Old Brushes and Angry Ribbon

a paint splattered journey through crafting http://www.uniqueOLIVE.etsy.com/

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This one is for all you pro-lovers out there... my PRIDE earrings!  These are made with a set of very cute custom lampwork beads and are gorgeous and way more awesome in person.  They are great for the person who likes to wear smaller dangle earrings, as these beauties are only about 1/4 inch long from the ear wire itself.

Rainbow lovers and supporters will love these as much as I do, and that is a LOT!

For more info, check the Etsy listing.

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Love, love, LOVE these!

I actually made them for myself, but I decided that I would put them up as a "made to order" item.  These were admittedly painful to make, wire wrapping is not gentle to your hands.  That being said, I wear these more than I dare to admit and adore them.  Looks cute with jeans, sweaters, scarves, everything!

Want more info? Check out the Etsy page for the listing.

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Wow

I reeeeally need to get with it and update this thing more!

That being said, I have buttloads of stuff on the Etsy now, even made a couple sales since last time I posted.  Getting waaay more into wire working, and my crochet skills be killin'.  But seriously, I hope to have more crocheted stuff on my Etsy page soooooooooon.

Want some pictures?  Well I suppose I'll give you a couple, now that I have fully updated my photo style.  I finally made a light box and used the correct settings on my camera, plus I bought a cute but simple white teacup to use in the pictures, which is classy and doesn't take anything away from the jewelry, thankfully.

I'll post a couple of my favorite earrings in a minute, OHMYGOD love them!

thanks bros.

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I went and did it, made some jewelry the other day and put it up for sale on the ooooold etsy. c:  Also put some stuff on sale in there, heads up.

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So I finished my first ever full sized scarf.  YAY.  Seriously, the pictures don't do it justice... its about 7 inches wide and about 6 1/2 feet long!  I crocheted it in a week or so, off and on.  I used my new favorite stitch the whole time, the treble stitch.  Sooooooo cute, I just friggin' love it.  Again, family and friends may find these under the tree this year.

Next project, a wrap.  And an amurigai [spelling?] gonorrhea cell for my sister... the last trip she went on, we brought my hubby and I the gift of chlamydia.  Don't worry, it was stuffed and did not need to be treated by a doctor.

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Well, made a couple cowls yesterday, soooo comfy!  The blue one was my first and I used a 4 ply yarn.  I followed the pattern exactly on that one, it came out a little snug.  On the second one, I used a much thicker yarn and added 20 chains to the initial stitches.  Its much looser but also waaay soft.

I love them.  I'm betting that every woman on my gift list this year is getting one of these for Christmas.

PS: Pattern is here.

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Well...

I forgot to take pictures.

I am the suck.

I was so excited to give her the baby gifts, I spaced it off.  BUT everything was a huge hit, my burp cloths were the talk of the party.  Most of the other stuff she got was from her registry, so my crafty-goodness was a welcome relief.  I SHOULD be able to take her into taking some pictures of them for me to post here, but I promise nothing.

Also, I signed up for Ravelry.com to get some more ideas and projects for crochet.  I reallllllly need to get back into it, its so damn fun!

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I still owe some things... But hey, have this.

Like pictures of the book.  And a finished apron.  Turns out, I totally messed up the apron as it is, but I'll probably re-cut and use the fabric again anyway.

Lately though, I've had another project... Operation Baby Shower.  This entails me slaving over the sewing machine for just about a week now with the end in sight.  I have three more things to finish then I am ready to reveal them.

Completed:

4 burp cloths - These are made from cloth diapers and I am absolutely in love with them!  There are 2 main sets to these; one with a thick cotton fabric in a fun green flower print, the other in a really mod yellow dot print.  The other set is same fabrics but are totally different.  These have ribbon sewn down the diaper vertically, then the ends are biased with the main fabrics from the first set.  Super cute, she better love them.

1 bib - This project was significantly harder than expected.  Used cloth diapers for the backing on these, then the fun fabric on the front.  It turned out mostly cute, except for the neckline... I have never used double folded bias tape (or any for that matter) and doing it on a curve was NOT fun... I read a bunch of how-tos earlier, second one should turn out better... hopefully.

1 hooded towel - This is by far my favorite project so far... so easy but it looks like something you'd get at a store!  A body towel and hand towel were all the fabric I needed to make this.  I used yellow and purple ribbon to accent/cover up the seams on the ends of the main towel.  If I was still 5, I would not be giving this thing up!  It is so soft and awesome, I need to figure how to make an adult sized one.

Yet to be Completed:

1 bib - This one is in the green flower pattern and I am PRAYING that it will look better around the neck than the other one.

1 pacifier hold / "paci pod" - Super easy, not including the curved area I have to bias tape... Really really cute, not something she registered for but something I know she'll appreciate soon.  I used to work at a children's store (not toys) and this was always the thing grandmothers and other family members would pick up and say "Oh man, why didn't they have this when Sally was little!"

1 splat mat - This one is probably going to be the easiest project of all... no special stitching or embellishing, just me and a nice straight stitch.  Again, I used to sell these alot... they are a lifesaver to wood floors as well as carpet.  The basic concept of this is an oilcloth (I'm using a vinyl/flannel tablecloth) with a fun pattern that you can put under baby's high chair to catch the flow of thrown food.  The one I'm making is a cute vinyl tablecloth that I picked up for a dollar and a heavy cotton muslin to weight it down.  The muslin, obviously, will go on the bottom and really won't be seen.

Wish me luck, I only have 1 more week to finish!

PS: Expect finished pictures of everything soon, as well as the journal!

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So

I finally finished my journal for etsy!  It's super cute, I'll be sure and link it when I get it up.  It's paperback bound up with a cool hardbound look. 

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Aprons. Yeah, I said it.

Today is day 2 of aproning.  Started last week, got sidetracked.  I am getting my rear in gear today, as my grandma used to say. 

This apron has been a process... the last ones I made had a base of a waterproof tablecloth, which was surprisingly easy to sew.  Cotton on the other hand, ugh.  It looks fine, probably, I just have stupidly high standards.  Anyway, I'll post up a progress picture, so whomever is reading this can have a look.

I promise it won't look that weird in the end.  I'm adding the chocolate trim at the base, it'll be cool.

I'll update again when the project is over.

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In the beginning...

So here it is, my first post on my journey through craft.  I hope you'll enjoy my blog, and that I'm not just talking to myself.

In this blog, I plan on making a chronicle, of sorts, of my etsy stuff and various other projects.

To start, I have frames.  I have branched out a bit more, made some boutique signs.  Next week, aprons and journals.  The journals... I am still a bit unsure of.  They may end up being more of a sketchbook...

I'll be updating this with photos, eventually.

Thanks for reading, who ever you are.