Live...from the Art Auction

Well...let me correct myself, the United Way Art Auction lost it's "Art" from the title this year. So while it's still an auction filled with great arts and craft made by co-workers (as it was in the past), it now has the added...and dare I say "dreaded" bonus of "stuff." I'm talking world record number of theme baskets. But the best: "crap" from people's attics. No kidding. Don't get me started.

On a brighter note, I'm dedicating this week's posts (well, as many days as I can) to the ART in UW Auction. First up: arts and crafts from my peeps. I have such talented pals! Way to go, girls (and guy)!

Jess's sock monkeys really need no introduction! Here's Janine.

Annie and Justin made this. Justin drew the design and Annie (a coworker friend) brought it to life.

Shelley's beautiful beret and matching mittens.

A triple bunny quilt from Miss Mandy. Gorgeous!

And last...but not least...are pet portraits from Shelley. The auction is for a portrait of your pet. She auctioned twolast year, and then was commissioned to make more from the "losers."

Poor Patty...You're Just a Loser

Well, kids, Patty didn't win the big contest. All that lovely yarn will not be coming home to me. *sigh* But, I'm happy to say that my little Irish gal at least made a good showing--113 votes. Can't beat that. Below is the winner. She had 228 votes. Her scarf is beautiful, and I'm at least glad to see the yarn is going to a good home. Still, it would've been nice. Ah...to dream.

Another Donation

I know that I said I hated United Way yesterday, and I still do. But I'm a sucker and feel like I should donate more than just the purse. So I'm also giving the UW auction at my work the cabled legwarmers that never sold on Etsy and make my big feet look even more ginormous than they alreadyare.

Deconstructed Sweater Reveal

Ta-dah! I didn't have a clue what I was going to do with my accidentally shrunken sweater, but just like the book said, the sweater just sort of turned into this. Read yesterday's post for the first-half of the story.

I'm going to be donating this purse to the United Way auction at my work....despite my strong dislike of the United Way. I'm focusing less on the organization and more on a chance to share my craft with others. (Which I guess goes against the whole idea of donating and giving, but whatever...)

I cut the top of my sweater and used the bottom ribbing for the top of the bag.

I already had the hoops from a previous purse that I tried to make that went awry. I just placed them on the sweater where I wanted them and used a white chalky pencil to cut out the shape.

I lined the inside of the bag with leftover Amy Butler fabric that I had from my living room pillows.

I forgot to take pictures of the sweater before I started cutting. But here's what was left. Notice how fuzzy it was. How did I fix that? A handy dandy disposable razor (new...not used...gross). That thing worked miracles!

Here's the cut piece.

Book to Check Out: Second-Time Cool

I found this great book at the library the other day by complete accident. It's called Second-Time Cool: The Art of Chopping Up a Sweater. I've had a few sweaters get washed that weren't supposed to be (not naming names =), but I have a hard time throwing them out or giving them awat. I usually keep them around for crafting, but I as of late, they've just been taking up space. I definitely needed some inspiration. This book has some fun pictures and ideas. The only downside is that it's light on instruction. I was kind of bummed about that at first, but after reading a bit, it kind of got to the point that the sweater sort of dictates the craft. I was skeptical, but come back tomorrow and see how that statement proved to be true.

And yes, I'm probably breaking all kinds of copyright laws. But the pictures were pretty, your honor!

Spring Makeover for the Bedroom

...sans wall art, though. =(

The bedroom had a bad case of the blahs going on, and with the wonderful feeling that comes along with spring, it was time for a makeover. I didn't have to do too much beyond unpacking and moving around a few more items, but it's still a fresh look since I never used any of this stuff in the bedroom before.

Here's the room...but badly needing something on the walls still! I can't decide what to do. I like the vinyl clings, but I can't decide which one is right and in which color. I also had some ideas of hanging painted embroidery hoops (empty) on the wall. There's a restaurant around the corner from where I live that has that, and it's so simple, yet so pretty. And not to mention cheap! Then there is another part of me that wants a painting for back there. Guess I need to think about it more.

Here are the curtains. I love these curtains for so many reasons. One, I found them at Goodwill for $1.75. Two, they're actually just a king size sheet that I tore in two...not one bit of sewing was required. And three (and the best reason), this fabric was actually used as the backing to the butterfly quilt that's on my bed. What the heck are the chances of finding something like that?

Here are my Anthropologie cabinet knobs turned tie-backs. Ahh....beautiful. And the ribbon was leftover from Patty's belt. Look at me being resourceful!

I got this vase/urn as a wedding (bridal shower) gift. It used to be a golden yellow color until I started using it on my balcony at our old condo. The sun turned it green (or something did). Now it matches the greens in my room perfectly. The silk leaves were used in my wedding. And you may recognize the bunny from Stacey, the Sally the dolly from Jessica, and the owl twins from Barbara.

Here's a better picture of the quilt. My mom found this at a resale shop about 12 years ago. She bought it for me because I love butterflies and the color orange. All of the butterflies are hand-stitched. There is machine stitch over the top of the whole quilt, but the binding what done by hand. I can't believe someone would just give away something this beautiful. And I think my mom only paid about $25 for it. Plus it's huge....perfect for our king size bed.

One Baby Blanket...done!

I finished Julie's baby blanket! For this being my first blanket. I'm very happy with how it turned out. It starts from the center and works it's way out. I must admit that by the time I got to the last two colors and the border, I was ready to be done with it! It's a pretty mindless knit, but in the process of making it, I had some weird allergic reaction to something (still haven't figured out the culprit) that caused me to have hives all over my face. Pretty. They're gone now thanks to practically ODing on Benadryl, but who knows what caused the hives. Stress? The yarn? The change in weather? All of the above? Just like the number of licks it takes to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop: the world may never know.



P.S. Notice that these pictures are taken outside!! Yay for spring! And I didn't have to wear my coat, hat, and mittens! Double yay for spring!