Trans-craft-inental

Bear-in-progress

2008-07-22T19:38:00.000-05:00

Dear Shayne,

I've been working on this little bear for the Mother Bear Project, which is an organization "dedicated to providing comfort and hope to children affected by HIV/AIDS in emerging nations, by giving them a gift of love in the form of a hand-knit or crocheted bear." (That's from their site.)

He's not quite done yet -- need to finish the head, make him some arms and a face, and stuff him. But here's what I've got so far:

We're doing a little "bear-along" at work, so I'll be sure to post a photo of our Bear Family before we send them. Despite mine not looking so great here, they are really cute when finished. (Jan has already made one -- you can see her finished bear here.)

love,
kelly

Anniversary card for Bill

2008-07-20T18:26:00.000-05:00

Dear Shayne,

Yesterday, Bill and I celebrated the five year anniversary of our first date. And, as you know, we got also engaged earlier this month. (Yay!)

So I incorporated our upcoming nuptials (that's a funny word) into the anniversary card I made for him:

I thought that the grim look was hilarious, especially when paired with what I put inside:

After I finished, I realized the message was similar to the Valentine's Day card I made for him this past February. I guess I have a bit of a sick sense of humor. Thank goodness Bill does too!

love,
kelly

Cool folks I met at Renegade

2008-07-19T17:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Shayne,

Besides the cool stuff to buy, there were many cool people to meet at Renegade.

One such lovely person was Wexford Girl. You might remember that I won twine in her giveaway last month (we still need to do one of those!) She has a great personality and does fantastic work -- check out her shop here. (Psst... all of her bears are here.)

Her husband is also a talented artist and has been generating a lot of online buzz lately with his fantastic Prez print (click on that link -- it's the first item in his shop). Together they make up a very friendly team, as well as a sweet business: 3 Fish Studios. It was very nice meeting Annie and Eric and I imagine that I'll be seeing them around, since they are soon moving to my little town. Yay!

As I was motoring through the fair, I put on the brakes when I saw a sign for The Sweetie Pie Press. I said, "I think I sent you something in a swap once through Craftster!" It took us both awhile to remember what it was-- I just went digging through archives and realized it was October 2005!

When we finally did remember, I was sad because it took me forever to make the thing and I was soooo late sending it that I did not take photos. I wish I did, because I could show you it to you right now. It was a soldered pendant that I had the worst time making (sort of like this one for sale on Etsy, only that one is way better). I even took a class at the Craft Gym with my friend Micki and, well, we both swore a lot during that period of time. Have you ever soldered? Ugh. I really need to try again. I think it's one of those things that takes lots of practice...

Oh, well (tangent there -- sorry). The point of this is that I met someone I had previously "met" online and she was just a doll! She keeps a blog and I am really enjoying her stories from the road, as she is traveling to various craft shows this summer. Check it out here.

I also met the artist who created a print we have in our house. I bought it at Reform School in LA (awesome shop). When I saw her booth, I thought, "Hey -- this looks familiar!" (Funny side note: she is a collage artist and her booth totally smelled like Mod Podge. I love that!) Her name is Michelle Caplan and she does amazing work.

This is the print we have -- it's called Jeremy:
(click for a more detailed view)

(I am embarrassed that I could not remember the name of the print when I met Michelle. I could only remember that the text of that page in the upper left hand corner says "The Two Brothers." Michelle, if you ever read this post, I apologize for that awkward encounter. I'm a dork and you are lovely.)

One week later, this concludes my Renegade roundup. I probably should have taken photos, but I really just enjoyed looking around. Can't wait to go again next year when I have a bit more time to spend there!

love,
kelly

Shirt from... you!

2008-07-18T18:15:00.001-05:00

Dear Shayne,

I got home yesterday to find a super-fun package from you, including this sweet t-shirt you decorated:

Love them roller derby gals! Is this an iron on? It feels all velvet-y!

Thanks a bunch!

love,
kelly

Renegade purchase: Lovely apple

2008-07-16T18:45:00.002-05:00

Dear Shayne,

Bill's mom has a large collection of apple themed items, so when I saw this post on Design*Sponge (great design blog -- check it out) showing those lovely apple shaped boxes, I thought, "Oh, I need to buy one of those!"

Then I read in the comments that the creator, Miss Natalie, was going to be at Renegade and... there ya have it!

I just love that the "stem" is a piece of leather -- it adds a really nice soft touch.

Here is the box with the lid off:

Bill's mom doesn't have internet access, so this surprise is safe. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying having this little beauty on our mantle for a little while before I send it off!

love,
kelly

Renegade purchase: Awesome stamps

2008-07-15T18:24:00.001-05:00

Dear Shayne,

After buying my crazy impractical yarn, I tried not to get too nuts buying other stuff at Renegade.

But I found these awesome rubber stamps and could not resist:

These are made by Fishcakes and I bought them from Mahar Dry Goods, which had lots and lots of fun stuff in their booth. You need to check out their site -- it's super fun!

love,
kelly

Russian Dolls

2008-07-14T20:36:00.003-05:00

Dear Kelly,

I have this bowl on my dining room table:

I searched for months for the perfect bowl that I'd actually want to leave out all the time. I'm pretty sure I found this one at Joanns. Since I got it, I've been on the hunt for something fill it with. Something that either the cats can't remove or that would hold up well if they got them.

Today, via Craft: zine, I found the perfect idea:

Lauren of the very lovely blog, Goody-Goody Handmade, was kind enough to share a pattern and instructions for making these super cute Matryoshka tooth fairy pillow dolls. I think it would be fun to make a whole bunch of these (without the pockets, of course, since they won't be used as tooth fairy pillows) to fill up the bowl.

If I have catnip, I'll go ahead and put some in each one. If the cats are going to steal these, might as well make it exciting for them.

Love,
Shayne

P.S. Picture of bowl is from me. Picture of the dolly is from Goody-Goody Handmade.

Renegade purchase: Wild yarn

2008-07-14T18:48:00.000-05:00

Dear Shayne,

In recent months, I have tried to slow down on my yarn buying (no -- really!) I mean, knitting is a rather slow craft and I can buy yarn way faster than I can use it up. So I've been abstaining (mostly) from buying yarn since... well... since I went nuts in February.

But (you knew there was a "but," right?) there was this yarn I saw at the SF Craft Mafia Made show in October 2007 (I would link to them, but it seems as though they have disbanded? Hrm.) and I really, really wanted it. But it was pretty expensive and not very practical. It's handspun with all of this nutty stuff in it and it's only 87 yards. So I abstained.

But (again with the "but") I have been thinking about this skein of yarn since I saw it in October of last year. That's nine months! I have even stalked this skein online through the maker's website and almost ordered it several times, but I have contained myself.

Until this past Saturday, when I saw it at Renegade Craft Fair and I could no longer resist. I bought it:

(No need to adjust your monitor -- it really is that bright!)

I have no idea what the heck I'm going to do with it -- put it under glass for display for the rest of my life? Perhaps. I just could not resist! Despite the way it looks, it is really soft. Especially the pom-pons! I love it!

I bought a couple of other things and Renegade and I met some amazing people. Stay tuned and I'll share the rest this week!

love,
kelly

I need one of these: Thread Catchers

2008-07-13T14:00:00.002-05:00

Dear Kelly,

I'm browsing some sewing links found at Angry Chicken and found these cute thread catchers at NearSea Naturals. I think I'll try to make one myself. I've seen these several places recently, but the clever thing about these in particular is that the bottoms are weighted with sand.

Love,
Shayne

P.S. Photo is from NearSea Naturals.

Happy Birthday, Jocelyn!

2008-07-11T20:50:00.002-05:00

Dear Shayne,

Remember Jocelyn? She made me this awesome pin cushion (Pinny!) and this lovely little book? Well, yesterday was her birthday and I made her a knitting bag:

It's basically the same one I have made in the past, except I eliminated interior pockets this time. Mostly because I realized I never use the pockets in mine. When I told Jan (Hi, Jan!) this, she said she does use the pockets in hers, so perhaps I should continue making pockets? (I've also made this bag for Dawn, so... poll time! Do you use those pockets, Dawn?)

The exterior of this bag is made from a pre-patchworked fabric, so I didn't do all of that patchworkiness myself. The interior is made from an old pillowcase and I just love the print:

Isn't that print lovely? I think so!

love,
kelly

Woohoo!

2008-07-10T17:41:00.002-05:00

Dear Kelly,

My ex-Mother-in-Law was kind enough to send me a Michaels gift card for Mother's Day. Which I promptly misplaced. Until today! I have no idea what I want to get. I guess I'll have to browse up and down every aisle. Any suggestions?

Love,
Shayne

Paper-Source Clearance Sale

2008-07-10T16:20:00.001-05:00

Dear Kelly,

That's right, Paper-Source is having a big ol' clearance sale! Go forth and shop!

Love,
Shayne

Craft from the past: Latch hook!

2008-07-09T20:45:00.003-05:00

Dear Shayne,

While we were visiting my parents last week, my mom uncovered the following Craft o' My Youth:

Wow. Latch hook.

That tasty little piece of business is about 14 x 14 inches. When I saw it, I said, "Oh, I think I was going to make that into a pillow..." Moments later, my mom pulled out a Joann Fabrics bag with a bit of matching fabric in it. The back of the pillow!

This is how I know that the Craft Procrastination Habit runs deep within me -- an unfinished project from when I was 11. It's been sitting in that bench for 23 years!

(It will remain unfinished.)

The best part about the find might have been the Joann Fabrics bag -- check out the font and colors on this puppy. I guess we really are old enough for items from our youth to be "retro."

Right after I took these photos, I disposed of both of these items. I've been trying to get rid of excess junk for a few years and this little project definitely does not make the cut. I did take that fabric, though. Never know when you might need it! (Baby steps... baby steps...)

love,
kelly

Pillow covers

2008-07-08T21:00:00.003-05:00

Dear Kelly,

Awhile ago I posted about the artwork Jenny and I made for her newly painted blue living room wall - this one here. Right away I planned on making throw pillows to match and even bought the fabric awhile ago. I only had to make pillow covers for her existing pillows and I finally did it this week. I'm really, *really* pleased with how they turned out.

(I planned for the rectangles to be rough and crooked. Really.)

Love,
Shayne

My helper

2008-07-07T20:52:00.003-05:00

Dear Kelly,

As usual, Randy has his crap all over my side of the basement. In the meantime, I decided to have him bring my sewing machine upstairs to the dining room. While he was doing that, I filled a basket with the tools and notions I needed and left it on the table. This is what I found a little while later:

Patsy thinks she's the mending :)

Love,
Shayne

Log o' yarn

2008-07-05T18:00:00.001-05:00

Dear Shayne,

Last year, a friend went to Morocco and attempted to bring back some yarn for the knitters in her life. She tried to get the vendor to give her several small balls of yarn in different colors, but he kept bringing down huge quantities of the same color: brown.

Finally, given the language barrier and his increasing level of frustration, she took what he gave her and ran.

Therefore, I now present... the Log o' Yarn:

(Please note the ruler there for size. It's a big log o' yarn. BIG.)

It's a nice rich brown color (that I didn't capture very accurately in this photo) and it feels good... kinda soft, but sturdy. We're not quite sure what it's made of yet... but we can do tests! With fire! Let the fun begin!

Meanwhile, I'm ashamed to admit that this log o' yarn has been sitting under my desk for over six months. There are a few of us who are going to divvy it up, but the Herculean task of winding it into manageable balls is daunting.

We need to have a big ol' windin' party or something. With cocktails. Large cocktails. Whooopeee!

love,
kelly

Hand quilted hearts

2008-07-03T18:00:00.001-05:00

Dear Shayne,

Last week, I posted the memory quilt top that I've been working on and I asked for some quilting advice. I got a few responses, but I'm still on the fence. (No pun intended.) (That quilt design is called "fence rail." Hahaha -- quilt-y humor!)

At any rate... Sister Diane suggested that I try stitching in the ditch. (By the way, Sister Diane is a Craft Goddess and I am so honored that she reads our little blog -- she's the genius behind the CraftyPod podcast. If you've never listened to it, you must!)

I actually really liked this idea, but the more that I read about hand quilting in the ditch, the more discouraged I became. I've done it on a machine, but everyone says it's a nightmare to do by hand. Then I actually tried it on a sample and almost died. Too much going on in the seams for this little beginner quilter. So that's out. Sigh.

On my flickr photo, quilting pro 2ndAveStudio had some lovely suggestions -- hearts and words and a memorial wreath! Wow! But I don't have nearly her skill level of quilting. It's just not within my realm of expertise. Sigh.

While talking it over with my friend Iyabo (also a quilter), she suggested a meandering pattern and I just love what she said: "I'm not sure if I'd do hearts yet if you haven't done it before. Something that doesn't have to actually resemble a recognizable shape is probably a better idea." That totally cracked me up! She's got a good point there!

However... here are the first two hearts I tried (this is still on the sample piece) and I think they're pretty sweet, if I do say so myself:

(Ignore the goober at the very bottom tip of the left one. I was still working on knots then.)

I really like the way those came out -- much nicer than my straight lines! But I'm still stuck on how to arrange them on the quilt top. A heart in every block? Perhaps flipping every other one over, like in my sample? Or is that too... basic? Country? Hrm... not sure.

I'm still taking input (and I hope that Sister Diane and 2ndAveStudio are not offended by my public rejection of their ideas -- I really loved their ideas, but I don't think my skills are quite there for either of those techniques yet) so if anyone wants to chime in with ideas, let me have 'em!

love,
kelly

A Plug

2008-07-02T19:38:00.002-05:00

Dear Kelly and all of our lovely readers,

In an effort to get the house cleaned up and organized, I'm selling copious amounts of magazines. Most of them are crafty magazines, so go clicky and see the list

http://buymymagazines.blogspot.com/

and buy some issues. You know you want to. And check there regularly. I've got a ton more to list. Maybe two tons.

Mention this blog and get 10% off the purchase price (shipping *not* included).

Love,
Shayne

Bill's green thumb

2008-07-01T18:00:00.001-05:00

Dear Shayne,

You know I've been posting about my little plants lately? Well, Bill's got a jungle going on in the backyard that blows all of that away! He started with these tiny tomato plants about six weeks ago:

(Need to mention here that he also built that raised garden bed -- my man is craft-tay!)

Just look at those crazy plants now:

WOW. They are at least five feet tall. I have no idea how he did that -- he's like the Tomato Plant Whisperer or something.

And super exciting -- there's some fruit starting to grow:

Yay! I loooove tomatoes!

love,
kelly

My mom is totally awesome!

2008-06-29T08:00:00.001-05:00

Dear Shayne,

Remember those awesome buttons I told you about from Pottern Barn? My mom read that post, is totally awesome, and bought them for me! YEAH!

(They're a birthday present. My birthday is six months away. Mom plans ahead.)

If you can believe it, they rock harder in person than they did in the original picture. That big one is huge! My photo here does not do them justice, as I took that practically on my way out the door for vacation. (This week's posts are getting automatically published while I'm gone -- I love technology!)

I just put them out on the dining room table for this pic, but I'll think long and hard about how I arrange them. I'm not fond of PB's choice to put them all in a row -- I think I can do better!

I'll post again when I get home and hang them up. Whee!

love,
kelly

Blogness cards!

2008-06-27T22:59:00.001-05:00

Dear Shayne,

Over the past few months, I've attended few crafty events that have resulted in me meeting people and mentioning this little blog. And even though we're not selling anything here, I thought it might be nice to have a little card to give to people so they can find us when they get home.

Not "business" cards (since this isn't a business), but "blogness" cards. Hee hee.

At first, I thought I should include more info... maybe our names, perhaps? But then I figured they could just enter in that URL and figure it out. If they were on the east coast and got the card, it's Shayne. On the west coast? Kelly. (Most likely.)

I started with a dark outline of the US, but it seemed kind of "blah" to me:

I felt like it lacked "oomph," so I tried the white ink and I like it much better now. Still feels like it might be missing something (like part of New England and Texas -- sorry to folks who got cut off here!) But a pretty good first shot.

(By the way, that US is a totally awesome rubber stamp from the good folks at Stamp Francisco. Check them out -- they are amazing!)

I made a little batch of cards... ya want some?

I recycled used food and drink packaging to make these. This cracked me up... these ones? With the US map on the front? Oh, mostly from Canadian beer packaging:

Hee hee.

love,
kelly

Garden update

2008-06-25T22:22:00.001-05:00

Dear Shayne,

Remember this post where I was talking about my little attempt at gardening? Good news: I haven't killed my lavender plants yet!

Side note: Are there any gardeners reading this blog? Should I be trimming the dead stems off of those plants? Looking at the photos from the last post, the flowers were purpler (it is so a word!) and fluffier then. I see some little shorty flowers coming in, so am I supposed to cut off the long ones that have already finished flowering and let the new ones grow in? (Yes, yes, I am totally clueless.)

This shot shows some of the shorter, purpler stalks that are cropping up along the bottom:

And remember my catnip? Well, the day after I made that post, I thought I had killed it for sure. It looked like this:

Ack!

So I went online to read up on it and everyone says, "Oh, catnip is so easy to grow! It's practically a weed!" Oh, thanks. But then I saw this: "It is possible to overwater it." A-ha! I had definitely done that! I asked Bill, "So what do I do now?" He looked at me and said, "Stop watering it." Duh, right? So I did that and now look at it:

Healthier than ever! (I do water it sometimes, just not as much as I started with.) I can't wait until it flowers and I can dry the 'nip for the kitties. Kaesea and Biscuit loooove catnip. Is it a popular drug-of-choice amongst the felines in your house?

Despite my lifelong aversion to plants, gardening is going pretty well for me this year. So far, at least. Oh, but wait until you see what Bill is growing in the backyard! Wow!

love,
kelly

Crafts from the past: Awesome box

2008-06-24T17:18:00.001-05:00

Dear Shayne,

Poking around my hard drive, I found some photos of craft projects I made before we started this blog (What? There was a time before we started the blog?! Hard to believe, but yes.) So I thought I would share some of them with you.

First up is this awesome (if I do say so myself) box I made for my friend Dawn -- it's about 5x7x2.5 inches:

(You remember Dawn -- she sent me this awesome package. Everyone who sees that apron in my kitchen flips out over it. It's so great!)

I love this blue paper. I bought it at Paper Source and I found a little scrap of it in my craft closet yesterday. Sniff. I love this paper SO much and now it's no longer available. I should have bought more.

I also bought the kit to make the box at Paper Source. Once you buy the kit, you can just buy the supplies ever after and make your own boxes in any size you want, which is cool.

Making these boxes is not "difficult," but it is time consuming. You have to be really precise and careful, which I am normally not good at, but I think this box came out pretty great.

I took these photos when I had a much crappier camera and I am disappointed to see that I used some sort of unprinted newsprint for the background, which is a greyish white and not at all attractive.

The "spine" of the boxes looks yellow in these photos, but is actually a sort of acid green (it's this book cloth) (also from Paper Source) (of course) and it looked great with that paper. Gosh, I'm modest! Sorry to pat myself on the back so much, but this is one of those craft projects that came out way better than I had hoped. Looking at these photos makes me happy all over again!

love,
kelly

Congratulations, Jan and Lori!

2008-06-23T16:30:00.001-05:00

Dear Shayne,

As I mentioned in this post, our good friends Jan and Lori are getting married. And the big day is today! (Yay!) It's also Jan's birthday -- they got engaged on Lori's birthday. How cute are they? Answer: totally!

Of course, I made them a wedding card:

And what's a handmade card without a handmade envelope, right? (I used rub-ons for the initials):

The dresses on the card were easy because they're sold individually, but the scrapbooking aisle did not yet reflect the fact that marriage is now open to everyone here in California, regardless of gender. So I had to buy two packs of these stickers and cut them up for "Mrs & Mrs."

If anyone knows two fellas who are getting married soon, let me know -- I happen to have a "Mr & Mr" leftover right now.

love,
kelly

Subversive cross stitch

2008-06-20T18:07:00.001-05:00

Dear Shayne,

Remember when I said that this skull was the first cross stitch project I ever actually completed? Yeah, I lied. I had actually finished my first project the week before I started the skull, but I couldn't show it to you because it was a birthday present for Jan (Hi, Jan!) and I know she's a faithful reader here, so I didn't want to spoil the surprise.

But Jan's birthday is this coming Monday and I gave it to her today, so here it is... my first ever completed cross stitch project:

This pattern, as I'm sure you recognize, is from the ever-fabulous Subversive Cross Stitch. I really enjoyed making this -- it was way faster than the skull, which made it a great first-time pattern. I had asked Jan months ago what her favorite one was and she said this one, so that's what I did.

I don't know if you can tell from this photo, but I put two layers of quilt batting under just the design itself so that it's a little puffy/3D. I like that look for cross stitch, since it says, "Hey -- I'm not a print!" I also like the pairing of this fancy frame with the not-so-fancy message. Hee hee.

Jan was really happy with it and I'm happy to finally get to show it to you, so yay!

love,
kelly