Awesome UNO shirts!

After one of my very first posts, on stenciling, it was suggested I look at dana-made-it.blogspot.com. She is AMAZING at EVERYTHING, but in particular, it was suggested I look at her UNO shirt stenciling, as an idea for a baby's first birthday. My sister-in-law did it- and it turned out fantastic....

So, today my son turned 1, and I gave it a go as well. Here are the results! I really love them!

I made two for my son, which may seem excessive, but he had two little parties, and after I've made the stencil, it's a piece of cake to paint the "UNO" on. The onsies were first dyed with Dylon fabric dye, then painted with tulip matte white fabric paint.

We just happened to have an apple green plain t for my husband, so I painted him one up as well... and then of course I didn't want to be left out, so made myself a more feminine version. First, I sewed together scraps of vintage fabric, then sewed on a scrap piece of black jersey fabric, on which I stenciled the "UNO" as well. Sigh. It was such fun to be matching! I'm only sad my husband always blinks when we take a picture. :)

THE WINNER!!!!

No joke- choosing the winning name was extremely difficult! I honestly loved each and every suggestion, and read over them time and again! In fact, I hope you all don't mind, but I would like to use those names for inspiration for upcoming projects.... :) May I?

In the end, the bracelet whispered in my ear the name which fit her best.... making the decision much easier... so.... without more stalling I'm happy to announce:

Congratulations Meredith! You are the winner of "Captured Bliss!" What a perfect name! It fits her like a glove! As previously stated, I will send her to you straightway tomorrow, but I will need your address! Or, if you prefer, we could meet face to face and I could give it to you in a week or so because we're leaving for vacation to the West on Friday! Wahoo! Just let me know in a comment, or on the phone, or via facebook or e-mail or by vision, or through whatever way your preferred communication is!

Thank you all for your participation! I'll do another naming gift giveaway soon!

check it out!!!

Okay everyone, I want ALL of you crafters out there to check out my good buddy's blog, All Things Crafty at http://megscraft.blogspot.com. She is seriously amazing, and as you can see by some of her work, she can make awesome stuff out of literal garbage! (The utensil ladies and radish fork were our joint efforts.... but the soda pop plate ladies were ALL her, and since these were taken years ago- she has taken all things crafty to COMPLETELY new levels! Check it out!!!

Naming Contest! Winner will recieve this bracelet free!

Since opening an etsy shop and creating more things than I ever have before, naming each creation has become a surprisingly fulfilling part of the "listing" process. It's like naming a puppy- and not just any puppy-the puppy. The one you plan on raising right along with your babies.
Or maybe it's like naming your child- you know that whatever name you give your little darling will in some way shape their destiny. It's important.
That, on a smaller scale of course, is how I feel when I name something I've made.
It is in pondering all these things I've decided to host a naming contest for this darling bracelet. I will allow anyone to post up to three suggested names- just leave them as comments. In one week, I will chose the name from amongst those suggested, and announce the winner! Then, I will ship this darling the very next day to the deserving winner. :) Good luck!
About the bracelet: She is a fabric scrap collage embedded in resin- drilled and stitched to a wristband of red leather and vintage fabric stitched together in red with a zigzag stitch. Eclectic, funky, yet charming and full of feminine wiles. Let her inspire you.

a new project! Vintage button bobby pins!

Voila! Today's project... layered vintage buttons on bobby pins! I love them!

dying onesies

The before.... seen it, right? Been there? Done that? Stained it 1,000 times? ....After some choice dye, mixed with 4 tablespoons salt, and 4 cups warm water... voila. Imperfect as always, ( I wasn't as vigilant in the stirring process as I should have been....) but hey- I'll take'em. :)

If you've never dyed anything- let this inspire you to change your ways. I used Dylon- available at wal-mart for $1.97. I dyed them in a mixing bowl. So easy. Plain ol' white has it's place, but that place is NOT on an army-crawling 11 month old boy. Whities are ruined in moments with that kind of behavior. Color still gets messy, but fares much better, and looks TOOOO cute! The Green are my favorites...