Apple Centerpiece

The other day I finally thew away the wilted sunflowers on the dining room table and I was trying to think of something to put there when I saw these apples in the kitchen.  I then opened up my overflowing cabinet of table linens and this red, white and blue beauty was right on top.  On our recent trip to Michigan we stopped at a crazy, wonderful store called Punzels where I bought this runner.  (If you have any interest in Scandinavian linens, this is the store for you!  It was huge and amazing and awesome.)  But back to the apples... I ended up loving the combination of the green apples on the red and blue runner.  It's so nice when you can find things you already have in the house that when combined make something novel and beautiful (kind of like when you make a great outfit you love out of the old clothes in your closet you've been staring at all season). So open up the cupboards and dig around because you never know what will inspire you...the possibilities are endless!

Pyrex Joy

This past weekend I went to the Springfield Antique Extravaganza with my mom and we had a great time.  My first purchase of the day was the beautiful blue Pyrex bowl above.  I was immediately drawn to the happy blue color and I really like the low, squat shape.  When I got it home and put it next to my other Pyrex bowls I just couldn't stop looking at the way the colors work together!  Pure Pyrex joy!

Bird Fabric

This week Spoonflower's fabric design contest theme is birds!  The rules were you had to use black, white, "spoonflower blue" and one other color of your choice.  As you can see I chose red.

If you would like to vote for my fabric (and you have the patience to wade through 22 pages of designs) then click here.  Even if you don't want to vote for my fabric you should still take a peak at all the entries.  It is always so much fun to see what people come up with.

Homemade Duvet Covers

I have been working on this yellow room project now for over six months and I am finally glad to finish it!  This room is fairly small but has just enough room for two twin beds.  For the past eight years it has had two mismatched quilts on it that, although cute, were not my vision for the room.  I really wanted the room's color scheme to be yellow, red and white.

So one day when I was at Calico Corner's I found two fabrics that I loved - one with yellow stripes and one with red.  I just couldn't decide.  The red-striped fabric is part of Calico's French Stripes Collection and has a wonderful texture and as they describe it a "French laundry look." And the yellow fabric has a beautiful, textural stripe and was on clearance for only $8/yard!  So in typical Nessy fashion I decided in that moment to make four duvet covers!  (I knew it was insane at the time, but I just couldn't let either fabric go!)  So six months (and many, many curse words) later I have four new duvet covers - two for summer and two for winter!

Originally I thought, "How hard can it be?"  All you have to do is sew two rectangles together that are the same size as your duvet."  So I headed over to IKEA's website and designed the whole duvet cover around their 64'' wide by 86'' long duvet.  Theoretically all you have to do is add 2 inches to the width and 5 inches to the length which gives you a 1 inch seam allowance and enough fabric for a roll over button hole area.  But it did become a bit more complicated because I had to piece together three pieces for each duvet.  If anyone is really interested, send me an email and I will send you the exact dimensions I used.   

Looking back, I probably bit off a bit more than I could chew, but that is just my nature.  I did learn a ton from this project.  I now know how to sew button holes like a champ and I learned how to sew buttons on with the sewing machine.  (If you have never done this it is totally amazing! I will never sew another button by hand.)  I also learned that one really should change out the needle in one's sewing machine fairly often.  I also had to pace myself on this project which I hate to do.  But in the end it was worth it.  Now all I need are some guests who are willing to sleep on twin beds!

Hand-stamped Headboard

The headboard project is finally done!  This past Saturday I spent the entire day stamping this project out.  It took me longer than I expected to figure out all the spacing and it was a little nerve wracking to actually stamp on the headboard, but in the end it all worked out.

As you can see below I started with blank headboards I bought at Ballard Designs.  At first my plan was to buy the headboard slipcovers that they sell just in case I messed it up.  But in usual Nessy fashion I impetuously decided to stamp directly on the headboard itself.  I did however, mock up several design options in Photoshop just to help me get the spacing and design just how I wanted it.  If you don't have Photoshop I would recommend stamping a sample out on to craft paper first.

The other issue I had was that the stamp turned out much lighter than my test fabric.  I was OK with the faded look because it gave it a vintage appearance.  If you don't want that look I would recommend giving the area you are going to stamp a gentle cleaning with a damp cloth.  (I had a small spot where my dirty fingers smudged the fabric so I spot cleaned it with Spray-N-wash and a damp towel and the ink appeared to take better in that spot.)

Another thing I learned is that stamping is not a project for perfectionists.  Inevitably your dots won't line up perfectly or your stamp might be a little crooked.  (Another tip - because of the irregular shape of the bunta blocks it is helpful to put a piece of tape on the back to help you line up North and South)  But these little imperfections truly give it that hand-stamped appearance and from far away no one will even notice! 

Overall I am very happy with the final result and now I can't stop thinking of the possibilities;  I see hand stamped roman shades and curtains in my future!  So get out there everyone and leave your stamp on this world!  (OK, OK, I know but I couldn't resist.)

Custom Rubber Stamp

As I mentioned in the last post, I bought the bunta blocks for a project. I have been wanting to make headboards for the two twin beds in our yellow guest room for a while. Originally I wanted to cover them in a Les Indiennes fabric, but they only sell to the trade (and are a bit above my price range).  So when I saw the bunta blocks I thought, "I can make my own hand stamped fabric!"

When I sat down to mock up the design in Photoshop I realized I needed a larger stamp like one I had seen at Jackalope but didn't buy.  So being the crazy perfectionist that I am, I called Jackalope to see if somehow they might be able to find the one block I had seen in the two giant bowls they had filled with blocks.  Amazingly, a very nice person named Ray answered the phone who actually agreed to send me some photos of the blocks in hopes of finding the one I had in my head.  I couldn't believe that anyone would take the time to try and look through all those blocks -  incredible customer service!  Unfortunately none of the photos Ray sent me were the right one.  (Thanks again Ray!)

So that got me started thinking about making my own stamp and finally to the subject of this blog!  I wanted to try and match the small flower stamp I bought at Jackalope so I could use both for my headboard project.  As you can see below I started with a rough pencil sketch that pulled elements from the bunta block.

I then traced and perfected the design in Illustrator.

I then uploaded the design to Simon's Stamps. I couldn't believe how easy it was and the stamp arrived three days after I uploaded the file!  I also designed and ordered a matching dot line stamp.

Below you can see my first stamp test.

I was very excited by how it turned out but I felt it was too perfect to match the bunta block print.  So I ended up taking an exacto knife to the brand new rubber stamp!  I was scared to ruin it, but it turned out I had to work pretty hard to rough it up.  If I had to do it over again I would have roughed it up in Illustrator first- lesson learned!

As you can see above it now has a more "aged" look that matches my bunta block. 

In my next entry I will post photos of the headboards so check back soon!

Indian Block Print Stamps - Bunta

Every time I go to Santa Fe there is one store that I just can't wait to visit.  The whole time I am there I feel unsettled until we visit Jackalope.  They have all sorts of goodies from inexpensive chotchkies to extremely expensive antique furniture from all over the world.

During this past trip I came across two giant bowls of Indian block printing stamps.  From what I can gather they are called Bunta and are traditionally used to hand stamp patterns on fabric.  As soon as I saw them I was drawn to their beautiful worn wood.  I would love them just to have around the house, but the idea that I could actually use them was extra exciting to me.  The sales woman must have thought I was crazy because I had to look at each and every block.  She even offered me a pair of gloves, but by that time my hands were stained black from handling all of them.

After much internal debate I came home with the three stamps you see above.  I often buy items such as this and they sit in my craft room for years collecting dust or shoved away in a closet or trunk. I also had my doubts as to whether these things would even work.  But I finally made my way over to Michael's a couple weeks ago and bought a large stamp pad.  I then procrastinated a couple more weeks because it's always hard to start a brand new project that has a high likelihood of failure.  But one day last week I spread out some newspaper, found some fabric scraps and opened my new stamp pad and lo and behold look what happened!

I was super surprised by how easy it was and how great it turned out!  Nothing is ever that easy!  As usual my euphoria lasted about 10 minutes until I realized that I needed a larger stamp for the project I had in mind for these.  I can't wait to blog about it, but it's not quite ready yet.  So check back soon because I have become a BuntaBlockaholic!

Sunflower Bud

Today I was sitting on the porch and noticed how striking the colors looked in the flowers we get each week from our CSA.  In addition to vegetables we get a small bouquet of flowers each week. 

Today, the zinnias and sunflower were starting to wilt, but I noticed this amazing bud.  If you look at it close up (click the image to enlarge) you can see all the little hairs on the sepals surrounding the center.  And just look at how each petal appears to be bending over to tend to the precious seed cargo inside!  Pure joy!  I am constantly amazed at the marvelous things we can see all around us if we only take the time to look.

Man of La Mancha Logos

My in-laws are members of the Mclean Players and they asked me to work on a logo for Man of La Mancha.  These are a few of my first round ideas for the logo.

Chicory

Last week I stayed with my Dad and there is a vacant lot next to his house that is chock full of chicory so I wandered over to take a few photos.  Whenever I see this flower I think "cornflower blue"  - is it purple or is it blue?  Either way I love seeing this beauty on the roadside in the summer. 

According to Wikipedia it is toxic to internal parasites and is often used as a coffee substitute.  I remember my advisor in graduate school used to drink chicory coffee and it tasted bitter and awful!  No doubt his worm burden was extremely low.  I think I much prefer admiring its beauty externally!

Guitar Bandanas

I recently decided to make bandanas for my two favorite guitar-loving boys.  I wanted to make them something for their birthdays and then I received the July issue of Martha Stewart and was inspired by their bandana article (you can see some of it here.) 

I designed the bandanas to fit two across on Spoonflower's quilting weight cotton which is 42'' wide.

I got a lot of practice using my rolled hem foot.  Again, they weren't perfect, but I have learned to let that go.

I couldn't resist printing these labels for their bags.  I can't wait to give them their gifts.  Happy Birthday to my Guitar Boys!

Happy 10th Anniversary!

I made this card for my hubby for our anniversary today.  We got married 10 years ago in Raleigh, NC on a beautiful summer day.  I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have spent 10 years with George and I hope for many, many more!  Happy Anniversary G!

If you would like to purchase this card click here to visit my zazzle store.

Bird Handkerchiefs

For our anniversary I made George these adorable bird handkerchiefs.  I chose the Woodthrush and Mockingbird because George studies both of them.  Each handkerchief has two of the same birds printed in opposite corners (see below) and I printed them on quilting weight cotton at Spoonflower.com.  I just love the idea of printing some of my Zen Birds onto fabric.  Oh the possibilities!

I had to learn how to use my handkerchief foot (or rolled hem foot) on my sewing machine for this project.  These videos (SewEtcetera and BrianSews) on youtube were very helpful.  I ended up using a combination of both their techniques.  First I sewed 2 opposite sides using the technique on BrianSews where you roll the fabric through the foot to begin.  Because the fabric won't roll well after one side has been hemmed I used the technique on SewEtcetera where you hand press a thin hem and then complete a few stitches before rolling the fabric into the foot.  This allowed me to do the two remaining sides.  I do have to say they weren't perfect and it takes some time to get it right, but it is a pretty amazing foot to learn if you have the need.

Adobe House Illustration

When I got home from Santa Fe I thought, "How can I ever thank our hosts Nancy and Bruce for their hospitality?"  So I decided I would do an illustration of their beautiful house. 

I love the way the adobe houses in Santa Fe blend perfectly into the landscape.  Everything seems covered in a layer of dust that mutes all the colors and yet this allows any color that is not earthy to really pop and feel even more saturated.  And speaking of adobe houses, check out those incredible beams and posts (not to mention the wrought iron light fixture!).

I just sent the illustration off today.  Thanks again Nancy and Bruce!  We had a wonderful visit.

(And for anyone out there looking for a good archival printer, I used my new Epson Stylus Photo R1900 and had great success.  I used their Epson Cold Press Bright paper and the colors were spot on.  I would recommend this printer for anyone doing fine art prints.  The only drawback is the colors are faded on regular paper so you need another printer for regular printing purposes.)

Hand Embroidered Necklace

Lately I have been obsessed by all things embroidered so when I came across this necklace I fell in love with it.  The necklace is hand embroidered by Natalya Pavlysh from the Ukraine and she sells them here on etsy.  It was hard to decide which one to choose because there were so many wonderful designs.  Thank you Natalya - I love it!

This necklace also has extra special significance because George gave it to me for our ten year anniversary.  Thank you for the necklace and for ten incredible years!

Roxanne Swentzell

I can't even think about going to Santa Fe without visiting the Tower Gallery which houses the work of my favorite Santa Fe sculptor - Roxanne Swentzell. I remember the first time I saw her work it really struck me.  I immediately loved the curved, rounded feminine figures and their beautiful, smooth bronze and clay colored skin.  And just look at the toes - talk about expressive!  Although I couldn't afford a bronze, I did purchase her book the first time we visited (you can buy one on her website here or a bronze if you'd like!).

If you ever visit Santa Fe it is worth going to the Tower Gallery which is about 20-25 minutes north of Santa Fe.  Don't miss the great movie about Roxanne in the bottom room of the tower.  It talks about her life, how she became an artist, and her current work( and she is even a collector of heirloom seeds! - you just end up really liking her by the end).  In addition to her gallery, there is a wonderful museum with local artists work and an exhibit about life in the pueblo that Roxanne did all of the figures for.  I really can't say enough about how much I love her work - so inspiring!  Love it, love it, love it!

Bandelier National Monument

On our trip to Santa Fe we got a chance to visit Bandelier National Monument to see the cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Pueblo people (formerly known as Anasazi).  I highly recommend it if you get a chance to go.  It is so much fun to climb the ladders and crawl around in the caves. The main loop trail is an easy trail to take even with children.

We also took the Alcove Trail which led to a high cliff dwelling.  As you can see below, I don't recommend this trail for those with small children or people who are scared of heights.

Once you get to the top this is the view.

Then you can climb down into the man-made structure and it looks like this.

As you can see from George's face, we had a lot of fun.