Can't leave well enough alone (yoyo embellished dress)

Ah... I bought this dress at "Tar-jeh" (Target) a few months ago. Fell in love with the almost drab grey and bought it in a Large, since it was the last one. Oh no! I wore it out on a date with J, hoping he'd find me smokin' (in a 50s kind of way). Hmrph... The dress was too big and slipped off my shoulders all night and J said he'd like it better with some embellishment. "too plain for you". He knows my style well.
I trust him and we usually agree.
So its been in the project pile all summer. Tonight, I decided to fix it. I shortened the sleeve circumference and added a whole mess of yoyos (I know, the yoyo police are going to come soon and take me away for overkill.) I love yoyos, though, and shamelessly used my favorites
all over this dress.
I asked J his opinion on the ribbon belt. He disagrees with my choice of the 2" satin; voted for the 7/8" grosgrain, but here we are. Can you believe I have such a tolerant husband? Seriously! I'm blessed and lucky.
And this dress is perfect for church tomorrow morning.

Scrap skirt #5

So I need a friend who is a true size 12 or maybe 14 to try on this beauty, because I didn't measure it when sewing tonight and I just had so much fun making it... And it doesn't fit me.
But it's so super cute. With an elastic waistband that makes it really a no-brainer as far as ease.
I'm just loving it.
And it's all scraps.

Oh happy day. (scrap skirt #4)

After weeks of not being able to sew due to back pain, I was able to sew last night.
(I recommend not having a 40lb 2 year old... 2 year olds still need to be held, and I'm starting to think I need a weight trainer just to advise me on how to do this. Believe me, I still use my sling when I can, because it's the only thing that helps.)

Anyhow, back to the happiness...
Dear reader Catherine, commissioned me to make a little girl spinny skirt for her darlin' to match her momma's new CLASSIC patterned skirt, and here it is!!! I'm so pleased with how much easier it was to make this time and I think it turned out even better than the first 3!
And the vintage yoyo was just for happy kicks. Tori, of Tori Higa stationery, sent me a batch of vintage yoyos she boughtfor me at Estate of Grace- which I also need to blog about...
I just had to pass on the sharefest and this morning's happy project.
Now I'm off to preschool orientation...

More Japanese book inspiration

So, If you are a Facebook friend of mine, you've likely seen my recent confession about obsessing over craft books and mags in different languages. I've been subscribed to Marie Claire Idees for a few years now (published in French, of which I know none) - renewing the subscription is itself an adventure (though my hyperlink just taught me I could have ordered it through amazon!)... but the ideas there are way more creative and geared into my personal aesthetic (a little sweeter and lighter than some of the craft mags around that try to navigate craftiness without cheese - I think they sometimes end up a little jaded)
So, I pore over the magazine, carrying it with me everywhere for a few weeks, saving the issues and pulling them out a few seasons or years later. I just love them.

Well - last week, I stumbled into a Japanese bookstore that had a whole crafter's section. Wow. Talk about a whole new realm. I'm not super into the polished/perfect/plastic side of the Japanese aesthetic - but there is another school of Japanese design called Wabi Sabi that I studied a little in my Milliken days - one that loves vintage, the hand of the designer, and appreciates wear on designed items. This is probably what is feeding the sweet books that I picked up at this store. It took a while, but I settled on three. (None of which I can read the titles). They are simply delicious. Fresh, pale, clean, sweet - with an affinity for American craft, but with a definite Japanese hand.
I'm in love.

Momma's thinking...

"Good thinking, momma!"
If I do say so myself... The kids are starting to get into one of my avorite activities as a little kid, sewing cards with laces. After spending some money about a year ago on some lacing cards, I realized I'd wasted my money... So I have been making my own from postcards and cereal boxes and the kids love them...Today, Z even tried doing them...

All in a day's work

Todays inspiration

I didn't mind traffic that much today, with beachy sleeping kiddos in the back, quiet music playing (my music!) and an ice blended... I liked having time to think...

Packing tape transfers (tutorial)

Today the kids and I did one of my favorite art projects... Transfers... Which is essentially transferring ink from a printed page to plastic.
It sounds complicated, but it is so fun and easy that even Z hung in there long enough to have fun.
This photo is strange, but it shows how we clipped magazine pictures we liked, (princess coupons, Thomas the train ads and for me, a photo essay about a trip to India...)... Anyway, they are super easy... Normally, people like to use acrylic medium to create the transfer,
but waiting for the drying time gets boring with a 2 year old and a 3 year old. So we used an old art school trick... Take clear packing tape (I have tons around here for shipping!) and cover the area that you want to transfer. (glossy magazine pages work best) You can combine layers of tape to get larger area. Rub the tape to the paper, burnishing it for a good bond. ( I sometimes don't rub it, to get a more aged appearance, as demonstrated in this photo).
Submerge the entire tape/magazine page in warm or hot water (we use baking dishes) and let it sit for 1-3 minutes. Then rub the paper side of the transfer until the paper rubs off in flakes. Continue until the tape is left with a clean image.

Transfers are amazing for using in collages and finished art. They layer beautifully for gluing, drawing and even sewing.. This batch is going into my journal and the kids will use theirs for future art projects, but for now, they are working as unsophisticated window clings... The kids are mystified by them and it was a fun, colorful, clean, and tactile activity for all of us... One that left me inspired to pull out my sketchbooks to paint and draw tonight to make places
for these transfers to live...

Appliqué jungle

I took this photo a while ago at anthropologie (of course)... I would
love to wake up in this jungle....

More beanbag doorstops

I love making these... They are the perfect thing to do while watching the Olympics... Except for when I spill dried beans all over the floor because I'm not paying attention... Go USA!