The first piece I’ve tested out is shown above. They are hand cast plastic “Home Sweet Home” banners. Hopefully the first in a series I’ve been dreaming up. I want a full range of colors before I add them to the shop, so it might be a week or two before I get proper photos.

What are your thoughts? Any colors I NEED to make?

Above is a photo of some of the tools and supplies I will be using today. I will also be using scissors, a large paper cutter, a table saw, a drill, a dremel, a hammer and some nails. Whew.

I’m still running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off. This is the first show I’ve done with all my new pieces, so mass assembling, packaging and displays are all new to me again. Today is dedicated to putting chain on all the new necklaces, packaging them and assembling all the display pieces I cut out. I’m very happy with how everything is coming out, and I can’t wait to show you guys the fruit of my labor!!

If any of you reading this will be attending Crafty Bastards this Saturday in DC, then please check back here Friday for an exclusive, show only, coupon for our booth. Also, if you haven’t bought your tickets yet, they are now on sale online, Buy One Get One Free! If you wait until the day of the show, tickets are $5.

Well, Yesterday I decided to lug out all of my beading supplies and try my hand at some new necklaces. I had the idea of mixing my original style Juxtapose Necklace with my new Fragmented Necklaces while I was sick. It stewed in my head the entire week!

Apparently I designed the fragmented pieces in the same form as my Juxtapose Necklaces because it was really easy to combine them! I finished about five before running out of wire. I’m hoping to photograph them tomorrow and have them in the shop by the end of this week. I’m excited!

Do you like the new pieces? Are there color combos you would like to see? Feedback is always welcome!!!

Right before we got super sick (were onto day 7 here) I was planning on finishing CT’s Plus Quilt that I’ve been dreaming on since January. I added a few more fabrics and redid the design a bit. It ended up being A LOT bigger than I had anticipated. Before accounting for seam allowance, binding and anything that could eat fabric, it measures 68″x88″. That’s almost twin quilt sized.  I can actually put this thing on CT’s bed when i’m done. That made me very happy.

I still need to sew all those little squares together, patch together the back, quilt it all up and bind it. Seems like a lot, but once I hit this point I feel good about it all, and usually finish it… within a year or so…

I do find spurts of energy here and there and have started a few projects lately, and finished about half! I’m trying not to buy more craft supplies until I use the ones I have. I don’t think I’ve stepped foot in a Joann’s in weeks, and even then we were there to buy frames, I don’t think i even looked at anything else. Well, that will probably change this week. I realized after finishing the top section of the chevron quilt that I did NOT have enough coordinating fabric for the back. I had fabric, yes, but not COORDINATING fabric! So that project is at a stand still!!

I also started a Totoro Doll for CT since she LOVES the movie… (I found the pattern on Pinterest) well, I messed up on cutting out the ears, paws and tail. I forgot a seam allowance. I also used the last of my grey felt, so now that project also has to be put aside. Frustrating.

I DID finish a simple little tote bag and tank top using supplies I already had. I’m happy with the outcome of both, but feel super great about the tank top!! It’s the first piece of clothing I’ve made myself that didn’t have to be taken apart and redone. I got it right on the first try. I didn’t use a conventional pattern either, I just did a rough crayon rubbing of my favorite a-line tank top and tweaked it a bit. It fits perfectly, and now I want to make a dozen or more. Especially since I’m not fond of the fabric I used for this one, it’s not really me.

Oh and I’m also, slowly, working on a shop update! Ive been working on some new pieces that I can not wait to share fully! You can see a few above. I’m trying out a few new ways of photographing them since I think it’s time for change. I always think its time for change! Any suggestions?

As I was proof reading this post I thought “well, I guess I did get a few things done… but how much could I accomplish if I just felt better?”. Ugh, I guess I just want to do too much…

For now I will leave you with an Instagram photo I took of the work I finished this weekend. I feel very accomplished. I’m really excited about the colors I produced, they are a lot calmer. Plus if you look closely you’ll see there is some new designs in there that haven’t been updated on the site yet. I’m hoping to work on that this week!!

How was your weekend? Did you get anything done?

I have been doing this for years and I’m very good at making the molds, but no matter how good they are, the castings edges still need to be cleaned. I hate the cleaning, since its done with a craft knife, but I do love the leftover shavings!

I’ve been keeping it all lately for an upcoming project. My husbands hate it all because it goes EVERYWHERE! It sticks to you and gets stuck in the carpets. Our poor vacuum probably hates it too! But it’s sooo pretty to look at and touch. I wish I had been keeping all the shavings all along, I bet it would look neat in a jar or something…

Hmmmm, I think I need to go find a jar ASAP!

3D printed original, each necklace is two components, one a custom bezel and the other the piece that fits in. A mold was made of each of the designs and I then reproduced them all in a load of different colored plastic! Some earth toned, some bright and some neon!!

I expect to have the first three new designs up in the shop by the end of the weekend. I have 12 different colorways of two of the designs and three colorways of the little monster faces. They still don’t have a name… any suggestions?

several other designs will be debuted at the end of the month, I’m still waiting on the revised pieces to come in. I just couldn’t wait to show everyone!!!