Baby Rainbows

Good Morning!

Well, I mentioned in my last post that I have been working on a new project.  It's a baby blanket :)  Well, in time, when I am completely finished, it will be more than a baby blanket.  I can't wait to finish it.  I haven't worked on a project in Months!  Probably some time in October was the last time I was working on anything.  It was a scarf...and not even one that I planned to wear! 

I love making things for babies.  I don't know why, but as soon as some gets knocked up, I start cranking out ideas for new projects.  Lucky for me, I am positive that we are going through some sort of Baby Boom due to the economic crisis.  I have never seen so many women pregnant at the same time!  And that's good news for me because it gets my wheels turning, my mind goes into craft overdrive.  I guess there's something about creating a new life that gets me motivated.  Anything goes when it comes to kids.  Lots of colors, prints, designs.... I have a HUGE imagination, and I get to let it run completely wild when I am making things for children.

Whoa..... I just found out if you push "enter" and you aren't careful, your post will be published automatically.... very weird!

Enough babble, let me show you what I have so far... Be patient.  The lighting in my apartment is terrible, so I'll show two of each (with flash & without flash) but nothing is as true as seeing it right in front of you!

No flash

*Flash*

No flash

*Flash*

I really love the rainbow color on the outside of the flowers.  It's Simply Soft "Baby Brights".  As you know from some of my other projects, I am obsessed with rainbows.  My friend is very traditional and I think she would be more appreciative of pastel baby colors, so I worked with what I had in my hefty stash! 

I have been working on paying off my debts so that I can just start to save... I haven't been able to come up with a specific reason to save, but I am 100% committed to paying debt.  That means all of my projects will have to be very decisive.  No purchasing yarn just because I "think it would look good for a project one day".  It feels good to have to start exercising restraint and being responsible for a change.  It's been a long time since I have made a decision and followed through with it 100%. 

I will admit that I have been ...cheating.  I just NEVER EVER SET FOOT IN A CRAFT STORE!  I am running out of the off-white/cream color for the African Flowers.... I am going to have to walk into some store to get more of it.  That is when my restraint and discipline will truly be tested!  Stay tuned to see what happens....Will I sprint into the store like a maniac escaping the police, buy ONLY the off-white color I need and then run out of the store like my ass just caught fire?  Or... will I browse for an hour and leave the store with $100 worth of random items to use "for something one day"? Goodness, I really hope it's the second option! Wish me luck!!!

Tacky Tacky Tacky!

The other night, I was reading up on one of my favorite blogs, and I was going through pictures of Lucy's work. I was also checking out nearly every link in her blog to see where inspiration is derived. Suddenly, I got this wild, but not entirely surprising realization: I am too afraid of color! Every project I make is pre-designed/ pre-meditated. I have to draw a diagram, after several weeks of thought, and several swatches to test color combinations. No wonder I never finish anything! It's completely boring just planning it out, so when I actually start the creation part, I have had enough of the project already! So a few nights after this realization, I grab all this yarn And I take my entire stash of 100% cotton yarn that I have been collecting for various projects over the course of 2 years. I'll be perfectly honest, I have never ever ever made anything from any of this yarn. Ever. I think my plan was to just build a collection of each color available! And I just started to make all these random squares. I wasn't planning anything out. The only "Plan" I made was to see how many squares I could make before I would have to repeat a color combination. As of right now, I have about 30 squares completed and NONE of them are the same :) A small sort of accomplishment! I will admit that this blanket is TACKY!!!!! Goodness gracious! Who would ever be proud of such a thing? Ha! Well, I decided that I wanted to make it for my Little Darling who needs something to sleep with during nap time at daycare. I'd seen 2-3 hand-crafted blankies in the cubbies of her classmates, and thought to myself, "Tacky has a home!" I am looking forward to completing this tacky assortment of squares and assembling them. I am hoping to be finished near the end of the week! And working on this blanket made my mind drift back to a project I started back in November, when I was first learning to make African Flowers. I think this was to be a pillow or something. Who knows?! But I am glad I never throw away projects in which I lose interest. As long as I can remember the color of yarn, the pattern/design, and the hook used, I can always pick up the pieces and keep going later. So when I am done with my Tacky Blanket, I will work on this one. This will be equally as colorful, but just with a tad more of a plan in mind! I can't wait!!! I have also been working on my table cloth. Since I was having allergic reactions to the acrylic yarn, I decided to use 100% cotton yarn to make a table cloth, and I started all over. I finished this in one night at work. Can you believe this is FOUR balls of yarn?! I will need to buy more yarn to continue the project, but I am getting really excited about this as well. I can literally see my dining room area coming to life. And check out the difference between the acrylic yarn... ... and the 100% cotton. I drapes nicer and it look more... Almost lustrous, I guess. Once I have this table cloth finished, I will move on to some cushions, pot holders, a table runner, some place mats, a center piece (for which I am already REALLY excited to hunting down supplies) and, of course, let's not forget... my *Dream* of a large painting that has eggplants and pears. Sounds crazy? You just wait! It will be glorious! ' Til Next Time! Too-da-loooooo!

OH HAPPY DAY!

Well, I have to admit that if you looked outside of my window, you wouldn't think that the title of this post makes any sense! It's yet another rainy, chilly day in my little city. I remember when March would get here and it would be scorching hot. This memory is coming from somewhere way back about 10 years ago. It's just so gloomy that all I have to keep me warm on a morning when I am home alone like this are those memories of being outside eating ice cream on a hot, March afternoon. I know that Spring isn't officially here yet. And I know that the raccoon or whatever the animal...Paqchatway? The little squirrel thing that looks for a shadow. I know it didn't see it this year, so that is a good sign! I am anticipating that Spring is just a few weeks away. And the good thing about Spring here is that it's really, really warm!

The title that I have shared has more to do with the projects that I have been working on.... and e-hem, the one that I FINISHED!!!!! Yes, that's right! Me! I finished something! For once in... well, let's not put a number on how long it's been since I've started and finished anything. I could do cartwheels and sing cheesy songs from musicals. That's how proud I am of myself!

Unfortunately.... I am going to make you wait to see what I have finished. Ha! Of course, you could just scroll down, but that wouldn't make any sense. Then you would have to scroll back up and read my post backwards. Trust me, I read magazine articles backwards all the time (an improvement from reading them upside down, I suppose) and I know that it takes some serious skills!

In my last post, I mentioned something about getting a little more creative with African Flower hexies. Well, I was at work the other week, and I started to work on this.


What is this? This is a sketch for a tote. My sketches are super terrible for someone who has a Bachelors in Fine Arts from an accredited university! The thing is, I am extremely visual, but I don't waste time perfecting the piece of paper! It's the doing that gets me excited!


So after toying around with these African Flower hexagons that were originally going to be for a scarf, I managed to piece the puzzle together into a tote. You would think that would have been easier, given my sketch, but you saw it yourself! Could you understand and follow that diagram?! Please, pay no attention to the mess at my work desk. I always have my laptop, phone, and snacks readily available. I like to watch a movie and text while I work. Makes the time go by much faster and makes me feel like I'm with people all night. And although you can't see it, I am usually reading an art/craft blog or two while working as well. Do I read the blogs backwards like I read magazine articles? NO! I read them in no order at all. I find the most interesting picture and start there and then skip around until I have finished the whole post. Try it! It will blow your mind!


This is what I have so far. I just need to finish sewing a few hexies together and add a handle for the tote and then decide how to line the bag....Should it be fabric? Will I do a crochet lining? I have seen crochet linings before. I think that may be too much of a commitment for me! It looks like a lot of tedious work...row, after row, after row.... I have a magical closet filled with fabrics. I will pick one and sew it in the bag. Stay tuned to see the finished (and yes, I shall FINISH! this bag) product!

However, I have to admit I had to abandon this project for a moment in order to work on a more time-sensitive project. I will get to that in a bit.

First, I am excited to announce that I am doing something for myself! I never make anything for myself... ever... under any circumstances whatsoever. Anything crafty or artistic that I make is always given to someone. Go figure! I don't even think to sell my works. I am perfectly happy with handing them off to someone. I like the smiles!

But I put my altruism on hold for a moment for this project


It will be a table cloth. I have had this dream of having this painting of a Bartlet pear and eggplants together and everything in the dining area will be this dark brown, aubergine purple, and limey-pearish green.


It seems a little colorful, but I think I am OK with that. I like color, and I am always playing it way too safe anyway. For the longest, I have been working to change everything to Black in my living room. And the walls are blank. For someone so artistic, I really don't take the time to utilize any of my creativity to save my apartment from looking as though we just moved in! I am hoping to change all that with my new table cloth! I am going to put a sheet of thin plastic over it. This thin plastic, of course, can be located in my magical closet of items from the fabric store! It pays to be a collector of random artsy thingies!


When it's all said and done, I will have the table cloth, some place mats, a runner for the table (I cook elaborate family dinners on most nights and everything is set on the table), some chair cushions, some pot holders, and let's not forget my painting of pears and eggplants! I am also thinking of a nice centerpiece for the table as well. I love the idea of fresh flowers, but my allergies prefer silk flowers. That final decision will be made at a much later date!

Oh! And that's the first granny rectangle I have ever made! WOOPIE!

This week, I noticed something important.... I really can't sew! In my grand finale of my finished project, I planned to include some sewn items. the truth is I can't sew anything more than a straight line... and even that usually looks like a question mark or a semi colon on some days!

I decided that my next order of business is to teach myself to sew!



Lucky for me, Hobby Lobby;, my local and all-time favorite craft store, has Simplicity patterns for just 99cents! Some of these patterns are over $15!!! And who said it would be cheaper to make your own clothes? By the time you have bought your $15 pattern and your $70 or so of fabric and notions to complete a single item in the pattern collection... You really start to wonder if it's worth it.

Of course, I have the answer to that question! HELL YEAH!!!!! It's SO worth it to see my Little Darling in a fresh Spring Collection of dresses and happy little ensembles made by her mother. That means, she will pick the patterns and decide the colors and which ribbons! But first I have to get over something......

I am terrified that my sewing needle will BITE ME! Laugh if you want to, but I have seen enough fashion design competitions on TV in which someone is getting eaten by their sewing machine. The screams. The pain. The blood... Yea. HELL NO! Not for me! My machine is not taking a notch out of my finger! And because of this minor phobia, I can't even sew a straight line. I keep moving my hand and watching the machine devour the fabric on its own. I guess I must admit--- I am not smarter than my sewing machine!

I have been dreaming of designing and making my own clothes since I can remember. So I stocked up on "easy" patters and I will begin teaching myself to sew as soon as possible. I did plan on giving an "easy" skirt a try this afternoon. We will see if I have time for such things. Something tells me I can find something safer to do!

As I am the Queen of Random Thoughts, I just had one... I will make another post dedicated to my finished project.... Hopefully it won't be the last.

Ha! And to think! You made it all the way to the end of this post.... expecting to see a little something, didn't you? Well, I will give you a little appetizer, a sneak peak.... but just a taste! You can check out the next post for the whole meal :)

Oh Baby!

HELLO!

It has been more than a month since my last blog post. I was really on a roll with things, but then I got stuck. The problem is that my laptop battery is dead. I am too lazy to plug it in and then wait for everything to start up. I can check my facebook, skype, and email all on my phone. I can send longer emails and web search while I am at work. I just recently realized a way that I can blog from work, since I have no way of getting pictures from my laptop to my work computer. I just have to email images to myself. I am hoping this is a solution to what has become a serious block in my updating this blog. We shall see!

The art show? Well, I try to always see the good in the bad. I didn't get a call for the show until a few days before. At that point, I agreed to pick up an extra shift at work since I didn't know if the show would even be taking place. I made $100 for sure during my shift, but I missed out on a chance to experience an art show.

I worked on a lot of things, but then I lost sight of the purpose as the weeks went by and I didn't get a call.

I realize now that I have to work towards some serious short term goals. Creating for the hell of it does nothing for me. I have to have a specific, nearby reason that I am creating crafts. The idea that one day I will be in a show or sell things online when I get enough inventory piled up isn't cutting it for me.

This realization came to me this week as I finished several projects! I am proud of myself! I even took my creepy craft room from this...



To this...



I have space to sew and a place for all my artsy how-to books.


I have space to store my huge bags of yarn and my easel.



This canvas will soon be painted with some vegetables and fruit for my dining room. I have this entire theme of aubergine colored purple and a green. This painting will be complimented by a table cloth and matching seat cushions! That's the plan at least. Until then, I am happy to finally have a SPACE to paint!

A few weeks ago, I was inspired to create something for a friend of our little family. They have been watching my daughter overnight for free while I work. I would never ask that someone provide a service without compensation, but let me just say that a reasonable amount of our income was going into childcare. One of the biggest portions we were paying was for a place our daughter could sleep. Yes, a spot for our kid to be unconscious for a night was putting some serious damage on our pockets.

This family, with their new baby girl, was really good to us for the past month. I wanted to repay them with some hand-crafted gratitude!



I started and finished this afghan about three weeks ago. I thought I was finished, but when I laid it out, I realized that I needed to add another row. I was totally bummed by coming so close to being finished with something (for the first time in a long time) that I have taken all this time to finish the final row.

I am making a point to finish the last damn row TONIGHT! No more procrastinating! This couple has just agreed to keep an eye on our daughter 3-4 times per week for basically the price of a value meal! I am definitely finishing the baby basket for them. This blanket will be part of a little ensemble of items: a smaller blanket for the carrier, a sweater/cardigan, a set of mary jane slippers, and a hat. As of now, I just have ... what you see!


This is my first afghan made out of hexagons. It's also my first *anything* made out of African flowers. I love making African flowers. They are so cute! I will be posting some crochet tutorials in the next 3 weeks or so. I have to decide how I want to do them (video/words/photos) and then...of course... DO THEM!

That baby blanket led me on a rampage. Apparently there is something that is going around in the water. Several friends of mine are pregnant and/or about to pop! I love babies. I also realized that my favorite source of motivation is creating for babies and children. You can be a colorful and creative... and maybe even get a little kitschy and crazy if you like, but it won't matter! Kids look adorable in everything!


Someone mentioned they thought that I was being a little "tacky" with all the colors for this blanket... Well, look at it now that it's all come together!




I started this project about 2 weeks ago for a friend whose baby shower is coming up soon.


This is the larger blanket. Again, this is part of a baby basket. I am really enjoying expanding my horizons and seeing what I can come up with as gifts...


I don't have much time left. This week, my priority is to finish the embroidery for the onesies, sew the bib, and finish the cardigan, hat, and slippers. Sounds like a lot, right? WRONG! When you create for a little person, everything goes really quickly!

It just took me one day to make this cute blankie...it's too large to be used as a carrier blankie, but I think it's too small to be considered an afghan. Either way, it's for a precious baby boy that will be born this summer.




Not bad for a day's work!

I guess this week will be quite interesting. I have a small checklist of items to knock out!

Baby shower gifts:
*Cardigan
*Hat
*Slippers
*Embroidered onesies
*Bib
*Small carrier blanket

Babysitter gifts
*Cardigan
*Hat
*Slippers

Baby boy gifts
*Jacket (cardigan, but that word seems a little feminine!)
*Hat
*Sippers (booties, for boys, I guess!)

I am also working on some sewing projects for my daughter. The first to sections are the most important to finish this week by Friday. After that, I am focusing on everything else as well as seriously hunting down some inspiration! I am doing a little experiment with African Flowers... I want to see just how creative I can get with them! That will all be revealed some time at the end of next week!