Xmas Swap

The Buffyfest Swap has come and gone. More than enough time for the recipients to get their goodies and for me to show them off.

This year I went with a stuffed stocking theme.

And had fun doing it :)

Fruity Oaty Bar Girls...Finally Done!

I finally finished up this piece completely! I had added some scrap fabric to each girl's hair. I am much happier with that than the plain embroidery. Gives it some texture.

This is the front of the pillow. I used a blue diamond Matelasse fabric to frame the embroidered area. The girl's faces still seem a bit dark. I am debating on whether to add some paint to their eyes and dresses. What do you think? Too much? I'd hate to take it one step too far when there is no way to undo.


The back side was simply the Matelasse. I used a zipper so the pillow insert can be changed. Or so the cover can be washed I suppose. Although, I would stick to spot or dry clean because of the embroidery and crayon tint. I know people do wash them...and someday I will have to be brave & try it. But I am not so big on brave :P

One last pondering I have...should I pillowize my embroidery pieces or mount them in finished off hoops...hmmm...maybe I'll go halfsies.

Hand Painted Custom Order

I was so excited recently when I was asked if I could make another Serenity & Grr Arrgh bag...only painted instead of embroidered. It is always fun to make something in a different medium. The woman had seen my Serenity pillow that was hand painted, so she knew I knew how.

The bags are done, but I still need to click some pics. I do have pics of the painted portion I am going to show off though....

Embroidery & Ribbon Fun to Come

I finally finished my Not Mandatory piece...it took forever. Well, it took forever for me to get back to. The stitching itself was not too bad. I think it will become part of a mini messenger type bag. Something wide enough for a sketchbook.


Remember that craft show I had the other weekend? Well, I always go prepared to craft in case of slow times. So I prepped these hoops. Why so many? Well, I just never know what I may be in the mood to work on :) I am aiming to have at least one done a week. That should be doable, right? I know you can't see all the designs clearly (if at all) but there is a fairy baby, roses, brain, zepplin & another image from Serenity (the fruity oaty bar girls).

And from my vacation up north, the cool ribbon I found. What am I going to do with it? Not 100% sure, but some of it will be part of a clutch in October for breast cancer awareness.

Woo Hoo!

I am so geeked right now. Possibly more than is warranted, but that's ok. I have always been a big Craftster fan. (If you haven't been there, you should go check it out). It has been a while since I have visited though...been so busy with blogs & listings & twitter & such, I let it fall to the side. So I made time this weekend. I poked around, commented on cool stuff - I always like to leave kudos for stuff I like...acknowledge the artisan & let them know their efforts are loved :) I also loaded some more recent projects into their photo hosting.

And then I posted my Grr Argh in the Needlework forum....and less than 24 hours later it had over 600 views, 3 pages with comments & was put on the Hot New Projects section of the home page. AAAHHH!!!! I even did a little dance when I saw it. If you are not someone who creates stuff, it may be hard to explain just how much it means to get such positive feedback from complete strangers. Heck - I think you need only be human to know how awesome it feels!




And so today, I decided to post my Serenity Coin embroidery. I did this at 6pm before we left for my sis-in-laws for dinner. When we got home at 9...over 300 views and it was on the Hot New Projects section...and the Grr Argh was still there.



I think I know where to go to find fellow Whedon fans :)

So a big huge ginormous thanks to all those who showed my guys some "This Rocks" lovin'!!!

note: I just peeked and as of the writing of this post - the Grr Argh had 992 views, Serenity had 347 :)

Craft Show Complete

Yesterday's craft show went pretty well. My Serenity bag was a huge hit and did not make it home with me... and I went home to design 13 more different embroidered messenger bag ideas :) The blue floral Bizarro clutch found a new home too. I think I need to post my new stuff here more regularly since 2 of the last 3 sold...and the one that did not wasn't even on display. And that's just one of the changes I decided to make.

I took my son with me again. He told me parents he was bored, yet while we were there he was talking about improvements for next time. But still, it couldn't have been too bad for him if he wants to go again. Some of his ideas were merely things for him to fill the time with, but he did help me towards some other changes I will be making.

I did leave the show with lots of new ideas though. And not just show improvements. I have decided that I will be changing my shop. I am not giving out all the details yet...especially since I am still banging some of them out. It will involve more clear cut "lines". Casual -v- "dressy"...which can be in the eye of the beholder, but it'll help me narrow down what I offer. Within each I'll have a small, medium and large bag...all different designs of course. I can't not have a variety of styles. But they should have a more cohesive flow. And it will involve lots more embroidery and buttons :)

I can say that it involves a HUGE sale.

I want to get all the items that won't mesh with the new flow, so later this week I will have a $10 and $20 clearance section in my shop. So if there's a bag of mine you've had your eye on but it was too pricey at the time...now it won't be :)

One last goodbye...No pics of everything since some things that sold were not listed yet :)

Serenity Messenger Bag

Well - I decided to go with a messenger bag for my Serenity embroidery. I thought it made the most sense with the show. I even left to edges out and raw looking for that space cowboy feel. Rugged, yet durable.




I now have to decide...keep it for myself or put it in my shop? Do you think it'd have a chance of selling.

Serenity

I finished my Serenity embroidery! Woo Hoo!
Now I need to decide what it is going to be? Pillow? Backpack? Tote? Probably not a tote - too simple....unless I use it for a tutorial too...hmmm...

Anyway - here it is...and so is the pic I based it on:




Next up: Crafty Bunny from Urban Threads and my Faerie baby...I figure a week for each.

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.

Team Challenge Creation

I am part of the etsy team Big Damn Crafters. It is for fans of Firefly and Serenity...TV show and movie by Joss Whedon. Last month we had a Secret Santa serenity challenge and my character was Wash, the pilot. He loves to play with his plastic dinosaurs and wears Hawaiin shirts. So I created this messenger bag for him to discreetly carry his dinosaurs while camouflaged with a Hawaiin floral print.

I did not take a lot of before and during pictures because I had started the bag before this blog. But since it was my first bag completed since starting this blog, I decided to post what I have.

This first picture is of the bag's exterior. Denim was used for the bag so it would be sturdy. I had used an old Hawaiin shirt of my dad's for the "camouflage" aspect of the bag. This was the first time I had upcycled an article of clothing for one of my bags.


The lining I added was a simple navy and white striped cotton. I put a denim pocket on the back wall...I tend to put pockets in all my bags that are large enough for one. There are pockets on the exterior sides and under the flap as well. I would normally line the pockets, but being denim I felt this was not necessary. I did use turquoise bias tape to cover the raw edges. The side pockets turned out to be a perfect size for the small plastic dinosaurs. You can see them in all the "after" pictures below. There is even a pocket on the flap...the original pocket from the shirt :)




This bag is for sale in my Etsy shop if you are interested.