Cross My Heart

In February I tackled the world of cross-stitch. Here are the results of my effort!

Little deery turned out the most like the pattern that I was working from

This one was inspired by an image that I found on Pinterest. I loved the simplicity of the outline but I had a lot of fun playing around with the colors! 

♥

Oh please please please don't judge me by the left side of this heart!!! I have no idea what happened! Somewhere in there I must have gotten off on a row and never found my way back! This was the first one that I did so that's a good enough excuse. I think. A purist/perfectionist would go back and unpick and fix it. But have those words ever been used to describe me?

And some embroidery for good measure. 

This pattern is from Sublime Stitching. (Sexy Librarians/Secretaries)

Sweet Treats

If I lived closer to most of my friends this year I would have made a truckload of homemade Valentine's. But I don't so I made one little sweet treat and I'm going to send them out today.  Obviously I can't share what that is because some of those friends would get their surprise spoiled! What I can do is share some links to a few ideas for V-day that could still be done in time for Monday. I haven't gotten them done for the fam yet so there is still time to try out one or two!

Scratch cards from Family Fun

Photobooth Paper Chain tutorial

Printable stickers for the healthiest treat all day

Print out these little pirate guys and girls and add an eyepatch. All done!

Well I hope these ideas get your hearts pumping with excitement for the pinkest holiday of the year! Off to the post office with me!

You can find even more fun ideas for V-day on my pinterest Vamelumtimes page!

Don't know what a Vamelumtime is? 3 words.

Teen Girl Squad.

Mighty

For a while in college I had this great pair of shoes that had once been white but I doodled all over them with sharpies to make them completely unique.  Some of my friends liked them so I decorated pairs for them as well. Elyssa never got a pair of shoes, so when she asked me to decorate her Mighty Wallet for her, I had to say yes.  Not that I would have said no, it was just fitting that it was her turn.  I'd heard of the Mighty Wallet before, but never seen one. It is made out of Tyvek, you know the stuff that houses are wrapped up in? And those heavy duty mailing envelopes.  They are waterproof, don't tear, are super thin, and recyclable!

They come in all different designs and patterns but she got the simple green one for me to doodle all over!  

Click to see it bigger!

It's not the finest work in the world or anything, but I like how it turned out and Elyssa was thrilled!  

Christmas is in the Air

So I will admit to a post that never was finished. I had an entire collection of Star Wars themed Halloween ideas and it just never made the final cut of being interesting enough to complete. This however, is far too cool. 

DEATH STAR LEGO ORNAMENT!!!

directions here

Apparently this guy Chris McVeigh posts all kinds of lego tutorials. Who knew there was even a program dedicated just to lego designs and instructions?? James and I used to play legos together on Sunday afternoons while we listened to Weird Al. That is some serious sibling connection time right there! I would build these really cool intricate houses and he would make giant cars and roll over them. Ok, so he would usually ask first but not always. I mean, little brothers are supposed to be destructive right? Like the time that he got a remote controlled car stuck in my hair...

One other super awesome Star Wars decoration for the holidays,

Darth Vader snowflakes! So cool! The directions can be found here for Vader and a Boba Fett and Storm Trooper version. I attempted one last night and I was surprised how simple they are to make!

Back to joy and gladness.

You might not believe me, but most of my presents are already done and one is even wrapped already! With the big move I had to be on top of things this year especially since I decided to do an entirely handmade Christmas. I'm not saying what I made because that would sure spoil the surprise for my family :) What I can say is that I completed and sent my ornament for Strumpet's Ornament Swap!

I based mine off of these stacked fabric trees by The Small Object (tutorial here)

Mine are a little modified (think only 3 layers and I used fusible fleece rather than thin fusible web)

Holiday tunes are one of my favorite parts of the season! Here is a little treat for you readers, the first of at least two parts of Christmas music! Its a short one since I'm bumming off of Shanda's computer again, but they are each little gems!

PART 1

Days of the Week Planner Tutorial

This is a mighty crappy picture, but look! Seeds are planted!!! I made these seedling pots from newspaper based off a tutorial I found on eHow . com. Find out how to do it yourself here! I watched the video a few weeks before the actual planting so I'm not sure I did it the "correct way" because they kept unrolling. It wasn't a total fail though because they're obviously holding up! I don't know if I'd suggest my ridiculous plant markers made from plastic utensils, but hey, that what I had on hand. I planted Columbines, Lavender, Alyssum, Basil, Buttercrunch Lettuce, and Italian salad blend greens. Grow, grow, grow!!!

Another project from the same day was this days of the week dry erase planner. Make one for yourself! I posted a request on Alchemy for the white vinyl lettering and she ended up sending me three copies of the letters, so if you would like one of the extras leave a comment!!

Ok, here's what you need:

5 fold picture frame

Vinyl lettering of the days of the week

Scrapbook paper

Scissors

Pencil or Pen

That's it!

Remove the glass from one frame and trace around it on the back of several pieces of scrapbook paper in coordinating colors. This could easily be done with remnants of paper, or a fun swap with friends! Each person brings one or two sheets and shares them around. Cut out the rectangles and slide them into the frames in your desired pattern. Rub on vinyl lettering and
ta-da! Dry erase markers are great for any smooth surface really. And vinyl isn't a necessity. Try it out with acrylic paint or Sharpies on a white frame.

Gideon Publishing

The online magazine I helped create is now up and running!

Check out our site and feel free to leave feedback here!

DIY Do It Yourself Projects and Advice

Busy As A Bee

It's final week and that means lots and lots of things are going on, but there is no time to share any of it. So a list of what I hope I can blog about in the future:

1. 20's hair and makeup

2. Finishing my Jasmine quilt

3. Also finishing my T-Shirt quilt (that has been in the closet for years)

4. Almost done with making a dress pattern for spring

5. Creating Audrey Hepburn wall art for my NEW APARTMENT NEXT WEEK!!!

6. And probably something about the things that I made in ceramics

So yes, hopefully it will soon be time for show and tell.

But first...finals and graduation!!!!!!

Piece It All Together

For our final project in advanced sewing this semester we were assigned a pieced project. Not wanting to spend a total fortune on a project I started with a bedsheet from my childhood as the backing for a quilt, since I knew for sure that I wanted a bed sized quilt. So here are some quick pictures of my progress so far:
Now the next step is the appliques for the center piece. I have the whole thing pieced together besides that. Then its time to get some batting, tie the sucker together, and add some binding...ta da! I'll be done! So excited!!!

Boxing Day Is Not Always The 26th of December

It's one month until I move! Moving is great because it gives you a chance to really deep clean out your junk drawers and narrow your wardrobe down to what's essential and what's just been hanging out for a while. I've moved every six months for the past three years, so you think I'd have it down to an art. Maybe a Jackson Pollack kind of art. Organized chaos. My mom came and helped me pack everything up in April and she's got the most amazing packing skillz. I'm pretty sure my entire kitchen fit into 2 boxes. And they weren't refrigerator boxes! Now it's my turn to see how much of my life will fit in the back of my stationwagon. Good thing I don't drive a Mini Cooper! (Yes, that is the ONLY context you will hear me say that phrase in.)

So the question here should be: Elle what are you going to do to be more organized?

But I'd rather ask: Elle what are you going to do to make sure your new apartment looks FABULOUS???

Easy! I started some art projects. The first step was printing some random images I've had saved on my computer for a while but have had no use for until now. I used photo paper and highest resolution printing properties to make sure they wouldn't end up looking tacky.

Here are my images:

A scan of a postcard my friend sent me while she was on exchange in France

Cupcake Meditation from Johnny Cupcakes

Alex and Jack from All Time Low

I want to get a nice (but relatively cheap) frame for the postcard print and put it in the living room, but after a little mat board, ribbon, and hot glue this is what the other two prints ended up like for my kitchen. Dang I'm excited to cook dinner looking at those crazy boys!



Likey?

I found a few great vintage travel posters for free download and I'm feelin' this colorful Vegas one for a future project

Here's the song/video for today. I heart John Ohhh!!! He has the most amazing...smile

Feathers and Flowers

Today I finally got around to wearing the feather headband I made. I love big retro-fancy hairpieces, but I'm too lazy in the way I dress most days to be able to pull the look off, but paired with a white tee and jeans it stole the show! Speaking of lazy, I don't feel like downloading pictures onto my comp, so we're going the route of the good old camera phone!

My feather headband

Yeah, so this is just a man's necktie! Easy easy!

A velvet and fabric headband I made

Quite honestly I've gotten hooked on this look from reading too many Gossip Girl novels. Blair is currently my favorite fashionista. Ok, I mean whoever does the costumes for the show is. The clothes described in the books sounds pretty tacky. Come on Serena, tiny t-shirt and red terrycloth sweats? I don't care if they are made by Russell or Juicy Couture, that just sounds like a disaster. Ok, back on track. Here's Bair's fabulous headgear:

You can find a great recreation of this headband at Astrea's Etsy shop, but I dare you to make one yourself. Another Etsy stop you need to make is to visit MissRubySue. Check out some of her great creations!


Shoe Clips (for heels, sandals, or really anywhere you want!)

Fancy bib necklaces

And of course, fabulous rosettes and feathers all over thin headbands!!!

And lastly, I found these pretty over-the-top headbands during another one of my out of control internet browsing sessions. I'm pretty sure brides will soon stop carrying bouquets and just wear them on their heads.

Well it's time for me to conform into the work uniform, but maybe I'll break standard a little tonight and find a nice flower for my ponytail :)

And of course, what post is complete without a song?

I Would Have Married You In Vegas

Here's the hottest trend, the newest idea for the Latest Endeavor shop:

that's right, own a mini version of your home state! If you feel completely unattached to your place of origin or have relocated to somewhere else I guess that's fine too. There will be softie states avaliable as well as the patterns to make your own. This picture features California and New Hampshire, but I can't take credit for Mr. NH. It was made by my good friend Michael. In fact I owe the idea to her and her creativity :) Good one Michael!

As you'll come to know, my blog headings don't usually have anything to do with immediate subject matter, they fit in the "state of mind" category. You know the song "Vegas" by All Time Low? Well it's been stuck in my head because I just realized what the lyrics are. Wow Elle. You're slow sometimes. If I could I would upload a live verzion of the song, but since I can't I can just encourage you to all go out and buy "So Wrong, It's Right" by All Time Low. I've been shamelessly promoting them pretty much everyday for the past year. Vegas is also in Nevada, which is a state. And you can buy the state of Nevada from me. Like I already said. A paragraph ago.