Solsisters Studio Artisan Handmade Purses

Making Memories Better

2011-10-08T21:30:00.000-07:00

Sometimes at family events, things go wrong. My sister went to Canada for a wedding and her step sister was not having the best of days. She had been quite ill prior to the wedding. Sadly, her battle with illness showed in her face. Delicate retouching helps hide it without disguising who she is.

Click image to enlarge

On an earlier trip, my sister snapped a picture of a Lighthouse on Prince Edward Island. The new trick I learned from Adobe Evangelist Bryan O'Neil Hughes made very short work of cleaning up the power cables.

Click to enlarge

Citrusade: spring's best drink

2011-02-19T13:43:00.000-08:00

Image via WikipediaWhen life gives you lemons, oranges and mandarins ... make some citrusade!

This is one of those easy method sorts of things I like to share from time to time. I love lemonade and orangeade, but really don't care for the excessive sweetness, calories or the chemicals that are often in bottled drinks or mixes. So every so often I will crack out the juicer and make my own. That way I can control sweetness and flavor.

What you'll need:
A pitcher
filtered water
1-2 cups sweetener (sugar, or no calorie alternatives like Splenda, Equal, agave, stevia)
about 10 fresh citrus fruits (lemons, limes, oranges, mandarins, blood oranges)
cutting board & sharp knife
ice
a hand juicer like this one
fresh mint for garnish (optional)

Simple prep:
Cut all your fruit in half. Set aside one half fruit for garnish. You can use all lemons or any combo of fruits that sounds good. I just made a batch with lemons, blood oranges and mandarin oranges. With the juicer inserted into the mouth of the pitcher, place one half of fruit in right side up. Squeeze firmly and flip the fruit over and squeeze again. Add cold water, ice and 1/2 cup of sweetener. Stir and taste. Add water or sweetener as needed until you get the balance of flavor and sweet that appeals to you. Grab that reserved fruit half and slice into thin rings. Garnish each glass with fruit and a bit of fresh mint.

That's it. Cool, refreshing and calorie & chemical free!

If you don't drink it right away, it will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days.

Extra tip - if you run the squeezed fruit halves (especially the lemons) through your garbage disposal with warm running water it does a nice job of both cleaning and freshening the disposal.

In Our Hour: we support the things that matter!

2011-02-09T20:36:00.000-08:00

As I noted last week, I have been working on an hourglass bag for KNPR's auction. it's finally done and just in time. The auction opens tomorrow, 2/10/2011!

Trish was happy to model the bag in exchange for my famous homemade turkey chili :)

In Our Hour - artisan-crafted handmade messenger bag by Krystal Hosmer of Sol Sisters
Available at the Western States Public Radio Auction to benefit KNPR

You'll soon be keeping time in this cross-body messenger showcasing a one of a kind applique & beaded hourglass. The top portion of the glass is black and white clocks which turn to a rich golden color as time flows through the hourglass ... in the same way our favorite causes take on new vitality when we choose to support them with our time and money. The hourglass is adorned with czech glass beads from local seller Bead Haven and tiger eye rounds. These were all applied by hand. The steampunk feel is further enhanced with antique brass hardware and a strip of grommet leather across the back pocket.

Detail of the hourglass. Click pic to enlarge.

Big pocket across the back with grommet detail.

Beyond the beauty of the bag, it is also functional as well. The bag measures 12" wide by 9" high. It's loaded with pockets - a small zippered one in the flap for stashing bus passes or other papers, one under the flap for slipping your smart phone into, a zipper pocket in the lining for the "girly" stuff" and a row of three pockets along the back side plus a key hook to stop that annoying digging for keys. There is also a wide pocket across the entire back of the bag that can hold a letter size file folder or book. The strap is adjustable as well.

The smart phone or sunglasses pocket

A place for a pen, phones, ipod, glasses, keys and just about anything else!

My mom calls this zipper pocket in the flap "the spy compartment." She said it is a great place to put transit passes and boarding papers when traveling.

BUY THIS BAG now and support public radio

__________________________________________________________________________________
I also have two certificates for private Photoshop, Illustrator or InDesign tutoring in the auction. You could also use them for social media for business training.

Sol for Sol

2011-02-05T12:16:00.000-08:00

I was looking for pics to send to a friend this morning and found I had in fact taken good pictures of my crop circle sun bag after all. Being known by Sol Sister, I thought it was time I had a sun bag. It is a recycled messenger made from two pairs of old jeans. The body is legs from Holly's jeans and the handle is the leg from one of my pairs. besides the sun flap, which I love.. my favorite feature on this bag is the iPhone pocket you can just see peaking out. It's made from a bit of my friend Molly's handpainted fabric. My phone slips right in and stays put. I can always find it easily now!.

The flap is constructed with a variation of a technique called Snippets, invented by Cindy Walter in the late 90's. I never purchased one of her books, but I seem to remember seeing a demo on Simply Quilts years ago.

Anyway, this is adapted from that faint memory and a picture I found of a crop circle that showed up in England in 2004. I opened the pic in Illustrator and traced the outline of the sun. Then I traced it again onto the non-shiny side of Pellon craft fuse fusible interfacing and cut another piece of interfacing large enough for the sun cut out. I snipped up a bunch of light blue, teal, dark blue and cream fabrics into very small bits.. about 1/2" max. I cut out the big center and spirals of the sun shape with an xacto knife. I left those inset circles intact as I was afraid they would rip. They were harder to cut later, once the piece was covered with snippets, but no ripping.

With the sticky/shiny side of the interfacing facing me, I started in the center and piled on the lighter colored snippets near the edges of the sun. Very carefully so as not to get sticky on my iron's sole plate, I ironed them down. Lifting the piece up and shaking very gently every so often to dislodge the extra bits, I went back and made sure every hole was covered. Carefully pick up the whole piece and walk it over to the machine. Then go crazy with stitching all over the snippets to anchor them down. I did all kinds of random swirls. Heading back to the ironing board, I finished layering the outer portion of the facing with darker blues and repeated the stitching all over bit again. Once I had the snippet panel ready, I cut out those inset circles at the end of the swirls. As I said, that was a job ... but the final product was worth it. I layered a second piece of interfacing with the cream batik ironed on under the main panel and top stitched around the edges of the sun several times to make sure it was good and secure. I added some dots with a black pigma marker and sewed on this lovely handmade ceramic disc I got from etsy seller BeadFreaky and in each outer circle, a tiny czech glass disc from my just-round-the-corner wonderland, Bead Haven.

Once you wash the bag a few times you get this neat curling and fraying of the snippets. The extra stitching around the edge of the sun is to make sure the layers stay good and stuck down. I didn't want those thin bits lifting later. I really enjoy this effect and the possibilities.

I made a big for both of my bosses from Christmas using the same cutout technique, although just Vic's had the snippet part.... but sadly, I neglected to take pictures. I did snap this not very good picture of a dragon bag Norah (the sister in Sol Sisters) made for her room mate using the same process. In person, it's very deep green and looks pretty majestic against the black. In this case, we traced & modified an image we found on a google serach.

New Year's Resolution: Restock the bag shop!

2011-01-23T13:02:00.000-08:00

Image via WikipediaI am on a tear to accomplish one of my resolutions ... to restock my bag shops after months of nothing! I've got two done and another on the cutting table.

First, here's a new style for me ... an applique bag. This lovely is called "In Our Hour" and it is being made for the Western States Public Radio Auction to support my public radio station, KNPR. This will be a large messenger bag. In this bag, I wanted to embody the idea that time is valuable and there is no time like NOW to support the things that matter to you. I think a lot of people are rediscovering the value of time over money and things these days.

You're seeing the applique and beadwork on the flap, and some of the panels and pockets. I had these two identical clock prints in black and white and color and wanted to get time in the hour glass. My sister helped me draft the hourglass and we are both pretty pleased with how it came out. I used tiny fired Czech glass beads from Bead Haven for the sand and rounds of tiger eye for the finals on the top of the glass. The auction starts February 4th, so I better get this bag done.

Detail of the applique hourglass

Next, my daughter Holly suggested a blue bag and she always liked the flower pot shape. Esmerelda is a small tote with lovely lime green accents in hand dyed fabric made by Karen of Ruby Mountain Dyeworks. You can see this one over in my Artfire shop.

and finally, Tiffany in the City a large hobo style bag. Usually a don't make oversized bags, but this girl is generous! 16" wide by 10" tall. Chic and stylish with neat little reflective glass discs on the mouth of the bag. Also in my Artfire Shop.

So I think I am off to a good start. Next, I have an idea to do a music bag and another cut out bag like my personal sun bag I am carrying around right now. I also have a neat dyed cat panel that will become a small wall quilt soon.

Past-Forwarding: Photo Restoration at warp speed in Photoshop CS5

2010-12-29T21:50:00.000-08:00

This holiday I got the chance to give a wonderful gift ... which I almost didn't take. Several months ago my aunt asked me to scan and restore a picture of my grandfather taken in 1945, just as WWII was ending. He served in Her Majesty's Royal Navy throughout the war and survived the sinking of his ship SIX TIMES. In this photo, he is about 25 and my mother was just about a year old. As you can see, the image was heavily damaged during one of the family trips to Australia.

So I scanned it at a very high resolution, front and back and gave back the original - which was promptly misplaced. So here I am with the only copy of a family heirloom and smack dab in the middle of holiday rush. I kept putting the restoration off. I knew it was a LOT of work ... hours and hours. But finally on Christmas morning after the gifts were opened, my sister was napping on the couch and my daughter was absorbed in her new Wii game. We weren't due at my Grandmother's for a few hours, so I decided to try to get this one last gift done. Granddad passed away a few years ago — on December 15th — so this time of year is hard for my Nana. Even if I couldn't get it done, I would at least have tried to keep my promise.

I used Photoshop CS5's new content aware fill command to do 90% of the crack removal. The secret to good results with this tool is to make small, precise selections. The tool works by examining the surrounding areas and fills the selection with what SHOULD be there. If you give it too much information to chew on, you get a lot of random junk in the fill. The more precise you are, the less cleanup work. So make a small selection followed by Shift+F5 (the keyboard shortcut for the fill box. It is set to content-aware by default) and repeat — a lot. This wiped out the cracks and did a great job of maintaining the canvas-like texture of the original print. That part took about 30 minutes. I did a little manual patching down in the lower right hand corner where that big rip is, but that was about it for crack fixing. I was just floored by how FAST I was able to do the bulk of the work. In earlier versions, this is the part that would have taken hours of very careful patching and cloning. This little feature is one of the BEST additions to CS5, in my opinion.

I choose not to restore the edges of the image. I wanted it to still look "old," but I did make them a bit more regular and made sure his face was completely unobstructed.

Next, I moved onto repairing the tone and sharpness of the image. I used two curves layers for this part. The main curve restored the balance in the highlights, neutrals and shadows and the second curve was set to screen and used to lighten just his face. (You can see how to do both of these steps in this tutorial.) Looking at it now, I need to go back and balance the toning a bit more where the big crack was down the center ... but that would just be another curves layer with a mask to equalize the lighting.

To add sharpness, I used a high pass layer. This technique provides results like an unsharp mask, but gives you much more flexible control. To create a high pass sharpen layer, duplicate the background layer. The use Image>Adjustments >Desaturate to remove all the color. To turn this grayscale layer into the flexible sharpening machine, go under filter menu>other> highpass. Adjust the sliders to until you can clearly see the edges ... like so.

Then change the blend mode on the layer to one of the contrast modes ... usually overlay or soft light. Adjust the opacity as needed for the degree of sharpening you want. For this image it was set to Overlay at 76%. I used a layer mask to reduce the effect around the edges and really make Grandpa stand out from the background. You can create copies of this layer to increase the sharpening effect. It also adds contrast and helps provide depth.

The very last step was a dodge/burn layer to darken the edges. Create a new layer and set the blend mode to soft light and reduce the opacity ... in this case to 65%. Paint on the layer with white where you want to lighten (dodge) and black or gray where you want to darken (burn). Since this is on a layer, rather than directly changing pixels, you can simply delete it if you make a mistake or adjust the opacity. I burned the background a little and the darker parts of his suit.

The creamy paper behind the image is a stock image from istockphoto.com.

Here's the before and after.

and here is my Nana with her love. She was so enchanted to see his face again. She stopped several times and just looked lovingly at him. I picked out this frame with the sailor knots and I think the two belong together. It was worth every minute I spent to see her so happy! Truly, the best gift for both of us.

More Before and Afters

2010-12-13T21:19:00.000-08:00

Two more pics from our recent AUG photowalk. I've just made these along with the daisy from an earlier post into a framed triptych for my sister. Handmade holiday! well, in this case a little help from Photoshop.....

This one got a little HDR toning and a copy of the background layer set to multiply with a lens blur on it to make it recede. To get this very crisp detail, I duplicated the background layer and desaturated it. Then I ran a highpass filter (filter>other>highpass). This layer was then set to the soft light blend mode. It maximizes the contrast on edges. I also shifted the color of the flowers toward orange to compliment the other two images in the set, which are vivid orange.

Holly noticed the little ant hanging out on one of the bells. Bet the rain was ringing his gong :) Again, a very subtle HDR tone and a vinegette to recede the background. There was also a curve applied just to darken the greens. I fooled with the light as well by creating a copy of the main layer and setting it to multiply. I erased it off the main focal flowers and reduced the opacity.

Photowalk images: Before and afters Part II

2010-11-23T23:53:00.000-08:00

Another image from the AUG photowalk. I was walking with Steve's wife, Edna, over in the rose garden and was really drawn to these stunning orange roses. I looked down and found this cheap plastic rosary Jesus lying in the dirt under the bush. It was just such an odd thing to find. So I picked Jesus up and took him along for the rest of the walk. He's now hanging in my car. I am not sure what this says about me that I find this whole thing a bit funny.. but anyway... here's Rest Among Roses.

This image got several curves layers.. one for overall color and one to pop and darken the greens in the leaves. It also got a dodge/burn layer (blank layer set on overlay blend mode. Paint with white to lighten and black to darken, adjust opacity as needed). There was also a Black and White adjustment with a slight blue gray tint applied to the rosary to make it look more metallic and less plastic. Another burn layer to make the dark edges. Some lens blur to recede the background and a copy of the background layer with a high pass filter to really enhance the detail in the roses and rosary.

Photowalk images: Before and afters

2010-11-21T18:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, despite the rain several Las Vegas AUG members hit the trails at The Las Vegas Springs Preserve for our first Photowalk. The gray weather actually revealed some interesting and unusual sights, such as water flowing in the creeks and streams and the rainchains and rain fountains in action. The low light also provided for some very vibrant flower shots.

note: these shots were all taken with pocket Canon SD1100 IS point and shot handheld.

I took over 100 images. Here's a few of the before and afters from my first batch...

This daisy sprinkled with drops was just so stunning and vibrant.. especially after a little boost with Photoshop CS5 built in HDR toning. HDR effects can be over the top, or they can be subtle as this one is. I love how the center of the flower almost glows. I also isolated the dirt background sections and pixeleted them to force the flower to the front. The whole thing also got a contrast bump through a black and white layer set on soft light at a lowered opacity.

These orange leaves against the building are such a rare sight in Vegas, where most trees are evergreens or do not change color in the fall. I loved the echoes of the copper building with the vibrant leaves. I adjusted the curves and bumped the vibrance then experimented with the lens blur filer on the left side...

Although Saguaros are not native to our part of the Mojave, they do grow well here. The cactus walk was all lit up as part of The Preserve's annual light display. This majestic fellow got a boost in the sky, a little repair down on the lower right where there was some blow out and a bit of light painting on the cactus itself. I also used a color layer set on color burn to create the vignette effect.

Simple spiced coffee for cool fall days

2010-10-16T11:55:00.000-07:00

I am late to the coffee drinking game. I didn't take it up until well into my 30's and to this day most coffee, especially that from a store with a certain green circle logo, tastes bitter and burnt. Like a lot of people, I take mine with creme and sweetener to help overcome these factors. As my mother says when we go out "Bring us more creme that you think any two people could possibly need, then bring extra." Anything for caffeine, right?

Image via Wikipedia

My days start early now that school is in session, but after the child has been dropped off I have about an hour and a half to myself before I have to head for work. Every morning I have a little of this simple spiced coffee to start my day ... along with a bowl of museli, a sprinkle wheat germ, cinnamon and nutmeg topped greek yogurt and berries. I know it sounds oh so disgustingly healthy ... but as my recent blood tests indicate - a drop of over 30 points in bad cholesterol with no medication and no other changes is nothing to laugh at. She also said my risk of a heart attack has plummeted to less that .5% thanks to all that whole grain. But anyway.. back to coffee....

You'll need:

whole bean coffee - I like hazelnut or cinnamon flavors but this works just as well with plain. For my tastes, I like a light or medium roast.

A small coffee grinder

and your spices....
Whole Caradmom
Whole cloves
Whole bark cinnamon curls
Whole Star Anise

Green and black Cardamom via Wikipedia

Image via WikipediaImage by Swamibu via Flickr
Wise-shopper advice:
You can find whole spices at reasonable prices at ethnic markets, especially Indian and Asian. The packages spices in chain grocery stores are vastly overpriced. I found a national brand bottle of about 1 oz. whole cardamom at Albertson's for $15.99! 4 times as much in bulk at the Indian market was $3.99. It pays to venture out to look for these things!

By the way - If you are thinking these are the same things that go into a Chai latte, you are right! And you can easily use loose black tea instead of coffee to make your own chai.

Now comes the very easy part, pour some beans into the grinder ... add in some of all of the whole spices and grind in batches. Dump the coffee back into the bag, give it a nice shake to distribute and use it just like any other ground coffee. As it percolates, it picks up the flavors from the spices and becomes much mellower. I like mine with real half-n-half (fat free half-n-half just makes no sense. Half of the half-n-half is creme. Non-fat creme is just like milk only composed of bad-for-you chemicals so what's the point?) and a packet of Splenda.

If you do not have a grinder, you can still enjoy this by getting a small metal tea ball. Put your whole spices in it and put it in the decanter before you turn the coffeemaker on. You can reuse the same spices for several pots then make up a new ball every few days. If you use cardamom in the tea ball, gently crush the pods just enough to crack them to release the flavor.

Another twist on this is to buy some bulk dried mint while you are out. Add a heaping teaspoon to the ground coffee along with a spoonful of cooking cocoa and you have instant mint chocolate coffee!

Hope you enjoy this easy fall treat!

Experiments in Photoshop CS5 HDR Toning

2010-10-05T22:29:00.000-07:00

I was busy being pretty awed by my friend Steve Campbell's HDR images last night. He uses Adobe Camera Raw and Nik software to turn a photo into a surreal cross between the pixels the camera stored and imagination run rampant.

Mere mortals such as ourselves could only hope to have the mastery over light that he wields. But .... we can try out HDR for fun and profit, thanks to the new HDR toning adjustment in Photoshop CS5. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range and wikipedia defines it thusly:

In image processing, computer graphics, and photography, high dynamic range imagingHDRI or just HDR) is a set of techniques that allow a greater dynamic range of luminance ( between the lightest and darkest areas of an image than standard digital imaging techniques or photographic methods. This wider dynamic range allows HDR images to more accurately represent the wide
range of intensity levels found in real scenes, ranging from direct sunlight
to faint starlight.

So, here's a few before and after images from a complete HDR novice. I've never used this tool. I really didn't understand what I was doing in any meaningful way. I just moved the sliders in the Local Adaptation mode around to get these. No science, no other filters, layers or brushes .... and certainly a lot of luck. These were all taken with my little hand held Canon camera. Just random snapshots.

My little neice Ashley making faces at the Adventuredome.

The road to Tuacahn Amphitheater outside St. George Utah.

Members of the Las Vegas Patriot Guard Riders and other retired military bikers
escorting the casket a fallen Army Ranger on his last journey.

Photoshop Tutorial: Using Curves in Photoshop to combat dull color

2010-10-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

PHOTOSHOP TUTORIAL OBJECTIVE: You will learn how to use curves and several other tricks to adjust lighting and color in a portrait in order to bring it to life. The technique shown in this tutorial is useful for beginner to advanced levels and can be accomplished in any version of Photoshop that uses adjustment layers, although the screens may look a little different.
You can click on the pictures to see them larger in a new window. I write these tutorials with my Beginning Photoshop students in mind, so they may seem overly simplified for advanced users. If you have a question, please email me using the text link at the top right of the blog.
NOTICE: Although the techniques shared in this tutorial come from multiple sources (which have been credited), the wording and images used in this tutorial are my own intellectual property. You may feel free to share or link back to this tutorial, but you may not republish it without my express permission or claim it as your own work.

In this tutorial, we are going to take a look at one way to use the curves feature in Photoshop to brighten up the color in an otherwise great portrait of my sister's dog, Taylor. Then we will use a other quick techniques to further enhance the image. The photo above was taken by my cousin Brian, who works as a professional photographer and videographer in Salt Lake City. We took it outside at a local park, using his high end camera with two hand reflectors. It was pretty late in the day and the light was going. Brian got a great expression on Taylor's face, but the color is really dull and the portrait lacks "oomph!"
Step 1:
First, we will need to apply an overall curves adjustment layer to correct the slightly flat color. Curves are used to reset the darkest, lightest and neutral gray point of the image. Photoshop will then globally adjust all the colors in the image — correcting lighting and color cast problems along the way.
You could just go into the curves palette and guess where the points should be, but if you follow a tip I picked up from Photoshop User's July/August 2000 issue, Photoshop will tell you exactly where the lightest and darkest points are. (I know that seems like ancient wisdom – but trust me, it still works like a charm.) First, create a new threshold adjustment layer. (At the bottom of the layers palette is a little half black/half white circle icon. Click and hold then choose threshold from the pop up menu.) Your image will turn into this crazy black and white map. Drag the slider all the way to the left to find the blackest point in the image.

Finding the lightest point in the image using a Threshold Adjustment Layer.

Most of the black will disappear out of the image. If it all goes away, slide back to the right slowly until some comes back. Select the eyedropper tool in the toolbar and holding the shift key, click on one of the black regions. It will leave a little cross hair marker that says the number one next to it. It is not necessary to be really precise on this, but if you like you can zoom in to see better where to drop the point.

And now the darkest point.

Then drag all the way to the right to find the lightest point. Some images have blown out highlights — areas that have turned white because of being too close to the flash, a very bright light source or because of overexposure, so use your judgment here to select what SHOULD be the brightest point. Again, shift click with the eyedropper to make a sample point.

After clicking the lightest point in the curves adjustment layer to reset the lights in the image.

STEP 2:
Click cancel in CS3 or throw the adjustment layer away in CS4/CS5. You only needed the sample points. (It may appear that they have vanished, but as soon as you create the curves adjustment layer, they will return.) Make a new curves adjustment layer. Click the WHITE eyedropper on the left hand side of the curves palette. Then click the the sample point that was the white one. Then click the BLACK eyedropper and click the light sample point.

After clicking the darkest point, the colors now appear more saturated and evenly distributed.
But we're not done yet!

Then click the gray (center) eyedropper. Now comes the bit of guesswork. You need to find something in your image that is as close to neutral gray as possible. Since we are working in RGB, 127 is the middle of the RGB scale of 0-255. We need to find something that reads as close to that as we can. You can use the Info palette to help you locate a place to click. (Window>Info) You will see two sets of numbers. Look at the RGB scale only. The set on the left is what the color reads now, the set on the right is what it read before the curve was introduced. Look at the sets that shows what it reads now.
If your image had a strong color cast to begin with, look for the 127 on one of the other channels. If it was blue tinted, look for a 127 in green or red. You will not find a place where they all read 127. This takes a little patience and you may need to click around some until you find something that works. Look for gray clothes, metal, or concrete as a good starting point. As you click, watch any areas that are white and skin tones to make sure you are not introducing a color cast. By now your image should be looking a LOT better.
BONUS TIP: Select the eyedropper tool and use shift + option to clip out the markers once you no longer need them. They do not print and you can certainly skip clipping out the markers.

Wow! look at that! It took me 4 times as long to explain it as it does to do it. Once you understand this technique, it is a 2 minute fix.

So, why does this work so well .... and so quickly?
The answer is in the histograms shown here. Look at the original histogram I have inset into the image. In very basic terms, this is a bar graph representation of the distribution of the color, highlights and shadows in the images. Notice how the colors are all bulked toward the left side (the shadow end) of the original? This tells you what your eyes already see — the image lacks proper highlights and most of the color is in the mid-tones toward the darker end, making the image look flat. Now look at the adjusted histogram after the curves layer is applied. The colors are now spread out all the way across the graph and they all overlap more evenly. When we reset the light, dark and neutral gray points, Photoshop adjusted all the colors in the image around those new points. The lighting has evened out and the warm tones came up more strongly because we corrected the neutral point.

And now... for some Enhancement techniques!
Okay, Taylor looks good, but the grass looks dull because of the low light. Let's green it up a bit, shall we? We'll apply a second curves layer with a mask to make the green more vibrant without causing our doggie star to look "nauseous." Create a new curves adjustment layer and switch to the green channel, using the drop-down menu. Click the center of the curve and pull upwards until the grass is green enough for your taste. Then using a soft brush, paint with black on the automatically generated layer mask over the entire dog to block the green effect (in the layers palette, click the white square that just appeared next to the layer thumbnail)

The grass is greener alright, but you'll need to use a soft brush to mask the effect off the dog.

Check out the thumbnail of the mask. Black paint on the mask HIDES the effect of the adjustment layer. White area allow the effect to show through. Shades of gray are partially transparent.

Next, let's overall lighten just the dog. By making the dog the lightest thing in the image we are directing our viewer's eyes to the item we want to be most important. Our eyes naturally fixate on brighter things. So, we create one more curves layer following a tip I picked up from Katrin Eiseman in a video she did that was included with retail copies of Adobe CS3 Design Premium. Don't make any adjustments to the Curve. Simply switch the blend mode of the curves adjustment layer to screen. The entire images gets a lot brighter ... but see how the fine details are preserved? Personally, because of that, I feel this method of brightening is more universally useful than Brightness/Contrast and other techniques Another benefit of using adjustment layers with a mask, is that you can control the strength of the effect through the layer opacity and where the effect is visible and apply blend modes.

Adjust the opacity of the adjustment layer until the dog is brightened but not blown out.
You can also mask off portions as I did here to literally "paint with light". I've chosen just to have light bathe Taylor's left hand side.

To finish off the effect I have created a vignette - a darkening of the edges of the photo. This further establishes Taylor as the image's focal point. To do this, use the eyedropper to select a very dark color out of the image. I selected a dark green in the grass. Create a new layer and fill it with the dark foreground color using Option+Delete (on the Mac, Alt+Del on a PC). Then use a soft brush on the eraser tool to remove it from the center of the image. You can blue the layer if you like. Set the blend mode to multiply and adjust the opacity of the layer until you are happy with the effect.
And here's our final portrait.

Total time: about 10 minutes.

Maybe it's too smart....

2010-05-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

So I just got Photoshop CS5. The new content aware fill is BEYOND cool and I can easily see how it will save HOURS of work. But maybe it's a little too smart....

Check out what it thinks a hole left by my goose and duck loving daughter should be filled with....

Photoshop CS5: Select kid, replace with goose... instantly!

Maybe Photoshop is the new "window to the soul"?

Peanut Butter Crunchie OMGs

2010-05-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

I call the treat below Peanut Butter Crunchie OMGs for a very good reason. They are NOT low fat, NOT LOW calorie but insidiously crunchy and delicious and IMPOSSIBLE to put down! I only make them once or twice a year because I just cannot STOP eating them if they are in the house.

Although I would like to claim I invented them, alas, it is not so. I have merely elaborated from memory on a treat in a book I used to own called by Leisure Arts called "Gifts of Good Taste." I haven't been able to find the book for about 5 years now, but oh I remember these!
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You need:
1/2 package of white almond bark or vanilla candy coating (It's in the baking aisle or candy making supplies)

Smooth or chunky peanut butter ( LOW FAT varieties will not work - don't mix well with the almond bark. Store brand works just the same as name brand)

real Vanilla extract

cinnamon

...... and whatever combination of these things sounds good...

2-4 cups of cereal
any of the following will work well... rice crispies, cinnamon toast crunch, chex, Kashi honey puffs, Kashi Heart to Heart, Puffins .... just pick something that is not already overly sweetened

2 tablespoons of cocoa powder (optional)

about 1/2 bag of small waffle pretzels or mini-twists

1/2 bag of baby marshmallows

1 big jar of roasted peanuts
cashews
almonds

1-2 cups of Raisins or other dried fruit

1 cup plain oatmeal or wheat germ (if you want them to be slightly better for you. You can't taste it, but it does add nutrition value)

In a very big bowl, mix your chosen dry ingredients with your hands to evenly distribute.

Set another metal bowl in a frying pan with about 1-2 inches of water and heat on medium. Add in 1/2 package of almond bark and a cup and a half or so of peanut butter, plus about a teaspoon of vanilla and several shakes of cinnamon. Stir until melted and smooth - probably about 10-15 minutes. Pour the warm peanut stuff over the crunchies and mix with a big spoon or spatula to coat. Drop the goop by the big spoonful onto wax paper. Let set for about an hour at room temp. Enjoy.

Go Ask Alice MicroMessenger bag

2010-04-25T11:58:00.000-07:00

I FIANLLY had some time to sew this weekend and finished this bag. My friend Gina did this series of "Alice in Wonderland" inspired art last year. I've been meaning to make a bag with it forever and here's what came out. It uses my flip and sew patchwork technique.

The flap of the bag is patch-worked around the painting in a log cabin fashion and heavily embellished with stitching, beads, trim, charms and ribbons.

Inside, the bag features both a regular pocket and a zipper pocket. Comfortable shoulder strap. Bag measures approximately 9" wide by 6.5" tall

The painting was scanned and printed onto color fast fabric.

The bag is washable, gently, by hand.

Thank you!

2010-04-16T07:06:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Fishhawk from As The Crackerhead Crumbles for inclusion in this week's Sites to See list.

Shanira: my quilt for Growing Hope

2010-02-07T10:54:00.000-08:00

My handbag team Carried Away is thinking positive for 2010 with our first Challenge of the year.

Growing Hope seeks to express our desire for growth in 2010 - growth of resources and minds throughout the world for the betterment of all. As we usually do, we're donating the proceeds from sales of these items in our team shop to a charity. We put a little twist on it this time, though. Instead of making one donation, we thinking long term by setting up a team account on kiva.org. Each team member is seeding our fund with a $5 entry fee per item. With your help, we hope to raise $150 during this challenge in order to start our cycle of giving with three $50 loans.

Image via CrunchBase

Kiva is a micro-lending site that allows you to pick a business person (or cooperative group) and make loans as small as $25. Once the loan is repaid, we will reloan the money to another enterprising person — keeping the cycle of community and individual growth going. It is our way of helping those who help themselves ... and their communities ... to grow and become better.

My entry is titled Shanira (African for "warmed by the sun.") Obviously, from the name of my shop, I have an affinity for all things solar. I am drawn deeply to the fires of creation and the warm glow of friendship and family. The circles in my quilt are representative of the centers and anchors in our lives, the things who make us what we are and ground us. The winding threads are the unexpected connections that allow us to grow and change through learning.

The quilt is decorated with many small seed beads and tiny chips of rock. It also has flat squares of stone with a gorgeous rich orange, yellow and red marbling.

The fabrics are a mix of commercial, hand dyed and hand painted. The hand dyed came from my friend Karen of Ruby Mountain Dyeworks and the hand painted orange is from Molly of Monkey Shine Design. This was the very last of the fat quarter I used to make Lone Heroine.

Shanira measures 9.5" square and is in a 13" square deep bronze chocolate frame.

Check out Shanira and all the other entries in our team shop.

Inventing Dinner

2010-01-27T21:12:00.000-08:00

I'm the kind of cook who is happy to make dinner up on the fly. Tonight's experiment was dubbed "Yummy!" and has been christened "Tuna Kelvin." I was going to make the standard tuna casserole, but wanted a more healthy option. This has a little zip, but isn't too spicy for the lightweights among you. It is full of fresh veggies and lean protein.

Tuna Kelvin

3 5oz. cans of White Albacore Tuna in water

1/2 bag Baby Spinach

1 15.4 oz. can of Cream of Mushroom Soup (Campbell's labels these bigger for cooking)

1 1/2 cups plain Quinoa (I got this from Trader Joe's) (sub Brown rice or another grain)

1 8 oz. container fresh Mushrooms ( I used Baby Bella)

2 orange bell peppers ( you could use any color)

1 small bunch celery

1 bag 2% shredd Mozzeralla cheese

grated Parmesan cheese

1 4oz. can Hatch Green chilis

chili powder

Adobo Seasoning (mine came from Fresh & Easy)

Garlic (fresh or powder/flakes)

Cook the quinoa according to the package directions. This seed looks like tiny eyes or miniature ringed planets when cooked. It tastes a little nutty and the texture is very similar to couscous or pasta. It is PACKED with nutrients and balanced protein. While that's going, dice all your veggies up. Put the celery, mushrooms, peppers, and green onions (save about 1/3 for later) into the bottom of a 13 x 9 glass baking dish. Spread the can of soup onto the top then cover that with a layer of spinach. Add the green chilis & tuna over the spinach and sprinkle lightly with garlic powder/chunks. Cover evenly with a layer of the warm quinoa. Top with cheeses and the rest of the green onions. Sprinkle with chili powder and Adobo seasoning. Bake uncovered at 375 for about 20-30 minutes until bubbly and the cheese browns slightly.

Experimental Ophelia

2010-01-11T21:04:00.000-08:00

I had this thought ... what If I made little quilts, beaded &embellished then framed them as art? A bit like the crazy quilts of the 1800's, but decidedly modern. This is not a new idea by any means, but I've not seen quilts likes these being framed.

This set is named Ophelia.

I wish this was in better lighting, but that's what ya gets in the sewing room. I need to also take some detail pictures of the embellishments.

The backgrounds are made of various batiks and hand dyed or hand painted fabrics in brown, blue and tan with a tiny bit of green. The only exception is that nice dark chocolate brown which was very expensive suede that Victor had me make a table cloth out of. The final effect looks very "world traveled" and almost antique, yet still chic.

Each quilt is about 6" wide x 14" high. The beads are czech glass bronze rondelles that look like tiny drops of liquid, large & small denim dyed shell discs that match the solid hand dyed blue fabric, real freshwater pearl flats in iridescent cream and a single small abalone disc.

What do you think? I am considering selling the set for $80.

Did I mention that it matches my hair?

2010-01-09T14:28:00.000-08:00

Did I mention that my Kiva bag matches my hair? My scarf also matches my hair. I feel so coordinated.

I also need a name for this bag. Holly says I should call it "moonlight" because the sparkly yarn is called moonlight mohair, however I am sure you all have a better suggestion.

This bag is batik squares in green and blue with a couched chain of single crochet in a denim color and the stripes of moonlight mohair with a sparkly iridescent gray with bits of blue. I finished it off with real abalone discs with a couple of glass beads. It's not a big bag, but it is gorgeous in person.

My handmade holiday

2010-01-07T22:36:00.000-08:00

Now that the gifts are unwrapped.. here's all the handmade goodies I gave (and received) this holiday season ...

One of my birthday gifts to myself was these gorgeous earrings. Yes, I was older on January 1st. In fact, I am still slightly in shock over finding silver - not gray, full on SILVER! - hair when I checked my roots to see if it was time to dye it again. Why, yes it was! It's now dark red and orange again, as it should be. Take THAT, you nasty silver hair!

COHESIVE Sterling and Labradorite Wrapped Earrings by lavalleygirly

Another birthday gift to me from me was my favorite green goop from Ami. Nothing is better for dry hands and rough cuticles. It also works really well on various skin rashes.

All over Balm by MonAmiga

I was also running low on soap. Sparta Soap has closed her doors, so I had to try someone new. I found a real winner with goat's milk soap from the Goat House. Holly loves the orange and almond, but I'm partial to the Mint and Clove. It lathers so well and smells wonderful!

5 Goat Milk Soap Assortment from The Goat House

My sister Sarah needs to relax. She has a demanding job and is a Virgo personality. Ocassionally, she knits. Now she does so in fine style thanks to the neat knitting needle case from Artful Addiction and the amazing stitch markers from my friend Debbie at Santiam Designs. So we're in Joann's right before Christmas and she says "you know I need a knitting needle case..." and I say " no, you don't!" She was still surprised.

Purple Passion Knitting Needle case from Artful Addiction

Dusty Purple Stitch Markers from Santiam Designs

My typeophile designer friend Victor got this man-bag to match his typewriter key cuff links and silk-screen type tie I gave him for previous Christmases.

Typewriter Field Bag by The Bold Bandana

While I was in their shop, I knew my photographer friend Nate, who is a lover of all things retro, needed a toy robot shirt like nobody's business. He confirmed that yes, his life was in fact better after this gift!

Vintage Toy Robot Shirt by the Bold Bandana

My animal loving younger sister Norah is happily sporting her collective names of Animals shirt from Xenotees. The circle is all kinds of collective names for groups of animals. A "prickle of porcupines", a "streak of tigers" or a "crash of rhinoceros", really?! Oh yeah, and many, many more! I'm not sure if they put in a Murder of Crows or not....

Collective Names of Animals Tee by Xenotees

... and last, these tiny twitsed silver hoops also for Norah. They were made by Kristy over at Shiny Adornments. I've got a pair of her Carnelian earring and I love them!

Artisan Small Twitsed Silver Hoops by Shiny Adornments

Then there was the gift I wasn't able to give, but could still use a home with a size 7 finger of a patriotic man....

Because You Served Titanium, Mother of Pearl and Resin ring by Minter and Richter Designs

What did the handmade fairy bring you?

Kiva Bag

2010-01-02T22:10:00.000-08:00

Well I've been carrying around my Orla bag for ages now and it was starting to wear in places.. so last weekend I made myself up a new one. I enlarged my pattern both in width and height to make Kiva. When you say it, orange, purple, teal, brown and cream doesn't sound like a good color palette, but in person, it is STUNNING.

Adjustable strap for both shoulder and cross body wear.

I put a full length pocket across the back. I often need to carry papers to meeting and this gives me a flat place to stuff them.

The flap is decorated with chips of real carnelian, several rustic ceramic charms from etsy seller MidnightCoiler that I won in a contest and an antique key that I purchased in a mining town in California layered on top of couched yarn.

Inside the bag has a key hook.. although I should have placed this farther down the lining. My keys are heavy and it makes the bag sag a bit because of the height. It also has a small patchwork pocket and a zipper pocket. It is lined in a purple brown batik.

On the flap and body I used some Bernat Matrix yarn in shades or orange. It is called "Copper Wire." This particular yarn has been discontinued by Bernat. I found it at Big Lots for $1.99 a spool so I bought this one, a red/black and a green/teal. It makes it look like I spent a BUNCH of time embroidering the detail, but the yarn is just couched on with a simple zig zag stitch.

Photo by MamaMusings

This bag is made using the method in my flip and sew patchwork tutorial. It measures 10" across x 9" high x 3" wide.

Question: Would you purchase this pattern for $6 (personal use only i.e. you can make them for yourself or for gifts.) if I created it as a PDF with included flip and sew and yarn couching instructions? For $10, I would offer Limited Commercial Use — You may also make them to sell on etsy, artfire or other craft venue, but you may not mass produce.

Of course, it was also time for a new wallet. The last one I made from Confessions of a fabricholic's excellent wallet tutorial was also wearing out. So I used some of the leftovers from the bag body to make this up.

I made a happy accident here and when I sewed this unit down backwards. I decided it was fine just the way it was and left the seam to fray. I couched some yarn along the seam line.

Lots of room for cards and money.

Of course, now my mother says she wants to the version too....

Unique New Year's Gift & Best of Lists

2009-12-27T13:02:00.000-08:00

Got some mis-matched glasses? Recycle as you ring in the new year with these cool tall glass tea light holders from Instructables and laxap.

More goodness from Instructables Best of 2009 lists....

Top Rated
Most Commented
Most Viewed
Best of Category

The most popular projects at Cut out and Keep

Current Hottest New Topics on Craftster

Puppy snaps for HCWS

2009-12-18T18:50:00.000-08:00

Me and my tribe (sister Norah and daughter Holly) are volunteering to run the Pictures with Santa booth at the Petsmart on Craig & MLK this Sunday 12/20 from 10AM to 4PM. Bring your furry buddy out for a holiday memory and support the best animal rescue group in the city. HCWS works on the principal that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." The majority of their funds are spent on spay and neuter programs to ultimately lower the number of pets needlessly put down every year in the Las Vegas valley.

From the HCWS website:
Heaven Can Wait Animal Society, a non-profit 501 (c)(3) animal humane organization, was formed in 2000 by a group of 5 concerned citizens with the lofty goal of building a beautiful 20 acre sanctuary to house all of the unwanted animals in our community. In the meantime, animals were and still are dying at rate of around 30,000 per year in our local shelters while many more simply die on streets. Therefore, we decided to refocus our efforts away from rescue and more into promoting spay/neuter as the solution to our pet overpopulation problem here in Las Vegas.
We learned early on that spay/neuter was one of the prominent common denominators that other successful cities and states have used to reduce euthanasia in their shelters and since have focused heavily in this area. Through simple spay and neuter surgeries, thousands of unwanted litters are prevented each year in our community.
During the past 7 years we have spay/neutered close to 40,000 cats and dogs. Last year, because of the Nevada Community Foundation’s assistance, we were able to sterilize an unbelievable 7,745 animals! We also placed close to 900 cats and dogs through our adoption programs. Amazingly, we do all of these great things without even having a public facility!

The latest and greatest news is that we will be opening a spay/neuter clinic location in the City of Las Vegas this June. This clinic will serve as a much-needed resource for those who aren’t able to afford sterilization services at regular veterinary prices. We are also working on securing a permanent clinic location in the City of Henderson. On April 19th a resolution was introduced to award Heaven Can Wait a 2.4 acre parcel of land adjacent to their shelter for the purpose of building an even larger spay/neuter clinic and office facility. If passed on May 19th we will then sign a 50-year lease at $39 a year and will have 6 years to plan and begin construction on our future.
In addition to focusing on animal spay and neuter programs, Heaven Can Wait successfully operates several additional programs aimed at reducing animal suffering and euthanizations through educational and rehabilitation programs throughout the community.

I think after reading that you'll agree that their approach makes sense for both people and animals. Come out out and give them a few bucks!

More last minute gifts

2009-12-14T09:26:00.000-08:00

Sew, Mama, Sew has once again posted their Handmade Holidays series for 2009. You can also access the master lists for 2007 and 2008. All of the projects on these lists are fairly easy to sew and none of them are large investments of time or materials.

REMEMBER: These projects are most likely PERSONAL USE ONLY. Do pay attention to the maker's copyright/terms of use and respect them.

All images are copyright the respective authors.

Here's a few of my favorites from 2010:

Fabric Flowers by Green is the New Blue

Don't get out of bed pants by Ducky House

Cloth napkins 5 ways by Chez Beeper Bebe

Easy Lunch Tote by Cotton and Cloud

Rice Heat Therapy Bags by Sew, Mama, Sew

Patchwork Star Ornaments by Linaloo

Button Wreath by Craftapalooza

Crochet/Knitting/crayon/painting project roll by Sew, Mama, Sew

Reusable Swiffer Cloth by Look Ma, No Patterns

Car CD Holder by Puking Pastilles

Framed Initial by Make it and Love it

Piano Shoulder Tote Bag by bored and crafty

Patchwork Lanyard by Mairuru

Laptop Sleeve by Elizabeth's Fabric Focus

A gadget worth the money

2009-12-13T20:15:00.000-08:00

Image from Threadsmagazine. com

In the sewing and especially the quilting world, there's always some great new gadget that is supposed to save you time or money. Most often, they hardly get used once you get them home or they don't work as advertised. This rotary cutter sharpener I bought about 10 years ago is a different story entirely. I was just sharpening the blade - probably for the 50th time in the last 10 years .... and I was thinking what a good investment this sharpener was. New blades are a whopping $5-10 each ... but I haven't bought one in over 10 years. Yes, you read that right, Ive been resharpening the same two blades for 10 years. I have one I use for paper and one for fabric. Now, I used to spend over $100 a year on blades. Since I bought this sharpener, I've bought a new sanding disc once or twice at about $8 each time. The sharpener was about $15 to begin with. Let's do the math ... over $1,000 in those 10 years compared to $31. That's over $900 I can spend on something better ... like fabric!

All in all, a GREAT money saving investment for anyone who uses a rotary cutter.

Here's an article on how to use the sharpener.

Here's one of the many sharpeners on the market.

Upcoming classes at UNLV Educational Outreach

2009-12-13T10:56:00.000-08:00

Here's my next two classes at UNLV educational Outreach.

PHOTOSHOP CS4 WORKSHOP: CURVES DEMYSTIFIED
       Curves (when used with adjustment layers and masks) are the most powerful and flexible, but least understood, editing feature in Photoshop. By the end of this workshop, you will understand exactly what the lines mean and how to analyze a photo to create a curve to fix common photos issues such as underexposure, color casts, dull color, washed out skies, faces in shadow, and a myriad of other problems in a few clicks. This workshop is not held in a computer lab. Students may bring their personal laptops with Photoshop CS4 to the workshop if they wish to follow the topics that are being presented. .3 CEU
       Prerequisite: Basic knowledge and experience in using Photoshop. Adobe Photoshop - Level I completion is recommended for those students without prior background.

REGISTER HERE
Krystal Hosmer
Wed. 5:45-8:45pm, Jan. 13
UNLV Paradise Campus (PAR) Room 107
$69 Includes parking permit and CEU

TWEETING THE BOTTOM LINE: HOW TWITTER CAN BUILD YOUR BUSINESS
        Everyone is "tweeting" about Twitter, but what is it good for? Discover how this social media application can become a powerful and free tool to grow your business and customer base by keeping your customers informed and by spreading your brand's message virally. Open another avenue to build relationships with targeted audiences while you explore how other companies are using Twitter. Learn what your business should and should not tweet, and learn how to build a following of users that want to hear from you and your organization. This class is not held in a computer lab. .3 CEU
       Prerequisite: Basic knowledge of the Internet is required. Experience with online chat and other social media applications is helpful.

Krystal Hosmer

REGISTER HERE
Wed. 5:45-8:45pm, Jan. 20
UNLV Paradise Campus (PAR) Room 107

$69 Includes parking permit and CEU (1 session)

Service and Professionalism are always in style

2009-12-13T01:21:00.000-08:00

Because You Served Ring by Minter and Richter

This ring was going to be THE Christmas present for someone in my life. That person decided to remove himself from the scene before the ring was done. Since it wasn't a small amount of money, I went back to the ring's creators - the very wonderful Minter and Richter Designs and asked politely if I could get a partial refund on the custom order.

It's based on their King's Ring design, but I asked to have it made with a red and blue inlay bands, so the result would be an elegant, patriotic ring for a former Navy man. As you can see, their talent is astonishing, but more importantly their service and manner is both professional and fair. Minter replied that although they could not offer a refund as the ring was 3/4 complete and their store policies clearly state that there are no refunds on custom orders, given the situation, they would give me half the cost as a store credit. I feel this is a more-than-fair compromise in a situation no one is happy with.

Please see her email below for a great example of customer service that we can all learn from:

Hello! Sorry, I didn't get back to you yesterday. I am afraid that we cannot refund custom work. Please see our policies. We have already almost finished the ring and it is not just the materials but our labor as well. This is a very difficult ring to make as well since it has a cross cut inlay. On top of this, we made it a rush order so that you would have it in time for Christmas.

I do, however, understand your predicament and can offer you a $100.00 gift certificate (or the cost of one ring under $100.00). See below. You could use it towards a ring for yourself instead or for a friend. It will not expire and is valid as long as we are alive and making rings. Or, I can go ahead and mail you the ring when it is finished.

I am truly sorry. Break ups are hard enough without having to lose money on top of it. If we had not already made 3/4's of the ring by the time I heard from you, I absolutely would have made an exception and refunded your money.

Warm regards,

Minter

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=36389408

Things happen and life changes on you. Remember that it can change on your customers, too. I think it's always a good policy to try to find a win-win answer when dealing with a customer issue.

Please feel free to share your customer service stories, both positive and negative, below.

Holiday fun for crafters

2009-12-11T11:34:00.000-08:00

A quick round up of holiday make-it-yourself fun!

image courtesy of dafont.com

Punched out Font by Tobias Summer: a 3d pixel font you print and assemble for personal use. It would make a fun garland or party banner.

Image courtesy of threadless.com

The Threadknits contest at Threadless encourges you to bend your knitting or crocheting skills to re-imagining one of their T-shirt designs into crochet/knitting.

Image courtesy of instructables.com

The Easy Christmas Craft Guide at Instructables probably has something to keep the kids busy over winter break.

You could probably pick up a few yummy treats as well in the Homemade Holidays Food contest.

full size cardboard Gingerbread house by Indiana

Show off your Gingerbread creation in the Gingerbread Slideshow Contest, also at Instructables. In this entry, they blow them up on New Year's Eve! More Gingerbread house fun at Crafster as well as endless inspiration in the holidays and occassions :Winter holidays forum.

Making a retro silver tinsel tree with Threadbanger's DecoritYourself.

image from savvyseams.com

Last year's favorite make-it-to-suit gift is the fingertip mitts from Savvy Seams. These easy to whip up micro-mitts are the PERFECT office gift as everyone has scorched their fingers on bowls or cups coming out of the microwave. You can make them in any fabric to match the office or tastes of the person.

Another super quick gift for any girl/lady is the Buttercup Bag from Made by Rae. Shown is the Samia bag I made last year for my friend Debbie. This little bag zips together in an hour, only requires basic sewing skills and uses just TWO fat quarters. This version is free for personal use. If you want to make these to sell, you need this version. I've got two of these for sale right now if you want to take a look.

Another super quick and very personalize-it friendly bag is the Dotted Dream Denim bag from Ottobre Designs. It is also very light on fabric use and super easy construction. I made this version last year in one evening.

Please share your favorites places for holiday craft inspiration or links to any tutorials/patterns that make for good last minute gifts below.

A tiny Christmas Quilt

2009-12-05T21:15:00.001-08:00

Some years ago I made a fall applique leaf quilt that hangs in my sister Sarah's front hall. She's been asking me for a little Christmas wall quilt since just about a week after I gave her the first one, which was.. gasp! ... probably 5 years ago. So this weekend, I FINALLY made her up one. Just a simple freehand cut raw edge applique that was quilted on the sewing machine. These will not be washed much so the edges probably won't even fray much.

Each little quilt is about 8" x 10". There is a hidden ribbon hanger on the top one and a set of ribbons hold them together. All made from scraps, too! They are both self-bound. Total time was about an hour from start to finish.

Right now, I am making up one of my micro-messenger bags for my other sister, Kim and one for my Nana as well, plus two Christmas stockings and several sets of oven mitts and microwave mitts. I guess the sewing damn is good and broken!

I sewed something!

2009-12-02T22:39:00.001-08:00

It's been months since I've had time to create anything for sale, but I finally finished a new bag this week! Borneo is a fold over flap bag with some heavy beading and embellishment. It doesn't have a velcro or a snap ... just the weight of the bag makes it flop over ... so you could put taller stuff in it. I went just a little nuts (I think from pent up creative juices) so this bag features 3 other artisans. Karen from Ruby Mountain Dyeworks contributed that smashing lime green hand dyed base fabric, Beadfreaky made the ceramic turtle button and Midnight Coiler made the other small ceramic charm located on the front panel. It also uses this neat flat yarn with multi-color squares I picked up on clearance. The edges of the bag opening are raw edge patchwork and are designed to fray with use. I've had that teal flower print on the inside for quite a few years so I am glad it told me it wanted to live in this bag instead of on my shelf. The whole look kinda speaks to me of beachy sailboat cruises where you really do get away from it all, so I gave it an exotic locale for a name. It's over here in my Artfire shop if you want to see more pics.

Photoshop Tutorial: high contrast, texture shot

2009-11-22T08:06:00.001-08:00

Unfortunately, the owner of the images used in this tutorial has decided to withdraw his permission for their publication. I regret that, due to his decision, I have had to remove the tutorial entirely. Comments on this decision may be directed here.

Veteran's Day in our family

2009-11-18T07:37:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, the owner of the images used in this posthas decided to withdraw his permission for their publication. I regret that, due to his decision, I have had to remove the post entirely. Comments on this decision may be directed here.

My friend is in the paper

2009-11-10T13:38:00.000-08:00

Really nice article in this week's Citylife on my friend Gina's new gallery in downtown Las Vegas. Gina is one of the hardest working people I know. She seemed so happy with her new digs when I saw her on Friday night. Here's to her success!

Veteran's Day is not just a day off school

2009-11-09T13:40:00.000-08:00

This Wednesday, take a minute to reflect on those who protect your freedoms. You know ... the freedom to say whatever we want about our government or our neighbors and not be dragged off and shot. The freedom to speak out against abuse of other humans without fear of being arrested in the night and vanishing. How about the freedom to send our children to public school and not have them indoctrinated with the beliefs of a tyrant or the freedom to worship in any fashion you want? Perhaps you're planning to travel this holiday season. Have you considered what the freedom to travel across state lines and out of this country really means for you? You know, those freedoms ... the ones that we so easily take for granted.

A solider secured them for you at high personal cost and they protect them every day. Say thank you. It's not too much to ask.

Vote for me on Craftster

2009-11-08T22:24:00.000-08:00

My Queen Candy Cane costume is part of Craftster Challenge #44. If you are a member of Craftster, please consider voting for her majesty. I am sure she can slip you a few candy canes.

My soundtrack

2009-11-06T10:16:00.001-08:00

Train's golden-voiced singer, Pat Monahan and guitarist Jimmy Stafford (who lives part-time here in Las Vegas) do an incredible acoustic version of their latest single Hey Soul Sister with just a ukulele. I've loved them for years and of course, when I heard this song .... well they spelled my "sol" wrong ... but otherwise this so screams me with its infectious, cheerful vibe.

Still haunted

2009-11-04T20:52:00.000-08:00

A few more pics of Queen Candy Cane

Tweetaways

2009-11-03T09:28:00.000-08:00

Do you have a small item in your shop you can afford giveaway? If you have a decent size twitter following - say 300+, a tweetaway is a superior means to drive traffic to your shop and your blog or facebook fan page. This is a very inexpensive way to introduce new folks to your store, just in time for holiday shopping season.

To conduct a tweetaway:
Decide which item you want to give away and copy it's URL. You will need to cover shipping costs, so don't pick something heavy or awkward.

Have 30 minutes or so available.

Select a question that readers can answer quickly from your blog or facebook fan page and note it's URL.

Alternatively, you can do a random winner from among the first 10 people to become fans of your facebook page or follow your blog.

Start tweeting and watch your Direct Messages and replies for the answer.

Here's how I use this:
My sister's website http://www.overallbeauty.com sells an up and coming brand of nail polish at $9 a bottle. She has a dedicated twitter following of 700+ that are into beauty and nail care/polish. We have her twitter auto-post to her facebook page. To start the Tweetaway, we do a series of three tweets...

"win a bottle of (Color Name) nail polish (short URL)"
"answer (trivia question pulled from blog/fanpage post). answer here (blog/fanpage URL)"
"first correct DM reply wins a bottle of (item URL)"

We kept re-tweeting them until we got a correct answer, which takes about about 10-20 minutes.

Kim was watching the site traffic live. Within 10 seconds of the first tweet she had 50 people on the nail polish color page. During that 10 minutes, she had over 100+ visitors to her site and blog.

I think that exposure is worth the hard cost to her of $8 for the item and shipping.

What do you think? Any suggestions you care to share on using Twitter for business?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2009-10-28T23:27:00.000-07:00

Strangely, it's actually just about Halloween, but that hasn't stopped Her Majesty, Queen Candy Cane of Christmas Isle, from dropping by to help with the gardening. I believe we'll be planting peppermint .... by royal decree, of course!

This started with a white lace dress my mom made for Holly's 5th grade graduation earlier this year. Now where else is an 11-year old going to wear a plain white lace dress? The teacher insisted the dress be PLAIN white and of course, we couldn't find anything at the store.

So, making the best of money already spent, I added the sheer glittery candy cane underskirt right to the original lining in the dress. We had originally planned to be Snow princess but didn;t find sheer snow fabric ... so switched gears.

We made the scepter out of a cardboard tube and part of the reel some of the garland came wound on. It was covered in tin foil, tape, and the attacked with hot glue and a huge number of pipe cleaners, glittery snowflakes, Christmas garland, plastic peppermints, two holiday peppermint sprigs and silver bells, plus pipe cleaner candy canes on top.

The crown is a base of red and white craft foam that suffered a similar treatment with glitter glue and stick-on foam candy canes, 3D pipe cleaner candy canes, star garland and more plastic peppermints. I even used some odd white eyelash yarn around the base for a little snowy feel.

The treat bag was in my christmas box from last year. A few stick-on foam candy canes and some glitter glue to write with finished that up.

Her stole and cape is just more translucent fabric with glittery green, red, and silver dots. The big candy cane on the front was a foam kit that took about 5 minutes to glue and attach to the dress with a few stitches.

Thermal red shirt and gloves plus white long johns, awesome candy cane knee socks and silver shoes were purchased from Target or Walmart. All can be worn again after Halloween.

Minus the articles that can be worn again, this cost about $80 plus time. Had I shopped at the dollar store for the Christmas decorations instead of Hancock's and Michael's it would have come in even cheaper. The most expensive thing was those lengths of sheer fabric.

Tutorial: Dull Color fix with Duck GIrl

2009-10-18T21:12:00.000-07:00

Photoshop Tutorial: Dull Color Fix: Duck girl
Level: Beginner
Demo in Photoshop CS4

Click on images to enlarge.

This picture of my daughter was taken by a professional photographer - my cousin Brian Pedersen. We went to a local park in Las Vegas. It was late in the day and the light was going, but it is otherwise a great picture — if we can fix the dull color. Although this seems challenging, it's actually a pretty fast fix.
The first step is a little clone on the face to even out the skin tones on the right cheek. This is done on a new layer and merged down once you are happy with it. To clone on a new layer, create a new layer using the sticky note icon at the bottom of the layers palette, select the clone tool and make sure Current & Below is selected in the options bar. Alt/Option+click on a clean area very near the area to be repaired in order to match the color and lighting.
Next you'll need to use a threshold adjustment layer to find the lightest and darkest points in the image. To do that, select threshold from the adjustments panel and follow the steps on my other curves tutorial. You should end up with two of these small target markers.
Create a new curves adjustment layer and click the white eyedropper. Click in the center of target #1 in the duck's hair. Then click the black eyedropper and click target 2. Now comes the "eyeball" part. This image doesn't have an easy to spot neutral gray such as concrete paving or a metal object. I clicked around a bit and settled on a spot in the upper left by the very fuzzy car bumper. When you do this, watch the skin tones and anything that should be white. It's easy to introduce a color cast if you are not careful. It is also easy to turn skin too magenta or too blue.
You may need to reduce the fill or opacity of these adjustment layers to reduce the strength of the effect and create a more natural change.
Now this looks pretty good for 3 minutes of effort, huh? But we can do more. How about we pump up the yellow in the duck and her shirt?
I created a new curve and on the BLUE channel dragged the mid-point down. This brings in more yellow. On the red curve, I dragged very slightly up to warm it up even more. To have this only effect the shirt and the duck, fill the layer mask with all black then using a soft edge brush, paint over the shirt and duck with white.
Next, let's darken and enhance the green in the background to make the child pop out. Create another curves adjustment layer. On the green channel pull up slightly. On the composite channel, pull down slightly on the bottom of the curve, and up even less on the top half of the curve. Fill the layer mask with white and paint over the girl with black. To soften the mask, you can run a gaussian blur on it.

Next, create a new regular layer. Sample a dark green from the grass. Fill the layer with the dark green, Set the blend mode to multiply. Select the eraser tool and use a huge fuzzy brush to erase all the green except the corners. This darkens the edges and makes the kid pop to the front. Lastly, create one more curves adjustment layer and don't make any changes to the curve. Change the blend mode on the layer to screen and lower the opacity. Fill the mask with black and paint over her face with white. This creates areas of target lightening that preserve skin tones very well. See my Painting with Light tutorial for additional explanation.
Here's the final image.

Here is another before and after using these techniques.
Questions? Post below.

Walking with History

2009-10-18T08:07:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, the owner of the images used in this post has decided to withdraw his permission for their publication. I regret that, due to his decision, I have had to remove the post entirely. Comments on this decision may be directed here.

Six quick holiday tips for handmade sellers

2009-10-10T10:10:00.001-07:00

Here's a few quick things you can do to get your etsy/artfire shop holiday ready.

1) Make sure you are set up with Paypal to accept credit card payments from those who do not have or do not wish to have a paypal account.

2) Review your item titles. Titles should be packed with every key word a buyer might use to find your items. This is also how Google indexes your items so make those titles count! You should also be using every tag you can.

3) Review your prices & shiping fees. You may need to raise or lower slightly. Do you have a good range of items and prices? Do you have a few things in the impulse buy range of $20 and below? What could you add to fill this need? Is your shipping fair and correct for each item?

4) Update your blog/facebook/twitter with any holiday specials you are offering. If you have a mailing list, now is a good time to send an early holiday special out to your customers.

5) If you have facebook, install the Artfire Kiosk or Sellit app.

6) Create a facebook fan page for your business and add lots of pictures. Once you get 100 fans, you can change the URL.

Any tips you'd like to share with other sellers?

Hagar bag found by Hagar the Horrible artist

2009-09-28T20:59:00.001-07:00

Hagar the Horrible mini-messenger Bag by Solsisters

This mini-messenger bag I made up a while ago is going to a new home. Of course, it's always nice to make a sale, but this one has a bit of a twist. The buyer asked for my number so he could give me his credit card over the phone. So he calls and tells me that it's Chris Browne, son of Hagar the Horrible and Hi and Lois cartoonist Dik Browne. His father passed away and he now draws the Hagar comic while his brother Chance draws Hi and Lois.

Chris says he remembers when this fabric was licensed and was tickled to find a bag made from it. He wanted the bag for his wife and would have been happy to buy three more if I had the fabric to make them. Shame mom just had the one yard piece!

How fun is that?

***Update 11/09*** Chris says that Carol loves the bag.

My vagabond Life

2009-09-27T21:15:00.000-07:00

There has been a rather abrupt change in my life this last week. I made the choice to leave my boyfriend some months ago and move myself and my daughter out to a rental house near where she grew up. It wasn't an easy choice, but a necessary one. He is a good man, but just wasn't MY man.

Obviously, since I have a child and the better part of a house full of stuff that I was unwilling to abandon, this required planning and of course, it didn't all come together quite in the way I had hoped. Besides the emotional disruption and strain of ending a 2 year relationship with someone whom I no longer love, but do care about, you can't just up and rent an apartment or house when you have a foreclosure on your record. First you have to find a landlord willing to consider the whole credit picture, not just that black mark. Then you need to gather up cash for deposits and 1st month's rent - all the while keeping your bills current and paying your part of the expenses at the boyfriend's house.

I had to tell him several days before I had the final lease signed. As a courtesy to him, I moved EVERYTHING out of his house in just 2 days — before I knew if I had a place to go for sure. I had just put down the deposit. It turns out that my new house won't be ready for move in until this Tuesday because the downstairs carpet had to be replaced.

So now here I am, a capable adult, living at my mom's, while I wait. It's odd to be an adult kid at your mom's house (where my adult sister also lives) and even weirder - always having had a place to call home - to be in limbo like this. My stuff is living in a friend's garage and some at storage, plus some here at mom's. I feel so disconnected — heaped on top of the guilt and emotional upheaval of ending a long term relationship. Thank goodness for the support of my family and friends.

So anyway, if I didn't respond to something you sent me or asked me in the last week or so, I'm sorry. Things should be back to normal soon.

Low cost spay and neuter comes to Las Vegas

2009-09-20T09:18:00.000-07:00

Heaven Can Wait just opened their brand new low cost spay an d neuter clinic here in Las Vegas. This group is outstanding in their efforts to reduce pet overpopulation at the source by providing access to spay and neuter services and conducting those services for feral and abandoned animals all over Las Vegas. The new clinic's first few weekly feral cat clinics have sterilized almost 1,000 animals and they have already done 2,400 low cost operations for the general public.

Image by bobster855 via Flickr

A dog is just $115, which includes rabies and vaccinations. Cats are $75 (girls) and $50 (boys) which also includes rabies and vaccinations. No cost operations are available if you qualify. The location of the clinic is 546 N. Eastern Suite 175 and the phone number is 702-227-5555. This facility is being rented, but the City of Henderson just granted HCWS 2.5 acres to build a permanent clinic. It's about time Las Vegas/Henderson got serious about reducing the number of pets killed every year (approx 30,000 just in our metro area) because of overpopulation.

You can help raise some cash to put an end to this by bringing your dog (or just your kids) out the to the annual Lose a Pound with your Hound Walk on October 18th at Bunker Park. Note incredibly cute IBOL DOGGEH TAYLOR (owned by sister Norah) on the right. And yes, Team Norah will be walking and we'd love for you to join us. More on that later.

Art is eating an elephant on a pallet

2009-09-20T09:12:00.001-07:00

You all might remember that IBOL project I've been talking about and my prediction that there might be a need for air support? The current bundle count is 3,436 and they are still coming in to the warehouse hundreds at a time! The pic is a full pallet of IBOLs from Art's latest post about distributing this outpouring of supplies all over Iraq: eating an elephant one bite at a time.

New shiney stuff

2009-09-17T21:38:00.000-07:00

I was pleased to come home with two Bronze trophies from the AIGA Work Show X last weekend. One was for my VVBF signs and the other was for the Pearls of Honor Trailer Wrap.

Bronze doesn't seem like a big deal until you understand just how difficult this show is to place in at all. It is judged on the same exacting criteria as a national awards competition and there are usually less than 10 Golds in any given year. This one was no different with only 7 being awarded. In order to place at all, you have make it past the first in/out round and garner at least 3 (of 9 possible) votes in the second round.

This year's judges are "rock stars" of the design community. Joe Duffy is a well-known creative and AIGA Medalist. Lynda Weinman is THE LYNDA from lynda.com, the popular online training site and everyone knows the Walt Disney company, where Patricia Hallenbeck is the Director of Strategic Sourcing and Print Services. It's not easy to impress people at that level of achievement.

Congrats as well to all my friends in the community who won awards. There was a great showing from students this year in addition to some new faces in the professional categories.

Of course an evening like this calls for an unforgettable outfit. If you recall from a few days ago, there's my Santa Rosa Necklace from Santiam Designs and my opal earrings from Whirling Rainbow. They were the perfect compliment to this smashing dress that was... get ready... $18.99 at Ross Dress for Less! The purse was $16.99 at Target and I already had the shoes. The manicure was $7 and the fresh color on my hair was $12. So for about $60, I got more compliments than I could count. Who says a recession has to kill fashion?

Dana (owner of the Pearls of Honor Trailer) came with me to the show and brought his camera (these pics are all his). I was really relieved that we won an award for his work and he was overjoyed. As soon as I got back to our seats with the trophy, he was taking pictures - in the dark no less! He polished it under the warming lamp for the meatloaf for heaven's sakes! He took so many pictures one of my friends asked me if I had brought my own paparazzi!
Since the Show was held at the Fifth Street School where my friend Richard has his office, it was kinda like a great, casual party at your friend's house. The entire show team did a stunning job producing one of the chapter's best Shows ever — on what was about 1/4 of the "normal" budget for this event. The turn out was wonderful and the venue was perfection! It was also a huge joy for me to have Richard there to see his VVBF signs win as well. See how happy he was?

I think it is important for client's to see that your peers also feel the work you do is of value. It sure helps in price negotiations!

A good example of customer service compromise

2009-09-14T19:22:00.000-07:00

I was looking for some interesting silver hoops and I found these Wild Vines oxidized silver hoops in an etsy treasury. They are unique and just a little quirky, plus I love the organic feel of them. They sold out the next day, but the seller Jen at The Blue Dress was happy to make me up another set. They arrived quickly and I was pleased ... until I wore them the first time and discovered I had two rights. So I dropped her a convo letting her know what the issue was and she apologized profusely and promptly offered to send out a new pair at her expense with a postage paid envelope to return this set.

But here was my problem, I REALLY like these and I know that my friend Laura will just adore them for Christmas. So I asked Jen if she wouldn't just send me a set of lefts and I'd pay for them and we'd all be happy. I think she was a little surprised, but gamely agreed and went one futher by listing them at 20% off the original price. Now, that's GREAT customer service. Both of us are pleased and Laura is gonna love these!

I'll go shopping with Jen again and you should too :)

Patriot Day

2009-09-11T06:10:00.000-07:00

Kickin' it handmade

2009-09-10T22:26:00.000-07:00

Not only do I make my own items, I'm a pretty frequent supporter of the handmade community as a whole. Here are a few of the wonderful handmade things I'm pleased to own and links to the talented artisans who created them.

Custom Engraved fine silver guitar pick by Andros Creations

This is actually my boyfriend living handmade. I had Andrew make up this pick for his 4 year sober anniversary and engrave it with a message marking the day. He plays a Les Paul guitar just like this one. Andrew even went the extra mile to make a new cast just for Eric's pick. He likes his blunted and more squat shaped than standard. I sent Andrew a plastic pick he had filed down and he duplicated the shape perfectly. Eric says the picks play well without drag or distortion. Andy even sent along several metal blanks in the shape Eric likes. Believe it or not, forgetful man hasn't lost ONE of them and it's been over a year!

Right now, I have Andrew working on a Remember Pearl Harbor silver bracelet to replace cheap on Dana has. He makes wonderful, simple wedding rings too.

Santa Rosa by Santiam Designs

Debbie and I have become good friends through a series of trades on etsy. Her jewels, especially this elegant copper necklace are among my most favorite and frequently worn.

Hemp Lip Balm by Flame Works

I always have a tube of her Chai Tea balm with me. It's very smooth and the flavor is subtle.

Green Goddess All Over Balm by MonAmiga

I've extolled the moisturizing virtues of Ami's marvelous green goop before, but I was reminded just how wonderful it is when I got a painful sunburn over Labor Day. The balm soothed and healed it in record time.

When in Rome Earrings by Adornment Designs

I have two pairs of these, both custom created in copper, rather than silver. One set is bright and the other is patinaed. I lost one set and was heartbroken because they are my favorites, so I had her make the second set. Of course, the day the new ones arrived, the old ones came out of hiding. These are such elegant but not overstated earrings that they go with many of my favorite outfits. I wear one set or the other at least three days a week.

Caravan by Sparta Soap

All of her soap is the best you can buy, but this bar is hands down my favorite! It latheres up beautifully with the exotic allure of spices and desert winds. I'm not sure what they are but it has tiny grains for gentle exfoliation and makes bath time a tiny vacation.

I also really like DaisyCakes Soap in her citrus varitaions and switch between the two makers depending on which bar I grab from under the sink.

Lilac Opal Oval Earrings by Whirling Rainbow
These were so affordable and so elegant. Great for everyday wear!

Orange Carnelian Earrings by Shiney Adornments
I don't usually wear big earrings, but I can't resist Kristin's orange marmalade dream.

Octopus Tee in Ocean by Michael Phipps
This shirt is sooo soft and comfy. The screen is perfectly executed and the design and placement make it memorable.

IBOL Sundae

2009-09-09T12:19:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately, the owner of the images used in this post has decided to withdraw his permission for their publication. I regret that, due to his decision, I have had to remove the post entirely. Comments on this decision may be directed here.

Voting for Education

2009-09-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

As soon as my daughter gets home from school today, she'll be watching every minute of this speech. When our President feels strongly enough about the value of education to take time out of what can kindly be called a "challenging" job, I think my child needs to hear what he has to say. Does yours?

I ran off to join a biker gang!

2009-09-07T07:54:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, the owner of the images used in this post has decided to withdraw his permission for their publication. I regret that, due to his decision, I have had to remove the post entirely. Comments on this decision may be directed here.

My VVBF signs just won a national award

2009-08-31T17:04:00.000-07:00

This is my good friend Richard Hooker from City of Las Vegas Cultural Affairs office standing next to one of my signs I did for last year's Vegas Valley Book Festival as part of the AIGA Las Vegas design team. He loved these so much that he's kept this banner and poster in his office since last November! I was so delighted to be involved for a number of reasons — the chance to work with several other designers I much admire as well as my favorite photographer, the opportunity to support the cause of literacy which I am deeply passionate about and of course, being a huge Neil Gaiman fan, the chance to meet him in person was for me, a once in a lifetime joy! I even asked Neil to sign one of my event posters for his book signing and The Sound of Her Wings handbag I made up just for the event.

So why am I going on about this since it went on last year? Well in today's mail, I received the award letter and certificate letting me know that I won an American Graphic Design Award for the festival directional signage.

They made an error on the certificate listing the client (VVBF) as the designer, but no worries, I'll give this copy of the certificate to Richard for him to hang in his office and order a corrected one for my office. After all , great clients make for great design and this is certainly a case where I am so pleased to be associated with a GREAT client and a great cause!

The Graphic Design USA Annual in which it will be published will not come out until December and this year's winners won't show up on their site until just before the Annual is mailed. The contest (something like the Oscars for graphic designers) received 8,000+ entries this year. That's down a lot from years past and I can only guess the economy takes the blame for that. Only about 15% in any given year are chosen for Awards. It seems like a big chunk get recognized, but with that many entries, you'd have to get a lot of good work.

I won one of these in 2006 and 2007, but skipped entering in 2008. Each time I have only put in one or two entries and have won each year I have submitted. I am not sure if I am lucky or just picked well. I also entered the trailer I did for Metal of Honor this year, but it wasn't recognized. Shame that, but so it goes with these shows. You never know what will place and winning one competition does not necessarily mean you'll even place in another with the same piece.

For example, the CD cover & associated items which I won the GD USA Award for in 2006 did very well in the ADDY awards, snagging a gold in the same category as the "What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas" campaign, and placing in the district finals, but it didn't place in the AIGA Workshow.

Same story in 2007, the Summer Squeeze slot tournament got the GD USA Award, but didn't place in the Workshow. Different judges, different judging criteria, different results. You just can't take it personally. Design has a lot of the subjective in it.

This was the sign I created for Neil's Keynote address, which was wonderful to hear.
I still owe Suzanne for the excellent seats she saved for me and my family.

But back to this year ... The design of signs for the festival was based on a few things. Richard asked for something mysterious and film noir. I wanted to pick up the pattern of event listings that Joslyn had established in the ads she did. You can see it running through the large black areas on each sign. I also wanted to show off how books are an open door to adventure and new worlds, so I worked with my friend Nate to created these collage photos of books appropriate to the subject matter on each sign. Lastly, I did not want to overshadow the lovely logo that Victor and Randy created. That is why the book panels are desaturated and gently tinted. All the Neil Gaiman books and most of the other books on the signs came from my personal collection. I only had to hit the library for Michael Chabon (the other keynote) and poetry books. I told you I liked books!

Hopefully, the signs and my other entries will be recognized at the AIGA Workshow on 9/12. That show, although local, has been historically very difficult to place in. It would be a huge honor to win a Silver or Gold, as the highest I have ever placed there was a Bronze. Because they do one round of in or out, followed by a placement round in which you can also get knocked out, it is no easy feat to take home a trophy. They usually have 10 or less golds in a fields of 200-300 entries. So wish me luck, ok?

Why, Mrs. LaFlemme, your son has the best manners!

2009-08-29T08:56:00.000-07:00

Art (the I.B.O.L. guy) sent us the nicest thank you note all the way from Iraq this week. My daughter SHRIEKED like it was mail from a rockstar when I told her we had a letter from that funny guy in Iraq that Mommy and Nannie sent the boxes to. She sits with me at night and listens while I read aloud Art's blog posts of the day.

It's been a huge feeling of "job well done" to see me and my mom's bundles arrive in pics on the blog ... but it was a whole 'nother order of magnitude to get a handwritten thank you note. Old-fashioned manners and class! I tell you Kristin LaFlemme has married quilter's GOLD in her choice of husbands! And Art's mom — the quilter who raised this boy who is now trying to figure out what to do with the deluge of generosity he's unleashed? Well ... she must be grinning from ear-to-ear in pride over her son's accomplishments and his ability to inspire a veritable HORDE of strangers to do good.

My family has sent 12 boxes so far ... and I think my mom has another two in the works. I got members of my bag team to send some. I tweeted, I blogged , I facebooked and shared Art's address with those who asked. Many hundreds of other quilter's did the same. Bundles in the 10's has turned into bundles in the HUNDREDS and I'd bet it'll end up being over 1,000.

Then Sew, Mama Sew SOLD OUT of 150 I.B.O.L. bundles they created for non-sewers in a mere 48 hours!

"Going viral" is about to get redefined ... now that it has met the right leader .. with a cause that people can easily embrace .... and passionate crafters with huge stashes and huge hearts.

There's still time before September 7th to get your I.B.O.L. in the mail. Even the International Quilt Festival in Houston is part of the I.B.O.L. gang now! Maybe Art will need more than one Chinook?

Storm's blowin in....

2009-08-27T06:55:00.000-07:00

and I'm in the treasury! Gorgeous homage to summer showers by etsy seller Golden Needle Creations features my Typhoon Storm at Sea tote bag.

Moms gotta stick together

2009-08-24T20:12:00.001-07:00

I was driving home today by a completely different route than I normally take. I wanted to hit the grocery store for dinner stuff. So, I see this woman in a church parking lot with the hood of her car up and two little kids sitting despondently under a tree. The lady and kids both look tired and very, very stranded.

I figured they'd probably called someone, but something told me to stop and ask. So I turned the corner and drove up to them and asked if they needed help.

You should have seen the gigantic smile of relief on this woman's face! Her truck had run out of gas and she'd left the wallet at home in the rush to get out the door to pick it up from the mechanic after being without it for a month. Her family was all in other parts of the city and she and the kids had been there in the 95 degree Vegas afternoon for over an hour. NOT ONE PERSON stopped. Someone at the church had let her use the phone but apparently, they couldn't go get her some gas or call a roadside service for an unknown reason.

I piled them all in the car and we went to Smith's a few blocks away and got a gas can and drinks for everyone, then over to the service station for gas. As we were heading for the Smith's, my daughter called to report her successful boarding of the bus on her first day of middle school. I picked it up on handsfree, which comes through my car stereo. (BEST UPGRADE EVER!!) The little boy wanted to know how I talked to my daughter on my car radio. He was just entering first grade and hadn't ever seen a hands-free cell phone. :)

When we got back to her car, we got the gas in ok and it started right up . She wanted to pay me back, but seeing such relief on another mom's face was all the payment I needed - along with her promise to pay it back to someone she encounters that's in trouble. She kept saying thank you over and over again. But really, it was nothing .... a few bucks and 20 minutes out of my day. I just kept thinking, "if it was me and my daughter stranded, oh I hope someone would help us like this!"

It's been such a good few months for me, after a few REALLY horrid ones earlier this year. No money worries and steady work. These opportunities to show gratitude for my good fortune keep dropping in my lap and I'm getting the message! I'm not much for the big presence in the clouds (by any name you wanna hang on it/him/her) but I'm listening .... and I'm very grateful ..... and I'm doing my best to let it shine!

Calling for air support

2009-08-22T09:47:00.001-07:00

Can you imagine this bird landing outside a village in Northern Iraq being off-loaded by smiling soldiers ...... delivering bundles of fabric, yarn, buttons, beads and notions?

(My mom said "no" on the gunship pic I had eariler. Art will need Chinook cargo 'copters to do the really heavy lifting!)

It could happen. Army Major Art LaFlemme's Iraqi Bundles of Love Project (I.B.O.L.) is running out of storage room for the many boxes already flowing in ... and Ramadan just started! Art had to go to his commander to get "official approval" as the need to call for air support to deliver the bundles to nearby provinces is becoming more of reality by the day.

What is this I.B.O.L. thing? Simple, get an APO flat rate shipping box and fill it with any combination of new and used thread, fabric, yarn, sewing notions, sewing and crafting magazines. (Please remove CHRISTMAS related articles). Then, send it off to Art by September 7th. Please do not send any christian-related materials either. Both are offensive to Muslims. This project is about spreading generosity and much needed supplies and both items would defeat it's purpose. He'll see that it is delivered to a small sewing co-ops in Iraq to help the women provide for their families. Clean out your stash and give women a world away a boost. It's that easy. Shipping one box is $12.65. Surely you can afford that?

new bags

2009-08-21T08:15:00.000-07:00

I actually did some sewing last weekend and last night, so I've got three new bags to show off.

This version of my micro messenger bag features some Hagar The Horrible comic strip fabric that was in my mom's stash. No, I can't explain why it was there, either.

It would make a nice small bookbag for a student. There is an adjustable strap and two big pockets across the back side plus a zipper pocket in the lining and a keyhook.

Hagar on You tube for those who might not remember this silly viking comic by Dik Browne.

Next, I made this chic green wristlet from some of Karen's lovely greens and a tiny piece of Vansant Design's hand marbled fabrics. It would make a very elegant makeup bag for a green lover. Gazon was made with my flip and sew patchwork technique using a pieced and pleated insert. The edges of the ripple are left raw and will fray with use.

Last night's creation is Carnivalé, which is the finished design from my Tabitha prototype. This bag features a kanzashi folded fabric flower. You can learn to make one, too. It's glued on very securely and attached to the front of the double pocket. The pocket has a zipper compartment and where it is attached the the main bag, it forms a second pocket, plus the top is zippered too, so it packs a pocket punch for those who like a small bag. In this final version, I have moved the handle to the back and made it adjustable. Pretty vintage mother of pearl slide. Lined in dark pink Kona cotton.

The deep purple and lovely sky blue are hand dyed fabrics from Karen, as well. I haven't got this one listed in the shop yet, but please feel free to email me if you want it.

My IBOL has landed!

2009-08-16T13:19:00.000-07:00

See that tye dye wrapped one on the top right? That's my Iraqi bundle of love!!!!! YEAH! So glad to see that it made it safely over the ocean to Art ... and the note he's talking about ... that was me, too.

Promote a Sister Sunday: Southern Sweet T's

2009-08-16T12:28:00.000-07:00

This week I am profiling a fairly new member to the Carried Away Bag team. Beth of Southern Sweet T's is in the middle of a move to Charlotte, NC. She is a former military service member and introduced our team to the fine folks over at Herobox. Through this intro, we are currently all hard at work making Freedom bags to fund heroboxes for our adopted Marine and her unit. We've sent two so far and are on track to send our September box (thanks to Laura for her purchase).

Car litter trash bag

Southern Sweet T's CLASSIC TOTE in John Deere Quilted Pink

Southern Sweet T's FREEDOM TOTE in classic BDU and black

From our team shop

Southern Sweet T's RECTANGLE TOTE in Patchwork Plaid

Southern Sweet T's CLASSIC TOTE in Balck and white damask

Beth makes adorable boutique baby and kid items as well as tote bags of every description. You
can visit her blog or become a fan on facebook.

I'm speechless

2009-08-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

In my etsy inbox today was this wonderful note from Karen, whom I made the Verano Verde bag for last week. I sent her the Tabitha bag prototype as well.

Sent by rubymountaindyeworks on August 11, 2009:

I am absolutely speechless, Krystal! I simply cannot get over how wonderful the contents of that box are. Within ten minutes of opening it, I had already moved everything from my store-bought handbag into the Verano Verde bag you made for me. I have to tell you--Verano messenger bag is just gorgeous! I love all of the exquisite detailing, like the pleated front flap and the beading and SO many different fabrics....and the practical details are so great, too! Amazing how something so decorative can be so useful, too! I think my favorite practical feature is the key hook inside the bag. I spend half my life searching the bottom of my purse for my keys. Well, never again! I also love the adjustable strap (great for short gals like me!) and ALL the pockets. I want you to know that I am deeply touched by the care you took in making this, Krystal. I will cherish it for many years to come.

As if all of this weren't enough, you included some TERRIFIC bonuses, too. These are no trivial extras, either! The wallet is so handy and cute, and it gives me yet another opportunity to mention Ruby Mountain Dye Works and SolSisters shops. I've loaded it with your business cards (among other necessities)--can't WAIT to brag about you!) LOVE the pleated and zippered pen compartment! How did you do that?

My teenage daughters are all fighting over the teal green shoulder bag that you sent---and THAT'S the true sign of a fashionable design! Wow, that's a cute little bag! The front pocket is genius--now, how'd you do THAT? I may have to keep that one for myself, too....

Thank you so much for doing such fine work on the Verano bag, and for your staggering generosity. It's all so wonderful. I really, really, really scored big!

Hugs!
Karen

PS: Please forgive the lateness of this convo. I had to travel to Missouri unexpectedly. The girls told me that I received a package from you, so you can imagine how maddening it was to be 800 miles from home. It was worth the wait, though! Wow!

I think that might be the nicest and most sincere thank you letter I've ever gotten. Wow! indeed.

Tabitha prototype take 2

2009-08-09T15:28:00.001-07:00

Here's another go at the new bag design I have been working out. Still not perfect. I like the bigger size. This one measures 9" wide by 9.5" tall by just under 3" across the base.

I am going to move the handles to the back of the bag instead of the sides. I also didn't offset the zipper on the front pouch and it doesn't open and close as easily as my earlier prototype.

The adjustable strap was an excellent suggestion from Sandy. I used a little mother of pearl slide I got from another seller on etsy. My daughter has this furry eyelash yarn out making paper kites and of course, it was all over my office floor.. so I picked up some pieces for the front of the bag as well as some beads.

My sister says she doesn't care about what I see as imperfections and she loves it anyway, so off it goes to her a happy-whatever-day-you-received-this gift. My mom says in this bigger size I need to put a snap or velcro to keep the pocket closed behind the zip pouch. What do you all think?

Winning hearts and minds .... with FABRIC!

2009-08-08T10:21:00.001-07:00

Like every other sewer I know, I have heaps of unfinished projects, extra thread and scissors and fabric that, when I look at it 4 years later, I just shake my head and go "What The HECK????"

One of the great folks on twitter Cards For Heroes (card makers and those with kids home for the summer needing a craft project - stop reading and click that link RIGHT NOW! You can come back later, I'll wait.) let me know about a wonderful way to clear some stuff out of my sewing room and do a tiny bit to help our departing troops leave a good impression with the Iraqi people during the season of Ramadan. I am sure someone will correct me, but Ramadan is a bit like a several weeks long Christmas and Thankgiving together, in that it is a time of gratitude, reflection, family and renewal for the Muslim faith. This fellow Art and one of the female troopers in his soon-to-depart Iraq unit hit upon the idea of asking us to send over useable fabric, sewing notions, yarn and so on to help these small sewing and handicraft co-ops that have been started all over Iraq get going with raw materials. You can learn about the Iraqi Bundle of Love project on his blog.

Shiara thinks going to Iraq might be nice, but I feel she is destined to stay here and continue to torment the other cats.

So the pic up top is my bundle. It's wrapped in pieces of a sheet that my brother tye dyed when he was first learning. Inside, it's got a pair of slightly worn, but still sharp Fiskars scissors, lots of fabric, some yarn, many spools of thread and two almost finished quilts. Can I tell you how nice it is to not have those two quilts lurking in my drawers? The box will cost about $13 to send over to Art. He'll open it up take out the self contained bundle and hand it off to Iraqi police or security forces. They'll see that it goes to someone who will make use of it.

Winning this war isn't about force of arms as much as it is about helping the people of Iraq understand that Americans are NOT evil incarnate. What better way than generosity and the gift of creative inspiration? So there you are, sewing to serve our country. I think I can be a "fabric soldier" any day and I invite you to take up the thread and send your own box. Just leave Art a comment on his blog and he'll send you the APO address. If you are in Europe, he's even arranged for a contact to send the boxes along to him to avoid a needless double ocean crossing.

Working out a new bag design. Opinions?

2009-08-03T08:53:00.001-07:00

I am working on this new bag design. I saw something like it by a big name purse company in a very expensive department store last week. I didn't care for the leather version ... or the color ... or mostly, the GIANT price tag, but I loved the shape and the zipper pockets.

So here's the prototype for the new design. It's about 7" wide by 9" high although, I am considering increasing the overall size and making the bag wider at the base. Also, a longer strap.

Side Note: My daughter is showing off the red, white, and blue skirt I made her last week as well. It has a red yoke and a white ruffle on the bottom, which you can't see in the picture. Can you believe her music teacher turned her nose up at 3 of these skirts for the three soloists at graduation? Holly and two friends are singing God Bless the USA by Lee Greenwood and apparently my offer to make matching skirts for the three girls did not suit her "artistic vision." I had already purchased materials and made two of them and just needed the other girl's waist measurement to finish hers, but oh no, they HAVE to have dresses. In this economy.. she turns down FREE matching costumes that the kids can keep? Seriously! Sorry. Can you tell I am a tad bit annoyed by this? Rant off. Back to the bag...

This front pocket is the cool thing. It's actually a lined zip pouch that is attached to the bag. So you get the zip pocket to secure your train pass or iPod and then you get another pocket behind it where it attaches to the main bag. Plus the top is zipped, so it's a pocket lover's dream in a small size. Lovely teal hand dyed fabric is from my new friend Karen at Ruby Mountain Dye works. This fabric is so vivdly colored and huge pleasure to work with. The deco feathers have been hanging in my stash for many years now and finally get to have a life!

See the double pocket goodness? I think the original actually had the pocket go into the lining of the main bag, but I like this better.

Back of bag.
Open top with deco fan print lining.

So what do you folks think? Would you buy a bag like this? Should I make it bigger or smaller?

Custom handbag order finished

2009-08-02T13:50:00.000-07:00

Verano Verde a custom handbag made for Karen from Ruby Mountain Dyeworks rolled off my sewing machine this morning. I also made a matching wallet.

The bag is my micro messenger style made with two commercial batiks and Karen's lush hand dyed green fabrics. The flap is pieced and pleated as seen in my Nori Sunset Bag. The pleating looks very intricate, but isn't really very complicated to do, just a bit fussy. Check my Flip and Sew patchwork tutorial for a bit more on how it's done.

The flap is adorned with this cheeky ceramic frog charm I got from Beadfreaky and some commercial beads. The small gold rounds have tiny shamrocks on them to reflect Karen's Irish heritage. (I lucked out on her liking frogs :) )

Little feet to protect the base of the bag. It also has a plastic canvas insert between the lining and the outer bag. This gives shape without stiffness.

The wallet is also made from Karen's awesome fabric. It came from BH&G Bags, Pillows and Pincushions magazine. I omitted the binding and went for funky serged edges. The center coin pocket is a pretty neat design. Simple to make, too!

The lovely antique mother of pearl strap slide came from The Graphics Fairy and my zippers come from Zipit. Yep, I buy just as much stuff on etsy as I sell.

The back of the bag has a big divided pocket for cell phone and notebook or various other papers. Finishing off the bag is a patchwork adjustable strap. My friend Shannon over at SCB Creations has a tutorial to do adjustable straps if you need help.

Inside the bag has a zipper pocket and a regular pocket, plus a silver swivel hook to keep your keys from getting lost in the bag.

Promote a Sister Sunday: Hugs and Holidays

2009-08-02T11:24:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday again and time to give out some team mate love! Lets say Hi to Sandra from Hugs and Holidays. She was a dressmaker for many years and brings that attention to detail to tote bags and reusable fabric gift bags of all sizes, plus cute flower pins and others small items. Like a lot of us, she was just making fun stuff for the kids and it's snowballed into an online shop at etsy.

God Bless America Patriotic Gift Bag and Bonus Tissue Cozy from our Cab Team shop made by Hugs and Holidays

Hand Dyed Teal and Blue, Fabric Flower Brooch, Corsage, Hat Pin, Flower for your Gift Bag

Arm Candy No.2, Shabby Chic Patchwork Shoulder Tote Bag and Tissue Cozy, Original Set

Miss Sassy, Crazy Quilted Purse, Patchwork African Prints Batik Fabric Tote Bag

Something For Baby, Gift Pouch Set of 3, Favor Bag, Shower Stuffer, Expectant Mother Treat Bag

No Child Left Behind, Fabric Gift Tote Bag, Music and Harmony, Children, CABTeam, FFAW

Dear Sweet Gretchen, Halloween Fabric Gift Tote Bag, Good Witch Bag, Trick or Treat, CABTeam

hey, mom I think she likes it!

2009-08-01T19:14:00.000-07:00

Karen, the owner of the Verano Verde bag I have been working on, HAD to come over here and see the bag flap. Apparently, she likes my creation :) The strap went on this morning and the bag is going together tonight. Wallet tomorrow and PICTURES!

Talk about making your day! Emails like this are why I LOVE to make custom bags.

Sent by rubymountaindyeworks on August 01, 2009:

Well, you surely knew I'd be too weak to resist peeking at your blog. I'm just floored with how gorgeous the front of the bag is! You have really outdone yourself, Krystal. All that intricate piecing is astonishingly lovely, and the beadwork is just the perfect touch. I can't believe that I'm about to possess this work of art fashioned from my fabrics. It's something I will cherish always. Thank you.

You may not possess ESP, but you ARE unusually perceptive and you clearly go out of your way to listen to your customers and get a feel for who they are. Such a gift!

Please have a wonderful weekend!
--Karen

Look what I gots

2009-07-31T23:09:00.000-07:00

Wanted to say a quick thank you to the folks at Robert Kaufman fabrics, makers of Kona Cotton, best quilting solids ever. I won this great color card from them in a twitter giveaway. Who says twitter is a waste of time?

Verano Verde under construction & other stuff

2009-07-31T16:02:00.000-07:00

I am LOVING working with these fabrics from Ruby Mountain Dyeworks. Here's a sneak peak of the flap on her Verano Verde (green summer) mini messenger bag. This laid back ceramic frog charm from Beadfreaky went perfectly with the batik she sent. Should have it done for pics and mailing tomorrow.

Yesterday, I reduced the prices on a few bags to give myself an excuse to get creating again and broadcast it on twitter. Looks like it paid off. I came back from driving Dana's tank to my first etsy sale in months. I was so happy! I've been very active on twitter and it's paying off for me and my team. We also sold two freedom bags and can now afford to send off our August Herobox.

still looking for boxes

2009-07-30T22:37:00.001-07:00

I'm still looking at wooden jewelry boxes. Her's some more contenders I'm considering.

Red Mahogany colored Knotty Pine Jewelry Box with Tray Style Cover by Young Wood Creations

Birds Eye Maple Trinket Box by Barry's Boxes

Reclaimed Wooden Box No.120 by R Wooden Products

Reclaimed Wooden Box No. 183b by RWooden Products

Boxed in

2009-07-28T17:58:00.000-07:00

So I am hunting for a new jewelry box for my ever growing collection of handmade jewelry. Of course, ONLY handmade will do. Let's just see what the choices are...

Tides Jewelry Box by Nature's Cosmik Debris

The Musician's Box - Driftwood Stain by Sixth and Elm

The Spring Tree Woodburned Box - Red Mahogany Stain by Sixth and Elm

Cherry Flat Box by Wood Mosaic

More than 230 pieces in this lovely box!

Minyare- Fairy Keeper of Star Wishes by OM3Studio

Original illustration woodburned on purchased box.

Gadget Jewelry Box by Jim Jenkins

Storage and sculpture!

The Flame Box by the Natural Hand

I am BEYOND tempted to buy this RIGHT NOW. I just asked if I can get one made slightly larger. DROOL!!!!

The Deco Box by The Natural Hand

The inlay work on this is just stunning!

Large handcrafted cedar box with beautiful scroll work by Handmade8Heartfelt

Patience, anyone?

Decorative Cedar and Black Walnut Jewelry Box with Quilted Snowflake / Star Inlay Lid by ExcaliburWoodWorks

Lovely inlay in quilted design. What could be nicer for my sewing soul?

Do you have a suggestion for a handmade jewelry box that I missed? Please comment below.

Promote a Sister Sunday: The CAB team shop!

2009-07-26T11:58:00.000-07:00

I'm giving out some love this week to all my teammates who've made a freedom bag for our Carried Away team shop. All the proceeds from the donated bags are being used to fill a Herobox for our adopted marine and her unit.

The Freedom roll call!

Several ladies made more than one bag, including me. I am having a hard time believing that we haven't sold one bag yet! You could be the first one to support this great cause and cross a gift off your holiday shopping list.

Congrats to my hotrod winner!

2009-07-26T11:49:00.000-07:00

Becky (@tribecca) is the lucky winner of my Hot Rod Polish and pouch giveaway! Congrats! Becky entered several times and was a huge supporter. I appreciate everyone who entered efforts to promote the giveaway and really appreciate all the new followers of this blog. THANK YOU!

But don't despair if you didn't win ... Carried Away, my bag making team is also giving away some BB Couture nail polish and your choice of 5 different pouches by April's Orignals and one from me as well. In fact, I just added this smashing buttercup bag, entited Long May She Wave, to the top prize. Just head over to the team blog to win!

BEST TRADE EVER!!!!!

2009-07-25T17:31:00.000-07:00

I've done a lot of trading on etsy and artfire and been very happy with my trades. This last one though with Karen from Ruby Mountain Dye Works is the best one yet! I asked for a set of reds to make a special Canadian flag handbag I have in mind for my sister's birthday, but oh no ... she didn't stop there! She included 4 of her lovely bookmarks that I highlighted last week in my Elegant Marks post and you can see the top of the stack of reds she did for my flag bag.

She also included fabric to make her a bag similar to my Verano bag that is now being enjoyed by Yvonne (the product of another successful trade). as a hand dyed artist, I felt it was only fitting that she have a beautiful handbag to show off her fabrics where ever she goes.

and then I think she went off the deep dye end.. look at what else was in this lovely box she sent!!!! She heard I like orange, so a lovely collection of fall oranges and browns, plus I told her I really like to make stuff like my Taisie bag from Mollie's swab clothes and did she have any? And was there a possibility of a lime green and a shock orange? As you can see, there certainly!

Plus she put in two full range colorwheels! Such wonderful colors and generosity leaves me feeling so wonderful about the opportunity you have online to get to know other artists.

I think I will have to tuck in some more extra goodies in her package when I send her bag back. Thank you KAREN!!!!!

Red, White & Boom! Giveaway

2009-07-23T07:51:00.001-07:00

Carried Away (my bagmaking team) is also hosting a nail polish and pouch giveaway. You could win three bottles of BB Couture nail polish in Pearl Delight, Hot Salsa and Prince Charming, your choice of five pouches from TM April's Originals or my Nichelle Zipper wristlet featuring original cat art and hand marbled fabric.

Give us a little boost to spread the word about our team's efforts to support our adopted marine during her deployment through non-profit Herobox. All of the proceeds from our Freedom Bags listed in our team shop will go to fill and send a monthly herobox to her with items she has requested and other goodies for her to share with her unit of 32 troopers.

No matter what you think of the current conflicts, we can all agree that these men and women need to know that the folks here at home care about them and appreciate their choice to serve. This is our way of giving that support and we hope you'll join us.

Wander on over to the team blog for details on how to win.

Orange isn't for everyone

2009-07-22T09:58:00.001-07:00

Orange isn't for everyone.... but I LOOOOOOOOOVE it! This is Hotspot from the Hot Rod Limited Edition Collection by BB Couture. Hands down, my favorite from the set!

Have you entered to win a set of your own Hot Rod Colors and my cool flame makeup pouch? Giveaway ends 7/24!

More tips on selling handmade

2009-07-22T08:37:00.000-07:00

hey, have you been over to Artfire's new blog for handmade sellers? Handmadenews.org has articles on every facet of selling & making handmade in areas such as: business tips, craft techniques, green wise, guilds and teams, and craft trends to name a few. As I noted in my most recent article for Handmademarketing.org, Artfire actively LISTENS to sellers and this is just another example of all they do to support the handmade community.

It's all about the details

2009-07-21T00:04:00.001-07:00

Selling your products online means having GREAT pictures. Check out this article on use of the macro feature from Handmade Marketing.

Good photos show off the details of your superior workmanship and materials.
If I can't pick it up, I want to see every tiny nuance of the product. Photo by article author Hillary of Haptree and Me.

Mistakes Were Made

2009-07-17T10:18:00.000-07:00

NOTE: This post isn't intended to poke fun at or "bad talk" the artist who wrote this note. They make lovely work and I wish them a successful recovery from their current troubles. I am sure they were very upset at the time it was written. It is shared purely in the spirit of everyone learning from this.

In my in box was this newsletter from another handmade artisan. (I've removed the identifying information.) I share it with you to illustrate a very important point in handmade marketing - DAMAGE CONTROL and how to handle a disaster.
_____

(name removed) & I are closing our online doors!

We have gotten behind and had too many negative feedbacks, subsequently Ebay has suspended our account and we can no longer get our order information.

If you have placed an order with us within 45 days, PLEASE got to paypal and open a dispute, it will be decided in your favor and you will get your money back.

If you paid by check please contact us through our web site within the next 48 hours so we can get your information and get your (item we make) to you.

If you placed an order and it has been OVER 45 days, you will not be able to get your money back so PLEASE contact us through our web site - we have orders written down just not the shipping addresses, so we can still get your (items we make)to you, but will need you to give us your shipping info.

We are so sorry! We may open our web site up again someday for custom work once we have made all of our (item we make) in waiting and paid off paypal (you will get your refunds regardless, just wait the obligatory 7 days I believe).

Best to all and thanks for your support through the years- (names removed, business name removed)
_____

Now, compare it to the following rewrite which says the same thing, but phrases it very differently:

_______

Dear Customers,

(Name and I) have decided we need to take a breather from our online store. It has become clear that we need to focus on filling our current backlog of orders, so we are regretfully closing our store for the time being. Thank you for all your business and faith in us.

PLEASE NOTE: If you have placed an order with us that has not been delivered, we cannot access your customer information and may not have a shipping address for you. We intend to either issue a prompt refund or fill your order as requested, but in order to do that, we need to hear from you right away. Please contact us at (email address) so we can make individual arrangements.

If you wish to be contacted when our store reopens, please drop us a line at ( email address).

Best Wishes,
Names
__________

The first is a stunning example of how NOT to talk to your customers. Let's face it, life happens and we all screw up in business at some point or another. The order gets misplaced and we forget about it or we get unmotivated and we miss the deadline on a custom order. How you recover from these kinds of mistakes is a measure of not only your integrity, but also your commitment to customer service.

Remember, if you do a good job, people might tell their friends. If you do a BAD JOB, people will tell EVERYONE!

While the content of this email is glaringly honest, the phrasing leaves a TERRIBLE taste in my mouth as a potential customer of this business. When I got this, I was forcefully reminded of my mother's propensity when I was growing up to blissfully ignore the pointed nasty looks from us kids and go on happily telling to the grocery checker or waitress every embarrassing personal detail of our lives. (Thankfully, she has gotten much better about this as we have gotten older!) It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion and having NO POWER to stop it. From a customer standpoint, I'd never trust these people with my money ever again. They just admitted they are incompetent slackers who can't manage to fill orders or ship goods in a timely fashion. Not only that, they just told us they couldn't be proactive and tell their customers what was going on. I don't know about you, but I can forgive a screw up if someone apologizes and makes it right. But if I got stone silence followed by this? HELLO, keep your items and give me a REFUND!!

The lesson here is: there is such a thing as too much honesty! There are many ways to say the same thing, and while you should always be honest in any communication to your customers, you don't have to make yourself look irresponsible and untrustworthy by baring your mistakes like this. It is not necessary (not to mention, deeply harmful) to share with them with information they SHOULD NOT know about your internal operations.

Now, if I had gotten the message the rewritten message instead, I would feel a lot differently about this business. I would be much more understanding and probably be willing to take the personal gesture of apology and contact them to work out my order (had I placed one). Even if I didn't have an order pending, I'd be much more likely not to write them off completely, as the first email has caused me to do.

If the worst happens, you don't need to go into your whole tragic story and frankly, do you really want your customers to know that you have screwed up on such a massive scale that Ebay suspended your account? People don't want to hear excuses, they want to know what's going to happen now. Just address their concerns and remain professional and polite.

What do you think? How would you have written this kind of message? How have you handled a similar faux-paus in your business? Please comment below so we can all learn from each others mistakes.

________

Portions of this article have been republished at Handmademarketing.org. Thanks guys!

Hot rod on my nails

2009-07-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

I got my personal set of Hot Rod colors last night. (I make zero claim to any ability as a manicure expert.) Here's what the hot rod collection looks like on my nails.

from Thumb: Crusin', Nitro Injected, Hot Spot, Lowrider, Little Déuce Coupé

From Thumb: Lowrider, Little Déuce Coupé, Nitro Injected, Cherry, Baby and Crusin'

Lowrider, Cherry, Baby, Hot Spot and Nitro Injected go on really smooth and dense. You could get away with one coat. Crusin' and Little Déuce Coupé, being matte colors, are a bit trickier and you may need up to three coats for full color density.

Cherry, Baby has a very subtle glitter sparkle in it. Nitro Lowrider and Hot Spot all have a nice metallic sheen.

I hear the next set from BB Couture, tentatively titled Heros and Villians, will have Torch in it.

Elegant Marks

2009-07-15T08:56:00.000-07:00

Summer days are so great for a good read! Here's a selection of handmade bookmarks to enhance that juicy read with an elegant touch.

Two beaded book thongs from my good friend Debbie over at Santiam Designs. The copper colored book thong she sent me last year is currently marking my place in Naked Empire by Terry Goodkind.

Exotic Burl Wood Bookmarks by Boxnmor

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Book Beads by Boofolo Beads. I'm taking the family to see it after work. Kidlet is massively excited.

Brisinger Book Beads by Boofolo Beads

These hand dyed fabric bookmarks by Ruby Mountain Dyeworks really caught my eye this morning. Love the combo of handdyed fabrics with such elegant design!

Copper and Leather bookmark from wiretree

Beautifully illustrated Shakespeare bookmarks on leather by Immortal Longings

Copper Fern Leaf metal bookmark by Star Flower Silver

What do you use to mark your place? Please share a link for your favorite bookmark.

The Great American Melting Pot Totebag

2009-07-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

Another bag for Carried Away's Summer of Freedom. Come visit the team shop to get a great bag and support our troops.

The Great American Melting Pot by TM Solsisters
Remember those School House Rock cartoons on TV every Saturday morning in the 70's and 80's? I learned all about our how our government is supposed to work and some American history from those catchy tunes. What I also absorbed was the feeling of pride and belief in the dreams America was founded on. Now that I am an adult, I realize government is not so simple and maybe those ideals had more to them then what was in the songs, but I still believe in the core ideal of freedom to live your own life and make what you can of yourself.

"The Great American Melting Pot" is my tribute to the song of the same name that really explained to my then 8-year old mind how America was the land of second chances for so many. It also taught how Americans are made of many backgrounds and that, in the early days, our country welcomed them all. I've tried to teach my daughter that same idea of tolerance for everyone she encounters.

Flashback from Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWJ4udW41Ns

This flowerpot-style bag is Americana through and through. Red patchwork base with a stripe of white topped off with origami blue frayed edge stars made by my daughter. The bag is lined in blue with a zipper pocket and a red pocket. Long handles of deep indigo with a white floral pattern make this a comfortable shoulder bag or tote.

Measures 14" across the top, 7" the bottom. Base is about 2" wide. Closes with a magnetic snap.

Just $30!

CONTEST time!

2009-07-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

In honor of the release of the Hot Rod Collection of nail polish by BB Couture which I inspired and named, I'm giving away one full set of all six smashin' colors ($53) plus one awesome handmade flame makeup zip pouch ($20).

(your pouch will have a red zipper instead of orange)

Cherry, Baby! - A sweet candy apple red with high shine and a "begging for a speeding ticket" attitude!
Crusin' - Bright, cream neon orange, smooth and delicious, but never ignored.
Hot Spot - The ghost flames in this nuclear orange are alive with deep red undertones.
Lil' Deuce Coupé - The perfect lemon yellow for hot summer days.
Lowrider - Take a tall drink of grape soda and mix in some pearlescent shine.
Nitro Injected - This sassy blue is all about wide open skies with the top down doing 90mph!

To win this $83 prize (limit four entries per person, per day):
1) Follow my blog (place your follow name in first box)
2) Tweet my giveaway and paste the link in first box
3) Put my giveaway on your facebook and page paste the link in first box
4) Promote my giveaway some other way and paste the link in first box

Entries MUST have an email address to be valid.

GET TEN BONUS ENTRIES!!!!!
1) Make a purchase of $20 or more from my shop
2) Make a purchase of $20 or more from the Carried Away Team shop to support our solider

Shipping of your prize inside the US will be free of charge.
If my winner is international, I will deduct $4.95 from the shipping price.

ENTER BELOW! if you have already entered manually, I have entered your info into the form and deleted the public comment to protect your privacy

GIVEAWAY ENDS 7/24/09.

Can't wait to get it? You could always buy single colors or a whole set.

Hot Rod Pouches

2009-07-12T17:06:00.000-07:00

My sister asked for some special makeup pouches to give to the first few people who purchased our Hot Rod Collection of nail polish by BB Couture. I was going to create something with this great piece of red and black with an abstract flame pattern ... but then I decided to try this out. I drew the flame in illustrator and traced it onto a paper backed fabric adhesive. Then I ironed the orange flame onto the front panel and used two strands of thread (one orange rayon and one red cotton) to outline the flames and add more flame detail. The edges are left raw and will fray with washing, giving it kinda a retro 40's feel.

I'm really pleased with how these two came out and anxious to see how the other 2 come up.

promote a BROTHER Sunday: Carried Away with Third Willow Handbags

2009-07-12T12:50:00.001-07:00

That's right, PROMOTE A BROTHER. We've got a man on the Carried Away team! Say Hello to Bill from Third Willow. Bill makes lush, elegant bags with a huge punch of retro style.

Maxine's Midtown Silk and Leather Clutch

Of his rather unusual choice to make designer bags, Bill says:

I have been an interior designer for over seven years now and have always had a creative outlet....Recently, I find myself in a managerial position, still within design, but far less creative. I had to put that untapped energy somewhere.

I spent over a year learning to knit and loved it then and love it still...... But I wanted more. One year ago I received a sewing machine for my birthday and started my most current adventure.
I sewed anything and everything I could think of. Once our home had been lovingly drapped in fabric within an inch of it's life, I knew I had to find more.

Priscilla's Penthouse Clutch in Gold and Black Damask with Turquoise Ribbon

I decided to make a handbag from a pattern or two and found that I got bored rather quickly, so I designed a few of my own, and a few more after that until I found myself making more bags then I could ever give away. And, friends and family kept asking to buy some for their friends and family..........and Third Willow was born.

The Edith Weekender Bag in Houndstooth - SALE

Third Willow is based on custom designed simplistic vintage inspriations with an updated look. A majority of my custom designed pieces are based on vintage inspired upholstery and drapery fabrics mixed with quirky grosgrain ribbon and sculptural accents. I also I find myself drawn to outrageous colors and patterns inspired by 50's kitsch, art deco, art noveau, pop art, asian culture.....pretty much anything that strikes my fancy!

The Charlotte Weekender Bag in Brown and Russet Floral - SALE

Third Willow's mission is to create custom designed vintage inspired accessories with modern sensibilities! Using inspiration from the 40's, 50's, 60's, and 70's, most handbag fabrics are chosen because they are beautiful, modern re-interpretations of vintage style, while a few are truly vintage fabric. Many of the shapes of the bags were re-interpreted from pictures of handbags and clutches from the 1920's - 1970's. Simplification of shape and addition of useful interior pockets added modern sensibilities to these beautiful antique and vintage purse designs. The end result is custom designed vintage inspired handbags with modern sensibilities!

Delores Downtown Clutch

You can follow Bill on facebook or twitter.

I finaly got facebook

2009-07-11T14:01:00.000-07:00

Image via CrunchBase

Yeah I know I am a little slow on this one, but I did finally get a facebook page. So come say hello!

oh she said I could!

2009-07-08T21:54:00.001-07:00

Kim says I can release the password protected order page for my Hot Rod Nail Polish collection by BB Couture to my blog readers. And really, who am I to argue?

She was in a car accident tonight, she's okay. Car not so much... but in no condition to take down the page on schedule. So we'll just share the link with a few of our favorite people.. like... say my readers!UPDATE!
She has moved the polish to the main catalog. You can get it and the rest of the BB Couture line at Overallbeauty.com