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. :)