get on the bus, gus.

*

this is something i have been working on for my bus-loving elfling.

i've a bit more embroidering to do before i can stitch it to the front of his new tote. i do love his current little tote, but the list of what he insists on taking everywhere is fast outgrowing what it can hold.

all of the totes we own are too big, so a new one (with lots of pockets) was in order.

i'd love to see what you're working on. leave a link in the comment section, so we all can take a peek!

~peace.

a royal collaboration

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photo shoot :: outtake

a few months ago i was asked by my oh-so-fantastic teammate, pin pon, if i would like to create a crown to go with a capelet she made. seriously? well, of course i would! even before joining natural kids i was a huge fan of her work.

once the (utterly adorable) capelet arrived i got to work on the crown. i believe i even showed a sneaky peek or two, way back when. the delay has been in photographing the set. unfortunately my little models & i never seemed to mesh schedule-wise. thehobbit, as willing as he usually is to pose for me, was not interested in modelling an ultra-feminine ensemble.

finally i accepted that i would need to just find another model. you know, that's easier said than done. i know many little girls in the required size, but a) i wanted a classic look, & 2) very few in this age group are willing models, once the camera is in front of them.

as you can see from this post's photo, i did find the perfect model. not only was she still willing with the camera clicking away, she was the cutest little ham i'd ever worked with. what you see above is one of a few standard "model" poses she has in her repertoire. she cracks me up :)

so! the royal set can now be purchased here! i still have to take some closer photos of the crown's details, as well as the gorgeous interior of the capelet - just waiting for the rain to stop. if you have a princess in need of this set, i suggest you buy it before i get the photos uploaded. it may not be around long.

~peace.

lavender blue, dilly dilly

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poorly lit photo of a birthday crown wip

last night i was working on a birthday crown, when i realized i hadn't any lavender floss. this crown has to match a capelet made by the talented pin pon, so my palette is set: orange, light orange, white, & lavender.

i knew that the color i needed was in the box of floss i'd brought back from my mother's home. until now though, i had not even considered using any of it. as it was, it took me a goodly bit of time to convince myself that it was ok to use a length of lavender.

you see, when i was in oregon, i only took a small box of her gigantic collection of embroidery floss. i honestly don't know why i didn't take it all; it just seemed right at the time, to take a bit as a remembrance. of course i'm kicking myself now. so, the floss has taken on a sort of sacred aura - to be fondled & hoarded. yes, i know i am being silly, but i imagine it's all part of dealing with the loss of my mother.

short story made long; i used a bit if her lavender floss on the crown. it did feel strange to do so. i remembered the countless times i saw her embroider, the gorgeous works of art she created, as well as the silly. my brother & i each had pillow made from our little jeans, with tush, stitched onto the pocket. & no, i don't still have mine :)

some of these memories brought with them a feeling of peace as i worked, others brought immeasurable sadness. i'm told by the (too many) friends who've lost mothers, that this will be the way of it. how ever does one get used to such things?

another poorly lit photo of the birthday crown wip

once i finished, the lavender floss went back into its box, & the whole was placed on its shelf in my sewing nook. that's her writing: 211. i miss her all the more when i see it.

a favorite song from my childhood, that is stuck in my head:

~peace.

morning & afternoon

after a morning of homeschooling projects, & studio decluttering; we spent the afternoon creating. it felt wonderful to get things checked off the pesky to-do list.

i got most of the birthday crowns embroidered &/or beaded. then; whilst looking for something in my sewing cabinet; i came across a few labels. this enabled me to finish the pencil pouches that i'd begun the other day. woohoo!

thehobbit didn't want to be left out of the creating part of the day, so i dug out the kit purchased on our last thrifting expedition. other than my hands to steady things occasionally, he completed this project all on his own.

it's meant to hold tools, but he's decided it should be used as a remote-caddy instead. i'm not the least bit embarrassed to say that it will definitely get more use from us watching television, than from us using tools.

i hope your day was as productive & creative! may i nap now?

~peace.

day :: 7

i've been up to my eyeballs in hand-work this week. if i'm not stitching together dinky gnomies or mini mushrooms, i am embroidering birthday crowns.

as i stitch curving letters, or fanciful designs on the crowns, i think about the children who will one day wear them to blow out their birthday candles, or play make-believe.

when i was a child i loved dressing up, & losing myself in my imagination more than anything. i would have adored a wool crown that i could wear all the time. i had crowns & tiaras aplenty; that i did wear as regular headgear; but plastic & metal are not nearly as cozy.

this one was a custom order for a little girl. she's not into fancy things, so i kept the embroidery simple. i'm not particularly fond of bright colors, but i think the magenta, & funky yellow look interesting together. the reverse is magenta wool, but i don't recall if i left it plain, or added french knots to the tips.

the crowns i'm working on now have more detail, & some have beads incorporated into the design. once they are sewn to their backings, i'll take photos to share.

time for me to get off my arse, & get ready for the day. we've got to read a chapter before we leave for hogwarts.
~peace.

my very first swap!

soap & oddsox had been swapping for some time, & trying to get the rest of the dragonflies to join them on swapbot. i had many excuses valid reasons why i ignored them; but eventually they found a swap i could not refuse: international chocolates!! i signed up immediately, only to have the swap get cancelled a week later. luckily for me i was able to purchase a bar of imported chocolate to calm my by then frantic craving.

i decided to search for another swap, & found hallowe'en whimsy jar. i had no idea what that was, but as love hallowe'en, i figured it was worth trying. for starters i had to follow the rules of the swap: must be black, orange, purple, & white colors only, a hallowe'en theme, fit into a baby food jar (larger was allowed), & things your partner would like. next i had to find out what a whimsy jar was, & head over to my swap partner's profile to see the sort of things she's into.

she seemed sweet, but i got a tad nervous when i saw her tastes were vastly different from mine. it took some serious planning, but i think i managed to get as near what she liked, whilst not straying too far from what i like to make it no longer an enjoyable experience. kwim? i'm going to send it to her this week - i hope she likes it.


this is the lid & gift tag. i love the image on the lid, i just hope it isn't too ghoulish for her. i was going to encircle the image with orange beads, but that increased the spooky factor, so i went with all-over glitter instead.

here are the guts of the jar. from my research i learned that you're supposed to stuff the jar with bits & bobs, according to the theme. her profile said that she liked dotee dolls, altered matchboxes, rubber stamps, & scrapbooking. she also has a young child. for her child, i stuffed in some spider spinners, & a jack 'o' lantern clicker. i know thehobbit is going to poke through my jar when whomever is creating mine sends it; so i thought if her child is the same, i'd include a few things for him.

this was my first dotee doll, & soap had to explain what they were, & how they needed to be done. at first i thought um ooookay; but once i began creating it, i could see how people could get hooked on them except the beaded tails. i don't get why they have them. this one is wearing a cat costume, & carrying a trick-or-treat bucket.

& here she is with her bewhiskered mask removed! i know it's tacky to love all over your own creation, but i just love the mask. sue me. i had intended on the bucket being removable as well, but um, i sort of forgot.

this is a shot of the little package unwrapped. i shrunk vintage hallowe'en postcards, & printed them onto card stock. because they show additional colors, i wrapped them in black & white. i don't know how strict the color rules are, & i didn't want to mess up my first time out. i figure she can use them scrapbooking, or in matchboxes. of course thehobbit saw them, so i had to print more for his borrowers' house.

this last one is the interior of the matchbox shrine. i'm sorry for the glare, i hadn't known it was there until i uploaded the photo. if you cannot see it clearly, the image is a vintage ouija board. i'm not very good at paper crafts, so the matchbox is quite plain. lastly there is a pumpkin gnomie. this is the first time i'm showing my wooden gnomies to the blog world! normally their cloaks are in forest colors, they are stained instead of painted, & they have no faces; but it was fun to do one differently for a change. oh, & the stitching on this one is wretched - i apologize stranger lady swap person! by the time i got to the gnomie i'd had a leeetle too much coffee. & tea. & possibly another coffee. instead of breakfast.

***

so that is the story of my very first swap. it was loads of fun to do, & a great way to work my creative muscles. i'm glad i stopped ignoring soap & oddsox, & joined the world of swapping. soap is in charge of 2 swaps that i've joined: waldorf pocket trinkets, & fiber arts mushrooms. time to get out my wool felt & roving!

a certain short person is swearing he is unto the very brink of starvation, so i must be off. i could babble all day; it feels fabulous to be crafting again; but i'm sure the authorities would prefer i feed my hobbity boy. i hope you get to create something today.

~peace.

p.s. happy rosh hashana! currently thehobbit is singing "i've got a rash on my shana" over & over. just for you. you're welcome ;-)

** edited to add :: i hope i did not imply that there was anything wrong with my swap partner's taste. i only meant ours differ: her style seems more mainstream & sweet, whilst i prefer my hallowe'en to be more dark & witchy. that's all. **

calling all embroiderers!

is that even a word? i'm sure it is, but it really does not look like it should be.

do you have a favorite embroidery site? know where all the cool patterns hang out? how about tutorials? please! send them my way. i would like to expand my repertoire beyond 3 stitches.

i've already found the tutorials over at the purl bee, as well as the fun collection of patterns at sublime stitching. look at their cute little camping trailer!

image :: property of sublime stitching

any patterns you adore would be welcome. i like seeing what others are into. i am interested in the following:

elizabethan, medieval, retro, herbals, alphabets, dark (skulls etc,) fantasy (as in gnomes, not naughty,) nature, & scroll/curls/whatisthewordi'mlookingfor.

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** blogger is messing with my spaces again **

last night we had a special tu-wednesday craft in honor of paper's upcoming birthday. everyone lavished her with prezzies - well most everyone. a certain person; who may or may not be me; has yet to finish sewing hers. there was also a decadent chocolate cake, & absinthe. it was my first taste of the previously forbidden drink. who knew something so beautiful would be that strong? i can now breathe fire.

***

that's all the babble for today. i'm off to paint birthday cards with thehobbit - for a certain gorgeous man's birthday.

go have a slice of cake (after you send me your embroidery sites please.)

~peace.