Tiny Bunting! and Flowers

Take a look at my latest creation!

I am taking the crochet up a notch!  Yes I crocheted mini bunting!  You can see that I am excited.  It is a project I was not sure I could complete.  I stuck with it and feel great about the way it turned out.

I am not well enough to run the shop but I like sending people things so I joined Swap-bot.  Basically you sign up to swap handmade art under a given theme.  I joined a matchbox swap for February and sent it off yesterday.  I included these crochet flowers in the package.  I can't show a photo of the matchbox until my partner receives their package.

I was so excited about my bunting I just had to share.  

I hope your week is off to a stellar start!

Crafting Away the Blues

Howdy!  Just a quick update.  My chemo is going well, with only occasional sickness.  Doc says this round is really strong stuff so as long as my white cell counts stay good I will keep getting the maximum dose for my size. I just have to manage the side effects.

I am having fun hanging out with my family, they take such good care of me.  I am literally crafting away the blues.  I've carved a few stamps and now I am trying different crochet patterns.  Keeping my hands and mind busy helps me pass the time in such a positive way.  When I finished a recent crochet project, I actually giggled with pride.  There is such a boost that comes from creating something.  I am using that to lighten my load and my life.  So I leave trails of stamp shavings, paper scraps and bits of yarn but my family doesn't seem to mind, whew.

So let's take a look at what my camera witnessed this week.

My latest stamps.  I love the tree and the camping lantern.

I like the crocheting river rocks trend that I've seen online, I had to try it.

I crocheted two glass stones as an experiment, I like the dark blue color.

I've tried a few patterns on the rocks, so fun seeing how they turn out.  I am going to leave a few of them at the park to give away.

I enjoy nature.  I love how the stones bring crafting and nature together.

I even tried a pinecone cozy.  Funny right. 

We've been eating a lot of fruit.  The red fruit is Aujou pears.  So good.

When we go for walks, Esteban helps me pick up pieces of nature that inspire me.

Here is my handsome husband near the community center and park where we walk.

I wanted to take some pictures with two of my favorite nurses, but they were too busy.  So here I am at the hospital getting the juice of life.  I love the tiny tv's that are hanging on an arm.  We can each watch what we want while we wait.  I made the hat too, that orange color is one of my favorites.

I leave you with a touch of Luci Love.  I made that pillow and she keeps putting her head on it, she even twists around so she is positioned over it correctly.  It is one of the cutest things I've ever seen.

Have a great weekend!

Random Goings On

Our family is in a good rhythm as the winter rolls on.  This is the best time of year for Arizona so we are enjoying the cooler weather.  I just wanted to share a bit of what each of us is up to.


Esteban
He loves Dub Step music, he uses his phone and headset to rock out when he is cleaning or doing laundry.
A few days ago I told him I was craving berries and he brought every berry at the store.  Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and he included grapes just in case.  He hosted a berry festival for me, so amazing.
Esteban and I love to watch some of the series TV on NetFlix and Hulu.  Right now we are watching Being Human and the last season of Star Trek Voyager.

Sebastian
He is finishing his finals and has been studying a lot.  He took a break to see his High School friends in their production of Beauty and the Beast.  He thought the play was outstanding, especially the young man who played Gaston.  Sebastian misses his Drama and Stage Craft classes, they were his favorite in High School.  When he has time, Sebastian watches episodes of The Walking Dead, he is so hooked.

Isabel
Is reading a lot and watching anime and horror movies with her friend Jamie.  Isabel says she wants to visit Japan when she is older.  She and her friends are trading beaded friendship bracelets.  Isabel has also been putting her hair in a pony tail for several weeks, I asked why and she said she just feels like it.
Preteen girls are fun to be around (most of the time;), I love to hear Isabel laugh.

Frances
I have been doing a bit a embroidery, made a few trees and carved a few stamps.  I seem to have the attention span of a hummingbird.  Crafting keeps my hands and mind busy and makes me feel better.  I can't get enough of Bones and The Amazing Race on Hulu.  I have also been putting whipped cream on my fruit, it is my favorite thing to eat right now.  I caught Isabel shooting the whipped cream into her mouth.  See, most of the time.

Luci
Luci has been living the good life receiving love from each of us.  We had a day of rain and Luci was not sure at all about going out.  She shakes her body like she is soaked every few minutes, so the rain walks are like a mad dash for Esteban and Sebastian.

Fruit and whipped cream, my latest food love.

This tree was a custom order finished yesterday.  It was fun to try fewer stones on a slightly taller version of my Tiny Trees.

I embroidered this fox which was a project in the book Embroider Everything by Diana Rupp.  I made a wire frame and embroidered it to the fox, I like how it turned out.

There we go, a little update.  I hope you are having a great weekend.

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Bald is Beautiful!

We are having a great time as winter is winding down, I just wanted to share a few photos of what we are up to.

Sebastian is wearing his Police Explorers Uniform after a national competition his unit participated in this past weekend (we are asked not to show photos of the patch because it says police).  Sebastian completed a serious obstacle course and a separate mud run, which is a lot for a first year member.  He is so excited to be part of a team and get to learn from and participate with the pros.  He was giving us a blow by blow of his adventures and I caught this great shot.

Luci has perfected the mid day nap after months of intense practice.

A touching father daughter moment.  We all give Luci air kisses as often as possible.

We had a cold snap that lasted for several weeks and we would put this jacket on Luci for her early morning walk when the temperature was just above freezing.  After a few days she would come over and sit by the jacket and wait for me to put it on.  When it got warmer she stopped asking for it.  I made the jacket last year using cozy flannel.  

Esteban wearing his Power Ranger hoodie on one of our walks.  I love it, he is so cool he could really be a power ranger.  The red one of course.

A great tree along our walk that has circular leaves, one of my favorites.

Other beautiful trees along our walk.

I am playing with my carved stamps and having a coffee.  I made that mobile with blue beads.  I like how it turned out and am experimenting with designs for my next one.

I picked up these twigs and rock on our walk and couldn't resist taking some photos with my newest stamps in the light box.  I am getting more confident and trying designs that are a bit more complicated.

I got this bright idea to make handles for my stamps.  I made a few prototypes out of clay and used hot glue to add strong magnets.  I glued metal discs to the back of the stamps.  I tried them out and the handles worked like a charm.  I was afraid the stamps would slip around, but the magnet was strong enough to keep the stamps in place when used.  

My hair is now coming out so we are taking the next step and shaving it.  Here is my last photo of hair.  So long.  I hear bald is beautiful anyway.

Hope your week is off to a great start.

Recent Craft Projects

I wanted to share some of the crafts I have been working on recently.  I've had a lot of fun trying different projects.  Let's take a look.

 I wanted to use these Altoid Smalls tins to hold my best beads.  I decided to cover the top with textured fabric so the 3D letters wouldn't show through the top.  I think they turned out great and I use a strong magnet to hang them on my metal display board.

 They were super easy to make, just a little Mod Podge and fabric.

I think they turned out great.  I found the more textured the fabric, the better the result.

I made each of the kids a fox body pillow for Christmas, I think Sebastian likes his.  It is funny how the fox's nose looks like a moustache.

They are pretty long and cozy, just right for a snuggle.

I made a mobil with these paper animals and wire.  I love it and think it turned out better than expected.

I used glass beads above each animal.  I thought it would be interesting to make it horizontal.

I am experimenting with wire and hanging mobiles.  Here is a bird prototype that I like a lot.

I recently got this carving tool at Michael's with a 50% off coupon (whoo hoo!).  I can't stop carving stamps with it!  I even sent Sebastian out a few days ago to Michaels to buy me more carving medium (with my 40% off coupon, yea!).  So I am hooked and having a great time sketching little pictures and carving stamps.

I also attempted to bend wire into words and found out I am a natural.  I have done everyone's name (even Luci) and am now doing fun words, like Love.

 My new camera is really crisp, using the light box is a dream.


Just wanted to show some of the fun things I have been up to lately.  Hope your week is going well.

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday?

I do love when Wednesday rolls around and I can peek at work desks from around the world.  It is a great way to get to know a lovely group of artists.  You can participate by joining the link party hosted by Artist Stamper Julia Dunnit on her cool blog Stamping Ground.  Or you can stop by Julia's blog to get the list and take a peek at a few desks.

Here is my desk tonight.  I got a few things at JoAnns and am playing with each of the new little items.  I got two faceted green glass leaves that I love but I can't decide how I will use.

I am still working on Halloween trees as you can see in my light box.  I am also working on a few special trees that I haven't finished so I put rubber bands on them.  Keeps the beads from falling off.

My favorite thing I've been working on lately is a wire and bead bee.  It is a gift for a friend.  I love the little antennae.

That is what I am up to on this bright and beautiful Workdesk Wednesday.  I hope your week is off to a great start.

Halloween Yes! and The Costume Search Continues.....

My lovely daughter, Isabel was initially unsure about dressing up for Halloween this year.  I know I would dress up if I could;), so I used my Halloween enthusiasm and was able to convince her to dress up on the big spooky day.  Yea!
Last week I found five great Halloween costume ideas, you can check them out here.   I got the dress up win, but the costume ideas were rejected.

Hey, I take what I can get, remember she is 13.  So I am still looking for THE costume or at least a great idea to build from.  We are pretty crafty and I can sew, so we can make just about anything she likes.  We did talk briefly about a zombie back up plan.  We would just do make up and tattered clothes if we can't come up with something more original.

So here is my 2nd list of interesting Halloween costumes.  I know some of the kids pictured are younger, I just like the bright and vibrant ideas.  Isabel speaks craft so I feel confident that we can work together to make something fun and age appropriate.

You can find all of these ideas and more with instructions on the great website Spoonful.com.

1. Greek Statue.  How cute is this?  A basic dress with white fabric draping around the shoulders make this a pretty easy costume.  You could also do a basic head piece with gold leaves instead of the green leaves and grapes.  Isabel loves Greek Mythology, so this might work.  It could also be turned into a goddess costume pretty easily if she likes.

Photo Courtesy:  Spoonful.com

2. Ham Sandwich.  This one is so funny.  Definitely a more time consuming craft project, but one of a kind.  I would use cardboard, paint and construction paper to put this together.  The pickle hat is my favorite part.

Photo Courtesy:  spoonful.com

3. Fortune Teller.  I dressed up as a fortune teller one year when I was a kid.  This costume is easy to put together but can have a lot of personality.  I have a turban too.

Photo Courtesy:  Spoonful.com

4. Target.  This one is funny and easy to wear for a 13 year old.  I would put the arrow front to back instead of side to side, to make it look like someone missed the target.

Photo Courtesy:  Spoonful.com

5. Pizza.  This could be done pretty easily in various types of construction paper and cardboard.  I really like this one, it will make everyone smile.

Photo Courtesy:  Spoonful.com

6. Blue Bird.  The possibilities here are endless.  You could do a brown make up and brown feathers to look like an owl.   You could do red feathers to look like a cardinal.  White feathers to be an eagle or dove.  You could go all out and do some type of wings that strap to the arms.  I would use cardboard, paint and feathers.  Maybe too flashy for Isabel, but it might just be interesting and whimsical enough to catch her eye.

Photo Courtesy:  spoonful.com

7.  Washing Machine.  This is pretty cute, but may be complex to put together.  Although you could use a few items you might normally throw away.  I think it is funny enough to at least show Isabel.

Photo Courtesy:  Spoonful.com

8.  Octopus.  Simple and funny and pretty current, I've seen Octopus (or is it Octopi?) everywhere.  We could re-purpose an over sized sweat shirt.  

Photo Courtesy:  spoonful.com

9.  Pumpkin.  I consider this one a solid choice.  The leaves make it look feminine and pretty somehow.  She might like the simplicity here and if the face make up is done right it can be a cool twist on a classic.

Photo Courtesy:  spoonful.com

10.  Mummy.  This is also close to the Zombie that Isabel is interested in.  The zombie would likely have more darkness around the eyes.  We have a good face make up kit, Isabel would just need the fabric strips.  

Photo Courtesy:  Spoonful.com

There we go.  Do you have a favorite?  

I'll let you know what Isabel thinks about my list.  She was excited after we talked yesterday so she may develop a few ideas herself.

Thank you for taking a look at some of my Isabel costume ideas.

I hope your Monday is fun and interesting.