Sunday, February 28, 2010

Tie One On

I'm a huge fan of Amy Karol (of angry chicken fame) and I've always wanted to participate in her apron making/challenge blog, Tie One On. I have finally gotten my act together and finished a black and white apron for the January/February challenge. It's a simple cafe style with a kangaroo pocket from Amy's book, Bend the Rules Sewing. Yes, I had to photograph it at night again, and I had just used it to make dinner, so it's wrinkled, and I was too tired to make anything look nice, and I could give you more excuses, but what I am trying to say is I  apologize for the shot. Of course, I had to draw on it (especially since the theme was black and white. That just begs for ink, doesn't it?), and little Miss Heidi seemed like an appropriate choice. I'm quite happy with how it turned out - I could see these as potential Christmas gifts. I have two more apron patterns cut out, both from Sew Liberated, and I'm hoping to steal some time while the kids are at school tomorrow to work on them. Yes, both actually at school, amazing! It's ME who's had the cold this weekend! But since I have been pretty useless these last two days, the house could use a good cleaning... it's always that tug of war, isn't it? I should just put blinders on and sew!

Another little bit of excitement to share... there's an interview with yours truly in the March/April issue of Somerset Studio, and one of my Alice In Wonderland pieces! Wahoo! My first interview! You'll have to get the issue to see the full piece, but it's well worth your trip to the bookstore. This is a really fantastic issue, and not just because I'm in it! The diversity of styles represented is amazing, and the pieces in this issue are out of sight. Really. You'll have to see it! And maybe buy one for your mom or best friend, too. Just a suggestion.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

And still, they cough...

 
 Perhaps I shouldn't be drawing so many skeletons, with the current state of health in the household.  Bronchitis, a 14 hour stay in the ER for asthma, and another little one tonight coughing and all stuffed up... how long will this go on?  These days I think I may resemble my little sketch above!
Speaking of that sketch, I do have a little tutorial on making this art journal from junk mail (yes, still on the junk mail kick).  Once I'm sure I won't be taking anyone else to the ER this week, I'll get it up on here. Boy, I had great plans for having an Etsy store open by March, but my family sure had different ideas. That's okay, it will open eventually. And I have a few little gems to put in there already. I am also looking forward to the beginning of the Indie Business class with Elsie and company. I hadn't visited her blog in awhile, and serendipitously, there was a post about starting your own indie art business. Squeal! I can't wait for it to start! Of course, you can't talk about Elsie without thinking cute, and speaking of cute...

 
A huge thank you to Jennifer at the Naughty Secretary Club for my fabulous new book! If you have not checked out her blog (or seen her show Craft Lab), you must, immediately! She always has loads of great inspiration, tutorials, reviews, and right now, a new book giveaway. It's one of my favorite stops on the web. Thanks to Constance and Dale, I've got a stack of fabulous fabrics from Sew Mama Sew on the way, perfect for projects from this book!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Wow

She's almost 8, I can't believe it! We had the party this weekend; a house full of little girls and giggles.  It was wonderful.

And yet, illness will not leave our house. The poor hubby is still sick, and I feel terrible for him. But is it awful to say that I'm tired of taking care of sick people? It's been weeks and weeks, and playing the nurse has become a chore. I feel guilty about that, I really do, and yet I am beginning to cringe with every request for tea or medicine. So now I have aired my dirty little secret, and you can see why my postings have been so far between. I did manage, however, to get a book completed (but alas, not bound) for my sweetheart today, so hopefully I'll get a peek or two up soon. Who ever thought flu season would be a great time for a romantic holiday, anyway?

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

What to do with junk mail

Hip Mountain Mama has a great challenge going on right now - One Small Change. The idea is that each month, starting in January, you make one small environmental change, leading up to Earth Day in April. Great! But what do I begin with? We've cut our weekly trash production in half, I make all of my own cleansers, use cloth napkins, have energy efficient bulbs, and all of the typical first green changes. We buy all organic foods, make pretty much everything from scratch, and even make my own herbal remedies, so I had to think for awhile... and then it came to me - junk mail! What could I do with junk mail, besides recycling? Make a book, of course! I've made three to date, one which will be a tutorial, but let's begin with my favorite - the envelope book.

Normally, the junk mail goes straight into the recycling bin, but with this project, I saved it all for the first week. I was amazed at how many envelopes I received. Not just from bills (almost all of mine are electronic now), but from magazine and credit card offers, mass mailings and more. Letter sized paper is easy to work with, but what do you do with envelopes? For this little book, I simply folded them in half, added a scrapbook paper scrap for a cover, and stapled. A few micron pens and scrap pieces of paper later, we have a book of wisdom gleaned from instruction manuals and warning tags.