Shop Spot(light): Olive

Confession: I love pillows. Throw pillows, afghan pillows, decorative pillows, bed pillows, pillowcases… you name it. I also love sewing them. Pillowcases for the bed are so quick and easy, full customizable and really add a spark to your bedroom. I made some great little pillowcases for our bed a while back, I hand embroidered a small envelope pillowcase recently and experimented with paneling on a pillowcase, as well as several other pillow projects actually. (A new pillow design is going up in my shop this weekend!)

Oh, Iris

We love dogs. We’re INSANELY in love with our first born son-dog, Clem. He has been the best thing we’ve ever done together. When we adopted our second born daughter-dog, Iris, we knew she’d be a challenge. She is, after all, a Pit Bull / Catahoula Leopard Dog mix. She is loving, sweet, comical and very intelligent.

No time!

Hi all… I have no time to post.  To make a really long story short…

We were supposed to go to roller derby last weekend to cheer on our awesome neighbor Slamburger Patty, but then Brett got his finger and tendon bit off by a bulldog at the dog park trying to attack Iris. THEN I got a horrible sinus infection and STILL had to go to work, am trying to figure out how to do training with our unruly pit bull, have two important meetings to go to after work, am printing my best friend’s baby shower invites AND am trying to take care of everything involving cutting/water/walking etc. for my husband who can’t do ANYTHING because of his poor finger.

Don’t look at this picture of his finger unless you’re ready to view the gore. EEK!

I’m busy. Be back soon.

New in shop and Offbeat Bride tutorials

I’ve been working like a dog… okay not really. But I have been making lots of stuff! Here are just some new items, from my crafty hands and into my Etsy shop! I did a three part series on Offbeat Bride on “How to create a festive wedding banner”, and this amazing floral bunting was part three of that three part series. You can see the tutorials for part one and part two as well.

Spring Floral Bunting Banner

Sassy Cotton and Chenille Burp Cloths

Bold Cotton and Flannel Burp Cloths

Embroidered Vintage Linen Floral Brooch

Ear Candy

For the past several years I’ve enjoyed being a part of ThreeImaginaryGirls.com, where I’ve written everything from live show reviews to album reviews to news tidbits. I put out a lot of good content for that site, and I ADORED being part of the imaginary team. Recently, however, I was craving a fresh start and so now… (drumroll)… I write for the illustrious Travis Hay at his super awesome music blog, Ear Candy!

My first two features, an album review of CocoRosie’s first album with Sub Pop Records, Grey Oceans, and a live show review of the band Fuck Buttons and their opener White Rainbow at a club in Seattle called Chop Suey, are up for your reading pleasure!

Hot Etsy Finds: Vintage Embroidery and Needlework

A current obsession of mine has been vintage embroidery, cross-stitch and needlepoint. They’re everywhere! I happen to love the handmade quirkiness of them, and when I spy them while thrifting or shopping I snag ‘em up right away. Etsy is a great place to find affordable, unique wall hangings and I’ve gathered a few favorites.

Gristly Bits

I just want to take a second to mention my lovely husband, his cooking endeavors (he’s similarly obsessed with cooking as I am with crafting) and his long awaited food blog, Gristly Bits. Brett, that’s my husband, used to be married to a chef/cook lady before he met me. When we started dating I realized how fortuitous (another big word!) this was for me.

My bunting hanging in Tavi’s room-closet

image from Offbeat Mama

I made my first ever bunting garland for Ariel, when I heard she was pregnant with little Tavi. I think they add such a fun punch of color to a room, and I’m glad to hear that she luuurvs it. Here it is, featured in an OffbeatMama.com post about Ariel’s baby closet!

I’ll be doing a DIY tutorial post on how to make this exact style of bunting in a little over a week. Look for it on OffbeatBride.com.  (I’ll post a link once it goes live). Woot!

Busy as a bee!

I’ve been busy guys. I’ve been making burp rags left and right, practicing needlefelting (I took a class on it by the ever-crafty pink-haired Moxie), practicing some embroidery, doing DIY tutorials for OffbeatBride.com, doing some intense training with our unruly pit bull, writing music reviews… and in the meantime trying to figure out what I want to do with my life.

Recently thrifted and crafting!

I just love rummage sales. Fortunately, we live in a part of town that has a real sense of community, and with that comes many rummage sales and charity yard sales. This past weekend the hubs and I attended the Lakewood Seward Park Community Rummage Sale and came away with a few goodies for sure! I picked up about six wooden embroidery hoops for $.50! Hopefully, I’ll be using my new skills in needle-felting to make a mobile with the hoops.

We also nabbed a beetle box, which is so super weird and cool at the same time, and a lovely almost-all-the-way embroidered pillowcase. I think I’ll make an apron front out of it.. or maybe a summer tank top? The fate of this piece has yet to be decided. I think my love of cheap goods, and the thrill of the thrift, is rubbing off on the Mr. Man. He is eager to rummage!