Better Photo of Christmas Tree Alien!

Surprise! I DO give a crap! I know you were silently begging for it, so here it is: A better photo of Christmas Tree Alien! For those of you who may be thinking, "This isn't a very good picture either," allow me to offer a retort: I only said I might post a better picture of Christmas Tree Alien. Lower your expectations or you're dooming yourself to a life peppered liberally with disappointment!

Christmas Tree Alien is a leftover breed of semi-immortal aliens that landed on Earth many thousands of years ago. He's part gen (ultraterrestrial, core-dwelling, wish-granting beings that become invisible and then speak to chosen ones like myself, guiding them to fulfill their destiny in the universe) and part something else. His ancestors helped organize the ancient arrangements of massive structures that form the magnetic vortex through which his and other kinds landed here on Earth. He is charged with managing those arrangements so that one day his kind may return, and this he does from the clandestine locale of our Christmas tree, Olivia.

And I gotta say he's doing a really great job.

Handmade Holiday Continued!

Fuck it. I love Christmas this year. I spent my Sunday crafting silly ornaments and making holiday confections while listening to a playlist of festive holiday music with my boo, and it was SO AWESOME.

Curling up on the couch with a felting needle, watching Labyrinth. Wrapping gifts I know the recipient will love and laugh about and think about the years of friendship attached to it. Meow-singing along to carols I don't know the words to. Powdered sugar everywhere. Giggling. Christmas rules. You just have to kind of make it your own.

And here I thought the first post-Boardwalk Empire Sunday would be a massive disappointment.

These are the easiest holiday treat to make in large quantities and they offer a satisfying combination of salty and sweet. For these reasons I will now share with you the instructions for preparing them.

First you need a bag of small pretzels, red and green M&Ms, wax paper, and chocolate and/or white chocolate flavored bark. It has to be the chocolate BARK, so look carefully. Melt a few squares of bark in a glass cup or bowl in a microwave for increments of 15-30 seconds, but don't completely melt it, because it helps to have a little malleability to it. Spread pretzels on wax paper and spoon a small dollop of melty bark on each one. Stick an M&M on each and let cool.

Make pretty bags by wrapping one end of a small box in shiny wrapping paper. Slip the box out of the unwrapped end. Crease the sides of the "bag" and reinforce the seams with tape. Fill bag with chocolate pretzel treats, adorn with ribbon and deliver to friends. Feast on smiles.

I just love these little owls and each one has a different character to me. This one is kind of a spunky, little baby owl. He hasn't really learned the ropes yet, but the wiser ones I made previously will help him out. Hopefully there are many more owls to come because my friends seem to like them a lot.
To top our mini tannenbaum, Tobi wanted a starfish. I love Tobi's felty requests. Sometimes I unload my growing collection of craft supplies and I just stare at the rolling mountains of felt, misshapen balls of brightly hued raw wool, and tangled spools of string and yarn and become immobilized by the very lack of creative boundaries. Then Tobi swoops down on his frazzled heap of girlfriend and gives me a little project to tackle, and suddenly I have a vision, direction and a constant source of encouragement. Thanks, Tob.
Now stick with me here, people. My boy also wanted a little a Christmas tree alien, and like I said, I feel no less than compelled to oblige all of his Christmas crafty desires. Let's critique this photograph: It's too dark and a little blurry. Maybe one day I'll give a crap and post a better one.
Here she is: Olivia. Some of the gifts beneath her are even real.

Handmade Holiday

It's been a while, followers. I've spent my blog hiatus thinking about how to take better pictures of my creations with my new camera (which is very mysterious to me), wondering whether to start completely over with my blog or get a URL, and moving. But the holidays have catapulted me into a crafty wonderland, so I could neglect my little blog no longer.

In the past, I’ve found the holidays abhorrent and completely full of shit. Red paired with green is a visual monstrosity, driving within a 30-mile radius of the mall becomes a rage-inducing disaster and don't even get me started on the music.

But since last year, I changed my mind. Not about red and green or my fourth quarter shopping center boycott, but about celebrating the Christmas season with unbridled zeal. See, the holidays cry out for crafting—be it in DIY décor, handmade gifts or creativity in the kitchen—and boy, do I love crafting.

Here are two cute owl ornaments I sewed and felted for our new tree, which we call Olivia.

This one is an onion ornament. The Onion show commercial kept coming on, and for some reason, that seemed like a good idea for an ornament. I'm not sure about this one. Maybe I'll make some other veggie ornaments to go with it.

Happy Holiday Crafting!

Another Aquatic Adventure

Like I said before, I'm mystified by imagery from the salty depths of the ocean. So when I was commisioned for another change purse with only the instructions, "Any underwater scene will do," I got to work on this baby seahorse. Baby Seahorse likes to chill in the coral reef and throw impromtu dance parties with his reef-dwelling friends. He also enjoys mahjong.

The Lost Port City Market Photos

Here are some pictures of Greta and me at Port City Market with our sweet set-up. I've been looking for a canopy tent so we can do the market again with a better display for our stuff, but so far to no avail.

She's ALIVE!

Once upon a time, I was in a sore mood. After busying myself with some self-portrait doodles of my disgruntled expression, an epiphany struck! Why not turn that negative energy outward into a little creature who could then encapsulate my stores of petulance, frustration and fury, freeing me up emotionally and cheering me with her beguiling good looks.


So this is what I'm working with. Last night there was electricity in the air. A thunderstorm hammered down upon the city as I diligently crafted this miniature malevolent me. I felt like a mad scientist, threading on her little belt, perfecting her twisted glare and knitted brows. I even broke a needle on my machine in my frenzied haste, which only momentarily halted my progress. I quickly retrieved the machine's handbook and replaced it. Phew!

As I completed the stuffing and sewed the scalloped edges of her slip closed on the bottom of her skirt, I was absolutely giddy! She's alive! She's beautiful! She's poseable! (I put pipe cleaners in her appendages.) She gets angry about all the same things I do.

"What do you mean I can't drink in here?!"

"Not this shit again!"

Port City Market: Success!

Welp, Port City Market was a success for both Greta and me! We both made a bit of money, but more importantly we sent our lovable creations out into the world via our satisfied customers. I think we'll definitely do it again in the future, and we'll be better prepared for the perils of outdoor marketing. Huzzah! Greta took pictures, but she's being a little tardy getting them to me. In the mean time, enjoy these little bags which are still available from Felt Up Goods.

Since I posted an ongoing update of how this bric-a-brac bag was turning out, here's the finished product. I wanted whimsical flower-esque things on the trees, so I needle felted white orbs on there. I like it.

This is a change purse with a little strawberry guy on it. He reminds me of a healthier version of Meatwad from Aqua Teen Hunger Force with that one tooth. He makes me laugh.

Making Fruitful Progress

I'm still in the very early stages of my felting fetish, so there is a lot of soft, fuzzy trial and error going on. I was attempting to make a set of produce magnets, but this strawberry didn't turn out quite as imagined. He knows exactly how adorable he isn't. But then his self deprecation turns around and makes him cute again. Awr.

This more successful project-in-progress was the first bag I started felting. I set it aside because I felt the birds were a bit overused as a graphic image. I then added hand sewn details and I love the way it draws the eye to the branches instead of the birds. I foresee a lot more combining of needle felting with hand sewn goodies in my felting future.

In conclusion, some great news: Greta at I are the Featured Crafters at this weekend's Port City Market. Huzzah! Come out to the market Saturday at Main St. and Palafox from 9 am-1 pm before the Mardi Gras parade!

Bric-a-Bractopus Bag

Meet this charcoal and turquoise treasure: the Bric-a-Bractopus Bag.

I gave the Squid Bric-a-Brac Bag to my sister for her birthday, so I wanted to make a replacement to try to sell at Port City Market this weekend, where Greta and I will be slinging our handmade crafts to zealous buyers before the Mardi Gras Parade. We are quite excited.

I really like sea creatures, so that will undoubtedly be a running theme in my felting. I also like kitties, dinosaurs, mustaches and food.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Change Purse

This Squid Bric-a-brac Bag can be anything from a makeup bag to a fashion forward pencil case. It is also my first foray into the world of zipper sewing. This exciting development is further displyed in the Baby Octopus On-The-Go and the Change 'Stache change purses, which are pictured here with a delightful felt breakfast.