PomelyGrove

New Items and a Treasury

2011-02-24T07:16:00.000-08:00

Howdy! I added some new items to the shop a couple days ago and one of them has already been featured in a treasury! GreenBomb did a fantastic job of pulling together some happy, Spring colors.

I'll be talking about the new items in the shop over the next couple of days, so stay tuned!

'Vivid March' by GreenBomb

March Wares.

Butterfly Wallet PomelyGrove $20.00	KINIES Ruffled WAIST PU... Kinies $38.00	Vivid Poppy - Fine Art ... jcallison $1.99	MIMOSA GRAY with spring... ikabags $59.00
Orange Black-Eyed Susan... Mazizmuse $85.00	BRIGHT ORANGE COLORED P... LittleAngelsJe... $14.99	NEW...Erin Knot Dress..... kissingkumquat... $42.00	Orange Garden Spring Lo... vintagegreenli... $33.00
Birdcage Print karingrow $18.00	Small Outdoor Rustic We... braggingbags $24.50	Blaze...Reddish Orange ... BrazenCosmetic... $4.99	Free Shipping in US - L... zara1009 $38.00
Top Secret Cat : Orange nonsenseinstit... $32.00	Boutique Owner Earrings cayennepeppy $25.00	Spring Sunrise, Hand-dy... dye2spin $16.00	desert in bloom annieWHERE $4.50

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.

Spool Necklaces

2011-01-29T14:35:00.000-08:00

I just added a couple of new items to the shop. Check out these spool necklaces!

The inspiration came from my good friend over at GreyhoundThreads. Luckily, she's not stingy with her ideas. I have to say, I love them.

Right now, there's a red and a purple necklace listed, but feel free to contact me if you'd like a different color. Your choices are only limited by the colors of threads available.

In other news, I attended my second Chicago Craft Social last weekend. It did not disappoint! Once again, we had a blast and were super impressed by the goody bags and projects. I didn't get pics at the actual event because I was too busy getting my craft on, but I will post some pics of my projects and prizes. Can't wait until the next one!

Fresh Picked Poppies

2011-01-17T07:08:00.000-08:00

I'm loving all the treasury love lately. This gorgeous Fresh Picked Poppies treasury from Speckleddog features my Pretty Poppy Earrings.

By the way, Speckleddog has tons of drool worthy items in her vintage shop!

'Fresh Picked Poppies' by speckleddog

Frida Kahlo with poppie... darklingwoods $16.00	SALE . posy baskets in ... katescottage2 $12.00	Handmade Felt Button Up... peaseblossomst... $35.00	MORNING POPPIES- Spring... lauri $26.00
Red poppies painting co... rachelrolseth $35.00	Field of Poppies - tall... Raceytay $30.00	Red Poppy Porcelain Cof... SwirlyGarden $40.00	Pretty Poppy Earrings PomelyGrove $6.00
Zipper Clutch - Frenchy... allisajacobs $32.00	Pretty Red Poppy Fabric... NuadaAccessori... $10.50	Pippa, Red Poppy and Pe... luxedeluxe $42.00	Red Poppies Aqua - prin... AliceinParis $20.00
Poppy Teapot with Turqu... dahlhaus $100.00	RED POPPIES - Candle Ho... recircles9 $45.00	Field of Poppies handma... katiefenwick $3.00	Hot Poppy Earrings-Fuse... gildedlilyglas... $28.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Black and Red Treasury

2011-01-14T12:16:00.000-08:00

Huge thanks to CorkyCrafts for including my Red Cinnabar Bracelet in her Black and Red treasury. So many pretty things!

'black and red' by Corkycrafts

gorgeous finds!

OOAK altered decorated ... kuteklipboards... $16.00	Framed Pin-up Girl Book... hotdogcrafts $4.25	Boutique Crochet Black ... sillygeesedesi... $25.00	Red Valentine Love Bird... KatiesScrapNSu... $
The Saucy Wench Agate a... DiVanityDesign... $110.00	Black and White Madison... creativebridal $211.50	Scotty Dog - boutique ... calcotecrys $4.50	VICTORIAN ARM WARMERS /... yarncoture $47.00
Bracelet - Red Cinnabar... PomelyGrove $12.00	SALE Wine Cork Decorati... Corkycrafts $15.00	A little Glam - Fiesta ... aliciasaprons $20.00	Texas - wood wall key h... OldNewAgain $38.00
Black and White Feather... SketchCustoms $15.00	Sweet On You- 15 Valent... GoAgainstTheGr... $7.00	The Twilight StaceyDawn $12.00	Passport Cover - Black... owlsay $5.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Valentine's Treasury

2011-01-10T12:14:00.000-08:00

Big thanks to GrammasCraftyKitchen for including my Heart of Glass earrings in her Valentine's Day treasury!

'How many ways to say I love you?' by GrammasCraftyKitchen

Hearts are so lovely and can be found in so many different colors, sizes and items. Valentine's Day will be coming soon and I thought these were some great gift ideas.

Queen of Hearts, cell p... HautTotes $23.75	My Heart Will Go On Bra... angelwings1 $40.00	Leather beaded cuff bra... 3DivasStudio $24.00	neon red ball heart pen... etcArts $20.00
Blue Porcelain Heart Pi... LindaCain $12.00	Pink and White Heart an... dragonladydesi... $6.50	Sweet Soakettes bath me... creamnsugarbat... $35.00	Antiqued Copper Filigre... catalysst $24.00
Red Heart Candileria Lu... blueroompotter... $29.00	I love your heart earri... craftymonster2... $7.00	FREE SHIP WHEN PURCHASE... NANASSOAPS $5.00	Valentine headband - do... janinebasil $26.00
Swarovski Aquamarine Wi... topaz08 $25.00	Silver Medieval Studded... 3RexesJewelry $105.00	Heart of Glass - Earrin... PomelyGrove $12.00	$

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Penguin Follow Up

2011-01-07T07:11:00.000-08:00

Another non craft related post, but at least I'm keeping with the penguin theme. Right?

Replace the walrus in the video with a dog and the penguin with a little black cat and this happens in my home every evening.

Penguin Dilemma

2010-12-08T09:25:00.000-08:00

This has nothing to do with crafting, but it made me laugh, so here you go!

Shop Chicago

2010-12-07T07:35:00.000-08:00

My Happy Cloud hair clip was including in a Shop Chicago treasury! Thanks to Amy at ThePeachTree for including me in this awesome collection!

'Shop Local this Holiday: Chicago Edition' by ThePeachTree

USB Harmonica flash dri... BackyardBrand $54.95	felt tree family. BLUE ... plytextiles $27.00	Tip of the Iceberg zoomousekey $9.95	Blooming Ume Dog Vest -... shopKCQ $70.00
Blue Metal Film Storage... CrankHeartPony $20.00	Sweet Peppermint - hand... VerreEncore $24.00	Owl Hat onestinkinpetu... $22.50	Bike Cassette Key Chain TruePartnersIn... $10.00
Christmas Holiday Gift ... luvs2create2 $5.00	Cirrus the Wool Felt Li... girlsavage $35.00	Beret Slouch Hat in Cha... PandoraSpocks $25.00	Mini Deer Plaque - Cres... nice $36.00
Travertine Tile Reindee... whimsycreation... $15.00	Flower Blossoms Earring... CuteJewels $20.00	Chicago Margarita Soy T... ecram1 $16.00	Happy Cloud Hair Clip PomelyGrove $8.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Wedding Cake Topper

2010-10-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

I can finally share one of my recent projects! Behold the cake topper!

I love these guys! The bride had her eye on something similar. In typical crafter fashion, I exclaimed, "I can make that!" I'm honored that she trusted me to make such an important part of their day!

Here's a few more pics...

And on the actual cake...

I wish I had a pic of the whole cake table. The sea of cupcakes was a glorious sight to behold.

So Cweeeepy!

2010-10-18T08:22:00.000-07:00

Halloween is my fave! I'm essentially a goth-girl gone corporate and I get stupid excited this time of year about all the creepy, spooky things to be found. Normally, I'd have a few projects up my sleeves, but this year there's been zero time for creepy crafts. However, I have been eyeing other people's projects and this one over at This Momma Makes Stuff nearly made me do a happy dance in my seat at work!

Prepare yourself for the spine-tingling terror of....

Zombie Barbies!!!

How simple is this?! Spray paint and Sharpie. Seriously! And it's creepily effective. There's nothing scarier than freaky dolls... Except maybe freaky kids. Redrum!

Photo is the sole property of thismamamakesstuff.com.

Ready! Set! Ugh...

2010-10-14T19:14:00.000-07:00

I got back Tuesday from the first of two October weddings and it was gorgeous! I had a hand in a couple of crafty projects for the wedding, which I'll share soon.

Just before leaving to come home, I got crazy sick and am having a slow recovery. I think it may be the plague, but I'm not sure. While lying awake Tuesday night, all I could think about was Hyperbole and a Half's Pain Scale. I was definitely around a 7.

My plan is to feel better enough by this weekend to start on the next batch of wedding projects! Look forward to a bunch of pretty red and ivory things!

Autumn Harvest Extravaganza Give-Away

2010-10-04T09:19:00.000-07:00

Happy October!

Over at Nutshell Farms, they're hosting the Autumn Harvest Extravaganza, which is an awesome collection of give-aways and tutorials. You can enter to win one of my flower brooches! This one, in fact...

Hop on over here to read the rules and enter!

Kenney's Birthday Treasury

2010-09-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

I realize this it's not yet Tuesday again, but this is a very special treasury to honor the birthday of a good friend. Here you go, KB!

'Kenney's Treasury' by PomelyGrove

A treasury in honor of my friend Kenney's birthday. Sure, it would be better if I bought these things instead of just making a treasury, but this will have to do. Happy birthday, KB!

Men's Suit - Grey W... BrooklynTailor... $695.00	Beer. Hops, barley and ... toybreaker $30.00	Butternut Knit Chucks PrettySneaky $100.00	iPhone - iPod Case/Slee... gadgetarmour $24.00
American of martinsvill... moxieapparel $140.00	Handwoven Scarf- Mr. Lo... AMIZANTI $70.00	Soviet Russian wristwat... ClockworkUnive... $57.00	Mr. Moustache Mens T-Sh... theboldbanana $12.00
Vintage 70s Mens Sungla... LovelyVintageE... $35.00	Get ready for the exped... laurelinsailor $45.00	Peak Lapel Vest MacheteNSons $165.00	Mid Century Modern Dani... AustinModern $500.00
ONE DAY SALE Mid Centur... vintagehomerec... $55.20	Knitted Laptop sleeve M... martice $35.00	Dark Brown Leather Jour... ALineofHerOwn $30.00	Just a Strange Blue Box... bohemianstorm $14.95

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Treasury Tuesday: Autumn Leaves

2010-09-28T13:45:00.000-07:00

I think I'm going to start doing these once a week. On Tuesday, in fact. After all, I do love alliteration.

Fall is definitely sneaking up on us here in the mid-west. When I stepped from the house this morning, I was greeted by the cool, crisp air that marks the end of summer mugginess (not that it gets all that muggy here). The weather right now is darn near perfect.

On my drive to work, the changing leaves caught my eye and I put together this treasury, inspired by all the colors.

'Autumn Leaves' by PomelyGrove

A treasury inspired by the changing leaves I spied on the way to work this morning!

REAL SUGAR MAPLE LEAF I... ArtisanHandcra... $27.00	Psychedelic Eye Necktie... ScatterbrainTi... $28.00	Sale- Little Flared Dr... JRoseAtelier $165.00	vintage hat- AUTUMN COP... tamallama $30.00
BURGUNDY WINE bordeaux ... maryandangelik... $85.00	vintage 50s Upcycled Ha... littleveggievi... $26.00	Strapless Golden Embroi... ritney $60.00	Fall - Copper Sterling ... AndewynDesigns $45.00
Size 10 Vintage Shoes O... thepuddingstor... $34.00	Carnival Glass Sugar an... OldCoot $19.99	Vintage Samsonite Train... VintageDomesti... $26.00	Scattered by the wind 8... sunshineartdes... $15.00
Dark Cranberry.....Ruff... JANNYSGIRL $	Group of six wheel thro... blueroompotter... $243.00	Men's Cuff Style Fi... awkward $28.00	Autumn Harvest Flower a... DeedsandPetuni... $32.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Trying Out a Treasury Tool

2010-09-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

I came across a tool for posting treasuries, which automatically creates all the links. Let's see how it goes!

'Camel - For Hump Day!' by PomelyGrove

Camel - The color and the animal

Panama Red and Camel St... TheMillinerySh... $210.00	Camel - Plain Pocket No... Ciaffi $9.50	Train Case, Save Me Spa... CoralCastle $26.50	felt necklace, felt bal... frankideas $19.00
camel hand stitched reu... woodroots $48.00	vintage CARAMEL KILTIE ... ScottieinaCano... $25.00	Camel Mobile giggletree $20.00	Two Small Clay Birds in... iktomi $15.00
Petite Acorn Earrings w... ShySiren $26.00	PENCIL SKIRT STRETCH CO... MoonHalo $53.00	Organic Cotton and Silk... broodbaby $132.00	SHOPPING DAY CAMEL CAPE... LarasFawn $33.00
Dromedary - men's s... heckfire $18.00	Rustic Waistcoat for a ... MKTdesign $28.00	Small, soft cashmere fe... ClassyWedding $22.00	Witches Duster Jacket fromthefigtree $80.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Craft Crush: Alisa Burke

2010-09-23T09:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome to a new segment of the blog called Craft Crush! The idea behind Craft Crush, is to recognize those artists that I find inspiring. Crafters so fantastic they make me strive to be better.

My first Craft Crush was an obvious choice for me. As a professional artist and teacher, Alisa Burke does more than her fair share to make the world more beautiful and more fun. What I find most admirable about Alisa is her daring use of color and texture! I always look foward to her blog updates to see what new awesome-ness she is up to.

In her The Evolution of an Idea posts, she walks you through her process of finding inspiration in everyday things. A peacock handbag, for example, was inspired by a trip to the zoo. Maybe it's because I approach things completely differently, but I love seeing her sketches.

Alisa also blogs some fantastic tutorials. Check out this tutorial on pillows made from the letters and notes that she and her husband have written each other. It's a wonderful sentiment and so pretty!

On Alisa's blog, she also shares some amazing recipes, such as these spring rolls. I mean, seriously. They're almost too pretty to eat!

If you're interested in learning more about theory, technique and inspiration, Alisa offers online classes! Her latest class is called Color Your World, and is about "finding your voice and setting yourself free with color."

Alisa Burke is a complete original and a creative powerhouse. I'm sure you will find her as fabulous as I do. Now, go try out a color that you wouldn't normally dare to!

Links:
Alisa Burke's Blog
Alisa's Online Classes
Alisa's Etsy Shop

Note: All images are sole property of Alisa Burke and used with perimission.

My First Treasury!

2010-09-16T20:57:00.000-07:00

Inspired by my friend Amanda's treasury, I decided to make my own. What a fantastic way to show appreciation and shine a little light on some wonderful artists.

A treasury, for the uninitiated, is a collection of items on Etsy that fit a theme. The purpose is to make shopping easier by creating a group of like things and to raise the exposure of all involved. The cream of the crop get chosen for Etsy's front page.

With Halloween on the way, I put together a list of items inspired by Edgar Allan Poe and his writings. Have a look!

As I was searching for the items, a couple of things occurred to me.

The pictures of the items, in order to be front page worthy, need to be works of art in and of themselves. This stressed to me the importance of perfect item photos, which I know I need to work on.
Whenever possible, I chose a seller with fewer sales. That's not true for all of the items included, but, when trying to decide between two items, I did my best to pick "the little guy."
Compiling a treasury is more work than you would think! "I'll just pick some stuff I like and be done with it," you might say. But a good treasury tells a story. Finding items to compel the story that have awesome images can require a fair amount of looking. Even when the items were chosen, I worked with placement to create a balanced group of pictures.
It was a lot of fun! I may try to do one of these once a week.

Let me know what you think! Regardless of what you think of my treasury, you should click on over and check out the amazing artists!

Cracking Up

2010-09-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

I was able to cross one to-do off my lengthy list. These sandwich board signs (4 in total) are for a friend's wedding. Andy put them together, I painted them and now they've been handed off to the crafty bride for hand lettering.

The finish is ivory crackled over brown. I've done some crackle painting before, but this has been my best result. The first difference from other experiences was that I rolled on the crackle medium instead of brushing it on, which left a heavier coat. The second difference was the wood itself. This was a composite wood and the crackle seemed to follow the texture, making it ultra super crackly.

Love it! I'll have to get some pics of the finished signs once the lettering is complete!

Playing With Fire

2010-09-08T21:52:00.000-07:00

I had some fun this evening burning fabric for flowers! This is my first time making these and, while I'm happy with them, I definitely need some practice.

First up is a tiny silvery-gray taffeta flower on a hair clip.

The second one is black satin and is practice for my sister's vow renewal ceremony.

I also tried to make a red one without much luck. The red satin I picked up was a slightly different texture than the other and it wanted to catch on fire like crazy. Lesson learned!

Love is in the Air

2010-09-03T08:02:00.000-07:00

There's been a distinct lack of project posts here lately. I promise I've been working on things, just not for me! I have been helping out with a lot of wedding related projects. I'll have to get some pics and post them soon, but it's been all go!

In the meantime, here's a run down.

Wedding 1:
Amanda is my sister (not to be confused with Amanda my friend mentioned in other posts). When she and Shawen were married 10 years ago, they had a lot going on in their lives and were struggling financially. They were married in their living room by a friend with only immediate family in attendance. We had donuts and coffee for the "reception!"

I have to say, this remains one of my favorite weddings. It was small, intimate and no fuss. It was all about the two of them getting married and sharing the day with the people they were closest to. Her husband remains like a brother to me and I couldn't have been any happier to see them get married.

Now, it's 10 years later and they have come such a long way. To celebrate their anniversary, they want to give themselves the wedding day they didn't have before. As much as I loved their wedding, I'm equally excited about this vow renewal! I won't go into the details of their lives, but you can take my word for it that they deserve this.

In the ceremony, I will be playing the role of Matron of Honor. Last night, I got my dress!

This little number came from David's Bridal. I'm thinking about wearing it with red shoes and making some little, red organza flowers to wear at the waist.

So, projects! Because of a debacle involving horrendous customer service (there will be a whole other post about that), my ever helpful friends and I had an emergency invitation making session. I'll also be making purses for the bridesmaids and putting together all of the bouquets.

Here's a couple ideas for flowers:

Wedding 2:
Sara and Brandon have known each other since they were kids and they really couldn't be any cuter together. We all worked at the same place previously, so while I knew them, I didn't know them well. It wasn't until we all happened to move the Chicago to work at the same place that I started to spend more time with them and now they've become two of my favorite people in the world! (I would be remiss if I didn't thank Kenney for bridging the gap.)

Sara is the consummate crafter (Brandon isn't shabby either) and has taken on many DIY projects to personalize their wedding. So far, I've helped with making bunting, linen table numbers and sandwich board signs. I'll be painting little wooden people for the cake toppers, which I'm super excited about!

I realize this is all a little flat without more pictures, so I'll work on getting more documentation this weekend.

Speaking of weekend, have an awesome Labor Day!

New Banners and Stuff!

2010-09-02T11:02:00.000-07:00

Look at the new banner up there! A HUGE thank you to Dovile at Karamele for making my new banner package. She also made images for a business card and mini business card. Can't wait to get them printed!

Here's a peek at the mini cards...

Dovile was a joy to work with and I couldn't be any happier with the results. If you're in the market for some design work, shoot her a note!

Andy's Doctor Who Birthday

2010-09-01T21:51:00.000-07:00

Andy's birthday was a few weeks ago and, with the help of some crafty friends, I organized a birthday party with Doctor Who themed items.

My good friend Amanda decorated his gift (a drill press) like the Tardis!

Andy with his Tardis

Thankfully, Andy was able to unwrap his drill press without destroying the Tardis. It's still sitting in the dining room until we find it a better home.

The next part of Andy's Doctor Who birthday, was the Dalek cupcakes!

Amanda pipes on a Dalek

Sara applies the... Dalek parts

Andy loved his Doctor Who birthday and a good time was had by all. Especially Dolly, who was quite tuckered out after the festivities!

Dresser Update

2010-08-25T20:26:00.000-07:00

I'm making slow progress on the dresser. In fact, the kitty has been helping. See?

She did not like it when I had to wash her little feet.

Feeling Moody

2010-08-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

It's time for the blog to go in the blender. I'm anxious to introduce a whole new look and feel! Some changes are already in place: New colors, separate pages for the about me page, the Etsy shop and my tutorials. Other changes are still in the works.

I just posted a request on Alchemy for someone to "rebrand" the blog and the shop. This is a relatively small rebranding effort, as it goes. My goal is to get a couple shiny new banners and coordinating business cards to make me seem more legit.

In an effort to communicate the look I'm going for, I put together this mood board.

Since I've been making purses, I've started thinking in fabrics, so that's where I went for inspiration. As I was putting this together, it spawned several new purse ideas. :-)

To make the mood board, I surfed Fabric.com and saved the ones that communicate the image I want. Because I have limited access to awesome photo editing programs, I resized and cropped the images in Paint, compiled them in PowerPoint, pasted a screenshot back into Paint and saved it as a jpeg. Good lord, I need PhotoShop.

Non sequitur alert! Someone nearby is eating something garlicky. Can't wait for lunchtime.

Grundy: Part Two

2010-08-23T20:55:00.000-07:00

When last I posted, I was in fear that we'd be staying at the YMCA in Grundy, VA. Dear reader, you'll be relieved to know that we slept comfortably at a motel. You see, the information for the motel on Google Maps was lacking, and thus we were routed to the center of the town. Thankfully, we got the actual address on the way and made it there without incident.

I'm afraid I didn't get many pictures while we were there. It was difficult to take pics from the car while clutching for my dear life on the windy mountain roads. But here are a few...

a glittery rose

an SUV hearse

mountainy goodness

Of course, I didn't have my camera on me for the amazing view of the steam coming off the mountains after a torrential rain. Close your eyes and picture it. I'll wait...

All in all, it was a good trip. Aside from the funeral, that is. Grundy is a pretty little town full of character and I met tons of family I didn't know that I had. It was an interesting experience to feel so incredibly welcome by a group of "strangers." And it was a good opportunity to work through some personal baggage.

Somehow, we screwed up getting Chick Fil' A on the way back. I'm still kicking myself for that.

Grundy

2010-08-12T15:08:00.000-07:00

Long lapse in posting, huh? I promise I have a good reason. Last week, we were unexpectedly called out of town due to a death in the family. Promptly upon returning, I contracted the kind of flu that makes you want to give up on life.

The funeral we attended was in Grundy, VA. Ever heard of it? I would be surprised if you have. You see, I'm descended from a long line of crazy mountain people. Grundy is an old coal mining town that is so far west into Virginia that it's almost in Kentucky. I haven't been to Grundy since I was a wee Mel P. Growing up with so many stories about the antics my family were up to "back in the day," I was anxious to see the place.

Prior to leaving, we booked our room at the motel. I was a little concerned when Google maps showed the location as being in the same spot as the YMCA.

For now, I will leave you with that teaser. I'll be back soon with a few Grundy pics and a post about The Hub's birthday party!

Purple Monkey

2010-07-19T10:08:00.000-07:00

Busy times here in Sweeneyville! Finally got moved into the new place over the weekend. Now begins the massive unpacking efforts.

I do have a purse to share from a few weeks ago. This was a special request for a friend of a friend. Get this: She likes purple, monkeys and skulls! This is a girl after my own heart.

It's hard to see in the picture, but the purple in the monkey is a fun glittery fabric. The same fabric was used for the lining. I learned the hard way to iron the wrong side of the fabric or the glitter would come off. I used a skull and crossbones button for the tab closure. This was a fun one to make!

Now, I should go unpack the kitchen. Or I could keep watching Heroes. Eh, we'll see. :-)

Picnik

2010-07-07T09:36:00.000-07:00

Getting good photographs has definitely been a challenge for me, particularly the close ups needed for my etsy shop. I was aware of Picnik, the online photo editing tool, but hadn't made the time to play with it. I was going through some photos we took in the city over the weekend (expect a post on that soon) and it was the perfect opportunity to see what it can do.

This first picture was taken in Indiana on a return roadtrip from Virginia a couple of weeks ago. The windmills go on and on as far as you can see.

Not a bad picture, right? But not a great one. A little crooked and a little bland. I pulled it into Picnik and started clicking away until I liked it better. This is the picture after straightening it and applying Boost, HDR and Lomo-ish. I still would have liked the blue to be more blue, but I'll keep practicing.

Here's another example. This picture was taken in the city from a moving vehicle as the sun was setting. You can see it's a little dark and doesn't do a good job of focusing on the street performers.

Here it is after cropping, adjusting the exposure and applying Cross Process (I think. It's easy to lose track.) and Lomo-ish.

Thumbs up to Picnik! It can be a little intimidating at first with so many options, but just get in there and start clicking to see what you like. You'll definitely find that you'll develop a few favorite go-to effects. There are also options to add frames, stickers, text and all sorts of fun stuff.

Now I want to go back and work on our wedding photos!

Dresser

2010-07-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure I've mentioned it here, but I've been on the hunt for a dresser. When we move to the new townhouse (in 2 weeks!), I'll be executing a new bedroom design plan.

It all started when those wacky kids at Young House Love posted about In Mod's tool for designing your own pillow. While playing with the tool, I landed on this design and inspiration struck!

I'll get into more bedroom design details as they happen, but I will mention that I really want a red dresser for the room. So, the hunt for a cheap, old dresser to refinish began. I've been scouring Craigslist for a few weeks for something with an interesting shape that was in my budget. I decided early on that I didn't want to pay more than $50. Last night, we found a winner!

This is the pic from Craigslist, but I'll get some better ones later (it's currently still in my friends' truck). At $60, I went a little over budget, but I feel good about it. It has a matching mirror and I heart the spindly legs on casters!

I probably won't have time to work on it until after the move since I haven't packed the first thing yet (guess what I'll be doing with my long weekend). But I can't wait for her fantastic red makeover!

Enter to Win a Free Silhouette Craft Cutter!

2010-06-23T13:57:00.000-07:00

Southern Hospitality is giving away a free Silhouette craft cutter! Seriously! Go enter! You may not know that you need it, but you do. And even if you don't, you can give it to me. :-)

Fabric Panel

2010-06-23T07:59:00.000-07:00

Here's another project I made for our blank, white walls. My requirements were that it needed to be fairly large, cheap and easy (insert "your mom" joke here). A fabric panel would fit the bill!

I've had this fabric for a year or so. When I spotted it in the store, I new it was perfect for a purse for a friend, but I also needed some for myself. I bought 3 yards, I think, with no project in mind at the time.

Don't you love it?

With the fabric settled, we headed to the hardware store for 2 pieces of 1" x 2" wood and a 4-pack of brackets. I believe we spent about $5 at the store.

Because The Hubs jumps at the chance to use power tools, he put the frame together for me. The first step was to saw the wood to the right lengths. I wanted the finished project to be 3' x 4', so he cut 2 pieces to 3' and 2 pieces to 4'. Yeah, it would be an inch or two off at the end because of the way we put the corners together, but I was okay with that. No pics of him sawing, but I think you can imagine what that looks like.

The next step was to drill pilot holes for the brackets. Here's an action shot...

With all four brackets in place, we had a frame that looks like this...

Here's a closer look at the brackets we used...

With the frame assembled, it was my turn! I laid out the fabric face down, and placed the frame on top. Then I cut around frame, leaving a couple inches of fabric around the edges. I was not precise, by any means.

The next step was to pull the fabric over the edges of the frame and staple the heck out of it. I started with one staple in the center of each side and pulled it taut, then kept pulling and stapling until there was no more to pull and staple. Once it was all stapled, I trimmed off any excess fabric. It looked a little something like this...

Here's a look at the corners. Not very pretty, but that's okay. I'm all about cutting corners on things that no one is ever going to see.

And that is it! Time to hang it on the wall...

Just to recap, the cost of this project was about 5 bucks and some fabric that I had on hand. This was a super simple and fast project, but I love the impact it makes in the room! Because I left the fabric relatively in tact, I can always pull it off the frame and reuse it! I just can't get enough of those bunnies.

Linking up to the CSI Project. The challenge this week is Wall Decor. Why don't you head on over and see what people are making?

Color Coding

2010-06-14T15:19:00.000-07:00

Let me begin by saying that I am a sucker for personality tests. Doesn't matter how lame they are. If you can tell me which Simpson's character I am based on a short quiz, I'm there. Which Hogwarts house would I be placed in? Please, tell me! What is my character profile based on my taste in eighties movies? I have to know! I take all of these tests for what they're worth: An interesting way to kill time. (I'm Slytherin, btw.)

With all that out of the way, I just took this neat one that determines your personality traits based on your color preferences. Here's what the test had to say:

You are 42 % extrovert and 58 % introvert.
Independently of any order of importance :
You are imaginative and creative, you have always new ideas, and you know how to apply them.
You are also able to have an in-depth thinking, you think before acting, and you know how to communicate your knowledge.
Finally you are dynamic, your actions are only directed by your own will and you know how to lead people.

There was more information about how awesome I am, but IE crashed and I lost my results. :-( I could retake the test, but... nah. If laziness wasn't in the profile, it should have been.

Anyway, this was a fun one. Try it out!

Ho-Lee-Crap

2010-06-09T09:28:00.000-07:00

I want to eat these. A lot.

Thanks to Positively Splendid for the amazing recipe. I think The Hubs should add this to his baking repertoire.

Paper Blossoms

2010-06-08T13:09:00.000-07:00

No new projects to report here, but look at this one from Lemon Tree Creations!

I love the simplicity of this project. It's so wonderfully pretty and easy to do. I can't wait to try this one out!

In other news, we're going to be moving in a few weeks, which has put a damper on the crafting and posting. On the bright side, I'll have a whole new place to decorate and post about.

You know, I started this post by saying there are no new projects, but that's not entirely true. The Hubs and I are officially looking to get knocked up! In typical Mel P fashion, I'm treating this like the ultimate DIY project, complete with extensive research and timelines. There's even a jingle, which I can't really share in this medium. Of course, I'm getting waaaay ahead of myself and looking into room design elements, but I've drawn the line at making any purchases before the bun is in the oven. Anyway, more on Project Sweeney-Baby as events unfold!

A Craft That's for the Birds

2010-04-15T07:38:00.000-07:00

Wow, no post since Sofa Drama. I'll quickly provide an update and then move on to the good stuff. We bought a sofa and chaise from Ikea and we're exceedingly happy with it! Plenty of room for all five of us to lounge. (Two humans, two cats and a dog.) My plan is to post some pictures of the living room once I get a few projects done, so you'll see it then.

Speaking of projects, the living room is sorely in need of some color on the walls. Because we're renting, I don't want to paint, so I've initiated a couple projects to dress up the space. Enter the bird tiles...

These bird tiles are from Crate and Barrel's outdoor collection and I love them. At $50, the price is reasonable, but it's still more than I wanted to pay. In addition, they're the wrong color. I decided that, with the help of some paint, I could recreate something I'd be happy with.

With that, it was time for a trip to Michael's for 1'x1' canvases. Because they were running a sale, I ended up with 4 11"x14" canvases for $10 or so. The square canvases would have cost 4x as much! I have a bunch of paint left over from another project, so we were good to go.

The first thing I did was paint the canvases with the same turquoise/teal color I used for the coffee table. What coffee table, you ask? That's for another post!

While the paint was drying, I went bird hunting. Because of the purse appliques I make, I have a ton of silhouettes saved and waiting to go. I picked out 5 birds from a collection of clipart so they would match. (I didn't want a cartoony bird next to a realistic bird.) A google search for "bird silhouette" will give you tons of options. Using Microsoft Paint, I resized the birds, then pasted them into Word so I could print them all on one sheet of paper. Cardstock, to be more precise.

The print on the left was to make sure I had the right size (the birds are about 3" tall) before printing on cardstock. I also adjusted the color intensity to conserve ink. Then, I cut out the birds.

Here are my cut out birds atop a print of the original Crate and Barrel tiles. I would be using the picture in the next step... Drawing the trees!

Because we apparently don't own a pencil, I used a metallic gel pen, which worked out well. It stood out on the blue, but disappeared under the next layer of paint. Referencing the picture of the C&B tiles, I drew tree branches onto the canvases. I wasn't going for an exact match, but it did take some of the guesswork out of the composition.

Next, I traced on the birds. I chose to make my birds legless, by the way.

With the birds in place, it was time to paint the branches. I decided to go with white for a nice, clean look. I also figured it would show up nicely against the blue. While painting the branches, I was careful to paint around the birds.

I wrapped the branches onto the edges of the canvas to make it look more finished. You can also see in the next picture that I decided to add some curls to the branches.

Now it was time to paint the birds! Again, I already had paint from my big box of craft paints. I decided to make the birds orange and black. As you can see below, the birds required two coats of paint. By the time I was done painting the second orange bird, the first one was dry enough to paint again.

And here's the finished product!

And from a slightly different angle...

So! For a grand total of $10 and some stuff I already had at home, we now have some colorful birdies to adorn our wall!

I'm updating this post with some new pics and a link to the CSI Project! The theme this week is Frames, Art and Wall Decor. Go check out the awesomeness!

Sofa Drama

2010-03-05T11:00:00.000-08:00

Blerg. This is going to be a long ranty post. Thought I should warn you ahead of time.

From a previous post, you may remember my infatuation with a certain sofa. My love for the sofa was so much that I was going to order two. Well, due to space constraints (and monetary ones), I only ordered one, but I was still super excited. It's a custom sofa, so I expected it to take awhile.

And then I waited.

And waited.

Seven weeks later, the sofa arrives. Because I was at work, my husband received the sofa and my anticipation grew. Finally, I got home and found... it was the wrong freakin' fabric. (I don't have pics with me, so I'll have to add them later.)

I'll stop here and mention that the sofa that they sent is gorgeous. But it's not what I ordered.

The following day, I called the company to inform them of the error. They were very apologetic and was able to track the problem to the salesman who had keyed the information incorrectly. So then he called and was very apologetic. The solution was that they would order the correct sofa (which would take another 6 - 9 weeks to process) and we would get to keep the other until it arrives. Seems reasonable enough, right? However, in order to start the process for the new sofa they needed to charge my card for the new order. I wouldn't receive the credit for the returned sofa until they picked it up. The problem is that I don't have the resources to pay for two sofas and, the more I thought about it, I shouldn't have to.

So, a week later they pick up the sofa. I'm now waiting for my card to be credited and then I'll be purchasing a sofa elsewhere.

My problem is not that a mistake was made. We all mess up now and again. How you handle your mistakes reveals your character and they've made no effort to make the situation right. No offer to reduce the cost or expedite the new order, which is the very least they could have done. So, while I love that sofa, the company isn't getting my money.

Well, that was a lot of negativity. Just to throw in something positive, I'll mention that we're going to a super-amazing flea market tomorrow. I've heard that the quirky selection and people watching makes for a good time. I'm hoping to find some inexpensive crafting supplies. Vintage buttons and fabric and the like. In addition, I'm keeping an eye out for a cheap coffee table to refinish. It should be an adventure!

A Little Bit of Finality

2010-02-05T11:52:00.000-08:00

The move six months in the making is finally complete! The husband and dog have joined me here in the Chicago area, leaving behind our (strangely snowy) life in Richmond.

With all of our belongings in place (and help with heavy lifting), I feel like we can now focus on settling into our home here. I'm not entirely sure we're going to stay in the current residence for too much longer, but moving the boxes into the garage would be a step in the right direction.

My main priority is to set up my sewing area, so I can renew my focus on the etsy shop. The townhouse we're in now doesn't have a space that lends itself as easily to a crafting area as our former condo, so I'm trying to work out the logistics. I could use the second bedroom, but it'll be upstairs and I think I'll be less likely to want to spend time in it. I could use the dining area downstairs, but then we won't have a dining area (we eat on the sofa for the most part anyway) and I worry that it will constantly feel cluttered. If we move at the end of our lease, we'll only have to live with the solution for 5 months in any case.

Eh, we'll see.

Not much craftiness to report. I crocheted a scarflet last night, which was enjoyable. Pictures to come.

I came across this fabric that I find inspiring. I'd like to translate it into a Mel P-ish quilt-like purse.

Until next time, party people! Mel P out!

You Don't Know Me

2010-01-08T13:48:00.000-08:00

I received feeback for the custom kitteh purse. She says,

"Amazing quality and craftsmanship. Couldn't be any happier!"

Here's my latest song obsession. You Don't Know Me by Ben Folds, featuring Regina Spektor. I find the video mildly disturbing, so you may want to close your eyes or skip ahead.

I just placed an order with Fabric.com that I'm super excited about. It was hard not to get carried away. Handbags with love birds, owls and woodland creatures are coming soon! Here's a preview...

Btw, if you've thought about ordering from Joann online, I'd think twice about it. I ordered some stuff just before the holidays for Christmas presents and was disappointed.

For starters, they sent partial items. For example, they ran out of some fabrics and sent 1 yard instead of the 2 yards I ordered. When you're talking about fabric, this can render the item useless. Such was the case for my projects. Secondly, you can't return or exchange in store. Granted, I should have read the return policy before I ordered, but seriously?

So now I have a bunch of fabric that I can't use and have to make a trip to the post office to return. (Does anyone else hear the world's smallist violin?) I ended up with enough fabric to complete 1 of the 5 projects that I ordered for.

I emailed Joann and got a canned response about how they're forwarding my concerns on to the proper authorities. I doubt that anything will come of it, but sometimes you need to vent. Multiple times, it seems. At the end of the day, I'll still shop at Joann because I've never had a problem in store. However, I won't be ordering online again and that's disappointing.

Here's a pic of a bracelet I forgot to post. This one's a gift, so it's not available for sale. I found these handpainted glass beads at the International Gem and Jewelry Show, which is what sparked the new jewelry making obsession. I wish I had picked up more of them now because I absolutely love them.

Slap Fight

2010-01-04T18:56:00.000-08:00

I got in a slap fight with one of my cats over orange chicken. I like to think that I won, but you never really know with a cat.

The custom purse I was working on is complete and shipped. The requestor wanted a purse with silhouettes of her cats in their typical poses. I really like how this one turned out.

I just introduced jewelry to the Etsy store! This was the perfect opportunity to break out the micro studio I got for my birthday. It's actually much bigger than I expected. As you can see below, it takes up the entire dining room table.

Overall, I'm very happy with the pictures of the jewelry...

I tried retaking pictures of purses with less success. The camera wants to wash out some of the bright colors. I'll have to keep practicing with different settings.

And now, back to watching Dexter!

A Tale of Two Sofas

2009-12-28T20:53:00.000-08:00

I've been decorating the living room in my head!

In the coming weeks, we'll be finalizing our move to the Chicago area. We're trying to sell or give away as much as possible to make the last move easier, which puts us in the market for... a new sofa! Initially, I thought I wanted a sectional. One sofa doesn't give both of us enough room to lay down and, let's face it, we're sofa layers. As I was shopping, I had a hard time finding a sectional that I liked and in the right color (my heart is set on gray). Then I found this beauty!

I love the shape and it's an awesome deal. No, it's not a sectional, but I love it! The solution is that we'll have to get two of them, of course. The color shown is Oyster, but it also comes in this amazing gray textured fabric. It reminds me of boucle.

I'm very excited! Just need to figure out how we're paying for it.

One project I'll definitely be undertaking for the living room is this fantastic wreath made of torn book pages.

Love, love, love it! Thanks to Living With Lindsay for the idea and tutorial. She made this for about $2 with items from Dollar Tree. It has a wonderful vintage vibe and would be awesome if you used a book that has sentimental value. If you could bring yourself to do it, that is.

Shop-side, I won a bid on Etsy's Alchemy, so I've been working on a custom purse. I'll post some pics when that's done. Should be cute!

Threadbangers!

2009-12-23T08:31:00.000-08:00

How am I just now discovering this site?! Threadbangers is chocked full of fantastic fashion and decor DIY projects, with a focus on reusing and recycling. They have tons of video tutorials.

Below is an instructional video on how to fuse plastic bags to make a laptop bag. What a fantastic idea! I'm not an avid recycler by any means, but I do hate being wasteful and this is like getting free fabric! I can't wait to try it out and see what I can make.

A Foray into Beading

2009-12-21T23:58:00.000-08:00

I'm on a bracelet and earring making kick. I picked up a bunch more beads on the way home from work this evening and hope to have some posted on the shop soon. This will be the perfect opportunity to test out the micro studio my super awesome friends gave me for my birthday! But here is a peek.

Yup. My high-tech jewelry making surface is a paper plate. Don't judge.

Ever wonder what it would be like if Slytherin had an a capella group who sung a medley of songs from The Who? Then you should have been watching The Sing-Off!

Hello, Interwebs

2009-11-05T12:27:00.000-08:00

Greetings from (near) Chicago! The last few months have been filled with moving, starting a new job, our first anniversary and my birthday. I've been trying to settle in as much as I can in a temporary house with my husband living in another state. I feel like I'm coming out of the funk though. It's time to put my stamp on the house, put together my crafting area and do things that make me feel like Mel P. This includes, but is not limited to:

Eating chocolate
Getting a pedicure
Making snarky comments

I just read through my old posts and realized how many projects I've started, but haven't finished. I have so many ideas, but there's so much stuff to watch. :-)

I just made a spreadsheet that, when purse dimensions are entered, calculates the size of the pieces of fabric that need to be cut. You'd think I'd have the math memorized by now, but not so much. This will greatly simpify things!

The etsy store is continuing to truck along slowly. I recently commissioned a new banner, avatar, business cards, etc. from Little Loveables. She did a fantastic job! Exactly what I was looking for. I also sold a purse to someone in Australia, which was super exciting.

By the way, you can now become a fan of Pomely Grove on facebook! All the cool kids are doing it. (Note: there's only like 6 cool kids at this time. You can get in on the ground floor.)

In other exciting news, the Pacman purse received a very nice review at GadgetHER.

Time for a snack...
Mel P

Random Thoughts on Packing

2009-07-26T12:22:00.000-07:00

I have a love/hate relationship with packing. Organizing things and making them fit into boxes appeals to my nature. It's a lot like a big puzzle. It's even what I do for a living, essentially. Arranging things in a fashion that makes the best use of the space.

So what do I hate about it?

1- It's manual labor. I don't particularly care being hot and/or sweaty.

2- I get obsessed with packing "correctly." I will re-open boxes to make sure that things are packed with their like items. This leads to some irritation when I discover a rogue mixing bowl that should have been packed with the other mixing bowls. However, this does making unpacking extremely easy.

Packing tip! Stealing a technique from a friend, I've been using plastic wrap for packing breakables. It cushions and it keeps things from moving inside the box!

Here's a picture of Zeena "helping."

Thus concludes the most uninteresting post evar!!!

Times They are A'Changin'

2009-07-14T21:37:00.000-07:00

I've gotten really behind on my blogging. I would almost feel guilty about it if anyone actually read this. :-)

As mentioned in a previous post, I've been unemployed since the company I worked for (rhymes with Schmircuit City) went out of business. I work in the field of retail space management, so my options are limited to retail headquarters. The Richmond, VA area doesn't have many more left, leaving me to pursue opportunities elsewhere.

So, elsewhere we will go! I've accepted a job with a company located near Chicago. I'll be very vague about my future situation for the protection of my job.

Anyhoo, my world has been occupied with interviews, planning, packing, etc. Unfortunately, this hasn't left much time for purse making. Once I'm relocated and settled I'll have more time to devote to crafting and blogging. Especially since I'll be leaving by hubby behind for 6 months to finish school.

I'll be making a headboard for the new place. Maybe I'll take some pics as I go and blog about that.

I'm very excited about the upcoming move. While I love this area, I've been here most of my life and am looking forward to having new things to see and new areas to explore.

If you, good reader, happen to be from Chicago, feel free to comment give me some ideas of cool things to do!

Pennsylvania

2009-05-31T19:50:00.000-07:00

I just got back from Pennsylvania for a memorial service and now I'll be headed back up for the week to help some friends move. I have some bags to share from earlier in the week, but there's no time! Until next week!

Mel P

Grape Soda is Awesome

2009-05-23T16:44:00.000-07:00

So, I've been a bit of a slackard. I haven't had much energy for anything that doesn't involve hulu. I guess I needed a break from sewing, but I seem to have the bug again. W00t! My goal is to burn through all my stockpiled fabric while the desire to sew lasts.

I finished the purse for my friend Kobi, which you can see above. I absolutely love this fabric and may use it as inspiration for redecorating the living room/dining room. But we'll wait a bit to see if any bites come through on the job front.

For those who don't know me personally, I used to work for a certain big box electronics retailer that closed recently. Being that retail floor planning is pretty specialized, the only leads I've had are many states away, so I'm trying to limit how much we do to the house. In fact, as I look around at the things in our house, I ask myself, "Do I want that enough to move it?"

Anyway, besides Kobi's purse, I finished the dinosaur purse and found out the requester actually wanted two dinosaur purses, so yay! There's the red dinosaur to the right and his green brother. How do I know they're boys? I just do.

For anyone who may be interested, I'm thinking I'll do a dinosaur applique tutorial soon. This coming week will be very busy, so it may be the following week.

I just started a cherries purse out of what is supposed to be a girl's sundress and I like how it's looking. You'll see that with the next update, hopefully, along with the beginnings of my new line of super scary purses! (You'll be so fweaked out.)

-Mel P

Monkeys and Skulls and Dinosaurs

2009-05-12T09:51:00.000-07:00

Two more purses sold! The monkey purse is gone (thanks, Jennie) and I made a skull purse as a special request. I have a friend whose daughter loves skulls and purses, so it seemed natural that she have a skull purse.

On the agenda for this week: Complete the dinosaur purse, find fabric for a purse for my friend's b-day and get started on the cherries purse. I'm also very excited about a red toile bag that will be coming soon.

Artfire and Feedback

2009-04-28T19:03:00.000-07:00

Now, in addition to etsy, Pomely Grove's stuff can be found on artfire.com!

http://pomelygrove.artfire.com/

http://pomelygrove.etsy.com/

Artfire is free, but you can only list 10 items, so see etsy for the full breadth of offerings.

In other exciting news, my first sale has reached its destination and the buyer says, "I received my Pac-Man purse and it is freaking awesome! I love it!!! Thanks =)"

W00t!