one item off the procrastination list - butterfly collage

This is a project I have been meaning to create for over two years! I saw this project first on Craftster and Ali Edwards' blog in late 2008 (link is to her updated project page), and I blogged about it in 2009. I made my own butterfly collage using some assorted scrapbook paper, a Martha Stewart butterfly hole punch, and an IKEA Ribba frame I picked up last May just for this project.

The project took under two hours, so I'm not quite sure why I didn't do this months or, well, years ago. I was watching Arsenic and Old Lacy on Netflix, so I'm not sure of the actual time it took. Most of it was spent gathering the supplies, which resided in no fewer than five different spots in my house.


Gathering supplies- I keep my large scrapbook paper in these 12"x12" plastic containers I picked up at Michael's for about $5. I found this cigar box of scratch paper in my closet. I recieved it in a swap about six or seven years ago from Elizabeth of My Own Lil Space (she doesn't seem to blog anymore, which makes me sad b/c I loved her scrap projects!).


The punch is from Martha Stewart's collection at Michael's.


Little butterflies waiting to be glued down! I wish I had more varied paper, but right now I have mostly solids or holiday-themed paper. And I was just at Michael's two days ago looking at paper in the clearance bin! I really liked this stamp paper I picked out. I used several butterflies from it.


I drew a template on scrap paper so I could line up the butterflies on the vellum without drawing or marking up the vellum.


I cut foam dots cut into quarters to give the butterflies some dimension.You could stack them twice as thick if you want more height.



Lining up the butterflies. For the background, I used some vellum paper I found. I didn't want a true white cardstock because of the white frame. I kept the template beneath the vellum to line up the butterflies. I originally cut out a few that I didn't like once they were in the lineup so I switched them out.


The finished product! I was really nervous about making sure lining up all the butterflies in a straight line, which is why I drew the template but you can't really tell if anything is out of line.  I'm already brainstorming holiday themed layouts I can make. I have a pumpkin punch, but I'd definitely like to make a heart or Christmas version. What shapes would you use?

monday monday

I had another decidedly un-crafty weekend. I am in need of some quick crafts to knock out while watch TV or before bed.  I am still not done with a baby blanket that I've been working on. The bias tape is all that's left and that is always my least favorite part.

One thing I starred today was from One Pearl Button's blog today - originally from Jewish Mom . I want to take these cut paper flowers and etch them onto mirrors from downstairs. I've been dying to do this project but don't have a)mirrors b)templates c)time. I'll put it in the someday file.

In other news, spring has disappeared, to be replaced with more cold weather, drizzly rain, and cloudy skies. I have some very cute spring dresses that I need to wear. Spring come back, stat!

Also, I filled out my census form. I guess I didn't realize how rinky dink the form is. I expected questions on whether I was employed, my income, etc. Nope. Just how old are you, what race are you, bada bing bada boom. That's it.

Time to head downstairs and do some Insanity and wait for my Anthro dress to arrive.

a shout-out

My lovely dear friend K is posting about some of her favorite people on her blog, It's a Wonderful Life. Today's Valentine is me! I've known K since sixth grade, so we have had some good times. She has an adorable seven-month old and writes about family life and babies, with some crafting thrown in. She is an amazing knitter- much, much, much faster than I, and also more adventurous with the needles. She has knit socks AND sweaters. I have knit rectangles.

a type of heirloom

Another project in my To Do book is an heirloom type tray. I saw these on Ali Edwards' site a few weeks ago, and fell in love with the idea.



My mom has had a type tray on a vintage sewing machine base for decades- growing up I loved to look at it and have her tell me stories of what's in it:  casino chips from her first trip to Vegas, the ribbons the police department tied on my parents' squad cars when they got married, the hospital bracelet from when I was born. My mom had several type trays, saving them until we were older (or old enough to care, I guess).  



Type trays, old printing blocks, and everything typography is so "in" right now, but back when we were little, my mom couldn't give these trays away! See, this one even has the price tag from a garage sale on it: $12 (fun fact: these stickers are from old ATA seating assignment sheets. We'd get the leftovers as kids to draw on, and we used the blank ones at garage sales)


(Hamilton Mfg Co. was the largest producer of wood type, and based in Two Rivers, WI.)

Ali Edwards used photos and scrapbooking doodads in her tray, but I think I'll keep mine a bit more like my moms- some photos and keepsakes, glue-dotted in so I can hang it on the wall.

missed Christmas

Some how I completely missed Christmas on my blog. It should be the opposite- Christmas is when there are dozens of projects, crafts, ornaments and cards to do every day! But this year...I didn't handmake any gifts, although I did make an IOU for an apron for my mother. I didn't make cards like I did last year, nor did I make any scarves.

This year, I didn't want to feel pressured to hurriedly make gifts for people- I have two jobs this holiday season, which cuts into my crafting time. I also felt burned out on crafting. Now that I read all these fabulous crafting blogs in my Google Reader, I kind of feel like what I make for people is second-rate. I'm not a great sewer or knitter, and my projects are riddled with errors. It's been hard to feel inspired to make a gift.

That said, I have cast on one new/one old project to knit. I'm working on Elbac again, after a two year break, and a new scarf to try to bust through some of the stash I uncovered while "cleaning" (ie. looking for shoes in my closet).

Elbac is now three times as long, despite my many attempts to screw it up last week. I'd take a new picture of it but I lost the cord to my camera. Awesome.

new blog love

I've taken several days off from blogging daily since I finished my 101 Things goal to post daily for the month of October. It was a great exercise, but difficult to come up with something useful every single day, especially as my day job was busy, I was training for my marathon, and was trying to get those baby blankets finished (result: still only ONE done). I'll try to post more often, instead of once every quarter like I was!!

Blogging daily has also forced me to find new and different blogs in an effort to find inspiration and new craft projects. I've realized that a lot of crafty projects by crafty people are created out of necessity- a need for a themed baby blanket, a need for a certain knit hat, a need for a child's costume. I don't have children (Bristow would eat anything I made anyway!), so it's hard for me to craft original projects because there are very few things I need around the house that I can make. Except clothes, but the baby blanket project taught me I'm a crap seamstress (I wrote "crap sewer" first, but thing it looks like soo-er, not so-er. ha!).

I've stumbled upon a few different blogs lately:
One Pearl Button- I think I found her through CraftZine but now I can't find the link
-Sweater Cloche and Gloves- she remakes the cutest things with old sweaters. I want to start knitting and sewing more now!

Zakka Life- I've found this previously a few times, but am loving some of her older projects (or, okay, ALL of her projects). I'm sad we don't have cute Japanese stuff in my town.
-Christmas Star Wreath
-Christmas Card Luminaries, which would be great for using up the hundreds of leftover xmas cards I have from last year's projects
-Vase made out of recycled bottles

Crockpot 365- I've been reading a lot of coupon clipping sites lately, and one of them linked to her. She's gluten-free AND is making a new slow cook recipe every day. Insane! But she has some delicious ones I want to try!!
-Like this Autumn Sausage Rice Casserole. Must have. NOW.

i read nie nie

I am usually totally in the loop on cool internets stuff. I surf about a billion blogs of all shapes and sizes- craft, television, tech, politics, news, shopping, gardening, gluten-free, etc. But somehow I missed out on these...which is surprising because they are some of the most powerful blogs out there. The story is just heartbreaking, but it does remind me how lucky I am to be healthy and have a wonderful and supportive family, just like Stephanie.

Nie Nie Dialogues


and her sister Courtney's site

favorite scarf

for the Handcrafter's Holidays at SewMamaSew

I love handmaking gifts for the holidays. When I was younger, it was often ornaments with my school photo in them. Now, they are more often than not knitted scarves. My first attempts were simple all knit-stitch scarves for my sister, made out of Homespun. I've graduated to many finer yarns and more difficult patterns.

One I enjoy making, and knits up fairly quickly (I am a slow knitter) is from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, and is basically *K1,P1*K1, however wide you want to make it. I have made it with Malabrigo and a coordinating kidsilk/halo-y yarn. The one below is for my friend Steph, and was made for her last year for Christmas. I love the variations in Malabrigo, and with the right coordinating yarn, it looks great!

ode to the pincushion

I was reading CraftApple's post today on collecting things, and she has begun collecting pincushions. It turns out I need to start collecting them to, as my superdog Bristow has eaten my only pincushion! RIP to my little red tomato with the little red strawberry needle holder. I've had this pincushion since 6th grade, when I got my very own sewing things for Home Ec class. It probably still has my name on the bottom!

I came home Christmas Eve from work, walked into my bedroom and wondered if my sister had been drilling things in my room- there was sawdust all over the floor! (This would be so much better with a picture. But I'm at work, the mess is at home). Bristow must have grabbed it out of a craft tote when no one was watching him. I checked him out, and he looked fine. He just chewed a hole straight into my pincushion, leaving a sawdust trail all over his bed.

So now I need a new pincushion. What do you fill them with?

I can't remember how I originally found CraftApple, but I bookmarked it for some of her tutorials, especially the quilted cards and quilted book covers.