Furry Fun

Winter Warmth

Fur anyone?

Creative Stitches and Crafting Alive

So my sister Hilda from Handmadetherapy  and I went to the Creative Stitches and Alive show yesterday. She already blogged about it (You can read about it Here)  but I thought I should too!

I don't really know what possessed me to think it was a good idea to get up at 7:00am on a Saturday, and then proceed to walk around all morning on a fractured ankle... but I did. And it WAS a GOOD idea. It was so much fun! I got some absolutely gorgeous fabrics that I want to play around with and see what I can make, as well as a good deal of pretty beads for a super bargain!

Here are some pictures of our adventures...

(Dear mom, since you couldn't come to the show, we took pictures of the quilts for you - Love your daughters)

Being Serious

I am so excited to start making things!

Speaking of excited... in about 15 minutes the ladies from the Alberta Team should start arriving for our get together/craft night. Super excited over that too! <3

Wall Hanging

I know what you are thinking.

TWO posts in ONE day? Unheard of. What a spammer.
(I think this is the most I have ever posted in a month, I really am trying to get better at this blogging thing. Though I fear I go from one extreme to another. Have patience with me.)

HOWEVER.

Remember I was asking what to do with those pink flowers? Well I came up with something. A wall hanging. I actually quite like how it turned out.

So. What do you think?

I had this black picture frame...since I got married. It was a wedding gift actually, but the glass broke. And person that I am, decided to keep the frame in case I found a reason for it one day. And I did!

I always knew there was a reason I kept random sh*t.

<3

Of Tea Parties

I love tea.

I love drinking it.

I love cute tea pots

I love cute tea cups

and I love tea parties.

add to that last line... I want to have a tea party.

 

Source

A proper one. With gorgeous little cakes and china tea cups, lace table clothes and ruffly dresses with parasols in a cute forest clearing. One that when dusk falls I can light lanterns hanging from trees and dance barefoot in the grass while watching the stars come out one by one.

Have I mentioned I love fairy tales too? Fantasies and silly things that lets my imagination scamper wildly.

Sometimes I wonder how people could exist without imagination.
The world would be so gray if I didn't have the ability to dream up new worlds.

But I digress.
My point was...
Who wants to have a tea party with me?

P.S. This post reminded me of these ADORABLE bangles that I would buy in a heartbeat if I didn't know I would break them the first day. 

Charming Vintage Bonechina Teacup Bracelets

Fabric Flowers

Winter Blossoms

So the other week I decided I was going to make some fabric flowers. I'd never tried making them before but I'd read a tutorial a couple weeks prior and I thought I remembered how. So off I set, watching a movie and cutting out fabric flowers to sew together, not paying much attention to what I was doing. One movie later... I had 70 cut outs in a rather large pile. OOPS!

Thankfully I was able to make this necklace with some of them, made from some pretty linen fabric with red polka dots that handily served as centers.  I am pretty happy with how it turned out.

Now however, by the time I finished sewing the rest of the fabric I'd cut out, I have about 16 bright pink flowers and a couple blue ones and some white and black ones. And my ideas on what to do with them are pretty limited! Any ideas?! They would be much appreciated.

Some of the things I could think of were;

- a mobile
- a wall hanging
- refashion a shirt

What to you think? Any better ideas?!

Makeup Tutorial

So yesterday I had someone ask me if I could teach them how to do their makeup like I do mine. I've been asked that before, and honestly, I really never know how to answer that.

Sure I can try teach you...The problem is, every eye is different and I have honestly never done someone else's makeup (Unless pinning one of the guys down on Band and Choir Tour back in high school and doing his makeup counts...but I don't think so).

However. I figured that I could always do a tutorial on how I do MY makeup. Right? I think I got a bit carried away starting at the very basics, but you'll forgive me right?!

So here it goes.
(I was actually going to do a nice simple, every day look, that people could copy...but that is going to have to wait until another day because I got distracted by all the pretty colors I had and well... the final result was a bit vibrant to say the least...)

Step One: Moisturize

I know, I know, most people moisturize, I don't really need to mention it. My point here though, that if I don't put lotion on before I put on my cover-up it never quite goes on right. So. Step one is always lotion.

Step Two: Foundation

I don't really need to explain this right? Pretty straight forward.

Moving on.

Step Three: Eyebrows

Okay so this is a weird step I know, but I actually took the most pictures for it since I am a bit of a freak when it comes to eyebrows and wanting them to be perfect or else the whole look is ruined. My eyebrows...not so perfect. They are long and curly in some bits, and don't grow in others. So I improvise...

For this I use a damp, flat angled brush and a matte (non shiny) black or brown eyeshadow (depending on what color my hair is at the time!) and work on filling my brows in so that they are even with each other, have a proper arch and aren't bald in some spots (I also trim the longer curly parts on a regular basis and pluck, but that's just maintenance).

I like using a shadow instead of a liner because it blends better and doesn't look quite so obvious that I filled it in.

Step 4: The Eyes! Base Coat

I should actually have a step before this were I put on a 'paint' to help keep the shadow in place, especially since I use loose powder. But I ran out of mine a few months back and still haven't gone to get more. Thankfully the brand of eyeshadow I use (Pure Fusion Mineral Makeup) stays on really well and I haven't actually needed it.

For this look, I started with a rounded flat brush and made it wet. Dipping it into the loose shadow (Royal Nights Eyeshadow, Pure Fusion) I then spread it evenly over the main part of my eyelid from inner corner to the crease to the outer corner. Making the eyeshadow wet isn't necessary but with the colors I use it just makes them pop that little bit extra.

Step 5: Blending

Next I used a dry rounded... round.. brush (this is where I admit that I don't actually know the different names for the different brushes. I just use what works best!) and applied Plum Passion PureFusion Eyeshadow to blend/soften the edges and bring it up closer to the brow line.  It just gives it a smoother appearance. (I do this for nearly every look I do and very very rarely use less than two colors)

Step 6: Highlighter

Okay so I actually forgot to take a picture here. But that pale, pale green (Green Icestorm, PureFusion Eyeshadow) I am applying under the eye with my flat brush (after I washed it) is the same color that I applied lightly over the brow bone (right under the eyebrow. It's actually a pretty important step, to use a really pale color with just a bit of shimmer usually, to sort of brighten up the eye and... well I don't know exactly how to explain what it does. I am not a professional makeup artist, but I do know it makes a difference when you are looking at it! *Insert failure at describing moment*

I applied the same color under the eye, wet, just to make my eyes a bit brighter and more open looking. Plus I just like contrasting colors. :)

Step 7: Eyeliner

Eyeliner isn't necessary but I almost always wear it just because I like how it looks.
(Okay really, I only wear makeup at all because I like how it looks...)

For this look I lined the entire eye. Yup, right up as close as I can get. Some people don't like applying liner that close to their eye because it might not be healthy, but according to all the studies I have read, as long as it an all natural, mineral eyeshadow without any of those nasty chemicals, its just fine. (And don't ask if that Estee Lauder liner is, because honestly, I have no idea. It is one of the few things I have that aren't mineral makeup of some sort....)

Step 8: Final step! Mascara!

I curl my lashes first, because while I was blessed with nice long thick lashes, they are absolutely straight. For Mascara I think I have been using Maybeline XXL Pro Curls for years... I suppose there might be better stuff out there (well there most definitely is) but this works and I am a bit of a creature of habit.


And that's it! You are done!
Or at least I am done with this haphazard tutorial. I swear I will do one with normal colors for those that wanted that (I realize most people aren't all that comfortable wearing bright purple eyeshadow on a day to day basis).

and so here it is, the (or at least my) FINISHED PRODUCT!

And now... I hope there are no spelling errors or I didn't miss anything important. But its past midnight and I have no idea why I am still awake...

I hope this was maybe helpful!?

Let me know if you liked the format at least so that when I get around to doing a more 'normal' or 'everyday' look I know what I can change or improve on.

Pumpkin Cookies

Since the weather is unfortunately turning colder and I find myself turning the heat on and wrinkling my nose at the rain and cold... I try to think about the good things in Autumn.

Things like bright colors and crisp air (rain go away please) and apple cider and tea and more importantly...

PUMPKINS!
And all the wonderful things you can do with them.... like make cookies!

This is one of my all time favorite cookie recipes. Given to me by the lovely 'Miss B'. And also one the simplest.

Ingredients

 1/2 cup of Sugar

1/2 cup of Brown Sugar

1 Cup of Butter

3/4 cup Pumpkin (for a double recipie use 1-14oz. can)

1 tsp Vanilla

1 Egg

2 Cups Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Salt

3/4 cup Nuts (Optional, I never put them in)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Celsius

MIX

(Really that's all. Throw the ingredients all together in a bowl/mixer and mix away until its smooth)

Place dollops of dough on a non-greased cookie sheet and bake at 350C for 18 minutes.

FROSTING! 
(because we can't forget the frosting)

3 tbsp Butter

1/2 cup of brown sugar

Boil for one minute

Add 1/4 cup of Milk

and enough icing sugar to thicken. 

Drizzle on top of cooled cookies. 

Now go eat up!

Little Red Dress - Tutorial

Not black. Red. Because I love red.

And because when I was little we had a dress up box full of old dresses of my mom's that were from the 70's or what not. A couple months ago my mom sent me one of them because I asked for it. A nice long, shapeless red... dress....

This was it...

(Warning: This is another one of those 'Suzy-style' tutorials that mostly just fail at being a tutorial because I never do things properly or know how to describe the way I haphazardly piece things together)

Today I finally got around to refashioning it!

I started off with gathering the front and stitching it together. Just a simple hand stitch. 

Next, I cut the dress roughly in half, leaving the bottom half the final length I wanted the dress to be underneath the bust area.

Now is the part, where as always, I forgot to take photos. Though really, all that is missing is me pinning the two halves back together. I sewed the part I cut off from the bottom, back onto the top just higher up, right under the white stitching on the bust. I pleated it free hand on the sewing machine and presto!

All it needed was a belt which I grabbed from the remnants of those lace curtains I used to make a skirt a few months back...


And here is the final result! I am pretty happy with it.

Goodnight!

(Two posts in one day! It must be a miracle!)

Creative Induction

Surprisingly, with my husband out of town, I have been rather creative. I think its born from the desire to not be bored, so I made a whole list of projects. Things I've wanted to do, things I've been meaning to do, things I just like to do.

Here is a bit of a peek...

Leather and Lace  and a piece I have yet to list (I should get to work on that!)

This one sold pretty much the day I listed it. I was so happy!

Autumn Fire my newest piece!

Now I've also been doing some other projects, things such as stitching beads onto lace tights. A rather perilous task if you are as... clumsy.... as me. I poked my leg a lot and I am still not done... 

What else have I been doing... Oh! Makeup! 

Does all of this excuse me for not blogging?! I have been busy!

Upcoming projects: Paint the huge canvas I have (Secretly by dad bought this canvas for me two years ago now with the promise he would send me a picture I would paint on it for him. But like I said, that was two years ago and I still haven't gotten a picture. So I am going to paint something for above my bed on it, and when he finally gets that picture to me I'll just have to go out and get a new canvas), paint 15 sheets of red paper with bamboo and put in my photo screen, make a dress, make more jewelry, paint the last two of my kitchen cupboard doors. Phew!

And... I think that's all!