You can't have just one...

The theme of this post has to do with quantities of things in the studio and how you can never have too many of one craft material...especially when creating new items on a continuous basis. Plus looking at them all grouped together is constant source of inspiration. So colorful and textural and wonderful! Take a look:

You can't have just one glass eye...

Or one roll of crepe paper...

Or one pipe cleaner...or one package of pipe cleaners...

One jar of beads...

Or one spool of ribbon...

Or one bundle of paper grass...

Or one colorful bulb...

Or one little drawer of goodies...

Or even one tower of drawers of goodies...

Or one bottle brush tree...

Well...I don't really need matches at all, but they're a byproduct of another project...maybe I should take up smoking?

One can never have too many multiples...right?

(All of these photos were taken by Russ Heller)

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all of those Dad's out there! I hope they're having a great time fishing, golfing, relaxing and opening up all sorts of thoughtful gifts! My own wonderful Dad was gifted with this embroidered pillow made by yours truly. :)

I embroidered the faces of my siblings and I to remind him of the children he has that love him so dearly.

My Dad is a rough and tough cowboy (literally, he's a dairy farmer) with few needs or wants and is rather impossible to shop for. (Give him a bed, a hot meal and an old truck and he's happy.) An embroidered pillow isn't exactly the first thing that comes to mind if you know my Dad, but he loves his children and he loves to lay his head on something while he falls asleep on the couch at night...so why not combine the two?

The best part? This zippered closure isn't talented sewing on my part...it's the fly of an old skirt! I just cut and sewed it strategically and stuffed the pillow through the fly. Yay!

Happy Father's Day Dad! I love you! :)

Look at what I made!

I love doing new and different projects from time to time...heaven knows I've got a whole sketch book full of ideas that I've captured whenever I had a burst of inspiration or noticed a clever idea. This time I took a nod from Jennifer Murphy and made a handy pin cushion and some pom pom birdies. I'm so happy with how easy they were and how cute they came out!

I actually didn't have any yarn in my studio to make pom poms. So I had to wait until yesterday when Ben and I made a little errand trip out and I made him stop at the thrift shop. They had some nice wool yarn and I got four different colors: white, blue, tan, and green. And only 50 cents each! The wings and tails were made using some wool felt scrap my mom gave me and I constructed the feet after observing those little Easter chenille chick feet they made in Japan all those years ago. I made the black feet out of black wire that I pulled out of spiral bound books before throwing them in the recycling bin. The eyes are antique wooden beads that my Great Grandmother brought over from Czechoslovakia. I love using materials that are old or headed for the dump!

I also looked at some photos of the old steiff birds they made in Germany. I saw some that had yarn wings and yarn tails, so one of the birdies I made has a fluffy yarn tail! The other bird in this photo is a little duck. Maybe not the right shape for a duck...but that's ok!

I love the way they look from the top. It makes me want to display them on the floor! A little birdie parade!

And this pin cushion is my new favorite tool! You're probably wondering how much sewing I do...which isn't a lot...but I actually use pins everyday in my spun cotton work...so a pin cushion is certainly a key item. I added a little wooden pedestal to give it some height and to save a little more surface space on my desk. You can find the instructions for this here.

Yay! Up next...I'm going to teach myself to crochet!! I hope...

Patriotic Characters Abound!

This is my second and last big batch of Patriotic goodies I have offered for sale in my shop this year. I love working in limited color palettes and red, white and blue is no exception...it's a great color combo! Check out these cuties in my shop now. They are all one of a kind and once they're gone, they're gone! :)

Jugglers and girls with tiny flags...

One lazy gal sits down while her two friends stand by...

Stars are my favorite and these gals have plenty!

And these gals get a lift from glass baubles and tiny boxes.
The ballerina is my personal favorite of the bunch!

New Photo!

I just got a new photo taken of me in my studio! I replaced the old and outdated one I had on my website, which was pre-studio update. This photo was taken by the amazingly talented Russ Heller. Thank you Russ! The best part? Magic wanted to get in on the action and came in to have her photo taken with me. :)

Russ also took photos of my entire studio and made a virtual tour of my tiny space. Stay tuned!

One of a Kind Cake Toppers

As I had mentioned in past posts, I have been very busy working on wedding cake toppers...both custom and original one of a kind designs. I really enjoyed creating this array of toppers, in all shapes, sizes and species. And all are currently available in my Etsy shop.

Panda pair on a a straw box with vintage lilies flanking them. They look so in love!

This clean and classic bunny couple on a teeny tiny box is multi-purposed.

Who doesn't love pengiuns? Or penguin love for that matter?

Octopi on a mini coconut cake are always fit to please. The sheet paper seaweed stay within the neutral color scheme.

This pretty topper has to be my favorite. The flowered tree took some time to create, but quite worth it I think!

This topper feature two children under and vintage style wedding bell.

This large piece would be very striking atop a large cake. And it doubles as a roomy keepsake box.

These are all one of a kind, meaning they'll be the only ones like them ever. They were all so much fun to make and will certainly be the last big batch of topper for quite some time. Sigh...now onto more patriotic themed children, elves, and elephants! :)

Custom Cake Topper Showdown!

Seems like every May and June, brides (and grooms) everywhere are coming out of the woodwork to plan their weddings...and I love being a part of it! I've been working on cake toppers like crazy lately and I wanted to show you a few of the custom ones I've recently completed.

The one above is really wacky, for a wonderfully wacky couple! Aqua and red is my new favorite color combo and is the groom's bat wings really make the piece....magical. :)

Ben really liked this one and said he wanted me to remake it for our wedding. The moon groom and owl bride make a most unusual pair and the cardboard bass will be well played throughout to reception I'm sure.

This adorable duo also makes an unusual pair. I can only guess at the inside jokes and pet names required to make this couple request such a topper. I just love how it turned out!

This mouse couple of England will top a cake made from cheese...that is if the mini mice pair don't eat it all before the real bride and groom get a slice.

This piece isn't a wedding cake topper or really a cake topper at all. But it's built like one and came out so cute that I couldn't help sharing it with you.

This traditional piece is modest and elegant. Perfect for this super adorable couple.

This after-wedding keepsake box will be gifted to the bride and groom from a very generous friend. This kind of gesture always melts my heart!

And lastly, you've seen this topper before, but this one holds the faces of a very special bride and groom!

I just loved creating all of these toppers and am always tickled when I get a request to make something completely different. I was so inspired with these custom pieces that at the same time I was making them, I decided to whip up a collection of one of a kind cake toppers that I will be presenting here soon and will be posting for sale on my website. Stay tuned!

And if you're interested in ordering your own custom cake topper, visit my website and check out my custom cake topper order form. :)