not so dirty diana

Emily

2011-06-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Emily is leaving for a new job at Disney World. Seriously, she gets to work at Disney World. For money.

I knew she wouldn't want more junk to have to pack, but I wanted to give her a little something to send her off. So I made this little toiletry bag, and filled it with snacks for the road. (Chex Mix, red licorice, and peanut butter m&m's. Plus a Taco Bell gift card.)

I used three fat quarters in fun prints that remind me of Emily.

And I lined it with clear vinyl, for easy cleaning of spilled foundation and smashed lipstick. (Or is that just me?)

I've seen cute laminated fabric/oilcloth projects, like this one, on other craft blogs. I'm too cheap to buy real oilcloth, but I had some clear vinyl in my stash, and I've been wanting to see if it would work to overlay it on a printed fabric.

So, did it work?

Ummm, for this project, not really. It might be OK for something like this bib, or this book cover, but having the two interior sides facing each other turned out to be a major pain. They kept sticking together, making the whole construction process a lot more cumbersome. And I'm pretty sure it will affect usability too, since Emily will have to unstick it from itself just to load it up. That is, until she spills foundation, lipstick, and loose powder inside. Then it will be just right.

Ree's Bag

2011-06-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

This bag was one of the most exciting and terrifying projects I've tackled yet.

You see, I don't actually know what I'm doing. When things work out well, its due mostly to luck and perseverance. And the generous support of my seam ripper. But my sister, Ree, has great faith in me, so when she asked if I could make her a purse with customized pockets to hold all her stuff, she probably thought I could do it. (Probably because I said "sure, no problem, I can do that." She's so gullible.)

So we got to work. I photographed my stash so Ree could choose fabrics.

She chose 3 & 4, lined with A.

We browsed the Internet for pretty bags. There were a lot.

Eventually, Ree settled on this design, from a talented bag maker named Sweet Bee, who I don't know and does not have a blog (as far as I know). (But she should.)

And then I realized I had a problem. I meant to only suggest bags that had tutorials or online patterns I could follow. There are hundreds of them out there, so it wasn't a particularly hard rule to stick to. Except, you know where this is going, do you? Somehow, this one slipped in. And Ree liked it. And I didn't realize until after she'd already picked it that Sweet Bee didn't share a pattern.

Now, what I should have done was say, "Ree, the bag you picked doesn't have a pattern? How bout we go with your second choice?" But instead, I uttered (to myself) the five most treacherous words in all of craftdom: "How hard can it be?"

Answer: Hard.

You see, I'm not so good with the 3-dimensional spacial intelligence. And I'm really more an eye-baller than a measure-twice-cut-once-er. And even though I mostly knew how to do all of the individual steps, it's important to complete those steps in the right order. You know, like putting on your pants first, then your shoes. If you get ahead of yourself, you're just going to end up having to take off your pants. Wait, no. Your shoes. You have to take off your shoes. And use your seam ripper.

And it seemed like each problem I fixed only created another one.

Like, the air soluable marker I was using to mark pocket seams kept disappearing too quickly. So I used tailor's chalk. And then of course, I couldn't get it off.

See the red line in the center of the right-side pocket? That's persistently immovable tailor's chalk. The kind that's not supposed to be permanent, but is. Apparently.

Ree didn't care, really, but I was determined to give her a pristine bag. So I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed that thing, but that chalk wasn't budging. And not only did I not get the chalk lines out, I created water stains on the outside of the bag. So then I had to scrub and scrub some more to get those (mostly) out.

And then the exterior of the bag was crazily wrinkled from being turned right side out. And the stiff interfacing I'd ironed to the back of the fabric was puckering weirdly. So I went at it with a hot iron until I scorched patches of the fabric a subltle shade of "toasty." (It was perfectly smooth, though.)

And in some places I made so many reinforcement stitches that I made the fabric tear from over-stitching. Argh!

Other complaints (mostly just for me so I can remember what to improve next time.): The exterior fabric is a heavenly soft cotton that I fear won't wear well. (I thought with heavy-duty interfacing it would be OK, but with a bag this structured, should have used a thicker material from the start.) The straps pull the exterior of the bag in an odd way when the bag is worn. (This is partly because of the thin material, I think, but also because the straps are only sewn to the exterior fabric, not the lining. I'm not sure how to get around this problem without having stitches on the inside of the bag, which would get in the way of the pockets.) The circle rings I used came from an old thrift store purse. I looked for rectangular rings like Sweet Bee used in the original, but they didn't have them at JoAnn's, and I didn't want to wait for an online order. (Next time, I'll wait.) The curve is not perfectly symmetrical or smooth, a detail you might not notice until you take another look at Sweet Bee's masterpiece. (If I try this look again, I think I'll try sewing the contrast pieces together on a curved line first, and then cut the curve, rather than try to sew along the curve with a narrow seam allowance.) Finally, I made the interior pockets extend the entire depth of the lining, closing them up in the bottom seam of the purse. But I hadn't considered that the box seams at the bottom sides would interrupt the pockets, making them awkwardly shaped. (This wasn't a huge deal because those pockets were customized to different depths anyway (for chapstick, pen, lip gloss, and ipod.) But next time I will not enclose the pockets in the bottom seam. With lining and pockets, there were way too many layers down there anyway.)

On the positive side, despite its imperfections, I actually think the bag turned out OK. I love the fabric combination, the pockets on the inside, and the creamy quilted cotton I used for the lining.

I also love the zipper pocket, because I think every purse needs at least one zippered pocket. "For tampons!" Ree exclaimed. Exactly. I used followed this tutorial to create the placket pocket, and then just sewed in a zipper. I'm more proud of it than I should be, and it might just be my favorite part of the bag. I also added a magnetic snap, which was so easy I'll probably be putting them in everything from now on.

And the good news for me is that I learned a lot constructing this bag, which will make my next bag even better. In a way, I feel sorry that Ree gets the guinea pig prototype bag, and I'll be the one who benefits when I make version 2.0 for myself. Sorry Ree!

But, even if it's not perfect, it's got a place for everything. And I'm hoping that finding her car keys will be so easy that Ree will forget about all the other flaws and just enjoy the bag.

A massive coverup

2011-06-07T09:50:00.000-07:00

This may be hard to believe, but I am not always completely graceful, charming, and delicate. In fact, I can be downright clumsy. Slobbish. A mess! I blame my kids, but the truth is on any given day, the stains on my clothes are just as likely to have come from my own mishaps.

So I've taken to embellishing clothing -- shirts in particular -- to cover up signs of wear. Like spaghetti sauce. Or whatever.

Guess what's hiding under all those ruffles? Grease spots, that's what. You perv.

I've cropped this photo a bit because, well, I'm horrible at being photographed. Don't believe me? This is the face I was making in the photo above. And this was one of the best shots. I think I was yawning, but it could have been a sneeze.

As long as I was cropping, I went ahead and trimmed of my lovehandles too. Because it's my blog, and I can. But doesn't my hair look great? No photo editing there. That's 100% natural.

Grace, on the other hand, knows how to work it. With her it's hard to find a picture I don't like. So here are ten.

Beneath these flowers and birds hide splatters, splotches, smears and stains. Shhh! Don't tell!

I've got a few more tops, and a couple pairs of pants for me that I still need to photograph. But you get the idea. Your clothes may be stained, your handles may be lovely, but a massive coverup is easier than you think!

Onesies

2011-06-07T08:28:00.000-07:00

I recently came in to a stash of onesies in assorted sizes. (And by "came into," I mean "ordered from Amazon.com.")

I have a baby, but he's getting big now, and so the little onesies have to find new homes.

Lucky for me, some of my friends have recently had babies conveniently sized for my onesies. How thoughtful!

First, Erin's sweet baby, Ania, finally got a little something from the stash.

This first outfit came from a series of happy accidents. I've got a bin full of stained, worn-out, and out-grown clothes that I've saved to be upcycled. This skirt has been in that bin since Grace was little enough to wear it, probably 3 years ago.

Somehow after wearing the skirt only once or twice, my pre-toddler had a run-in with a blue sharpie. I planned to cover the stains with some kind of design or applique, but I never got around to it, and now she's 4 1/2, and it wouldn't quite be appropriate to squeeze her into a 9 mo skirt.

So, I decided to cut it apart to use the fabric. My intention was to imitate this shirt, which I found (in royal blue) on the clearance rack at Target. It was in Grace's (current) size, but at $6, it was more than I usually pay for kids' clothes. Because (have I mentioned?) I am cheap. Anyway, I went ahead and bought it. To copy it.

It may be too small to get a good look at it, but the embellishments are concentric circles of scallop-edged fabric strips. It's a really pretty effect, and I wanted to see if I could approximate it. I cut strips with pinking shears and tried sewing them in a tight spiral. It ended up looking like an awkward rose, but I didn't like the pinked edges. So I tried the same thing with the finished edge of the skirt. And I liked it a lot more.

It's not at all what I was going for at first, but it turned out pretty anyway.

All that was left then was to cut out the stained part of the skirt and size it for a 3-month-old. I stewed forever trying to figure out an easy way to size down the attached britches, and then I realized since it was going over a onesie, it didn't need britches. Yay! I love it when the best way is the easy way.So I cut the britches off, brought in the waist, and removed the bottom tier so the skirt was just the right size. I realize it might be a little weird to give my kid's used clothes as a baby gift. But the skirt was only gently used before the run in with the sharpie. And Erin is eco-conscious, so I doubt she minds a little re-purposing.

On a second onesie, I added a ruffly butt

and a scrap of vintage fabric

And ta daa! A blurry onesie.

Just kidding. It's not really blurry in real life. Just in all the pictures.

So that was two onesies down. And then, Rozannah had a tiny little peanut, which gave me the chance clear out the rest of the newborn size package.

I fancied them up just a bit.

With embroidered applique.

With lace.

Not shown: lacy butt.

And with a little iron-on bedazzling.

George was curious, so he thought he'd give cross-dressing a try.

The lace and the applique came from the old lady stash. I got the iron-on studs in a clearance bin at Wal-Mart a long time ago. This is the first time I've used them, and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, except that some of the coloring on the gold studs came off on the iron and transferred to the onesie. It made it look kind of dirty. Or maybe burned. (Or maybe I just burned the fabric while putting on the studs? Hmmm.) In the future, I think I'll use my Silhouette cutter's rhinestone setting templates to arrange the dots, because that was a bit of a pain. (Quick tip though: Silhouette sells a fancy tool for picking up and placing rhinestones, which of course I don't own. So I stuck a little blob of plasti-tac on the end of a seam ripper, and that worked just fine.) I have lots of studs left, so expect to see them on future projects.

Pretty much everything in this set has to be hand-washed and line dried, so I felt like I needed to apologize for the gift as I was giving it. Special care clothes are ridiculous for kids! But at least lil' peanut will grow out of them quickly, so they won't have to be worn & washed very many times.

So that's five onesies down. Just twelve more to go.

Baby Atticus

2011-05-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

Design Mom Gabrielle Blair spotlighted this adorable set of onesies on her Babble Style blog several months ago, and I've had it in my "to imitate" file ever since.

Photo credit: Culpepper General via Babble

This version is from an etsy shop called Culpepper General, but there are hundreds of styles available on etsy. (Check out this shop and die of cuteness when you see these giraffes and these robots.)

All of the preceding designs are silk-screened or iron-transferred, and I really like that look. But when it came time to move this project from mind to matter for my friend Rachel, I decided to go with fabric applique instead. My new Silhouette makes the cutting easy, and I've kind of got a history of giving tie onesies.

This is a bigger project that I usually tackle for a baby gift, but I was so excited for Rachel and Ryan and the baby boy on his way in August, I just couldn't help myself. (You may recall Ryan and Rachel from the "Hoping to Adopt" button on my side bar a while back. Their story is heart-wrenching, inspiring, touching, and thrilling. I'm not the only one who was over-the-moon-excited to celebrate their good news.)

So, I ordered a bunch of onesies, bought some fun boyish printed fabric, and fired up the Silhouette.

This was the result:

I was lucky to find a box in the basement that fit the whole set perfectly. (This is why I can't throw anything away, folks.) Look at them all lined up! Aren't they cute? (Excuse the fact that all the pictures are blurry. There was a giant thumb print on the camera lens, apparently.)

Rachel and Ryan are moving away this summer (and even if they weren't, I am), so I won't be around to see Baby Atticus* grow. But I made Rachel promise to post pictures monthly (at least) so I can watch him fill out his onesies.

* The baby may or may not be named Atticus, but because Rachel's an English teacher, and To Kill a Mockingbird is her favorite book, and Atticus Finch is her favorite character, and we discussed him extensively at our book club meeting, that's how I'll think of him either way.

A necklace stashtastical!

2011-05-16T11:49:00.000-07:00

This little necklace is for a friend of a friend.

I don't know her style at all, so I wanted to make something pretty and simple. And if I could manage it, something with universal appeal.

I'm not sure if I hit my target, but I like it.

I've seen necklaces like this all over the place, so even if it is a little overly sweet and sentimental, at least it's trendy.

I earned major stash reduction points because the teardrop used to be an earring. It's been in my broken jewelry bin for over a decade, so I was glad to finally put it to good use.

I wrapped it up in a little box that used to hold hotel soap. It too has been in my stash for many years.

Isn't it cute?

And that's why I have a stash that could rival the Hobby Lobby stock room.

Next, a necklace for my friend Britta, inspired by this and this and this and this.

The lovely model was stiched and painted by my Aunt Betty. It's one of a set of 10 or 12 quilt blocks, with each belle wearing a differnt vintage floral-print gown.

When Aunt Betty passed away a few years ago, her extensive stash was divided up among interested relatives. I didn't have first pick or anything, but I love these little ladies so much I feel kinda bad for everyone else for not having them.

Maybe someday I will get brave enough to make them into a quilt. But until then, I like them framed on my buffet, as a backdrop to photoshoots. And life.

If I were selecting materials from the store, I'd have chosen a more delicate chain. The rolo links are a little heavy in comparison to the rest of necklace. But I shopped my only stash, and somehow I feel like that balances everything out.

The end.

Hair Bows

2011-04-28T21:21:00.000-07:00

My friend Lizzy asked me to make a batch of hairbows for her trio of beautiful girls.

She even paid me to do it.

I'm quite certain I got the better end of the deal. I spent a pleasant afternoon watching movies and crafting, and I used up a bunch of things that had been in my stash forever.

Grace would not consent to be photographed, so I got a couple of Grace's friends to help model.

Aren't they cute?

But the star of the shoot was baby Roselind.

You gotta have presence to wear a flower bigger than your head.

But honestly, look at this baby, and tell me you even noticed that flower.

With a face like that, she could strap a cactus to her head and still be snuggle-able.

Maybe I'd better check my stash for a cactus.

Dear Sarah Jane

2011-04-28T20:01:00.000-07:00

Send me your address, and I will send you a surprise.

You'll never guess what it is!

I hope that these stripes are not too girly for the men in your household. I don't think so though. If anyone's got the good looks and boyish charm to pull off pastel stripes, it's your guys.

And I hope your little lady is not too old for twirly skirts. Cause this one's twirly. And if it were my size, I'd keep it.

Enjoy!

Last Easter

2011-04-12T13:57:00.000-07:00

I've been scrolling through photos today, in preparation for a Top Secret Craft Project,* and I found these from last Easter.

Actually, these were taken several weeks after Easter. Because as you can see the grass is green and the flowers are in bloom. And here in Buffalo, it might still be snowing on Easter Sunday.

Definitely not onesie weather.

Anyway, I've been thinking about what to do for this Easter. And I'm trying to decide: are polka dots too girly for my boys' neckties?

And, is this 8-inch bow too big for my girl's head?

Let me know ASAP, cause I've got Easter outfits to make.

_______

* Want to hear about my Top Secret Craft Project? Ask me, and I just might tell you.

Baby Shoes

2011-04-12T08:28:00.000-07:00

The only thing cuter than baby shoes is baby feet. That's what I always say.

But it'd be pretty creepy to give baby feet to a new mom, so I usually settle for shoes. Like these.

I used the Taylor Shoe pattern from Homespun Threads. She's got some really cute designs, and they're all free, which you know I love. There were a few confusing steps, but overall these were pretty easy to whip up.

I used fabric from from a pair of old cords (outside) and a stained t-shirt (inside), which happened to perfectly match a set of onesies I bought on a clearance rack months and months ago. Awesome. Semi-homemade gifting at its finest.

Except, can I make just one little confession? I actually made these in preparation for a baby shower for my friend Erin. But if you know my friend Erin, you know that she had a girl. And if I paid a little more attention to the invitation before I made a gift, I'd have known that too. No worries though! I have lots of friends, and they have lots of babies. So it didn't take long to find some baby (boy) feet to go inside the baby (boy) shoes; Betzy's little sweetheart Jakob. And now, to come up with something for a girl! (Sorry Erin! Not only am I dumb, I'm also slow.)

Happy birthday, Cupcake

2011-04-12T07:59:00.000-07:00

There's a sad story behind this onesie. Well, not sad so much as pathetic.

So, my friend Kandis asked me to embellish this little onesie for her little cutie's first birthday. She's got serious photo skills, so in exchange, I made her take photos at Grace's birthday party. And also watch my dog. Cause I'm user like that. But that's not the sad part. The sad part is that I made the onesie a couple weeks ahead of when Kandis needed it. I photographed it, wrapped it up, and then I lost it. Completely. Gone. I spent a week searching the house, the van, and everywhere I'd been.

So, with one day to spare, I went to Old Navy and bought the LAST long sleeved onesie on the rack, and whipped up another one.

In the end, I actually liked the second one better, mostly because I thought of making the frosting poof removable. It's much easier to wash now, and as a bonus, Kandis can take it off and pin it to something else, if she's so inclined.

You'll have to take my word for it that it was better the second time around. Because guess what? I lost the photos. Gone. Completely.

And that's the sad part of the story.

***********

Edited to add: Well, lookie here! Scrolling through photos today, I found the pics from the second version (the one I actually gave to Kandis) in a folder from 2010. Weird. I wonder where I'll find the onesie I lost. Anyone have a time machine?

Anyway, here's version 2.

And a shot of the removable poof.

The end.

Hooked

2011-03-06T11:15:00.000-08:00

I'm not much of a yarner. My talented mom has taught me to both crochet and knit multiple times, but I've never produced much more than long chains of incomplete projects. But this week I wanted a portable project I could work on while waiting for Grace at preschool. So I pulled out some beads, some festive yarns, and my crochet hooks and took my crafting on the road.

Here's what I ended up with.

One of the more satisfying (and productive) hours I've spent waiting in the car in a long time.

I kind of love it.

So later, I whipped up another one while watching Modern Family.

Easy. Fast. Fun. Fuzzy.

The Very Colorful Caterpillar

2011-02-01T12:19:00.000-08:00

After two rough and tumble boys, my friend Melissa just had herself a baby girl! Ordinarily, I'd take this opportunity to make some kind of over-the-top frilly girl accessory, because after having a couple boys, nothing's more fun than challenging the accepted head-size-to-hair-embellishment ratio.

But Melissa's shower was a "time-of-day" shower, where each attendee is assigned to bring a gift suited for a specific time of day. My assignment was "play time," and while I suppose girls can still wear giant flowers on their heads while they play, such shrubbery is generally not designed to be played with.

Photo credit: Green Valley Crafts

So I dug through my bookmarks for handcrafted toys, and found this little post from Green Valley Crafts, a site you should not visit unless you have plenty of time to browse. It's too lovely to leave. Clever Clare created this sweet set of fabric & velcro balls for baby to toss, chew, connect, and dismember. Cause that's what babies do.

Those cheery little blobs all lined up reminded me of a caterpillar, so I added eyes, antennae, and a crooked grin, and had myself a lepidoptera* larvae that, with any luck, will have a life cycle of more than three days.

I told Melissa that because of small parts (i.e. button eyes and felt antennae) this toy was not suitable for children under 3. But unofficially, Miles (who is just one) really likes it. I know because he kept stealing the little puff balls from my sewing table.

I chose rainbow colored fabrics from the stash in both solids and patterns, and included some with interesting textures. So it's educational and all that. Cause a baby might as well be getting smart while she's choking on a button. Right?

Also, because I'm getting ready to move I'm kind of preoccupied with containing toys. So I stitched up a pouch to keep the whole lot safe and warm when it's not "playtime."

Should I tell you where the fabric came from? The old lady stash, of course. But there's also a thrifted sheet, scraps from Halloween costumes, and random remnants. Best of all, the exterior of the bag came from a little nightie I bought of the clearance rack at K-Mart. It was cute, but not what you'd call "boudoir ready," and when Sweetie asked if I'd made it myself, I knew it was safe to cut up and add to the stash. It looks like a Liberty of London print, doesn't it?

I was able to use most of the existing seams, and the straps became the tie that cinches the whole thing shut. I love those kinds of time-saving shortcuts.

Speaking of shortcuts, I used this little butterfly clip to fancy up my lame index-card card. I didn't make it. It came from a friend who was de-cluttering her own craft stash. But if you like it I bet you could make one for yourself, cause you're crafty like that. Here, let me give you a closer look.

This whole project was easy enough that my 4-year-old, Grace, could help me with it. I started by tracing a circle (I used a CD) on to each of my chosen fabrics, then cut out two of each color. Then sew (or glue) velcro in place. (Mark the center circle of the CD on your fabric when you trace it to help with placing the velcro.) Sew the around the edge of the discs, right sides together, leaving a 2-3 inch gap for turning. Then turn the whole thing right side out, stuff with fiberfill (this was Grace's favorite part), and hand stitch the opening closed.

This project was quick, but not quick enough for the busy week of Melissa's baby shower. As soon as Melissa opened the (unfinished) gift I took it back so I could stitch up the last few segments. I sat there at the shower with a needle and thread, hand stitching as I chatted. Cause that's how I roll.

Seconds after snipping the last threads, I coerced my friend Kandis to take photos right there at the shower. (Thanks Kandis!)

And then, finally, I let Melissa load up her caterpillar and take it home.

___

*Butterflies and moths are members of the insect order Lepidoptera. This is the only fact I still recall from the AP Biology class I took 18 years ago. Why this fact, and not something more interesting and/or useful? I don't know. But it's a testament to the power of mnemonics, because my brain somehow made a permanent association between butterflies, moths, and leprosy. This mental association also forces me to say "Lepidoptera" in an appalled and disgusted voice, as if the mere thought of colorful winged creatures is enough to make contract the disease. All things considered, it's remarkable that I still like butterflies as much as I do.

Keeping track

2011-01-31T09:35:00.000-08:00

You're probably wondering what's up with this blog. And if you're not you should be. I mean, don't you think it's narcissistic the way I take pictures of every little thing I make, and then post pictures and go on an on about how I made it, what went wrong, where I go the fabric, and how much my floor needs mopping? (Actually, I try not to mention that last one. Maybe if I don't point it out, you won't notice. Right?)

And you're right. Blogging is a pretty self-indulgent hobby, and I admit I crave comments like a junkie, refreshing every few minutes until I get my fix (which usually comes from Peanut). (Thanks Peanut!) Compliment fishing aside, though, this really is about me keeping track. I keep track of what I've done, what I've learned, and how I did it, so I can do it again if I want to. I can't tell you how many times I've made something and given it away without taking a picture, only to regret it later. (Actually, I probably can tell you how many times I've done that. THAT'S how much I regret it!)

I also keep track because maybe someday I might want to do something bigger with all this -- start a shop or get a job or something -- and a portfolio could really come in handy. And I keep track because making and giving gifts is part of how I connect with people. Thinking of the thing I made for you makes me think of you. And I like you. So there.

In between all the keeping track, if you find something that's helpful or inspiring or funny, well, I don't mind that one bit. Feel free to tell me all about it, right down there in the comments. Really. Feel. Free.

In the meantime, I got myself a little behind in the keeping-track department. So here's are a project from way back in September. It was quick and easy, and you should totally make one. (For someone I don't know, of course. Cause we don't want to show up with the same gift. Awkward!)

It's a pampering kit for my friend, Kalie, who has 3 kids under 4, and really really deserves all the pampering she can get.

I covered a composition notebook with pretty fabric, and made a matching eye mask (based on this tutorial) and hot/cold pack (like this one, sort of).

Then I wrapped it up in a pretty box with a package of ear plugs and a scented candle, and took it to Kalie's "Pampering Shower" (where you bring diapers or something to spoil the mom).

It would also make a nice get well gift, or swap things around a little and give one to your mom. Or my mom. Or anyone else who deserves to be pampered.

I think the notebook is my favorite part. Since I happened to get a whole stack of composition notebooks for 10 cents each during back to school season, I whipped up another one for another friend's birthday a few days later.

I haven't started mass production yet, but it's really only a matter of time.

Now, when's your birthday again? Maybe I need to make myself a pretty notebook to keep track.

Two for Two

2011-01-30T08:19:00.000-08:00

Remember the little strawberry blond cuties who turned one last year? Well, time has a way of turning one-year-olds into two-year-olds.

And two-year-olds have a way of carrying around purses.

And I figure, as long as they're carrying around purses, they might as well be cute. (The purses, I mean. The girls are already cute, no question.)

And they (the purses) might as well match the dolls I gave them last year. And they should be reversible (the purses, not the girls), because sometimes you're in the mood for flowers, and sometimes you like polka dots.

The recipients seemed to like them. (Caity especially. Or was it Mady? I used to be able to tell the difference.) I was afraid they'd be outraged by the twill tape handles, a semi-homemade shortcut that helped me get them done quick. But they hid their rage, and immediately started filling their new purses with random objects. As two-year-olds have a way of doing.

Happy Birthday Mady and Caity!

And because you asked so nicely, here's some completely gratuitous vintage fabric porn. (Imagine the google hits I'll get from that one!) The fabric, the ric rack and the buttons all came from the old lady stash. Man, I love that old lady and her fabric hoarding ways.

Semi-Homemade Gifting

2011-01-29T08:25:00.000-08:00

Semi-homemade gifting is like Sandra Lee's famous Semi-Homemade (R)* Cooking: It's got its advantages, but it's not quite as good as the real thing.

Take this little diaper bag I made for my friend Lizzy, who gave birth to the sweetest little girl a few weeks ago. (They christened her Rosalynd Ivy, a name that sounds like it belongs in my own family, where Roses and Ivys run semi-rampant. (Don't believe me? One of my grandmothers was named Ivy, the other was Bertha Rose. An aunt who passed away during childhood was named Rosalee, and my own middle name is Rose. Plus I have nieces named Rose and Ivy. So, yeah. It's not really my fault if I feel like Lizzy's Rosalynd semi-belongs to me.))

But back to the bag. It's cute, huh? And as you can see, it's got roses. It's made from a vintage tea towel semi-stolen from the mounds of crafty semi-junk in the Relief Society closet at church. (In my semi-defense, it was stolen with permission. And everyone who was interested has had a chance at them at various semi-crafty activities.)

It's lined with vintage rose print fabric from the little old lady stash. The pockets are from a fat quarter I bought at Wal-Mart more than a year ago. Lizzy likes it because the larger pocket fits her Nook perfectly, a coincidence I'll happily pretend was my plan all along.

Here's where the semi-homemade part kicks in. The straps are cotton webbing, which is not quite as cute but a million times faster than fabric straps. I finished it off with an elastic loop and rose button closure, and was done in less than an hour. Seriously. Not the semi-hours I usually work in, where a 30 minute project takes 2 hours because of interruptions, blunders, and changes-of-plan. No, this one, from start to finish, including cutting at the beginning and hand sewing at the end, came in under an hour.

So, while I do think it would have been nice to add fabric straps, or extra pockets, or ruffles, I'm happy with the end result. These days, time is the thing I'm running short on, and the only way I'm going to get through my stash (and my to-gift list) before I move is to take some semi-shortcuts every now and then.

PS: Just in case you're wondering, the not-homemade-at-all portion of the gift was a little bundle of onesies and a pair of ruffly pants plucked from a clearance rack in a moment of semi-weakness. (Contrary to scientific opinion, the strongest force in nature is a clearance rack full of cute baby clothes. It doesn't matter if they're the wrong size, season, or gender for your own child. Sometimes, those ruffly bloomers just find their way into your cart. You know what I'm talking about. Admit it!) It makes me happy to pass them along to someone who can use them.

*That's right, the phrase "semi-homemade" is trademarked! Here's hoping I don't get slapped with a lawsuit for daring to type it in a semi-public forum.

Eclair

2011-01-25T14:10:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of giving welcome baby gifts to 6-month-olds, here's a little something I just presented to a pretty little girl named Emma-Clair, who is so sweet she's cream filled. And they call her "Eclair." And I think that's just about the cutest thing ever.

So I added a little eclair applique,

which Miles really liked.

That's his grubby hand right there, trying to pry it off the blanket. Don't worry. I stitched it on tight.

Like practically everything else that comes from my craft room, the story of this quilt began in the clearance bin. I needed some new blades for my rotary cutter, and happened upon a chenille cutter marked down 75%. I had no idea what I'd do with a chenille cutter. But I knew it was cheap, and I figured it could cut fabric, so I brought it home with me.

Not long after that, I happened upon this tutorial on Aesthetic Nest, and suddenly the instructions that came with the chenille cutter made a lot more sense.

So here's how it works. You layer several pieces of flannel (or other soft cotton) and then stitch in parallel lines on the bias.

Then when it's all stitched up, you use your chenille cutter to slice between the stitches. And then you add embellishments, or whatever, and then bind it. Then you throw it in the washer and dryer, and all the raw edges you cut curl up and get fuzzy. The more you wash it, the more it curls.

The process is a little time consuming, but it's straightforward. And actually kind of fun. I used a set of flannel receiving blankets, so the finished quilt is pretty small. I don't think I'd want to tackle anything bigger, cause I'm lazy, and even turning this little thing under the arm of my machine was a little cumbersome.

I do have one little tip I didn't see mentioned in any of the online tutorials I found. Dana at Made (see her version here) suggests changing your needle position to get the lines spaced evenly about 1/2 inch apart. But I can't adjust the needle position on my machine, my presser foot was too narrow to use it as a guide, and I didn't want to have to draw lines to follow for the whole quilt. So I added a piece of stiff tape to the bottom of my presser foot and lined the edge of the tape up with the previous line as I stitched each new row. Like so:

After a while the tape started to curl up, and I'll admit I rushed things a bit, so the rows are not perfect. There are other flaws too, but I won't bother pointing them out, because if that cute baby Eclair is anywhere nearby, I guarantee no one's gonna notice a few wonky lines and errant stitches. They'll be too busy tickling her cream-filled belly, or gazing into her gorgeous chocolate eyes.

Pimp My Pixar Character

2011-01-18T14:42:00.000-08:00

When Porter's mom, Melissa, invited us to his Toy Story-themed-4th birthday party, I immediately thought of this fun vest, made by the cute and clever Jessica at Running with Scissors.

I stalk lots of craft blogs, and frankly, most of them are kind of annoying. I try to ignore the constant self-promotion. I overlook spelling and syntax errors. And though I'm puzzled by rAndOm capitalization, and saddened by apostrophe's that 'sneak in everywhere except where theyre 'supposed to, I can usually get past all that to enjoy the pretty pictures and the clever ideas. But the great thing about Jessica's blog is that I don't have to get past anything. She inspires me without annoying me, and I like to think if we met in person we'd be friends. That is, if I don't annoy her with all my hypercritical crafty and linguistic nitpicking.

Now, where was I? That's right. Porter's birthday. So, the kid likes Toy Story. And I knew I could get my hands on a pattern for a Woody vest that promised to be easy. And I knew I had this fuzzy spotted fabric that really looks more like dalmatian print than cow print but might work anyway. So I set to work.

I printed out Jessica's pattern, and kind of eyeballed her general shape while I enlarged it out to fit my 6 1/2-year-old (who, because he won't eat his vegetables, is barely a smidge bigger than 4-year-old Porter). Then I cut it out and sewed it together, and really was amazed that it was a 15 minute project just like Jessica said. Except. Except! Except I didn't have any bias tape to finish the edges. So I thought "I'll just line it and make it reversible. It can't take that long -- probably less time than making bias tape, right?"

Wrong!

Turns out making a reversible vest is a titch more complicated than making a reversible purse. You can't just sew one and then sew the other and then sew them together, or you won't be able to turn it right side out through the shoulders. (Don't worry, I don't really get it either.) So, I consulted with my spacial engineer (my husband), and unpicked a few seams, and added a western style fringe vest to the other side.

Trouble was, adding the lining made the fuzzy material puff out, and suddenly, this whimsical kid's vest looked like Woody's vest after it spent a day on the set of Pimp My Pixar Character. So I did some ironing and topstitching, and it all turned out OK in the end.

Still, maybe I should have just gone to the store for cow fabric and bias tape.*

Porter was a little afraid of it (me?) at first. But he warmed up to it after his sister Addie showed him it was OK.

Look at her, showing off the fringe and the spots at the same time! She's a natural!

Here's Porter, modeling the fuzzy side.


That's Sheriff Woody to you, Pal.

Anyway, despite its shortcomings, I think Porter liked his Woody (inspired) vest. And next time, I know to just buy the bias tape. (Or, as my spacial engineer suggested, a purple feathered cap, to go with the vest.)

________

* But I didn't, thereby earning me a million stash reduction points. Since you asked (cause you did, right?), I've had the fuzzy dalmatian print for over a year. I inherited it from a friend who cleaned out her stash when she moved. The brown fabric is a velvety stretch knit I bought at Wal-Mart several years ago. I bought 10 yards at $2 a yard, and hung it all up as curtains in my dining room. After a year or two, I got sick of them there and hung them in my bedroom. But they were too dark there, so I decided the next best thing to do with them would be to sew an Easter dress out of them. Unlike some experiments in wearable window-treatments, this was a phenomenal craft fail. On many levels. But, on the bright side, that unshapely, unsightly, unworn Easter dress eventually became a Jedi robe for my husband. And there were still many yards left to use on other projects, like Jedi cloaks. I've also used it for more practical things, like concealing all the junk under my craft table, and covering cardboard boxes. We're down to just 2.5 yards. Do you think that's enough to give that Easter dress another try?

Laney's Dolls

2010-12-29T21:05:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited about this project. It was a gift for my friend Laney. A baby gift, actually, for her little girl who (you may notice) is no longer a newborn. Milly was born in June, but the idea was born at a service auction in March. I'd donated a couple of dolls, customizable to the winner's specs, and Laney, our enthusiastic auctioneer, suggested that the winner could have a husband and wife set made. She was really excited about the idea, and credited her prodding with driving up the auction price. I thought it sounded like fun, but I wasn't sure how Black Apple doll styling would translate onto male dolls. So I was kind of glad when Sara, the winner, had something else in mind, and the doppelganger doll idea was dropped.

I picked it back up again, though, a few months later while contemplating a gift to make for Laney's baby shower. Unfortunately, I knew I didn't have time to execute it before the shower, so I gave her a note that said something like "I know you like surprises! And that's what your gift will be! Later!"

Part of the surprise, I'm sure, was just how much later this gift would arrive. Days before sweet baby Milly's six month-iversary, I finished and delivered this little family.

Maybe you have to know Laney (an endeavor I recommend wholeheartedly) to appreciate this. But I'm going to go ahead and point out some of my favorite details.

Prototype Milly with fancy earrings.

Milly was the first doll completed. I started with the basic Black Apple doll pattern and shrunk it, but I wasn't entirely happy with the shape of my first attempt. The arms are too long, the head is too big, and the body is misshapen. Lucky for me, Grace loved it, (she's got a soft spot for the deformed ones), and (after a few requested embellishments) happily claimed ownership of the prototype. I made a few changes to my template, and ended up with Milly 2.0, which I like a lot better.

She's wearing velvety pink baby pajamas harvested from a pair of velvety pink baby pajamas Grace used to wear. I added a little bum flap cause I think that's cute, and a tiny pink bow cause Milly's not allowed to wear giant flowers in her hair.

Henry was next. His best detail is the tiny pocket, just big enough for a Lego mini-figure rifle. I know cause Sam tried it.

He's also got removable shorts and a fetching little chunk of spiky hair.

To Sam's disgruntlement, I was happy with Henry 1.0, and there wasn't a prototype for him (Sam) to keep. He has put in an order for a little boy doll of his own EXACTLY like this one. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I'm out of the stripey flannel I used for Henry's shirt. But as long as Sam's version has a pocket, I think we'll be OK.

And now we come to the best thing about the whole set: the (almost) (sort of) completely-to-scale sizing of the happy couple. Taylor is the perfect match for Laney, smart and funny and clever and remarkable in hundreds of ways. But if you meet him (and I recommend that you do), I guarantee that the first thing you'll notice is his height. He's nearly 12 feet tall.

Laney, for her part, is a bit more down-to-earth, and the juxtaposition between them in real life is (bless their hearts) a little comical. So that's what I was going for here. And I hate to brag, but I think I nailed it. Doll Taylor's crazy doll height had me giggling through the whole construction process, and because I was having so much fun, it was really hard to keep it a secret. But I did, even though it took me months and months to finish.

One of the reasons it took so long was that I had a hard time conceptualizing how to create and attach Taylor's tie. In the end, it was pretty simple (and not all that different from the human-sized tie modeled by Sam here). But for some reason I just couldn't wrap my mind around how to do it, until I just sat down and did it.

Another delay was that I had to make a couple trips to the craft store for supplies. Don't be shocked. I usually (proudly!) complete stuff like this with only my stash on hand. But I needed to get just the right color felt for Laney's (and Henry's) hair.

And I also had to get embroidery floss, for stitching faces. The faces on all my previous dolls have been drawn on with Sharpies. I never loved the results, but I was scared of paint (Emily Martin's technique, seen here) and thought stitching would be too time-consuming. I was wrong. Taking a few minutes to hand-stitch is totally worth it. So much cuter, isn't it? And the added bonus is that unlike drawing with a Sharpie, stitches can be easily removed if I make a mistake. (I won't tell you how many times I re-did Laney's lashes. But isn't she a looker now? Oh la la!)

After her eyelashes, the next best part of Laney's ensemble is the little fabric flower in her hair. It's attached with a tiny dot of Velcro, so she can take it off on days when she's feeling not-so-flashy. The pink button matches her fuzzy pink scarf, which, incidentally, matches a pink scarf Laney happened to be wearing the other day when I finally gave her the set. Also, she was wearing black. (Am I good or what?)

I meant to add earrings, but apparently I forgot. Also, I contemplated cuffs and cuff links for Taylor, but decided it was time to just be done. Maybe for his birthday. Or Laney's. In 2015.

Melanie

2010-12-14T20:13:00.000-08:00

Melanie is cute and stylish and hip. And she's moving away.

I wanted to send her off with something useful and pretty that she wouldn't have to pack or wrap or box.

So I came up with this little makeup bag. It went together really quickly, once I finally found the right fabric. I sorted through lots swatches to find the right combination of cute and stylish and hip. In the end I went with a couple home dec samples and a strip of golden silk, all picked up for next to nothing at the JoAnn closeout sale from whence my stash was born.

I know it's totally tacky to make a gift for someone and then brag about how little you spent. But it's part of the thrill of creation for me, and at this point in my life I've given up hope of de-tackifying. So, the zipper was 10 cents (They were begging us to take them at 10 for a dollar. I'm kicking myself now for only buying 20.), and the sample squares were about $1. So, I used about one square total (half for the inside lining, half for the outside), plus a smidge of silk, which I'm arbitrarily valuing at 20 cents. And there you have it: a pretty little purse for less than two bucks.

But wait! There's more! You can't just give away an empty purse.

So I whipped up these dangly earrings. As with the purse, selecting and planning took longer than executing. It takes time to get it just right.

And again, these were 100% stash-made. The tear drop components and the ear wires are leftover from the supplies I bought in July to make jewelry for my sister's wedding. The chain is cut from an old necklace from my salvage box, and the beads were hand-me-downs from my friend Amy. Less than a buck spent there.

Plus, I earned major stash reduction points.

Have I mentioned that I'm moving in 6 months? And that my goal is to USE my stash, not MOVE it? I'd better get to work!

Ornament Exchange 2010

2010-12-13T20:58:00.000-08:00

They say two bad pictures don't make a good one, but in this case, it'll have to do!

This is the ornament I made for the annual Christmas ornament exchange party. As usual, I was working till the last minute and didn't take a picture before the party started. Fortunately, for me, the party was at my house, so I had a chance to snap a couple blurry shots during the festivities before my friend Laney took it home with her.

The idea and the design came from this clever lady, who does amazing things with paper.

I really love it, but I'm not making any more until I get my silhouette machine for Christmas, (Shh! It's a surprise! Don't tell me!) cause cutting around all those curves with scissors and an exacto knife was kind of a pain. And the end result is kind of messy.

But as long as you don't look too closely, it's quite something, isn't it?

As much as I love it, I love the handmade ornament exchange tradition even more. This year, instead of making a full set of ornaments to trade, participants brought a single (handmade or not) ornament. We played a little pass-around game to How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and everyone got to take home the ornament in-hand at the end of the story.

I got to keep this little couple, made by my friend Jessee.

Crazy cute, aren't they? And they smell amazing. I hung them high to minimize temptation for the little ones. Unfortunately, that means they're right at eye level for me. What are the odds they make it through the season on the tree instead in ~~my belly~~ my kids' bellies?

As long as I was snapping photos, I wanted to get shots of some of the ornaments other guests brought this year, as well as some favorites from previous years' swaps. (You know, so I can steal their ideas later, of course!*) Unfortunately, my camera battery died before I could photograph them all (both at the party, and again tonight. Time for a new battery!), so this collection is incomplete. (And also blurry. Because in an effort to get a few more shots out of the battery, I turned off the digital display. Turns out I'm not so good with the view-finder.)

I wish I could remember who made all of them, so I could give credit, but some of them are from as far back as 2002. But here's what I recall:

First row: 1) Judy Weston, 2002; 2) Rabecca Pierce, 2009; 3) Brown haired lady with lots of kids, 2002; 4) Rachel Winsor 2002
Second row: 1) Margaret Peterson, 2009; 2) Sara VanRy, 2009; 3) Someone Awesome, 2002; 4) Alaska Turner 2009
Third row: 1)Oops. I didn't mean to put Judy Weston in twice, 2002 2) Maryann Nelson, 2002; 3) Rabecca Pierce, 2010, 4) Natalie Dayton, 2010;
Fourth row: 1) Natalie Gardner, 2010; 2) Stephanie Evans, 2010; 3) Denyse Carter, 2010, 4) Erica Smith, 2009

And finally, for my own photographic records, here's one I made for the exchange in 2007. They were all different variations of a beaded bow theme. Come to think of it, every ornament I've made for an ornament exchange has had some kind of beady ribbon thing going on. ( Here's last year's set.) It's like I'm obsessed!

*It didn't even occur to me that it was weird to take pictures of everyone's ornaments, until a friend asked if I was going to get a group shot with everyone (perhaps) holding their ornaments. Umm ... hadn't even occurred to me. I photograph crafts, not people, apparently. So you'll just have to take my word for it that there were people there, and that they--the people--were the best part of the whole night.

Stuff you can make

2010-11-02T09:57:00.000-07:00

This is a tote bag made from a vintage tea towel I found in the closet of the Relief Society room. There were dozens of them, although, sadly, not all of them featured creepy crustaceans. I'd initially planned to make it into a skirt for Grace, but then I decided on a tote bag because it was easier.

And it was easy. You can make one too! You should make one too! Come over! We'll do it together!

The battery on my camera died before I could get pictures of the inside, but it's the same striped fabric used on the handles. It's completely reversible. But why would you want to reverse it? Crustaceans! Creepy!

While you're making stuff, you might want to consider this easy girl's ruffled skirt. Or a matching tie for the big brother. And do I even need to mention that tie onesies are the easiest thing in the world to make, and that once you try one for yourself you'll lose all respect for me passing them off as handmade gifts.

Anyway, the point is, I have a lot of fabric to use up. So you should come over and help me. And take home something pretty (or creepy) when you're done.

Snugglesaurus

2010-09-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

For Tiffany's baby boy.

Dinosaur silhouette from this template found here.

Flower card

2010-09-12T21:08:00.000-07:00

I tend to get really excited about the prospect of craft projects before I've actually started them. I've even gone so far as to plan out dozens of variations before I've even crafted a single item. It's beautiful! It's easy! It's fast! It will be my new signature gift!

And then I discover that creating life-sized velveteen elephants takes a little more time and a lot more fiberfill than I'd expected, and I never get past version 1.0. That was the case with the sadly disfigured lamb pictured here. And the bookish bibs here. And the hungry hippo onesie. (Which I honestly think is one of my most hilarious craft ideas ever, but I made so many ridiculous blunders while putting it together that I might be too scarred to tackle another one. Seriously, this thing had "craft fail" embroidered all over it. (And by "seriously" I mean metaphorically. (But my literal embroidery wasn't too hot either.)))

I was on a bit of a roll with the tie onesies. Those suckers really are as fast and easy as they look. But it's hard to find long-sleeved onesies for adults, so I only make those for babies. (Sorry!)

So, when it comes to gifts for my grown-up friends, I've been at a bit of a loss for Beautiful! Easy! Fast! crafts. This one, however, just might be a winner.

At a craft party many months ago, I copied Tiffany and used this technique to roll a rose from a strip of an old table cloth I found in the Relief Society closet. (And there's more where that came from!) Then I added a cluster of beads and an alligator clip, and ta daa! Ten minute project. Another five to cut out scrapbook paper and attach the hair clip (I just cut a slit and slid the clip through). Add message, and you're finished in no time!

Of course, that only works if you have all the supplies on hand, and you know where to find them. The reality of this Beautiful! Easy! Fast! project is that it took 6 months from start to finish: Ten minutes to craft the flower, and 5 months, 29 days (+ a whole bunch of minutes) to remember to pick up a handful of alligator clips.

But the next one, it's going to be Fast!

Keep it clean

2010-08-26T20:38:00.000-07:00

I'm a little bit in love with this fabric. Maybe a lot in love. It's from the Old Lady Collection, 100% vintage.

I'd been wanting to use it for a while, so I was kind of excited when Amber chose it for the main print on her birthday napkins.

It's not hard to make cloth napkins: 1. cut out squares, 2. sew. (And there are lots of good tutorials out there.) But I experimented a lot with different combinations of interfacing and lining fabric to get the right weight and feel. In the end, they're all a little different, but still perfectly suited for dabbing at a spill or wiping crumbs from your lips. (I say "your" lips because not "my" lips because cloth napkins are pretty useless around here. Our messes require the power washer/ beach towel approach. And if I'm putting something in my lap to catch spills, a tarp is really more appropriate. Why protect my lap but leave the surrounding area exposed?) But anyway, I'm sure these will do just fine when Amber invites the Queen for a picnic brunch. As long as she doesn't invite me too.

It's all stash fabric, except for the blue print. That I purchased from Jo Ann just for this project. I hardly ever do that -- wander around the store with fabric swatches looking for something specific. Usually, I scour the remnants and clearance fabrics, and if I find something cheap and pretty I take it home. Then when I find a project I want to tackle I shop my own shelves. (And by "shelves" I mean "shelves and bins and closets," cause we're a little past neat piles at this point. It's time to recommence stash reduction. Who's in?)

More than Meets the Eye

2010-08-26T07:42:00.000-07:00

For Daniel, who likes Transformers. Watch out kid. Your pants are on fire.

PS: If you think those pants are hideous here (and I do), you should see them on a child. Both of my kids tried them, and in both cases I wanted to gouge out my eyes. They're too '80s post-Hammer pants for my liking. But I guess they work with the shirt. As pajamas. For someone else's kid. Sorry Margaret.

Kathleen

2010-08-13T17:54:00.000-07:00

I recently traveled to Utah! With my parents! And my three kids! And my cousin! And her baby! By van! We had many wonderful adventures and beautiful moments with family and friends. But it wasn't what you'd call a relaxing trip.

And that's why my mother's childhood friend, Kathleen, was such a saint to host us. She knew what to expect -- our family has been staying at her house every-other-year for decades now -- and yet she welcomed us enthusiastically. This time there were seven of us sprawled throughout her home (me, my parents, my three kids, and my sister), plus all my other siblings (7 more) and their kids (25 more) visiting throughout the week. We were a loud and messy crowd.

But Kathleen is the world's most gracious hostess, and didn't seem to mind our crash 'n trash protocol one bit. With closets full of toys and freezers full of homemade ice cream, her home was a haven. My kids couldn't wait to get back there after each daily adventure. They even begged during our two-night stay at a mountain ranch -- where they could swim, ride horses, paddle boats and eat snow cones -- to "go back to Kath-a-leen's house" so they could play with legos. Needless to say, we all had a wonderful time!

So I wanted to make Kathleen something special to thank her for her hospitality. Her house is full of vintage linens, precious collectibles, and artwork by Thomas Kinkade. With that in mind, I wanted to come up with something delicate and floral. I didn't have my full stash at my disposal, just a few basic supplies (tools, chain, jump rings) and some miscellaneous items I'd ordered from Fire Mountain Gem's clearance section and had shipped to meet me in Utah. (The majority of the order was jewelry for my sister's wedding, but I'll get to that later.)

I lucked out with this pendant/ brooch, which I ordered on a whim, thinking it looked nice enough, and that at 84 cents it wasn't much of a risk. It's so much prettier in person than it was on the website, and I'm kicking myself now for not stocking up!

It came with a removable stick pin you can slide through two brackets at the back so that it can be worn separately.

photo from Fire Mountain Gems

And because I love versatility, I also wanted the chain to be pretty enough to be worn alone, single or doubled, clasped in front or back. When worn together, the pendant can be hooked to the heart-shaped clasp, like so.

I'm very happy with the result. And I'm still kicking myself for only ordering one pendant/brooch.

I hope Kathleen gets lots of use out of this. And I hope that when she wears it she doesn't dread our (possible) return in 2012.

Deborah

2010-07-10T09:47:00.000-07:00

It will come as no surprise to anyone who knows Deborah that she was quite persistent in getting me to make her these earrings. This woman is a riot, and I love her for it!

So, she happened to be nearby when I gave Rachel a birthday gift last May, and wanted to know when I'd have some done for her.

"When's your birthday?" I asked.

"It's in March, but that too long to wait," She said.

I intended to comply, but my crafty to-do list is long and capricious. And I lose interest in anything that becomes an assignment, even when it's an assignment I volunteer for. So despite frequent status checks from Deb ("Diana, where my earrings at?"), it took me until her birthday to get them to her.

It shouldn't have. This set was quick and easy, made from supplies on hand, and perfectly suited to Deb's style. I've seen her wear each pair several times since her birthday. (Although she told me recently that she lost one of each pair. Maybe by her next birthday I'll get around to replacing them!)

In my usual fashion, I didn't get a chance to take photos before I left home, so I ended up throwing the camera in my diaper bag to take destination shots (in the nursing mother's room at church. Lovely carpet, isn't it?). And, of course, the battery ran out after a single click, so this is all I have. You can see the hooks of the second pair peeking over the back of the card. As I recall, they're gold with an amber dangle. Maybe heart shaped? I don't remember. (And that's why I take photos! Ideally. Maybe next time.)

Baby baubles, baby bottles

2010-06-27T17:30:00.000-07:00

I've got dozens of baby food jars piling up around here on account of a certain ravenous baby. I've been trying to think of crafty ways to recycle them, so this afternoon when I wanted to wrap up a baby bracelet, I decided to put one to use.

Cute, eh? Thanks to Kristie for the bracelet. I made it with her stuff at her house eating her creme brulee. It was awesome.

Next on the baby food jar agenda: this. Only shorter. Why don't you join us? I've got plenty of jars.

going once, going twice

2010-05-04T10:36:00.000-07:00

Way back in March, the Relief Society turned 168. To celebrate, our ward held a service auction. Everyone brought an item or service to auction, and then completed this form to earn points for bidding. (I compiled this questionnaire from my memory of a similar auction I attended when I lived in Iowa City, plus ideas from here and here. Plus my own madness. (Mostly the last one.) Feel free to use it if you'd like.)

It was a wild night.¹ Sweet Sister Carrero, in her eighties, with more points than anyone, won every item she bid on.

I won a basket full of free ironing. I haven't redeemed it yet, but you'd better believe I'm cramming that basket as full as I can get it. (You know, to make sure there are enough wrinkles to make it worth Fran's time to iron.)

This is what I took:

Two dolls with purses.

In a matching purse.

These dolls belong to Grace, and she would not have approved of me selling them off. So these were just examples; the item up for bid was a custom set, made-to-order.

My friend Sara won, and requested a set in pink for her two little girls.

(With no purses, "cause they'd just get eaten by the dogs.")

But I couldn't just send them off without any accessories at all, so I gave them each a stretchy pink necklace that their owners can also wear as bracelets. (Of course, the dogs might just eat those too. Didn't think of that. Sorry Sara.)

Anyway, back to the red set. I made the purse(s) to match Grace's dolls to save myself time coming up with a sample set, but Grace actually didn't care for the red purse very much. (She is fiercely loyal to her favorite colors: pink and purple.) And that was fine with me, because I kind of wanted it for myself. I'm a little bit in love with the rhinestone trim.

What rhinestone trim, you ask? Well, let me give you a better look:

It's very very sparkly, and would have been very very expensive, if I hadn't swindled it from little old ladies. (There was at least a yard of this stuff in a three-for-a-dollar pile. I KNOW!!!)

But then Sam's school asked for donations for a Chinese auction fundraiser, and I went and volunteered to make something. When it came down to it, though, I ran out of time and motivation. So I decided to donate the purse, because it was already made, and -- let's face it -- there was no way all my junk could fit in that little thing. I mean, where's the key fob?!

And it's time for me to start de-cluttering anyway.

So the purse had to find a new home. But I couldn't send her away alone, could I? So I made this matching head band.

More ruffles. More sparkly trim.

And because Coach wasn't home to stop me (or to try it on himself), I had to see how it would look on a baby. If only I had one nearby.

Oh look! There's one! He won't mind!

And another one. See how sparkly?

Despite Miles' clear attachment to the set, I donated it. It ended up with a 3rd-grade(ish) girl who really seemed excited about it. And I even got an appreciative (apologetic?) look from said girl's grandmother (who had previously snapped at me for asking if I could sit in an empty chair at her table) when the teacher running the auction pointed me out as the maker of the purse.

So that felt good. It also felt good to have the teachers gush and ask about special orders. When one asked what I'd charge for a bag, I foolishly said "fifteen dollars," instead of "two weeks of clean toilets." I'm such an idiot!

_____
1. At the risk of making my blog read like an undergraduate research paper, I've started adding footnotes to my entries. It's ridiculous, I know, but I just can't get it all in parenthetically. And I figure reader(s?) will indulge me as long as my photos of cute babies outnumber my footnotes.

Anyway, before this footnote needs a footnote of its own, I need to get to the point, which is that the service auction was a raging success, and I am so so so grateful to all the ladies who pitched in. Laney was fast-talking auctioneer; Lizzy tended a fussy (and occasionally stinky) Miles all night; Sara, Rachel, Margaret, Emily, Natalie and Kristie were lifesavers with setup and clean up; Amber handled registration; Kennon and Savannah watched kids; and dozens of other ladies brought treats to share and services to donate. I said thank you to everyone at the time --and really meant it!--but I still can't think of that activity without getting a little verklempt. It went well. And it was all their fault. And I'm so glad. Thank you everyone.

Birthday Princess 4.0

2010-04-25T17:11:00.000-07:00

Now here's a girl who knows how to open birthday presents. I think in this shot she's unwrapping undershirts. And she could not have been more excited. It was adorable.

Anyway, as you can see she was quite pleased with the Sleeping Beauty style crown and necklace set I made from stash fabric. She and Grace love to play princess dress up, so I know they'll get a lot of use. (I'm thinking about writing up a tutorial for making these crowns. They're definitely a minimum-work-for-maximum-impact kind of project.)

I was excited when she got to the little purse set her mom hired me to make. (It was a bartered hire, just the kind I like. I got four big bottles of laundry soap, and countless hours of babysitting. Plus a couple weeks of dog sitting. And the kind of like-a-sister friend every girl needs. Yeah, I totally overcharge.) Abygail's take included a purse, a keychain, a makeup bag, and a wallet. And stickers! Inside the wallet! Abygail was beyond thrilled.

And I was too.

Happy Birthday Princess Abygail!

Super O!

2010-04-25T17:06:00.000-07:00

I'm often annoyed with myself for forgetting to take photos of a project before giving it away. Usually, in the rush to get out the door to the party or shower, I don't take the time to snap a few shots, and then I regret it later.

This time, however, I almost regret taking the photos. This project looked better in my memory than it does here in the photos, which I just pulled off the camera and looked at for the first time this evening.

The model looks sharp, I'll admit (he always does), but the details are sloppy. The cape looks wrinkled and ill fitting, and close up especially, the appliques are a mess.

See?

And see?

But you know, this blog is more about recording my projects and the things I learned while making them than just showing the pretty pictures.

So, while I love this metallic gold fabric (also used for princess crowns here and here), I won't use it again for an applique project -- or anything else that leaves raw edges exposed. It just falls apart too easily. And I really need to work on my stitching technique. How do you backstitch a zig zag stitch without the overlap looking so sloppy? (See the (not so) super O above?) I stuffed the CTR letters to add dimension, which I like, but there are several sections of batting peeking out the edges, which I don't like. There's got to be a better way to do that. And I don't know if it's because they're polyester or what, but both the black and the blue background fabric were impossible to get (and keep) wrinkle free. I pressed and pressed and pressed that thing, and it still looks like it spend a month in the trunk of my car. (Not that anything would ever sit in the trunk of my car for a month, of course.)

It's frustrating to spend time on a project and not have it turn out as well as I'd wanted. And yet, I still count this one a success. I was happy with it when I wrapped it up (it's been a couple weeks now), and all reports say Super O loved it. It was made entirely from the stash, I completed it in just a couple hours, it's personalized, and it's not plastic. Plus it's righteous. What more could a six-year-old want? Perhaps most encouraging, Sam wants one for himself. (I think for him, though, CTR stands for "Choose the Rocketlauncher." He's really into munitions lately, but that's probably and entry for another blog.)

Princess Katie

2010-03-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

Jean

2010-02-21T21:13:00.001-08:00

Rachel

2010-02-21T21:07:00.000-08:00

Three

2010-02-20T08:22:00.000-08:00

Grace turned three, so I made her three dollies.

I'll admit that some of the details were more for me than for her. Jaguar ruffles, rhinestone barrettes, vintage lace and buttons.

But I think she likes them anyway.

Copy Cat

2010-02-19T08:47:00.000-08:00

I had a jewelry party last week. It was a lot of fun, and got me in the mood to do some more beading again.

That's a good thing, because I have a lot of beads.

This is what the project area looked like after the party. After about 10 ladies had used the stash to make stuff and left with it. This was LEFT OVER! See all the stuff back there on the sideboard? Beads. Plus, there's stuff I didn't even bring out of the back room. Yeah, the stash is a bit out of control.

Anyway, before the party I bought a bunch of jewelry from Old Navy to use for ideas. Amber liked this one (with the tag attached, on the right below), but looked at me like a crazy person when I suggested she try making it from a length of chain from a bike lock (cause that's the kind of stuff I have in my stash).

The next day, I decided to give it a try. I've never purchased jewelry with the intent to copy before. I don't think I'll make a habit of it, but I don't feel particularly bad about it because it's Old Navy -- not some struggling artisan. Plus I made a few changes. And mine is completely recycled from old and broken jewelry.

Here's the side-by-side comparison.

And here's the glamor shot.

My favorite part is the pearl button at the bottom of the bike chain. It's a clip on earring.

Commissions

2010-02-10T16:48:00.000-08:00

Before Christmas I made a bracelet and earring set for my friend Tiffany to give to her cousin. We wanted to get together so I could teach her how to make it herself, but the schedule just didn't work out. So this became my first commissioned project. It's shockingly similar to this set made for Dawn last year. But this time I got better pictures of it.

And then last month a friend who works with Shane ordered a little purse, also shockingly similar to purses previously featured here.

It is a bit thrilling to have people like my stuff enough to buy it, and while I've contemplated opening an Etsy shop or actually doing a craft fair, I think I like crafting best as play, not work. It's more fun to create something for the first time than to make it to order. And when I'm making gifts, I don't mind spending a lot of time on it figuring it out. That's just part of the gift and part of the fun. But it's not quite the same when I'm thinking of my time as money. So, yeah. No shop for me. I'm still happy (and flattered) to take an occasional order, but this isn't anything I'm ever going to make real money off of. And I'm fine with that.

But you know what would be awesome? Bartering. I make purses, you clean my house. That kind of thing. I don't expect any takers, cause my house is a disaster and everyone knows that. But still, it's fun to dream.

Busy Week

2010-01-23T15:16:00.000-08:00

In the past 10 days I've been to baby showers for four women, and birthday parties for two little girls.

I need to write a post about everything I've learned while making "quick and easy projects" gone slow and complicated. But all's well that ends well, right? So for now, I'll just post the pictures.

For the babies:

For the three-year-olds:

If you're counting, you may notice that there are only three baby gifts pictured. I didn't bother taking a picture of the fourth, but I'll tell you about it because I think it's a pretty great idea and you might want to use it sometime. Get a package of disposable freezer containers and wrap them up with a list of your favorite meals that freeze well. Write a note telling your friend to pick five (or whatever) and return the list so that you can stock her freezer before the baby arrives. Bonus gift: stock your own freezer while you're at it, cause you might as well.

Black Apple Dolls

2010-01-19T19:43:00.001-08:00

I may be the last crafter on the Internet to discover Emily Martin and her Etsy shop, The Black Apple. But I'm sure glad I finally did, because making these little dolls (as featured on Martha) just might be my new addiction.

This first set went to a couple of strawberry blond cuties who just turned one.

Turning those skinny arms and legs right-side-out is a bit of a pain, but other than that these dolls are a breeze to make. Unless of course you have a giant stash of fabric. Then it will take you hours to contemplate all the possible combinations. Everything here came from the stash -- most of it from the stockpile I swindled from little old ladies. These vintage prints are perfectly suited for this sort of thing, aren't they? I'm already planning more for an almost three-year-old I know. Shhh! Don't tell Grace.

Ornament Exchange

2010-01-01T13:42:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite Christmas craft traditions is the annual ornament exchange. I've been to several now with friends in multiple states. Every year is different; every year is fun.

I love decorating my tree with all the handmade goodies I get to bring home. Seeing all those treasures on my tree reminds me of friends near and far, and because I'm silly and sentimental like that, I feel like I've brought home a piece of them (but not in a gross, body-parts-hanging-from-the-tree kind of way).

Anyway, I should have taken pictures of all the ornaments I've brought home through the years, but I didn't think of it until we'd put away all the Christmas decorations. But I did manage to get pictures of the ornaments I made. Miles was my assistant for the photo shoot.

I wanted to make a beaded snowflake. I've had it in my head for years, but I've never succeeded in making that vision a reality. This year I thought with a little help from Martha, I could make it happen.

I was wrong.

Feel free to click and make it bigger. You really should see it close up, in all of its spindly, awkward glory.

I would have taken it apart to salvage the beads, but I actually spent quite a bit of time on it. I found myself in that awkward position of trying to convince myself to like it to justify my investment of time. To make mattes worse, Sam and Grace loved it. It was kind of funny actually. I make stuff all the time, and the kids hardly pay attention. They're hard to impress, usually. But this one, they carried around like some precious object. They called it a starfish, and wanted to give it a place of honor on our tree.

I thought it might still be passable to take to the ornament exchange, until I heard Shane's feedback. He tried so hard to be diplomatic as he offered suggestions to "make it look better." By then I was over it. I just said I'd try to make sure it went to someone I didn't' like.

Unfortunately, there wasn't anyone on the guest list I could wish it upon.

In the end, I came up with something a little more presentable, and no one had to pretend to be excited to take the starfish home.

These beaded wreaths and icicles were quick and surprisingly easy to make while holding a baby. I made them mostly with beads and ribbon from the stash. I purchased a couple strands of filler beads, and some wire to hold it all together. I spent less than $10 on the whole batch.

Cheap. Crafty. Sparkly. My favorite.

Craft Fair Purses or Fancy Math Lessons

2009-12-12T20:54:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time I got together with some friends to rent a table at a local craft fair. I decided to make little purses. Because you can't have too many little purses.

Or maybe you can.

Because the craft fair didn't work out. We lost our spot, due to not registering. (Oops!)

I was relieved, though, because I'd planned to have dozens of purses completed by mid October, and I barely eked out four.

Two of each design. They're reversible. (So it's sort of like I made eight. (But then again, they're duplicates, so it's like I made two.))

Anyway, the point is, here are some purses I made. And this isn't the last of them. In my mad attempts to mass produce, I cut out fabric and trim for 20 more. (Just 10 more designs. But they're reversible. So it's like 40 purses. You can't have too many little purses.)

That's my bag, baby.

2009-10-21T17:27:00.000-07:00

There's a lot to do to get ready to bring home a new baby. First you probably ought to get the kid a place to sleep. And it's a good idea to dig out his big brother's baby clothes from the attic, before he comes home and charms you with his first blowout. (Adorable!) If you're a show-off, you can wash the hand-me-downs before you put them in the drawer because it's been five years since those little onesies have seen the light of day.

But don't go too crazy, because there's lots more to do and you're running out of time. In fact, you'd better get started on the MOST IMPORTANT PROJECT OF ALL: Your diaper bag. Sure, you could use one of the old ones lying around from previous babies. And you probably have a whole closet full of assorted satchels and back packs handed out like candy at all of the professional meetings your husband attends. But don't bother. There's no happiness down that road; only disappointment. You'll spend the next six months switching bags for every outing because none of them are quite right.

What you really need is a purse big enough to use as a diaper bag, or a diaper bag cute enough to use as a purse. And since you have that ridiculous stash of fabric hoarded at closeout sales and swindled from little old ladies, you should probably make it yourself. And you should probably use this tutorial because, well, look at it. It's perfect!

And when you're done it should look like this.

Now that it's finished, force your husband to admire your handiwork. Insist that he inspect each compartment individually. Point out the handy key fob.

Pay no attention when he observes that you've filled all the pockets with your own stuff, and there's barely any room for baby gear. Distract him with lies: tell him that you picked out that manly chocolaty brown color for him -- so he could carry the bag (and the baby) with pride all the way to the changing table!

When he's finished admiring it, wait until he leaves the room before you kiss the bag. He's supportive of your hobbies, but being pregnant can only explain so much crazy. The rest is all on you.

And of course, by "you" I mean "me."

And now, if you'll excuse me, I have an enormous pile of onesies to wash. And a diaper bag to smooch.

Super Sam!

2009-09-02T05:24:00.000-07:00

Sam did not get to keep this cape. It was one of an identical set that he took to a birthday party for five-year-old twins Erik and Connor, who happen to love Cartoon Network's Ben Ten. I'd never heard of the show myself, but it turns out you don't have to be a fan of the show to be a fan of the cape. Sam loved it, and has already put in his order for one of his own -- with a few customizations, of course. He wants a jaguar print backed in the sparkly green fabric I used here. He's got his own sense of style, that one.

But he's a good kid, and even though he wanted to keep one cape for himself, he willingly took it off after the photo shoot to wrap it up.

So I'm gonna make him the cape he wants. And with any luck, the lessons I learned on this one will come in handy. I should have used a trapezoid shape or gathered the top or something to make it fit around the shoulders a little better. And though I like the fact that this is fully reversible, putting appliques on both sides was really time consuming. It seemed to be a hit with Erik and Connor, based on their shrieking "Ben Ten! Ben Ten!" when they opened it, so I guess it was worth it. I'm not sure the extra detail was worth being an hour late to the party while I finished them up, but when I saw the haul of toys those two raked in, I was glad I'd spent the time. That's really what this whole handmade gift thing is about: something different, something not plastic. Plus, it doesn't hurt that it was cheap.

Here's the scoop on the material:

I've had the black fabric in my stash for years -- I think I bought it for a dollar a yard when I was pregnant with Sam, planning to make maternity clothes. Never happened. But it's made a few appearances since (Sam's Halloween costume last year), and after two super hero capes, there's not much left.

The green sparkly fabric is part of a huge stack I bought from someone off Craigslist. Her grandmother, who'd been a seamstress for Singer for 40 years, apparently embraced the motto "She who dies with the most fabric wins." For twenty dollars, I got probably 80 yards of fabric in cool vintage prints, and another twenty got me a mountain of trim, buttons, and notions. Negotiating that great deal was not easy -- both the daughter and the granddaughter of the seamstress were there, and they seemed to have different goals. The granddaughter just wanted to get rid of everything, while the daughter wanted to get full retail value for it all. It was tricky. When all was totaled and stacked, the daughter just kept saying shaking her head and saying, "You're getting a great deal. That's a lot of fabric." I might have felt a little bad about being such a swindler, until I got it home and realized just how musty -- and full of allergens! (I couldn't stop sneezing while I sorted through it) -- everything was. I didn't notice how stinky my pile was because grandma's whole house was a bit musty smelling, with giant stacks of old fabric everywhere. And I specifically sniffed my choices and put back selections that seemed particularly bad. Still, when I brought it all home the stench was undeniable. So I washed those 80 yards of fabric, plus the miles and miles of trim TWO TIMES EACH! And now I figure, I totally earned my great deal through hard labor. The pile is still not quite sunshine fresh, but at least I'm not allergic to it anymore.

I hope having some time to air out in my craft area will help, because I'm planning to use a lot of this stash to make little purses for a craft bazaar coming up in October. Expect to see lots of ribbons and ruffles coming soon to a blog near you.

A Baby Girl Giveaway

2009-08-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

I'm not actually giving away a baby girl. What kind of barbarian do you think I am? You don't just give away babies! Maybe if you have an extra, you sell it. But giving them away is just plain wasteful.

But you do give away baby girl stuff! And that's what this post is all about.

So here's the deal: I'm having a baby boy in a couple months. This will mean lots of changes for our little family, not the least of which is that Baby's two big siblings (Sam and Grace) will share the room that is now Grace's girly girly girly pink and green abode. So I'm giving away some girly stuff to make room for more unisex decor.* (Sam's idea: "A big blanket that's pink on one side and blue on the other. I'll sleep under the blue side, and Grace will sleep under the pink.")

I realize as far as giveaways go, this is pretty lame. All the big crafty blogs do giveaways with fancy NEW stuff. Stuff made by professionals, who know what they're doing. Stuff people (who aren't as cheap as I am) might go out and buy. So let me be clear: This giveaway features USED stuff. Stuff that I made myself. Stuff with crooked seams and unfinished edges. But stuff that is still pretty cute (if I may be so bold), and in good condition, despite its amateurish construction. Stuff that I spent way too much time on to just drop off anonymously at Goodwill. And stuff that I don't want to pack away and cart across the country in another move (sometime), on just the possibility that I might have another girl (someday). I'd rather have someone else use it and love it. (Please love it.)

So here's the stuff.

A crib skirt:

I didn't get a good shot of the short side, but it's the same pink gingham I used on the inset panels and the blanket.

Speaking of the blanket, I might throw that in too. I made it to be Grace's special baby blanket, but she has lots of blankets, and she's never been particularly attached to this one. I should warn you though, I tied it with that fuzzy yarn, which looks great but sheds little pink hairs.

There's also a set of vintage Strawberry Shortcake flannel crib sheets made from the sheet set I used as a little girl. (I freakin loved those sheets, and my sisters were jealous because they had lame Care Bear and Rainbow Bright sheets. Neener.)

(What I'm not giving away: The amazing quilt hanging on the wall. My sister Peanut made it. And it's definitely staying, even if never matches another room in our house. Sorry.)

But wait! There's still more that is up for grabs: cafe curtains for two windows (two pieces each):

You'd never know it from the dark picture, but these curtains actually let in a lot of light. So much light, in fact, that I often stop in Grace's doorway to turn off the overhead light, only to discover it's just sunlight in there. But they're still opaque enough for privacy, which is important in my neighborhood where the houses are 12 feet apart.

Finally, and I hesitate to even throw this in because I didn't make it and, well it's used. But do you want the cover for the diaper changing pad? It's clean, but, uh ... you know ... shows signs of use. Also the flower clock. It doesn't work, and my plan has always been to get a clock kit and fix it. But I guess I got used to it always reading 7:35, because it's been two years and I've never gotten around to doing anything with it. So you can have it if you want it.

I think that's it for now. But stay tuned for more. I'm totally in nesting mode, and I really like the idea of de-cluttering my house by junking up yours. You're welcome.

On the off chance that there are multiple people interested, I'll use a random number generator to select a winner. Or just pick my favorite commenter. (Cause how are you gonna know? That's how all these giveaways are really run, I bet.) Or should I split up the set so lots of people win? I don't know! It's so complicated! OK, I'll split up the set if people are interested in individual items. So let me know.

Contest closes when I feel like it.

Good luck!

*I'm kind of drawing a blank here, so if you have ideas about shared space decor that's suitable and appealing for both boys and girls, please share. Who knows? Maybe it will even increase your chance of winning!

Kitchen cabinets

2009-08-09T12:52:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago we painted our kitchen. We went from a hideous orange to a deliciously creamy brown aptly named "cup of cocoa." And you know how these things go: one project always leads to another. In prepping the room for painting, I removed a desk we kept in the kitchen to hold cookbooks and office supplies. It opened up the space so much that I decided not to return it to the kitchen. But that meant finding a new home for all the cookbooks and office supplies (plus all the other junk that always sat on top the desk).

So one afternoon I decided to haul up a dusty file cabinet from the basement, a monstrosity that has been there since before we moved in -- and, judging from the paint splatters and debris around it, probably before our home's previous owner moved in too. The files and labels indicated that it had been used by a law office, and I'll admit that I hoped to find something valuable inside. Maybe the deed to a diamond mine, or something?

Alas, all I found were some giant envelopes and three two-hole paper punches. So I had to make myself content in seeing the cabinet itself as a treasure.

The huge drawers were definitely a plus.

But on the other hand, the hugeness of the whole thing made it pretty difficult to drag up from the basement. I should have waited for my husband to come home from work, but you know how these things go. It had to come up, and it had to be then.

Also, have I mentioned I'm six months pregnant?

Noticing I was struggling a bit, Sam offered his services. "I have big muscles." He said. "See?"

And how could I argue with proof like that? So I let Sam and Grace each carry one of the (lightweight) metal supports from inside the drawers. And somehow, we managed to get it all outside.

I thought it would be a quick job; just a quick scrub and sand, and then prime and paint. I had everything I needed in the garage, so I planned to be done in a couple hours. And then, you know how things go (you do know, don't you?), I ran out of spray paint after a single drawer front. And even worse, that paint didn't stick. So when my sweet husband got home, he lugged the whole thing into the garage so it wouldn't get rained on while I figured out my next step.

In the end, what was supposed to be an afternoon project ended up taking two trips to the hardware store and an additional week to complete. I sanded and sprayed and sanded again. Then I ditched the idea of spray paint altogether and used high gloss latex and a roller.

The finished piece turned out pretty well, I guess. Except that it's boring. I didn't think of this until after I was done, but if I was going to go to the trouble to repaint a giant file cabinet, I should have done something that didn't look exactly like what you'd find at Office Max. I should have done something pretty and interesting.

But oh well. It's done. And it's huge. And it holds everything I wanted it to, plus some. One drawer is for cookbooks, one is for canned food, one holds a giant crate of dog food, and one is for recyclable trash. I love being able to have all that stuff handy, but not out in the open. And function is nearly as important as cuteness, right?

Fortunately, the project I tackled between coats on the file cabinet went much more smoothly. And cutely.

I bought this little green cabinet for $4 at a thrift store many months ago. I feel like my house is in constant need of more storage, so I grabbed it up, even though I didn't have a real plan for it. It stayed in our front entry, empty, for several months.

I wasn't wild about the color (although it did match strangely well with the old green paint inside some of our closets!), but I liked the hand-crafted-by-grandpa feel of it. It's sturdy, and well-made, but not fancy. I decided to decorate it like a grandma might, like a giant doily. First I gave the whole thing a coat of cup-of-cocoa, and then I draped it in lace and shot it with white spray paint.

There are sections where the lacy pattern is blurry, and some where the pattern is crisp -- an accidental effect that I really like a lot. I'm very pleased with how it turned out, in part because it just came together so quickly and easily. I spent probably half an hour on minor drawer repairs, and then another half hour painting. AND THAT'S IT! It was loaded and in my kitchen within hours.

Eventually I'll get curtains up and windows washed and show you the whole kitchen--with these fancy new cabinets!--in context. That is, if I can ever manage to get the floor mopped and the dishes done at the same time. But at least, with all this new storage, I can finally keep my counters clear.

A Purse for Peanut

2009-08-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

So Peanut came to visit a few weeks ago, and we managed to squeeze in some craft time. She liked the toddler purses I made for my little friends a couple months ago, and wanted one of her own for carrying her tiny scriptures. So we went through the fabric stash, found some cute prints, and whipped one up.

Only, it wasn't really as simple as that, because this time I ironed in heavy-duty interfacing (I usually use lightweight), and the fabric became so stiff it was impossible to work with. What should have been a quick little project ended up taking hours. And I'm sorry to say, the purse had some serious flaws too, not the least of which is that it ended up being too small for her tiny scriptures. I should have made her another one, but the first one took up all the crafting time and energy we had. We were so sick of it we didn't even take a picture.

Lucky for me, Peanut had a birthday last week, so I had a chance to rectify the tiny purse tragedy. Here's the scripture tote: take two.

I used another material she'd selected while she was here, and NO heavy-duty interfacing. So this one turned out a little better, and I'm pretty sure will fit her scriptures, PLUS a pair of sunglasses, an i-phone and a tube of chapstick.

It was supposed to be a surprise, but Sam gave it away when he talked to Peanut on her birthday. He described it in complete detail, right down to the blue flowers and "golden dots" (buttons). So I'm pretty sure she knew what she was getting when she opened her mail a couple days ago. Still, I hope she likes it. And that all her other birthday tote dreams come true.

Appreciation

2009-06-30T04:28:00.000-07:00

Sam had a wonderful year in pre-K, so I wanted to do something special for the good folks took such great care of him along the way.

First was Mrs. S, his teacher. Mrs. S is that perfect combination of warmth and enthusiasm ideally suited for teaching. And she has the patience of a saint, which helps too, especially when dealing with a classroom of 4 to 5-year-olds. So when I heard her mention that she missed having a rocking chair in her classroom -- that in all her previous classrooms at other schools she'd had one -- I knew what her gift had to be.

I watched craigslist for a sturdy, inexpensive, rocking chair. It didn't take long before this little sweetheart came up. I happily shelled out $20 and brought it home.

This finish was in great shape, so painting it almost seemed inappropriate. But I did it anyway because I wanted to personalize it. Sam picked out fabric for a new cushion ($1.50 a yard), and together we decided to paint it black to match his fun jaguar print. I used scrapbook stickers to stencil the word "delphinium" on the back.

(Here's the story behind that: When we picked out seeds for our garden in early spring, Sam was smitten with delphiniums. (Unfortunately, none of the seedlings survived long enough to make it into the ground!) I'm not sure whether it was the word or the picture that intrigued him so, but for the next several weeks he mentioned them frequently, including several times at school. Mrs. S just couldn't get enough of his 4-year-old articulation, and said the word "delphinium" would forever more remind her of him. It seemed a fitting way to sign/dedicate/customize the chair without an ostentatious inscription like "Painted by Diana!")

If you view the pictures full-size you will notice the many flaws in the finish. I used spray paint, which bubbled up in several places where I hadn't sanded well enough to get all of the old varnish off. I couldn't ever get those areas smooth, even after sanding the bubbled areas and painting again. I also had some trouble distressing the edges. I like the lightly distressed look, but I found I had a hard time deciding where and how much to distress. (All the tutorials say "where the chair would wear naturally," but I still don't know what that means, exactly.) So I did some sanding and repainting and resanding.

Still, I'm pleased with the finished results. Mrs. S was too. She actually got a little teary-eyed, and said she'd never received a present like that. When she sat down, she exclaimed "It has that perfect rocking chair creak, too!" I bashfully admitted I'd tried to fix that (with some glue and finishing nails), but she said "Oh, no. You want that sound. It's perfect background noise for nap time."

I'm really glad she liked it.

My total for this project was about $25; $20 for the chair, $1.00 for fabric, another $1.00 for the cushion insert (from inside a $1.00 Salvation Army pillow), and $3.50 for a can of spray paint.

For her teacher's aide, Mrs. Mc, I made a bag in matching jaguar fabric and a set of jungle/zoo themed jewelry.

I'll admit the jewelry set was thrown together the morning of Sam's graduation, and I had my doubts about how it was going to turn out. But in the end I really liked it. I think the mixed metals and materials work well here. As an added bonus, most of what I used was from my purchased-on-clearance/handed-down-from-other-crafters stash, so my total material cost for the jewelry set was probably about $1.00. Add that to the 50 cents worth of material for the bag, and that's a pretty affordable gift!

Mrs. Mc was a little harried when Sam gave her the gift, so we didn't get to see her open it. But I hope she likes it too. I'll have to watch for her in the fall to see if I can catch her wearing it.

Speaking of harried, the gifts for Sam's bus driver and bus aid were thrown together in a hurry too. I had planned to bake a batch of cookies to take out to the bus stop for them, but decided the night before that was too boring. What good is a batch of cookies without a cute tote to deliver them in? So pulled out some fabrics from my stash and had Sam pick two.

He ended up choosing the same prints I used to make Arabella's purse (blogged here) last month. It was cute how specific he was; the polka dot pattern was for Miss K, and the flower print was for Miss Ashley.

I made the bags, two reversible totes with ribbon closures, in record time. I was so proud of myself when I finished and had them loaded with cookies a whole TEN MINUTES before the bus was scheduled to arrive. I was just taking them outside to photograph when the bus pulled up EARLIER THAN IT HAD EVER ARRIVED in my entire year of meeting the bus. So, no photos. But you can use your imagination: same style and size as the one for Mrs. Mc, but in Arabella's pretty black and white prints, and with a pink ribbon closure. Then imagine them stuffed with cookies and pink tissue paper, and delivered flower-side-out for Miss Ashley and polka-dot-side-out for Miss K. And that's how it all went down.

Since these purses were made entirely from material that had been in the stash for years, I'm calling them free.

Rachel

2009-06-11T14:57:00.000-07:00

Angela

2009-06-11T14:52:00.000-07:00

Dawn

2009-05-23T16:32:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago my friend Dawn brought me a big box of stone heart charms that had turned up as freebies at her work. No one else was taking them home, and she knew I make jewelry so she delivered the whole stash to me.

I can't tell you how much fun we've had with these. Sam loves to count and sort them by color. I love to imagine the project possibilities. So far, I've only managed to use them in one project, this set of earrings for Stephanie. But when I learned that Dawn recently had a birthday, I knew the hearts had to make a prominent appearance.

I paired turquoise hearts with shell discs for a bracelet and earring set. My photos, unfortunately, did not turn out well this time (and the camera may be permanently broken, so that doesn't bode well for future photo shoots either), but in person the set is really quite pretty. I love the movement of the bracelet. The look and feel is just perfect for summer. And luckily, there's no shortage of supplies for these babies. So there might be a set just for me sometime soon.

Party all the time

2009-05-23T14:12:00.000-07:00

I'm way behind with posting projects, and mostly it's because I've been doing too much partying. For example, a few weeks ago my friend Tiffany organized a fun and crafty group of ladies to make and exchange baby girl hair bows. I'll admit I'm not a make-a-million-of-the-same-thing kind of crafter, but I powered through and made these beaded flower clips.

They came together pretty quickly and I'm happy with how they turned out. But I'm even more happy with the stash I brought home.

One of each of these babies. (Picture stolen from Tiffany.) Pretty sweet haul!

Speaking of sweet, here's Grace modeling one of the pretty daisy clips made by my good friend Angela. Unfortunately, Grace is not as keen cranial ornamentation as I am, and most of our hairdressing sessions end like this:

But still, it's cute while it lasts.

In other party news, there's been a epidemic of little girls having birthdays. I tried out this pattern for adorable little girl purses and came up with this for my sweet three-year-old friend Arabella.

I wanted it to be reversible, and have a button closure, and be equally cute on both sides. And since I'm not very good at planning ahead when it comes to three-dimensional inside-out construction, there was some trial and error. I spent some time with the seam ripper. But in the end I loved how it turned out enough that I considered (very briefly) keeping it for myself, and then (more seriously) making a big-girl version of my very own.

Sharp-eyed observers will note that the ribboned ornamentation on the polka-dot side of the purse is one of the hairbows I brought home from the exchange a couple weeks ago (see photo above), made by none other than the hostess, Tiffany. I felt kind of weird including someone else's craft with my gift, but it matched so perfectly -- entirely by coincidence! -- that I had to include it. Besides, my chances of ever getting it to stay in Grace's hair were slim, so it might as well belong to another little girl who might actually wear it.

And then (I know I'm stretching my credibility here, but it's true!) it happened again! I made another little bag for another little three-year-old which happened to match another bow from the exchange.

See? Look!
This one went to Ella, who shared her birthday with four-year-old Alison (green purse) and five-year-old Caroline (black and pink).

Alison's purse is embelished with a wire-wrapped star. Her mother, Angela (of the pink daisy Grace is wearing above), made a necklace at one of my jewelry parties using one of these stars, and I knew that Alison loved it. I thought for her birthday she could have one of her own.

The embellishment on Caroline's is another hair clip, but this time it's one I made myself. The black and white disk was from a package of pre-made yo-yos I purchased at the infamous JoAnn Fabric Closeout Sale. The pink yo-yo I made myself -- my first ever! -- and then I sewed it all together with a button and glued on some fancy feathers. It's almost my favorite part of the bag. Except for the handles, maybe. I really like the double handle version, I've decided.

Here's the reverse on all three.

(In the background, right behind the garden hose, you'll see a little sneak peek of the backyard patio I coerced my sweet husband into building for me. More photos will be coming soon!) The only other thing I have to mention about these purses is that my almost five-year-old Sam is the one who assigned the purses to each birthday girl, and if you knew these birthday girls, you'd be amazed at how accurately he pegged their personalities. As always, this boy is frighteningly good with the ladies.

The last party in my circuit was this morning, a baby shower for my friend Briste. I used this pattern, created by the crafty host of Homespun Threads to make her a trio of baby shoes. The shoes turned out pretty cute, despite a several maddening blunders and way too much time with the seam ripper. But now that I've made three sets, I think I have the process down.

Only, I don't have all my processes down, obviously, because in my rush to make it to the shower on time (I was still late!) I forgot to take pictures. So until next week, when I make some more for my friend Rozannah, (shhh! Don't tell.) you'll just have to use your imagination.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

2009-04-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

This set of bibs is for my friend Rabecca's adorable new baby, Samuel.

Rabecca is a librarian, and I knew she loved Eric Carle's classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar. My initial plan was to applique a onesie similar to this one I've seen around. But when I stopped to buy a pack of onesies, I couldn't find any plain ones. I'd already exhausted my 2-year-old's patience with errands that day, so I decided to just make do with whatever I had at home. As it turned out, I ended up completing this project 100% from the stash. In fact, some of those scraps have been in my pile for over a decade! There's something really satisfying in that.

Throughout the process of making these bibs, I fell in and out of love with them several times. There are many flaws. I spent way too much time fighting with the snaps. I should have done ties. And I'm not sure how I feel about the the zig zag borders. But I love how the appliques themselves turned out. I do wish I'd been able to do a full set of seven bibs for each of the hungry caterpillar's hungry days. But abundant as my stash is, I didn't have any purple fabric for plums. And I'll admit it was laziness that kept me from tackling the day when the caterpillar eats chocolate cake, a cupcake, sausage, a pickle, cheese, salami, and a whole watermelon. (Among other things.) Maybe next time.

I used a bib template I found here, and based the apples, pears and leaves on some clip art from here.

***
Edited to correct my spelling of "caterpillar" every single time I typed it. And to join Kimba's DIY party. Go see some seriously cool stuff right here. Go. Go!

The Amber Collection

2009-04-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

My friend Amber had a birthday several weeks ago. She tried to keep it a secret, but I have my ways of collecting information. (That is, I overheard someone else telling her "happy birthday.") But even if I'd know about her birthday months ago, her gift would probably still be several weeks late, cause that's how I roll.

Anyway, I'm all about interchangeable jewels these days, so I wanted to make an amber-themed set of mix and match earrings and pendants. I think I pushed the bounds of Amber's style with the long green dangles, but I bet she'll wear them anyway just to humor me. She's great that way. (For example, I photographed these in Amber's own back yard while she was inside making me dinner.) I do like the bicone cluster set especially though, and I think that suits Amber's personality. Plus, I bought the beads for the baby bracelets for her sweet little girls a couple months ago, but didn't end up using them. It seems fitting that they end up in Amber's jewelry box somehow.

I want it

2009-04-14T08:13:00.000-07:00

I'm not really blog stalking, because I know her and she knows me and all that. But she doesn't necessarily know that I read her blog every single day even though it means I have to wipe up puddles of envious drool afterward. She's just so freaking fabulous, funny, and creative.

That's Cally.

And this is the bag I want.
What's that? You want it too? Then maybe you should go over there and tell her so. (Even though for my sake I'd prefer you don't. Because I want it.)

Rozannah

2009-04-07T20:17:00.000-07:00

It's an earring wardrobe! Rozannah's new to the world of pierced earrings, so I thought she might appreciate a variety pack.

I only had ear wires in one size, so I had to do some creative bending to give the set more variety. Again, my wire work is not perfect, but good enough. But it's the dangles that are the most fun. I really had a good time coming up with baubles to dangle, and ran out of time before I ran out of ideas. Expect more interchangeable sets to come.

(Also, for some reason this photo looks out of focus when it's small, but is just fine full size. Why is that? I have no idea.)

Orion

2009-04-07T18:21:00.000-07:00

It's one thing to declare a moratorium on gift buying when your gift list includes mostly trendy young moms and their soon-to-be born babies. Five-year-old boys are a little trickier, however, as they don't have quite the same appreciation for buttons, ruffles and beads. Which is why I almost took Sam to the store and let him pick out a toy to take to Orion's fifth birthday party. But I just couldn't do it. Moratorium or not, as a mom, I'm sick of toys toys toys everywhere, just lying around waiting to get stepped on and broken. And I didn't think Orion needed one more piece of flimsy plastic any more than Sam does.

So I enlarged the pattern for the tie applique I found here, sewed it to an inexpensive kids' undershirt, and added a pair of matching pj pants. This set will never make Amazon's "Ultimate Gift List for a Five-Year-Old Boy," and I'm sure a Shrek 2 Rotten Root Canal Play-Doh Play Set would have been more fun to open. But Orion's mom was happy. So I am too.

Abygail

2009-04-03T18:10:00.000-07:00

Stephanie II

2009-04-03T17:51:00.000-07:00

Another attempt at bending my own earwires. They're not perfect, but I think Steph likes them anyway. And I resisted the urge to slip in a note reminding her "it's the thought that counts." It's true, of course. It is the thought that counts. (The thought I was going for: You'll be missed.)

Once Coach wrote me a love essay. He quoted R.W. Emerson, who said: "Jewels are not gifts, but apologies for gifts. The only gift is a portion of thyself... it is a cold, lifeless business when you go to the shops to buy me something, which does not represent your life and talent, but a goldsmith’s."*

I'll admit I kind of like the irony of turning Emerson's statement on its head by giving jewels that are a portion of myself. But more than that, I like the underlying sentiment, that something from me is better than something from a store, even though that something from me is not ever perfect. It's fitting, really, because neither am I.

*From Essays and English Traits, XIII Gifts, quoted here.

Applique

2009-03-28T19:58:00.000-07:00

Due to recent crafty indulgences at a Jo Ann fabric store that went out of business, I'm not allowed to buy any gifts for a while. I have to make them all.

But don't worry! My pockets are shallow, but my stash is deep.

So anyway, this is probably cheating, but after I made this little baby shower gift for my friend Sheena, I stumbled upon the Five Dollar Challenge, sponsored by the craftabulous Lindsay. And although this is not decorative item for the home, per se, I totally followed all the other rules. Accidentally, of course.

I found a stack of heavyweight Hanes sweats and t-shirts at my local Dollar Tree a couple weeks ago. I could tell the batch was full of "irregulars," and a lot of the clothing had visible flaws. But I parked myself on the floor like any persistent dollar shopper does, and sorted through that stack until I'd found a couple baby t-shirts and a pair of baby sweatpants that looked perfect.

I brought them home, dug out some fabric, buttons and embroidery floss from my stash, and got to it. (My inspiration for the dragonfly design came from a project featured in this book.) I can point out lots of flaws (puckered stitching, messy seams), but I still like the end result. And with any luck, so will Sheena's baby.

Total spent: $2.00

And as long as you're still here, I might as well show you the little shirt I made for Stephanie's baby boy. (I also made matching pajama pants and a burp cloth in the firetruck flannel, but I didn't include those in the photo. Why? Because I'm an idiot.)

This one only cost $1.00, because I made the (invisible) pants myself.

You can't tell this from the photo, but my favorite part is that the dog's ear is fuzzy. Like a dog's ear. Here look.

Yeah, there's some genuine dog hair stuck to that shirt too. I didn't include that in my cost breakdown, cause my dog gives it away for free.

Mom

2009-03-17T19:13:00.000-07:00

I made this necklace for my mom last summer, and only got around to photographing it last weekend. She wears it often, and says she gets lots of compliments. I'm still a little bothered by the way it hangs -- the links get twisted and keep it from laying flat. But I really like the colors and the concept, and I have to admit it really does look great in the sunlight.

Maybe that's all I need: more sunlight around here.

Kashann

2009-03-06T07:03:00.000-08:00

When I'm making gifts for friends, I always try to think of that woman's personal style and make something that fits. Sometimes, though, when I like a piece a lot, it's hard to tell if I've hit her style, or just my style. These blue dangles, for example. I love them. They remind me of the smooth glass pebbles my sisters and I used to pick up on the shores of Lake Erie. I remember being disappointed when I discovered the pebbles lost their shine when dry. We experimented with ways to keep them shiny, but mostly we ended up with jars of wet, stinky rocks, which were eventually discarded. But wet or dry, these stones don't lose their luster.

Anyway, I want to make a set for myself. But would that be cheating -- to give a one-of-a-kind made-just-for-you gift and then copy it? I can't decide.

It is always interesting to see what people prefer. I happened to give these to Kashann when she was at my house for a jewelry party last week. The brown disks (left over from Kristie's necklace) seemed to be a group favorite. Angela gushed over the clear glass. And I love the blue set (as previously mentioned). Individual taste seems surprising and predictable all at the same time. It's like, it's hard to say ahead of time "that's exactly her style" (although I try to do just that), but when she says herself "that's exactly my style" I can say, "you're absolutely right."

So anyway, I hope I've captured Kashann's style here. Or close enough anyway. I loved this project because it went together so quickly (yay earrings!), but still looks so pretty.

Stephanie

2009-03-06T06:27:00.000-08:00

This set arrived in two installments. I gave Stephanie the necklace and earrings as a thank you gift several months ago, and then added the bracelet for her birthday just recently. Although I made them separately, I do like how it all goes together.

I think if I were to make the necklace today, I'd put the tassels at the end of chain (like I did on the bracelet) instead of on beaded headpins. It'd have more free movement that way.

I bought the blue & brown rectangle beads at Big Lots for next to nothing. There was a big closeout on Blue Moon art glass apparently, and I'm glad I stocked up when I did. These beads in particular have been a favorite -- I think each time I've hauled out my stash for jewelry parties, someone has snatched these up to make something pretty. I have friends and family all over the country wearing these beads. I love that.

Carol

2009-02-22T11:27:00.000-08:00

This angel is for Carol. I knew her birthday was coming up, but I couldn't come up with any ideas for her. Being a jewelry person, I usually notice what people wear, but I couldn't think of a single idea to capture Carol's style. Finally, I just asked her if she'd like to pick some beads out for me to make into something, and she told me she doesn't wear jewelry. Any. Ever. Her skin is too sensitive.

So I made her some jewelry for her Christmas tree. Or her wall. Or whatever.

This design is stolen from a pin my sister gave me for Christmas several years ago. My friend Melissa also makes amazing wire-wrapped angels. Like a fool, I didn't take the opportunity to have her teach me while we lived in the same state, so now I just drool over her stuff from 250 miles away. But I have been wanting to try my hand at wire wrapping for a while. Because I was not making this to be worn, I supersized it. I used ordinary craft wire, not a great choice because it is prone to kinking. But it is inexpensive, so good for learning and practicing. I'm not completely happy with the shape of the wings or the skirt, but it got to the point that the more I played with the strands, the more distorted they got. These techniques definitely require some more practice. I don't think I love it enough to put in the time, but it was fun to give it a try. And overall, I'm pretty pleased with the result.

Ebonnie

2009-02-22T11:24:00.000-08:00

This is another birthday gift, this time for my friend Ebonnie. I love looking at my bead stash with a particular person in mind. It's a creative challenge not just to make something pretty, but to come up with something that suits that individual's personal style. I've been wanting to make some kind of tangly, multistrand piece for a while, but this is the first to make it to completion. I'm pretty happy with it. As usual, Grace likes it too. Let's just hope Ebonnie does also.

It did take longer than I expected to knot the strands. I thought I'd be saving time by not having to string so many beads, but I was mistaken. By the end I got into the rhythm though, and I think I could churn out a second one much more quickly. Attaching the clasp also posed some challenges. In the end, I knotted the five strands together and then used one of the longer tails to sew the whole thing on to each side of the clasp. I then tried to conceal the knot by wrapping it in the cord. The connection is a little bulkier than I'd like it to be, but I'm OK with that.

Materials: The waxed cotton cord is from the craft section at Wal-Mart. The wooden beads are from a friend who was clearing out her stash (thank you very much, Amy!). The (fake) coral nuggets and metal disks are from a thrift store necklace I purchased for 75 cents just so I could tear it apart. The clasp is antiqued goldtone toggle clasp, which I got at super discount from a JoAnn store that was going out of business. All totaled, this project cost less than $1.50, and probably took me about three or four hours (with some fumbling at first).

For me

2009-02-06T10:16:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of things I love about this necklace, but I'm not yet sure it's in its final form. I love the contrast between the shiny glass and the fuzzy spheres. I love the liquid look of the seed beads. I like the length.

I'm not sure exactly what I don't like about it -- I guess it'd be nice if it were a little longer. To double it up I have to use a twister clasp because it's too short to loop twice around my head. (And because I'm too cheap to buy an actual twister clasp, I fake it with a piece of wire, which is a little awkward and uncomfortable.) But I guess the main thing is that I've worn this piece several times and haven't received a single compliment. When I asked Sweetie what he thought of it, instead of answering he asked, "Do you like it?"

I have also seen people notice it and say nothing, which is a little awkward. I'm honestly OK with the knowledge that it's not everybody's style. This is my style, and I like it. What pricks my vanity a bit is wondering if my style is bad style.

Stylish or not, this was easy on the pocketbook. The fuzzy blue beads were a clearance rack find -- $1.00 for the strand. The red glass beads are vintage hand-me-downs from my husband's grandmother*. I used pricey 49 strand beading wire, but even with that my total cost was probably around $2.00.

*This deserves more than a footnote, but who knows when I'll get back to mentioning this? When my husband's grandmother died, my husband's brother saved her stash of costume jewelry (much of it broken) from the junk heap. He had no idea what to do with any of it, but he couldn't let such pretty things be tossed. Lucky for me, at some point he heard about my bead obsession, and I became the happy recipient of the whole stash. Eventually, I will use the parts to make pieces for all of the daughters and grand daughters on my husband's side. I like the idea of them all having a part of grandma's jewelry box.

m girls

2009-02-06T09:33:00.000-08:00

This set was a gift for a dear friend Amber, who just gave birth to an adorable set of twins, Caitlyn and Madelyn. Because the girls are identical twins, I wanted to make some kind of name bracelets. I'm not a huge fan of names spelled out in alphabet beads -- I wanted something more delicate. I looked at engraving, but the options there were way out of my price range. So I settled for a dangling first initial. I really like the look, especially with the butterfly charm on Amber's bracelet. During her pregnancy, Amber mentioned a particular piece of artwork that portrayed a pregnant woman as a butterfly. The idea of transformation, of growing life really spoke to her. So I wanted to capture that imagery in her bracelet.

I actually looked all over for a suitable butterfly bead. I found a lot that wouldn't work, and finally resigned myself to go without the butterfly. But then in my very own scrap pile, I found a dainty butterfly earring. I was able to trim and bend the post into a loop, and what do you know? It was just right.

Materials: I used glass pearls, swarski bicones, and sterling silver beads. I used green and pink crystals on one baby bracelet, and brown and pink on the other. Amber's combines pink, green and brown crystals. For once, I didn't scavenge thrift stores and junk piles, so I spent a little more on these than I normally do. But I think the results were totally worth it.

Kalisa

2008-12-23T13:37:00.000-08:00

I don't have much to say about this set except that I like it. I'd had the blue glass beads in my stash for a while. I'd never thought of combining them with the turquoise before this experimentation, but I really like how it all turned out. I also like the packaging. The patterned card stock really makes it fun.

Amy

2008-12-22T06:40:00.000-08:00

Amy's got sort of a punky hippy style about her. She's also a high school teacher and a mom of four, so she doesn't have time to be all high-maintenance. My plan was to make her something teacherish, but every time I opened my bead box, this fish kept (figuratively) jumping out at me. I finally realized why; Amy is the quintessential fisher of men. She gathers souls for God.

I wanted the focal piece to look like a line of fish just pulled from the river, lures and bobbers and lines still attached. It's easily removable (for days when she doesn't feel like hefting a line full of dead fish), and the beaded necklace is substantial enough to stand on its own. I used a ribbon closure again, which I think works well here. (One trick I discovered with Kristie's necklace was knotting the ends of the ribbon and then closing crimp covers around the knots. That was much easier than threading beads onto the ribbon!)

The earrings are simple, but they really capture Amy's style. I think that's what I like most about them.

Party Lariat

2008-12-20T06:43:00.000-08:00

Kristie

2008-10-31T14:34:00.000-07:00

Grace cannot stand the idea of a picture being taken without her in it. So I only got in a few shots of this necklace before she jumped in to help. And I can't complain, cause with those big blue eyes, she makes everything look better.

This is actually one of my favorite custom pieces so far. I bought these stone disks from Fire Mountain Gems for next to nothing. (They were in the clearance section, and I needed just a few more items to get my order into the lower pricing category, so buying them actually saved me money.) From the time they arrived they seemed to whisper "Kristie." I was happy to discover she had a birthday coming up so I had a good excuse to listen to the beads. (Always listen to the beads!)

One of the things I like most about this is that I think I really captured Kristie's style. I often see her wearing this, and that makes me really glad.

This was the first time I tried a ribbon closure. I really like the look and the versatility, but after a few months of wear I've noticed the ribbon is looking a little tired. A sturdier cotton or grosgrain might work better. But on the other hand, this ribbon is just cheap by-the-spool stuff (50 cents for like a million feet), so I could replace the ribbon a bunch of times for less than the pricier by-the-yard stuff. Always that balancing act between durability and economy!

I can't take credit for this pink piece because Kristie made it at a jewelry party at my house a few months back. I love it though, and every time she wears it I'm jealous that I didn't think of making it myself. She used beads I'd had in my stash for ages but hadn't figured out how to use.

Abby

2008-10-31T10:10:00.000-07:00

I did a couple new things with this set. The earrings are made from from 3 inch headpins. I slid the beads into place and then shaped it into an ear wire. I like the streamlined look a lot, but it was hard to get two matching ear wires, with just the same curves and angles. (A jig would solve that problem, but I'm cheap. Have I mentioned that?)

This clasp caught my eye several months ago, and I'd been looking for a way to use it for some time. I like the way the loop is beaded and incorporated into the rest of the bracelet. I haven't tried this before (or since), so I'm not sure how well it will hold up to wear. But Abby says so far so good.

These turquoise beads were another clearance deal from Fire Mountain Gems. I'd say materials probably cost me about $2.00 for the set. Everything went together pretty quickly, except for the clasp, which took some finagling. I probably spent 2 or 3 hours all together.

Angela

2008-09-15T10:29:00.000-07:00

I like the look of this set -- kind of a retro modern combination, with the bulky pink orbs spaced between clear glass. I'm pleased with how it turned out. I especially like the adjustable clasp, with the alternating sections of oval links and round split rings. It's really sturdy, but pretty and functional too.

Britta & Brielle

2008-05-30T10:08:00.000-07:00

This was my first mommy-daughter bracelet set. I like how it turned out, but I don't think I'll make a lot like this in the future. I used mostly crystal beads and sterling silver components, both of which are kind of pricey. For a baby gift, I'm more willing to spend extra money for high quality components to make a piece that really lasts. Unfortunately, these didn't seem to wear well. I gave these to Britta spring-ish 2008, before Brielle was born. She loaned them back to me to photograph several months later (Feb 2009). By then, the sterling parts had tarnished and the crystals were somewhat scratched. I cleaned it up for the photo, but the luster on the non-sterling components (the chain on Britta's bracelet) still looks better.

Britta also mentioned that the sharp edges on the crystal had scratched Brielle when she was a newborn, so she didn't wear it much till she got a little older.

I couldn't find a suitably dainty chain for the closure on Brielle's bracelet, so I linked several jump rings together. I won't be doing that again. That process took way too much time, and the result is not as strong as a length of commercial chain. But, at least if it does break, Britta knows where to go to get it fixed.