My Beautiful Pink Atlas Sewing Machine

After I saw some posts about a pink sewing machine I HAD to have one. It was just WAY too cool.

So low and behold I was perusing ebay and they happened to have a couple.  This one ended at a really cheap price so I couldn't pass it up-I just considered it my christmas and birthday present :)  I am so thrilled.  She came to me pretty dirty-she needed (and still does) some serious cleaning and a new belt, and lightbulb.  When she arrived her case was damaged and unusable (sad face). After I took her to my sewing machine repair guy he fixed her all up and she runs like a dream.  She can sew through layers amazingly!!  I think she is just awesome. I am not sure of the exact year she was made-all I know is its from the 50's.

We Did It Wednesday: Easy Fleece Beanie

My daughter found this fleece in the remnants section and HAD to have it. She loves anything Hello Kitty right now :)  So I bought it to make her a beanie. Finally amidst all this Christmas Craziness I got to FINISH something. This took less than 30 minutes from cutting it out to completing it-gotta love that! And imagine this-its Wednesday so I can post this for the We Did It Wednesday Challenge-yay!

I must be known as some old sewing machine collector..........

This is so crazy!  My aunt said this machine was given to her by her Sister in Law for ME-I guess she has had this for a while. Anyway-my aunt thought I was an old machine collector so she said she was going to bring by this old Singer machine.  I really did not know what to expect but how on earth could I possibly say no???  So I get it (in its original case) and open it to find this beauty. WOW!!!  I was HOPING it would be one of this type of Singer's, so what a great surprise!  I threaded her up and she runs amazing.  Just a straight stitch and reverse. This is a Singer 66-it says on the label on the back of the machine that it was made in 1949. Beautiful, Clean condition. I am so stoked!


Oh, and pardon the messy table its on!hahaha! I just plopped it onto my daughter's table to test her out

Singer Futura Quartet

So I got yet another machine (thanks to my wonderful friend for the gift). Have had it for a couple weeks or so now, just played with it a little bit when I first got it. It does everything-stitching, serging, quilting and it also embroiders. I am not brave enough to try embroidery yet-maybe next year though!LOL I did try some free motion stitching though and that was fun :)  Looking forward to trying more. I could get very addicted to free motion stitching easily, and see how artistic I could get with that. Its gonna take alot of practice though-it looks really easy but its not quite that simple!

Cute,Simple Skirt

Just a very simple skirt-just took an hour to whip this up!  LOVE the fabric though-I could have bought a whole bolt of this stuff. It was at Walmart of all places...........and very good quality fabric so I was surprised!

We did it Wednesday!

I just finished a dress for my daughter. It was a bit challenging being it was the first time I have ever done a Yoke.  Plus the pleats. But it was a learning experience! I also had to alter the pattern a little to make sure it fit her-also a first for me. The fit came out great-glad I made the changes! Its a Project Runway pattern.

My Beautiful New (to me) Elna Supermatic

I have been getting into my sewing so much lately, I feel like I am just "catching up"  after such a long time. I had forgotten how much I loved it! Between sewing and getting my house back in order after homeschooling my daughter for a year, I have not been blogging. I have just needed to get back on track! Anyway! I have some really nice Electronic sewing machines that I LOVE and have worked well (once I worked out the kinks).  But I also have been looking at older machines as well, and I recently got this for a steal off Ebay.  It sounded like a motorboat when I got it, so I decided to take it in to have it serviced. In addition to being cleaned and oiled she just needed her friction pulley replaced (a common ailment  for this model from sitting so long).   The repairman was a little excited-he has worked on these but hadn't seen one in a loooong time.  So a week and a half later (they were busy) she is back and running amazing!  This thing plows through layers and layers. She runs like a dream.  I love her.  She was built in 1954.  She is my early Christmas Present :) I just loooooove that its made of all metal-she's heavy duty!

(the first picture above is the Supermatic with the Original metal case that converts to a worktable. This machine does not have a FOOT pedal it has a KNEE pedal. A learning curve there! )

Sewing for babies

Since I have my new sewing machine I have wanted to make some blankets and such for baby shower gifts. It seems like I am ALWAYS having one to go to, so it would be great to have some blankets and other things made ahead of time. I made 2 blankets today and I plan to make some other things too. I found this tutorial online for the blankets-I love the edge on the blankets :)

Looking Up

So things just seem to be totally looking up. I am feeling so positive and happy the past week. What a HUGE relief.  It just shows that the decision I made to put Gillian back in school was the right one. We all seem to be happy around here :)

Happy Monday!

Yay! A whole new week and I am excited!  Did some more playing in my art journal today-played with an acrylic ink eyedropper and just drew a random image of a wolf. Lots of random thoughts going on today-just enjoyed the process :)

Free To Be Me

So my daughter is back in school...........and I am in the process of doing my art again. The past couple of days have been amazing, and I am so thrilled to have my much needed "ME" time. I have so much time on my hands now I don't know what to do! But I do know one thing-I need time to nurture myself right now.  I am thrilled to again be my own person-and my daughter can be hers. There is so much I want to do that I don't even know where to begin! Here is my art journal page today, and the pic of myself was printed on inkjet transfer paper and ironed onto muslin. I finished the edges with a zigzag stitch and also stitched some straight stitches on the fabric as well.

art journal page out of frustration

Its been a really hard week. This homeschooling has finally got to me.............I just don't think I can do it anymore.  We have an Autism class here locally so I am going to seriously look into it.  In all this, I am losing myself. I just don't get the opportunity to do all I want anymore.  Things that help define me as a person, not just as a mother of a special needs child. I find myself thinking of how happy I used to be-I used to spend hours doing art when she was at school (before they started calling me for EVERY LITTLE THING). At the end of the day, I felt fulfilled, being I had done something I loved every day.  I LONG for that.  Now my day consists of caring for her every day, all day.  Everytime I sit and try to do something, she needs something , and takes me out of my zone.  I know that first and foremost, I am her mom.  I am well aware of that. But aside from that , with homeschooling I am losing myself. 

This page was created today out of that frustration.  I am going through so many emotions right now. I want her to be successful in her life. She is very high functioning thank goodness, and I count my lucky stars for that.  But is it selfish of me to want to take care of myself?  That is how I feel :(  Its really tough, and making this decision (because I feel guilty) is soooooooooooo much harder than it was when I decided to homeschool. sigh.

We Did It! Wednesday

I have been working on this skirt for about a week now, off and on.   I had not put a zipper in something for yearsssssssssssssss so it felt like the first time, but it went pretty well :)  This skirt is made of linen. Not a super complicated skirt to make but hey-I did it and it fits :) This was finished off with serged edges and a catch stitch (even though the pattern itself said to do the hem another way).

 I like it............now to find (or make) a shirt to wear with it :)

T-shirt Bag

I don't know why but all of a sudden I am obsessed with making bags.  I just checked out the book "The Feisty Stitcher" by Susan Wasinger at the library. I got thumbing through it and went straight to the thrift store and got a couple of old shirts to make this bag.  It only took 1-2 hours. What fun!  My husband said it looks "beachy" and I guess he is right :) I added an up-close photo of the stitched circles cut out to reveal the layer underneath-pretty cool :)

First sewing project (in like 10 years)

Just a simple shoulder bag :)

Unwind

Thats what I have been doing today........Unwinding. Thats the only thing that came to my mind this afternoon when I started to do my art journaling.   I pictured a tightly wound spring. So thats what my focus was today :)  Ahhhhh, feeling much better after my art time today!

Had more fun with the Gelliart plate today!  I did some yesterday too but didn't post.  I tried some Freezer paper with it and love that :)  I am including my favorite print from today's batch.  I tried some Cedar Canyon rubbing plates for the patterns.......ohhhhh! My new favorite thing to use with the GelliArt plate.  I tell ya, this GelliArt thing is genius!  Loving it!

Fabric Paper

Had some fun today making Fabric Paper.....as mentioned in Beryl Taylor's book Mixed Media Explorations. This was fun, and soooo different than  I have done before.  Gonna make this one into a book cover :)


This is embedded with patterned papers, vintage text and stamped images

Revisiting a former Love...............

Years ago I was quite the seamstress-I sewed and sewed like crazy.  For my High School graduation I got a really nice Sewing machine from my folks.  That machine was well loved and used.  After I discovered stamping, my sewing became less and less frequent. Along came kids-and forget it. Especially after Gillian  came along.  Anyway-after years of being in storage, I got my beloved Singer out.  Gillian  and I made a drawstring bag to go along with a History lesson on Early People.  My poor machine just was not sewing as well as it used to.  I called to enquire about it being serviced.  It would cost more to have it serviced than I could pick up a new one for (an inexpensive machine of course). So my husband told me to go ahead and get another.  We were at the Sewing Center locally here yesterday and I was asking her about servicing my Singer and she said that Singer is just not the same company anymore and that many of the parts are not even available anymore because they destroyed old molds.  My machine could be among those. So sad!  After some of the things she told me a sense of panic overcame me.  My overlock machine has also been in storage for a loooooooooong time-even longer than my Singer.  So this morning I went and got it out and I am in the process of cleaning it and oiling it, praying that it functions well.  I am optimistic! This machine costed ALOT. Gasp.  I hope to soon have it up and running again . My daughter is extremely excited about learning to sew. That makes me more inclined to get this stuff up and running.  I see some fun handbags, and mini art quilts in our future :)

The picture here is of my wonderful Elnita Lock machine, that I purchased many years ago at a very young age :) We are excited to have her out of hiding :)

Monoprints with Gelliart plate

I have been dying to use this Gelliarts Gel Printing Plate I purchased a couple weeks ago. I have always wanted to do Gelatin prints-but I never seem to have room in my refrigerator to put a whole baking sheet in and besides, I have to wait for the plate to be ready! ugh!  When I saw this thing I knew I had to have it-its always ready to go and takes up very little space and is always ready to go!  So today , Gillian and I had fun making some monoprints and here are some of our results!  Watch out for more! We have plans to use this for fabric too and whatever else we can get our hands on!

Some Fun Today

or should I say the past few days?  I have been dabbling a little bit in my art journal the past few days. I have not done it in so long and want to get back to it. I have been trying to make it a point to get some kind of creative time into my schedule again this week-and so far its been successful :) Its school time again, which means I have had to put my "teacher" hat back on and work with my daughter again. Its draining as I spend so much one on one time with her. I have made it a point to get some creative time after we have lunch everyday. Its been so refreshing to have some quiet time for myself :)

Anyway, this is an art journal page I created today!
I used:
Caran D'ache crayons, washi paper tape, masking tape, acrylics, sharpie marker, gesso, patterned paper, and sumi-e ink

Boooooooo!!

I had some fun again with that wonderful Halloween Sheet! Isn't this spooky tree image amazing?? My background was made using Distress Stains! I used the Torn Frames and Drywall Stitching techniques from the Technique Junkies newsletter.

Trick or Treat Box

Here is a small milk carton I made using the new Halloween Sheet from I Brake For Stamps! I grabbed the milk carton template here. For the Background I used the Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink Pad on a craft sheet and spritzed with water and smooshed the paper right into it. I used the Speckle image off the Grunge Backgrounds 2 sheet for some texture. This little box will be perfect for putting Candy Corns in :)

Scooter Card

 I just LOVE this cute scooter from I Brake For Stamps-have been dying to use it :)

GM#18

I made this for the Grungy Monday Challenge #18 over at Studio L3. This week we were to use this challenge over at Tim's blog from 2009. My Focal point is an Art Pear from I Brake For Stamps. I used distress stains on Grungeboard before I stamped it to add some color. I also used these other stamps from I Brake For Stamps:

Holly's Tattered Background

Grunge Ornamental Heart

GM#17:We Do Not Remember Days.....



Crackle close up

before Rock Candy and distress ink added to "age" the piece

This week at Studio L3 for the Grungy Monday #17 challenge we were to use Rock Candy -so I used the Rock Candy Crackle Paint, since that is what I had on hand :) This is a 6x6 canvas-but it had the staples on the sides so I hot glued some Grosgrain ribbon to the sides to cover them.  Of course I added a piece of ribbon to hang the piece also! I used Acrylic Paint Dabbers for the background.

Stamps used are from I Brake For Stamps:
European Tile #2
We Do Not Remember

Crackly looking image from the Grunge Backgrounds Sheet

I added a facet to the bottom of the canvas to finish it off!

Grungy Monday #16-Grungeboard Extravaganza

This week for the Grungy Monday Challenge over at Studio L3 its a Grungeboard Extravaganza!
I made a mini book from Grungepaper I cut using a Sizzix die of a File Folder (have had it forever!) for the covers and it has cardstock pages.  I embossed the grungepaper with a cuttlebug folder and applied a white ranger paintdabber and sanded it off the raised areas then applied Peeled Paint Distress Ink.  It needed more so I stamped images from I Brake For Stamps for more contrast. I cut out the center using Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Four. I attached a grungeboard heart with mini staples and a washer that was distressed with Distress Powder. The Mona Lisa collage image is actually one I designed some time ago (grin) and she really called to me today, so I used her for the focal image.  I used the Water Stamping technique over her using a background image of Postmarks :) It is put together with large jumprings :)

Stamp images used here:
Mystic Smile
Postmark Background
Collage text from This sheet
Harlequin background from this sheet
Postcard from this sheet

GM#15 & I Brake For Challenges #5

I made this actually for 2 challenges!  Grungy Monday Challenge #15 at Studio L3 and for the I Brake For Challenges #5! For Grungy Monday the challenge was to use this technique that resembles distressed enamel. I used this technique for the Center piece background.  For  I Brake For Challenges the theme was Summer Fun. The lawn chair I used here (from I Brake For Stamps) reminds me of the lazy days of summer :) This card is called a Telescoping Card and is a technique out of the June/July 2011 Technique Junkies Newsletter.
All stamps used here are from I Brake For Stamps:
Lawn Chair
Field of Daisies
Cheerful Thoughts
Grunge Backgrounds

Project for Quietfire Design

I keep forgetting to post this! I did a project for Quietfire Design and the directions are here

GM #14

For this week's Grungy Monday Challenge over at Studio L3 we were supposed to use Tim Holtz's technique from March 2008. Stamps here are from I Brake For Stamps .

I also added a facet at the top, attached to the ribbon that I stamped. I could not find my glossy accents at first so I just used Stickles so it sparkles :)

Grungy Monday 13-Alcohol Inks

For this week's challenge for Grungy Monday over at Studio L3 we were to use Alcohol Inks!

They are among some of my favorite supplies! I found some Stampbord that I had forgotten I had, so I set out to use it today!

Stamps are from I Brake For Stamps:

Lion Face

Ruler Background

As you can see from the closeup its very dimensional-3 layers of Stampbord :)

Grungy Monday #12

This was a fun one! Over at Studio L3 we were supposed to use this technique for the challenge. I had this shallow shadow box thingy (not sure really what it is called) so I decided to do something with it today. Here is my result!

I used stamps from I Brake For Stamps:

Postage Stamp Background

Promise from Journaling sheet

Charming couple from the Photo Booth Sheet

Supplies used:

Ranger Acrylic Paint Dabbers in Espresso and pitch black

Chipboard

Rusty Wire

Rusty Key

Gesso (dry brushed to draw more attention to focal point)

Basic Grey paper

black cardstock

Old Text

Distress ink: Walnut Stain, Tea Dye

India Ink

Thanks for stopping by :)

I Brake For Challenges: Techniquing It Up

This is for a brand new challenge-I Brake For Challenges! This week we were supposed to be using ANY technique. Being I got some new Acrylic Paint Dabbers I thought I would try a Tim Holtz Technique called Dabber Resist. This stamp is called Ornate Inchies Background and is from I Brake For Stamps

Grungy Monday 9:Shabby Chic

This is my Contribution for the Grungy Monday Challenge #9 over at Studio L3.

I caved and went and bought some Acryic Paint Dabbers for this technique. I didn't think I would really need to, but I have seen so many cool techniques using them that I decided to pick them up :)

Anyway-really fun technique for sure!

Stamps are from I Brake For Stamps and use these two sheets:

Leo's Art (one of my all time favorites)

and the mesh stamp from Beach Memoirs

Wednesday Stamper:Nest

Whew! at last some creative time! We just finished up our year of homeschool (yay!). Now hopefully I will get much more creative time :)

Anyway! This week at Wednesday Stamper the theme is "Nest." I broked out some stamps from I Brake For Stamps from the "For the Birds" sheet and made this ATC. I wish it would show up better in the scan but at the top and bottom I have gold leafing. It looks much better in real life :)