Reusable Bag

Today I made a reusable shopping bag. The pattern is from morsbags.com. I am really into the idea of hand stitched words onto fabric. To me, it makes it look handmade, organic, comfortable.

First, I stitched the word shop

Then I sewed it to one of the soon-to-be side's of the bag

Then I cut everything out. The Fabric is from Ikea. I'm not big on patterns, but I love this one

Finished product!

Sewing

I was given a sewing machine last summer by my good friend Ailea. It has been sitting here starring at me, beckoning me and intimidating me for months now. Finally, I decided a few weeks before Christmas that I was going to take the plunge.

I went crazy with it! I made so many christmas presents, but only took pictures of a few. For Caleb's little cousins, I made matching aprons. One for Emmy (E) and one for Natalie (N).

This was one of my favorite. I made a pillow with soft fabric from Ikea. I hand stitched the "O" for Olivia (who is almost 2 years old) and filled the raised pocket with fresh dried lavender.

Paraffin-free Candles

I haven't posted in a veeeeery looooong time. Part of my excuse is due to the fact that the things I've been working on have been Christmas presents for people.

One of the things I learned from a fellow blogger, is the art of homemade candles. It is rewarding and there is an environmental benefit to this. Through my research, I've learned that most candles on the market contain a chemical called Paraffin. According to greenamericatoday.org, "Paraffin—a petroleum by product—releases carcinogenic soot when burned. The soot can also cause respiratory problems and will aggravate the conditions of those who already have asthma, lung, or heart problems". An alternative to this is Soy.

I went to Michaels and purchased a box of Microwavable Soy Wax, tin cans, and wicks. I had some dried fresh lavender and lavender essential oils.

First, I hot glued the wicks to the base of the tin cans.

I then microwaved the wax in a clean cottage cheese container (from my recycling container) and added about 10 drops of lavender essential oils.

Finally, I poured the wax into the containers and added some fresh lavender pieces. I chose to keep the wax white for aesthetics and to keep the amount of chemicals down. I propped the wax up with some toothpicks and let it sit for about an hour.

Finished product (pictures from candles made in Ikea containers)

New handmade necklace

I just ordered a handmade necklace from my friend Ashleigh. She recently opened up her etsy shop and has also been selling her jewelry at a local boutique in Charlotte, NC. Check her out.

www.ashleighmurphy.etsy.com

Baby Shower Gift

I went to a baby shower for my friend Lauren last week. We are constantly daydreaming together about creating new things. Just the other day we were talking about buying a little shop and selling all local handmade items in it (including our own). We would have an eclectic mix of stationary, embroidered onesies, soap, anything made with good fabric, pottery and a potters wheel in the corner, delicious coffee and of course good music always playing as an inspiring soundtrack. For now, we'll start small, maybe the next step will be etsy.

Baby Gray's Gift
burp
nurse
safe
(glass bottles, I always give her a hard time about her toxic plastic waterbottles)

Create

Today is my day off and I'm spending a good part of it creating things...a birthday card, a mother's day card, a video montage for my old boss who just put is dog to sleep, a gift for a friend who is getting married, touching up a website for my friend's flower business...I find peace in doing it and have been thinking about things to make and sell on etsy. I've been very very very inspired lately to simply...create.

I just read this quote:

"The person born with a talent they are meant to use will find their greatest happiness in using it".
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Bowls

While eating lunch today I made a short (very short) and fun handmade film of my bowls.  I'm experimenting with photo animation for a bigger project I hope to do in the summer.

Stationery

I've always preferred make my own handwritten notes, but lately I've taken it one small step further by purchasing more crafting supplies and a book, Handmade Hellos. Here are a couple of cards I've made, one is a sympathy card, the other a Birthday card. I took an envelope and cut a piece of cardstock 1/8" smaller than the envelope. I then cut another piece of cardstock 1/8" smaller than the first. I rounded the corners of both by using the bottom of a glass and my exacto knife. I then cut out the shapes (in this case of a tree) on the smaller piece of cardstock and glued them together. For the Birthday card, I put a piece of patterned paper between the two.

A boost of life for my plants

I consider my plants handmade because I put all of the components together...by hand. I first select a pot and sometimes hand paint it, I then get the dirt, whether it be from my old bosses compost bin or the bagged stuff from the store, and finally select a clipping or baby plant and put it all together. The best part is watching them grow.

Last week I made green beans for dinner. I used a frozen bag of beans from the store and steamed/boiled them. After they were done, I pulled the steamer out and had about 4 cups of green tinted water left in the pot. I strained out the pieces of seeds and bean that had fallen through and used the liquid to water my plants. Every single plant I used that water on grew a new leaf over the week!

Chunky Knit Throws

This is my very first blog entry. I'm excited to see where this goes.

I was flipping through a Pottery Barn catalog and found these chunky knit blankets. I love them, so I asked my friend Katherine to teach me how to crochet. Pictures to follow.