Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Slowly getting there, one petal at a time....



Hopefully I'll have something pretty to show you tomorrow. For now, I'll leave you with this colorful mountain of petals and leaves. Have a happy day!

Aloha!

Monday, May 12, 2008

Home Tweet Home

Every birdie needs a home, even if it's in a pepper!


I don't really consider this crafting. Buying components and then slapping them together doesn't feel like I put enough effort into it to consider it crafting. To me, this falls into the category of flower arranging. Regardless, this was a fun project to work on.

If you are looking for a quick gift, you can put this together really fast. I started out with a vinyl coated foam green bell pepper. You can usually find these near the artificial flowers in most craft stores. I carved a hole into the pepper and painted the inside (white foam) with dark brown paint. I glued some spanish moss into the hole and a dowel just below it for the mushroom bird to perch on. The base is made from the saucer of a terra cotta pot which was sponge painted with mossy greens and golds. Silk daisies, ivy and spanish moss were added for interest. A raffia bow completes the look. Easy, peasy and a snap to whip up.


I'm sure you're all very much aware of the "new" retro fad. For a long time, I resisted anything considered retro. To me, it was just "old" and nothing else. I guess when you yourself can physically be considered retro, the natural thing is to resist the old in favor of something new. It was a part of my past and I wanted it to stay that way. Follow me so far??? Something happened along the way to make me change my mind. I guess it was the constant barrage of advertising of retro items in fashion and home dec that helped me to do an about face. I now love a burnt orange, lime green, and chocolate brown combination. They are clearly colors that were popular while I was growing up. I can't seem get enough of the new retro and I'm starting to look for it wherever I go.



This brings me to this cool retro wrapping paper that I fell in love with the moment I saw it. The cream, moss green, and aqua blue combination is clearly circa 1950. This is the wrapping on my Mother's Day gift to my mom. I created a simple hang tag which adds to the retro feel.

I really love the new retro even if it's actually the second or third time around for me. The old new has now become the new new, or something like that. Anyway, I adore it no matter how you call it.

If you've read this far, thank you. You are the bees knees, the cat's pajamas, cool cats! Okay, now I'm just getting carried away...

Have a nice day!

Aloha!

Friday, May 9, 2008

Miss Bunny

My photography skills really stink. Sometimes I get lucky. Most times I don't. Today was no exception. After 40 tries, I give up.

For some reason this little bunny was a booger to photograph. I really couldn't capture it the way it looks in person. I always have a problem with yellow's anyway. Oh well, I guess anything is better than a post without pictures, right?


Here's a blurry closeup...


Miss Bunny's body is made from a giant stuffed yo-yo. In fact, so is her head although that has been sculpted a bit to give her face a little definition. Her long floppy ears bring a smile to my face. I hope it brings one to yours!

Have a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there.

Aloha!

Thursday, May 8, 2008

She's living in a faux world...



I know what you're probably thinking. Does it go something like this? "First it was fabric flowers. Now it's fabric strawberries. Isn't anything real over at her house?" As I was taking these snapshots this morning, (in between a few chuckles) I could almost hear you all saying those very words.

It is after 8am and the sun is nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, these images reflect how dark it is around here.



I hastily assembled these strawberries for today's post. They aren't as elaborate as usual, but I think you get the main idea. Up to three years ago, they were a staple on my craft table. I'm unsure if I will have the time to do more this year as I'm already overwhelmed at the volume of things that still need to be done. November will be here before we know it.



So, my dear friends, it's time to head back to my craft dungeon. I hope creativity and inspiration fill your day!

Aloha!

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

It's Netter's Special Day!

I have been very fortunate to have met some really fantastic people through my blog. Netter is one of them. She has a number of blogs that she maintains. If you have a blog of your own, you know the amount of attention that it requires. Mix that in with every day life and it can get overwhelming fast.
Netter has 5 blogs. She's a very busy woman. If you need a book recommendation, a great recipe, or crafting inspiration, I'm sure you will find what you are looking for in one of her blogs.

Netter was also the winner of my last giveaway. After receiving her package, she sent me an email saying that she will wait to open it until today, which happens to be her birthday. How is that for willpower? Happy Birthday, Netter! If you'd like to see what she received, you can visit her
here. I hope you have a fabulous day, Netter!


Sometimes I make things just to see if I can. Of course, I usually get carried away and end up making way too many of whatever it is.

These are beaded beads that I made late last year and I still have no idea what it is that I'm going to do with them. They are made from faceted beads that were beaded onto fishing line. I left the tails of fishing line on the beads just in case I needed to use it to attach it to something. Whatever that "something" is has yet to be determined. And to make matters worse, I don't even remember how to make them anymore. What would you do with these? Any ideas?

And last but not least, new fabric flowers continue to bloom...


Have a nice day!

Aloha!

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Yes, I can be fickle at times...

I usually know immediately if I love something or not. Then there are the times that something has to grow on me a while before I decide that I like it. Just call me fickle.



A couple of years ago, I saw a completed handbag somewhere out there in blogland that was made from this pattern. At the time I thought that it had an interesting shape but it wasn't something that I would like for myself. I ran into this pattern again last week and had an immediate attraction to it. Who would have guessed!?!

My hubbie said it reminds him of a boat and I tend to agree with him. Although I'm excited to start on it, it will have to wait it's turn in line behind the zillions of other things that I have going on.





I'm constantly making prototypes from ideas that pop into my head. This is a strawberry key chain that I have been working on. I know that the center of a strawberry flower is yellow, but somehow a yellow button just didn't look right so I added a blue one instead. It's a bit "cutesy" but I think the tweenies would love to hang their house or locker key from it. This will be added to the pile of items that need to be thought through a bit more.

I hope you all have a wonderful Spring day and enjoy the beautiful flowers that surround you. Me, I'll just go sniff my fabric flowers while thinking of some of your fabulous gardens that you described to me yesterday. (grin)

Aloha!

Monday, May 5, 2008

No Fresh Flowers Here!

Since the beginning of Spring, I have noticed an explosion of flower images in a large number of blogs that I frequent. I bow my head in shame as I present to you more flowers of the fabric kind. Don't get me wrong, I love fresh flowers. The problem is that I am not an avid gardener. In fact, I enjoy gardening less and less as the years go by.



When we first purchased our home, I planted many trees, shrubs, and flowers. At one time a huge part of the garden consisted of lavender agapanthus which profusely bloomed throughout the year. It often looked like a sea of lavender in my front yard. I was constantly asked by my neighbor about how I got them to bloom so much while she struggled to keep her agapanthus alive. I could never answer her because my garden bloomed with little help from me.

Several years ago we hired a landscaping company to come in and redo our yard. It soon became a yard of rocks, grass and very few plants. The belief was that I could at least manage something simple. Unfortunately, I also neglect my little patch of plantings too.

Here is a picture of my front yard. A garden gate now fills the hole in the wall. Take notice of the sparse plantings.



So, if you've come to my blog expecting to see fresh blooms this Spring, you have come to the wrong place. The only images that I can offer you are of fabric flowers. I hope they make you happy just the same.

Have a fabulous Monday!

Aloha!