Sunday 22 June 2008

INTRODUCING...

My Mom! Her name is Marie Antionette and she makes all sorts of unique and beautiful doll vignettes and other confections. (because she's a unique and beautiful woman.) And now she's gone and got herself a blog:

Dolls By Marie Antionette
Please give her a shout out, she's new to the blogosphere and was inspired by all of your lovely and artistic blogs. Lord knows she'll be better at keeping hers updated than I am!

Tuesday 29 April 2008

About this Guy you've been seeing...


Sit down a spell young lady- I've been wanting to speak to you about this gentleman you've been consorting with lately. Now I don't want to appear a prude, but he simply isn't right for you. He reeks of "High Karate" cologne and sweaty polyester. He wears too many medallions and has so much chest hair, you could braid it. Tsk tsk, it simply won't do. And I think I saw a bottle of cheap Courvesier and some massage oil in a crumpled paper bag on the seat of his Pinto. I heard he hangs out in hot tubs, too. Now turn off that Abba record you're playing and go to your room. Finish that Macrame owl kit your Aunt BillyJo gave you and get your mind off of "Barry".



Ahem. Now that we've got that out of the way, let me show you what little i've been working on. I don't like sewing, and sewing doen't like me. I sew when I need to only. But yesterday me and sewing made an uneasy truce in this fabric collage:


It started out as a fabric atc and just spread out. There's a little silk ribbon embroidery, fake crazy quilting, decorative machine stitch, and plain old hand stitch. Here's a close up:


Here is also a silk ribbon and feather barette, looking none the worse after the cat assumed that it was a super happy fun cat toy made just for her:



I would also like to give propers to In Obscuro , the source of the photoshop brushes I used to make the lace borders and accents on my new header. She has some darkly beautiful art as well as some of the best PS brushes evah.

Monday 17 March 2008

Guess What I've Been Doing?

Get your mind out of the gutter.
Besides fighting with my internet connection, I've been trying ribbon flowers. I bought the beginners kit and extra set of ribbons from http://www.helengibb.com/ . It included a dvd and book, crinoline, some stamens, needle and thread. Here's some of my stuff, mixed in with a lil' tsumami kanzashi flowers I made:



They're clipped to a little wire frame hat I found at Goodwill for 29 cents. The small pictures clipped on there are actually printed on fabric, waiting for me to get off my lazy arse and use them.

Anyway, I thought that making ribbon flowers was going to be an easy no brainer with spectacular results. But I was wrong. Like everything else it takes a helluva lot of practice and the ruining of expensive supplies to get it right. The biggest pain is the folded roses. (Top left of above pic) This is where you take a ribbon that costs more than your car note and mangle it until you end up in the looney bin with carpal tunnel syndrome. If you finally do get it right, you aren't sure how it happened because the whole thing became a blur of insanity. I do love the way this pansy looks though:






Anyway, it's a pain in the butt of a hobby, but very rewarding. I have no idea what to do with the flowers once they're done. Guess i'll stick em on a hat or something.

Here is a picture I love, it's of a shelf in my craft room. Those are antique (50's) babies made of soap that my Mom gave me. They are from Germany- i'm assuming they are a baby shower gift.


Have you ever had a pet that got on your nerves so bad that you wanted to scream? But you still loved it because you had no choice? That's our little Oscar the mini-weenie dawg. One minute he's such an angel, and the next he's out rolling in possum poop and/or fish guts and barking in the house like a maniac. I had told my husband that weenie dogs are known for being willful and that we'd be better off with something more sedate- like an alligator or something, but as usual, he never listens, and we end up with this:

Friday 29 February 2008

And Now I've Been Sparkled!


My word, I can't believe i've been sparkled and tagged, all in one week!

This cute glittery fairy flew over from Primtiques: http://primtiques.blogspot.com/
Thanks Terri, you are super sparkalicious yourself!

Thursday 28 February 2008

I Done Got Myself Tagged.

I've been tagged by that crazy chick Darly at Daisy's Little Cottage. Thanks, Darly! Now I have an excuse not to do any dishes. And there's Velveeta stuck on there.

So hmm, what are 7 things I can tell yall about me?

1) My favorite song, of all time, without exception, is "Dancin' Queen" by Abba.

2) Yesterday, while shopping at Winn-Dixie, I actually overheard the following snippet of conversation: "... and so Squeeky was real pissed at me for leavin the deer meat in the truck overnight." For reals.

3) I dislike television in general, and absolutely despise reality or talk shows- even American Idol. EspeciallyAmerican Idol.

4) I would rather clean a toilet than wash dishes.

5) I was a bartender for about 4 years- at a redneck dive that would make the Boar's Nest on Dukes of Hazzard look like a country club.

6) I have had a crush on Sting since 1985.

7) I think Monty Python is hilarious.

Now that you've glimpsed my insanity, I need to tag 7 other people. And they shall be 7. Not 4, not 3, and 5 is right out. 7 shalt the number of people tagged be:


Terri: http://primtiques.blogspot.com/
Joy: http://joystorn.blogspot.com/
Nancy: http://nancydooren.blogspot.com/
LilyCherry: http://ilgiardinodellotto.blogspot.com/
Thriftin' Gal: http://thejunkinmytrunk.blogspot.com/
GypsyFroggie: http://gypsyfroggie.blogs.com/

Okay, so it's 6. Moving on...

How to Play Along:
1. When tagged, place the "tag-er" URL & name on your blog.
2.Post Rules on your blog.
3. Post 7 different things about yourself.
4. Name 7 of your favorite blogs.
5. Email or leave a comment for those 7 people so they know they've been tagged.

Oh hey, also, I have finished the Marie Antoinette Bracelet... here's a couple of pictures of the finished product. I'm so theatrical:





As I expected, I did not much care for the way the back of this bracelet came out, but that's what I get for trying to be cute. Next time i'll use ribbon clamps like normal people.



But all in all, I do like the way it came out.

Sunday 10 February 2008

A Work In Progress and Some Craft Room Purdiness

Hi Peeps! It's been a super busy past few months with very little time for creativity. Which is totally redonkulous, because we all need to take time every day for something creative, lest we go insane. Of course there are some that would argue that creativity needs to flow naturally, but I know for a fact that just sitting down and pushing bits of fabric and trim around always makes me feel better- or cruising through blogland and just admiring the work of others.

Anyway, here's a work in progress that i've been fooling with for like a month, both conceptually and manually. It's a portrait bracelet of my fave historical female figure, Marie Antoinette.



It is set on a 1.5 inch wide tapestry ribbon. The picture was printed on fabric and sewn on the base; then the black/gold trim was hand sewn around it. I ruched 7mm variegated pink silk ribbon and sewed it on with a bow. Then, Swarovski crystals in silver settings were sewn onto the ribbon with a couple sequins and some tiny faux pearls.



The closure is going to be fiddly- the best way I can describe it is that it'll resemble a corset and be elesticised. I wanted to try something a little different than the usual ribbon clamps.

There's been a huge rediscovery of 18th century style in general, and Marie Antoinette in particlar recently. I'm thrilled with that, because I've always loved that era. In fact, my Mother's name is Marie Antionette, and my middle name is Antoinette.(A family name.) My Mother is a very talented maker of doll vignettes and lots of other gorgeous things- I hope to get her going on a blog soon.



Here are a couple of shots from my craft room. This one is just some pretty boxes (which were actually for Christmas, but too pretty to pack away)and some silk ribbon flowers I made- sitting on the mantel over the fireplace in my craft room / my hubby's office...



Also, this is a vintage peach lace nightie (from the 60's)that belonged to my Godmother. It's hanging on the closet door in the craft room. Pinned to it are lots of vintage brooches and earrings that belonged to my husband's Mother and my Great Aunt. The cool glittery "A" came from Terri at Primtiques. There's a tin pocket on the knob that I keep small bits of fabric and other junk in.



Guess i'll catch yall later!

Sunday 3 February 2008

Laissez Les Bontemps Roulez!

Mardi Gras Time!!!
It's Mardi Gras time down here in the south MS / LA area. Kids are out of school all next week, and hubbies are off for Lundi Gras and Mardi Gras (that's Monday and Tuesday, yall) if they happen to work in the Big Easy, like mine does. It's time to eat king cake and wear 2 dozen cheap plastic bead necklaces around our neck. No flashing, though! Let The Good Times Roll!


If you ever decide to brave Mardi Gras, keep this lil' song by Benny Grunch and the Bunch (well known New Orleans group)in mind:

Ain't no place to pee on Mardi Gras Day

Ain't no place to pee on Mardi Gras Day

No matter what you say

No matter what you pay

Ain't no place to pee on Mardi Gras Day

-----


Can't pee till you get home on Mardi Gras Day

Can't pee till you get home on Mardi Gras Day

Don't matter if you stay

10,000 miles away

Can't pee till you get home on Mardi Gras Day

-----

You could cough and you could wheeze

You could burp and you could sneeze

You could wipe your nose right on your sleeve

Can I pee on Mardi Gras Day?...........NO WAY!

-----

Can't pee in a taxi, that ain't nice

Ok, just this once, no more than twice

But if you leave a stain

Don't have to be ashamed

How you think them yellow cabs done got their name?

-----

Rich folks get to pee on Mardi Gras Day

Only Rich folks get to pee on Mardi Gras Day

They up there on their balconies

They pee all over you and me

Rich folks get to pee on Mardi Gras Day

----

I said there ain't no place to pee on Mardi Gras Day

Ain't no place to pee on Mardi Gras Day

Ain't no stall when nature call

Gotta go in front of God and all

Cause ain't no place to pee on Mardi Gras Day.

I gotta go, baby! I gotta go real bad!






I've had a few people ask me if I was going to post again- well hell yes. I have been having some computer issues off and on lately- very frustrating. So if anyone is still reading my silly ramblings, don't give up on me... I'll catch yall later!