Little Paintings

I've always said that I hate to paint. It's because I'm not very good at it. However, I've been on a painting kick as of late. I've been using acrylics as my medium for ATC's (artist trading cards). I found a killer deal the other day on eBay and purchased 7 mini canvases with easels. I've already used three of them today and they just arrived in the mail this afternoon! The canvases are 3 by 3 inches. I like working on a small scale. It's probably because of my ADD and inability to focus on any task for too long. Here are the little paintings that I made today.

"Cupcake" for a swap on swap-bot.

"Sitting Sloth"

"Self Portrait"

Smash Books, Mini-Zines, and ATC's, Oh My!

I've been trying to branch out to other crafts besides sewing. I'll have to say I'm a little burnt out on Dotee dolls at this point. Yesterday I decided to make myself a Smash Book. A Smash Book is like a journal that you put random stuff in. K and Company has an awesome line of Smash Books and embellishments. I thought it would be more fun to create my own. I painted a composition notebook and added stickers and other elements to the cover.

So far, I've started one page in my Smash Book. The page includes two mini-zines that I completed yesterday. There is a current swap on swap-bot called "Fill It." For this swap, you download a page with prompts on it, fill in your details, draw some pictures, and then fold it mini-zine style. HERE is the blog that explains the project and where you can find the downloadable prompt sheets.

I've also been working on some ATC's (Artist Trading Cards). I made this Frida Kahlo ATC for a tag on swap-bot.

I actually painted a Studio Ghibli inspired ATC for a swap. I usually hate painting, but this was really fun to do. I only hate painting because it's something that I'm not particularly good at. Here's my winter themed Soot Sprite.

I've not decided what I'll work on today. Don't get me wrong, I haven't given up sewing, I'm just taking intermittent breaks. I actually completed two plushies yesterday as well (I was super busy!). The first one is a felt doll for a swap.

The tutorial and pattern can be found at The Purl Bee.

I also made a Spock plushie for an upcoming commission next month. I am to make 3 more Star Trek characters for this order.

A Few Swaps

My creativity level has been low lately. Inspiration and motivation does not come easily these days. I'm not happy unless I create at least one thing each day, so in an effort to gain inspiration and motivation; I've been immersing myself in swaps on Cut Out + Keep, swap-bot, and The League of Extraordinary Crafters (a.k.a. LXC -- a Facebook group full of crafty men and women to which I belong). I thought I'd share a few things I've made for some swaps.

Zombie Swap on Cut Out + Keep

Grimm's Fairy Tale Swap with my friend, Tara.

Pick 5 Swap on the LXC

I have also been making Dotee dolls for swaps. I've been receiving some really awesome Dotee's as well. Here is the monkey Dotee I made for my friend, Alé for a Dotee swap I hosted on the LXC.

Here are the amazing things that Alé sent to me for the same swap: a sloth Dotee, la Virgen de Gualalupé soft sculpture, a matryoshka Dotee, and little bag of goodies.

Here is my Dotee collection thus far. I have them hanging by push pins on my wall. I can't wait to fill up the empty spaces.

A Little Break

I took a little break from making Dotee Dolls to work on a couple of swaps I'm participating in on Cut Out + Keep. One of the swaps I'm in is a Harry Potter swap. My partner loves Snape and Lily. I wanted to do something outside of my comfort zone (sewing), so I decided to make this necklace.

I had seen a lot of "Always" necklaces on Etsy, so I thought I'd make one. I hand stamped the "Always" charm. The "S" is squeezed in there, but I think that adds to the charm. The doe charm was made using the same technique used to make Scrabble Tile pendants. I'm really proud of how it turned out.

Do They Have a Rehab for This?

All I've been doing in my free time lately is making Dotee Dolls. I can't seem to get enough of them! I think I may have a problem. Anyway, here are some of the Dotee Dolls I have been making lately. Notice how "some" is emphasized.

Little Miss Sunshine Dotee Doll

Dotee Doll with a Bad Attitude

Valentine Princess Dotee Doll

Nacho Libre Dotee Doll

Alice in Wonderland Dotee Doll

Cheeky Nun Dotee Doll for "Holy Humor" Month in April

If you are interested in swapping Dotee Dolls with me, just send me an e-mail.