aren't they oh-so-pretty! squeeeee!

today i started the photo shoot for the first batch of scarves. 

finally!

i was covered, no lie, head to toe in mosquitos the entire time!  i have bites on top of bites and bites in places i did not know i had. 

i promised max i would not put this on facebook.  this is not facebook.   hehehehehe.....

he has always teased his brother and sister about their zits....now he gets 'em.  this masque is wonderful for zapping them. 


that is about all for now.  got a couple of busy days ahead...i will try to pop in before the week is out. 


nighty-night...sleep tight....smooches.

de-nubby-ing and de-gnarly-ing completed....check

when steph and i decided to start creating shibori/tie dye scarves last year we were so excited....we had no idea of just how much work there was, especially on a large scale.

i have to say though, that even though there is a ton of work, it is all worth it when you see how different methods of resist and color combinations work out and become beautiful creations...and every once in awhile....ewwww bad.

once our fabric is cut to size it must be washed to remove any of the sizing or chemicals so that the dye will take.  we then either dye the piece a base color and then begin to band, tie, stitch, or use resist to create a design, or just dive right in to banding and stitching.  this year we have been trying new things and finding out what is a no-no and what is a go.  

the piece may be dyed and then over dyed 2 or 3 times.  next it is set out on a table outdoors to spend a day , or two drying in the sun while it is still banded and stitched.  then the rinsing process begins.  we rinse each piece while still banded and stitched until the water runs clear.  depending on the color and the amount of time we let a piece soak it can take up to 30 minutes or more for the water to run clear.  by doing this it helps keep the piece from looking muddy. 

now let the un-banding and un-stitching begin......this takes longer than the banding and stitching  since you need to make sure you do not snip the fabric.   this can take an hour on average for each piece. 

another rinsing to remove any extra dye trapped in the layers of fabric while it was still banded and stitched. 

next the piece is washed in a solution to help set the dye, then it is washed in laundry soap and oxy clean and dried.

now we are at the de-nubby-ing and de-gnarly-ing.  all of that soaking, rinsing, and washing causes some of the threads to become a little unruly since we leave our edges unfinished.

this is just a tiny bit of the trimmed threads.   i could so easily be a hoarder.  the threads are so pretty it is hard to throw them away, but since i have no idea what i would do with them....in the trash they go.   i so do not want to turn into the lady whose dead cat was found squished under a pile-o-crap.   and yes, i probably will find some really cool neato thing to do with threads such as these next week...but i have saved a cats life by not keeping the threads,  this time!


next, i removed the one selvage edge of the fabric....this treasure i kept as it is now a bunch of pretty ribbon that can be used in a multitude of projects. 

we love a bit of wrinkle and crinkle to our scarves, so just the most wrinkly-est and crinkly-est of the edges get a bit of ironing.  good thing i don't need to iron all 10 feet of each scarf, as i am allergic to ironing. 

the ironing will be saved until the night before i do the photo shoot, and since it is suppose to rain through saturday, possible sunday i will be banding and stitching about another 15 - 20 scarves for a second batch, and good thing that i get to sit down to do most of the banding and stitching as the change in weather and my ear infection are causing the beast to behave most badly. 

i do have to say, though, that the new found coolness in the temperatures we have experienced this week is so wonderful.  i love having air conditioning, but it begins to make me feel like i am caged in after awhile, so having the windows open and feeling the breeze and hearing all of the sounds has been heaven....and now, at this moment hearing the patter of rain and smelling the cool, wet, earth is soooo wonderful. 

i think that is about all for now.  i hope you enjoy your day, and weekend.  mwah!

keeping my promise to myself....

i promised awhile back on my other blog that i was going to get myself back in the swing of posting daily. 

so....not much happened today....insert cricket chirping noise here......

the blushing pink scarf i was stitch-stitching away on, i decided to add even more stitches to it, so it took me a bit longer to finish it up.

after my last post  steph and i sat up and talked for a couple of hours and by the time i wound myself down it was 6ish.  as i was tucking myself in the hubby was having one of his boxing matches and fighting someone, something he has not done in awhile, up until the last few nights that is.  so this tired arty girl slipped outta bed and poked him then backed off and waited for him to fully wake up.

after that i attempted to tuck myself in to bed again and mia, our scaredy-cat guard dog began barking ferociously at what was probably a blowing leaf...but to be on the safe side i crawled out of bed to check and make sure there was not an evol villian standing at our back door....nope there wasn't. 

pretty soon though mia was joined in the barking by mike, who has discovered recently that he can bark even louder...he sounds like he is about 6 feet tall and weighs 600 pounds now when he barks....

and then there is mollie, too smart to bark at such silly things, but she did have to add her two cents worth
and bark once. 

so since the other two barked i crawled out of bed again to check one more time....nope still nada, nothin', zilch...i attempted to crawl back in to bed and moan-uh the cat decided now she wanted in the kitchen to eat...so back we went to the kitchen and i open the gate....our puppies are naughty.....and let her in to eat. 

 moan-uh, our geriatric kitty is still purr-fectly able to get in to the kitchen all by her self, but i feel bad still for her, and she will meow until you escort her to the kitchen....she gets out of the kitchen with not a peep.

so now i am climbing back in to bed and then.....i gotta pee.  so i climb back out of bed.

by this time it is after 7.  i crawled back in to bed, and since the tinnitus was at an all time glass shattering level i turned on a comedy show and don't even remember seeing the first seconds of it because i was out.  

steph and i opted not to try out resist technique with the gel glue and just to work on putting the finishing touches on the scarves we have done and getting them photographed and added to etsy....we will then start on a new batch with new tricks and techniques.  then we talked about all things girlie....i love spending time gabbing with her.  i am one lucky mom.

i can not wait to get this first batch of scarves done done....all the way done and listed.  i so want to get back downstairs and working on other projects again.....

i still need to add a few finishing touches to this one before i can list it on our nest feathers and twine etsy shop.  the hubby and i both loved it so much i am going to make one for us.  i am not sure where we will put it until we own our dream house though.



warning....below is a photo of a nakey polymer clay art doll, if nakedness is offensive please do not go any further....but if nakedness is offensive then telling you i had to pee earlier probably was as well and you may have already left.....but i am warning you anyway.

this is an art doll i need to finish.  before the hubs lost his job back in may, i entered an art doll exchange and since i signed up to make a polymer clay version to challenge myself, this is the first version of the doll.   i have not worked with polymer clay in quite some time and wanted to get back in to it so hey...lets stress ourselves out right?! 

i got a bit nervous about sending a stranger a nakey doll, so i made her something else.  i can not show you that doll yet because she has not received it yet.  i will play show-n-tell when she has received it. 

she is not really suppose to have full arms and legs.  thought about giving her some cellulite dimples and more of a saggy belly.  like the belly of a woman who has been stretched to the limits by having 3 nearly 10 pound babies.  i have never worked with this brand of polymer clay before and don't like it, so maybe i should not mess with her too awfully much.

so i am going to add a few more stitches to another scarf and try to get to bed a bit earlier since the boys have school again tomorrow and i have to get up before the sun, birds, and most other humans to wake them up.

nighty-night...big squishy hugs.

shibor-ing.......stitch-stitch-stiching away......

2:54am  and i am wide awake....and i am stitching and stitching a soon to be scarf.  10 feet of fabric.  when i started i liked the blushing shade i had dyed the fabric.  now i must sayeth the pinketh stinketh.  i am looking forward to working on a different shade.   

the stitch process is boring, and after the dyeing process is complete the unstitching of it all is quite the challenge, making sure that only the knotted string is cut and not the fabric.  in the end though....oh-so-neato it all looks.  yes it does. 

every row i stitch i change my mind as to what the secondary dye color will be.....aaaaaaaaarrrggggg.....

this is after the stitched threads have been pulled and tied off....


that is about all for today.  the beast has been extra naughty, earlier today when i walked i look like a drunk trying to walk across a waterbed.   but, within the last few hours i now just look like a drunk trying to walk....my hands and brain are working better together so i can type and stitch....although i feel like a pin cushion at the moment!  now if the tinnitus would knock it down a notch or two so i could hear myself think i would be a happy girl, not to mention that every time i turn my head it is like being at 6 flags on the spinny tea cup ride. 

the weather here was gorgeous today.  in the 70's, just the most perfect amount of breeze! 

this evening it smelled just like october!   it was a bit chilly and the sky was perfectly clear and you could see the stars.  i could have stayed out all evening looking up at them. 

um, well...i guess i am back to doing some more stitching.   i would so love to get this pinky piece done before i try to go to sleep. 

hoping tomorrow to try a gel glue resist method.  fingers crossed it works just like the tutorial says.  the thought of working with drippy hot wax with my coordination is not appealing, and it is more expensive.

can you tell i am one of those people that takes a long time to say good-bye....always thinking of 1 more thing.

ok, i am really going this time!   

big sloppy kisses to ya....

  

Getting ready for our fall 2011 collection....

just wanted to pop in quickly.  i have got lots to say and most of it will have to wait until we get out fall collection of scarves and other lovlies completed and added to the etsy shop.

i, for one, can not wait for fall.   i am not a hot weather girl and never have been.  with that said, i am not looking forward to winter.  not a cold weather girl either, but after the motor for the  fan on our air conditioning pooped out on us yesterday in the early afternoon, on a record breaking hot day i would so love to make a snow angel or two buck necked!

 at least there is lots of copper wiring in the deceased fan motor to salvage for my schtuff. 

so thankful the hubs was able to make the repairs, saving us a bundle.  the air has been back on again for about 2 hours and the temperature is finally down from 97 to 95 degrees. 

steph has been busy working as an after school teacher/care provider at the local elementary school so i am flying solo with the etsy shop for a bit while she adjusts to a new life schedule and the demands of her new job.  i am so proud of her!  we fully expected her to come home after the first week threatening to have her tubes tied!   i am hoping though we can get bunches done this weekend. 

my finger is getting back to normal after my weeding/gardening incident.  it is amazing just how icky and painful a splinter rammed half way down your nail bed can be.   it is also amazing just how much you use the ring finger on your non-dominate hand.  note to self:  buy gardening gloves that fit before pulling weeds again.  i will also spare you all of any photo-show-n-tell of that....ewwwie. 

i worked on part of our etsy photo collage to introduce our fall collection today....

thankfully i had plenty of fall photos to choose from in last years albums.


the rest of these photos were taken quickly with my camera on my phone quickly between loads in the wash just to show some of the colors......

i can not wait to show off the oh-so-beautiful designs created by using the new shibori methods.   they are time consuming, but the end results are worth every bit of time and effort. 


these photos are not the best...once we have had a chance to do some proper photographing i will let you all sneak a peek before we list to etsy!  shhhh!

 this photo is just a peek at some of the effect from 2 of the shibori methods......i loves it, alot.

one of the many colors my hands have been during this process.  i have been coordinating my outfits with the days hand color.  since this arty girl does not get out of the house often, when i do, i love to play dress-up and be pretty! 

the only time i get strange looks is when i have worked with so many colors that my hands and nails just look filthy dirty.....most people seem to understand i have undertaken some form of arty endeavor, and have even asked me what i have been doing,  but for those very few that like to give the oh-so-obvious disgusted stare....that's when you smell your hands and say out loud....thank goodness the smell is almost gone..... hehe....

i am off to go try to do something arty now that the house is starting to cool down.  there is nothing like having a hot flash and being in a hot hot hot house!  speaking of hot flashes....maybe i need to go find something sweet and something salty to offer to the pms monster that seems to be firing off this latest round of hot flashes! 

be back soon....smooches to ya.