Thursday, June 28, 2012

It's Better Handmade Blog Ring Post #4 - Heart and Sow Designs





This week's Roastee is Gail, from Heart and Sow Designs out of Oklahoma.  No, I will NOT sing that song...unless Hugh Jackman is doing a duet with me. 


She's originally from So Cal. Lucky ducky...*I* nevah woulda move...well except maybe for the earthquakes...She's been a crafter for a long time...she looks young enough to have started crafting as soon as she zipped her egg shell...She's a Jill-of-all-Trades, like most of us are, but seems to have settled into her comfy niche of sewing things.

I like to sew...I just am not good at it...everything looks like Woodstock did it.




She has all sorts of neato sewn goodies from Turban/Headbands and Flower Clips, Scarves and Aprons, to Totes and Throws.


Her Headwrap/Turban/Headbands are very Gloria Swanson...Retro Red Turban Heaband Eco Friendly
See?!


Dang! I just dated myself badly...


Moving right along, then..ahem...
I LOVE this. I'm a big Paisley nut. AND it's in my fave colours of Olive, and Chocolate.  
Paisley headband

Her Aprons come in full, the ones that go around the neck and waist ones, that tie around the waist. She has them for us adults and for the kiddies too, cuz we all know how kids are when they "help"...
This is always appreciated:Denim Chef Apron  Kiss the Cook


And you don't have to just save them for the kitchen either. Working in the garden the pockets would hold twine, scissors and your phone. At a fair or a show, they can hold your money and receipts. I still have mine from Zany Brainy and use it at my shows.

I LOVE this one too...I KNOW noone would swipe it from me because it's bright Glorious ORANGE!!! I LOVE ORANGE!!!

Orange  ENERGY  Inspirational Lap Blanket
There needs to be an Orange Lady club like the Purple Lady Franchise...


I like BOTH of these! Decisions, decisions....Nah...won't pick...I'll show 'em both off.


Leopard Purse Tote with Fringe Tan BlackSnow Leopard Purse Tote with Pompoms

My sister is a giraffe nut so I would get this for her for Xmas. We share a taste for animal print. It's been sold...dang...but I should think that there might be a few bits left...nod wink.
Giraffe Fleece Scarf

Being a mom and having bouts of random dipstickery, I first looked at this shop name and was like Heart and Sow...mmm okay???  I was thinking:

not:


So please forgive my dipstickery and enjoy seeing all the neat goodies in this shop.


You can find Gail and Heart and Sow Designs here:https://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/Heartandsowdesigns
http://www.etsy.com/shop/HeartnSow
http://heartandsowdesigns.blogspot.com/
http://heartnsow.com/
She's also on FB and Twitter.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

VAGINA IS A SWEAR WORD?!!!

Say What?!!!
You're kidding right?!!

Wrong?!!

What the fuck you MEAN you can't say VAGINA?!

Read this and see how the male legislators in Michigan "think".

I mean Come ON!! Are you shitting me?!!!  

Are you guys for real?!!

VAGINA has never been a swear word in my lexicon and I have a quite rounded vocabulary, thank you very much. 

The only time the female parts are considered a swear word is when you call a person a Cee U Next Tuesday. 

Are these poor pitiable men so afraid of VAGINAs that they need to become the three wise monkeys? 
 
Hear no Vagina, See No Vagina, Speak No Vagina...

How do these guys think they were born? 
From an Egg maybe?Or the Stork or even a Cabbage Patch? 
Maybe we should check them for umbilici to see if they have one...
I KNOW chickens do, at least the Gallus gallus domesticus do. Prolly not the aforementioned human chickens. No offense to all the feathery, intelligent poultry out there.

MAYBE we should make them immune to the word VAGINA. Sort of like aversion therapy...
If we keep saying VAGINA, maybe it won't have such a frightening connotation to these poor misguided ninnies.  

This is what happened in the past couple of days to work towards this end. 

"The VAGINA Monologues" was recited outside the Michigan State House.
http://www.vday.org/node/2922
Isn't that too cool?

There's even a VAGINA song that the male legislators can listen to as they work to make being a female and having female issues a crime:

Or if they go onto Regretsy, they'll see tonnes of VAGINAs and Vulvas for their therapy.  

This lovely kit I found on Etsy should be required for those off days in winter:
DIY KIT - VAGINA Big Lebowski Piece
Mayhap they wouldn't be so intimidated. 

I presume that most of these legislators are married or engaged, or have at least seen, touched, been inside a VAGINA...what are they so afraid of? That it'll grow teeth?!  Oh please!!! 
Vagina dentata (Latin for toothed vagina) describes a folk tale in which a woman's VAGINA is said to contain teeth, with the associated implication that sexual intercourse might result in injury or castration for the man. 

Let's read that again gentlemen a FOLK TALE!!! 

Well, except for the lovely Aztec Goddess, Tlaltecuhtli.
She had teeth and jaws all over her body and is usually depicted squatting in the birth position with a human body hanging out of her VAGINA. 
Yep, that might be scary to those males who might wanna put a penis into a VAGINA. 

Oops, can I even SAY penis?

It's Better Handmade Blog Ring Post #3 - My European Touch

This week's victim is Monika of My European Touch. She was born in Germany and came here, Yays! She now lives in the Orange State, in Jacksonville, She's a bit closer to the ocean than to Disney though. She's a life long crafter. Her work shows it too.

She does tessarae, which is a type of mosaic work. Most Tesserae work can be seen in ancient Rome, and and the Eastern Part of the Roman Empire, like Byzantium, or whatever it's called these days...
This beautiful piece is in the Hagia Sophia, a Hang out for the Greek Orthodox Patriarch, then a Mosque and  now a museum.

File:Hagia Sophia Interior Virgin 2007.JPG
Our clever teammate uses vintage and new china and porcelain plates in her designs...Hades, I can destroy Correlle and Melmac dishes, so I strongly avoid anything that I can break by looking at it. hehe 


She calls her goodies, Shabby Chic, but I don't see a danged thing shabby about any of it.
Wall Art Wall Hanging wall decor Mosaic Window Pane Shabby Chic stained glass cut broken china plate rims Cottage beach Custom made
Isn't this gorgeous?!
Wall Hanging Wall Decor Mosaic Violin Shabby chic Wall Art Mosaic Center Piece Music Gift Chic broken china plate rims cottage chic mosaic
I LOVE this one too! It's made from a REAL violin too! Of course you can't play it, but wouldn't it just be nice hanging in your bedroom or music room or conservatory?


I've actually TRIED doing mosiac tiling stuff...I don't have the patience for it.  But I commend anyone who does.

She also has some Vintage Goodies, like Cut Glass Decanters and Upcycled Dress Hangers.

I also think these are awesome items too.

Ice skate Decor, Wall Art Door Hanger Mantel piece white Shabby chic, light blue, tatted butterflys
Nancy Kerrigan would be pleased to see these hanging in her room next to her last Gold.  I used to ice skate...I was NEVER good at it, more like this poor gal.


This is also pretty.
Night light Candle Holder Table light handmade frosted pearls white shabby cottage chic
And it would look really nice with this in your little Cape Codder on Nantucket Island.
Shabby Chic Table Lamp Lighting Decor Cream White Lace handmade Clay roses, pink decor, millenery crystal teardrop ribbon

Right now she's having a sale in her shop, 15% off of everything.
Soo check it out! 


You can find Monika here:
https://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/Myeuropeantouch

Here:
http://myeuropeantouch.blogspot.com/

http://handmadeartists.com/shop/Myeuropeantouch


AND she's on HGTV!! So she's a celebrity in MY eyes. Martha can go pound sand! Monika RULES!!
http://my.hgtv.com/share-my-craft/Home-Decor/Broken-China-Mosaic/detail.esi?oid=25227515


Saturday, June 16, 2012

It's Better Handmade Blog Ring Post #2-Pin and Tack

Well, here I am again with another IBH team mate. This shop is called Pin and Tack. 


Her name is Corrine and she resides in Medford, Oregon...not confusable with Meffa Massachusetts. ;)  She seems to be another magpie, making the mundane shiny so us fellow magpies have some more neat things to hoard and use.  


Case in point: 
Clothespins...yah, whatevah, ho-hum...I get it, but take a peek at THESE!!!White Black Distressed Clothes Pins Gold Glitter Wedding Banner Clip

White Black Distressed Clothes Pins Orange Glitter Banner Party Favor

She calls them "Party Favours" pshaw...I'd weather seal 'em, and use 'em for their true purpose...drawing those treacherous Yellow Jackets away from your undies when you hang 'em on the line.  


I can't remember how many times I got stung in the mornings...heckuva wake up call.  And it was ONLY me! pfft.


Her Party Favour/Clothespins also come in all these lovely colours and she can make you up batches of more or less and different colours.  You can use them as chip clips, place holders, to hold banners, even organizing yourself...


But wait!! There's more to her shop than just Yellow Jacket lures!


She also has Gem Covered Thumbtacks and Pushpins. 
These would be nice for my birthday...nodwink...Sapphire Square Thumb Tacks 10pcs - Cork Board Decor Party Favor
Lucky Dice Thumb Tacks 6pcs - Vegas Gambler Lady Luck

Ocean Micro Beads Thumb Tacks - Set of 10 - Shabby Chic Glamor
Aren't these just neato?!!


And she has things to appeal to us writers too: Corkboards and Chalkboards for those ideas that come to us when we are nowhere near paper. And look at these mini journals, perfect for the nightstand or to keep in the car.
Alice And Caterpillar Mini Journal - U Pick Color - Mini Scrapbook
Alice Plays Croquet Mini Journal - U Pick Color - Mini Scrapbook
I LOVE both of these...my birthday's coming folks...hint hint.

In addition, she has cards with envelopes, candles, tags, gift wrap, magnets, and other goodies. Come on and check her shop out.

You can find her here at:
https://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/PinAndTack WITH a contest going, so check it out.
Her Blog is here:
http://pinandtack.blogspot.com/
She's got some tutorials on that...
She's also has another blog here:http://tuesdayalchemy.blogspot.com/
She's on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/craftymooncrab
And FaceBook:
https://www.facebook.com/pinandtack

Thursday, June 7, 2012

It's Better Handmade Blog Ring Post-DaffyDill

This is my first Blog Ring Post for the It's Better Handmade Guild. It's featuring DaffyDill on ArtFire. She's from Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. I've always wanted to visit there...it seems so nice and deffo far from here on the East Coast.

She's got TONNES of shineys for us magpies to drool over, from bracelets and anklets to wire-wrapped stones, earrings and pendants.



The first thing that caught my eye was on the first page: Goldstone wrapped in Copper Wire. Deffo drool-worthy. Dontcha think?
Gold stone earrings, wire wrapped, copper, golden shimmer


I'm one of those nut jobs who LOVE orange and there isn't very many of us.  


I LOVE this Pendant also. More Copper Wire but with Dyed Blue/Green Agates. Mmm.
Copper wire wrapped weave pendant agates copper hand wire wrapped copper pendant
And it comes on a Velvet Necklace. I've never tried Wire Wrapping, but I know folks who do. Need to be a lot more coordinated than I am for sure.


I can picture wearing this next one with a classic white linen dress on your yacht sailing around the "Vinyahd" with Thurston Howell the Third and Lovie. hehe

Living and growing up on a beach makes you appreciate the ocean and we used to find Starfish alot. :(


This next item makes me wanna cha-cha with my Ford Focus, Xicohtencatl. She was made in Hermosilla, Mexico which is why she  has an Aztec name. Mexico has bright colours way back in her history and I ADORE Diego Rivera's murals. He'd deffo gift Frieda with this one:
Mexican art pendant, blue white necklace, agates, clay, beaded

DaffyDill has a blog which is found here:http://www.daffydelights.blogspot.ca/
Her Artfire shop is here:
https://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/daffydill
She has an Etsy shop also, which has vintage goodies.http://www.etsy.com/shop/Everjeweledvintage?ref=pr_shop_more