Tudor Swap Package Update of Crafted Items Sent

I've been way behind on my blogging due to some family health issues & life in general taking over my free time to liesurely sit with my coffee & put my thoughts out there. I even quit coffee for awhile, but am now happily back to indulging in it again. I have a lot to blog about too...so expect an overflow of posting in the next few days!
I did wrap up the Tudor swap a few weeks ago & received an amazing package from my partner. Here are the things I made for her in case you were wondering how they turned out.

First, I ended up scrapping the x stitch King Henry VIII project because it would've taken a couple months to finish. I still plan on finishing it because it's so dang neat looking, but I need to just dabble at it without stressing over a deadline. This is the replacement project...a mixed media portrait done on canvas in acrylics, oils, and embellished with irridescent medium, feathers and a faux pearlescent gem.

Then we have the charm bracelet in it's entirety. I loved this so much I ended up making a similar one for myself! I adore those portrait charms so much.

I used an extra charm of Queen Elizabeth I to make a coordinating ring.

Finally, here is a resin glitter heart charm with a regal looking crown which I turned into a keyring. I couldn't resist crafting a little glittery something as an extra.

This was one of the most fun swaps I've ever had the pleasure of crafting for & I'm so pleased with how everything turned out...especially after having to scrap the first project & switch gears right in the middle like that.

Tudor Swap on Craftster

I'm busy as a bee working on a couple of very time intensive projects for the Tudor Swap on Craftster. I hope my partner isn't stalking me here on the blog for crafting ideas at this point of the swap, or it may be a bit of a surprise spoiler for her!
I started my first project...the big one right away & early on had discovered that at the rate I was going it would not be completed in time.
Call me crazy, but this is what I had set in my mind to do:

I'm about one fifth of the way done & it's been slow going. I forgot how long it takes me to do one of these charts!
My back up plan is to do a couple of paintings. My partner has wall space, not shelf space, so I think artwork of some kind is the way to go here. If I don't get at least halfway done by the end of the day today, I'm scrapping it for my paint & brushes.
The medium project I'm working on is my personal favorite. I like to make things for my partners that I would like & can find a use for.
It's a loaded Tudor charm bracelet! I won't show a photo of the whole thing just yet, so if my partner does peek at my blog, she will still be surprised by the rest of the design!
I've got a silly sense of humor in placing a baby carriage next to Anne Bolyn... I crack myself up!

If you'd like to make something similar to this or different...but just really love the look of the portrait charms, you'll want to check out the etsy shop, "marlaot" THE MOON & STARS-Unique jewelry supplies & findings.
Marla makes the portrait charms by hand herself & I must say the quality is top notch! She can make them in a couple of different finishes, so if you prefer antique brass to the silver...you're all set!
I'm so pleased with the charms I received & they arrived rather quickly too for being handmade! Marla was a pleasure to work with. She had to customize one of the charms for me & made a change with some of the hardware & was so courteous & answered my convos in a timely manner. I'd highly recommend her to anyone for these charms!

I can't wait to see what my partner will think of her swap package! It's such an awesome feeling to know you've made someone's day with something you crafted with your hands and your heart!

Little Owl Sculpts...

I've been having fun playing with some modeling compound & creating these little owls for a friend! I'm not sure if they're going to be glittered or resinated yet...so it's going to be fun seeing what happens from this point on. I haven't sculpted much except for one custom order & then the Simpson's Nativity I made for the wist swap on Craftster. I really enjoy getting my hands into the work like this. It's so different than crafting with resin & wearing gloves, goggles, a respirator & taking care to not get any of it on anything until it's cured.

Making a Meal with the Divine Ms. Clara - Great Depression Era Cooking

I just stumbled across this wonderful lady, Ms. Clara, on youtube this morning & I wanted to share her with y'all!
She hosts a cooking show & in this one, you'll see her make a poor man's feast from the depression era. It's a simple recipe & a little history lesson too! Enjoy!

She is a true gem & reminds me of my Nana who lived to be 98. I miss her so much.

So I Submitted My Table & Sushi Seat to Ikea Hackers

It was published today!!! Check it out!


Have you ever heard of ikea hackers? It's this fanastic site where you can submit your 'hacked' ikea furniture, housewares, etc.

I did my hacks last fall, but am just now finally getting around to blogging about it & submitting it to the blog. I have no idea if they will be published & it takes about 10 days or so for a new hack to appear once submitted...so we'll see I guess.

First I altered the ikea "vitamin" stool to make it into a piece of stylized sushi! The seat cover is constructed with sherpa fabric to represent the rice. Various colored fleece was appliqued onto it for the filling as well as the seaweed wrapper in black...which I sewed all around the edge to make the roll.


I love how it turned out so fun!


I then altered my work table. It is a tovik corner table in unfinished wood.


I painted it with leftover interior paint from my babygirl's room.


After the paint was dry, I covered the table top in a thick coating of resin (following the manufacturer's instructions)

...& various pink glitters.


It really has a lot of sparkle! I now use my table in most of my product photograpy for my etsy shop.


Now I'm thinking about glittering my kids' picnic table. I bet it would look fabulous in silver!

Fresh Springtime Fat Quarterly Embroidery Pattern

Hello dear readers!

My cup of excitement is overflowing this morning & I can't keep it in any longer... so I'd just like to share that I've submitted a fresh new darling embroidery pattern to be featured in Fat Quarterly!

Fat Quarterly is an ezine dedicated to sewing, quilting, & fabric... so if you sew, embroider, or quilt, you may want to check it out!

This is just a tease! To see the whole pattern, you'll have to wait a wee bit!

Whoopie Pie Recipe ...You'll Thank Me Later!

I just whipped up a batch of these yesterday as we were lacking something sinfully sweet in our cupboard & I didn't have the ingredients to make the cupcakes I've been longing to do on hand. (note to self: pick up some Baileys Irish Creme)

These are traditional New England Whoopie Pies!



The outer part is like a cross between chocolate cake & brownies.
The filling is a cross between frosting & oreo cookie filling.
Any way you slice them, they're wicked yummy!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

INGREDIENTS:
2.5 CUPS OF FLOUR
1/2 C. SHORTENING
2 EGGS
1 C. SUGAR
5 TBSP. COCCOA
1 C. MILK
1 TSP. SODA
1 TSP. BAKING POWDER
PINCH OF SALT
1 TSP. VANILLA

Cream together everything until it's well mixed & fluffy looking. Drop by spoonfuls onto a well greased cookie sheet. Spread batter out until it's app. 3" across & 2/3" thick. Batter doesn't spread much during the baking process, so the final size will be what you create on the pan before baking.

Bake app. 10 minutes. You'll know when they're done when the surface no longer appears shiny & a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow to cool.

FILLING:
1/2 CUP SHORTENING
1 TBSP. MILK
1 CUP OF CONFECTIONER (POWDERED) SUGAR
1 CUP GRANULATED SUGAR
1 TSP. VANILLA
.5 TSP. ALMOND EXTRACT

Cream together filling ingredients & then spread filling onto half of your pies & finally add another pie on top to make a 'sandwich'.

*For a lower calorie version of this recipe you may substitute all sugar with 'Splenda' or equivalent sugar substitute...but seriously with this much shortening, you may as well just indulge!

Enjoy! Please share with friends!

Another Swap Embroidery...A Gift from the Sea... My Own Design of a Mermaid & Sailor

I was working within the theme of 'through a porthole' ...things one might see when gazing out a porthole from a ship or a submarine.
My partner had given me 2 different fabrics & suggested to either use one or the other or both...even combining them to make a horizon between above & below water. I was inspired by the latter & the pattern just came into being from that inspiration.
I thought it would be very cool to be given a gift from the sea by a mermaid.
I've always been fascinated by mermaids ever since I first saw "Splash" starring Daryl Hannah & Tom Hanks as a little girl. I remember my Nana had gone on a European tour & brought back a souvenir plate from Denmark with the image of the little mermaid statue on it. It broke my heart a few years back to hear that the statue was vandalized several times, but it isn't the original & is always repaired thankfully. One day I hope to travel there & see it myself. Ok, I admit that my babygirl had been watching a lot of Disney's "Little Mermaid" & maybe inspiration was drawn from Ariel & Eric as well.

Back to the embroidery:
I stitched up the sailor & sailboat using a single color & then stitched the mermaid in a variegated floss...to make her a little more magical. I like the contrast of using the lighter color to stitch on the darker fabric & the darker floss on the lighter fabric.

I love how it turned out & it took awhile for me to part with it as my partner can attest to, but as I say "I'm flaky...not a flaker" and always fulfill my swap obligations.
One of the best things about swapping like this is you can end up working on something you never would've created otherwise. It's a great creative exercise...especially to get out of a rut or your comfort zone.

Wait until you see the next piece I've done...it's unlike the other designs I've worked on ...and I did a lot of french knots!

:o)

Please Vote for my Jar of Stars Nightlight for the Craftster #60 monthly challenge!

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=372380.0

If you love this project I made for my little girl... please show your support & vote for it to win this month's craft challenge on craftster!

This is a jar full of fallen stars I'd made as a nightlight for my babygirl when she was sick. We've been getting a lot of use out of it & now I'm crafting more. I'd like to have a huge jar of them on the dining room table for romantic dinners & also some to keep out on our sunporch for lazy summer night ambience!





I appreciate your vote & hope that I have inspired you as well!

Cheers!

It Goes in with a Sprinkle...Comes Out with a Twinkle - Makit & Bakit

I purchased a couple of those "makit & bakit" suncatcher kits for the kids to try from Hobby Lobby.
It was a good project for their age(4 years & up). This activity kept both of them interested & busy for a good half hour or so!




I had a lot of fun because I remember making one of these with my mom back in the 80's.
Although we had a couple of re-do's because the frame had lifted off the tray & the plastic crystals all ran together, they were determined to start over & make it work.


They had fun matching the colors to the sections based on the packaging photos & were so proud to see how well they turned out after I had baked the suncatchers in the oven.
They proudly hung them up in their rooms!

If you'd like to do this activity with your kids, you can find the kits at Hobby Lobby or buy them online here at Craft Supplies for Less.

I give this craft kit 2 thumbs up for ease of use, affordability, & great nostalgic sparkly fun!