embroideryyy

lately ive been really into embroidery. i had a hard time at first because i had no idea what i was doing but i bought a book with instructions and it really helped. im trying to do an embroidered portrait of steve nash (my favorite basketball player), and im learning as i go so it's not that impressive but it's fun!'


this is what i have so far.


i also did a little ghost. i dont know what to do with him, but i kinda want to put one on everything now. he's so cute but sad.


mmm new threaddddd

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

i like rubber stamps. a lot.

ive been wanting some good alphabet rubber stamps but i couldnt find any in a suitable font. so i decided to make my own. i took out my linoleum and my carving tool and, after tracing Bill Hicks font onto tracing paper, i transferred the image to pieces of linoleum block. many rubbery strips on the floor later, i finished. it gets easier the more you do it, so z is a bit better than a, but whatever.

gocco a gogo.

last night my print gocco came from japan! it's a beautiful pg5 kit for fabric and paper. for those who are unfamiliar with gocco - it's a screenprinting machine from japanese brand riso. you draw an original with a carbon pen or pencil, then slide in a master screen and expose the screen with camera bulbs. you use the screen as a stencil to push ink through the mesh.

it's just like silk screening but it's less messy and much easier. i was so excited when it came i quickly drew up a messy squirrel to test it out. it might have been a waste of screen but i got some good cards out of it.

and i made a chromosome card. oh how i love science.

valentine's day

valentine's day is a good excuse to flex your martha muscle (which is anatomically located posterior to the sternocleidomastoid). the average man spends about 150 dollars and the average woman spends 80 dollars. me, i spent about 5. and used a lot of stuff around the house.


for my friends, i found some playdoh valentines with really ugly stickers on. i took off the stickers and put them on my dog, then i made my own stickers and stuck them on. i used recycled paper i had lying around the house from french paper. playdoh doesnt make you fat and it's more fun than flowers.





for my valentine, i made a homemade card - the essential gift for valentines day. last year i made little coloring books, but this year since i have a special someone i decided to make a unique card for him. lately i've been obsessed with shrinky dinks. a lot of people dont know what they are... which is ridiculous - did you have a childhood? shrinky dinks are these thin plastic sheets that you can draw on, and then you stick them in a 325 degree oven. they shrink and get thick. they're great for jewelry (more about that in a different post).


Well the boyfriend really loves Casablanca, and since it's a pretty beautiful love story i chose that as my shrinking subject. i found a picture online and drew it onto the plastic (tracing is easy too because the paper is pretty clear-ish). then i stuck it in the oven and watched it shrink down (it will curl up at first but then eventually lay flat, so be patient!), and then took it out and let it cool. then i used a glue gun to stick it on a doilie and some more recycled paper. it makes a pretty memorable and unique valentine.



i also made him red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. i dont like red velvet cake and i hate cheam cheese frosting, so i dont really know if they're any good. they look pretty! and they're bright red. we'll see if he likes them.

i have one single shoebox and i need good ideas for what to do with it. i want to make something. please help!

coca cola cupcakes

cupcakes

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 sticks margarine
2 tbsp. baking cocoa
1 cup Coca-Cola
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups mini-marshmallows

Combine flour and sugar. Boil margarine, cola, and cocoa. Definitely watch the pot/pan while you're boiling, the cola bubbles over like crazy. Pour over flour mixture. In a bowl, beat eggs; add marshmallows, buttermilk, baking soda and vanilla. Combine both mixtures and mix well.

Put cupcake paper cups in muffin pan, dont try to make them without these - the cake is sticky! spray them with pay to insure no sticking. Pour equal amounts of batter into the muffin tins and bake at 350º for 18-20 minutes.


cupcakes before baking.


coca cola frosting

1 stick margarine
1/4 cup Coca-Cola
3 tbsp. baking cocoa
2 heaping cups powdered sugar

Boil margarine, cocoa, and cola. Pour over powdered sugar; mix until smooth. You'll need to add a bit more sugar into it to make it thicker and fudgier. I also added a bit of vanilla into mine to counter some bitter taste. While the frosting is still hot, dip a spoon into it and drizzle it over your cupcakes. it will set smoothly.

xmas.

im posting backwards because i want to share my christmas stuff.

as an atheist i dont get to into the spiritual side of xmas, it's just a fun holiday to celebrate. in my family we usually all get together and pretend like we get along and try to make up traditions to salvage, which we will inevitably forget to follow through with the next year. this christmas my mom didnt want to decorate, which is wholly depressing, so i took over. since i was in charge, i decided to scrap the usual and go with a cowboy themed celebration. here's what i came up with.

my dog, hank, in full cowboy attire in front of the cactus tree. I made it by cutting foamboard and spraypainting it. then i made snow with adhesive dots on a string and hung them around the tree. i made a custom stocking for my brother ben, who loves futurama.


the table.


the placecards were made with rope alphabet stickers. i used paper bags to make placemats. the napkins were cowboy bandannas. i took mini cowboy hats for dolls, tied ribbons around them, then glued them to a 1inch ring cut from paper towel rolls to make napkin holders.

it was a fun christmas, and for the first time in years, no one cried! haha