IF - Proverb

Dream Trees, 12" x 24", Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas (SOLD)

A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees.

William Blake, Proverbs of Hell, 1790

New Paintings!

It's been a while.

I finally got back in the studio and got some work done! And oh did it feel good.

Some good friends came to visit and wanted "Take a Look Around" (the painting on the left) but also wanted a second companion painting. So here they are together. I'm just getting ready to ship them off to their new home.

And these trees (below) are brand new. I seem to always go back to painting trees. These are completely different though. The colors are softer and I've added lots of mixed media elements.

Dream Trees, 12" x 24", Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas (SOLD)

Newest Teacher Name Signs

Teacher Name Signs are always available in my bumblebina ETSY shop.

Another Buckeye Sign

This one was an ETSY order. The Buckeye Nation is everywhere, people! I love it!

Child's Name Signs are always available in my bumblebina ETSY shop.

Ever Heard of Plarn???

Plarn is plastic yarn you make from recycled grocery bags. And what do you do with it?

You knit with it of course!

Grocery Bag Bag
Pattern: Everyday Grocery Bag Handbag by Trina Brielle
Needle: US 11
Yarn: Handmade Plarn made using only the finest Walmart and Alberston's bags :)

This bag is made entirely from recycled grocery bags. It is 100% recycled and 100% recyclable. How cool is that?

I made the flower accessory using the basic singed fabric technique but I used all grocery bags. (Just be careful because they singe VERY quickly and can burn faster than fabric.)

Sometimes...

I do knit stuff for me. :)

Candy Corn Mittens
Pattern: Candy Corn Mittens (free!)
Needle: US 8
Yarn: Cascade 220

I can't wait to wear these in the fall! We rarely get cold enough for mittens in October, but I'm wearing em! I love Candy Corn and I love fall and Halloween! I'm giddy just thinking about how soon it's coming. :)

Felted Pears
Pattern: Wooly Pears from Nikki Epstein in The Beginner's Guide to Felting
Needle: US 11
Yarn: Vintage wool

I personally liked them better before I felted them. Kinda wish I hadn't felted them.

A Few Knitted Toys

These were all knitted for my nieces or nephews. I need my sisters and sister in law to have babies forever so I'll always have little ones to knit for! :)

Cupcakes for Cam and Haley
Pattern: Swirl Cupcake by Tess Young
Needle Size: US 6, 5 and 4
Yarn: Caron Wintuk and Lily Sugar n' Cream

Jordy's Ice Cream Cone

Pattern: Scooped (free!)

Needle Size: US 6

Yarn: Lily Sugar n' Cream and some random acrylic (pink)

Monster Chunks for the Twins

Pattern: Monster Chunks (free!) by Rebecca Danger--I LOVE her designs!! All of em! Love em!

Needle Size: US 6

Yarn: Bernat Softee for the bodies, Lily Sugar n' Cream for the feet

Blue Bird for Ethan

Pattern: Birds and Birdhouse by Amy Gaines

Needle Size: US 4

Yarn:  Lily Sugar n' Cream

The Year of the Number Shirt

Each year I try to choose a theme for the gifts I'm going to give my little angel nieces. Last year was shirts with their ages on them. The last one went in the mail last month (happy birthday Jordy!!) so I can blog some pics now without ruining the surprise.

I love the little "2" shirt because it sort of lets the world know what to expect from this little angel. Her mom may think she's a bit terrible at times, but her Aunt Tif thinks she's perfect in every way! :)

Isn't she the sweetest thing? Oh I love that smile!

This "8" shirt was for my daughter. She is so over pink so she didn't match her cousin's shirts. But she wore this shirt on her birthday and a ton of times since then. 

This was the last one to go in the mail. Again, don't you just think "2" says it all? (BTW, the terrible twos are SO MUCH FUN when you're the aunt and the spunkiness and attitude is just plain funny!)  :)

These shirts totally stretched my sewing ability to the limit. But it was a fun challenge and totally worth it!

Here's what I did: I began by attaching the fabric to iron on adhesive (Wonder Under or Heat n' Bond). Obviously you don't need much fabric. For the circle backgrounds, I just traced a small plate on the fabric and cut it out. The numbers and crowns were all done free hand. I draw them onto some stiff paper, cut them out and then trace them backwards onto the Heat n' Bond on the back of the fabric. I then ironed all the pieces on. Now the hard part (for me), I used a zig zag stitch and sewed around all the edges. (The 8 was the hardest--lots of curves). I think the sewing is necessary or the pieces will eventually start to peel off the shirt after several washings. But with the sewing, my daughter's 8 shirt has been washed over and over and it still looks brand new.