The Craft Begins

This lovely pattern has been all over the blogs lately, and for good reason.  I love the way that it looks in a number of applications, from upholstery to handbags and floaty blouses.  I like to look at it just for the lovely colors and patterns however.

Since Felix is in Central Asia, I’ve got him tracking down some of this fabric for me.  If he manages to find some, I might have to buy them out.  The possibilities are endless.  What I’ve really got my heart set on is this coat:

Can you imagine walking around wearing one of these?  Be still my heart!

Looking for something to do or make?  Does your creativity need a jump start?  Here’s a list of fun tutorials (all free) to inspire you.

1.  Adorable pop-bottle cap pin cushions from Craft Stylish.

2.  Easy way to transform your photographs into miniature look-alikes with Tilt Shift Maker.

3.  Learn how to papercut (scherenschnitte – try saying that 5 times fast) here.

4.  Screenprint your own fabric for multiple uses with Kelly + Olive.

5.  How cute are these resin gummy bear pendants?  Too easy!

6.  This is a great transformation from a doily into a bowl.

7.  For anyone who has ever attempted the impossible and tried to recover a piece of furniture, this chair will give you hope.

Happy crafting!

1.  I’m not typically an advocate of spending a lot of money on a wedding dress, because you only wear it for one day, and then you put it away, blah blah blah.  I think I would make an exception for this dress.  I would frame it, or buy it a mannequin and display it all over my house.  It isn’t painted, it’s quilted, and with lovely organic fabrics on top of that.  You can find this masterpiece courtesy of Threadhead.

2.  My favorite thing about Etsy is finding out about other shops when they heart you.  This particular seller, Studio Megu, was discovered just this way.  I love smokey quartz no matter what the context, but these earrings make the stone look especially fabulous.

3.  Really good patterns take my breath away.  Add that to an alarmingly massive stash of fabric, and I’ve got a problem.  I think that’s only going to get worse now that I’ve discovered Cicada Studio.  These bold designs and great colors really get my juices flowing – and even better, they’re printed in the good ol’ US of A.

4.  If you read this blog a lot, you know I’m also enamored with ceramics.  I really respect the process, as I don’t have the patience for dealing with it.  If something blew up in the kiln for no particular reason, I’m pretty sure I’d break down and have a hissy fit.  I love the mixture of two great art forms here – ceramic and lacework.  Pop on over to Prince Design UK to see more of this creativity.

5.  Found Paper Co has just launched their new Etsy shop and I have to say I’m in love.  I hunger for all things paper.  Everything in this shop is in really good shape, there are some really good finds.  The mind just wanders thinking about all of the delicious possibilities.

We have a winner for my March giveaway!  Congratuations to the winner – I’ve sent an email, so you know who you are!  And thanks to everyone who entered – I will be doing giveaways fairly often so check back soon for more details!

I’ve been working on the inside of a 1972 pickup truck so that’s taking a lot of my time this weekend (I’ll share pictures soon) so instead of posting what I’m doing, I thought I’d post what I’m loving instead.

1.  I think that I’m doing to keel over and die from how much I love Candice Stringham’s photography.  She has been shooting these amazing pictures of beautiful ladies with umbrellas, “flying” all over New York.  She has such a sense of whimsy and a touch of humor, I just can’t keep from going back for more.

2.  Purl Soho might indeed have the best collection of high-end crafty goodness that I have ever seen.  Plus, the online shop is great for people like me who live in a tragically unhip place with no access to the wonder that is their fabric collection.  They have wonderfully hip patterns as well, definitely worth checking out.

3.  Erin Jang’s blog is a great place for graphic design and craft inspiration.   I love her custom wedding ideas, and there’s something that’s wonderfully handmade, yet still professional about her designs.

4.  I’ve been looking at lots of flowers lately, as I’m doing all of the flowers for a friend’s wedding in June.  I stumbled upon Wild at Heart and I love their gallery – full of inspiration.  The flowers are romantic, yet modern, and there’s something about a huge ball of matching flowers that is just so striking.

5.  Sometimes, I get a little down about the world, and I just need to read something funny.  I’m not much of a joke person, and my humor personality seems to be most akin to that of Eddie Izzard.  Which makes it difficult to find things that make me laugh.  Puppet Pie, however, might be the best blog out there for putting a smile on your face.  Words cannot even describe.  You’ll have to see it for yourself.

6.  And because I can never get enough of beatiful photography, I find myself drawn to Bloom, Grow, Love‘s blog.  An amazing photographer, her images are captivating and have a wonderful dream-like quality to them (if only my dreams were this beautiful).  If I’m ever able to create photos this gorgeous, I think I’ll be able to die happy.

That’s all for today.  I’m embarking on a new project taking pictures of people’s pets, and I’m excited to see where it will take me.  There’s all sorts of things that qualify as pets down here – dogs, cats, lizzards, goats.  ;)  I’ll be posting photos as soon as I get them!