What I've been up to lately

I'm really not getting better at regular posting lately, but in my own defense, things have been crazy busy... we got engaged, I'm finishing up my last class in my graphic design program (which happens to be character animation and is not my forte), and I was just in my first craft show! 

Being my first show, I had a lot to do other than making product (which I spent a lot of time on).  I ordered business cards, made tags for my merch, and made displays for my stuff (with Mark as the construction implementer).  It all got done, and looked great for the show!

My table display was made almost entirely from stuff we had at home.  Mark made display boards and a headband rack with wood from his shop and I covered them with fabric I already had.  I bought three cheap necklace holders at thrift stores for $1-2 apiece to hang other headbands on.  Everything else (fabric on the table, boxes, the actual tables, etc.) was stuff we had!  Oh yeah, and I made the KareWares bunting which is a bit hard to read in the photo.  I loved my booth.  It looked unique and really stood out in the room!

 I designed my business cards, printed through Vistaprint and they turned out great!

I made tags with photo paper I was never going to use (home printers can be such a pain), label tape my dad gave me, and a stamp with my logo, also from Vistaprint. 

The show went... well, ok.  The overall turnout was actually quite poor and there were other vendors who didn't sell anything.  I reached my goal of making back what the table space cost, plus some, so I felt somewhat satisfied (although business could have been better).  I think I could have done better in a more urban, well-advertised fair, but those do generally cost more to enter.  And what's with craft shows having mostly non-craft vendors?  Oh well, now I know and am prepared to enter another show when the time comes!  Again, thanks to Mark for building my stuff and keeping me company during the long day, and to friends and family for stopping by to say hello or pick up a craft!

Thrift store fabric score!

I generally shy away from bundles of fabric at the thrift store; they're bagged up with a bunch of different prints and colors and I usually only want one out of the lot.  So, I skip on buying the whole bag for just one fabric (even though they're still cheaper than the craft store... but with the bags you never know how much you're getting or in what condition).  However, when I was thrifting a few weeks back, I couldn't resist this $4 bag of awesome cloth!

(The gray, yellow, orange, and olive floral print was actually a separate purchase, but within the same day, so I threw it into the pictures.  Oh, and the spotty stuff on the right isn't my thing, but I'm holding onto it for the time-being to see if inspiration strikes.)

I opened up the bag when I got home, and much to my excitement, found nearly ten yards of uncut, perfect fabric, some still with the original labels!  The fabric was old, but beautiful and some had incredible texture! 

I started lining up the fabrics to see what would go together and came up with a few combinations for whatever I decide to sew.  I like the orange with both of the prints below (but may make the argyle print into some cute high-waisted shorts). 

 The green print and the purple go together nicely.

And because I love this one so much, I still need to include it in the post.  I did buy it separately, but it's so awesome I can't wait to plan sewing something from it.  I'm thinking some pants... or something!  

So yay for buying my first grab bag of cloth at the thrift store!  I consider this purchase a major success and have already started sewing with some of it.  I've even bought another bag with similar success since!  Can't wait to show some of the projects that come out of a few dollars!

A DIY Christmas: Framed floral art

Because money is tight and I like to give personal presents, I've recently started working on handmade Christmas gifts for friends and family, and this is one of the first items I've finished.  

I sewed the flowers with this technique  and secured them to the backing fabric.  (Since I haven't done much needle art, I don't know what the technical term for the cloth is.)  I got a nice chunk of the fabric at  thrift store in a craft bag with some small skeins of yarn for $3.  I cut the flower pot out of some leftover Halloween remnants and sewed it on.  Then I looked at the pattern for my cat wall hanging to help with some stitches for the stems and leaves.  The stems were a stem stitch and the leaves are detached chains.  Then I mounted the picture in a $2 frame from the thrift store.

I love how this project turned out!  It was simple to make and totally different from anything I've made before.  It was also a really fun project because I winged the whole thing and got to use my artistic eye to decide where stitches should go, rather then following a pattern, counting stitches, or measuring pieces.  I can't wait to give this to my friend for Christmas!

Thrift find: incomplete embroidered wall hanging

A few months back we were at Goodwill and I found an embroidery kit in a bag for $3.  I opened the package to find this incredibly gorgeous, nearly completed piece.  I was in love!  I'd been telling myself I wouldn't get more embroidered wall art because we have so many, but I had to buy this.

It sat for a little while, and then I got to work finishing it.  Really, all I needed to do was the basket of flowers, the lines on the floor and wall, and a few other tiny details.  The small bit I did do took me quite a bit of time; I needed to learn stitches and get them looking like they fit in with the rest of the work. You can see some wrinkles from the embroidery hoop that the fabric likely sat in for years, but I haven't figured out how to get rid of them out.

The detail and attention put into the piece by whoever started it is just beautiful.  I wonder what happened to prevent them from finishing.  The copyright on the package was from the 70s, but because the original price tag said $25, I figure it wasn't purchased that long ago BUT since the tag was also from a craft store/ greenhouse that I used to work at that closed nearly ten years ago, it's not too recent.  Anyways, I'm so glad I found this and was able to finish it.   I found a frame at the thrift store for $2 that fit perfectly.

I love the cat on the afghan.  I'd love an identical, full size one like that to curl up with.  I mean, the blanket, not the cat... we have enough felines in our home for now.

I think the cats like the piece too.  I hung it above the bookshelf in our dining room.  Five dollars well spent!

Changeable scenery terrarium pendant

A few months back I saw some great terrarium necklaces on Etsy and Pinterest, and decided to make my own.

I looked all over online for pendants that would work for this project and wound up buying a set of two shadow box pendants from HHHdesigns for around $11. They're copper and big enough to make some cute little scenes inside.  They're a little bigger than a typical pendant, but despite that, it was still a challenge to find small enough figures to put inside.  I had a little owl that I thought would be perfect, but, like, one claw on his tiny foot stuck out too far to fit. 

Initially, I put Velcro in the back and bottom of the box and on the felt I used for the scenes, with the thought that it would make it easier to change scenes out.  Unfortunately it was too bulky.  I ditched that and sewed the felt into little L shapes, connecting the back and bottom pieces so they'd sit in the box without any support or adhesive.

First I made this little duck scene (although I did redo it before this picture, after the Velcro idea failed).  The ceramic duck was $1 at the Mall of Saint Paul.  The water is felt and beads, sky- felt, cloud-batting, sun- felt, and the reeds are felt and sticks from the end of incense.  All I bought for these scenes were the animals, the rest was from around the house with felt as the main medium. 

I got this glass cat at a bead store for $1.50.  I used some rhinestone beads for stars and felt for the rest.  The great thing about the cat bead is that it has a hole. I used wire to attach it to the felt.   

Now, this elephant is probably my favorite and cost a little more ($5 at the Mall of Saint Paul), but I love it.  It's pewter and pretty heavy.  I put felt hills behind it and a bead for a setting sun.

And last is this cute little ceramic bluebird from an antique store for $1.  I used twigs from the yard and star beads.  This is the only one that doesn't have a felt base at the bottom of the box, but the twigs fit snugly and hold it all in place. 

I think this pendant is going to be great to switch up and wear, especially to work for the kids in my class!  I  want to find a chain or cord that matches better than my typical silver chain.

Honestly, when I first took on the project, I thought it would be something I could duplicate and sell on Etsy, but it took so long to find the tiny animals for my own necklace, that it would be a pretty time-consuming.  I'm happy with this being a personal project that maybe other people can try out and have fun with!  I'd love to see other ideas and results, so please post anything that you make!

Craft room organization

After the walls were painted and the furniture was moved in, it was time for me to organize my supplies.  Once again, I opted to use things I already had to make the space my own.  I mean, our own.

I sorted through my supplies and made sure everything had some sort of space or organization.  Well, I tried at least.  Thread, needles, pins, etc. went in the antique sewing box my grandma gave me.  Felt into a $5 sewing basket from Goodwill, complete with vintage fabric lining and built-in pincushions.  Yarn in the basket my aunt made. I tied together a stack of fabric scraps.

Since I'd already filled up my table space, I stacked up boxes and baskets between my desks and garbage can.  The gray travel case was another heirloom from my grandma.  It's filled with odds and ends, like old jewelry I plan on cutting up.  The bottom box is beads and wire.  

I used an old plastic crate as a tabletop shelf for craft books, sketch pads, and canvases.

After moving from my apartment, I hung onto a Hello Kitty toothbrush holder that's perfect for scissors and crochet hooks.  Colored pencils in a jar from Toby Keith's I Love This Bar (don't ask... it was a truly painful experience).  I got that adorable little crayon box at the thrift store for $2.

So, there's my initial organization of the craft room!  There's sure to be more as I find more things that belong in the room and I've already decided on a few things to change.  How do you organize your crafts?  Are there any things you struggle with finding a good space for?

Thrift find: owl wall hanging

Last weekend we went to the social event of the town: an antique car show.  After our brief venture and a beer, we went into an antique shop that had stayed open late for the evening.  I haven't spent much time in the many shops downtown yet, despite them being a few blocks away.  I guess I miss my favorite thrifting spot in my old neighborhood. 

Anyways, we stopped at this new place and saw the best picture ever.  Owls, tree silhouette, olive green.  I'm so glad we snagged it because it's just perfect.

My favorite owl is the top one- he looks like my Dexter:

Eh, eh?  See the resemblance?  Big, spazzy eyes and pointy ears.  Anyways, I love this piece and seeing it on our wall.  Looks like I'll have to give these new antique shops a chance, even if they're not the one I used to frequent and love.  I can still go back and visit... just not every week.

Etsy Weekly Wants #1: Yellow brooches

I've been looking to start a new weekly piece.  I read a lot of bloggers that do their day-of-the-week favs, so I'm going to try out something along those lines.  Since I have an Etsy Favorites list that goes on for pages, I figured that's a great place to start.  Plus, I can sort through at the same time and remove things that have sold.  

This week I'm starting with brooches.  Yellow brooches, to be specific.  I used to wear a lot of pins, but lately I've barely been accessorizing.  I think some of these would be perfect to wear with a summery dress over the next few months, or with a sweater come winter.

I love this acrylic yellow submarine from indomina. 

This embroidered avocado from HarpandThistle.  I love the depth shown with the pit and the fruit. 

A Minnesota pin from a vintage puzzle piece by IvyEvaine.  Fun!  I just wish you could read "St. Paul" completely.  ;)

Miniature teapot and accessories by asiskooo.  Tiny things are always great.  Always.

And this cute felt kitty by mochikaka:

I'm considering buying one of these with some PayPal credit I have in my account, but I just need to decide which.  And if you want to check out my Etsy store for some of my stuff!

Road trip 2012, part 2: Boulder, CO

After our night in the Badlands, we drove to Boulder, CO for a night in the mountains.  I had a few dear friends move there back in college, so I'd visited once, but not recently or long enough to know much about the town.  So, we explored, saw a few friends, and ate some delicious food.

First night in town, we walked up the creek to the downtown area for some dinner.  There were mushrooms!  Something severely lacking in out Badlands adventure.  I could not live somewhere without fungi. 

And yarn-bombing!  An entire tree!  It wasn't completely secured on the tree, but enough to make me smile when I saw it on the path. 

And then dinner at the Boulder Cafe- oysters followed up by shrimp enchilladas and trout with jalapeno corn cakes.  Yes, lots of seafood.  That seemed to be the theme of the trip- long days on the road with very few healthy pescaterian roadside options followed up by delicious, decadent fish and vegetarian dishes.

Then, one of my friends who used to live in Boulder came and met up with us for a little help navigating the bar scene in town.  It was so fun, and despite the time that has passed since we last saw each other, it was like we still eat lunch together in the student union every Tuesday.

The next morning we went discing with a view of the mountains.

Then we hiked in the mountains for a bit. 

After our day of hiking and further exploring of Boulder we went south to visit another friend.  We wound up back in Boulder for a lovely sushi dinner where I discovered a new favorite drink-an IZZE Hound: a twist on a greyhound with IZZE rather than regular grapefruit juice! Unfortunately, in the excitement of the evening, my camera went to the wayside, but it was a great night nonetheless!

More about the next leg of trip very soon!

The cutest darn terrarium I've ever seen.

I thrifted a cute little mushroom terrarium a few back and got around to planting it today. I had to find a tiny plant to go inside (I opted for a fern) and crawled around the yard looking for little pebbles and moss- pebbles for drainage space in the bottom and moss because I love moss.


I had this tiny deer that was my grandma's and it fit perfectly.


I found a rock with moss...






...and I dug some other tiny pieces of moss out to cover the rest of the exposed dirt.


I love my new terrarium and can't wait to see it steam up in the sun.