The Apron. Sampler-Style

This little apron I made for E using a small piece of unbleached cotton. The pocket is done based on a sketch from Creatively Yours. Ali was kind enough to ask me to be a Guest Designer this month.

I followed the same idea as my other sampler and just kept building up the apron until I was satisfied it was finished. Again, there are lots of edges left raw, intentionally. It won't last that long that way, but I can't help but find the raw look appealing.

The flower is a piece of printed fabric and again it has poly fill in between the layers to give it that puffy look that I love so much.

Carved Polymer Clay Pendants

I've been doing some experimenting lately. Now, I'm not going to give away all of my secrets, but these pendants-to-be are made from polymer clay which has the design carved in. I didn't do up the drawings in advance, but 'winged it' this time.

Once I'm finished playing around with them, I'll put them up in the shop. I have ideas for others which I can't wait to try.... but alas, the poly clay materials only come out when the littlest one naps.

The smaller pendants below are of a recycled/green theme.

And here is my little 1 1/2 year old getting her little hands on them!

Fabric Samplers

I'm really not sure what to call these! They are kind of like mixed media samplers in a quilting style with bits of embroidery thrown in... that's the long form! If anyone knows, let me know. I've been working on this sampler for a little while now, taking it wherever I go. I bring it along in the car for some handsewing to keep me occupied as a passenger on long trips. We are planning a trip to Nova Scotia soon so this will be a nice small project to bring along.

Basically, it started as a piece of unbleached cotton. I then started adding vintage bits and bobs like old lace, hankies, buttons, trim, etc. I can't help but stick a bit of poly fill under some of the bits of fabric. I love the 3D effect.

Another thing I am loving the look of is leaving the raw edges of fabric visible. This is somewhat visible in the leaf shown above.

The 'Mason' jar is actually a stamp from Red Lead PaperWorks. I used a StazOn ink to apply the stamp. The text, "Nature," I embroidered over top of. One one trip this summer with the in-laws, my mother-in-law showed me some embroidery stitches so I've been trying them out too. The pink flower is from Maya Road.

This is a work-in-progress and I have already used similar techniques for other projects around, which I'll show you in future posts. It's not only addictive, but a great way to use some of your vintage stash. My plan is to frame this one up on the wall.

The Miniature Quilt Shop

I have been working on this project for a couple of months now. Making the supplies and furniture, etc. I had difficulty finding a room box to house it, but eventually came across a small wooden crate at Michaels and I think it will do the trick. Am still fooling around with the placement of things and I still have more things to finish i.e. a polymer clay sewing machine, cash register and spools of thread. This is going to be a gift for the quilter in our family, so don't tell!

I bought the little telephone and hangers, but made everything else. The shelves are actually from packaging for little dollar store felt shapes. The other pieces of furniture I made using small bits of wood, and glue. The hanging fabric rack is made form small circle pieces of balsa wood with tiny dowels glued on. Each 'rung' is then glued to the wooden base and then it is glued onto the wall.

The same idea for the rack with the hangers. The only thing is I cut the one side of the circles off before gluing them to their base, to make it more flush. The fabric bolts are tiny prints which have bee cut out and wrapped around small pieces of cardboard. I made little price tags for them too and used a needle and thread to attach them to the bolts.

The mini buttons were made from polymer clay and then glued to tiny pieces of cardstock. I then glued each button pack into a tiny display box I made from balsa wood.

The tiny paper bags I made from a real lunch bag. It took some figuring and lots of folding to make a pattern, but it worked out in the end! I found it easiest to take apart a real bag and try and copy it that way.

More photos to come as I continue working on this project!

A Little About OfficeTYPE

Thought I'd start a new blog that is geared more to my crafty adventures. My other blog, "Life Aboard," has been somewhat dormant over the past little while. I've been using Flickr for most of my crafty photo uploads, so thought it about time I begin anew with a crafty frame of mind.

Also, check out my Etsy shop, "OfficeTYPE."

OfficeTYPE - behind the name

You may be wondering about the name of my blog and shop, OfficeTYPE. Well, it is kind of a play on words: I love office supplies, but I have discovered that I am definitely not the office type! :)

I live on a houseboat in Canada on Lake Ontario - yes, in the winter too! All my handmade items are made right here on the boat.

Angie