glitter and skulls!

i received this awesome fabric from SewSugarySweet in the December Birthday Swap, and i wasn't sure what i wanted to use it for, but i knew it had to be something cool!

the two prints are part of the same line, so they go together really well, and they're super girly and glittery.

when my friend rachelle started talking about teaching her daughter to do chores, i thought "an apron! that's perfect! she'll love it! she can wear it to make chores more fun!".

this is what i ended up with. i found the pattern in the Winter 2008 issue of Quilts and More. it was fun to follow a pattern, i do that so rarely! sometimes it's nice to just follow instructions!



as you can see, the original uses 4 different fabrics, and has a yoyo flower on the band. the flower's super cute, but not so fitting for the fabric i used! i considered trying to find 2 prints to match the fabric i already had, but i knew i wouldn't be able to find anything that matches as well as the two already did, so i decided to just use the two. i'm glad i did, i love how it turned out!



the back


close up of the ruffles and fabric

i changed the pattern slightly in that i topstitched each layer, and added topstitching instead of hand sewing on the waistband. i did all the topstitching in a pink that matches the pink fabric, though it showed up super light in the photos.


i think it would be super cute worn over a skirt as well, similar to the red velveteen apron in this post on craftster (i ADORE that apron and black ruffled skirt!)

more exciting news!

i know, i'm just full of it lately! (excitement, don't be a jerk!)

first, my FAVOURITE store, the upstart crow in ladner, bc, has a website up! i'm so excited and happy for them, i've been wishing for it so long! of course, a large part of my happiness is due to my incessant linkage. ;) now i have somewhere to link to when i post about them!

and the other excitement, which is REALLY exciting, is that i registered to take a class with Micheal deMeng! i am really really hyped about this! the details of the class are in the class link, but basically it's a 2 day class, the first day is "Island of deMented Toys", so altered toys, and the second day is "Nicho Libre", building a space/shrine/etc for the toy you made the first day, or for something else. i'm really excited about the opportunity to learn from someone who makes such AMAZING art (seriously, check out his link!), and to hopefully advance my own style and technique. i'm also excited about working in a class setting, because i'm so isolated with my health, my only interaction with other crafty or arty people is online. i am REALLY concerned about how my health will handle it, and originally i thought i should just sign up for one day (that's an option too), but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and i refuse to let me health force me into not taking it. there are already too many things that i've missed out on. so i'll take lots of pain killers, and maybe i'll bring my own chair, and i'll get through it. i might not be up for posting right away afterward, i think i'll be recovering for at least a week!

love love love! love atcs

okay, i PROMISE that this is the last of the valentine's day stuff!

i was holding off on posting these until they were all received, but one seems to have gotten lost, and since i'd like to get all the valentine's day stuff posted before the end of february, here they are!

i started making atcs for the love/hate atc swap on craftster by pulling out ALL my valentine themed paper and stamps and goodies. i put them all into a half sized rubbermaid tub, and started from there! (it wasn't nearly as bad as my halloween pile, but it was still pretty ridiculous!)

these are the atcs i ended up with. way more than i needed, but it took a few to get back into the groove, and then i was on a roll!


i love this one! it's base was painted, and then a silicone transfer was used with dotted scrapbooking paper. the image in the corner is from ARTchix, printed smaller to fit on the atc. the red translucent stuff is like lighting gels, i know there's another word for it, but i did theatre too long to think of what else to call it! it's attached with grommets, and then a flower was glued on, with a vintage cardboard poker chip over it.


the background is a page from a french version of alice in wonderland, attached to the card with acrylic medium, and then layers were removed with tape before it was dry. after it was dry it was sprayed with cherry blossom walnut ink (tsukinek). the hearts are part of a doily, inked with pigment and chalk inks, and the dotted lines in the upper right are a piece of a player piano roll. the image is from a folder on my computer, possibly lisa voltrath, but i'm not sure.


this has the same background as the one above. there is a packing tape transfer on the bottom left, it's most visible where it overlaps the player piano roll bits. again the inked doiley, and the sacred heart stamp is from invoke arts.


again the same background and the inked doily. image is from a folder, probably lisa volltrath, given the low quality of the image. (her freebies are low) at the bottom is more player piano roll, the actual holes that were used to create the music.


this one started with a painted base, and then a silicone transfer was done using scrapbooking paper. the left side has a packing tape transfer made using paper from the same line, and the upper right has a piece of the actual paper. the numbered ephemera at the bottom is vintage, and the flocked hearts are making memories stickers.


this one has a packing tape transfer of a vintage valentine (photocopied first of course!), a foil heart transfer, more of the numbered ephemera, a bingo chip stamped with stazOn, and this awesome plastic lace stuff that is attached with pink staples.


this one has the same numbered ephemera, with a packing tape transfer of scrapbooking paper, the same stuff i used for my vinyl valentines. there's an inked doily on the side, and ruffled lingerie elastic. i added some flocked waves and a heart with a transfer.


pretty simple, but cute. an inked doily, another image from ARTchix, a flower, and a glittery heart brad.


this one was way cooler in person! it's layers, with the base polka dot scrapbooking paper, then a layer of the red plastic lacey stuff, then a layer of funky pale pink netting. the layers are attached in the corners with grommets, and then the flower is attached with the glittered heart brad.


this one is my least favourite, i'll probably rework it. the base was painted, then a silicone transfer was done with scrapbooking paper. there's inked doiley, a few tickets, and some more of the funky pale pink netting. the velvet lips are a making memories stamp, but i don't really like them. it needs something else in that corner!

embroidery news!!

kittykill has posted the latest embroidery challenge on craftster.org, go check it out!

you have a choice between two patterns, and you can alter them in any way you wish. voting will start march 26th and go to march 31st, and the winner will be announced april 1st. now i just have to decide which pattern to use!


and in other embroidery news, i got an e-mail from sublime stitching this morning. (are you on their mailing list? why not? go sign up!) they're releasing new patterns in mid march! i'm super excited!

in less exciting news, they're discontinuing a few patterns, and the price of all patterns is going up. sad, but true. their prices haven't changed in ages, so i suppose it was time! and the buy three, get the fourth half price deal will continue with the new prices as well. if you've always wanted the bowling betties, gothic grandeur, mod fashion or word balloons patterns, get them while you still can! and right now if you order you get a surprise! they're including two free pattern sheets with every order over $20!

i personally just bought 18 patterns. i know, i know! i called my sister up and we had the following conversation-

me: i just bought 18 embroidery patterns! once they arrive, i'll own EVERY SINGLE PATTERN THEY HAVE!
her: didn't you just tell me yesterday how broke you were?
me: yeah. that's why i used my visa!
her: big sigh.
me: but the price is going up! i saved money buying them now!
her: i bought cotton for $3.50/yard that was regular $6/yard yesterday, so i saved more.

i love how my sister is just as crafty as i am, just in different ways!

and yes, you did read that correctly. once these ones arrive, i'll have every single sublime stitching pattern! i'm such a geek! i made a word document a while ago with a list of every single one and i checked off all the ones i had, and as i bought more, i checked off more! the only sublime stitching patterns i don't have are the new ones that will be released in mid-march.

look what i got!!

i know i'm a blogging fool today, but i'm waiting for my pain meds to kick in so that i can lie down (i'm beginning to think they never will!)

i was going to post this when i received it, but i completely forgot! the craftster mods did an informal personal swap for tea towel a little while ago. i posted the one that i made for jamie, but i didn't post the AMAZING towel that emilyflew made me!

she packaged it all up beautifully, which i can never do, because i ship most things through from the US. i have to take everything through the border, so i don't seal envelopes until i'm across, and i can't wrap things, because customs might want to see it. i love the glassine paper and velvet ribbon that she used!



as soon as i pulled it from the envelope, i was excited! i could see the tell tale keys!

she embroidered me a TYPEWRITER! on turquoise!


i was amazed that she remembered that i have a turquoise typewriter!

and to make it even MORE amazing, she put rays around it, like the lady of guadalupe!


and she signed it in the corner, which i never remember to do -


isn't that awesome? it was the best package ever! emily did an amazing job!

contests!!!

i'm never sure if i should post about contests, cause you know, I want to win them! if i post about them, that's just more people to enter! ;)

but i still do, cause i love ya guys!

on that note of sugary sweetness, my aim is true is giving away three $25 gift certificates to the Bake It Pretty Shop, an AWESOME online baking supplies shop! i just ordered from them, my order actually shipped today, but i am SURE i could find another $25 worth of items to buy! go comment on this blog post to enter! (and go check out the vintage buttons chocolate mold and the cupcakes 101 kit at bake it pretty, i love them!)

AND

there's also a glittery goodness filled giveaway for a crafty chica decorated sewing machine, her new book, 30 bottles of glitter, and a bracelet handmade by the crafty chica herself! go to this post on craftzine to see more! i entered, but regardless of the contest, now i really want to paint my sewing machine!


(both of these were found through whip up! thanks whip up!)

twit wha?

you know i'm an ex girl guide when twitter makes me think of brownies more than anything else!

twit-twit-twooooooo!

anyway, all "twit" words aside (i keep writing "tit" actually!), i signed up for twitter today. i don't REALLY get it, but it's worth trying, right?

i was inspired by the links included in today's etsy success e-mail
Newbies Guide to Twitter
Why Etsy Sellers Should Twitter
Twitter Traffic Tricks and Tips
Tweetable Art: 10 Twitter Tips for Artists

never mind the fact that my etsy shop is very sadly empty, i signed up anyway!

there's now a link on my sidebar to follow me on twitter. so far i'm only following sites like craftster.org, or craft: blog or etsy, not people, cause i don't know anyone who's twittering!

i did figure out the tinyurl thing though, that's very cool!

a reconned shirt that doesn't suck (hopefully!)

i know, i know, i JUST posted! but i'm trying to get caught up here, okay?

this is actually a really really old project! back in june 2007 Leah from craftster.org came to vancouver to shoot a HGTC craft show (She's Crafty - i think it's off the air now, which totally sucks. or maybe i can just never find it!) i picked her up at the airport and we went to daiso and had a great shopping trip hanging out with each other. it was so fun to see daiso through new eyes, and actually read some of the packages tht i'd usually skip over. we found multi-packs of disposable underwear. multi-packs! who needs multiple pairs of disposable underwear? and the english translation on it was REALLY bad, something about passion overwhelming you!

anyway, that's getting a bit off topic! but leah and i met up, and then i took her to her hotel. as i dropped her off, she gave me this AWESOME shirt from Magpie, the store in boston that she's one of the owners of.


unfortunately the image was printed on an american apparel shirt, which might as well be kids sizes in terms of fitting me!

so i decided to alter it. i really dislike how obvious a lot of t shirt alterations are when it comes to making them bigger, so i really wanted to find a way make the finished top be cohesive. with a different shirt, i might try to find fabric that matched the ink on the silkscreen, but it was just a little too light for me (hella light for me!). instead i looked for a fabric that went well with both the base shirt and the silkscreening colour, and used it.

i cut the shirt open along the sides and cut out the sleeves. i also cut out the crew neck, because i can't stand having shirts that high up! i cut strips for the sides, and new sleeves to fit into the future arm holes.

i finished the neckline hem using the new fabric in a slight v. if possible i'd have liked to go lower, but the image was in the way!



the sleeves are a bit puffed at the top, because i love that! and as a bonus, it made it much easier in terms of fitting in the new sleeve!


i finished the hem of the sleeves with strips cut from the original sleeves, just to tie it in a bit more.



i think the end result is a lot more cohesive than your usual recon. but i might just be fooling myself, what do you think?

skirts, skirts and more skirts!

remember how one of my goals was to make something for myself every month? i haven't managed to make anything yet this month (i'd better get a move on!!), but i did in january! i went on a bit of a skirt binge one night, cutting out fabric for 4 skirts all in the same straight skirt basic pattern.

i LOVE skirts! i wear them over tights or leggings (mostly capri length) and they're a great way to add a bit of pattern or colour to my all black wardrobe! (i wear almost exclusively black. an ex lover of mine was lying in my bed and looked over to my closet and said "wait! you have COLOURS in there!" yeah, but unless they're skirts, i don't wear them!) skirts are also simple and quick, and since they only take a yard, i can buy pricier fabrics and enjoy them all the time without feeling guilty!

i also discovered the blind stitch foot on my sewing machine, which i LOVE! it totally inspired me to make some skirts just to hem them!

so these are the ones i made. all pretty basic, all comfy but still cute. (note that my dress form is vintage and fabulous, but is MUCH smaller than i am! the skirts all hug my curves, rather than hanging awkwardly like the pics make them seem!)

it's actually funny that i fell for this fabric, because i have a serious hate on for heathered colours (you know, like sweatshirts that are heathered grey? i hate that! it's an awkward in between colour). but i totally fell for the fabric used in the next two skirts, despite the heathered tones. animal prints makes me more forgiving!






this one is a bit plain, but i love grey on black plaid!

it's almost like a cross between plaid, stripes and herringbone, when you look at it closely.



this one was a bit more complicated than the first three. the fabric is really awesome, it's a double knit where the two layers only attached together where the polka dots are. the dots are close enough to keep the layers together, but i really loved how the edges curled when i preshrunk it, and i wanted the bottom of the skirt to do that.



at the same time, the fabric isn't quite sturdy enough to just leave unhemmed, i knew it would get too stretched out. so i cut out the skirt a bit shorter, without the hem allowance, and i used the machine blind stitch to sew a wide black twill tape about an inch above the cut hem. this will keep it from stretching too much, but it's not really visible from the front side of the fabric.



since the twill is keeping the fabric from stretching, i also put a slit in the centre back so that i would be able to walk!


i wish i had thought to match the polka dots on the back seam, but it totally slipped my mind. oh well.


i also finished a skirt that i started almost a year and a half ago! i sewed the skirt, and did the embroidery back in september 2007, and then i never got around to hemming it. it was pressed and everything, all i had to do was the hand sewing. once i fell in love with my blind stitch foot, i dug this out and hemmed it in a wink!


(this is the most accurate pic, colour wise)


closeup of the embroidery. i purposely made the stitches bigger and used 6 strands instead of my usual 2 or 3, because i wanted that look for it.

the magic of the machine blind stitch!


i still have a ton of fabric earmarked for skirts, and lots of pieces waiting to be reconstructed into skirts. maybe that's what i'll make for february as well!

costuming work experience

when i was in grade 12, i did a work experience program that was basically designed for the kids who were barely passing, probably just to get them out of the regular classes, but i joined it because i really wanted experience. i think i was the only person in it who graduated with honours AND with the work experience certificate. at that time i'd been doing community theatre costumes for a few years, and had been sucked into doing the costumes for school plays that year as well. i'd won an award for costumes the summer between grade 11 and 12, and i was seriously considering it as a career choice. they had no idea what to do with me, since they were so used to finding mechanical jobs and such for the kids who joined the program, and i actually had to find my own placement for the first one (working in a vintage clothing store, true value vintage. that placement actually led to a job i had later, working for their vintage wholesaler.)

however, they figured it out pretty quick, and the teacher running it turned out to be pretty awesome (she was awesome after i graduated too, she brought me in to do anti-homophobia and HIV/AIDS talks to all her classes! she was great!). my last placement was working as a PA (production assistant) on a movie set (a really cheesy straight to video horror flick!), which completely cured me of my idea to go into costume design. i hated the film industry, and i was SO glad i got the opportunity to figure that out BEFORE i went to school for it!

the middle, and best, work placement i did was with a professional costumer. she had a studio in east van that she shared with 3 other artists, another seamstress, a jeweler and someone who worked with wood. when i went there with my teacher to see if it would be a good fit, everyone seemed pretty "normal" and "appropriate" and friendly. when i went back by myself for the actual work, they were all still friendly, but the other seamstress had put her images of nude women back up on her bulletin board, and bitched about the new dykes who moved into her co-op with their rainbow pride bumper sticker (she hated pride stuff), and the jeweler told this story about how she and her lover had such loud sex that one of the neighbours kept leaving notes on their door offering her help if she was being abused! it was a great first day, i was instantly much more comfortable than i would have been if they'd been the way they were for the first visit!

anyway. it was really cool. her name was sue, (i think, it's been a while!), and she primarily made costumes for shows up north, goldrush, can-can style, etc. i learned so much about how she designed the costumes, how she determined fit when the performers weren't there to try things on, and all about the different suppliers in vancouver. we'd go shopping and spend the day going to dressew, checking out the options in little india, and my favourite, going to this awesome little millinery store where you had to be buzzed in by the VERY old lady who ran it, and only people she knew and liked were allowed to shop there! i'm sure it's gone now, i can't imagine that she would be able to continue running it. she was really old 10 years ago, so....

i also learned to use an industrial sewing machine (eventually, i broke it my first day! i felt sooo terrible, but it was easily fixed!), and how to use a ruffler foot, which i LOVED! sue moved to one of the islands with her family, which i'm sure was awesome for them, but it sucked for me, because i would have loved to continue working with her.



i found this on my computer today, i'd forgotten that i'd scanned it. i found the ad in a tourist guide when i was living in the yukon, and it's the only picture i have of the outfits that i worked on while i was there. lots and LOTS of ruffles! aren't they fun?


(click the pic to go to flickr and see it bigger!)

things i love thursday!

i've been wondering lately if i come across as a really negative person. a friend of mine was saying that in her household "hate" is a bad word, she doesn't let her daughter use it, and she doesn't use it herself.

i use the word hate all the time. i hate this, i hate that, etc. but i use the word love all the time too! i never seem to just like or dislike anything, i either love it or hate it or don't have an opinion. i think this is a trace of my old drama queen self!

it's also an interesting thing to think about because i'm so lefty, and right wing people always seem to complain about how "negative" lefties are. in reality, when they call us negative, it's usually because we pointed out something that they'd rather not think about, but still. lefties get the reputation for being negative because we're willing to point out things that don't work, that need fixing (like health care!).

so maybe we need to make more of an effort to talk about the things that DO work, that don't need fixing. i don't know. i don't feel like i'm a negative person, but i worry that others might interpret me that way. bitchy, yes, negative, no! ;)

but on the note of talking about the good things, here are some things i love

- basic grey scrapbooking papers. i love them! they always have the coolest designs. 9 times out of 10, if i fall in love with a paper design, it's basic grey. there are others that i like for specific looks (like sassafras or pink paisley, both super cute), but for regular gorgeous paper, basic grey wins.
- cats! cats in general, but especially my babies. i put them on the list everytime, but i love them everytime!
- also loving everytime, my bed! mm, so cozy. i love my bed and my bedding. getting an actual duvet was the best thing i ever did.
- b&w photocopies. i love photocopying shit, my ex used to joke that i could live at kinkos. it's true! i knew which machines were the only ones in vancouver that would do the reverse copying that i loved so much! i love toner, how it looks when it's printing too thick, and how it looks when it's printing perfectly.
- vintage valentine images! but you probably already guessed that from recent entries, right?
- megan at the upstart crow in ladner, bc. she's so awesome. the store is fabulous, and so is she. i saw her the other day and it was wonderful.
- the mod girls. i love them to pieces, i really do. they're amazing.
- friends who get me, who know that it's nothing personal if i hibernate or can't come out that night or forget that we were supposed to hang out because i feel so crappy that my brain is all fuzzy. i'm so extremely lucky with the people in my life.
- iron on transfers. so much love! (but only when they actually work....)
- cleaning my studio! or rather, the result of cleaning my studio (not so much the cleaning itself!)
- gyosas. mmmmmmm... i've been craving them lately!
- skirts. i love skirts. they're the perfect use of 1yd of fabric and so quick and easy to make.
- hand embroidery. i've really been loving it lately.

grrrr!!!

i ran some errands tonight, and i went to the two scrapbooking stores in langley, precious memories and clipper street. i've talked about them before, i usually call precious memories the cheesy store, and clipper street the non-cheesy store, cause that's pretty much what they are!

the cheesy store is really big, but pretty mediocre in terms of style. i just started going there last fall when i discovered it, and it definitely caters to the "SCRAPBOOKING" crowd. think of all the stereotypical things that come to mind for scrapbooking, and that's what it is. the name kinda gives that away! it's a bit pricier than clipper street, but they have really good sales ALL THE TIME (which is probably why their prices are higher to start with!). they also carry some things that clipper street doesn't, like UTEE in more colours, or more colours of stazOn inks.

anyway. i usually only go there for sales, because it's not a super encouraging environment. there are always a bunch of people working, but you usually have to wait for them to stop talking to each other to ask a question, or to have your purchases rung up. i've heard way more about other staff and other customers than i should ever hear, but they're always gossiping or complaining in front of me.

tonight i went there to buy some UTEE with a 40% coupon. i picked up the UTEE and was wandering around checking out other stuff that was on sale. a guy came in, probably late teens or early 20s, with obviously dyed black hair and piercings, wearing skinny black jeans and a hoodie. your basic scenester look, right? kind of uncommon in the suburbs, but definitely not that rare. he looked around, like you do when you walk into a store, and then he started walking towards the back corner where the classes are held. one of the staff people CALLED ACROSS and asked if she could help him. she was really loud, and she got everyone's attention, the guy and other customers alike, and everyone in the front of the store turned to look at him. the sales clerk walked towards him, and so did 2 other employees. the poor guy looked super uncomfortable, and stammered out something about looking at canvases while he waited for someone who was in the class. the staff near him started talking to him in a quieter voice, so i don't know what they said to him, but he turned around and left the store.

i was really annoyed, because i felt like they were jumping to conclusions based on how he looked, but i was PISSED when i went up to the counter and had to listen to two of the clerks finish talking about what had happened before they would serve me. apparently they had gone back to the class and asked if anyone really has a son (i guess he was waiting for his mom) who would be waiting for them. one woman replied yes, she had told her son to come inside to wait for her. they didn't believe him! and as she told the story, the clerk kind of shrugged, like who cares (which seems to be a reoccurring attitude there!), and that made me even more annoyed.

seriously, what TOTALLY CRAPPY service that was! yes, they're a scrapbooking store, and he didn't look like your typical scrapbooking enthusiast, but so what? they didn't need to be rude! the polite thing would have been for ONE employee, not ALL OF THEM, to have quietly gone to him and asked if there was anything that they could help with, just like they do to everyone else who comes into the store. there was absolutely no need to draw everyone's attention to him like that. and honestly, they sell things that can be used for non-scrapbooking too! i don't scrapbook, but i still shop there! maybe he was looking for ink pads, or paper for an art project or something. they had no way of knowing.

i was really tempted to say something to them while i was there, but i honestly didn't feel like they'd give a shit. i'm considering calling the manager tomorrow, but i've seen her in there before, and i'm not so sure she'd care either.

overall i just left the the store feeling really angry and upset, and that's not how you want your customers to feel as they leave!


but then i went to clipper street, where the staff was awesome as usual, and the store itself was just as welcoming as it always is. (ie, nicely decorated, never any empty shelves or racks, more artsy than cutesy imagery, etc) the clerk remembered me from the last time i was in when she was working, and asked me about stuff from the previous visit. we talked about our favourite lines of paper, and she was awesome. i've been going to clipper street for a while now, MUCH longer than i've gone to precious memories, and the staff have always been incredibly professional and super friendly. i've NEVER heard them say a bad thing about customers or other staff members, and they actually TALK to you as they ring you up, which never happens at precious memories. and incidentally, the staff have all been consistent, a new person might start, but the same people have been there as long as i've been going there. at the cheesy store, they seem to have new people all the time, but they never stick around long. i guess that's telling huh?

what do you do when you have negative shopping experiences? do you tell the store? i'd really like to not go back to precious memories, but they're the only ones in the area that carry some of the stuff i use.....

excitement and sadness.

i have exciting news and sad news and happy news! i thought about making separate posts, so that the happiness wasn't contaminated by the sadness, etc, but that felt a bit too much like a little kid whose peas and potatoes can't touch on the plate, so i'll post them all at once.

sad news, to get it over with -
Craft: is no longer publishing print magazines! this must be a fairly new decision, since issue 10, in stores now, has subscription cards in it. i'm sad, because as much as i love the craft: blog, it's just not the same as holding the magazine in your hands.

the announcement was made last wednesday, and i haven't really heard many people talking about it, so i'm not sure how readily known it is. however, the people who HAVE heard, are kinda upset, and craftzine posted a FAQ about the change on friday.

on a positive note though, they finally have copies of issue 1 in the makershed! everytime i've looked it said it was sold out, and i thought i'd missed out on it! it's the only issue that i don't have, i was so sad! but i got it! huraay!



and now for some exciting news! i'm blogging at a new blog!
queercraft is a group blog for queer crafters to share projects, ideas, inspirations, favorite crafted items, or anything relevant to queerness as it intersects with gender performance and the politics of making/creating.
please go check it out, and if you know of anyone (maybe yourself!) who'd be interested in joining us, let us know!

i've done two posts so far, and i'm busily thinking of more to come. some things may be duplicated from here, or only slightly altered, but other posts will be just for queercraft. you'll miss them if you're only reading here!


also very exciting, is that beelisty was featured on mr xstitch's blog this week! it's so awesome, and the comments are all so sweet!



and in not necessarily exciting, but very happy, news, remember how i said i wanted to do something crafty every single day? i'm still doing it! i don't think i've missed a day since i started. this definitely goes down as the longest lasting new years resolution i've ever had!

now i just need to actually POST the crafty stuff i've been doing, then i'd be totally set! i did finally convince my family to remove their ironing from my dressform (apparently she was a handy ironing pile!), so i'll be able to take some pics of the skirt binge i went on a few weeks ago.



and since this post is full of links already, i'll leave you with a few more - more free vintage valentine images at vintageholidaycrafts.com (found via craft) i know, i know, valentines is over, but jeez, download 'em now and save them for next year. stop yer whining! it's a very cool site in general anyway, they've got lots of easter and st patrick's day images too! not my cup of tea, but you might like 'em!

and also found via craft (their blog's awesome, even if it's not paper!), downloadable Betsy McCall vintage paper dolls that are oh-so-cute and sweet! i love Sandy McCall's hair in this one!

more embroidered love!

holy crap USPS! i sent a package to my friend jamie on thursday, and it arrived yesterday! i'm really glad i didn't pay the $30 to get it there by saturday, since the regular priority mail worked just as well!

i was super impatient for it to get to her, because i LOVED how it turned out!

i fell in love with the january freebie from bad bird/andrea zuill, and i really really wanted to stitch it. jamie really loves the colour combo of oranges and pinks, which was perfect for this design, there are lots of little bits to stitch in different shades!


the large heart is chain stitch (dmc 600 and 608), stem stitch (dmc 718), backstitch (dmc 741), french knots (dmc 740 and unknown) and detached chain stitch/lazy daisy stitch/tied loop stitch/picot stitch/petal stitch (dmc 608).



small hearts are blind stitch/forbidden stitch/pekinese stitch/chinese stitch (unknown colour), lettering is stem stitch (dmc 740)


jamie took some awesome shots too!





and here's the whole package -

the towel, all folded up, a card like my valentines, CANDY, and two super cute baby onesies!

happy valentines day everybody!

i hope you're having a good day, whether you're single or what! valentines day is about all kinds of love, and i've definitely received some awesome love this year!

twiztidblood and lori/batgirl both sent me valentines, which are so awesome!

twiz's card is made out of awesome polka dot fabric with hearts sewn right on!


and lori's card has awesome hearts made out of a punjabi newspaper, a map, and red glitter!


my dad gave me this orchid, which is gorgeous!

i love the colours, they're like stargazer lilies, which i love, but can't handle the smell of (why do lilies have to stink so bad?!)

and teddybearbones from craftster, who i swapped with last valentines day, sent me this awesome surprise!

it's the taschen vintage valentines book! i LOVE taschen books, i collect them, they're so gorgeous. i'd never seen this one, which is good, cause i probably would have bought it if i had! i love vintage valentines, and this book has an awesome variety from different time periods. it's so amazing, and i was just blown away by how awesome it was of her to think of me and send it!

(isn't the fabric i photographed it on cool? it's vintage cotton that i paid $0.59 for a few weeks ago!)

and speaking of vintage valentines, yesterday i discovered this!
vintage valentine museum!
how very cool is that?!

more pink and purple and hearts!

as i said before, i love valentine's day. i love making valentines and sending them out to everyone i know, to remind them that i care.

i posted earlier showing the mail pouch i made for valentines this year, and my stack of valentines all enveloped up and ready to be mailed, but as far as i know, they've all been received now, so i can post pics of the actual valentines. i made almost 60, it was slightly ridiculous! i was in the classroom card swap on craftster, so i had to make valentines for the swap in addition to friends!


see any similarity to the pouch? ;)

pink upholstery vinyl stamps with stazOn ink, cut and stitched to cardstock. the images are from a scrapbooking sheet of faux postage by K and company, illustrated by Brenda Walton.

a few in progress shots -




inks used were stazOn royal purple, fuscia pink, black cherry and vibrant violet.
stamps used were pink paislee love, scallop heart, check heart and polka dot heart. studio g clear stamps and rubber stamps. autumn leaves love with a flourish, heart within a heart and 4 small hearts. small lips and hearts stamps were no name.

after the stamping was all done, i cut the vinyl pieces smaller, and stitched the faux postage stamps onto them (they're pretty big faux postage stamps!), and then stitched the vinyl onto cardstock. i love how they turned out, so cute!

these are the valentines i sent out last year,

they were blogged about here, with info about how i made them.

and these were the valentines that i sent the year before that. these are still my favourites i think!

you may know by now that i have a slight obsession with wooden grain elevators, i absolutely love them, and this line for a rae spoon song was so perfect for a valentine! these were made before i had a scanner, or even a decent printer, so they were much more cut and paste than i've done in a while.


and i also promised that i'd post about the UTEE heart that i sent in that swap package, didn't i? UTEE is my new obsession, i can't wait to try a million more things with it!



i melted some UTEE and UTEE flex in the ranger melting pot (which i totally scored for $9.60 at a boxing day sale!) i poured out small puddles on a silicone baking sheet (my non-stick craft sheet is in the mail) and used a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut the shape while the UTEE was still hot. i don't have any coloured UTEE, or any of the dye that works with it, so i decided to try pouring regular embossing powder on top. it turns white when it gets too hot, so i was able to get the marbled look by over heating it. i poured it into the middle of the filigree heart, but UTEE shrinks slightly as it cools, so it needs to be glued to stay.

the UTEE is slightly yellowy in tone, especially after you add the flex, as you can see by the backs -

with the pink one i tried mixing the embossing powder in with the UTEE before i cut the heart shape, so you can see the colour on the back as well. it's very cool stuff!