Scarves with cut-outs

I am hosting a scarf challenge through out Nov. 2012.  If you're interested in joining the challenge you can read the guidelines and sign up HERE.  Anyone is welcome and you have until the end of November to make a scarf.

Here are some super fly cut-out scarves that I am so wanting to tackle:

Better grab a tissue to catch the drool!

Just a reminder to please not "pin" from this post, but rather from the original source--thanks!

I found this cool scarf at
eninaj's etsy shop.
It's a no-sew scarf made from a knit.
[source]

I'm not allowing crochet in the Ring Your Neck  Challenge,
but this crocheted scarf by VitalTemptation has really
inspired me.  I'd like to try cutting out a lacy pattern from some felted wool
or maybe some leather???  Not sure yet, but I'm working on it!
[source at etsy]

This is a handmade merino wool scarf by red2white etsy shop.
I think you could cut out some high-quality felt and get
a similar effect.  Imagine it in a blue with thin rectangle cut-outs....
[source at etsy]

This is an Ultrasuede laser-cut scarf by a Hong Kong
design company called Little Factory Studio.
[source]

This wet-felted nuno scarf with the silk stitching is
g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s!!!!!
Maybe I could try some FMQ on some felt and
with a little trimming get the same effect???
[source]

Jill from Lune guest posted this tutorial on A Beautiful Mess.
It's a jersey scarf, but not the loopy/stringy ones you
see everywhere.  I like it!
[source and tutorial]

Are you inspired???  I know I am!  Which one is your favorite?

Happy crafting and big hugs from Montana,

Free Stuff From Plaid and some introspection

When I started out blogging a year ago, I wasn't really sure of my purpose.  Why blog?  I already had a crafty facebook page to show off my creations, but I also wanted to teach and inspire.  I wanted to share and connect with other artsy-fartsy folks like myself.  Was that all I wanted?  I'm sure deep down I wanted to be recognized as a crafter/artist.  I'm sure I fantasized about how Martha Stewart was going to knock on my door offering to co-author a craft book with me.  But after having one year of blogging under my belt, I've learned some hard truths and faced some tough realities.  Well, maybe not so hard and tough, but truths and realities all the same.  :)

I grew up in tiny town where I always stood out as artistic.  I was asked to paint signs for local businesses, I won ribbons for my artwork, and it was no surprise when I said I was going to art school.  I stood out a bit as an artist in college, which only spurred me to believe that I was pretty hot shit in the art department.  While I never was able to make a career out of making fine art, I contented myself with creative jobs in catering and youth art programs.  I got married, had my kids, bought my house, and then what?  I started sewing/selling purses via a facebook page which eventually took me to blogging.

What are the hard truths I was writing about earlier?  The truth is I'm not really THAT cool.  The truth is there are TONS of cooler folks out there than me.  I'm not going to rock the craft world and be the next Martha.  I'm not going to get tons of money and renown for writing about zippered pouches and hosting online sewing challenges.  I could try, but effort I'd have to put forth to market myself and my creations would have to be monumental.  An effort of that magnitude would make me and my family miserable.

Because at the end of the day, I'm not an artist.  

I'm a wife.  

I'm a mom.  

Unless you're married to a famous actor, political figure or a felon, or given birth to one, you'll never get famous for being a great wife and mom.  I'm OK with that.

For me, blogging has presented some unexpected obstacles as well as rewards.

The obstacles being:

1. HTML.  Thank goodness it's mostly cut and paste.  
2. Fragile ego.  I geek out on my stats daily.  My head inflates when the traffic increases.  But not all my posts become as popular as I thought they would.  I really worked hard on all my Tudor rose posts, but they never really caught on.  On the other hand, my No Dye Tie Dye post, took off like wild fire.  Go figure.
3. Time.  Here I am sitting at the computer for 1.5 hours.  I originally just wanted to share what Plaid sent me in the mail and now I've completely changed directions and am off on a totally new tangent.  I've rewritten the first three paragraphs several times and feel like I'm wasting my afternoon sitting at the computer when I could be sewing.  Time.  There is never enough to say all I want to say.
4. Ideas.  Every time I come up with what I feel is a radical and useful and wonderful new idea, I google it.  Chances are someone else has already blogged about it.  It's very difficult to come up with something original and new.

The rewards being:

1. Meeting people like me.  Not everyone is into making yarn out of t-shirts or Mod Podging old purses.  I treasure my blogging friends.  You rock!  You make me feel like I'm not alone, and you've taught me so much!!!
2. Having an outlet.  My husband and friends, bless their hearts, do not always want to hear about the inner workings of my sewing machine nor can they relate to the supreme frustration felt when I cut my fabric wrong.  
3. To inspire others and be inspired in return.  Sometimes you just need a jump-start to get your creative juices flowing.  Crafty blogs are great for finding inspiration.
4. A tiny trickle of money.  For my entire first year of blogging I made just under $200 for my ads and some paid posts.  That's after 140ish posts and a bazillion hours on the 'puter. Nothing to write home about, but better than a stick in the eye.  
5. Free stuff!!!  As you can see from the photo in this post, Plaid sends me free stuff from time to time.  I've amassed quite a collection of Mod Podge and such.  I've been approached by numerous companies and corporations to get free swag or articles in magazines, but Plaid is the only one who has really pulled through for me.  I love the products and the people are great. 

So what was my point?  I've written about identifying myself as a wife and mom, rather than an artist.  That is a hard truth that I have faced and accepted and embraced and am proud of.  I've written about the obstacles and rewards of me blogging.  Did I have a point?  LOL, not really.  But I do hope to learn some things from all of you.

What do you identify yourself as?  Has it changed over the years?

What are your biggest rewards and obstacles when it comes to blogging?

Thanks so much for your comments.

Happy crafting and big hugs from Montana,

a.k.a. My Love or Mama

DIY no dye tie dye

I imagine that nearly everyone has tried tie-dying at some point in their life.  It's fun and low-tech and has a cool mysterious element.  I mean, isn't it exciting when you undo all the rubber bands and finally get to see the finished product?   There are many ways to tie-dye and I've tried most of them.  For most methods a sink, washing machine, and dryer are standard pre-requisitions.  But I found a way around all those requirements.  In fact, I can tie-dye without dye.  I've been doing it for over 15 years.  Intrigued?  I hope so!

My family gets together every summer.  To add an extra element of fun to the family reunion, this year we had a theme: The 70s!!!  I know, fun right?  It was a blast!  What comes to mind when you think about the 1970s?  Disco?  Mod?  Bell-bottom pants?  Tube socks? Half shirts on men?  Short shorts?  Leisure suits?  Wedge high heels?  Newsboy hats?  Sock it to me?  Fringed vests?  Headbands?  Chokers?  Well, nearly every single one of those elements were seen at my family reunion.  My contribution: tie-dye t-shirts for all the kids!  Maybe tie-dying is a bit more 60s in your mind, but I looked it up and those hippies were tie-dying well into the 1970s.  (psst!  I was born in 1977 so I don't recall too much tie-dying...)

Anywhoo, here's what you need to use the Ricochet Method of Tie-Dye:
Everything but the paint can found at your local dollar store.

1. T-shirts.  For most dyes, you would need 100% cotton for best results, but any fabric will work for this method.  I got all my white t-shirts from the dollar stores.  I even got some grey t-shirts and they worked as well.
2. Water.  A bucket will do.  No sinks required.  I used a horse trough.  ;-)
3. Rubber bands.  I got 2 bags of assorted rubber bands from the dollar store and had way more than I needed to tie up 28 t-shirts and several pairs of tube socks.
4. Spray bottles.  I got mine from the dollar store as well.  This item is actually optional because you could really just pour the color onto the t-shirts or use paint brushes.  The spray bottles are good for kids though.  
5. Acrylic paint.  Not tempura, oils, or watercolors.  I used Apple Barrel brand acrylic craft paints.  They are very inexpensive and come in virtually every color.  

[source]

There are lots of ways to tie up your t-shirts to prep them for color.  I like the following method because it creates lots of wrinkles to catch and resist the color, it's faster than creating the concentric-bulls-eye with rubber bands, and the front and back match.  You could also create lots of stripey wrinkles by simply using an accordion fold, but here's how I do it to create a traditional spiral design:

1. I like to start with a damp t-shirt.
2. Pinch the middle of the shirt, grabbing all the layers of fabric and start twisting.
3. Take some time to define the arms of the spiral pattern you are creating.  Just pinch the folds to form lots of deep wrinkles.  
4. See how it is coming together?
5. At any point you can add a rubber band to help secure what you've already twisted up.
6. Keep adding rubber bands and twisting and making wrinkles.
7. Here's what mine look like after they're all tied up.
8. Here's the backside.  

1. Take your acrylic paint and water it down.  There is no perfect ratio of paint to water, sorry.  If you use too much paint, the shirt will be sort of stiff when it dries but your colors will be intense.  Too much water and your colors will be pastel-like.  Experimentation is encouraged!
2. Put your watered down paint into a spray bottle and saturate your t-shirt with color.
3. I kinda squish my shirts inside a plastic bag.  In my mind this squeezes more paint into all the wrinkles, but I'm not convinced this step is necessary.
4. Now that all the paint has been applied, let your shirt sit out in the sun for while to dry.  You don't need to wait for the shirt to dry completely.  You could unwrap it right away, but you'll get your fingers super painty and risk transferring that paint to areas of your shirt that you don't want to get paint.  
5. Here's what mine looked like after removing the rubber bands.
6. Then I started to untwist it.
7. Cool!  Here's the front.
8. Here's the back.

As soon as the shirt is COMPLETELY dry, you can wear it.  The beauty of acrylic paint is that it is completely non-soluble in water after it dries.  Because I started with a wet shirt, the paint will bleed and continue bleeding into the wet fabric until completely dry.  I can't prove it, but I think if I would have let the shirt dry completely before removing the rubber bands, there would have been less bleeding and a more defined design.  But who wants to wait that long?  Not my 5 year old daughter!  The photo above shows my daughter wearing her dry shirt.  The pic below shows the same shirt after several machine washings.

Here's how we tie-dyed at my family reunion:

1. I twisted and tied up all the dollar store t-shirts ahead of time.  I prefer to start with a wet shirt and apply the paint right away, but this method worked out OK too.  We just dunked the tied up shirts in a bucket of water and wrung them out as we needed them.  I even used some grey shirts and they turned out Ok as well.  
2. Here you can see my dollar store spray bottles filled with diluted craft paint.  I had the kids help me add a few squirts of paint to each bottle, add some water, and shake it up to mix.  The tablecloth: a dollar store shower curtain!
3. Some of our finished t-shirts drying in the sun.  My daughter did the one on the left, my son the center, and you can see the shirt on the right in photo #7.
4. When my little cousin was spraying the paint on this shirt, I was thinking, "Oh you better stop her or there will be no white left on this shirt."  I just let her spray away though.  Turns out I was wrong.  Her shirt was one of the coolest we saw that day.
5. Tube socks were fun to tie-dye as well.  The great thing about using acrylic paint is that the socks don't have to be 100% cotton to hold a rich color.
6. Cute!  As soon as the shirts were completely dry, the kids wore them.  
7. I like the look of just one color.
8. Here's where I got the water for this project.  Our redneck swimming pool:  the horse trough!  

Because I am a list-maker, here are some things to keep in mind about tie-dying with acrylic paint:

• As long as it is not dry, acrylic paint is water soluble.  But once it's dry, it basically turns into a plastic-like substance that will not be diluted with water.  You can look online for ways to remove acrylic paint that has been dried.  I used rubbing alcohol to get wall paint off my hardwood floors.
• If the paint dries on you skin, it will rub/scratch off under water.  It's harder to remove the paint from under your nails and around your cuticles, but it won't stain your skin.  
• If your finished, dried t-shirt is super stiff, don't freak out until you've put it through the washer and used some fabric softener.  The combination of the paint and hard water can make the shirt pretty stiff.  If your shirt is still pretty stiff after washing, then you know you didn't water down your paint enough.  
• If you were to use a more expensive brand of acrylic paint, something like Golden that comes in tubes, your paint will have more bang for the buck.  Fine quality acrylic paint has a high pigment content compared to "craft paints".  I didn't have a blue Apple Barrel craft paint, so I used my Golden brand phthalo blue.  The result was a bright and beautiful blue.  
• One really cool thing about this method is that you can utilize white paint on dark colored fabric.  Think about it.  :-)

Have you ever tie-dyed?  How did it turn out?  Would you be willing to try out this method?

Happy crafting and big hugs from Montana,

linking up here:
http://itsahodgepodgelife.blogspot.com/2012/06/its-hodgepodge-friday-201224.html
http://www.findingfabulousblog.com/2012/06/frugalicious-fridaythe-happy-owls.html
http://sunscholars.blogspot.com/2012/06/for-kids-friday-68.html
http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com/2012/06/flaunt-it-friday-107_21.html
http://www.craftionary.net/2012/06/friday-fun-party-and-features-216.html
http://www.happyhourprojects.com/2012/06/happy-hour-friday-0622.html
http://www.blissfulbucketlist.com/2012/06/flaunt-it-friday-2.html

Pants to Shorts Refashion

I have been in a I-can't-believe-how-fast-my-kids-go-through-clothes state of shock these past few weeks.  Summer is approaching, and my kids grew like weeds over the school year.  They are not going to be able to wear very many clothes from last summer.  I've been patching jeans like crazy.  The jeans that are getting too short, I'm converting into capris and shorts.  

I wanted to create some shorts for my daughter that were a little fancier than your average cut-offs.  I was thinking about trying some applique or free motion stitching, but couldn't get inspired.  I had a pack of adhesive stencils sitting on my desk just crying out be utilized, so decided to give 'em a try.  The end product turned out to be much more complicated than I first anticipated, but I had so much fun "playing" that it was like I didn't want the project to end.  Has that ever happened to you?

Check out my latest jeans to shorts conversion:

I added some detail with a fine point sharpie, a totally unnecessary step. 

4 Easy steps:

1. Cut off pants legs and finish with bias tape.  You can find a good bias tape how-to HERE.
2. Get a hold of some stencils and paint.  I was very happy with Martha Stewart's adhesive stencil set and multi purpose craft paint.   (The adhesive stencils are the bomb!  I am stoked to get my hands on some more!  Freezer paper stencils would be a great choice as well.  Any acrylic or fabric paint will work.)  
3. Plan out your design and paint away! (two coats work best)
4. Let it dry and heat set with your iron. (30 seconds on cotton setting.) 

Yes, I know this is sideways.  Help!

The photo above gives you an idea of how worn the original jeans were.  I didn't really have a plan, I just painted a bit and thought about what to do next while it dried.  Then, I would paint a bit more and plan a bit more.  These shorts will suffice for all the hiking and camping we have planned for the summer.

If you all are reading this during April 2012, please vote for your favorite Typography Challenge project:

I'm curious to hear your comments.  What do you think you could do with clothing upgrade idea?

Happy crafting and big hug from Montana,

Egg-Kabobs:a new way to color eggs

Today is our first day of Spring Break!  Today I feel blessed because I'm a SAHM!  If I were working, my kids would be in daycare right now.  Instead, we spent the whole morning having FUN!

Traditionally, we have used the tried and true egg dying kits with the little dye pills and the vinegar.  But this year we really stepped outside our boxes and tried something completely different.  The first major change we made was to blow out the eggs rather than hard boiling them.  The hard boiled eggs never get eaten anyway.  The empty egg shells are fragile, but we aren't hiding these eggs out in the garden.  We are going to decorate the house with them.  If we're careful, we will be able to keep them forever and add to our collection every year.

Here's how easy it is to blow the insides out of an egg:

1. Take a safety pin (or a sturdy needle) and poke a hole in the top and bottom points of the each egg.  Chip away at the edges of the holes with the pin to widen the openings.  A 1/8 inch diameter is ideal.
2. Leaning over a cup or bowl, blow in one hole and the egg will come the other side.  (We're eating quiche tonight for supper!  No waste!)

I took some bamboo skewers through the eggs to make the eggs easier to paint.  I cut some holes in cardboard boxes to set the eggs over for painting.  I got the skewer idea from The Creative Salad.

I squeezed out some acrylic craft paint and the kiddos went to town.  After the paint dried, we painted on a few layers of glitter Mod Podge.  This worked out so much better than real glitter.  The Mod Podge helped strengthen the shells and seal up any cracks that occurred during handling.

See how pretty they turned out!

These photos do not do the eggs justice!  I no photographer so you'll just have to trust me that the finished product is 100 times better than the photos.  The glitter is not just silver--it's holographic.  You can see a rainbow of sparkles as you turn the egg in your hand.  

The eggs are still drying, but we plan to slide them off the skewers and hang them on our Easter tree.

 And what do you do with a box with a hole cut in it?  

Make a rubber band guitar, that's what!

My son is a total ham! 

please don't "pin" this photo!

So that's what we did today!  What did you all do?

Happy crafting and big hugs from Montana,

  linked up here:  http://www.happyhourprojects.com/2012/04/happy-hour-friday-0406.html

Clutch Makeover DIY

So what do you think?  It's different, I know.  

The lace says flirty and feminine.  The ombre-esque paint job says fun and artsy.  The bold stripes say sporty and casual.  The white patent leather says classy and sophisticated.  What does it say to you?  

This clutch in particular is not for every woman.  I think it's a little "young" for me so I'm putting it in my sell or gift category of crafts.  The concept of this project is very adaptable to any look though.  Imagine a white lace on a brown bag for a western/rustic look.  Or if you've seen my Naughty Notions clutch, it is a bit more sexy and edgy.  You won't believe how simple it was to make!  A little paint, a little Mod Podge, a little trimming, a little patience, and done!

Supplies:

• Purse.  Patent leather worked great for me, but you can Mod Podge virtually any smooth surface.  Take it easy on yourself and look for a purse with simple lines and lots of flat surface area.  
• Acrylic paint.  I used Martha Stewart's Multi-Surface Satin Acrylic Craft Paint in Carrot and Pond.
• Mod Podge.  I used matte finish.  
• Paint brush.  I used the same 1cm wide flat brush for paint and Mod Podge.
• Sponge.  I cut a strip off the sponge in my kitchen sink.
• Lace.  I used some 4 inch wide flat lace.
• Strips of fabric or ribbon.  I used some bright orange bias tape.
• Scissors.  I used some itty-bitty sharp scissors I stole from my husband's dopp kit.  

Here's what I started with.  A classic white patent leather clutch.  I picked it up at the Salvation Army Thrift Store for a mere $.95.  It is 18 inches long with a metal frame.  The closure is brass.  The lining is a dark navy blue with a zippered pocket.

I prepped my purse for decoupaging by wiping it down with a damp cloth.  Then I removed any oils or residues with rubbing alcohol.

The lace I wanted to use was a pale blue.  It was pretty, but lacked the pow factor I was looking for.  I painted the lace with Pond on some freezer paper and hung it up to dry.

Next, I used my brush (not shown) and painted two coats of Carrot on the border of the lace.  Then I used my little sponge to feather some more color onto the edges.  

To add the lace I painted Mod Podge over the top of it to adhere it to the purse.  Being so porous, the Mod Podge soaked right through the lace.  I adjusted and straightened the lace to my satisfaction as it dried.  For the bias tape strips, I painted a layer on the back of them first and then stuck them onto the purse.  Then I painted another layer of Mod Podge on the top side.  I fiddled with them until they were as straight and evenly spaced I wanted them.  

I trimmed up the excess lace and bias tape with some tiny sharp scissors.   While the Mod Podge was still slightly wet, I trimmed the lace and bias tape and pressed them down along the edges.  That way all the edges fully and smoothly adhered to the curved surface of the purse.  If you're not careful and diligent during this step, you could end up with a rough edge that will snag and scratch things.

The last step is to let it dry completely.  And that was it.  Easy right?  The above photo is pretty large.  Click on it if you'd like to see the purse up close.  I'm thinking about painting just the handle blue or orange.  What do you think?  I can't decide.

Now imagine some silver lace on a black patent leather purse with some of the new glitter Mod Podge.....Yeah, that's what I'm cooking up next!  Stay tuned!

Special thanks to my 5 yr old daughter for taking my fashion shots!

You noticed the snow along the fence?  The photos were taken Wednesday, March 21.  Spring is a little frosty up here in Montana!

Happy crafting and big hugs from Montana,

Designer Handbag Cupcakes

I found these little sweeties on pinterest which brought me to this post.  The folks who make them can be found at Made Fresh Daily Cakes.  This is a business out of Atlanta, GA.  They deliver if you're interested!

They are just too precious not to share!  Can you even believe the detail?????  Incredible!!!

They are $18 each and you must buy a minimum of 6.  I don't if I could bring myself to eat one as they are so cool to look at.  Maybe one of you talented folks out here can teach me how to make these out of polymer clay?  

Big hugs from Montana,