original art and hang your finished creation on a wall or a doorknob.

Giving thanks for the little things including time to paint, craft and look for acorns. : )

When Autumn gives you apples...

2009-11-15T11:31:00.013-05:00

Homemade apple pie is something I crave every fall...errrr actually I crave throughout the year, but even more so when the leaves are changing and the air is crisp. I've found the best apple pie is made with a combination of different apples for a variety of tastes in each slice. My favorite mix is Granny Smiths and Jonathans. I also prefer a crumb topping rather than a top crust. Without further chitchat, here's my favorite recipe for a delicious apple pie.

apple filling:
6 cups thinly sliced, peeled apples
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt

The bottom crust can be your favorite single crust pie recipe or a refrigerated Pillsbury crust...promise, I won't tell ; ). Line the pie plate with the bottom crust and add a fancy cookie cutter edge, if you desire. Then fill with the apple mixture from above.

To make the crumb topping, stir together:

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats

Use a pastry blender to cut in 1/2 cup butter or margarine till the topping mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle the crumb topping over the apple mixture. To prevent over browning, cover the edge of pie with foil. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 25-30 minutes more until the pie top is golden.

Remove from oven and cool. Send hubby to store for forgotten vanilla ice cream and enjoy.

I'll be back soon. Many projects were wrapped up last week so now I'm enjoying time for things like pie, crafts and our nearly complete renovated bathroom! Hurray for Fall!

Also perfect for the season...a recipe for Gratitude rolls over here.

I can't tell, but you can guess...

2009-11-09T09:52:00.007-05:00

This year, I'm participating in Cincinnati's Secret Artworks auction on Friday, November 20th. Secret ArtWorks is a fundraising event featuring the exhibition and sale of 5" x 7" works of art from local, national and international artists. All works of art sell for $75 each. The 'secret' behind each piece is the identity of the artist which is revealed after the work is purchased. ArtWorks is a non-profit arts organization that connects artists of all ages with opportunities in the arts through inspiring apprenticeships, community partnerships and public art.

Check out the hundreds of pieces already submitted for this year's event. I have three pieces among the entries. Any guesses? If you're in the area, tickets to this really fun party that benefits a worthwhile cause can be purchased here. I have my eye on a couple I'd like to be lucky enough to bring home...that's providing we all stay healthy and I can actually attend. By the way, I'm feeling much better (after accepting defeat and going to the doctor)...thanks for the well wishes. : )

A view from the deck

2009-11-04T10:51:00.006-05:00

This is not a deer farm, but rather my urban backyard. On any given day of the week we can peer out the windows and see our friends frolicking...eating from bird feeders, munching on shrubbery and flowers without a care in the world. Deer like it here and feel very, very comfortable. They don't seem to care that this is not suburbia or a place where there should be large quantities of wildlife (sorry Dad.) And me? I'm officially sick after being in denial throughout the weekend. I'm afraid it's payback time. My body is not happy about my refusal to pass on parties and other Halloween festivities when I knew better. Really I did. So here I am, showing you pictures of female deer rather than an interesting project. Now, I need to doze...not eight. (sorry...toomuchsinusmedicine confusing bad deer joke.) Off to rest.

Have a hair-raising Halloween

2009-10-31T12:32:00.015-04:00

We're busy today getting costumes together, candy ready and pumpkins carved for the big night. I'm taking a short break from our halloweenish prepping to wish you fun and safe trick-or-treating and share a truly unique, completely cute costume.

Meet Nancy from Oklahoma. Last week, Nancy ordered several packs of frustration pencil kits mentioning that she was going to dress up as a giant frustration pencil herself! I had never met Nancy, but thought to myself how she had to be a pretty fun gal. I asked if she would share a photo which she kindly did. I'm loving the hair. Nancy passed out frustration pencils to her coworkers yesterday and won third place in her office Halloween contest! Way to go Nancy!

Now off to carve our pumpkins...

Turning the pages

2009-10-26T14:43:00.008-04:00

I'm so pleased to have my art included in the latest *gorgeous* issue of Cloth Paper Scissors. There is a ton of amazing work in here. I especially love the "Stuffed Horse Ornaments" by Samantha Jenkins and "Everyday Women" by Nola Hart, but that is naming just a few for sure.

My article included in this issue provides a step-by-step to creating art with flashcards. I promise, it will get you thinking about equations in a more artistic way.

The original flashcard pieces featured in the article are now available for sale over in my etsy shop. These pieces have been created on vintage self-hanging plaques so there is no need for additional framing. Prints of the originals are also available.

Okay back to sick kids. That certain flu has officially hit our house...yes it's definitely multiplying which means my undivided attention has been focused on sanitizing and taking temperatures. As a result, we had to subtract our weekend travel plans. Nothing more to add to that (except of course to bug you with math puns. Sorry about that. : )

When a spider leads to a pumpkin

2009-10-23T07:49:00.014-04:00

Inspiration is a funny thing. It begins as a spark and catches quick if you let it (kind of like a certain flu you may have heard is going around.) In the case of inspiration, it's a good thing (the other, not so much.) I 'll admit that when I'm asked to help with 5th grade math I don't jump quite as fast as when my 7-year-old son (or any child for that matter) comes to me asking for help with a craft idea. Brendan thought the spider pincushion I made earlier this week was pretty cool. He told me he had another idea for a pumpkin pincushion and wondered if I could help him make it. Let me tell you, when my sports driven-nintendo playing-legoite-son asks to make a pin cushion you had better believe it gets my attention.

We quickly gathered our supplies which consisted of orange fabric, orange thread, a bottle cap, fiberfill, black felt and a green chenille pipe cleaner. Then using the exact same technique as with the spider body, I guided him in the making of his one-of-a-kind creation. After Brendan had the pumpkin all sewn up, he cut the eyes and a mouth out of the black felt and attached with liquid stitch. Then, he cut a bit of the chenille pipe cleaner for a stem and inserted it in the top of the pumpkin. Finally, Brendan added a few pins to top off his completed pincushion. He was so proud he even brought it to school to show the class.

While this cute pumpkin is smile-inducing on its own, it's the fact that it was created from a tiny spark of inspiration by a 7-year-old boy that makes me smile the most.

Bottle cap Spider Pincushion

2009-10-19T05:31:00.013-04:00

Just in time for Halloween, I've put together a quick little project to add a dash of fun to your sewing area. That's if you can get your...ahem...three kids to stop playing with it.

Here are the craft supplies you'll need:

1-4 inch circle (spider body) and 1-2 inch circle (spider head) cut from your choice of fabric

Coordinating thread

1 bottle cap

2 beady red straight pins (spider eyes)

4-5 inch pieces of black craft wire (spider legs) and 1-1 inch piece of craft wire (spider palps)

Fiberfill

pliers, wire cutters, fabric scissors, needle

To make the spider body, straight stitch around the edges of the 4 inch circle. Then pull the thread slightly to gather up the edges. Stuff with fiberfill. Insert bottle cap. Now gently pull the thread to enclose the fiberfill and bottle cap in the fabric. Stitch to secure the bottom of the spider body. To make the spider head, repeat the above steps with the 2 inch fabric circle omitting the bottle cap.

Now attach the spider head to the body with the sewn end of spider head facing the body so that your stitching doesn't show.

Stick the beady red straight pins into the spider head for eyes. Just under the eyes insert the 1 inch piece of craft wire. These are the spiders "pedipalps" or in simpler terms "the little thingeys that stick out by the mouth that make a spider "spiderish"."

Next, carefully insert each craft wire through the bottom of the stuffed spider body to make a total of eight legs. Use pliers to shape the legs like so.

Place the completed spider pincushion on a doily web. You may just want to keep her out all year long. She does know a thing or two in the sewing department.

Have you been "BOOed"?

2009-10-18T10:11:00.010-04:00

My kids' favorite pre-Halloween activity has got to be the neighborhood "ghosting" or "booing" that happens about this time in October. If you're not familiar, every year some on-the-ball neighbor starts the fun by filling two or three bags with candy along with other little surprises. Also enclosed in the prepared treat bags is the poem above and a paper ghost. Houses are then selected to "BOO." Booing (the verb) is defined as placing a treat bag on a front doorstep, ringing the doorbell and running like CrAZy to avoid being seen. The lucky recipients of the goodies, then place the paper ghost in their window and prepare treat bags for a couple more houses. Thus the Ghost/Boo is spread throughout the neighborhood. It's great fun both to be Booed and to Boo. And not just for families with kids. We Boo childless homes and often include spirits of the liquid kind.

Our family was booed several nights ago. This year we don't have a clue as to who it could have been other than a very generous ghost. Our ghost delighted my kids with a candy called "bat droppings" (wow did they think that was funny...a little too funny) and a variety of other much appreciated goodies.

Now that we've been marked, we're preparing our bags and scoping the neighborhood for unghosted houses. Tonight we'll be out after dark. In running shoes.

how about a little pattern with that smile?

2009-10-14T09:38:00.005-04:00

This morning I turned around from my computer and saw this....a sight equal to about three or four cups of coffee for sure. WOWZA, did that ever wake up my eyes. Do ya think she picked that rug on purpose?! Let's just hope she can find socks to match.

One brick closer

2009-10-12T10:40:00.016-04:00

I almost didn't participate this year because I thought I didn't have the time...then I reconsidered. Bricks Along the Journey a.k.a. the annual Breast Cancer Bricks Silent Auction was way too important not to make the time.

from the Bricks Along the Journey website:
"The "Bricks Along the Journey" Project was established as a symbol of life, rejuvenation, and hope. Bricks salvaged from the rubble of old buildings have been transformed into stunning works of art. This transformation is the perfect metaphor for the experience shared by all Breast Cancer survivors. We take these bricks that have been knocked down and bring them to life again. The brick auctions have been instrumental in raising money for various, local Breast Cancer agencies."

I started my piece with a three-holed brick, a piece of plywood cut to size for the back and four wooden (child) building blocks for the roof.

I attached everything securely together with liquid nails and then gessoed the entire piece both to seal and add texture. After that, I added bits of collage and paint to the house.

I sewed a little quilted heart detail for the front of the house. And I...

...created the little bird on the top of the house with various fabric scraps. Then, I attached button eyes, a wisp of wool and a breast cancer awareness pink ribbon. (note: the main body of the bird was inspired by a project included in one of my favorite books: Warm Fuzzies.)

Here are a few different views of my finished brick titled "Flying High." The brick home is symbolic of shelter and stability, while the bird represents the courage to leave the safety of the nest and fly again. Now I'm off to deliver this to the auction chair with the humble hope that my art can help this worthy cause. Admittedly, one brick isn't much by itself, but many bricks together can build houses.

To make a donation to Bricks Along the Journey click here, then click "Donate." If you are in the Cincinnati area, the silent brick auction will be on Sunday, October 25th, 2009. Visit the website for details.

This is spooky...

2009-10-10T09:01:00.014-04:00

To get you in the mood for Halloween, I thought I'd take you on a haunted tour of the latest project happening around here. Be warned...this isn't for the faint of heart.

If you think you can back out now or that any of these light switches actually work you are sorely mistaken.

Watch your step. The floor may or may not be underneath you.

Secrets of the past are harbored inside these walls.

Plaster tiled walls will not let go of their memories without a fight.

Did you think you were going to be able to take a bath here tonight? (insert evil laugh and spine-tingling music.)

Now, now, don't be afraid. It's just our first floor bath being remodeled or as 4-year-old Nora more accurately describes, "destroyed." Lucky for us, we still have a bath and a half intact to help us through these harrowing times. However, I will admit that the past few days have had me on the edge of my seat. The banging/sound of walls crumbling along with a fine mist of circulating dust is happening on the other side of my studio walls. All who have lived through remodeling of any kind know that these are not fun times. It will be good in the end though. And I promise to share photos when the light shines again in our brand new bathroom.

Picture day Accusations

2009-10-06T10:36:00.012-04:00

Today, I was accused of the unthinkable. I had an early morning trial for attempting to make my 7-year old, darling boy look "dumb" on school picture day. First, let me restate to the jury that I did not even think for a second that this particular 7-year-old gave one little hoot about what he wore as long as it was reasonably comfortable. Therefore, a lengthy picture day outfit consultation was not scheduled the night before like was with my 10 year old daughter.

When I learned the truth this morning I was shocked. Brendan DOES care what he wears on picture day and Brendan will no longer wear something that is "knit and yarned "...said while making circular finger motions to describe the offensive garment(s).

Thankfully, we managed to settle out of court on a navy blue, button down. Simple. Classic. No "yarn" involved. Brendan smoothed his negotiated picture day shirt and said he liked his look. Then he put on his backpack, turned and headed out the door. Now let's just hope he smiles.

Flattening Humpty...

2009-10-01T18:43:00.015-04:00

...like the poor guy hasn't been through enough already. Actually no nursery rhyme violence happened here. It's all good, so keep reading...

You might recall (if you've been hanging out for awhile) my appearance on HGTV's "That's Clever" when I created my 3-D wooden version of Humpty for the cameras (I just noted it will reair on October 28th, 7:30AM e/p. Enjoy with coffee.) That episode was originally taped almost three years ago. Since then, I haven't been doing as much in the way of wooden carved art (or tv appearances, darn) but I do continue to have a soft spot in my heart for Humpty. I wanted to recreate him with my "back together" sentiment, but this time as a 2-D piece with a collage type of treatment.

And here's how the latest Humpty painting turned out. He's all flat (with an attitude) and ready for framing. This Humpty print is available over at my etsy shop along with an original 3-D version (making Humpty for TV involved many, many step outs which produced a very extended family of Dumptys. I've still got one or two of those hanging around.)

See he's happy flattened, even standing tall. So much for those Kings men.

Finding JOY

2009-09-29T10:10:00.017-04:00

When I entered the scene of a particular yard sale a month or so ago, I almost turned around and walked right back out before doing a thorough investigation of the goods. At first glance, the sale seemed to have an abundance of overpriced Tupperware and plastic novelties. But since I had taken the time to stop the car, I figured I'd at least check out the pile of books on a back table. And that's when I saw it. A small box shoved to the side. I gulped. Vintage scrabble?! My heart skipped a beat. There wasn't a board, but the letters and letter racks were enough for me. With the asking price of 50 cents for the set, I realized that some people value Tupperware, while others prefer vintage letters. Absolutely nothing wrong with that.

I knew those little blocky letters would be great in a mixed media piece, but I also realized they were cool enough to stand on their own. So I spelled out our name and let them rest on the light switch plate in our entryway. Hubby please stop reading...

(actually they are attached to the wall with a little dab of hot glue. Yes, I was aware that the painter of the house would not be happy with the decision to take a glue gun to the walls, but at least it's not hay or plastic flowers, right? ...anybody see those Trading Spaces episodes??!)

Hubby continue reading...

I also came to the conclusion that my fabric covered studio switch plate could benefit from letter additions so I "attached" more tiles. I love spelling out the obvious.

Less daring I suppose is choosing to display a word on one of those charming, old wooden racks. The X is on its side on purpose. You get it right?!

This also spells what to do when you discover how your wife attached scrabble letters to the walls. XOXO : )

Nature is painting.

2009-09-23T10:08:00.003-04:00

Is that a gorgeous palette or what?

Happy first day of fall. My favorite season.

Sweet Sweater Rosettes

2009-09-21T05:42:00.025-04:00

The past week has been filled to the brim with design work, kid's homework and activities plus all the usual. That doesn't mean that I haven't been dreaming of new projects. Over the weekend, I took a crafty time out and made a half dozen or so of these happy rosettes from recycled felted wool sweaters. The idea stemmed from a rosey wreath project by Betz White in the new Holiday Crafts magazine by Better Homes and Gardens that I'm planning to make very soon.

This tutorial focuses on a hair clip, but the idea can easily be adapted for pony tail holders, headbands and pins.

In addition to felted wool (in the colors of your choice), you'll need a 3/8 inch coordinating ribbon, a hair clip, fabric scissors, fabric glue and a glue gun.

To felt wool: Place your thrifted or unwanted 100 percent wool sweaters in the washing machine. Wash on the HOT cycle. Place the sweaters in the dryer. Basically do all that you would never dare do with 100 percent wool sweaters and feel very rebellious. Next, go over to your local tattoo parlor...kidding. Do that after you make your rosettes.

For the patterns, left click on the above image and print. Your circle pattern should be approximately 3 inches. If for some reason your circle prints larger or smaller than three inches, adjust the print percentage as necessary.

Using your pattern, cut a circle from the rose wool color. Then, cut a spiral shape using the pattern as a guide. It doesn't have to be perfect (no flower is) so wing it with confidence.

Starting from the outside of the spiral, use fabric glue to attach at the bottom edge of the flower. Wind to shape the rosette.

When you get to the end of the spiral, glue the flower to the end of the wool like so.

To decorate the hair clip, take a coordinating color of 3/8 inch wide ribbon cut to 4 1/2 inches in length. Starting from the back of the clip, hot glue the ribbon up, around, over and under the clippie.

Next, cut two leafs from the leaf-colored felted wool using the pattern as a guide. Hot glue the leaf shapes to the clip followed by the rosette.

Make a rosette to match every outfit. Take a deep breath, smile and go back to the real world. Tattoos optional.

Piecing together our days

2009-09-11T10:28:00.011-04:00

Now that the two oldest kids are back in school we're not seeing each other as often as we did over the summer. My 5th grader hardly needs a prompt to give me a complete rehash of her day, but the second grader is another story. When I ask how his day went every day is... (one word said very tony-the-tigerish) "Greeaaaaaat" (and by the way I have proof that isn't always the case, but we won't go there.)

Having an activity to come home to that doesn't plug in or require batteries has been my trick to find out more. Not only does the simple process of putting a puzzle together relax, it brings out stories that otherwise might not be shared.

Besides being a great social activity, solving and putting together puzzles calls for patience and brain power. It helps melt away stress, stay focused and work that right brain.

I won't lie...having 1000 pieces laid out on my dining room table for days on end makes me a little nuts, but it's worth it. I'm finding all sorts of pieces, I would otherwise have missed.

Extra! Extra!

2009-09-07T17:22:00.013-04:00

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. Ours went about as fast as the rest of the summer which was pretty fast. Now it's time to look for pumpkins and gourds and to settle into the routine that the school year brings. errrr...excuse me...what did you say? ohhhhh...you're wondering about that wooden newspaper carrier?! Well, I'm glad you asked. He holds under his arm my very first e-newsletter which is almost ready to deliver to subscribers.

If you haven't yet signed up look over to the sidebar on the right of my blog>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
see that little box that says "subscribe to my e-newsletter?"

All you need to do is enter your e-mail and you too will receive the "art just for fun" e-newsletter which includes insider tidbits along with valuable coupons for my etsy shop. Plus every once in awhile I'll be having subscriber giveaways. It'll be fun.

I promise you will not be overwhelmed with mail as my goal for e-news is just once every month or two. And so you know, this guy has strict instructions about spam...no credit card applications, no silly jokes, no chain letters, etc. Plus you can always unsubscribe. (I'll be a little sad and miss having you, but I'll understand.)

Now I've got to go catch that carrier. He has deliveries to make.

That sure went fast

2009-09-04T07:43:00.006-04:00

Enjoy your last ride of the summer over this long holiday weekend. I'll be laboring inside way more than I would like with looming design project deadlines, but you can be sure we'll still sneak in some warm weather fun. See ya on the other side of the weekend!

this is NOT a 'how to upholster a chair/bench' post

2009-09-02T11:49:00.016-04:00

I'd been looking at that "before" bench for a loong time not loving the dark, fishing motif fabric. Fabric that I had agreed to in another lifetime when my new hubbie had far more say in the decor of things. ; ) Almost immediately after the pillow revelation and the trim find, it finally clicked that I had nothing to lose. I would and could upholster the pieces myself rather than take them to a place after I found an extra couple hundred bucks lying around. It should be noted that I have switched out fabric on simple things like dining room chairs and headboards so I get basic fabric covering and stapling. Pieces with sides and a trim factor was the step above what I had done in the past.

Along with trim purchased for no more than $1 when you divide up my amazing lot, I also bought this heavyweight, cheery fabric at a garage sale for less than $5 total (enough for the bench, two pillows, the sides of two chairs plus ample leftovers.)

Now here's what this post is really all about. I mentioned with the pillows that taking things apart leads to bells going off. It all clicked once I could see how the pieces were cut and sewn together. I finally see the purpose of dissection in biology class. You can read about it and look at pictures, but once you see the actual insides of something...ahhhhhh that's were learning occurs. And with that I went and got a little crazy with the chairs...

I did a two-tone kind-of-thing with the same trim I used for the bench. All of that upholstering for a grand total of $6 plus a little sweet time. The moral of my story (besides 'garages sales are your friends') is If you see something you wanna make (sewing or otherwise) a little dissection goes a long way in figuring just how to do it.

Pillow Revelations

2009-09-01T08:09:00.015-04:00

I'm discovering with sewing that I need LOTS of visuals to "get it." Reading a pattern or book doesn't always click with me, but visuals do almost immediately. I'm also finding that the next best thing to a step-by-step pictorial guiding the way is actually taking apart what I'm interested in making. After acquiring that box of trim, I immediately wanted to make fancy trimmed-out pillows. The kind of ornate pillows that I had around, but always assumed only a pillowperson could make. However, with my building confidence, I reasoned that those skills couldn't be that far out of my reach. Rather than buy new pillow forms, I decided to simply take apart my trimmed pillows that I wasn't exactly fond of. The goal was to figure out how they were constructed and recover in my choice of fabric + trim.

With my seam ripper in hand, I did just that. I carefully dissected a pillow. I learned how the trim was attached and backtracked in my head just how this pillow was made. It all clicked. Like when you figure out something foreign and suddenly it's right there and you can't believe you ever thought it was hard in the first place?!

Although I had originally intended to choose different trim it became clear to me that I should repurpose the green trim I had just removed. It complimented my new fabric perfectly and was still in good condition. I used the old plaid fabric squares to measure new floral ones and carefully sandwiched the trim back in just like the professional pillowmaker before me had done.

Sewing a pillow with trim is hardly different than making a pillow without trim (again, this to me equals major Revelation. Do you hear the bells?) One more to switch out.

A tired plaid pillow is now a fresh floral. And I sure learned a lot about trim. After that, I built upon this easy pillow trim lesson by reupholstering the chair, a rocker and a bench with new fabric and a corded trim. Believe it! Visuals coming later this week. : )

A whole lotta trim

2009-08-29T08:02:00.013-04:00

Yards of this...

and yards of that.

Candy ropes...

and fiber goodness.

Every once in awhile the dreams I have of trim and fabric come to life. Last Saturday, I stumbled upon not one, but two interior designer garage sales. The entire box above (filled with yards and yards of eye candy) was happily mine for $12. Whole pieces taller than me. I still can't believe it. And wait until you see the fabric. This means I can conduct my sewing experiments without the stress of ruining trim or fabric that I paid retail price for. No worries if I cut the fabric wrong...it was only $5 total for 8 leftover yards. So if you thought garage sales were all about dusty nicknacks and ugly neckties think again. Your dreams are out there too my friend.

Apparently, I'm not the only one impressed. Trimmed up projects coming soon.

A book by any other cover would not be the same

2009-08-27T06:07:00.012-04:00

Back-to-school week is something I'm never ready for. Going from "what should we do today" to a scheduled day beginning with breakfast at seven and ending later that afternoon with activities and homework to follow is quite a jolt. Taking the time to sew fabric book covers last night was definitely not on the schedule, but maybe that's why I wanted to do it so badly (rebellious I know.) It might not have happened, if I hadn't stumbled upon a relatively easy tutorial for fabric book covers over at CRAFT moments before we tackled book covering homework. All of those bare texts needed to be protected from the daily assaults of grade school.

Bright and interesting patterns will keep my eager students homes away from home nicely decorated. We even used a pink, fuzzy kind of fabric that will make a soft landing spot for a head should the plight of "The Ancient World" become too overwhelming. Just giving them another reason to love their books.

i love back-to-school?

2009-08-24T08:23:00.019-04:00

hmmmm...still undecided over here. While I do appreciate having more time for uninterrupted work, I'll miss the laid back days the summer brings. I think my kids have mixed feelings too. They love seeing their friends and moving up a grade, but at the same time school is a full-time job with work involved. My kids (with the exception of the preschooler) go back tomorrow so we're spending the day making sure we have all of the supplies on the list.

In addition to the first case back here, I finished sewing personalized pencil cases just in time for my other two back-to-schoolers. They got to pick their fabric and I took it from there.

My second grade boy...what more can I say?

In the spirit of back-to-school, I'm including my lunch survey which ran in the December/January edition of Family Fun. You can go to Family Fun to download a copy or since you're here scroll over to the right in my "Printables" section. Click on lunch survey to read about the inspiration and then click on the survey itself to print. Fold this up with a pencil and place in their lunchbox. You'll find out all kinds of tidbits about those first days of the new school year.

Another tradition we've had around here is a back-to-school cake. There's nothing like a cake to sweeten a special day. For this cake, I used the basic plan of the Family Fun School Bus cake. Since we don't have bus service, our method of transportation is minivan carpooling. I adjusted the school bus cake as necessary including the "harried mom driver." I think we're almost ready. I love back-to-school. And repeat.

Taking on the Chica's Challenge

2009-08-20T07:04:00.014-04:00

When I stumbled upon a call for entries for the Crafty Chica Tote Bag Challenge, it made me wonder if I was ready. Ready to graduate from zippie pouch to tote bag. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to give it a go.

Making slight modifications, I built off what I had learned from zippie pouches. This time, I created straps and sandwiched them between the outer fabric and the liner. I also squared off the corners of the bag's bottom so it would be nice and roomy for a beach towel or whatever else.

One goal of mine in making this bag was to buy nothing new (that in addition to making it look like a bag in the first place.) That large piece of stripey fabric was a heavy weight fabric sample that I purchased from an interior designer's $1/swatch yard sale awhile back (awesome sale...goosebumps just thinking about it.) I used a water resistant type of white fabric for the liner.

Here's where I really had fun. I started the pocket by making a quilt sandwich...liner, batting and pink felt on top. Then using a variety of fabric scraps, ribbon, a vintage vinyl tape measure and even a clothing tag, I appliqued the pocket with my sewing machine. I created the butterfly pocket much like I would a painting or collage. I used fabric as my paint (cutting pieces of all shapes and sizes) and the sewing machine became my brush (adding line and texture.) I only broke three needles...I'm working on that. A needle is not quite the same as paintbrush. To finish off the pocket art, I applied gold and silver fabric glitter.

After attaching the pocket to the bag (before the bottom was stitched up), I added red ball fringe to the top. Initially, I tried to sew the fringe, but realized that wasn't such a bright idea. The little bally things were getting in my way and the zipper was in there along with the liner meeting the top, etc. etc. In the end, I used fabric glue which worked much better and saved my sanity.

Here's me with my first ever bag. And the icing on the cake...I was one of three runners up in the Chica's challenge! My prize, besides adding tote bag to my sewing resume, is a crafty chica bobblehead and a gift certificate to the MakerShed store.

I definitely see more bags in my future. Next time I promise step-by-steps, keeping it real (broken needles and all!)

Chalk it up

2009-08-17T06:49:00.015-04:00

Here's a summer project that's been on my list. I've had a quart of chalkboard paint in my studio closet for the longest time. My original intention was to add some chalkboard real estate to the basement/kids area. However, my recent read of Jen's blog about her chalkboard paint tray transformation inspired me to do something similar, but I changed my chalk tray up with a button twist. (disclaimer: please don't worry as the poor children weren't left out of the quart...this tray was in addition to giving them chalk space, but that's another post.)

If you don't have one of these that you're willing to transform, don't fret. Any respectable thrift store will have a few to chose from. I purchased my silver tray at a yard sale for 25 cents. I wanted something simple with an easily embellish-able edge.

First, I primed the entire tray--front and back--with a spray primer (don't skip this step...it makes tray painting so much easier!) Next, I used white spray paint to cover the entire front and then back of the tray. After that was dry, I applied chalkboard paint to the inside of the tray leaving the rim white. I needed two coats to get maximum coverage.

Let's take a moment to talk about my button collection. I've been snatching them up for years at thrift stores and yard sales. Is it possible to have too many buttons?! I was proud of myself for actually using a small part of my button stash for this project. I tend to have some hoarding characteristics when it comes to buttons so this was good therapy.

Back to the tray, starting at the inner edge of the rim (where the black meets white), I attached various sized buttons. It's kinda like a jigsaw puzzle fitting the right size button into the space. I kept my button palette mostly in the white family, but inserted a few chalky colored buttons for interest.

tahDah! I positioned my finished plate on a plate stand (a stand that was an ugly bronze, but a quick coat of black spray paint changed all that) and wrote my welcoming message.

I'll undoubtedly personalize the message for the various family and friends that visit and stay in our guest room over the year. We love our visitors, so I'm very excited to have this extra welcoming touch.

Fixing things

2009-08-14T21:20:00.007-04:00

shhhhhh...she's sleeping peacefully after a long, rough Friday. Penny spent some time at the vet doing her part to help control the pet population. We're also confident that this will help her be a healthier, saner girl. I'll tell her you send your best.

p.s. did the vet really instruct us to keep this one from jumping, playing, running, and/or climbing for five days????!???! plus there's the i-wanna-hug-hold-love-on Penny fan club to watch out for. Good luck with that.

When junk becomes art

2009-08-13T08:02:00.009-04:00

junk n. 1. Discarded material, such as glass, rags, paper, or metal, some of which may be reused in some form. 2. Informal a. Articles that are worn-out or fit to be discarded. b. Cheap or shoddy material. c. Something meaningless, fatuous, or unbelievable.

art n. 1. Human effort to imitate, supplement, alter, or counteract the work of nature. 2. a. The conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colors, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the sense of beauty. 3. High quality of conception or execution, as found in works of beauty; aesthetic value.

Last week, my vacationing family stumbled upon works of art while on a day trip to Beaufort, South Carolina. These fabulous chairs were spotted right behind Longo gallery, which was sadly closed.

Pretty cool, wouldn't you say? The perfect illustration of artistic transformation.

An open and shut case

2009-08-10T16:03:00.019-04:00

Right before we left for vacation, I finished this project. After acquiring several sweet pillowcases back here in the height of yard sale season this has been a wannabe project on my list. The Internet is a gold mine of pillowcase projects, however I found the instructions for her toddler size dress on page 128 of this awesome book.

Supplies needed were a pillowcase, a pack of extra wide (1/2") double-fold bias tape, 2 yards of 5/8" ribbon, 1 1/4 yards of jumbo rickrack, thread and a sewing machine. I will say that the black checked pillowcase was initially a hard sell to Miss Pretty-in-Pink. However, I convinced little Nora that her favorite color would be the perfect accent for the sophisticated black. She considers herself a fashionista so she looked at me with a huge amount of trust and agreed that black is the new pink (when mixed with pink.)

After gathering my supplies, I cut off the top (the closed end) of my pillowcase. I then used a J shaped pattern to cut an armhole on each side of the top of the case.

Next, with two 15" lengths of white bias tape, I binded the armholes (binding=strip sewn over or along an edge for reinforcement or decoration.) Then, I finished the top of the dress by creating a casing on the front and back (casing=a narrow passage for a rod or cord, as in a curtain or the waistband of a garment, made by folding over a small strip of fabric at its edge along its width and sewing it in place.)

note to experienced sewers: please disregard the definitions of these basic sewing terms I know you know. I define only for newbies like me who are still learning the language.

As promised, I added a hefty piece of hot pink rickrack to the bottom of the pillowcase. I straight-stitched right down the center of the rickrack all the way around starting and ending at a side seam. The smocking you see was already part of this pillowcase...an extra bonus.

I then threaded hot pink ribbon through the top casing in the front and the back of the dress. I pulled to cinch and then sewed the ribbon at each open end so that the ribbon wouldn't come out (you know...like the annoying hoodie cords I find in my washing machine or catch my children holding...like those will ever go back in their casing.)

That's it....finished! This easy project didn't take more than an hour or so. Admittedly, if someone told me 6 months ago I'd be sewing clothing not only for me, but for my kids, I would have laughed and told them that they were CraZy. I had less fear about making a sculpture out of 250+ Red Bull Cans than pushing a pedal on a sewing machine (which I now know is ridiculous because can art is certainly more difficult and frustrating than sewing, but that's another story.) The bottom line is if I can sew, anybody can. Case closed.

Claiming this for a week or so

2009-08-09T09:52:00.014-04:00

Perhaps you've wondered where I've been...

...just at the most perfect spot for aqua blue toenails.

Insert big smiley face : ) under "Welcome."

Little 4-year-old Nora took it upon herself to line footwear up ever night at our condo door. She wanted to be sure that the next morning we'd be ready to get to the beach as soon as possible.

We didn't want to miss any of this looking for flip flops.

Refreshing having nowhere to be for a long week, but right here.

As it must, the tide came in and our little piece of beach real estate washed away. We're now back home and diving into reality. For starters, I'm off to restock a very empty fridge.

why can't i resist?

2009-07-30T13:11:00.013-04:00

Every time I go here this (see above) happens. Today I muttered to myself that I would steer clear of those tempting bottles. I'd get what I needed and get back out. The curve ball was that I had my 10-year old with me. Cara said she'd be looking at "it" while I was getting the things on my list. Well after I found the list items, I walked over to tell Cara I was ready to go...and I tried not to look, but I saw them out of the corner of my eye...the colors...the bottles...the clever names...they whispered hello...and yes, they got me. I had to try this one and that one...and our groceries are melting in the car...and I'm not here to buy nail polish in the first place..and this happens every single time......but maybe just one little bottle?

After much discussion, Cara and I agreed that we needed "Mermaid to Order." Besides loving the name, the color reminds us of swimming pools, the ocean, and sunny blue summer skies. How could we not buy a bottle with all of that?

Maybe next time I'll make it out without another color. maybe...

Fringed fleece pillows with personality

2009-07-29T08:41:00.021-04:00

When my daughter and one of her best friends came to me eager for a craft, I took one look at the pillow-form-tower in my craft closet and pitched pillow making. It wasn't much of a sell. These tweens were all about creating something to decorate their nests a.k.a. twin beds. I pulled out the fleece I had on hand and thought they could easily make no-sew fleece pillows. However, these girls wanted to sew. I couldn't argue with that given my current sewing machine obsession, so I threw in an extra step to personalize the pillows with sewn initials. Then I reasoned, we'd transfer into no-sew mode to easily add funky fringe to the pillow edges.

First, we cut 2- 22" x 22" squares from the fleece...that's 2 squares per pillow (BTW our pillow forms were 16" x 16".) Then, we used leftover fabric to cut out an initial for each pillow. If freehanding letter shapes makes you sweat, go ahead and use a computer to enlarge a single letter in the font of choice. Print out for an instant pattern. The girls also used a heart stencil to make a pattern for hearts they wanted to add. After cutting out all the shapes from the fleece, the girls pinned them to the center of their front pillow square.

Next, we sewed each shape on to the front fleece with a straight-stitch about 1/4" in from the outer edges of the shapes. After that we zigzag-stitched the shape edges. I told the girls to have fun with it. Fleece doesn't fray so things didn't have to be perfect. Sure the stitching was to secure, but also to add personality. Perfection doesn't have much character.

Next, we laid the stitched fleece square on top of the second fleece square. We measured 4 inches in from the edge all the way around and drew a white chalk line. Then, we cut 1 inch (approx.) wide strips up to that 4 inch chalk line snipping through both layers of fleece. The corner squares were discarded.

Finally, we sandwiched the pillow form between the two layers of fringed fleece. Beginning at one corner, we tied the front fleece square to the back fleece square by double knotting the corresponding front strip to the back strip. We continued around the pillow, double knotting corresponding strips, until we had the entire pillow secured.

And here they are...two really cute, personalized, fringed, super comfy, one-of-a-kind, fleece pillows. We created these pillows in a night making this a perfect slumber party craft. If pressed for time, the sewn personalization could be omitted, but for us that's what made the pillows special. My daughter mentioned how she now wants to make two more pillows so she has all three of her initials to line up on her bed. Clever girl! I love that idea. I may need to make a fleece run.

FaNcy FeeT

2009-07-26T10:32:00.011-04:00

Here's a kids project that we've been wanting to do for a long time. Last summer around this time, I made it a point to purchase on-sale-plainish-flip flops with the intent to transform into something much fancier. So this weekend, we gathered poolside with a few other crafty friends and created several new pairs of one-of-a-kind summer footwear.

This is a great mobile project since all you need is a half yard or so of fabric, a pair of pinking shears and a pair of flip flops. To start, cut 1" x 7" strips with the pinking shears from your chosen fabric or fabrics. You'll need about 30 or so strips depending on the size of your flip flops (like I'd be way more than 30 strips, but let's concentrate on the kids shall we?!)

Next, tie your strips around the flip flop band starting from one side. Make sure to double knot. Push the strips close together as you go. Keep knotting strips until your flip flop is completely fancified.

And that's it! Put on your fancy flops and head back to the pool before summer gets away. quick!

When Dad takes the kids to the zoo...

2009-07-22T09:34:00.003-04:00

If you ask me, this is right up there with "Don't run with scissors." Talk about living dangerously. I was home working while the kids enjoyed lorikeets eating on their heads. I'm making a mental note to continue to send the camera out with the eldest on all Dad outings.

"a" for applique

2009-07-19T13:18:00.023-04:00

You may recall a few weeks back, when I tackled the zipper for the first time. Now in the midst of back-to-school prep, it occurred to me that I could use those new skills to fashion the required zippie pencil cases (soft pouch style) and personalize them to boot. Who needs to settle for store bought when you have zipper-know-how and a Singer?

A few times every summer, I stumble upon the yard sale of an interior designer unloading boxes of fabric swatches. The quality swatches I purchase (for pennies) are usually about 16" x 18"...plenty big enough for pouches or other smallish projects. My fifth grader chose the above fabrics from my stash for her pencil pouch. I used the same basic zippie directions back in this post except I cut 12" x 7" rectangles (two rectangles from the print and two from a coordinating tan fabric for the liner. The red will be the applique fabric.) I wanted the pouch big enough to accommodate pencils, markers, highlighters, etc. That size worked perfectly. After I got the zipper in, I personalized the case with her name.

To make a name applique, I chose a chunky font on my computer sized appropriately for the case. I then printed the name out as a "mirror image" (this is usually a preference in your print settings.) I ironed on "Wonder Under" fusible web (found at any fabric store) to the wrong side of the chosen applique fabric. Then I traced the printout onto the "paper side" of fabric with a ball point pen. The pressure from the pen left a mark. Next, I cut out the letters and removed the paper from the fabric. Then I ironed the letters to the pouch.

After my letters were "stuck" I blanket-stitched around them with yellow and turquoise embroidery floss. I sewed on stacked buttons for more personality. When my details were complete, I sewed up the sides of the bag including the inside liner. To top off the pouch, I used coordinating beads for a zipper pull.

Pictured above is the finished case all stuffed and ready to head to class in a month or so. Cara is quite pleased with her one-of-a-kind pencil house and dare I say a tiny bit more excited for school to begin?! Additional cases for a special 2nd grader and a preschooler are now in the works.

This is why I wear a bell....

2009-07-17T12:32:00.008-04:00

My owners bought a sporty new collar for me with a shiny red bell. Since I'm an indoor kitten it's not to warn the birds, but to warn my family that I'm underfoot. I admit I like to be as close as possible to where ever one of them might be. In other news, I'm really happy in my new home. In the past month, I've doubled in size and now weigh a whopping 2.8 lbs! If my brothers and sisters could see me now they sure wouldn't be calling me "runt!" A couple of weeks ago, I traveled with my human family an entire 7 hours (each way) to visit out-of-state relatives. It was pretty exciting. Now I'm back home in my favorite spot. This one (the feet in picture above) says she's really busy with design work and I've also noticed a few sewing projects in the works.
More soon.
XXOOXX Penny

I wear my cape + free chocolate

2009-07-10T06:41:00.009-04:00

Here's another painting of mine in the Superhero exhibit opening tonight. "I wear my cape" celebrates the modern day mom and/or wife...our very own superheroes. Maybe whipping up dinner isn't something Wonder Woman ever did to impress, but in today's hectic world a sit down dinner is a feat indeed. And what about the power to overcome five baskets of laundry and then put that laundry away without stepping on even one Lego? The ability to make boo boos better with a hug and a band aid? The extrasensory vision to find the remote control in the far depths of the couch cushions?! Talk about heroic acts. This print is now available in my etsy shop if you happen to know any heroines like that.

And I'm sure you've done something heroic already today...made it out of bed with one eye open? That counts. Hop over here and get your free chocolate reward starting at 9:00AM ET every Friday through September. The first 250,000 to sign in on Friday will get a coupon (4 coupons during the offer per household) mailed to redeem for the Mars chocolate bar of their choice (deciding between peanut m&ms and twix...hmmmmm.)

Alright, it's time to put my cape back on and wake the sleeping...an operation not without peril and pain. Wish me luck. Up, UP and AWAY...

A Super Show

2009-07-08T10:58:00.016-04:00

When I first got this call for artist submissions in my inbox I'll admit I wasn't sent running for a paintbrush. I knew many artists could illustrate Batman and his friends far better than I. However as the deadline approached, I started thinking more about superheroes and what us mere humans (particularly women) had in common with them. That's when the ideas started coming and in usual fashion I decided one week before the deadline to get started. I submitted my work last Thursday and just heard that three paintings and a 3-D sculpture have been accepted into this AMaZing exhibit.

Here's one of my paintings in the show. "Often Invisible" was the first piece I completed...part superhero inspired, part funk-of-a-mood inspired (yes bad case of poor me'isms...underappreciated, undernoticed and overwhelmed...you get the idea.) Invisibility would no doubt be an interesting superhero trait to possess, but this piece speaks to a less glamorous sort of invisibility shared (I'm betting) by countless other women from day to day.

This not-in-the-show piece is one of my favorites. Not only have I adored Wonder Woman for most of my life, but I had forgotten how therapeutic art is for me when I'm feeling grumpy. After getting the invisible thing out of my system, back came my sense of humor. "The Power of Accessories" is more of my whimsical self. Can't you tell I'm happier?!

If you're around Cincinnati stop by the opening this Friday night from 6pm-9pm to say hi and see the entire show. Wear your superhero costume and get 50% off all beverages. Now how SUPER is that?

United not divided

2009-07-06T20:04:00.008-04:00

More Flashcard inspired art led to this mixed media piece: "United we stand, Divided we fall." It's a phrase holding an enormous amount of truth. Regardless of our individual differences, we need to stand united to succeed not only relating to country, but pertaining to family, friends and business as well.

And I meant to get this post up all nice and timely on the 4th of July, however holiday travel and a crazy week has put me behind with everything (hear washing machine + dishwasher humming in background.) Not that posting this on the 6th isn't relevant. Standing respectfully united shouldn't be forgotten after the fireworks...you know like it was in our mini van today on the seven hour (felt longer) return home road trip. Early bedtimes will be enjoyed by this family tonight. Hope you all had a safe and happy weekend. : )

No charge Color Splash

2009-06-26T19:55:00.011-04:00

If you haven't heard the news, Glidden is giving away a free quart of paint in your choice of color until July 2! But be quick as it's a while-supplies-last offer. I could have stared at those choices all day, but I knew exactly what I wanted. On my long list of summer things to do is to paint an accent wall in our master bedroom. Just about this shade a.k.a. my choice...

I can't begin to tell you how happy it makes me that I can take the plunge without spending a cent or worse yet standing in line at the paint counter. Who among us doesn't have a quart-of-paint-kinda-project on the list?! And PROMISE me you won't request anything in the white, cream or taupe color palettes. No worries, it's free color!

Look out Project Runway

2009-06-22T03:16:00.015-04:00

I'm stepping into foreign territory. Another confession of a sewing amateur breaking boundaries...I made something wearable. When these pants came together I wanted to call a friend..."yeah I'm sitting here wearing pants I made...myself. seriously. oh and was that a pig that just flew by my window?"

I picked up this highly recommended book a few months ago. Right there on page 28...lounge pants. I skimmed the directions and even though I noticed alien terms like seam allowance and selvedge, the step-by-step directions made it all seem possible. I loved the fact that these lounge pants were made from recycled sheets, easy enough to score at any thrift store. With only $1 invested in material and another buck or so in elastic there wasn't much to lose.

After tackling the zipper, elastic didn't scare me at all. pleazze. I only had a moment thinking about the amazingness of the invention. You really couldn't have decent lounge pants without elastic.

Admittedly, this project required deep breaths and mental cheering...June you are smart enough to figure out "zigzag stitching a raw edge." I've never made clothing for anyone other than Barbie, so baggage was involved in believing that I could actually do it. Clothing is big. Especially pants. Pants with fancy cuffs at the bottom. Now these most certainly are not perfectly-stitched, one-leg-exactly-matches-the-other lounge pants ...

...but they are perfect enough for this. Another personal milestone. Wonder what I'll sew next.

Carving out time

2009-06-15T15:35:00.007-04:00

The past week or so feels like a blur. I think if you asked me what I've been doing to be soooo insanely busy I would have absolutely no idea. Well besides design work, adopting a kitten, running kids to~nature camp, the pool, haircuts, dance lessons etc~ and then carving out this long overdue house number sign for some very special residents. My parents had requested that I make them a sign similar to the one I made for our house. They've been very patient...maybe even thinking their dear daughter forgot...but alas I made it a point to finish in time for their visit over the weekend.

sign specifics: I cut a piece of soft pine (approx. 12" x 8" x 1-1/2" ); pencil transferred the house numbers and freehanded the flower border; dremeled the border to add some dimension; then...

...painted with rich red, green and brown tones to compliment their house. Three layers of heavy duty shellac will protect it from the elements.

I finished just in the nick of time for them to take home when departing this morning. My Dad will be attaching hooks so that this can hang on a lamp post. Now I'm reminded that our house number sign could use a restoration job after hanging outside for 10 years. Added to the list.

It has been awhile since I've stirred up sawdust and worked with wood so it was a fun project. Now I'm eager to get back to other endeavors including finishing up a few soon-to-be published articles. Details in the upcoming months! ; )

Adding a Penny

2009-06-08T15:09:00.007-04:00

yep. We did it. We adopted. Now our family consists of two parents, three kids and one adorable kitten. Meet Penny. Our new calico born in the back of a '55 Chevy. At least that's the place where the animal shelter said her and her litter mates were found. Just the place where you might find a penny right?

Our little Penny is the runt of the litter. She's a precious little thing half the size of her other three-month-old siblings.

What a friendly, playful, outgoing, tolerant-of-lots-of-love kitten she is. I'm pretty sure Penny has had more visitors and been held by more hands than any of my three children in their first days.

One more baby pix for now. Sweet dreams Penny. We're happy to have you.

Summer Opening: birds, flowers and rainbows

2009-06-02T14:55:00.014-04:00

bird by Cara age 10 (collage)

flowers by Brendan age 7 (chalk)

rainbows by Nora age 4 (watercolor)

These three artists are excited to attend Summer's Opening finally happening this Friday, June 5th. After another successful year of study, they've produced an abundance of work fit for our humble gallery a.k.a. refrigerator. Ice cream and refreshments will be served. Yes, almost there...

Our waffle house

2009-05-27T06:17:00.010-04:00

Breakfast for dinner happens around here at least once a month. It's quick, easy, inexpensive and ever so exciting. If you're within say 10 miles or so you can probably hear the screams of glee when I announce "Waffle Night." My kids are trained to hear when I get the waffle iron down from the top shelf..."Waffles Mom, you mean we're haViNG WAFFLES!!" running footsteps to tell the others.

Subbing half whole wheat flour (instead of all white) when making the waffle batter ups the nutritional value as does a good slathering of homemade blueberry sauce.

I tweaked and modified another recipe to come up with this one that I call my own. Quick, easy and delicious. You are more than welcome to try it out (and not just with patterned circles.)

And yes on waffle night we do it up right. The powdered sugar shaker comes out along with dollops of whipped cream and a bit of sausage on the side. Life is too short to miss out on waffle nights.

Note: here's a great link for smoothies if you have some extra frozen blueberries.

memorial day

2009-05-25T14:42:00.008-04:00

How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes! ~Maya Angelou

Recognizing and reflecting on the ultimate sacrifices given for the ultimate gifts of freedom.

'tis the season for Inexpensive and Inspirational stockpiling

2009-05-24T09:30:00.021-04:00

Things aren't exactly organized by aisle and there are no guarantees that you'll find exactly what you think you are looking for, but the prices and the fun are worth it. Yard sale season has returned in my corner of the world. Actually it has already been around for several weeks, but track season prohibited me from doing anything other than watching my kids gloriously race to the finish line. This weekend brought my first free Saturday. And the sun was shining. I do have a list somewhere in the back of my head of things I'm hoping to score at yard sale prices, but other finds aren't even on my radar. Take the 35 cent grouping above. Not on the radar, but those little pieces have already sparked new ideas for future projects. And if the future projects don't materialize, I'm out 35 cents? Not a big deal (but I know I'll use the bits for something.)

Here's something I'm always in the market for (if the price is right). Not only do I use "pricey" ribbon for gift packages (all presents deserve to look fabulous), but it creeps into my collages and projects consistently. I have ribbon organized by color in my studio closet...just looking at that brings me a feeling that all is right with the world.

Yes peeps that's right. The entire container with practically full (and some never used) ribbon rolls was mine for $10 tOtaL (That $10 included the under-the-bed storage container which alone carries a retail price of $20+.) Did I mention that some of the full ribbon was marked at $14.99 and higher? It is a rare day indeed when I buy ribbon at retail price.

Here's something that was on the list. Storage drawer bins for my out-of-control collage pieces. Buying plastic at the store seems silly when it's hanging around in yards on Saturdays for a fraction of the price.

Pillowcase projects seem to be all the rage these days. I've seen crafters turn them into dresses, skirts, blouses, aprons and more. My problem was that sometimes I thought the end result looked a bit too pillowcasey. When I found these unpillowcase gems...let's just say I had a moment. AND then when the granny of the house came up to me and told me her mother hand smocked and embroidered them??? And she wanted 50 cents each?! I thanked her and promised they were going to a good home (pillowcase projects coming soon...can hardly wait.)

I wasn't looking to buy 12 yards of burlap fabric, but felt the deal was too good to pass up. I don't have burlap in my stash and though I'm not exactly sure what I'll use it for I like the alternative texture=creative sparks.

I didn't photograph less artsy/crafty finds like summer reading (25 cents per book) for kids and adults, a like-new wheelbarrow ($4), a flowery nostalgic vase ($1) and a princess memory game (50 cents). But I came home with those too.

Go out and hit 10 or so sales on a Saturday morn. If you're not already a convert, you will be AmaZeD at the new or likenew supplies being unloaded for projects that never happened (note: I do practice some restraint so that I can actually walk into my studio.) If there's a craft that you might want to give a whirl, yard sales are a great way to pick up materials without the investment. Veterans, what did you find so far this season?

Overcoming zipper phobia

2009-05-21T08:44:00.016-04:00

This account does have a happy ending so I'm showing off the finished product first. Despite large amounts of work that has absolutely nothing to do with needing to make a zippie pouch I couldn't help myself. My zipper collection (unopened packages of zippers collected from thrift stores and yard sales) continued to haunt me until I could take it no more. I had to finally figure out how to sew something that zipped and conquer this overwhelming fear.

First, I gathered and cut everything I envisioned becoming part of my zippie pouch. Four 6" x 8" pieces of fabric (two rectangles from the print and two from the brown for the liner.) I also ironed interfacing to the print fabric to make the bag a bit sturdier. I cut a leaf shape from an upholstery kind of fabric on hand. Then the star of the show...the 7 inch forest green zipper...deep breaths...is it laughing at me? no...just my imagination. Next, I went straight to the computer and googled, 'how to sew a zipper.' I came across this awesome self-help zipper tutorial that I highly recommend if you too have a phobia regarding making things that zip.

So I'm not going to lie. Even with the easy-to-follow tutorial on screen, I had an early zipper accident which forced me to rip (what's a seam ripper??) the zipper off the fabric, trim everything and start again. I muttered to myself something inspirational sounding about how mistakes are necessary for growth etc. etc. and started again. I would not let the evilzippermonster win. After rereading the tutorial and studying the pix very carefully, I figured out my error. The rest of the project went off without a hitch. It was magical really...flipping the fabric this way and that, turning it inside out and voila! Everything faced the right way including the liner PLUS the working zipper was sewed in exactly were it was supposed to be. What a trick indeed.

Before the pouch was all stitched together, I blanket stitched and back stitched (do I sound like I know what I'm talking about?) the leaf applique on the front. A little ribbon and some beads for a zipper pull and there you have my new...I'm thinking cosmetic...bag. Now I want to make about 20 more. "Hi my name is June...and I can sew a zipper."

Trap Opportunity

2009-05-18T15:08:00.013-04:00

This winged opportunity has been flying around in my head begging to be painted for several weeks now. Every since my kids convinced me that we needed a Venus fly trap for a pet. Happy to hear about a pet that didn't come with vet bills or need to be walked, I conceded.

Meet Vivi. She's so much easier to care for than anything with legs. We purchased Vivi at Lowes...in case you're wondering where you might find a fly trap. Although we have yet to catch a live fly for Vivi (Murphy's law...buy a fly trap and suddenly flies become extinct), we've fed her beetles, pill bugs and an ant or two. She happily coaxes them into her traps and snaps shut. Amazing really and very entertaining in a warped kind of way.

Here's the painting in full ~prints for sale in my etsy shop. Yes, it was our little Vivi who got me thinking about opportunity and how you have to grab it when it buzzes by. It also helps to have an open trap or two so you don't miss it when it does.

Unfortunately, our new pet fly trap has not deterred my children from their incessant beggings for something furry. Mom and Dad are still thinking on that.

Dear Teacher...

2009-05-15T08:57:00.011-04:00

Poem written by me. Inspired by a sometimes mischievous, always loveable seven year old.

Frustration pencil craft kits are available for sale in a variety of colors over at my etsy shop. Each kit makes six pencils. That'll cover a bunch of ready-for-summer teachers (and I'll betcha they'll smile : )

Plus a little bonus to make the crafters smile too.

(poem for private use only...please contact me if you'd like to post or use elsewhere.)

The Booth Revealed

2009-05-13T11:47:00.020-04:00

All the little bits and pieces of the booth I've been working on came together for the show over the weekend. The booth made me happy. Here was my total vision put together.

Unfortunately the show...well not so great. My firstborn will not have her first year (or first days!) of college paid for. I could blame lots of factors (you know now that I'm a veteran)...the crowds didn't come, the hotel (in the process of a brand switch) was poorly marked and hard to find, parking was bad, the crowd was museuming rather than buying, the economy stinks, etc. And finally, maybe I didn't fit this particular show after all. Not trying to make excuses, rather wanting to learn, put things into perspective and most importantly not blame myself. But don't think I was that clearheaded on Saturday. Hearing compliments was wonderful, but they sure don't equal the wonderfulness/confidence build of booming sales.

I will do this again now that I have a booth designed. I just need to find the right venue...and if you think you know of a good fit please e-mail. Suggestions are most welcome.

“Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new."
—Brian Tracy

No regrets. : )

p.s. thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the positive comments as i prepped for this. i can't tell you how much
your words mean to me!

framing, packing, wondering

2009-05-07T09:59:00.007-04:00

framing prints and originals...

packing craft kits, magnets and cards...

wondering where she's taking us....at least we have extra bird seed.

If you're around Hudson, Ohio on Saturday make sure you stop by booth #48 and say hello. Until then, you know what I'll be up to. I'll tell ya how it all went down next week.