a little night sewing

I've spent the past few evenings sewing some extra Barbie clothing for an upcoming craft show. As you can see, I also snapped a bunch of behind-the-scenes photos.

Magnetic pin cushion. This kind is a lot easier to use than the typical tomato cushion (though I'll admit it's not as cute).

My trusty Husquevarna Viking.

Fabric and trims for 2 Barbie evening gowns.

Vintage Barbie illustration.

Barbie, waiting with the scissors and thread for her modeling gig.

Samples of a new bathing suit design I'm working on (these will be debuting in the shop in a few weeks!).

Dress bodices and my iron.

In other news, I tried out a new dessert for an Australian-themed dinner the other night: lamingtons. I'd never heard of these before I started researching Australian food; basically, they're squares or cubes of butter cake coated with chocolate icing and topped with coconut.

Mine weren't particularly authentic, but they did taste great! I used chocolate ganache instead of icing, and toasted up plenty of coconut to sprinkle over each.

My recipe is from a copyrighted cookbook, but here's a few online recipes I that look similar:

• Lamingtons 1
• Lamingtons 2

Also, here's the ganache recipe I used:

• Ganache (it's at the end of the brownie recipe)
  

lucky

I've been giving my sister sewing lessons for the past few months now. This is our latest project: Lucky the Dog/softie.

Lucky's made out of fake fur (it's really cow print, but we decided it works for a Dalmatian). He has a felt face, ears, and collar.

The name tag is a Shrinky Dink drawn with colored pencils.

The pattern's from Softies: Simple Instructions for 25 Plush Pals (which is definitely worth owning).

As you can see, our Lucky is rather unique (compared to the prototype in the book).

But that's how we roll :)

5 cool websites: miniatures

I've always loved miniatures. Here's a few
of my favorite websites featuring tiny things:

World's Smallest Postal Service at Leafcutter Designs.

This is such a cute, sweet idea.

Miniature food jewelry at pukashell.etsy.com. The detail on this ring is insane.

Amazing video about a lady who knits tiny clothing for movies like Coraline (those are two fingers inside the sweater!).
Thanks, Jessica!

World's Smallest Man-Made Orange.

And lastly......
miniature pigs.

So. Cute.

All images property of their respective websites.

v-day

It was a very nice Valentine's Day.

Jones New York shirt, thrifted cardigan, Ralph Lauren cords, Croft & Barrow oxfords, Mossimo purse

I made some last-minute valentines that turned out rather dorky....

...but you can't go wrong with Riesens!

I also made a cherry pie for the family. By the time I got around to photographing it, it was mostly mutiliated.

I miss it already (the pie, I mean :).

Did you have a nice Valentine's?

May All Your Christmases be White

Paper snowflakes are a recent holiday tradition around here. Ever since I watched Christmas with Dr. Snowflake (it sounds like a dumb children's book, but it's actually a video made by this bearded snowflake whiz), I've been trying my hand at these paper creations every Dec.

Here are this year's attempts. I only made a few so that we can actually see out our back door. This is the method I use, except for I draw my own designs in pencil on the snowflake before cutting. Once cut, I iron them and tape them up!

For those of you of the digitial inclination (or with no paper and scissors handy) check out Make-a-Flake. Be sure to look at the gallery; there's some virtual snowflakes made by true paper geniuses. Or people who were really bored at the office one day.

Here's a couple of mine, jazzed up with my Paint program:

More Handmade Wrappings

I posted before about gift wrapping, and I've been busy since then getting ready for a full-on post about it. As I said before, I love gifts that are wrapped in creative, personal, non-wasteful ways; I think it's a strange and silly idea to buy a bunch of expensive papers, bows, and boxes, and then stuff them in the trash can when the party (or holiday) is over.

All the wrapping suggestions here use recycled or unconvential materials, and they're all very easy. I'm showing Christmas presents here, but these wrappings can be adjusted for any occasion.

1. Recycling Bin Wrapping

As the name would imply, I found all the supplies for this package in my recycling bin. I packed my present into a box from something I ordered online awhile ago (with tissue paper from a present I received). Then I wrapped it, using a page of newspaper comics for paper. I added ribbon and tiny note, and now it's a fun and retro gift that's perfect for my best friend!

2. Fabric Bag

For this package, I took a piece of fabric, folded it in half, and sewed up the sides. I trimmed the seams with pinking shears to prevent fraying and add interest. I put my gift inside, then tied up the top with a piece of vintage bias tape (ribbon would work just as well). For the tag, I grabbed a contrasting scrap of paper, pinked the edges, and threaded it through the bow. Done!

3. Reused Shopping Bag

I had a nice grey bag from a shopping trip to Ann Taylor; the only problem with these kind of bags is that they usually have the store name written on the front. I cut out a rectangle of paper with pinking shears, and glued 3 vintage buttons to the front. As soon as it had dried, I glued it over the store name. A completely free (and cute) gift bag!

4. Scrapbooking Paper Envelope

12" x 12" scrapbooking paper is often on sale at stores like Hobby Lobby and Michael's for $.10 a sheet, and it comes in much more varied and modern prints than wrapping paper. It's perfect for wrapping small, flat items. I used it here to wrap a pencil case, folding it like normal wrapping paper at the corners. Instead of a bow, I used a flower cut from a piece of vintage trim.

Email me pictures of what you wrap at muxoriginals@mchsi.com.

If I get enough pictures, I'll do a post about reader's wrappings!

My Top 5 Christmas Gift Ideas

1. Homemade truffles
This year, I'm really into gifts that can be eaten and then done with. I mean, who really needs more stuff? This also solves the conundrum of what to get for the guys in my life, because I know they all like truffles.

2. Tote bags
That link is to the book that has the tote patterns I use. These are so handy, and they're endlessly personalize-able.

3. Zipper pouches
This is the best zipper pouch tutorial in existence. The result looks so professional. Add a few gel pens and some candy, and you've got a great Christmas gift.

4. Doll clothes
Okay, that link is a a personal plug for my shop, so if you'd rather not sew doll clothes for all your little cousins, siblings, nieces, etc. you can buy them there :). Or you can make your own, which would be even cooler and more personal.

5. Anything from Etsy.com
There's so many amazing gift possibilities at Etsy. And half of them come in packaging that already looks like gift-wrapping. And you'll be supporting independent artists. What more could you ask? Here's a link to my favorites to get you started.

I'll be posting pics of more of my gift-wrapping ideas soon, and maybe some pictures of the actual gifts (if I can keep my friends/family away) so stay tuned!

Handmade Christmas (at least the wrappings)

I've finally gotten into the swing of Christmas present-making, after having adjusted to the fact that Christmas is a little more than a month away. It's seemed to sneak up on me these past few years. Last year I made all my Christmas presents, and I really loved it, so I'm doing the same this December.

I made these little gifts for two of my friends. I don't want to ruin the surprise by posting pictures of what I made, but here's the wrappings. I grabbed a couple paper bags that I'd spray-painted for a craft show last year, punched holes in the tops and finished them off with green ribbons, round tags, and lollipops.

I love cheap, unconventional, and personal gift wrappings, so I was pretty pleased with these! One of my friends and I play piano together, so I used paper printed with music notes for her tag.

Yum!

Chucks & A Rag Rug

Old Navy hoodie, Jones New York tee, Anne Klein jeans,

Chuck Taylors, Swatch watch

This is what I wore to some out-of-home classes today. I had gym, so I couldn't wear a skirt or dress or non-sneaker shoes, so my options were fairly limited. Still, I liked this outfit, due predominantly to my pink & black Chucks. I've owned them for 3 years now, and I love how they add an artsy, street vibe to whatever I'm wearing.

In the projects realm, I'm working on a rag rug. My uncle visited last week and helped us build an awesome fort, and I took on the job of decorating the inside. Besides this rug, I'm also making curtains.
I purposely picked bright scraps and organized them by color to create a rainbow design. I'm very pleased with the result, and I think rag rugs are a practical, eco-friendly way to recycle fabric scraps. I used this tutorial (more or less). I didn't bother to cut perfect strips, and instead of sewing them together, I tied them. I've had some problems with buckling, but I found I can flatten in out fairly well with a hot steam iron. I'm considering writing my own tutorial, so if you'd be interested, please tell me.