Re-branding!

Please have patience, I am working on re-branding my Etsy, Facebook and blog. Please stay tuned!!!

Need more stitchy goodness!

Holy hell it's been a long time since I updated this blog. Child rearing is time consuming. And messy. And expensive. Also, antidepressants really sap the creative urge. That explains why all artists are crazy.

I have managed to squeak out another piece for my video game series, finally. I loved loved LOVED this game when I was in high school!! Thanks to new and awesome technology, we downloaded this on the Wii. It never gets old. I give you Toejam & Earl.

Sorry for the watermark, but in the age of Pinterest and people blatantly ripping off your work, it's a necessity.

So this is the second in a series on video games, except my Galaga piece sold at the county fair. So I need to make a new one! But before I do that, I have a couple of other projects to finish. So until their completion, I bid you adieu. Or tschus. :)

More wreathy goodness

I saw a tutorial for these really cute snowman wreaths so I gave it a try. I was unable to get all the supplies but I think they turned out well. I put a couple in my shop to see what happens. I hope they can get some views in the massive wreath overload on Etsy!

Bex vs. The Solicitors

This past year we've had a lot of people coming to the door to sell this and that. I hate getting stuck talking to them and a couple I've had to almost argue with to get them to realize NO means NO. NO also means GO AWAY. I've seen No Solicitation stickers on people's front doors and they look so unattractive. But I need something to get these sales people to stop coming to our home. So I decided to make something Bex style.

Here is what I made to advertise our "no solicitation" policy. I need to get an appropriate frame and hang it on the front door. The biggest problem with displaying this on my door is that the front of the house faces west. In the summer, the heat and light is very intense on that side of the house. It would only take one season for the fabric and threads to fade considerably. So I guess I'll keep it by the front door and if someone rings the bell, I'll just shove it in their face. Maybe bare my teeth too.

I hope you like it! I put it in my Etsy shop just in case anyone wants one. I'll make them to order instead of creating several to have on hand. Thanks for stopping by!

A departure from the norm

Hello friends! Sorry I haven't been posting or creating lately. Galaga took a lot out of me, but I'm back in the game again! I made something pretty today which is not my normal type of creating. However I am really excited that it's looking more like fall outside these days. I'm tired of the damn heat.

So in my zeal for fall weather, I got my meager fall decorations out and put them in the house. I have a little decoration in the front yard but the front door is bare and boring. I got a wild hair up my ass to decorate a wreath with some fall colors. I packed up the bambino and off to Hobby Lobby we went!

Let me start by saying I've never made a wreath in my life. But after looking at the pre-decorated ones at the store (which cost $100!), I figured even a beginner like me could make at least something presentable. I really liked the look of the grape vine wreaths but had no idea how messy they were. I will have to get a plastic wreath storage box eventually because if this thing gets tossed around in the basement too much, it's not going to last long. Also, the grape vine wreaths are really inexpensive.

Since I live in the Sunflower State, I felt it fitting to use some artificial sunflowers in muted fall hues. Sticking to the same range of colors (orange and yellow), I picked out pretty flowers of different varieties. I had no idea what kinds of tools I needed so I made sure to get my first glue gun (yay!), ribbon and some floral wire. The floral wire wasn't needed for this project but it was inexpensive and I'm sure I can use it for something else later.

First I loosely twisted some ribbon around the wreath and glued the ends to the back. Then I snipped the stems of the flowers and the other do-dads, experimented with the placement and finally, applied glue to the stems and stuck them into the wreath. I hope everything stays in place!

Here it is on the door. I could probably find a more attractive wreath hook. For now I'm really happy with how my first, spur-of-the-moment wreath turned out.

Thanks for putting up with my country-esque crafting! Back to weird things with skulls and another video game cross-stitch! Tschus!

Galaga is here!

Finally! I worked like crazy on this piece and it turned out so well! The pattern took me days to fine tune and my gamer husband critiqued the details. Stitching took a while but it was worth it. What do you think? I am not sure what I'll do with it right now, but eventually it will be for sale. I'm already working on another gamer pattern so stay tuned!

ROFL Copter

I can't believe I forgot to post the ROFL Copter! I made one of these a long time ago and gave it away. I just made a new one recently, but made it with glow-in-the-dark floss to make it more fun. It's in the Etsy store if you want to purchase it. I can always make more if needed. I love me a good ROFL.

WIPS!

I'd love to know what everyone in the blogosphere is cookin' up right now. Food? Embroidery? Soaps? I have this huge urge to create and not enough baby-free time. I stitched up a cute cross stitch on a book mark for a friend but forgot to take a picture first. Dang. Now I'm working on an 11 x 14 inch Galaga piece. I plan to make at least 4 of these, which are all spoken for already. What a popular game! I remember fondly braving the dark arcade in the mall to play this one. What video games did you play as a kid? Or what are you playing now as an adult?

This piece is a big deal because my husband and I are working on a blog about gaming. Stay tuned for its debut in July!

I'd like to hear from all the crafters that make their own soaps, bath salts and bath bombs. I have a lavender plant addiction. It's the only plant I've been able to consistently grow in our unforgiving soil. While I was pregnant, I took a lot of Epsom salt baths to help with muscle pains. I'm not pregnant anymore but lately have been suffering terrible back pains. I bet it would be even nicer in the tub if I had some lavender mixed in with the Epsom salts. I've been reading up on how to add lavender to the salts and I think that's my next non-stitchy project for the summer. Let me know if you've ever worked with essential oils and/or made bath salts or bath bombs. Well I better get crackin'!

How YOU doin'?

I have finally finished my gaudy, glittery unicorn piece. This has been in my head for several months but I had to muster the energy and time to work on it. So what the hell is this about?

In our culture it is normal to greet someone with "Hello, how are you?" It's a very innocent question, usually asked out of politeness, not because anyone really wants to hear an honest answer. So regardless of how I'm feeling at any given day, I've learned to say "I'm fine" or "Great! How are you?" because it's easier that way. No one wants to hear that I'm in a lot of pain or that I'm feeling depressed because I haven't been able to leave the house in several days. I understand that it makes people uncomfortable or makes them feel like they need to fix me. So instead of revealing honest emotions, I like to joke that my life is all glitter and unicorns and rainbows!!

This is my interpretation of what goes through my mind when I have to slip into the role of Pollyanna and spout glittery unicorns.

To do this piece, I first found an open source image of a unicorn. (And don't argue with me that this is a pegasus because I will beat you with your 12-sided die, +6 for damage.) It took a while to find the perfect, crazy fabric to serve as the background. Thank you Etsy! I had to color the muslin twice with crayons and set with the iron to get the colors dark enough. Then I embroidered the details and cut the unicorn and turd out, tried out some Fray Stop and then played with the glitter fabric paints. The text was added last. I still need to finish the back of the hoop but I wanted to go ahead and share it now. What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by! I'm working on some new things so stay tuned for the next project! I'm excited to get going on it. Have a wonderful, rainbow-laden evening. Tschus.

Unicorn poop

I am FINALLY doing something with my stitching again. I have had the worst case of creative block that I've ever experienced. It's like the baby sucked all motivation and creativity from my brain. So here are a couple of shots of what I've done so far. I will explain the meaning behind it when I finish it.

Even though I only get to work on this a few minutes here and there, it feels good to be doing SOMETHING again. Well, I did subvert the baby's bib but other than that, it's been months since I picked up a needle. I have a running list on my iPad of ideas and even if they never come to fruition, at least I am brainstorming. Thanks for stopping by and have a good 'un.

Vintage puppy embroideries

My brain power has seriously decreased, therefore my stitching output is almost at a complete halt. My priorities included getting the baby's room done and decorated. Other than cleaning up some general clutter, I am finished with this room. Whew! And with five weeks to spare! So I give you the baby's room, with finished puppy number 3. I'm also showing some of the other items used to decorate this room, most of which were made by friends or relatives.

PS: Sorry for the terrible photos. I had to use an old point-and-shoot because I still do not have the proper lens to do short range shots on my Nikon. Aw well.

This was part of a tea towel set of iron-on patterns. Picked it up at Hobby Lobby and cut out the day of the week text. I put him on an 8 x 10 inch canvas with a blue gingham ribbon to hang. I also used pink and blue gingham bow to fill in some space at the bottom. In my scramble to finish this today, I didn't center the pattern as well as I would have liked.

Here are all three together, above the baby's dresser. I used the 3M removable, plastic hooks instead of nails.

The three pieces hanging on the left are pieces that my mother embroidered for me when I was a child. Guess the desire to stitch runs in the family! You can also see two handmade quilts on the chair. The red one is comprised of more vintage puppies and was sent to me by the lovely Pam!

Another view of those above mentioned pieces.

This is a terrible photo but it's so hard to get a nice shot with the dark paint and bright colors. These decals were about $10 off Amazon and you can re-position them. I like that they are an inexpensive, fun way to add color to a kid's room. After all, who knows what the child's taste will be in a few years?

Finally, this is the crib and changing table. I ran the decals over the crib to add more color. (I intentionally blanked out the name on the name plate. We'll announce that to everyone in about 5 weeks!) I purchased that handmade item off Etsy. The blanket in the crib was handmade by a friend.

So that's about it for now! I have a couple more things I'd like to cross stitch before the kiddo arrives but who knows what will happen. I can always try though right? Have a great day! Tschus. :)

Pups and bugs!

My friend's baby shower is over so I can post this!

This only took about two weeks for me to stitch on and off. My friend loves her Boston Terrier and she also recently added a bee hive to her property. I used three patterns to create this for her on a baby towel.

She is due a few weeks before I am so it has been really helpful to trade stories with her. It's nice to know someone else who is going through this along with me! I was really happy to be able to attend her shower and give her this personalized gift. Hope you all like it too!

Halloween stitches!

Wow it's been about a month and no posts! What have I been doing?

I decided to switch gears and get ready for fall, whether or not the weather would cooperate with my mood. Just as the heat wave broke I was able to finally put up two pieces that I think are really cute.

Both patterns are from The Stitcherhood and you can find her website here. Her designs are really cute and she has some free patterns there for Halloween, which is where I got these. I am thinking of buying some from her though because they are really fun and easy to put together.

I chose to put both of them on 14-count, oatmeal colored Aida fabric. The cemetery one I modified slightly from the original because I messed up some of the spacing in the design. I think it works though!

Now that the baby's room is painted, I can see how things will go on the wall. Next up is one more puppy to fill some space. I'm going to make this one to fit a 8 x 10 inch canvas and then flank it with the two 6 x 9 inch canvases.

I hope to make a bunting for one of the walls too but we'll see if I ever master my sewing machine!

Until next time, tschus.

Another puppy!

I keep going back and forth between the silly and gross and the cute. I did another puppy for the baby's room. I'm not sure how much more to do so I might wait until we get the room painted and set up before I do much else.

By the way, any good ways to hang things by ribbon without putting a nail in the wall? Seems a shame to get the room all nice and painted and then put holes in the walls. Also I'd like the flexibility to rearrange the art work over time. I know there are non-permanent sticky hooks (for lack of a better description) but they are kind of large. Maybe there are smaller versions?

So here is the Scotty dog, looking all prim and proper. Again, I got this from French Knots.





I wish I hadn't continued the thread near his neck but oh well. I still like this little guy!

So there ya go! I finished the stitching a while ago but finally got off my lazy behind to stretch it over the canvas. I think the next project will be another humorous piece using an established pattern.

Stay tuned!

Tschus.

Fapping Meme

WARNING: The following depicts masturbation humor.

My husband loves Failblog and even more, he loves the Meme page on it. I had to laugh at one of them and promised to stitch it for him. Before I post pics, you can find the meme stuff here. It's fun to do something kind of gross and silly.

Note to self, work on embroidering words.

I present to you, the fapping meme.

He's taking it to work, by the way. Good thing it's a small company.

Hope your days are cool, calm and full of humor!! Tschus!

The Sinister Stitch Chronicles

My friend Victoria Crowder Payne has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund her work and upcoming exhibit called The Sinister Stitch Chronicles. I can't describe it as well as Victoria has, so here is a summary from her Kickstarter page!

"Sinister Stitch is a mixed media embroidery project composed of two parts: the Exhibit (which will debut in October 2011) and the Chronicles (airing July through November 2011, with the feature film compiled at year's end)."

The exhibit will be "a mixed media embroidered collection consisting of 13 ancient poisonous botanicals anchored by a central personification of the Mandrake Root’s fabled consort: the Womandrake.  (Additionally, the Sinister Stitch poisons are Monkshood, Wolfsbane, Foxglove, Poets Narcissus, Black Hellebore, Snakeroot, Moonseed, Angel’s Trumpet, Rosary Pea, Hemlock, and Oleander.)" I love that she is using dangerous, beautiful plants and humanizing them. It's like a modern day fairy tale.

And the second part of her campaign is the documentary/webcasts: "The Sinister Stitch Chronicles include the web-casts beginning July 2011 that detail creating the exhibit and the documentary film project (scheduled for release in December 2011)."

Please jump on over to the Kickstarter page to read more about how to donate and get involved!

And here is one of the episodes available on Youtube. Victoria was so kind as to include a couple of my little pieces along with our other amazing, talented friends to illustrate different types of embroidery.



I love this episode so much because you can see the artist in her space, how she organizes herself, her beautiful family around her lending hands and paws to the project and just get a feel for who she is as a person. Her first episode was amazing as it described her inspiration for this project. I am a big believer in the subconscious influencing us, especially in our art. I've woken up in the middle of the night and connected an image to a feeling that I wanted to express in my embroidery. Those instances have always pushed me out of my creative blocks and the feeling when it happens is so very cool.

To get up to date news on this project with even more details, photos and inspiration, please see Victoria's blog here.

I hope you will take the time to get to know Victoria and her awesome art work. I am so excited to see this in person in the fall! Good luck Vic!!

Current faves

I've enjoyed visiting my mail box lately. No, not bills. Who enjoys those? However my mailbox has been regurgitating some lovely things I've purchased or been fortunate enough to be gifted as of late. Take a peek!

I was given these by a friend: a screen print baby onesie along with an adult zombie book cleverly disguised as a children's book. I love it!



Check out her Etsy store and see the other awesome things she makes!

This is a whimsical, clever brooch my friend Bascom made for me!



It makes me smile! Kind of reminds me of the ancient fish that decided it wanted to stop eating in the water and live on land. So it grew legs. This fish looks like it's got a great idea and gearing up to start walking! Smart little bastard.

Finally, here is a quilt I bought for the baby's room. I think it will fit our crib nicely.





You can find this gal's store on Etsy as well!

I love the happy dogs and the colors. There were a lot of puppy quilts on Etsy but I was in love with another quilt with the same kind of fabric and color, however the seller raised the price before I could purchase it. This quilt fit my budget and I will purchase a blue dust ruffle for the crib and a breatheable bumper in blue also. We're thinking chocolate brown for the walls and then all the handmade goodies we can make and find for decoration. I don't care if things don't match. It's almost better if they don't because then the baby will have tons of colors to look at all the time!

These are my favorite handmade things right now. What is on your list currently?

Mish mash finished

I have a few things that I've finished FINALLY that I can share with you!

First the puppy is now stretched on canvas and has a loop attached for hanging. I plan on doing one more similar puppy to match.





The back of the canvas. I stitched and glued a pink gingham ribbon to hang it. This was super quick to make. The reason it took me so long to post this was because I didn't have a canvas on hand. I made the image 5 x7 on my printer and bought a 6 x 9 canvas so it would be just a bit bigger than my finished image.



This is my first baby onesie that I've stitched on. In fact, it's the first tshirt material I've ever used. The stabilizer and patterns are from Sublime Stitching. It's a little plain; no embellishments.



And this dragonfly was a pattern I obtained from About.com! The lovely Connie G. asked for some stitchers to do some of her patterns and this is the first one I chose to do. I added a fourth color to play with the wings a little. I'll hang this in the baby's room too.

And this piece is part of a larger project in the UK. Each stitcher has a phrase from the definition of the word "fractal." You can see the entire phrase here.



This was the phrase I was assigned. It actually looks very pretty in person but the mobile phone photo is pretty washed out. It's royal purple for the letters and then a rainbow to give it a little flair. I really like the font.

Finally, I finished and framed my Fido movie quote:



This is available for sale in my Etsy shop if you are interested! I loved stitching this one up as I enjoy brains and splatter.



Whew! That's it for now. Next up include a vulgar meme, a puppy, a lady bug and another Boomstick for my first sale on Etsy in about four months! Good thing it's too hot to do much else other than stitch. :)

Tschus!

Whatchoo workin' on?

First of all, thanks to those who took part in the "guess the sex of the baby" poll on my baby site. If you haven't done so, please click on over and also register to win a free bookmark. The details are all on the previous post!

Second, I finished up another zombie themed piece but will post pics as soon as I get a nice frame for it. It took me a few weeks to do because the font was a little larger than what I normally do. I hope you like it!

Third, I just started a cute puppy piece for the nursery. This is a free pattern from a gal at French Knots. So far I have only transferred the pattern to a piece of muslin, so it will finish in a size of 7 inches by 5 inches. I may frame it or stretch it over a canvas. This is the first time I transferred a pattern using the Sulky iron-on pens. Normally I use a washable pen and transfer the pattern using the window as a light box. However it has been cloudy all day and my shoulders ache terribly.

So far, so good! This is very easy to use. Just read the directions first, like how to get the ink started the first time you use it. When I printed the pattern, I reversed the image first. Then I traced it.

Then I laid the pattern, ink side down, onto my fabric and ironed it at a high heat setting. Be sure to turn the steam off on your iron. You don't have to do it for long. Sulky suggests just 30 seconds, gently moving the iron around the pattern. It also says you can use the same pattern a few more times before it won't transfer anymore.

The directions also state that you should wait a few days before you wash the fabric. I usually wash things out after I'm done stitching.

I decided not to be anti-feline in our nursery after digging out a couple pieces that hung in my own bedroom when I was little. My mother did these for me and they are a bit stained but so dang cute. I've decided, boy or girl, that a nursery with blue accents is just fine by me. I had a blue room and turned out fine! (I think.)

I don't know how to make the cute little ruffles around the hoop like she did but maybe I'll figure that out someday.

And finally, I won a giveaway from my friend Lisa on her blog site. She sent me some divine French Chocolate Mint tea and the cutest little stitch to help keep me smiling. For those who don't follow my personal blog, my dog Sadie passed away and I've been self-soothing with ice cream. Bust my head open and soft serve will come pouring out.

Isn't that cute? What a sweetie!

So what is everyone else working on? Leave a link to your blog if you have some works in progress going on!

Thanks and happy fourth!

Tschus. :)