wise craft

new things in the pipeline

There has been a lot of exciting things going on here behind the scenes. You already know about the book, but what didn't mention is that that the work of repurposing, reusing, and recreating secondhand things continued after my work on the book was over. A new feature is being added to the shop for these unique items!

I won't get all chatty about it just yet, except to say I have thought long and hard about keeping every single piece I've worked on this shop update, but we don't have the room for that kind of madness at our house, so I share with you.

There will be handmade items, and secondhand items, redone by yours truly. Everything is one of a kind, which is good and bad, cause once its gone its gone.

If you would like to know when the shop is stocked and ready, sign up for updates and news. And there maybe some super secret coupon codes for new subscribers, who knows?

easy diy jar tops

If you're a regular reader, you may already know that I prefer to reuse jars and empty tin cans as storage around our house. I also hunt and gather glass storage jars with lids at thrift stores, these are what I keep my buttons, ribbons, and small trim items in down in my studio. Keeping them this way allows me to see what's inside keeps everything dust free (I hate dusting). I was doing some cleaning the other day and found myself organizing the contents of these jars. Once everything was nice and neat inside, I spruced the outsides up a little with my favorite crafty supply, spray paint. The lids were scratched, different shades, and kind of uninteresting, but a couple coats of a pea green shade later and everything is pulled together.

I love simple projects like this!

If you wanted to get even fancier, you could tape off a shape on the glass jar and paint inside it with chalkboard paint to write on.

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Tonight (Friday, May 4th) Katie Pedersen is having a reception at Island Quilter on Vashon Island to open her new exhibit, which will showcase quilts featured in her book Quilting Modern. Not that you need any reason to visit beautiful Vashon, but meeting Katie is a treat, and I've heard fantastic things about Island Quilter. The reception is 6-9:00 pm, and Katie's quilt exhibit is up through May 31.

And Shanna debuted new wall decals yesterday, so pretty! I always have wall space for another one of her decals. They are sprinkled all over our house, even my front door has one!

Happy Weekend you lovely people!

 

last weekend

Sounds like I need to get to working on that crochet granny sampler, thank you for all your responses on yesterday's post. We're going to have some fun. Go at your own pace, learn as you go. Don't be scared.

Last Saturday, Emma and I stopped by Katie's book signing at The Quilting Loft (which, by the way, has moved across the street from where they were in Ballard into a new, light-filled large space with lots of parking).

new books

Did you guys have a nice weekend? I had a cold, but think that my doses of EmergenC may have kicked it to the curb, I felt rotten on Saturday and much better on Sunday, go figure.

I received some new books for Christmas, and gifted myself a couple as well (it is cold and rainy/snowy, after all, and I needed something to read).

The Liberty Book of Home Sewing. I was sent a review copy of this book before the holidays, but didn't have a chance to do more than flip through it until now. This book has an assortment of 25 sewing projects for the home, all using the undeniably classic and beautiful fabrics of Liberty of London. There is much beauty in this book. For one, the end papers and chapter division pages are beautiful, full-bleed images of Liberty of London fabrics, I would have bought the book for those pages alone. The projects are divided into Essentials, Organization, and Accents, and there is a Sewing Basics section at the back of the book. The projects are photographed and styled beautifully in lovely dark gray environments. Some I have discussed the book with commented that the rooms used in the photographs seemed dark, but this feels very fresh to me, and really makes the Liberty prints pop. Plus I just love gray anything these days.

Another part that stands out most for me are the gorgeous watercolor illustrations of the project steps, done by Richard Merritt. These beautifully explain what the written instructions are saying, making any of these projects easy to follow. Just lovely. To be honest, I don't know that I myself would make any of the projects as they are in the book, but they do inspire me in my own work. (For example, there's an apron project. I know what I do to aprons, and I would never use such Liberty fabric to make something I would cook in. But for you? I'd make you one.)

Nomad: A Global Approach to Interior Style by Sibella Court- This is one of the books I gave myself (or rather, I handed it to Peter and said "You're getting me this for Christmas"). I do not have Sibella's first book, Etc, but have looked at it many times. I wanted this book a little more because it seemed to focus less on significance of objects and more on creating an environment with travel objects and important trinkets. This is something I always struggle with in my own home and books like this inspire me to think about displaying the important little material things I have (special shells from special beaches, little things my kids give to me) in different ways. In Nomad, Sibella travels to five countries, gathers all kinds of inspiration, creates a 10 color palette based on each trip, and styles interior vignettes based on all this inspiration. The book is printed almost like a scrapbook or travel journal, with things sometimes randomly, yet completely covering each page. I love this book for what it is, a style unlike my own, yet one that makes me think in new ways.

Found, Free, and Flea: Creating Collections from Vintage Treasures by Tereasa Surratt. This one's title and front cover got me right off the bat and I put it on my Christmas list. Tereasa and her husband purchase the rundown summer camp he attended as a child and set about restoring it. They created one of a kind collections, full of nostalgia, based on what they found at Camp Wandawega, and what they cobbled together with a limited budget.

First of all, how did they know I would love to own a summer camp!? (Well, okay, maybe not a whole camp, but I do have dreams of a cabin one day). Its a lovely story, lovely history, and full of lovely collections, photographed nicely.

There's more books, but they will have to wait. Today, I am working on finishing up my crochet project, and a small dollhouse project.

And you?

busy teenage hands

(I can't believe I'm calling Emma a teenage, but there you go. It's the truth, hard as it is to admit.)

Emma kept busy while we were snowed in by sewing a friend (Jinx, 1st photo) to go with Patch (2nd photo) that was made before Christmas. She's quite obsessed with anything to do with Emily The Strange right now, and I have to admit, going through the many books she got for Christmas, I'm pretty taken with Emily too. Emily is a clever, sullen sort of girl with quite a goth look, probably the kind of girl many parents would worry about in real life.

The Art of Emily The Strange is a book we have all looked at since Christmas. It's great. Many artists have drawn their own tributes to Emily, and its a fascinating book for a budding artist like Emma. I love the idea that she saw pictures of Jinx and Patch in several of her Emily The Strange books and decided she would make her own versions. Just like that. She spent hours on Jinx. Sketching the shapes, making her own paper templates, cutting the felt just so, making felt colors work even though they weren't quite right because we couldn't go out to get more felt.

I was merely a consultant. I didn't contribute one stitch

I don't want to take her ability and her desire to make things for granted.

There are so many things girl's brains and bodies are taught at school, and in life. To be confident in who they are, be inquisitive, stand up for their beliefs and themselves. All this is very important for a girl.

But you know what I love? I love that when the day is over, or there's a little time to herself, Emma finds relaxation and enjoyment in picking up a needle and thread and making something she can see in her brain. I am grateful that Peter and I have limited her time in front of TV and computer screens and instead created an environment in which she needed to find a way to fill her time. We don't do many things right, many things. But this I think she will carry with her throughout her life.

Thanks for letting me show off her work. I'm so proud of her.

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And happy birthday to Peter. You, my friend, are amazing.

fall books

As I work on my own original work (all of which I can't show just yet), I find that I've moved away from the internet a bit. Design blogs, quilting blogs, and all the websites relevant to that have been a huge source of inspiration in many ways, but sometimes it really crowds my thoughts and keeps me from really reaching for my own originality. Some days if I spend too long looking at internet inspiration, and step away feeling like I have no originality left, and that's not where I need to be right now. Does this make sense? Stepping back has been very good creatively, but I always feel I need to apologize for unanswered emails and questions and hope you understand. (Answers are a bit slower when the computer isn't always on.)

One place where I will never stop finding inspiration is in books. In the past, a turn of the season always meant a few new design or craft books, but this year's small inspiration stack is a bit different. I thought I'd share what my newest favorites are:

Top Pot Hand-Forged Donuts: Secrets and Recipes for the Home Baker by Mark and Michael Klebeck. If you've ever been into a Starbucks in the past year or so and ordered one of their old-fashioned donuts and loved it, this book is to be coveted for that recipe alone. I know that Klebeck brothers, they grew up in Seattle, and they have amazing taste and are genuinely nice guys, so grateful for the success of Top Pot donuts. The photographs in the book are by another friend of mine, Scott Pitts. Supporting these guys is definitely supporting some hard working, truly good folks. There is a "Donut Primer section", as well as sections for Devil's Cake Donuts, Raised Donuts, Old Fashioned Donuts, Spice Cake Donuts, and one just for Icings, Glazes and Toppings. Emma and I already have our on the Lemon Valley Girl and the Pink Feather Boa recipes. I have a feeling once we get the basics down and perfected, they'll be no stopping us.

Martha Stewart's Handmade Holiday Crafts by you-know-who. I realize that this is actually a craft book, going against what I said above, but hear me out. I have all my Martha Stewart Living magazines and have never thrown them out mainly because a-I had room to keep them and b-her website is pretty terrible, I can never find what I actually need. Books like this one condense many of the projects from those past magazine issues and neatly compartmentalizes them into seasons, so if I'm needing a little seasonal inspiration around the house its easy to grab this book and have a lool. (We crafters, we do things like this, crazy as it sounds.) Plus, Emma is old enough to really get into making things and this is a great book for her to have around to. I'm hoping she'll get some Christmas gift inspiration in here.

The Dictionary of Ordinary Extraordinary Animals by Lisa McGuinness and Leslie Jonath. What sold me on this book were the beautiful handpainted illustrations by my friend Lisa Congdon, I really love her use of color. But when it arrived, I also realized is a really interesting book with facts about animals I'm sure I could impress my kids with. For example, did you know that Emus are the only bird in the world with calf muscles!? Mention that at dinner tonight. I am.

These books, as well as my new obsession over dollhouse furniture, will certainly entertain me in my off-hours. What about you? Any inspiring books you'd like to share?

excellent mail

Roz, the creator of the lovely Rosie Flo's Fashion Show coloring kit was kind enough to send a kit for Emma to enjoy. Even though I was excited to tear it open when it arrived back at the end of May, I've been keeping it hidden, waiting till school was out and hands were idle. Emma spent 2 days straight coloring and kitting out this lovely fashion show. The set even comes with invitations! Sadly, this kit is not available in the US, but there are other Rosie Flo coloring books available through Chronicle.

Yesterday's mail surprise was Lizzy's book 1001 Peeps. This is a gorgeous book, with 4 completely original quilt patterns and one lovely crewel pattern. Lizzy's illustration work is really lovely, and these quilt designs show it all off beautifully. I don't know where to start first! Read Lizzy's thoughts about Midnight At The Oasis, Spice Route, and The High Seas, 3 of the patterns in the book.I really love Lizzy's whimsical illustration style and her use of color.

Back to our total lack of routine, I'll peek out again soon.

 

 

how to make your own anime mural wall

Peter did a little write up on his process of redoing the kids bathroom with anime images pasted to the wall, hopefully it all makes sense.

Before I start I must stress that this is for personal consumption only. Because you will be making copies of existing work and sizing them up as decoration its super important that this is for you and your family to enjoy, not for re-selling / publication.

1. That said, find an anime story or novel that has good contrast black and white content and think about how it might work when sliced and diced into sections. (The book our images are taken from is "Kekkaishi" by Yellow Tanabe, ISBN#978-1-4215-4029-0.)

2. Mark pages you like best, and then scan grayscale into photoshop. Play with the contrast in Photoshop and either "size-up" the dimensions in that program, or in Adobe Illustrator which is what
I did.

3. Next, make a pdf of the jpeg and e-mail or thumb-drive it to an Officemax, Staples, whoever has a commercial "plotter" printer. This is the type of printer that you saw in Exit through The Gift Shop.... It prints black and white only and grays tend to drop out so better for the image to be high contrast. It is super cheap to print on the plotter (about $7-9 for a 24x36 panel).

4. Once you have your prints, slice them up so they make some random sense for your wall section. For adhesion we used plain old wallpaper sizing (powder- mixes with water to make clear gel) and brushed the backs of the plotter prints and stuck them down. This works really well and shouldn't mess with the image.

5. Last step is to protect with a couple coats of poly acrylic and you are done.

growing up sew liberated giveaway

I have a treat for you today, a sneek peak at Meg McElwee's newest book-

 

Growing Up Sew Liberated: Making Handmade Clothes and Projects for Your Creative Child is the perfect inspiration for summer sewing. The chapters are divided into areas that cover each part of a child's day, "Greating the Morning", "Breadsharing and Homemaking", "Inside Play", "Outside Play", and "Goodnight, Sleep Tight". I think we've all fallen in love with the teepee on the cover, but in addition, here's some other ones I love-

"Crossover Tees" (there's also an Envelope Neck Tee)-

 

"Dress Up Bucket"-

"Art Satchel" (I'm going to make these for the kids)-

 

Naturalist scavenger hunt bag (Meg also shows you how to make Scavenger Hunt Cards)-

There's tons of fun project, with excellent instructions and Meg's gentle perspective on parenting sprinkled throughout.

*I have 1 copy to give away today, just leave a comment on this post, and I will draw a winner next Wednesday (US only this time please).

Be sure to check out the other blog stops that Growing Up Sew Liberated is making.
6/6         elsiemarley.com
6/7         made-by-rae.com
6/8         artfulparent.typepad.com
6/9         rhythmofthehomeblog.com
6/10       uncommongrace.typepad.com
6/13       simplehomeschool.net
6/14       BurdaStyle.com
6/15       mayamade.blogspot.com
6/16       blairpeter.typepad.com
6/17       jchandmade.typepad.com
6/20       frontierdreams.blogspot.com
6/21       dana-made-it.com

You can read Meg's daily thoughts at her blog, Sew Liberated.

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Comments are closed and winner has been chosen and notifed, thanks everyone!

the repurposed library

I fell absent last week due to some much needed, heavy duty spring cleaning around here. Boy does this house feel clean! I also got some new books to peruse last week, and I kind of went nuts for The Repurposed Library by Lisa Occhipinti. This is a truly unique craft book, which is the kind of book that speaks to me creatively these days. I adore this book.

The projects are gorgeous and, with the exception of needing a band saw for a couple of them, very doable (and this book is an excellent excuse to buddy up to someone you know who has a band saw).

Some of my favorite projects-

 

I think I have to make this one next-

 

And your band saw friend can help you with this one-

 

Last Friday afternoon, I was inspired me to make one of the easiest projects, a book burst. I had everything here at home, so I poured a glass of wine and got started.

I have one more to make. Once the book is cut (you need a pen knife to cut your chosen book into 4 equal parts), your children could help fold these, its that easy. It was so relaxing to just sit and fold paper, my brain needed the reprieve.

These are hanging above our bed and I love the textural aspect of something not flat on the wall. I love how to wall color really shows the yellowing of the pages so beautifully. (Ben Moore's "Paperwhite", You can see our full bedroom walls in this post.)

Here is a trailer for the book-

STC Craft Presents: The Repurposed Library by Lisa Occhipinti from STC Craft / Melanie Falick Books on Vimeo.