wk36 1000 paper cranes

I haven’t been very good these few weeks in posting. All I’ve been doing is making cranes and futzing about (a solo year is turning out more difficult than I’d imagined). I’ll try to rally back.

Wedding is 5wks away!

I finished the 1000 paper cranes for my wedding on the 8th. I got help from my mother and some friends. But really it was an excuse for me to watch television. My mother and I knocked off a few hundred while watching the 10hrs of Downton Abbey Season2 in a two-day marathon, for example. (I hope the good luck they bring aren’t affected by the things that went through my head while folding them. I don’t want a dramatic life, not even if it’s Masterpiece dramatic!)

It was drain on “new” projects b/c it’s really more of the same, 1000 times. Since I had slacked off for a few wks, I started to freak out they won’t be finished in time, so I’d concentrated my free time on them for a while. But now it’s out of the way! Next week I’ll string them up, which will be another endeavor.

I’ll also sew some strings of paper bunting/garlands next week, since the punches I ordered should arrive on Saturday.

So, new and exciting things are on the way.

paper

May 9, 2012

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wk33 popping up the anticipation of pie

I finished and sent out our invitations! (I actually finished them last weekend but dragged my feet on the addressing envelopes part. Also it took forever for the ink on our address stamps to dry completely so they wouldn’t smear.)

Also I just realized I should have used the secular wording: “cordially invite you to,” or whatnot. ”Request the honor of your presense” apparently connotes church weddings? Whatever. The important part was the pop-up pie.

Just look at it.

I drew the figures, scanned them, had C clean them up digitally and put 4 to a sheet. I printed them on watercolor paper, cut them out. Hand-colored each with watercolor pencils, trimmed each with scallopped scissors. Used an exacto knife around the pie.

LOOK.

To entice people to RSVP, I made the card more interactive than just checking off beef or pasta. Also hopefully I’ll get enough replies to string them together as decoration around the dessert table.

I bullied my fiance into this design, but I’m really rather self-satisfied with them, so I hope it’s worth it.

drawing, original creation, paper

April 18, 2012

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wk32: National Library Week & the Popcorn King

My boss is on vacation for most of the week, so I’m in charge of “hosting” National Library Week events at the office this week! For days when vendors weren’t coming in with treats of their own, I decided to bring in treats to entice people into the library, where we just opened a “fun” reading Common Shelf.

I made “Bookworm Brownies.” They came out significantly creepier-looking than I imagined, then again I’m not sure how/why I imagined them NOT to be creepy. I baked a regular pan of box brownies. Mistake 1: I added gummy worms to the batter pre-baking. They melted completely. Mistake 2: I shoved in new worms into the melty trenches. They melted partially.

Although I thought they were delicious b/c the gummies made the brownies extra chewy, they looked really creepy, and were not a hit.

I also made I ♥ Boooooooooooook Krispie Treats out of apple cinnamon O-cereal and some peanut butter, b/c I couldn’t find Alphabits. I tried to shape them into hearts, but it’s difficult b/c O-cereal is bulkier, therefore not as easy to manipulate as rice cereal. But they were super tasty.

Today we had a “Law and Libraries on the Silver Screen” quiz, so in the movie theme, I made “movie theater popcorn,” ie. choco-covered popcorn with m&ms thrown in. I popped popcorn on the stovetop, then dumped in chopped up bits of leftover Easter candy, stirring to coat. The residual heat from the pot melted the chocolate to cover the popcorn nicely. OMG ppl this is so good. SO GOOD. I was SO PLEASED with myself. If you couldn’t tell.

cooking, dessert, original creation

April 11, 2012

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wk30: pie for your tie!

One of our wedding themes is pie. Flowers, pie, and flying pigs. Pink and Yellow, and some Japanesque elements thrown in there for good measure. I’m making a variety of brooches as favors.

I find these pins particularly inspired for the theme, and although maybe not all of the embellishments are equally successful, I am pleased as punch with myself:

I hand sewed these. I think you can figure it out visually, but:

1. Decide how big/small you’d like your mini pies. These are about 2″ in diameter, I used a tea-light holder as a circle stencil.
2. Decide on how “done” you want the pies to be, and cut out the circle. I used pinking shears b/c initialy I wasn’t sure how much of the edge I would make visible after the top, and wanted a crimped look.
3. Pile on whatever filling-colored scraps you like into the middle of the circle. I stuck with berry (pink felt/yarn) and lemon (yellow felt) pies, altho I couldn’t resist a blueberry b/c it’s my favorite. I bet something more shiny would also be nice.
4. Cut thin strips of the dough-colored felt. Cut them to size of the diameter. Lattice, sew down the edges, and trim. I think three strips in both directions looks nicest, although I experimented with 3×2 also.
5. Cut another longer piece of thin dough-strip. Sew down one edge. Then start twisting the strip, and sew down every other twist or so, so it keeps its shape. You could also cut a ring with pinking shears and place it on top of the lattice edges, and sew it down in a slightly wavy manner.
6. The less imperfect the strips are, actually, the more “homemade” the pie looks. Unless you’re a super baker and have immaculate strip-cutting skillz. At least these are how my lattices end up looking.
7. Embellish if you like, and sew on a pin to the back (daintystitch/glue on a pretty circle of fabric to cover up your stitches first), or just plate it up and have a feltea party!

This project fits in well with the plushie/felt food trend abounding these days.

original creation, sewing

March 28, 2012

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wk30: decal debacle

Firstly, I almost ruined one of my favorite new t-shirts in an overly-ambitious (due to over confidence) iron-on decal project. This was a distressing learning curve, and I should not have attempted it in the morning before going to work, b/c I was not coffeed up enough to realize the simple steps I could have taken to avoid the clusterfk that the morning became: I could not properly peel the decal off the shirt.

I ended up wearing a different shirt. The other morning project of cutting a sweater in half and pinning back mini-lapels w/ earrings b/c there was no time for button-sewing actually got me several compliments. Next week I’d like to cut the sleeve short so it’s a better “summer cardi.”

I fixed/finished the decal debacle  project on Sunday. It’s not quite perfect, but it’s not actually ruined. It just looks more distressed than it should. I failed in getting some of the details to attach. I also failed in getting the paper to peel correctly, and had to rub it off with water in placed.

Tricks of applying decals on shirts/fabric you don’t think actually want to be ironed at so high a setting on a cheap ironing board, that will significantly reduce the anxiety caused by the situation:

• Put down a doubled-over piece of cotton under the shirt to act as a buffer against the super cheap ironing board’s criss-cross marks that will otherwise seep thru.
• Place another doubled-over piece of cotton over the decal, wide enough to buffer the shirt from the iron’s wide trapaises over the decal, which will ease the fear of burning the shirt.

I’m not sure how this shirt got these two tiny holes (I suspect one of my chunky necklaces attacked it)…. but they became the impetus behind the glitz and glam, ie sewing beads over the holes, and then some more beads over non-holes bc just two beads is awkward. Is the shirt too kitsch?

I really don’t get what the cool kids are wearing ironically these days, vs what’s an ironic interpretation of what the cool kids are wearing these days.

(I guess they’re really called “iron-on transfers” not “decals,” but I like the word decal)

fail!, mod, upcycling

March 28, 2012

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wk29: spin spin

So I’ve re-resolved to get back on the bridal-bootcamp track of hitting the gym (I pinched a nerve in my leg/foot last month, and was waiting for it stop freaking me out), by taking a new class.

Spinning! My mentality behind all the gym classes I take is “well, at least this is more engaging than running on the treadmill.” Spinning [in a class] is mroe fun than I expected, especially now that I know how to work the machine (ie. a comfortable position for the bike seat, altho I’m def ordering cycling shorts).

I yet again upgraded the canvas tote from wk1 to a nice, roomy, lightweight gym bag that CLOSES. I really really really wanted a bag that zips, but did not want to buy a new “gym bag.” For a while I used a large uncomfortable purse. This project has been gnawing at me for a while, but I always put off ordering a zipper. Then I discovered that the ugly swag bag from wk3 had a nice, long zipper that could be scavanged. I had lopped off hem of a shirt dress that was also not only the right length, but the perfect width, AND already had one edge hemmed so that was one less step I had to worry about.

1+1+1=canvas totebag with a zipper.

I snipped off the zipper from the ugly bag (am not sure what else I can tear off this thing now) and cut it down to size. Figured out how to force the zipper-pull back on the zipper when I accidentally yanked it off. I used the hemmed edge of the fabric against the zipper, then sewed the loose edge onto the bag in a semi-hemming kind of way. I added fabric tabs to both ends of the zipper so the pull doesn’t fly off. The project took maybe an hour, including futzing around fixing the zipper.

mod, sewing, upcycling

March 21, 2012

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wk 28: the luck of the koolaide (photos forthcoming)

So, coming back to DC alone was a downer, to say the least. At least the weather has been rather nice.

In prep for St Patrick’s this weekend, my ambition was to make something like this except with a vertical strip rather than horizontal ones, b/c I shrank a green Threadless shirt (apparently they are notorious for shrinking easily. I learned the hard way), and wanted to insert a panel to let out the back, so I could wear it again w/out feeling like I would pop.

I had an old lace?ish shawl, so I cut out a strip.

And dyed it with Koolaide. Partially b/c it was a last minute project and partially b/c the dyes I wanted online weren’t free shipping, and well, you can get Koolaide at the grocery store for 50cents.

However my store did not carry the green Lemon/Lime flavor I wanted. So I got a back of Blue Hawaiian and a back of lemonade. Yellow and Blue make Green, right? They mixed blueish green. I added… TEA!!! It turned the mixture a deeper green!!!!! Then a splash of vinegar, which the interwebs told me is a good way to fix dyes.

Bubble bubble.

The lace turned a nice light bright green. Which was not the green I wanted, although it could have worked.

I decided however I was not committed enough to the project, that even a deconstructed tshirt would probably be too warm for dancing (which were my St Paddy’s plans, as it was a galpal’s birthday party as well) and went out and bought a green tanktop instead.

So now I’ve got a bit of green lace and a project on the shelf.

experience, mod, upcycling

March 14, 2012

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wk27: RAIR opening, to boldly go where no artling has gone before

We’ve made it half way!

On Thursday I flew out to Roswell, NM, to see my dearest, and also for the opening of our show at the Roswell Museum and Art Center, shiine.

shiine: the brochure

Roswell is an interesting place, with the smallest airport I’ve ever flown into. Several motels and fastfood chains are alien endorsed. And it is very windy. Also, the sky is very big out West.

I gave my first ever artist talk at the opening, which was on March 3rd. As the cuter half of Radio Sebasitan, my half of the talk was of course well-received. At least I had that going for me!

The gallery is a very wonderful venue for the pieces.

I got to also meet Corwin’s fellow RAiR residents and local area friends, who were all delightful, kind, and insightful. It was especially nice that they liked my cheeseburger pie, which Corwin had been bragging about.

After the opening, we took a mini trip to Albuquerque for an art break, and also a long long drive around the local scenic attractions. Of course went to the UFO Museum and Research Center. It will convince you that whatever crashed there, it was not a weather balloon.

I flew back to DC again on Tuesday. It was too short a trip!

experience

March 7, 2012

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wk25: no lack of color here

Have you seen the new “be bright” Gap ads? They’re plastered all over DC on the bus stops and the buses themselves, even. They’re very spring-like.

Well, it just so happens that I acquired a pair of red trousers at a clothing swap a few months ago. And believe me, you don’t know how relieved I am that colored trousers are going to be the it thing this/next season, b/c I don’t know if I would have worn them otherwise. They fit perfectly at the waist but were a tad bit long (of course), and… rather wide at the leg, and you don’t see many wide-legged pants these days, for better or worse.

Since the pants needed hemming anyway, I decided to go all out and straighten/skinnify the legs while I was at it. (I was extremely skeptical of donning anything but bootcut pants until I read recently in one of those “what not to wear”-type style guides that bootcut pants, contrary to popular belief, don’t actually make your legs look longer for short ppl. I immediately went out and tried on a pair of straight-cut pants and lo and behold, they were indeed more flattering. The jury is still out on skinny.)

Most tutorials for this task involve putting the pants on, pinning the legs in place, yadda yadda.

Me?

No pattern, no measuring, no pins, no nothing. As usual, just another piece of clothing and a bit of chalk. I used both my skinny jeans and skinny pants as a guide. I started at the knee b/c they fit fine until then, and starting higher up would have made things… snug, shall we say. I didn’t want them too skinny, so the outside edge seemed a fair enough guide.

I put my trust in the gods of “this’ll do” and just sewed along the lines. Since they fit fine, I cut away the excess, hemmed the new leg, and there you go.

I think they’re even enough. I feel one in pants is either sitting or walking anyway, which makes it difficult to judge whether one leg matches the other. It could just be a trick of the light!

I suppose now my question is, what does a non-Gap-model actually wear with a pair of slightly-faded yet still rather red trousers? I suppose I”ll find out this spring.

mod, sewing, upcycling

February 26, 2012

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wk24: collar-guard

Actual things! Look!

I’ve been wanting to do this upcycle for a long while. Simple, yet effective upcycling of a white collared shirt. I’ve seen these spiffy shirts all over the place, with a contrasting inner collar… and thought it would be a great way to salvage (w/out bleach) my grimy-collared summer shirts that I wore once-too-often between washings. Also to spruce up the white shirt in general (I don’t like wearing white collared shirts b/c apparently I look like a waitress in them).

The concept is simple: the grimy shirt w/ the collar stains, wide-ish ribbons, and fusable interfacing/iron-on hemming tape.

iron-on magic

I used two layers of ribbon, pink and gray because 1) the first ribbon wasn’t wide enough 2) the stain was higher than I thought it would be (it’s not actually the inner collar that gets the “ring,” it’s right above it) 3) the widest ribbon I has was gray, and that’s boring on its own. I ironed on the pink ribbon first, making sure I covered the stains, then layered the gray on top. Which was doubly-good as the tape was slightly wider than the pink ribbon and therefore smeared a little on the top of it (which was covered nicely by the top gray ribbon). I cut the ribbons slightly longer than the collar, fused them, then cut out the proper shape afterwards.

The ribbons are actually the handles of fancy store bags (they are just the right length, altho not necessarily width, as I mentioned), which was a stroke of brilliance, as I’d been fretting on where to buy ribbon in the city, so it’s a double-upcycle. Win!

subtle, yet chic

It really livens up the shirt, even more than I was expecting, and I like that. If I had more ribbon (ie a real spool) I would probably add ribbon to the placket, but I do like the understated “pop” that just the inner collar offers.

Will def be transforming my other white shirt in a similar manner as well, maybe with my school colors, blue and gray.

(Also my new trick in the summer is to wear just my tanktop during the commute, with the shirt in my bag, and put the shirt on once I get to the air-conditioned office. omg I cannot wait for summer)

upcycling

February 15, 2012

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