Christmas Recap

Recap pictures from our trip to Cleveland to visit CJ's family for Christmas...

1. The Angola rest stop on the I-90 Thruway. The rest stop is actually in the median of the eastbound and westbound lanes. There are parking lots on each side and bridges over the roads going to the building in the middle that has the bathrooms, McDonald's, coffee shop, and gift shop. I always like standing in the middle of the bridge and watching the cars go under. (There was a dad and his 2 little girls waving to the oncoming cars and seeing how many people waved back. It was cute!)
2. "Welcome To Ohio!"  We always stop at the Ohio Visitor Center on our way to Cleveland...usually because all of us could use a bathroom break (including the dog!)!
3. I was bored and decided to take pictures of the pretty, snow covered trees on the side of the road we we were driving, and I happened to capture this picture of an old barn.
4. My niece Rayne and the Barn Owl Nubbins I gave her.
5. My Christmas present from CJ...a necklace with a vintage key with a handmade glass bead from my friend Francesca DeCaire, who makes cool jewelry with lampwork glass. (check out her Etsy shop!)
6. My niece, Maria, with the flower hair clip that I made out of hot pink guitar picks
7. CJ watching the Doctor Who Christmas Special with the crochet blanket his sister made for him for Christmas.
8. My niece, Taylor, with a Ninja Nubbin I gave her.
9. Owl spoon necklace from Sunshyne Silverwear that I gave to Rayne (check out Sunshyne Silverwear on Etsy!).

Custom Item: Minion Nubbins

I made these special "Despicable Me" inspired "Minion Nubbins" as a gift for the adorable daughter and new son of some dear friends of mine. 

I had the idea to make these back in December and planned on making them as a surprise, belated Christmas present...since I knew my friend's daughter loves "Despicable Me".  But then I received an invitation to a baby shower (which was today) and so they became a shower gift instead (along with one of my infant-sized monster ear hats).  I wanted to make 2 Minions, one with one eye and one with two eyes...so one was for Mollie and one was for baby Mikey.

Here is the original sketch I did in December.

The pupil and "reflection" in the eyes are hand-embroidered.  The mouths are hand-embroidered too.

I watched the movie while sewing to gain inspiration, of course!

My friend, Julie, loved them, and her husband wants me to make one for him to keep on his desk in his office.  I'm sure I'll get many more requests (especially after this blog post).  I gave out a few business cards at the shower today as well.  I tried to get a good picture of Mollie with hers, but she was distracted and excited by all the people around.

*I am willing to re-create these, but will do so by custom request only.  You can contact me via Etsy convo to make a request.

Moose Pillow for Grandma

I made this moose head pillow for my grandma, and gave it to her this weekend as a belated Christmas gift.  She loves moose and the Adirondacks.

Mini Crochet Heart Pins

Remember those little crochet hearts I learned to make a few weeks ago?  I finally made a few into cute little pins today! 

I gave a few away to my friends at church today as Christmas gifts, but they'll make their craft show debut in February 2013!

Catnip Mouse for Terra

This is one of the few handmade gifts I can share pictures of before Christmas (I'm DYING to share pictures of some of the gifts I've  made for family members, but don't want to risk ruining the surprise!) But my kitty doesn't use the internet! Plus, I already let her play with it today.  Plus...you know...Christmas doesn't mean much to cats except there ends up being some cool wrapping paper to play in!

A little catnip mouse with a clothesline tail for Terra.  The clothesline is nice, because it's got the dangle-factor of string/yarn that cats seem to be fascinated with, but it's too thick for her to actually break a piece off and be in danger of swallowing  it.

 I made it from the "Menswear Mice" pattern/tutorial in Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts.

 "Hey guys!  Can I play?"

I stuffed it with fabric scraps and catnip.  I embroidered the nose on, but for the eyes, I happened to have a bunch of tiny safety eyes that came with a little drawer organizer I got at a flea market-type store a few years ago. So I used a couple of those instead of embroidering them.  I don't recommend using these eyes on toys for dogs, but cats don't destroy their toys like dogs too. (at least, not my cat)

I just couldn't wait to give it to her....

 She seems to like it!

Wrapping Presents

Wrapping some presents today...

"Brown paper packages tied up with string,
These a a few of my favorite things!"

I LOVE the kraft/woodgrain wrapping paper we got from Target this year.  I'm hoping they'll have some on clearance after Christmas and I can stock up on a bunch.  I'd really like to use it for my Etsy packaging throughout the year.  It is reminiscent of my wood background I use in the photos for my Etsy listings.  And it seems particularly appropriate for the Owl Nubbins.  (it is actually a Barn Owl Nubbin that is wrapped up in the picture below)

I'll probably also do what I've done in past years when I've had wrapping paper I really like: I Mod-Podge/glue it to a shoebox so I have a re-usable gift box!  I'm actually not a fan of the wrapping process, or the fact that SO much pretty paper just gets torn up and thrown away.  So making the gift boxes kind of solves both those problems.  I can just put the gift in the box and tie some string/twine/ribbon around it with a tag (made with my Cricut) and I'm done!

Big Barn Owl Pillow

I'm way behind in my blog posts.  So much has been going on this summer so far...birthdays and anniversaries and craft shows (oh my!), and I haven't had a lot of time to sit down and blog about any of it.  So I'm trying to snatch some time to catch up...since I've been making a lot of new stuff lately in preparation for my next show, the "Mini Mayday" that is at the end of July...as well as some custom pieces...like this Big Barn Owl.

This is a big, throw-pillow-sized barn owl I made for my owl-loving friend Casey (of Peaches Products) for her birthday.  She was into owls "before they were cool".  

  I may have to make some more of these.  The barn owl Nubbins tend to be really popular at craft shows, so I can imagine how well large pillow-sized barn owls would do!

 Casey with her new owl.  I gave it to her when she and our friend Melissa took me out to lunch "for my birthday" a few weeks ago, since they weren't able to make it to my party..

Casey LOOOVES her owls!

Instagram Sunday: Boxes of Neckties Birthday Present

So...what did my mom give me for my birthday?...

Two photo boxes full of neckties.

My reaction?...

I was thrilled!

Oddly enough, it was one of my favorite birthday gifts!  I can't wait to start making these ties into things!

Not only did Mom give me the ties (which were given to her by a co-worker), she gave me an idea for a craft to do with them!...mini purses for cell phones, mp3 players, or cameras.  She saw the idea on Pinterest.  Mom and craft show customers have suggested before that I make small, cell phone purses that look like monsters.  And these ties will be perfect!  I look forward to crafting with them!

(The funny thing is that ties that would typically be considered hideous as ties will make the best purses!)

Crafty Pinterest Christmas Gifts

My husband and I went to visit his family for Christmas, so we had "Christmas" with my parents on New Year's Eve (they had spent Christmas in Staten Island with my brother and his fiance`).  And thanks to creating a "Wish List" board on Pinterest, I was pleasantly surprised and got just what I wanted!  This doesn't happen often, since I don't like telling people what I want for Christmas, because I hate to make anyone feel like I have an expectation. I am always content and happy with whatever gifts I am given.  I really didn't expect anyone to pay attention to my silly Pinterest wish list, but my mom and sister-in-law-to-be follow my boards and they were both paying attention! 

 My mom is always asking me what I want for Christmas, even though I'm super easy to shop for...so she showed the wish list to my dad and he went to town shopping online!

These are 2 of my favorite gifts...an Alphabet Rolling Stamp (from my parents), and a Button Punch (from Nicole). Everything I wanted was either craft or music oriented.  I also got the "Doctor Who: Series 5" soundtrack from my parents, and the album "Invisible Empires" by Sarah Groves from Nicole.  I was also pleasantly surprised when I opened the box from my brother with these hand-strengtheners inside that look like rubber donuts.  It wasn't something I'd thought of, but I was touched that he had remembered that last time he saw me I was having hand/wrist pain from having marathon sewing sessions to prepare for craft shows.

I had fun punching buttons out from random paper, including the punch's packaging (the turquoise buttons) and a Pottery Barn catalog I've been saving for cutting up for collage work (because I have the crafter's curse of feeling the need to save everything!)

I've been wanting the rolling stamp because I think it will be so much more portable and convenient to use for making price tag signs at craft shows than the alphabet stamps sets I currently have.  I'll probably still use my alphabet stamp sets on occasion, since I like the font, but this stamp is so fast and convenient...you can stamp entire words/phrases instead of painstakingly stamping each letter.  I actually made tags the other day for presents for the families in my church (I gave each family a mason jar filled with homemade Hidden Valley Ranch Oyster Crackers...a Christmas tradition I do that my friends all love!)

One thing is that I do have to remember to "think backwards" when spelling words on the rolling stamp!

Handmade Christmas 2011!

I never officially signed the Handmade Holiday Pledge (which is "at least half of the holiday gifts I give will be handmade! *by me, a friend, or a super-cool artist), but I do believe that at least half of my gifts I gave this year were handmade.  This month, I was working on top-secret handmade Christmas gifts for my nieces.  I had to wait until after Christmas to post pictures, since I wasn't sure if they check my blog at all and didn't want to inadvertently spoil the surprise.  But now I can finally share!

Pieces cut out before sewing.

First up was an "Invader Zim" hat for my oldest niece.  (she is one of those teens who are borderline obsessed with the cancelled Nickelodeon show). I was originally going to make her a Cheshire Cat purse to match the plush I gave her two years ago, but my sister-in-law had asked about an "Invader Zim" hat, so I made that instead!

And the finished product!

 (modeling it myself in my bathroom mirror)

Next is a Monster Purse for my middle niece (the oldest's younger sister).  I made a monster purse last year that she really liked, but I ended up selling it at a show.  So this was the perfect opportunity for me to make her one of her own.

Last is an Owl Purse for my youngest niece.  She's REALLY into owls (of course, who ISN'T into owls nowadays?) and my mother-in-law had suggested that I make her an owl purse. (I know there are feet shown in the cut-out-pieces photo...but I forgot about them when I sewed the purse up!  I don't think it mattered much to anyone though.)

And now the big reveal!...

(I wasn't at a good angle to get a good picture of her reaction...but she was VERY excited)

She was so excited that she couldn't stand still enough for me to get a good picture!

I made all 3 girls line up so I could get good pictures. 

I also have a nephew (the youngest niece's brother), but I was at a loss at what to make for him.  He's 17, and teenage boys are so difficult to hand make gifts for!  But we got a tip from my mother-in-law that he wanted a set of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" books, so we got him a boxed set, which he was very happy with!  And I an get behind that.  If you can't hand-make something, books are a good way to go!  I fully endorse the activity of reading! (I was quite the book-worm when I was a teen)

They were all thrilled with their gifts, which made me very happy!  I think I am officially the "cool aunt"! ;)

I have a feeling I am going to start getting lots of requests for purses now!  I've already gotten a few after I posted the pictures on Facebook! 

I wasn't very confident in making purses before.  I had only made one before as an experiment. But I thought they would look unfinished if I didn't line them, and the idea of lining them was daunting to me.  But I find that if I make the purses out of sweaters, the "raw" seams on the inside of the bag look okay.  So I may be adding purses to my line of products pretty soon!

CJ's New TARDIS Shirt

CJ made himself a TARDIS T-shirt a few years ago using T-shirt iron-on transfer paper, but the design has since faded so much that you can barely recognize what the design is even supposed to be (I suspect it's partially my fault for not washing it correctly). Anyway, I had an idea to make him a new one for his birthday this year...one that wouldn't get ruined if it didn't get washed correctly. So I appliqued a simple, minimalist TARDIS design using T-shirt scraps!

I met a kid at the craft show who loves Doctor Who too. It's such a niche kind of thing here in the States that people that like Doctor Who get all excited when we meet other people you like it too!...because most other people just think you're weird!

My KiraArts Director Chair

Yesterday was my 29th birthday! I got my gifts a few days early, since we had lunch with my parents on Sunday to celebrate both Father's Day and my birthday. One of the gifts I got that I'm most excited about is a tall director's chair with my KiraArts logo on it! My parents bought it at Pier 1 and then brought the back cover to their friend Misty, who has a printing business (Cornerstone Printware), to have her print my logo onto it! (I also got a white T-shirt with the logo on it, since Misty wanted a test first before she printed onto the chair cover. It's a XX-Large, so CJ wears it. He actually wore it when he took me out to dinner last night!)

We set the chair up as soon as we got home on Sunday. It was barely set up for 5 minutes and I turn around and see that Terra has made herself at home!

The chair is primarily for me to use at craft shows...since I can't see people from behind my display when I'm sitting in the folding camp chair I usually bring. I usually end up spending most of the show standing, so I can interact with customers. I don't like peeking up at them from behind the suitcases, so I'll stand so I can talk to them face to face. Then I usually end up continuing to stand so people can see me...which makes my feet really sore and tired by the end of the day. So I am SO glad to have this tall chair now! And it's extra cool that it has my logo on it, and that the canvas seat and back are turquoise! So I look all professional too!

Trampoline Fun

We set up our trampoline on Monday. My brother got us for Christmas. The story behind it is that when he came to visit last year, he was amazed at how big/long our back yard is (he lives in Staten Island, so his yard is small). He joked with CJ and I that we need a trampoline (...and a pool...and a bounce house!). CJ said that the only way we were going to have a trampoline is if Adam bought us one. He was half-joking. We didn't really expect Adam to buy us a trampoline. Well...fast forward to Christmas. My parents told me that Adam's Christmas gift for us had arrived at their house...and to bring the truck to pick it up. My thought was "Oh boy...what on earth did he get us?". In my parents' garage was a big box. I looked at the writing on the box and...yep...trampoline. My brother is crazy...but pretty awesome. So now we have a trampoline. Unfortunately, it didn't come with the safety net, so we can't let our friends' kids go on it without a group of spotters...but I can still have fun on it!

And half the fun for me has been trying to take pictures of myself while jumping on it! (CJ took the above photo)

I had a ball trying to take photos at that moment where I come down from a jump and my hair is still in the air


Ah... simple pleasures!