Today I’m inspired by…

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This building a part of a community art initiative in Rio de Janeiro…via Favela Painting blog.

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This poster from Telegramme Studio. I love the off registration. And of course the colors.

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Art Selden’s Vintage Children’s Illustrations. I wish I had this talent! Via Tales of Whoa’s Flickr stream.

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This dramatic door photo from my friend Chris. I love the depth of field and the amazing textures!

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This pixel wrapping paper by Lagom Design makes my heart pitter patter! Oh the crafting possibilities!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

5 projects I love

I don’t really have a set style for what I create, but I do love a good project that is easy, stylish, and something that is timeless. Here’s a few projects I compiled tonight that I think you might enjoy too!

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This jewelry stand is so pretty. Painted twigs like this remind me of my biological mom. She painted a twig white and hung it above the bed as well art. She was so crafty and ahead of her time. (via Centsational Girl)

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I so need to write more letters and send cool evelopes like these!!! (via Jes Sprkles on Flickr)

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These letter crafts from Country Living add emotion to a room. Sweet.
(found via Poppy Talk’s blog)

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I love this tissue paper canvas project so much! The colors speak to me (via Prudent Baby)

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And I adore these Amy Butler gum drop pillows. They are such a feel good! (Found via Jupiter Button’s blog).

Well, off to bed!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Antiquing Fun

I went to some fun antique shops in Clovis today. I didn’t really purchase much of anything, but I did have fun scouting out kitschy stuff that made me smile. I’m a sucker for anything a little goofy or pop culture vintage. Here are some fun finds…

The Magic Show
The Magic Show Poster. So campy.

Funky Monkey
I’m not sure what the name of this monkey is, but I thought he was pretty cute.

Vintage Pinball machine
This 70’s pinball was fab. And $800.

Howdy Doody
You can’t resist Howdy Doody!

Dream house furniture
This vintage packaging made me smile.

Portrait of Anxiety/Depression
This was incredibly weird to me. It’s a figurine depicting anxiety and depression in Mexico in 800 A.D. Hmm, I wonder why it was made to begin with.

I had a great weekend, I hope you did too!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Fun with Shrink Plastic

S with fab Brini Maxwell illustrations

I’ve been having fun making little shrink plastic creations. I want to get some more Sharpies and colored pencils to make up more. I only have a couple of colors of Sharpies at the moment, so I couldn’t really do much. I did make them very basic and geometric, which I think turned out successful. By the way, I photographed these first two on the inside pages of Brini Maxwell’s Guide to Gracious Living. Gotta give a shout out. The illustration and photography in this is wonderfully mod!

S with fab Brini Maxwell illustrations

For these, I chose to outline a 3 inch vinyl sticker stuck to my shrink plastic. I had to carefully remove it not to leave any sticky. It worked really well, since I know my handwriting couldn’t match that of a font if I tried. I used an old Aleene’s Shrinky Dink that I had on hand. It’s not currently sold, but there are plenty in the marketplace and at your local craft store, so finding it should be easy! They also have an inkjet printable version, so you could not even bother with doodling an image, rather you could have a clean and precise designed illustration or photo. It’s really up to what tickles your fancy!

TP Shrink Art

I’m not really sure what I’m going to do with these, but I know there are tons of things to try. Even if they end up in a drawer, it’s a fun creative exploration that I got to discover as I watched TV.

I thought it would be fun to see what other projects were out there, so here’s a list of some super simple & fun ones you may like to try as well!

Check out these amazing Shrinky Dink illustrative necklaces by my friend Silvia!

Make a statement with this necklace from Alisa Burke.

June at Planet June stamps on your shrinky dinks to make super fab ring

Wear your pet around your neck with Punky Style

Revisit the 80’s with these fun Cassette tape shrinky dinks.

Cool spirograph Shrinky Dinks by maitreya…remind me of childhood.

Kristy Neale’s adorable Home Sweet Home card.

Cool photo toy camera photo pendants from jnhkrawczk’s Flickr stream

Rad medals from sirmorrow on Instructables.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Inspiring Video and other fun stuff :)

Saw this video on television tonight and I found it to be super sweet. I guess it should make me want to buy the Amazon Kindle, but honestly I don’t read that many books. I go through phases where I do from time to time, but most of my reading is in the form or magazines and craft books.

Five other things that inspired me tonight:

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These cake pedestals found here

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Also love this clown inspired dress Katie Holmes is wearing.

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These Smores kits are adorable via Twig & Thistle. What a great holiday gift idea!

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I really want a camera necklace (photo found here)

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And I love, love this prize ribbon tote!

Gotta get to bed! Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

3 Thrift Store Revamps I just love!

I’m always trying to find a way to create something from very little. I think true innovation in crafting is found when you find a way to get a high end look from very simple materials. Today, I thought I’d share three ideas that just WOW me in their simplicity and beauty.

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I just love this revamped old painting from Design Sponge that makes something unnattractive very sophisticated and cool! You could total use Tulip® Soft Paint (perfect for canvas) to paint over a giant canvas that you purchase at the Goodwill or Salvation Army. Actually, I was in the Salvation Army a few weeks ago (I actually think they have cheaper stuff than Goodwill) and there was a gigantic 60″ canvas just like this for only $8 bucks! I can’t say that this idea would fit into my current dĂ©cor, but perhaps in the future I will need to visit this idea!


These thrift store plate mirrors from Craftynest are so fabulous and so easy to make! If you didn’t like the color of a plate set, you could totally spray paint it a solid color as well. I love that it’s as simple as gluing one thing to another! How easy is that?

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I am enamored with this decopauged bunny from A Soft Place to Land. It seems that we all have knick knacks that are tired and boring. I just love that you can make them look like a clean and classic or alter mixed media piece with tissue paper, collage papers, or fabrics! Along the lines of this idea, we created some for the iLoveToCreate booth using Collage Pauge Instant Decopauge™ (that’s a cat I Collage Pauged below…the dots are tissue paper cut with a paper punch). Cheryl Ball decopauged a dog figurine for the show using fabric and it looked just as cool! On a somewhat related note, hop over and read how she upgraded a necklace with nail polish. I saw it today in person and it totally wowed me! You have to go see here. I love colored enamel soooo much.

Collage Pauge cat

Hope you found these revamped ideas inspiring. What thrify projects have you seen that totally blew you away?

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Meet my mom

my mom

This is my mom, Sharron Westerfield. She is one of the craftiest ladies I know! Ever since the age of six when she came into my life after my biological mom passed away, she has been inspiring me with her artful endeavors. One of the first things I remember doing with her was dying easter eggs, something that I still look back fondly at to this day. She has always encouraged me to be creative and express myself through all different kinds of handmade ways. As a kid, I would go with her to stores like Piece Goods and Hancock Fabrics and look through pattern books and piles of fabric with her for hours (needless to say, I did get bored after a while). She always bought me ribbons for my hairbows and Wonder Under and puff paint for the Daisy Kingom sweatshirts I designed. This past weekend, while I was at home, I saw the little Home Sew mail order that she let me pick out ribbons from, still the same after all these years, sitting on the table. It brought back good memories…

home sew ribbon samples

She is an excellent seamstress, actually the best that I know. She is very humble about her skills. I have seen her make everything from wedding and bridesmaid dresses to intricate costumes and custom drapery and upholstery.

Here’s a pic of some of the many things she has made me over the years. She always let me pick out my own fabric and pattern design. I didn’t appreciate the clothes she made me back then as much as I should have. I don’t get custom clothing like I used to…she’s way too busy sewing up dresses and outfits for my neice and nephews!

outfits my mom sewed for me throughout the years

I remember back in the early 90’s when she converted our attic hideaway into a dark room and created her own images for a photo quilt. It turned out absolutely beautiful and something I know my Grandma cherished. This was way before photo quilts were the thing! Even back then, she was ahead of the trend game and she continues to be. She subscribes to a lot of different sewing, smocking, and machine embroidery magazines, staying up on the latest techniques and designs. She constantly loves to learn and be inspired!

She is crafty in a lot of other ways too…she can make beautiful cake designs, crochet, knit, faux finish, and smock (which she can do by both hand and machine) as shown here in this adorable little dress:

my mom's smocking

I know I’m missing something off the list, but she is talented in a variety of ways. She is very meticulous in her work and really takes pride in getting things just right. She doesn’t settle for something “that will do”. Her detailed craftsmanship is something I’ve always admired. Just look at this beautiful piece that she embroidered using Jenny Haskin’s machine embroidered pattern. She worked over the course of a year on this quilted wall hanging and matching pillows and her attention to detail is evident.

my mom made this

She began sewing at the age of 9 and has never stopped some 50+ years later. Like me, she is never without a project or creative idea spinning in her head. She has such an awesome work ethic and can whip out a totally unique project in hours. Everyone is always amazed by the work she does and I think if she wanted to be, she could really be a force to be reckoned with in the machine embroidery or sewing industry. But, I’m not sure she would enjoy it as much as a hobby if it were to be something she did all the time or had deadlines to meet. I think creating for her is her own spiritual retreat and way to connect and give back. I don’t know that there is anything else that she would rather be doing.

finishing touches

And, even though we aren’t technically mother and daughter by blood, she’s been a great mom to me for these 23+ years and continues to inspire and encourage me. We have very different crafting skill sets, but appreciate and learn from each other. As I’ve gotten older, I’m glad that our shared passion for crafting continues to bring us closer together.

Hope you enjoyed learning more about my mom.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa