aaahh! not real monsters...

* no monsters were harmed in the making of these pillows :)
Following my last post, I am fairly certain my grandma never made any monster pillows.

I came up with these guys on my own - using the faux fur as inspiration. I can't figure out which one I like best - though the one with glasses bares a striking resemblance to my husband :)

I'm calling these guys book buddies [at least that's the name I have arrived at for now]. Great for old and young alike, the pocket in the back is the perfect stash for a newspaper, crafty inspiration book, or a favorite Little Golden Book. They are up for grabs in my etsy.

fun & games [outside]...

Today we begin some work on the outside of our home, so I thought it only fitting to show you some projects I have worked on that find themselves in the out of doors. First up is a set of cornhole boards and bags. [I am not sure if the game cornhole translates everywhere, so here is a quick run through of the game]

This was definitely a handmade project - one of our high school friends built the boards for us and the I painted and varnished them. We used these instructions, and found them pretty clear and easy to follow.

I bought the home dec fabric for the bags before painting the boards, which meant I could paint them to coordinate :) Interestingly, I paid more for the half yards it cost to make these bags than I did a few weeks later for the entire bolt of fish fabric! [read more here] Always something new: to finish these bags I had my first experience at the feed mill! They were a little curious about what I was going to do with such a small amount of feed corn [perhaps they thought I had a really tiny chicken]

Another outdoor addition to our home is a lovely and relaxing hammock! Definitely not handmade, but we did assemble the stand all by ourselves :) We are enjoying these last days of summer. It's so strange; first it was too hot to enjoy the season, now it is beginning to feel like fall already! If anyone knows where the summer has gone to, leave me a comment, maybe I can get some of it back :)

not your grandma's crafter...

Last week me and my friend Jordan went to see Death Cab for Cutie [and it was amazing!!]. I have seen Death Cab and Weezer in concert now, so I think I may just be good for the rest of my life. This is what I have been thinking this week...

My ipod is littered with the likes of Death Cab, Weezer, Mumford & Sons, Imogen Heap, MGMT, Edward Sharpe...
I get inspiration from indie [and indie-ish] films like Life Aquatic and Amelie...
My bff wears skinny jeans and has a feather in her hair...
I use words like bff, stellar, and occasionally epic...
I'm like this [picture middle finger crossed over index finger] with my imac...
Photoshop is my friend...
I have never met most of my quilty friends in real life, I know them through flickr and blogger...

In the words of my friend Wolf Boy 'this is me, this is who I am, this is real life!'


I like to watch Portlandia...
[and I like to put birds on things]

I am not my grandma's crafter, but it is cool to be connected through an art form to generations past.

the loot. the warrant. the crook.

This blog post is a tribute to the many hours of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego that I watched on PBS at my grandma's house growing up. Anybody remember Rockapella? The LOOT? that would be the bolts pictured above. Yards and yards of some fun decorator fabrics. Some for totes, some for new porch furniture cushions, some with destinies unknown.

The CROOK? That would be me, at least that is how I felt when I left JoAnn's the other day. Our local JoAnn Fabrics is closing - but only closing to reopen about 5 miles away in a new, bigger location! Apparently the powers that be decided that it is cheaper to liquidate and re-buy for the new store than it is to move the inventory a few miles down the road. [this includes all of the furniture and racks in the store as well]

The WARRANT? Well, at least the evidence. I am saving this receipt, I have just never spent around $35 and saved over $400! The fabric was 75% off, then if you bought the whole bolt, it was an additional 75% off. [if you do some quick math, that means most of this fabric was 63 cents per yard] I also bought gobs of trim, including yards and yards of pink pom-pom fringe that had the same discount.

Before I go, I wanted to share a sneak peak of the latest 'in-the-works' project... Can't wait for it to be finished! I would love to hear about the greatest steal/deal that you ever got!

the age of aquarium...

Meet the newest addition to our household: Steve Zissou. Of course named after Bill Murray's character in The Life Aquatic - a wonderfully quirky Wes Anderson movie. The backdrop is a print out of the opening credits from the movie - and Steve has his very own Deep Search mini sub! Interestingly, I have a friend who also has a fantail goldfish named Klaus. She has never seen the movie, but managed to name her fish after Steve Zissou's sidekick in the film. Hoping to carve out some crafting time today...

spring has sprung...

Yep, spring sprung, and sprang out of here! I feel like my poor neglected blog missed a season. My sewing crafting space, however, was certainly active place to be. A combination inspiration and the need to save some pennies led to a few creations I sold through my etsy and my lqs. Pinnies have proven quite addictive. I found these egg cups and knew just what they were destined for.


It is always fun to dig through the scrap box and dig out the perfect little piece of leftover fabric and the button that adds a little extra.

Another find was this 9 compartment egg tray, it is still under construction :)

The spring line up doesn't stop there - I was looking through some vintage homemaker magazines and found this little applique pattern. Hubby doesn't quite get pink birds, but I enjoyed mixing up the colors.


I hope your spring was a memorable one - I have lots to show and tell!

lovely baby twisters...

I've said it here before [and, you guessed it, I will say it again] I enjoy a good baby quilt. They are such great, personal gifts that last AND I get to try out some new patterns and tools in a relatively quick-finish project. Without further ado - Baby Miah's new quilt!

Though I have had my very own lil' twister for months, I have never found the opportunity to put it to work. Quilts made with this tool have been popping up all over the place with great result. You get a complex look with a little less complexity. My only issues: 1) I found it awkward to cut around all sides of the template, my arm/wrist just doesn't bend that way + 2) there is a lot of fabric wasted. I also worked on my machine quilting skills... kinda :) I chickened out and didn't use the walking or darning feet - I just used a wide stitch length, a lot of basting, and my regular 1/4" foot. Except for having to turn the quilt a little too often, I think it was smooth sailing and looks pretty good.

This project made quick work of a Lovely charm pack that I won in the Blogger's quilt along. I hope Baby Miah will have many happy memories with this quilt. What are you thoughts on quilts as gifts? [or any handy crafted gifts] How do you decide who will get something from the store or something from the sewing machine?