Pro-craft-inate

Time for a change...

2013-02-07T21:52:00.000-08:00

Since it's been more than a year since my last blog post here, I don't think it will come as any surprise that I am retiring this blog. I have still been crafting but I've also been working, moving and having a baby. Now that we're settled back in our home town, I'm keen to get back to blogging.

I've also decided to retire my other blog, The Happy Ranter. Rather than concentrating each blog on only one aspect of my world, I'm going to combine the two. The hope is that having a new, cohesive space will make it easier for me to maintain and update.

There will be an emphasis on the crafty side of things but there will also be more posts about daily life and other things that I become involved with.

At some point I will begin moving all of the posts from this blog to the new one but this space will remain up until I have done so. I hope you'll come join me over at my new online home: Telltale Thread!

Carolyn

Swap one - finished!

2011-11-13T19:22:00.000-08:00

I finished up my fabric for the hand printed fabric swap (organized by Leslie at Mase & Vale). I've never actually printed fabric before so this was a bit different for me. I went with the carve a stamp, dip in fabric paint and stamp on fabric route and it came out pretty well. At least I think it did. Here's hoping my swap partners feel the same!

To start, I had to carve some stamps:

Then I had to print the fabric:

Then I had to let it all dry:

As you can see, I did two bird designs. One I just free-handed and the other is based on an old-school swallow tattoo. I actually used a vibrant red to print some of the fat quarters as well but didn't get a picture of that.

Tomorrow these will be 'winging' (couldn't resist) their way to four separate swap partners. I hope they like what I've done and I hope they each find some good use for the fabric. Needless to say, I can't wait to see what I'll be receiving!

For my next trick:

I'm also part of an ornament swap, so I've got to get working on that. I've still got about 2 weeks to figure out what I'm going to do, make it and send it off. I'm having issues deciding on a medium. Any suggestions?

P.S. Five more days til Desert Bus!

And there it is again!

2011-11-09T09:40:00.000-08:00

Can you spot my Space Invaders cushion? Look at all that crafty goodness! It all starts on November 18th and the donations are already almost at $6000. Mark your calendars and be sure to check out Desert Bus!

On the agenda...

2011-11-06T18:42:00.000-08:00

...I have to finish up my printed fat quarters for the Hand Printed Fabric swap. Fortunately, I have a three day weekend coming up and will be able to have those done and ready to post.

I also have a Christmas ornament swap to do by the end of the month. I have a few ideas floating around in my brain for that one, although I'm still trying to decide between shrink film, felt or paper. Maybe a combo of all three?

I need to come up with a foolproof way of organizing all of my craft-related ideas. At the moment, I have things jotted down in various journals/notebooks, notes in my phone, and numerous post-it notes. There's got to be a better way! I'm thinking I might make my own 'craft central' journal. If I get around to that, I'll be sure to post pictures.

In other news, The Boy spotted my Space Invaders cushions twice in the Daily Diary video on the Desert Bus for Hope site. You can check it out, too - just click the link to the site, hit play on the video and keep your eyes peeled. It first shows up around minute 2:21 and a few seconds after that as well in close up!

An update and a finished piece!

2011-10-23T16:37:00.000-07:00

I have quite decidedly fallen off the Blogtoberfest wagon but at least I'm willing to jump back on. Even better, I finally finished my cross stitch for the Desert Bus for Hope. It's been sent in the mail and I've confirmed it has been received by the good peeps in charge of the whole show. And now for the great reveal.......

TA DA!

I decided to make a cushion, rather than framing the fabric. I figured that would make mailing easier but would also make this a more functional piece. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out and The Boy has requested that I make one for our place. I'm still a little cross eyed from the late night stitching but I'm sure I'll get back in a cross stitch groove again some time soon.

Fun details of this project - the Score <1> numbers are the date that Desert Bus starts this year (18 November), the Hi-Score is the amount the crew raised last year and those white letters and numbers on the invaders? Those are stitched with DMC glow in the dark thread. I wish I had a picture of how cool that looks but alas, you'll have to use your imagination.

If you're interested in being the lucky owner of this one of kind cushion, be sure to check out Desert Bus on the 18th of November. I'm not sure if they'll be using this for a give away or as part of one of the auctions but either way, you'll have to be in it to win it.

It's the Canadian way...

2011-10-11T18:35:00.000-07:00

...to say sorry so....Sorry! I'm being the world's worst craft blogger at the moment as I try to a) wrap my head around training at a new job and b) finish my cross stitch for Desert Bus for Hope. In the meantime, here's an echidna:

Photo by me!

Still stitching...

2011-10-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

That is all. I'm working like a demon to get this piece finished and then I'll be back with better updates.

On a side note, I finally found a couple more balls of wool that I've been needing to finish the granny square afghan I started, oh, LAST YEAR. At least it's good weather here for cuddling up on the couch with a hook and some wool.

A small break...

2011-10-07T11:04:00.000-07:00

from the cross stitch to tell you that I've signed up for the Handprinted Fabric Swap being hosted by the lovely Leslie of {onegirl}.

I've got a few ideas floating around my head for the design I plan to do. I'm not sure yet if I'll stick to one design or work on a couple. Each participant will be sending out a fat quarters to four different people so the quarters could each be unique or cut from the same length of fabric. Choices, choices!

If anyone is interested in participating (even if you've never printed on fabric - I haven't), then go here for all the details. Sign up is until the 21st of October. Leslie has also provided a list of resources she has found that will help you get started and learn a bit about printing on fabric.

Gotta bust out my sketchbook and work on some designs!

Oops!

2011-10-05T16:42:00.000-07:00

Missed a day of posting but I was being very productive so that counts, right? I finished my pattern for my Desert Bus for Hope project and got started on the stitching last night. I'm going to work a little more on it this afternoon, so to make up for my missing post I'll update again with a photo of my progress this evening.

All for a good cause...

2011-10-03T21:38:00.000-07:00

There are a group of lovely people in Victoria, B.C. who do an insane thing every year - they drive a bus (well, the video game version) for hours on end. While they're 'driving' the bus and generally being hilarious as they stream live video over the interwebs, they also raise money for Child's Play. Child's Play is a charitable organization that raises money to buy books, toys and games for sick kids in hospitals across North America. Click the link and check out their website for more info.

The guys and gals in Victoria have been running Desert Bus for Hope since 2007. That first year they raised $22,805 which is an awesome amount. Last year? That number was $209,400. How amazing is that? This money is raised in various ways - people can offer to donate a sum of money and submit a 'challenge' to the team, or a member of the team, straight donations are accepted, and silent and live auctions are held.

This year I am whipping up a little something special to donate for one of the auctions. I don't want to say what it is in detail but here's a little hint:

Because the people involved in Desert Bus for Hope are mostly gamers and self-confessed nerds/geeks, most (if not all) of the items up for grabs in the auctions are gaming/geekery related. Last year there were some truly amazing pieces up for grabs - everything from clothing, jewelry, art, etc. I recommend you bookmark the Desert Bus site and check back for the big event starting on November 18th at 6pm PST.

The Boy is also working on a really cool item for the auction but I'm not telling about that either until closer to the day :) We're both hoping our submissions will raise at least a few dollars for such a worthy cause. At any rate, we'll be enjoying watching the event!

Of course, I'll post again about my item when it's finished and if it turns out well, I think I might do up the pattern properly for anyone that's interested. In the meantime, I better get stitching!

Bits and pieces.

2011-10-02T17:42:00.000-07:00

In amongst my fabric stash I have some lovely, soft, organic cotton flannel. I wish I had enough of it to wrap myself in, cocoon like, and then I would just lie on the couch and watch movies throughout the fall and winter. However, I do not have enough of it to do that but I do have plenty with which to make wee slippers/booties for babies. Having never made any such thing before, I decided to test how difficult it is and to do that, I used this pattern by Joanna at www.stardustshoes.blogspot.com.

Turns out, small booties are very easy to make (especially when you have a great pattern to follow). I've only made one so far but will be making up a second to match soon. I love, love, love this linen/cotton blend robot print that I found on a trip to Seattle. I'm not sure who it's made by but it is from Japan, if that helps.

If you're looking to make little shoes like this, I'd recommend using the pattern mentioned if you've never done it before. It is for personal use only but I see Joanna's blog that she does offer licensing for the pattern if you're wanting to make some to sell.

In other news, I went to the September Portobello West market with my cousin (Hi, Kim!) for a lovely time of wandering and chatting. While there I came across a stall selling these:

How cute is this?

Can you guess what's inside?

The packaging alone drew me in but the contents sealed the deal. I've been wanting to try my hand at some needle felting and this pack seemed like a good way to start.

Bought from Honey Canada

Six colours of roving and two needles to get me started. I have no idea what I'm going to make yet but for now I'm just happy to look at it every now and then. If anyone knows of any blogs or sites that have good tutorials in needle felting for beginners, please let me know in the comments!

P.S. There is another Portobello West market coming up on October 30th, if you live in or will be in the Vancouver area.

Today's post is brought to you by...

2011-10-01T18:41:00.000-07:00

...the letter 'L'.

But I'm getting a little ahead of myself. I had made small quilts/play mats for my two nieces in Australia back in July, each with their initial (A and E). Sadly, I was in such a rush to get the quilts done and to pack that I completely forgot to take any photos. I really have to ask my sibs to send me some.

Anyway, I recently made another small quilt for my nephew (son of The Boy's little brother and his wife). This time I got wise and took some photos as I went along. That was partly to document the process and partly to work on my photography skills. The mad photography skillz that I've seen on other crafting/quilting blogs blow mine completely out of the water but I know we all have to start somewhere.

But back to the quilt. What started as this:

Soon became this:

Which, in its entirety looks like this:

The front

And also like this:

The back

As you can see, I ran out of the pale blue Kona and had to add a strip of white Kona to make the backing. I like the two tones and the strip of colour, myself. The photo's don't really do the colours justice (which is why I need to practice!) and I really should become better friends with my iron.

The Boy picked up a few books for little L at the comic book store to send out with the quilt. Hopefully the little guy (and his parents!) will like it and I really hope L gets good use out of it. I like to think that the quilts I make for little people are being dragged around and loved, curled up under and worn as capes. The more they're scrunched, the softer they get, and who doesn't love a nice, soft quilt?

This could be madness...

2011-10-01T11:59:00.000-07:00

...but I'm going to try posting daily on both of my blogs during the month of October as part of Blogtoberfest.

This could get...interesting but I'm going to do my best. Naturally, the posts here will be dedicated to all things crafty - what I'm working on, what I've finished, what I wish I was working on, what I wish I had finished. I have a few things in progress and in the pipeline so I'm thinking I have enough to keep me posting throughout the month.

If I counted this post as post number one for the month, I think that might be cheating. So - my official first post for Blogtoberfest will be coming later in the day. Wish me luck and check back often!

P.S. If you're feeling motivated, or if you have a lot to say/show, why not join in the fun? Go visit TinnieGirl for the details and the awesome button :)

Craft central...

2011-09-28T13:52:00.000-07:00

Living in a one bedroom apartment can be challenging in an organizational sense at the best of times - add to that a husband, two cats and the desire to have a dedicated crafting area and it gets a little out of hand. Originally, my crafting space was in a corner of our bedroom (which is quite large, so it wasn't such a big deal) but I was constantly having to run out to the living/dining areas so that I could use the dining table to cut fabric, or set up the ironing board in a larger area. Lucky for me, The Boy is quite an accommodating lad and so I moved my work desk/sewing machine/supplies out into the living room. This has meant moving my computer and small desk into the bedroom, which isn't ideal, but it takes up less space and gives me a quieter area to work in when I'm writing or blogging.

In addition to taking over more square footage in the living room, I've also taken over the hutch in the dining room, as you can see above. This had become kind of a catch-all, so I feel good about re-purposing it for something useful and it's helped me to organize my supplies more than I have ever done before. Oh, and see that old Underwood typewriter? Someone had left that in the Free Stuff pile at our old building. Can you believe that?

Fabric all in one spot!

I've also gone so far as to organize the items within the hutch. You can kind of see a peek of the labeled boxes in the photo below. Originally, the hutch had awful wooden handles, so I replaced those with the white and black ceramic ones that you can see in the close up. Easy to do and the knobs were a cheap find at Paboom (great store with locations in Vancouver and Victoria - all sorts of neat things for the home at (generally) very reasonable prices). The 'Hope' heart was an ornament attached to something else I bought and the metal owl was a gift a fellow blogger sent during a swap I participated in.

My plan is to eventually paint the whole hutch. I'm not sure what colour yet, but I'm thinking something light - maybe a pale blue or light lemon yellow. I know some people frown on those who dare to paint wooden furniture but this hutch is neither an antique nor a particularly expensive piece, so I really have no qualms about it. Plus, I think if it were a lighter colour it would seem less of a hulking beast. Summer is pretty much over in this neck of the woods, so I may have missed my opportunity to do any outside sanding/painting for this year. No matter - gives me plenty of time to pick a colour!

Finally, we have a really atrocious photo of my new desk/sewing area set up. I've still got a little tidying to do and still have my training wheels on when it comes to fully cleaning up after a sewing session. Having this in the living area is forcing me to be more mindful of that. My computer and small desk were in this spot and I just left the cork board and other pictures up. I need to find a more aesthetically pleasing way to deal with the cords, too. If you've got any suggestions, let me know!

For daydreaming purposes, I have a panorama shot of Melbourne as viewed from Williamstown to stare at and also a large patio window to stare out of. I should put some plants or something decorative out on that balcony - it's not very inspiring in it's current empty state. (We have a second balcony that has the bbq, bistro set and plants - how decadent are we with our two balconies!)

To keep me company, I also have a wee Evil Monkey and a tiny Edgar Allen Poe. You can just seem them perched on the edge of the cork board. Oh, and that bunting is from The Boy's birthday - which was two weeks ago. We like to keep the party going around here.

So, that's my new space. Not that you know what my old space looked like. I'm hoping this new set up will make crafting a little more streamlined and hopefully that will translate into increased productivity. I did manage to finish a new quilt last night so things are looking good!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

2011-09-23T23:07:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the magic of the internet and Mr. Random Number Generator, the winner of the My Memories Suite V. 2.0 is........*drum roll*......

J Baby!

Out of the many, many *ahem* comments received, Miss J is the winner and will now be able to fancy up her wedding photos. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do! Miss J, I will be contacting you soon with the details.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by Pro-Craft-Inator and thanks again to MyMemories.com for providing the prize.

Coming up - a look at my new crafting set up and the start of a new baby quilt. Stay tuned!

Giveaway time...

2011-09-15T19:16:00.000-07:00

...finally. After some technical difficulties, and without further ado, let's get on with the giveaway!

I recently received an email from a rep of mymemories.com asking if I would like to host a giveaway of their digital scrapbook software on my blog. I'll admit, I've never done any scrapbooking in my life, unless you want to count photo collages made when I was much younger. I've also never really talked about scrapbooks here on Pro-craft-inate so I was a little surprised that I got the offer (I know I'm not the only one to have been given the opportunity, but the others that I've found seemed like more likely blogs to host the giveaway).

At any rate, I decided to take them up on the offer because I have a boatload of digital photographs gathering virtual dust on my hard drive and because it might be nice to offer up something to my readers who have stuck by my sporadic postings. I also thought it might be fun to try it out and see if it was something I could get into.

I downloaded my complimentary copy of My Memories Suite and was able to jump right in and create pages without much fuss. There are a wide range of page templates included in the software, as well as embellishments, so you don't have to buy any 'extras' in order to start building albums. If you've ever used any kind of photo editing, or painting software, you won't have any trouble navigating this program. If you've never used that kind of software, you'll still be able to figure out what you're doing very easily. Really, it's as easy as picking a template and choosing your photos.

Clicking buttons! It's that easy.

This is the basic screen. All I did here was pick my template page, add a few photos and that was it. If there's an embellishment on the page that you don't particularly care for - take it out. You can customize these as much as you want, or if you're on a creative roll you can start with a blank page and build it from scratch. You can see the selections on the right - background paper, text, word art, embellishments, etc.

You don't have to stop there, though. With the My Memories software you can add video and multimedia, hot links, music and narration to the albums you create. How great is that? If you build a wedding album, you could add the music from your wedding. If you were making an album to send to the grandparents, you could add video of the kids, or recorded messages. Sharing the albums is a snap, too.

There's a theme to my page. Can you guess what it is?

If you don't find what you're looking for in the template choices that come with the software, there are many, many more at mymemories.com that you can choose from. Prices range from around two dollars to ten dollars (9.99 was the most expensive I found but I admit I didn't go through all of the hundred + pages of options). There is also a very good selection of free templates and a 'dollar store'. Plus, they have a large number of tutorials and galleries to view if you get a little stuck for ideas.

Keep in mind that you don't have to stick with traditional scrapbook sized pages. You can also re-size and make custom pages, calendars, cards, gift tags, invitations, announcements, etc. Print them off at home or send them to your favourite photo printer.

All in all, I'd say the My Memories software is reasonably priced (39.97 USD) for what you get, what you can do with it and how easy it is to use. Having said that, you could get your very own My Memories Suite (download) for free! All you have to do is leave a comment below. Tell me what you'd like to create, pop over to mymemories.com and tell me your favourite paper pack, or let me know that you've 'liked' the My Memories page on Facebook and you're in the draw. Easy peasy, lemon squeasy! The draw is open until midnight PST on September 22, 2011. I'll be drawing the lucky winner's name out of a hat (or something like that) on Friday, September 23.

Edited to add: If you are posting a comment as 'Anonymous', please provide an email address so that I can contact you if you win.

If you don't win, fear not! mymemories.com are also offering a discount to any of my readers who purchase the My Memories Suite V2 software. Use the coupon code when you buy the software and you'll get $10 off the software plus a $10 coupon for the store. The coupon code is: STMMMS88799.

Be sure to tell your friends about the giveaway and good luck!

A Small Delay...

2011-09-11T18:50:00.000-07:00

...in my giveaway due to my overwhelming urge to re-arrange my crafting and blogging spaces. The moving of furniture and organization of supplies has taken more time than I thought. Now all I want to do is sit back and enjoy a big ol' glass of Pinot Grigio.

Tomorrow I'll tell you all about the giveaway. Exciting!

The day after that is The Boy's birthday, so I'll most likely be busy.

The day after that, I'll tell you about my new workspaces and there may even be never-before-revealed photos of Chateau Pro-Craft-inate...well, parts of it anyway.

Completely unrelated. It's sunny here - is it sunny where you are, too?

A Thank You and a New, Hot Gallery...

2011-09-09T15:26:00.000-07:00

First off, I'd like to say a big Thank You to Sara who was kind enough to mention my shop over on her blog, Saige Wisdom. Sara included my bunting 'Hello' cards as part of her weekly {Friday Finds} post. It was great to get her message this morning letting me know Kid & Caboodle was one of her 'finds' - who doesn't love a compliment like that? Pop on over to her blog (click the banner below) and check it out - you'll be glad you did!

Recently, I managed to hang a few things that have been on the floor, leaning up against the wall. We won't talk about the pile that is still waiting. My intention is to slowly build up a little gallery of prints, original works and other handmade goodies. Let me tell you a little bit about what I've got so far:

If you click on the photo to the left you'll get a better view. Top left is a fantastic print that I bought at the last Got Craft? market here in Vancouver. It's titled 'The Kitten's Guide to Facial Hair' and features numerous kitties with moustaches and beards. Love. It was made by Kukubee. Click over and check out their website. It's the cutest thing EVER.

Top right is a butterfly I cut out of some sheet music and whacked into an Ikea Ribba frame. I think it needs something more but for now, it lives on the wall! As those who really know (and love!) me can attest, I have a deeply irrational fear of moths and sadly, this includes the butterfly family. I love butterflies but I don't want them touching me. It took all of my will power to enter the butterfly house at the Melbourne Zoo last month and it was not a long visit. I put on a brave face for my niece but really I wanted to run shrieking from the building. So! Paper butterflies safely locked away behind glass are the bugs for me!

Bottom left we have another creation made by moi. There's a great little store called Urban Source not far from where I live that sells anything and everything the collage or mix media artist (or bored kids!) could want. They sell off-cuts of all kinds of materials, papers and other items that would otherwise end up in a recycling bin, discarded photographs, scientific slides, etc. I got some of the papers from there and I scored the Pi cut out that just happened to fit in a frame I had on hand. We're a bit geeky at my place so it fits right in :)

And last, but in no way least, is a Star Wars themed cross stitch that I made using a pattern I bought on Etsy. Bombastitch is the place to go for nerdy, quirky stitching fun (although, I see they are currently on vacation and the store is closed for a bit). I had bought this pattern to make a birthday gift for CC but it stitched up so quickly there was really no excuse not to make one for myself. I should probably whip one up and send it to George Lucas as well (hint, hint).

Oh, and before I forget, this weekend I will be posting about my first ever giveaway! Check back on Sunday for the deets. Those who love scrapbooking will probably be particularly interested but that's the only clue you get.

Playing catch up...

2011-09-07T15:49:00.000-07:00

I'm so over due in writing this post that it has definitely jumped over the line from the sublime to the ridiculous. Anyway, here I am. Hello! Did you miss me?

I have a number of things that I need to post about but first and foremost is the brooch swap that I participated in back at the beginning of the summer. It was hosted and organized by the lovely Susie of Flowerpress fame and was a lot of fun. The swap partners were all anonymous and were from all over the world. It was an event on an international scale!

My contribution to the swap was a flower brooch that I made with left over fabric from a quilt I had just finished. At the time I sent it off to my partner, who lived in New Zealand, she would have been in midst of winter and I thought a little reminder of Spring would be nice.

Having never made a brooch before, it was fun to try something new. Tucked amongst my various craft supplies was a bottle of 'Stiffy' (great name, eh?) that I had yet to crack open. I coated the pieces of fabric and then shaped them over a pencil to form the petals. Once they were dry, I used a fairly large gauge needle and sewed them together. A bit of cut felt and some beads form the centre and the leaves were sandwiched between the flower and some backing felt. I let it fully dry for another day or so and then off it went, with a few other bits and bobs, to the Land of the Long White Cloud...once the postal strike had come to an end, that is.

I had seen the brooch that Susie had made in a post on her blog and was instantly, and terribly, jealous of whoever was getting this sweet little bird. I had seen some of these little guys when I was in Australia in 2006, and spending a weekend away with my Mum and sister at a little cottage in country Victoria. It was just before my wedding and I was relaxing and going to the spa and taking photos of all the native birds and animals that happened along. I have really great memories of that time and seeing Susie's brooch reminded me of that. Lucky duck that I am, this is the brooch that I received in the swap!

Susie also very generously sent me some fabulous fabric of her own design, a gorgeous piece of sun printed fabric, some co-ordinating buttons and length of ric-rac, and a rose print card. I have all sorts of ideas for using these but I know the Ric-Rac print fabric will at some point find it's way into a quilt (maybe I'll finally make one for me and The Boy!) Thanks again, Susie!

Isn't he gorgeous?

In other crafty news, I haven't been terribly productive in recent weeks. A small trip the hospital in July, followed quickly by a fairly last minute trip to Australia meant I wasn't up to, or around, to do any sewing. Although, that isn't strictly true. I did nearly drive myself insane trying to finish up 3 small quilts to take with me to Australia. One was for my Mum for her 70th (!!) birthday, and the other two were for my two nieces. In my mad rush to get them finished, would you believe I didn't take photos? True story. I also didn't take photos of the quilts while I was there. Not so smart but I was distracted by the cute, wee people. I'll have to see if I can get some photos sent to me, although knowing my family, I might be waiting until my next trip south.

Red. Delicious.

This has nothing to do the crafting abilities of myself or others, but look at that strawberry! Perfection. Grown by The Boy on our third floor balcony, in the middle of large and noisy city. Imagine what he could do with a farm? (P.S. If you happen to be giving a farm away, we'd be glad to take it off your hands.)

Look how shiny it is. I may have to print this photo and hang it up. It seemed a shame to cut into it but I did and had it with some yoghurt for breakfast. You know how store bought strawberries often have white hearts in the centre? Not this bad boy. Red and juicy all the way through. There's a lot to be said for growing your own food, or at least some of it. The best part though, is that The Boy isn't so partial to the berries which means I get to eat them all!

Awwwww!

In parting, as my gift to you for being so patient and waiting for a new post, here are some bunnies that I saw recently at the Saanich Fair. Who wouldn't love a hutch full of these sweet little faces? (Again, if you're giving away a farm, call me.)

Done and dusted...

2011-07-07T13:45:00.000-07:00

Make that done and listed. The dress from the other day is complete and already in the shop. I think it came out very well, if I do say so myself. I have a thing for just the right shade of red and blue together and this dress totally fits the bill.

My friends might find it surprising that I've gone for a nautical theme. What can I say? It just seemed right. And the best part? I didn't even have to step foot on a boat.

Next on the agenda for today will be working on some hand carved stamps and making a few bundles of gift/greeting cards. I have a tonne of wee scraps of fabric that are too small to be sewn but would look great glued to some card stock. We'll see how they turn out. If they are super awesome (like me), I'll be popping them in the shop. If not so much, my friends and family might be getting wonky, handmade cards for awhile. Made with love, of course!

In other crafting news, my good friend AC has recently announced on her blog that she will be taking over her mother's sewing machine this weekend. I'm eagerly awaiting the results of her endeavours, which I fully expect will be geeky good times. That's how she rolls.

Also exciting, my lovely Mum (who lives in a land Down Under) has sent me a gift certificate for the Fabricworm. I suspect it's going to take me quite some time to pick out what I want. So much goodness! Fortunately, it is a grey and dreary day here in Vancouver. A perfect day for spending hours curled up in front of the computer, cup of tea at the ready, scrolling through pages of fabric images.

Although, I did say I was going to work on those cards, didn't I? Nevermind, the forecast for tomorrow is much the same.

And now for something completely different...

2011-07-05T18:03:00.000-07:00

It has always been my intention to make and list some baby/toddler clothes in my Etsy shop but somehow the quilt thing took over my brain for awhile. I felt like doing something a little different today, so I decided on a dress.

I'm using a Simplicity pattern from the 70's (because really, baby clothes haven't changed that much in decades) but I'm going to tweak it a little. I've made pretty good headway so far but I got hungry so it's break time! Here's what I've got so far:

The check fabric looks a little hinky in the photo above but that's the fault of the camera (or the operator, hard to say which). The skirt and the yoke are done. Having never made a lined yoke before, that was interesting but it came out very well so, Yay me!

The fabric looks better in this shot. I'd like to get some more of this fabric for a boy's button up shirt, which was originally my intention. However, when I found the dress pattern, I changed my mind. Blue check isn't just for business shirts anymore!

I still have to hand sew the inside of the yoke to the skirt, attach the sleeves and the buttons for the back. I also have an idea for some embellishment but I'll post that when the whole thing is done. I should be able to bust out the rest of this tomorrow morning and then into the shop it goes!

Another day...

2011-07-02T15:34:00.000-07:00

...another quilt! I've just finished a new play mat and listed it over at my Etsy store. In a completely coincidental manner, the colours are a perfect fit for the long weekend in the US. Happy 4th of July, my American neighbours! I totally made this just for you:

This is quilt number 6. I wonder if I'll ever make it to number 60? Guess we'll find out! I have something in mind, and fabrics picked out, for number 7 and number 8 but I should probably do some cleaning. If I get all that boring stuff over and done with today, tomorrow it's all about me, cottons, my rotary cutter and my machine. Speaking of which, I'm thinking my Pfaff needs a better name than Pfaff. Any ideas?

It's Go Time!

2011-06-29T18:09:00.000-07:00

As of about, oh, 10 minutes ago, I am officially an Etsy seller. Or, I will be a seller once someone buys something.

It took me awhile. Far too long, to be honest. I'm off to the races now though and have a multitude of ideas for further quilts swimming about in my brain. Care to see what I've listed? You can check out that little mini list off to the right, or you can come and visit me at:

I'm planning to add some clothing as well in the next few weeks but I will update here when I'm about to make any new listings, you know, to keep you in the loop.

Anyhoo, have a look at my little shop and let me know what you think!

Consistency is not my forte...

2011-05-17T17:24:00.000-07:00

Well, at least it's only been a matter of weeks and not years since I posted. In that time I have made a few things...really! Look, I'll show you:

This little number was made for my niece, although I fear it may be on the small side for her. However, I have another niece who will be living near* the first and she might get some wear from it. Or, I've told my sister, she can pass it on to a friend if she likes. The pattern for this came from Lotta Jansdotter's 'Simple Sewing for Baby'. It was the first ever piece of clothing I've ever made so I was pretty pleased with how it came out.

The dress flew it's way down to Australia along with a few other goodies, including: a wee stuffed elephant (made from the Heather Bailey pattern mentioned in my previous post), a very belated cross stitch birth announcement, a homemade card, a pair of Elvis sunnies (purchased in Vegas) and a small bag to carry them in. Also in the package, though not shown, was some Duplo. Lego madness runs in the family!

Also recently made for a baby yet to be born (soon!) was this onesie and a top and bloomers. Plain onesies are super easy to decorate with anything you like - who doesn't like a one of a kind gift? The summer top was made from the book 'Making Baby's Clothes' by Rob Merret. It didn't come with bloomers but I'm a sucker for those little pants and they're ridiculously easy to make.

I'm currently working on a bib/smock of my own design but it needs a few tweaks still. Once that's done I'll post for all to see. I'm getting close to being able to open my own online store. Once that's up and running I'll announce the grand opening and perhaps have a surprise or two to celebrate!

I've also done some cross stitching. I found this great pattern on Etsy by Bombastitch and immediately knew who I'd be making it for (Hi, Andrea!). It's so great, I made one for myself and The Boy as well. The one I made for my friend was all black and for mine I decided to muck around and make it two tone. So much fun, quick to stitch up and it's inspired a couple of ideas of my own. One of my ideas, which I'll be keeping a secret for the moment, is going to be donated to the Desert Bus for Hope auction. All money raised goes to Child's Play, an organization that raises money to purchase toys, games and books for sick kids. Check out the link for Desert Bus if you're curious. I'll be posting more about my project as I get stuck into it and will give more info about the auction in those posts as well.

Today I was feeling a little 'papery' so I cut out a rabble** of butterflies from sheet music. I intend to make a garland out of most of them but one has been 'pinned' and will go up on the wall. I have plans for a 'craft wall' of things I've made or bought but I suppose I should put up my Australia gallery first (it's only been waiting since October 2010).

A paper butterfly in a frame is hardly an original idea. I've seen similar things numerous places so I have no idea to who to credit. I can tell you that the frame is a Ribba from the good folks at Ikea and the sheet music is from Chopin's Works for the Pianoforte.

So there you have it! Proof positive that I can be productive! As I've said, I've got a few things in mind and a few things on the go so I will be making a concerted effort to breathe some life into this blog. Seriously. No, I really mean it this time!

*by 'near' I mean they'll be living in the same state in Australia, but that's way closer than China/Australia!

** did you know a group of butterflies is sometimes called a rabble? It's also called a swarm but rabble sounds like more fun. Oh, those rabbling butterflies!

Little Piece of Heaven...

2011-03-24T13:57:00.000-07:00

The other day The Boy mentioned that he was going to head out to a computer store for some little do-hickey that he needed and asked if I'd like to come along. Not wanting to miss a potential opportunity, I Google mapped 'craft stores' and was disappointed with what came up in the area of the computer place. Until I saw a tiny little orange dot and ran the cursor over it. What I found seemed too good to be true.

We headed out, picked up the part The Boy wanted, almost ran over a man crossing the road (in the middle of a busy street, waving his arms and umbrella - oh, Vancouver!) and then parked on a small street. The object of my interest wasn't opened yet so we decided to have breakfast at a little cafe next door. This was also a fabulous find but I'll share more about that here.

Breakfast over, we wandered back next door and...oh, my. LOVE. Instant, forever, no questions asked, LOVE. My heart was all a-pitter patter as soon as I walked in the door of Spool of Thread. I was too overcome with glee to remember that I have a camera on my phone and could have taken pictures but if you go to the website you can see the space.

Now, I'm fairly new to sewing, having only made a few things back in the day but I know that this store was a good find. For example, they stock all 221 colours of Kona cotton. Seeing it all displayed is like happening upon a rainbow you can touch. They also have bolts and bolts of gorgeous cotton prints, some linens and a few other bits and pieces. I read a number of craft blogs and have some seen some lovely fabrics that I've drooled over - it was so great to see some of those same fabrics right there in front of me.

In addition to the fabric, Spool of Thread also carries a number of patterns including this one:

Tiny elephants!

I bought this pattern after a failed attempt to leave the store. Little 4" high elephants for pin cushions, or a toy for a small person, or maybe just to have around because...tiny elephants! The pattern is by Heather Bailey. I haven't checked out her other patterns yet because I know that will be very dangerous territory for my bank balance. Since I don't actually have a pin cushion, and I don't want the standard tomato, I had to have this pattern. Now I just have to decide on a fabric - I have four set aside. Maybe I'll just make four elephants. Anyone need a pin cushion? Oh, and the tape in the photo didn't come from the fabric store. I was just excited to have found some washi tape the other day and wanted to share.

I didn't walk out of Spool of Thread without some fabric. These were also purchased after trying to leave the store the first time:

Wiener dogs and chevron stripes!

No idea what I'll be using these for yet but they were so colourful and begging to be plucked from the offcuts basket.

As I said, all 221 colours of Kona cotton were available to me so what colours did I walk out with?

Black and grey, of course! The grey and the dots are for a particular project (that I will reveal more about later) and the black was just because it seemed like a good idea.

So, that was my adventure and I know that I will be heading back to Spool of Thread in the future. One of the owners was running the shop the day I was there and he was super friendly (and possibly a little frightened when I said I wanted to move in). They also offer classes for various projects and I'm sure I'll be signing up for a few of those at some point as well. I'm just so happy to know this is available to me only a bus ride away (or a car ride, if The Boy is willing).