Brooch Bouquet

This is my take on a brooch bouquet. I haven't worked on the handle yet. To be continued...

Tender Buttons

 Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a grandma's girl.  At the age of 7, I went to live with my grandmother. Even after I graduated from high school and left her home, I found myself drawn to the farm every weekend, holiday, winter and summer school vacation.  Nearly 11 years ago, I moved home from Missoula, Montana in order to take care of my grandmother as she battled stage 4 uterine cancer.

Her death is, by far, the event that changed me most.

One of the things I've rued most during my adulthood is that she never got the chance to see me happy. I was a late bloomer.  I didn't date during high school.  In fact, I didn't really date in college either.  And once I did begin dating, my choices weren't good choices.

She had two other grandchildren, and she got to see those grandchildren marry and have children.  I wish more than anything she was alive to see my wedding.  I think she would like Tobe.

Her absence is going to be giant that day. To honor her, I'm working on ways to incorporate her on that day.

Those who knew her know she was an excellent seamstress.  One of my fondest memories of her is playing in her sewing drawer.  She kept her buttons in an Almond Roca tin.  I can't tell you the number of times I dumped those buttons out on my bed and sorted through them, marveling in all the colors and textures.  My cousin and I used to play "store" and would dole buttons out to family members and make them buy their possessions back from us.

I spent this evening looking through the buttons again.  I strung them on silver wire and figure I'll intersperse them in my bridal party bouquets and boutonnieres. Or maybe I'll arrange them in a vase.

Unrelated, I also began sorting through a baggie of miscellaneous jewelry bits I've gathered at yard sales over the years. I'm obsessed with watches. I love the way they look and want to build something with them.  Among the watches, one is my grandmother's and another is my uncle Dick's.

What To Do With Paper Leftovers

In the last couple weeks, I've been creating paper flowers of all sorts.  Most of the designs require that I use a large circle punch. This leaves a lot of extra paper that I'm unwilling to simply throw away or recycle.  Thus, today, I made lengths of bachelor button garland. I'll sort the remaining paper into color families and will send it through the paper shredder.  It will then be added to a blender, and it'll be resurrected as handmade paper.  That part of the process will likely be happen when the weather turns warm though.

Honestly, I don't recommend this. It was a headache in more ways than one.  First, the punching is hard on the hands. And then there is the tangling.  As I went to neatly wind the garland around this cardboard for the sake of storage, I unearthed a tangle that made me want to cry. Tobe said, "Do you want some help? I'm a fisherman. Fishermen know knots." He is patient, but even he gave up. I got it. And now, after a two-mile walk with my man and my dog through our snowy neighborhood, I am both physically and creatively tired. I need to find a new TV series to watch on Netflix. It's one of those days.

From New Orleans, With Love

I thought I'd post a photo of one of Christmas presents I gave Tobe.  Ever heard of Moo? Moo.com is a company specializing in printing services (business cards, postcards, brochures, etc.). In the past, I've bought business cards for Re-Used Muse. Then I discovered their half-size cards, which a lot of business use as price tags.  As I research for my upcoming wedding, I'm also discovering lots of brides are using them in wedding invitation suites as a means of including photos, registry information, or directions to their personal wedding websites.

Anyway, I get a daily e-mail from Fab.com, and one of the daily deals was a set of 100 mini cards AND a frame that showcases 20 of the cards.  The cool thing about Moo.com is that you can upload 100 different images. I uploaded 30 images and got approximately 3 of each. My next order of business is to use the remaining cards to make a mosaic for his parents and my mom. I'm going to have to get creative on the frame situation though. Perhaps a thrift store tour is in order. I think I can come up with a good composition.

This morning, my dog barked more ferociously at the mailman than normal. That meant we had a package.  I discovered my friends, Tracey and Jesse, had sent us something.  Tobe was still sleeping, so naturally I woke him up for a package opening ceremony.  In addition to a sweet note that had me tearful, Tracey and Jesse sent along two gifts.  First, there was this cute little clay ornament.  It's so delicate that you can see the fingerprint ridges of the craftsperson who so lovingly (and patiently) fashioned all those tiny leaves.

And this frame.

Anyone who knows me knows that my visits to New Orleans have resulted in a love affair with the city and its people (and Facebook friends who are New Orleans burlesque dancers...and a strange inkling to learn the art of burlesque, but that is a story for another time...). Bergeron Woodworks, according to its packaging, makes frames  "using materials salvaged from homes and businesses in and around historic New Orleans.  This reminds me of the last summer I spent in New Orleans. Among the many memories, I recall going yardsaling with Tracey and Jesse. After Katrina, there were people selling pieces of houses and rusted ironwork. It amazes me what beauty can come from disaster.

The frame also reminds me of the work of one of my favorite artists, Dolan Gaiman. You can see some of his work HERE. And my birthday is in April, so if anyone wants to get me this bear print, feel free ;)

Flower Trio

quilled flowers tutorial HERE

paper flower ornaments tutorial HERE

rolled paper flowers tutorial HERE

I'm finding that the adhesives I have handy are insufficient. The round ornament popped open shortly after I made it. The same is true of the yellow rose.  I guess I need to dig out a hot glue gun or grab some E6000.

The more flowers I make, the more I'm inspired to create some sort of spectacle with them.  A lot of flowers in one area would make a big impact.  Perhaps I could attach them to a large piece of paper or hang them from the gazebo or make an arch like THIS or THIS

Also, it's really my goal not to buy any more paper. I'd like to use the paper I have, even if it means altering it or painting it in order to get it to match colors.  There's also the possibility of using the wallpaper samples books I have.

Ever Heard of Origami?

Kusudama translates to medicine ball.  In ancient Japanese culture, the flowers were used for incense or potpourri. Now they're decorations or gifts.

These start as a 3" x 3" square, which is much too small for this big gal.  You see, I've got king kong paws that don't do well with delicate things.  The only thing that saved me was having long nails.  I guess if one didn't have dragon lady claws, you'd have to use a bone folder.

Traditionalists actually sew the folded squares together, instead of using glue or adhesive. I used Sookwang double-sided tape.

One 12" x 12" piece of paper will make three flowers, with one 3" x 3" piece of paper leftover. I'd say it took me an hour to make these three, which would leave some people wondering if I've gone mad, but strangely, it's sort of a meditative act. I've been working on these little projects and experiments in the early morning hours, when Tobe is in bed and after the animals have been fed and cuddled (and thus they're more likely not to be pestering me for food or lovin).

If you want to try your hand at one or a hundred, check out this easy tutorial: kusudama

Paper Flowers and Personalized Scrabble Board

 DIY is an acronym dear to my heart.  For years, I've dabbled in all sorts of crafts. I take it upon myself to experiment with art techniques. When I have the funds and energy, I take art classes.  Rarely do I buy the things I want. Instead, I figure out how it was made and make it myself.  Such is my intent with decorations for my upcoming wedding.    I plan to teach myself how to make paper flowers.  In my mind, these may serve in all manner of places:  gazebo decoration, aisle decoration, a kick-ass photo background. Wherever.

As such, my plan is to start teaching myself one new flower per day.  Today I followed the instructions over at the Whimsical World of Laura Bird

I also fell in love with a scrabble board decoration I saw over on the Rock and Roll Bride blog.  That couple's scrabble board has only a couple words, and they made use of the little wooden shelves that came with the game. My goal was to make as many words as possible--words that spoke of our interests. I only regret that I couldn't get the word "fish" or "fishing" in there, but what can I say? I ran out of tiles!

Stay tuned. I want to use this blog to document the creative process behind my wedding.  Who knows? Maybe it will keep me organized. Maybe it will push me beyond the mere dreaming stage, which is important, as August 10 isn't that far away.