Category : Creativity

612 posts

Panda pillowcases

When I spotted some panda fabric at local quilting store I just had to grab it. Mini-me loves pandas. I thought I’d make her a cute accessory for her dorm room.

My neighbor has been making beautiful custom pillowcases for family and friends over the summer. I’ve been admiring her handiwork. I happened to be with her at this particular quilt shop and guided me on how much I needed to purchase for a set of pillowcases.

After giving me a brief verbal tutorial, she passed along the YouTube video tutorial she followed to create very professional results with French seams.

I tried to snap some photos along the way but honestly without the video, my photos may not make a whole lot of sense. Not being one to try to recreate the wheel…and really just wanting to get these made…I didn’t take enough photos to create a tutorial of any sort.

Sausage rolled fabrics that had me questioning my sanity.

I’m mainly sharing my images to of course show off the cute fabric, but also to show how crazy this process seems and how you may fear you are doing something wrong…but don’t worry…it all comes together in the end.

Again, this had me questioning my sanity…closing the seams with right sides out and raw edges exposed. All I have to say is, patience…follow the process…it will turn out right in the end.

I love this little detail. A small tab of contrasting fabric.

And here you have them…perfect French seam pillowcases…no exposed seams or raw edges. It’s a kind of magic especially when you think about the fact that I only sewed three lines of stitching, Crazy!

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T Tuesday: back to journaling edition

I can’t even remember the last time I sat down to art journal. But I finally did! It felt so good, so natural, like I have been doing it all along. So why haven’t I been??

I used my wonky junky journal to step back into the game. I love that it is so random…no expectations…no limits. If I want to exclusively write…fine. If I want to only paint…fine. If I feel in love with glue and paper…that’s fine too. With the variety of papers as pages I have endless possibilities.

I didn’t think at all. Just let it happen.

I made this little journal flip the my words would be hidden. Not that they are so very private but I didn’t want to clutter up the simplicity.

Since I didn’t share any garden photos last week I thought I should snap a couple to show some progress.

I ‘ve been battling a pest problem in the shed garden. We have a vole living under the shed or in the compost pile. It is getting in the garden and nipping off my plants. The little bugger doesn’t even eat them!! Just cuts them down like its a lumberjack felling trees. I have reinforced the fence…still I found more nibbled plants today. UGH!!! So frustrating. Short of poison, I’m at a loss as to the solution to my pest issue.

Notice the condensation on my pint? That means it actually rained and we have some humidity in the air. We are still super dry but at least there was some precipitation. I never thought I’d be thankful for humid air.

Lastly I have to share the haul I got from a garage sale last Thursday. As I walked up the driveway I saw this box filled with papers and such. I had to ask…is the box really free…as in all of it? Yes. Yes it was. I snapped that up like it was gold. I actually got a bunch of things from the sale…this was the only crafty related item.

T stands for Tuesday
Monday was an errand day for me…Tuesday is an at home day. I really need to knock some items off my ever present list since it just keeps getting longer!

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Journaling through the emotions

Whoa…that sounds deeper than intended. I did find myself sitting down to create today and without even realizing it I uncovered something I hadn’t been thinking about…or at least admitting to thinking about.

I only intended to do the end of the first signature but there was too much and it spilled onto the next. Honestly I really like how it looks.

I’m thrilled with how this part turned out. It has a soft, vintage quality. I used my middle finger to paint the teal butterfly wings. Not too shabby for that occasionally naughty digit.

I used a bit of French grammar text to partially cover the Behr paint brochure then continued with the layers until I finally was happy and had said my piece.

 

 

Overlapping fold-outs are new for me but I really felt I wanted to add a bit of found text.

It about sums up my emotions. I know that this is the way of things…the next step…and I am so incredibly happy for both kids. But at the same time, I am mourning my time as a parent of “kids”.  I guess empty nester syndrome was sneaking on in while I wasn’t looking.

EDIT: Linking up with AJJ for the Butterfly theme…thanks for the heads up Erika!

Art Journal Journey

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T Tuesday: catching up again edition

Once again I’m playing catch up here on my blog. Spring definitely gets away from me. School gets more demanding as we near the end which leaves me too tired to do anything beyond feeding my family and preparing for the following day.

This spring we also have the added pressure of Mini-me graduating from high school! Stressing over whether or not there will be a graduation ceremony, a choir concert, grad parties, etc. And if there are…how comfortable do we feel about it. We finally got the answer to a couple of those question marks. There will be a concert but it will be single choirs to limit people and possible exposures. There will be graduation which will look similar to those in the past due to since our governor announced a step down in restrictions taking effect before graduation. This does make me nervous even though we are all vaccinated. Mini-me will not be having a graduation party.

Last week was an eventful one. Wednesday was my birthday…next year is a big one… I was spoiled by friends and coworkers with kind words and thoughtful gifts.  Thursday, Mini-me and I drove to Duluth to move J home from college for the summer. It was a quick up and back trip.

We had to take a quick detour into Canal Park before heading to campus…we love Duluth so much. I wish we could have spent more time there.

If you look closely there are two ships in this photo. The closer one is a “salty” meaning it traveled in from the Atlantic Ocean. The other one on the horizon is one of the Great Lakes fleet of ore boats.

I did manage to fix my journal. I plan to add some beads along the spine to cover the extra holes but decided that it would make the most sense to wait until the journal is complete.

Look at all the pretty papers! I can’t wait to start using it. I know my birthday cards and notes are going to have a place right away.

I have been sewing too..no surprise there. It is so satisfying to be making a major dent in my scraps. I have yet to decide if this will become a bed size quilt or a couple of throws.

I had to share the mug J bought for me. He said it was a combo b-day and mothers day gift. So sweet.

This summer appears to be getting more back to normal. Both kids have jobs…thank goodness! Mini-me will actually have two. J currently has two but his school job will end in June obviously and he will be able to put in more time at his internship. It’s so very exciting to see them both taking those next steps in life. Although I’m not even going to pretend to be completely ok with being “empty nesters” next fall.

 

T stands for Tuesday
What are you doing today?

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T Tuesday: minecraft edition

Hello and welcome to another edition of T stands for Tuesday.

It’s been a pretty standard week for me…work, home and errands keep me busy. I was tasked with a project by Mini-me though. She has been playing Minecraft for 10 years now. If you’ve never heard of it, here’s a very basic explanation…it is pixel and block based building game so everything is square but check out the link if you want to know more.

She wanted to make the windows in her room look like glass blocks in Minecraft.

Out came the Silhouette portrait machine. We fudged the blocks slightly so that they would be attached for easy placement. Something you’d never notice on the final product unless I told you.

My crafty neighbor had gifted me with some white vinyl a while back, I wasn’t sure how it would work but Lord knows I kept it just in case. It actually worked perfectly!

 

Look at the fun shadows it creates as the sun sets.

I can’t leave without sharing a sweet photo of Marvin on Caturday Saturday.

And this is just a photo of Marvin being very helpful as Mini-me works on her classes.

I’m totally loving my new mugs with one minor issue…I usually bring a cup of coffee with me to drink on my way to work. My new mugs do not fit in the cup holder of my van. Yes, I use really mugs with open tops in the van. I’m a nut, its okay, I’m good with it.

T stands for Tuesday
What are you doing today?

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T Tuesday: in progress edition

I feel like I should have a virtual loading bar on my activities. I have many things in progress and I’m excited about all of them!

Journal progress

I gutted a book from the 50s that I knew would never hold up to the abuse that I would put it through. I liked the orange cover and mid-century motif but it was a bit damaged on the back. I decided to cover it with some Tim Holtz tissue and go from there.

I used some transparent pink paint over top of the tissue for a little better color once I had picked out the inner spine fabric and end pages. Pink is a favorite of mine. I’m so not a girlie girl but I do love pink.

I stitched in my signatures….

and now I need to take it back apart…ugh. The book no longer sits nicely. Is it fine? It would work but it would bug me every single time I used it. I should have left more space between the signatures.

Plant babies

My seedlings are doing quite well. I’m just about ready to transplant the tomatoes into larger pots.

The nasturtium seeds I saved last summer are baby plants now! I started a few more plants just last week. So excited for those. I’m planning to try the leaves and flowers in salads this year. I’m also going to save some of the blossoms for tea. I have no idea if I’ll like it but I’ve heard it good.

Maybe I’ll use these fancy little cups that I can’t seem to part with. They are so pretty.

My radishes have  sprouted…unfortunately its been cold and there is snow in the forecast.

They are all tucked into bed now…so punny.

I also had to share my thrift store score. I got all of this paper for under $5. Stacks and stacks of good sized scraps and three paper pads. Crazy! I’m looking forward to making a bunch more cards.

Fan favorite- Marvin

This picture was just too cute not to share. He is laying on his “security bag”. It’s a reusable shopping bag that he immediately claimed. He gets upset when I move it to vacuum. So we have a bag that permanently lives on our living room floor. He’s not spoiled at all. But who could say no to that face.

T stands for Tuesday
What are you doing today?

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Minions diorama

Creating miniature terrain and dioramas is a passion of mine although I rarely indulge myself in it. Silly, I know.

I think one of the main issues it that I have to spray paint outdoors and it’s not really warm enough to do that 2/3 of the year. With that said, I was totally inspired to create a diorama after finding a couple Minion figures at the dollar store.

I have a coworker that is a true kid at heart. She loves Disney. She loves Minions. She loves dinosaurs…especially T-rex. So when I saw the Minions, I tossed them in my basket with her in mind. I honestly was just going to sneak and leave them at her desk randomly. But then I decided to challenge myself to a diorama.

This was what I came up with. The white structural pieces are a thick craft foam. I also used a cracker box and stir straws. I wish I had taken photos along the way but I get into a groove and don’t think about anything else.

The backing plate is a plastic card that some game pieces came in from a collectable pirate ship trading card game I believe. It pays to never throw random stuff like this away. I figured that if I fill the various depressions with unique bits that it would appear like a control panel of sorts.

The spray paint really starts to make it take shape. Provides the cohesive color to tie the whole thing together.

Next I started on the paint. Adding layer upon layer to give depth and interest. Highlighting some areas, edges and so forth.

I made a few barrels from paper cylinders that protected spark plugs. I punched circles from cracker box that were almost big enough. I filled the inside with hot glue to take up space then gently settled the cardboard circles in each end.

This slightly open appearance screamed to have something leaking out of it. I used yellow and chartreuse paint to create some sort of ooze. After the paint was dry I added Diamond Glaze to give it a shiny, wet look.

I gave some highlights to the goggly eyes and other panel pieces to emphasize the dome shaped buttons or screens.

I used a plastic plug and the metal button off my jeans pocket to create an oversized control button. I figured the crazy looking minion would be just right to be manning the control while his partner with the hard hat looked on with a dopey smile.

I love how the stir sticks work so well as piping or conduit.

When I gave her the little diorama, she almost cried. She was so happy which in turn made my day!

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