Fail Whale

Leave it to me to be the queen of inconsistent blogging. Hooray ! 

Even harder for me now because my backspace doesn't work and no working letter 'p' on my keyboard . So I have to copy and paste it, or wait for my spell check to catch it and fix it for me. 
Oh !  and my numbers and symbols above all the letters don't work either >.<  Thank goodness for 10 key or I wouldn't have any numbers at all. Even then, the four isn't working and I don't feel like copy and pasting that right now lol 

 Hope you  have been well.  Life has been getting weird here at my house. The boys are a few weeks away from turning 5, and I have no clue where the last 5 years have gone. They're these constantly changing little people and sometimes it is really hard to wrap my brain around all this.

Working on a lot of things right now. Christmas knitting/crocheting/sewing is in full swing, and I am determined to get things done early this year. Have product for my Etsy shop that needs to be listed - stitch markers -Yay!

Speaking of my Etsy shop, several months ago - I started making Blythe doll clothes. Now, I am by no means a professional seamstress - in fact, I've only been sewing for the last four years or so. I think the clothes are pretty cute. Need to list a new dress soon :D Check them out here if you get a chance [even if you aren't a doll person, chances are you know someone who is ;) ] 

Well, I must be heading off. Lots of crafting to do. Time to make the coffee. 

Bring In Da Noise, Bring In Da Funk (Emo Wednesday Edition)

I don't know if it's this cloudy weather (I doubt it, it just started raining today) , but I am having one hell of a time getting craftually motivated. Yes... Craftually.

Waiting on an invite from Pinterest (I finally caved) in hopes that I will get inspired. I'm just not feeling it, and it's frustrating. I tried working on new stitch markers, and almost ended up in tears because the stuff I made looked awful.

I'll do what I can and blame the heat. Maybe getting out of the house tomorrow will help. I need to find it, but I was reading this article online that was talking about ways to stay creative and inspired. One of the main points they touched on was to get unplugged from time to time: Step away from the laptop, cell phone, the tv and just get yourself outside (weather permitting). I know that around here, it's a lot easier to talk walks in Spring and Fall. The heat of the summer and those cold winds of the winter months can make being outside a grueling task. Point being: Get yourself outside and be inspired by nature.

This is a quick post andI must be off, but I will leave you with this song. It popped in my head earlier today, and I haven't been able to get it out. Back in the day, I used to listen to Portishead.. A lot. I know they're not considered "emo", but the tone of the song feels about right for today.

Hope you all are doing well! Let me know what you do to stay creative. :)

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

Pour Some Sugar [Skulls] On Me

Second Embroidery project is done!

Well... It's been done - for quite some time now, actually. I keep meaning to make a post, but you know how life is.

Found an unfinished wood frame at the dollar store (Score for cheap crafting!) It's a little bigger than I had originally planned, but I like it. Grabbed some 98 cent paints at Wal-Mart, and a-painting I went.

 

I let it dry overnight. Put the glass back in the frame. Put my finished piece in and

Voilà!

And as a fun little bonus, here are some pictures of when it was just a WIP. 

Finished. Unframed

(Nothing But) Flowers - Finished Photos

So happy with the results, I could just cry!

OH! OH!
I almost forgot...

Here's the LINK to my tutorial guest post on
'Domestic But Not Martha' 's blog :) 

(Nothing But) Flowers

So... I know I said I was going to take a break from crafting. Well, I lied. I can't do it. I just can't. Since I decided to "give it up", I've been frickin' miserable. I can actually feel my hands ache from not making anything.

I am, however, going to cool it down a bit. Try to not throw myself completely into every project that comes my way. I do need to get back in the swing of things.

My friend Leslie just moved back to Delaware, and needed to de-clutter her belongings before her depature.

 This was her parting gift to me:

A tub full of thread!

 Totally overjoyed with happiness, my eyes glazed over staring at my tub of new thready friends. Why let this thing sit around, and go to waste? That would be wrong. I have a few pillows for my pillow project that need to be made [One for March and another for April].

Over the next few days, I'm going to get supplies together to make some of these:

www.weddingchicks.com/2011/03/11/diyweddingbouquet/

I was talking to @apockylypse on the Twitter machine. She posted a pic of the flowers she's making for her wedding bouquet, and I totally loved 'em.. Me, being a fan of flowers that don't die and DIY stuff,  I inquired about the flowers. Genius. Simple, and totally adorbale. Now, I'm not getting married - these will just sit in a vase/jar/ glass cylinder - so they would be everyday nifty!  Although, I'm going to a friend's wedding in June. I might even make a bouquet out of the wedding colors, and give the bride the bouquet as a gift! (Thank goodness the bride or groom doesn't read my blog. hahaha!)

[big, painful sigh] Besides, I have a glue gun I've owned for the last 5 years that has never been opened/never been used. Shame, right? [Hangs head]

Off to water my plants! :D

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

Calgon, Take Me Away

As much as I love knitting, crocheting, sewing, making stitch markers, I have to put it on hiatus -or at least, pull back the reigns.

There are things going on at home, details I won't bore you with. I think with my obsession with creating things with my hands, Other areas of my life have suffered because of it. This won't be easy for me.Unfortunately, It even involves shutting down my Etsy shop [Ok - notsomuch shutting it down, Just putting it on Vacation for an unknown period of time]

This really makes me sad. Very sad, in fact. However, I haven't found the balance between my personal life and my creative life. When one thrives, the other one suffers. It's heartbreaking, really - but sadly, it's my creative side that needs to be turned off for awhile.

So, Spread the word around that my shop will be on Vacation starting Monday, April 11, and that as of right now - everything in the shop has been marked down 25%.

http://etsy.com/shop/fal00la

☠ Yaaaaarn, Matey ☠

Being Mom and working with yarn. It's what I do. Right now I have a plethora of projects in the works. Yes, a plethora. 

Took a second stab at crocheted fingerless gloves. The first one made, I was lovingly told it  "feels like I"m wearing a cast"  :/

So much for that one. Back to square one I went. Found a pattern on etsy. Suprisingly, it was a pattern that actually allowed the buyer of the pattern to sell the products made from that pattern. I just can't sell the pattern. Good deal to me.  I still have to make the second glove. I've made two, but I didn't like the first one. I used a yarn that ended up being scratchy, and I didn't like certain things the pattern told me to do. So, I went back and edited what I didn't care for. Huzzah!

 

♡  Still working (slowly) on my first pair of knit socks. 

♡  Knitting beanies and crocheting bunnies ( all of which need to be finished by weeks end). Eeek!

Other works not pictured: 

♡ Giant crochet unicorn 

♡ Crochet giraffe (but you can see the yarn that will be the giraffe :D )

 

Here is something that I HAVE finished!   Black N' Pink 'Skully Bones' Beanie (Adult Size). There is a second Skully on the opposite side of the beanie & she is just as sweet :D

 Well...

I've spent enough time blogging. Back to work!

Veronica Lodge Podge

Before I get started, I just wanted to give a big shout-out and thank you to Liz McQueen (@PlayinHookyHats) for inspiring me to do this project.
Thanks Liz!

Oh! and thank you to factorygirlashli for her DIY post.


@PlayinHookyHats posted a picture in early October of her first table at the Farmer's Market. Aside from the really awesome stuff she crochets, I noticed one of the mannequin heads she had was black. She told me it was the same white foam head she got at Hobby Lobby, but it had been covered with black tissue paper and Mod Podge. I was super excited since I am selling at my first craft show soon. I wanted an interesting place to display my hats.

Gathered the supplies I needed:

Now, I'll admit it, I've always been a fan of Betty and Veronica ( & the guys, too of course). I remember being in middle school, going to store with my Mom, and asking for whatever Archie comic or Betty and Veronica Double Digest might be up at the checkout. So, it seemed like a logical place to go when attempting my first decoupage project. I considered cutting up some JLA comics or WonderWoman... but, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I don't know why, but it didn't bother me cutting up and B & V comic.

                                            
She's not done just yet. There are a couple more coats I have to add, a few spots that need to be mended, and then she will be complete. For now, I think she's pretty cool. I will be calling her Veronica. Betty was always my favorite of the two, but this chick has a bit of a 'tude and was a total pain in the arse to put together.

LOL I don't care. I had fun. It was great! I barely used the brushes I brought. Which meant, when the Mod Podge dried, I got to peel it off my skin... Much like when I was younger and would coat my hand and wrist in glue, wait until it dried and peeled it off. Snake-like satisfaction :D