IF - Perspective

Unwanted guest or fashion accessory? It's all a matter of perspective.

A Standoff

I've been bugging my husband forever about not putting stuff on top of our garage freezer. It's so tempting to use it as a workspace, but then I have to move all his crap every time I need to get meat out of the freezer. Recently he cut a bunch of name signs for me and has been asking me to move them out of the garage. I forgot. So guess where he put all the signs?

Yep, that's right, on the freezer. Clever. :)

IF - Propagate (and my Nibblefest Entry for this month)

Ava, 7.75" x 4.5", Mixed media block print ORIGINAL painting on 1/2" MDF (AVAILABLE)

I hate to propagate the myth of the Scatterbrained Artist, but I did just realize that Nibblefest starts today (NOW). Good thing I had this little lovely already finished. The theme this month is Starry Night and there are stars in the background and it could be night... :)

*SOLD*

She Needed Hair

My daughter decided her Sackboy is a Sackgirl and needed hair.

Anybody Played "Little Big Planet"?

My kids are obsessed with Little Big Planet. So the minute I mentioned I saw a pattern for Sackboy, they were hounding me to knit them one. The large one is from THIS Alan Dart pattern. Honestly, I don't love it. And here's why: 1. It's too big - 10" tall. IMO knit toys are cuter when they are small, and 2. It was the biggest pain in the you-know-what pattern to make. SO much seaming. 

But my son loves it and thinks it's cool (and that's saying a lot for an 11 year old boy who thinks everything is lame).

When I finally talked myself into starting my daughter's Sackboy, I just decided to design it myself. It's smaller--7" tall--and I like it much better (although I still think elephants and bunnies are much cuter!) :) 

The head and body were knit in the round in once piece so there was so much less seaming. The zipper is glued on which was also a huge time (and headache) saver.

Anyway, I think he looks kinda drunk in the above photo so here's another pic of the smaller Sackboy (looking less plastered).  :)

Slippers for Mom

My mom loves to unwind in pajamas. We actually tease her mercilessly about it. As soon as she gets home from work or church, it's jammie time.

So when it comes to birthday gifts, I always like to knit something comfy. This year? French Press Slippers from French Press Knits.  Fun pattern and great result!

Yarn Used: Vintage Wool purchased on e-bay
Needles Size: US 15

These Are So Fun!

I found this tutorial a few weeks ago and have been collecting "burnable" fabric ever since.  I made these 3 hair barrettes in a matter of minutes!

I totally cruise the remnants/clearance rack at my local craft store because lots of my projects use just small amounts of fabric so I have a drawer full of ends and damaged pieces. I just cut out what I need and there you have it. So I have quite a stack of chiffon and satin for more of these fun flowers. And now I have a use now for those 2 bridesmaid dresses I have in my closet right now! :)

These little sweeties are for my daughter's friends who are getting baptized in the next few weeks. One for each. We clipped them on a little card and my daughter wrote a note. One of the girls actually put it in her hair THE MINUTE we gave it to her and wore it the whole day. I love that!

Mmmmmm-Valentine Treat

Mine are nowhere near as pretty as hers, but I made Bakerella's Cake Balls for Valentine's Day and they are GOOOOOOD!!!

I used chocolate cake and cream cheese frosting and dipped them in melted chocolate chips with a bit of shortening to thin it down.

So yummy!!

IF - Adrift

Pink Bird, 5.75" x 4.5",  Acrylic and mixed media on 1/2" MDF (SOLD)

Another One

This one is on it's way to my cute sister. She saw the headwrap I made for me and requested one.  She has a pink one already and wanted a more neutral one. This one is exactly the same as mine. Maybe next time we get together she and I can go out both rockin our headwraps. Too cute? Possibly. :)

See the right side bar for the pattern for this one (bulky version) and a thin yarn version as well.

Yarn used: Cascade 109LE
Needle Size: US10 (size J crochet hook for edging and flower)

Craft Therapy

My daughter was a bit down yesterday because her brother had a couple (very noisy) friends over and her friend couldn't come. So I suggested we do a bit of crafting. I saw this tutorial and knew she would like this project. We had so much fun making these. But after we were done she said, "Mom, the crafting did cheer me up, but next week can I have a friend over??" :)

We tied a little bead at the bottom of each garland to sort of weigh them down. 

IF - Muddy

Sometimes the line between art and craft can be muddy. I used to fight it, but now I embrace the fact that I don't have to be either an artist or a craftsperson. I can be a person who creates.

Cottage Rose Wall Hanging now available on ETSY

New in the shop - Bumblebina ETSY

The first Cottage Rose Wall Hangings I made were such a success, I've added another one to my Bumblebina ETSY shop. 

I've been on the lookout for bases I could use--these are, after all,  all about recycling and up-cycling, you know. 

This little sweetie used to be a plain old (kinda ugly) black frame. A little bit of paint, some lovely soft  roses, some lovely feminine ribbon and VOILA! A beautiful wall hanging that would be perfect in a little girl's room, a bathroom, bedroom or guest room. 

Now available on ETSY

A BIG Order

Just put this bad boy in the mail--500 chalkboard gift tags! Now that was a fun challenge. I've spend the past several days cutting, drilling, painting and sanding. Oh and packaging (international). But it's on it's way and I can't wait to see what the buyer is going to do with them!