tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76038690199555944962024-03-13T15:51:14.366-05:00All the Cool Kids Love to CraftBold color, too many art supplies and whatever free time I've got.hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.comBlogger148125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603869019955594496.post-31694638279781056382010-03-17T11:09:00.004-05:002010-03-17T12:10:44.463-05:00Oh Patty Dearest Have You Heard?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S6D-246IKMI/AAAAAAAABVc/cVW4HiTlohk/s1600-h/St+Pat+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 344px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S6D-246IKMI/AAAAAAAABVc/cVW4HiTlohk/s400/St+Pat+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449635768060881090" /></a><div><br /></div><div>Good day to ye! It's been aye but a long time since ye last heard from me. And that's the end of me trying to type like an Irish person. As a little girl (a lass perhaps), my mommy used to sing me the song that inspired this post's title -- "Oh Patty dearest have you heard the news that's going round -- they're killing men and women for the wearing of the green." It's a morbid song lyric I realize, but it does remind me of why it's so important to wear the green on St. Patrick's Day. It's not just a sign of liking green beer or being drunk -- at one time and place it meant something. Words like solidarity, faith, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">perseverance</span> come to mind, that plus, well, the Irish are so charming and witty, it's hard not to love them. </div><div>I always wear green on St. Patrick's. Otherwise I'd get pinched. And though this post has already gotten its fair share of useless asides, I'll share one more from the archive -- when I was about four years old, my mother was asked to be Godmother to a distant niece of hers (Devin) and when we showed up at the church for the baptism, I saw that the baby was wearing all white. Having been told that one is allowed to pinch all non-green-wearing folks on St. Patrick's Day, I walked right up to the infant and pinched her. She was doing so well in her little white Christening dress until that moment. Whoops. </div><div>And to the craft, I didn't really intend to make a St. Pat's necklace except that I found in my big box of materials that I actually owned two St. Pat's themed plastic items. And like the siren song of the Emerald Isle, they were calling my name and tempting me to string them up for a necklace that will ultimately be worn, what, twice a year at best? Assuming the wearer uses it on both the holiday and the Saturday night before or after? </div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603869019955594496.post-51800429302684295372010-02-08T07:13:00.000-06:002010-02-08T07:13:00.396-06:00Final Christmas (but don't worry I've got stuff saved for next year already thus ensuring that the blog will still be happening come next November)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0QqCCxpqEI/AAAAAAAABUo/gesXuYcRDqo/s1600-h/Faux+McCoy+052.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 312px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0QqCCxpqEI/AAAAAAAABUo/gesXuYcRDqo/s400/Faux+McCoy+052.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423506065854146626" /></a><br /><div>Behold! The Christmas table. I thought it was festive. And modern. And urban. And, if it were personified my dad would lean toward me and ask, "Is that an urban hipster?" To which I automatically reply, "No dad, geez." </div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603869019955594496.post-33480532711285570922010-02-06T06:37:00.001-06:002010-02-06T06:37:00.158-06:00A tribute to the best craft ever<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0QrCRB8xtI/AAAAAAAABUw/8P9HntPRSA4/s1600-h/Faux+McCoy+050.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0QrCRB8xtI/AAAAAAAABUw/8P9HntPRSA4/s400/Faux+McCoy+050.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423507169192232658" /></a><br /><div>That baboon amazes me. I can't even tell you all the reasons why this is one of the most awesome objects I've ever beheld. And I've been to the Louvre, seen Mona Lisa. I've gone to the Met and the National Galleries in DC, and the Chicago Art Institute and the Victoria & Albert Musuem, not to mention a semester's worth of train travel across Italy to see every last Baroque wonder, but seriously, this baboon figure is one of the best things ever. </div><div><br /></div><div>And I bought him for a quarter at the saddest antique store in the saddest town in the saddest quadrant of Arkansas, which I'm not about to call "one of the saddest states in the US" though I'm sure many people would take such liberties when ranking US states by, oh, educational systems, poverty levels, etc. However, I love the Natural State enough to give it its own label on this blog. Anyway, main street of Ashdown, Arkansas houses some truly sad offices and junk stores. And as I rummaged through the sadness, I found THIS and many of his friends (think giraffe, penguin, bunnies), each for a quarter. Obviously, some truly talented crafter of yesteryear took felt, sequins and a permanent cloth marker and had some fun. </div><div><br /></div><div>I actually sold all of his friends at my October craft sale ... making a tidy little profit. I mean, you gotta admit, it's worth more than a quarter, if nothing more than for the sheer retro awesomeness of the colors and shapes. </div><div><br /></div><div>Baboonie was used as my tree topper on the first ever Hilary live tree. I know I seem like the type that would have a holy angel or something, but really, once the thought of topping the tree with Sir Monkay came into my noggin, I couldn't resist!</div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603869019955594496.post-26081513972496355912010-02-04T08:15:00.000-06:002010-02-03T13:58:38.194-06:00I know, enough with the Christmas already....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0QmL7zTczI/AAAAAAAABTQ/ol6g48vr6FE/s1600-h/Faux+McCoy+126.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 327px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0QmL7zTczI/AAAAAAAABTQ/ol6g48vr6FE/s400/Faux+McCoy+126.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423501837734212402" /></a><br /><div>And I promise to do that very soon. But I couldn't resist showing this sock monkey Santa Claus I made out of my forever gingerbread dough. </div><div><br /></div><div>I think I mentioned this earlier, but naturally am too lazy to check, but the dough is 500% more pliable, smell-goodier, smoother and easier to work with when it's been heated in the microwave. Nuke the stuff for half a minute and you're really cooking with gas. Notice Santa's lovely complexion and smooth skin. Quite nice for a monkey man. </div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603869019955594496.post-80860959490489502822010-01-10T05:50:00.001-06:002010-01-10T05:50:00.492-06:00Cousinly Giving, Part Two<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0QmdcixVbI/AAAAAAAABTY/zrym8nfC9bw/s1600-h/Faux+McCoy+122.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0QmdcixVbI/AAAAAAAABTY/zrym8nfC9bw/s400/Faux+McCoy+122.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423502138581013938" /></a>Here's Cousin Will, looking almost Sweeney Todd esque? I don't know but the coloring of the picture combined with his Dickenesque scarf has me thinking of a Tim Burton flick. He's demonstrating how to play the miniature guitar I made for him out of my fav forever gingerbread recipe. <div><br /></div><div>Poor guy. He's always been the lone dude in a family full to the brim with girls. I decided it would be wrong to give him a girlie sock monkey and wrong for me to make him an OU logo (no way!) so I thought I'd make him something that he'd like, a guitar. If you don't know him, you should know this -- he's a big music guy. Plays all kinds of instruments and knows an intimidating truckload of info about musicians and the local music scene. </div><div><br /></div><div>I think he liked it, as much as a twentysomething guy can like a Christmas ornament. </div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603869019955594496.post-31809871238208268032010-01-09T08:13:00.001-06:002010-01-09T08:13:00.629-06:00Look a Gift Necklace in the Face<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0Qpwg3g5PI/AAAAAAAABUg/PmgI2v4ZNm4/s1600-h/Faux+McCoy+069.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 233px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0Qpwg3g5PI/AAAAAAAABUg/PmgI2v4ZNm4/s400/Faux+McCoy+069.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423505764694156530" /></a>Take a look kiddos, these are my three craft necklace Christmas presents. I noticed at my craft sale that the hottest necklaces were ones that were done in neutral colors, everyday colors, you know, your brown/grey/navy/black/white color families. Ones that work at the office as a subtle piece. And while I'm all about the boldest colors and the most outrageous shapes, I recognized that beauty is in the eye of the beholder (or the buyer) so I did a collection of five black, white and gold necklaces, each one with numbers as the theme for their center wooden coin. Both of these feature prints of bingo cards.<br /><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0Qpi2UvxQI/AAAAAAAABUY/2kvynNlfzWs/s1600-h/Faux+McCoy+064.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 236px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0Qpi2UvxQI/AAAAAAAABUY/2kvynNlfzWs/s400/Faux+McCoy+064.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423505529935742210" /></a><br /></div><div>And finally, here's Cousin Meg's donkey necklace up close. Hee haw. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0QpI2OjW2I/AAAAAAAABUQ/S2EZ_AYjtts/s1600-h/Faux+McCoy+074.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 350px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0QpI2OjW2I/AAAAAAAABUQ/S2EZ_AYjtts/s400/Faux+McCoy+074.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423505083233164130" /></a><br /></div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603869019955594496.post-31150071800182636332010-01-08T06:15:00.002-06:002010-01-08T06:15:00.149-06:00Cousinly Giving, Part One<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0Qm5QHwwLI/AAAAAAAABTg/W4APEg9VB1I/s1600-h/Faux+McCoy+121.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0Qm5QHwwLI/AAAAAAAABTg/W4APEg9VB1I/s400/Faux+McCoy+121.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423502616282841266" /></a>So someone (obviously me) was having some fun with the color toning on this picture... I was kinda going for a retro fade on the coloring of the picture, something like mid 1970s to match the beautiful Cousin Meg's shirt. <div><br /></div><div>And what, pray tell, is that fabulous item she is holding or that lovely piece of jewelry that adorns her neck? Well, friends, those are homemade craft Christmas presents! My fam and I hosted my aunt, uncle and two cousins on Christmas Eve for a full out feast--Greenburg Turkey, flank steak skewers (prepared by me, never mind that the skewers caught fire), two sugarfree desserts and a rum cake for the sugar eaters--and a gift exchange. To cap off a perfect evening, there was snow! Right here in Dallas, Texas. And I tell you what, I had to see it to believe it. It seems every year we'd here about rumors of a White Christmas in Dallas, but every cotton-picking year we were scammed or cheated or just plain deceived by our weathermen as Christmas Day would roll around at a balmy 78 degrees or some other equally ridiculous temperature. But this year we got our White Christmas! Not that we're owed or anything, just grateful.</div><div><br /></div><div>Of course I've very much digressed from the crafts at hand. So perhaps you've noted that I'm a little hot on "forever gingerbread," which looks like a regular gingerbread but you can keep it from year to year with no mold worries. It is made from a dough of apple sauce, cinnamon and white glue (yum!) and I used a few templates to make ornaments but I also broke out with some of my own drawings and designs, like, por ejemplo, this sock monkey gal. Making the dough is the most perfect Christmas craft activity because you can blast the carols and fill your house with no-calorie yet delicious smells. Sock gal is holding a gift and wearing a bow in her hair. I trolled google images of "sock monkey" to get the right look (keep in mind that long, long limbs are easy to snap off; she needed to be kinda bulky to have lasting power). I cut her out, baked her and coated her in different microglitter colors so she'd look just right. </div><div><br /></div><div>And the necklace -- it's my Obamania necklace. Well, it's just three donkeys on a chain, but it's just write for my favorite Obamaniac, Cousin MegPeg. The gals just nuts about all things progressive politics and it seemed like just the right fit for her -- it's whimsical and completely silly but at the same time its colorful and fun and appropriate for lib parties. I don't really know if she actually attends liberal parties or if she's just a member of the liberal party, but either way, I hope she enjoys sporting her politics on a chain, given to her by, I dare say, her most conservative cousin. </div><div><br /></div><div>(As a note, if you are lucky enough to tune in to Cool Kids Crafting with great frequency, you *might* be lucky enough to see a better picture of the donkey necklace oh, say, tomorrow.)</div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603869019955594496.post-85463476404602689312010-01-07T07:45:00.003-06:002010-01-07T07:45:00.103-06:00It's A Wrap (2009 Edition)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0Qn5rJz5_I/AAAAAAAABT4/mxUfmzyn7CM/s1600-h/Faux+McCoy+119.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 399px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0Qn5rJz5_I/AAAAAAAABT4/mxUfmzyn7CM/s400/Faux+McCoy+119.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423503723050821618" /></a>So this is another in the never-ending collection of holiday posts. Presenting, this year's <a href="http://coolkidscrafting.blogspot.com/2009/01/its-wrap.html">homemade package wrap</a> -- sewn bags! Here's the background. A few months ago my mother and I were in the clearance section of a fabric warehouse in the seedy, seedy Harry Hines fabric warehouse district or whatever you want to call that particularly unsavory sector of Dallas, and I saw this fabric on closeout special for $0.50 a yard. I bought six yards for -- no calculators needed -- $3 and planned to use it to wrap every small to medium sized Christmas gift. I did use it for every gift I gave this year with a couple of big box items as the exception. And I still have fabric left over. What really amazed me was how easy it was to sew them all. I didn't spend a lot of time ironing hems or pinning things, I pretty much just freehand sewed little pouches for every gift. I sealed them all with safety pins and then attached ribbons. Pretty simple, eh? My favorite part is the green factor... During the year, you can use the bags to store breakable Christmas ornaments and during the holidays, you can reuse them to give new gifts away. My dad has already decreed that from here on out, the ones I gave to him and my mom will only stay in the nuclear family so they can get maximum usage out of them. Considering that I didn't bother with pinning or ironing, I'm serious when I say I think I got a run for my money in terms of time. A couple of bags in, I'm pretty sure I was sewing cloth baggies as fast as I could wrap a paper package.<div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0QnsbhEk_I/AAAAAAAABTw/3GpkyMJskHQ/s1600-h/Faux+McCoy+110.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0QnsbhEk_I/AAAAAAAABTw/3GpkyMJskHQ/s400/Faux+McCoy+110.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423503495515116530" /></a>If you are in the mood to make your Christmas a little more green or sustainable or you would rather hoard wrapping paper for more fun uses than just as package covers, give this option a try. I'm not one who puts too much stock in carbon footprints (or carbon pawprints as far as my cat is concerned), but perhaps I was able to balance out live tree with the cloth wrap? The point for me was to do something that was unique and fun, to try out a new idea and to make something worth keeping. </div><div><br /></div><div>Also, there's no coincidence vis a vis the Longhorn package topper (above) and today's date. One last plug... Texas Fight!</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, don't judge the sparkley red leopard print tree skirt. I bought that fabric to use for Beta/Theta toga party (feel free to judge on that) but I never got around to wearing it as a toga. I've dutifully kept the fabric for years and it fit perfectly as a makeshift tree skirt. So exotic and classy...</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0QnajoxqqI/AAAAAAAABTo/y2f9F5vnLQ0/s1600-h/Faux+McCoy+096.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0QnajoxqqI/AAAAAAAABTo/y2f9F5vnLQ0/s400/Faux+McCoy+096.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423503188457269922" /></a><br /></div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603869019955594496.post-71860424857152684002010-01-06T00:04:00.005-06:002010-01-06T10:59:05.035-06:00Get Your Horns Ready...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0QoyFJFO5I/AAAAAAAABUI/oTr9mgOuG48/s1600-h/Faux+McCoy+091.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 354px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0QoyFJFO5I/AAAAAAAABUI/oTr9mgOuG48/s400/Faux+McCoy+091.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423504692099758994" /></a>So a really special team is playing in the Rose Bowl tomorrow. It is, in fact, my favorite college team (Washington and Lee would technically be in first place there but you never see them on TV and, really, few people see them live in Lexington). The Texas Longhorns are going to beat the Alabama Elephants or whatever their Roll Tide symbol is beyond just a really big A.<div><br /></div><div>To celebrate their awesomeness (and the extreme adorableness of QB Colt McCoy), I made each of my Longhorn relatives a forever gingerbread Longhorn for Christmas. I've shown you earlier how mine looked when finished. I thought I'd show how the collection looked on the baking sheet. So there you've got Cousins Meg, Laura and Mary with Uncle Trey and one for my mom. I guess I needed to make a couple more, since I didn't make one for Cousin Em or my Aunt Beth... Whoops. </div><div><br /></div><div>And in the event that you thought I owned a cookie cutter, you're wrong. Each of those horns was hand cut with a sculptors knife from a printed out pattern of the logo. Hard work but someone's got to do it, right? <div><br /></div><div>And below I'm going to let you in on a sad secret that would warm the heart of every dreaded Aggie, one horn did actually get sawed off. (Around Texas you'll see UT haters with logos on their cars that say "Saw 'em off" and have a picture of a hornless Longhorn.) I patched it back up and then added a little wire so that it would be stronger where it had been broken.* Good as new and no one ever needed to know about it... I covered it with glitter. </div><div><br /></div><div>Hook 'em Horns! Go Texas!</div><div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0QobMSLJZI/AAAAAAAABUA/_QAx9t2WjAM/s1600-h/Faux+McCoy+093.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/S0QobMSLJZI/AAAAAAAABUA/_QAx9t2WjAM/s400/Faux+McCoy+093.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423504298879952274" /></a>* This sentence is meant to recall an Ernest Hemingway quote from <i>A Farewell To Arms </i>that was shared with me by my old journalism professor Ham Smith when I broke my legs: </div><div><br /></div><div>"The world breaks everyone and afterwards many are strong at the broken places."</div></div></div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603869019955594496.post-75543694458762845662009-12-21T09:00:00.004-06:002009-12-21T09:00:01.984-06:00Two Years<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SxvxSAenzWI/AAAAAAAABSE/Pn_dVIwu_fE/s1600-h/birthday.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 227px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SxvxSAenzWI/AAAAAAAABSE/Pn_dVIwu_fE/s400/birthday.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412184668884159842" /></a>Two years ago today I started my little craft blog. And it's been really fun. If nothing else, this blog has encouraged me to keep doing creative things every day, even if I don't post about them all, or even post regularly. <div>It's really gratifying to know that friends scattered around the country can keep up with my creative endeavors. I've pondered going pro as of late, and it's something that still might pan out, but whatever my crafting future holds, it's nice to have a record of the last two years of my crafting life. </div><div><br /></div><div>And because birthdays cause one to ponder and reflect, I'm going to share some of the crafting things that I think everyone should own in order to be able to whip up creative projects in a jiffy:</div><div><br /></div><div>1) <a href="http://happytape.bigcartel.com/">Happy Tape</a>. This is from Japan and it's brightly colored masking tape. How does this help your life? I'll tell you. A million ways. If you wrap a package in newspaper, happy tape makes it look like you put forth effort beyond just wrapping a package with garbage. On an envelope, it looks so fun to just slap a few pieces of tape along the seal. It's like stickers for grown ups. If you bring someone some cookies in a paper towel, it looks like you really went the extra mile with fancy pants tape. I love this stuff. </div><div>2) Fishing line. It's invisible, it's uses are infinite and if you buy one roll for less than five bucks, you will do twentyfivethousand projects and you will still feel like you haven't made a dent in the spool. I use it to string garlands, hang wreaths, tie plants to supporting sticks... </div><div>3) A standard-sized stack of paper that you think is pretty. I have a stack of 6x6" paper squares from all kinds of places. Some was originally sold as decorative paper, some came from magazines or catalogs, some is used wrapping paper and others are just scraps I've collected along the way. And the reason I think it is important for you to keep the size standard is easy -- it can be stored best this way. If you just keep stacks of randomly sized papers, the stack becomes a mess so quickly, you'll just throw it away. With the standard sizes, you can find a perfect box for them or just some corner where you can let the stack grow. For a quick homemade greeting card, a set of homemade place cards, unique gift wrap for small packages, etc., I just go to my stack and I always find something fun. When I get a catalog in the mail, or am handed a magazine that I know I don't want to keep, I scan the pages quickly for tear out sheets and then slice and dice the pages into squares.<br /><div>4) Razors. I use these constantly! I have a couple of good holders for straight-edge razors (a comfort grip and a mini-blade holder that I use in tight spaces). You know, if you are dealing with a mess, you can often use a blade to clean it up. Because the blades are disposable, you can add some oil or grease to them to take the remaining parts of a sticker/label/price tag off a piece of glass or plastic. I've even been known to use a razor blade to get a tough stain off a dish if I'm in a rush! And what's better for cleanly taking candle wax drips off wherever they've dropped themselves? Learn how to use a razor and you are on your way to accomplishing your crafting tasks with such greater time efficiency. Also, the manual dexterity you'll learn from wielding your razor well will help with other creative tasks. </div></div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603869019955594496.post-58740202599281815482009-12-19T11:23:00.001-06:002010-01-06T10:59:05.040-06:00And One For All You Mack Brown Fans<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SynAerAreII/AAAAAAAABTI/-37OVA-1SGI/s1600-h/December+015.jpg"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SynAerAreII/AAAAAAAABTI/-37OVA-1SGI/s400/December+015.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416071660063914114" /></a><div>Hey, a gal can have more than one loyalty. At least my loyalties are split between a pro baseball team and a college football team. Right? So the two teams are based quite far apart. I think the premise of the movie "Road Trip" was about some duffuses who confuse "Boston" with "Austin" and drive across the state of Kentucky (as well as many other, less entertaining states) for no reason at all. Why am I explaining my different tastes in sports teams to you anyway? I'm pretty sure you don't care. Of course I have to have some content here. </div><div><br /></div><div>And hey, look at those Longhorns and their precious Colt McCoy winningist quarterback ever! And champs of the Big 12 and headed to Pasadena for a little Rosebowl championship <victory>! Having never attended the University of Texas, I feel a little like a poser saying things like "Hook 'em!" ... but I will always find the voice to sing, </div><div><br /></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF9966;">The eyes of Texas are upon you, </span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF9966;">All the live long day. </span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF9966;">The eyes of Texas are upon you, </span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF9966;">You cannot get away. </span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF9966;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF9966;">Do not think you can escape them, </span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF9966;">Rise so early in the morn. </span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF9966;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF9966;">The eyes of Texas are upon you, </span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF9966;">Til Gabriel blows his horn... </span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF9966;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF9966;">Texas Fight! Texas Fight!</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF9966;">And it's goodbye to A&M!</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF9966;">Texas Fight, Texas Fight!</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF9966;">And we'll pull over one more win!</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF9966;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF9966;">Texas Fight, Texas Fight, </span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF9966;">For it's Texas that we love best!</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF9966;">Give 'em hell! Give 'em hell! Go horns go!</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF9966;">And it's goodbye to all the rest. </span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF9966;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF9966;">Yay orange! Yay white! Yay Longhorns! </span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF9966;">Fight! Fight! Fight!</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Well, there's more of that one, but I'm kinda tired of typing. Now if I could just divide the Camp Mystic dining hall into two parts, one side yells, "Texas" and the other "Fight" and we're going all afternoon. </div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603869019955594496.post-57324169493464847962009-12-18T10:47:00.000-06:002009-12-18T10:47:00.725-06:00What Could Be More Hilary?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/Sym5JDYGDVI/AAAAAAAABTA/YSHz3MBcKyI/s1600-h/December+010.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 290px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/Sym5JDYGDVI/AAAAAAAABTA/YSHz3MBcKyI/s400/December+010.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416063592066059602" /></a>Seriously? What could be more Hilary? There's glitter! There's Christmas! There's baseball! It's made of cheap, biodegradable materials! It's just the best craft ever. And if you play your cards right (aka, you ask me for one), I'll make one for you. And, because I'm the always benevolent crafter, I'll even make an ornament for a team you support, assuming it's made of colors I own and isn't brain surgery difficult to render (Good example: the Ole Miss Rebel, he's too detailed for me to make a glitter ornament of, but the big Ole Miss "M" I can handle. And cringe-worthy second example, I can't do the patriotic hat on a baseball bat Yanks logo, but if you begged me and I was feeling particularly nice, I could make you that evil NY symbol). <div><br /></div><div>But to get away as soon as possible from all things New York Yankees, let's focus on my little lovely pair of, what Sox ownership calls "dangling Sox." I'm so proud! I reinterpreted a Martha Stewart craft suggestion (she had me making birds before I thought of something I'd like better) and came up with my own template to cut the Red Sox logo out of the cinnamon/apple sauce/white glue dough, I baked it, let it dry out completely and then decorated it with the glitter. Let me tell you, that's a thin line of white glitter there my friends... </div><div><br /></div><div>All things considered, I'm in love with my little Sox logo Christmas ornament. Wistfully, I sign off on my first Christmas post of the year... it seems like just yesterday I was working on Christmas 2008 (probably because I drag these things out; I recall writing about Christmas at least through February). Below check out the red lights on my very first ever living tree.<br /><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/Sym48PgtFXI/AAAAAAAABS4/tuQBn4D4kaM/s1600-h/December+070.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 318px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/Sym48PgtFXI/AAAAAAAABS4/tuQBn4D4kaM/s400/December+070.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416063371985098098" /></a></div></div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603869019955594496.post-61913331895376025852009-12-16T07:12:00.002-06:002009-12-16T07:12:00.192-06:00Wild, Succulent Woman<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/Sxvsr22PT1I/AAAAAAAABR8/tgD54Rxpxno/s1600-h/November+075.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/Sxvsr22PT1I/AAAAAAAABR8/tgD54Rxpxno/s400/November+075.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412179615417323346" /></a>No, this post isn't about the weirdest art lady on Earth, Sark (but call her phone number seriously if you want an inspirational message 415.546.3742), this post is about my amazing ability to keep a succulent alive. I know, I know, that's like beating a five year old in a "basic arithmetic" test. I'm good at keeping alive something that is advertised as being hard to kill. Congrats to me. The reason I'm posting this is that, for one, I have a long history of killing succulents and all plants for that matter. And yet, with my new dirt recipe (throwing in sand helped), I've managed to not only keep these guys alive, but they are thriving. Some have grown by leaps and bounds. They are almost too comfortable in my home.<br /><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SxvsQhRowfI/AAAAAAAABR0/UUcuk6xl5dE/s1600-h/November+080.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SxvsQhRowfI/AAAAAAAABR0/UUcuk6xl5dE/s400/November+080.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412179145770189298" /></a></div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603869019955594496.post-90216608295491721042009-12-14T08:00:00.000-06:002009-12-14T08:00:09.522-06:00Screen Saver<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SxvppUKKMJI/AAAAAAAABRs/94yK_GQvGas/s1600-h/November+117.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SxvppUKKMJI/AAAAAAAABRs/94yK_GQvGas/s400/November+117.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412176273211011218" /></a><br /><div>Lately I've been finding more and more reasons to exercise the old sewing machine. I'm not going to lie, back in September when my coworker when my coworker said my hems looked like they'd been done by Helen Keller, I was inspired to get better at sewing. </div><div>Don't get me wrong, I love this little flat screen monitor that serves as my substitute TV. It's the bestest way to watch movies and baseball games and the occasional TV show from hulu.com (Why is Parks and Recreation so amazingly hilarious? The whole cast is awesome.) However, I didn't like the way the screen looked, so sleek and gadgety just sitting out on my tabletop. </div><div><br /></div><div>And when I saw this fabric at the fabric warehouse on Harry Hines for, like, fifty cents a yard, I couldn't pass it up. It's perfect. Trust me, if you are a regular blog follower, you'll see this fabric being used in all kinds of ways (at $0.50 a yard, I bought enough to do many many crafts!). This project must be the easiest ever though. I measured the size of the screen, cut the fabric, hemmed the bottom edge (no Helen Keller here thanks) and sewed the two sides together. Easy breezy beautiful cover girl. </div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603869019955594496.post-19885083960454857682009-12-09T11:25:00.001-06:002009-12-09T11:25:00.290-06:00Gobble Gobble Jewlery<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/Sxv9R-zVBoI/AAAAAAAABSs/8nvmGJcQ3ak/s1600-h/November+095.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 338px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/Sxv9R-zVBoI/AAAAAAAABSs/8nvmGJcQ3ak/s400/November+095.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412197862573672066" /></a><br /><div>My coworker Mattdawg (that's what I call her, her real name is Mattie) has the most amazing collection of holiday themed earrings. She has a dozen Halloween ones and enough Christmas earrings to last from Thanksgiving to New Year's without repeating a pair. </div><div><br /></div><div>Last year it bothered me that she had no Thanksgiving gems. So I promised her a pair. Perhaps some cornucopias or a pilgrim and Indian combo. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't find anything Thanksgiving last year. This year, however, I found these turkey buttons. I chopped off the button part and drilled holes and attached earring hooks. </div><div><br /></div><div>And bless her heart, Mattdawg wore them all November long! <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3a7ATwS6-A">Gobble Gobble Gobble!</a> (and if you click on that link, sorry for the bad language and then the German version, I really just love when she's on the phone with her sister.)</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/Sxv9H6-ZKaI/AAAAAAAABSk/vdqQRCoME1c/s1600-h/November+111.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/Sxv9H6-ZKaI/AAAAAAAABSk/vdqQRCoME1c/s400/November+111.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412197689747646882" /></a><br /></div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603869019955594496.post-43815681880317513702009-12-07T11:25:00.001-06:002009-12-07T11:25:00.931-06:00Where Have I Been All Your Life?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/Sxv4UibuNmI/AAAAAAAABSc/-ayq4t5WEoE/s1600-h/November+038.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/Sxv4UibuNmI/AAAAAAAABSc/-ayq4t5WEoE/s400/November+038.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412192408939935330" /></a>Since October 12, I've been away from ye olde crafting blog. Not because I don't love yous guys, but more like a little well-deserved break from the crazy craft blitz I was on in August and September (I'm the boss around here, so I determine when breaks are well-deserved). So I paused, reflected, cleaned up, put my thinking cap on, schemed some new plans, and renewed my little creative spirit. I think there's good things on the horizon. <div><br /></div><div>And while I rested from my crafting labors, I had some time to enjoy the best season in Texas -- autumn. It's cool and crisp, the humidity takes a much needed rest, every day is a good hair day, the sun feels great shining down on your back. And of course, autumn in Dallas means the State Fair comes to town, and that's the greatest place on Earth. I don't usually go all Chamber of Commerce re: Dallas, but I wanted to share with you three of my favorite pictures from this year's State Fair. Above are the awards handed out to the vendors who win for the best fried food of the year. I love it! I had to jostle some truly impatient fried goober gobblers out of the way to take this picture. For those who don't know, that head is the head of Big Tex, the official mascot of the State Fair. I tried a fried snickers bar this year. It was good. Better than last year's fried cookie dough. Or at least that's what I think I tried. Whatever it was, it had been battered and deep fried and was still hot and greasy when I ate it. I pause to wonder whether I should really say, "yum."<br /><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/Sxv4GsFmxiI/AAAAAAAABSU/TjMvtCZnOQA/s1600-h/November+025.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/Sxv4GsFmxiI/AAAAAAAABSU/TjMvtCZnOQA/s400/November+025.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412192171013359138" /></a><br /></div><div>And I love the signs at the State Fair. The fonts, the scroll, it's just a great piece of work. The vintage look and feel of all the stands, and they aren't vintage because they are going for a currently popular trend of interest in all things old. No way Jose. These signs look vintage because they are old. Why tinker with perfection? Oh and, I'm obsessed with Tiny Tim. Really, the obsession began years ago when it was a different smallest horse on Earth named Tiny Tina (it's amazing how many smallest horse on Earth's there are since that phrase is supposedly reserved for just one miniature animal, right?). I don't know why I love this exhibit so much -- it's a total rip off because it's clearly a dog with a horse tail glued on. It's so sad! But somehow listening to the tape they play on a 30-second repeat "This is the smallest horse in the world! He eats just one cup of oats a day!" just reminds me of what a silly experience the whole fair can be. But it is the kind of experience that everyone should just submit to, because life is silly. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/Sxv342dIBNI/AAAAAAAABSM/QfjnT6abRXw/s1600-h/November+024.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/Sxv342dIBNI/AAAAAAAABSM/QfjnT6abRXw/s400/November+024.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412191933278192850" /></a><br /></div><div>This year they had swan boats on the pond by the science center. I thought they were pretty beautiful. It's not Boston or anything, and the pond is really quite a small area, but all in all, I felt good knowing I was getting a bit of a workout in my paddling, especially on a day that's so stuffed with fried fry.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, now you've seen my highlights from the State Fair. Get ready to see some crafts! Yay!</div></div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603869019955594496.post-83736121107892496222009-10-12T22:44:00.002-05:002009-10-12T22:44:00.277-05:00Out of Town Crafting<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/StKmTcO9dRI/AAAAAAAABRk/cbJdFvNwNHY/s1600-h/DSC03634.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/StKmTcO9dRI/AAAAAAAABRk/cbJdFvNwNHY/s400/DSC03634.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391554556842571026" /></a>Do you remember me writing about how busy I was because I had this fair, and all these things to do to get ready for the fair and that a trip to Chicago was thrown in for good measure? Well, perhaps you don't remember me being stressed out about lots and lots of to-do's on the to-do list or the fact that I made a trip to the Windy City, but I did. And, being of the craft minded, I couldn't resist volunteering (perhaps commandeering is a better verb choice for the situation) to do a craft for a friend, the lovely Jo, for a VIP event. And yes, I call the sweatpants and fanny pack pub crawl a VIP event. After all, it takes a lot of class to look as good as we did for hours upon hours of ridiculousness. I believe I'm digressing here, but I wanted to set the scene well. Jo wanted to go "Jon of Jon and Kate Plus Eight" level of classy by wearing an Ed Hardy shirt and Juicy Couture sweatpants. Of course, why buy when you can make? <div><br /></div><div>Luckily, Emily, Joanna and Steph (my adorable hosts for the weekend) live <i>just </i>down the street from a hardware store (the kind of mom and pop place that advertises mace in a comic sans sign out front). So in Jo and I went to buy some electrical tape for this improvised project. One rerun episode of Sex & the City and it was done. Just one roll of electrical tape and a pair of scissors... voila!<div><div><div><br /></div><div>I decided not to show you the Juicy Couture pants because, well, I got the sizing off a bit. Actually, a lot off. From the back, it just said UIC, which, by the by, is a university in chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago. There are actually people out there with UIC on their butts on purpose. Jo is not one of them. It was supposed to say JUICY, but the J and Y were on her hips. </div><div><br /></div><div>Not to brag on myself, but I was a little sad that not everyone could tell that it was homemade. Some people thought it was a legit shirt. You kinda had to look up close to see that it was in fact electrical tape. My favorite letter was the "E" of Ed. The "a" and "r" proved really tricky for no reason that I can determine. </div></div></div></div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603869019955594496.post-2989670769155907752009-10-06T07:21:00.001-05:002009-10-06T07:21:00.475-05:00Sale = Good Times<div>Here are three pictures of my oddly shaped booth at the craft fair on Saturday (yep, I had some hallway space that was 18 feet by 3', nice and awkward). Oh and thank you so much to friends and family who came out to support this crafter. And thanks also for buying my goodies. I'm pretty excited about how things went and, most importantly, I had lots of fun. </div><div>It's neat to look at this picture and see some necklaces that are no longer in my care! I sold plenty of them and I'm scheming some new ways to keep up the dream. </div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SsrWKpzliHI/AAAAAAAABRc/gKHnleAOihc/s1600-h/DSC03734.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SsrWKpzliHI/AAAAAAAABRc/gKHnleAOihc/s400/DSC03734.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389355382611478642" /></a>Here's one of my three bulletin boards of necklaces. <div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SsrV7V4QHzI/AAAAAAAABRU/NyU3fZnOJQ8/s1600-h/DSC03736.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 388px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SsrV7V4QHzI/AAAAAAAABRU/NyU3fZnOJQ8/s400/DSC03736.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389355119564300082" /></a><br /><div>Table One, complete with succulent glass bottle planters and some Arkansas felt creatures (that sold out!!). </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SsrVQOIwr9I/AAAAAAAABRM/UBFzwsA_ExI/s1600-h/DSC03721.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SsrVQOIwr9I/AAAAAAAABRM/UBFzwsA_ExI/s400/DSC03721.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389354378751684562" /></a>And table two is weird lighting picture -- sorry about that. I was so excited about the fair that I didn't take many pictures. </div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks again for all the love!</div></div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603869019955594496.post-55731474274680154192009-10-01T14:34:00.003-05:002009-10-01T14:34:00.290-05:00Take A Walk On The Wild Side<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SrhgomUTSDI/AAAAAAAABQc/VHtFZsyiY8I/s1600-h/DSC03570.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 254px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SrhgomUTSDI/AAAAAAAABQc/VHtFZsyiY8I/s400/DSC03570.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384159605118158898" /></a><br /><div>Three buttons merged into one necklace. Tiger print. What more could you want to know about this? The fact that you could own it, because you can. </div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603869019955594496.post-57384825946985041322009-10-01T13:34:00.001-05:002009-10-01T13:34:00.513-05:00On Target<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SsOmSXz5rKI/AAAAAAAABRE/Wdbwj0AOxQQ/s1600-h/Document+(18).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 285px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SsOmSXz5rKI/AAAAAAAABRE/Wdbwj0AOxQQ/s400/Document+(18).jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387332413824806050" /></a><br /><div>Same theme, different arrangement. After getting the hang of making trios of buttons, I thought I'd try my hand at strings of buttons. And here's one I came up with. The white ones remind me of a St. John's suit, minus the thousand-dollar price tag. I'm not saying this necklace is worthy of wear beside a St. John's suit. I'm just sayin'. And you know, everyone's just sayin' something.</div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603869019955594496.post-83626118043179182462009-10-01T05:23:00.001-05:002009-09-30T13:13:41.407-05:00Stuck Like Glue<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SrhXR5XE1eI/AAAAAAAABPU/xmjvkuRbtqI/s1600-h/DSC03500.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 264px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SrhXR5XE1eI/AAAAAAAABPU/xmjvkuRbtqI/s400/DSC03500.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384149319488427490" /></a><br /><div>And again with another button trio. This one's a bit bigger than some of the others I've shown. It's a nice little centerpiece necklace for a V-neck sweater or an open shirt. It would also go well with a strapless dress. It's got a wee bit of bling epoxied on to one of the buttons. At the time of this adhering, I learned for the first time how to epoxy. Smelly, smelly stuff. It's like burning rubber and dead fish combined -- and my apartment reeked for two days. That's how much I love you readers, shoppers, crafters. I was willing to live with that wretched smell for the glory of it all. And I've actually always wanted to learn how to epoxy, so it's cool. And now another type of adhesive to have laying around. I don't like to write advice columns or anything like that, but I tell you what, I sure have a lot of ways of affixing one thing to another and I've learned a lot about which products go with which types of glue. I'd go ahead and say that if you're trying to build a glue wardrobe, add some epoxy to it. The bond is very intense. I would liken it to the bond between Angelina and Brad, but I've heard that bond is now searching for his own apartment in Paris. That's straight from the tabloids, waited a few days, and then passed on to you here.<br /><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SrhXINbKXBI/AAAAAAAABPM/sa9Q1v_-IXk/s1600-h/DSC03498.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SrhXINbKXBI/AAAAAAAABPM/sa9Q1v_-IXk/s400/DSC03498.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384149153075584018" /></a><br /></div></div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603869019955594496.post-14054603563626221182009-09-29T19:12:00.005-05:002009-09-30T12:40:52.799-05:00Czech It Out<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SrhWyYxGyPI/AAAAAAAABPE/vgsmywIrdhs/s1600-h/DSC03503.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 231px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SrhWyYxGyPI/AAAAAAAABPE/vgsmywIrdhs/s400/DSC03503.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384148778163292402" /></a><br /><div>Another one of my favs. I'm not completely sure that there is another soul out there who can love and care for this necklace as well as I can, so I'm not sure if I can really part with it. We shall see. The point is though, this pink piece is a combination of buttons and a charm from the Czech Republic. I bought it from a man with a glass eye. Ask my cousin Mary, she was there. She too bought some loot from the one-eyed Czech. You could kinda tell he had some wild stories to tell, but there was that whole GIGANTIC language barrier. Cousin Mary and I went on a whirlwind tour of the C.R. by visiting Prague, Brno and Olomouc (which is pronounced more like O-lo-moutz). We searched high and low for antiques and wonders the likes of which we'd only seen in catalogs and movie sets. We found Heaven when we found the one eyed man's shop in Olomouc. We loved it so much, we came back and shopped there again. And somehow because of the crazy conversion rate, we each thought we were buying way out of our price range amounts of stuff. But later we realized that we'd each spent somewhere around $20 for arm fulls of former Soviet stuff. That's just a little travel story to bulk up this post. You see I'm finding it harder and harder to come up with new ways of describing these necklaces. I love them all, I made them all, but eventually one's proverbial well runs dry. And thus you hear about the one eyed man.<br /><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SrhWgFDuwiI/AAAAAAAABO8/OBD34FhRk4k/s1600-h/DSC03507.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 344px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SrhWgFDuwiI/AAAAAAAABO8/OBD34FhRk4k/s400/DSC03507.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384148463635055138" /></a><br /></div><div>I don't know why I like this picture so much, but I think the quality is really good. Note the texture of the button! Wee!</div></div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603869019955594496.post-58215699666558957802009-09-29T12:45:00.000-05:002009-09-30T13:15:55.292-05:00Take Me Out To The Ballgame<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SrhWI7jtuqI/AAAAAAAABO0/odeVqEQoUnY/s1600-h/DSC03495.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SrhWI7jtuqI/AAAAAAAABO0/odeVqEQoUnY/s400/DSC03495.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384148065947859618" /></a><br /><div>I couldn't pick a more timely day to post this one. I mean, the Sox just clenched the Wild Card through losing five games straight! How's that for go-get-em spirit? And while I am kinda celebrating this event, I'm kinda nervous. I mean, we're not going to win the World Series by losing five straight. You can't back yourself into a World Series ring. But if your name is Hilary and you make jewelry, you can back yourself into this baseball necklace. I made it out of vintage style baseball cards. I love wearing it because it involves some of my favorites -- baseball, crafts, vintage items... I mean, it's kinda like me rolled up in a necklace. And sorry folks, it's a keeper. Not for sale. </div><div><br /></div><div>Go Sox! Beat LA!</div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603869019955594496.post-8242063573361104262009-09-25T14:53:00.000-05:002009-09-30T13:19:18.807-05:00Do I Spy A Wren?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SrhhvfLuhjI/AAAAAAAABQs/HbvtyY0HtZs/s1600-h/DSC03573.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 303px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SrhhvfLuhjI/AAAAAAAABQs/HbvtyY0HtZs/s400/DSC03573.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384160822973859378" /></a>I've never tried my hand at bird watching, so I really don't know. What is that bird? Some kind of wren or sparrow? It's too colorful to be a finch, or so I think and I think its head is too big. Like I said, I don't know what kind of bird this is, but I do know that I like this one a lot. Our dear feathered friend is applied to an old wooden nickel, sealed and on a chain. And for added flair, I attached a piece of old jewelry from my bag of tricks. I'm not sure where I picked up that little cloisonne collection, but it has been given a new life here. <div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SrhhcXE9RcI/AAAAAAAABQk/AbZJJUf8ozc/s1600-h/DSC03575.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 277px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SrhhcXE9RcI/AAAAAAAABQk/AbZJJUf8ozc/s400/DSC03575.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384160494380467650" /></a></div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603869019955594496.post-36653293177274153312009-09-25T06:57:00.000-05:002009-09-30T13:15:55.293-05:00Mexicali Blues<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SrhejnEuEHI/AAAAAAAABP0/N5wsjdpXRaA/s1600-h/DSC03560.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SrhejnEuEHI/AAAAAAAABP0/N5wsjdpXRaA/s400/DSC03560.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384157320398639218" /></a>A few of you know that I have a Grateful Dead bear on the back of my little Volkswagen. And a few of you may know I'm a Dead fan, on some "I hate the smell of pot and the look of grizzledy old hippies but this music is groovy" kind of level. But that bear is on my car because my favorite family in the <a href="http://www.visitconnecticut.com/">Constitution State</a> put that sticker on my car. It meant I was one of them. And I have always thought that the Angiolillos are my second family. A favorite memory ever was when the whole Angiolillo gang (John Jack included) took me to <a href="http://www.ryeplayland.org/">Playland in Rye, New York</a> (where the amazing <a href="http://www.zoltarmachine.com/">Zoltar</a> from Big was filmed). Or the time I asked Mr. Angiolillo to take his speed boat into Manhattan and up the East River. So they remind me of that sticker and it reminds me of the Dead song "Mexicali Blues."<div>And that reminds me of these necklaces. They are, you see, of Mexican inspiration. Do you know how Mexicans play bingo? Because it's not with numbers and letters but rather with little pictures of objects. Instead of "B12" or "O64," it's "the lamp" or "the well-dressed woman." And I love me some Mexican bingo tiles. They are awesomely kitschy and so technicolored.</div><div>A set of Mexican bingo cards I recently bought in Austin was sacrificed to make a few necklaces out of the tiles. They are really bright and shiny. I kinda won't mind if I don't sell them because I really love them a lot, for me. And I kept enough of the pieces from the game set to have a bingo party for 12 amigos. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SrheZiehJTI/AAAAAAAABPs/n6p2QY6aCuQ/s1600-h/DSC03565.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SrheZiehJTI/AAAAAAAABPs/n6p2QY6aCuQ/s400/DSC03565.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384157147365975346" /></a></div><div>A close up, with the watermelon. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SrhdrXYXwyI/AAAAAAAABPk/ulv78oYxb_E/s1600-h/DSC03564.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 282px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6q0rAeLj9jw/SrhdrXYXwyI/AAAAAAAABPk/ulv78oYxb_E/s400/DSC03564.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384156354113422114" /></a></div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567478707139586041noreply@blogger.com1