work in progress

patchwork poster? i dunno... i just really like this lyric from my friend wallis, and felt the urge to reproduce it in fabric form.

 

 here's a sketch of what the final product aims to look like:

(it says "i've got better things to do than waste my dreams on you".) here is the video: better things to do.

bunting birthday card

here's a really quick birthday card i whipped up for my friend barbara!

super simple, super cute!

faux bois storage box

i love cardboard. i do. i used to collect sheets and sheets of it for future painting projects (as a cheap alternative to buying canvas), but i don't really paint anymore. i still find uses for it though. my mom discovered this plain cardboard box full of big bopper magazines from when i was a kid. man, that was a trip to go through! recycled all that crap (and got a good kick out of pouring through all the jonathan brandis-RIP- and edward furlong posters i'd saved), and then i was left with a perfectly good, yet not so attractive storage box. i have a big expedit bookcase from ikea, that houses my crafting supplies. the box fits well in the cubby.

so, to give it some curb appeal i thought i'd go for a faux bois attempt. it was pretty easy, and super quick! i just google image'd "faux bois" and got an idea of what i wanted. i roughly penciled in some rings and lines, and then went over it with a black marker. bing! donesies.

i mean, it's not perfect or anything, but i think it's kind of whimsical and neat!

'step one' and 'reilly'

two more embroidery projects i managed to bang out:

the first one was inspired by... and this is going to sound incredibly pathetic and cat-lady-esque, but... my cat. she was meowsering around, bidding for attention, which is both cute and annoying, and i blurted out at her, "how can i love you better?" the phrase struck me as something that could be really romantic in the right context. (i did fear that it could sound sarcastic, but i think the bright bold colours sway it to the more sincere side.)

the second one was inspired by a viewing of the film Cyrus.
 

if you're familiar with john c. reilly, you know he has an expressive face. if you're not familiar with him, pick up a movie and watch it. any movie, seriously, he's probably in it. i was just so taken with his profile, i had to commit it to 2D embroidered form. watching the trailer now, i think the nose could use some work... but overall, i love this piece, particularly the colours. i love love love the muted, warm yellows in the fabric. so country rose. i also love the placement. i don't really plan ahead too much, so it was a happy surprise when i noticed that one of the flowers lands perfectly in front of reilly's mouth. it just looks pretty. like he's smelling the rose.

 

as for the the movie, it's really funny, as is the insanely talented mr. reilly!

vintage theatre signs

google imaging 'vintage theatre signs' for a project, and i found this image from the vancouver sun. love!

granville street, vancouver- 1960

something for myself

well, now that i've finished with the major baby book project, i finally got around to executing one of the many ideas i've had floating around in my head lately. this was a really quick embroidery project (it took one and a half evenings to complete).

i didn't necessarily want perfect lines, such as the kind i strive for in my baby books. i made a rule for myself that i couldn't undo any stitches. if it looked wrong or awkward, i just had to keep going forward. (okay, there were two or three stitches that i re-did.) i think the result gives it a sort of lively, hand-drawn quality. i absolutely love the natural linen that i found at a value village. i need to find more!

i draw the image on the canvas with a disappearing ink pen. is that cheating? i don't know, but i really like the look of the sketched ink on the canvas...

the image is one of possibly more to come of what i guess could be called a diary series? words and images that may or may not shed some light on what sometimes goes on in my brain.

not really sure what to do with it now. i don't feel inclined to hang it on the wall, but i do like it. maybe i'll sell it on etsy one day. but the important thing is, i finally got to produce something for myself. and that feels pretty good.

birthdays!

one of my friends recently had a japanese themed birthday party-- everyone contributed amazing japanese food, and donations for the disaster relief fund. in keeping with the theme, i whipped up a super simple japanese flag birthday card in about 2 minutes! i cut a piece of white cardstock to size, traced a circle (from a spool of thread) onto red cardstock, cut it out, smeared a bit of glue in the centre, and then sewed it on. super super easy!

remember to open the card before sewing! i forgot the first time, effectively sewing the card shut! *facepalm* but, a second card took NO time to reconstruct!

that same weekend, one of my dearest friends, a cycling enthusiast, celebrated her birthday so i made this tshirt for her! (well, i didn't make the shirt, but i stenciled it.)

it's a take on the classic 'I <3 NY' tshirts.

and while we're on the subject of stenciled tee's, here's another one i made a few months ago for grant, the lead singer of local band behind sapphire. the story is, i've seen them play numerous times (one of my amazingly talented friends often plays trumpet for them), and at one show, i noticed grant had created a sapphire out of blue painter's tape on the back on his shirt. (it's a sapphire on his back. 'behind sapphire', get it?) but since blue tape is low tack, it eventually fell off. i admired his ingenuity though, and promised him, sort of jokingly, that i'd make him a real shirt.

ironically, i used blue tape to stencil the lines. it works beautifully!

close up: nice crisp lines.

grant was a real sweetheart when i gave it to him at their tour kick show at st james hall. he wore it like a cape that night! i highly recommend you give them a listen, they are delightful!