December Display

Patiently waiting
For the light of a new day
Little advent bird.

Patchwork Pendants

These Christmas gifts were fun to make, and it's a relief not to have chosen an overly ambitious, last-minute project this year!

December Workshop

This weekend I was having fun with fabric and pastel dye sticks in the process of making patchwork pendants as little Christmas gifts. Whoooooooooooo will be the recipient?

Turkey Finger Puppets

  

Frieda Turkey and her friend Cyclops



In the tradition of a Thanksgiving "family craft project," we made these little finger puppets this year based on the instructions of Cindy Hopper at skiptomylou.org.  The turkeys barely fit on our fingers, so we decided that each puppet might make a lovely pencil-topper!

Redwood National Park

Catching the last splattered rays of the sun before it is time to kick the holiday crafting season into gear!

Oceans 2011

Aaaaaah, Mondays.  Some people go back to work for the week; some go back to school.  I went back to nature.

November Cupcakes

Sometimes, when I cannot find a suitable photo in the public domain to post on my other blog, I am forced to get resourceful and create my own images.  Today, Mr. Bear agreed to be a model for me as he stared longingly at a chocolate-beet cupcake.

Metal Jewelry Design Basics

I took another fabulous Wisconsin Union mini-course from Alison Lesniak.  In this class, she taught us the basics of cutting, joining, and soldering metal, as well as adding texture.  I haven't worked this pendant into a finished piece yet, but I am gathering ideas about what I would like the completed necklace to look like!

October Apples

It's been a busy month so far, so I haven't been able to spend much time in my sewing/craft room.  I did, however, take the time to admire the apples at an orchard near Baraboo, Wisconsin.  I figure that my sewing supplies will be there all winter, but the apples surely will not!  (Bottom photo is an "eggshell crackle" version of the top photo.)

Vibrant October

I met someone this week who said she was working hard to memorize the record warm weather we've been having.  She said we will likely need to draw upon this memory once or twice in the next seven months in Wisconsin!  Photo taken at Devil's Lake State Park yesterday.

Fall Flowers

Hang in there, little flowers!  There's still time for you to shine before the earth is covered by two blankets, the first one made of leaves, and the second one made of snow.

 

Felt Pouch

I like to try to learn something new with each sewing project, and I learned two things when making these felt pouches. I learned how to use the scalloped blade on the rotary cutter, and how to make Kanzashi flower blooms.  It was a fun project, although next time I think I would make it bigger!

Botanical Sachets

My mother has a set of botanical-themed playing cards that she inherited from her mother.  Each card is different, and each has a beautiful sketch of a flower along with a list of the other flowers in its family.  I scanned the playing cards, flipped the images, printed them on fabric transfer paper, and ironed them onto muslin in order to make these lavender sachets.

September Sightings

You just couldn't beat the views from the front porch over the past week.  I wonder if the sandhill cranes remember that there used to be an operational barn where there is now a retention pond.  Do they miss the farmer and his wife?

More Fun With Hipstamatic

At a craft fair this weekend, one of the vendors was saying that she has very few of her products on her Etsy site, because jewelry can be so hard to photograph.  That led me to think about how much fun it might be to photograph jewelry in an "artsy," Hipstamatic-kind-of-way!!

Wire-Wrapped Bracelet

I'm practicing the skills that I learned at a wire-wrapped jewelry class.  Started this bracelet on craft night earlier this week, and finished it up today!

Foggy August Evening

A couple of nights ago, there was a mystical fog that rolled in over the area.  The fog made it essential to take the camera along on the evening walk.  However, I'm not certain that I did the fog justice with my photos.  I was getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, so I gave up quickly.  I'll have to do some reading about "fog photography" so I am better prepared next time!

Summer Patchwork Vase

I made one of these patchwork vases earlier this year, but I thought I would try something different this time by using a thread that provides a high contrast to the fabric.  This way, the decorative stitches pop out, making the vase look more whimsical and fun.  The pattern is from "101 Patchwork Projects and Quilts" from the publishers of Quilting Arts Magazine.  The project was designed by Penny Layman at sewtakeahike.typepad.com.  Love the pattern--it is easy to follow and yields a perfect result!

Fiber Scarf

Fiber scarf made with wool yarn, silk-blend yarn, and water-soluble stabilizer.

Expanding the Repertoire

This week, I started a course that will help me add a new skill to my crafting repertoire.  It's a class in wire-wrapped jewelry, taught by Alison Lesniak at the University of Wisconsin student union (Union "Mini-Courses").  Here are my first attempts!  I'm looking forward to session two.

Summer Vegetables

Who would have guessed that they are both groceries AND art?

Madison, WI in Summer

Hipstamatic (iPhone app) prints of the capital city in early July.

People who live in felt houses...

...shouldn't throw scissors??

Summer Table Runner

Just in time for the summer solstice, here is the table runner that I made for my sister for her birthday.  She liked the April Cornell napkins (left side of picture), and they came in a set of twelve, so I cut some of them up to make this quilted runner.  Don't worry; only three napkins were harmed in the making of this project.

Crafting Outside the Comfort Zone

So this was a new type of craft for me, but it seemed to turn out OK.  I painted this little cabinet for my bathroom.  First layer was Krylon white primer, then white acrylic paint, then colored acrylic paints and stencil paints to make the design.  I felt like the colors were a bit too bright, so I sprayed another layer of white primer on there to soften it up.  Finished with a couple of coatings of acrylic sealer.  I'm glad it's finished, because these larger-scale projects tend to make a larger-scale mess!  Glad I could clean it all up and put the cabinet to good use.

At Long Last...

...I finished my wedding scrapbook.  It only took me two years and three months to get around to it!  It feels great to have it finished.

May Centerpiece

Hipstamatic print of the flowers on our kitchen table

Selective Colorization

I love the Color Splash app for the iPhone, which allows you to de-colorize, and then selectively re-colorize a photo.  You can enlarge the photo while you are working on it, which gives you greater precision.

Rain, Rain Go Away

It's a cold, rainy weekend.  It's the perfect time to stay indoors and experiment with more artistic filters available in my photo editing software.  Today, in honor of the rain, I am playing with the water-based filters.

Here's the original

With "Glass Raindrops" filter

With "Water Ripple" filter

Also an original



With "Watercolor Rain" filter



Mother's Day Gift

Sewed this patchwork vase as a gift this year.  The pattern was from "101 Patchwork Projects and Quilts" from the publishers of Quilting Arts Magazine.  The project was designed by Penny Layman at sewtakeahike.typepad.com.  It was really fun to make, and the directions were clear and easy to follow.  The results were quite pleasing.  I think I'll make one for myself!

Faux Finishes Updated

In response to a reader comment, I am reposting these photos so you can see the "before" and "after" of each one!!

Original

With a "paint" effect

Original

With a "glow" effect

Original

With a "crayon" effect

Faux Finishes on Photos

My photo editing software has a feature that allows you to apply "filters" to your photos, creating various artistic finishes.  For example, you can make a photo look like an oil painting or a charcoal drawing.  Here are some of my favorite filters, applied to my recent photos from Wichita.


A "paint" effect



The "glow" effect



Could you draw this with your crayons??