the accidental jeweler

I visited a great store in Jacksonville's Riverside neighborhood this week. Southern Crossing Antique Mall is one of those rare finds these days, a place whose prices are affordable and appropriate. I was in a bit of a rush so I didn't get to explore the way I wanted to, but I did score a gorgeous mother-of-pearl disk necklace for $5!

I was so excited by my find that I pulled it out of the bag immediately when I got home to put it on -- and the cord promptly snapped, sending disks flying all over the bathroom (note to self: vacuum soon.)

Luckily I had also spent some time in 5 Points' Bead Here Now on my Jax trip, so I already had jewelry making/fixing on my mind. Instead of just stringing the disks back on new thread, I decided to double-knot between each to provide a small space between the disks. This provided the little something extra the necklace had been missing before. Patience was paramount to this process -- I forgot how hard knotting thin thread can be!

The subtle change completely altered the feel of the necklace, making it a bit fancier than I'd normally like. But it also made it just a bit longer so it's now the perfect length for the V-neck shirts I tend to favor.

I was so happy with the result that I spent the rest of the afternoon making and altering other pieces in my collection. More pics to come soon!

fun with beads, part two

My entire point for stopping into Bead Here Now in Jax's 5 Points was to try to find some beads to match this carnelian bracelet I adore.

I've been wanting a necklace to wear with it forever, and finally found the right-shaped beads to make it work. It strung up quickly and is now the perfect match!

The only thing I didn't like about the necklace is its shape -- the wire cord the shopkeeper recommended made the necklace too stiff when I put it on (even leaving room for movement didn't help). I'm going to try to live with it for a little while. If I don't like it, I'll restring it on actual string.

The clear block necklace was a 30th birthday gift from my mom. I love it, but find it's a little short to wear with those V-neck shirts I favor. When contemplating how to lengthen it just a little, I noticed the silver beads between the blocks were chipping so I bought enough sterling silver beads at Bead Here Now to replace them. After the stiffness issue with the carnelian necklace, I opted to restring it with actual string. Since the silver beads are a bit larger than the ones they replaced, I also got about the added length I wanted.

The last fix was the easiest, but the one I worried about the most. The wooden bead earrings match a necklace I bought in Peru that I wear often. I could never wear the earrings because my ears are uber-sensitive and require me to only use hypoallergenic posts. I thought it would be difficult to replace the wire, but it popped off and on rather quickly. I like them so much better now and can't wait to wear them.

Now that I've finished these pieces, I find myself eyeing a few more pieces of jewelry I could change. But since I'm in project mode and there are so many things I'd love to accomplish, I think I'll head for the sewing pile instead.

say it ain't sew

For the first time in a long time, I didn't watch the Gator game. I couldn't bear to sit there and feel frustrated for a fourth week in a row. So I took to my sewing machine to work on a few projects Saturday afternoon instead. This is what I created:


It's my newest bag in a long time. And I LOVE it! I usually make my own patterns based on old bags and the things I want a bag to hold. But this time I followed a pattern called buttercup by Made By Rae. It was very easy to make, thanks especially to the pictures provided in the pattern. I am obsessed with this fabric by the talented Amy Butler. My favorite detail is the oh-so-adorable pleats:


Of course I had to personalize it somehow. I added more pockets to the inside to hold my must-get-to items. I'm not really sure I love the interior fabric, but it's hard when the outside fabric is so BOLD:


Note the magnetic closures on the sides above. I'd never used those before and can't believe how easy it was! Another thing I'd never tried was sewing the bag handle on after completing the bag. I usually hide it within the lining when I sew the inner and outer linings together. But I really love the look of this square:

Unfortunately, the bag is a tad small. The pocket I made for my phone was certainly big enough, but when I added my phone and snapped the bag shut it fell out. :( And my wallet * just* squeezes in. I'll have to make another one after I tweak the pattern a bit to make it larger.

Of course I didn't actually give up on the Gators. I listened to Mick Huber on the radio and tuned in and out as the game got exciting. It was much better for my blood pressure to just listen. I did run into the Florida room to watch the game winning kick by punter-turned-placekicker Chas Henry. How exciting!

Happily, my new bag wasn't the only thing I finished yesterday. I also hemmed a few dress which I'll try to get up in the next day or two.

pillowcase transformed

It's been raining for days, and I was starting to go stir crazy. So I dug through my sewing stash and got an idea. It started like this:

And ended up like this:

Yup, a pillowcase dress. I thought it would be pretty simple to do, but it turns out a pillowcase is pretty sack-like unless you add some curves. So I pinned and I sewed, pinned again and sewed again. It took four pins and sews to get it just right -- way longer than I thought. I searched the internets but only found tutorials for how to make pillowcase dresses for little girls, so it was trial and error all the way.

I could have been more ruthless in my pinning/sewing, but my only rule was it had to fit without a zipper (because I was sewing after midnight and there was no way I was running out for a zipper at that hour). It ended up looking pretty good. It's not the best dress in the world, but it fits and works quite nicely as a light summer shift:

I probably ought to go back and line it, but I'm 95% certain that will never happen. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the first dress I've ever sewn. It's still raining, so I may go back into the stash and try something else this afternoon.

sew it's my birthday

I bought this amazing fabric on a trip to San Francisco in the summer of 2003 from the famed four-story Britex Fabric Store in the middle of Union Square. I only got 3 yards (and kicked myself a thousand times over for not getting more) so I knew that I had to be sure how I was going to use it. I loved this fabric so much that I based my house's main color scheme around it.


When Tim saw it as we were rummaging through the fabric piles, he was insistent that we finally make the pillows I'd been vacillating over for years. We decided to use the pattern for the front only and use black canvas for the backs -- that way we could make more pillows. We ended up with enough fabric for 4 16-inch pillows, 2 large floor-sized pillows, and a new dog bed cover for Madeleine (which she obviously loves.)

We worked in the craft room for a few hours on my birthday trying to get several pillows done in time for our party last Friday. I got through the dog bed and three smaller pillows. The rest will have to wait for craft day this week. I swear the next project in the living room had better involve replacing that couch!

arte de béisbol

I finally got tired of the Rockefeller Center tree pics being up year round but was unsure about what art to use to replace them. Around the same time, Tim found some old Cuban magazines from the 1930s while we were thrifting in Tampa.


Since the covers were all baseball themed, we knew they would be perfect in our living room. We scanned the images into the computer, cleaned them up, printed them for $2 each (!) at the local copy store, and framed them in Ikea frames we found in Orlando. Hung in a straight line on the longest wall of our living room, they really have helped draw the old Florida theme further through the house. Hopefully the next living room project involves replacing the couch!

keeping busy

Even though I spent a good part of my Winter Break sleeping and relaxing, I was somewhat productive. I finished knitting the scarf I started on our summer trip to Ohio while watching the DVR-ed final season of The Shield. The scarf is bright and warm, but I have to say I'm glad I don't have to wear it just yet (this warm weather is so awesome!!)

Tim and I are slowly working our way through The Wire (we're at the beginning of season 2.) I've got another scarf I've been working on while watching that. I'm using the fine Alpaca yarn Dad got me in Peru, so it's a bit slow going. I'm hoping to finish by the time the series is done, but who knows.

We also spent a good part of the break rearranging the house and finishing off projects. My office has become Tim's office, and my craft room has become ... a studio? I'm not sure what it is, but I have stacks of stuff everywhere. And precious little time to organize everything. My goal is to have purged my unused crafting supplies (you know -- that stuff that looks really neat but just sits there gathering dust for years) by the end of the month. I'm looking forward to paring down. Pics to come when it's all finished.

corduroy chicken

Well there it is, my new summer bag. I like the green corduroy, but not nearly as much as I love, love, love the pink chicken fabric.


Hmm -- funky lighting in this picture. Anyway, the bag is deeper and wider than the last bag I made. I customized the pockets again to fit my cell phone, camera, and various other things.

*yawn* It is almost 1:30 in the morning. I think I'm finally ready for Ohio.

procrastination queen

I am supposed to be getting ready for our trip to Ohio. I should be doing laundry, cleaning the house, packing...


Instead, I stayed up until 2 this morning working on my latest great idea -- coordinated travel shoe bags, lingerie bags, and laundry bags. There are 5 bags total -- 4 shoe/lingerie bags and one laundry bag -- all with drawstring ties. I've been using a Winnie the Pooh pillowcase as a laundry bag since I was in high school -- I figured it's time for something new.


I also finished the laptop bag I've been wanting to try. It didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it to (a little tight and not roomy enough for other stuff like cords and chargers) but it will suffice for this trip. And don't even get me started on the hell that was putting in the zipper (I think I ripped it out about 4 times before being marginally content with it.) At least I won't have to rely on clothes in my suitcase for laptop protection anymore.


The entire impetus for going into the craft room was the desire for a new summer tote bag. That was only started at 1 this morning. Hopefully I'll finish before our departure tomorrow at 8am. I'll post pics on my way out the door.

sneak peak

A quick look at some of the material for my latest project. What could I be making this time?

who knew?

I was at Big Lots this afternoon looking for some storage containers for a client when I came across a giant collection of yarn. Every skien for only $1 each. It was such a good deal I couldn't resist buying some unusual yarn to play around with. Just a little FYI for all the knitters in the audience.

a craft revival

Ever since I finally finished organizing the craft room (pics to come soon), I've been unable to stay out of there in the evenings. I think a lot of that has to do with the soothing sounds of baseball analyst chatter emanating from the small TV in the corner. I've had a blast following the players on my fantasy team this year -- no doubt because I have stayed solidly in the top three spots in our league and Tim has yet to come too close to passing me (ha!) If there's no baseball to be found, it's all about Law & Order reruns. I find I work better with some background noise that I can tune in and out of at will.

Anyway, these are a few things I've been working on lately:


Yes, I'm knitting again. What am I knitting? I'm not sure, but it's probably another scarf. I finally balled some of that awesome alpaca yarn my father got in Peru. I started this scarf down in Tampa on the USF campus while waiting for Tim to finish teaching class so we could go to the Rays opening game. I knit a lot in the car that week since it takes forever to get anywhere in the Tampa Bay area. Then I decided it was too wide, so I pulled it out and started over. I'd like to try some new things with knitting, but frankly it's become a relaxing, no-brainer thing to do in the evening, and I'm content with that for now. One of these days I'll have to get together with some knitting friends who can teach me something new.


Here is that pink mum fabric I found at the Kissimmee thrift and three new pillowcases bound for skirt-ness. That blue pillowcase will make a funky skirt, but I'm still not sure what to do with the mum fabric. It's canvas weight, so if I used it to make a skirt it would have little movement. But the fabric is certainly pretty enough to give it a shot. I might make some summer totes with it too. Any ideas?


I'm still putting out alligator push pins for my mother's friends and co-workers. People love these, and I'm hoping to do some magnets to go with them for the next go-round. I've also been experimenting with these:


Desk sets of magnets, push pins, and paperclips. I mostly like the way these turned out, but I'm still brainstorming how to package all of it. The pink fabric push pins were made using button covers -- super easy.

Hopefully you'll see some sewing out of me in the next couple days. I'd like to get through another pillowcase skirt before I start any summer tote bags. But there's still work and the garden to contend with, so we'll see.

pillow(case) talk

For our last spring training game, Tim and I went to see the Indians play the Astros in Kissimmee. After the game we stopped at the local Salvation Army. I wandered around the linens section looking for a pillowcase to turn into a drawstring laundry bag. During my search I happened upon about 4 yards of canvas-weight mum fabric in shades of pink with a cream background -- all for $1.99. Then I found the perfect flowered pillowcase for only 99 cents!

As we waited in line with our hands full of great finds (Tim found a suit and some bowling shoes, I also scored a darling sun dress) we debated the uses for the fabric I'd found. Tim thought it would make a cute skirt, while I was thinking purses. Then he asked if I was going to turn the pillowcase into a skirt. I vetoed the idea, but in the last couple weeks I thought about how easy a project that would be.

So Monday night I settled into watching the Rays at Yankees game on the craft room TV and whipped up this pillowcase skirt:


It only took 2 hours, including adding a lining and drawstring for the waist. There are some things I don't love about it (the waist is gigantic and the drawstring needs some work) but overall it's really cute. So cute that I wore it the very next day to the Rays' home opener against the Mariners in St. Pete. I got tons of compliments. I am now obsessed with these skirts, and am heading out this afternoon to find more adorable pillowcases. The next time I make one, I'll take step-by-step photos for a quick tutorial.

Also, baseball spring training wrap-up and Rays opening day pictures to come soon, hopefully!

craft update

Yup, it's embroidered marching fruit! Soon to be the front of a new purse project. I got the pattern for these colorful characters from a collection of embroidery transfer patterns I found while antiquing (in Williston of all places!)

A close-up of the fruit on parade. I think the grape cluster is my favorite.


Nope, scratch that. I love this adorable cherry that I embroidered on the back of the purse. How cute is that? I hope to finish the purse once I get back from next week's final spring training trip.

more valentine love

I made a quick trip to the grocery today and couldn't believe all the craziness! Maybe I've avoided big stores on Valentine's Day in the past (after an exhausting day in a classroom full of sugared-up eight year olds, shopping is not usually in the picture), but today seemed worse than Thanksgiving or Christmas prep. Flowers and chocolates were everywhere -- including a giant flower display next to the beer section that made me laugh. The place was packed. I gave in and bought some heart-shaped sugar cookies, which was funny in that I used to force these upon people just to get all the sugar out of my classroom.

Anyway, I promised more valentines. This is one of the little pillows I made as part of a set. It's just heart-shaped pieces of felt embroidered and sewn together. Each heart is sewn in a different way. I realized too late that I didn't have batting at the house so I just used cotton balls, which turned out great. Apparently the cheap cotton balls I use are just pieces of cotton rolled up into a ball. When you undo them they are a lot like rolled batting. Perfect for this project.

I also promised I'd share some of my favorites from elsewhere in blog-land. If I had thought ahead I might have been passing these ideas along sooner -- sorry. I love this message in a bottle idea from Derek & Lauren's DIY Wednesdays at Design*Sponge -- I'll definitely use this for something in the future. These mitten cards over at Two Straight Lines are adorable -- the perfect teacher valentine. Orange Beautiful's valentine boxes are great for candy or other tiny treats. They remind me of something similar I used to make with the kiddos. But it's the Glittergoods post about gocco valentines that was my favorite. I'd love to start working with printing, but I promised myself I'd finish several other projects before diving into something new. *sigh* Maybe this summer?

Happy Heart Day everyone!

in love with valentines

Happy Valentine's Day! This has always been one of my favorite holidays. I am always at my most creative when designing something for a significant other (aren't we all?) Most of those creations are for personal encouragement, milestones, or private jokes. I love that this holiday inspires me to bring the creative part of that significant-other energy to all my friends and family.

These are the valentines I whipped up yesterday. They're just traced hearts made of wax paper sewn together on my machine. About three quarters of the way through sewing I added the red hots. On the back I added a small label with a quick V-Day note. I saw something similar on one of my favorite inspiration websites, but I've forgotten which one. I made a bunch of small ones and a few large ones for my family and Tim. I'll say it took a few samples before I got the curve of the heart just right while machine sewing. Some ended up a bit wavy! They took hardly any time at all using minimal supplies -- they'd be perfect to whip up for a classroom of kids.

Check back for more valentine action later today, including a round-up of some of my favorites from blog-land.

organize!

By nature, I am an organized person (check out all 200 skeins of embroidery floss!) I love being able to find things quickly and knowing whether or not I have what I need to complete a project before I start it. I hate stopping mid-stream to go pick up a 59-cent item across town. It disrupts my creative flow.

I knew when I started to avoid the craft room after the holiday season that something was up. The space had been bothering me for a while as it was. Fabric was overflowing in giant plastic tubs, stuff was cluttering every flat surface, and I was having a hard time finding what I needed. When my grandmother passed and my grandfather was moved into a smaller space, I was gifted a beautiful 1940s-era armoire in need of some TLC. Having nowhere else to put it, I placed it in front of my idea wall in the craft room figuring I could always stand for some extra storage where crafts are concerned. However, the armoire was too big for the space and needed some major cleaning. It overwhelmed the room and sat empty. This weekend I broke down and decided to re-organize the craft room so I could finally go in there and not be frustrated and bothered by the mess. I cleaned out the armoire, papered the drawers, and moved it to the closet (which had to be cleared of its contents first.)

Now I've decided to re-purpose most of the room. The good news is I'm finally getting things organized again. The bad news is it's taking me forever since I'm really going through everything trying to decide if I still need it. Lots of purging going on. This is what it looks like now:


I've had to keep the door shut when I'm not in there working on it. So that's the long answer on why I haven't been posting about crafting lately. That should change by the end of this week. I'll share some photos when I finish up. I've been tossing valentine ideas around in my head and I need to get those started pronto!

picture post

Here are some current projects I'm working on, some already started and some that will be soon -- like today.









Also, I've added new songs to my current music obsessions in the sidebar that have either been on heavy rotation on my iPod or have been pleasant old-school surprises dug up by shuffle. I love a good surprise.

just in time

The scarf I've been knitting forever is finally done (yay!) In my defense, it was my first full-length knitting project unless you count the birthday card I made a few months ago. It took me about halfway through the scarf to really become comfortable with knitting. I wanted to knit a matching hat, but I'm not sure if this yarn is that good for that (and I can't find this color anywhere. Every other color imaginable in this yarn, sure, but no more green.)

Now that I'm finished with this simple project I think I'm ready to tackle something different. Apparently I have good timing. My Dad offered to buy me some Alpaca yarn while on a recent trip to Peru. I was excited about his offer and asked for a skein or two in blue or other bright colors. So when he emailed and told me he'd found some yarn, I imagined a few skeins the size of what I find at the yarn stores. Well, I was mistaken:







That, my friends, is a kilo of blue yarn. There seems to be a half-kilo of red and quarter-kilo of green. I was speechless. The yarn itself is really soft and well spun. I'm still not sure what to do with it all. But at least I know I won't be shopping for yarn anytime soon. As a second surprise, and fearing I wouldn't like these colors, my Dad also brought me back different dyes the Peruvians use to tint their yarn. These I'm really not sure what to do with, but the colors are vibrant. I'll have to put in some research time to figure out exactly how to dye yarn correctly (and colorfast-ly.) Suggestions, anyone?

*sigh* almost done

Well I figured out a way to organize all that embroidery floss I found on my antique trip a couple of weeks ago. Seven packs of 28-count floss bobbins later (that's 196 bobbins, thank you) and hours upon hours of wrist work and untangling random threads, I'm almost done winding my new-found stash. When I did the math, even including the floss bobbins, each skein cost less than 10 cents!

It's a pretty colorful bowl of floss, but I'm going to make them even easier to use by grouping like colors on giant metal rings leftover from my classroom days. I plan to keep the rings on the ribbon pegboard in the craft room for easy reach and inspiration. It was a calming activity to do over the last couple weeks while curled up under down blankets attempting to keep winter at bay. But I think my favorite part of all of that winding was coming up with some amazing embroidery ideas. Keep your eyes here for the results of all that brainstorming.