Leah's Stuff

Dishtowels

2011-08-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

I have a dishtowel problem - I want to buy every single cute one I see. There is one at JoAnns right now that has an owl on it and I just keep STARING AT IT each time I'm there. I don't need it!

Here is why: We have a drawer next to our oven that is full of dishtowels, and there's a dishtowel annex in the linen closet. Yet I still selfishly desire them ALL for myself! ALL OF THEM!

Another thing about dishtowels - Nick has a few (I'm thinking that you can probably tell which one is his here) and I feel like there should always be a dishtowel to represent each of us out. I don't know why, but ... it just feels right?

Work has been bonkers! I'm training to do custom framing and the work is very different - the materials are heavy and expensive and possibly fragile. People pay a lot of money and leave their precious precious artwork with you! It can be very stressful, but also really interesting. So, that's what I've been up to. I will attempt to post more regularly, but I'm not making promises!

Etsy Shop Update - Steampunk Pins & Red Beans & Rice

2011-07-22T05:01:00.000-07:00

I've been working on new stuff for my Etsy Shop. Don't worry, there's more Game of Thrones and Discworld jewelry coming up, but for now, I'm adding some steampunk pins that I'd been building for awhile.

Aeon Steampunk Pin / Pendant - Clock with Eternal Time - Clock Gears
The secret with this design is that I used purse grommets from Joanns for the cool round window.

This Too Shall Pass Steampunk Pin / Pendant
I've found this phrase to be very useful as a reminder that everything changes. For the better and for the worse, just try not to be too mired down in what's going on right now. Also, I'm into hourglasses!

Red Beans and Rice Necklace feat. St. Lawrence
Now that I type it like that, it makes it sound like an awesome rap song out of New Orleans. All you DJ's and spinnas, this is Saint Lawrence! Saint of chefs and librarians! He's about to blow your minds!

Also, last, but definitely not least, here's Nick modeling the Timelord design shirt:

He's decided to reclaim the shirt for sure - which I think of as a success in experimentation! I'm going to have to try some interesting techniques out on other shirts.

Speaking of food jewelry (which I was a paragraph or two ago) - there were these ceramic life-sized peanut beads at the bead store in Panama City and I didn't get them. I can't decide if I regret this or not yet.

Dr. Who Dress Shirt

2011-07-21T05:46:00.001-07:00

There were shirts Nick was getting rid of and I kept them in order to experiment on them. I did a combination of different modifications on this one:
- Bleach pen for the white circle
- Wintergreen transfer for the initial Timelord design
- Fabric pen for the larger Timelord design

I meant to get Nick to model this shirt before he went to work this morning, but I forgot. I might start doing stuff like this to dress shirts and selling them. I think that Nick might be reclaiming this one though :).

Does anyone have a request? I'm thinking of doing some more Dr. Who Timelord designs as well as some Valar Morghulis/Game of Thrones dress shirts (there really aren't that many cool dress shirts that are also geeky, what the heck?)

Bleach pens are Awesome!

2011-07-20T04:36:00.000-07:00

Drawing Begins with Bleach Pen
Yesterday I broke out my Clorox Bleach Pen (from Target) and got to work finally doing some bleach drawing. I had a lot of fun doing this, and it was so easy that I worry for all the rest of my tshirts now.

Letting the Bleach Sit and Bleach
Essentially, I just put some wax paper in the shirt (to keep the bleach from bleeding through) then I drew whatever I wanted on the shirt (in this case, circuitboard design). I kept watch over it while it developed/bleached/verbed. It only took about 15 minutes total for this shirt, since I've washed and worn it several times. I checked the development by looking on the inside of the shirt and seeing how the inside of the bleachening looked.

Once it got to the point where I was happy with the color, I just rinsed it out in the sink, then washed it in the washer. I dried it and it's done. It doesn't even smell like bleach, and I don't have to worry about it getting washed with other things, since I rinsed and washed it.

Unbleached and Bleached
The pink color was a happy accident - I had no idea what color this would bleach to. For me, it's not the design that's an issue, but finding tshirts that I actually like and fit. I bought two of these at H&M so I could do a design on one of them, and then be okay if I messed it up and have a bonus shirt. Planning!

So, this is so dang easy! I actually checked a few tutorials online, just to make sure I wasn't doing something crazy, and here's my favorite (in case this isn't enough to nudge you into experimenting):
- I am Momma, Hear me Roar Bleach Pen Tutorial

Crappy Closeup!

I encourage you to try it out! Or not, you know, whatever. I'm working on some more shirts and combining a few different techniques, so we'll see how that turns out (hopefully tomorrow). Until then, <3!

CBLDF Tshirt Modification

2011-07-19T06:14:00.001-07:00

My first pass at re-sewing a tshirt that was too big but had a cool design on it turned out okay.
Parts I liked:
- Pattern directions were relatively simple and made sense
- The overall shirt I made it kind of cool

Parts I didn't like:
- I used two different shirts to make the front and it shows
- The neckline is behaving oddly, and I think it's because I finished it with a zig-zag stitch, which stretched it out
- I only took REALLY crappy pictures of the entire project - sorry!

Here's the Large CBLDF tshirt beforehand, with the pattern:

I really wanted to take that centered design and have it going down the left side of the shirt, which mean that instead of one large front piece, I had to make two smaller front pieces and sew them together. Which I did out of this shirt, and another black tshirt, that doesn't *exactly* match up. It's probably not too obvious to other people. I did it *on purpose*, right?

Finished project:

For a first shirt, this isn't so bad. Especially since I instantly begin modifying things to fit my own liking (splitting the front piece). I can't wait to make the next one out of some more tshirts I have (some are Nick's old shirts). I have a feeling I'm going to have a lot of black tops in the near future!

Today, though, I'm going to be playing with bleach pens, so I'll be posting the results of that tomorrow!

Five Things I Hate In the Morning:

2011-07-12T03:49:00.000-07:00

1. Chewing - I clench my jaw in my sleep, plus crunchy stuff is LOUD
2. Talking on the Phone - I'm kind of bleary/moronic until an hour or so after I've been awake
3. Talk Radio - I can't talk back and tell them to BE QUIET or SMARTER
4. Heavy Perfume / Cologne - Barf
5. Dehydration - The first thing I want when I wake up - two glasses of water

Oddly enough, I like Nyan Cat in the morning, which you would think would be too much - but it's not. It's just enough.

IKEA and New Job

2011-07-07T04:39:00.000-07:00

I'm adjusting to the hours at my new job that I spend every day. Currently, the job is biting into my crafting and making stuff time, but not my watching Wizard of Waverly Place and eatinh-half-a-cake-in-one-go time. This needs to change! Otherwise, this blog is just going to turn into pictures of half eaten cakes. EXAMPLE:

Hey everybody! This is what I did last night!

Over the weekend I went to IKEA and it's still just like a magical place to me. Everything is so neat looking and low-priced! Here's some magical pictures:

FLOATING BOXES!

MAGIC INVISIBLE WINE!

FOOD GARAGE!

NARNIA!!

New job details: I work part-time at Jerry's Artarama, an awesome local art supply store.

Dr. Sketchy's - Tie Me to the Tracks Sketches

2011-07-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

Last night's Dr. Sketchy's was not exactly what I expected, but I enjoyed it anyway. I expected more Dudley Do Right and probably less bondage, but overall, the models were good, I got some drawing practice, and I came away with some relatively SFW sketches I can show you.

I managed to bring a full sketchbook, so I had to find pages with open space to draw in, hence some of the more random doodles accompanying these. There were no teddy bears floating in the background or hovercrafts!

Also, remember that crochet tutorial I was nuts about? I've made a few things out of it - here's a preview of a green seaweedy necklace I'm pretty pleased with:

I think it looks like seaweed and I kind of love it. I think I'm going to make a purple one next!

Friday Find (on Thursday): WingedLion on Etsy

2011-06-30T07:01:00.000-07:00

I am just entranced by the jewelry and printmaking designs in Winged Lion's shop on etsy. The jewelry is gorgeous and ornate and original, and the linocut prints are THE SAME!

The Winged Lion shop is shared by an extremely artistic family (Natalia, Sergey, and their teenage son Lev) living near Charlotte, NC. They have so much variety but awesomeness!

I'm going to start with the linocuts - these prints are amazing, and it makes me want to own them, but simultaneously, be the person who created them. Since we've had a lot of medieval stuff with the Game of Thrones theme, I figured I'd pick this knight one to show you:
Victory Knight by Lev (he's 17! Annoyingly gifted at 17!)

Trying On Hats Linocut

They have a lot of rings that I want, even though they are way out of my league in terms of price at the moment, but still, I call dibs on the Enchanted Princess one! DIBS I SAY! It's so gorgeous! And I've never even heard of a white sapphire before, but gorgeous.

Enchanted Princess Ring

I love flower rings, and this one is just intricate and I can't really find anything about it I don't like, except possibly the size (it may be a bit big on me, you know, when I purchase it as well as the other one HA HA HA).
Blooming Thistle Ring

I switched Friday Finds to Thursday because I'm going to Dr. Sketchy's tonight and plan to have ridiculous drawings to show you tomorrow. Unless I chicken out, and then you'll get a sewing update!

Game of Thrones Jewelry Etsy Shop Refill!

2011-06-29T06:50:00.000-07:00

I know you've all been desperately wondering what weird jewelry stuff I would put together for my Game of Thrones jewelry series next. I mean... maybe you haven't. Maybe you've moved on to watching True Blood - ANYWAY - here's some more Game of Thrones / Song of Ice and Fire jewelry. I really love these two pieces.

Dark Wings, Dark Words Necklace
(Though every time I type "Dark Wings" I have a hard time not thinking of Darkwing Duck)

Saltwife Necklace Hhehe, the Greyjoys. I had fun writing the descriptions for these.

Here's some other summery necklaces I made that I think turned out quite pretty:

Sea Nymph Shell Necklace - Nereid of the Aegean Sea Necklace

Moonlit Dewdrops Necklace

Available in my shop futuregirl.etsy.com.

Halloween in June - Decorating!

2011-06-28T06:02:00.000-07:00

I helped decorate for an Undead Birthday party over the weekend, so here's some of the decorations:

Why the human torso? I don't know, but it looked cool!

Most of these were put together by Ruth, but I think they're great:
Jell-o Brain with oreo dirt and gummi worms, Zombie Fingers (Snapea Crisps), and on the three tier: Worms, Gravestone cookies, and Coffin sandwiches!

And here's a picture of me as a mummy, so you know that I dressed up:

McCall's Pattern Sale at JoAnn's!

2011-06-24T08:53:00.000-07:00

McCall's patterns are on sale at JoAnn's for $1.99. Of course, they go on sale for $0.99 next weekend (for the 4th of July) but by then I, and other's like me, may have gone through and bought all the cool ones!

Limit 10, so I bought 8 of shirts and dresses made out of knits:

I *really* want to use up all this t-shirt fabric! There will (hopefully) be more stuffed animals and outfits in the future from them!

Also, I bought these two, which don't go together, but they are the outliers:

I hate trying to find leggings that are the right length for me - and in interesting colors. I mean, yes, I could buy them over at welovecolors.com, but they're $15 each and I'm cheap! Also, I love that style of skirt, and in theory it's really easy to do, right? I have no idea, which is why I bought a pattern.

So yes, SEWING!

Friday Finds / Tutorial! Crocheted Necklace Video

2011-06-24T05:30:00.001-07:00

This week has been sort of an off week for me, in case you couldn't tell from the lack of random craftsplosion that you usually get on here.

One thing I've found and I think is very satisfying is crocheting with beads - but not actually crocheting, just repeating one tiny slip stitch over and over.

Here's a fantastic video tutorial I've been using as a reference: it's for creating a multi-strand crocheted bead necklace.

It was based on the fact that I've been cleaning out my beads and jewelry supplies - I've found lots of beads that I like, but really don't know what to do with. I was looking on etsy for ideas and I found this:

Crystal garden series crocheted bracelet by SidneyAnne

I love it! Nick says it looks like a magpies nest, but in a good way, which is exactly what I like about it! Anyway, I've been working on just doing black thread with black beads for now to get a feel for it. It's super fun, and kind of relaxing. I think I have a new craft to bring to Craft Night!

Also - I was watching an episode of Robin Hood where Richard Armitage kept taking his shirt off *for no reason* (well, except ratings, I suppose) and I accidentally made a strand 6" longer than the others because I was so distracted. I feel silly.

Maker Faire NC 2011

2011-06-21T07:06:00.000-07:00

I went to Maker Faire NC over the weekend and it was awesome! Though a little crowded.

This year was much bigger, but I think it still has a lot of potential to get bigger and bigger each year. There was everything, from lace tatting to robotics, quilting to hacking, and there were so many people!

Here's some pictures:

Several people I know, including Kelly Farrow and Joei Reed, were running a booth called "T-cycle" where you could buy a t-shirt for $5 and mod it right there - they had sewing machines, a serger, and all kinds of supplies and books for changing your t-shirt into something cool (which I'm all about).

The entire Maker Faire was humming and buzzing while we were there - so many activities and cool places - The Scrap Exchange, TechShop RDU, Bull City Craft, Spoonflower - I can't even list them all. I wish Maker Faire had been around when I was a kid - I don't know where else I would have learned about modern quilting and robotics right next to each other!

I'm thinking of getting a booth next year and making a million stuffed animals from t-shirts and having them for sale. I'm not entirely sure what kind of activity I might have at my booth though - any ideas?

Friday Finds: Cupcake Land

2011-06-17T05:47:00.001-07:00

What if you lived in a world where everything was made of cupcakes? Would you still think of them as delicious?

What if your dog looked like a cupcake?

And your soap?

And your crayons?

And all your doorknobs!?

And your hats?

And your, err...

And what if Daleks were all "EXTERMINATE this cupcake for me, would you?"

Would it drive you crazy? Would you have terrible colorful foam running from your mouth from alternating between eating the crayons and the soap?

Thank goodness we're safe... for now.

Dog Cupcake Hat by Sweet hoots, Strawberry Champagne Cupcake Soap by Virginia Soaps and Scents, Crayon Cupcakes by zeebree, Cupcake Doorknobs by shimrita, Cupcake Hats by yeahsurewhatever, Two Giant Fake Cupcakes by 12LegsCuriosities, and EXTERMICAKE by anilineblack.

More Game of Thrones Jewelry - Including Tyrion Stuff!

2011-06-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

I've been working on some more Game of Thrones / Song of Ice and Fire jewelry, and I've finished up some stuff and put it in my shop Futuregirl Leah Riley's etsy shop.

Tyrion Lannister Necklace #1

First off, I polled everybody on facebook, and some Tyrion themed jewelry was definitely a high priority, so I made two necklaces that are unisex in an attempt to satisfy your cravings. First off, I based one on my two favorite Tyrion quotes:
"A mind needs a book like a sword needs a whetstone"
"A Lannister always pays his debts"

I'm imagining if you could get into Tyrion's saddlebags, it would essentially be full of books and money. Which is hard to fault, honestly, I'm a fan of books, and money is always welcome. I may not be able to make another necklace exactly like this one and I really liked the way it came out! Though I feel like Tyrion is such a great character that one piece of jewelry doesn't really cover him, so there will probably be more!

Oh! And I love the terrible horrible no good role of being Hand of the King (a job that has been done by Eddard Stark, Tyrion Lannister, and Tywin Lannister to name a few) and I thought that the hand themed jewelry they used in the books and on the HBO show are awesome, so I made a Hand of the King necklace!

Hand of the King Necklace

It can represent whoever your favorite Hand has been. Maybe you can be all hipster and claim it's someone obscure from the Mad King's reign, YOU DO WHAT YOU WANT.

And lastly, after making all that tough looking jewelry, I made this frilly choker based on Lyanna Stark:

Queen of Love & Beauty Choker (Lyanna Stark)

Lyanna Stark - the hottest dead lady in all of Winterfell. Seriously, all we seem to know about her is that she is dead, and she was SOOOOOOOO HOT. So she gets a necklace because I love those skeleton cameos. And look at those tiny snowflakes! Heheh.

It seems that stencil bleaching and resist dyeing may have to wait till next week, since it's Thursday already! This week went by too fast! Tomorrow I'll have something ridiculous for you!

Safari Dress: Bleached & Dyed!

2011-06-14T06:34:00.000-07:00

Ta-da! The safari dress is bleached and dyed and dry!

I used RIT "Purple" liquid dye for 2 lbs. of fabric on this for one hour, and I'm really liking it. I'm liking it so much I'm going to dance around and use corn as maracas while wearing it!!

FINALE TIME!

Also, I wore my other two recently dyed projects over the weekend, here's a picture of me in the skirt before we go to the Farmer's Market:

What can I say - sometimes, I'm really excited about food!

Later this week!
- More Game of Thrones Jewelry (including Tyrion stuff)
- Bleaching/glue resist on fabric

Stay tuned!

Monday Inspiration: Coco MoCA

2011-06-13T12:13:00.000-07:00

Pale Whale by Yiying Lu
Conan O'Brien's writers have their own site called Team Coco and it's kind of adorable. BUT! The best thing, in my opinion, is their Coca MoCA - The Museum of Conan Art.

I'm showing you some of my favorites, but they have all kinds of cute stuff, AND you can submit your own (if you have a desire to make a Conan-themed piece of art or cookie/cake or something)

Conan Pointillism by Freya Kieslling
Team Coco... in SPACE by Natalie
Conan Watercolor by isalindberg
Hello Coco by Steve Dressler

I find seeing one subject covered in many different ways interesting and inspiring. It motivates me to experiment and learn. And, of course, the Hello Coco one is probably my favorite.
Here's the link again! Coca MoCA - The Museum of Conan Art

Bleached & Dyed Skirt: Fin!

2011-06-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

At least there's one project finished: I've bleached and dyed this skirt to my satisfaction!
(I'm so happy it didn't come out looking like camouflage)

To dye it, I combined Dylon dyes "Jungle Green" and "China Blue", figuring I'd get that sort of bright green with blue undertones that seems to be all over the place right now.

And, success! The skirt is 100% cotton, so I knew it would soak up a lot of the dye. I'm really happy with it, especially since it was a $3 thrifted skirt, it may now become one of my favorites!

Next up, I still have the safari dress, and I think I'm going to try Dylon's "Intense Violet" again, and double up on the dye.

I really like the color that the "China Blue" is supposed to come out as, and I want to find something to dye that color, but what?

Next week!
The end of the safari dress! - will it come out Violet? Or will it look like a hot mess?

Resist dyeing with glue!
I've bookmarked several tutorials, if you'd like to give it a go, I'd love to hear your feedback/advice:
Gel Glue Resist Tutorial
Glue Resist Batik
DIY Fabric Prints

I have some skirts that probably need octopuses on them!

Bleaching: No More Pattern Recognition

2011-06-09T08:20:00.000-07:00

I have a hatred for patterns that are overwhelming and very contrast-oriented. I think they look terrible on me and I want them to DIE! Or... bleach! Then dye.

So, here's where I am with the dress - I'm really excited by what's going on here. Especially since I'm planning to dye it a warm color. ORANGE is what's happening here, for some reason.

Here's a closeup:

(Also, I removed those TERRIBLE rhinestones. Geez - that was one episode of Robin Hood, I believe, with a seam ripper and trying not to be too distracted by Richard Armitage.)

I'm going to be dyeing it either later today, or tomorrow. The reason is because this skirt is currently in the sink with a dye concoction I made of Dylon's China Blue and Tropical Green. That should be awesome! OR at least interesting:

Oh gosh, I just hope it doesn't look like camouflage when it comes out. Yuck.

The bleaching process I'm using is from Martha Stewart's Fabric and Craft Encyclopedia. I really like the guide and it seems to work and provide the thing that I really like in the finished product: a complete LACK of bleach-smell!

Here's my bleach process, just so you know what I'm doing to these poor pieces of clothing:
Mix 5 parts hot water to 1 part bleach (do *not* go over this ratio, according to Martha)
Soak clothing in hot water, wring
Put clothing in the bleach water
Soak in bleach for 15 sec - 15 min (watch for what you want)
Remove from bleach and put into cold water
Wring from cold water
Put clothing in chloring neutralizer
Soak for... I dunno, 10 minutes?
Wash in washing machine

So, you need:
- 3 places for soaking (I used both parts of our sink and a bucket for the chlorine neutralizer)
- bleach
- chlorine neutralizer itself (this is to make the bleach smell go away forever and stop the bleaching process - I ordered mine online)
- washing machine
- rubber gloves and plastic spoon

I better get back to stirring my skirt. I think after all this bleaching and dyeing this week, I'm gonna experiment some more with actually doing patterns with bleach, resists and dyes next week!

Further Dyeing Adventures: RIT "Wine" Dye

2011-06-09T06:03:00.000-07:00

The Dylon "Intense Violet" dye I used was for 1/2 lb of fabric, and also the dress has spandex and polyester mixed in, so I figured i should up the intensity if I wanted the next color to over-dye the purple/pink princess monster dress I'd created.

I went to JoAnns and got RIT's liquid dye in "Wine" for 2 lbs. of fabric. The color on the bottle was a lot less saturated than the colors came out (which is fine with me, I like saturation). And look! The lace completely soaked up the dye this time - I wonder why that is? I did add more salt to the dye, so maybe that helped.

I love how this shirt came out! I bought this shirt thinking that the brown and white stripes would just grow on me. They sure didn't. But the shape of the shirt and the interesting sleeves kept me from throwing it away. DYE TO THE RESCUE! Since this is 100% cotton it soaked up a lot of the RIT dye.

The dress and the t-shirt were dyed together in the sink for 30 minutes, and I really like how they both came out!
Now, to the next level: bleaching!

First Dye Job: Pink to Purple Dress

2011-06-07T05:46:00.000-07:00

Well, the first dye job has been done, and I'm having mixed feelings about it. The dye was Dylon's "Intense Violet", and the material was actually a cotton/polyester/spandex blend, so I wasn't entirely sure how things were going to come out.

I'm going to have to see if this grows on me. Mixing colors scares me sometimes - It seems like it takes more fashion bravery than I'm equipped with. I'm thinking of over-dyeing it with another rosey type color.

Lessons learned this round:
- More dye means more intense - if I want it richer, use two packets
- You can dye things in an all white kitchen without ruining anything!

Let's see, what am I going to dye today? Probably a shirt (since all of the bleaching materials aren't here yet). Bleaching will have to be later this week!

The Week I Wanted to Dye

2011-06-06T06:42:00.000-07:00

I have a small stack of thrifted clothes that I've been meaning to *do* something with. Mostly, I like the way they feel or fit, but I hate the color. So, this week, I'm going to experiment with dyeing and bleaching techniques.

This dress, for example, is from the thrift store and so comfy! It fits me really well. But, uhh, I've already did the safari thing in junior high and I don't think I should revisit the jungles, so to speak. Also, it has rhinestones on it in matching animal-print colors. Jeez.

So, there's going to be a lot of before and after pictures this week! I love those! I've got a skirt, a couple of shirts, another dress. The dress pictured I'm probably going to bleach (to tone down the print) and then dye it either green or purple. I'm using Martha Stewart's "Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts" as a guide, so hopefully it will turn out great!

Let's just see if I can also manage not to dye half the house as well. Now, I'm gonna go break out the plastic drop cloths!

Picture Pull

2011-06-02T07:52:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason, I am a sucker for pretty pictures. I started watching Black Butler entirely because I saw some of the costumes on a cosplay website, I was absolutely obsessed with seeing The Fall after seeing the images online.

And now I really want to see this Korean romantic comedy called "Cyrano Agency" because I saw this post on the Movies in Frames tumblr. I was pretty obsessed with Cyrano de Bergerac in high school (I'm not entirely sure why) and the idea of romantic comedy where a theatre group helps those unlucky in love sounds delightful. Now it's just a matter of finding a copy somewhere. Dangit.

Have you ever watched a movie or started something just because of the pretty pictures or costumes? I'm not the only one guilty of this, right?

Animazement! 2011!

2011-05-31T09:13:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite local conventions here in Raleigh is Animazement, which was just this weekend!

Black Butler Cosplay Group - My Ciel costume is one of my faves! (Friday)

This year was the first year I reprised an old role at the same con (Ciel Phantomhive - but I had a new costume), AND the first time I'd made a huge part of my costume (sewing my Eruka Frog dress). Exciting! People were still excited about Black Butler, but they were *mostly* excited about the fact that we had a Tanaka. Ciel Phantomhive costumes are pretty common, but having a collection of most of the servants AND a male Sebastian - still pretty exciting for people. Michelle just started calling us "Tanaka and the Pips."

Soul Eater Costume Group (Saturday)
I'm not sure what it is about conventions, maybe it's just knowing you're surrounded by other geeks, or maybe it's having your picture taken and taking pictures, wearing costumes and checking out everyone else's ... I don't know what it is, but it's SO FUN.

Highlights include Stormtroopers dancing to Lady Gaga at the Saturday dance, watching Nick's face during the KuroPop panel, getting free photoshoots with Frost Photography - AND my friends Ruth, Alan and Stephanie won the Face-Off challenge - WINNING PICTURE!

Face-Off like the show! With a random bag of supplies they had an hour to do that. Awesome!

Other favorite costumes (in order): Ron Weasley (Very Potter Musical), Rainbow Dash (My Little Pony), Yotsuba & Cardbo (Yotsuba), and adorable Star Wars family and King Boomy (Avatar: The Last Airbender).

Well, I think I've finally recovered from the convention. Now to get back to making non-convention related stuff - like jewelry and quilts and whatever else!

Refilling the Old Etsy Shop with Geekery

2011-05-26T06:45:00.000-07:00

I've been working really hard on making new stuff for my etsy shop - especially jewelry, because I'm totally into that! Especially jewelry inspired by Game of Thrones or the Discworld. So, check out my shop, Futuregirl Leah Riley's Etsy Shop, if you're interested in perusing some new stuff, and here's a few samples:

Tears of Lys Necklace (Game of Thrones/Song of Ice and Fire inspired)

Ned Stark: I've heard it said that poison is a woman's weapon.

DISCWORLD STUFF!
Lord Vetinari Stamp Necklace!

Reversible Discworld Bonk / Ankh Morpork necklace

And, for the food lovers, Red Beans & Rice Bracelets are now in stock!

I'm working on some new necklaces based on some other characters from the Song of Ice and Fire / Game of Thrones series. If there's a Game of Thrones character you'd like to see some jewelry based on, then feel free to suggest it! (Also, sometimes the comments are wonky here, so feel free to email!)

Oh yes, and here's my shop one more time, for your shopping pleasure!
Futuregirl Leah Riley's Etsy Shop

Pony Creator on DeviantArt

2011-05-26T05:36:00.000-07:00

Are you as obsessed with My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic as I am?
There's a Pony Creator over on Deviant Art and I am just completely wasting my morning with it! (As are several of my friends!)

Here's me and Nick as ponies, and my TARDIS pony:

Here's a link to the Pony creator!
Pony Creator!
(Note: There are no cutie marks yet)

I couldn't figure out how to be a unicorn, so how does that work guys?

Cosplay: Working on Eruka Costume

2011-05-24T07:14:00.000-07:00

Not my picture, it's from here on DeviantArt

I'm dressing up as Eruka Frog (a good witch) from Soul Eater this weekend at Animazement, and I'm working on making the dress. I've got the wig from Epic Cosplay and I actually ordered the hat from Amazon (who knew?) - so I'm working on the dress.

Dress Mess
This is the first time I'm making a whole dress from a pattern, so it's kind of intimidating. Plus, of course, I'm altering the pattern, so it's not entirely straightforward. I'm using Vintage Vogue pattern #2267/V30 and shortening the skirt. We'll see how this turns out. I'll be sure to post pictures.

Also! Here's me in my wig:

White hair would be so fun if it didn't take so much upkeep!
More posts soon!

Draw Your Cats

2011-05-19T06:20:00.000-07:00

Cats with Wings by Foley

I love it when people take pictures of their pets, but I really love it when people draw or paint their pets.
Thank goodness, there's the meowoodle tumblr (which does not update nearly enough IMO) dedicated ENTIRELY to illustrators and artist's depictions of their cats.

The picture above is one I found on flickr from one of my friends (so not from meowoodle, though it certainly deserves to be there). I have even done a painting of one of my old cats, and I think I should make do more.

ANYWAY! Meowoodle! Here's some of my favorites:
Janit

Ramona

Ripley

I'd really like to encourage everyone I know to do a drawing of their pet - I think it really shows the personality of the animal that *we* see that may not come through in the blurry pictures we take!

Valar Morghulis Bracelet - v 2.0!

2011-05-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

I am finally adding things to my Etsy shop again! Here's my Valar Morghulis bracelet (well, the second version of it). I really love how it came together. It's based on the storyline of Arya Stark from George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones / Song of Ice and Fire series.

I just started reading them a few months ago and Arya is by far my favorite character. Part of the inspiration for this bracelet is based on what happens in books two and three (Clash of Kings and Storm of Swords) and it's a bit spoilery, so I guess I can't post about it? Maybe I'll add that on to the end of this entry under a SPOILER headline.

Anyway, I've been very inspired by the series, and I've made lots of jewelry and I can't wait to put it all online. I hope other people like it too. Even if they don't, I think leather bracelets with skulls and foreign coins are super cool anyway. More jewelry in the near future!
Oh, and here's a link to my shop so you can keep an eye on it if you want:
Futuregirl Leah Riley's Etsy Shop

SPOILER DESCRIPTION! DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THROUGH BOOK THREE OK?!?
Okay, so the strands represent the people left in Arya's "prayer" wherein she lists all the people that she wish would die, and the four skulls represent the four of those that she has killed - two through an assassin, one in a swordfight, and the Hound she left to die (so I assume he's dead) - so that's what the number of strands and skulls represent! Also, the coin is from when she gets the coin and phrase "Valar Morghulis" in order to get passage to Braavos.

END SPOILERS!

World Beard and Moustache Championships 2011

2011-05-17T06:50:00.000-07:00

Second Place in Freestyle Beard 2011 (can you believe this is only 2nd?!)

In case you were unaware, last week (May 11) was the World Beard and Moustache Championships! I actually keep up with them a bit since I mention them in my illustrious best-selling mini-comic "10 Things To Do With a Fake Moustache" (it's part of number nine).

This year, the US took six gold medals, but they haven't really posted the details about everything yet, since I imagine everyone is still getting back from their Beard Tour of Norway (not even kidding, that's what they called it!)

Ghandi, First Place Freestyle Moustache Category 2011

I have to say that my favorite is the freestyle categories.

Freestyle Moustache Category Description:
All moustaches that do not match other classes. The hairs are allowed to start growing from up to a maximum of 1.5 cm beyond the end of the upper lip.
Aids are allowed. <----- Not sure what this means, but AWESOME!

So, I'll be needing to update my mini-comic to once again be accurate (until I can make mini-comics out of psychic paper). In the meantime, if you need some moustache tomfoolery, here's a Category by Category Analysis of the World Beard and Moustache Championships and my favorite picture of me with a moustache:

My Favorite Fake Moustache Picture

Absolutely Small's Adorable ABC Book (Friday Find, delayed due to Blogger outage)

2011-05-16T05:09:00.000-07:00

I read a lot of other crafty and artsy blogs, and one of my current favorites is Absolutely Small. Just last week she posted pictures of the amazing ABC book that she made for her daughter Olive. The letters are all represented by pictures and it's a felt book so she can enjoy it now!

Check out this awesomeness:

Y is for Yoda, Z is for Zelda

S is for the Sun and Stars, T is for Totoro

Including other awesome illustrations (X is for X-men, W is for Wookie, O is for Olive herself!) I am just thoroughly happy that this exists and feel inspired just looking at it. It just warms me down to the cockles of my heart!

You can check out all the letters here in Absolutely Small's Flickr group - Olive's ABCs.

Screwing Up - Quilting Edition

2011-05-12T04:53:00.000-07:00

I am getting better at screwing up. Though how I managed to put together an entire quilt block upside down is a little beyond me. It was really depressing for about a minute (because they take at least some work to put together) but then, THEN! I noticed it!

Here's a picture of the finished quilt:

There in the robot tummy is Quilt Block Redemption! The design goes backwards there! I wasn't screwing up, I was unintentionally working ahead! So instead of doing blocks 1, 2, 3, 4, I'd done 1, 2, 18, 4!

This isn't exactly a lemons-to-lemonade style thing, but I'll take what I can get.
Just for reference, here's the design with the correct (new) quilt block:

I think Thursdays are just going to be either Fail Days or Thrift Days (if I can ever stick to a schedule) so be prepared for that.
Have you seen any good craft/art/sewing fails? Or created any of your own?
I'd love to hear about them (to further help me feel less derpy).

Pegasus Bracelet

2011-05-11T09:43:00.000-07:00

Michelle had given me this pegasus brass stamping forever ago because we both agreed that Annie should have *something* with it.

I kept meaning to do something with it.
For the past two years+.

Finally, yesterday, I did! I combined some ribbon I had in very Annie colors, with a brass cuff bracelet from Ornamentea. I "aged" the brass stamping by first washing it, then painting on it and wiping the paint off (seems silly, but it makes sure the paint stays more in the creases, which makes it look older, so there you go).

Then I sealed it, and sewed it on! Voila!
What took me so long? Oh, you know, worrying that I was going to screw it up probably. It's not perfect, but I like the way it came out. Plus! I learned that patina-ing brass using vinegar takes forever/overnight, so plan ahead if you want to try that (I started, then went with the paint instead!).

Does anybody else have a project they've been putting off forever? Maybe we can have a "Finish it" week sometime soon to motivate us all.

Same Hill, Different Day (by Paul Octavious)

2011-05-10T06:34:00.000-07:00

This inspiring project is called "Same Hill, Different Day" by Paul Octavious. Paul found the hill in 2007 while walking around Chicago and has been taking pictures of it all the time since. He sums it up beautifully, “The hill is my stage and the locals are the actors in this daily play.”

Same Hill, Different Day by Paul Octavious

Boxy Bag (with a link to Tutorial)

2011-05-10T05:42:00.000-07:00

I found this adorable boxy bag tutorial yesterday! I had this fabric that is perfect for my friend Michelle, but I didn't know what to do with it, exactly. I only had approximately one fat quarter, and I was tired of making drawstring bags, or the usual zippered pouches.

Googling about, I turned up this gem of a tutorial for little boxy bags by three bears. The end product is pretty small, about 4.5" x 3" x 2", so it's perfect for small things, or perhaps notes about how someone's birthday present hasn't come in the mail yet.

I really like the instructions on how they handled the zipper, and it makes it go even faster since it's unlined (it's so small that it doesn't need it).

I also found a great tutorial for making a cute bag out of tshirts (of which I still have a pile, if you don't remember) so I think I'm going to try that next!

200th Post! Steampunk Jewelry!

2011-05-09T08:19:00.001-07:00

Yay! I've made it to 200 posts! I'm kind of proud of myself because I wasn't entirely sure how well I would keep up with this blog, but it's fun to take pictures and share them, and I am pretty much constantly making *stuff*, so here's hoping for another 200 to rapidly follow!

I've been working on some new jewelry recently (besides the Game of Thrones inspired stuff). Here's what I've been working on:

I'd been holding onto all these pieces of jewelry that I've been scared to use in case I didn't use them the "perfect" way, or complete a project with them that really held up to the idea/picture I had in my head. I've finally learned to combat this type of thinking in two ways:

1) Each time I make something, I learn something
Nothing is perfect, and even if the end product isn't anywhere near what I wanted
2) I am not using the very last (sparkly star pendant, mother of pearl bird) in existence
Just go for it. You can probably find another one online somewhere

Mostly, I tell myself to relax and have fun. Working on it!

The Week in Review: Clockwork Ball, Flowers & Stuff

2011-05-06T05:56:00.000-07:00

Wrecking once's car, then finding the repairs were going to be more than the car was worth, finding a person to sell it to, and then going through the rigamarole that is involved in selling it - it takes a lot effort. Also, it kind of makes you feel like an idiot for being in a wreck.

That's part of why I haven't updated, I've been feeling like a big dummy for wrecking my car, and trying to figure out what to do next. Also, I've been sort of busy - we had our friend Rachel stay with us over the weekend, and we went to the Clockwork Ball. (This is Rachel, she is awesome)

There were auditions (for Nick) and a benefit dinner that we attended. It's kind of been a blur. But! I have been working on making some new jewelry for my etsy shop. That whole Ornamentea shopping spree will do that to you.

More updates on jewelry, quilting, and everything else coming soon! In the meantime, here's some pictures of my cheery flowers. Can anyone else who's watched Ouran High School Host Club manage to say "Lobelia" without singing it twice?

SadCar and Sketch

2011-04-29T05:40:00.000-07:00

So, Monday I wrecked my station wagon, and it's one of those situations where the repair will cost more than the car is worth. On the up side, no one was hurt, and this doesn't completely incapacitate me transportation-wise. I am close to most things so that I can walk.

One step at a time, I guess I'll figure out what I'm going to do next. In the meantime, I'm learning to drive manual (for the third time) and I'm trying to look at this as an opportunity. What kind of vehicle do I really want? What do I need?

In the meantime, here's a drawing of a kitty and some TARDIS costume iteration 2 ideas from my sketchbook to cheer us up:

Valar Morghulis Bracelet: Geekery in Jewelry

2011-04-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones series, and especially of the character Arya Stark. I'm going to try and not include any spoilers for those of you who haven't read the books, so let's just say that this phrase is very cool, a sort of memento mori in world, and the coin is a reference to part of that as well.

Making it:
I got some nice soft black leather from Ornamentea, about 36", and attached the coin closure to the end using a bone colored bead and some thread. I looped the leather through the hole in the coin, sewed the bead to the leather, then put one end back through the hole and fastened the leather back together on the other side with black thread. For the other end, I just made a loop and sewed it with black thread, wrapping it around several times before tying it off.

The words were the most difficult part. I wanted the coin and the words and I tried lots of different methods to get the words into the project, and finally I decided to stamp the words using my metal alphabet (I also stamped a copper piece, which I'll show you later).

In the end, I'm very happy with the piece. I'm curious to see how well the leather will continue to hold up after being stamped so heavily. I put the phrase on repeatedly around the leather, so however you wrap it around your wrist, you can see them.

Here's what I've learned with this project:
- Use serious needles when working with leather, I destroyed two needles
- Wintergreen transfers do not work on metal (my initial idea was to transfer "Valar Morghulis" onto a brass oxidized coin-like piece using wintergreen - it did nothing!)

Papercraft Decorating: D&D Tea Party

2011-04-25T06:13:00.000-07:00

Awhile back, Nick and I wanted to have a party, but we couldn't decide what kind. We wanted to have people over to watch the various Dungeons and Dragons episodes of television shows (Freaks & Geeks, IT Crowd and Community) but we also wanted to have a fancy tea party, because we are fancy.

My idea was to smoosh them together and have a Dungeons and Dragons Tea Party! Now that we had a theme, I wanted to make a few decorations, because what's a party without ambiance?

I found these Papercraft Dice downloads on Q Workshop (they make tons of awesome dice, and they also make custom dice, but they're expensive). Easy to print out and fold! Perfect!

I love putting interesting stuff in the apothecary jar, so that was the plan with these. I also chose to leave the blank because 1) I'm lazy and 2) I thought they looked cool and 3) I didn't want to do it wrong. So here's the final "decorating for a D&D tea party" product:

I added some vase fillers in the same colors, as well as a couple of Christmas ornaments to fill it up a little more. We did a D4, two D8's, a D12, and a D6. They were all pretty fun to do, but I wasn't about to go through all the effort of doing a D20 (I did print it out though).

As usual, during my search, I came across something awesome on the internet (on Will Wheaton's blog to be exact). A sweet geek lady printed out a papercraft D20 template, and went around to conventions getting her boyfriend's favorite writers, actors and creators to sign each side! Then she put it together for an amazing birthday present!
Click on the picture to see more.

So, geeky decor, and possible geeky gift idea! Papercraft dice are so cool.

Felted Brooches

2011-04-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

After working on quilts for a few weeks and being sick, I wanted to work on some smaller projects that could give me that immediate gratification that I've been missing. Being sick also limits my energy, which quilting takes a surprising amount of.

I have a ton of random wool roving so I just started playing with it to see what would come up. I did the Queen Bee based on a wax seal that I have, using lots of different types of embroidery stitches. The felt cupcake is just a regular feature:

I did a set of felt cupcakes awhile ago, and it's just so fun to make them all different colors and decorate them (like real cupcakes, except they don't get eaten!)

Finally, I've been sort of obsessed with fiddlehead ferns for the past week, ever since I went hiking out at Umstead Park and saw a ton of them. I had no idea that they were common locally, and now that I've looked them up online, I had no idea that people ate them. I bet they look really cool on a plate!

One of the things I do when I'm playing around is check out etsy.com for some inspiration, and I found plenty. Especially designedbyjane. The embroidery and colors are just gorgeous, and they sell for so very little! Check this out:

Very inspiring work indeed! It just makes me want to make more stuff and actually use all of the ridiculous amounts of embroidery thread and beads that I have!

If you have any places that you look for project inspiration, please share!

TARDIS Dress Costume

2011-04-18T11:38:00.000-07:00

TARDIS Dress - Iteration 1.0

I've been thinking about this costume for awhile, but only really working on it for about a week. I've been wanting to do a cute Dr. Who costume, but I've been stumped about what character to do, but then I realized I should dress as my favorite character: The TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension/s In Space)!

I'm not the first person to have this idea, I mean... we have the internet, and it is full of nerds, and we are all making stuff CONSTANTLY! Here's a quick collage of the inspirational images I found online when searching for "TARDIS dress" or "TARDIS costume":

Inspirational, every one. I particularly love the policewoman dress! The devil is in the details with this kind of stuff, so I decided to hand-sew a choker with "POLICE public call BOX" on it. I think the outfit needs more details, so it's not finished. I'm thinking of working the flyer that hangs on the door into the design somehow, possibly as a brooch. Any suggestions are welcome, and in the meantime, enjoy a pic of my handiwork:

Up next, more nerdery, I'm sure!

Sick Days & Weekend Update - Die Zauberflöte

2011-04-14T06:21:00.000-07:00

Scene from The Magic Flute on the Silver Screen at Meredith College - yes the child in the bunny suit is supposed to be there.
I got sick over the weekend, so pretty much all I did was go to Nick's production of Mozart's The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte), watch television, and rest.

I found the opera very nice - so nice I went and saw it twice! It was also free, so there's that. Nick did a great job in the chorus, and I'm pretty sure I could hear him even when they were chorusing off-stage.

I think my favorite character was Papageno, the everyman, seen here with Nick looking like he's about to murder him. Not only is the character itself written well, but the actor was an amazing actor and singer. He ate so much bread and drink so much "wine" during the production, which I also found impressive. I don't know why.

Soon there will be other updates, I'm just trying to keep things in order, and the weekend happened forever ago! Up next is my TARDIS costume work!

Friday Finds: Cherry Pie!

2011-04-08T07:05:00.000-07:00

Crochet Cherry Pie for $4.50 by Nacholescrafts

Ice Cream and Cherry Apron for $48 by dotsdiner

Cherry Pie Pincushion for $22.50 by NorweiganGal333

Colorful Pie Plates for $48 by Lesliefreemandesigns

Cherry Pie print for $25 from Fat Crow Press

Cherry Pie Hair Clip for $4 from Lulu's Nest

And, if you're looking for some local cherry pie to nom, I highly recommend PieBird's - the new sweet and savory pie shop in Raleigh.

I have been there twice in the past week and haven't been disappointed. I highly recommend their curried chicken pot pie and cherry pie a la mode!

32 Years

2011-04-06T15:02:00.000-07:00

I didn't intentionally take the week off for my birthday - it just kind of happened that way!

Today is my birthday, and Nick took me to the Duke Gardens for a picnic (aww!). It was super gorgeous and just the right temperature. He also got me the D20 socks that I so dearly needed for playing Dungeons and Dragons, as well as a shadowboxed Ghost cicada (so cool!) and flowers. He's such a sweet guy! I'm very lucky.

For breakfast, I had banana pudding (homemade - I made it yesterday for Craft Night), for lunch I had chicken pot pie (from Whole Foods), and for dinner, I'm going to PieBird to have Curry Chicken Pot Pie. I have now fulfilled my family duties and listed everything I'm eating!

Oh! My parents made me this adorable movie where my Dad is making a snapdragon sing Happy Birthday to me. I'm giving you a link so you can check it out too because it's awesome.

So yeah, this year is great. I'm having a good time, and I'm happy that spring seems to be happening (despite the frost we had last night). My plan for year 32 is to be myself, as much possible, even if that means being ridiculous.

I hope you're having a good day!

Scrap Exchange Warehouse Fabric Sale Loot

2011-03-29T06:41:00.000-07:00

One of the $8 bags of quilting fabric that I got at the Scrap Exchange Warehouse Fabric Sale was more than half full with all these adorable fairy tale prints. They're all in different colors that sort of go together, and they're cut into strips, squares and triangles already, so I'm thinking that their other non-scrap pieces are already a quilt somewhere else. But they are so cute that I'm going to need to make a quilt out of them. Maybe several!

Of course, that will have to wait until I'm actually closer to finished with the other two quilts I'm working on, right?
I promise I will post a picture of something *other than* fabric or quilt blocks in the next couple of days, okay. Deal.
In the meantime, here's some more fabric!

My favorites of these fabrics are:
- The green Alice in Wonderland fabric (which I have in varied hues as well!)
- The scattered puppy and bunny fabrics, where they just look like adorable designs
- Lavender fabric with lily of the valley silhouettes in white (not pictured)
- The yellow with leaping rabbits

I have searched on google image search and etsy trying to find out what the designer/brand/anything for these fabrics are, but I can't discover it. If you have any idea let me know.
Edited: Some of the fabrics are Marcus Brothers, but I haven't found the collection names (I found a selvage with part of the name)

For now, I'm going to wash and iron it all and put it away until I can come back to it. Probably occasionally patting it and staring at it too :).

Livejournal Test

2011-03-28T09:11:00.001-07:00

Attention! This could be working!

OMG More Quilting! Robot Quilt Beginnings

2011-03-28T07:09:00.000-07:00

Beginnings of a Robot Quilt
Perhaps, since it's a robot quilt, it's supposed to be called Beta? Or maybe that's just my first version of it, not just the beginnings of the first row of blocks.

I showed Annie a copy of "Dare to Be Square Quilting" (by far my favorite quilting book thesedays) and asked her which quilt she would like for her new baby son Danger (nickname, don't worry). She picked the "Does Not Compute" quilt which is a seriously good choice. I think maybe she's trying to create a theme in her house of large orange and blue robot designs I've made (she also has this giant orange and blue robot painting of mine - just saying).

ANYWAY! I am working madly on these two quilts. Here's what the Does Not Compute quilt looks like when finished:

It's 523 cut fabric pieces sewn into 30 blocks and then, you know, made into a quilt. I'm 2.5 blocks in! I figure he'll get it by the time he's 2 at least, right?

Oh! So in looking for an image of the Does Not Compute robot quilt on flickr I stumbled across a baby quilt sized one ChelseaWa designed and made!

I'm kind of jealous I didn't come up with this design idea myself! But I'm quite happy making something ridiculously big - it will make me feel super accomplished. And hopefully Danger will like it and it can go on his bed (since it's twin sized).

I found some other cute robot quilts while I was searching too!
Zak the Robot Quilt from bumblev

And this Robot Quilt by someone named Jan

I'm off to work on prepping quilt fabric, and designing bowties, and making stuff with zippers, and prepping tshirt material for stuffed animals and latch hook rugs and ... I'll see you tomorrow. :)

Altered Four Square Quilt Block Tutorial, or How I Am Going to Learn to Make Tutorials

2011-03-24T06:17:00.000-07:00

Maybe the internet doesn't need another quilting tutorial, and maybe, if I knew what the heck this actual quilt block was called, I'd just link you to someone else's. But! Since I feel like making tutorials is something every good crafty blog does, and I need practice doing them, you get at tutorial. Hooray! Right?

And, it's going to be incredibly long! Because it's picture time, picture time! I'm a visual person, and I love tutorials with 1,000,000 pictures so I know when they say "flip the second piece over and sew it" that I'm flipping the correct piece over, and then sewing it EXACTLY LIKE THEY ARE. I don't want to get to step 8 and be all "Oh crap, UR DOING IT WRONG" all over everything and cry and cry.

I don't actually cry. I just give up. Or, really, what I do, is look at the entire tutorial and if it doesn't make sense with the pictures and text, then I don't do it. Which has a lot to do with my whole perfectionism thing, and my worry that I'm just going to make a mess, which I'm getting over, thank you. I am all cool with making messes.

Enough about me, let's talk some more about sewing quilt blocks. That's what we're here for.

Materials:
- Rotary Cutter
- Clear Quilter's Ruler
- Cutting Mat
- 4 Fabric Squares of the same size (I'm using 4 inch x 4 inch squares here)
- Sewing Machine & Electricity
- Thread
- Iron
- Pins!

Step 0 (not shown): Prepwork
Wash your fabric. Iron it and cut it into 4 inch squares. I like to do the cutting just whenever - watching TV or while waiting for my tea to steep - with my 4 inch square Omnigrid cutting guide made of plexiglas and my rotary cutter. In case that's helpful. Also, set up your sewing machine - thread it and all that stuff.

Step 1: Layout Four Squares the Way You Like
We're sort of making a picture frame (as you see in the picture above) so the top two squares I will call the Framing Pair, and the middle two squares I will call the Middle Pair. The top Framing Pair is centered in the design. The bottom "middle square" is centered with it's companion to the right. I actually decided to make the diamond design the "Middle Square" - so sorry for the confusion. I forgot to take a picture! Or I screwed up! Whichever! Just remember - AFTER this picture, diamonds are middle square and polka dots are companion square.

Step 2: Flip and Pin Both Pairs
Flip the right square of both pairs over onto the left square so that the right sides of the fabric are facing each other. Then pin on the right side (for optimum sewing machine feeding) of both.

Step 3: Sew Pairs (No backstitching)
Sew each of the pairs using a straight stitch 1/4" from the right edge and don't backstitch at the beginning and end. I know, it's weird. Just sew straight through both of them. In fact, I like to feed them in one after the other (waiting a bit while running the machine between so they don't overlap). It makes a sort of cute garland! Cut them apart and trim the threads.
Note: This top picture actually has four pairs in it instead of two - I'm working on two blocks at once - the other pairs are for a white block. Don't get too confused by this, just pay attention to the pink ones!

Step 4: Pressing
Set the sewn pairs on your ironing board, opening them up with the right sides down. Gently flatten down the seam allowances and press them open with your iron. Don't run the iron back and forth, move the iron by gently pressing it up and down on the fabrics. I like to think of it as gently *stomping* the fabric with the iron. Like a baby elephant. This is part of the "not having backstitched" thing, as moving the iron around may loosen your stitches and also stretch your fabric out weird. I am guilty of doing this all the time, though, so don't stress it too much, just try.

Flip the pairs over and press the front as well. Ahh, those look nice.

Step 5: Cutting the Middle Pair
Remember which square was your "middle square" in your Middle Pair? Good! Obviously I don't, because I am now using the diamond as the "middle square" and the polka dots as the companion. Oh well, we shall sally onward.

Now, take and cut the companion or non-middle square in half vertically. I use the clear plastic ruler here to measure two (2) inches from its edge (it's not going to look perfectly centered anymore, because you've sewn the other side) and cut with my rotary cutter so I end up with at 2"x4" piece.

Step 6: Flip and Pin the Middle Pair
Flip the 2" x 4" piece you just cut so that the right sides are facing each other (and the wrong sides are facing out) and line it up on the other side of the Middle Square. Pin along the right side.

Step 7: Sew the Middle Pair
Sew together using a straight stitch 1/4" from the right edge and don't backstitch at the beginning and end.

Step 8: Press the Middle Pair
Flip the fabric over and open so the right sides are all down, then gently press open the seams. Press the front as well.

Step 9: Cutting the Framing Pair
Lay the Framing Pair above the now-completely-sewn Middle Pair and refresh your memory about how you want the block to go. Layout your Framing Pair so that it's vertical and cut it in half vertically 2" from both sides using the clear ruler. That didn't make the best sense, but essentially, you want to cut it into two long strips of 2" x 7.75" (or so).

Step 10: Position and Pin Top of Framing Pair
Layout the cut Framing Pair around the now-completely-sewn Middle Pair. Try and center the Framing Pair seams. I like to alternate the sides of the patterns, so the Framing cupcake is on the left at the top, and on the right at the bottom, but you're welcome to do this however you like.

Step 11: Sew Top of Framing Pair
Sew 1/4" from edge using a straight stitch. Do not backstitch.

Step 12: Position and Pin Bottom of Framing Pair
For once after sewing you don't immediately go and press! Nope! This time, bring the just sewn and still folded piece back over and line up the bottom of the framing pair so that the the right sides of the bottom framing pair are laid down on the right sides of the middle pair, and match up the seams from the top of the framing pair (part you've just sewn) and the bottom of the framing pair.

Step 13: Sew Bottom of Framing Pair
Sew 1/4" from edge using a straight stitch, and (say it with me) do not backstitch.

Step 14: Press it One More Time!
Unfold and lay the block flat on the ironing board with all the right sides facing down. Gently press the seams open with the iron, pressing it up and down on the seams, not moving it all around. Then flip over and press from the front.

Step 15: Square Up/Trim Edges
Take the quilt block back to your cutting mat and trim it into a square shape using your clear plastic ruler and rotary cutter.

You Now Have a Square!

Since I'm using four inch squares to begin with, the end block is a bit of an odd size - it's like 7.75" x 7.75" so I'm not entirely sure what size I'm going to do the final "squaring up" to. I'll be sure to post it when I'm through.

Tips!
- Be sure when cutting your fabric squares to cut with the fabric threads squaring up as well. Otherwise, cutting them when they're going diagonally, or on the bias, will make them all stretchy and weird.
- If you do maintenance and re-threading on your sewing machine, be sure to have extra fabric around to do some test runs on before using your "actual" fabric. That way you don't screw up one of your pieces.
- I like to to work on two squares at a time, one with an all white frame and a patterned one. See

I don't get confused, and it's easy to to double-up some of the work. Other people can probably do more.

I hope that helped somebody out there. It's a pretty easy block that doesn't require much of you, alternating the blocks with white framed blocks looks really pretty to me.

My Scrap Quilting Obsession

2011-03-22T06:05:00.000-07:00

Guess what I've been doing?

While cleaning up my studio (which is an ongoing project) I realized I have so very much fabric. A lot of it I was saving for indeterminate reasons. Scrap fabric that Michelle gave me, extra fabric from curtains, old pajamas - I really needed a project to start helping me get rid of all this.

Obviously I should do a scrap quilt! I needed something that would be able to combine a lot of different colors so I could use lots of stuff up. And I wanted to do something that uses 4 inch squares, since I had a few charm packs of those sitting around from forever ago.

So, I got started on washing and cutting the saved fabric into 4 inch squares and looking for a pattern. And I found tons of great patterns, like ticker tape quilts:

but they use different sized squares, and holy crap the actual quilting part is intimidating.

So, I kept cutting my squares while watching tv and researching. I couldn't do anything with strips either, since I'd already pre-cut 4 inch squares (note to self: In the future, determine type of quilt you're going to make before just cutting the pieces, whoops). I finally found this quilt on etsy that gave me an idea for the pattern:

That's Quiltville's "A Trip to Central Park Toddler Quilt". There were squares! Even if there was cutting involved! And, you could use lots of different weird patterns! Hooray!

So I got busy, and so far I've made 15 squares of the quilt. I imagine it will take something like 40 to make a lap quilt or so? I'm not entirely sure, but I'm enjoying it.

Here's my favorite square so far:

Check the pictures on flickr for tons of notes about where the fabrics come from.

That's What She Said pillow

2011-03-18T07:46:00.001-07:00

A gift for Amy (who loves saying this all the time!) as part of our Secret Santa/February gift exchange. Only a little late!

I cross-stitched the design based on one I found online, and sewed together the pillow using this tutorial: Load of Craft Zippered Throw Pillow tutorial.

Using up my zippers is sort of fun! Though I keep getting distracted by quilts. I have this theory that quilting is going to be the new knitting. Of course, I'm kind of making that up. But it could be!

Spoonflower Squid Contest Live!

2011-03-18T07:03:00.000-07:00

Awesome! The Spoonflower Squid Fabric design contest is running now, so go over to the contest page and check out all 164!

Feel free to vote for mine ;) "Tentacles in Lavender" by leah_riley.

Spoonflower Contest: Squids!

2011-03-15T05:01:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to design and enter the Spoonflower fabric design contests for years now. When I saw that they were doing squids, I just *had* to (and of course forgot until the last minute and had to stay up late finishing it for the deadline last night, for which I blame Daylight Savings time).

Here's my squid design titled "Tentacles in Lavender":

If I had more time, I might have done something more sketchy or something. As it is, I did the initial design drawing in my sketchbook, and since I don't have my scanner set up, I took a picture of it to get it into Photoshop and agonize over it for hours.

Making it a repeating design in all directions kept making my brain hurt. Nick watched me as I gnashed my teeth, grabbed my hair and kept saying "It's just math! But both ways!!"
In the end, I did it! Yay! Maybe next time I will have the forethought to work ahead more than a few hours.
The next contest is maps, and I really want a map of Narnia on cloth... hmm..

Oh! And they haven't started letting us vote yet! But I'll be sure to let you know if I make the cut and you can vote on my fabric. The winner gets a $100 gift card to Spoonflower, which means I can add to my insane collection of fabric! I need to feed my addiction!

New Blog and Bed Design

2011-03-11T08:56:00.000-08:00

Well, I've updated the design so it no longer says "December" from two years ago. I hope that you enjoy the mountains with the Baba Yaga hut climbing over them with all the sort of mint/bluish color. It's a nice refreshing break from all the plain white!

I have some awesome projects to update you with next week. In the meantime, the blog's not the only updated design around here. We also updated our linens for a more spring/summer look.

Fall/Winter Bed:

Updated Spring/Summer Bed:

I wish I was more into updating my bed like Jek in the Box does - her "Making the Bed" Set on flickr is so cheery and inspiring!
Here's a sample:

Have a great weekend!

Hidden Treasure: Zipper Stash!

2011-03-09T07:37:00.000-08:00

I keep finding pockets of potential in my studio space. I had ordered all these zippers from etsy a long time ago and forgotten about them, and now that I've found them again, I want to make zippered pouches!

I made one yesterday. I'd been meaning to use that fabric (which is from a dress I bought at a Meredith College costume sale) on something small.

I love those little birds in the trees! And all the blue! Expect more zippered pouches in the days to come.
Oh, and here's the zippered pouch tutorial from twelve22 that I used to make this one - in case you get the hankering to make some yourself!

A Week of Cleaning in the Studio

2011-03-08T08:29:00.000-08:00

Perhaps you've wondered what I've been up to for the past week? I can tell you - cleaning, organizing, and building IKEA furniture for the Daft (dining/craft/studio room).

Here's some before and after photographs for you. It is by no means "finished" but I'm scaling back and only working on it a little bit a day instead of spending all day on it.

Before & After:

It's those IKEA Billy shelves I've been wishing for! Yay! They work so well, and they fit on the wall pretty much perfectly! If you want to see notations on what everything is in the after picture, just click on it. I kind of went crazy with the notes on Flickr.

Shew. Now I can get back to making ridiculous stuff. I am in a sewing mood!

Weekend Geekery - Quidditch Match!

2011-02-28T05:17:00.000-08:00

Ever since I saw this CBS report on college's Muggle Quidditch teams, I'd been freakin' thrilled and hoping that I'd get to go to a game.

Fortunately, it turns out that several of the local colleges have teams, and I found out from my most Potterverse of friends, the Vaughns, that there was a match coming up.

Nick and I Ravenclaw'd up and went to check it out with a couple of our friends, and it definitely delivered on entertainment. The NCSU and ASU players both seemed in good condition, but NCSU had the homefield advantage and a bit more experience on their side as they won all three matches.

I'm not entirely sure how to find a Quidditch team in your area - in fact, the way I discovered the NCSU team was an article about them - Quidditch Catches on Triangle Like Magic - but I definitely recommend going to a game, possibly in costume. As for me, I'm going to try and keep tabs on the local teams to hit a couple of a matches, since the weather is turning spectacular!

And the friends that helped me find the local match? They're none other than a Wizard Rock Band, the Blibbering Humdingers! Scott and Kirsten even performed a half-time show at the match! It was like a mini-Harry Potter convention in an afternoon.
Here's a link to the Blibbering Humdingers facebook page, you should definitely check them out (even if Scott is a Slytherin).

Catch ya later, Muggles!

Booksale Book Covers - A Goldmine of "What?!"

2011-02-21T05:31:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about the Wake County Library Booksale (outside of the fact that it is a booksale of 450,000 books!) is the amazing book covers you encounter while going through the children's section. And, of course, making up ridiculous stories to go with them.

Here are a couple of my favorites. Feel free to make up your own explanations!

Here is how the game works: You are trapped in Death Cave with a fatty and several ham sacks. When the ham sacks run out, you and fatty must have an epic battle to see who will survive Death Cave!

The Justin Bieber dating show! Starring Justin Bieber as "Hal"! Watch each week as we attempt to uncover the gender of Hal during mixup dates and hilarious situations!

Here's a link to all of the book covers I've collected. There are plenty more weird book covers, including a few terrifying sci-fi ones. Feel free to judge a book entirely by its cover and make up your own story.

Friday Finds: Possums! Possums are cute.

2011-02-18T06:05:00.000-08:00

Sometimes there are things that you want to be IN so hard, but can't really explain why. For me, that is possums. I'm not into them the way I was apparently into cats when I was younger (so no, I'm not interested in a possum bedspread, possum pillows, possum paintings and/or storage boxes).

I just appreciate when they pop up places, because I think they're under-appreciated for their cuteness possibilities.
I mean, look at this:

First we have an adorable Possum Family Print from acageybee on etsy:

Then! A scarf called the Persy the Opossum Scarf from SillyHill:

And yet another adorable mini print Berry Nice Poss from possandwom:

And in fashion, here is some new jewelry I got from H&M featuring possums:

(some people think they resemble foxes, but they're totally possums)

And I'm not just relying on strangers to help turn around the possum's cuteness status - Here's my little stuffed "Possumfoolery", my contribution to the battle of possum cuteness.

Hopefully, I've touched all you non-believers and you realize the adorable potential of the humble possum.

Baba Yaga Hut - Completed!

2011-02-17T08:23:00.000-08:00

Yay! It even sort of stands on its own. I'm really excited to finish it. I've learned a few things in the process:
- Embroidering stuff is still super-fun
- Making legs out of pipe cleaners is very hard, and if you had a brain, you would have bought all pipe cleaners of the same color ( they didn't have them when I started the project, but I should have gone back! Now the toes are different colors, which I think is kind of neat)
- You can use hot glue to stabilize pipe cleaners on the inside of thick felt
- Having a deadline is very useful for me to get things done

I've been working on this for several months, and giving myself a deadline of having it done this week made things focus a lot better for me. I'm not sure where it's going to live, but it's definitely going to be hanging out around the place.

Again, this was inspired by Melissa Sue's Baba Yaga hut that I saw in Stuffed magazine. I loved hers so much, but I couldn't buy one, so I made one for myself.

(Secret: the door actually works, so you can look inside, but there's probably nothing interesting to see. Probably.)

Drawing Portraits

2011-02-17T07:01:00.000-08:00

I'm still working on the Baba Yaga hut - in fact, the chicken legs made of pipe cleaners are what is holding me up. Balance you dang chicken legs!

In the meantime, I've been working on my drawing and portraiture skills. I have some really basic colored pencils that I like to use so I worked on two drawings. One is a self-portrait:

I'm not scared of drawing myself, because I can take any sort of liberties with myself I want and if I make one of my eyes bigger than the other, then it's okay! But I stress out a lot about drawing other people. All I can see is the various places I screwed up. Here's the drawing I did of Michelle:

It's not bad, but I feel like I could have done much better. I'll try not to berate myself too much and at least say that I did a good job on the roses.

There are so many other random things I've been working on - I'll post when I get to a photogenic point!

Friday Finds: Wishing for Summer

2011-02-11T05:54:00.001-08:00

I think all of us are a bit tired of Winter. I'm ready for flowers and sunshine and all of that summer stuff! Here are some ways of surrounding yourself with summer even during the dreariest times.

johnwgolden's lovely print of "Enlightened Fireflies" reminds me so much of chasing around fireflies as a kid.

Summer is a time of cute and comfortable skirts for me, and I absolutely love all the ones from Made with Love by Hannah - here's her sunniest skirt, the April Showers skirt.

I was never a Girl Scout, but I had a few badges from Girls in Action (a church-related group). I always wanted more, and now I can have them, thanks to leemeszaros I can try to add "being a sweetie pie" to my merit sash. (I may never earn this one).

Last, but not least, I love the custom decals available on etsy. Here are some cheery summer trees to brighten your wall (from artwallproject) so you can ignore the real weather.

Knowing me, I'll post wishing for snow in summer. For the moment, take a few, get warm, and let an imaginary summer whisk you away.

Current Project: Baba Yaga Hut

2011-02-09T07:01:00.000-08:00

Ever since I saw Melissa Sue's felt Baba Yaga huts in Stuffed magazine, I wanted to make one of my own. I've been working on this one off and on for several months, and I've decided I'm going to finish it this week (or at least by next week).

Here's the awesome inspiration photo from Melissa Sue:

Here's my progress so far:

I need to add legs and the rest of the roof and the back. The door opens and I'm not sure how I feel about it. For the legs I'm going to try and wrap pipe cleaners and see how that works out. Hopefully it will be proudly stalking around on chicken legs for you next week!

Thrift Store Finds: Fantasy Edition

2011-01-27T05:35:00.000-08:00

Even though my studio is in disarray, and I'm lamenting how much stuff I own, I *still* go out to thrift stores and comb them for interesting things! That's just how I roll. Thriftily.

Here are two things I've found in thrift stores, each of them cost FIVE DOLLARS. Insane!

First off, here's my Dungeon Master cloak (Goodwill, Cary, NC - $5):

I have this idea for a D&D one-shot I've been meaning to run for over a year now, and now that I have this cloak, it's something I have to do!

Secondly, a Unicorn (Cause for Paws, Raleigh, NC, - $5):

I'm still situated almost entirely in a box-filled studio, so I better get to work on that, but how could I resist showing you that unicorn this morning? (It may still be there, I just saw it less than a week ago!)

Movin' On Up!

2011-01-25T09:52:00.000-08:00

This week I don't have too much crafting/arting to post as I'm in the midst of moving (again). Though this time is probably for an extended period of time. I actually got around to changing my voter registration card (for the first time since 2002)!

Here is what we're affectionately calling "The Daft" as it is one room encompassing several roles: Dining Room, Craft Room, Art Studio.

One day, I'm hoping it will look more like this delightful IKEA display full of BILLY bookshelves:

Until then, I'll just have to be okay with it being a gigantic mess.
Tomorrow, I'm going to post about the excellent burlesque show i went to last night, but I need to find some pictures, and no one has posted any yet! So, see you tomorrow! I'll be here, unloading my car and unpacking boxes!

Friday Finds: Evil Queen from a Fairy Tale

2011-01-21T09:18:00.000-08:00

I can't resist - this all started with the last item and then just kept building!

First off, you need a strange pet, like this Real Bat in a Victorian Cage by ravenofskys

Then a cool mask, to hide your wicked face, like this beautiful Black Leather Mask from teonova

Well, as long as we're getting dressed, let's add a huge tulle skirt like this Gothic Bridal Skirt from MTcoffinzUnderground

A fancy Feathered Shrug from lovechildboudoir

Let's not forget to add a Gothic Crown from EJPcreations

And, of course, the item that started it all, the Gothic Queen Steel Boned Neck Corset from fanplusfriend

Last, but not least, where would you be as The Evil Queen, if you didn't have a magical item that held sway over the kingdom, or maybe just over our hero's heart. That's why you'll definitely need something in a cage, and I adore this Caged Heart Necklace by edmdesigns as an item of obvious import and full of magical qualities!

Et voila! You too can be an evil queen!

Thrift Store Finds

2011-01-20T07:46:00.001-08:00

I could update almost every week with thrift store finds, as I spend a *lot* of time in thrift stores. The randomness and potential in thrift stores is so exciting for me!

Michelle claims that I have some sort of thrift store luck, but I'm not sure if I do. My thrift store guru has always been my Mom (Hi Mom!). Every time I visit we go to the Mobile, AL thrift store and comb through the racks.

I'm going to try and make my thrift store finds a regular update, as they're fun and weird to post. Here's a couple of my recent finds to get us started:

Princess dress (America's Thrift, Mobile, AL) - $20

Velvet Kali/Kalika painting (Goodwill, Cary, NC) - did not purchase!

The skirt and underskirt for this costume (Goodwill, Cary, NC):

More to come - this is just the beginning!

Made in 2010 - Creativity in Review

2011-01-19T05:06:00.000-08:00

1. A Plush A Day Challenge! Day 29 - Mr. Molar!,
2. Small Green Quilt: Finished & Hanging Over a Chair,
3. DIY Underpants Sewing: All so far,
4. My Parasol: Octopus,
5. Zippered Throw PIllow Cover,
6. Advent Calendar: Day 13 Closeup,
7. Felt Owl Favors: Reddish Owls,
8. Red Beans & Rice Bracelet for Julie (unworn),
9. Halloweeny Party Decorations: A Thing in a Jar,
10. Lady Gaga Party: Me as Gaga,
11. Ramona's Hammer Prop: Hammer Head Edge,
12. Tiny Jollies Here!
(And I still don't have pictures of the stuff I actually put in Nick's Advent Calendar!)

As you can tell, I veered all over the place last year in terms of what I was doing. Pointillistic cephalopod parasols and handmade underwear. Of course, that is how I do - veeringly. I wonder how this year will shape up.

Does anyone else find themselves veering a lot in the year? I am like a pinball.

Friday Finds: Fancy Whimsical

2011-01-14T06:47:00.000-08:00

Instead of focusing on one particular seller, I'm instead going to focus on a theme for Friday Finds for this week (and that may become how it works, who knows!?). This week, the theme is fancy whimsy. I love dressing up, but it's hard for me not to want to throw something interesting in there with it. Here we go!

Malam's Alice Goblin Hood Frock Coat

Lura Jewelry's Garnet Cicada Ring

Craft2Cherish's Peach rose necklace (hand-felted!)

DecadentDesignz' Peacock Feather Dress

They're all so beautiful! Definitely explore those shops if you like any of the pretty things featured here, and have a great weekend!

Oh! If you're local to the NC Triangle, there's an awesome event going on at Ornamentea 2/15:
It's a Secret Message Slumber Party, Saturday night from 7pm - midnight!
Work with altered books and jewelry to make tiny books and put them on a necklace.
More info about the Secret Message Slumber Party at Ornamentea

A Plush and a Promise

2011-01-13T07:16:00.000-08:00

I'm working on a "year in review" style post for 2010, but I realize that I don't even have pictures of some of the stuff I made, and I seriously need to make a post just about the "Merry Nickmas" Advent Calendar I made for Nick, just based on how long I had to spend on it.

In the meantime, here's a couple of things around today that might interest you:

Inquisitive Bear Plush
I'm trying to get back in the habit of making plushies, and I figured making a few out of my scrap bags is a good way to start. So here's the inquisitive bear. I think he solves mysteries at Waffle House. Something about him just screams that to me! Hopefully there will be more handmade plushies in the future, so if you have any suggestions, let me know! I'm always interested in awesome ideas.

Speaking of awesome ideas, here's a Sharktopus Plush by Suzannah Ashley!

Using SyFy originals as inspiration is a great idea one of her friends had! Man, I remember Mega Piranha, and the ridiculous hand motion that I associate with that movie now (I'll have to make a post with it, I just can't describe it right now).

Last but not least: A little monster face for you - if you look, there is cuteness everywhere. So I hope you're all keeping warm and safe wherever you are and I'll be posting the ever-so-exciting year in review soon.

If you have some exciting plushy ideas, post them in the comments or email me!

New Year 2011

2011-01-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

After the roller coaster ride of 2010, which includes the end of my marriage, moving, starting therapy, and all kinds of interesting and dramatic changes, I'm ready for 2011. I want this year to be more productive - more crafts, more going out, more friends, more pictures, more art!

Of course, I still plan to spend a lot of time figuring out myself. It turns out that being a perfectionist is not actually as awesome as I had originally thought. So here are the lessons I learned last year:

Nothing is Absolute
I had a tendency to think in absolutes, all or nothing style thinking. I would think things like I could have a full-time career,
OR make money with crafts. I could be in a relationship OR I could be in control of my life. These are faulty assumptions, most things are a balance between two worlds. I can be in a relationship AND be in control of my life, there may be some compromises, but nothing that would keep me from growing. But I think that learning to balance these things is a life-long struggle that I'm not going to *win* as much as I'd like to.

Everything Changes
Everything. All the time. People are changing, lives are ending and starting. I lost my Aunt Sherry to cancer, and so many of my friends brought new lives into the world. Some days I'm going to be overjoyed and motivated, and other days I'm going to feel bummed out and want to sleep. But each day is going to be different, and I'm not going to be happy every single moment, or sad either.

Relationships are Work
And everything worth anything requires work. Good friendships and relationships, whether it be with your significant other, your family, or just friends, requires something of you. And the best part is that work is worth it.

Well, again, there's no absolutes there either. Usually the work is worth it, if you're both working at it. Sometimes friendships or relationships are one-sided. If the other person isn't trying at all and treats you badly, then maybe it's worth re-considering.

Anyway, I guess overall, I've learned that moderation is key. Which seems very simple when you just say it, but is really a daily balancing act that is never going to be over.
Moderation is key!

Also, one of the main things that I've learned in the last year from my therapist:

Make HUMANE To Do lists.
Don't put more than you can actually do in a day, you're just setting yourself up for disappointment by overloading every moment and knowing that you can't perform the way you've imagined. Personally, I also like to include things like "eat" and "shower" on my to do lists now, just so they look as full as my old ones, and I get to happily check off those items once I do them. I mean, I can usually remember to shower and eat without a to do list, but there are some days...

Anyway, hopefully I'll be seeing you all more through this lovely blog. And soon I'll actually change the header that is been up there for over a year.
Happy New Year!

Lazy Daze & Clockwork Ball

2010-08-30T05:49:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, I went to one thing after another, so here's what's up:

Lazy Daze in Cary:
So Lazy Daze is a giganto craft fair here in downtown Cary and it's always super-packed with tons of awesome stuff. Here's a few pictures from Saturday when I was there:

Possums! Why do I love Possums so much?

Wrap Skirts - I totally want to make some wrap skirts now!

Next up - The Clockwork Ball:
Steampunk costumes! Hooray! I don't know why, but I have this self-imposed "No Repeat Outfits" rule about the Clockwork Ball, which means that I'm actually having to come up with interesting outfits now, instead of JUST having a color and black black black (which is my default outfit style.)

Chris Florio was there and took some amazing photos - here's the one of me:

I know, you can't see the color
But you can see the colors of my outfit here:

I didn't wear those socks, obviously, but I think they kind of look cute with the outfit too

When I wasn't out doing stuff, I stayed in and relaxed a lot because I thought it would be nice to have a calm weekend before Thursday, when I leave early in the morning for Dragon*Con! Woo!

I have so many outfits/costumes lined up for Dragon*Con, I have no idea if I'll be able to pack/wear them all! We'll just have to see!

Hello! Throw Pillow!

2010-08-27T05:37:00.000-07:00

HELLO WORLD!
I am returning to the internet for real this time! Okay, and by that, I mean that I'm going to update this blog nearly thrice weekly once again! There's been some personal drama over the last year or so, and now I'm just making things for fun and doing things that I want and seeing how it turns out.

I like trying lots of new things, and I can't wait to sew more stuff, and work on some apparel and jewelry. If I think it's fun or cool, I'm probably going to try it. Ooo, also, using cut paper - I have so much paper and material, it's sickening!

First up, I've been meaning to make this pillow every since I bought this fabric* at IKEA last year!

What says "classy" better than a squirrel holding a cheese slicer?
A squirrel holding a cheese slicer standing on a birdcage! That's what!

I know, you are jealous, but seriously, it was pretty easy to make. I followed this tutorial and everything came out pretty well.
Zippered Throw Pillow Tutorial at Design*Sponge.

Here's the problems I ran into while sewing:
- Rat nests: My machine needs cleaning, so there was some ratnests on the back (you can't see them, so yay!)
- Thread Tension: It was hard for me to figure out the correct tension for this fabric, because it's thick, almost canvas-like fabric. Eventually I think I got it, but it took awhile. Hopefully it won't fall apart.

Well, it's good to be back to crafting! Hopefully I'll be doing new and interesting, or at least interesting things in the near future!
* This is the Lotta Kuhlhorn 2008 IKEA fabric

Friday Finds! Quintron and Miss Pussycat - DIY instruments and Puppet Shows

2010-02-19T10:57:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, even when you are feeling creatively blah, you find inspiration that is just so compelling, you have to share! While I was down in New Orleans, we hit up the NOMA to check out the highly recommended local Quintron and Miss Pussycat exhibit.

Mr. Quintron and Drum Buddy

"The Quintron / Miss Pussycat experience is one of barely controlled electronic chaos, "Swamp-Tech" dance beats, small explosions, incredible clothes, and entertaining puppet stories."

Mr. Quintron is a concert and nightclub organist from New Orleans, Louisiana. He plays a type of music the press has dubbed "Swamp Tech." The best part? He builds his own instruments! They are awesome, especially the Drum Buddy, which you can play with at the exhibit. Here is an awesome video of a Drum Buddy in action!

Miss Pussycat and Puppets
Miss Pussycat is a master puppeteer, who makes her own puppets and performs highly amusing technicolor puppet shows. Complex puppet shows beautifully crafted for late night rock and roll drinking and dancing: tactile, idiosyncratic puppet characters, pithy dialogue, and electronically pixilated soundtracks. She even has a Christmas special that they show on local television in Louisiana every year.

Visit their website for more fascinating information about Quintron and Miss Pussycat!

When I Grow Up (by Leah, age 30)

2010-01-13T07:16:00.000-08:00

Hello Earth people!
I don't know what it is about Januaries, but they are always a time for re-evaluating your life - which should I play, Hello Kitty Online or Star Trek Online? What kind of career should I have? What am I doing here?

I've been seriously re-considering my life as a freelance artist/designer. On the one hand, it has been sweet. This is the kind of opportunity that not everyone gets in their lifetime - to quit their desk job and try a hand at making their career entirely about something they enjoy doing. I would never have been able to do it without my best friend/husband Will.

But, as much as I appreciate all the encouragement throughout the years from all of you, I just don't feel fulfilled in what I'm doing. Of course I *like* what I'm doing, and I do feel I have a certain creative aptitude. I don't think I have the kind of drive/ambition for the daily searching and striving, and I feel I am missing a lot of the self-promotion / business sense needed to really make it.

I have always wanted to do something that reached outside of myself and made me feel as if I'm making the world a better place, and I just don't feel it right now. That doesn't mean in any way that I'm going to completely stop making stuff, because I don't think I *can* stop.

AND, I'll admit it, in some ways, I like the boring stability of a regular paycheck. Possibly one that helps pay the billz, yo. I'm not looking for a lucrative career field by any means, but a more fulfilling one, and that's sort of what I'm spending this week wracking my noggin about.

It may be awhile till I figure out what I want to do when I grow up. I'll be sure to let you know. In the meantime, don't worry, there will still be craft projects - the world keeps turning, right?

A Plush A Day Chalenge! Day 33 - Mystery

2010-01-08T13:01:00.000-08:00

Day 33 - Mystery
Is it a sort of large apple? An extremely large cherry? Or perhaps it's an internal organ? Or the larval phase of some larger plushy?

Whatever it is, it's pretty cute, and it's already hanging out with all the others, so I guess I'll have to name it eventually.

A Plush A Day Challenge! Day 32 - Marti (the cyclops)

2010-01-07T14:21:00.000-08:00

Day 32 - Marti (the cyclops)

Marti has one of those sweet jobs where she works from home, so she spends all day in her pajamas. "This pretty much fulfills the dreams I had when I was 10!" she always tells me as she sips her coffee and types.

TWO THOUSAND TEN!

2010-01-06T12:41:00.001-08:00

2009 was a pretty hard year for me - having to go to the emergency room twice and having surgery was not so fun. Also, the constant stomach trouble sucked.

I was pretty much constantly sick to my stomach after recovering from gallbladder surgery, and even when my diet consisted entirely of Saltines and canned soup, I still felt terrible. I finally started reading every single ingredient in everything I ate and mapped out when I felt bad.

Finally, I think I've gotten things figured out by doing an elimination diet. I'm 90% sure that I'm soy-intolerant. I didn't even know that was a thing. But Saltines and canned soup have a lot of soy in them. As does almost every type of bread. So does everything that I would eat and then feel crappy.

I've spent the last month and a half without eating soy and I feel awesome. The only times when I feel bad I go back and track down what I ate, and it usually has soy in it (this includes store-brand nasal decongestant, btw.)

It's such a relief to finally figure out what was going on and not feel crappy all the time. It makes me so much more optimistic.

Even though I'm sick now (with my usual winter cold) I am anticipating a much healthier year in 2010. Here's what I'm up to:

- Be more careful of what I eat, and eat lots more vegetables
- Run 3x weekly
- Spend some time each day de-stressing - either meditating, or just listening to quiet music
- Stop stressing out about stuff no one cares about, like housecleaning or finances
- Cut down on social activities
- Finish up the front room and take a year off from home improvement projects

Outside of health/well-being resolutions, I also want to do more art - I got a jump-start with the Plush a Day Challenge, but I want to produce more, sell more, and have more shows. Which means I have to actually do the following:
- Get my business license
- Set realistic financial goals
- Probably up my prices
- Put together two art shows and shop them around
- Get new business cards
- Make SPX reservations

And finally, most importantly, I want to do more things that I *want* to do, instead of constantly doing things I feel I *have* to do:
- Go to Mardi Gras in NOLA
- Take a vacation with Will that isn't family-related
- Clean out stuff we don't want and donate/give it away

Sometimes, it's really hard being a grown up, but I think I'm getting a handle on it. Here's to the new year!

A Plush A Day Challenge! Day 31 - Hypno-Trow!

2010-01-06T11:51:00.000-08:00

Day 31 - Hypno-Trow
Trows, in general, are inclined to be short of stature, ugly, and both shy and mischievous in nature. Small trolls of this type are rarely seen outside of Scotland.

This is a hypno-trow, distant relation to both the Money Eating Trow, and the Hypno Toad. Do not look him directly in the eyes because he will hypnotize you and steal... my goodness... such interesting eyes. Can't look away...

A Plush A Day Chalenge! Day 30 - Speedy!

2010-01-05T10:13:00.000-08:00

Day 30 - Speedy

I'm not entirely sure where Speedy is from - possibly the future, or another planet? Maybe Speedy is a robot?

Whenever you're heading someplace KA-Zam! Speedy is already there. I once said "Wow! You sure get everywhere fast!" and Speedy responded with "Legs are not aerodynamic." That was kind of weird.

A Plush A Day Challenge! Day 29 - Mr. Molar!

2010-01-04T13:13:00.001-08:00

Day 29 - Mr. Molar

Welcome back! I spent a few more days recovering from the holidays and a cold in order to bring you top-notch dapper teeth plushies!

Mr. Bunodont Molar has quite a dapper wardrobe. I caught him here in the midst of a game of croquet (which is why he's removed his top hat). Apparently, winter croquet is just The Thing this year.

A Plush A Day Challenge! Day 28 - Apple the Kitty & Hibernation

2009-12-18T13:46:00.000-08:00

Day 28 - Ball o'Kitty

It has been a dreary day here, and for all dreary days, there is an appropriate response: curling into a ball and taking a nap. Apple is always on top of this idea, but at other times exists only as a surprised blur flitting about the house. There's just no between.

Here we are in one of the still moments. Shhhh.

Oh yes! Winter hibernation!
The Plush A Day Challenge is going on Winter Hibernation until January 1, 2010! This will give me time to work on, finish up, start some presents, do a lot of travelling, all kinds of stuff for the holidays!

I'll probably still post occasionally, but I know you all read this at work, and you'll be off gallivanting as much as I will. So, me and plushies will be back in two weeks - see you then!

A Plush A Day Challenge! Days 27 - Jenkins the Dragon!

2009-12-17T14:32:00.000-08:00

Day 27 - Jenkins the Dragon

Originally, I was going for dinosaur, but then things just got out of hand (especially the tail!) Then what hatched was Jenkins here. As a dragon, he enjoys fighting adventurers, milkshakes, and hanging out in dungeons.

What is it with me and out-of-control tails on these plushies? The squirrel, the red panda, and now the dragon! My tail obsession must stop!

A Plush A Day Challenge! Days 26 - Ninja!

2009-12-16T13:03:00.000-08:00

Day 26 - Ninja!

The photo is a little blurry, because it is difficult to catch a ninja even when they let you take their picture.

I can not give you any further information about this ninja on pain of tiny pointy death from above.

A Plush A Day Challenge! Days 25 - Fatbird!

2009-12-15T10:03:00.000-08:00

Day 25 - Fatbird!
I'm not entirely sure this is a bird - it's wingless, and it eats all of the cashews I throw into the yard. Do birds even eat cashews?

It's pretty cute hopping around, though. Even if it scares the squirrels.

In order to make myself use up this embarrassment of tshirt material, I am instituting a Plush a Day Challenge to myself. Essentially, I have to make some sort of plush creature every day.

A Plush A Day Challenge! Days 22 - 24: Barton the Red Panda, Tartan Terror, Sleep Pea

2009-12-14T09:23:00.000-08:00

Combining all of the weekend plushies, plus today's, into one post - here they are!

Day 22: Barton, the Red Panda

Day 23: The Tartan Terror

Day 24: Sleep Pea

For more info on each of them, click on the picture!

A Plush a Day Challenge! Day 21 - Mender of Broken Hearts (Gerald)

2009-12-11T10:36:00.000-08:00

Day 21 - Mender of Broken Hearts

People are always wondering how to mend a broken heart, and that's where Gerald here steps in. With his patented "HeartWelld" welding technique, he fixes the various fissures, cracks, and general wear and tear that most hearts endure.

On the weekends, Gerald says he enjoys playing the violin.

In order to make myself use up this embarrassment of tshirt material, I am instituting a Plush a Day Challenge to myself. Essentially, I have to make/post some sort of plush creature every day.

A Plush a Day Challenge! Day 20 - Zombear

2009-12-10T16:59:00.000-08:00

Day 20 - Zombear

We all knew it was coming - nothing goes with cute brains better than a zombie! This guy is a zombie bear, hence his name Zombear. He would be sad that his ear is all bitten off, but he's just more interested in staring directly at your skull.

Where your delicious delicious brains are.

A Plush A Day Challenge! Day 19 - Brains!

2009-12-09T11:28:00.000-08:00

Day 19 - Brains!

This is a brain on my windowsill. It's pretty happy about it. The temptation to name her "Sarah Bellum" is pretty high. But we're just gonna stick with "Brains."

In order to make myself use up this embarrassment of tshirt material, I am instituting a Plush a Day Challenge to myself. Essentially, I have to make/post some sort of plush creature every day.

A Plush A Day Challenge! Day 18 - CONbot!

2009-12-08T07:56:00.000-08:00

Day 18 - ConBot

ConBot is made from some more of the Boston 2009 FUDCon tshirt that I had. This part includes the tag cloud, which I really like the visual imagery of.

Unfortunately, ConBot is a bit crazed - look at those eyes! Maybe there are too many words on his belly?

A Plush a Day Challenge! Day 17 - FUDbot!

2009-12-06T12:40:00.000-08:00

Day 17 - FUDbot!

This robot is made from the FUDcon Boston 2009 shirt that I got - in fact, I plan to make 2-3 robots from the material! I was reminded about this shirt since FUDCon is going on right now up in Toronto!

His full name is Leonidas Stentz, but he prefers "FUDbot" so I'm fine with that. FUDbot likes to wear my chopsticks in his back pocket because they "make it look like I'm a sweet ninja!"

A Plush a Day Challenge! Day 16 - The Saddest Monster

2009-12-06T08:34:00.000-08:00

Day 16 - The Saddest Monster
In order to make myself use up this embarrassment of tshirt material, I am instituting a Plush a Day Challenge to myself. Essentially, I have to make/post some sort of plush creature every day.

Even with such cheerful colors, the saddest monster is still pretty sad. It's okay monster, let's go to the movies.

I'm Back! Back Back!

2009-12-04T10:06:00.000-08:00

Here I am with my cat hat and Hey Pais badge - the Hey Pais badge is for when you want to be pretty AND brave!

Shew! I just had one of those weeks. It seemed like everything was just all over the place. But! Good news! Tomorrow we'll be back on our regular advertised Plush a Day Challenge! With new plushies every day! Starting tomorrow! TOMORROW! WOO!

In the meantime, a Friday Find that isn't on the internet: Chapel Hill Comics!

They're my favorite comic book store ever (not just because they carry my comics and plushies) - they always have friendly staff, and the best selection EVER! Plus, Pocky. Delicious Pocky! So, if you are:
- someone who is into comics or weird stuffed animals
- someone who's friends are into comics and weird stuffed animals
- local to North Carolina
Then check out Chapel Hill Comics!

A Plush a Day Challenge! Day 15 - Mustache Robot (that looks like my father-in-law)

2009-11-30T11:24:00.000-08:00

Day 15 - Mustache Robot

In order to make myself use up this embarrassment of tshirt material, I am instituting a Plush a Day Challenge to myself. Essentially, I have to make some sort of plush creature every day.

As you can see here, Mustache Robot looks like a tiny version of my father-in-law Gordon! That was completely unintentional, but the resemblance is sort of uncanny! Mustache Robot decided to stay up in Massachusetts, where his burly mustache will be thoroughly appreciated in the cold weather.

Unfortunately, all other attempts at creating plushies while on the road/on Thanksgiving vacation was a bust. I had my cool sewing box, but no time to actually do any sewing! I hope no one will hold it against me, and I will soldier on with even more plushies from here on out!

A Plush a Day Challenge! Day 14 - Baby Oberon

2009-11-24T12:23:00.000-08:00

Day 14 - Baby Oberon

In order to make myself use up this embarrassment of tshirt material, I am instituting a Plush a Day Challenge to myself. Essentially, I have to make some sort of plush creature every day.

One day, those cute nubs on Baby Oberon's head are going to sprout into giant branching antlers. For now, though, he's just so cute!

Sewing Supplies in my Travelling Sewing Box

Tomorrow, I'm taking this Plush A Day Challenge on the road! Here's my travel plush-creator box, packed and mostly ready to go!

I may not be able to post directly to the blog, but I'll catch up when I get back. If you want the daily plush updates (probably a few pictures of injured fingers as well), keep an eye on my flickr photostream!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

A Plush a Day Challenge! Day 12 & 13 - Timpa the Squirrel and the Sleeping Acorn

2009-11-23T13:30:00.000-08:00

Day 12 - Sleeping Acorn
Day 13 - Timpa the Squirrel

In order to make myself use up this embarrassment of tshirt material, I am instituting a Plush a Day Challenge to myself. Essentially, I have to make some sort of plush creature every day.

I couldn't help it, I thought these two made such a nice picture together that I waited until today to post them!

We've been waiting for that acorn to wake up for six days! I don't think Timpa can even think of eating it now - she thinks of it more like a pet.

If you want to see them by themselves, here's Timpa and here's the Sleeping Acorn.

A Plush a Day Challenge! Day 11 - Chip the Cardinal

2009-11-21T17:32:00.000-08:00

Day 11 - Chip, the Cardinal

In order to make myself use up this embarrassment of tshirt material, I am instituting a Plush a Day Challenge to myself. Essentially, I have to make some sort of plush creature every day.

While I was raking leaves today, Chip came by with a message:
"Chip-chip, chip-chip chip chip. Chip chip!"

A Plush a Day Challenge! Day 10 - Perren the Purple & Pink Penguin Plush

2009-11-20T10:52:00.000-08:00

Day 10 - Perren the Purple & Pink Penguin Plush

In order to make myself use up this embarrassment of tshirt material, I am instituting a Plush a Day Challenge to myself. Essentially, I have to make some sort of plush creature every day.

John suggested a penguin, along with other alliterative suggestions! I tried to be as alliterative as I am able!

Also, Perren's a little embarrassed that he couldn't fit fetchingly on the windowsill like the other plushies, due to his roundness. I think he looks just fine hanging out in the curtains.

Friday Find! Blog - Sprite Stitch

2009-11-20T07:08:00.000-08:00

Portal Cross Stitch Collection

We can all admit it - we're mostly nerds here. Of course, there are tons of sub-classifications of nerds. I definitely fall into the classic videogame nerd group, as well as the craft/DIY nerd group, which is why I love the blog Sprite Stitch.

Mario Bros. Mushroom Arm Warmers

They highlight videogame-inspired projects from around the internet - and lots of times include tutorials and patterns.

Sprite Stitch isn't just sewing, there's plenty of knitting, baking, perler beads (who knew that anyone would be still making stuff with those) - the list goes on.

100 Calorie Kirby Cupcakes!

So, if you or someone you know is a big videogame nerd, then you should keep an eye on Sprite Stitch for excellent gift ideas. Especially if you want to make something yourself!

Check out Sprite Stitch!
- Mario Mushroom Arm Warmers Entry - includes link to instructions
- 100 Calorie Kirby Cupcakes Entry - includes link to recipe