The Rubber Band Skirt Project

 

Many years ago I worked at Borders as the Paperchase Manager. My inventory was shipped to me using an unnatural amount of rubber bands; by the end of each day my lower right arm was surrounded by over 100 of them! No one wanted them, so instead of tossing them I decided to make an entire outfit out of office supplies. First up was a rubber band skirt.

Half a decade later, I've gotten as far as the above pictures, which believe it or not represent a ridiculous amount of work: First I knot twelve rubber bands together, repeating twice. Then I knot these three strands together at the top and braid them.

Now I had a rope. I string twenty rubber bands evenly spaced onto a thick ribbon, and then begin weaving the loose bands into the rope. Repeat ad nauseum and you reach the point I'm at--18"x8" of uneven rubberbandedness.

So, the other day I decided to redo this project as well. I unwove everything so that I just had a bunch of braided strands. Then I braided three of the strands, three more, and three more, then braided those three into one big strand!

Then I did it again.

Now it's much more even and pretty, but it added a lot of unforeseen bulk. Not sure what to do about that since my goal was to keep braiding braids until I got one huge braid. Maybe I will have to weave a few together to keep the bulk down.

What I have left ... hmm, need to hunt for some more

Then when I'm done with that, paperclip jewelry. I was thinking a sticky-note top, but not sure how I am going to pull that off just yet. I have experience with sewing paper, but not as clothing.

And then shoes. And purse, maybe. Hmmm, duct tape ... is duct tape considered an office supply? :)

Read more...

Memory Quilt Redo

So I've been working on a "memory quilt" ever since I saw one on the wall of my friend Lizzy's house over ten years ago. Any fabric-based product my family went to throw away since then has been redirected to my "quilt bin." Above is the hand-sewn quilt so far.

But I haven't worked on it in years. Honestly, it just looks ugly. So the other night, I dumped out the quilt from it's bag as well as all the unsewn scraps ...

 

...and cut it all into over 200 three-and-a-half-inch squares. Nice!

  

So I am hoping that if the sections are all even the quilt will be much more pleasing to the eye. Yet I'll still be able to retain all the memories associated with the fabrics.

  

DC, our fluffy cat, decided that she approved much more of the scrap heap than the squares...

  

...tell me she isn't ridiculously adorable? :)

  

This is her "OK, the camera is a leeeeetle too close to my face" look

  

She fell asleep on the scrap heap, so I piled the rest of the fabrics around her.

  

It didn't take long for her to snuggle in!

  

Doh. So cute it should be illegal.

 

Sorry, I've digressed down Lookitmecat Lane ... but that's my project so far. I'll keep you posted on it when I finally get around to beginning sewing it. I don't have a sewing machine, though. I'm considering hand-sewing it but I have some thicker materials (aka jean) and that hurts my fingers. Gotta think about that one.

Read more...

Ever heard of lutterfu? Me neither til I came across this website earlier today, filled with templates and instructions for a snail-mail letter, envelope and seal all in one--write your letter on one side, fold inside-out along the pre-marked lines, seal with a stamp placed in the upper right corner, address and you are good to go!

I'm printing one out right now to test it. This is so cool!

UPDATE: I'm actually working with the original designer right now to make these available in my shop. So excited!

Read more...

Time, why don't they sell THAT on Etsy?!

Time.

It used to be my best ally, now I feel like it's my enemy. I never have enough of it, and it drags on and speeds up whenever most inconvenient. My life-long strategy of deciding what would be the ideal amount of time to spend on something each day and then plunging right into said schedule does not serve me now--I'm officially an adult, with a 9-5 job and a husband/house in the evenings and weekends.

Not that I am complaining about Caleb's presence in my life. In fact, I choose to spend every spare moment with him because, well, I WANT to. But it used to be just me, my job, my cat and my hobbies, and now I'm trying to maintain that while also being married. And having a social life.

My new years resolutions have already fallen apart. And I think that means that I just need to rethink mostly everything. Not EVERYTHING everything, but close to it. Why do I spend my days at work filing another person's papers, and my evenings filing my own? Where's the joy, the pizazz, the energy of life in all that?

I know that since the bipolar finally crippled me to the point on non-functionality a few years ago that my life-living methods have had and still need a major overhaul. I am stable now, but drastically changed, somewhat for worse but mostly for the better.

Gone are the days I could cram full of "me-stuff." Gone are the days of working, working, working until I fell into bed at night. Gone are the days of giddy excitement or stomach-curdling disappointment at every small event.

I want to take all that was good about the old and toss everything else. I used to run myself into the ground with both quality AND quantity, fueled by the adrenaline and drive of a relentless need to pursue perfection in everything. I could feel opposite emotions at once, and choose which to show and in what way.

But I don't want that now. I want a little of only the best things, to enjoy rather than to be giddy or happy or "driven," to be able to relax instead of being wound so tight I had to either be full-steam-ahead or unconscious.

As you know, Caleb and I recently started up an online store selling my artwork and various derivatives of select pieces. And yet again, I approached it with the "full-steam-ahead or unconscious" mentality. And I've found myself more than once regretting opening the store, and then being surprised speechless at that regret. Regret opening the store? But that's been my lifelong dream since I was like ... five. Which tells me that the fault is with my methods, not my goals. Talk about a MAJOR wake-up call.

Slowly. Quality. Enjoyment. These are my new mantras. Help keep me accountable, will ya?

Peace,
Emily

Read more...

OK, did I say Jan 1st?!

~Click image to see the beaded cards currently for sale!~

Yeah, sorry about that.

But being the genius I am I accidentally deleted the whole template, and too frustrated to start from scratch, I have been working with a graphic designer on Etsy to professionally remake this blog.

I've also come to the conclusion that my previous level of blogging was demanding too much of my time. I loved each and every post and didn't mind the effort it took to make them special, but the time--time, oh the time! The little white rabbit inside me has fallen down the hole, and I've rethought what, exactly, this blog is all about.

~Click image to see the snowflake items currently for sale!~

For now, this blog will feature occasional updates and behind-the-scenes on my current artistic doings. Hopefully at some point later in the year the artist interviews will return, but I will keep you updated.

Meanwhile, go check out our Etsy store to see the new beaded cards, the snowflake cards and the handcut orchid cards!

Peace,
Emily

~Click image to see the orchid cards currently for sale!~

Read more...