Good Things Ahead

I haven't posted in a while, not because I forgot about this space but the pace of life is so busy sometimes I don't document it fast enough!

I have news.

I'll back up a step. In my community there is a family who has been on a long and terribly sad journey. Their little boy, Kai passed away last night in his mother's arms. They have been blogging about their days here. As a part of the extended community coming together to support the family (and the Jimmy Fund) a craft fair has been organized (fb event here). I was asked by a friend to face paint and then I added a vendor table.

I haven't done craft fairs in many years as a vendor. Most recently I've organized and advertised them which is an organizational skill but not about me having products to sell. This challenge has me thinking and making...  my list is a bit long but I'll have a table full of my creations and next to it a face painting space (creating art and selling art at the same time!).

This opportunity (plus a few others that have fallen in my lap) has pushed me to make Isabelle Jane a real business. I filed my dba and opened a business checking account just yesterday. As of today I can accept credit cards on my iphone and have a system to keep my art separate from my personal account. For me this is a BIG step.

So, as I create in the next 2 weeks, I'll post items here and everything that doesn't sell on the 8th will be added to my etsy site just in time for Christmas.

Pigs and Teaching

Once upon a time I taught at a magical place and learned from so many creative people. Like many things I fell into the opportunity and it was exactly what I needed. One day I was encouraged to make clay piggy banks by putting two pinch pots together ...

The kids and I spent weeks making every possible animal and I even sold the banks at craft fairs for a few years. I had a website, a coloring book and they were fun.  Unfortunately some of the cool animals: moose, elephants, cats all had easily breakable features which resulted in a lot of unusable art (and ultimately sad customers) but the bright side is I created some wide-eyed monsters. The first variations were underglazed, then glazed, then acrylic painted, collaged, and most recently watercolors (the photos are all of the watercolor version).

Yesterday my daughter came home from school and told me I was going to teach art again to her and her friends. They all wanted to be artists and wanted to hire me. It was very sweet and passionate. So, I'm in the process of scheduling some workshops for any age kid to come (at a yet to be determined location) and create. Nothing like some motivation from your kids to reinvigorate my act.

Hair Sticks

On my honeymoon, the only trinket I bought was a carved hair stick. It has served me well for the past 7 years, until recently when it broke. After trying to clean up my work space I found a few old broken knitting needles and transformed them into hair sticks or hair pins. The larger wooden one I put in the pencil sharpener to bring back the point and then sanded it all over.

Deciding how to decorate it with out loosing the natural wood feel, was tricky. I dipped the end in  old enamel paint to add a bit of gloss and when dry added two highlights of gold. Subtle, but me.

 There are a few more in the works with beads, colorful paint and maybe even some wire. If my oldest hadn't used up my kitchen stash of chopsticks for a puppet making project, I would still be making hair sticks.

Skirts from a dust ruffle

It sounds a bit odd, but it was the perfect way to use a unused dust ruffle.  I was given a duvet cover and sheet set and with it came a dust ruffle. The girls sleep in bunk beds and I didn't know what to use it for. After channeling my inner Maria from the "Sound of Music" I decided to make some clothes.

Dust ruffle before I cut it!

The edge is already hemmed and the fabric gathered. I needed a side seam and a waist band! Some quick measuring and a fast satisfying project finished.

For my older daughter, who is taller I had to do a slightly different waist band to add more length.

I'm working on a skirt for myself with a zipper and possibly an apron as a gift. I'm going to keep my eye out for dust ruffles from now on.

My first pattern!

I did it. I wrote my pattern for the boobie beanie hat! 

After my post a few months ago, I've made 10 or so more hats and have tweaked and perfected my original hat concept. I have sold a few hats through my etsy shop, but can't knit fast enough to make it worth my time. And being the idea person I am, I want to make new stuff! (sewing, lots of sewing is coming my way - I can feel it)

It was a great exercise to write out my pattern that has been in my head and to test it out a few times. I polished up the layout, added a few cute pictures and voila! I have a pdf pattern available for sale.

Since this blog is very low traffic, and I haven't done much to publicize it - I will give away a copy of my pattern to my um, loyal readers. Comment, send the link around to your friends and I will close the comments on Saturday morning - random drawing and maybe you'll get lucky!

The give away is over - lucky Sarah, my only commenter got a copy!

Face Paints

 

For my daughter's birthday last year, I hired an artist to paint the children's faces. She did a wonderful job of transforming the girls into fairies and butterflies. Thankfully she shared with me the name of the paints (Snazaroo) and I had to buy a set.

The paints are easy to work with and if you use real paint brushes, or even make up brushes the effects are remarkable.

Dragon wings.

A very quick butterfly.

The kids try to wait patiently, some do better than others.

A friend's belly - just in time for Easter

Mimi's Giraffe

Mimi's Pet Giraffe
Wool, Cotton, Buttons, Felt

Collage Journals

Collage is a great activity for everyone. Children enjoy ripping paper and using their glue sticks. Adults seem to let go of the pressure to make something perfect and enjoy the meditative aspect of looking for colors and building a visually beautiful piece.

I can't remember where my idea came from exactly, but I know that Soule Mama has a version in one of her books. I had a friend who turned kids art into quick journals during camp, so they could work when they weren't in class.

For the past three years, I've provided a journal for our annual vacation. We camp with an extended group of people and having a camp journal allows for people to jot down their experiences, draw a picture or make of note of what needs to be remembered for next year. This year I asked the kids for help. To help add weight to the cover we started with a manilla envelope. One daughter did the front and the other worked on the back. (Although to be fair they are both the front and there is a divider in the middle)

I drew the approximate size I wanted the book to be and then the kids had a large canvas to work on. Once they were finished with their part, I cover the entire collage with either a matte gloss medium or modge podge. (Modge Podge tends to be sticky in the humidity, but sometimes I can only find one or the other glue) I cut it down to size with my paper cutter and then estimate the amount of paper I want in the middle. I cut the inside paper from my stash of found paper - it should be just a little narrower than the cover.

What makes me love this project so much is the binding. I called my local print shops to see what type of binding they offer. Most offer the simple plastic kind - not sure of the name - but it always pops off in my opinion. I found a local company that will bind it for me usually with in a day, I skip the optional plastic cover and voila! They have a great feel to them, even if they cost as much as buying a journal from a big store.

Onesies

For my baby shower six years ago, I had my friend Jill run a workshop for me and my party guests painted onesies for my soon to be baby. Since then, I've been using the idea for other friends and family. The project can become clothes, banners, quilt squares, place mats and almost anything fabric.

Instead of buying fabric paints or fabric markers from the craft store, I buy fabric silk screening inks. I've used different brands in the past, but since I was out and "needed" to stock up I did a little research and bought Permaset Aqua (solvent free & water based). I take a small amount of the concentrated  paint and put it in a mason jar, or this time around up-cycled fudge jars from my mother-in-law, add water to dilute and mix them up. I ordered a rainbow of colors so we would have wonderful choices.

Onesies from my baby shower 6 years ago

To set up the fabric, I cut cardboard squares and slip them inside the t-shirt or onesie and use masking tape to fold the edges over. It helps to give people a small canvas to work with and the cardboard absorbs the water from the paints preventing it from soaking the other side.

The process is simple once the paints and fabric is set up. Choose your canvas. Draw with sharpie. Paint! Iron to heat set (once the paints are dry). Wash.

A few weeks back, I hosted a laid back pre-baby gathering for a friend.  The kids drew out their ideas and I helped transfer them to the fabric. I copied their ideas exactly with the permanent marker and the creations are darling. To see more of them, Shel over at One Sweet World documented it well.

Baby quilt made for me by friends.

Nesting Bags, or all purpose kid storage

With young kids at home I often have problem finding storage for all of the little pieces, precious treasures and tiny characters/animals/rubber ducks. Or in reality, my darlings aren't quick to clean up the little worlds they create in every corner of my house. I had some duck cloth left over from two other projects and plenty of fun fabrics that when I bought them had a project that I have since forgotten about...

Soule Mama posted a link about fabric buckets and I did a few google searches for fabric buckets/boxes/baskets. I decided against round b/c I'm not the best circle sewer. I wanted to be able to make them in three sizes with out spending my afternoon doing math.




After a few searches I figured out my approach (similar to here) and made three patterns out of a paper bag. I started with the largest base and made the sides as high as I thought would hold plenty of "stuff" - then made the next pattern an inch or so smaller, and the final pattern even smaller.

I cut out from the canvas and fabric. Made some rectangles for the straps out of the canvas. I skipped the batting b/c I didn't have it on hand and the fabric seemed sturdy enough. Sewed up the sides, made the handles (ironed them and did a top stitch to close), basted the handles on one the canvas lining, put the bags together (right sides together), sewed, flipped and top stitched. Voila!

As an after thought, b/c I had some extra squares of fabric from the cutting process, I added a pocket on the inside for the medium and large baskets.

 The kids love them and use them for all sorts of things, usually not storage.

Few more hats...

Knitting: my excuse to skip the laundry and watch some tv, but yet feel like I'm doing something very productive. I highly recommend it.


Introducing the "cookies and milk" hat! A customer on etsy asked if I could make this baby hat for her new grand daughter. She like the idea of a cookie to go with the "milk." I used a smaller needle size than the boobie beanies and it had a satisfying smoothness as a result. 

The next special request was for a boobie beanie but with a tan skin color and dark chocolate nipple. Same 3-9 month size as my original ones but again, fun to play with the colors a bit. 

Rainy Day Collage

 
Seems like these days most of my art is either with my kids or about my kids. I know it won't always be this way, but I do dream about working on a project for more than a few minutes at a time!


We've had some rain and time when the youngest is sleeping. I pulled out two board frames that I rescued from our "swap shop" (a shed at the town transfer station where you leave/take items). They were dark brown "art" from Target, but they boards had mounts and were in good shape. I stashed them for some yet to be determined project.


Also in my stash was some collage paper. A pack of assorted papers that I used two Christmases ago to wallpaper my girls' doll houses.

I had the kids paint the boards with sponges and they picked yellow and orange acrylic paint. The back ground still feels a bit dark, but the color really helped. 

Then we (I mostly) cut all sorts of shapes and while the paint dried we built flowers on the floor. It was fun to make patterns and layer. Once we had our ideas in place we stuck them to the sticky drying paint. We did use a glue stick here and there and later that evening I did a light layer of modge podge. 

Breastfeeding Thank You Cards

Breastfeeding is dear to my heart. I have had wonderful (not always easy) relationships with my babies through breastfeeding. The snuggles, sighs, squirting milk has been a remarkable part of my experience of motherhood. 


After knitting the boobie beanie, I started thinking about breastfeeding in public. I've been lucky and had some kind words said to me by strangers. It can really help boost your confidence if someone just smiles and nods when you're in public trying to feed your hungry, tired little (or big as the case often is) baby. 


What better way to say thank you, or good luck, or I remember when my kid did that then to hand someone a thank you card. A business card size with a pro-breastfeeding message. I don't really have anything to say to a stranger, just would like them to know that it makes me happy and sentimental. 


I took a look around and found these cards, and these, and ones from the State of Texas. I'm working on trying my new drawing pad for the computer and here is what I've come up with so far. 

My plan is to keep drawing, put them in pdf files and then people can print/cut them at home. Spread the thanks!

Drum Stick Bag

I find it challenging to make handmade items for my husband. I haven't tried to make him much in our ten years together. A year ago I attempted to make a carrying case for his drum sticks. Took the idea of child's crayon/colored pencil holder and expanded the size. I can't remember which sites I looked at but I know there are lots out there - some adorable ones on etsy too.

I went with felt on the inside, canvas on the outside and bias tape for the sides - it was hideous and showed EVERY flaw. I also picked a tan canvas thinking my kids would paint/decorate it for him but that didn't end up happening. We had the canvas on hand after a place mat making project (with polka dot fabric on the back!). Trying to put wool felt and canvas together was tricky given the nature of two different materials.

This time around, I made the whole bag a bit larger, used a dark color for the outside and for my lining found an old hexagonal, brown corduroy table cloth that was my grandmothers. The corduroy was fabulously soft and worn but not in use since it was for a table long gone in the 80s. I also had found a large ball of trim that turned on the wrong side matched the burgundy and the brown in a delightful way. 

The kids loved that when it was done we could bundle it up, tie it with the bow and it looked like a wrapped present.

Yoga Strap

My 5 year old started a yoga class with her very own mat and not with me. I'm jealous, which prompted me to finally buy me, um, her a yoga mat. I've needed one for a long time, but I usually borrow from a generous friend or pay $1 at the studio.

Given the new mat, a new carrying strap was in order. After a few searches I found this and decided given my time (and helpers) I could skip velcro, buttons, clasps and just make two button holes.


Instead of using interfacing, I cut the fabric extra wide and ironed it to the desired shape rather than having to turn it right side out. 6" wide, and either two 36" (stitch together) or one 70" super long piece. Fold in half, iron as you go. Then turn each edge into the middle line and iron again. Fold again and iron again! You end up with four layers of your fabric for the strap. Sew all the way around, two button holes and voila!


The most challenging piece is getting your head around how to thread it through to make it fit your mat... I am working on a tutorial for that because it is a bit tricky. So far I've made a strap for all the children in her class and maybe I'll manage to get a few up on etsy.