Vintage Barbie: Series 2

Here is another set of photos from the Barbie collection I was given. You can see the first set Here. Enjoy!

Mother's Day Cards!!

My hand embroidered Mother's Day cards are now available in my store! More cards with the word "Mother" inscribed on the banner will be available soon!
There are two different designs to choose from in a variety of colors.
Be sure to pick one up now so you have time to ship it off to your mom!

CCA Spring Fair

Saturday was a beautiful and fun day. I was in good, creative company while I sold my goods at the CCA Spring Fair. People seemed really smitten with my new hand embroidered Mother's Day cards so I plan on adding a few to the shop later this week. Here are a few photos from the event: Here are my embroidered Mother's Day cards. Coming soon to my Etsy shop!! Here are a couple of photos of my table. I shared a booth with my lovely friend, Alison, who hand cut these cards and journals. You can check out more of her work at her Website. I was also delighted to see and catch up with my crafty friend, Polly from Pollyannacowgirl. How cool is this "Catopus" shirt? I plan on having one made for my boyfriend later this summer. Natural jewelry by Laurel Gunnarson. My favorite piece of jewelry were the small pieces of pinecone petals that she decorated with floral/plant designs. Super cute and dainty. My friend Kelly Ball with some lovely cards, journals, and jewelry which you can also find at her online shop Realia.

Friday Finds: Embroidered Accents

I know I'm not the only who is guilty of doing a little window shopping on Etsy while at work. :p Here are a few fun and weird embroidered accented wearables I came across Etsy the other day. Enjoy and hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

I love the idea of embroidering down one side of a dress. I wish I had time to work on a project like that. Dress from Vest Bee Vintage

I have a weakness for embroidered designs on dark/black fabric. Don't know why exactly. It's hard to tell in this photo, but this little apron also has cute hidden pockets. Apron from Verite Vintage I love, love, love this top. This unique swiss design with little embroidered people on it is too cute. I also love when the collar of a shirt is accented with a few darling stitches. Shirt from Ingenious Rehab. Now onto the more odd stuff that I came across, like these poodle shoes. I can honestly say I have never seen anything like these before. I wonder if the person who bought these shoes actually wore them or if they sat in their closet. Shoes from Xtabay Vintage Boutique I can't quite figure out what's going on with the shirt, but it's so ridiculous that I kind of love it. The cat has seem to have a partially invisible body and is watching the most odd looking bugs. Shirt from Hell in a HandbagThis deer/mushroom stitched tableau is just plain awesome. Got to love the '70's. Shirt from Hula Kitty Vintage

Vintage Barbie: Series 1

A while back, my boyfriend's mom sent me her old Barbie doll, and a case full of Barbie clothes, most of them hand made. I decided that the clothes had to be shared, so I did a little photo series of them. More to come next week. Do you ever see doll clothes and wish that you could have something that cute in human size? That's how I feel about this little red swimsuit.

Weekend Business

The weather was quite nice this weekend. Too bad I didn't have much time to enjoy it. I was able to find a few free minutes to make these yummy cranberry orange muffins on Sunday morning. I placed them on this milk glass cake stand that I bought a few months ago at the Goodwill for only $10 bucks! I love it and was so glad to finally put it to some use. Then I ventured over to Alameda to drop off my first box of goodies at Modern Mouse. I'm so excited to have my items carried at this store! If you are in the area, you must stop by and check all of the amazing locally crafted goods they carry. It's the perfect place to find a Mother's Day present! I also figured out how to make my own little brand tags this weekend. I think they turned out pretty cute and they weren't too hard to make. My next goal is to design and print my own jewelry cards. We'll see how that goes . . . .

Artist Spotlight: Sam Handleman

My friend Sam is a very talented guy. He is currently finishing his BFA in Printmaking at CCA and just had his senior art exhibit. I have always enjoyed Sam's work and was really delighted to find a small embroidered textile piece in his show. I love how abstract and eclectic it is! And how amazing is the stitch work on the face?!? Don't you love the different colors used to create the shading/shape of the face? You can read Sam's artist statement and see more pieces from the show in the photos below (click on them for a larger view) and you can find more of Sam's work at his Flickr page HERE.

Embroidery for your wall

I have noticed quite a few people blogging about vintage embroidered wall hangings lately so I decided to share a few of my Etsy favorites. Owls appear to be one of the most popular embroidered wall hanging designs, and flower patterns/bouquets are a very close second. After looking at these cute wall decorations, all I want to do is fill up a whole wall with these kitschy designs! Here are my vintage finds. Enjoy!

This owl is so great. I love the colors and shading. Found at Lackluster Co. Bunnies, strawberries, and pink daisies always rank high in kitschy cuteness. Found at Plaid Pony Vintage. I don't know why but I really, really like this rocking chair. Maybe it's the textures, or little cuckoo clock in the corner. Found at The Quirky Owl. Allergic to daisies? Then why not hang a little daisy bouquet on your wall like this one found at Old New Dress's Vintage Apparel & Art shop. This little girl is so cute and how amazing is the stitch work. Those french knot flowers are pretty stunning. Found at Garage Inc. I am very tempted to buy these two ferns from Mouseface Vintage. I love the three-dimensional quality of them and find them extremely inspiring.

A New Toy!

My mom is visiting me this week from SoCal. She brought my belated b-day present with her and what a present it is!! Say hello to my new heavy duty singer professional sewing machine! It's so pretty and couldn't have come at a more perfect time.

Supposedly it sews perfect circles, which is a great bonus as I am now starting to make coasters from repurposed fabric. Here are a few of my first ones. They are definitely not perfect circles and lean more on the crooked side. But I think that just gives them more character.

A few favorite things

I have a few new favorite things to share with you today.
Hope you enjoy!

Handmade Collective Blog

If you are a crafter/designer in the L.A. or SF Bay Area, you must check out the Handmade Collective Blog put together by Bennykelly. It is a great resource for finding out about local craft events. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Christina Williams

Christina and I were table buddies at a local craft event that I participated in this past weekend. She is super sweet, has a very cute baby named Charlotte, and sells some very cute paper products too. I'm so glad I got the chance to meet her and do a little trade (I got the bicycle card seen above and a really cute ring!) Stop by and check out her Store and Blog. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mug Monday

Mug Monday over at The Little Prints Blog. just might get you out of your muggy Monday blues. Jody's mug collection is entertaining and not to be missed.

April Antics Craft Sale

My first craft fair of the Spring season will be at Knit-One-One studios in Berkeley today. If you are in the area, come by and say hi. There will be lots of wonderful goodies for you shop for. Knit-One-One

Embroidery Artist: Daniel Kornrumpf

Embroidery as an artistic tool seems to be a slowly growing trend. My most recent embroidery discovery is Daniel Kornrumpf. This guy knows how to stitch! I love the proportions of his portraits on the canvas. Look at all that thread! I can't help but wonder how long each portrait takes to stitch? You can find more of Daniel's work at his website. He has many more embroidery portraits to look at.