Inspired wrapping

I decided to try some Alisa Burke inspired wrapping paper. I painted watercolor circles of different sizes on a piece of brown paper. 

Then added some quick snowflake doodles.


 And added a bit of white acrylic paint. Love this.




Wish I had time to wrap all my presents like this. Maybe next year. Too much time spent on one silly thing at a busy time of year? Yes, definitely. But I had so much fun doing it, and I know the recipient will love it. And that's what Christmas is all about.

finally finished...an elephant quartet

Wow, I don't know where the time has gone since I've been back from Hawaii. Mostly into Christmas I suppose. And getting ready for my African adventure. I've had zero creating time lately, and can feel myself going a bit crazy.

I sold out of my elephants pretty quick at the craft fair last month, so I committed myself to making another four before Christmas for someone. I figured that would be easy. Not so. I am so not in the making-stuff-to-sell-and needs-to-be-done-by-a-certain-date mode. It was tedious. But finally tonight. They are finished. And they are cute.

Hopefully over the next (less than)three weeks until I leave, I can now do some fun creative things.

another bag

Another plastic bag done, just in time.

Tomorrow I'm off to Kauai.

Cupcakes

After my depressing last attempt at baking (which actually turned out better than I had originally thought, people ate them all up). I decided to try something easier. I love chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter icing, so I decided to try making some myself. 
 
It went really well. They are easy and yummy. 

#3 - Sell at a craft fair

Last night was the Haines Junction Craft Fair. #3 of my 23 year goals was to sell at a craft fair. I'm so glad it was that one. 

(My mom's awesome table)

For me, sewing through my finger last weekend was less painful than selling at a craft fair. Its hard for me. I'm an introvert, and I am not good at showing off my stuff, or talking about creating, so it was challenging. And at the start I wanted to run away. Luckily I had my mom on one side of me and my aunt on the other. Otherwise I probably would have. 


Once things got moving, it was good. Something that I will never find easy I don't think, but I was happy with how it went and I am so glad I did. 


Now, I have a huge mess in my kitchen (I've been ignoring the dishes during the last rush of getting ready for the sale), a huge mess in my craft room, I leave for Hawaii on Thursday, and things are very very good. 

Interrupted

I was sewing away on one of my plastic bags, loving how it was looking. Sewing fast. And then my finger slipped. And the needle went through my nail, bent and came out the side of my finger. Panic. I was stuck to the sewing machine because I was in shock and couldnt get the needed out of the machine. And I was home alone and the doors were locked. Luckily I had my phone in reach and my parents are just a phone call away. Luckily my sister lives upstairs and has keys to my house. And luckily my dad can do basically anything and he cut the needle and pulled it out.

And shortly, the sewing continued.

 

And today is the day of the craft sale. Eeeek. 

Holiday Tags

I designed these little tags in illustrator, had them printed off, cropped them, punched the corners, punched a hole and tied a string. Turned out to be way more time consuming than I thought (the way things usually do). But once they are packaged, they make me super happy.

Less than one week until the craft sale. Time to get moving!

something different

I've been spending much of my creative time doing boring things getting ready for this craft sale. Trimming, scoring, folding, packaging. Tedious, uncreative things.

I needed to do something that was actually creative to keep me going. I had this little shirt in my stash for a while, so I put some tape on to create a box. Used one of my styrofoam stamps and inked it up. I added some paint and fabric marker doodles. I quite like it. Its a bit messy for my usual style. Hopefully it will sell...because I don't know any little girls that would fit into this shirt! I bought a grown up size for myself, and once this craft sale is over I am excited to make a grown up one for myself.

a postcard from England

I never check the mail. I can go weeks without checking my mailbox. Even though its less than a minute walk from my door. Oh well.

On Saturday, I checked the mail (only because I am waiting for a parcel), and I was surprised to see an envelope with a beautiful face on it. Then I remembered, the Great Stitched Postcard Swap. Julia had emailed a few times a while back, letting me know it would be delayed, so it was a great surprise on the weekend to find it in my mailbox!

She transferred one of her paintings on to fabric and sewed it, it looks awesome. I love it! She said she is going to blog about it, so I'm waiting for that!

If only the mail was this fun everyday, then I would make the trip more often!

trimming, scoring, folding

Trying to get ready for the craft sale on the 17th. So much to do in the meantime. This weekend I've been getting lots of my digital printed stuff ready to go. Here are some of my goodies...still needing to be packaged.

well that looks...interesting

Not appetizing really. Its supposed to be "White Chocolate Fudge Bars".

   

I learned a few things this morning while doing my "monthly, bake something new challenge".

First of all, the timer on my oven is really not loud enough for me to hear when I am working on my computer in another room, while my dad is using power tools in the basement. It's a measly beep. And when you finally realize what that little beep noise is, there is no way of knowing how long the timer has been going off for. But, I still don't think they we're burned.

Second of all - if there is no cocoa or chocolate chips in the recipe, its probably not going to come out very chocolatey. Even if it looks chocolately in the picture.

Thirdly - Apparently I've inherited none of the baking skill from either of my grandmas.












But, I ate one. It didn't really taste like anything much. Definitely not the delicious treat I was hoping for.

I've been doing lots of creating this weekend, but mostly digital stuff, so it doesn't really feel like I've got anything accomplished until I can pick it up from the printers.

Pool doodles

One day last week I sat in the sun by the pool and played with watercolors and a sharpie.

Unfortunately, now I am back to the real world. And counting down the days until my next getaway. 28.

Palm Springs

>
> This is where I am spending my day. Enjoying the sunshine in Palm Springs.
>

styrofoam happiness

I had a quick play this afternoon, with drawing out a design in a piece of craft foam. I inked it up, and created these little pieces of play. One on paper and one on fabric. The paper piece I added some acrylic paint in the white space and doodled it up. 

The fabric one...I don't know yet what direction it will go.