Hello Friend Stationary
I’m really excited about the stationary I made last week. Send handwritten letters to you friends with this hand-drawn stationary. Check it out:
Make Hand-drawn Frames!
Your frames make me happy, Dale Mackey!
Dale wrote a tutorial on how to make your own hand-drawn frame:
Cost: $10 (includes all materials)
Time: About an hour total
Materials: Wood shape, paint, paint pen, brush.
Today I happily report my newest series- faux frames. I’m kind of in love with these and so it pains me just a little that they’re up for sale on Etsy. I put three up this week, but one’s already sold. I’ll be adding bunches more in the next couple of days, though. Please do check them out, or contact me directly if you’d like your very own custom frame. The frame below was a custom order created for a friend of mine.
Step 1) Start with a piece of wood. You can buy unpainted wood shapes of varying sizes at most craft stores for pretty cheap. Paint that wood a solid color using any acrylic craft paint. I usually buy FolkArt brand paint- it’s cheap, widely available, and does the job. I used “metallic red” on this frame.
Step 2) After the wood has dried, find an image of an ornate frame that’s similar to the shape of the wood you have. In pencil, lightly trace the outline onto your painted wood.
Step 3) Fill in the outlined frame shape with a different color paint. I always use gold, yellow, or orange, but you can use any color, as long as it’s light enough for black to stand out against it.
Step 4) Using the picture and/or your own imagination, lightly draw scrolls, leaves, and other lines to create an ornate design. Go over your design with a black opaque paint marker.
Voila!
Step 5) If you want to hang the piece, you can buy small hooks to attach twine or wire to the top or back of the frame. You can display the frame as is, or pin or mount a picture onto the wood.
If you would rather buy a hand-drawn frame, instead of making your own, check out Dale’s:
All Different Shapes and Sizes
The antlers come with!
Thanks Dale!
Chipped and Cracked
Chipped and Cracked is a sweet new etsy shop opened by my friend, Haleh Pedram. Haleh has a talent for finding the most interesting and unique items for her home. Occasionally her home starts to overflow, and she needs to sell off all of her awesome stuff.
Old Hag Hand Puppet
Cute Vintage Red Loafers
I had a few questions for Haleh, so here goes:
Glade: Where do you find your vintage goods?
Haleh: There are a few thrift stores that I go to in Austin, thrift store shopping is an addiction of mine. I try to not to go very often because I’m constantly struggling with the amount of stuff that I have, but it’s something that I really enjoy. The thrift stores I go to are not secret, I think most people know about them, but I just don’t want to name them 🙂 okay?
Glade: Ha, okay, I won’t make you divulge your secrets. What do you look for when you make a purchase?
Haleh: I’m never looking for anything in particular, and if I am, I generally can’t find it. I’m drawn to items that I find weird, funny, or interesting. My purchases are generally superficial, if I like how something looks, I want to bring it home. I often buy things that I don’t want because I feel like they might end up in the wrong hands. Then I give them away or they just sit under a pile of stuff.
Glade: Do you have any good stories about any of the items you have for sale right now?
Haleh: ummm….not really. i bought most of the puppets at a goodwill auction. it was my first goodwill auction and my heart was beating really fast because i thought i would have to fight someone for it.
Texas Charm Bracelet
Thanks Haleh, good luck with your shop!
Surprise Gifts!
I’m really into the trend of vintage grab-bag gift baskets. All the ones I’ve seen have been so fun.
Surprise Ball
This handmade surprise ball is filled with at least 15 surprise vintage items. So cute!
Fairie Theme Parcel
Magic Themed Parcel
Green and Blueberry Salad
This summer has been hotter than hell. I have been craving refreshing salads.
This weekend I came up with this simple goody (also blueberries are only $1.99 in Austin right now).
Green and Blueberry Salad
Ingredients:
3 Cups Spring Greens
3/4 Cup Blueberries
1/4 Cup Raisins
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 Tablespoon Raspberry Vinegar
1/2 Tablespoon Flax seeds
Instructions:
Combine greens, blueberries and raisins in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix oil, vinegars and flax seed as the dressing.
Pour dressing over salad and mix thoroughly.
You are finished! Hooray, time to enjoy your salad with a friend.
Just Got Back from New Mexico!
It’s been over a week since my last blogpost, and I have a good excuse. I was on a roadtrip vacay to New Mexico. We went to Albuquerque, Madrid, Santa Fe, and on the way back we stopped in Marfa, TX.
My favorite part of the trip was Tinkertown Museum which was on the Turquoise Trail between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Tinkertown Museum is a folk art museum of one man’s life work. His name is Ross Ward, and he worked/lived in the museum from 1964 until his death in 2002.
Tinkertown Museum made of glass bottles and concrete
Outside Tinkertown
Mark in front of the Tinkertown band
Exhibit at the Bookstore in Marfa
New Card Design: Kiss me NOW You Fool!
“Kiss Me, You Fool” is a phrase dating back from 1915. The movie was “A Fool There Was” released in 1915, and the main character is a sexy vampire. This movie is also where the term “Vamp” came from.
Kiss from A Fool There Was
“Kiss Me, You Fool” is now a popular phrase, and is starring on my new card design. I hope it is improved from the original. Let me know what you think.
Original Design, no longer being made
New "Kiss Me Now You Fool" Design
August Goals
A new month is here with new goals to persue! Time to make the most of the rest of 2009!
1. APPLY! Fill out applications to participate in E.A.S.T., Cherrywood Art Fair, and Blue Genie.
2. Work on brand new stuff. Of course I will still need to work on greeting cards, but would also like to start on some journals, small art, and tote bags.
3. Design holiday cards and have them ready to be printed.
Revisiting July Goals
I am feeling the full swing of summertime, and all of last month’s goals went out the window. Well…not ALL of them.
1. Work on artwork.
This is something that is my top priority right now. Have got a few things in the works.
2. Bring 5 more of each card to Parts and Labour (on South Congress in Austin, TX).
Check! Still need to bring more cards up there though!
3. Start Research for a business plan.
This is going to get postponed for a bit.
New Garage Studio!
Hello Folks!
We just found out that we can start using our garage as part of our rent! We will be splitting it with the upstairs neighbor. I just started cleaning it out today. We are planning to use it as another studio! It’s not so glamorous right now, but hopefully it will be before too long.
This is it!
Needs some love and attention!
Some stuff I took out of the garage
A new squirrel friend I made while cleaning out the garage.