daily flickr- Pin Cushion Queen

Pin Cushion Queen
Originally uploaded by FiberArtsy

FiberArtsy has created this fantastic work of stitchery! The image is from Tim Burton's book 'The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy'. I have always thought that his sketches would translate well to stitches and here is the living proof. And isn't it great that she is the pincushion queen? I mean how much more stitcherific can you get than that? I also think the pincushion queen would make a really cool/creepy Halloween costume. Part voodoo doll/part crafty-creepy this may have to be added to my list for possible costumes this year.

Too early to make a list of Halloween costumes you say? HA. Never too early for Halloween costumes.

daily filckr-Inventors Wife

Inventors Wife
Originally uploaded by Opulent Oddities

This amazing necklace is from Opulent Oddities. Her collections are simply breathtaking! Check our her flickr and her etsy shop for lots of jewelry goodness.

The title 'Inventors Wife' just seems so perfect for this. For Christmas I was lucky enough to get a collection of H.G. Wells novels and I just finished reading 'The Time Machine'. I can just imagine the Time Traveler's wife (if he had one) wearing this necklace.

daily flickr

sweater clip
Originally uploaded by ilovetweek

Isn't this sweater clip perfection? The mini-tie, the blazer, the whole look is really working for me. I love the look of a tie but I don't like the way they look on me- since I have a larger chest. This little mini tie would give just the right amount of 'business' to any outfit!

Merry Christmas!

someone was a good girl
Originally uploaded by hastingsgraham

Merry Christmas everyone!

Have a safe and happy holiday.

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.

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 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.

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.

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

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."

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.

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.