a souvenir...

For the last few weeks I've been participating in "Souvenir Foto", a free online photography school. It's assignments are really just a motivation and inspiration to go out and take some creative pictures each week. This week there were two things to try: faux tiltshift (above) and forced perspective (below).



Although not intended to, the two photos kind of work together. A "miniature" baseball field and a kid (my brother) coming along to stomp on the port-a-potties that may belong to those tiny people.

This has been the extent of my creativity for the last few days. Although I have been working on some back to school ideas (my sister is giving me a hard time about this...I'm on schedule with Target and their school supplies).

But I'm excited because tonight some young friends (10 and 13) are coming over and I think there will be some craftiness. These girls need to know how to embroider! They were here yesterday for a while and I showed them some of the things I've made. The 10yo saw my cupcake toppers and said..."oh, you could make those to go on the top of chopsticks too!" Gotta love that fresh thinking!

things to do with embroidery...part five...

This may be one of my crazier, less practical ideas...but I made embroidered cupcake toppers. It kind of feels like one of those "Martha Stewart, cute...but yeah, right" ideas. Except, they are sooooo fun! Just make sure your guests don't even think about trashing them!

Here's what I did.



These are stitched using my Teeny Tinies pattern, and I already had them stitched. They are really small, but this would work just as well with pieces that are a little bigger. I would say nothing wider than a cupcake though.

I trimmed around my embroidery, then trimmed a second piece of plain fabric to match.



Toothpicks or lollipop sticks might work, but I went for wooden skewers. I figure they'll hold up well, and I want them to last. Really I do. I cut these to the length I wanted, and made sure that I kept track of which side I trimmed with my cutter. I don't want the cut end going into my cupcakes...unless I know exactly where that tool has been.



At the cut end of my skewer, I added craft glue. Then I placed it on the back of the embroidery, and added the blank piece of fabric on top. This helps ensure that your hard work doesn't come right off the end of the pick.



Once the glue dried, I added a running stitch around the edge. You could probably just glue the whole thing together, but when you've already gone to the work of making embroidered cupcake toppers, you'll want the cute stitching.



Now you're all ready to add them to your cupcakes! This one of the toilet paper roll is probably my favorite. Because, it's just not what you expect to see. Silly, I know.

Maybe these are the kind of things you make in mass for all the cupcakes for your next party, but you could add them to some for a little display. Or when you want to brighten someone's day...bring them one little cake with one of these. Or add a couple to the top of a regular cake. Or to hold your sandwich together. Or...

Have fun!

paint...

The other day I got this paint at Hobby Lobby. Most was on clearance. And although I try to be cautious in my buying, I couldn't resist such a good deal.

Now I really want to start creating some art...but haven't quite gotten to that "painting place". Hopefully I will soon...

how the 4th went...

I hope you've had a wonderful Independence Day weekend! We...



...made some quick decorations. I spray mounted paper to aluminum foil, then Grace cut on lines, we rolled it up and got...



Fireworks! We also...



...ate a lot of food. Mostly desserts. Like these cupcakes which I filled with raspberry filling that I got at a local restaurant supply.



Yum!

Then today was more eating and such. Plus a bit of making, which I will share with you soon. I'll give you a hint though...it goes with those cupcakes!

community inspiration...

When the ladies from The Spark asked about me about guest blogging, they suggested "inspiration" as a topic. So I've been thinking about that idea for about a week. But wouldn't you know, when you're really needing to be inspired about inspiration, it doesn't happen! Maybe that's not entirely true...but what I was thinking about didn't feel just right. For The Spark. But it is something that I would really like to share, and I think this is a good spot.

Tomorrow is Independence Day, and there's a lot to be said for independence. Creating, doing your own thing, being your own person...these are all a gift. But when it comes to inspiration, I like a bit of community. All of the people in your life, children, adults, family, friends, internet contacts (I don't know what I'd do without my blog and Flickr friends!), can be just the inspiration you're looking for.

Here are some ways that I find community inspiration:

1. Have Fun. Just being together and doing fun, goofy stuff with others can bring new ideas. My siblings and I frequently find silly things to do, and they lead to new projects. Bench Monday on Flickr is a constant source of inspiration as I search for new ways to stand on a bench each week and see others to the same.

2. Share Thoughts. Bouncing ideas off of others can be really helpful. I'm fortunate that I am part of a creative family, but sometimes they don't even get me. That's helpful as I'm working on new things because they can say, "umm...I don't understand why the nativity scene has faces that aren't on their faces..." (yes, this is true...I'm still trying to sell them on this idea!)

3. Ask for Help. When you're stuck, tell someone and ask if they have any ideas. Often they'll be able to get you started again. My internet community is great when it comes to this. If I'm looking for new ideas, all I have to do is ask...and you all supply!

4. Create Together. Whether it's on the same project, of different things...being creative alongside someone can keep you going. My friend Catherine and I get together for crafting and coffee or tea about once a month. We both chat and stitch and when we leave, we both feel a sense of accomplishment and friendship.

5. Inspire Someone. This is the best one. When you are looking to give others some help along the way, you'll find that you're inspired too. This is true with a lot of things, but I know that it works with creativity. Inspire others, encourage them, and you'll get even more in return!

a spark...

First off...birthday wishes to my mom today! She doesn't read this, but I still want to honor her. It might help to make up for my not finishing (starting?) her gift in time.

Now, just a little heads up for you. This weekend, The Spark is having a blog party, which means all kinds of fun posts tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday!

Yours truly will be guest blogging on Saturday. Woo hoo! I've actually never guest blogged before (I didn't tell them that!), so hopefully all will go well. I will say though, to compensate for any blunders I may make, there will be a giveaway! Make sure you stop by The Spark throughout the weekend for fun stuff!

(and thanks to my sister for the picture!)

be long-winded (aka make a pinwheel)...

Brrr! I can't remember a colder start to July! I know that some of you are sweatin', and last week I was too. But now it's gone and gotten cold.

Anyway, I have for you a fun new printable! You can make your very own Long-Winded Pinwheel. Just print out the PDF, follow the included instructions, and you're good to go!

I tried making mine with two kinds of pins, and I think it depends on the thickness of your paper, and the softness of the pencil eraser. A push pin can work, or a straight pin may be better for you. Try them both.

Have Fun!

Download the Color Pinwheel
Download the B/W Pinwheel

july, july...

Here we are, once again, changing the calendar over. This time Pleasing Paintbrush will adorn your computer's desktop for the month of July. He aims to please, and is a little sensitive (you know the artist type...), so be sweet to him! Download here.

And then just a few other things...



I finally got hooks and got the flags I made put up! They look a little patriotic, in time for the holiday, but not too much. The mustard yellow is a nice touch. They stretch across our entire front porch, plus I cut some off to go over the windows that look onto the porch. They are so fun!



This is just random. My family went to a parade on Sunday, and out on the grass, watching the parade, was this little guy. Isn't it just the cutest? And so funny to see a guinea pig amongst all the dogs that were out. I asked the little girl who it belonged to if I could take a picture...she thought that was fun. So I guess we're even for giving amusement!

sale and update on wednesday...

Whoa...July starts in just two days! Which means...I'm celebrating Christmas in July!

During the entire month of July, the Wild Olive shop is having a Christmas in July sale! All Christmas items will return...recipe and address cards, gift tags and embroidery patterns. Plus, there will be some new items: a tag set, an embroidery pattern, and digital collage sheets. All of these will be marked 25% off! AAAAAND...there will be multi-packs that will save you even more!

Yay! Now, I need to get back to work...this sale and update are all I'm thinking about right now...

things to do with embroidery...part four...

So, that fabric I cut for Sunday School? It was a hit! Our curriculum suggested making bandannas (our theme is camp), decorating them with paints (a bit messy) or fabric markers (too expensive for the number we would've needed). But then crayon tinting came to mind. Perfect! Here's what we did.

We started with lightweight muslin cut into 15" squares. Then I cut the squares diagonally. You could leave them full, but we were aiming to save money, and this way used less fabric.



I printed out copies of my Happy Campers embroidery pattern for the kids to trace in crayon. Some of them did, others made their own designs. Some even filled the whole piece of fabric. Then we ironed the designs between two sheets of paper.

Having hot irons out by the kids made me a little nervous, but they did good. It was only my brother who decided to see if it was actually hot. Lovely. Thankfully, he didn't get burned. Oh, and my dad made these great little portable ironing boards. I'll have to take a picture, because I know you'll all want to make one!

Back to the project. At this point the kids were done and ready to wear their bandanna. But for you and me...we continue.



Around my crayon tinting, I embroidered in backstitch. This is quick stitching, and no extra details because I was in a hurry. But you could add more. I even thought about stitching some words, like "please?" underneath or "I want" above the s'more.

The picture above shows it loosely folded because this is how I got mine ready to wear.



Here it is all tied. Much cooler than around the neck, don't you think? This is how I wore mine all day, and it's how the kids liked wearing theirs too. The boys and girls, Kindergarten-5th grade all loved it, so it would be fun for Sunday School, camp, scouts, or any time. (By the way, although my patterns and such are for "personal use" they can be used for groups like the list I've given...I'm all for sharing crafts with kids!)

I like mine so much that I'm going to be making more to just wear as an accessory. Definitely. Easy and cute! Love that!