Embroidery Book

I picked up a great 1970's embroidery design book last night for only $4 bucks! I usually only come across these books in libraries, so I was delighted to find one that I could add to my collection. It was the embroidery font below that won me over. The pink font is my favorite. It looks like it is lined and filled in with tons of tiny split stitches. This poncho is pretty awesome too. (images from Embroidery 48 new designs by Marshall Cavendish Books Limited)

Busy time

Lots of business schtuff going on this week. I'm busy prepping for the April Antics Craft Sale at Knit-One-One in Berkeley(3360 Adeline Street, Berkeley) this Easter Weekend. If you are in the area, come by and check it out. It's Saturday, April 3rd 10am-4pm. I'd love to see some friendly faces.

I also dropped off lots of new items at my favorite clothing store, Pretty Penny. Stop by and check out my new brooches, moustache necklaces, and a few nautical inspired jewelry items. So many wonderful goodies at this store.

Look at the variety you have to choose from!

One of a kind necklace only available Pretty Penny. Wish I could find more of that tassle stuff!

How about a pair of dangling moustache earrings? Also at Pretty Penny!

Weekend Ventures

Took a nice long walk down to Lake Merritt for brunch on Saturday with my boyfriend. We stopped by a used bookstore and ran into these two cute furry shop dogs. That's right, I said TWO. You're not seeing double. It was so funny to find these guys sleeping down adjacent aisles. They were super soft and so clean! I wonder how many times during the week their owner takes them to the groomer?

I also came across this adorable little cat on our walk back home. I love how cats just hang out on their stoops. It's so typical but cute!

Spent the rest of the weekend finishing up some new items, like these brooches, and taking photos. Hope you all had a nice weekend too!

I plan on giving my ole' furball Cosmo lots of kitties snuggles this weekend.

My little gray guy had a little dental surgery yesterday. He got his teeth cleaned and one tooth pulled that was causing him a lot of pain. Poor Cosmo hadn't been eating very well for the past couple weeks so hopefully this little but very expensive surgery makes things better for him. He is such a trooper!

Craftiness

Here's a little sneak peek at a tote bag I have been working on for awhile. Hoping to finish this buffalo some time soon. Just need to fix the satin stitch on the nose and add a few more accents. Excuse the wrinkles.

And last night my sister helped me craft some new necklaces. Aren't they cute?

Etsy Items: Bookworm

I love crafting, and I love my little business but it has one major negative side effect: it consumes all my free reading time! I love curling up and reading a good book. I also love libraries. I can spend hours in them just wondering around, browsing the shelves. Since I sit at a computer all day, my library perusing is limited, so what do I do? Browse Etsy. It's not the same but you can still find lots of bookish items on there.

Click on image for a larger view

From left to right:

1) Jane Austen necklace from Cosmic Girl, 2) Anne of Green Gables Book Handbag by Spoonful of Chocolate Hope, 3) Book Love Print by Marmee Craft,, 4) Librarian Bear Journal byPickle Head, 5) Trip to the Library Necklace by Kylie Perry, 6) Mini Green Book Earrings byAntico Valore, 7) Library Card Journal by Lollipoop Designs, 8) Librarian Bookended Print by Miss Bridgette, 9) Bookplate Stickers by Sunshine and Ravioli

Have you had a chance to read any good books lately?

If so, what are you reading?

Art Exhibits

embroidery work by Cathy Pitters

I just heard about an upcoming embroidery art show in Portland called, One Stitch Forward, One Stitch Back via twitter. I am very tempted to make a roadtrip to Portland to see it. If anyone out there knows about these artists or ends up taking/finding photos of the exhibit, will you please let me know? I'm really interested in seeing the work they included and how well the curator executed the theme of the show.

I have another art event that I am going to tomorrow night. My friend Sam, is having his senior thesis art opening. He will be serving pie and will have a live musician playing relaxing music during the opening to help enhance the viewer's experience. Sam is a very talented artist so I am absolutely thrilled to see his new work. Just look at his show flyer above. It's amazing!

Even though Sam's work is not craft related, I plan on sharing photos of his exhibit with you later.

Just a few announcements. I want to encourage fellow Etsy sellers to check out this new blog site. Looks like a great resource.Top Etsy Shopis an easy, interactive way for Etsy sellers to share tips and ideas. Also, the group features five (5) Etsy shops each month. Your Etsy shop could be featured for April!

Featured Top Etsy Shops enjoy increased traffic to their shop and a link to their shop on the Top Etsy Shops website for the entire month of April.My first Spring craft fair is coming up next week! I'll be at Knit-One-One Studio next Saturday, April 3rd from 10am-4pm selling some lovely spring goodies. Located only a few blocks from the Ashby Bart station and it is right next to an amazing pastry shop as well. Find out more info HERE.

The animated rabbit hole

I saw Alice in Wonderland this weekend. It was good, not great but not horrible either. I'm still attached to the 1980's classic with Carol Channing. I felt like that movie was a lot more disturbing and kooky than this new one. I was too young to realize that Ringo Starr was in this version as the Mock Turtle and sang my favorite song.

But I have to say that Jan Svankmajer's stop-motion animated 'Alice' has a special place in my heart. Dark, disturbing, bizarre, and not to be watched by children.

His work reminds me of another favorite stop-motion animation duo of mine, The Brothers Quay. Their music video to 'Are We Still Married?' has a certain Alice in Wonderland quality about it.

Found

I love the font in this old bicycle add that I found today.

I also love Hugh Jackman in this Lipton Tea commercial.

Buttons

My favorite blog, Button Candy, has inspired me to share some of my button collection with you.

I enjoy hunting for buttons more than anything else. There is nothing like discovering a new special button that may have once belonged on an old vintage coat or blouse.

These are my newest additions.

Forget the green drinks!!

When I think of green, I tend to think of one thing: Green Eggs and Ham. So here's a little tribute to that wonderful book by that great guy named Dr.Suess. I found this bento box via Sakurako Kitsa's flickr stream. The green ham is actually a slice of turkey! Chris over at Duckingham Design crafted this amazing lego sculpture in honor of Dr. Suess's 105th birthday last year. I love it! This DIY crochet pattern by Crafty Anna's shop makes me wish I knew how to crochet. I may just need to learn how! Sweetie Pie Bakery reminds us with her green eggs and ham that March is not only a month for green things but is also National Reading Month. Don't these look yummy enough to eat! The world would be a sad place without cute kawaii items, like these adorable magnets by Rubbishtees. Perfect way to decorate your fridge if you ask me.

A Show of Buttons

I work for a small art college here in California, so I have the chance to see some pretty interesting art shows every once in a while. About a month ago, I fell in love with this show by Annie Frykholm titled, Self Sufficiency and Extroversion. Maybe because it involved buttons, TONS of buttons! The artist lined all three sides of the gallery space with three long wooden shelves that were filled with ceramics buttons she crafted by hand. In the center of the space was a suspended net made out of corresponding white ceramics circles. I love the dangling strings. At the art opening people had a chance to have a button sewn onto their wardrobe and then I found out later that the buttons were free for people to have. I grabbed a handful for myself and have yet to decide what to do with them but I have a few ideas brewing in my head. The concept of the show itself was quite interesting and it really struck a cord with me. I strongly encourage you to take a moment and read the artist statement-listed below.

Artist Statement for Self-Sufficiency & Extroversion

"I am interested in the intersection between Ceramic arts and Textiles, with a particular emphasis on my family’s involvement in these crafts. Both require commitment and patience within their processes to garner results. I invested more that six months in the sanding, formation, and construction of the safety net (which is suspended in the middle of the gallery). I began this process with the intention to create an object which would make me self-sufficient. I wanted to create a tool to catch myself when I fell, negating the necessity to rely on others. Through the intensive process, I learned that this is impossible. I needed to ask my community for help, and I would be happier, and better for it. The creation of this project took a turn and came to represent the network of people that care for me, and those that I care for. Societies exist because we work better together rather than apart. My Father made the shelves that the small buttons rest on from wood that once belonged to my great-grandfather. Friends helped me sand the buttons, sew, and kept me company while I crocheted. In response to the assistance that everyone was all too willing to give, I would like to extend this net to encompass everyone. Please choose a button and let it function in some fashion within your life."

And the Winner is . . . .

Congratulations to Julia!! She is the winner of the Acorn Sachet giveaway! I will be emailing you later today in order to receive your contact info.

Julia's spring idea was to embroider spring flower bulbs like the botanical drawings below. Thanks for the great idea Julia! I can't wait to give your embroidery idea a try. I have a feeling it will produce some great stitched creations.

Giveaway reminder!!

Hey all! Just a quick reminder that my giveaway will be ending this Sunday.

Be sure to check it out HERE and leave your spring embroidery idea in the comments. I can't wait to choose the lucky winner

Sick ( as in wicked cool or misery)

Do you ever find yourself exclaiming,"Ugh!! I'm sick of it all!" during moments of immense frustration? I know I sure do. I hate those days where you just want to pull out your hair or slam your head against the desk. During moments like these I try distracting myself by window shopping on Etsy. I was curious to see what would happen if I did a generic search for "Sick" items on Etsy the other day. The results were pretty interesting and the search left a little smile on my face. Here's what I found. Band-aid rings are so much better than actual band-aids These Feel-Good bottles are super cute. This is a sick cicada. Don't worry he has a cup of tea to make him feel better. This puking plushie is awesome. But I think the very, very sick unicorn wins the cake. 1. Band-Aid ring by Atomic Dog 2. Feel Good bottles byLouche Lab 3. Sick Cicada by Kochansky 4. Simon (sick plushie) by Grelin Machin 5. Unicorn with Stomach flu by Cappy Sue

Weekend Waffles, and rosette tutorials

Whenever there is a nice sunny weekend, I'm usually stuck spending my "free" time taking photos of new products, like the little flower headband above. But this weekend I attempted to get out of the house for a little bit and a long but worthwhile trek out to the city to eat at a place called The Little Skillet. They are a small little soul food take out place located in a little alley down by the ballpark. I got myself some waffles and fried chicken. It really hit the spot. Fried chicken and syrup actually taste really good together.

I also cut off all my hair. It turned out pretty cute. My new little bob also inspired me to try and make some new hair accessories that look cute with short hair. So I made a few fabric rosettes last night, sewed them on a reclaimed rope thingie I found, and Voila! New cute headband!!

Rosettes are a nice, easy, and super quick way to make a flower accessory. I creating my little rosettes by cutting an inch wide piece of fabric, different lengths, folded it in half and started folding, twisting, twirling, and stitching it together. It's more fun that way if you ask me But here are a few rosette tutorials I found online that helped me get started:

Tightly Rolled Layered Rosette byPortabello Pixie

Rolled Flatten Rosettes by Jennifer Paganelli

Quick Stitch Rosette (this is the one I used) by Susie Harris

Tight Twisty Rosette by Jaimee Rose

Honestly, there really isn't any wrong or right way when it comes to making a flower rosette. Like usual, I recommend breaking some rules and sewing a little crooked to make your rosette unique and extra cute!

I thought I would try out this 3 column blog template and I have to say I'm not really digging it. It's making me feel a little claustrophobic for some reason. So don't be surprised if my blog looks a little funky today. I'm going to try and work on a new format. We'll see what happens!

How about a little Spring GIVEAWAY?

**THIS GIVEAWAY HAS NOW ENDED. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED!!**

Spring is here (well, almost) which means I need a few new FRESH embroidery ideas! If you share any ideas below you'll get your name entered into my Giveaway! That's right in exchange for your brilliant ideas, you'll have a chance to win my lovely Embroidered Acorn Scented Sachet. This little guy is so cute that he made it to the front page of Etsy. You also get to choose your scent: luscious lavender or warm vanilla.

So here's the breakdown on how to enter the giveaway:

1) You must share your Fresh Spring embroidery idea below in the comments. Be creative! Be crazy! Give me an idea!

2) You don't have to be a blog follower to enter. But all current followers will automatically get an extra point by leaving a comment idea below and New followers will too! Just be sure to mention your a newbie with your idea in the comments below.

3) Earn an extra point by RTing my giveaway in the twitter world. You can follow me on Twitter by clicking on my link on the Left side. Remember you STILL need to leave your embroidery idea in the comments below to earn your first point! You MUST RT me in order to get your extra point!

4) The more points you earn, the more times your name will be entered. Only one idea per person.

Also, be sure to INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS in your comment below so I can contact you if you win.

Last Day to submit your ideas is 5pm PST Sunday, March 14th. The winner will be announced on Monday, March 15th. Because it's always nice to wake up to a little surprise on a Monday morning.

So start thinking up some fun new ideas and send them my way!

Could foxes be the new owls?

Big kudos to the CCCOE Team. Thanks to Ocean Avenue Silks my little brown fox was featured on the front page late last night in her treasury. I love foxes and I think that they are the new animal zeitgeist. I mean just at how cute they are when they play on a trampoline.

Special Delivery: Stamps

I never collected stamps until I starting working at my current office job. Every now and then I keep a stamp or two from the envelopes we get in. My favorite stamps are the ones from international letters. Here are the few I have collected so far:

Trinidad China: New Zealand: Denmark: Japan: This stamp from Japan is my favorite one. The bird is so pretty.