Fabric Stamping Tutorial

As promised, here is a tutorial for creating and using your own fabric stamp.  Don't forget, you can win on of these bags by entering the giveaway I posted yesterday!

Start with an eraser.  I found a three pack at the dollar store.  I chose to cut the stamp in half since I was making a smaller stamp.

Sketch out your design with a pencil.  I traced an owl charm on mine.  I kept it fairly basic so that it would be easy to carve.

Using whatever knife or carving tools you have, start cutting away at the eraser.  I found it easy to slice down around the design and then into the side of the eraser.

Continue working until you have cut out the whole design.  Now start stamping!  Do a few practice ones on paper to start.  I chose to stamp on some fabric bags I had on hand but it was challenging to stamp on the uneven surface.

You can leave it like that or do what I did next and trace around your design.  I wanted to add details and let the whole piece pop a bit more.

I created these pieces in red and turquoise as part of a Blogging Business Artisans challenge.  Each month, we are challenged to create something along a theme and this month was based on the colors red and turquoise.  See more challenge pieces here.

New Wooden Birdies

I was in Michaels yesterday and was delighted with their new spring line.  Lots of beautiful, unfinished pieces.  And you know I love unfinished wooden pieces.  The most exciting thing?  I found more of the wooden birds that they sold last year.  I can't wait to create some more bird figures like I did last year.

New Vintage Handkerchief Pieces

I've been working on some new pieces using another vintage handkerchief.  I realized I should start getting shots of the handkerchief before I cut it up, but you can get the idea of the starting point from this picture.

I started by making another bird.  This one is kind of a fancy bluejay.  I haven't named her yet.  What do you think, does she look like a Lucy?

I'm also using some pieces to create some wooden pendants.  These will be hung from long chains with beaded accents. 

I'm hoping to get all these pieces finished and in the shop soon.  Currently I have one of my previous handkerchief birds in the shop and you can see it here.

Felted Angry Bird

I decided to try out my new felting kit by making a project I saw on Craft Blog: needle-felted angry birds.

It was definitely not as hard as I thought it might be.  I did have to work slowly in order to not stab my finger ( I have a tendency to hurt myself during craft projects).

Crewel Embroidery

Since I finished my Christmas piece yesterday, I am now free to work on a new embroidery kit that I received as a Christmas gift!  My parents gave me this kit for crewel embroidery and I'm very excited because it is a technique I have been wanting to try!

I first heard of crewel while helping with the Urban Craft Uprising show.  I saw some awesome pieces by Tako Fibers.

Bird Embroidery Kit

You can buy finished pieces but also kits, so I might have to try one of these kits next.

Finished Bird and Craft Show!

I know you are dying to see the final product of my bird project.  But first, I wanted to invite anyone in the Seattle area to come out to my show today!  I will be selling my work at the I Heart Indie Holidays show.  It is taking place from 11am to 6pm at Wallingford Boys & Girls Club, 1310 N. 45th St., Seattle, WA.  Yay!

Now, for the bird.  Here she is!  I gave her eyes and eyelashes.  I think she looks pretty fancy now.

She was pretty excited about Christmas so I let her pose in the tree.  She was sad to leave it but excited to hear she could hang out in a little Christmas tree tomorrow.  Now hopefully she can find a good adoptive home!

A Little Further Along...

My bird is continuing to take shape.  For those of you that asked, this is a wooden bird form that I am covering with the handkerchief.  Next, attaching the wings...

New Birdies in Progress

I'm finally putting my vintage handkerchiefs to use.

Oops!

Sorry!  I forgot to post yesterday.  I have a cold and with getting ready for the show yesterday, my brain forgot my blog.  Forgive me?

I'll write a full show recap later today, but for now here's a pretty picture.  Yay for pictures!

Swan Photo taken in Belfast, Ireland

Bird in Progress

I'm busy working on more bird ornaments.  My current project is a "12 Days of Christmas" set.  Do you like my French hens so far?

Song Sparrow Recipe Box

I just listed this box in the shop yesterday.  It's a recipe card holder that I painted.  I decided to do the song sparrow because I just think they are so cute.  I love their mix of brown and white.

Song Sparrow Box on etsy

Do you like to collect recipes?  I usually tear them out of magazines, but also have some hand-written ones on note-cards.  I even have one for chocolate bread pudding that my mom gave me at my wedding shower; it's a family recipe :)

I did a bit of searching and found some cute recipe cards you could use to complete the set.  Check them out:

Bird Recipe Card

Funny Recipe Cards

Personalized Recipe Cards

A Few New Birds

I've been working on more bird ornaments.  I've been making both painted ornaments and fabric collage ornaments.  First is a little vermilion flycatcher.

Next is a Western meadowlark.  I was inspired to make this one after a conversation with a customer.  She is originally from Kansas (like me!) and was asking if I ever made a Western meadowlark, the state bird of Kansas.  Of course I had to make one.

Once I get a chance to take good pictures, these guys will be up in the shop. 

Wooden Transfers

Lately I've been experimenting with some image transfer paper.  You can print or color on this paper and then iron it on to different surfaces.  So far, I've tried printing out some of my painted bird images and then ironing them onto wood.

I'm still experimenting, but I'd like to turn them into necklaces.  What do you guys think?  Has anyone else tried a product like this?

Everyone Loves Goldfinches

Apparently others are as charmed by these darling black and yellow birds as I am.  Check out this cute treasury my ornament was included in.

October Bird of the Month: Blue Jay

Today's bird is the Blue Jay.  This is a fairly well-known species so you are probably familiar with it.  Both the male and the female of this species have bright blue plumage (feathers) with white and black markings.  I found this interesting because in many bird species, the male is much more brightly colored than the female.

Blue Jay Ornament

Blue Jays can be fairly territorial and have even been known to chase away hawks (source).  They have a wide variety of vocalizations and have even been known to imitate humans in captivity (source).

Blue-Gene Ornament

Above I showed two different styles of Blue Jays I have created.  The first is a very simple painted style.  The second is a little character I created.  His name is "Blue-Gene."  He was inspired by my husband Eugene.  Eugene wears black glasses and likes to wear ties.  I think I captured him pretty well in bird form, don't you?

Custom Microsoft Tag

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you may remember when I created this tag reader necklace.  I was pretty excited about it...till two nights ago.  My husband told me that I could create a custom image tag.  I dived in right away and after a bit of twiddling around on photoshop, I had this:

Cool, right?  Scanning this will bring you to my blog.  It was hard, but definitely not as hard as you might think.  If you want to try your hand at creating your own, this guide was pretty helpful.

ICC#39- It's In The Bag

Our Iron Craft Challenge this week was to create some sort of bag or case.  I wanted to stencil something on a tote bag and decided to use one that I already owned.  I have a flowery tote bag that I bought while I was studying overseas in Cambridge.

I used freezer paper stenciling and "put a bird on it."  Yes, I have become cliche, just like in Portlandia.

New in the Shop: Songbird Ornaments

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I'm starting to shift my focus away from jewelry.  As part of that, here are some new bird ornaments I have made.  Christmas is just around the corner and these would make a sweet addition to any Christmas tree.

Blue Jay Ornament

I bought the plain wooden birds and then painted them to match real species of birds.  It's a really fun challenge to figure out how to bring a real species to life on a simple wooden bird form.

Cardinal Ornament

Finally, I added some little wooden heart as wings because these birdies just LOVE to fly. 

Goldfinch Ornament

Thrift Store Find

I love thrift stores.  I could spend hours browsing.  I admit, I have a penchant for the tacky.  It's not unusual for me to think, "This is so ugly, I have to have it."  However, sometimes I find something that is actually cute.  Like, these bird mugs.

Cute, right?  I was so excited to find the set of four because they were just loose at Goodwill.  There's a cardinal, a painted bunting, an eastern bluebird, and one bird I'm not quite sure of.  Can anyone identify that blue-ish gray bird in the front?

September Bird of the Month: Bowerbird

Today I have an awesome bird to share.  The bowerbird.  I learned about these birds during my first week of grad school.  They are awesome because of the males' courtship behavior.  In order to attract a mate, males will build a structure called a bower, decorate it with blue objects, and then sing and dance.  Watch.

Crazy, huh? Although I never created an actual "Bowerbird Line," I think these guys would appreciate some of my blue jewelry.  I just hope they don't steal any of it for their bowers.

Blue Flower Bracelet

Blue Flower Ring