Handmade Mexican Crafts

During my trip to Tulum, Mexico, I picked up a bunch of handmade crafts from some different stores. I love day of the dead stuff and anything with painted skulls or tin. So I was sooo happy when I found all this stuff.

Side note: Isn't my cat cute?

He got in my bag when I was packing the night before. He obviously wanted to come to Mexico.

Passport Protectors

This is what I made for my friend Brad and I. We just got back form a trip to Mexico for his 30th birthday. It was amazing and the night before we left I couldn't sleep, so I made some passport protectors for him and I. I embroidered our initials on the covers. Embroidering on this mesh is great. I'll have to experiment some more with this.
Here they are!

New Wallet

The other night the sorry excuse for a wallet I was using started to rip. )It was the little plastic sleeve my gym card goes into) I thought I would make a simple replacement using my mesh billboard material. Wallets i find are always too extreme for me or there is zippers or buttons or something getting in the way of me putting it in my pocket of opening it. So I made one that fits just me! And I sewed my gym card into the side so my card and ID flip out when I need it to. Genius!

I will be making some more wallets for renegade.

Making Deodorant!

Last night I tried again to make my own deodorant again and this time it was successful! I got the instructions from Instructables.com. This time I didn't try to make 1/2 as much which was y down fall last time. I used Sandalwood essential oils and it smells fantastic. Today is my first day trying it out and its holding up great. It also seems like it will last a lot longer than normal deodorant and I am at less of a risk for breast cancer and Alzheimer's, which is always good. I highly reccoment that how-to! If you make your own and have any questions please ask me!

This beat is SICK cross stitch.

This is a cross stitch I finished last night. Its Lady Gaga lyrics. Because they make for really good quotes. Working with the gold thread is crazy hard. It comes apart and breaks off. It gets a little messy but I must prevail! I have a lot of other projects that will requite this gold thread.

This gold frame is a pic from the internet but I have an order of used gold frames coming in to frame new work soon.

This particular piece will be available at the Renegade Craft Fair this summer, unless, of course someone wants to buy it before then.

Pillow Embroidery

The other night I watched Up in the Air and did a lot of embroidery. The movie was so, so, the sewing was sooo good! Here are some closeups for the new Alexander Henry pillows I'm working on.

Mesh Flowers

I am trying out some new things to vamp up the billboard bags. Last night I made this mesh flower that i can sew on to any of the bags. The mesh also lends itself to embroidery because its a grid like aida. So I am going to experiment more with sewing on the bags and making accessories for them. I took apart a studded belt and the inside of the flower is the stud from it.

Mesh Billboard Vinyl Tote Bag

I got some new materials to work with! Its billboard vinyl but its mesh. So the bags will be breathable. I immediately thought of making beach bags with this material and for me I need a new gym bag, so that will come soon. So here is the first mesh bag I made last night (although my model would like it to be called a "man satchel").
Its got a reinforced bottom so that no dirt can come through the mesh on the bottom of the bag and its of course got the cellphone pocket inside. This is my version of the classic L.L.Bean tote bag.

What I've been doing...

I have been working on this order for a while and I haven't been working on much else. After dropping 4 sock monkeys and 4 onesies off at the baby shower Saturday afternoon, I felt a huge sigh of relief. I came home and I finished body pillow cover project that I had been trying to finish for someone, feeling even more productive!

Then, Sunday I FINALLY fixed my Industrial Singer ON MY OWN thank you very much! And finished the birthday present for my Aunt Denny that I was making when my sewing machine broke. I made her a bottle carrying bag for wine bottles big and small and booze bottles! I will be making a lot more of these.

Then, I made another billboard bag with a sunset scene on it that I am testing out today (or maybe just keeping fomyself, we'll see.)

This weekend was SO PRODUCTIVE! Its like i got the block out of my way that has been stuck for a month. Yay! back to work!!

Did I show you these?

These are 2 pics of 7 count 'em 7! things I made out of one old sweater.

Mittens, wrist warmers, neck warmer, hat and scarf!

My awesome Aunt Denny gave me some old sweaters to play with and I tried to make as many things as I could without wasting any. After I did this for myself, I made a set for my friend for Christmas!

What I've been working on.

So being a little obsessed with Lady Gaga, I though I'd make some cross stitches of her lyrics. My favorite song now is Speechless, so here is a hint of the first steps of making Speechless lyrics be fabulous wall hangings!

Well wouldn'tcha know it!

Thanks Vicky Howell from Craft Corps for featuring me in her blog! I had no idea that I was in it until today when I was poking around the site.

CLICK THE CRAFT CORPS TAG FOR LINK TO MY POST!