Makeful Challenge - The Apron

A few weeks ago I received a lovely package in the mail from Makeful. Inside, a blank apron for me to craft upon and enter into another awesome Makeful Challenge.

I knew exactly what I wanted to do for this challenge: A mash up potato stamp and painting repeat pattern of me, Kyle and Nomi’s faces!

To start I did a mock up of the pattern idea in Adobe sketch on my phone. Great little program for playing around with ideas. I highly recommend the download. Takes some getting used to, but very satisfying results once you get the hang of it.

With my pattern designed the next step was to gather my materials.

Materials
1. Potatoes (three different sizes)
2. Paints (fabric if you are intending on washing these guys, I actually used acrylic because I was
3. Paint Brushes
4. Jar of water
5. Newspaper to cover you work surface for easy clean up.
6. Felt (optional). To use as a stamping surface under your apron. Helps with unevenly cut potatoes, so you can press down and get a more even print.
7. Apron

Next step was a quick test on a piece of muslin. I wanted to test my colors and see how painting on the fabric would work. Once I was satisfied with the test results, I just dove in and started making the print.

I used my adobe sketch drawing as a guide, and laid down all the potato stamps faces and painted flowers first.

 
Once the base of the pattern was set and dry, I then began painting on the face and flower details. Final step was painting on the hair.

After that I let the apron dry and voila, my repeat pattern was complete.

I am absolutely thrilled with the results of my repeat pattern, something that doesn’t always happen. I think taking the time to sketch first and then do a test really helped. In fact I kind of love my test piece and want to do something with it!

I’ve decided to name the pattern Happy Home, because when I showed it to my daughter that’s what she said after seeing it. It seems fitting.

Here is a little insta story I made as well of the process:

This was a super simple and fun craft, and now my husband and I have a sweet little apron to dawn while cooking our traditional Saturday morning pancake breakfast! Mmm…

All The Fuzzy Feels!

How to begin again after so much change... just dive in right! How about I lay down some goals for what remains of this hot and wonderful summer and the coming fall and winter! 

Goals 

1. In general make more!

2. Craft the heck out of everything!

3. Surface Design... it's time to dive in... oh it's overtime!

4. Poems. Write them!

5. Collect Inspiration!

6. Blog. I miss this process. I just do.

This seems like a good start. 
Hello old friends! Are you all still out there?

Everyday Party!

First off Happy New Years Everyone! I really hope that 2012 is smashingly bright and full of sparkles and happy dust! Now onward...

The busy months are finished, my holidays are packed away in the upstairs closet and it's back to regular routine of the everyday.  This got me thinking that it is the perfect time for another 'Everyday Adventure!'.  So I got to work and made a bunch of these tiny little bunting banners to send around to some friends.  The idea is that you can stick them up in a place somewhere in your life that might need some cheering up. I put up mine in a little corner near a window in our house that needed a little something something.  Then I put on this song and had a solo dance party...I highly recommend it to everyone!

I took a very LONG vacation from everything over the last couple of weeks, partially due the fact that I got taken down by a silly cold...but now I'm back...ready to start drawing...lots of incoming mail to post up...and a future textile line to create.  2012 feels like it's starting off just right...

Wolves

A few things, first I love the month of May, everything is starting to bloom! Bring on the Spring!

Secondly, amazing post by my dearest friend and most talented artist and writer Lindsay Zier Vogel about how her 'Secret Fort' everyday adventure turned out! Her fort is so splendid and I love that she built it out of one her beautiful hand made books! Take some time to poke around her website...there is so much to discover...especially the poetry and love letter project!

Thirdly, I have just finished two more 'envelope dioramas', one about wolves and another about squirrels. I am having the best time making these! Unfortunately, while caught up in my paper flurry I may have forgotten about my dear little Kitten Face! So I hope to get a KF post up sometime this week.

Here are a few images of the 'Wolves' diorama, it's being sent off tomorrow to a lovely friend in Toronto, who it was promised to many howling moons ago.  Can't wait till it arrives in her mailbox!

The Posse.

Wolves write letters too!

Summer Shrubs.

The time spent outdoors is not lonely.

Finding the first flowers of spring.

Some secrets are kept concealed in grassy paws.

Barn watching.

Secrets in envelopes.

Just a couple sneak peeks at some of the things that i have been sending out in the mail...i am waiting to talk about 'the bears' until the actual recepient of this package receives it, as to not ruin the surprise.  Essentially it's just a fun little project and i am excited to make more.

This is the next 'everyday adventure'.  Inspired by Tanya's lovely cards. Sending a batch out today!

If you want to go on your own adventure, just send me a message.

Everyday Adventure #1

 

A while back i sent out some felt hearts to my snail mail buddies and sent them on an everyday adventure.  i asked them to take their heart and stick it to something that required a little extra love and then document it however they wanted, with a photo, a sketch or just a memory.  i took my everyday adventure a while back and stuck my heart in my garden...which is a full on sad mess.  yesterday though, I looked in the back and lo and behold there was something alive and growing in a small herb pot! Chives! Looks like my little love helped some.  Now i just need to conquer the rest of it.

Valentine's Day Bunting.

i decorated the kitchen for kyle with the bunting swatch sweet becky gave me at the love and rummage show. it added a little festivity to our night. i've left it up for the week...kind of like an everyday party. I recommend it.