Happy Holidays and all that Mush...

Well, since this year the lowest number of teams ever signed up for the Iditarod... (I blame global warming.)  I decided to help them out with a little bit of fuzzy P.R.  

I made my own dog sled team, complete with harnesses and sled. If I was 4 inches tall, I could go rocketing across the icy, white, quilt batting, the wind whipping through my yarn hair.

I love needle felting in the winter.

The sled is just cardboard, bent carefully and to match the dog sled illustrations I found on the net. Just simply glued together, it was surprisingly effective.

 I might make a sled bag too. But not before this Christmas. I am still just this side of all finished up... and I fully intend to actually relax before all the delights of  the big day are upon us.

The lead dog has different colored eyes, 

just like a husky I knew when I was a kid.

Thanks for all the great feedback on Jake's  project too. 

We'll definitely have a post here when he opens up shop!

Handmade Holidays: The DUDE CRAFT edition.

Hey, Hey, Ho Ho...

If you are related to me: please read no further, as this post contains

Holiday Gift Spoilers of an epic variety!

Please come back at a later date and enjoy the post... But for today: avert your eyes!

I have always encouraged Jacob to make his own gifts.In the past we have made tons of really delicious fudge and cute sock dogs and other fine items... But this year I think we are really on to something cool.

Last year Jacob came up with a fun slogan, and using some clip art and computer technology he put together his first T-shirt design.

I taught him to silk screen and voila...

A Handmade Holiday gift perfect for all his

Art School alumni, sci-fi nerdy, aunts uncles and grandpas.

The Soylent Green Ad T-shirt.

It was great watching him debate placement, color combos and the way the positive or negative on the colors changed the design. In his design process he was very clear and specific, combining two graphics and selecting his fonts.

I guess you can tell I am proud.

Now, I just need to get him his own Etsy Shop!

Next Dude Craft: Felt bead necklaces for 3 very feminine preschool cousins, and then something for the grandma's...

Thrift Thursday (The Friday AM edition): Solid Color Statuary

By now, I am sure most of you are aware of the bold iconagraphic cuckoo clocks and figurines that you see featured by clever artists on the uber swell blogs like Poppy Talk, Design Sponge and Design for Mankind ... but did you know that all this giftable hipness is available to you for just a trip to the thrift store and a stop by the spray paint cabinet?

This guy was truly hideous, all painted to look like Sleepy from that Disney dwarf/princess flick. 

Clearly, he is a Gnome not a Dwarf... And he looks much cuter in solid red.

I have two of these (bookends) that were a less than charming bold brass... So they required a primer coat, before the orange. I think they look much smarter like this.

This little fawn brooch featured possessed fawns with scary red eyes... But now in solid blue they are super cute.

I wonder how a little French shepherdess would look done in hot pink? 

(Those porcelain pieces paint up like a dream!)

Scour those thrift store shelves. Concentrate on stuff that could be ( but probably isn't) pre 60's. Overlook the hideous paint and look for the cooler side of kitsch. 

You have the technology. You can save them.

The Woodland Wreath with Tutorial

Here is a mossy woodland wreath that  is super easy to make.

It will require:

wreath form

sheet moss

floral wire

bitty plants (optional)

polymer clay mushrooms (to build you need polymer clay and wire)

1) Take a walk in the woods and gather sheets of moss from the bark of fallen trees. ( or go to a better nursery supply or even Home Depot and buy sheet moss in a bag)

2) If you did gather wild moss you will need to soak your sheet moss. The dust from moss can irritate some people so over your nose and mouth if you are sensitive to stuff like that. Then place the moss in a big tub or bucket, weight it down with a rock or brick and fill with water.

Let it sit for awhile, an hour should suffice.

3) Take your wreath form ( I used a wire wreath form because that is what I had at hand... I I think any form: straw, grapevine or whatever should work for this project) lay out some bigger sheets of moss and start wrapping the form.

4) Secure the wire to the form by wrapping one end tightly to a wire or branch on your form then apply the moss wrapping around and around as you go. Go slow and use plenty of wire.

5) Stick the roots and some dirt of any tiny plants you use under the moss as you wrap. 

6) As all the wreath is covered, cut the floral wire and tie off.

7) If you'd like, make some little mushrooms on wires ( I used un-bent paper clips on mine, sticking it in the stem before baking according to package instructions.) then after you hang you wreath, stick them in where they look cute. Mine burnt a little, but I thought it made them look more realistic.

Woodland Wreath: 100 percent from stash and found resources. 

Gnomes welcome here.

A couple of updates!

The Holiday Scoreboard:

I'm still feeling good about my day/project ratio.

The total number actually went up from the initial reckoning (from 15 to 21), so this feels like a a good, fun pace.

And also I have raised enough money in my Etsy shop to buy 5 flocks of chickens for needy families. Thanks to all the great shoppers! Hurray!

Coming up I have a great collection of quick useful gifts that you can hand make in minutes and all for under 5.00 each....

tune in tomorrow!

Made it Myself Monday: A New Tradition

Look at these beauties.

No more stockings for us! 

We are now leaving our wooden shoes out for Santa to fill with treats!

We purchased the shoes as a  memento of  diversion we took, on our way down to visit family, for Thanksgiving. What a good idea it was to slow down, and take a look around for once.

The shoes were plain carved wood. I just painted the insides with contrasting acrylic paint and finished the outside with matte Mod Podge to make them a little more "goodie proof". 

I love them. I never made stockings for my little family in all these years.  I ve cut out something like 3 sets.. but never sewn a stitch! That is probably because my mom knit some super great personalized ones for everyone. They are beautiful and detailed and can double as a sleeping bag, they are so large. This presents a certain daunting challenge when it comes to the the stuffing of same said stockings.

The shoes? Not so much. A candy cane, chocolate bar, i-tunes card, and you're close to capacity.

A cute tiny stuffed dog and a comic book should cover it.

Want some? Here come the internets to the rescue.

To procure our clogs, we stopped by Solvang, CA. 

(Say it like you are introducing "The Soul Train"... Fun huh? That's courtesy of my sister.)

 

I saw a couple abbelskivvers posts around the internets and as we happened to be headed  in that direction, far be it from me to say no to a doughy fried confection of legend

 The diversion planned and executed!  A 15 hour mini vacation.

Solvang is a town that is designed to be darling. Which is fine. It simply is doing what it was designed to do. And on top of that it is jam packed with pastry. ho ho ho!

December Denial and a Linky Love Fest!!!

Happy belated Thanksgiving to all, and off we go headlong into December. I didn't get all my projects finished before Thanksgiving but I am doing very well on the project to day ratio.
Just to keep myself on the straight and narrow I have a little panic inducing chalkboard up, next to the coffee pot now.

This is yesterdays tally.. I finished 2 projects and a day has gone by.


Okay, Kreative Blogger Award which was bestowed upon me so very kindly by both Turkey Feathers and Frippery. (Seriously? I didn't even know you ladies read this old blog o' mine!)

6 plus things that are inspiring me right now:

Upping the ante on handmade holidays like This.

I have to make one of These.

This Movie..

and this one too

The idea of combining this and this

This tree.

and these.

And if any of you don't spend all December on the edge of your seat waiting for what is next in the Lego Advent Calendar of No Appropriate Behavior... you are seriously missing out. It is my favorite new holiday tradition

so wow...
now I need to tag some great bloggers (I usually avoid this to avoid putting any pressure on anybody) but here goes:

Leah
and Leah
and Amy
and Kristin
and Julie

If you don't play along... I totally understand. But just consider it a vote in favor of the kind of inspiration and fun you provide!

On top of all that fun Bridget gave me an I *Heart* your blog and listed a bunch of blogs that are always on my "Must Read First" list too! Thanks Bridget... I totally *heart* your blog too!

Oh... and did anyone else notice? Simmy's Back!


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