Show and Tell: My Artsy Family

I thought I'd let you in on a little secret...I'm not the only artsy/craftsy one in my family.  I come by it all quite honestly.

I've mentioned before that I learned to sew over the years from my mom.  When I was little she made most of my clothes and probably her own too.  Over time though, she has become a quilter extraordinaire.

I think everyone in our family has at least one quilt made by mom.  She gave me this one as a house warming present a few years ago.

 When I lived in Japan she would send me necessities that I couldn't get there, like Kraft Dinner, Miracle Whip, and taped episodes of Friends.  And then I would pay her back in Japanese fabrics.  When I got back to Canada, this cute little quilt was waiting for me, made with many of the fabrics I had sent her.

My dad is also quite artsy.  When I was really little, I remember that we had lots of paintings up on the walls, and they were all his.

He often forgets my birthday, so imagine my surprise this year when he showed up at my door with this.



Sorry, I couldn't get a shot without a reflection in the glass~

It's a beautifully framed print of one of his original paintings.  I'm not sure yet which wall I want to put it on, so for now it sits here in this little vignette.

So there you go, just a couple of my family members who like arts and crafts as much as I do!  How about you?  Are you surrounded by other creative types or do they all think it's a little weird that you stock up on things like paper, glue sticks, and glitter...just in case.  Leave a comment~

Hidden Treasures: Asian Inspiration

If you're not part of the Etsy community (yet), you're missing out on an incredible place that is totally committed to the art of the handmade.  It's a wonderful place to find everything you need, or just want, while supporting fellow crafters and artists.  It's also just a treasure trove of  great ideas and inspiration.

For something new this year I thought I'd post a treasury of various Etsy sellers each week.  Click on the thumbnail to visit the shops and see what else you can find.  And while you're hanging out at Etsy you can feel free to visit me at the Etcetorize etsy shop~

If an item doesn't have a selling amount below it just means that it's already sold.  Check out the seller's store for similar items, you never know what you'll find!

~ I don't usually comment on why I chose a certain theme for the treasuries, but as many of you know, I used to live in Japan and  I still have many friends there.  This treasury is my very small way of sending some love and positivity to that side of the world~

'Asian Inspiration' by Etcetorize

Springtime inspiration from the east~

no 123 Baby Kimono Shoes PDF... sewingwithme1 $4.50	Kimono Girls Japanese Import... JPATPURSES $8.00	Pottery Bowls, Stir Fry Set ... cherylwolff $90.00
Madrone Chopsticks and Fortu... PacificMerchan... $40.00	Bright Pink Sakura Cupcake L... CupcakeSocial $3.50	Charming Pretty Pink Macaroo... SilverLeica $59.00
Cherry Blossoms - Chiyogami ... FiredUpDD $15.00	Japanese Chiyogami Yuzen Pap... geritomsupplie... $3.50	three tiny saki cups ricracandbutto... $9.99
Olive Serpentine Beads - aka... ABeadSea $2.75	PreOrder Cheong Sam Qipao AF... eileensfashion... $55.00	Pink Cherry Blossom Origami ... CatnipStudioTo... $24.00

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

Butterfly Vase

I've been out of town for much of this week, travelling for work, so today's project is a bit on the easy peasy side.  Sometimes I think those are the projects that are the best though. 

I haven't opened my Mod Podge (or as I like to call it Modge Podge) for awhile, so I thought I'd dust it off and pretty up a vase I got with some flowers for Valentine's day.  I'm dreadfully allergic to flowers but it's still nice to have a pretty vase around for silk flowers.

Here are the supplies I used:

Steps:
1) Using a tiny little hole punch, punch out some tiny little figures from pretty gift wrap or scrapbooking paper.  Mine, of course, are butterflies.

2)  Do a dry run on your vase to make sure you have enough little punch outs.  When you're sure you have enough, just paint some regular old Mod Podge onto the front of your vase.

3) Quickly place your punch outs onto the Mod Podge.  Hurry!  It dries quickly.

4) Let it dry and then add a second layer of Mod Podge to seal in the paper.  For a little extra something I used Sparkle Mod Podge.

5) Let it dry again, add some flowers, and that's it!  You're done.  See?  Easy Peasy.

If I had a Cricut the sky would be the limit on this one.  I'd do a lace design or delicate filigree or something.  (I figure if I complain enough times that I don't have a Cricut, eventually someone over at Cricut will notice and send me one to blog about.  Wishful thinking????  Maybe I should start tagging all my posts with "I need a Cricut!")

Leave a comment and let me know what design you'd like to see.  I still have another vase, exactly the same shape as this one that's waiting to be Modge Podged to death.

And don't forget....if you're a follower and you have a blog of your own,
make sure to add a link on the "Follow My Friends" tab up top.  I'll come visit and so will other Etcetorizers,
and from time to time I'll do a full feature post on one of you, like I did here .

Have a great week!

Inspiration Shot: Impressionism or Reality?

I've seen impressionist paintings that look very realistic (if you stare long enough to blur your vision and go just slightly cross-eyed), but until I visited Palette Town I'd never seen reality look like an impressionist painting.

Palette Town, Odaiba, Japan


Palette Town is an amusement/shopping park just outside of Toyko of all places.  It was very startling to see this beautiful piece of nature after being surounded by the concrete giants of Tokyo.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Show and Tell: Fabric Covered Box

I made this hat box from scratch many, many years ago.  In fact it was a school project in a course I was taking in Vancouver called "Display and Design".  It was pretty cool, the main subjects were graphic design, interior design, and window display.

I don't think you can tell from this photo but it's a bit on the large side.  The diameter is 13"(33cm) and the circumference is 37" (94cm).  (Look at that, my geometry class came in handy after all~)

I think I used bristol board to create the body and the lid with maybe some foam core for the bottom.  I was a student on a very tight budget so I just grabbed some fabric from the remnant bin and lined it with broadcloth.

I remember my classmates being slightly surprised when I brought it in.  I wasn't exactly the most talented person in the class but when it came to this project I was a natural.  Just give me some fabric, trim, and a glue gun and I'm at home.  (For the record, I also recall a few hideous boxes made from cardboard and styrofoam.)

The little head pins on the bottom keep the bottom on but also act as little feet.

It still comes in handy after all these years, holding my trims and notions that I don't use on a daily basis.

What do you use to hold your odds and ends?  Leave a comment and let tell us if it's something you made.

Hidden Treasures: Moroccan Dreams

If you're not part of the Etsy community (yet), you're missing out on an incredible place that is totally committed to the art of the handmade.  It's a wonderful place to find everything you need, or just want, while supporting fellow crafters and artists.  It's also just a treasure trove of  great ideas and inspiration.

For something new this year I thought I'd post a treasury of various Etsy sellers each week.  Click on the thumbnail to visit the shops and see what else you can find.  And while you're hanging out at Etsy you can feel free to visit me at the Etcetorize etsy shop~

If an item doesn't have a selling amount below it just means that it's already sold.  Check out the seller's store for similar items, you never know what you'll find!

'Moroccan Dreams' by Etcetorize

SisterBATIK Bazaar - Six Dec... SISTERBATIK $160.00	Arabesque Gypsy Asymmetrical... LycheeGrove $58.00	Silver Little Disc Design St... punkybunny300 $18.00
Allover Stencil for Wall Dec... royaldesignste... $35.00	Cast Brass Handmade Islamic ... click2egyptCOM $55.00	Moroccan Inspired Braided Ma... IncredibleIndi... $60.00
Breathe Bamboo Buddha Hookah... javacafe7 $99.00	Sand under your feet, sparkl... PassionflowerJ... $70.00	Moroccan Midnight Throw Pill... ShopSugarsnap $24.00
La Gitana Bohemian gypsy eth... AidaCoronado $380.00	The Dune Sea - Sahara Desert... RGMPhotography $30.00	moroccan walnut wooden mothe... DevikaBox $65.00

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