Sweet Ninja

Work it Rosie!

Finally! With out further ado...a new item in the shop. "A Robot's Busy Week Dishtowels."
 

Hand silk screened with an original illustration depicting just how much work robots really do. These have actually been ready for a little while but I finally got around to taking picts and posting them. Although robots apparently work very hard ...I don't.

And some of that wool got put to good use today. I invited my nephew over to go in my community's pool but sadly it was closed. We made a little craft instead that was all his original design. This little owl, whom he named Hoot, didn't take too long to complete. With teamwork we got it done in just enough time before his attention span wore out. He even forgot about the poison ivy on his face...and elsewhere...for a minute.

Making Time To Make

Ever have a ton of ideas in your head but no time to actually carry them out? That's where I've been for a while now. Between working full time with a minimum of of a three hour total commute a day and freelance work I've been struggling to find time to work on my own stuff. Even my weekends have been pretty packed lately which is sure to only get worse with summer right around the corner. I'm not complaining about that though because that's the fun stuff. A girl needs time to craft though!

We'll I've got some plans and I've got some new materials. Here's a peak at my stash but I'm not going to tell you what it's for. Okay... some of it I'm not sure what it's for yet. But here it is and I'm promising now to have a full finished project to post by Monday. I said it, "promise." Now I have to! Wasn't this supposed to be a craft blog any way?
Fabulous wool felt. This pict doesn't do the colors justice because it's late and there's no natural light in my studio right now.
An embroidery that I did a while back that's finally going to serve a purpose. And what's that behind it? Vinyl?...Hmmm...?
And the sweetest dancing animal fabric aquired today at Purl Patchwork.

Happy Mom's Day

To all the mothers out there, hope you had a good day! I am not a mother but had a very nice day starting with brunch at my Mother in laws, then a nice long bike ride, planting a veggie garden with my Mom, husband and my two nephews, then dinner at my Mom's.

This weekend flew by and I'm sure the week will also as I have to travel for work again...to Vegas so I'm not complaining. I'm just glad I got to spend a nice little chunk of time outside. I also went to a birthday party Saturday and spent Friday night with friends drinking and playing dirty Pictionary.

Maybe I had too much fun this weekend and need to refer to this robot print I made in my silk screening class to remind me what I should be doing!

This is a hint of an idea...for a dishtowel....that you'll see in my shop soon! (as soon as I take some good photos)

A Little Inspiration

My studio is slightly out of control. This is to be remedied soon though, by the purchase of a set of flat files and a good spring cleaning. Maybe it's just procrastination speaking but I don't think I should start cleaning...or crafting, till said flat files are in place. Sooooo.. here's the only part of the studio currently fit for public viewing, my inspiration boards.

Girls and Feather

Just so you don't think I've been totally slacking here's a little something I've whipped up. "Little Feathered Queen," is a limited edition of 15 prints which will be available in my shop when I do a big May update. There's going to be lots of other silk screened goodness in that update as well. (both on paper and fabric!)

Here's an example of the difference a frame can make. I'm not sure which one I like better but I better decide soon because I'm keeping one and the other is for my good friend Amy, co-proprietress of Greenwich Letter Press. She gave me such a sweet hook up printing my wedding invites (nearly a year ago...aghhh) that I've been meaning to make her some sort of thank you. Finally here it is....But which one?

Thinking Spring

Here's some watercolors to get you in the mood.

Happy Hooker

I've finally moved beyond crocheting mostly squares and rectangles (with exception of the doll I blogged about before). I've made an actual, wearable shirt/sweater!

I'm not sure what made me choose this color yarn because I own nothing else of this color...but I was pretty happy with it when I finally completed it after many...many....many hours. The pattern is from the Stitch and Bitch "Happy Hooker," book.

If you're looking to pick up crocheting I highly recommend this book. Debbie Stoller explains things so clearly and makes you feel like it's ok to screw up and even gives you secrets to hide your mistakes.

I've always liked the look of knits better but though crocheting was easier. I now feel so confident with the hook that think I'm ready to pick up some needles again. (I  did knit my Dad a scarf once that turned out fine but was very frustrating to make). I plan on picking up Miss Stoller's  knitting book so she can talk me through some knits and purls. Wish me luck!

When Good Clay Goes Bad

I did a small favor for a talented friend and she repaid me by giving me some porcelain clay to play with. She has kiln access and said she would fire my project for me. On one hand I feel bad sending her into her classroom to fire what I created but at the same time I'm pretty pleased with myself. It's a perfect juxtaposition of delicate porcelain...and harsh words.

Here's my project at phase one, raw porcelain

Besides the obvious irony I also like the rustic look of my little dish-bowls in contrast to the pristine material used to create them. I can't wait to see them glazed with the glaze settling into the letters, hopefully leaving them quite legible.

I also see these tiny pieces as being fairly versatile. They could hold jewelry, office supplies, condiments or small snacks at a party where an unknowing friend could get a message when finishing off the mixed nuts!

This was the original dish that sparked the idea for the group. Once they are all fired and glazed I'll share the finished product. I'm praying to the fire gods that all eight make it through the process unscathed.