Kreativ Time

I have been nominated the Kreativ Blogger award by maryeb...thanks :)
I can't let this opportunity to plug an awesome Etsy shop go by...this is one of my faves from her gorgeous jewelry shop...


If you've been nominated and would like to pass the award on, here are the guidelines.

1. Copy the award to your site.
2. Link to the person from whom you received the award.
3. Nominate up to 8 other bloggers.
4. Link to those on your blog.
5. Leave a message on the blogs you nominated.

nominees:
Well...I just got tagged with the 6x6 meme and since I think that the blogs for that are quite creative...I am tagging them for this - double tag! with a cherry on top!





Annette Piper - Under the Loupe












Dee - All Wired Up








MommyBee - Lil Bees














SolSisters - solsisters











ZuzuGirlHandmade - zuzugirl















LostMitten - lostmitten










Click here to see my 6x6 photo

Wordless Wednesday

Buttons - What To Do?

I love buttons. They can be so much fun. But I am not sure what I am going to do with them. I have made bookmarks, which I have shown in a previous post. And I have made for myself some stuffies where I used buttons for eyes and other things. I hope to keep playing with ideas. Some of the ones I show below are of similar uses I was going to try, but quite different in style.

I browse around Etsy and see lots of great things...hopefully something will spark from all the great buttons. And once they do, I'll be doing a giveaway with the first well done creation(s).

Some of my fave uses of buttons comes from the shop Poor Robin. I was delighted to find that over on Simple Finds there is a giveaway for her shop. *crosses fingers hoping to win something*
These are some faves:





More fun button uses:
From ffflowers ... 3 Rosebud Pink Flowers Bouquet



From psitsinthedetails ... Gift Tags



From Necessities ... Journal Cover



And once I start making things and my supply runs out...I'll have to go find some more.
So if anyone knows a good supplier for a button addict, please, feel free to leave the link in a comment. Help fuel my addiction :P

Sketch Time

I have been trying to figure out just what it is I would like to do next. Do I want to simply change around the basic designs of my handbags? Or pick 3-5 of my faves & make lots? Or go a whole new directions with embellishments and embroidery? I think I may do a combo of all three. I think of it as the basic, mid and luxury lines. Hey, I am a Detroiter...it's in the blood.

My plan for this week:

1) Pick my top 3 faves that I have already designed & set to make a batch of each.

2) Take 2-3 of my sketches and draft out each in a "test" bag. Hopefully they will work well enough the first time around to use myself or sell.

3) Sketch out some embroidery/paint designs for more of an evening type clutch (design based on one I already have - to be determined later).

I have scanned 2 sketches that will be the 1st two new trials (actually, they are the 2nd & 3rd...I have already cut out & begun sewing the 1st)



Any advice or such is welcome...just keep it PG :)

Whedonverse Swap by Me

Okay...my partner has received these goodies, so I can post them for your viewing pleasure...or laughter...your choice. The swap was "Whedonverse"...as in Joss Whedon...as in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Serenity, Dr. Horrible, & all the comics (these always tend to exclude Toy Story & Alien, but that's ok...these are more fun...)

The first large picture shows the mini duffle bag I made with the Buffy "B"
and the painting entitled "Actual Size".

FYI: the painting is based on the BtVS episode Fear where the Gachnar demon reveals himself...only to be squashed by Buffy's shoe. Giles did not notice the "actual size" notation in the book describing this particular demon.

This second picture shows what was inside the duffle...a bunch of felt stuffies...

From Firefly/Serenity there is Jayne's aviator glasses/mask, "leaf on the wind", Independant badge, Blue Sun, Simon's stethescope, Wash's dinosaurs and "two by two hands of blue". Then from Buffy there is Mr. Pointy. And of course, the Grr Arrgghhh dude (Mutant Enemy) :)

Click here to see all the goodies she made for me.
Click here to see my Whedonverse inspired treasury.

My Son and a Goomba

I had just finished up my Whedonverse Craftster swap last week with my 13 year old son constantly asking "can you make me one of those?". I told him he'd have to wait and gave him a couple books to look through in the meantime, Plush You! and Softies.



These books had him laughing at all the goodies. He asked me if I could make him some of these too...the Dollop, of course - he is a 13 year old boy after all. I said NO, make it yourself. That's me - DIYODS!

So he did. But he started with his own creation based on a Goomba and Bullet Bill. I think they turned out great. He is now working on a skull.




...note: my felt goodies from the swap will be posted once my partner receives them :)

Custom Bride

Everything arrived late last week...so here they are...




...and if you'd like to see them inside & out...click here

Wordless Wednesday

My first attempt at embroidery

Leftovers

Well, I have finally gotten out the paints again. I am making a small painting for the Whedonverse swap I am in over on Craftster. I can't show it yet because I don't want to possibly spoil it for my partner.

So instead, I thought I would share my Leftovers canvas. Someday it may be an actual completed piece, it has happened before. I have never been able to just dump the excess paints on my palette. And since I use acrylics, I can just store them like you can with oils, which take oodles longer to dry. So what do I do? I grab a canvas & brush on all the leftovers, without purpose. I keep adding until I like the look or it inspires a new focused direction...or it just ends up being nothing. That is the fun of it...you just never know.

This is where it stands after 3 leftover sessions:

Okay...here's a teaser pic of the swap painting...
just in case my partner peeks, it''l give her something to ponder upon...

Scrappy Fun

I finally felt the desire to sew and craft again. It feels like it has been forever! I am in a Whedonverse swap over on Craftster. Plus I have that custom order whose fabric is now all here - yippee! That kind of sewing I don't need a "desire" for since they are already designed & I have been looking forward to starting it. Maybe that's why I haven't felt like doing anything else...didn't want anything to interfere once it was time to start. I would love to show & tell the fun goodies I have been making for the swap, but I want to keep it a surprise. But I can share what my new found crafting bug did bring me...

After sorting through my fabric & sending half off to my 2nd Etsy shop for destash & organizing the rest...I was still left with all the bits & pieces. That box above is about 2 feet long & almost 1 foot wide...and filled to the brim with scrap. I have not idea what to do with all of it, but unless is less than a 2 inch square, I can't just throw it away. So I started playing around and made a couple ribbon bookmarks with scrap pieces on either end...and some buttons...love the buttons! I think I may make more of these, hopefully getting them to a point where others may want them. But for now - they are all mine :)

Okay...here's one piece of the swap...since you can't tell what the whole is
...think of it as a teaser...

Giveaway Goodies

I have decided that I will start doing monthly giveaways. I have been participating in the One World One Heart giveaway and have been having a blast. It is always fun to win something, heck, even the possibility is fun. So starting next month I will be giving away a goodie each month. What they will be, I can't say for sure. I plan to change it up - stuff from my etsy handbag shop, sewn crafts, artwork and maybe I can even find some "donations" from other artisans...we'll see.



But for now, feel free to head on over to my OWOH giveaway on my other blog: Crafts, kids, home and life. Just click here. Good luck :)

click the world to go to the OWOH blog where the over 870 participating blogs are listed

TiLT Too!

Well, I finally did it...well, I started it. My second etsy shop. I have the banner up, sections made, and policies set up. Now I just need to start listing! I am not 100% done with cropping my photos, but I think I have more than enough to get started.

I am still iffy about the banner. I had made 3 different ones and I still can't decide. Opinions anyone? I know I'll be changing it from time to time. I was even thinking of making one more with fabric since it will be filled with destash for now.

This background is the DIVA box I made for my niece. I had to lighten it to make the words show...but it may still be too tough to read.

This background is my fused glass pendant. It is the clearest, and will most likely be the one I use when I start listing more art type items.

This background is a crop of a painting of mine that I have always liked.

The shop is here...but if you are reading this the same day as the post, it is still empty.