awesome hack project with Ikea lamps

I LOVE this tutorial from Cloud 9 Fabrics! I feel like we all have these Ikea lamps hanging around our houses. Add a piece of pretty of fabric and you get this……

a stunning lamp and shade. Well done!!

Rad Godzilla Quilt

So, I love making unusual baby quilts.  Everytime I make one, its a new chance to push the limits of traditional baby design! Star Wars is an all time favorite, my baby Boba Fett is pictured below.

This spring/summer will be bringing a whole new batch of little ones. I have a few ideas rattling around in my head, but no new quilts have been made as of  yet. I will be sure to post pictures as I sew them up!

I have been remiss in the past about photographing the gifts I make, but I did manage to dig up a few shots of older  projects.

baby Fett

The Fighting Irish

trucks

But nothing, OH NOTHING, I have done has comes anywhere close piece of quilting beauty! I found this Rad Godzilla quilt in Craft magazine. LOVE,LOVE,LOVE!

Cameras make TERRIBLE attic insulation!

Being the dutiful wifie that I am, I took a day off from sewing to help my husband and a few friends blow insulation into our attic. For any of you who have not had this experience, it’s simple but SUPER MESSY! Loud cranky machines, long windy tubes and cotton fibers floating everywhere.

Just like all the other renovations we have done to the house, one of my duties was to photograph this whole process. Check! Done and done! Until almost the end. Then it happened, the terrible clanking sound. CLANK, CLANK, CLANK! We all looked at each other in total bewilderment until I realized that the camera was no longer in my pocket!

So the moral of this story is, while insulation is now made from recycled products(and that is awesome), camera really shouldn’t be thrown into the mix.

As soon as our replacement arrives, I will start shooting away! Until then, I will be reposting all the fabulousness I stumble across over my morning coffee!

Boxy to foxy t-shirt tutorial

I found this great, simple t shirt tutorial on Craft Magazine’s website. I tried a few men’s t shirts I had lying around, and now they are super cute girl cut shirts! The only tip I would add is that men’s t-shirts generally don’t stretch as much as girlie shirts do. When picking your favorite t to use as a pattern, pick one that isn’t completely stretched across you when on.

Here are a few pics my new t’s!

Sweet thrift store find. Swatch t

I am in COMPLETE control!

DANG!

The Taquito Tote

Continuing on with my contest entering shenanigans, my friend Jen (who is an awesome professional food contestant) sent me a link to The Art of The Fresh Tortilla Contest. In this contest, they encourage people to use their tortillas as an artist canvas. OF COURSE I had to figure out a way to sew them into a handbag.

Here  it is…… my taco purse or The Taquito Tote!

The Spice MUST Flow!

By the time we hit February, I am always ready for winter to be over. I am cold, tired, and honestly unenthusiastic about sewing. The skies are gray, the snow on the ground is black ,and everything (including my kitchen hot water pipe)is frozen. ENOUGH ALREADY!

This year to beat back the “redrum” I decided I am going to enter sewing contests. I need to do something to get my creativity back on track.

Sew,Mama,Sew declared February pillow month and is hosting a pillow sewing contest.  Their blog is full of great featured pillows and tutorials. One of which I used on this fantabulous creation.

The Spice Must Flow Dune pillow

 

Ok, let me explain. I am a BIG DORK and I love DUNE. I also love this quote, and I feel like I need a little reminder to let my “spice” flow.  And what better way than to incorporate my sci-fi nerdiness into my sewing?

I made this appliqued pillow out of supplies I had stashed in my studio. Vintage orange crushed velvet for the body, plum purple corduroy lettering and a raw silk sandworm. Classy right? Oh, and I also overlaid orange crepe over the yellow sun to give the dusty appearance of Arrakis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Food as fabric?

Did you know that you can run a (cooked) tortilla through a sewing machine? I didn’t until today! I am working on a contest entry. More details to come!

 

Oh no! Not more dinosaurs!

I can’t stop appliqueing dinosaurs on everything! I know, I know, I need to knock it off, but they are so darn cute! I just listed new pillows in my shop. Stop by and  check them out!

RAWR

Eliminate Theft at Art and Craft shows

Theft at shows happens and it sucks! I am getting geared up for my 2011 shows, and one of the things on my to do list is to reorganize my displays to deter theft. I worked in retail long enough to know that shrinkage happens, but when its one of your own handcrafted items, it hurts.

One thing I started doing last year was “hanger management”. I display my handbags on hanging racks. When I sell a bag, I remove the hanger. I notice right away when there is an empty one, and I think my would be lifters do to.

Here is a great article I found in Craft Magazine with tips and tricks.

What works for you? Any additional suggestions? I would love for us all to have a theft free season!