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...
We're getting a new studio space so I'm going through a decorating crisis lately. It's on the third floor of our building and the space will serve as an office for both me and Mark. For the most part, we've been able to choose many of the important things, like paint and flooring. I love the process but on a bad day, like yesterday, it's a struggle. Argh. Lighting. Why is lighting so difficult. You find the perfect pendant lights and then, bam!, they're on backorder for months and you have to pick something else. Also, there's a small accent wall that divides the space and I'm not sure what to do with it. Maybe I should take some pictures and get your advice. Would you give me some feedback? I'd like that. How about we meet back here on Monday and I'll have something for you to look at, kay? Thanks, I think I feel a little better now.
Pencils as colorwheel. Inspiration for the new space.
Patchwork pieces. Possibly a gift for a swap. We'll see how it turns out.
THANK YOU!
I owe a great big thank you to Natalie at CRAFT blog for mentioning the Pom Pom Pumpkins yesterday!
How often do you see something on flickr or someone's blog and wonder how in the world they came up with the idea for that doll, character, photograph, peep, wall art, desk drawer, or closet door? I do it all of the time. Sometimes I get panicky because I love the thing they made so much. Sometimes I feel silly: "Why didn't I think of that!" And many, many times I'm in awe: "I could never in a million years have thought of that." Yep, I mostly go through my day bemoaning all of the ideas I'm not having. But, once in a while, the images that usually taunt me inspire me to action. For example, here is the inspiration behind my blog's new look. I wanted to create a look that was simple but, slightly more sophisticated than my old design. I also wanted to keep the abundance of white space but, make it colorful and fun, too.
I was inspired by...
1. My ongoing obsession with Blueprint magazine, specifically, the page on the right:
2. Purl Soho's shop: www.purlsoho.com + blog www.purlbee.com
3. Gladiolus from the farmer's market:
(another picture here)
2. Stones I found in my dad's yard:
Is anyone else game to share? What inspires you? I'd love to know!
Idea #1
How about I don't do another dumb post, which I will immediately delete because of its innate dumbness. Now that is a good idea.
Idea No. 2
How about I tell you that I found some AMAZING fabric at the thrift store and don't show you a photo? Okay, I'll admit that that is not a good idea. But, how about if I tell you that on Monday I will have a picture for you and that I am thinking about offering several pieces of it up for swapping? Over the weekend I'll wash it and give it a good looking over. Then, on Monday I'll let you know how many sections (probably about 1/2 yard each) are on offer and we can get to swappin'.
Idea No. 3
How about some pictures of my current wip?
Have a great weekend!
I've wanted to make something like this for oh-I-don't-know-how-long-lets-just-say-forever. Even before I made the elf, I wanted to make little tiny peoples. Girls + boys. So now I'm going for it. Wish me luck. I've already run into a few obstacles... i.e. perfectionism kicking in and me not liking anything that I'm doing. Honest. It was hard for me to take a photo and try to talk about this project. I really want these to work out. Grumble. Sigh. Back to the trenches.
Today is big huge giant fantastic crazy insane someone please help me there is stuff all over the place make a to do list and get it all done day. *phew* I only have a minute to chat before I dive back into the projects because a list like the one I have on my desk won't get done if I blabber on all day! Fortunately (or unfortunately) for you, I'm testing out the lens baby and documenting my projects. So... what you have here in this post are pictures friends and lots of them.
The bookshelves in the studio -- all finished and organized by color. Of course!
Choosing fabric for the twins' (my nephews) birthday gifts.
Here are the t-shirts before:
During:
And the finished product:
Here are the gifts for the new baby, Ian, and his big brother Isaiah:
The little "i" and the big "I" t-shirts:
Big brother + little brother robots:
One more for the baby:
Okay, back to it!
p.s. One of the items on the list is a shop update to add the iron-on ninjas to the Mod Dots shop. Hopefully they'll be available by tomorrow morning. Have a great weekend!
I told you I was obsessing over those bunnies. Instead of using store bought pom poms I decided to make my own. Not that I have anything against the store bought ones, I love 'em, I just didn't have any on hand and didn't feel like leaving the apartment to get them. (Laziness wins again!) I do have cotton balls on hand, which I may use for the tails or I might make my own from white yarn. Not sure about that yet.
I need some advice... the yarn I'm using for the pom pom bodies is linting like crazy. Do you think it would make them all sticky if I used a little bit of hairspray on them? Any other suggestions?
Last night I tried to take a self portrait for my sidebar, etc. With Spring approaching I'm in the mood for pastels, so I played around a bit with the color and light balance in Photoshop. The image is also flipped so that you're seeing me as I am and not my mirror image. That was Mark's idea. I actually prefer it the other way -- but that's probably because I never see myself the way others do. Funny thing images.
I'm finally starting to feel at home in my new studio. I spent a couple of days rearranging things and Mark helped me fit a big project table into the room -- it's something that I really needed. I also re-did my inspiration board. It was the wonderful package that I received from Maditi that pushed me to undertake the entire project. (Thank you so much!) Have you been to her etsy shop? You should go. I'm also expecting a print of this painting from my friend Lauren's etsy shop -- which I can't wait to add to my new board. The only thing I wish I could still do is paint the walls that lovely shade of brown that I used to have in my old studio. Que sera sera!
You can check out these images on flickr where I've added notes about all of the things you see on my desk + inspiration board. And in case you were wondering, I don't actually put the pins through the paper of the images on my inspiration board. I have a thing about that so I just place them strategically to hold things in place. Another weird item to add to my list I guess.
Finally, a new post and a completed project, thank you very much. This is what I came up with for my paper*quilt project submission. My inspiration was a favorite chair (see the original below) and making little paper garlands. I wish I had better technique with the exacto knife and paper collages in general, but I am pleased with the finished project. The hardest part was trying to come up with an idea that was me and not a copy of what I thought someone else might make. I hope that I still like it after I add my photo to the flickr photo group. I’ll try really hard not to cringe when comparing it to the other tiny masterpieces.
Did I tell you that this chair was free (yes, free!) from my apartment manager? She tried to talk me into one of the other less filthy chairs but I only had eyes for this particular one. Regardless of the condition that it's in I love the shape + color. By the way, does anyone have any suggestions for cleaning it? I'm afraid I'll scratch it when I try to get the spackle, paint, mud and whatnot off of there. Once it’s clean(er) I plan to sit on it.
Sometimes I feel a little bit like I'm drowning in inspirational images -- they are everywhere and I can never make my way through them all. That's when I take a deep breath and doggie paddle my way to a tiny handful of trusted and calming sources. Here are a few of them (in case you feel the same way today):
Amy Butler's studio.
Victoria Smith (a.k.a. sfgirlbybay): photos + blog.
Camilla Engman's studio + home photos.
Fresh New Spaces photo pool on flickr.
Sally Shim's blog.
My flickr favorites.
I also look to my own inspiration board. You can click on a photo to go to the flickr page where you'll find details about what's in each image.
