insomnia = productivity

updated some of my pics now that the sun rose. couldn't update green mouse since green mouse has disappeared from my apartment. only mittens knows where he resides now.

also adding my latest addition ...

mom's owly eye glass case

mom requested a case for her glasses ... so here is what i did in my spare time ... instead of sleeping.

just a few

a couple of new designs ... crappy pictures but i will take better ones and repost tomorrow.

green mouse

tried out a mouse for a cat toy. didn't stuff it as full of catnip as it probably should have been ... but the idea is there ... and i will try it again. i also think i need better catnip (well, better than the kind you get a walmart) because mittens really isn't caring for it whether its in a toy or just sprinkled on the floor. and, unless she is the only cat on the planet that doesn't go retarded for catnip, i think the kind i got is crap. but, she is part dog, so she plays with anything she can get her paws on ... and she is playing with green mouse as i type this. so i suppose, all in all, green mouse is a success!!

apple purse

i am so excited by this item!! the applique came out too cute for words ... and i got a black denim messenger-style bag to put it on. stitching is good ... and i didn't have sew a zipper on! horray! the pictures don't really do the purse justice ... like i said, i'll post better pictures tomorrow.

and now back to sewing .......

another day, another star

starry change purse 2

i sewed this guy a few days ago but just wanted to finish him up to post tonight. zipper and stitching continue to get better each time. this one is also lined on the inside with a purple starry fabric.

i have lots of new ideas in my head ... and a few ideas near completion. hopefully this week i can be productive and get lots done!!

today's first installment

rainy day duckie change purse

hello! so i just finished my latest design ... and he is too cute! :) once again, i think with each project i am getting neater with my applique sewing. it was dave's idea to put a red rain hat on him ... and i really think that is what makes this change purse!

and lastly, today's creations

straws

today i had off from work ... and spent the majority of the afternoon and evening finishing up my two strawberry projects. i was really excited to try this design since i love strawberries!!! he is the largest plushie i've sewn to date and i really think i am getting some good facial expressions now. i also sewed the detail on his leaves ... and it is probably the neatest sewing i've done yet.

strawberry wallet

my 4th change purse came out a little big ... so it became a wallet. i really worked hard on this one! the strawberry applique is the neatest sewing yet and the stitching looks really cool. the zipper is also my best one thus far. seems like things really do get better with practice!!! now if only i believed that when i was practicing for high school band ...

and sew on ...

burstly

next in my growing collection of kawaii friends is burstly. once again, i was just really experiementing with face designs and expressions. when i cut the face out in a circle, i figured he had to be a sunshine!

cherry change purse

this was my first experiment with a change purse ... and sewing a zipper. the zipper was a little large for the small purse ... and it isn't sewn on very neatly at the edges. but i loved the little cherry guys ... this is so far one of my favorite creations! the perfectionist in me, however, decided i had to try again and get that zipper right ...

bun

bun is another design from aranzi aranzo. i enlarged the pattern from the cute book. i glued on her face and then stitched them on for better durability. she is cute ... and very floppy!

starry change purse

my next attempt at a change purse. this one was slightly better than the cherry one ... but the zipper still isn't perfect. i stitched on the star and then jazzed up the black background with some stars and detail in satin embroidery floss. getting better ... but still not perfect!!!! X_X

brown kitty change purse

my third attempt at a change purse. each one is a teensy bit better than the one before it ... but i always see places to improve. this one was the biggest applique i had done thus far ... and it was better but still could use neatness. i experiemented with the face - gluing the mouth into a bigger smile ... and adding a little red color pencil to the mouth and cheeks. she may not be perfect but she is a cutie!!

my projects thus far ...

koun-ette

this was my first project. i wanted to make something for Dave to take with him on his business trip to Texas. i knew he was a little nervous about a presentation he had to give so i wanted to give him something to wish him luck and make him smile. i got the pattern and idea from a book called the cute book by aranzi aranzo. i named her "koun" because that is the japanese word for good luck!

moxley

moxley was made by me a few days after koun-ette. i got the idea from the freestyle monster article from craft magazine. i just cut and pasted randomly and at first i thought he would look too much like a pac-man monster. but he soon took on his own shape ... and has a head full of crazy white hair!

tea

tea is a another random early creation. i was just cutting felt and sewing stream of consciousness-like. i was more concerned with stitching a cute face onto something in order to try out different designs. when i started to sew, she turned into a tea-cup.

bean

bean is another random happening. again, i was more concerned with trying out face designs. when i started to sew her together i thought she looked like a seed. dave and i thought it would be cute to have flowers blooming out of her head. so, she does!

starman

anyone who knows me knows i love stars ... and cute things! so i made a star template and tried out a new face design. i thought he looked cute with the folk art-style stitching ... and i tried out a bigger mouth made out of felt rather than embroidery floss. i was pretty happy with him ... and my growing collection of cute, kawaii-style things!

welcome!

this is the first post in my new blog! i wanted to create a place where i could chronicle and showcase my crafty projects! over the next few days i will post everything i've made over the last couple weeks ... and tweeking the layout here so it looks more ... me! :) i will have to remember how ... i seem to have forgotten the little web design and html/css that i learned last year!

please feel free to leave me your thoughts!