More flowers...

scan_5112781613_1
Originally uploaded by mama's doodles.

Ah geesh. I think these are fun and I'm coming up with way too many ideas for them.

Pillows, book covers, bags, hats.
I think I've gotten this little urge out of my system now.
Maybe...maybe not.

I may need to make some for child-sized clothes. I may need to make a more heavily embellished and fancier version.

I'm an instant gratification kind of gal, and these lend themselves well to that feeling of accomplishment...

Christmas Swap

As mentioned in my November 5 posting - I am participating in a few Craft Swaps. I've been turning down more invitations - as I became a little fearful that swapping around the globe could break the Christmas budget. I dutifully mailed off my Peace birdy -- which was hard, considering I liked him so much. These two photos reflect what I received from my swap partner who mailed me from Holland.

Wednesday Night Anxiety..

While waiting for my husband to arrive for Thanksgiving, I took some of my anxious tensions out on a few crafty projects.

Kitty Collage:
I'm involved in a few "swaps" and one person I am supposed to reward with a little gift is a cat lover. I created this little relief with her in mind. It can be adhered to a pillow, book, or framed -- or will lend itself to her own ideas. Heck, it'll fit in the trashcan too, if that's her preference.

Flowery:
And, I created this little flower to embellish one of my stocking caps. I have several necklaces that I LOVED, however, I should have known better than to wear them around Kenzie. This particular piece was ripped from the chain... twice... and I couldn't repair it the second time. I've got several other ideas for this kind of piece - but will probably work on them in the coming week when my husband has departed yet again... I'll again be using deconstructed jewelry to invent new life for the broken baubles.

More Stuff with relatively little purpose...

Above, are some handmade cards made from my backtacking parcel of yummy fabrics and cardstock. I was just playing around with quilty elements, and although the stitches don't show up in the photos - they are lovely. I like to have cards on hand for occasions which would require them... The brown one in the front is my favorite.

And this is a silly little pouch I made to hold some of Kenzie's crayons. It turned out quite scary and she has yet to see it. (maybe that's best). It was supposed to be a cat-like creature, with it's ears serving as the enclosure. Ummm...don't think I'll be duplicating this anytime soon. He..he... I didn't like it from the start, but kept pegging along - thinking it would get better...

Unfortunately, it didn't get better.....

Doodling...

doodle
Originally uploaded by mama's doodles.

Obviously, I've been working on sprucing the place up a bit, and the blog banner is (this) my latest crafty creation.

My daughter's nickname is "Doodle"..and we call her doodle-bug, doodle, noodle-doodle, etc. That's why my blogs are called Kenzie's doodles -&- Mama's doodles.

So, tell me... I did all this because I wanted a less generic blog -- AND, because I was trying to correct the size of my font so that it was more readable. It looks fine from my computers - but others have mentioned the old version was a wee bit tiny for them.

I'm also noticing that some borders show up on my Mac, that don't show on my PC..and my font is 'fancy' on the PC, but reverts to a bland style on my Mac. Go figure...I guess I can't win it all.

Weekend Crafting

I have a zillion projects going on at the moment. Here are a few of the finished items...some more successful than others.

This is another peace bird ornament that I've made. Again, it's double sided. I don't know what it is with this particular idea, but I love it. All the stitching turns my poor finger into hamburger though. Note to self: Must learn how to use a thimble!

And, the reverse side:

And, I made some simple cards to send with the ornaments to those swap partners expecting ornaments from me:

This final project...a relief, is a failure...in my books. I had a notion to heavily embellish a fabric flower that I loved. I wanted to put some whimsical bugs in the "sky." After finishing the flower, I'm not enthralled with the idea and decided to scrap it. Some things just aren't meant to be...

Mod Bird.

When creating the bird ornaments below, I cut out another - which my hubby deemed as too large. (to be appropriate on an X-mas tree).

Having gone to the trouble of cutting out all the pieces..I didn't want him to go to waste.

Here is my mod bird finished.

He's of my typical style...all fabric on cardboard backing. Hand stitched with floss. Some machine stitching added for more drama. Button for an eye.

What to do with him now???

Swapping... Peace Birdy

I have a few swaps on the horizon and I'm thrilled! I just drool over all the "mail" shown on other blogs. I love surprises and anxiously waited for Mr. Postman each day until my backtack parcels have arrived. Plus - other artsy folks amaze me with their creativity and skill.

So, to me...swapping sounds truly fun. I'm working on a few Christmas ornaments for people whom I don't.. believe.. visit this here blog, and this is one I finished this weekend. (& NO, Paula... I won't post pics of yours until it reaches you. But, as we're seeing with backtack stuff -- I won't be posting pictures until NEXT Christmas. har, de, har..har...har!
Sidenote: My backtack parcel to Paula, shipped well over two weeks ago, and has not yet arrived to Brazil. & I didn't pay for tracking... Groan.

Anyway, this is a double sided Birdy, 7.5" x 4.5." The pictures don't show the fun copper machine stitches - but they're there! It's all fabric (with mat board insides), floss, ribbon, button, and wire embellishments. And, it's reversible - with different fabric selections on the reverse side.

It's hard to give him flight.. He'd look damn good on my tree!

Creative Juices...again.

Rather than mindlessly wandering the internet, I want to buckle down on some creative projects. It's nice to shut my mind off - but, I hate that I feel like I wasted a whole evening (or 12) by spending my entire night on the internet. I've been avoiding crafting as I haven't been able to afford the MESS that I typically make. Screw it. I'll just demonstrate a bit of self control and clean as I go. Note to self: My next house, will SO have a creation station. There's nothing better than having one spot (and not 4 different closets) where your craft stuff is stored...and running projects waiting for your return!

I like lists. They keep me motivated. My never ending list has been freshly revised...
These things have been building themselves in my brain & I shall list them here, so I shall not forget:

1. Explore lettuce edging and button embellishments on T-shirts. Sounds fun.
2. Participate in Month of Softies.
3. Turn fabric stacks for Kenzie clothing -- into actual clothing.
4. Design an invite to the Baby Shower we volunteered to host. (and then move on to the cake, decorations,menu, etc.)
5. Design a mini-quilt (for framing) for a Baby gift.
6. Participate in Tie one On.
7. Design a Cousins Communication Journal.
8. Catch Kenzie's lifebook up (month 1 - through current. COME ON ALREADY!)
9. Paint the bathroom a lovely color.
10. Create a bug textile art relief for Kenzie's room.
11. Design cards using fabric textile badges, quilting, and applique.
12. Design cards with fabric and bleach characters.
13. Embellish skirt/pants with Clorox bleach pen. (mendhi designs)
14. Create Adoption finalization gift (another textile art piece)
15. Create 4 Precious Princess Birthday Gifts.
16. Talk Nana B. into making a ying-yang quilt one of these days. :)
17. Particpate in Backtack II. Stalk Backtack III (to be announced in April, '06).
18. Explore Iron-on Transfers for Color Fabrics (using my HP Photosmart inkjet printer), and use other dyes and machine stitchery to personalize/embellish fabrics.
19. Try making marble magnets like: http://www.notmartha.org/tomake/marblemagnets.html.
20. Make some funny little animal pouches.
21. Make some funny little animals with wool, felt, or terry cloth.
22. Design an art smock for Kenzie out of Oilcloth. The budding little artist in her quickly makes a mess out of a good outfit!
23. Design Christmas ornaments for two flickr swaps that I signed up for. Mail by end of November.
24. Design Christmas swap parcel for Paula Foschia. Mail by end of November.
25. Purchase The Artists Way Book, for the new Flickr group. Prepare to be inspired.
26. Create a puppet show and puppets.
27. Creation Station! Make plans for craft stuff to be relocated to ONE room & make it mine...all mine!
28. Play around with my infant gift ideas. I can not afford store bought gifts for all the new babes being birthed. (&/or work on the guilt complex of not sending gifts to everyone!! )