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one down...



...eleven to go! February starts tomorrow, and I think that January was the fastest month ever. Which I am entirely fine with! Turning the calendar page means we're a little closer to spring. In the meantime, it's a month of hearts!

Welcome in February with the Stitchy Floss calendar desktop for your computer. I think it's going to be a wonderful month of making lovely things!

hearts day decor...

getting stitched...

So...here's what I did with all those hearts. I stitched them all together to make strings of them. Like the sewn wrapping paper I made, sewing these was super fast and easy (cutting them took much longer). Each heart went through without my guiding it, so I just kept feeding them. They aren't all centered, but that works well, because I also cut the hearts to be imperfect.

Once I had a bunch stitched together I cut the thread and made a loop at the top. Each string is a different length. Then my dear sister hung them in our front window. Lovely!

a curtain of hearts...

I wish I could take credit for this idea, but I also wish I could give credit. maya*made did snowflakes like this, but I think I saw hearts somewhere else. I'm just not sure where...Oops!

making valentine decorations...

hearts...

I'm trying to be all sneaky with my plans for this project. Of course, it's not all that exciting, but maybe the suspense will make it seem more so. Anyway, I've been cutting out a ton of hearts from kraft paper. Originally I thought that I would make them out of pink paper, but why use new paper when you can use something recycled? Not to mention, I am in love with brown kraft.

So, tomorrow, hopefully, I will have these hearts assembled into their final state and hanging in place... (fingers crossed!)

a few random bits..

I've been thinking that I haven't been creating enough lately. Which is sort or normal to have those times. But just to confirm that thought, I couldn't even find my ideas and doodles sketch book.

Yesterday, my sister said the cutest/oddest thing: "Sneeze on your own cupcake." The thing is, no one had sneezed, and there were no cupcakes to be seen.

I love The Sampler, and this month you'll find printable Conversational Hearts valentines from yours truly. Just head to the gallery to see them!

in my hair...



My sister was taking a few pictures of me yesterday while I was just sitting and having a chat with my mom. This used to make me very uncomfortable, but these days I just let her do it. After all, who's really going to see the pictures if they are horrifying?

Anyway, this shot is one that I really liked (no comments about the fact that my face isn't in it). But this is a nice view of how my hair often looks. Many days there is a pencil stuck in there...not functional, just there. And people will ask me, "Did you know there's a pencil in your hair?" or "Why do you have a pencil stuck in your hair?" It's cute and it's handy. And just because.

The downside is that I often forget it's there, and go to remove a sweater or something, and get all stuck and my hair pulls and I yelp. Oops.

so tired...



This is what I feel like today. A bunch of tired Zs. And since they are already Zs, they have bubbles showing sleep, like they would in Japan. (Plus, how cute is that...bubbles!)

Now, I think that I will try and relax for a while and recharge for another fun filled week...

the type...

now I have...

Fonts. Letters. Type. I love it all. And one of the things that I've always wanted to do is to design my own typeface. Now I have...sort of. I've created a set of illustration doodles of upper and lower case letters, plus numbers, punctuation and symbols, all with faces.

As of now, they are journaling collage sheets, they are almost embroidery patterns, and hopefully one day they will be a real type-able font. I call them Alphabetics and Numerics.

been listening to...

The Decemberists.



It's hard for me to choose a favorite Decemberists song...they all make me happy. And I think I hear something new each time I listen. Today I enjoyed this one...

trying to fulfill a resolution...

One of my goals for 2009 was to make sure that the photos that I upload (here, on Flickr and on Etsy) are always just as they should be. None of this, "sorry about the bad lighting" business.

With that in mind, I'm thinking that I really need to re-shoot a bunch of the photos that I have up on Etsy. I think that it would really help upgrade the look of my shop and make it more cohesive. The thing is...

it seems like so much work.

doodles...

I've missed a few days of keeping up with the blog, and now I only a few photos to share, but it's only because I've been busy. Busy doodling up some new illustrations. The more finished versions of some of these will be coming soon...

ideas...

alphabetics...

numerics...

springy...

journaling hearts...

hearts day journaling...

It may seem a little strange to see more hearts here, but I've really been working on Valentine's types of things since before Christmas. So I'm tired of waiting! Anyway, this is a page that I was journaling about February 14, using my first collage sheet that I've made. You can see more pictures at Flickr.

Typically, I suppose, things like this would be used for scrapbooking, but that's not really my thing. But I thought that for art journaling they would also work. I'm still a little new to art journaling, although when I think about it, when I was younger I love Amelia's Notebook. Anyway, I like the addition of my cut out illustrations, and will be definitely making and using more.

the irony...

Do you ever have one of those days? I know you do. Just last night I wrote down in my journal a quote from a song that I haven't heard for a while. The line went like this: "Sometimes living takes the life out of you." And then I wrote something like, "I don't really feel like that right now."

And then today happened.

Really, it hasn't been a bad day, a busy day, a blech day. It's just been a day. How ironic.

hearts day...a month away...

Lonely Heart Box Plushie

Can you believe that Valentine's Day is just one month away? I really enjoy all of the red and pink and hearts and love. Even without a sweetheart. I suppose that makes me a lonely heart.

The Lonely Heart Box Plushie above is one of the projects that I made for my new Make. Do. Create. Hearts Day workshop in a PDF. This was so fun to make, but then, all five projects were. I've been having so much Hearts Day fun! You can Make. Do. Create. Valentine fun tomorrow, when the workshop is released in my shop!

a january workshop for you...

stitching up Snippy Scissors on a scissors case

To go along with January's Snippy Scissors, how about making a custom case for your scissors? Just download the free file, and you'll have a workshop in a PDF that you can Make. Do. Create.

Scissors Case

a bit of snow...

Free Snowby embroidery pattern

Snow. Yes, it's very pretty. Right now. But what about in March when you've been looking at it for months and it has become all dirty and blech? Hmm? I think I'll try and be optimistic about it, and think of the snow as happy. Like little Snowby here. He'll make the winter more pleasant. Just click on the image above to get your free JPG embroidery pattern.

(Find the first Fair Weather Friend, Aarain, here.)

the middle of now...

supplies

This is what I'm in the middle of. Felt. Paint. Thread. I love it. Three projects for the Valentine's Day Make. Do. Create. workshop in a PDF are finished and photographed, and two are left to be completed. Almost there.

It's a different thought process to create instructions and take pictures for each step of a project. I feel as though I'm stopping in the middle of things quite a lot, whereas, normally I would just plow on through. Is that good? Not good?

This morning, when my 6-year-old brother was told that it was time to leave, he replied, "Right in the middle of now?"

I am holding onto that phrase. Instead of plowing through the things I do, and life in general, I want to enjoy being right in the middle of now.

Now it's your turn to share: what are you doing right in the middle of now? Are you enjoying it? (I hope so!)

what $3 will get you...

I love them.

I've seen people wearing skimmers like these and thought they were awfully cute. I was unsure if they were me. But I really liked them. So imagine my glee when I found this lovely pair at the Shoe Carnival by me that is closing. $50 shoes for $3? Oh yeah.

Not bad for $3

newly stitched patterns...

I've been busily creating new embroidery patterns, and then stitching them up! I really do love playing with fabric and floss. These were done in a bit of haste (after all, they needed to be ready for release tomorrow!), but even then, I find it relaxing.

Jack's Beans
From the Stuff of Fairy Tales pattern.

Stitchy Floss
From the Make. Do. Create. Crafty Characters pattern.

Inviting Invitation
From the Wedding Party pattern (but I think that some of the patterns in this one are good for Valentine's day, too!).

Now, to find good uses for all these...

how the plastic bottles felt...

yummy colors!

I love felt. I really love it. I especially love wool felt. Acrylic, not so much. However...I'm very excited to use this new polyester felt that I just ordered from Felt-O-Rama. It is recycled from post-consumer plastic bottles. I love that! And maybe it's just because I love that it is eco-felt, and that clouds my perception, but I really think that the quality feels nicer than traditional acrylic felt. Nice and soft this is. Also, I ordered my felt late Friday night and it arrived on Monday. Super fast. And, and...the price is reasonable.

Felt-O-Rama has other great felt products, and I can tell that I'll be ordering more. Soon. Check them out!

can't wait to use my new felt...

a little joy...



I'm filled with more than a little joy that Rachel shared this video today. Because, seriously, I may be in love with Little Joy now. I promptly had my music handler (my sister, Anna) download the entire album and we are currently listening. Ahh...Joy.

a new year...

Happy 2009! I hope you had a safe and enjoyable New Year's Eve! I had a very pleasant night filled with food, fun games and much laughter. But then, just after midnight I started thinking about sharing my news and plans with you. Without further ado...



Arriving in the Wild Olive shop in just one week (that's Thursday, January 8)... Make. Do. Create. a workshop in a PDF.

Each PDF will have a theme (the first is photo accessories, Valentine's Day will be second) and will contain five projects for you to Make. Do. Create. It will include complete instructions and photos, plus, each contains an exclusive embroidery pattern. The projects use basic materials and tools, and can be enjoyed by adults and older children alike.

I have been having so much fun coming up with these projects, and am so excited to share them! Here's a glimpse of my favorite:

Empty Frame Appliqué

Now, for the blog. Each month I'll also have a free project to download and this month's will go along with this month's character: Snippy Scissors. The project will be here soon, but for now, it's January, so get your computer ready to Make. Do. Create. by dressing it up with a Snippy Scissors desktop calendar.

And hey! Have a very Happy New Year!