Stitchalong Handmade Ryan Gosling 'Hey Girl' for Hand Embroidery

Good morning crafty peeps!

Thought I'd start off April with a free pattern for y'all to stitch along!
Last month I did a swap on Craftster & made this oh so handy embroidered tote for my partner featuring inspiration from craftster & the handmade Ryan Gosling tumblr!

The tote I stitched on was a heavy canvas type of fabric which was challenging to stitch on to say the least...but there was also no need to use a hoop.
I used 6 strands of black DMC floss for the thicker parts & the details were done in 3 strands.
Here is my free pattern for you! I hope you have fun stitching up your very own handmade Ryan Gosling lovelies! Please share with us what you stich up! I'd love to see all the crafty goodness!

If you've never been to craftster before, & you're the crafty type, you should check it out! I love swapping on craftster. You get to meet really cool crafty folks & participating in swaps gives me an opportunity to get out of any craft ruts & make fun things for other people.
Here are some of the other treats I made for my super-wonderful partner!

These are a few of the items my partner made for me! I was spoiled so much!

I'm participating in the Unicorn Swap right now & making all kinds of cute & glittery surprises for my partner!
I can't wait to see all the pretty unicorn things everyone else is making.

If you'd like to get in on some crafty swap action, then sign up for one of the organized craft swaps going on now on craftster! It's a joy to craft something for somebody else & then a joy to get super fun mail!
Huzzah for craftster swaps!

My Ikea Sewing Table Refinished with a Sparkly Glitter Top is Done!!!

I coated it 3 times with the resin & then my husband helped me add trim around the edge which I sanded & painted today! It's looking fabulous & I will move it back into the craft room tonight! Can't wait to get sewing some unicorns or something on it! :)

Up close sparkle appreciation shot.

This is the original post where I first began work on this table.
You can do this too! If you have any questions, leave a comment & I'll try my best to get back to you!

Get crafty!!!

The Easter bunny is thinking about dying easter eggs soon.

bunny is thinking about dying easter eggs soon., a photo by isewcute on Flickr.

Now with St. Patrick's day over, we're getting ready for Easter! My kiddos are so caught up in every holiday's magic & wonderment. We have bunny pictures hanging up in unexpected places & easter egg pictures hanging from the chandelier & my kitchen cabinets. I'm trying to think of some fun springtime crafts that I can do with the kids. It would be fun to make some paper chains & a bunting....and of course we'll be decorating eggs when it gets closer to the holiday. I have some traditional Ukranian psyanky dyes & wax... perhaps the kids are old enough this year! We'll see!
Happy Spring!

isewcute is at it again & it's national craft month, so let's glitter another ikea table & make it a work of art!

You may remember my glittery pink table that I submitted to ikea hackers last year. Well, I'm at it again! This time in silver and black!
Today it was so incredibly warm & sunshiney, and my ikea 'lack sofa table' which I've been using as my sewing table sure could've used some glitter-goodness, so I grabbed my resin, paint, masking tape & silver glitter & got busy!
This is the look I was going for! I can't wait to take off the painter's tape, & finish the legs & get it back into my craft room, but alas...resin takes it's sweet time to set up.

So if you'd like to glitter your own table surface, you can do it!
I started out with this...not too pretty after 10 plus years I know it was very chipped along the edges & beat up.

I masked off the table's edge & the top portion of the legs so they wouldn't get gobs of resin or paint on them.

Then I sprayed metallic silver paint on the top.
While the paint was tacky, I tossed on the first layer of glitter.
Someone asked me how much glitter it takes & it really doesn't take much at all...(I used approximately 1-3 Tablespoons worth on this project). It's whatever you want really, because painting the surface first preps it & it all blends together.

Then finally I've mixed up my 2 part resin & added a dash of glitter to that for good measure. I poured it right down the center of the table & then with a sponge brush...smoothed it out to the edges & let it cure.

After a couple hours, I mixed up another cup of resin & did the same thing...so there's a nice ultra thick coat of glossy resin on there.
I love how this sparkles!

This is magical!!!

Now all I have to do is be patient & wait! I will share photos when it's finished. If you have any questions about this project, just leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you!

*Stay Sparkly!*

BLUE MAN GROUP LOVE

BLUE MAN GROUP LOVE BY ISEWCUTE, a photo by isewcute on Flickr.

Having fun this morning playing with some GI Joe dolls... just because.
I saw a Blue Man Group performance years ago & it was one of the most incredible theatrical experiences ever. If you have the chance to see them... just do it! There's nothing else that can compare. I also have one of their albums... the music is fantastic! It's great to listen to while drawing. :)

Yuki changing from baby bunny to all grown up with bowl 5 month difference photos by isewcute

yuki from baby bunny to all grown up with bowl 5 month difference photos by isewcute, a photo by isewcute on Flickr.

I recently had another fun photoshoot with Yuki, our little darling hotot bunny & even though she is still relatively small, she has grown quite a bit! Now she doesn't have to stand on her tippy toes to reach into the bowl... same bowl in both photos.

Sew... I Made My Girl a Cute Top This Weekend

One of my new year's resolutions was to get more organized & finally tackle some of those craft projects on the 'to do' list.

Over the weekend I decided to bust my fabric stash a bit & make something fun for my girl to wear!
I chose McCall's pattern # M6062
I made the top 'A' ...only deciding that the style of the sleeves on dress 'B' were better suited to our taste, so I switched 'em out easy-peasy. My girl wanted a pocket added so she could carry some small things around. I cut out a heart shape, sewed & turned it out, then appliqued it onto the front off center.
She was pretty happy with the results! She even changed before playing outside, so she wouldn't mess it up. Now that's love!

She showed her new frock to our bunny...who approved.

Also, she showed the suncatcher we made earlier to the bunny. Bunnies love crafts don't you know?

Finally she twirled. Maybe I'll look for more fabrics to make another seeing how she's so happy with it!
Well, it's already February... we'll see what I make next in my goal to cross more crafts off the list.

I Feel Pretty! Let's Do a Sparkly Glitter French Manicure!!!

Step 1: Brush a sheer pink or neutral shade polish over entire nail & let dry completely. I used Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Angel Wings SKU #4834-09

Step 2: Mask off nail tips.

Step 3: Brush a metallic silver on nail tips & quickly move on to step 4...I used Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear 'Celeb City' SKU #4860-13

Step 4: Using any craft glitter in silver, shake some onto nail tips while they are still wet & let dry completely.

Step 5: Remove masking tapes & finally brush on a clear coating over entire nail to seal in the glitter & give a smooth finish.

This is currently my favorite way to paint my nails. I've seen other tutorials out there, but made improvements so that the tips are super sparkly without being too thick & dries more quickly since there are fewer polish layers. I use regular glitter vs. the glitter polish which I tried, but found more difficult to get a really really sparkly effect. Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed the tutorial for giving yourself a glitter french manicure & try it out for yourself!

Stay sparkly!

Valentine Jewelry Galore! I've been crafting so many glitter hearts & other fancy resin baubles!

isewcute has been working hard on casting new & beautiful resin glitter jewelry just in time for Valentine's day!
This fabulous big glitter heart pendant necklace has the most magical blend of sparkly glitter in ruby red with accents of purple & silver added. I'm planning on making rings & earrings to match because I adore this color combo.

Almost everything in the shop is packaged up in these cute reusable heart shaped gift tins! They're perfect for gift giving... or just spoiling yourself a little.

If you would like a custom sprinkles heart with your initials, or a sweetie's initials, please do contact me through etsy! I adore custom orders!
Speaking of custom creations, this "I Love You" heart is one of a kind. I designed it with 4 cherub characters making a frou frou fun design around the letter beads & filled it with sparkly black glitter. It's bold & eye catching & the only one in the world! It would make a great gift for someone who appreciates truly one of a kind items.

Here are some lovely silvery red glitter heart dangle earrings I made which are both perfect for Valentine's day & every day wear for the girl who likes to show off her romantic side.

Now this fresh & flirty ring is one of my latest creations which has a real starlight mint inside...along with glitter & the cutest (kawaii) polka dotted heart. If you like your rings the-bigger-the-better, you can appreciate the beauty of this conversation piece!

Pink is my personal favorite color, so I consider this beautiful glitter heart necklace to be my la pièce de la resistance. It has all the shimmer & sparkle a gal can hope for in a glitter heart.

This darling modern love-heart glitter ring is one of my latest experiments. I often do test pieces to see what would happen if I mix color a with color b & when I popped it out of the mold to see it for the first time, it took my breath away. There is a galaxy of multi colored sparkles dusting the face of this ruby red heart. It's simply magical!

I haven't decided if I have to keep this darling little kitten, or if I'm going to list it in the shop so it can get a new home. Maybe if the right person came along, I'd let it go. She's one of a kind & so cute, but until then, you can find many of my cat necklaces here.

I have even more to come to isewcute in the next few days! New glittery resin heart pendant necklaces, rings, earrings, and more... so come on by & see it for yourself!

*You can also find most of my Valentine resin jewelry listed in this section of the shop for easy shopping: http://www.etsy.com/shop/isewcute?section_id=10637031


Thanks for looking & stay sparkly!

You have got to see this Art by Don Cobb! It's a treat for your eyes!

Artist Don Cobb grew up in Texas & resides in Louisianna. His art is a reflection of his background & unique vision in a flood of wonderful washy colors layered over one another playing with light & shadow.
The themes of Don's paintings would appeal to a wide variety of folks looking for something comforting & yet sometimes still edgy.
This piece makes me want to pull up a chair & sit a spell!

I once had the pleasure of spending a lovely weekend getaway in a quaint bed & breakfast smack dab in the garden district of New Orleans & some of Don's paintings bring me back to that lovely time with all the spice & culture that New Orleans has to offer in it's food, music, & beauty.

I remember watching rainbows come and go in the mist of water created by the paddle wheel on the riverboat tour we took.

If you ever have the opportunity to travel there, I highly recommend it! If you don't, then Don's paintings may be the next best thing!

I'm attracted to his work by the use of so many colors... makes me think this isn't the way the world really looks, but it's how I want the world to look! It's a real treat!
I also love his compositions & themes. I have my eye on this cherub painting which would look just heavenly in my little girl's room.

You know, father's day is practically right around the corner! What dad wouldn't appreciate one of these fabulous pieces? He doesn't need another tie, or bottle of cologne... give the gift of art because every time he looks at it, he will be reminded of how much he means to you & he will have it forever.
I personally adore the fender stratocaster guitars:

This piece reminds me of all the great western movies I watched with my dad when I was a kid:

The color here in this volkswagen bus painting is another that just grabs me...I love it!

These have been a few highlights that I'm personally attracted to, but you'll want to check out Don's etsy shop to see much, much more! So grab a cup of coffee & sit down to take a moment & enjoy & perhaps even enrich your life by purchasing your very own work of art.

Art is forever~