Lid: Check!

The lid, she is finished!

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The bright, beautiful project keeper is ready to make her way to her new home in Michigan.
Bon voyage, pretty baby. Mwuah!
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Makeover Monday: 6/29

Good Monday morning, Friends! Thank you to all who voted for the makeover fabric this week. It was a tie, so I worked my fingers to the bone to do both. I told you I'm a pathological pleaser!

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Remember the retro scarf fabric?

I paired it with a rust cotton, and I really like the delicate and bold contrast that resulted, don't you?

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And that gorgeous cobalt and violet pillowcase?

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Here it is in bowl form! I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I knew I loved the colors, but the fabric was almost as thin as gauze. I was afraid it wouldn't have enough substance, but my fears were unfounded. It worked up to be a sweet little shape, and it is both sturdy and light as a feather!

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Here's hoping you had a great weekend, and that you have a wonderful week. So, do you have a favorite now that the makeovers are complete?

Keeper Base: Check!

I have made huge progress on the colorful keeper that I posted about the other day. Working on this is hypnotic, and I just keep wanting to do more to see what the next row will look like! The body is now finished, moving on to the lid...

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Click on the picture to see more photos!

Decisions, Decisions

I was very sad to miss Makeover Monday this week, so I am already gearing up for next week! A package of TONS of beautiful sheets and pillowcases and scarves arrived for me yesterday, and I am having trouble deciding on a fabric.

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These two jumped out at me right away; please leave a comment and vote for your favorite. The one that gets the most votes by Saturday will be "made over" for Monday!

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First up we have a very retro colorful scarf. I have always wanted to try rag topping with rayon/silk, and this could be the perfect opportunity!

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Next we have a fabulous pillowcase. Just LOOK at the gorgeous shades of violet/indigo in those roses! This would make a super cute sweet petite bowl.

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Thank you, Angela and Bruce, for your generosity, and for making my life that much more full of kindness and possibility.

Keeper in Progress

Gosh, I've missed you! Life has been on the very crazy side, and blogging just had to take a back seat for a bit. But, I'm back, and excited to share what I've done on my new custom item.

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The top photo is from my customer; it represents the colors she would like incorporated in her project keeper.

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After lots of messages back and forth, these are the fabrics that were finally chosen. My customer would like an emphasis on greens and golds/yellows, but other than that, I have "artistic license" on color placement and design.

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Here is what I have completed so far! This is 12" wide, and serves as the base of the keeper. I LOVE this color combination- it is so modern and fresh!
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So, what have I missed in my absence? Please leave a comment and let me know how you are doing and what you are up to these days!!

A New Twist

After seeing one of my desk sets, one of my very creative customers asked for a project keeper made entirely from the same fabric. Because these require so much material, and because I use all upcycled fabrics, it isn't as easy as it may sound to find THAT much fabric in just the right colors.

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After several enjoyable but fruitless trips to the thrift stores in my area, I finally hit paydirt. Angela lives in the southwest, and I found a sheet set in gorgeous painted desert colors. Here is the result! I used the ENTIRE set of twin sheets; there was nothing to spare.

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Now when I am out and about I always look for sets that might work up nicely- I just love the way this turned out. Thank you, Angela for your great idea!

Ode to the Cape

My new treasury, in honor of Aunt Beverly. She dearly loved the Cape, and she will be so very missed. Please visit, browse and comment by clicking on the picture.

A Match Made in Heaven

Do you ever make something, sit back, and think, "Wow- look at that!"?

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The whole time I was making the bases of these nesting bowls, I wondered what on Earth I would choose for their rag tops. I was afraid of making them too busy- after all, the colors in the yarn are so bright already!

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Rummaging through my stash of rag topping fabrics, I stumbled on this pink and yellow sari. Can you believe how close the match is? Crazy!

Makeover Monday: 6/15

You might think it was the saw, or perhaps the lovely paint can and brush that drew me to this pillowcase, but no. Believe it or not, it was the fabulous shade of orange paired with the cool turquoise.

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See, once cut and crocheted, fabric loses its original pattern and obtains an altogether new one! What a makeover, eh?

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The moral of this story- always judge a case by its colors!

taupe + cobalt

Why yes, I do believe I AM getting a little addicted to making treasuries! I think once you see one of your collections hit the front page of Etsy, you just want to try to do it again. This is my latest creation, inspired by the fabric in my new Craft Hope slippers. If you have a moment, please click on the picture to visit the actual treasury page.

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Have you made any treasuries lately? If so, leave the link here in the comments and I will go visit yours!

Not *Just* A Slipper

Yep, the cat's out of the bag; I'm making an upcycled child's slipper as my Craft Hope project. I have my husband to thank for this fantastic idea- he scored major points with this one!
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The beauty of making these out of upcycled fabric, though, is not just to add an ecofriendly twist. I wanted a scuff slipper or slip-on flip flop style with some of the strength and durability of an actual shoe.

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I haven't been told which charity or organization I am matched up with yet, but in my mind it is a place where bare feet are the norm. I wanted to make something that would be comfy and protect little piggies at the same time.

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I will have more photos of my finished prototype pair later this week. My mother has already put in her request for an adult sized set! Do you think this is an idea I should explore further for my Etsy shop? Be honest!

What The...?

Who is up for a little fun? This is a teeny snippet of my Craft Hope project prototype...can you guess what it might be? Remember that some of the organizations/charities are for adults, some are for children, and some are for pets. Post your idea in the comments here; I will be back later to let you know who is right!! Or to give you more clues if no one has guessed correctly...

Oh, Thank You, Admin!

My good Etsy friend and her family had to say goodbye to their beloved kitty, Smokey, about a week ago. To show her how much I feel for her loss, and to honor her special purr-boy, I made a "smokey...homage" treasury. It was chosen for the front page of Etsy today! Thank you, Etsy admin for noticing my collection.

The First Step

I just couldn't resist this street art photo found searching Google for "Good News" images. No, my news has absolutely NOTHING to do with fried dough, but I do have good news to share!
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Remember my post about Craft Hope from the other day? Well, it seems that Jade Sims is teaming up with Lark Books to do a Craft Hope publication! The current plan is that 26 designers will each be paired up with 26 charitable organizations. Each designer will create and share a pattern or tutorial for an item that would be most useful in their designated shelter/organization/orphanage/program. The hope and mission of the book is that crafters by the hundreds of dozens will unite and create the items contained in the pages...and send them off to the places where they are so desperately needed.
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My news? I have been chosen as one of the 26 designers to submit a project! My project has changed about 4 times in the last 2 days, but I *think* I have it nailed down for now. The next "deadline" is June 26th. On or before that date I must have a detailed project description and sketch /photo ready to submit to the Lark editors. This promises to be a long and exciting roller coaster ride- I sure hope you will join me for the adventure :)

Makeover Monday: 6/8

So. We take a ball of robin's egg blue cotton yarn...

...add a strip from a discarded Old Navy cotton scarf...

...and voila! Some of the prettiest nesting bowls I have made to date.

This is such a special combination, isn't it?

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Rag topping tip: take the time to find just the right material. I have found that what works best for these small stitches is tightly woven yet thin cotton. Look in the scarf section on your next trip to the thrift store! Think bandanna fabric. You have to cut the strips pretty thin (half inch or less), and the wrong material will just ravel or break for this job. Frustrating!!

Do you have a new project to share? I'm all ears!!

Craft Hope: Join the Movement!

I recently received a very exciting message from Jade Sims, founder of Craft Hope. While I can't share the details of our exchange yet (I don't want to jinx anything!!), I CAN share this wonderful woman's work and dream with you!

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From the Craft Hope website, "Craft Hope is a faith-based, love inspired project designed to share handmade crafts with those less fortunate. It is our hope to combine our love for crafting and desire to help others into a project to make a difference around the world".
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Their first project, making and sending handmade pillowcase dresses and shorts to a shelter in Mexico, was a huge success. You can read about it right HERE.
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Project 2 is currently drawing to a close, with a deadline of just one more week! For this project, Craft Hope has coordinated the effort to make and gather 207 handmade dolls to be sent to an orphanage in Nicaragua.
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Tutorials are provided for each project, and this is such a wonderful way to put your crafty skills and big hearts to work for the greater good. Sign up for the newsletter to be kept up to date with new projects, or write to Jade for more information at jade@crafthope.com
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Stay tuned here for the details of how I am hoping to be involved in Craft Hope. I should have some info to share by early next week!
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Have you done any crafting for charity? I would love to hear about it! Please leave a comment!

One Lovely Award

Ooh! How pretty is this! Thank you so much, Angela, for thinking of my blog for this award- I am thrilled and honored. I understand that I am supposed to pass this on, but I see that most of my blog friends have already received this one - lucky ducks!

I will keep my eyes open, though!

Curating Like Crazy

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I've been so fortunate to be in the right place at the right time for the treasury opening for two days in a row! I currently have one in the regular treasury, and one in t-west. Please click on the photos to go directly to the individual treasury rooms- you'll be so glad you did! These artists are phenomenal and deserve your love :)

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Are you currently featured in a treasury? Have you made one or two of your own lately? If you leave links in the comments I promise to click and comment!

Dad's Desk Set

Newsflash! Just listed! This *manly* desk set was requested by a very special blog reader, and it is in the shop now. Right now! There's still time to get Daddy something totally cool, unique, eco-friendly and handmade. If you decide to snap this up, don't forget to write *blog sale* in your message to seller for free shipping, too! You can click on the photo to go straight to the listing for more images.

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Do you have any manly items for sale in your shop?

Have you already found the perfect gift for your Pop?

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PS...those of you who requested green, I haven't forgotten you :)

Robin's Egg + Red = Retro Yummy

I am ridiculously enamored of my new napkin cuffs! I keep stealing glances at them in my sunroom, smiling at the sweet vintage buttons and the adorable color combo.

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Don't these buttons look like itty bitty Jell-O molds?

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I decided to use one of my 5 photo slots on Etsy to show what these look like when un-buttoned. They are adjustable! Can you think of anything else you might use these for besides napkin rings? I'd love to hear your ideas!!

Makeover Monday 6/1

I fell in love with the colors in this sheet, but I had no idea how they would distribute themselves once the fabric was cut and crocheted.

What a nice surprise! I am amazed at how balanced and bright this table coaster turned out- like a poppy field pinwheel under a blazing summer sky. Look for it in my shop later today, and don't forget the *blog reader only* free shipping sale going on NOW!

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What do you have cooking this week?