Merry Christmas!

someone was a good girl
Originally uploaded by hastingsgraham

Merry Christmas everyone!

Have a safe and happy holiday.

Hot Drinks Mix Round Up

So this year is pretty tight on the old budget belt (tell me something we dont know right?) but I am determined to make the best of it. All gifts will be small but thoughtful and to sweeten the deal I am planning on making a whole bunch of holiday drink mixes to warm up the holiday season. (Just so you know I AM writing this post during 'the' blizzard in MN).


From Bake it Pretty we have a lovely recipe for Russian Friendship Tea:

http://www.bakeitpretty.com/blog/?p=492

my mom used to make this and it is SOOOOO yummy.





AmberLee from the Giver's Log has a fun idea for hot chocolate on a stick.



http://giverslog.com/?p=3290



actually she has LOTS of really cool things there that you should check out.


Amy at the The Mother Load has a Hot Chocolate Recipe as well as a Vanilla Chai Tea. Both sound scrumptious!

Now I just need to whip these up along with a batch of homemade marshmallows and I should be good to go.

Still trying to decide how I want to package all this Drink Mix goodness but if I find anything good I will maybe post some pictures.

You better watch out

Vera-Ellen, the Santa Claus pinup, c1955
Originally uploaded by carbonated

Christmas time is here! We 'decorated' our apartment this weekend and it looks like a bunch of drunken elves had a decorating party. It looks a lot like one of those Christmas stores that looks like it should be a log cabin. All sorts of teddy bears and stuff. Not really my style at all- but my roommate brought all of his decorations for Christmas since I went a little overboard with Halloween. So now I am knee deep in quilted teddy bear-with-santa-hat place mats. Sigh. At least it is Christmas.

Back to Halloween for a moment-Ursula Costume 09

My bad. I should have posted this way sooner but such is life! So for Halloween this year my friends and I decided to have a Disney Halloween. Actually I said I wanted to be Ursula from 'The Little Mermaid' then someone else was like "Oh! I want to be Belle!" and it just sort of snowballed from there. So I was going to split this up into a whole bunch of small posts as I gradually made my costume but I just banged it out in one week and had no time for posting!

I started with the the tutorial from Threadbanger on making a tutu.

Next I made a simple black dress from a vintage '80s pattern I found in my mom's sewing stash.
I made it about knee length instead of ankle length though.

At first I was just going to wear the tutu underneath the dress but I decided I should sew it in because I knew I was going to sew the tentacles in as well. See how nicely the purple sticks out at the bottom? Also the tutu would help the overall shape of the skirt from looking too lumpy.

The tentacles were made out of the same black fabric as the dress and then purple costume satin.

I only made 6 tentacles because my original plan was to make tights that also looked like the tentacles but alas I ran out of time. Each leg took almost an entire bag of polyfil to stuff at this point I was a little worried it was going to be too heavy for the dress.

Notice the Suction cups- different sizes hand sewn to each tentacle.

Got the suction cups from the dollar store I just had to take the little metal hook things off of them.

AND THE GRAND FINALE:

Pretty adorable if I do say so myself. I sewed all of the legs to the waistline of the dress then curled them over to the top part of the skirt and sewed them in place. The necklace is just a large seashell I already had. I used white hair spray paint and some sweet '80s shadow to complete the look.

Now what for next Halloween? Hmm.

See?

Kind of cool huh? This photo is from cbs.com.
I can honestly say I never thought I would be posting a Victoria's Secret Angel on my blog. Weird how things work out like that.

Steampunk Secret?

So I know it is sick and wrong but I was totally captivated tonight by the Victoria Secret 'fashion' show. I know, I know, I am a feminist, I should hate it and everything associated with it...and I do...up to a point. For as much as I can't agree with the insanely narrow range of 'beauty' portrayed by this company I was kind of jealous. Jealous of the people who got to MAKE some of those super awesome outfits. No not the underwear, I am talking about the angel wings made out of balloons, or the corset dress made out of balloons, and the diamond encrusted everythings. ( I really had a strong urge to bejewel something.) But the section I was most surprised by was the 'enchanted forest' which to me looked more like a steampunk extravaganza. Now I am no expert in the style but when you incorporate some nice tweeds with your lingerie, add a bustle, and throw on some gear filled angel wings I am pretty sure you are nearing what it generally considered steampunk and I thought it was pretty cool. I would love to see an independent group of female designers throw a lingerie fashion show- just scoot on over to etsy to see how many talented designers are out there!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Vintage Thanksgiving Postcard
Originally uploaded by bulldoggrrl

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!

Stuck at work right now so before I get to go home and bake my pie I figured I should take some time out to make a list of what I am thankful for. So in no particular order:

-My job: I am not in love with it and I complain about it a LOT but it is a job that pays the bills until I can figure out what I want to be when I am a 'grown up'. And not to sound preachy but in this economic climate when so many people are struggling to find work and make ends meet I am going to try to be a little more positive that I even have a job.

-Friends: The farther we get from college I fear the farther we will grow apart but so far those friends that are the backbone of my existence have remained close- in spirit if nothing else. I really appreciate it when we all take time out of our busy lives to make sure we get together and spend time with each other. I have also been blessed to be a part of my friends lives as they are approaching huge milestones in their lives. I thank you for including me and I look forward to this upcoming year!!!

-flickr: Maybe a weird option but this is my first year on there and it has helped me connect with so many other cool and creative people. I feel like I finally have people who 'get me' with all my crafty weirdness. In this category I would also like to add sites like blogger and etsy - online communities that have really inspired me to do more.

-PUSHING DAISIES: I finally discovered this gem of a show. I bought both seasons on DVD and have already watched them multiple times. I love everything about the show and I am sad it is no more. But I am keeping the love alive tonight as I attempt to make a pear pie with gruyere baked into the crust!! (pictures to come if it turns out!)

-My roomate: Neither of us wanted to keep living at home and neither of us could afford to move out on our own. I love living with him and sharing this wonderful experimentation in being a grown up. (At what point does it stop becoming an experiment and just starts being my life? Hmm.)

-THANKSGIVING!!!: As a holiday all by itself I am not the biggest fan...but for me it is the OFFICIAL kick off of the Christmas season and oh man I do loves me some Christmas. Christmas music for a solid month! YES!!! Christmas movies every weekend!! YESS!!!! Holiday baking!!! SO EXCITED!

ok. I am calm. And also thankful. I wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving and I hope you all have lots to be thankful for as well.

Black cat!

Lillian Wells
Originally uploaded by bobbyperu99

Ok technically the cat is a shadow and I am really just assuming it is a black cat. But could you really imagine that it would be a white cat?

On a completely different note I really lover her checkered blouse.

The Halloween Ball

The Halloween Ball
Originally uploaded by spes.craft

This is an embroidery that I have had done for a couple of weeks now but I just finally got it framed. Combining my love of all things 18th century with Halloween I created a ball gown fit for the most extravagant masquerade. I also have other Halloween themed embroideries in the sketchbook- but I dont believe I will have time to finish any of them before the holiday!

I want my own giant pumpkin!

witch pumpkin inside
Originally uploaded by Trubluelou

If I had the time I would make a giant paper mache pumpkin to hang out in on Halloween. Add some more great shadow witches, bats, black cats and ghosts and we have another winner! Hmm. I wonder if this is the same people who make those giant cakes...

Afraid?

witch shadow pin up great. 2
Originally uploaded by Trubluelou

I love this pinup because it is SO Halloween without trying to hard. And it is combining some of my favorite things: witches (Halloween), shadow puppets, and vintage slips! Too much greatness for one photo.

Happy Bats!

Happy Halloween
Originally uploaded by bobbyperu99

This pin up is super duper retro. Check out the sweet cut outs of witches, cats, pumpkins, etc, on her dress. I kind of want that dress. I would wear it to my 'festive but not costume mandatory' Halloween party....which I still have to get ready for!

Coming soon...costume posts. It will be fast, furious, and hopefully fabulous!

Halloween Shopping Round 1

So I finally caved in and bought some stuff for Halloween. Like many people I am on a budget so I am really trying to get some bang for my buck.

The List:
Black paper plates square and round
'Bone Appetit' Napkins
3 'Poison' Bottles to add labels to and add to the the bathroom
black and orange candy melts (bought molds online- will post when they arrive)
black and orange food coloring (you have no idea how much i am going to bake!)
mini led lights- they will be used somehow...
'Caution' tape- this is going to go across an open door looking into my room which I am going to make into a creepy Halloween scene
'Hocus Pocus'- Best Halloween movie EVER! Had to buy a copy since my old 'taped off of tv on vhs' version stayed at my mom's house

Maybe I spent a little bit more than I planned to for this trip but it is all worth it. Target had some really cute stuff but I just wasn't sure what I would do with some of it.

Halloween and Spook Stories

Betty Grable
Originally uploaded by Namey McNamerson

This pin up is so adorable. Betty Grable has a book filled with scary stories and with that creepy little pumpkin in the bottom of the picture this photo really makes me want to curl up with some ghost stories.

owltober

nan grey
Originally uploaded by Foxtongue

so i wished some people a Happy October on the 1st and my friend informed me that it is OWLtober. Are other people aware of this term? Is he making it up? I guess it doesnt matter I like it either way.

on a non-Halloween subject i just saw WHIP IT and it was AWESOME!!!

i know everyone and their mom will want to do roller derby now but i think i would be really good at it. i have some mad skills from rugby.

Happy October!

Dusty Anderson - movie starlet- Halloween pinup
Originally uploaded by The Happy Wanderer

It is finally here! YAY! Now I feel like I can really celebrate. (kind of like my rule about not listening to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving) But now it is full speed ahead to Halloween. In celebration this month I will be posting a Vintage Halloween Pinup every day of the month and also posts on decorating, food, candy, and a play by play of my attempts to get a costume together in time for the big day. (Haven't even started the costume yet-but that was more being busy than waiting for October!)
Also watch out for some Halloween embroidery this month!

I also want to hear what YOU are doing this month in preparation for the spookiest holiday!

October is so close I can taste it...

...or at least I can taste these pumpkin muffins (smittenkitchen) with chocolate chips. Mmmm fall.

weekend thrifting

(the smallest one is filled with pumpkin spice kisses!)

This weekend was really good to me- thrift wise. I have become a little obsessed with cake plates and covered plates for all sorts of baked goods and more. Friday at Thrift Store #1 I found 2 'covers' for $2 each! I think they actually may be cheese plate covers but they are really cool regardless of their former use. They did not come with plates but I am thinking of making some Halloween themed ones for my Halloween party that I am convincing my roommate to let me throw! At Thrift Store #2 I found the most adorable mini-glass cover and dish! It was $3 and so darn cute I think I squeaked with delight at finding it.

Sunday I went to Gold Rush which is this huge antiques sale at our fair grounds with hundreds of sellers. They have it a couple of times a year and I go as often as I can. This round was much more sparse than other years but there is always enough stuff to keep you drooling. Gold Rush is usually way more expensive than your average garage sale or thrift sale because these people know what they are doing. But if you are a collector or a very persistent bargain hunter it usually creates some good deals. This time my best deal was the glass cake plate w/cover for $11! I love it so hard. Now I have three different sized covers- which will look amazing with all the fall treats I am going to be baking!!!

4 pieces grand total: $18 - still less than the 1 similar cake stand/cover I saw at a local craft store.

Halloween Wines

I found this article on Halloween wines via Pumpkinrot. I don't know a great deal about wines but I did try the Trick or Treat last year. Sadly my local store that sold those wines closed this year so I shall have to find something else. I also tried a Vampire wine that this link didn't talk about - but I truly can not remember if it was good or not as last Halloween got a bit crazy. I am promising myself to be a good girl this year.

I also really want to try some pumpkin ale this year. I know Halloween is a long way off but I am SOOOO excited- I am planning a month long celebration for October including several Halloween related posts a day cover everything from crafts, to food, to costumes, etc!

Interview Link

Here is an interview I found with Marilyn Manson. It is pretty long but really interesting. Any other Manson fans out there? I thought it was odd he didn't play any songs from 'Eat me, Drink me' but he addresses that in the interview.

Whether you love him or hate him you cant deny that the man is complex.

gettin my concert on

On Monday I drove up to Minneapolis to go the Marilyn Manson concert with one of my best friends in the world. We are concert buddies- we go to the shows that none of our other friends are interested in.

This is our second time seeing Marilyn Manson together. The first show got a little crazy but this one was totally chill (as chill as this kind of concert can be anyway). The theater was changed last minute to the Historic State Theater- which is a gorgeous building but it seems better suited to opera than to this brand of entertainment. But the crowd behaved exceedingly well and it was a great concert.

Thrift Store Goodness

On Mondays one of my local thrift shops has amazing sales on. I have been good at cutting down on the random stuff I buy but this was too cute to pass up!

It is my first cookie jar! For my first apartment! Now I have an excuse to make cookies...

Grand total: $.99! how could I say no?

Now I AM in a very Halloween mood but is it just me or doesn't this cookie jar look like the house from Psycho?

No? Just me then. Ok.

just a bit more coverage...

My friend bought the cutest dress when she was in Spain.

Sadly while it was cute for a night of dancing and cocktails and cute boys it wasn't quite appropriate enough for the family wedding that she needed to go to.

So she wanted just a bit more coverage...



I helped make a little extra layer for the dress so that it will be appropriate for the wedding she needs to go to but I made it so if she ever wanted to take it off it shouldn't be too hard.

Project Runway I am not since this little alteration took me a good long time to figure out and execute. I really need to stop by the library and pick up some sewing books. I know the basics but I really want to learn some skills (skilz?). Anybody have any suggestions of good sewing technique books?




What little skills I have are going to be put to the test with this year's Halloween costume. I have always made my own costumes and lately I have been a bit more ambitious. It is going to be epic. And if it looks anything like the pictures in my head it is going to be sweet... to early to be thinking about Halloween you say? NEVER! Who else is excited?

Pie Pops!

I realize that everyone and their mom was all excited about pie pops 3 or 4 weeks ago. I know because I was too. I made them when I was first excited about them and snapped a couple photos but life intervened. Now new apartment, new car, and tons of bills to pay later I finally have internet on a regular basis! Yay technology and Pie Pops.

I would make them a bit smaller next time but they were delicious.

VINTAGE HAIRSTYLING!

'Vintage Hairstyling: Retro Styles with Modern Techniques' is hands down my new favorite book. Thanks SO MUCH to Lauren for this FANTASTIC BOOK! Be sure to pick up the book and check out her super sweet blog where she posts on all things vintage beauty related.

moving into my first apartment

1st Attempt at Moving the New Couch
Originally uploaded by TristanPIpo

No this is not the couch that I (along with 3 friends) moved on Thursday but the situation looks familiar. I am in the process of moving into my very first apartment right now and while we have all the 'big stuff' moved in it will be a slow process moving the rest. The slow process is helped by the fact that my apartment is only a few blocks away from my old house! Now of course I am having anxiety over whether or not this was the right thing to do. Because although living with my family was driving me crazy it was, shall we say, cheap. With a new apartment and soon a new car to pay for along with student loans it is going to be a tight (like corset tight) budget this year.

But I think it will be good for me. It will let me live like an actual adult for awhile and I will see how I am at it. If it is an epic fail I can run home to mom without too much trouble (besides bruised pride). The costs will be shared by my roommate and we will help each other in this little experiment to spend less and make do with what we have.

Hopefully we will have internet at home soon so I can catch up on some things I have been up to. Posts coming soon....pie pops, thrift store finds, and NEW APARTMENT PHOTOS!!!

Julie and Julia and A Perfect Getaway

Julia Child Embroidered Portrait
Originally uploaded by run amok

Sunday was an excellent day of getting together with friends and going to the movies. In the afternoon I went to see "Julie and Julia" and it was an enjoyable movie. Like a lot of other people I enjoyed the 'Julia' half more than the 'Julie' part but overall it was a cute little movie. I was wondering whether or not the film would perhaps influence people to start a blog (or to post to their own more regularly...). I wonder how many people were sitting in the theater dreaming up something as crazy as 524 recipes in 365 days. Then I was wondering if I needed something like that. Do I need some sort of goal? Some project that will magically give me purpose and direction in my life? Well it seems like a great idea but for now I feel more comfortable going along my way and just posting when it 'feels right'. I dont want to tell myself that as a 'blogger' or a 'crafter' or whatever that I HAVE to do things a certain way- isnt that what I am trying to get away from in other parts of my life? I feel as soon as I tell myself that I will 'post something everyday' or 'make so many projects a week' that I will just post pointless crap (which you may think I already do) but at least when I post something now it is something I do want to share or talk about. So until I find a project with some goals that feel right to me I think I will just keep puttering away as I try to figure things out.

Oh yeah- Later on Sunday I went to see 'A Perfect Getaway'. I have a love hate relationship with horror/scary/thriller movies. I lean more towards the 'thriller' movies that have smart plot lines and not a lot of gore. When I first heard about 'A Perfect Getaway' I completely dismissed it. Not interested. No thank you. But then the second trailer came out and I was sure for a second that I had seen Timothy Olyphant. Now I was interested. Then I started hearing that it was good- not handing out Oscars good but campy/B-movie good. Sold. After an afternoon of French cooking with Julie and Julia I headed back to the theater for a dessert of cheap thrills with a side of eye candy. I LOVED THIS MOVIE. For me it was in the perfect place at the perfect time. It was quick, fun, and surprisingly smart. Honeymooners Cliff (Steve Zahn) and Cydney (Milla Jovovich) are in Hawaii to soak up some sun but as they start their trip they hear that some tourists have been murdered. They hook up on a trail they are hiking with Nick (Olyphant) and Gina (Kiele Sanchez). The story keeps you guessing long enough about who the killers are before divulging in an extensive black and white flashback and then returning to the matter at hand to wrap things up in a burst of adrenaline. I enjoyed not being able to figure things out right away and that the movie really did have a B-movie feel. It did have some gore but not so much that I wanted to throw up or leave the theater (I only had to cover my eyes once). And besides a nude scene (where you dont see anything besides the backside of Nick-tee hee) there was not the usual scary movie sex scene. Actually I think there was more making out in Julie and Julia than this movie. Overall it was a FUN film that had enough cleverness to make me want to see it again now that I have it all figured out. And seriously I will see it again for Mr. Olyphant.

I AM ON MR X STITCH!

Sooooooo excited! This is the dream. Seriously. YAY! Thank you, thank you!

Stitchgasm!-Spes

Deep Blues Festival

Boogaloosa Prayer from Toledo OH - the guy in the green jacket/black hat
is the drummer for one of my all time favorite bands A Night In The Box!

Three of us headed up to Minneapolis, MN this last Saturday to check out the Deep Blues Festival. It was an entire weekend of music but we could only go for the day so we just got the outdoor day pass. There were bands playing all day starting at noon both indoors and out. It wasn't until later that we found out we would have really liked to have seen some of the indoor acts. I guess we will just have to go back next year!

Boogaloosa Prayer- Toledo OH

My camera was low on batteries so I only took pictures of the bands I really liked! The only problem I had with the festival is the outdoor acts were SO LOUD towards the end I actually thought my ears were bleeding. This made me feel really old- but I am not and I am the girl who LOVES loud music. Oh well. I didn't need that extra bit of hearing anyways.

Adorable Canadians. The Schomberg Fair from Toronto.

C.W. Ayon - Las Cruces NM

The Schomberg Fair - Toronto Canada

I do like a man who can rock a banjo.

Public Enemies

Yes. This is an embroidery inspired by the new movie Public Enemies. It is a combination of some of my favorite things- old school gangsters, Johnny Depp, and embroidery(what can I say? I am complicated). Well anyway I didn't love the movie as much as I thought I would but I will have to see it again before I make up my mind. The embroidery is a slightly simplified version of the actual 'wanted' poster for John Dillinger. I took off a lot of the small text but I did add just a little to explain the rewards a bit.


I just finished this piece so I still have to wash it to get rid of the last few signs of my tracing and then I will iron it to get rid of a few more of the wrinkles- but I was just so excited about it I wanted to put it up asap! The small portraits of Dillinger did not come out quite as true to life as I wanted but it was close enough. The small print reads: "$10,000.00 for the capture of John Herbert Dillinger or a reward of $5,000.00 for information leading to the arrest of John Herbert Dillinger."

Thrift Finds- Scrapbook

I found this little gem at a local thrift shop that I hadn't been to in AGES. I may have mentioned before that I love old photographs and I also love old scrapbooks! It looks like this one hasn't even been touched and it came with an entire pack of filler paper still in its original plastic. Grand total: $4.

I also got a whole bunch of zippers for a couple of dollars. All in all a good day. Happy Fourth of July everyone!

Olga _2(Family Portrait Series #2)

Olga _2(Family Portrait Series #2)
Originally uploaded by spes.craft

Olga is finally finished! She is embroidered on light gray cotton and backed and framed with black felt. She is available in the shop now.

T-Shirt Quilt

i have had megan nicolay's "Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt" for a long time now and it is one of my favorite standbys to pull out for inspiration or a fun project. i have been wanting to do a t-shirt quilt for a long time mostly because i AM the girl who keeps every t-shirt she has ever owned- and i am trying desperately to grow out of the 't-shirt and sweatpants' look i have been rocking through college. but the nostalgic person that i am can not bear to just 'throw away' or donate t-shirts that still have a lot of meaning to me. so the other night when i was bored (i work the night shift so on my nights off i need to keep my self busy) i knew that this was the project i wanted to tackle. i had already picked out an bag of about 20 t-shirts for the project and an old kids sheet for the back (princess jasmine rocks!). this quilt took me four hours- mostly thanks to my new toy- my first rotary cutter! how did i ever craft without it? i love it. it is pink and amazing. in the end i used a couple more t-shirts so i wouldn't have any completely blank squares. i love it. it is soft and comfy and reminds me of all sorts of fun things (one of the shirts is from 6th grade!). the only sad thing is that it is way to warm here to actually use it. but the harsh minnesota winter is always just around the corner- so i will have plenty of time to snuggle up in this and read a good book.

has anybody else done this project recently? i had one neighbor who made one completely out of the cross country t-shirts her son had accumulated throughout high school!

Walther (Family Portrait Series #1)

Walther (Family Portrait Series #1)
Originally uploaded by spes.craft

I have always loved old photos. I am not quite sure exactly what it is but I have always thought that they are the best. I even find myself going back and using them as inspiration again and again....so...

This is first in a series of embroidery portraits I am doing. They are inspired by old photographs. Not all of them are going to be people actually in my family but maybe some of them will be if I can find some old photos. This portrait was inspired by this picture of Walther Nernst. Walther is embroidered on a light gray cotton and is 'framed' with black felt so he is ready to just hang on the wall or put into a bigger frame.