New Girl

Craft Studio M

2009-07-11T17:37:00.000-07:00

Hi guys,

Still figuring out this blog thing, and thought I posted a new link a couple months ago; guess not.

Anyway; wanted to change some settings, etc. etc.

My new blog is here:

http://craftstudiom.blogspot.com/

Thanks for following along on my crazy diversion!

Melanie

Treasures

2009-06-29T08:32:00.000-07:00

If you're thinking "my Grandma had those curtains!", she probably did.

Thrift store vintage "Sears" curtains become really cute retro pants (including ruffled cuff).

I really, really thought I took pictures of the curtain, but can't find them. I WILL get better at organizing my photos!

materials in waiting...

2009-06-24T21:23:00.001-07:00

Finally spent a couple solid hours in the studio, loved it. There was stuff (toys, paper, fabric, etc.) piled a foot high on my drafting table and a solid layer of stuff on the floor. Not to mention I had yet to clean out the cabinets after the sanding project and they were still full of dust. Made lots of progress today and hope to do more tomorrow.

So, while dusting and sorting materials I snapped a few shots:

so many materials, so little time!

2009-06-02T18:48:00.001-07:00

oops...too long since I've posted, and this is why....

SPRING!

I'm a terrible gardener, because I garden like I decorate our home...I keep wanting to move things around. My poor plants have been moved and moved again so many times I'm pretty sure their growth is stunted so much that they will never reach full potential! Oh well, too nice to resist when it is so sunny, warm and beautiful outside!

Hey look, it's an art project after all...the piece at the center of the arbor is the very first piece of wood and wire art that I did. whew, there it is, creativity.

Hope you are all enjoying your springtime.

Finally, some crafting time

2009-05-26T07:10:00.000-07:00

We spent most of the beautiful long weekend working outside, not that you could tell...there is so much to be done out there. Anyway I did sneak away to spend a bit of time in the studio while the kids ran crazy in the sprinkler.
My paper area is almost put together, right now all my paper is in a thrifted filing cabinet. No, that's not right, most of my paper is in a big pile on the little table beside my desk. That's the problem with the filing cabinet, I never put the paper back. I don't even keep on on my filing in the house, not sure what made me think I'd be better at with my paper. Anyway, I'm considering pizza boxes for paper storage, new ones of course, not used. Not a bonus if all my cards smell like pepperoni.
So I did make a few cards...

Typically my cards are a bit modern, clean lines, focus on the paper or the embellishment, but not too much decoration. I have started using beautiful textured card stock from Die Cuts With A View, http://www.diecutswithaview.com/, I used it for the baby shower invitations and fell in love with it then. Some of the embellishments, and paper, I used is from 3 birds design, "bling extreme" http://www.3birdsdesign.com/, paper is mostly die cuts with a view, and K & C Company, http://www.kandcompany.com/, and of course some from my stash that, and maybe a couple pieces from an extra fancy brochure I saved...don't know who their paper supplier is, but I really like it!

Studio Sanding done

2009-05-21T06:39:00.000-07:00

I'd really love to be working on some craft projects. Really, I would. But I've become completely obsessed with finishing out the studio. You know the drill "oh I'll just put this here for now, I'll just put this here for now". I'm so tired of the temporary moving of stuff! Don't get me wrong I know I'll be constantly rearranging in there, but with the wall and cabinets incomplete such a huge mess was looming.

But, the sanding is done on the cabinets, and aside for a little Spackle and sanding for touch-up, the "messy" projects are done. I spent the afternoon dusting, sweeping, and dusting some more...but it's getting there!
Yep, I like that much better than when they were painted...now I should varnish them...

Baby Shower Invites

2009-05-18T07:02:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks I've had the honor of working on the baby shower invitations for one of my very favorite people. I was in front of the TV on Thursday night cutting, cutting, cutting and on next to the last one (#39 of 40)...I noticed the typo. Are you kidding me!? I read and re-read that thing. I swear the printer changed it.

So off I went for more paper.

Finished them this morning, in the mail today.

They're simple, clean, modern. I love, love, love the Frank Lloyd Wrightish paper.
I'm thinking I could use the backside of all of the mis-prints and do matching Thank You cards. hmmm...we'll see.

No, they don't say "baby", but as much as I love to share I didn't think it wise to post the details of her shower...

Studio part III (warning - there could be a bunch of these)

2009-05-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

Getting closer. Door and window are trimmed, all completed with the scrap wood that came from the remodel of our house last year. I told Mike that this trim project is pretty much like any of my other craft projects, lots of cutting and pasting.

The ceiling moulding in the bathroom still needs to go up, and I'm going to have to do something with the shelf that the three little vases are on, it's plastic and was at Goodwill for .99, but I can't get it to stay up, if it gets bumped those vases are coming down. I think I should have bought a candy bar with that .99 and just put up a little wood shelf...oh well.

When Mike put the bathroom in my studio he plumbed it for a shower, so in the future it can officially be called a "guest house". Anyway, that little shelf and the picture above it cover up the holes in the wall that may or may not someday be shower fixtures.

As with most things I jumped into this project while right in the middle of a bunch of others. Right now I have decided NO new art projects until all the dust can be cleaned and I can put things away FOR GOOD! Right. we'll see.

OK, that's it for now. I have 40 baby shower invitations calling my name (NO not mine...see tomorrow's post...hopefully. It will be a late night). Chick flick and card making here I come!

Studio - part II

2009-05-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

Sanded, painted, cut trim, painted some more. Chased kid. Cut more trim. Did I mention that the shop, where the saw is, is about 200 yds. away from the studio, where the trim is going, and that it has been pouring down rain all day!? Got my exercise. Ran in rain, cut more trim, painted more trim, ran in rain some more. Picked up other kid from school, came home tried to do more, but kids throwing popcorn at each other...clearly time for Mom to be Mom.

One of those days when it is perfectly clear just how hard most of us "house wives" work! But I enjoy it, and I'm really getting closer to being finished out there...I think.

Oh, and I decided I don't like the cupboards painted so I started sanding them. Is this some kind of mid-life crisis thing? I really think I'm going nuts. Mike found the cabinets for me at one of those ultra cool, hidden treasure used construction materials places. They were perfect, but they were STINKY. In all my brilliance I decided that it would be quickest to just paint them and they would look great, but they didn't; I have never liked the final result...they are looking pretty good sanded though.

finished painting.

Not quite finished painting.

Stay tuned.

working on the studio...

2009-05-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

We moved here two years ago this month, part of why we loved this place so much was that it had to large out-buildings. A detachted 4-car garage that became my husband's shop (aka "man land - according to little J). And a detached 2-car garage that became my studio.
As for my car, it's in the driveway. It's a car. Have a studio, or park under cover...wasn't really a tough choice.

Anyway, Mike (aka best hubby ever) did the build-out to transform the small garage into my perfect space, that was last year. One wall however remained unfinished because the sliding glass door and one window were coming out of our house remodel. Mike put those in for me, and hung the drywall and then handed the project over to me. So there it has been-for a year. Last weekend I decided to tackle it. So with Princess D in front of the heater with a puzzle (it's still COLD here), I started the last of the drywall taping and mudding. Which means hopefully tomorrow I'll post about priming and painting. It's pretty exciting I know...(maybe I should be re-thinking this whole blog thing...).

Pictures of an absolutely divine space will follow...really!

Have a good night,

Sewing for friends

2009-05-11T13:30:00.000-07:00

Adorable fabric just makes me smile...

About a month ago I bought my very first serger. I love it! A couple months ago I came to the startling realization that it had been way to long without sewing. How could I possibly have forgotten how much fun this is!

Fabric. Fabric everywhere.

I need to know how to do more, my sewing skills have always been very basic. Sewing classes are in my future...well I hope so anyway. I found a local place with great classes, but I guess I'm the only person interested lately as they keep being cancelled. hmmm. Maybe it's me. Poor teacher, I'm just going to keep re-scheduling. I need to "advance my skills" in order to continue to feed this fabric shopping habit that I seem to be forming.

Anyway, D, my 3-yr old princess, already has a closet overflowing with sun-dresses. And J, my 6-yr old son, has more pj pants than any little boy could ever need. SO, now it's time to make guinea pigs out of my friends children! Here are two that will soon be in the mail to my somewhat unexpecting friends...sure hope they like them as much as I like this fabric!

Fabric by: Dena Designs for Freespirit Fabric
http://www.freespiritfabric.com/core-pages/designer_detail.php?des_id=20

I must be completely out of my mind...

2009-05-10T18:25:00.000-07:00

I have a 3-yr old downstairs who has had a fishing pole in the backyard all evening. "Mommy" she just said, "there's no fish out there". Of course there's no fish out there, we have no water out there. On a particular rainy day there might be a puddle. Still, no fish. And yet somehow I'm taking the time to jump in, feet first...finally, and create a blog.

Here it is. My creative space. A place to share just what I do, whatever that may be. Mixed media art pieces, sewing, paper crafts. I often think, if only I could focus on one thing maybe I'd be really good at it! But there's just too many great things to do, and too many great products to shop for...

I don't know where to start on photos, so here's a couple random projects:

This was so fun, it's an "inside out" quilted bag. The seams are meant to show, so it's super easy and quick. It's also my first attempt at a bag.

This is a sample of what I usually work on. Mixed media, with wood, wire and beads. Store bought wood cut-outs, inked and varnished, attached with wire and beads. That was glued to a wood base that was painted and stamped.

Enjoy! Stop by, leave comments, let me know that while I may be crazy at least I'm in good company???