Autumn Brooches

Some nights I make things and I feel like I should probably never craft again. I will have to say that last night was definitely NOT one of those nights. Kitsch asked me to teach a class so we decided on Fall Brooch class (to be followed up by a Holly-Day Brooch class in December), in early November. I was kind of cramming to get them done so I could photograph, package and drop off to the shop....which never means a good outcome. Although, I'll have to say I'm pretty happy with the way these cuties came out.

These would make lovely boutineers, brooches or corsages for an Autumn wedding, a nice hostess gift, or cute stocking stuffers for all the ladies in your family. I'd be happy to take custom orders :)

I may make another batch tonight for Glass Gardens to showcase at the Portsmouth Farmer's Market, which is every Saturday at 10 a.m. Stay tuned for class details, or check Kitsch's class schedule for updates.

Monday Musebles: Cleaning and Organizing

Some people (ahem...Mike...) might say I'm rather messy. I personally wouldn't consider it messy, maybe just a little cluttered. Or maybe an organized mess (does that fit into the same category as a functional alcoholic?). Anyway, I've been waiting a while to get all my craft stuff organized. I had to find the right furniture, then sell my desk and buffet table - both of which sold on Craigslist in less than three weeks!

I found these new storage pieces at Garden Ridge in Chesapeake. Unfortunately they were too short for my existing bins so I had to buy all new ones. Wasn't too upset though, it gave me a chance to go through all my supplies and purge a little. I have space for all my felt food packaging in one place, along with organizing all my packaging and shipping labels. Guess that means Fairview Place (via Etsy) is open for business again!

This plant stand I bought when I first moved here at an antique store out on Granby Street. I had actually left the store and drove halfway home, only to turn around and go back and get this! It was $14! I used it for all my shoes (with canvas bins), but now use it for my buttons and packaging station.

Mike's dresser is still in need of its makeover. I had this in mind, but since almost everything in our house has some sort of distressed look to it, I'm thinking about going NORMAL. Maybe this or this. I'm using this piece for all my paper/sticker/stationery/paper parcels materials and for the finished products.

I also got the pillows (#86) made for the guest bed, I have to say I'm pretty obsessed
with the patterns (even if Mike thinks the blue pillow is actually Batman material)

I typically don't use a lot of ribbon, but this year I plan on making a whole slew of the holly-day brooches. This ribbon (plus what I have in storage) will come in handy then and so will this dispenser made from a wine rack and dial rods. I'm feeling pretty satisfied that I can finally cross off #64: Clean and #43: Organize.

I'm participating in the 92 Days of Summer challenge. To learn more about it, click here.

Cork Stamps

Imagine this... A Martha Stewart project comes out NOTHING like it is supposed to be. That's the case with this adorable cork stamp DIY project she has on her site. Last night I had planned for a night of cork stamping, wine and lots of new cards for Saturday's Town Fair. After messing around with the corks for an hour, experimenting with ink pads, acrylic paint and cutting shapes into the corks I ended up with 5 printed tags and cards. The ink absorbed into the cork so the shapes were barely visible. Paint was definitely the wa to go, but you have to be careful to not use too much, and blot it a few times before stamping on your card. I don't have a variety of paint colors either, so my idea for the little fruits and veggie shapes went out the window.

This might be a project I'll take another stab at in the future. Or maybe not. Regardless, #3 is off the list!

I'm participating in the 92 Days of Summer challenge. Read about it here.