Gift that keeps on givin'.

I made some necklaces and earrings out of gift cards.
I cut them up, punched some holes and attached some jump rings and chain.

Pillowcase Totes

I love vintage pillowcases.
I am a sucker for the fabrics, the patterns, the colors, they really strike my fancy.
And they are cheap!
Sadly, you can only have so many pillows and I have gone over the limit.

These are simple totes that I have made out of vintage pillowcases.
I embroidered a simple picture, then sewed them so they have two compartments.
I cut two small slits and pulled a cord through them for an easy cinch and handle closure.
Now if only I could figure out how to display these guys.....

Neil and Tom

If I could have a drink with any two men, dead or alive, it would be these two.

Neil Young broke my heart when I was young. His songs made me sad in what felt like such a grown up way. When I was about eight, I remember staring out the car window listening to him sing about needles and some how I knew exactly what he was talking about. I clenched my eyes tight, keeping the tears damned, wishing I would never have to experience that first hand.

Heart of Gold will always be on my top 10 favorite songs and I will always be a sucker for a man who plays guitar and harmonica.

Tom Waits appealed to the older me, with his too much whiskey and cigarettes growl. He seemed to be speaking about the exact things and people around me. Not belittling them, but not glorifying them either. He just told it how he saw it, how I saw it.

There is something about the way he tells stories that turns my heart inside out. I would probably kill a man if it meant I would get Tom to sit around a campfire with me.

Tomwaits.com

Bike Parts Chandelier

Some one should make me one of these.



Want. Real bad.




From HonestlyWTF

K-ill

My friend Kyle (Kill) had a birthday.
I made him a simple robot embroidery as a present.

I swear I am not being unproductive.

I have had little to no activity on here.
I promise I have been being productive.
I have created quite a few things in the last few months, I just haven't known where to start on posting them.

I will start by showing off the new man in my life.

Mister Kilgore Trout.

Again.

I understand why people drown their feeling with things that numb them.
Ignore how they feel by filling voids with distraction.
That would be so easy, but I would still be left with these emotions when I wake
up in the morning.
Learning to deal with things never seems to get easier. You think it will be easier
the next time. It couldn't possibly be this hard again.
Yet it is. Maybe even tougher.
I am sending the letter, I hope it makes me feel better.

To pee or not to pee!

As someone who has a bladder about the size of an acorn, going to the movies can be quite the hassle. With all their action and suspense, movies stress me out as it is, so when I have to pee....I really have to pee. I also really hate missing anything, so if I am left to figure out when to go scurrying down the aisles and into the bathroom I make it with mere seconds to spare.

This is where this website becomes my best friend!

They tell you exactly when is the best time to go! They also give you more than one option just in case you miss the first. They break it down to the minute when you can go, how long you have and clue you in with the line that is spoken right before.

A friend to going pee is a friend to me!

One page mini zines

We made 3 mini-zines to take with us to the Portland Zine Symposium.
With just a few folds and a single snip, one piece of paper become a wonderful, teeny, tiny 8 page zine.
It is perfect for a quick creative fix.

I think it would make really awesome invitations or letter to one of your pen pals.

I may put together a tutorial later....

From Your Lips to My Ears. First Kiss Edition

I thought it would be a great idea to take a notebook to the bars and have people I knew, along with people I didn't know, write about their first adult kisses.
This is wonderful to read the next morning and always full of surprises.

Compiling them into a zine was definitely not the fun part, in fact it was almost the death of me.
I typed up the stories to make them more legible, but I left in all the misspellings and mistakes so that I would not take away any of the personality. It is such a personal experience after all. I made a photocopy on one side to give an example of the persons handwriting to bring that much more of the writers into it.

This puppy ended up being quite hefty, but worth every page.

The Chappy Mini Make-over

I reupholstered the seat on my Yamaha Chappy.

Underneath the seat is just a bunch of teeth that you bend over the fabric to keep it in place, so all I needed was a flathead screwdriver and a hammer.

I used this sweet black and gray faux snakeskin. I chose this fabric mostly because it wont get ruined if it gets a little rain on it.
I even have some left over for a mini-skirt....hehe...not really.

It sure is a cutie. Slow, but a cutie.

Super Simple Cowl

I finished another cowl a while ago. It is really simple, nothing except knitting and purling on circular needles.

I made it for myself because I never keep anything I make and I really loved the colors. But, by the time I was done with it, I was so sick of looking at it.

It also didn't help that it was a little useless in the middle of summer.....but now summer is over
and fall is on its way in, so we will see how I feel about it in a few months.

Trying

Past things still cause issues in my life. No matter how far I personally distance myself, it obviously isn't enough. There doesn't seem to be a balance in the things that I love and the things that I hate. They like to associate themselves. They are connected, they are best friends. I can not surround myself with one and expect to never have to deal with the other.
I still care too much. I am still to scared.

You said yes.

I love looking through craigslist or ebay at the engagement/wedding rings for sale.
Not because I am a hopeless romantic and I am shopping for a ring of my own but
because I like the little reasons that the seller often adds for selling.

some examples:
-I'm very sad it has to go, but were on hold indefinitely so theres no point in hanging on to it.
-Never proposed to her --- held onto the ring.
-( the wedding is off in case your wondering)
-was from previous marriage dont need anymore want to get rid of.
-There is no bad story to go with this ring and the ring has NEVER been used or worn. I just had extra money awhile back and decided to spend it on something that could possibly be useful in the future rather then blow it. Well, now I have to move and need some cash for my deposit...so i've decided to sell the ring.
-This ring was purchased but never presented
-only worn for a couple of weeks. Its too much for my taste...
-Was given to me as a gift but never fit my finger.
-I Bought this princess cut engagement ring for $4000 and never proposed with it. I need the $ and the ring is useless to me now.

Sure, there are your fair share of rings sold by bitter women, but I am always surprised at how many men are selling rings that they purchased and then never proposed.

6/20

I was once a mans baby girl,
his pride and joy, I think.
I have the photo to prove it.
He has me in his arms, stretched out,
held high, like a trophy.
A smile across his face that I don't really
know, don't really recognize.
He looks so happy.
I want so badly to see that man,
the one in the photo.
All that is left would be an empty shell
if it wasn't filled with a hermit.

Chap Chap Chappy

I was told it is a 1974 Yamaha Chappy.
I will have to do a little more research with the VIN.
It has pedals, which is awesome.
It needs some work though.
I am on the look out for the perfect fabric for the seat.
And my first priority really should be brakes.....

Weight

It is amazing what letting something off your chest that you have been holding on to for years does to you. Explaining yourself for your behavior after taking years to figure out why you acted or reacted the way you did. Sometimes you don't even realize how much you were holding in until you get started. Letting it out also made me realize things I didn't think of before. I still feel silly, but that's okay, that is what happens. Live, learn, grow.
Now I don't feel so awkward, which in turn will hopefully make everything else feel less awkward.
I am sorry for surprising you with heavy words. Thank you for listening, especially when I didn't even realize I needed to talk.

Record cover post cards

I got a few records at the thrift store and my dumb ass didn't check to make sure they weren't warped.
What do you know? They were.
Annoyed I left them on the porch, which just caused them to warp more and now I can't really use them for anything, so I threw them out.

I kept the covers, measured out postcard sizes and cut those babies up.
On the back I just drew out the lines for the address.
Stationary isn't cheap and now I don't feel like I wasted those few bucks.

Ride a Bike

I did 3 cross stitches for the bike art show this year. I forgot to take pictures of the finale product.
I made the patterns with a graph paper template and paint. I know it isn't the most professional way to go about it, but hey, it worked.

Here they are.
The colors I used were different, they are simple and turned out pretty well. I am sure I will be using them again.

Bitter state

I guess 25 is the year that a lot of people seem to make a change. My outlook on life and people has changed. I don't want to say that I am bitter, but I may be. I care far too much about people who do not care for themselves. I care about the potential and talent they waste. The youth and livelihood. I care that they are spending their whole lives, thus far, in a haze, in a black out, that they won't even remember. They have made false connections with people they, in reality, don't even know. Their best friends are really strangers because all they have become are the drugs and booze. They've shoved thousands of dollars up there noses and into their veins. They shake when they haven't had their beer for breakfast. They can't remember the last time their brain was not altered by some substance or another. They've all become so desensitized that nothing is a big deal anymore. It's funny when someone accidentally buys crack instead of coke, and smokes it so they don't waste their money. Their friend drunkenly falls off a building and is at the bar the next night...he just knows how to party. It's all normal.

I've never been a huge party animal...but I have been around a whole lot of them.
It didn't really bother me before. This year I have finally noticed that a good many of them aren't partying to have fun, they are partying to party. The fun is lost. It's gone from bittersweet to a bitter state. It is almost enough for me to stop everything all together. I know that won't change anything. I know that would just make me hate it more, I'd go past bitter and just dry up...and they will all still just be drowning.