june upon your desktop...

Did you know that the word "embroider" is a synonym for "embellish"? Not too surprising. But how about "exaggerate" "magnify" or "elaborate (on)"? An example from Merriam Webster: "Dad likes to embroider his fishing stories." I find this to be quite interesting.

For June, the crafty character is Stretched Embroidery Hoop, and I fear that she may be the type of hoop that stretches the truth and embellishes things other than fabric. But perhaps not. Either way, she would love to add a little something to your computer's desktop!

Download the wallpaper here.

Giveaway Winner!

OK folks, just past midnight last night I put 1-25 into the random number generator (there are 26 comments there now...one came in after the winner was chosen). And the number it came up with was 5. Counting from the top down, the winner is TracyC! Tracy's comment:

"I'm obsessed with lemons and oranges right now so I'd love to see a happy lemon and a sassy orange."

Fruit was a common idea, and will definitely be showing up in the shop on paintings, recipe cards and more! Other ideas that we heard a lot of were things to do with crafts and woodland animals.

Thank you all for your helpful ideas! I love them all and am looking forward to working on new paintings.

And TracyC, your secret surprise painting will be mailed at the beginning of the week!

facing the sewing machine...

I'm relatively comfortable stitching straight things on the sewing machine, which is good, because I have a lot of it ahead of me. Above is one of the in progress shots I've taken of my newest project. This is one of those, "what a great idea, I think I'll just do it" projects, and it was probably the last thing I should have been working on today. But...you know... Anyway, when it is all finished, I'll show more and tell all.

Also in the list of things to be straight stitched is a patchwork blanket that is to be given tomorrow. The squares are cut and that's all. This is actually my mom's thing, but I'm helping to get it done in a hurry.

I was talking with my mom today and she suggested that I practice sewing circles on paper without thread. It's how she learned in home ec, and she attributes her mad skillz (my words, not hers) to this method. I must find time to try this...and I'll keep you updated. I am sooo determined to be comfortable sewing!!! I must!!!

And remember, the giveaway goes through midnight CST tonight and a winner will be announced tomorrow!

showing off...

Not too many words today. Just a couple things to show you.

Above: floss that I'm using on my sister's measuring tape bracelet.

Below: something I've been meaning to show you, which is a giant embroidery hoop that my mom gave me. It's about 21" across and hangs on the wall of my office. I'm tempted to hang something in the middle, but haven't yet. It's kind of fun empty!



And, I have forgotten to mention, if you haven't already seen it, KittyKill from Feeling Stitchy interviewed me! Check it out!

now i know...

Well, there's nothing like announcing that you'll have a shop update to light a fire under oneself! The shop is all updated with new items, and thank you to those who have already been shopping!

Typically, I list only a couple new items at a time. Sometimes only one. And now I know why. That is pretty manageable, as I'm listing them as I make them. This time, I had nine new items and that was a lot. (Those of you who do mega-updates...stop laughing at me!) There were so many pictures to take, descriptions to write and of course, the making of things!

The good part about all of this is that deciding to do a real "update", I forced myself to go to it. The bad part is that shortly after announcing the update, all kinds of other stuff fell in my lap. Ah well.







Like all of the illustration doodles I create, I end up falling in love with them. They have their own personalities and these are no different. The Helpful Corn-on-the-Cob Holder is one of my favorites. My 15-year-old brother said that he had never seen these before! (We're the kind of family that actually touches the corn!) I was quite surprised by his lack of corn handle knowledge, and will be getting him his own set soon. But I'll be adding a face...because, you know...things are better with faces!



One last thing...thank you so much for all of your wonderful painting ideas! Keep 'em coming! All of the inspiration is working, and I can't wait to get started on my next batch. So excited to see who wins the giveaway!

this is all i have to say...

(find this wonderful bag here)

memorial day giveaway...

Happy Memorial Day! Or as my 4-year-old sister said this morning, "mmmm....Oreo Day!" We're on our way to a parade in our small downtown, but before I head out, how about...

A GIVEAWAY!

This Wednesday, my tiny paintings and a few other new things will be added to the shop throughout the day. But you can WIN one of these paintings!

Sometimes I feel as though I draw, paint, stitch paper airplanes and only that. Not so, but I do love them. In fact, this first batch of paintings is all things that I love and would love to have around as tiny art pieces. But maybe you have another idea...

All you have to do is leave a comment listing an idea for what you would like to see on one of these tiny paintings. (You can leave more than one idea in your comment, but please only one comment per person.) Also, please be sure to leave a way that I can contact you if you win. One winner will be chosen at random on Saturday, so you have until Friday at midnight CST to leave your comment.

You'll win a secret surprise painting, not shown above. I'm so excited!

UPDATE: We have a winner! (If I knew how to close comments, I would, but this will have to do...)

interesting photo shoots...

It seems that my sister and I must take strange photos. Because yesterday my brother, PJ, went to take a picture of his recent embroidery, and placed the hoop in a tree.



His latest piece was shot on a fire hydrant.



And when I asked if he would like to take a picture of the in progress embellished shoes that I'm making for Anna, he placed the shoe on a tire.

I love that he likes thinking of unique ways to display things and photograph them. He even tried a few self-portraits! I just have to say, PJ makes me crazy sometimes. Well, a lot of the time. But he really is the sweetest thing...and oh so creative!

a may workshop for you...

This month's characteristic is Measurable Measuring Tape, so to go along with him, the workshop has the tutorial for making this Measurable Bracelet! It is really easy to make, but is one of my new favorite accessories. If you're a crafter, this is a great way to show off your hobby. Plus, you can take it off and actually use it for measuring smallish things!

My dear sister modeled this for me, and after finishing taking the photos, she walked off wearing it. Hey! I may be terrible, but I really did make her give it back. I'm not all bad though...I promised to make one for her too. One that actually fits her tiny little wrist!

Download the workshop here or from the sidebar. And when you make one, take a picture and add it to the Wild Olive flickr group! Then we can all see the different interpretations of this...I know that it is something that everyone can make their own.

plans and ideas...

Whew! It has been a full day of fun with a brother and a sister. I started with coffee with Anna (I got a "crunchberry" frappucino) and ended with a baseball game (where I almost died! ok, not really, but a ball did come VERY close and hit a guy right by me) with Anders (the photos are a couple that I took at the game). In between I did a little bit of work. (those are a lot of parentheses!)



I've suddenly found myself in the middle of one of those times where I have more ideas for things to do than time to do them. And although there are always ideas, it isn't always the case that there are so many that I REALLY want to do.

Right now a lot of the projects that I have in mind involve spending some serious hours at the computer working on new illustrations. Summer is upon us and I have some new doodles in my sketch book that are eager to come to life: BBQ/picnic themed, camping, carnival (maybe), plus office supplies, some very special hats, and more. They are destined to become journaling collage sheets, embroidery patterns, printables and ???.

The downside to this is that after working on my other graphic design work, it isn't always my favorite thing to do the computer illustration part of these projects. It sort of amazes me that there are even times when I would rather just draw. (I used to say that I create best on the computer!

But to get myself motivated to really push through these, I've decided that I will do an update to the shop at the beginning of next week. That way I'll have some time to get a few more things finished, but also a bit of a deadline.

Whew! I think I've been quite long-winded tonight. All of this is to say that new items (in addition to the paintings) will be added to the shop soon. Best I go and do a little work before sleeping.

foam and toilet paper...

Were you intrigued by my description of printmaking with foam and toilet paper? I hope so. Here is the outcome!

A print of toilet paper using foam! This "plate" was cut from the kind of foam trays that meat or vegetables are packed on. Then I just drew my design into the foam using a dull pencil. Easy peasy.

The ink is white Speedball block printing ink, rolled on with a brayer (or as my sister said, "Why don't you just call it a roller?!? Then everyone will know what you're talking about!") I love how it looks on the blue, but on kraft the white is even better.



Unfortunately, I think there was some uneven parts to the foam, causing that area at the top of the roll of toilet paper to not print properly (on every print!). The two pics I'm showing are the ones that came out the best on each paper. The printing with foam will require more playing around, but it is simple, fast and cheap, so I will continue to play with it.



Now, a quick look at one of the paintings that I've just made. Isn't he cute? This to-go coffee cup is one of three tiny originals that will be going in the shop very soon. I just need to get all of the photos taken and descriptions written.

Oh yes, and there will be a giveaway!

Last thing: a comment or two on comments. 1) I love them. Thank you to all who leave comments, because they are so encouraging, and it's nice to hear from those I don't know, but read anyway! 2) I still am figuring out the best way to respond, especially to those that need a real answer. When possible, I reply via email. Sometimes I leave a comment on the same post in response. 3) Please know that I read every one with a smile on my face! Thank you!!!

a few of my favorite (hangable) things...

So here we are at Tuesday again. And this whole, sharing Etsy favorites has become oh so fun for me, especially when deciding what theme to share. It's sort of like creating a Treasury, but better because I get to add commentary!

Today, I have some hangable items, as in, prints for your walls. These are some of the ones that I would like to add to my growing collection.



From Groundwork comes "There is Only Make." I find this to be inspiring and just what we all need to hear from time to time.



What's this? Trees with little faces? Of course I like the Tree Family Friends from laurageorge!



Pretty Miss Mabel from cindytomczykart is so wonderful! Don't you love the brown paper she is on?



It's bound to happen sometime. If I Only Knew What Love Is. (I do, just not the mushy love stuff...)



All of Roadside's prints of 3D collages are fantastic. Flying Umbrellas is just one of my favorites.

I had hoped to show a couple of others, but they are all sold out. At least for now. But imagine, if you will, a large poster that says, "Did Someone Say Pie?" Oh yes.

rough around the edges...

I took this picture a couple of days ago, thinking that it was just a progress shot of things that I'm working on. And it is. But when I sat down to blog just now, it struck me that it is a good photo to represent how I'm feeling these days. A little rough around the edges. A little like I've been rubbed with sandpaper. And a lot not finished.

I'm not gonna lie, I've felt some twinges of sadness. Even in the midst of good things that I'm so very joyful about. And the feelings of things being not always wonderful aren't feelings that I typically talk about here. But they are here. There isn't even a particular reason for me to be feeling this way, but I am.

Just sharing that is good. I trust that you understand.

But I have been making a bit of progress, so I'll move on to that. The wood blocks above have already seen a bit of paint, and they'll see more soon. Three tiny paintings are started!



Then I got this idea that I would use this old green fabric I had rescued. It used to be on our old couch cushions, underneath the upholstery. I started out by trying to iron out some of the wrinkles. Thankfully, at the last minute I put paper on both sides of the fabric. Good move, as it totally melted!

Fine, fine, the wrinkles can stay. So I stitched up "Recycled Aluminum Can" on it to be a patch. Well, let's just say that the fabric, any way you melt it or stitch it, was a bad idea. I found it to be very ugly, but have kept the "patch" as a reminder. The fabric is gone forever.



More successful was the trial of painted/stitched patches. Although, when my sister first saw this, she asked me what it was supposed to be. My mom knew right away it was a book. You got that, right? A book. Anyway, I'm working on a coffee cup next as a trial. Not sure if I'm the only one who would find this kind of fabric patch charming, but the making is enjoyable, so that's all that matters.

Now, I'm off to glue beads to spools (more on that later) and to do some more printmaking trials (this one involves styrofoam and toilet paper...yes, you read that right).

drumroll please...

So, I had intended to share some project progress today, but instead, I need you to do something. Look over there in the sidebar. If you're reading this on Google Reader or something similar, come on over to the real blog and look at the sidebar.

Are you here? Have you seen?

The Caregiver Kit is extra happy (you can tell because I never give my drawings teeth!), because with the help of my wonderful customers (and a few others that donated just to help out)...

We made it to 100%!!!!

After a little less than 3 months, we raised the $560 needed to purchase 20 World Vision Caregiver Kits. I can't even tell you how excited this makes me. This really felt like a lesson in faith. Sure I did my part, and contributed my items, spread the word, etc. But really, I was relying on God and others to make this happen. And you did.

So, thank you. Thank you. Thank you!

Tomorrow is going to be a wonderful Monday because I get to call and order all of the supplies. Then comes the fun part when they arrive: putting the kits together. And along the way I'll be sure to document everything in pictures and share the process with you.

Hooray! God is going to do great things!

jump into it...

When you say that you want to take more pictures, the best thing to do is to just jump into it and take more pictures, right? So that's what I did.

Well, sort of. Yesterday was a very gray day (which made me feel, well, gray) and so the pictures that I attempted to take were all blech. But today, well, today was wonderful. So inspired by The Flying Collettes, we headed out on a walk to the nearby Civil War cemetery and park.

Anna took that leaping photo of me above. I love how it looks a bit like I'm on the power lines. But if you head to Anna's photostream, you'll also find a few others. I'm not as mean as I look in the pictures. I promise.





I got to document a bit of what this photo shoot looked like. You know, when I wasn't jumping around like crazy myself.



I also took some more pictures with the camera on the ground, and decided to start a Flickr set with them. Another set will eventually appear with another new photographic fascination of mine: fire hydrants. Go figure.

One last thing, but you have to keep a secret. Or actually, I have to keep a secret, because my sister might just read this. But I have something fun that I am going to do tonight to go along with all this picture taking. It's very unlike me, and it will make Anna very happy. Beyond that, I probably shouldn't say. But I'm excited. Really.

it'll last longer...

One day while I was still in school, I was walking through the halls and I heard a girl say to a guy who was staring just a bit, "Take a picture, it'll last longer!" I kind of chuckled because it just didn't seem like the kind of thing a person actually says. Maybe you read it on a t-shirt, but to actually shout it out at a random guy? Interesting.

But pictures do last longer. For example, the latte above is long gone. And the embroidery has changed too. Last night I read on someone's Flickr page that they don't take enough pictures, and I feel that way too. I want more snapshots (even the bad ones) to remember the silly little things. Like sipping coffee on Thursdays with my sister while I stitch and we talk about life.





So I took pictures while walking today. I started taking some where I set the camera down and just shot a picture. These two steps above were taken like that and I rather like the view. I'm going to do this more. And as a side note, those stone steps are favorites of mine. There's just something about them.

Also in the mix of taking these photos is that I started using the little point and shoot camera again. My sister is very generous in letting me use her Nikon D60, but I don't always want to impose, and this gives me a bit more freedom. The photos aren't the same, but with the magic of Photoshop actions, the difference isn't as great. For all of these photos I tried out Pioneer Woman's free action sets. They are great!

Enjoy the rest of your day! Maybe I'll get a few more pictures in today...you should too!

a day filled with...

-viking ships

-comic book pages

-bulldogs

-custom graphics

-not getting enough done

and hopefully soon...

-a bit of stitching

-chocolate chip cookies

a few of my favorite (make-able) things...

So, I had planned on making Tuesdays be the day that share some of my favorite things. And yet, I realized just a day or two ago that last week I already got off track. This seems very normal for me right now. But I'm giving it another go!

Since much of what I do on this blog has to do with making things, here are a few patterns that I love on Etsy:



Bunnies from mmmcrafts. I really must brush up on my machine sewing skills before actually buying and trying these out.



Pretty Maids embroidery patterns from loopsies. One of the sets even has a girl named "Mollie"!



Emmeline Apron from montessoribyhand. I own this pattern and have for a while. I just need to actually make it.



Gnome doll from littledear. This kind of softie, I think I can make.



Felt baking tools from GulfCoastCottagePDF. The construction of things like this just amaze me.

Speaking of patterns, I have two new patterns available in the shop!



Game Night is a fun one with bowling and poker and bingo and mahjong. The piece that I stitched up for the sample picture is going to be the family Wii bowling award, I think.



And then there's the SeaSiders. All kinds of little beach themed things...some animals (which is not entirely normal for me) and some objects (more my style). Anna's favorite is the Cordial Crab, so that's what I stitched up. She gets to keep this patch.

Now, I need to go get busy!

monday means a new week...

The start of a new week means much to get through. It means you never know what may come along. It means a fresh start. It means opportunity to work on projects.

This new week, I'm hoping to tackle some fun things that I have the pleasure of calling my work. Patterns. Patches. Paintings. (This week's work is being brought to you by the letter "P"!) These things all excite me.

Other things that excite me today:



Last week I ordered this new t-shirt from Sick for Cute, and today it came! I have not ordered anything new for a long time and so this was a treat. It's it adorable?!?

Also, I am sooooo excited that the World Vision Caregiver Kit fund has reached 92%! This has taken longer than I originally hoped, but the end of this is in sight! As in, I may be ordering supplies by the end of the week!

mother's day stitching is done...

Hooray! I'm all set for Mother's Day! It was a little close, as I hadn't figured anything out until the beginning of the week, but with a suggested from my sister and a pattern from Polka Dot Bunny, a plan was made!

The towel above is for my Nanny (grandma). She loves me, so she hopefully won't mind the somewhat wonky stitching. The towel itself is partly to blame. These are the IKEA towels I got, and although they work for stitching on, they stretch a bit, and therefore, the circle border is not such a great circle.



And my mom gets this Wack-O Wooden Spoon towel. Did you get spankings as a child? I did. Not with a wooden spoon, but I still find that this is a great Mother's Day theme. I planned on giving her a second towel with Timely Timer on it, but time it seems, ran out. I'll still make it for her eventually. Both of the characters are from my set of Baker's Best Tool Friends illustration doodles, but are not in the embroidery pattern sets. Something special just for mom!

do not resist...

Self-help books aren't really my thing. I mean, I like non-fiction that inspires you to change and take action, but the key word is "inspires". Books that just focus on helping you to become a better person are a little too inward focused. I want to be about going out and doing good for others...not me.

But yesterday I was headed to the library to pick up my sister from work, return some books, and get a coffee. On my walk over there, I flipped through this one book that I checked out but never got to. My sister laughed at the idea of me reading a book while walking, but that's what I did. Technically, this book (which, I'm still not entirely sold on...so I'm not really wanting to endorse it at this point) is sort of self-helpy. However, the main idea rang true:

Resistance is what keeps us from doing great things.

It's what holds us back from living the life we want to live, from trying new things, from creating, from helping others and changing lives. Wow. There are so many things that I want to do with my life, in my life, for the lives of others. I can't resist those. So my first step is to start figuring out what those things are and then to go for it.







I started last night with some creative lists. These are for the shop, for improvement of skills and for fun. Some are short term, some are big picture. But th point is that I need to Make. Do. Create. (this isn't a new idea, but constant reminders are good, yes?)

The next lists that I want to work on will be even bigger picture and more serious, I think. The "changes needed in my life" and "life goals" and "Kingdom of Heaven things" Don't get me wrong, I like who I am. I'm happy with my life. But there's always room for improvement, and I really feel that I cannot, will not, resist becoming who God has made me to be.