Tuesday, February 2, 2010

My Work Space







This past month at the Craft Magazine Blog they have been showcasing different artist's work spaces. This is something I have always been interested in. I love to see where people work and create and see all the little bobbles and trinkets that they have around them to inspire them.

For my inspiration, I have a poster from my favorite letterpress company Yee-Haw Industries that says "Keep on the sunny side." I also have notes from my grandmother and mother just to have their handwriting and little notes lying around. Also many little things like drawings, presents and pictures people have made me. On the side of the desk is all of my billboard vinyl that I use to make my recycled billboard bags.

The background on my desk is an old window I found in the trash outside of my house. I painted one pane of it with chalkboard paint and I use that to write down measurements or projects I'm working on. Its proven to be a very good thing for me since I lose my notebooks all the time.

We live in a ground floor apartment in Brooklyn, so I'm not lucky enough to have a dedicated crafting room. For 2 years I just had a pile of my stuff in the corner and would take over the kitchen table whenever I was working on something. Needless to say this did NOT work out for my boyfriend and I. It was a mess. So eventually I decided to make use of the fireplace in our kitchen and turn it into my sewing desk. I eventually built shelves above the washer and dryer (I know, they are unheard of in Brooklyn!) and made sure I organized it all so it made sense. All of us in the apartment are a lot happier and I am more organized.

Friday, January 8, 2010

UPDATE!

The pillows featured below just sold for $100 at Homebody Boutique. GO ME!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

The Coolest Pillows I Ever Made!





Are finally done! These are so bad ass! They will be available at Homebody Boutique in 2 days to purchase. They are hand embroidered on Alexander Henry "No Guts, No Glory" fabric and I made tassels out of yarn for the corners. They are super plush. Im so glad these are done. I only have enough fabric to make one more set so if you want these better run and get them!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Purple Monkey with Rose




This is my newest commissioned Sock Monkey for A co-workers granddaughter. Shes got a white felt rose on her head. Shes very pretty.

Monday, December 28, 2009

Cross Stitching in the Magic Kingdom




So Dan and I went to Disney World with his family for Christmas. It was a lot different then when I was a kid. One difference is that I didn't have anxiety problems about walking around in the most ridiculous crowds I have ever been in when I was little. The second thing was that the rides are so much better than than I remember. Space Mountain is AWESOME! And having little kids with you changes EVERYTHING. We had Dan's niece and nephews with us and It made it so much more fun. Taking Sadie on rides (she just made the 44" mark) and wheeling the boys around in strollers and seeing how exited they got seeing everything was amazing.

Anyways.... back to crafting.... I was in the museum shop in Downtown Disney and I saw these crazy detailed awesome Mikey cross stitches in and I had to share them with you.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

WWHHHAATTTTT ANOTHER MAG! Homebody Boutique and my stuff in it are in TIME OUT NEW YORK!!!!!


CHECK THIS OUTTTT!!!!!!!!

And there is 8 cout 'em 8 pictures to look at!!! WHAT THA WHAT!

Patty's Monkey



Another guest monkey maker came over this weekend. Patty wanted to make a tiny monkey so I gave her the smallest sock I had and she made one. It came out super super cute. its for her niece Molly (who the first tooth fairy pillow was for.)

Cat and Dog Fight


Gizmo effffed up his claw while slicing Pankcake's face this weekend. I thought I would share a picture. My roommate and I wrapped up his little paw and hes been nursing his little paw all weekend.

SO MANY GUEST MONKEY MAKERS!!




This weekend because of all the snow, I had a surprise visit from my cousin Andrew and his girlfriend Crystal after their bus was canceled. After a long day seeing the sights, they came home and asked to make monkeys for his niece! Andrews came out strangely long and Crystal's came out just great. (Although I think every monkey is perfect.) Andrew was a whiz on the sewing machine, but he didn't get to finish his monkey on time so I make him a monkey finishing kit to take on the bus.

I hope that they had a great time. I did.

I needed new pillows



So I FINALLY made some new pillows for myself this weekend. I don't remember what this kind of fabric is called but I love it. My house is mix of wood and black and white and blue so these go really well with the rest of the living room. Its about time I had comfortable soft big pillows on my own couch!

Tooth Fairy Pillow for Sadie



This is another tooth fairy pillow for Dan's niece Sadie. Shes about to lose all her teeth and told me she wanted one of these. Even though she'll probably forget that conversation come Christmas gift giving time, I'm sure she will love it.

This time I didn't use felt and I think it came out a lot better. The felt was pilling up and just got too fuzzy. This time I used a heavy cotton my Grandma sent me to make it.

(Sorry about that one picture. I makes me dizzy too)

Monday, December 21, 2009

Holy crap! they are almost done!


This set will be my masterpiece of pillow sets. The "bee's knees" the "cats pajamas" if you will. I have been working on these for months. (Not that they should have taken that long but I get very easily sidetracked.) Anyways, this is Alexander Henry fabric called "no guts, no glory". Freaking rad right? So I embroidered some of the little details and I made tassels for the corners and they are going to be FANTASTIC! I can't wait to show you all the finished product.

p.s. this is a picture where the fabric is turned inside out.

Pretty Snow!




this is my backyard. It as so beautiful out there after it snowed.

Monday, December 14, 2009

3rd Ward Craft fair photos!





This Saturday's craft fair at 3rd was was so fun! The day passed by very quickly which is always the case with fairs for me (sad). I love meeting other crafters and seeing all the amazing things people are making. There was 2 floors of vendors! We drank bloody marys and screwdrivers from the bar upstairs. I shared a booth with my friend Fionna of FifoCycle Hats. My cousin Clarke came for the whole day and was my awesome assistant. (I think he sold more of my things than I did!)We had a great looking booth!

Please look forward to my etsy store renovation coming in the next week with tons of new items and a new layout hopefully!! There will be even more onesies and sock monkeys or sale!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

My new apron


I told Dan I'd make him a new apron since the other one I got him was stolen by the bar. But instead, I made myself one!!! I'll use it for craft fairs to put money and receipts in and stuff. I wanted to embroider something cool on it, but then I found this awesome old patch my friend Christauf made a long ass time ago and thought it would look more me-ish instead of a felt dinosaur.

Sailboat Onesies are Back


These will be available at the craft fair this weekend!

I got stickers!!!!


So we had to give the craft fair people 300 of something to put in goodie bags. And there was no way in hell I could pull out 300 little sewn bobbles so I got some stickers made! I think they turned out pretty good!

Monday, December 7, 2009

New Designs for Saturday's Craft Fair!


So this weekend I'm doing the Holiday Craft Fair at 3rd Ward. (The Handmade Holiday Craft Fair 195 Morgan Avenue, Brooklyn, NY). Please come by and say hi and buy my wares!!

Here are some new bib designs available this weekend and then on Etsy.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Rise of the Sock Monkeys (again...)


At the 3rd ward craft fair I will have another bunch of sock monkeys to sell, and as usual the ones that don't sell will be available in my etsy shop. These are so fun to make but It's hard giving them all personalities and creating little characters out of them. So that will be exiting for you AND me!

The Little Hobo Onesie


I Was trying to recreate the little gentle man onesies for the craft fair coming up but i decided to use dots instead of stripes and for some reason now they look like little hobo outfits to me. But that's ok, you can dress your baby like a hobo and everyone will still think hes cute! So look for these at the craft fair or special order one from me!

Monday, November 23, 2009

AHHHH too cool!! WE ARE IN NEWYORK MAGAZINE!


So this issue of New York Magazine has a piece on Homebody Boutique!!!! This is uber exiting for me because 2 sets of my pillows and my pot holders are in the picture!!!

"In the gift guide, at the bottom of the page, click on the brown blankets by in2green and ba-bam! my store is listed in newyork magazine... and then its even listed again in the same issue, as a new store opened in nyc, with a picture taken by colby smith."

Check it out here!!!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Newest Billboard Bags



These came out pretty cool. The one says "Why Buy A Car" on the front. These are crazy sturdy and you can put whatever muddy or dirty or wet veggies or outdoor things in them and it they will never stain and you can wash them out with a hose or a or a damp cloth. They all come with a pocket on the inside for your coupons or cell phone or money. And I was thinking these would be perfect beach bags! These I will be bringing to the 3rd Ward Craft fair to sell, So unless you want to pre-order one, you can pick one up there!

Tools I CANNOT live without.


So After getting my new fabulous camera last night I went a little picture crazy. I thought I would tell you about some things I can't live with out.

1)My Gingher scissors
2)My tiny Gingher embroidery scissors
3)A Leatherman for pulling pins our of super tough material and bending anything
4)My seem ripper
5)An Exacto knife (not pictured)
6)Rotatry Cutter (not pictured)

Without these things I would be nothing!

Close up on some embroidery Im working on.


So I am making these pillows for Homebody Boutique. They are Alexander Henry Fabric that I'm embroidering to be a set of pillows. They are going to be a time consuming project but they will turn out fantastic. I can't wait to show you all the finished project!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

My bags are getting smarter..


The recycled billboard bags are getting cooler, or maybe I'm getting better. I cant tell they have minds of their own these bags! Now the inside pockets will have my tag on them and are curved for easier access to the little pouch! I will be making some one handled wine/booze carriers too! perfect gifts for the holiday season! (hint*hint)

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

From now on.....


I will be stitching on the asses of all my monkeys! This way they know where they are from! Its TSXBC which is Tamara Stoddard Brooklyn Craft! Thanks Wilson for this ingenious idea!!

What the inside of a sock monkey probably looks like.



So my friend Wilson commissioned me to make this bad ass skeleton sock monkey and I think it came out pretty great. Hes named it Bosco. Hes an inside out monkey. More inside out monkeys to come! Next time with organs!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

See this movie!


I know this isn't a project of mine but I would like to share this movie that is by the author of the book Handmade Nation that I have mentioned before. It is a great book about the D.I.Y. Craft Nation. It showcases different artists around the county and has a cool time line of when which craft sites and stores were launched. It has given me incredible inspiration.

About the movie:
"Handmade Nation documents the new wave of art, craft and design that is capturing the attention of the nation. It is the feature film debut of director, author, artist and curator Faythe Levine. Levine traveled to 15 cities and covered more than 19,000 miles to interview artists, crafters, makers, curators and community members.

Today's craft world has emerged as a synthesis of historical technique, punk culture, and the DIY ethos, also influenced by traditional handiwork, modern aesthetics, politics, feminism and art.

Director Faythe Levine captured the tightly knit community that exists through websites, blogs, and online stores that connect to the greater public through independent boutiques, galleries and craft fairs.

Interviews were conducted on-location in artist studios, homes, boutiques, offices and craft fairs, giving the public an exclusive and rarely seen look into the lives of these creative individuals."


Check this site out to buy the movie or the book!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Thanks!


I got the nicest email ever today from Nadia, who told me I was an inspiration and blogged about me over at Craft&Creative it was a good way to start my day and I want to say thanks to her!


Thanks again Nadia!
Here is a plug for her sites!
http://nadiahajidin.carbonmade.com/
http://www.modellocate.com/photog/4343

Monday, November 9, 2009

HOMEBODY BOUTIQUE OPENING PICS!!



Wow. What a cool store Kate has!!!! The opening was fun with wine and cheese and all the new home made goodies to see and buy. I myself made 2 purchases, a super good smelling beeswax candle and a pressie for Mabel's 1st birthday! (its a surprise so you don't get to see it k?)
Everything looked wonderful and she sold 2 of my items!!! HOORAY! A recycled billboard bag and a fuck you cross stitch! How exiting is that?!!? I wish the store many many many happy sales and I can't wait to make even more stuff to sell there.
In these pictures you can find, 2 sets of my pillows and a billboard bag and my pot holders. You can do an I spy and try to find them all.
CLICK FOR BIGGER IMAGES!

The benefits of being my friend and having a baby!



This weekend I went down to DC to go to my friend Kim's baby shower. It was a great time and she and the baby got a lot of sweet gifts. I have been working on this stuff for a while but couldn't post it in case she would see. So here it is finally. I think they made out pretty good.

So there is:
A sock monkey (which Matt is afraid of but Kim thinks is cute)
A crib size quilt with an embroidery of Kim and Matt and a 4 leaf clover on her belly
A mini size travel quilt
The horribly cute "fun with elastic thread dress"
A black and white animal (not pictured)
And a lobster bib

(Although Matt thinks I depicted him to have a receding hairline, I think their likeness is good.)

Friday, November 6, 2009

HOMEBODY BOUTIQUE OPENING THIS WEEKEND!!!!

HI EVERYONE! I wanted to tell you all about my friend Kate's new store that is opening in up in Brooklyn this weekend. I am one of the featured artists!! I hope her business does great so that in turn her artists can do great! Please come by and check out the show its filled with amazing handmade home goods!!!

HOMEBODY BOUTIQUE

449 7th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215
P. 718.369.8980
F. 718.369.8268
HOURS: Tues - Sun (12 - 8 pm)

New boutique opening in South Park Slope, Brooklyn
449 7th Avenue (Between 15th & 16th Streets)
Doors open Sunday, November 8th at 1 pm.

Please stop in and join us for a glass of wine to celebrate our new venture.

HOMEBODY: Personal and home accessories for the anti-social.
A retail store for artist-made homewares, accessories, and jewelry. Artists include:

Brooklyn Craft (MMMMEEEEEEEE!!!!!)
McCloskey Carpentry
Queens County Machine Works
Dotty Speck
Fulcrum
J Davis Studio
Mudpuppy
Meghan McAleavy
Steel Toe Studios
Track and Field
Broken English Leather
Maya Geller
and more...

For more information contact:

Kate Silver: kate@homebodyboutique.com or 718.369.8980

Monday, November 2, 2009

Dressing up dogs for Halloween



This is Bella. Dan's parent's dog. I took her to the kid parade with the nieces and nephews. She was a little pirate. I made her a sword and little skirt and eye patch. I thought that because shes only got one eye that she wouldn't mind wearing an eye patch over the missing eyeball, but I was very wrong. The skirt and sword though she wore all night. I had also made a vest but she hated it and kept wiggling out of it so I just stuck to the skirt and sword.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Spooooky! Pumpkin Carving Friday Night


Friday night Patty and Katie and I carved pumpkins at my house. The pumpkins are as follows left to right... Patty's Katie's and mine. Mine is based off how I felt all day Friday having a migraine and crying and being in pain.

Pillow, Pillows, Pillows







So I was a very busy worker bee this weekend. I made 3 sets of pillows for Kate's Store (Homebody Boutique, I will explain more about that later) and 4 sock monkey bodies. And my labels. It was a food weekend for making stuff. So here are the pillows!

KNOW WHAT THE BEST THING EVER IS?!?!?



STAMPS!

After searching online for clothing labels and seeing how much of a hassle and how expensive they are (up to $1.00 a label) I realized that I was going about this all wrong. I make everything myself anyways why not make my own labels! DUH!
So I finally bought my own stamp, which I should have done sooner. Because my logo was letter press it looks like a stamp already so the stamp of my logo looks great! I am using this to make tags for pillows and bags. If anyone has any good tips on an ink pad that is permanent ink. please let me know. I don't want the ink to wash off the labels.

New in the Etsy Shop



"Im New Here" Onesies. For the newest little human in your life!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Fixing Sweater Boots With My Darning Skills


So the other day at work, a coworker asked me if she could bring in one of her sweater boots and if I could fix it. It had come apart at the seams... literally. So I pulled out the original thread that was holding the knitted sides together and then used that to go in the knitting loops that were about to come undone and wove them back together again. Then I took some more new matching thread and then used a sort of darning technique to finish off the stitching. I have to say.... This one looks even better than it did new. I guess I am the resident seamstress at work, which I don't mind at all because I obviously like it better than doing actual work.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Tooth Fairy Pillow!!


This I made for Molly, my best friends niece. Shes about to lose her first tooth. So this tooth shaped tooth fairy pillow she can put her tooth in the front, then when the tooth fairy comes she can leave the money or treat in the pocket on the back.
I wish I had one of these when I was young because I would always have to tear my bedding apart looking for my tooth fairy money because I moved around so much in my sleep.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Something I didnt't know but should have.


So when my mom came to visit the other weekend I was pinning the edges of this quilt I was working on and I was cursing my dull pins and throwing them around. I look over and my mom is gathering the pins and sticking them into the strawberry that dangles off the tomato pin cushion that most of us use (that I had been using for the past 20 years). I said "What are you doing?" and she said "I'm sharpening your pins for you!"

So apparently (I had no idea) there is sand in that little strawberry and you poke pins and needles into it and they get sharpened!

Why didn't she ever give me this information before! Its great! Or maybe everyone else but me knew this and I just never questioned why there was a strawberry connected to a tomato.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Mom Visit!!





My mom came for my Birthday weekend last weekend and it was so fun. She helped me work on a little surprise project for Kim's soon to be little baby Mackenzie and also she got to test out the Singer. She loved it. Here are some pic of us hanging out and working on some stuff together. We went through 4 layers of thick cardboard and then sewed it to 4 layers of billboard vinyl. She was quite impressed.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Im on Sublime Stitching again!

You should check the customer gallery frequently, because there are so many cool embroidery projects to check out. Like mine... http://www.sublimestitching.com/node/2807

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

What I made last night




Here is 2 more billboard bags that I am going to call "Market Bags". They are very easy to wipe clean so they are perfect for taking to the farmers market or the grocery store. And they are made out of recycled materials!

The small purse I think is a little make up bag. I'm going to sew some snaps as closure on them and they will be little make up bags. And I got to play with my rivets. How fun!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

New and improved work space.





So I have finally finished the construction in my kitchen corner/studio to give myself a storage space for all my supplies, because looking for things when they are in a heap spanning a desk 2 chairs and a table akin to the garbage heap on Fraggle Rock is not productive.

It feel so much better to be able to see everything I have to work with instead of constantly searching for stuff. Hopefully I can confine my sewing to my "sewing desk" and give Dan back the kitchen table. I also installed a couple tap lights above my desk for extra lighting.

The shelves I covered in fabric before I hung them so that there is no splintering on my supplies, because I used really cheap ply wood.

P.S. WILL SOMEONE PLEASE BUY ME A NICE CAMERA!!!!!

Monday, September 21, 2009

New Tote Bags made from Billboard vinyl!!




I love love love my new industrial sewing machine! I made this tote bag for my cousin April who was in town this weekend. Its made out of billboard vinyl that I got at work. It is the prototype for the rest of the bags I'm going to make. The material is black on the back and a blue and gray and silver car ad on the front so the bags will be those colors. Put in an order if you want one with your initial on it like this one. I think I will sell them for $30 each. They also have a small pocket on the inside for your phone or wallet.

These bags are perfect for taking to the market or grocery store. They are waterproof so putting ice and a 6 pack in them is a good idea too!

A case for whatever you need it to be for*



This is going to be my submission for Liger Beat Magazine. They like it so hopefully I'll be in it sometime soon!

*Thanks Nina!

Friday, September 18, 2009

Be still, my beating heart!



ITS FINALLY HERE!!!!!

So... I know that I already have 2 sewing machines (one is just to look at) and the other is for every day use. THIS ONE though... the "new" one.. is for industrial strength projects!! Like resewing our sails this summer and sewing through canvas and leather and all kinds of new fun things I've never even been able to play with because my Kenmore can't handle it. I bought this on Ebay from a shop in Canada. It is a refurbished 15-88 1949 Singer Sewing Machine. And it is MAGNIFICENT! I'm pretty sure you will know where to find me this weekend... at my house sewing everything I can find together. Check it out! Shes beaut, a classic work horse for sure!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Pot Holders


I have been looking on Etsy for pot holders and my god they are not pretty!! These are PRETTY! i have been working away this weekend making some pretty homemade looking pot holders. I have never made any before but I really like the ones I made this weekend. I chose nice color palettes with matching boas tape with trim. They will be available at Home Body Boutique this fall!!!

P.S. every day for the next couple weeks I will be at home making things! Let me know if you want to come over and do some crafting!!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Fun with Elastic Thread

Last night I took a shot doing something that i always feared. SHIRRING! (Sewing with elastic thread) It was totally stupid to be scared it was so fun! Here are some pictures of my shirring adventure making a little girls dress. These dresses are good when they are small and then when they get bigger the dress can be a little shirt! Dont be afraid to use elastic fabric! And i used ribbon to make the straps on the dress. I will be making alot more of these so if you have a request please let me know!!

New Monkey! Purple Argyle.


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