Pink Roses

another week of sketching...

Another week has come and gone, and I would like to share my sketchbook with you again.  I promise I will write about other things this year, but so far, this is the most interesting thing I have going on!  We've had a solid week of rain, no sun, and I have been cleaning closets and doing the new years organizational thing.  My charity donation bags are hardly worth a photo! The page above is a vintage Valentine, and below is a sketch of a fork...

an old chalkware angel, in a quick sketch before being packed away with Christmas...

a little ceramic squirrel figurine that belongs to my daughter...

 

This may be my favorite of the week...I saw this photo of a rose on Instagram, and I am happy with the way it turned out.  I have learned this week, that I like my paintings much better when I do a quick sketch in pencil first.  It helps me with proportion, and the end result is better.  I suppose I should try and be more relaxed about making mistakes (I make plenty), but this is all just practice.   

My final page for the week is a section of vintage wallpaper that was in the dining room at the farm when I bought it.  It was (is) such a beautiful paper, and I salvaged every scrap of it I could when we restored the room.

We will be spending some time at the farm this weekend, and we may have some sun:)  I will have updated pictures of the renovation progress soon!

30 minutes a day...

One of my "resolutions" this year is to try to make a little time each day to be creative.  30 minutes a day, for guilt free happy play time.  Its been a very long time since I have done this, and it feels great! I signed up for an online class by MARY ANN MOSS, called SKETCHBOOKERY, and I am trying my hand at watercolors, and quick 30 minute pages.  Needless to say, I am not a watercolor artist, and it would take WAY longer than 30 minutes for me to create a masterpiece (ha).  Being a bit of a perfectionist, I am pretty critical of my work.  I am trying to let go, and enjoy the process, and LEARN from my practice and mistakes.  Here is my first weeks work..quick 30 minute journal pages with inexpensive watercolors and a micron pen.  In some cases, I have added my inspiration.  The "2015" above was inspired by Pam Garrison.  Day 2, below, was a 1968 Garden book...

Day 3, a dish from an estate sale...

day 4, a photo from Instagram...

day 5, a little rooster figurine...

day 6, an Andy Warhol postcard of Butterflies...

day 7, just playing with mixing paint colors from a set of tube watercolors...

So that's week one of my 30 minutes a day.  More next week...

inspired ideas...

 

Do you love to make things?  Are you looking for some inspired ideas? 

How about these adorable hodge podge dish towels...I'm crazy in love with them:)

 

 

This project {and dozens more} can be found in the latest issue of Amy Powers Inspired Ideas magazine.  Amy has a delightful sense of style, and I was flattered when she asked me to contribute to this issue. 

It's not too late to hand craft some gifts for Christmas, so pop over to Amy's blog and get INSPIRED today!

DIY: vintage purse journal...

 

Vintage beaded and sequin purses seem to call my name at every flea market and antique store I visit. I have a few that I use for special occasions, and the rest...apparently I'm just hoarding :). Making a journal out of one of these vintage purses helps to justify my collection.

Here's how:  Start with one adorable vintage clutch purse.  It's OK if it's damaged, you won't feel too bad about altering it!  Mine is quite small-the finished pages are 3"x5"!

Use a seam ripper to open the side seams. The bottom of the purse will now be the spine of your journal.

Cut watercolor paper to fit the measurements of your purse.  I used 4- 6"x5" pieces of watercolor paper which I folded in half to make 3"x5" finished pages.  4 sheets of paper= a journal with 16 pages (front and back), and that was all my little purse could hold, and still be able to close.  Play around with the size and number of pages, and find what fits your purse best. I like watercolor paper because it is nice and thick, and you can sew and paint on it with ease. I embellished the right side of the pages, and kept the left side of the pages blank for journaling, sketching and collage. Here are the "right" side pages...

I punched two holes in the fold of the pages, that I will later use for binding.

You can see that the "left side" pages are blank {for now!}.

When I stacked all 4 sets of embellished pages inside each other to make one signature, my journal was too thick to close.  So, I made 2 signatures and tied them into the "spine" of the purse/journal with seam binding.

I threaded the seam binding through the holes in the fold of my pages...

and punched corresponding holes into the "spine" of my purse/journal with a crop-o-dile.  I also used scraps of fabric to cover some of the inside of the purse, because it was stained.  I was still "in progress" when I took this photo. I just stitched this piece of fabric on 3 sides, so that it formed a secret pocket:)

Here is a side view of the signatures tied into the journal with seam binding.

The edge of the pages...

I tied the ribbons into a bow on the spine, and added a bit of lace and a rhinestone button to the cover.

I think this idea could make a great wedding keepsake or guest book.  I am making another one as a scrapbook for my daughter and filling it with the photos I took of them on their anniversary in September.  But don't tell.  It's a Christmas present!

pipe cleaner Christmas trees...

 

4 years ago, WAY before PINTEREST was invented, I posted pictures on my blog of my home at Christmas.  The following year I posted more pictures.

 

I love Pinterest, really I do, but this is what has happened to me...  Someone pinned these pictures from my blog, these "pipe cleaner Christmas trees", and I have been overwhelmed.  The pictures were posted with "instructions" on how to make them, and the instructions are FALSE!  Ridiculous actually. I am sad knowing that people think that those instructions came from me, because they will be disappointed when they waste time and money! I am receiving LOTS of visits each day on my blog just from these photos, and emails asking for instructions.  I have gotten TWO offers from major magazines to write tutorials on how to make them.  The truth is...I DIDN'T MAKE THESE, and I never claimed to.  They were purchased 4 or 5 years ago at a discount store (Old Time Pottery) and have NO markings.  Because of all of the interest, I will show photos of their construction, and hopefully help those of you who wish to recreate these.  I had NO luck finding the supplies, and therefore declined the offers to publish instructions in both of the magazines.

First, The materials: I hope you can see from this photo, that these are not the standard pipe cleaners/chenille stems that you find in a craft store (the white pipe cleaner is an 8mm chenille stem/pipe cleaner for comparison) The "pipe cleaners" used for this tree are much thicker and are very stiff and course, like a bottle brush tree.  I tried searching the internet for some sort of "industrial" pipe cleaner, but had no luck.

the "pipe cleaner" spirals are quite large:

The "Pinterest instructions" say to "glue the pipe cleaners to a Styrofoam form, and then remove the form". Seriously? I don't think that would work.

The trees are constructed and glued onto an 8 sided welded metal cone shaped frame.  The wire is the thickness of a coat hanger, and very sturdy.

the largest frame is 7 1/2" wide:

and 18" tall:

I hope this helps to clarify the construction of these Christmas trees.  I do think they are lovely, which is why I purchased them, and shared them on my blog.  I am always happy to share instructions and information, but this was never intended to be a DIY project or tutorial.  It was simply a photo of a decoration in my home.  Best wishes to you all! xo Suzanne Duda

scrap bag...

A few weeks ago, my (favorite) Aunt invited me to join her quilting group at their monthly sewing day.  Now these gals aren't just quilters, they are fabric artists, and they exhibit their work and attend shows, etc.  I REALLY did not feel qualified to be sewing in the same room with these women, but I love my Aunt and wanted to spend a day with her.  She said a few of the women were going to be making purses that day, instead of quilting, so I grabbed my bag of scraps and off I went.  The women there were doing crazy things like using patterns and MEASUREING,  lining up seams, clipping threads and even (gasp) IRONING!  The quilt projects were amazing, and the purses were perfection.  At one point that afternoon, someone asked ever-so-sweetly "Now what are you doing?", to which I replied "I have no idea!" No pattern, no clue, here's my finished project...

I used lots of floral barkcloth scraps...

and assorted scraps of lace, ribbon, rick rack and pom-poms...

 

I had SO much fun, and I love my new bag...

They have invited me back for their August sewing day, and some of us will be making fabric flowers...I can't wait!

DIY Friday: vintage journal...

After my flea market adventure last Friday, I was inspired to use some of my vintage finds to make a journal. 

I used the covers from some old books as the pages, and embellished them with a little bit of everything!

The books I used were not the same height or width, but were close in size.  I cut the covers off the books with an exacto knife, and used the front and back cover of the tallest book (the tan one) as the front and back cover of the journal.  Because my pages were very 3 dimensional, I only used one cover of each of the other books, 7 covers total...5 pages plus the front and back cover.

I punched holes in the covers with a crop-o-dile, and held it all together with 2" binder rings from the office supply store.  The outside edges of the journal are the smooth edges, and the "spine" is the cut edges of the book covers. Here is the cover : lace, millinery, satin ribbon, and a rhinestone pin...

 

The back side of each cover was covered in assorted papers, and a piece of watercolor paper was added as a blank spot for journaling on some. Here is the inside cover and page 2: a vintage dress pattern,  lace trim, velvet ribbon, a millinery rose, and a vintage calling card...

I hadn't added the journaling spots when I took these photos...sheet music, bridal lace, a vintage embroidered hankie, and a milagro tied on with ribbon...

The next page has a piece of vintage barkcloth with a bit of padding behind, so it can be used to "pin" on items, including a vintage enamel flower pin from my collection.

The next page has more vintage barkcloth and lace, and I laced seam binding to make a place to hold journaling tags, business cards, etc.

The back of this cover has vintage wallpaper and more lacing (like a corset), to hold more journaling.  I may not actually use these tags for my journaling...I just put them here to show you a possibility.

The last page has a round doily cut in half, then sewn to form a corner pocket to hold notes, cards, etc...

The back side also has a pocket...

This journal is sturdy and thick and just filled with all the vintage things I love and collect...and it was SO much fun to make!

  It would make a great guest book at a wedding!

waxed paper bags...

I am having a love affair today, sewing these little waxed paper bags!  I will be using them to package tomorrows DIY Friday project.  Can't wait to show you...:)

yikes...

It's been a month since I've posted...life got busy for a while! In the past month, I had a birthday...

Elizabeth and Paul came back from a 10 day honeymoon in South America, and are enjoying married life...

Mr. Duda and I went to see Christopher and Katie at college for Homecoming weekend...

I spent a fabulous weekend in Ashville attending Jennifer Hayslip's magical event...

My roommates: Karla Nathan, Lori Oles, and Kana Conger...love you girls!

The setting was breathtaking, the food delicious, the projects amazing, and the friendships...priceless!

Then I spent 5 days at the beach with some old friends...

Sun, sand, shelling, seafood...HEAVEN! I ate honey almond glazed salmon salad with fresh berries for lunch 3 days in a row...

We opened a new exhibit at the High Museum, where I am a volunteer...

Then my parents came for a week long visit, Christopher and Katie came home for Fall break, and now I'm getting back to normal. I'd like to take a deep breath, clean up, catch up, and craft. There's no place like home...

little projects...

Over the next few days I'm going to share a few little homemade wedding projects with you. These were the details that made the day a bit more personal, in my opinion.

First, the guest book...

I made it the same way I made THIS ONE, and actually just used the BACK cover of that original ledger.  Two new books from one old ledger!

Mr. & Mrs! signs for the chairs...

We decided that he was already a MR, and would still be a MR, but she was changing from a MISS to a MRS, and that deserved an exclamation point!!!  I used pages from an unfinished chipboard book (Michaels dollar bin), and covered them with paper, sanded the edges, glued on glittered chipboard letters, punched holes and tied with organza ribbon.  These were tied to the back of their chairs at the wedding reception dinner.  Took 10 minutes, and was simple and elegant.

Party favors.  Elizabeth wanted to personally make something for everyone, and decided to do her "famous" pretzels.  I say famous, because after she made them the first time, people always ask her to make them again.

And just to do a little math with you...we planned a sit down dinner for 150 x 6 pretzels per bag= 900 pretzels that had to be dipped in chocolate and rolled in sprinkles.  900 pretzels to be bagged, and ribbons cut and tied and doilies folded...2 days before the wedding!  We stayed up half the night. Do you know how many little white sprinkles were ALL OVER my kitchen floor??

I will admit...they were stunning when they were all in a big rectangular wicker tray, and EVERYONE loved them.  In fact there were only 3 left!  People couldn't believe she took the time to do that.  Good idea E!  My obsessive moment was with the programs...

They were simple, and I printed them myself at Kinkos, but we went to 4 different Michaels stores to find enough paper (Bazzill cardstock in a pearl finish) to print them all.  Thanks to 3 awesome bridesmaids, Ashley, Isa and Megan, who flew into town 2 days early and asked "what can we do?",  they were all folded and tied with seam binding ribbon in about an HOUR!!

I would have been lucky to get them all folded, and given up on the ribbon for lack of time.  The girls sat and talked and finished it up in record time.  Those 3 helped me SO much in the last few days, I will forever be grateful for their energy and enthusiasm and genuine LOVE for my daughter.  She is blessed to have such friends! More to come...