Creative Baby announcements

Okay, so i don't plan on doing this anytime soon ( not at alll soon)...but one can plan! These are two creative cards that people sent as baby announcements.

Black and White Goodness

Remember when....

College, at one point was not disturbing. Classes were on easy subjects, and free time was ample. First years of college are full of outings, meeting people and pranks. Last years of college are full of real world. Work, Homework, Class, Work, homework, paper, progect, sleep. Sigh...just venting.

Cloth Baskets

After staring at my knitting materials, i was inspired to make some of the cloth baskets I've seen on Etsy. They are suprizingly expensive to buy, but so easy to make. I have made them before for baby presents- a small one with a loop for the side of a crib. They hold toys and thing, but can be washed. I have had a hankering to do something with burlap for a while now. I purchased some a while back for 2.50 at Hobby Lobby. My goal was a coffee table basket that looked like this:

so I grabbed the scissors and got to work. 1.Step one was to create a template of coffee-bag-skew lettering on the computer. Cut the letters out and traced them on with sharpie. Since sharpie has a glossy effect, these will later be painted over.

2. I cut out four pieces of each part. Four of the burlap shape, four of the lining, and four of the interfacing ( a very stiff blend). I decided to go with 11 inches as the base. The shape of each piece is the width of the sides plus a triangle added to the bottom of the square (house shaped) that adds an extra 5.5 inches. I must say, Burlap SHEDS, it is not a comfortable fabric to run through the machine.

3.Sew the four burlap sides together. Sew the lining sides together after sewing in the interfacing (or ironing depending on the type). Inside out the burlap, so that the inside edges are in the inside part of the basket. Inside out the lining/stiff part and place inside. Fold both layers of the top inward to create a seam, pin, and sew. Pictures to come.

Knitting

It's starting to get cold and the quiet peace of knitting something seems irresistible. Unfortunately, I am new at this...I keep doubling up on the loops and taking it out a billion times. It's a mess. Maybe one day I'll be able to shape little baby sweaters and hats, but for now...its lumpy scarves. Mrs. Weasley would be ashamed.

cookie favors?

a little wax paper and a cool lable goes a long way :)

Long gone....

are the days where we got new crayons at the beggining of the school year. Fall classes have started, and its starting to sink in. They never really stopped...just classes and more classes all summer and on through. Now we have 200 dollar textbooks and stuff thats over our heads. Maybe if I buy a Lisa Frank folder and close my eyes, my assignments will still be learning the alphabet.

What I want to be for Halloween this year....

Cool!! especially if you had like...a billion dollars to spend on your kids...

well, we can pretend right? This is the Potterybarn kids kitchen collection. It's to cute to resist. I guess I am reminiscent of playing kitchen in the backyard with my best friend and trying to get the neighbor's dog to eat our charcoal/sand/mushroom concoction. Too bad it cost more than a set of living room furniture...

things I plan on making...

I love closet buckets....and Etsy....

I have found a coffee bag already to make one of these to hold magazines beside the sofa. My camera is currently broken, so i will upload the bag +process later.

this is awesome idea i will steal #two

I knew i wanted to make a floor cloth for the living room with my duck canvas i used to paint on. I had never thought of a smaller rug. They stretched this one, it looks like, and then painted it. I'm guessing for the circles they used a jar lid and then added heavy duty polyeurothane and rubber backing.

painting process for alpine trees...

my paints are kept in an old suitcase that my brother rescued from a water damage job.

phase 1, laid out the "under colors"

Phase two, added on some complimentary "undercolors". The unreal bright primarys provide a base for a deeper color. Their opposites are added on top in layers of tranlucent washes. The problem encountered here is possible scrape off with the watered down acrylics.

the next step was to paint on the last "layer" which involved the complimentary colors over the base colors to create rich varieties of browns. The build up continued, and chunky bits were added with the palette knife for effect. The highlighted grass is made by litte scratches with the tip of the knife, while the bottom corners are build up by slathering on paint mixed with modeling medium. As an experiment i added string and a dryersheet underneath the paint for texture.

I was unsatisfied with the final outcome, but in a hurry to be through, i went on to the final step. I added a two coat glaze varnish over the whole thing. This helped balance out the plasticy look of the acrylics. I love the effects oils give alot more, but for $'s sake...I have to stick with acrylics. 

good pillows

I plan on making alot of random pillows to mix and match for the living room, and these are my top favorite ideas. Throw pillows just make me happy, what can i say?

the studio space...

I am an art kid dropout...and I miss the access to the tools. No, I don't miss the crazed proffesors, the potheads or the time consuming progects...I just miss the abundance of art leftovers, the people who leave their work for view, and the woodshop. There is something calming about a used up palette and flecks of paint on all the furniture. I am moving to a new space soon with a new husband, and it is my goal to have a studio upstairs. No, I probibly won't have the track lighting or draft boards, but maybe I'll have a space thats clean and stocked with things that inspire. My goal is organization this time around, and i will eventually post a few of the cool closet ideas I've found.

a blog...really?

Well here goes nothing. I was toying with the idea of starting a blog for crazy ideas and good finds. It will be for projects to do and to accomplish. How to's of my own creations and recommendations of others. I hope to publish the adventures of house settling and create quirky design that is cost-effective in the process.