A pillow for my sister...finished product!

This is the pillow that I made for my sister for Christmas! Check out the post below for a play by play of my process of designing and executing the pillow. Enjoy!

A pillow for my sister...start to finish

 Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a girl who knows her way around a toss pillow! When my sister mentioned that she had need for a few decorative pillows, I knew that I wanted to make her something special!  First, I started with a drawing of  medallion that I wanted to build the pillow design around. Then, I found the perfect starting point- a lone cuff link that I had been hoarding. It was a simple and beautiful warm-ish gray cut glass cuff link that I trimmed down with pliers. Then I started beading...
I had leftover fabric from Project Tote Bag,  so if it looks familiar- that's why! I used it because I absolutely LOVE the colors and the polka dot fabric! 
I did the embroidery completely freehand- which is why it is not as perfectly symmetrical as the drawing- and edged it with a gold beaded blanket stitch. I layered the beaded medallion onto the embroidered wool felt, onto dark green leather trim and finally onto the pillow. 

What do you think?

xoxoxo-kara

a christmas past...

This is the necklace that I made for my mother at Christmas last year! I finished it very last minute, ahem, and never had the chance to photograph it...

I made it by weaving a "rope" of beads- a time consuming process that most likely, I will not repeat! The end result is a 3d beaded chain that has a fantastic hand-feel and weight to it.

daily drawings- a stash from last week + family portrait

This is super funny if you know us...super cheesy if you don't! Merry Christmas!
This is my new preferred method of travel, after spending the night at the O'hare airport last night!
A winter bird in the snow...
mmmmmmm....swirly!  

Happy Holidays! I will post some pics of fun gifts after the big reveal tomorrow! 

Daily drawing ...Holiday edition #1

Hello!   Finch's Holiday boutique was a great success! I sold lots of necklaces and earrings and one pair of gloves! I am thinking of using the rest of the collection to begin a new Etsy shop. (maybe in January...)

Check out the blog for some more great "in store" shots of the sale here.

All the holiday shopping at the boutique as well as putting up our TINY, but real tree has put me in a Christmasy mood so I drew some ornaments for you (2 days in a row!).

Enjoy! 

PS: a holiday "family portrait" to come :)

the rest of the pictures!!!

here are the rest of the pictures from the below post!

I'm back! (finally!) Finch's Holiday Boutique

Hello hello... I know that it has been such a long time! I have been super busy + exhausted from work, but things are looking up :)

Even though it seems that I have been un-productive on this blog, I was shocked to realize how many things I actually made for Finch's Holiday Boutique while sitting on the couch! I made tons of beaded medallions before I started putting everything together last weekend. 

I am proud of the collection that I will have for sale at Finch's this weekend! Here are a few shots of the tags that I made as well as the overall collection. (sadly, I was unable to get great shots of each individual item (dead camera and last minute timing!) but I am hoping to get some "in store" shots at the sale this weekend!

kara = missing in action???

Hello...I wanted to apologize for my lack of posts lately! I have been buried in stressful days + late nights (well, later than 5pm which is when my brain switches off)  + weekend days at work.

The busy time at work makes me just about able to pour a glass of wine and cook dinner when I get home- and not much else.

The only thing that I have been motivated to do is to sew beads to things- something that I completely enjoy and is blissfully mindless.  When I can work up the energy to take a decent photo, I will post some new beaded medallions (that will eventually become all sorts of glorious necklaces and jewelry items). 

i haven't forgotten about you*don't forget about me...

xoxo

new necklace!

I finished this necklace the other day- I had this beautiful metal pendant that was missing its center and needed some love. I used beads in shades of green and blue around an old rhinestone from a different broken piece of jewelry. The back is finished with a scrap of dark turquoise leather and the pendant dangles happily from a vintage chain. Hopefully, it will find a new friend at Finch's Holiday Boutique !

studio mate

I wanted you all to meet my studio mate!  She sits on my window sill in all sorts of compromising poses and looks sassy. I rescued her from the Rose Bowl flea market in LA. 

new projects!

A new palette of beads...sorry for the blurry photo, but they looked so beautiful in a row that I had to take a photo! There is something so great about the potential of raw materials...I believe that I described the new beads as "test tubes of magic," and they truly are!!!
I have been making medallions with the seed beads and vintage buttons or jewelry findings and planning on..
...making boring winter gloves fabulous!!! 
but... are the medallions a little too fabulous for the gloves??? That is the question! Should they be attached? or should they be pins that are sold as a set, that could be attached to the wearer's favorite gloves?  (cheap gloves included???)
hmmm....decisions, decisions.   I am planning on making some jewelry with this beading technique...and am pretty excited about it!!! I truly love beading...most people think that it is so monotonous, but with each stitch of the beads, I feel like I am creating something precious. I have loved beading since I was REALLY small... 

So, anyway... the reason for the new projects is Finch's Holiday Boutique, which is a super cute annual craft show/sale! Please check the link to see pics from the past shows and the dates for the upcoming sale!

I got tagged!

The lovely and talented Van, from rhymes with fun has tagged me here, which means that it is my turn to continue the sharing of all great secrets...the contents of the purse! So here goes...
1. The purse! This is my favorite purse...a gift from Zach, my boyfriend. It is a HOBO bag, which means that it has a super cute lining that makes me really happy every time that I open it! I have been carrying it for about 8 months now. I think that it needs a vacation.

2. The HOBO wallet that matches! Zach thought that I needed a grown-up wallet. This wallet will not get a vacation! I love it!

3. Heavy diamond paperweight...ok, I don't really carry this around-but if I could, I would! A birthday gift from a dear friend.

4. a variety of gum...one is a really weird flavor- Strawberry Mint. Who ever thought that those flavors went together....and why did I buy it? It isn't too bad.

5. Cherry Carmex. Sadly, winter is coming upon us again here in minneapolis. That means that carmex is crucial as my lips get brutally chapped!

6. The work badge...

7. A variety of lipstick...I have a new favorite that I got in New York on my last trip.

8. Random jewelry. Sometimes I have to de-jewel after work, so into the purse they go!

9. My checkbook...I write one check a month, so I am not sure why I feel the need to have it in my purse.

These were forgotten in the first picture, but they are always in my purse...

10. My trusty little jump drive! I can't believe how long I have kept track of this bad boy!

11. My lovely keys...with the really old flip flop key chain. I love it because it is easy to find in my purse, and if I ever forget my name, it is conveniently spelled out for me. Zach's aunt or mom bought this for me at the beach a few years ago. 

12. My silly tiny little cell phone. I feel like Zoolander. 

There you go! Are you bored yet? Did you think that I would have cooler stuff hidden in my bag? (not pictured, my tiny gold camera and a framed picture of Van...just kidding! :)

Ok, so I am tagging Miss Abby of Lovey Dovey Designs...Abby, will you please spill the contents of your purse for us?

daily drawing

It kinda looks like a pineapple....but really it is flowers in a faceted bud vase. Well, unless you want it to be a pineapple. Your choice.

daily drawing

A very mischievous little bird...tee hee tee hee.

Daily drawing

A rainy day in good old Minnesota.

Daily drawing

A cabinet of curiosities...

girl + city = love

A trip to the Brooklyn Flea Market... tons of fantastic vintage and indie designer goods. Check out the super cute horse print dress below, as well as my favorite NYC purchase of all...


A paper bag of pearls (best phrase ever)!!! I found these beee-utiful vintage pearls (super heavy, four strands separated with tiny crystals) and debated the price for a few minutes before thinking that they were too expensive for a flea market. I started looking around the rest of the booth, but knew that the pearls HAD to be mine when every time I heard anyone walk near the pearls, I whipped around to make sure that they didn't touch MY pearls. 
Before I knew it, I was the proud owner of five pounds of pearls in a glorious little paper bag!

Oh, the luxury....

I am a believer that jewelry in a little paper bag is way more exciting than a fancy box! 

Check out the other NYC pics below!

xoxo  

I wish that I had a robot collection....

       A small snapshot of my friend's robot collection, mostly vintage and all fantastic! 

Off to NCY!

I am on VACATION for a week! I made it to New York last night and am already having a fabulous time! On Tuesday, I am heading to North Carolina to spend some time with my man's family.

I will be back next week hopefully with some great photos to share!

xoxo 

Daily drawing

Do you know your alphabet??? 

Project Tote Bag- Start to Finish

Raw Materials - fabric, leather, beads....
The finished "main attraction"...the part that took me the most time.
Detail of the finished tote bag...note the embroidery and vintage rhinestones 
This is the tote bag that I made for the Craft Swap Beta that my friend Van organized. Five talented ladies had one month to make a tote bag to swap. The girl who I was making the tote for has a similar color aesthetic as me. Her style is very Anthropologie-esque -which inspired me to use beautiful colors and fabrics, vintage accents and hand sewn elements for the bag.

I used a sturdy thick woven fabric with a nice sheen as a base in a light aqua and cream and lined it with a really cute dark green tiny polka dot fabric. For the detail work, I spent most of my time beading the center embellishment. I love to cover surfaces with seed beads- you end up with a really beautiful piece that has this amazing weight to it.  It is layered on a piece of dark green leather that matches the lining.  Other embellishments around the border include the "cretin" embroidery stitch on the top and bottom and a vintage rhinestone necklace that I stitched on for a little extra sparkle.    

Pottery Pictures!

Here is some of the finished glorious pottery from the class that I took over the summer. Mostly we threw on the wheel which is really great if you are in the zone and totally frustrating if you are not. Overall, I really enjoyed the class and the time that I spent in the studio.  I never really valued the time that I spent working in the studios in college...I guess because it was considered "homework". Now, after spending the majority of my time in a (artistically designed /mood board-esque and completely messy) cubicle, it seems so fantastic to spend some time in a studio. Especially when I am wearing jeans and a tee instead of "business casual" and heels.

Ahhhh...to know then what I know now. I think that I would have treasured my studio time all the more.

I did improve my pottery skills, although most of my pots collapsed if they got bigger than 6 inches tall. They are all considerably lighter in weight than my 20 lb bowls that I made in high school art class- a definite improvement! Please note the cute little birds hiding amongst the pots. I made about a zillion of them when I was not in the throwing mood. Is it weird that I got an urge to make a kindergarten "pinch pot" too?

Sorry about the lack of posts lately...I am entering the busy time at work again, which mean that my daily drawings suffer- Pictures of the tote bag that I made for the craft swap to come.

xoxo-