Code Blue

Alright. My eyes are burning. It's sunny outside, yet it is hailing. The daffodils and trees are blooming. These things can mean only one thing in Oregon: Spring is quickly approaching! And darned if that doesn't make me gaze longingly into my closet and wish for springy clothes (and warm weather to wear them in). But it's SO cold still. Tonight it is even attempting to snow! CRAZY!!

But thankfully I found this fun little "game" at Macy's.com. It's called the Macy's Fashion Director Daily Fashion Challenge Contest (how's that for a mouthful?). It lets you pick your outfits right down to the fragrance you'd wear with it. How cool is that? It has curbed my urge to shop (for now), and that is fine with me, because saving money is high on the To-Do list these days.  However, should you find it within yourself the goodness to help me win a little shopping spree, I won't stop you. In fact, by all means, PLEASE do!  I'll even be so kind as to provide you with a direct link to my handpicked outfit so that you can vote for it. 

Macys Fashion Director: "

I love this outfit - check it out!"

The daily challenge was to choose an outfit that I would wear on a blind date. And I totally would too! Now all I need is a date!! I titled it "Code Blue".  Partly for the fabulous blue cascading cardigan, and partly for the fragrance Armani Code. But upon further reflection, I think the name suits a blind date. It could go one of two ways: either your heart stops because your date is a drop-dead hottie; OR, your date is so horrific that you'll need electric shock therapy to recover from the ordeal.

But you can be sure of one thing: if you vote for my outfit, and I win, I promise to buy you something. So what are you waiting for? Go Vote!!

Love Ya! Thanks!!! :)

Goodwill Skirt Remake

If you took a plain boring skirt and a plain boring tie and put them together what would you get?  Well, let's do some math. 

Here's the equation:

While wandering around my local Goodwill the other day I found both of these items and thought, "Hmmm, I bet these could look really cool together."  And so I was inspired to sew a few "extras" onto this otherwise boring skirt.  First off I trimmed the hemline up to just below my knees.  Then with that scrap of fabric I was able to insert a couple of pleats. 

After the pleats were done I then prepared the tie by cutting two appropriate lengths (one for the front and one for the back).  Then I removed just enough of the backing of the tie to eliminate adding bulk to the skirt. 

Once I had that done I simply pinned each tie piece to the skirt and topstitched them down. 

Here is the finished skirt front:

And here is the finished skirt back:

The result is pretty much what I had envisioned while wandering the aisles of Goodwill.  I was hoping it would have a somewhat "vintage" feel, almost 40s or 50s, and I think it does. 

 

 

What do you think?

To purchase this one of a kind skirt click here.

Exploring My Artistic Talents in Baking

Yesterday I baked a pineapple upside-down cake, actually two of them.  I cannot remember the last time I made one of these cakes, if ever.  The whole process was actually a lot simpler than I had imagined.  Because, well let's be honest, who really bakes a cake from scratch anymore?  So I thought I was in for a ton of work.  Boy, was I pleasantly surprised!   

I used this recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook and only noticed the suggestions after I was done.  I thought it was quite appropriate given that I had already taken that liberty.  So, maybe I am a true "artist".

So I started by melting the butter in the baking dish.  Oh, the aroma of melted butter, mmm, need I say more?

Then I practiced my pineapple arranging skills before placing them in the dish just to make sure the picture I had in my head would actually work.  And mostly because I was intending the finished designed to come out legible so I had to create it backwards so that after the "flip" it would read "30" and NOT "0E". 

After sprinkling in the brown sugar over the melted butter, in goes the pineapple.   Then mix up the batter and,...

Pour it over the pineapple and bake it.  After it's done, immediately flip it onto a plate. I did learn a few lessons while creating this: 

1) always, ALWAYS check to make sure you have ALL of the ingredients on hand (even if you did the day before).  I ran out of sugar and ended up using about 1/4 cup of powered sugar to have enough. 

2) I should have used a larger platter when flipping it over.  It gets very syrup-ey (let's just say my sister was not too happy because she had just mopped, but my dog enjoyed it!) 

Here's what the finished cake looked like.

And 3) the pineapple doesn't stand out against the cake as much as I envisioned and I should have used more pieces of it.  But, mmm does it taste good!  It's caramelly and gooey and sweet and yummy.  I enjoyed it!

This Ain't Your Grandma's Craft Bazaar

Back in December...This was BIG!

It's the Super Colossal Crafty Wonderland Holiday Sale! And yes, they mean colossal.

I had been anticipating this event for months now. I made sure to clear my calendar for that day. I was even planning on volunteering to help out until I came down with a very awful cold (which is still lingering, sniff, sniff). On the advice of my sister (God bless her) I bowed out of that role, and opted to merely attend. I was not about to let a few sneezes and sniffles keep me from this mecca of handcrafted goodness! So I mustered up every ounce of energy I had left in me, took the maximum dosages of dayquil, stuffed my pockets full of kleenex, pulled on my boots and headed out with my sister for a day full of unique and adorable craft shopping.

Testing, Testing, This is only a test...

The message you are about to read is only a test. Testing. Testing. This test is to confirm to everyone and myself that I am still here, and this still works...Testing, Testing...

I Am Orange, (and so is this felt sleeve)

I decided it was appropriate to make an Oregon State Beaver inspired coffee sleeve. You see, as just about all Oregonians know, this week marks the 113th Civil War game between Oregon State University (GO BEAVS!!!) and University of Oregon. Hmmm, is it hard to tell which side I am on?


This is THE game of ALL games for these two teams this season. It's the Civil War for the Roses, baby! The winner of this game will go to the Rose Bowl. It has never before in the history of these civil war games that "both teams have entered the game with the "winner take all" scenario", as detailed by OSU Beaver Athletics.

So with much enthusiasm, spunk, and team spirit, I made a stunning orange and black coffee sleeve. With hand cut letters of felt on two layers of (wait for it...) more felt that spell "GO BEAVS", any OSU fan would be proud to hold this cup of coffee!

I know I am!!!!

O-S-U! FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!

Eco-Friendly Coffee Sleeve

Not long ago, I received a big bag of felt from my Grandpa's belongings. To say he was an avid quilter would be putting it lightly, but that's another story. He had an enormous amount of fabric that he had collected over the years. I aquired only a small amount of what he had and still my closet is overflowing. So every now and then I would take out this bag of felt, look over the contents and ponder what sort of things to create with it. Then I would get distracted with some other project and pack it all back in again. Needless to say it has been sitting in my closet for months and finally I decided on what to make with it: A Reusable Coffee Sleeve.

You see, I work in a coffee shop (ahem, starbucks), and on a daily basis we probably go through hundreds of the cardboard coffee sleeves. While those are recyclable and made from recycled material, when you add up all the other stores around the world, that's probably more like millions (maybe even billions) of those cardboard sleeves eventually getting tossed into the trash. That's a lot of waste! So why not have your own reusable coffee sleeve that keeps those things out of the landfills and also adds a personal touch to your daily brew?

They are simple and easy to make. In fact, I used the cardboard sleeve as a template for the basic pattern. It ensures a snug fit that will accomodate almost all sizes of cups. Once you have that, you can embellish as you please. You can hand stitch it together, as I did the one pictured here, or you can machine stitch (examples to be posted soon).

Unless you have really thick felt, I recommend using two layers. That will give extra insulation from the heat of the coffee, and an added bonus is you can mix and match the colors to create a really cool design. You can embroider designs or add other layers of felt to make it your own. Even beads or buttons or other appliques would be cute. For this one I embroidered my coworkers' name onto a small piece of felt and then stitched it onto the outer layer. Then I used a blanket stitch to attach the two layers. If you plan to stitch on your personalized art, do so before attaching the two layers together. That way the stitches won't show through to the inside fabric. Have fun and happy sipping!

Vintage Inspired Apron made at a Vintage Price

What is it about the onset of Autumn that urges me to stitch and sew? Is is the vibrant fall colors? Or perhaps the crisp morning air and how the sunlight creates such a contrast against the gray far off clouds? Maybe the reality of it is in fact that I haven't done a darn creative thing all summer long! And now, I am itchin' to get stitchin'!!!

So about two months ago I made this apron. I found the white floral fabric at Goodwill (it was formerly an embroidered tablecloth). The blue fabric is what was leftover after I shortened a bridesmaids dress that I wore this summer (yeah, I am not tall, so I had a good 4-5 inches to work with. that's one of the bonus of being petite!). And the yellow is an inexpensive cotton purchased with a coupon at JoAnn's. The pattern I used was one I downloaded for free at www.bhg.com. All total this probably cost $3.50 in materials.


If you'd like to make one yourself you can find the pattern here:
http://www.bhg.com/crafts/sewing/accessories/easy-retro-apron/

If you're not into sewing or don't have the time, I can make one for you. Just email me. Or look for some to be for sale very shortly at my etsy shop.

From Drab to Fab! ...

We found this drab-looking old light fixture at the Rebuilding Center in North Portland (a great place to "treasure-hunt" for house parts) for only $10 bucks! Check out how it turned out after I gave it a little love...

Before

Before

During

After cleaning it up and adding a couple coats of paint I think it looks like a brand new light that you would find at Rejuvenation.

After

I think I put it back correctly, but I am not too sure. It took me several tries to finally get the parts to stay together.

I hope you like it Dad.

I Think I Sense a Theme Here...

It's Spring!!! Finally, winter is over, if only the cold and the rain would go away...but while I've been dreaming of warmer days to come, I guess my paintings have followed that theme too. These are just a few of what I've been working on for the last three months. And coming up next month (I'm so excited!) I get to display them in public!!! Dare I say an Art Show? I will keep you updated with more info on a First Thursday event, so all my friends and family can join me to celebrate! Cheers for now! (Enjoy this mini show).

Exciting New Addition to My Family

Well, sort of, a new "addition". While doing some after-Christmas shopping, I bought a mannequin! I am very excited about the possibilities and uses of her (sewing helper, photo shoot model, dog sitter, and HOV lane passenger, etc.) But now I think she needs a name and I'd like your help....Please see my poll and vote on your favorite (or if you have a better suggestion, just add a comment and I'll consider adding it to the list).

Another Snow Day Project

BEFORE

A plain, boring dresser.

AFTER

Sleek and pretty.

Contact paper and decals can do wonders!

Looks like it took all day, but I finished it in under three hours.

Snow Day Project

I am "snowed" in today and so I made this stocking for a friend in about three hours today.

Go Beavers!!

New Projects

The First of More to Come....

A pretty pink apron lets you feel and look fabulous while doing chores or entertaining.

Brand New Ribbon Belt Designs

Warm brown background compliments gold and white mosaic wave pattern.

Fabulous double-sided ribbon with dark brown and white ginkgo leaf designs.

Concentric circles of pink, orange, and brown on an olive green background, backed with a coordinating burgundy ribbon.

Pretty pink paisly designs dress up a dark brown ribbon.

Bright and mod, this olive green belt with cirlces of dots makes a statement.

A Sampling of New Clutch Bag Designs:

Black and white toile designs give a classic yet country feel to this clutch style bag. Large and small sizes give you options (a medium size is in the works).

Backside has a strap the doubles as a handle (large size shown).

Look for these items and more to soon be for sale in my Etsy shop.