Liquid Paper

i've got ink

No, not that kind of ink. Today some of my creations made it into a story about handmade gifts for the holidays that appeared in our local paper, the Argus Leader. I was so thrilled when Janna, the story's author and one of the first people I'd met when we moved here, asked to use some of my "cute things" for a photo shoot. Three of my items made it into the spread: my stuffed bunny, a stuffed puppy + an elf. How cool is that?

As you can see, the elves were tickled pink at their new stardom and very intrigued. It was tough to get them to stay focused on the task at hand: their photo shoot with me for tomorrow's Mod Dots shop update. I've got three elves for the update and more things planned (perhaps a couple bunnies). Oh, and did you notice the HUGE stack of papers in the photo? My husband surprised me with them. ♥ Apparently, that's only half as many as he tried to buy. There was some concern of him buying up all available copies.

did you hear that?

Hammer! Bang! Crash! Who knew a needle and thread could be so noisy? Kidding. No, those noises are not coming from my workshop. They're from the offices across the hall. I wonder if more tenants will be moving in? No more time to ponder that possibility today, though: elves are being made and the work must go on. A quieter sort of work, but no less difficult for its lack of auditory demonstrations. For your kindness in putting up with my boring banter, here's a sneak peek at a couple of the new elves!

all systems are go

Oh, what a wonderful week we've had! Good times with old friends, tree trimming, cooking, baking, eating and more. I did, however, manage to finish one important project. Unfortunately, it is not the bunny head that I showed you in my last post. It didn't make it. The proportions were all wrong and the fabrics didn't work well together. So... I decided to start over from scratch and came up with something that really does look like my original sketch. I'm so pleased! What do you think? Doesn't it look like the sketch!

EXTRA! EXTRA!
While I've been gone there's been so much going on:

My interview for Inspiration Boards is up! Thank you so much Lori for all your work in creating the Inspiration Boards website.

Kathreen over at Whip-up has been talking about a handmade Christmas. I'm seriously considering making a few of these elves again this year. (Just a few!) If you're interested, stop by the the Mod Dots shop and sign up on the mailing list so that you will be one of the first to know about it.

hand to the plow

The gift-making began in earnest today. Only a peek for now. It's still in the stages where I think, "If this turns out, it will be a miracle." Is that optimism or pessimism? I never can tell. Oh, and studio photography took a back seat to other duties today. A Thanksgiving dinner is being planned by yours truly. Please tell me that it's possible not to make ten times the amount of food necessary for a party of four. Or is that just an urban turkey day myth? Anyway, we have friends coming all the way from Tennessee to celebrate with us and I can't wait. I'm making a traditional dinner with all the fixings. If I told you how much butter I'd bought at the store today your arteries would clog up.

Choosing the fabrics is my favorite part. Everything is still perfect and no seams have been ripped out... yet. Good times indeed.

patchy in places

I totally forgot to show you pictures of the whole package I put together for my patchwork swap partner. Unfortunately, my camera hiccupped and I lost most of the photos. (The one shown below being the exception.) But, you can see everything in this lovely post.

p.s. Thanks so much for the studio love everyone! You appreciate folded, color-arranged fabric like nobody's business. You get me. ♥ This weekend I promise to take more shots of all my work stations + some of Mark's side and the library/sitting area. So stay tuned...

can't get you out of my head

I have an idea. It is not something that I want to do right now, but I keep thinking about it. Obsessing almost. I'm not sure how long I can put it off. There are so many other things I need to be working on right now, but, every day it sits there in my brain. Waiting for, no, demanding my attention. I usually love it when an idea is so clear and insistent. Not this time though. Maybe I'll make a sketch of it. That might appease it. I sure hope so. I don't like the way that it's staring at me. It's weirding me out.

On my last post, I think someone asked about my giant spools of twine. Here's the scoop on them.

Today I have a picture of my new space for you. This is where I keep my fabric (there's fabric behind the fabric too) and other odds and ends. As you can see, I've hung some of the many prints I've collected over the past few years. From left to right:

Gaggle of Girls by ashleyg
Isobel No. 4 Collage by The Black Apple
Squirrel Print by Happymeat
Within Reach by elista.

'tis the season

Its high time a started making some things for Christmas. These began as an idea for gift tags and turned into a possible ornament for my tree. I also think it could be a candidate for the holiday ornament swap, but, like last year, I'll probably try out a few other ideas before settling on one. I did think that they'd make a good item for the shop. Anyone think that's a good idea? Possibly in sets of four... I'll let you know.

p.s. I did not get any shots of the studio today. Too overcast for good picture-taking.

the next best thing

I'm going crazy from lack of crafting. How long has it been now? Too long, that's how long. Now that the studio is finally done (!) I'm going to try to take some photos. Probably tomorrow, if the light is good. But after I make something -- anything! Until then, I'll share some sketches with you. These are for a new toy that I'm working on + been slightly obsessed with lately. I don't know yet if it will be another one of these, or a 100% plush item. We'll see...

profusion of patchwork

In the midst of chaos (see the last two posts), I look for some peace and find it in the amazing patchwork swap package I received from Regina of creative kismet. Can you believe how generous she was?

Check out this adorable fabric basket, the buttons and matching gift tags!

And the fabrics -- such a delicious selection! Thank you again Regina. I couldn't be more thrilled.

THANK YOU
I wanted to thank ashley hogan over at the Momformation blog for mentioning liquid paper in her Handmade Holidays post a little while back. Thank you so much for the kind words and for including this little blog among what I consider to be the giants of the crafting bloggers (this gal + this gal). ♥

crazy amounts of assembly required

My fingers are raw and shoulders sore. Mark has a huge bruise on his forearm and I administer Ibuprofen to him semi-regularly. Yes, my friends we are happy. Mark is way ahead of me and has organized all of his things, but, I'm up to my eyeballs in stuff. I did manage to take a couple of pictures during the put-together phase:

Assembling umpteen drawers, watching a DVD and looking over at my side of the studio.

My new (just put-together by Mark) work table.

Back to work I go!