Thursday, October 13, 2011

I Say: MOO to You!

Hey now 3 posts in 2 days, nothing like making up for lost blogtime ;-)
Anyway, today's 365 picture is showcasing a few of my recent MOO rectangular stickers (labels) made from some of my ATC cards.





I was contacted a few weeks ago by a Moopresentative that had seen my new label size stickers on Flickr and asked if I had any interest in a little spot in the ideas section of the Moo website. I said sure! and sent them back the requested bio-type info and some explanations of how I use current and intend to use any future Moo printed products. I've long been a fan of the Moo Mini Card, and have also used them to do postcard prints of some of my work, as well as a set of standard size business cards. I love the quality and the uniqueness of their product designs as well as their online designer interface (with Printfinity you can have every single card be a different photo design which I love! Variety is the spice and all that ...) I'm in the planning stages of some new (Rounded Edge!) business cards and more postcard sets, plus possibly some more labels and stickers. That's what I was doing in fact - on the Moo website ordering a sample paper pack before I decide on what I want for this batch, when I saw the link to my page there :))

Anyway, I think it turned out pretty cool, and wanted to share if you are at all interested :)

*and of course now I really feel some pressure to redouble my efforts at getting some new stuff into the Etsy shop! In fact, I just had an Etsy message commenting on the Moo stickers and asking if I sell them, eek! And I really have been working on some new collages, just not getting them to the completed stage as fast as I'd thought or hoped to ... Need to step it up and not blow an opportunity, here!

ta for now, then! xox gem

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Upcycled Rice Bag Pillow

Ta-Da! As promised (to myself) I made a quick & easy craft today - one I've been meaning to do for awhile but yaddayaddablah just put it off along with everything else.
Anyway, I've made a cute decorator throw pillow upcycled from a rice bag.



I got a buncha cool ricebags from my friend Patricia over the summer, and I figured I'd either make a tote bag or pillow out of them - the pillow seemed easier and quicker (and just all around more doable with my limited patience and sewing skills)

This one was a practice run with the smallest of the bags - and while I could have gone the "Super Easy Cheaty Route" and just stuffed it as-is with fiberfill and zipped the sucker closed, I didn't! I cut off the top portion with the zipper and handle, re-sewed around the entire perimeter with a straight machine stitch, filled it with polyfill, then sewed the top shut. It's a bit wonky (Unstraight Threadlines! hello, good buddy!) and the top is kinda "rustic" with it's ravelled edging, but I think it turned out cute enough for what was literally a 20 minute top-to-bottom completed project. Including the 5 minutes it took me to rethread my sewing machine, which I still have to haul out the manual for cuz that's how often I use it :D





I ran outta polyfill so I only made the one, but since that was my goal, I'm happy :) And I plan to do a bit more involved of a job on the others and might even use pillow forms on them - we'll see!
Let's hope this is the start of a nice, productive, creative roll for me ...

LATER!
~ gem ~

Hi Hey Howdy

Sooooo ... 10 months later ...
Yeah yeah whatever. I'm still working on it.

I did however start and kept current with the 365 project, so the year hasn't been a total loss. I'm on Day 120 of 365, and haven't missed a one - so there.




Anyway. Today's goal:MAKE ONE THING.
And nope, this blogpost don't count ;-p Catch ya later with a photo of said thing! You betcha!

xoxo gem