micro and mini

I finished up another little framed mini, just in time for Mini Quilt Monday. This time, I turned my microscope lino print into an applique design: fun, fun! And I kind of like the two - the microscope and the beetle - as a set. But, of course, I have had thoughts about a third and fourth framed mini... Just can't help myself, it seems.

I spent the better part of the weekend at Devil's Fork State Park in South Carolina with my mom (who loved her pink and green apron) and my neice. Nothing like a little lake swimming to set my world right, except I did have some minor crafting withdrawal. Not to worry though: I'm recovering nicely... with mini quilts, of course.

Oh, and here's a promised sunlit shot of my beetle mini... much better than the previous installment, I think.

beetle mania

Yay for beetles! This one is based on a lino print I did last fall and is made with some of my birthday stash fabric. I've been meaning to make this for a while; I love taking a design from one form or medium to another. And it's a good thing I like beetles: those little legs were a bugger to stitch down. The picture is a little less than thrilling. After dark, I have the hardest time getting a photo that's anywhere close to the actual fabric colors. Any suggestions? Maybe it's time for a new camera... in which case I'm also open to suggestions. And oh, hold the presses: I just realized this is the first thing I made as a 29-year-old!

birthday adventures

Couldn't have asked for a better birthday: a haunted pub crawl in Asheville, some yummy beverages with friends, and an adventure on the Blue Ridge Parkway with my honey and my Baby dog (see floppy ears above). Oh, and a delightful sushi dinner. 29, here I am.

print-a-thon 09

So I've been super busy printing for the craft show in July. I've been doing some new things with adding embroidery stitches to my poppies (the lino print is based on my poppy quilt) and my skully print (I've done some embroideries based on this design). On the poppies, I tried to stitches to correct a printing error on one of the designs, but I ended up liking the effect and ran with it. The fabric frames are really easy to make... and I'm so in love with stitching on paper. Even more pics on my flickr page.

And, of course, I couldn't help doing a little digs & bean merchandising. I carved a stamp to create homemade price tags for my wares.

welcome to summer

I will turn 29 on Sunday and I think it's taken me this long to figure out what makes me most happy. My wonderfully silly hubby: check. A super spoiled pit mix, a lovely family, inspiring friends, an awesome job: check. And crafting: a big check. I also happen to live in a beautiful part of the world, and I do a pretty good job of exploring it on the weekends. Canoeing, hiking, scootering, or good ole Blue Ridge Parkway sitting (very good at that last bit)... Asheville is a lovely place to get to call home. So, that being said, I think I'd like to incorporate a little more scenery into my life and blog: more to come! Installment #1: Dinner Hike to Pilot Cove.

But (BUT!) this past week was not totally void of creative adventuring of the fabric variety: I finished what I think will be my last black bird mini before the Big Crafty. This little mini combines a lot of my quilting ideas into one. And I did a little something different with the wing. Now, to get printing....

poppy pods print

Aaahhh, happy Memorial Day! Took a break from fabric today and carved a poppy print based on my poppy mini quilt. I've gone the other direction - from lino print design to embroidery design (see my skulls and ships) - but never from quilt design to lino print... fun, fun! I'm not sure if I'll have time to do it before the Big Crafty show in July, but I've been having a strong desire to carve some roller skates...

hello, black bird

Yes, I think I'm officially in the icey grips of another crafting obsession: this time, it's black birds. I have at least two more black bird designs in mind... those will be on their way soon. Maybe I'll combine all the little elements I've used in the past few months: kelpies, tombstones/Us, and blackbirds... Ooo la la. Thank goodness for loooonnnngggg weekends!

And maybe one day I'll share a photo of the ones on my legs. Using my tattoos as a design element has got me all excited: I feel like I'm carrying an applique design with me wherever I go... you know, in case of emergencies. It's kind of given my work a new life as well as my tattoos. I like it, but now I'm thinking about more appliques/tattoos I might need to add to my collection. Well, I do have a birthday around the bend...