Animal Attraction

Most often when I go to get a card for someone at the store two thoughts cross my mind - a). I shouldn't be buying a card when I can just make one. b). None of these are really good, so I'll go with the best of the worst. I rarely have that 'Hallmark' moment where I find a card that says just what I want it to, or rarely have it come close to saying something I would naturally say. I feel I've always had a quirkier way of communicating things anyway. 

I decided that for Valentine's Day I wasn't going to do something typical. My sentiments still come across but in a much different way. Hopefully the humor is seen there. I always like to find things that make me laugh or smile and share them with others. Thus, I give to you these two animal inspired and funny valentines:

This first one is my Cowboy Valentine. I used a nice metallic gold ink on high quality red paper. The brown card is textured and made from recycled materials. The phrase "I bucking love you" just seemed fitting for this one. :)

This second card features an angry grizzly bear. Let's face it, bears are pretty hot right now, and the angrier the better. One of my friends is bear-obsessed, and he was kind of the inspiration behind this card. It was a lot of fun to make and is more of a collage than anything else. The screen-printed bear silhouette was done on my Gocco and then illustrated by hand. The trees are decorative pieces of scrap paper, and the felted heart was found. Though the outside may appear sort of intimidating, the inside opens up to read 'Please don't get mauled by bears. I love you too much.' So you see, it really is quite sweet after all.

As always, thanks so much for looking and reading. I apologize for the change of layout, but I am just experimenting to see what works best. These cards and other products are available online in my etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/dessertforbreakfast?view_type=gallery

I've Got a Secret...

...and today I bring you a few more valentines. These simple little cards were inspired by the art of sending a secret message. The kraft paper envelopes hold a special greeting for the recipient. Some have a message printed on the outside revealing only the envelopes content. Others have the message on the inside making it more of a mystery. I also tried to play on some words according to the images used.

This was a fun project, because it took me back to the grade school days of the valentine exchange (only this time I didn't have to make a milk carton or paper plate holder to keep them in). Each of these cards were lovingly stamped and assembled by hand. Some have added hand-colored detail. They are all available in my etsy shop as well:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/dessertforbreakfast?view_type=gallery

Thanks again for stopping by! ...more to come soon...

Bag Lady

So I have been sewing for about two years solid now, and I have 4 skirts, 1 shirt and an assortment of bags and plush animals to show for it. However, I don't always feel like making something from a pattern. I have found that totes are simple enough to make and don't take much time at all. It's also a great use of scrap fabric. I even made a little fabric bag (minus the handles) and used it as a gift bag. It served it served its purpose of housing a present, and the lucky recipient got a keepsake for herself.

This first tote is composed of oilcloth (chickens were found on ebay, faux bois and brocade were from etsy). I wanted to use this fabric, because I was making a grocery tote. The outside is completely wipeable, and the linen lining provides sturdy support. I found the pattern online here:

http://www.purlbee.com/oilcloth-grocery-tote/

This specific tote has a circular bottom, and that proved to be a little challenging at first but still very doable. With the leftover material I was able to make a little purse for myself. (I couldn't let the cute chickens go to waste!) The best part was I just folded the fabric in half and then sewed the sides up. I didn't even have to make a bottom.

The second tote shown here was made of spare bits I had laying around. The outer fabric is a superfine brown corduroy, and the inside is a cotton print. First, I sandwiched the two fabrics together for each side and sewed them creating a durable duplex fabric of sorts. Then I pinned my two sides together and sewed everything but the top where the opening was. Next I did a few rows of stitches for added decoration. (For the gift bag, I just stopped here. It was so easy to make and meant a little more than the store bought alternative. Plus, you can tailor them to any size!) For the little handbag I added some handles, which were just two long strips of the corduroy fabric folded in half. I personally love the look of a stitch and again made rows of straights and zig-zags alternating for extra interest. Finally, I like to secure the handles for all of my bags with the "X" method. Again, I like the way it looks, and it adds more support.

Thanks for looking at my projects! Please feel free to share any of your own. I'd love to see them :)

A Fresh Start for Twenty-Ten

Hello friends. It's amazing to believe that it's already 2010. Last year I really neglected this blog and posted a bunch of random things. I want to try and do my best this year to keep my postings based on the things I create. I'll also try to commit more, thus keeping me on the ball with productivity and personal projects.

During the winter holiday I was busy creating valentines for my etsy shop. http://www.etsy.com/shop/dessertforbreakfast?view_type=gallery

I also made some Braille valentines earlier this week. I found an old Braille alphabet I had saved. I knew immediately that I was going to put it to use. It occurred to me that I have never personally seen any Braille valentines. I also liked the idea of having an interactive card. The materials I used for the 'dots' allowed me to achieve a raised texture, giving the cards a 3 dimensional effect. Even if they aren't used with their intended purpose, they make a nice keepsake design. The dots on a solid background are nice and modern and would look great framed.

Thank you so much for taking the time to look at my artwork. Please check back frequently, as I will be adding more and more handmades as the days go by.

IT'S BUSINESS TIME

So, usually I just post my feelings or random pictures or whatever here. I really want this to be a place to share my new ideas, crafts and whatnot. I don't know if it's the weather or a sudden raise in motivation, but I really want to create lately. I'm not even as worried about making something horrible. I just want to go through the process of finishing projects again.

For starters, these are my new business cards. I used my Gocco to screen print them on a variety of different colored stocks. It just made me happy to actually pull out my machine again to make them. I also feel like these are more "me." I don't know if they'll get me some work or not, but at least I'll feel proud to carry them in my wallet.

Home Again

Well, we are back home after a very enjoyable week in Branson. Unfortunately, the rest of my leftover vacation money is going to be put towards a speeding ticket. At least it's from IL and not MO though. We still made really good time in the end. Dex was amazing in the car. He mostly slept, but even when he was awake he contented himself.

The week itself flew by. Phil and I were extraordinarily lazy, but it felt really good to not have a schedule to stick to. We played a lot of card games and watched a few movies. We hit one of my favorite diners, a Bob Evans, Famous Dave's Barbeque, a Chinese buffet and of course a Sonic. Gran made killer rocky road brownies, Heath Bar Ice Cream Cake, beef stew and mac and cheese casserole. Aunt Debbi made my favorite Texas potatoes. Basically, we ate pretty well and most likely gained a couple pounds each.

I got to introduce Phil and Dex to my aunt and uncle that live down there - as well as their son and daughter-in-law. Easter day we visited, feasted and played a competitive game of guys versus girls Catch Phrase. Good times. I was back in my pajamas by 4 for the night. 

Leaving was bittersweet. but it feels good to be back in our home again. We went and picked up Paisley last night. Honestly, I thought she'd be more excited to see us, but Grandma Pat and Grandpa Bill took great care of her. She's practically potty trained! 

Phil's already back to work, and I've got a lot to do today as well. Luckily, there's also quite a few jobs lined up for dessertforbreakfast. Other than that we just plan on making a lot of little renovations to the place.

Branson Bound

So tomorrow is the big day, our first ever family road trip! We are dropping Paisley off by Phil's parents tonight, and they are going to watch her for the week. She just would have been too much right now. Maybe by the time we get home she and Bailey will be friends.

We are taking anew route this year. My grandpa found an expressway that cuts out a ton of traffic. Woohoo! I have made that drive many a time, solo and with others. Shaving off an extra hour or so will be nice! For the most part we should really only have to stop a couple of times. Dex usually sleeps in the car. 

It'll be nice to kind of escape for a little while. The weather is supposed to be in the 70's there. I get so tired from being here all day. I try to find things to do with Dex, but it feels so monotonous sometimes. I know Phil can use the break from work too. I'm actually just looking forward to the car ride and switching our iPods back and forth.

I wish everyone a Happy Easter holiday, and we'll be back soon!