Indulging my felt obsession

Don't worry - we're not getting away from Paper - we will always try to incorporate paper and paper products into our art. Felt is extremely versatile, fairly cheap, comes in a whole bunch of saturated colors and doesn't unravel when you cut it. I looked at an owl fabric for the basic shape and then made it even cuter with buttons and embroidery floss stitches. Embroidery hoops make the perfect frame and create a nice finished edge.

For this hoop, I was inspired by a compilation of stitched felt circles that I saw on Pinterest. Of course, I had to add buttons and a cute gingham bow!

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this little hoop! The colorful buttons are so playful and create the perfect frame for such a nice expression. I couldn't decide if I should embroider "I heart buttons" or "I heart crafts" and ultimately just went with this. I think it was the right decision although I can see them all in my mind and will probably make the other versions very soon! I see all of these hoops hanging from colorful ribbons on a wall together...

OMG! I never thought I would buy zebra printed felt but I am so pleased with the result. I love this little guy. I know he has pink accents but I can't help thinking he is a boy! Tiny button eyes and fuzzy yarn hair add to his personality - I wish you could see his little tail and pink heart butt! 

Reduce, Reuse, UPcycle...

It's true, today was the last day of school with kids, so you know what that means?! 3 whole months of creating in my sweatshop craft room! Well, after my National Boards Exam, that is... (It's on Monday morning, so pleeeease send good vibes, thanks!)

Lately, I've been obsessed with upcycling. What the h is upcycling, you may ask? It's simply the process of converting an industrial nutrient (material) into something of similar or greater value, in its second life. Since I'm a coffee addict, it's been easy collecting Starbucks coffee sleeves to make pretty little mini albums:

Here are a few photos from a birthday mini album that I'm planning on adding to our Etsy site really soon:

And this is an album that I made for my bf, Andrew:

They took me about an hour or so to make each mini album, and it's easy to add journaling tags and notes in the pockets. Aren't they fun? You should try to make one!

I challenge you to begin looking at used/useless items and transforming them into something better, prettier, and charming!Click here for a tutorial that you can follow. Happy crafting!

Free at last, Free at last....

... Well, at least one of us is. And only partially. So, maybe that was not the most appropriate title after all. Hmmm.... will strive to improve my blog titling skills.

What was I referring to? Gracie's last day of school is tomorrow! She is free of fourth graders for 3 whole months. But, she still has to study for her National Boards exam so cross your fingers for her. Good luck Gracie - have a great last day tomorrow!

For the other two Paper Dolls, its business as usual. No 3 months off for us, suckers. But, there is still something about summer in Vegas that makes you feel free. And hot! So, its that time again -lets ramp up the sweat shop. The Harvest Festival is coming up in September and we would really like to participate. There is a lot of work involved in even registering - you have to have a photo or sketch of your display, descriptions of your product, photos of you making your crafts, oh, and a $500 fee. Sheesh! But, we're going to make it happen. We'd love to hear from any other crafters who have participated in the Harvest Festival - let us know how it went, any tips you might have, dos and donts, etc? If you don't make crafts yourself but have attended the event before, tell us what you love the most about it and what your favorite crafts to shop for are. Are you buying gifts for fall holidays or Christmas or are you just out shopping for things you love with your favorite friend?

Finally, a big thank you to all of our new followers! We appreciate you baring with us while we figure out the technical side of blogging. Have a great Thursday tomorrow, we know Gracie will. Keep crafting

Art Felt

We heart felt (especially because some felt is made out of 100% recycled plastic soda bottles)!  These are a few other reasons to love felt:

• it doesn’t biodegrade
• is hypo-allergenic
• is moth-proof
• is mildew and odor-resistant
• is light
• contains no irritants or carcinogens

Look at the fine, fabulous, felt art that caught our eyes this week:

Ruth: "Just checking out felt art, saw this and LOVED it! I really like the use of differnet colors and mixing the felt with buttons. The maticulous needlework is really impressive. Don't forget to also check out "A long time coming" by A Little Bit of Just Because!"

Lauren: "I don't know exactly what these are but I love them. They look like colorful little deviled eggs or cell cross sections that give me flashbacks to Bio 190 at UNLV and a cute lab GA who wore old school Doc. Martens with black socks and shorts! But, either way, they make me happy. One wouldn't have done it - you need the montage!"

Gracie: "How yummy are these cupcakes?!  The detail is delicious... the glass beads, the blanket stitching, I can't even take it.  You could use these as pin cushions, or place them in "exploding cards" that we'll be posting soon, as gifts.