My Legs Look Like Candy Canes!!!

Thanks to Poppy from her new Artfire shop for making such fabulous, fantastic over-the-top ...well, over-the-knee socks!

I feel so snuggly!
My legs are happy & warm!
Also, hubby thinks they're kind of sexy...so it's all good!

This is my 3rd pair & I'll definitely be buying more! When I find something I adore this much, I just have to share!

Please support this sweet crafty Mama from the Cleveland, Ohio area! She makes great stuff!




Happy Holidays!

bing crosby white christmas embroidery pattern design by isewcute

bing crosby white christmas embroidery pattern design by isewcute
Originally uploaded by isewcute

Tis' the Season!

Thinking it's time to get cracking on some Christmas holiday projects!
If you decide to stitch up dear old Bing, I'd love to see it! Better yet, post it to craftster!

Happy Dec. 1 everyone!

This 4 leaf clover would fit through the eye of a needle ttv

This 4 leaf clover would fit through the eye of a needle ttv
Originally uploaded by isewcute

I was working on some product photos outside yesterday...taking advantage of the mild weather before the rain here in Ohio, when I noticed this wee baby clover peeking out from under the dead grass & fallen leaves.
I probably would have missed this one if I wasn't nearly mushing my nose into the ground & taking pics with my macro lens.
I try to photograph all my four leaf clover jewelry outside. I think the photos come out much better in the natural lighting, besides...I'd rather be outside enjoying the sounds & smells of nature. Pretty soon it will be too cold for me to enjoy it & the snow will blanket the earth & all the green leafy smells will hibernate until spring.

What to do with Thanksgiving leftovers...

This is so easy & incredibly yummy! I always have to come up with different ways to disguise Thanksgiving leftovers, because my husband doesn't like to eat the same thing meal after meal.

Easy Peasy Turkey Pot Pie

You can either make your own crust or take a shortcut & use ready made pie crust shell...like I did.
Cut up leftover turkey into bite sized pieces & put in the crust-lined pan. Add any leftover veggies....that green bean casserole works like a charm!
Pour gravy all over the top & for the upper crust, take a cookie cutter & cut out various shaped pieces to make it wicked pretty.
I used an oak leaf, a maple leaf, and a turkey.
Place them on top & be sure to overlap the edges & pinch together a little.


Cover with foil & Bake at 425 ...then remove foil & bake another 10-15 to brown up the crust.

Note that I did put foil underneath on the bottom rack to catch gravy drip overflow.

It was good & the hubby loved it!

Best Rainbow Glitter Hearts Necklaces Ever - available now!

I love how this new batch of resin rainbow glittery heart necklaces turned out.

We had a very mild sunny day over the weekend & I was inspired to create something very bright & colorful after all the fog & drizzle we've had in Ohio. I'm so glad I worked on these rather than just sitting at the computer listing other items. As a creative, it's important to create when the inspiration strikes.

I love this photo from when I was giving the pieces a bath after sanding them. The rainbow bubble combination is fun!

Trendy Tykes Online Boutique

Lori is the talented lady behind Trendy Tykes ...an online boutique for unique hand crafted infant & toddler items.

I was lucky enough to be chosen as a winner of these adorably wonderful handmade baby booties that Lori calls 'Piggy Pouches' ...isn't that the cutest name for baby footwear? As a thank you to Lori, I wanted to share with you her wonderful shop ...especially this time of year when we're looking for that 'perfect' gift for a new baby or toddler.

Trendy Tykes has a couple of fantastic new items that are perfect for Christmas! A cute Santa Claus placemat for the cookies & milk. Also, a lovely ruffle layered apron...perfect for a holiday hostess!

Please check out Trendy Tykes to see if Lori has anything that would be a good fit for your holiday shopping needs. It's important to support a crafty mom's small business & I'm sure you'll be glad you did!

Trendy Tykes is having another giveaway right now for a chance to win a sweet little embroidered whimsical tooth fairy pillow by being their 500th follower on twitter!


www.ttykes.com
www.ttykes.blogspot.com/
twitter.com/trendytykes
lori@ttykes.com

Adding New Resin Goodies to the Shop Daily!

With the holidays fast approaching, I'm already out there doing my Christmas shopping & have been also listing new items to the shop daily. I have a ton of new designs waiting to make their debut! Most are one of a kind even...so would make a perfect unique gift for that someone special!

Today's newbies so far are my sweet retro 80's unicorn necklace:

This amazing huge silver and gold sparkly resin domed adjustable ring:

...and yesterday I listed this kawaii little violet deer in a sparkly winter wonderland heart necklace.


More to come!
Stay tuned!

Fun Mail Day Part 1... Craftster Hoopla Rd. 2 Swap

I've been so wildly busy the past couple of weeks from making the Halloween costume & then jumping right in to a few freelance toydesign gigs, that I've been sorely neglecting my posts here!
Well, this is certainly worthy of an update as I had a tremendously fun mail day yesterday! I received my hoops from MizzKodak!!! Aren't they fantastic?!!! I'm going to hang the yellow/blue one in the craft room & the other will go in my babygirl's room. I'm working on a quilt for my daughter & it will coordinate so nicely on her wall!





Here is a link to the gallery on craftster... there are so many fantastic & inspirational hoops in this swap! http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=362394.0

A HUGE thank you to MizzKodak for making these fantastic Alice in Wonderland hoops for me & my girl! We'll give them a good home!

Cheers!

My boy had a handmade Halloween!

About a month ago my boy was watching our dvd of Tim Burton's Willy Wonka & really liked, or rather, became obsessed with the oompa loompas & their songs & dances throughout the film. In the bonus features on the dvd you can learn to do 3 of the different dances & there's a sequence where you can 'dance forever'. My boy has been dancing ever since and asked begged me to make him an oompa loompa costume. Therein my dreams of him being a mini 'Dr. Horrible' were shattered... and I gave in to his pleading puppy dog eyes.
Good thing Halloween was coming up, so I had a real good excuse to go out & buy fabric.
The pattern was drafted loosely based on some clothes my boy already had.You can see he's waiting oh so patiently while I cut out the pattern pieces:


He's wearing cut off tights as socks...and with the extra fabric not used for the socks, I constructed the cuffs and collar. Sadly the only photo I took during construction was this part where I'm inserting the cuff into the sleeve:


The little triagle thingie on the front is applique & sharpie-colored felt. The whole thing pulls on like a jumpsuit...and has a velcro closure in the back. My little man hates having anything put on his face, but was so excited to have makeup on ...that was scary for me....knowing that eventually we would have to wash that crap off. We were able to wash most of it off that night & the rest wore off by Monday thank goodness...but he's home from school with a fever anyway.

The wig is an altered store bought rockstar wig. I didn't have any time left to knit him a hat as I'd originally planned. Oh well... so many crafts & never enough time!

He had so much fun...it was worth everything we put into it!


Oh, and here's a reference photo...in case you're not familiar with the character:


I posted this over on craftster... and if you'd like to see some fantastic handcrafted costumes...you've got to check out their October craft challenge!

It's very cool! I know we won't win, but the happiness my boy has from living his dream is worth more than winning any contest!

Cheers & Stay crafty!

Almost Done with Vincent Price...

This piece just came together so quickly! I aldready have the hair & facial features complete. A little shading on his jacket & signing it...it will be done!

:o)

Itchin to get Stitchin Vincent Price!

With Halloween quickly creeping up on us, I've been in a horror/chiller kind of mood & when I signed up for an embroidery swap on craftster, was delighted to discover that one of my partners is into Vincent Price!
I had just designed a Vincent Price embroidery pattern & sent it around to some of my nearest & dearest fellow craftsters & stitchers the previous week...however I wanted to tailor this piece more to my partner & make it a bit more personal than using a pattern I had on hand, so I took a reference photo she provided & made this sweet pattern of a dashing young Vincent!

I love it & can't wait to get stitching on it, but have a list a mile long of things I must get done first.
This is just a photo of the pattern as I'm transferring it. If any of you fellow readers would like to know how I transfer my images, it's simple with a lightbox or a window.
Tape the pattern down so it doesn't shift...then tape the fabric over the pattern.
I place the hoop over it to be sure it's going to look right & that I have enough fabric all around so I can move the hoop as I stich if I need to.
Then I trace the lines carefully with a pencil. I would recommend a lightbox over a window because you can turn the light off to be sure the design is completely transferred.
Sometimes I miss a few lines here & there when being distracted by the kiddos.
So there you have it! No big secret & easy peasy!

Stay stitchy!

What to Do When a Child is Sick? Distract Them & Love Them of Course!

There's nothing worse than having a sick child. It can take you straight from being a confident mom who has got everything under control, straight to feeling helpless & lost in the wink of an eye.

So the cold started about 2 weeks ago only I didn't recognize the moodiness & short temper in my normally persnickety-yet-sweet little redhead as a sign that she wasn't feeling well. When the fever came on like gangbusters a couple of days later in the evening, I put two and two together.
Her fever reached 103 before we had it under control...then came other symptoms. The poor dear has had most every discomfort associated with a serious flu.
We've spent a lot of time together cuddling...which I love, but wish her discomfort wasn't the reason for her cuddlyness, and she'd fall asleep in my arms which would in turn also fall asleep & remind me of the days when the kiddos were babies & wouldn't nap unless they were being held.
To pass the time we've looked at picture books together & watched a lot of dvds on a portable little dvd player I could bring in to her room & set up on a chair so she could watch from her bed. When she felt a little better mid day, I'd show her video clips on youtube from sesame street & her favorite 'tarako commercials'...anything to keep her mind off how bad she felt.

When something is wrong with a child, then nothing else seems to matter & has to be put on hold until they feel better. Somehow I managed to get all my etsy orders out, but for now, the shops are temporarily in vacation mode until my girl feels like her playful, smiley self again.
She has been improving...able to keep liquids down for 3 days & food down for 2...so I'm hoping she's over the worst of it.

An Abundance of New Resin Creations Made in a Single Weekend

This past weekend was ridiculously productive for me in that I got to work for two straight days casting new resin gems for the jewelry I sell on etsy. The weather here in Ohio was amazingly warm, so I just took all my supplies outside... glitter, resin, sprinkles, and worked in the sunshine for hours. I have cast enough pieces to have multiple new listings up in my etsy daily from now until the winter holidays...so if you're looking for something new, different, & unique, please check out www.isewcute.etsy.com.

Here are my most recent listings...actual items for sale now.

This is a very petite little pink resin glitter heart... so sparkly & girly.

I'm already starting to list some of my fabulous original Christmas designs like this lovely Santa resin pendant.

This giant dome ring is one in a limited series for kawaii (cute) animal lovers & Harajuku fashionistas.

You can see from this photo I will be pretty busy finishing these into wearable works of cute art! I'll try to get a few listed daily, so check back often for new designs!


If you would like anything custom made in your favorite color, theme, or even personalized, please send me a message through etsy! I'd love to hear from you & make you something fabulous!

A Little Etsy Love for Jerusha...

I just wanted to share with you all a fabulous shop I ran into on etsy when looking for cute clothes for my boy. Jerusha - Tree Town Batiks makes batik shirts in a wide variety of styles & designs for boys, girls, and adults too!

My boy was given a train shirt because he's seriously train addicted & it became his favorite. Seriously, if it was clean, he was wearing it. You'd think with all those colors, and being hand dyed with such bold colors, that the color would run or fade, and I can say it held up incredibly well! Since he is outgrowing it, I was thrilled to see that jerusha was still making that design & they made one special for me in a new size for my growing boy!

If you are interested in buying unique fun shirts for your tots, jerusha is a joy... just be sure to give them plenty of turnaround time to get your shirt made. If you're ordering for the holidays, don't do it only a couple weeks before Christmas & expect to have it in time...it takes 2 -4 weeks to work this kind of magic. This kind of quality & charm takes time...so get your orders in early!

It's really worth the wait!

:o)

Tis' the Season to be Spooky!

So it's October first...and we just decorated last night for Halloween. I couldn't possibly deter the kids from thinking about it any longer. Every day my boy comes home from school saying 'everyone else' has their decorations up.
It's a lot of work setting up the village, but now that it's out ...I'm loving it!

Taking pictures of this is a blast!

:o)

I'd love to see how everyone else decorates for the Holidays! Please share your links & all related comments with links will be published!

Stay spooky!

OMG! Amazing Old Fashioned Pumpkin Bread Ring!

You're gonna love it! It tastes just like something grandma would bake!



Here are the ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup pumpkin ...I used the Libby's brand of canned pumpkin
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon...plus a little more if you love cinnamon like I do!
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 extra large eggs

Nuts are optional (1/2 cup) if you like your pumpkin bread a little crunchy here & there. I prefered to take the 'no nuts' option on the one in the photo.

Easy-peasy... just mix up the dry ingredients in one bowl. In a separate bowl wisk the eggs a bit, add the oil, then mix in the pumpkin. Dump this into the bowl with the dry ingredients & mix thoroughly...but don't overmix.

Bake in a bundt pan... for about 40-45 minutes at the universal temperature of 350 degrees. Poke it with a toothpick to test it's cooked through.

Note that this is super yummy when drizzled with an icing made with powdered sugar, a dash of vanilla flavoring & splash of milk all mixed together. Ice only after the ring has cooled & is removed from pan.

Enjoy & don't think about the calories! It's made with pumpkin...so you're getting a serving of vegetables ...right?

Indoor Kitty Outside, Clover Jewelry, Photography and LOL Cat Speak...

IM SO FEROSHUS, NOTHIN WILL MES WIF ME!

Yesterday was particularly fun because while I was doing my work out on the front lawn, my 'indoor only' kitty became very brave when he saw me just sitting there on the grass taking pictures of clover jewelry for asluckwouldhaveit & decided to explore the yard a bit. I think I took just as many photos of him as I did the jewelry!

WUTS DAT NOIZE?

I still have about 8 pieces I didn't get shots of due to losing the perfect daylight...but I don't regret it since now we have these gorgeous photos of our kitty! He doesn't exercise much, so no worries about him roaming too far.

IM GOIN 2 GO EXPLORIN NAO! IZ DAT K?

He's like a big purry throwpillow that lays around.
He is not a lap cat... and at 20+ lbs. you wouldn't want that on your lap for long or your legs would go numb!

SOMETHIN SKERD ME OVAR THAR!

I've been working very hard trying to get all my product shots done for the clover jewelry I have been working on this summer. There is a specific look I'm going for in that all my four leaf clover jewelry photos are taken outside...usually on the lawn, but sometimes I move about the yard if there is an interesting patch of sunlight, pretty rock, or some moss under the trees that I think works with a certain piece. I realize that the days are quickly getting colder as well as shorter, and I'm not quite sure what I'll do if I have photographs to take during the winter months when it comes to custom orders and that sort of thing. Perhaps you'll see clover jewelry against a backdrop of sparkly snow! I doubt the kitty will want to join me then.

I had a lot of fun adding the LOL Cat captions to these photos of my kitty...
with the help of this LOL Cat translator: http://speaklolcat.com/ ...where you can translate your own text into LOL Cat speak!

I hope you enjoyed this off the wall post! I have a few recipes I've been meaning to blog, but haven't felt the inspiration. Got to go where the inspiration leads!

O'Hare ...You Made Me Feel Like I was in Tron or the Jetsons' World...

I must not get out enough, because this past weekend I was truly awestruck by this part of one of the terminals at O'Hare...

The weather was perfect for flying & I soaked up the beauty of the clouds from above.


I just had to take a moment to admire the beauty of things both manmade & nature made around me & capture it on virtual film for y'all.

My "I Heart Heart" Treasury Made Etsy's Front Page!

I'm so excited about this... my 'I heart Heart' treasury made it to the front page of etsy at around 1 P.M. est. this past Saturday!

Congrats to everyone!

Thinking about Halloween...

Been working on some new pieces & just added this fun glow in the dark skull n crossbones pendant to the shop this morning.


I'm so torn on whether or not I want to keep using my drawings as the backgrounds for the jewelry. I worry that the drawings may be more attention getting than the actual pieces, however the only times I've had my stuff featured on etsy's front page was with pieces showcased against a doodle background...so maybe this is something that works with the so called 'etsy aesthetic', or perhaps it's more eye catching because it's something I do that other folks are not doing & sets me apart.
I dunno. I love the necklace & I love to draw stuff...so guess I'll just go with the flow & see what happens.
I hate to give up the glitter entirely also...


Please let me know... drawings good/bad ...glitter good/bad ...I'm so attached, I can't judge for myself.

:o)

Sushi Galore! My Big Labor Day Celebration Meal...

I know this isn't your typical 'end of summer' backyard barbeque extravaganza...but we're not always the typical type of folks that go with the norm.
I was inspired to make sushi for everyone because I've been tweaking my skills & have added 'spice' to my menu offerings. Everyone seemed quite pleased with the results & nobody went away hungry...so I'll chalk this one up to a win!



I'm so proud of my babygirl who got the hang of eating with chopsticks.


Is it just me...or isn't that little hand ridiculously cute?

:o)