I am not making another wristlet for a LONG time..

Yeah, so in the Sweatshoppe swap, out of 10, *6* people picked wristlets..two of them were the pink and orange polka dot one already shown, so I'll spare you:

Of course, I promptly made one more for another swap, along with this notebook cover...which I made from a Japanese pattern, with no instructions. :P

Magical metal clay..

Okay, so I finally went to a PMC 1-day course. O..M..G...This is THE MOST AMAZING STUFF EVER INVENTED!!!!!!!!! I am SO IN LOVE WITH IT!!!!! :D :D :D :D


Okay, I know they are kind of..boring..but I wanted to take advantage of having the kiln right there, and leave the class with a bunch of things I could actually use, like the little dangle charms to add to my jewellery clasps. And I didn't want to waste the whole class trying to perfect the perfect piece, and maybe coming out with nothing, like I saw some of the other people doing. Besides, I suck at clay modeling, so I knew I could spend HOURS trying to do something fancy, heh.

But aside from all that, this is the COOLEST STUFF EVER!!! :p :p :p Now I need to go blow all my money, and order a full set up to do it all myself. :D

Not quite totally Japanese hairpins...

I promised these Japanese hairpins to someone, and they were supposed to be made with vintage kimono fabric. When it came to it, though, I ended up using recycled Indian silk, cause, well, I didn't WANT to use the kimono stuff. :p I think they came out just as fantastic, though....

I used a Japanese pattern, though, so they are a *little* Japanese! :D

Dragons go with geishas, right?

I did this huuuuge swap, a Sweatshoppe swap, and I picked to do two sets...wth was I thinking??? That was 10 items...and then I signed up for 4 other swaps as well...ouch!

Hennyways...I made two more trinket boxes for it. Both done with the same techniques as the other geisha box. The geisha one has the same lining as the other one, too.

Ooh, and Tuesday gave me my first comment!! :P Nice to see you!! :D

Geishas are where it's at...

I was in a Geisha swap. I bought the trinket box, and then painted it, first with acrylics for the base, and then decorated with watercolor pencils, pen, and silver foil.

The inside is lined with re-purposed Japanese silk paper.













I also made a little purse. Outside is silk, with an inset of vintage kimono silk, and then line with a synthetic that just happened to match perfectly. The pocket is just attached at the sides, but not the bottom, like a little bag. I was really happy with how it turned out. I swear it is NOT crooked!! :P
















I also sent along a little hairclip, also from kimono silk:



I was quite proud of my contributions. :D

I figured out why I love swaps...

If you haven't noticed, most of the stuff I make seems to be destined for swaps. I thought about that, and figured out why.

I love to make stuff. I like to sew, I like to make jewellery, I like to try new techniques. But in true crafter style, I am a hypercritical perfectionist of my own work, so I HATE HATE HATE having to ever see it again! I can see every single little flaw, every single little mistake I ever made in the creation of the thing. I can see each missed stitch, I can see how I should have chosen that other fabric, I can see where that crease I accidently pressed in won't completely press back out. So I shove it to the bottom of my cupboard, and never look at it again.

The cute little bag here is a perfect example. Looks nice, right? Not all THAT homemade, etc, right? You would be happy to stick your money and lipstick in it, and take it out around town, right?? Not me. I can see the wrinkles I couldn't press out, I can see that I couldn't get my stupid presser foot around the zipper edge, cause I am still too much of a noob to know how to do that professionally, so I had to handstitch all around it, inside AND out; I can see where my stitching line wobbles, etc etc etc.

But, also in true crafter fashion, I LOVE other people's crafting, and totally appreciate the work that went into it, without minding any flaws whatsoever, because I know it just adds character! Solution: swap!! I get something nice from someone else, that I can appreciate, and love, and I get to make something, but never actually have to see it again!! :D It's a win-win situation!

Anybody remember Shrinky Dinks??

I recently rediscovered this stuff again. I am in love. I need to order the 50 pack from the Shrinky Dink website. There is some fricking awesome stuff out there made from this stuff. Way better than my little tries (made for yet another swap, coincidently.)

Blue October...

...is filling all corners of my Shuffle lately. Euphoric is a word a friend used to describe the dude's voice. I agree. Check them out HERE.

EVERYBODY knows who the REAL Dread Pirate Roberts is!!!

Yepp, another swap....Anybody who loves the Princess Bride is okay in my book!

Stole the idea off the net for the picture and words, and then handpainted, and covered in vinyl. I was so busy trying not to immortalize any fluff or threads or anything like that off the dump that is my sewing floor, that I forgot, and immortalized all it's wrinkly glory. Sheesh.

I smell gooooood....

A Christmas swap...I made yuuuummmyy sea salt and sugar scrubs, with cute little bead tassels. Salt is coconut and spice, sugar is something called Karma Rose. Whatever, they smell gooooood...

I also made a little Christmas card to go with it..

In return, she sent me the most awesome handmade, to die for, soaps:

I can't believe I had to give this away!!

I made this for a swap, and then when it was done, I had to pry it out of my fingers and ship it away! Wah!

I had this awesome Asian print scarf, with little gold highlights, just waiting for the perfect project. Well, the project came along, and I didn't know how perfect it was going to be til it was done, and by then it was too late to make another bag to send! I am soo going to regret this for years!

The black is an awesome organic linen, made from a half finished pair of pants a friend abandoned; the lining is the same red stripey stuff from the Sha Sha bag, the clasp is another huge red Cinnabar bead; and the pattern is all mine.

Boring to everybody else but me....

I made PJ pants. Plain, boring, old PJ pants. From scratch. As in, this is the first workable garment I have ever made with my newly acquired patterndrafting skills. Awesome.

Sha-sha..

I made a Sha-Sha Dream purse for a swap partner....I really liked it, and she said she did, too.

Faux suede, with orange-y embroidered flowers, and a stripey orange-red-yellow lining. Closure is one of those Chinese carved cinnabar beads.

Strap is short, but still long enough to tuck under your arm.

Cherry lemonade..

I love this necklace. I got this heart from a messy little stall in the Glebe Markets for $4; it was perfect to go with the green pearls. All I can think of when I look at it is cherry lemonade!

The name says it all....

I don't which is better...the name, or the skirt!!

I give you the Distlefink Skirt!

Marfy....

Went poking through my really, really old folders tonight, and found the link to the Marfy patterns....This is my latest lust-have....I wonder how I can squeeze a little extra out of the budget??

I made me a new top. Never mind winter just started and I am going to freeze, and nevermind that it currently makes me look 5 months preggo....where there's a will, there's a way!!


Thinking of adding a belt/sash thing....will work on that next..

Genesis...

Diving into the world of blogging....

I keep wanting to show the world my latest favorite whatever, and the people around me, to their infinite loss, just don't care. So I will throw it out to the world, and see who it brings back!

I know nothing about blogs, or how to use them, so bear with me as I figure this all out. Can I use smilies here?? I like smilies. Hmmm....this is going to take a bit..