maker madness

It is Friday and the Bazaar bizarre starts today with our load in and set up. Things are crazy round these parts( inside the little fort I call my head)

~I just found this self portrait in our photos file..don't exactly know who snapped it My man just gave me a much needed (he could see it in my wild and crazy eyes)pep talk edged with a warning that was something like" you are the key to this whole thing" (very positive) so do not loose It(warning): sometimes you loose it when the littlest thing goes wrong, it is all going to be OK , you know can do it(Preemptive)" See this is how I know I married the perfect compliment. Besides being 100% on this one, he framed the information in a way that does not put me on the defensive. He really does now how to get things done.Thanks daddy..for so much and all the yum yum breakfast for dinners


So moving along to the blog I should be neglecting. This is my 100Th post(which I understand is somewhat celebrated in blogland?) I had not even thought of it till I read this hi-larious blog entry by a super-fabu Texas lady calledCrazy Texas Mommy.
Anyway I sat down today thinking I should see how far I am from 100 (or if I had past it).
I was quite surprised and then a little not to see that by post numbered 99!? So anywho~ yay 100 post...there
Now we are busy little bees around here...I have a terrible sore throat~ this is my remedy along with my constant companion
~here are some very random snapshots of what I have been piecing together




and all I have to offer are some bad photos of a mad house...~and much super love
hopefully I will take"real" photos of all my stuff before it hopefully sells(hahaha). Can I get any more hope in there!?
This is my first official"craft" show so keep me in your thoughts and come see me At the Maker Faire if you are local

lordy, it seems like it's been a while....

Well there is a week or so(or less ) before the Maker Faire. I am so not supposed to be in front of this machine( much less posting for an hour) but in front of the other ones....(wow that is how I used to sew 6 months ago )

~BUTdaddy ran off to a birthday party and I am needing to see a little of my progress up on here. I do not have photos of last weeks work(yet) but I did want to share the pockets I made for skirts a few weeks back...

~Sage green cord skirt "butterfly"
From Anna Maria Horner print(who by the way just published a book, "Seams to Me" that is due out this month and way up there on my wish list and you can go here to enter and win some cool stuff including a sewing machine)


This little number is some super sexy librarian tweedy hounds toothy material (lovin' it)
The pocket also showcases Anna's fabulous material from the Sketch book series




This one is "rodeo gal"...the skirt is on Tejano style shirting material that I bought on close out because I NEEDED 4 YARDS OF TEJANO SHIRTING MATERIAL! anyway it has like a line of faux Navajo weaving behind a Cowboy on a buckin' Bronco( you would have done the same as me)
Cali this is an xtra small


"teaching frogs?"



"mine"




I am lovin' on corduroy this skirt is brown skinny cord
I have also been making barrettes ...this is a little hint about my teeny little secret.
I made these as a professional thank you gift(shmoosy perhaps...but I am southern it just comes naturally) ~and these are for me I have been trying to work out way to put these beautiful little vintage buttons on the barrettes so I came up with these tiny little broaches( it was and Idea that I sort of brainstormed with my Cali trans plant ,thanks Cali lady)...I am really loving their delicateness. All the materials here are little tiny very old( like the 40's) scraps that I cannot bring myself to admit I have no use for. The ones on the left are a tiny scrap from old quited squares I used to make these "heirloom pin cushion" a while back . When you wear them they look like little floating pieces of loveliness(yes I am a little loony)

~See here I am with my floaty lovliness hair pin?(what do you mean you cannot see it?) Oh yeah this shirt that I stole from my stash is one of LOTS of Raglan style shirts I have made in 3 styles and 3 sizes and many many color combos. I am really digging them so much that I had a hard time choosing the one I wanted to keep and wear for date night....

~This one I thought was quite boobalishious(and since date night is when the boobs are mine;sortof )
~and perfect for daddy and a ride out to the Giddy -Ups, (Yes that is the name of a bar that we really do go to~it is in Manchacu Tx...my little dream hometown)





Well I better get back to my other machines


...here is some irresistible bling
* sorry for all my blurry photos all though I sort of like 'em that way

where am I?

I was just meandering through the day of multicrafty, admiring her beautiful creative family and I remembered that it is not all work around here(even though My mind seems like it has problems switching gears). We are still having family outings...
~and date nights;(this week daddy took me to the Broken Spoke for a little honkytonk lovin')


...we danced more times than I can count to the stylings of my 'this weeks fav' country music sensation Bruce Robison. I cant stop playing his latest offering "New World"; or repeating the track California '85(much to Dada's annoyance)

~And I am still enjoying tea and toast(well pumpkin/zucchini bread recipe link below) with burger in the mornings; and finally we can do it outside .
~It is true I have a few jars of paint open now and I am fearful of making a muddy picture.
The reality is I am making this up as I go along: there is no right or wrong way to it. I guess this post is to remind me that this time is a very tiny segment in my so far, long life and ...I am still here. I am very excited and slightly frazzled over one particular thing that is in the works right now. I have been keeping it a secret from the cyber part of my life so as not to jinx it or otherwise screw it up. I promise to share when all is set in print.

~I meant to share this a week ago... I get itchy for pumpkin pie as soon as I see those little sugar pumpkins at the market but I don't want to burn out before the holidays (I will still be eating pumpkin pie on New Years Eve) So I start with pumpkin bread. Last year I tested several recipes because I made pumpkin and apple harvest cake for burger's first birthday party. My favorite was a Pumpkin zucchini recipe.(This is not the recipe I used but I cannot seem to locate mine...yes I lost it in a week ~this is close to what I remember) I use fresh pumpkin and I always use pecans cause Jack liked pecans best. I also double the recipe, this way I use the whole pumpkin that I bake. The bread freezes super fabulously or makes a sweet little gift to help welcome the change of seasons(which are always way overdue in central Texas).

~I leave you with a photo fav from this week ~my handsome men

New belle and burger cards

I just wanted to show my new business cards...that's my super fabu rives BFK tan printing paper that I splurged on last week~ inspiration from pretty paper. The birdies are from a vintage napkin set that Cinda gave me (she always finds the best napkins!). I also made a set of 4 thank you cards.

I'll have a few of these note card sets at the Bazaar
Each set uses a different napkin as the theme and I made the little envelopes from paper bags. I was pleased with the outcome. I love small things in sets.(they are about 3.5x5)
There was great repost of a mailer tutorial on craft last week. I saw this after I made my envelopes (if I had seen it before It would have saved me some steps)

Inspiration.... Tilleke Schwarz.

Thanks to average Jane for turning me on to the super wonderful artist Tilleke Schwarz. "Into the woods" Tilleke Schwarz.

I have been having quite a 2D~ art for the sake of art~, itch for quite some time. These beautiful drawings/ embroideries are so inspiring... "spare parts " Tilleke Schwarz.



So I tramped all over town so I could splurge on some of my favorite paper.
~ look out two dimensional world!!!here I come

I really love making pin cushions!!!!!

To me they are a great gift for the ladies. I think they are wonderful little things of beauty and there are so many variations.One of my favorite pin cushions are the little mushrooms(that is what I call them) from How about orange, made recycling a 2 liter soda bottle cap as the base . I first made these last Christmas as little gifts and it was very fun thinking of each person's personality and incorporating it into a little pin cushion. These are very non- seamstress~ top of the dresser type pin cushions. Everyone needs a little cushion for random little straight pins, safety pins and such that come on clothing. A while back I came across a tutorial on craftytpod for a pin cushion needle sharpener. She mentions another bottle cap pin cushion tutorial (that looks fun too)in her post as the perfect size for this little sharpener. So I decided to stuff my mushrooms with very fine steel wool and came up with these fun little dandies.
It was yet another super fun way to put off making "important stuff "for the Maker Faire. I think they are perfect gifts for anyone you know who does needle work!
I also made lots stuffed with good ole fluff~ just like pooh( for my burger).