Spring Break...in two posts...Maybe one of them tomorrow.

okay.. I have been Blog Delinquent but I have been on spring break and that is my excuse.

Besides... maybe too many posts are too many..There are 200 unread posts in my bloglines and I need to keep working around here instead of burying myself in the internets, so if I 'm not saying hi.. That's why. But I will try and get caught up in a bit.

Okay:

WIP Wednesday: I sewed. I made an outfit for my niece for her birthday and I will be excited to show it to you soon. Milo needed to be really involved and so he curled up on my sewing table and slept in this lovely antique sewing basket I got from my mom's friend Betsy. Thanks Betsy! Milo loves it..


We are also doing some spring cleaning around here but more on that next week too..

Thrift Thursday: Great day at the thrift store! This is just some of the juicy goodness.
Some drawer organizers ( in the spring cleaning theme) and some great vintage "made in Japan' flowers, birds and bugs.




Then in a bunch of 80's patterns, I found this! EEEEP! Mail order from the LA times 1952! Making this so soon. My favorite easy no-sleeves sleeves and that peter pan collar!





The outfit I have almost sewed up for Violet was from thrifted patterns from the same day, not as vintage probably only 20 years old or so.
skirt blouse and hat, I really will show it ... maybe tomorrow.

I really am trying to ramp up the old sewing and new vintage fun...
(Now all the pages of Home Sewing Is Easy are Accessible on Flickr in one convenient set!)
which all has to do with another exciting announcement I hope to make really soon!

Ciao bellas, got to run!
Spring Break is sashaying away with a sassy look on her face.

Tutorial Tuesday with Sally Stitch and Pockets!

Everything is better, cuter and more fun with a pocket.

Besides, you can put your stuff in it!




That Sally, she's just a smart as a whip.

Thrift Thursday: The Recycled Redecorating Project

Ummm.. I guess I really don't do before pictures.


But here is an after pic that you all might like a little:




Trust me, it looks better now.

The living room corner with repainted baby changing dresser ala Ikea, now dvd storage.
Topped with 2 vintage typewriters; thrift store purchases, Brownie camera on laquered trays: thrifted and thrifted. Artwork from a display props sale, thrifted lamp and shade, thrifted lawnchair and suitcase.

Nothing cost more than 15 dollars. Not too shabby.

WIP Wednesday: Cupcakes and Planting Flowers

These are my favorite baking project every spring. I don't Love Peeps...
but I like them as a cupcake topper a whole lot...


but, if you toast them in the toaster oven on a piece of foil ( now, don't go burning your house down... Be Careful.) and put them on a graham cracker with a chocolate egg shoved on top? Peeps S'Mores.
And the sugar makes them like a Peeps Creme Brulee...
But you didn't hear that from me.


Had to work off all that finger licking in the garden and with a big long walk.
It was a really nice day to get out.







More spring flower porn here...

Tutorial Tuesday: Bubble Stuff (and other handmade basket stuffin's)

There are tons of recipes out there.. Take your pick based on what you can get your hands on.

I made a Joy solution and a Dawn Solution. They seem to work pretty much equally right now, but the Dawn is a smidgen more reliable... and may really be superior by tomorrow.

I made my "wands" from clean bamboo garden stakes, cut to size.



Mine are 15 inches.
I used a heavy wire to make an egg shape at the top. I think a copper wire would work the very best, but I used what I had. The wire was about a foot long twisted lightly together then inserted in the bamboo. For security I hot glued in place.




Then added some festive embellishment.

I am going to let the solution sit out open overnight... and then bottle it, in a recycled jar or 3. I made a gallon and a half, having a full fledged Bill Nye The Science Guy Empiricist Moment

Mix your bubble stuff up tonight. Don't wait.
It gets better with age.

But even the same day test bubbles came out Huge and Colorful.









Other good "kid consumables" tutorials that make for excellent stuffins'
Most require a mere hour or two of your time...

make your own sidewalk chalk
make your own playdough
make cute pompom animals
make earrings
make barrettes
make t shirts
make ipod cozies

Just one goodie a day and your basket is overflowing... with Hand Made goodness.
Your Easter is not brought to you courtesy of some poor kid in a third world country...
And no serious contribution to the landfills in a week or two.

I'm just sayin'... you can do this... and it's fun.

Thrift Thursday: Dreams of Shakin' Up My Bakin'

I got a cookie press. There is a camel and a dog shaped extruder.
And a butterfly.
And all the card suits...
In case I take up bridge... and need pressed cookies.

plus there were tiny tins, and a blue rack and some weird frosting tips in odd 60's colors.

This will likely not bode well for my desire to shed some pounds.

Oh well.

Hey! It was My Blogiversary and I forgot to check!

2 years!!!!!



Yep. 2 years last week.

and the New Vintage Wardrobe Project is a year old too...

And I started 365 on my Blogiversary.

March must be my "new big thing" month.

Let's Celebrate with a new Handprinted Fabric Swap.
And Margaritas.

Tutorial Tuesday: Pimp My Bunny..

It is pretty simple.
Most chocolate bunny packaging isn't all that great
if you aren't going the gourmet 27.00 chocolatier route.

are you taking about me? or my friend back there?

But lots of low rent bunnies are definitely adequate looking if you put them in better surroundings.

To "pimp your bunny" you Simply Need:

• a clear cello bag or a sheet of cello wrap - big enough for ears, tail and gathering somehow at the top
• paper easter grass-(Not the Flame Resistant Kind. If your kid isn't going to be smoking, the chemicals are more harmful than is the likelihood of hazardous burns..),
• some cute little mushrooms, flowers, or pastel pussy willows or ladybugs (some small garnish)
• and a bow.

Step 1:
Denude your bunny.

Step 2:
make a nice nest of crinkly crunchy paper easter grass and add the garnish to the front of the bag.

Step 3:
(not pictured) slide in the rabbit. Do Not Nibble.

Step 4:
crunch up the top and tie with ribbon.
I knot it, to slow the bunny munchers down a second.

step 4.5:
splay the topknot to keep the ribbon from easily slipping off.

Bunny Not-So-Extreme Makeover

Extra Dark Lindt bunny- redone with Martha Stewart cello bag and stash accessories.

Voila..
Go On!
Pimp your Bunnies, Honeys.

OMG ...The Baskets are Finally In The Shop!!

If you hurry to the shop:

you could get this one

or this one

or this one

with this stuff...

Phew... That was one hectic update. I'm going to go garden now!

xxoo... Buh Bye!

why the basket shop will be open later tonight... instead of today.

I started playing with the toys too much.
I am a very bad shopkeeper when it comes to update deadlines. Surprise Surprise.

( The bunny will be in the shop...)

New Vintage Wardrobe #15 :The Major Modification Project Series part 1

This skirt was from a pattern (Butterick See and Sew, 3813) that I was going to leave on the thrift store shelf. I didn't really dig the Perky Girl Scout Leader Vibe. Couldn't picture myself in a cotton neckerchief and white loafers. In addition I don't think a rear opening wrap skirt is a good idea. I have made a rear opening on the wrap dress and although I adore the style the pattern and the fit that particular aspect leaves me feeling a trifle vulnerable.

Then, as I was responsibly leaving the item for the next guy, inspiration struck. (I swear this happens a little too often at the thrift store... which is why I was trying to keep the pattern from following me home. More inspiration=more UFO's.) I think, "Turn it around. Exchange the darts in the front for the darts on the back, check the waistline before adding the binding and do 4 buttons instead of that chintzy tie!"


Simple... Just completely redesign it!
Oh! you mean now that it doesn't have the binding tie I have to put in facings and create the patten for those myself? Oh well, a Betty's got to do what a Betty's got to do!

( If you attempt this at home:
you can use the instructions from Sew What Skirts and do the "Got No Ties" skirt but use a heavier weight cotton. Then follow the steps below.

• Modify the instructions by curving the edge that you will be binding of the lower corners of the front panels.You can use a plate to make the curve.
• Sew the darts into the main skirt panels first.
• Then make your facing pattern off of the fabric pieces. trace out pieces that match the top of your skirt pieces ( waist and sides) but then go down, lengthwise about 4 inches. You want your facings smooth and if you make them off of the pattern they will either have darts in them or there will be excess fabric. Both will pad your middle, which is generally considered undesirable by most.
  
• sew skirt pieces together.
• sew facing pieces together.
• sew skirt to facing along the top. (the waistline)
  
• bind the bottom edge of the facing and all around the outside edge of the skirt
• turn the facing to the inside of skirt , press under the the raw edges on either end of the facing then top stitch into place, just inside the binding. There are an annoying amount of thread color switches implied here.
  
• next try on and mark your four button and buttonholes with tailor's chalk or an advisable alternative method. Not Sharpie.
  
• install button and buttonholes. I only made my top two and outside bottom button functional. The inside lower button is just sewn to the uncut buttonhole stitching. This will help prevent a weird pulling effect if I eat too much Easter candy... which is likely.

Now that we have that all figured out! I just want to rave about my binding foot. It made this project a lot less time consuming. Binding and Piping always seem so tricky and I noticed that Sally Stitch had this machine foot that fed in the binding and fabric together. So I headed to Ebay and snapped one right up. How's that for resourceful? Gotta Love Those Internets!

My first fabric covered buttons for a garment... They are just tooooo cute.


and I started 365 on Flickr.... I need more modeling practice and I was inspired to try by Becktress, Ms. Cleaver (+blog) and by These Photos over at Pia Jane Bijkerk.

Aren't they all so cute?

HAndMade Holidays can Be Easter Too.. ( or Passover, if that's yer deal)

coming soon, to a basket near you

Hey.. I'm taking a break from relentless hawking of my ever growing pile of wares to say that I think this Season Of Secular and Religious Spring Holidays should be as Handmade as The Winter Holidays were. I will be featuring some cool "how-to's" on filling the baskets, making a matzo cover and if I'm on my game, maybe a Seder plate too. Plus some lovely spring fashions along these very lines... Pretty much all the time from now 'til spring break.

Easter can be such a gluttonous trash pile of plastic crapulence... But it simply doesn't need to be.. Because really Easter is all about the candy. Isn't it? All the cheap plastic toys, the "never play with it again" basket fillers that line landfills and the bottoms of the overflowing toy boxes of the nation's youth, are a secondary part of the celebration. ( Domestic Anarchy's Post to this very Point.) Of course, there is the whole Jesus thing too, if that is your guy. For believers, that's the whole ticket to heaven... and that IS something. Rebirth too, for sure, for those of the more agnostic leaning... but really, without the chocolate? It just isn't the same.

One year, my mom.. who is really great and I love her a lot... but one year, she made our Easter baskets "healthy". There was a flocked Bunny piggy bank, and an orange, and an apple, and some raisins, and fruit leather. I am still scarred. If you want healthy Easter: Just Don't Put In As Much Candy.. but there needs to be at least one good sugar rush in the basket.

I feel strongly on this point. I appreciate your attention.

When Spring Cuts Loose At Bitter Betty Industries

Click on the descriptions below and get right to the Shop
on the item page you are looking for..

Handmade spring bag with vintage crewelwork rescued from goodwill..

new UtiliObis!

earrings! and they come inside tiny baskets in paper covered boxes..

Vintage sewing basket with goodies.. Because I have one and 2 is too many for Mr. Bitter.

The Shop Update will now be happening in 3 sessions.. There will indeed be a "build your own basket" option.. ( thanks for your feedback on that one.) It will be baskets that are good for any age (well, over 6, really) but aimed at the crafty set.. and largely, the girly set. But if you crave a Bitter Betty Basket for Boys, email me and I will work with you to make it fantastic.

I will be offering 3 baskets Large Medium and Small: Large will have 5 items, Medium 4, Small 3.

The items to select from will be 1-2 from Pink Pompom sheep, Felted Bird, stuffed or felted bunny ( Yet TBD) , Fancy Earring Box or Deluxe Goose Egg Kit

and 2-3 from:
Vintage Glitter Tag kit, Fancy Paper pack, yummy chocolate candy in a fancy package, the really good soap bubbles with pretty new label, Mix CD,chocolate bunny, fancy fairy crown, or pompom chick.

And if you want a smaller basket, or less, or more, or just some stuffin's I will gladly do some serious customization and get it into the shop with your name on it. Just email or Convo me..
I am Notoriously Easy and Eager to Please. ( Please do not confirm this with Mr. Bitter as he is highly unreliable as a source of info... on this particular point..)

Session Number One is now up and running!
Owl Shop tomorrow ....
and Build a Basket by the end of the week.