Making a clock/goodbye dead zone

For a while now I have been looking at the corner wall in my living room and thinking, "I really wish there was something there to fill that space."

First I put in 3 vases full of billy blossoms, that helped a little, you can see them there by the couch. But today I decided to do something more!


My art supply store is having a sale on their canvas and paint supplies so I picked up a 10x20 canvas, I've had some clockworks hanging around my apartment waiting for inspiration to strike me and today it did. 


Here is what you need for this project:
1 canvas (whatever size suits your needs. I choose 10x20)
Masking tape
Acrylic paints in the colors you like (or the colors you need to mix the colors you like I picked yellow, orange and turquoise)
Ruler
Clockworks
Paintbrush 
Pencil

To begin I drew out the lines for my stripes (I drew them so light that the photos showed up as white so no photo for this step)


Then mask off for your first color, to prevent bleed through I primed along the masking tape with white paint.

Continue painting and masking until all your lines are painted. To speed things up you may want to use a cool hairdryer. 

Poke a hole through the canvas (I used a sharp pencil) and insert the clock works. At first I attached it with the canvas support but it didn't seem secure so I used double sided foam tape to stick it on to the canvas.


Attach the clock hands to the front (make sure they are in the right order, I had mine up for about 20 minuted before I realized the hour hand was moving faster then the minute hand hahaha)

Then just hang it up and enjoy what a bright fun pop of color it brings to your life!

New fabric=New blogs

I'm very excited to announce that as of 3 minutes ago I have 6.5 yards of new fabric to play with. I will be blogging about my creations as soon as I begin, but for now.... Look what I got!

It came adorably wrapped up! I love Sew Fabulous quilt shop, the little details make me feel like a special customer

The best part is, the fabric was 50% off which is why I got 2 instead of just 1. 

Two summery dresses are in my future! I can't wait, I promise I'll share the details. 

Hooked on Hexagons

Here is something about me, I very much dislike going to Ikea, it's crowded, they route you through their store to sell you things you didn't come for, people are wandering aimlessly about the place (getting in my way). If I sound like a grumpy old lump, I probably am, which is why when I have to go, I enter through the exit, grab the item I need and leave. Last weekend I summoned up the courage (and took my sister with me) and went to Ikea with one item on my mind-

I've had my eye on these HÖNEFOSS mirrors since they first came out and have been lurking impatiently around blog land for someone to post an interesting project with them. No such luck, I guess my impatience to create won out over wanting someone else to go first, SO I created an "art installation" on my dining room closet door with the mirrors and three colors of felt. My boyfriend say's its his favorite thing in the apartment now! (Which is made doubly amazing by the fact that I actually created a stereo/record area just for him! hahaha!) 


Here's how it all went down:
First, start off with closet doors that haven't been painted, even though we have lived in this apartment for over a year (shear laziness I tells ya) 

Originally all walls, trim, and ceilings in the apartment were this color. ugh!

Second, paint them white and wait a week to go to Ikea (this is important so you can appreciate how much better they look white)

Third. Buy mirrors from Ikea

No photo available (photo simulation of how I look at Ikea)

Fourth buy felt from JoAnn, this step was made even better by the fact that the felt was on sale, I got three 1/3 yard cuts for $3 total. (No photo for this step)

Fifth, using one of the HÖNEFOSS mirrors as a template cut felt with rotary cutter and craft mat. (Photo not available)

Sixth, lay out the projected pattern on the ground. Don't go at it all willy-nilly you won't like what you get.

The mess is helpful for creation, trust me

Seventh find the center of your pattern and the center of your closet and start hanging. A small level will be required. To hang the felt I used double stick tape around every edge and in the center of each felt hexagon.

Eighth, finish up, stand back and be proud of what you did (At least thats what I did 8th)

Ninth, take the opportunity to brag about your work in blog land!

Let me know what you think, I think it's pretty cool. I also think there are so many great potential applications for these mirrors, maybe as a cool honeycomb in a bee themed nursery, or a headboard, or an all over wall treatment. Go nuts people, hexagons are hot!

UPDATE:
I added more felt on the opposite closet door. 

Why didn't I think of that?!

I don't know about you, but sometimes when I see a DIY that seems just too darn obvious I have this "Oh DUH!" moment; and then am truly annoyed that I didn't think of it first. That is the case with today's project. I have been lusting after etsy projects similar to this one for a while now but don't have the budget right now to buy one. Enter the blogger behind Our First Nest, (a blog that you should be reading for all sorts of on the cheap DIY advice) who cleverly came up with this brilliant tutorial. I'm only upset that I didn't think of it first!


Well my boyfriend and I are just a couple of left coast kids so I had to make one for our beloved California. 


In order to do this project for free I selected a canvas that I have already painted over twice for a third go round. The first attempt being an ill conceived try at cherry blossoms, the second is seen below.

Don't fret- I took the little bird off first.

First I painted the whole canvas with two light coats of white acrylic paint

Then, between coats, while the paint was drying I created a California stencil. Now, I don't know how most people do this step, (probably with a printer). I just size my image to the exact size I want it to be on my computer screen, put a paper against the screen and trace it lightly with a pencil. (I wish I had a third hand so I could take a photo of this step) After it is traced I cut it out with an exacto knife

The state all cut out

After the state was cut out and the paint was dry I drew out 2" wide stripes across my 10" canvas and traced California on the left side. Then filled everything in with paint.

For the finishing touch, I added a heart to where we live now, San Francisco, and a second heart to where we used to live, (and where we hope to live again) San Diego.  

Here is the finished project in it's new home on our living room shelves. 

The whole project only took a few hours and it is absolutely my favorite attempt at painting on this canvas painting project so far. I hope if you like this project you might give it a try with your home state!

EDIT (later that day)

Then; in what can only be described as a state of crafting induced euphoria, I decided to take my new found skills and make an ampersand painting too!

I heart ampersand 

Father's Day project

I don't know where you live, but in San Francisco where I live the weather report is saying we will have record breaking rainfall so I'm planning my projects accordingly!


First off I need to finish my fathers day quilt. It just needs to be tied off and the bottom edge needs finished. I got an email from pink chalk fabrics that had just the PERFECT fabric and I had to make something for my dad with it. This quilt was inspired by my father's love of gardening and the truck he and I spent about 6 years rebuilding. 

The truck in process

 Me and my truck back in 2007 (I also made the dress)

My parents' puppy in the bed of my truck (she's a huge dog now!)

The quilt is my first attempt at solo quilting (other then square patch quilts which are simple). I never considered making anything more complicated then a square patch quilt until just a few weeks ago my Aunt Dawn, who is an expert quilter, invited me over for a quilting bee with my cousins (or a stitch and bitch as my boyfriend deemed it, funny man) I learned so much and it gave me the courage to try something new on my own. I found this free pattern online at Lizzy house that I really liked but I didn't have the variety of fabrics that she suggests so I made modified versions of section "C" and let my quilt be very random in the placement of each piece. 

 The truck fabric that inspired the project, it even has a dog in the back of the truck!

As you can see there is not a clear "pattern" to my layout, but I like it!

I made a top band out of fabric strips that say, "Greet the day with a song." Something my dad does well!

I love how this quilt has turned out. Now that I have learned so many quilters tricks from my aunt I feel like I might tackle another quilting project soon. I hope my dad likes his quilt! (and that he's not a reader of my blog or else the cat's out of the bag! Oops!)

Pom poms and patience

Well, baby shower planning continues. My sister Sandy and I got together to make tissue paper pom poms which I found the tutorial for over at Martha Stewart's website. The tutorial makes it look so simple, just accordion fold eight pieces of tissue paper together, tie the center off and fan them out. Simple, right?


Not simple. 


Tissue paper is as delicate as, well, tissue paper. It tore, it got mangled, I personally had to throw one pom pom away due to its complete failure to do more then tear apart in my hands. The more it tore, the more impatient we became. Frustration and a serious headache took over and Sandy and I had to call the project quits for the night after making only seven pom poms. 


The next morning, I felt less violent towards the pom poms and was ready for another attempt. Here is what I learned. Pulling the fanned out tissue paper out one sheet at a time is a sure fire way to end up with torn paper, BUT pulling four sheets to the center at a time and then fanning them apart makes everything much much simpler because the four sheets of tissue paper are so much stronger then one! Suddenly I was on a roll and completed the remainder of the pom poms that morning THEN, on some sort of success high, went out and bought orange tissue paper and willingly made MORE! 


The results are so beautiful!

Finished product

Remember the little owlets I posted last week? Well I've completed the project! I made a baby owl mobile. The owls are tied around a cherry branch hoop with nylon line and the whole mobile is hung with raffia.

The morning after I finished my project we went to the baby shower! It was lovely, cucumber lemon iced water at every table, and a fully catered brunch. The hostess asked everyone to bring bibs which were hung on the tree, the mommy to be then picked her favorite one and the person who brought it (me!) won a delightful little goody bag. 

 All the pretty shower decorations

 Bibs in the tree

The bib I made

Robyn was so beautiful, I can't believe my dear childhood friend is about to have a child of her own!

Owl goodie bag full of owl themed loot for the new nursery 

Opening the gifts

The mobile!

It was a lovely day celebrating the new baby Robyn and Jarrid are bringing in to the world.