Mail Surprises

I love snail mail, especially small packages. This is a gift I put together for a friend’s birthday. Hopefully it will give you some fun ideas and inspire you to surprise someone.

I recycled Birchbox packaging by gluing a card on top of the box; the tissue paper and shipping carton it came with also came in handy.

You can put glitter or confetti into a greeting card before sealing it in an envelope (place it with the card’s spine facing down). The recipient will get an unexpected glitter shower when they open it.

I filled the bottom of the box with tissue paper and flowers I cut out of felt.

For a heartfelt gift of a wish – wrap a birthday candle in a small box (I decorated this one with origami paper).

Some other fun items you can include: stickers, costume jewelry, balloons, key chains, notebooks, and candy. If you make sure that the items weigh under 13 0z, you can just drop the package into a mail box instead of going to the post office.

Most importantly – have fun with it. Happy Mail Day.

News and Updates

I’ve been busy working on new exciting projects, including a collaborative Etsy shop, and finishing up my school work. Below is a sneak peek of my thesis. If you are in NYC, I invite you to come see the amazing work done by the graduating class at the Fashion Institute of Technology Design Museum. The work will be on view till May 22.

Thesis Progress

Some of the steps involved in making a tote bag. I love watching as a quick sketch becomes a functional three-dimensional object. No matter how many bags I make, I always feel a bit surprised by this.

I Live/ I Love

Hope everyone had a wonderful New Year celebration.

There is still time to see I Live/ I Love, a group gallery show featuring everything from photography and painting to 3D and 4 D work by young artists and designers. The gallery is open 12-6pm daily. The show will be up till January 7. 658 Broadway, Suite 404, New York, NY.

 

Christmas Morning

I’m sure Santa Came to my house last night; he ate some cookies and drank all the milk. I know most people would say that I’m way too old for this, but my cookie plate is getting more sophisticated as I get older – Santa got Godiva cookies this year.

My stocking is always filled with fruit.

I love making ornaments for my Christmas tree. You can see a tutorial for this Finnish Star at Craft Ideas.

Shoes at Home

Is anyone else making shoes in their bathroom or is it just me?

This is just a mockup, but I have made fully functional shoes with close to zero equipment before. Sorry that the image quality isn’t ideal, I just thought this was funny and had to share. Treating myself to a new camera for Christmas, really excited.

Summer Clutch

Hi everyone, sorry for my short absence. I was away visiting A Vee, we got some amazing work done. I love collaborating with her, she is a great artist and friend. I wish we could work together more often. Don’t forget to check out more of her photography, she is always listed under “links” in the sidebar.

 

Clutch: Handmade and designed by CandleAshes. Hot pink and lime green sheepskin, hot pink silk lining.

Photography: A Vee Photo

 

 

Dino

Felt is a fun and forgiving material to work with. This is Dino, a felt toy with rotating arms and legs that I designed and made.

Now you can make one too! The patterns below are my original design and are for personal use only. Click on the image to get full size and print on a half sheet of 8.5 x 11″ paper.

Materials:

Felt (two contrasting colors)

Matching thread (embroidery floss recommended, use one strand for sewing)

Two black seed beads (optional)

Polyester or cotton stuffing

Sewing Instructions:

Print patterns and cut all fabric

Embroider eyebrows on Body as marked

Sew seed beads on Body, as marked (or embroider eyes with a french knot, especially if making toy for small children)

Blanket stitch the center of Belly together on reverse side

Blanket stitch Spikes to Body on dash-line matching tail ends

Blanket stitch Tail to the bottom of Body matching tail ends

Stuff tail

Blanket stitch Belly to Body and Tail

Stuff toy and blanket stitch face of Body closed

Blanket stitch and stuff Arms and Legs

Pin both arms to toy where desired and secure them by making a small stitch all the way through the body several times in the same place

Repeat with legs

Dresses in Progress

I began working on this a while ago, but had to stop because I couldn’t find the right kind of boning for it. I recently was able to order some from my millinery supplier, so I am looking forward to resuming the work on this during the holidays. This is one of the two dresses I shared the design for in a previous post during the summer. I purchased a pattern that I felt was most similar to my design, but had to alter the bodice for a proper fit and am using the skirt from another pattern I already had (I will give credit to these with my finished dress later). Below are the bodice mockup, altered patterns for it and the semi-finished dress.

Rosette How to

Making your own rosettes is easy and they look very impressive. You can use one as a brooch or use a bunch to decorate a gown.

In order to make this you will need several strips of fabric cut on a bias (45 degree angle). The length and width of the strips will determine the size of your rosette (I am using a 3 x 18″ strip for my first layer). Fold the strip in half and overcast stitch around all cut edges. This stitch is good for gathering and will keep your rosette from fraying. I recommend millinery Hy-Mark #24 thread for this (it’s waxed and very strong). Make sure to use thread long enough for the job.

Tightly gather the strip, overlap the edges and stitch them in place. You have finished your first petal layer.

Take your second strip of fabric. It should be shorter and less wide than the first one (mine is 2 x 13″). Repeat all the steps you did to make the first layer. Place the second petal layer on top of the first one and overcast stitch them together. Continue making smaller layers using the same technique until your rosette is full.

I decorated my rosette with seed beads. I will make it into a brooch for a beret that is a part of my 1940-50′s inspired millinery collection.

Happy sewing.