Cross My Hooks

Just an Update...

2011-09-13T21:30:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately, I will not be blogging from Cross My Hooks anymore.

I have moved to a new (bigger & better!) blog.

This blog is about life, art, & decor. It's a lifestyle blog that Cross My Hooks really wasn't.

This new blog follows my post grad life, my new creative endeavors, & just plain cool stuff.

If you are interested in popping by please do!

Also, don't forget to stop by With Love Crochet

Hope to see you around!

2011-07-12T16:16:00.002-04:00

Wow, I've really been slacking lately.

source

I have been doing nothing related to artsy or fartsy-ness....it is a shame.

Here are some updates:

I am no longer a nomad as I've finally gotten a permanent address & am currently setting up life in a new little town house.
I've signed up for a pottery class that starts in the fall & am super excited.
I have some new artsy fartsy books to show you coming soon.
I've sucessfully hauled 50% of my stuff from my parents house to the new house.
I've created my best friend's engagement party invitations.(basic old Word Document/stock clip art invitations!)

I need to take these to Office Max to have them printed!

Phew, this past weekend has been a blur. We won't have internet for a little while since we just moved...so expect some posts from the Starbucks down the street.

Otherwise, I am so excited to get back into blogging! Hooray!

What have you been up to? Have you been slacking on anything lately?

Ps. have you checked out the new est1839 blog? its so fabulous!

Make it Mondays: Painted Porcelain

2011-07-04T09:35:00.001-04:00

I need to break out my porcelain pens!

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I need to go back to the paint your own pottery place and make something like this!

source

I signed up for a pottery class that starts on Monday nights in the Fall.

I can't wait to start making things again!

Sum Up Sundays: Sunday Inspiration

2011-07-03T09:26:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow I am spending time with my family for the 4th of July. I had to work this whole weekend so I am excited to head out tomorrow to meet my family!

source

The things I am looking forward to? laying in the lake, getting a tan, going on a boat ride, good food & fireworks!

Happy Fourth!

Fan Fridays: New Blog Endeavor

2011-07-01T09:38:00.000-04:00

Have I mentioned...my new blog endeavor with a few friends of mine.

est. 1839 blog

My friends Megan (from Freckled Italian), Amy, & Jenni have started a blog about fashion in VA.

It will be a little place to showcase inspiration, deals, DIY's, & our own fashion sense

The goal is to explore what we like, share it, & develop.

We all met at Longwood University which was founded in 1839

I really hope you'll pop by!

Guess What I Made

2011-06-29T10:52:00.000-04:00

I've seen these floating around here & there and I thought I might should make one. It's a sort of home page if you will. A home page for myself. Since I have an online shop, blogs, & am working on a collaborative blog soon, I thought it would be a good thing to use for advertising.

So instead of sharing a Cross My Hooks button, it would be a Moe Howard button. Instead of linking directly to one of my sites...you would be directed there where you could choose to go on & visit my artist website, blog, & shop.

Here is a screen shot but you can view it by clicking here

Let me know how it looks on your web browser.

Do you think that this is a good idea? Are landing pages or home pages a good idea? Do you have one? Does it work?

ps. I think I need to clear some things of my dock, don't you?

Fan Fridays: Arty Art Art

2011-06-23T14:46:00.000-04:00

So I went to Big Lots today to kill some time & while walking around I saw some really awesome & cheap canvas'! I got 3 11x14 ones & 3 12x12 square ones. I've talked before about adding some more art to the shop so when I saw those canvas I knew they were a poor girls dream. They are actually quite nice. The staples holding the canvas are on the back & not the sides. I believe they are already gessoed, so that's a plus too!

I think I may head back & grab some more. You can't beat the prices...really

Once I got some nice really cheap canvas' from Jerry's Artarama. I believe a lot of them were a dollar. They were huge!! I was so excited!!

Anyway, I thought I would share some of my recent Pinterest pins under art as well as some lovely art from Victoria Hughes of the Be One of a Kind blog. She recently opened up a shop called Painted Blooms & let me tell you I am in love!

Free Flow by Victoria Hughes

Available here

source source source source

source source

I love the delicate white marks in the doily image...can you believe that its a stamp!?!?! I can't wait to get back into adding things to the shop. A few more weeks & I'll be able to create whatever I want!

Hello Monday: Anonymous

2011-06-20T13:52:00.000-04:00

source

One time, durring college, I went to Philadelphia for a ceramics conference. It was so great. I would love to one day move to a big city & be totally anonymous.

I don't think I am that sociable though. I like to know at least one person! Perhaps when a relationship comes a long I can go & have another life :)

Do you like the big city?

Do you have dreams of moving somewhere no one knows your name?

Make it Monday: Sun Prints

2011-06-20T10:02:00.000-04:00

I really love sun prints. I love the way they looks so ethereal. I also love the whole blue & white contrast.

here* here here here here

* the link was to a private blog from pinterest :(

I remembered an old trick I believe I did in grade school to make a fake sun print using construction paper.

for this faux sun print you will need:
- construction paper (darker colors work best)
- piece of glass (I got mine from a $tree frame!)
- objects (leaves, doilies, string, etc)
- a sunny day

place your construction paper on a table or your back patio & arrange your objects. Place the glass over it & wait 5 (or so) hours. Remove glass & your objects...you should have a really great sun print!

frame (with your $store frames) & enjoy!

Fan Fridays: Artistic Tattoos

2011-06-17T11:54:00.000-04:00

I've always love tattoos...ones that are interesting & tasteful. Everyone has their own opinions on tattoos & their own styles. I know I've seen tattoos I love but know I could never pull off.

In addition to the one I already have I want to get an artistic one. One day while in the ceramics studio some really wet slip fell off of what ever the heck I was working on & onto my bare foot. There were four or five perfectly terra cotta splatters on my right foot. I fell in love! (I didn't take a shower for a day because i loved them so much!)

This inspired me to find out more about splatter paint tattoos. I found this amazing artist who blurs the line between body art & fine art with her paint spatter tattoos.

artist website www.amandawachobtattoo.com/

This artist is Amanda Wachob. She also does works on canvas & other works on the body. These works use the human body as a canvas & aren't merely for decoration. Visit her website/portfolio here

Like anything sort of surface decoration, tattoos (for the most part) aren't done for mere pretty-ness. Often they are well thought out concepts or images with meaning. Often they say something about the wearer. I relate these back to art: if we mark on a canvas, or on a pot, or on our bodies we are marking with intent. We are carefully considering what we are creating. The things we create are reflections of ourselves.

So anyway, on this Fan Friday I wanted to share with you some awesome tattoos & relate it back to the conventional views of art. Because all through art school, everyone always wanted to know why 'because I wanted to..' wasn't a sufficient answer.

What do you consider when getting another tattoo? Do the principles of design influence you? Do you have an artistic tattoo or even a fave tattoo artist?

College Graduation Ceremony Tips

2011-06-16T14:54:00.001-04:00

An awesome guest post on Graduation..woo hoo!

Hi there! This is Brooke from Go Grad Girl and I’m super excited to be guest posting for Moe here at Cross My Hooks! I just graduated from college this past Sunday (woot!) and wanted to take this opportunity to share with you some tips/advice for getting through the commencement ceremony without a hitch. Here we go:

Wear flats instead of heels

Your feet will absolutely KILL if you don’t!

Or at least if you really want to wear heels, make sure you wear a pair of pantyhose socks with them in order to protect your feet from getting blistered (big mistake on my part by not doing this)

Clip your cap to your hair if your cap is too big for your head

My cap kept falling off my head and it was really annoying

Wear sunscreen

I put a small amount of SPF 70 on my face and still got a little sunburnt

Bring water

It was pretty hot during my ceremony and I was thankful the school gave us water during line-up

Scope out the location beforehand

So your family can sit as close to you as possible and get good pictures of you walking

Go to commencement rehearsal

This one’s important. Don’t assume you can just show up and figure things out when you get there because that’s very risky.

You don’t want to look like a chicken running around with your head cut off on your big day

I hope you find these tips helpful!

Thanks Brooke! Those tips were so awesome! I didn't bring water & I was dying!!

What were your go-grad essentials?

Who What When-sday: It's been a while

2011-06-15T16:33:00.000-04:00

So it's been a while since I posted a Who, What, When-sday but I am trying to get back into the swing of things. I've been uber busy with work & trying to find another job that I just haven't felt like I've had anything to share with you at all!

I am trying to gear this blog more towards art & less life and since I've had nothing to create with for the past months it's been hard to share anything that I've made with my hands. Hopefully I will be able to get around that soon.

Here are some things you may not know about me:

- I've lived in the same house my whole life -- I never moved as a kid. All my friends would move away & new ones would come along, but my parent's have had the same house for the past 23+ years

- I've never broken a bone -- I've been present when my sister broke her arm but I have never broken a bone, ever.

- I always wanted braces -- My ex-boyfriend used to have braces when we were in middle school & I thought they were the cutest. All my cousins had braces & a few of my friends did. I thought they were super cool!

- I used to get my nails done every two weeks when I was in high school -- I worked a part time job that allowed me to do this. I feel like such a prissy priss saying this!

- I love making & wearing friendship bracelets -- It just isn't summer with out a few on my wrists. Am I too old for them??

What have you been up to?

ps. I am going to try to make some prints coming up here shortly!!

A is for Ampersand - How to Style a $2 Dress

2011-06-13T10:57:00.000-04:00

Hey there all you Cross My Hooks lovelies. I'm Amy from A is for Ampersand, and I am excited to be sponsoring Moe's blog this month.

Thrifting is a huge passion of mine. I go thrifting a couple times a week and am always on the hunt for new thrift/consignment/vintage stores in my area. I love thrifting for two reasons: I can find completely one-of-a-kind clothing, and I can get high-quality staples for my wardrobe at a fraction of retail cost. Plus let's be real--nothing feels better than finding the perfect vintage dress that's the perfect size at the perfect price. I'm a little bit addicted.

While vintage can be expensive, you can definitely find some good deals if you search long and hard enough. Today I'm going to show you just how far a $2 vintage dress can get you and your wardrobe.

I found this little dress a couple months ago for $2. Yes $2! You better believe I gasped out loud when I found it in the store, and you also better believe people looked at me like I was crazy. I knew I needed some new pieces for summer, so I thought I'd see just how far this $2 dress could get me.

Look 1 is an outfit I put together for a day at the office. The trick with wearing vintage is to incorporate modern pieces, so I paired this with some colored tights and my Blowfish Garren wedges.

Look 2 is pretty much my favorite trick in the book--make a dress into a shirt! Oh, the possibilities! I do this with a lot of my dresses, and it definitely beats the wardrobe blues when you're feeling tired of everything.

And finally look 3--my personal favorite. This dress is light and airy and perfect for the beach or going to the farmer's market. It takes about 2 seconds to style and is a dream to wear.

Believe it or not, I found this dress in the hosuecoats section. I think my biggest tip for thrifters would be to never look past anything! A lot of times things are placed in the wrong sections at thrift stores or abandoned in weird spots. With a little extra effort and an eye for potential, you can find so many incredible pieces that will stretch your wardrobe all the way through summer!

Are you a fan of thrifting? How do you like to incorporate vintage into your outfits?

Sponsor Intro Post - Meet the Small Ads!

2011-06-10T21:17:00.001-04:00

---alright, the time has come to introduce the small ads for the month of June!--

Howdy Cross My Hooks readers! I'm Sara and I run a little blog called Prairie Hen. I love my baby girl, being a mommy and knitting. I like thrifting and posting my real life outfits. I dislike strangers- so lets be friends! Stop by and say hi. Get to know a little about me and tell me a little about you. We'll be the best of friends.

♥

ps- use code CROSSMYHENS to receive 10% off my etsy shop!

blog | twitter | etsy

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Hia lovelies! My name is Steff! I come from Germany and I am a graphic designer based in London.

I love travelling, going to restaurants, watching shows and my biggest hobby is being creative! My blog is all about stuff I have made: from paintings to mosaics, from graphics to photography and all about my life and recommendations of recipes and restaurants for example.

I am very into fashion, make up and hairstyles as well. ;)

Have fun reading my blog!

If you like to share your creativity with me just post me on blogger or get in contact with me on facebook or twitter. I am looking forward to hearing from you! :)

xxx

Steff

Me and the mosaic I made the other day.

A painting of mine ;)

Some graphics I did for fun!

In a zoo in Germany. Photos are one of my biggest passions!

I take my camera almost everywhere!

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Hi there! My name’s Brooke and I’m a 21-year-old college graduate (as of the 12^th of this month!) from metro Detroit, currently stationed in Columbus, Ohio (my college town; Go Bucks!).

My blog, Go Grad Girl, documents my transition from college to the real world and everything that that entails, from dating and meeting new people to finding a big girl job and figuring out which part of the country I want to live in next.

I blog about the goings-on in my life, societal issues that affect young women, things that inspire me, etc. And I’m currently working on incorporating a number a couple of series/features into the mix including What I Wore Wednesdays and Things I like Thursdays.

As a new blogger, fully equipped with my first non-digital camera (the Dian Mini F+) and a passion for enjoying and sharing the simple things in life, I’m super excited to be part of the blogging community and look forward to connecting with and getting to know other bloggers.

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Sponsor Intro - Amy from A is for Ampersand!

2011-06-10T11:23:00.000-04:00

Hey there, all you lovely Cross My Hooks readers! I'm Amy from A is for Ampersand, and I'm very excited to be sponsoring Moe's lovely blog this month and getting to know all of you.
I'm a cat-loving, sewing wannabe from boring old Utah, but I can pretty much sum myself up with life's three important delights: sewing, thrifting, and cats. A is for Ampersand combines all of these three things with some other lovely things along the way to make for one little corner of the interwebz that I like to call home.

I run a couple of features on my blog, including $2 Thrifty Thursdays where I challenge myself and readers to thrift their hearts out and find a treasure for under $2-$5. It's amazing what you can find! And if you have a killer thrifting find, send it on over! I'd love to feature you!

I'm a small-time graphic designer with a love for all things funky, so I also design free blog clipart (usually) on weekly basis for everyone to download and enjoy to their blog design heart's content! I've got free tape strips, starbursts, and all kinds of crazy stuff that you can download here.

And lastly, I'm about to open a brand spanking new Etsy shop that I'm wildly excited about called The Monocled Lop! It will be opening this July, and I couldn't be more excited about it.

If you're in the mood for some vintage/thrifty/cat lady/sewing loving, then come on over and visit! I promise it'll be a good time. :)
Nice to meet all of you, and I'll talk to you soon!

-----Awesome! Isn't Amy great? Check back later tonight for the small ad intros!----

Fan Fridays: Line Drawings + UPDATE

2011-06-09T11:48:00.003-04:00

Well now, I have not been around lately & I deeply apologize. Being a big kid is hard! I can hardly find time to blog & I think I may need an assistant!

I've been job hunting more & have been doodling away. Here are some print, pattern, & line inspiration for this friday:

here here here

I really like the colorful patterned one on the right.

Thats been a huge inspiration!

Here's what I've been doodling

-- I went away from the 'prompt a day' idea because I had so many others! --

I got a bit carried away with the 30 Day Drawing Challenge list

& drew it all over a few days!

I am in the process of going over it with pen to make it darker.

Can't wait to frame it!

This one I am super proud of. I think I am going to be doing

a lot more of these types of doodles durring the month.

Flash is the only way I could get these to show up well.

We don't have much light in our living room

...which is good for relaxing..but not so good for photographs

What have you been up to?

I've been slacking but I have good news

2011-06-08T15:55:00.001-04:00

Alright, so don't hate me. You have loads to hate me for - not blogging, not tweeting, not doing much of anything but work, work, work - but you have loads to love me for - move in date is approaching, I can finally make stuff, soon I will have time for you, my room mate got engaged - you know all that jazz.

"Wait, what?" you say. Well now...the lovely lady behind these:

images from kbratcher.com

This lovely lady here is marrying this lovely man.

The best part is....he is moving in with us...so I still get to live with my bffl -best friend for life- like I've been trying to for ages!

Also, I am the maid of honor! I can't wait for the artsy fartsy wedding the two are going to have.

Anyway, how have you been?

I will have a doodle update for you soon too. Because, believe me, I've been a doodling.

Hello Monday

2011-05-30T11:28:00.000-04:00

source

I mean, I would :)

Happy Monday!

Make It Monday: DIY Camera Bag

2011-05-30T11:04:00.000-04:00

I haven't shared this with you until now but.......my dad gave me one of his old DSLRs!! How awesome!

I've been eyeing one of my own for quite a while (you may have even seen my 20 before 24 post where I wanted to save for one) & I am so glad that he gave me his old one! I've also been eyeing making my own camera bag. This is a great tutorial from Andrea from Blue. Lace. House

The purse she got from Ross & the rest of the fabric + supplies were super affordable! I feel her on wanting a cute camera bag that fits camera + essentials! I can't wait to try this out!

Sum Up Sundays: Wow I've been Busy!

2011-05-29T21:09:00.000-04:00

Hello!! Oh Emm Gee, guys, I've been super dooper busy!!
As you know I've moved to a new little place which is a blast - but - I've been working two jobs which keeps me insanely busy/tired. Also, you know that all of my 'let's make things' supplies are at my parents house :( :( :(

So, I've decided that I am going to start a 30 day drawing challenge called Doodle a Day starting on June 1st. Hopefully I'll have some really awesome drawings to show off in my new-new pad. Once I move again in July, I hoping to be settled finally.

Each day there will be a word for inspiration. If you'd like to participate, below is a button & on each Sunday there will be a link party for you to link up your drawings! I will post mine throughout the week.

The goal of this is to give me some inspiration to not lose track of where I'd like this blog to go...which is to include some art!

So check back on June 1 to see the prompts for the week! hoooray!

What have you been up to lately? Have you been busy?

Arty Crafty Vid from Free People + some words

2011-05-26T11:49:00.000-04:00

Hello there! I hope you've been doing well as I haven't really been able to keep up with all of you because I've been working!! Oh no, I'm a big kid now :)

I have been working for the past week & since it is 8 hour days I haven't found time to blog. Hopefully things will settle themselves out. I haven't created because all of my things are still packed up & away for right now. I will still be posting some awesome inspiration though. Look forward to a new blog project starting in June so I can at least have something helpful & creative to update you all with.

For right now I wanted to show you a really neat arty/crafty video I found on Free People's youtube channel. It's about creating prints for fabric. I really love the process that goes behind this in the video & its really cool to see it all in action. They can take art & turn it into beautiful prints!

enjoy :)

Happy Thursday as well.

What have you been up to?

Hello Monday: Remember to Smile

2011-05-23T10:21:00.000-04:00

Ever wake up on the wrong side of the bed?

I can't really say that I have.

I've woken up & not wanted to get out of bed..but this is the best way to think about starting your day:

source

So, I'd say, choose to smile!

Make it Monday: more Prints-piration

2011-05-23T10:07:00.001-04:00

I really want to try to print on fabric. It seems so fun to be able to sew your art into something else. Make your own fabric to sew up a cute dress or bag or print on a small size to sew into a pouch or quilt. Take a hint from these cool crafters & artists and print on everything:

here here here here

Perhaps this will go with next weeks Make it Monday...hmmmmm. Enjoy your week!

PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!

Fan Fridays: Identity Theft

2011-05-20T12:08:00.000-04:00

I've been loving a lot of woodgrain right now, much like so many others. It is so in right now & I think you can do so much with it. I love the woodgrain contact paper to give a spice up to somethings. I am even thinking about how to use it in crochet, art, & other craftyness. Is it me or.....

here here here here here here

I see some identity theft going on here.

I hope it's not just me!

Happy Weekend!

PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!

New Sponsorship Rates for June

2011-05-19T11:09:00.000-04:00

Hello there, I've got some cool news

Because I am going to be lacking in the creative posts, I thought I'd change around my sponsorship rates since I love meeting & showing off cool bloggers. To pay it forward, I thought I'd offer some Ad Spaces --

For Free!

How cool is that? I am offering 2 large ad spaces (160 x 160) & 3 small ad spaces (160 x 80) for the month of June. Each ad space is free - all Cross My Hooks would like in return is a guest post or giveaway.

Large Ad Spaces include the option to do

a guest post + giveaway or just a solo giveaway.

Cross My Hooks readers love awesome stuff from

awesome bloggers/etsians/all around creative people!

Includes solo intro post with in the first two weeks of the month.

Small Ad Spaces include participating in a guest post.

Cross My Hooks readers love inspiration in all forms:

DIY's, fave artists, inspiration board, quotes, etc.

Includes group intro post with in the first two weeks of the month

Button Swap Option:

I am also offering an option for button swapping!

If you just think Cross My Hooks & your blog should be bloggy friends,

feel free to add my button to your side bar or blog love page.

If you let me know you have added it,

I will totally add yours to my blog love page!

I love finding new blogs & I often check out other bloggers' blog love pages

for some bloggy inspiration!

Does this all sound rad? I am so excited to be offering sponsorships again & loving to pay it forward!

interested?

email me here crossxmyxhooks@gmail.com

PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!