Stuff Completed

Hello Everyone!

First, I must warn you the pictures in this post are terrible! There's something wrong with my camera! Sometimes it will take pictures as clear as can be and other times, we end up with what you're about to see in this post!

I apologize for the crappy photography! 

Blame the photographer. It is probably the result of my not knowing what the hell I'm doing! 

At any rate, enjoy!

We'll start off with my latest project. 

Completed in three days time.

I dragged out some paper mache and the paints.

I was sick of looking at the cut off coffee creamer jars holding all my markers so I made them a new organizer and got rid of three of those ugly jars. 

This thing started out life as a cardboard box. My diabetes testing supplies arrived in it. I cut the flaps off and used them to make two dividers in it so the markers could stand up even if there weren't enough of them in the box. I then covered it with two layers of newspaper-like paper. (I have TONS of this paper! It is in the form of booklets addressing the drug problem in this country to high school students. I got it from the chief of police of a small town in Kansas. I got three cases of those little booklets! They're wonderful for paper mache! God knows some of the information in those booklets isn't correct any longer. So I'm putting them to good use and making pretty things with them.) After the paper mache had dried for a day, I started painting it. I lost track of how many layers of paint it is. I started off with yellow wall paint for the outside and then got out the Dr. Martins Inks and some more wall paint and some acrylic paint and I slapped it on and wiped it off and put some in a spray bottle with a bit of water and sprayed away and I just went a little nuts with it! Took me a whole day to actually paint the thing what with drying times between colors. That was a tough one for me. I usually start and finish painting with very little drying time between colors. I'm not sure I like the paint job but it's full of markers and on my desk ready for service! The inside of it is a medium lavendar color wall paint. If I decide I don't like it, I can always give it another paint job!

I'm glad to have the markers back on the desk. They've been on the cabinet where the printer lives for weeks now! Been ages since I used them!

Be forewarned--marker drawings are in the future of this blog!

Yes, I know, this picture hurt my eyes as well.

I couldn't get a sharp picture of this wire wrapped rock to save my soul! That's all it is though, a copper wire wrapped rock. Nothing special about this rock at all. It looks green on my screen, but it isn't green, it's a plain ol' run of the mill gray piece of gravel. I dragged it out of the big diffenbachia pot (plant) in the livingroom a couple weeks ago. This is the rock I told you all I would show you when I found it again.

I found it buried beneath the shipwreck of projects that were scattered all over my desk. I cleaned this desk yesterday to be able to put the marker box on the desk. And lo and behold! There it was!

It's not a very big rock....the whole pendant is about an inch long. I rather like it. I was just practicing my wire wrapping skills. They need LOTS of practice!

Ignore the sugar bag in the background. I save all paper bags! 

This one hurts the eyes too. Sorry bout that!

Green hair green velvet Goddess ornament.

That sparkly stuff I made her hair out of REALLY sparkles in the picture! And so do the two rhinestones in the plastic button sewn to her tummy! That sparkly stuff came on a spool like ribbon does. Christmas stuff of some sort. For embellishing packages, like you would with ribbon. I bought it before Christmas for $1.27 for 9 feet of it. I might of used 12 inches for it, but I don't think so. She's about three inches long, stuffed with fiberfil, handsewn from velvet that was once a shirt. She has a copper wire bail sewn into her upper body so she can be hung. I've strung her up with some fishing line.

Her sister #2 didn't cooperate in the photo shoot any better than any of the other contestants in this post did!

She's hand sewn from that same velvet with fiberfil and the copper wire bail sewn in. She has a white plastic button  on her tummy and a chipboard tag sewn to the belly end of the bail. She's a bit shorter than her sister at about 2.5 inches. She has no fishing line to hang her with but that could be easily remedied

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I've been sewing more mug rugs as well. These will probably show up in the posts on a regular basis throughout the year. I have a whole stack of them cut and ready to sew. 

black cloth from a man's shirt

light orange is from a jersey knit from a woman's sweater

yellow is a cotton sweater

stripes were an acrylic yarn sweater

dark orange was a woman's shirt

light orange is a jersey knit from a woman's sweater

dark orange is a poly blend from a woman's shirt

blue is fleece from a woman's sweat shirt

dark orange from a woman's shirt

light orange from a woman's sweater

stripes from an acrylic yarn sweater

pink background is heavy cotton t-shirt fabric from a dress

red is fleece from a woman's shirt

the sheep is flannel from pajamas

purple is fleece from pajamas

dark orange is poly blend from a woman's shirt

flower print is cotton t-shirt fabric from little girl's skirt

orange is from a woman's shirt

purple is fleece from pajamas

All are about 4 inches square, 2 layers hand sewn with crewel embroidery thread. All are made from repurposed  fabrics.

I have plans to make more monsters, pot holders and maybe a tote

bag or two as well this year. I need to make a prototype of the tote bag I have in mind. You'll all see it when it materializes.

In addition to the creating, I'm slowly working my way through the cutting room. I'll show you all a picture in the next post of what the cutting room looks like today and another picture of what it looks like on the day I make the next post. I'm hoping for progress to have been made! We shall see!

I didn't read very many books last year at all. I think only four or five. One of my goals this year is to read at least one book a month. I started The Partner by John Grisham a couple days ago. I bought it at the thrift store for 50 cents. I have almost every book John Grisham ever wrote but I didn't have this one in my collection. Good to have found it! It's a first edition as well which just puts the cherry on top of the sundae for me! I bought another John Grisham novel that day too....can't remember what that one is called right off the top of my head. I didn't have it either. I'll read it next. And then I'll start in on that stack of books I got from my sister right after Christmas when she culled her book shelves. Must be 2 dozen books in that stack. Not all of them 'reading' books but I'll plow through them nonetheless!

I'm not really participating in the 365 Project this year. I'm still trying to make at least 365 things this year and I don't see any trouble in accomplishing that goal. I simply don't have the 'want to' to post about it everyday to get my projects on the 365 Blog. 

By all means go visit them though!!! The link is in the upper right corner over there>>>>>

You'll get new eye candy every single day! 

I didn't really participate much last year but I did hit the goal of having made the equivalent of something everyday even though I don't have something written on my calendar for every day of last year. I didn't count each ornament I made individually. I counted all those as lots. I hit 365 and beyond though.

But anyway, go check out the 365 Project blog. You won't be disappointed! I promise!

I have shelved the envelope book project for the time beings. The person I was to trade this envelope book to has disappeared and it took the wind right out of my sails on this project! I still plan on finishing the envelope book, just not sure when at this point. 

Until next time:

Be good to one another!

It matters!

Peace

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