It's sad to realize I have neglected my blog for many months and the reason is because I have not sewn in several months. But with good reason and don't worry because I've still been creative, just in a different way. On July 2, 2010 I opened a tiny little boutique I call Wallflower. It is a dream come true, to say the least. And the majority of my energy now goes into... well running a business. And as wonderful as that is I do miss sewing!!! But Fall is here and winter is around the corner so I plan on spending lots of time bundled up in doors creating up a storm! Yay!!!

Silverware Jewelry

Here's some new jewelry I put together for Idle Hands. They're made with the help of my loved ones. My man took the silverware and made all the cuts and drill holes for me. My Parents gave me the Macaw feathers which they collected from a parrot at a hotel in Hawaii. And I found the rest of my silver pieces & beaded stones in the jewelry district of LA, which was one of the funnest things I've ever tried to do. More detailed pics of the necklaces are on my etsy.

Recycled Combo

Today was great! I made some time to get creative and make something for myself. I combined a rayon green tank I made last year and a silk floral blouse I bought at a thrift store cause I liked the fabric. It's hard to see in the photo but the blouse has tiny green buttons down the center. So I took the original collar and buttons from the blouse and attached them to the rayon tank. Then I attached the bottom portion of the blouse to the bottom of the tank. The button line up all the way down. Not sure if I'll ever wear it but it was nice to get crafty and finish something.

First Friday at Idle Hands

Last week I frantically made as much as I could for Idle Hands First Friday Art Show featuring the handmade goods of Jen Lee's and I. I made magikal leather keychains and cuffs, obsidian spearhead necklaces and a few wallets. The best part of all was the hangs tags I made at the last minute. I scanned, shrunk and printed copies of a few old photos of my family. They turned out just as I imagined and it felt like those in the photos were by my side all night. I'm stoked I had this show to motivate me to complete a bunch work I had in progress. I took more picture of my work & uploaded them to my etsy & flickr.

Fabric & Button Earrings

Went to Las Vegas last week for a little Valentine Vacation and also to check out the Pool Tradeshow. It was my first time at the Pool Trade show, it's an original independent tradeshow established for the boutique market. Jen had a booth for Bandit Brand and I was there to just check out all the new stuff that will be coming out. I bought some handmade accessories from a few of the Cash & Carry booths to take home to Idle Hands. Check out Red Raven Studios from Pittsburgh, Idle Hands now has some of their handmade porcelain belt buckles and earrings.

I've been doing a lot of sewing by hand lately. I was able to finish some more fabric & button earring this week.

Vintage Handkerchief Tee

Here is a little project I did the other night while watching Mad Men. I took this beautiful vintage handkerchief and cut it in half diagonally; then I traced and cut the curve of the T-shirt neckline from the raw edge of the handkerchief. Then I embroidered by hand the edges of the handkerchief onto the shirt with maroon embroidery thread. Since I had two halves of the handkerchief I decorated two shirts, ones a small and ones a medium - both are on sale at Idle Hands in Santa Cruz.

Crystal Leather Key Chains

A few days ago I discovered my local leather store, LeatherWise. It is such a great place and I'm so excited to start learning how to use leather. Leatherwise has all the tools and materials I need to make all the thinks I've been dreaming about. Ron, who owns LeatherWise, is an expert on leather and was extremely helpful in answering all my questions as well as showing me simple techniques.

For my first project, I grabbed some gem stones I had forever and incorporated them into some of the scrap pieces of leather I bought. These key chains are completely sewn by hand. After the stone was set and sewn down tightly I added a rivet to the top, added black Edge Kote and Gum Tragacanth to the raw edges and added a stitch around the perimeter. Very fun to make, I've got a couple more in the works and they're on sale at Idle Hands in Santa Cruz, CA.