A Little Imagination and a Pile of Junk

now you know what we're really like

I just have time for a quick post to show off my new pillow. I worked on it a few weeks ago but didn't get around to putting it together until today. I love these fabrics so much. (Don't I always?)Everything but the bird print was thrifted in Memphis. The floral is a vintage napkin--aren't the colors wonderful?

The color of the backing fabric looks a little off in the picture and the vintage buttons definitely seem to coordinate better in real life. Here's a close-up of the stitching and then I'm off to practice my knitting snuggling next to my sweetheart as a silent support while he watches the Final Four Championship game. I learned my lesson after I apparently spoke the wrong words during a big game and abruptly shifted the momentum away from our team causing them to lose the game. Really. A big Texas/Kansas State game about 2 years ago. Yeah, that was my fault. I really do have the sweetest husband in the world but the Longhorns are his team and, although he did apologize later, at the time all he could say was, "I know it is ridiculous, but I just can't talk to you right now." And he actually didn't speak to me the rest of the night. Yep. And he thinks I get crazy about my crafting. Speaking of crafting, here's the detail of that stitching.

I'll share one last shot that usually wouldn't make it to the blog but I'm deciding to get real and give you a peek into what it is really like in my home, at least while my attention is on other things.

Oh, who am I kidding? This is everyday life at the Cooper house, except I had just spent all day cleaning and you can't see what the dog just puked up in the corner. (Let's keep a little bit of mystery here, please.) But there behind the couch is my child. The one with the underwear on her head. The underwear she had previously been wearing...elsewhere.... Yeah, well. I'd better be off to tend to my knitting. For real this time.

there is work to be done

"It is not because food, clothes, wealth, and property are inherently evil that Christians today must lower their standard of living. It is because others are starving. Creation is good. But the one who gave us this gorgeous token of affection has asked us to share it with our sisters and brothers."  --Ronald J. Sider, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger

Not much arting or crafting around here this week, but there's lots of work going on. We hauled a load of trash to the dump on Saturday and already have half a garage full again. As the downsizing keeps moving along, it looks like we're going to have the world's largest garage sale when everything is done. My very own junk market. And one that I'd prefer not to attend, but at least the kids are excited about it.

Soren and I filled 5 boxes or more of toys who need new homes. I was so proud of his willingness to let go of things I know he still enjoys. Each time he'd go through a box of hot wheels or plastic animals he would ask, "Is this still too much to keep?" and I'd say yes so he'd go through it again and again without complaint until the box was mostly empty. Maisey is having a much harder time as she--like her Momma--forms emotional attachments to everything she owns and, literally, everything she sees is her "favorite". The used-to-be blue plastic frog with no legs because the dog chewed them off is her favorite and she carried it around for the rest of the day to prove it.

Well, back to work for me. There is so much work to be done. At least there's no lack of inspiration.

pretty as a princess

I'm still feeling the Christmas thing a little. The cold Tennessee air that lingers long, instead of bursting on the scene for a day or two leaving behind only a wisp of steam from the still hot concrete to remind you of "Winter", keeps me in a festive mood. You know, wanting to eat too many sweets, spend money, make pretty stuff--all the things I'm sure the Angel of the Lord was thinking of when he told the shepherds to rejoice. I picked up some discounted Christmas fabric, decorations, and ornaments to do a little late in the season crafting, or early for next year depending on how you look at it. I freaked out over Sweet Jessie's sparkly wreath and have to make one ahead for next year. Her tutorial makes it look so much easier than I would have thought. I love this succulent wreath, too, but I'll probably wait until we get home for that one.

The day has come, I'm glad to say, when I'm actually looking forward to going home--gasp! Not looking forward to returning to the Rio Grande Valley, but I miss our friends, our church, the dog and I'm ready not to be living in limbo anymore. I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed living in Memphis and I don't really want to leave, but "home" is calling. I can feel it.

   

But it has taken us coming 1,000 miles away from home to teach me a few things I desperately needed to understand. Most importantly, I've realized the first step to living simply is to down-size and I'm still so excited about doing it for real when we get home. Every day this simple lesson hits me in a new way and I'm more determined to do it at whatever the cost. That said, when I get back into our now seemingly too-big house overflowing with stuff that has been sitting alone collecting dust for the past 3 months, I might need a little encouragement and support to keep from going under from the sheer weight of it all. The other important lesson I've learned being here is that we are really lazy. We have done more and had more fun as a family here in Memphis than we've had in years. Every week we look for things to do in town, going out of our way to fit everything in and on Saturdays we always get out of the house to do something as a family. And it has less to do with the fact that Memphis has a lot more going on around town than you can find in the Valley but more to do with how busy and lazy we let ourselves get.

Last week my littlest girl turned 5. She may be the smallest in the family, but she is also the loudest and has the most personality--one that couldn't hardly be more different than mine. She is the world's biggest flirt, wants everyone to love her, thinks she knows everything, loves anything pink, and is princess-obsessed. Unfortunately, she has a Momma who sometimes has difficulty relating to her interests and who, in a moment of exasperation that she will be reminded of to her dying day, swore never to buy her anything "princess" ever again. But I think I made it up to her, with bags full of pink and purple, sparkles, jingles, lip gloss, nail polish, soft fuzzies and--yes--princesses galore. But first, she was treated to a carriage ride in her best ball gown....

It was the most fun I've had in a long time. And the best part, which was not lost on this pretty princess want-to-be, was the gasp of every little girl we saw that night stopping to exclaim, "Oh Momma, look at the princess!" I'm ready to do it again.

we're praying for a white xmas

Today begins my countdown to Christmas and is the first day we begin opening our gifts for the 12 Days of Xmas Exchange! For the next 12 days, all the players will open a new gift. I'm sure I'll get around to showing you at least some of them, but you can see all of the gifts from both groups on the blog as they are unveiled in all their glory. This is my very favorite swap of the year and it really lets you experience Christmas as a kid again! I mean, imagine getting a new gift every day from someone who really gets you and knows intuitively the kinds of gifts you'll treasure. This year I was #1 so everyone in my group opened their gift from me today.

Artsy clutch purses from Amy Karol's fabulous book. The pattern for the clutches is perfect: simple and versatile. I hand embroidered each one and used almost entirely vintage or recycled materials for all the purses, which I feel particularly good about (gold star for me). Each clutch is different depending on each lady's taste, but these are a few I managed to to get pics of. Since there are 13 of us in each group, we all have a lucky #13 gift from Lelainia to open on the day our gift is given. I was looking forward to showing off her wonderful gift when I realized that I can't show it yet or it will ruin the surprise for the other girls. Such a bummer, for you I mean ;-)

All the Christmas crafting, especially here and here has me crazy to make stuff. I loved Amy's (or was it Amanda's?) idea for gift books from the kids. I've been wanting to make some of these for a while so I used it as an excuse to shop for some new papers.

I'll have the kids write stories and embellish for the Grandparents--surprise!--and the rest will be for fun.

I'd also like to make something like this (although you know mine will be much more garish) for the apartment and maybe these. Plus a few of these trees to start a little collection. Our mantel is rather lovely at the moment...

...but a few more handmade decorations here and there would make things even more festive. I've planned to thoroughly enjoy every bit of this particular Christmas and savor the true Christmas-like weather for once. I'd like to do really do things up big this year, but with only 12 more days until Christmas, I'm running out of time. I guess it's the same every year. Looks like the cold weather doesn't do much to draw out the holidays a little longer for you, does it? Oh, well. This weekend's forecast: lows in the lower 20s and some rain. Snow flurries, please??

bad bad bad momy

That's me. The note was left anonymously. We are all greatly perplexed at who could have left it. <dead pan silence>

Thankfully, John took the kids out this evening to give me some much needed quiet. We had a rough day today. I was yelled at in the grocery store by my 6 year old after not letting him open his new fuzzy coloring poster in the car and then making him go grocery shopping instead of being at home coloring his coolest ever dinosaur. And that was just the beginning. Although the kids have been playing really well together since we got here, we are all way too close for too long every day in our apartment. There's nowhere to go to get away from each other even for a little while.

Getting out of the house is great, though. So many things to see and do. And praise the Lord for GPS. I can really understand now how you can fall in love with that sweet voice that just knows the exact moment when you need to change lanes or make a turn. It's like she can read your mind, man. And, it seems as though the trees actually waited for us to get here before putting on their Autumn attire. Everything is just beginning to take on this amazing glow. Tomorrow, I think we'll drive out and get some pictures and press some leaves. Having grown up in the piney woods of Southeast Texas,  I've really missed being surrounded by trees. After living 4 years in the razed and paved suburbs of Austin with no single tree above 6 feet tall and then another 6 years in the Valley where the palm tree is the only thing providing a little shade, I could never, ever again take the trees for granted.

 

Ahh, the quiet. I can hear digital cable calling with her sweet seductive voice. But first, a hot bath, a fistful of pilfered Halloween candy, and the most comfortable spot on the couch all to myself.

no one here but us chickens

Well, we now have chickens: Sarah, Beyond, and Chi-Chi. (Obviously, the kids named the chicks and we're reading Doctor Doolittle so Chi-Chi is also variously known as Gub-Gub.) I tried to get some pictures of the girls but they all turned out like crap. It is really hard to get a chicken to stand still for a picture.

I've been waiting for a few minutes to write a post all day, but now that it is here, I am suddenly mind numbingly exhausted. So you get the chickens. And just so you might give me one more chance and come back again another day, some mailart for Randi and two sweet stories to make you laugh. That's about all I can come up with tonight.

About a year or so ago, Soren (around 4 at the time) and I were looking through some family pictures when he asked why his little sister was not in a photo. I explained to him that, actually, she was, but at the time she had not been born yet and was still in my tummy. The answer seemed to satisfy him so he took the picture over to Maisey to tell her what I had said. Maisey was apparently unconcerned but Soren stopped short and soberly walked back over to me to say, "Mommy, did you eat Maisey?"

Just a few weeks ago, a friend told me that during the children's Sunday School, she had been asking the kids to name the 10 commandments. The kids immediately chimed in with the easy ones "Thou shall not lie" and "Thou shall not murder" when MY son raised his hand to say proudly, "Thou shall not perish!" Oh, how I love that kid.

good news and bad news

Bad news (don't you like to get it out of the way first?): Yesterday morning a man with an ax broke into the house of a friend of mine here in town. He told her that he didn't want to hurt her but was looking for something and proceeded to bust up the walls of her house with the ax. She recently had her first baby, a little girl, and normally it would have only been the two of them at home, but yesterday she had a friend in town who was in the back bedroom while all of this was going on. The house-guest was able to call 911 and the police came, found the man, and arrested him. The police later told my friend that they had found a map to her home on the man and was told that the previous owner had hidden a lot of money in the walls of the house. Is that not the freakiest thing you've ever heard?? I felt like someone punched me in the stomach when John called to tell me. They are safe now, but who is to say that this won't happen again?? With the rampant drug smuggling down here in the Rio Grande Valley, it is highly possible that there is some money in the house somewhere. But even if there's not, all it takes is another desperate psycho who wants to believe it and the whole thing could happen again. I just can't imagine going through that. I'm pretty sure that I would completely lose my mind. Unless God gave me some kind of supernatural peace and strength, you'd have to lock both of us up after that. It is always scary because no one ever thinks that kind of thing will happen to them. I do know that the crime here is worse and much more horrific than anything I ever saw living 10 years in Austin. There is a kind of desperation and lack of restraint here that is frightening. But, you live in a nice neighborhood and don't associate with criminals and these kinds of things aren't supposed to happen, right?

Thank God that my friend and her baby were not harmed. Can you imagine what he might have done to her after finding nothing? And how do you go back to that house and pick up where you left off? These are questions we ought not to have to ask.

Good news: On a lighter (and more superficial) note, I found a great craft book for kids that I want to share. Crafting With Kids: Creative Fun for Children Aged 3-10

I usually don't buy books like this because the projects are often childish and outdated. But I love this book! Cool projects (not just keep them busy projects), nice layout, beautiful pictures. Most of the projects are crafts kids have always done, but they're presented in a fresh new way. It is worth buying the book because every project in here you are going to want to try.

The projects are arranged by materials: paint, fabric, paper, modeling, with a chapter on special occasion crafts. Projects like fabric collage, covering books, hanging mobiles, dress up, decoupage, and stenciling. There are lots of great gift ideas and decorating ideas, too. The thing I like the most about it is that kids are introduced to many different art forms and create projects that they can really be proud of and that you will actually want to keep. I don't think there is a googlie eye in the bunch.

There is a good mix of boy and girl projects, templates for the crafts and ideas for variations on every activity. Highly recommended.

I'm finishing up my tote and accessories including some patchwork that I've really missed doing. There is just something about sorting and arranging all of those wonderful colors & patterns that I never get tired of.

hobbyists hobbyist

It's either feast or famine here, folks. (Did you catch my use of alliteration? See, that five and a half years for an English degree was useful after all.) Today it is feast. A feast for your eyes. The new fabrics came in and they are...<sigh>...well, just look for yourself.

Aren't these cheerful? Don't they make you want to sing?? (And doesn't that one on the left look just a little like little red afros?)

These are all from Moda's Uptown collection which, I believe is still fairly new. I found them all at a significant discount at Hancock's of Paducah, my favorite spot for great fabrics at great prices. And they have everything. Request one of their catalogs and you'll see. Great weekend reading material for fabric lovers.

I have a few other fabrics I'll be using to make a special tote bag for a special someone. Those I will be keeping under wraps for just a little bit longer. Oh, but I still have more goodies to share!

These are from a decorated paper swap at art-e-zine, each one made by different artist. Gillian generously posted the papers from everyone involved with details on the techniques they used. So, if you always wanted to learn more about making your own painted/dyed/stamped/embellished papers, head on over here. You'll definitely want to poke around a bit. And make sure to check out the other swaps and exchanges here.

I don't actually have any work of my own to share today, but I do have some of my darling 4 yr. old daughter's latest creations, if you'll humor me. I'm constantly blown away by the stuff the kids come up with all on their own. It is so interesting to hear the story for each thing. Mostly, Maisey makes gifts for her friends.

Don't they look like little packages? (I know, more alliteration. This post is pure poetry--oops, there I go again. I just can't help myself.) This was a 3 day project. One day to fold just right and glue, a second day to paint the tops, and a third day to paint the bottoms. And here is a book she made this week. It folds into thirds and has another little book on each fold.

I have to be really careful not to ask my kids what it is that they've made when they show it off to me. They usually want to identify every flower, sun, person, etc. in a picture and that's great, but I also want them to be free to make something that doesn't look like anything "real" and without any particular use at all. I want them to realize that all art is not utilitarian or representative of something else. Sometimes it is just pretty colors, designs, folds for its own sake. Lately, when we make stuff together, Maisey has said, "I want to be an artist like you someday" or "I wish I could paint like that" but I try to help her see that she already is an artist! I truly believe that creativity is a natural part of who we were all created to be, but its also a part that we devalue as we get older and busier. I constantly remind her, because she often gets frustrated that she can't draw things like she thinks they should be, that all artists sometimes (even most of the time?) make things that they aren't happy with. Every drawing won't be a favorite, but that's okay because they are all valuable as a part of the creative process and develop your skills. A lesson a could certainly take to heart more often.

If you've read this far, bless you! I truly appreciate and value every single page hit and comment. You all make my day. And I'd like to get to know some of you better, so delurk already! Mmmmwaaaahh!

unbelievable purchases in 24 hours.

I've been itching, itching I tell ya, to do some sewing. I spent at least 3 hours online last night looking for the perfect fabric for a tote bag swap I was asked to be a part of. Besides finding the perfect fabrics for the tote bag--I narrowed it down to 4--I found several other beauties just for me. Then, as if that wasn't enough goodness, today I found a stack of decorator fabrics super cheap. 11 yards total for about $35. I could just faint from the thrill of it all. I topped the whole thing off with some new patterns, a couple of sweet girly (seersucker!) fabrics for $2/yd, and a few journaling supplies. Then home to iron the freshly washed vintage fabrics a sweet friend sent me.

 

Oh, the washclothes will be monogramed a la mollycoddle. Molly has the greatest ideas. I plan on making Maisey some summer clothes with the girly fabrics. Usually I would rather make my own patterns because others just confuse me and make me want to throw the sewing machine out the window. But these look pretty straight forward and should save me some time having to trace it all out--I hope. I'd like to make some shorts for my son but do you know how hard it is to find fabrics for boys that my husband wouldn't forbid our son to wear?? I mean, that's besides fabric with comic book characters.

The next step will be to turn this small studio space overflowing with paper into a sewing room.

John will be working late tonight so I'll have plenty of time to get started on a few things. That is, if I don't decide to sit on the couch and play spider solitaire all night. With my bag of goodies by my side, of course.

stencil ideas

Recently, I've been asked where in the world we find all these great stencils?? Just in case there was anyone else wondering the same thing, I decided to just do a post about it. First, let me assure you of one thing. You could not possibly live in an area with less cool stuff available than I do. So those of us who do not have excellent supplies available to us or can't spend the money or don't want to: we have to use our imaginations. Imagine that!

Here is a list of great sources for finding/making stencils.

1. In my humble opinion, the best stencils are the ones you make yourself. Thankfully, there are lots of ways to do this including what I described in my recent post which is basically how to make a stencil out of a photograph.
2. Clipart - The million-and-one clipart collections are great and many of them have copyright free images or images you can use in your art as long as you don't mass produce them. If you don't have one of these collections, there is tons of clipart online. So, search for flowers, birds, trees, or whatever and chose images which might make good stencils. Bold images with fewer details are best. Remember you are only concerned with the contour of the image. It doesn't matter what the image itself looks like because you are just using the form of it. Once you've done a few of these you'll know exactly what to look for. Next, save the image, size it to fit your project, and print it out on cardstock, a cut down file folder or even a transparency. Use a fine exacto knife with a new blade to cut along the outline of the image. After printing the image, you can also transfer the image to your chosen surface to cut out if you don't want to run it through your printer. Remember you can use both the positive and negative images as stencils so don't throw anything away!
3. Rubber and foam stamps - Simply stamp your image onto your cardstock and cut it out with an exacto knife. You don't have to cut out every detail. If the image is too small, scan it, resize it in Photoshop, then print and cut out. Foam stamps work perfectly. Note: many rubber stamp companies that have angel policies for use of their images in work for sale do not include mechanical or digital manipulation of the image. You will need to check with the individual stamp vendor before using these in art for sale.
4. Patterned paper - I used to cut out individual designs from patterned paper a lot when I scrapbooked and I always kept the paper with the negative image to use as a stencil later. I keep a bag full of these.
5. Making a repeated pattern - I haven't done this myself, so I can't tell you how to do it, but I know that you can take a clipart or stamped image and make it into a repeating pattern in Photoshop, so instead of one bird, you have a page of birds. If anyone knows how to do it, I'd love to know!
6. Home decorating stores - Stenciling is popular in home decor and you can find larger and more ornate stencils at home decorating stores, some paint stores, and even the home department in a general store like Walmart or Target.
7. Look around you - Things you might already have that make great stencils: paper doilies, sequin waste, lace, plastic mesh bags that fruit sometimes comes in, leaves & dried flowers, punched shapes, filmstrip, anything that has holes in it--keep your eyes open!
8. Online - Google "free stencils" and you will find sites with printable stencils for you to download. There are artists who make stencils and post them for you to enjoy although how you can use them in your own work varies so check the Read Me file for details.
9. Heidi Swapp masks - For some silly reason, this feels like giving away my big juicy secret, but Heidi Swapp masks are some of my favorite stencils. Actually, a mask is just the opposite of a stencil as it covers the positive instead of negative space. She has some wonderful floral designs, etc. Whenever the new scrapbooking products come out after the first of the year, I Google "Heidi Swapp masks" to find an online store that has all of them in stock and then I buy them up. Sometimes it is hard to find them all in one place, but keep looking. This last line she released had a wonderful branch and bird image that I love. Some of the early line was cheesy but there are great ones too. As long as you are looking up Heidi Swapp products, check out the Ghost shapes, frames, and alphabets. They also work great as stencils and give you lots of flexibility in their placement.
10. Everywhere else - sometimes you can find great stencils at boring old craft stores. Just keep checking around and keep an open mind.

These should get you started or maybe even keep you busy for a long time. And Michelle Ward had even more cool ideas here.

And since I can't have a post without a picture. I'll leave you with my 6 year old's latest artwork. This morning he woke up needing paper cups, plates, napkins to make weapons. I guess inspiration hit in the middle of the night. Anyway, this is what he came up with. Isn't it fabulous?? The cup thing is a pirate hook. The plate fits on his hand like a puppet but he hasn't decided on a name for it yet.