Thursday, September 30, 2010

Get In On the Giving!

Hawthorne Threads is giving away a bundle from my current favorite fabric line - High Society from Khristian A. Howell - on their blog. Get in on the giving here!


Here are a couple of samples that I've made from this line. I can't wait to keep going with the rest of the prints from the Clay palette!


See what other artists are doing with this fabric at the High Society Flickr Group.

Happy Thursday! Amy

Friday, September 24, 2010

Etsy Holiday Bootcamp is Under Way!

I, Amy of SewArtsy, pledge to participate in the Etsy Success Holiday Boot Camp to the best of my abilities. I vow to check in every week, do my homework and support my fellow Holiday Boot Campers. I will read the weekly newsletters and blog posts, check in on the weekly forum thread, read the weekly blog post, check off the checklists and salute the mascot. I promise to share what I've learned with those who need it, support my fellow Etsy indiepreneurs and, most of all, have a positive and persistent attitude. I understand that together we can spread the word about our handmade and vintage goods, making this holiday season a more unique and meaningful one to gift givers and give-ees everywhere!

Have you taken the pledge yet? Find the details here at Etsy Success!

Here's to a successful holiday season to all my crafty friends! Amy

A Fun Mixed Media Project

Recently I was asked by a friend to make her daughter a kiddie sized purse as a gift from her parents for her 3rd birthday. Of course I was ever so happy to make something for this sweet little girl! So while I was making her this little bag, I also wanted to send her something that would be a present from us.

When decorating my daughter's room I made some wall art using Anna Maria Horner's painted silhouette technique, and loved how they turned out. But I've been wanting to make some artwork that is strictly fabric to make sort of the same effect, and then add embellishments to make it three dimensional. So I decided that Jordan would be my guinea pig of sorts!

I chose 2 fabrics that I thought worked well together, but were different enough so that her name would stand out from the background. I traced the letters onto fusible webbing (remembering to reverse the image when you're working with words!), and then cut out the letters in Jordan's name. From here I adhered the letters to the center of the background fabric, which I had measured ahead of time to make sure it would wrap around to the back of the size of canvas I had chosen to work with (this was 12"x6"). You could also stitch over the applique before moving on to the next step, but I chose not to.

At this point I grabbed my staple gun, and began to wrap the prepared fabric around the canvas, making sure her name was centered, and stapling at the back so the sides had a nice finished look for hanging. (Make sure to start in the middle of each side, and work your way out with the staples, pulling the fabric a bit taut to make sure no bubbles or wrinkles occur). After I made clean corner folds, and was happy with the position of everything at this point, I started to embellish (my favorite part!). I hand sewed some buttons through the canvas itself, I used Sharpie Paint Pens to add a shadow line to the letters so they would look more three-dimensional, and then hot fixed some clear crystals below Jordan's name - and it was fit for a princess.
Have you tried this kind of project? What techniques do you find the most helpful or most enjoyable? I'd love to keep building on this idea. I was super happy with my first attempt at this mixed-media art project, and I can't wait to get to try it again! Anyone need a gift?

Happy Friday! Amy

Monday, September 20, 2010

Do You Zazzle?

I've Zazzled! And I want to share with you the fruits of my Zazzling! How about these sweet shoes that make me a walking billboard.


Two weeks ago I started playing around with different design-your-own products at Zazzle.com. You can choose from stock designs or you can create your own. Just on a whim I decided to see how my logo would look, and step after easy step through their process my brand new SewArtsy shoes were designed right before my very eyes. And while their website says it can take up to 4 weeks to receive your custom designed products, here I am seeing them in the flesh (or canvas as the case may be) just two weeks from the day I ordered them. That's pretty awesome service!

You should definitely drop by and create your own!

Amy

Bag of the Week Feature

Love great bags? I've just posted this week's Bag of the Week feature at the Carried Away Bagmakers blog.

You'll want to head over to the blog regularly, as there's lots of new stuff going on, and features to be read. Come back each week on Mondays to see more Bags of the Week!

Happy Monday! Amy

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Wedding Planning

Are you in the midst of planning a wedding? How fun! OK, and a little bit stressful, too, right? I'm not planning a wedding, but I do enjoy reading others ideas for including handmade style into their weddings. I've often thought that my little button rings would make cute bridesmaids gifts, or bridal shower favors. Just a little something that a bride or hostess can give that is as individual as each of your friends!


So, in perusing Etsy this afternoon I started looking to see what else other sellers were making out of buttons that would fit into the handmade wedding category. Here are some of my favorites! Enjoy!


(top to bottom, left to right)
bird party favor
paper flower
glassine envelopes
heart favor
hair comb
wrist corsage
blue and red cake topper
pink and red cake topper
pink and green cake topper
boutonniere
blue and white bouquet
necklace
pink and white bouquet
wristlets

Happy Sunday! Amy