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.

Look What I Got In The Mail!

I recently participated in a matchbox swap on Cut Out + Keep. I was lucky enough to get paired with one of my favorite crafters, biggest inspirations, and a good friend: Alejandra. I won't post pics of what I sent to Alé as she hasn't received her package yet. I loved the matchbox and all of the little goodies inside (I'm a sucker for miniature things), but I was in awe of the surprise rag doll that she sent along with it!

My altered matchbox and goodies from Alé.

The beautiful rag doll that Alé made for me!  I've named her Molly.

My 33rd birthday is this coming Friday, so this was a wonderful early birthday gift to receive!  Thanks so much, Alé.  You made my day!

I Made a Scoodie!

This morning I was browsing the projects on Cut Out + Keep and saw all these projects for knitted scoodies. A scoodie is a scarf/hoodie hybrid. Since I can't knit, and have an abundance of fleece; I decided I'd sew one up. I found a tutorial on indietutes, but only read enough of it to learn how to make the pattern. I just winged everything else. If you don't know me by now, I'm not one that likes to follow tutorials because honestly reading and following instructions is quite difficult for me. I'm more of a hands-on learning type crafter, and often just fly by the seat of my pants. This was such an easy project to do and only took me about an hour to complete. The entire thing is hand stitched using a back stitch since I'm sewing machine illiterate. Since this one looks a little too Virgin Mary, I'm going to monsterfy it! I'll be sure to share it with you all once I'm finished.

A Couple of Swap Projects

I'm catching up on my list o' things to do. This morning, I completed my part of the Kawaii Swap that I'm in on Cut Out + Keep. I decided that I'd have another go at making a 3D plushie. I've only ever made a handful in my life, so I need more practice. Fantastic Toys
has a great pattern and tutorial for kawaii cupcakes. Here is my version.

Although what I made is cute (please excuse the pins, I'm still waiting for the felt glue to dry), I don't think it resembles a cupcake.  To see and make the original, you can go here.

I'm also in a Christmas Ornament swap where I have to make 6 ornaments for one partner.  My partner, Heather, really loves anything woodland themed.  So far I've made a hedgehog, I'm working on a cute little deer, and I made these cool mushrooms.

 

I'll probably be making a gnome ornament similar to this plushie that's in my shop, but smaller of course.

Back to work I go!

She's Crafty: Kira

For nearly two years, I've been lucky enough to be a part of an awesome online crafting community called Cut Out + Keep. I've met tons of crafty gals there who not only show me unconditional friendship, but provide me with a lot of inspiration. "She's Crafty" will be a feature I write periodically about my crafty friends. They are definitely women you should know!

Martha Stewart meets Elvira Mistress of the Dark.  That's what I think of when Kira comes to mind.  Kira is the proprietor of Kira's Lil Shop of Horror on Etsy and the author of Crafty Loo's blog.  In Kira's Etsy shop, you'll find mostly cute, horror related crafts such as plushies, jewelry, hair accessories, magnets, and keychains.  Here are a couple of my favorite items from Kira's Lil Shop of Horror.

Vampire Apple Plush

Hot Pink Heart Necklace

On Crafty Loo's blog, Kira gives us a peek at her life, especially when it comes to her shop and her crafting endeavors.  Kira has begun sharing tutorials on her blog.  She was recently a featured author on "It Belongs to Turtle," where she shared a tutorial for making chocolate silhouettes for cupcakes or cakes.

I asked Kira a few questions related to her creative life:

 Me:  Why do you craft and when did you begin crafting?

 Kira:   I think all crafters and artists will say that they've always felt a need for it. The  feeling of just having to do something with your hands or create something. But I've been crafting since I was a kid... drawing mostly, but when I realized that I can make a lot of things I love on my own it was on.

 Me:  What is your favorite medium to work with?

 Kira:   I'm restless, I can't stick to one project very long without wanting to start something new. So it's really hard for me to have a favorite anything.

 Me:  What's a craft that you have made that you are proudest of?

 Kira:   That's hard. I love everything I do in many different ways, I don't have one specific item I love the most.

 Me:  Who/what are your biggest influences and inspirations?

 Kira:   My parents. My mom honestly is the type of person that can pretty much make anything she looks at and my dad was always doodling on things. So I would have to say they are probably the biggest influences, other than Martha Stewart...

 Me:  What can we expect to see from you in the near future?

 Kira:   Ohhhh, I have lots of things in the works (rubs hands together menacingly). I'm hoping to get some t-shirts out, larger versions of my pilla' monsters and possibly some christmas ornaments. But I'm always writing down new ideas for my shop so you'll just have to keep a look out.

 Kira also plans to veer in a direction other than just her horror related items, but don't fret!  Kira assures me that she will always be making creepy crafts.  You can keep up with Kira at her shop, her blog, and her Facebook Fan Page!  Thank you, Kira!  

What I've Been Up To

I think I may have mentioned that I was in a bit of a crafting slump about a week ago. I had so many projects to do, but just no motivation to make anything. Not being able to create led me to become very depressed and I just didn't see an end in sight. I'm happy to report that the slump is over, and I'm crafting again! I'm not working at the furious pace I had been for several months, and that's probably a good thing because I believe that's what led to my burnout. Emotionally, I feel happy lately and I'm very optimistic about life. I've not felt this way for . . . well I really can't remember feeling this way. I've made some positive changes in my personal life and I'm moving forward. I also have a second job interview for a position with a company that I really really want. I'm very hopeful about my prospects as I have many years of experience doing this type of work. On to what I've been making recently.

I procured several rolls of fleece remnants from the remnant basket at Hobby Lobby recently. I'd never really worked with fleece before, but enjoyed making plushies out of it simply because it's so soft and snuggly. I ran across a tutorial on deviantART the other day about how to make fleece hats. It looked simple enough, so I drew a similar pattern to the one the artist used (I don't have easy access to a printer so I just drew the pattern free hand). Due to my hands-on learning style, it's difficult for me to follow written tutorials. I just really have to do the whole trial and error method when creating. So I did what I thought would work, and hand sewed my first felt hat! It came out a little wonky because my pattern wasn't accurate. I decided to add bunny ears and a kawaii face to it. Here is the finished product.

I did a little more research on the pattern because I wanted to make one for my friend, Ruby, to send her as a part of the Kawaii Swap we're participating in on Cut Out + Keep.  I found a pattern somewhere on the web that was made by using all these metric measurements.  Since I'm horrible at following directions and doing Math, it took me a little while to draw up the pattern, but I finally did it!  This time the hat came out more uniform.  I made a duck because that's Ruby's favorite animal.

I wasn't lazy this go around, so I added a brim to make it look finished.  It took me all day because again I only sew by hand, but I'm very pleased with the results.  I've still got one or two more projects to do for this swap, but I've not settled on an idea or ideas yet.

I have so much more on my list of things to do!  Since I lost about a week and a half due to my slump; I'm behind.  I have two t-shirts to stencil, an ornament swap to work on (I have one of six completed), a pair of earrings to make, and a blog feature to write.  I'm trying my best not to become overwhelmed, especially with the job interview coming up tomorrow.  I guess it's off to work on my list now!

Marvelous Minnie!

I was thrilled to see a red Royal Air Mail package sticking out of my mailbox this morning because I knew that it was my Cut Out + Keep swap from the fabulous Minnie Burton! I was elated after opening up the package and inspecting the contents! Here is the awesome swap I received from Minnie.

A robot candle.

A felt appliqued tote bag with a sloth on it!

A Pac-Man resin bangle bracelet

English Candy including two Kinder Eggs!

Thank you so much, Minnie! I absolutely love everything you created! If you'd like to see more of Minnie's crafty goodness, you can visit her blog, Minnie Burton Craft.

My Monster Hoodie

My mom picked up a couple of pink hoodies pretty cheap (I keep fussing at her for not buying all of them!). I saw the following tutorial on Cut Out + Keep and just had to make my own. I wasn't too keen on all the teeth, so I just added two to my hoodie.

See Monster Hoodie! Roar! and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep

So Busy!

I'm so busy today, but I'm excited about it! I have lots of commissions to do in addition to a swap for Cut Out + Keep. I got an early start this morning and I'm halfway done with a commission/art trade with my good friend Sugarlishes. I asked her to make an Emmers the bunny plushie for me and in return I am making Adventure Time plushies for her. Here is Finn, a work in progress, and Jake, completed.

Next I'll be working on three plush Christmas ornaments for my dA pal, Ruthie. I also have two stenciled t-shirt commissions to complete on top of that! It really feels good to have people think so much of my crafts that they have commissioned me!

Stencil Your Own Tees!

I can't get enough printed t-shirts! Since I'm on month 16 of joblessness, I can't afford to purchase the awesome printed tees that I see on Etsy and Threadless. So what's a girl to do? Make her own of course!

A few months ago, I discovered this tutorial on Cut Out + Keep that shows how to stencil images on t-shirts or other fabric surfaces using freezer paper. It is super easy to follow and just as easy to execute.

See Freezer Paper Stenciling and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep

Here are two shirts that I've made within the last 24 hours.

A Yeti

Cthulhu

Paper Folding Tutorials

Here are two paper folding tutorials that I posted on Cut Out + Keep last year. One is how to fold your own french fry box and the other is how to fold your own pillow box. The french fry box tutorial was actually featured on CO+K and won a paper folding contest there! Enjoy!


See French Fry Box and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep

See Pillow Box and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep

Batman Plushie

Just a little something I whipped up today. It's going to one of my Cut Out + Keep swap partners who enjoys comics. My inspiration for this plushie came from HERE.

Little Plushie Swap

My partner has been warned that I would be posting pictures of the plushies I made for the Little Plushie Swap on Cut Out + Keep, so if she peeks at my blog it's her own fault! =P For this swap, we were required to make four or five little plushies for one partner (these are pretty tiny as they all fit snuggly into a 4 x 6 inch bubble mailer). I've made a Halloween Bunny, a little ghost (which was specifically requested by my partner and inspired inadvertently by JMKit =P), King Kong, a raccoon (the tutorial on how to make this cutie can be found HERE), and an Ewok.

I plan on making more woodland creatures from the same pattern that I made the raccoon from and hope to post the results soon!

Skull Swap

I was partnered up with my friend, Creativemind, a.k.a. Trish, for a skull themed swap on Cut Out + Keep recently. I just received my package in the mail yesterday and I couldn't be more thrilled! Here is what Trish sent me:

Starting on the left, moving clockwise: a photo album, a freebie cosmetic pouch revamped into a kick ass clutch, a shrinky dink skull and crossbones necklace, some flower beads I've coveted for years, a handmade stamp, a felt skull brooch, and a domino keychain.

Here are the goodies that I sent to Trish (I had to "borrow" her picture from Cut Out + Keep as I apparently forgot to photograph the things I made for her):

This swap was tons of fun!

Strawberry Needle Book

I'm currently in three swaps on Cut Out + Keep, two Newbie/Veteran swaps and a Little Plushie swap. I'm finished with one of the Newbie/Veteran swaps and am one project away from being finished with the Little Plushie swap (I'll be posting pictures soon). The other Newbie/Veteran swap has proved to be a challenge for me as my partner's interests could not be more opposite from mine. However, I find these prove to be my favorite swaps. We do have a love of food in common, so I decided to play up that angle.

While searching the internet for ideas yesterday, I came across an awesome craft blog called Happy Zombie. I had decided that a needle book would be a fun craft project to make and Happy Zombie had the perfect free pattern on their site! A felt strawberry needle book! Go HERE to download your free copy of this pattern from Happy Zombie. It's a super easy project to make and the results are really cute! Here is my finished version:

Outside Cover

Inside "Pages"

I used 3D fabric paint in lieu of embroidering all the little seeds on the cover. I also used felt glue to attach the leaves onto the cover instead of sewing them on. I've just recently discovered Beacon's Felt Glue (available at your local Hobby Lobby in the craft felt aisle or online at several retailers) and think that it's the most amazing invention ever! I highly suggest investing in a bottle or two!

Swap Time Again!

I'm in the middle of two really fun swaps right now: Kill Bill and Rockabilly. The Kill Bill swap is a private swap between me and my friend Ale's brother, Omar. I've made a few things for this swap already and I've only known about it since yesterday! I'm posting my creations on dA, but nowhere else as I want Omar to be surprised! Here is a picture that I drew by hand of Beatrix Kiddo. I then scanned it and colored it in GIMP. Omar has already seen it on Facebook, because I posted it as a teaser.

The second swap is Rockabilly themed and is a public swap on Cut Out + Keep. I wasn't going to join, but couldn't resist, so I joined today! Sign ups are open until June 9th, so head on over there if you wish to join!

Well back to crafting I go!

Kawaii Bunny Plushie

I was becoming rather bored with my other bunny pattern, so I drew up a new one. The lines are still simple because I can't cut worth shit and the face is embroidered in a kawaii style. I've posted a How-To on Cut Out + Keep.