Beyond the Yarn

Sometimes, I really feel a need to move beyond my traditional mediums. I've had a lot on my mind lately and I needed to work on something that would really occupy a large part of my brain for a while and test the limits of my creativity. This is the beginning of an art doll. It started with a lump of polymer clay, some beads and wool roving. I am not sure where its going but it will be fun to see what happens. I have tons of craft stuff that I can use, and even some non-craft stuff. I think it looks like a creepy possum person right now.

I did buy a few canvases the other day because I can feel some paintings moving around in my head. I have a collage up there too using felt.

I did get to list a bunch of new hats last night. Etsy was moving quickly so I was able to list them faster than normal. Still waiting on my big yarn order for one of my wholesale accounts.

Just pics really.

Tonight's dinner. I took the sauce left over from the pasta last night that had a ton of Italian sausage and peppers and onions and I added instant brown rice. I stuffed the peppers with it and topped with diced tomatoes. Yumola. A salad with a homemade creamy garlic Italian dressing rounded out the meal.

My new spice rack courtesy of my in-laws. I really needed this as all my spices were woefully old and I had been meaning to replace them. How embarassing for a foodie. Very chic rack.

I found these in the middle of the road. I actually had a rubber pair of these on the truck. These are hanging from my kitchen window.

I listed a ton of new stock tonight. And I picked the only blurry pic to list here. Blame it on the cab sauv.

Tattoo Sketch

I've been sketching my next tattoo. Basically, it will be a pin-up style girl sitting on a ball of yarn. (The ball of yarn will cover the crapping rabbit currently on my ankle.) She will have a paintbrush in her right hand, painting the word "crafty" in a pretty cursive script. In her left hand, a crochet hook. Above her left shoulder will be a flying bluebird (my shop is called electricbluebird). The end of the yarn will be left so that I can add to it in the future. She will have reddish brown hair with bangs (like me) and a cocked left eyebrow (I do this all the time). She will be wearing a vintage slip (I embellish them and sell them in my shop). She will be curvy but not too busty (a departure there - finally I get my breast reduction lol). I would also love to have the girls names added to the back of my neck but that might have to wait. Hopefully, I'll have it started this week!

Mullets and Tattoos

I found this mullet wig on clearance after Halloween. We've all had great fun trying it on. I think Scott was googling squirrel recipes or bounty hunting. That is the power of the mullet wig.

The Big 4-0

The other night, Scott made bear burgers. Despite my hesitation, they were actually pretty tasty. We seasoned them with some Dale's and grilled them. They were less greasy than I thought they would be, and less gamey. (He did not kill the bear - the meat came from a friend).

My glitter Cons. They are the best. I've worn Chucks all my life. I still have a pair from the early 90s that have fetuses painted on them (an artist friend in college went through a fetus stage) and "RIP Kurt Cobain" on the toes. I am saving them for the girls.

Commando Fernando dressed up.

Apparently every slug in the neighborhood came to celebrate my birthday. This was taken this evening on the back deck and gives me the freaking heebs.

The Skirt Machine

I had a hankering to make the girls some twirly skirts. This is Lulu's skirt, my first effort. Not bad considering I didn't use a pattern. Fern's turned out a little better. I will be making more for sure - they are so freaking cute and I have a bunch of vintage fabric to use up.

Fern refers to my sewing machine as my "skirt machine" since she's only seen me use it to make skirts. Cute.

Goofy Girl

I got the Playdough out today for Fern and when I came back from folding some laundry, she was using her foot on the table to play with it. This is the same child who cannot walk from point A to point B in a straight line - it always has to involve jumping, twirling, wiggling, or moving in some goofy way. That is peanut butter on her face.

This is our Halloween/Fall wreath this year. We all picked a pick at Hobby Lobby and stuck it in this grapevine wreath that I have had for 15 years. I helped Fern make the bat.

I took this picture tonight. I think she is starting to look like me me a little bit. She's a hot mess just like me too.

First Pictures of Fall

Have you ever seen such a happy African violet? The girls gave me this plant 2 years ago for Mother's Day. It wasn't doing too well so I bought a new pot at IKEA. I think there must be 15 blooms on it at least. Its very happy in this spot.

We have a bunch of old doors outside that we plan to use to build a headboard one day. They came from an old house down the road. I moved a couple to use as a backdrop for my mannequin. Between the last two, I discovered a black widow. I am leaving her. She isn't hurting anyone. I peek at her every day and she just sits protecting her egg sacks. After she dies, we'll move the sacks somewhere further away.

The last of the tomatoes, still hanging on. We are still having 80+ degree days so we are still getting a few. The rest of the garden has already been tilled under.

The dress is done!

Fernando developed a fever this morning so our trip to my parents is on hold until I hear from the doctor. In the meantime, let me share with you the finished Poppy dress. This is the dress that almost did me in. This is the dress where the dye didn't work and the dress onto which Lulu threw a freshly painted green balloon.

Yesterday, I threw caution to the wind and tossed it into a bowl of scarlet dye. I rinsed it and threw it in the machine on the hand-wash cycle. It was a MIRACLE. It came out beautifully. I was able to photograph it last night and get it listed. It can be yours for just $175.

Pneumonia!

I was planning to have a booth at the Athens Farmer's Market this weekend but Commando Fernando has pneumonia so that is a no go. She has the running, jumping kind. The only reason I took her to the doctor was because the coughing at night was driving Scott and I insane, and to rule out something more serious like...pneumonia. She is on antibiotics and we hope that does the trick.

Still plodding along on my order. I hope to take some pretty pictures today.

Busy Busy

I just got a big wholesale order for a Chicago boutique so I am going to be busier than a one-legged man at an ass-kicking contest. Its a little bit of everything - baby afghans, hats, and hair clips. It does mean a merry Christmas for our chitlins baring any other disasters that deplete our meager savings. And maybe I get that new tattoo that I want for my upcoming 40th birthday! w00t!

We will going to the Clermont Days festival this weekend. My BFF Christine and my artist friend Suzie (owner of the gallery where I sometimes exhibit) will be sharing a booth. (I generally don't do a lot of local festivals because my stuff is too strange for this area.) Anyways, there is a lovely parade with lots of tractors and its a nice start to the fall festival season up here.

I will be doing the Athens Farmer's Market next weekend with Christine. It sounds like it will be a lot of fun. I will be taking my art work, slips, hair clips, and some hats. And I am sure I will be working on this big order!

Oh, and congratulations to my mom, http://silksiren.etsy.com, who made her first etsy sale! Way to go, Mum!

Poppies Dress

 

 

Oh, this dress is killing me. She is gorgeous but aye aye aye. First, Lulu threw a freshly painted balloon at me while I was working on so it has a dribble of lime green poster paint on the side. Then, I discovered that something had mysteriously eroded the dye on the side in patches.

I have spend hours upon hours beading this thing. There are two rows of beads around all of the edges and then one row around the bodice. The poppies were appliqued and the sequins were all hand-stitched and the veins were embroidered. Right now, I can either dip dye the skirt or just re-dye the whole thing. Re-dyeing the whole thing is very scary. I am hoping to get $125 for the dress when its all said and done.

I've started to list my hair clips and I have a boutique in Chicago interested in a wholesale order. I am going to be one busy beaver.

A Picture of Lulu

I forgot to add this picture of Lulu in my last post. I took this one yesterday evening when we went to pick up my car from the shop. She is so pretty. I just love her sweet smile and the little sprinkle of freckles on her nose. I hope that she is always as confident and gregarious as a young woman and an adult as she is now.

She is already planning to enter the school's talent show at the end of the year. She will be singing (not lipsynching) "We're Not Gonna Take It" by Twisted Sister. Today, she planned to tell her best friend that she would be her back up singer. Can't wait to hear how that went.

Gem Grubbin' with the Girls

 

 

 

 

Sunday we took the girls gem grubbing up near Helen, Georgia. Its not that far away - maybe 40 minutes. They had a good time. Fern didn't quite get the hang of it and wanted to just put all of the rocks in her baggie but we got it all straightened out and the girls came home with lots of valuable treasures. If we can find someone to tumble them, they will really be quite beautiful.

After gem grubbing, we playing Pirate Mini-Golf in Helen. Scott kept score. Playing mini-golf with a 2 year old who wants to do EVERYTHING herself is nothing short of a challenge. We muddled through and had an ice cream at the end. It was quite fun.

We got my car fixed - it had a cracked radiator. That completely wiped out our Christmas fund. I am still working like a dog to get the shop really full. I did pretty well last year so I am hoping for a good holiday season this year as well. And outside of my recent yarn purchase, I have vowed to use what I have for a while.

We've never cared about having fancy things but I think struggling and never getting ahead wearing thin on both of us.

What Have I Been Making Lately?

Well, let me show you in pictures.

These are the felted hair clips that I've been hand-beading. The last picture are the ones made from fabric yoyos. Once I figure out how I am going to list them (individually? in sets? how many in a set?), they will go up in the shop.











This is a sweater that I knitted for a very special 2 year old (not mine). I just love how it turned out. I spent an hour looking through my stash of vintage buttons for two perfect ones. Finally, I decided on two mismatched ones because it just seemed to fit the recipient perfectly. One is actual shell. The yarn on the yoke is a wool/synth blend from Hobby Lobby's own brand - I want to say Mosaic Twist but I can't recall. The bottom is Jiffy faux brushed mohair in Oat. It was knitted on size 13 needles.

The Lake Lanier alligator has been captured!!!

Scott got a call last night about 7:30 that a Gainesville resident had an alligator in their backyard. Scott wasn't feeling well but the guy on call lives north of Blairsville, and he knew there was a very good chance this was the alligator he'd been chasing for the last few months.

Well, he caught it!! And it looks like the infamous Lake Lanier gator.

http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=212975

He was so glad to finally nab this thing and be done with it.

Cue the Banjos - We're Going Down the River!

So we decided yesterday to head over to Scott's mom's and go rafting. Bama and Pappy Jack live on the Cartecay River and with all of the recent rain, we figured it would be a good time. We got everyone loaded in the raft and Fern decided she was going to flip out so Bama took her back to the house.

Scott, Lulu and I had a nice float down the river. We did get stuck a few times but the second half of the trip was nice and calm. We floated under a huge fallen tree and were just inches from a HUGE spider (4 inches across) holding an egg sack. Ack.

On the way home, we stopped for fruit pies (peach and apple) and a sack full of fresh peaches. Yum.

Christine left me a gnarly evil manny head yesterday. As soon as I find my camera, I will post some pics. She needs a name.

Five Hour Baby Sweater Flickr Group

So my BFF and I have been making the infamous Five Hour Baby Sweater. I've done two versions, but with chunky yarn and bigger needles. She is on her third I believe, in a variety of sizes. Since this is probably the most popular baby sweater on the internets, I created a flickr group for it:

http://flickr.com/groups/793449@N25/

Its open to anyone so if you have pictures of a Five Hour sweater that you've knitted, feel free to post the pics!

Good-Bye Summer!

Yesterday was the official end to the garden. Scott mowed it and then tilled it under. I think he has plans for some lettuce when the weather cools down some. Its a lot of work for him (planting, weeding, dealing with pests) but its a lot of work for me too trying to pick it and cook it all or can it, trying not to waste food. I actually had to buy a tomato last night, which about killed me after such a bumper crop. He actually left a couple cherry tomato plants so we have some for salad.

Today is Labor Day. Not sure what we will do. We had a wonderful time at the new Francis Meadows Aquatic Center on Saturday. It has a great water park and the kids had a blast. Tubing is also an option - with all of the recent rain, we won't drag our butts.

I have been hand-beading and hand-dyeing some vintage slips. I managed to find some L and XL slips so I am excited to get those finished and added to the shop.

In yarn news, I hit Hobby Lobby Friday and picked up some interesting yarns. I really want to get about 200 items in my shop in time for the holidays.

Oooooh... Scott has made panacakes! Breakfast is on the table!