H.I. from Raising Arizona - swap piece

This was the piece that I sent to my swap partner for a recent Phat Quarter swap, themed "movies." My partner - the illustrious Mafiosagrrl - told me that she likes the Coen Brothers movies, so I picked a favorite and got to work.

I love the scene in Raising Arizona when H.I. is robbing the convenience store with pantyhose on his head and stealing Huggies. Things go awry and he has to hijack a car and the driver tells him "son, you've got a panty on your head" in a thick southern drawl and it just cracks me up every. single. time.





. : * ~ * : . _ . : * ~ * : . _ . : * ~ * : .
Interested in owning a piece like this? Check out my Etsy shopor email me for a custom order!. : * ~ * : . _ . : * ~ * : . _ . : * ~ * : .

Fartist

We use the term "artist" and "fartist" interchangably and so it made me giggle when I noticed that in the final episode of season three of Mad Men, the art department door was festooned with a big F. Yay for the Fart Department!

Giddy Giveaway!

Fall is here and even though the local temperatures are in the 90's, it's time to start thinking about autumn and Halloween is just around the corner! That's why I was inspired to have a Giddy Giveaway!

I'm giving away a hand-embroidered jack-o-lantern, based on vintage clip art. His happy face glows in the dark, so you can see him smiling at you, no matter what time of day it is! This piece comes in the frame shown (faux woodgrain, flex-hoop frame) that is 3.5" tall and approx. 2.5" wide. The fabric has a tone-on-tone white print with leaves -- perfect for Fall! There is also excess fabric around the frame, so that you can remove it or re-frame it, if you'd prefer.



To win:

1. Leave a comment, letting me know you want it!
2. Tell me - what's your favorite kind of jack-o-lantern? Do you like "classic faces" or do you prefer to use your pumpkin in a more creative way?
3. Please note: unless your profile allows for everyone to view your full Google profile and email address, I cannot see it either. If you're unsure, please include your email address in your comment.
4. I'll draw the name on Friday, October 8th and I'll contact the winner to get their mailing info.

Some photos taken at Disneyland, made by their master pumpkin carvers on display throughout Halloweentime.

thrifted butterfly cross stitch

I found this beautiful butterfly cross stitch piece at a thrift store and it's one of my prize thrift store finds. Look at the gorgeous detail! It has been custom framed, but there's no indication of who might have made it or where they came from, but I wish I knew so I could thank them personally!

beaded cross stitch

I made this beaded cross stitch of a popcorn bucket, based on a pattern that I picked up at Designer's Desk. This is the first beaded cross stitch project I have ever done and it's challenging! Slow going but I really like the end effect. It's got a great dimensional quality, plus it sparkles a little!



. : * ~ * : . _ . : * ~ * : . _ . : * ~ * : .Interested in owning a piece like this? Check out my Etsy shopor email me for a custom order!. : * ~ * : . _ . : * ~ * : . _ . : * ~ * : .

There's always money in the banana stand!

3.5" x 2.5" hand-embroidered banana stand.







. : * ~ * : . _ . : * ~ * : . _ . : * ~ * : .Interested in owning a piece like this? Check out my Etsy shopor email me for a custom order!. : * ~ * : . _ . : * ~ * : . _ . : * ~ * : .

Floss Porn!

I've been stitching a lot lately so I have some empty slots in my box - time for a refill!










. : * ~ * : . _ . : * ~ * : . _ . : * ~ * : .Interested in owning a piece like this? Check out my Etsy shopor email me for a custom order!. : * ~ * : . _ . : * ~ * : . _ . : * ~ * : .

Fleeting Immersion

Friday night was the Fleeting Immersion show, which was great! The opening was pretty busy (below is an early photo) and there were lots of folks that I recognized (TV, comedians, etc.) so that was exciting. But the best people that I recognized were people who came to see ME! Lori and her friend came by (and found some must-have items).



Miss Bliss and Kate (the photographer) also came. They're the best!

Ryan and Bliss are as excited as I am to see my art installed (next to Mr Toast!)

And then Giggly Mama and the Family! Her husband and brother-in-law came along too -- a 6 hour drive! I couldn't believe it! So exciting to see them!

I even had the opportunity to meet Chris Hardwick (aka: the Nerdist) who was super warm and charming and pretty much exactly what you'd expect. I think I even cajoled him into letting me make him something so that both members of Hard n'Phirm have a piece of my artwork.
After the show, the group went over to the French Market for a late dinner. Kate and Bliss brought me birthday gifts (!!). Miss Bliss stitched this adorable piece that says "I craft so no one has to die" - so perfect!

And Kate brought me these adorable breakfast keychains! One is French Toast and one is a Happy Waffle - seriously, could these be any cuter??

Me and Shannon after eating our late night breakfast.

The whole group was laughing and chatting. It was so much fun to see everyone!
A HUGE thank you to everyone who came out to the gallery opening! And don't forget that all of the pieces will be available for sale online after the show closes -- go take a peek at the Tinklark Gallery and sign up for the mailing list to be informed when everything is available to buy!

Sunbeam Lion

Made from a Bee's Knees free embroidery pattern! Get yours here. I created the sunbeams by gathering the fabric on the needle and pulling through once (rather than feeding in/out) which is why they're kinda crooked. I also didn't take enough care in planning out the colors, so there are some "filler" beams that are glow in the dark thread. But all in all, I'm pretty happy with it!







. : * ~ * : . _ . : * ~ * : . _ . : * ~ * : .Interested in owning a piece like this? Check out my Etsy shopor email me for a custom order!. : * ~ * : . _ . : * ~ * : . _ . : * ~ * : .

Mr X Stitch original - just for me!

Lookie what I got! A MrXStitch original piece!! Squuuuueeeeeee!

Fleeting Immersion

I'm super excited to share this with all of you. I was invited to participate in the inaugural Fleeting Immersion show! This is going to be a fun and fantastic pop-up gallery in Los Angeles, and I sincerely hope that you'll come! Check out that roster of artists!

From the press release:

FLEETING IMMERSION is a revolutionary pop-up concept shop melding arts, culture and shopping.

Celebrating the handmade in art, and the fusion of concept and commerce, FLEETING IMMERSION was created and developed by actress, comedienne and producer Janet Varney (Entourage; Dinner and a Movie; founder, SF Sketchfest: The San Francisco Comedy Festival); and actress & comedienne Jessica Makinson (Halfway Home; South Park). FLEETING IMMERSION embraces the pop-up concept and runs thematically wild – featuring highly original works of art, furniture, handmade goods, vintage clothing, and accessories, with every element of the show aligned around a unique, ever-changing theme.

For the show and shop’s inaugural, 10-day run in September, 2010, Tinlark Gallery (located in the historic Crossroads of the World complex on Sunset Blvd.) will be transformed into the world of Santa Fe Astronaut, with each artist’s contribution inspired by the unique foundations of the Southwest…and outer space!

I am BEYOND thrilled to be a part of this show! My first-ever art gallery show and to be in such great company... it's a little overwhelming! I've submitted a few pieces based on my original Nosy Spaceman (shown below) who also glows in the dark! Heck yes! Check out this pic of the spaceman glowing in the dark.

Quick & Easy Needlebook

I like to embroider where ever I go, and recently before I left on a trip I realized that I needed a needle book. I pulled together one out of simple supplies that I already had on-hand. Here's how:

To start with, all you need are a few items: staples, velcro (two pieces - one with the hooks, one with the loops), a piece of felt, and a piece of heavy cardstock (I used a hang-tag from something that I bought) approx. 5 inches long and 2.5 inches wide.


To start, fold the card stock into 3 sections using 2 folds. The first section will be a fold-over "tab" that will seal the needle book closed. The second fold will define the "folder" of the needlebook, where your needles will be kept.


Then, attach the felt and velcro. I used staples to hold mine in place, but if you use self-adhesive velcro you won't need the staples. On the small "tab" on the first fold (shown on the left), use the piece of velcro with the hooks and attach with staples. Then, flip your paper over and attach the velcro (with the loops) on the outside of your folder. On the third section of the inside "folder" attach the felt with staples.


That's all! Now you're done! Add some needles to the felt piece and you're ready to go! Below are photos of my own needle book, which is surprisingly robust and has traveled more than 8,000 miles with me and never broke a sweat!

Please note that in my photos, the fold-over tab is shown on the right side instead of the left, which is essentially "upside down" from the instructions above.

Tiny Mouse Ears - custom embroidery

My friends were married in July and shortly after came for a trip to Disneyland. As newlyweds, we joked that they should get the bride and groom mouse ears, but the new groom wasn't going for it (it takes a special kind of dude to wear those things all day).

So instead, I found these tiny versions of the mouse ears (originally keychains, but I removed the chain) and customized them as a gift.

I used a dollar bill for scale - plus, it's showing off my immense wealth. Dolla dolla billz, yo!

For the bride's hat, I sewed a veil from white organza and attached it to the crown of the hat. I also added a red bow in classic Minnie Mouse style.



But before I did that, I added the happy couple's names to the hats. Each were hand-embroidered with yellow floss, just like the real hats at Disneyland*. Due to the small size of the hats, I couldn't make it work out to use an elaborate script-font, so I just free-handed the letters in my own handwriting.





For the groom's hat, I added a top hat. The local craft store recently stopped carrying tiny top hats for dolls (the woman said they went on clearance and someone came and bought them all -- there must be a boom for dolls with top hats!), so I made my own out of black felt. Just a simple cylinder attached to a brim and then attached to the crown of the mouse ear hat.



The happy couple even sent me a picture of themselves modeling their new hats!


These were really fun to make and I've been considering adding them to my etsy shop. What do you think?


*Now that the hand-embroidery machines at Disneyland are gone (swapped for computerized models), there are also color options for custom hat embroideries but the original yellow thread-on-black hats will always hold a special place in my heart.