Clay.

With my no-clay-knowledge know-how I sat down & had some fun pretending like I knew what I was doing with this slightly squishy stuff. The fact is, I had no idea what I was doing. But here's another fact: I had TONS of fun! I'm working on an upcoming project for my MOPS group (Mothers Of PreSchoolers). Guess what we'll be making? Terrariums!! I was immensely inspired by Made by Mavis & those oh-so-cute ceramic mushrooms by mudpuppy. I have temporarily stepped into the world of miniature gardens & wee clay creations.

As you can see, I've thumbed my way through making some mushrooms, a faceless gnome (I was too afraid to add a face & make it look all scary) & other whimsy-like clay creations. I'm quite pleased & terribly excited about sharing this project with all the other moms at the meeting! They'll each get to choose a clay figure to add to their tiny enclosed handmade green world. (The gnome is mine. Hands off.)
Unfortunately the baking time takes too long for the moms to make their own little clay creatures at our meeting.

As I gather supplies & make a sample terrarium, I'll be sure & share pics with you.

Oh, & speaking of clay...I was asked to be a part of the Big Button Challenge by Lisa of Polka Dot Cottage! Lisa is quite the clay mistress. Her work is AMAZING! Her buttons are like candy. I've never been a part of any crafty challenge so I'm very happy to do this! I received my button in the mail yesterday. I love the pinks & greens & stripes & that's why I chose it. (I think my old vintage buttons are jealous of this new shiny handmade button.) Now, I have to come up with a clever creation for my button. I will reveal all in due time...

Holiday Sneak Peek!!

Only for you, my blog friends!! Here's the 2008 WhiMSy love holiday card! The nifty & super adorable desserts on this card are waiting to give sweet greetings! The ensemble includes: a bundt cake, a frosted & sprinkled sugar cookie, a fruit cake, 2 candy canes, a slice of pumpkin pie, a peppermint candy & a pink frosted Christmas cupcake (a reference to last year's card).

The card can be left blank or I can type this greeting inside. I've got 5"x 7" cards & will soon have notecard sets available for sale later in the week.

And here is this year's ornament. Made from felt, ribbon, vintage fabrics & vintage buttons, these owlies are stuffed with a wee bit of puff to give them a plushie feel. I made two different styles. They're about 3 inches tall. And, they're awful nice & would love to be a part of your holiday decor!

The card & ornaments can be purchased in the shop tomorrow! Thanks for peeking & have a super duper weekend!

Tacky Canvas Bag Turned "FaBuLoUs" Tutorial!

This bag is one of those “freebies” or “promos” you get when you join some gyms, sign up for an account at some banks, or become a member of any number of organizations. They’re everywhere! At least, I see them everywhere. They’re plain, usually natural canvas. And when I get them, they get tossed in a heap somewhere-- never to be used again. It doesn’t really appeal to me to walk around advertising the logo or brand name of some random business. SO, that’s where this tutorial comes in. I’m gonna take that "tacky" bag & alter the crap out of it. Well, at least we’ll embellish the front with some cutesy stuff. You could transform this bag multitudes of ways. The following tutorial is just one idea. I use this technique on LOTS of items. You’ll see later on.

The first thing you’ll do is find yourself a bag. Thrift stores seem to have an abundance. Or ask your friends for theirs. If you’re desperate, find out what organization is giving these suckers away & sign up for whatever they’re offering JUST so you can get a bag!!
Think of a design you’d like to create. I’m rather fond of cupcakes. And owls. So, that’s what I used. Think of a simple design.

Now trace your design onto some iron-on adhesive.

There are different kinds of iron-on adhesive & I’m pretty sure the directions are different on some of them. I used Therm O Web Heat-n-Bond brand in ultra hold. I used “ultra hold” because the material I’m using is pretty thick & I want it to stick REALLY well--especially since this item will be tossed around, used a lot & washed on occasion. The directions I give in this tutorial will be referring to this specific brand. Please refer to the manufacturer's instructions on how to use whatever iron-on adhesive you choose to use.

Here's a great tip for tracing your design. Well, first of all, you could make a template from heavy paper or cardboard. I like to "eyeball" things. So, here's my tip: Place a large piece of the iron-on adhesive right on top of your canvas bag. The adhesive is thin enough to see through. That way, when you're tracing, you know if your design will cover any logos or wording.
After you trace your design, cut around your markings, leaving a bit of space along the edge.
If your design has a few different parts to it, trace those parts on separate pieces of iron-on adhesive. For example, my owl’s body will be one piece, the 2 wings, & 2 eyes will be 4 more pieces & the beak will be the final piece.
Next, you’ll want to find fabric for each piece. I love using vintage fabrics, but use whatever you have, or scour the thrift stores or bargain bins at fabric stores. Even clothes or sheets in cool prints will work! One tip: You’ll be covering up the words & designs on your canvas bag with these fabrics. Use a medium to darker colored fabric, or a thick fabric, so that the words will not show through. (On my cupcake designed bag you can slightly see the image hidden underneath.)

Place the iron-on adhesive, smooth side UP, onto the WRONG side of your fabric. Iron should be set on dry, silk setting. NO STEAM. Using the instructions that come with the adhesive, fuse the two together.
After the piece has cooled down, cut it out.
Peel off the paper backing. (My girls love helping with this part.)

You'll now have a shiny surface left on the back of your fabric pieces.

Lay your design out on the canvas bag. When you get your design placed in the desired position, iron them onto the canvas bag, following the instructions that came with the adhesive.
Your bag is pretty much done! I say “pretty much”, because you can actually add buttons or decorative stitching if you’d like. While stitching, you may need to call upon the help of friend "thimble" because the adhesive, combined with the heavy canvas bag & fabrics, are quite difficult to sew through.

I showed you a simplified version of decorating---but feel free to go wild my crafty friend! Slap on some rik-rak, ribbon, tulle & trim!

After washing, slight fraying may occur around the edges of your fabric. But that'll just add to the charm of your design.Now tote your hip-n-stylish bag around town & actually USE it!! I know I will!

Oh! Before I forget, I have to tell you something Mr. 'WhiMSy love' said. I was explaining to him about this tutorial I was working on. He was like, "Just turn the bag inside out." I guess that's another option I didn't consider. Thanks honey. (**sarcasm**)

I use this iron-on adhesive paper for many of the projects I make & sell. Here's some more WhiMSy love items, made using my favorite iron-on adhesive...

Mini Cupcake Notebooks

Wee Onesie with Skullie

"Wee Tees" with Owlie

Mr. Owl & Other Stuff

Look who flew the coop! I was very excited to give Mr. Owl a new home today. A first-time Etsy buyer scooped him up & he'll land on a brown leather sofa, so I'm told. Can't you just picture him, so yummy, on on that sofa? I really will miss the little guy. It only inspires me to create more of his kind.


This photo is really fuzzy, but I had to show you what the girls had for dinner tonight. A Mickey Mouse pizza! Isn't that cute? No, I didn't make it. It's frozen.

I've been working on some more watercolor cupcake paintings today. Nothing to show, but my plastic protective sleeves & stay-flat envelope mailers should be here next week & then I'll be in business!

And guess what I'm getting? A button machine! You know, those cute little round pins that you can put just about anywhere? I'm so nervous to buy it because it's my first really big purchase. But, I figure it will be an investment 'cause eventually I'll be selling cute buttons in the shop! I was contemplating getting a machine big enough to make those pocket mirrors OR one that makes those small 1" buttons. The machine I want doesn't have an option for interchangeable sizes & I CANNOT fork over the dough for TWO machines. That's just craziness. So, I decided on the one that makes small buttons. Now if I could just click the "PAY NOW" button.....

Fantastic Stuff!!

I've got a few random bits to share today. And they are FANTASTIC!

First of all, look what I was working on all day yesterday. Is it cute? Or weird-looking? I have had an affection for owls for about a year now. I thought I'd stitch up this pillow using all vintage materials. Well, everything is vintage except for the mustard-colored fleece beak. There is a pocket in front to store small treasures. And if you look closely, you'll see a subtle heart stitched on his belly. I do realize his ears look a little like devil horns, but it was my first try. He'll be for sale in the shop soon!

I made the front page of Etsy again! YAY! My newspaper flower was pictured among other really cool recycled newspaper stuff.

I've always had trouble figuring out how to take a screen shot of a web page. The whole "print screen" button or push the alt + whatever button has never worked for me. I can never get a picture of the WHOLE page. WELL, I was just given the COOLEST site ever that helps me do JUST what I want! Check out http://thumbalizer.com/ ! You just insert the "address" of whatever page you want to take a screen shot of & it does the work for you! Unfortunately I was too late in learning to shoot my front page fame, but oh well! I'm ready for next time!

Also, thanks to my friend Laura (a.k.a. "Doll") for looking out for me, I now have a great start on organization with my whole bizness/financial/accounting confusion. Check out THIS LINK she sent--hopefully it'll help some of you too!

Please let me know what you think of the changing blog. Is it too hard to read with the light pink background & dark pink lettering? What do you hate? What do you love? Give all your opinions! I need honesty. I can take it.

And lastly, I'm stitching up some Valentine thingies for that LOVEly holiday!