When Doctor Who Drops in You Run

Ahh the Christmas madness is over. It's always kind of a relief to be able to get past that. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas, but all the hopes, dreams, expectations, get to be a bit much; and Christmas shopping is generally not a lot of fun (I was kind of bad this year and waited til the last week to get my shopping done). I did make a couple of handmade gifts for people and will share more here when they actually receive them =)

Anyway, I thought I'd share, yes, another Doctor Who bag. I am a glutton for punishment =D I feel like my bags are getting more and more colorful the more I make them. Hmm. Anyway, this is another of my firsts, where quite a few of the patches are actually done with screen printed images, and oh I love the detail! I'm sorry but generally I'm not one of those people that loves to spend hours cutting out itty bitty details from freezer paper. Especially
if I get multiple requests to do it over and over and over again.











Totally sonic, right?

Christmas Time Printing!

Merry early Christmas and restart of the Mayan year!! We survived! I wasn't sure there, but we made it. I want to share the Christmas card I made this year...I can never stand to do just a traditional thing, it has to be weird in some way I guess. =)





...I was determined to make some more bags for my shop but since I have no pending orders waiting to be filled, and I'm a little bit burned out on bags, I gave myself the gift of play time. Lots of play time. Today is how my living room looks...



I sometimes have a bad habit of not cleaning up one project before jumping into another (don't worry, I have since put things away). In this picture you can see....at least 3 different projects in various states of completion. My main pride today is this print!



Better pictures will be taken for sure. I was inspired by a very simplistic drawing I saw on pinterest of a face with a curious fish hat and went from there. Here's the original drawing on lino.



I miss school and printmaking a lot. I imagine there'll be more in the future. This is the first time since school that I tried to do a layered print and this definitely makes me want to make more. With more layers =) My registration is a little iffy but that's always been the case with me, and considering I was doing this ultra low-tech (I transferred the ink with a wooden spoon) I'm happy with the results. I am debating whether I should try to sell these. thoughts?





I also made some new cards for my shop...or rather I finally got around to printing them. Truth be told, I carved the actual block for these cards months ago, but it was too big for the card size and I had a hard time cutting it down to the right size...I guess it only took a few months for me to get over that because I cut it down last week and went to printing!



It's a little fantasy skyscape, little islands floating in the breeze. It kind of reminds me of a cross between Neverland and the Super Mario games in the clouds. And maybe a bit of a Hayao Miyazaki influence too.






I hope everyone has a lovely holiday with lots of food, family, and good times. Happy christmas y'all!

A Little Bit of Hairy/Harry Potter for the Holidays with a Tute!

A friend asked me to make her some ornaments for her Harry Potter themed Christmas tree and I took a little while to think about what I wanted to make. She is talented in her own right in clay sculpting and drawing so I didn't want to do something like that, but I really wanted to make something I had never seen made before. Also a bonus, I crocheted it, a craft she doesn't do!

Now if you remember way back when Harry Potter first came out, the movie and/or the books, there's a scene in the first book where Ron and Harry are in Transfiguration class trying to transform their pets (I don't remember if Harry was trying to subject Hedwig to any of this, I don't really see Hedwig tolerating that nonsense) into goblets. Ron, of course, was only half successful, turning his rat Scabbers into a creepy moving imitation of Oppenheim's Cup and Saucer. Once I remembered I had to do it.



I tried to find some really fuzzy yarn so I could tease the hair. Unfortunately selection was limited, but I still think it gets the point across. And the pattern is of my own creation...or rather I modified two different patterns since I couldn't find one that looked like the furry goblet in the movie.







I also continue to have issues with trying to felt wool yarn. I just suck at it. I don't think I have the proper patience with it. Ah well, still turned out neat I think. The bigger one in the back was my first go at a goblet, but turned out a bit big for an ornament. The others are the perfect size though. And so furry!

Here's the pattern (a cobbling together of two or three different patterns - go me!)

For the goblet body:

Start a magic ring with 8 sc
Rnd 1: 2 sc in each st hiding starting yarn (16 sts)
Rnd 2 - ?: sc in each st around (16 sts); Repeat until you get just shy of the desired height of your goblet.
1st Finishing Rnd: (sc in first st, 2 sc in next st), repeat 8 times (24 sts)
2nd Finishing Rnd: (sc in first 2 sts, 2 sc in next st), until you get the desired flare of the mouth of the goblet; I didn't even complete the round because the flare gets too exaggerated, about half to two-thirds of the way around will do it.

Goblet Foot:

Rd 1: Ch 3 (counts as dc), dc 15 st in ring (16 dc), join to top st of beg ch 3.

Rat Tail:

Crochet a chain the desired length of your tail. Slip stitch back about halfway, transitioning to sc, hdc, and then dc as thickness dictates. (At this point if your yarn is feltable go at it, I had only limited success but you might do better!).

Assemble all and attach a ribbon or string for hanging!

Holiday Recommendation Goes Technicolor!

I have been a long time admirer of Kira who owns and operates the blog and etsy shop Oops I Craft My Pants. She has an amazing gift of fanciful drawing, collage, and color. On her etsy site she is most well-known for her Wicked Witch bookmarks which have been featured all over the web and continue to be sold like crazy from her shop!

(psss! This would be a great gift for the book readers in your life. Its so clever and hilarious!)





I've had the pleasure of swapping mini art books with her before and she puts so much love and care into everything she makes. She is a sweetheart and will do her utmost to make sure you're happy with your purchase. Speaking of books, she also does bookbinding, creating her own unique journals. This can't be found in any bookstore!



Check out her blog and etsy site and see what she might be able to do for you!



Just as a bit of sidebar: Where has the time gone??? I'm sadly not going to be able to hand make gifts for everyone but I'm just trying to relax and enjoy making the things I can. Check out any of my Holiday recommendations for awesome last minute gifts if you're in the same boat as me. At least if I can hand make everything I can buy handmade =)

Secrets Secrets on a Sleigh

A month and a half ago I was approached to participate in a creative....event I suppose we'll call it on the world famous Alpha Stamps website!! Known for awesome, drool-worthy supplies for the avid crafter and creator alike - yeah I was a bit nervous. The event: a 12 Days of Christmas themed project in which myself and other guest designers would make an ATC (Artist Trading Card) for an assigned day using supplies furnished by Alpha Stamps featuring products that they sell. This is such an awesome opportunity for me because I love to create and hopefully this might lead to more opportunities with Alpha Stamps in the future!!

Anyway, I finally got my assigned day, Day 6, the day of Geese-a-laying, and received my supplies and went to town.

Now, knowing me, I couldn't be traditional. Of course not. What fun would that be?

I originally had the idea to use the geese as fancy headpieces for some particularly stylish women, but didn't get the collage sheets to work with that very well. So I scrapped that idea and discovered another great one...well in the shower if you must know. Not that the shower had anything to do with it...ANYWAY. I present to you...

Six Geese 'A Sleighing!





I admit that I bent the rules on a traditional ATC card being as the standard size of 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches is just way too small to contain such awesomeness. And there's no way I'd be able to fit 6 geese plus anything else on one card.

I really should build a holder to house the entire thing, but as it stands now, it's two cards that separate into this wee vignette of holiday hilarity.







Oh no, geese in a tangle! Actually the geese were a bit of a pain to try to glue to the bakers twine. For once I had a valid reason to pull out some super glue.



I even made a wee signature card on the back.



In case you'd like to see the collage sheets I used for this project check out Holiday Phrases and Mini Christmas Titles.


Now for you guys, the first person to leave a comment here and email me their address will get this charming ATC sleighing their way soon!

Holiday Recommendations of the Wooly Variety!

In another edition of....



I have to share a beautiful soul named Nessa of NessaLand! This woman is amazing; she dyes, cards, and spins her own yarn in amazing color combinations - I love color! AND THEN knits up fabulous creations that take ordinary winter wear to a whole other level.



Everything she makes is completely one of a kind and unique and I've never seen anything similar to what she can do. I have to admit as well that I love her photography in which she models her own wearables! They're so fun, and quirky, and shows so much of her personality.



She is up for custom orders and is so easy to work with. I have a few things from her that she knit and nothing makes me smile as much as the bright cheery colors and fabulous texture of her pieces.



Check her out today!

Paying IT Forward! And Baggy News

A few months back I got involved in a pay-it-forward ring, in which I agreed to make little pay-it-forward gifts for the first 3 people to respond on my blog agreeing to do the same. I had three people step up (though what happened to one of them I have no idea =/) and in the end I made two little items to send out into the world to them, imbued with a spirit of sharing and creativity and *dare I say it* love. Sappy I know.

I finally finished them about a month ago and into the mail they went. One had to make its way overseas to Australia (hence the delay in posting) but they've both been received now so I can share!

Group shot!



The blue one went to Susan in Australia (check out her blog!). I'm not sure what I was thinking when I was putting this together but I do like the end result. It's sort of steampunky and liberating at the same time. Made from a key, foreign coin, some spare wings, a cog, little gems, and some ink, paint, and pen for good measure. All on a teeny tiny canvas I've had forever.



The orange one went to Rowynn of Copper and Lace. This one picked up the flavors of my rust-lust (hah! I am clever sometimes) and I thought it fit well with the background which I've actually had in my possession for YEARS. I could never bring myself to throw it away and I'm glad I finally found the project to which it belonged to all this time.



In return Rowynn actually sent me her own pay-it-forward project; a beautiful copper wire-wrapped pendant that is simply stunning. I do not claim to have much talent in wire-wrapping at all so this is amazing to look at. What I love most about it is that it is not any one thing specifically to me. It's a tree, it's a vine, it's the tangled web of life. Beautiful. Thank you Rowynn!! Check out her blog, she showcases a lot more work like this and will be selling it as well =)




And just as a last note aside, I made a full-sized Harry Potter bag and put it in my shop for sale! It is not made for anyone, totally up for grabs, in case you're looking for an awesome gift for the HP fanatic in your life. Go get it here!

Holiday Recommends for the Harry Potter Crowd

I know I got a bunch of like-minded readers who love Harry Potter, right? (listens for the imaginary screams of a bunch of rabid fans) Right.

Petite Potions is an awesome shop on etsy which is inspired primarily by the awesomeness that is Harry Potter. I recently fell in love with her tiny dragons that come in a crate! With adorable little stickers like "live animal" and "this way up"! Maybe that just excites me because I used to work in a shipping department, and seeing that on a tiny crate with a tiny dragon is cute....ahem..





She also does one of the best pygmy puffs I've seen on the market! I love the expressions on their faces, who wouldn't want one of these staring up at them from their Christmas stocking?



And I think for the Christmas shopping crowd she is also starting to sell stretched canvas Children's art. I was blown away by this Dr. Seuss piece that is in her shop now.



Check her out! You know your kids would love you for it =)

Facebook is taking over the world.

I forgot to mention that I finally got around to creating a facebook page for my shop! Pretty please take a gander over and "like" me! =) I'll still be posting here faithfully but I'll most likely use fb to post quick updates on things in progress and things hitting my shop and probably goofy pictures of random crafting! Thanks so much!

Craft shows and painting and randomness, oh my!

I just got back from a giant craft show today and it really warmed my heart. Besides having tons of awesome handmade stuff for sale (picking up a few Christmas presents along the way) the vendors were all really really cool, down-to-earth, friendly people. I wish I lived closer to the area where the show was so I could participate more in the handmade community (and hang out with Nicole more!) but maybe I should venture out and try to find my own community where I live. Ahh, but meeting new people, not my strong suit. I need to stop being a chicken and do it....later. =)

Anyway, I thought I'd share a pouch I made last week for a co-worker for his niece. He wanted me to recreate an image of her favorite childhood horse that she used to ride but is now in horsey heaven. This is the first time I have actually attempted to "paint" an image rather than using stencils and I am super proud of how it turned out!





This makes me curious about trying to do somewhat realistic paintings in general which I've never really tried because I am chicken. But I'm going to try soon! Just need to figure out what exactly.

Here's the backside of the pouch. More horse themed stitching...



It was nice to have a break from Doctor Who. Haha but speaking of Doctor Who, I totally went off the deep end with screen printing Doctor Who themed things...mainly shirts! Which will be appearing in my etsy shop very very soon! Check out a few sneak peeks!







That's all for now. I really need to just lose myself in an awesome TV series and just go stitch crazy for the next batch of patchwork bags. I have a giant pile of cut-out fabric that keeps giving me angry eyes every time I ignore it to finish reading the second book in the Game of Thrones series.