wedding crafts in SE Alaska- a wetter story

for the latest article (2 part this time!) i've covered some crafty wedding tips- of course with a leaning towards the southeast alaskan climate (think rain, and if you've read the Twilight series, we live in exactly the place they would love to live, actually she writes about our town and university- UAS). oh lovely rain.
this wet bride is sporting classic x-tra tuff boots and has a bouquet of bulb seaweed for a classic touch. i know you're quite jealous!and here is my dream cake- don't you think it would be fun to make this in plush form and keep forever and ever? okay, maybe not, but it would be fun to see!

mwah - talk soon!

i (heart) google

i am pretty sure i am waaaaay behind the eight ball on this one, but i just discovered google analytics! totally brilliant!

i can see how many people visit here, where you're from, what type of browser you're using, everything! (ok not everything . . . just the important stuff)

my favorite part is looking at where people are coming from- brazil, europe, here- and laughing when i know who it is by where they're from (i keep getting hits from athens, GA- hi lucy!)

you can do it too- just get a google account (for free) and it walks you through the steps to put a tiny piece of code on your site. bam, you're in!

then you'll be getting lots of alaska hits i'm sure!
-tp

mother's day is a few days away

if you haven't got a thing for mom yet, never fear, crafters are here!

check out my article this week at the capital city weekly site. there's a pattern to please any mom for a lovely white carnation.

here's the pattern illustration- seems to have gone missing from their site-

have a great thursday!

Lovely Planting

work gets a bit cold and sterile with all the computers and mice. so in an attempt to bring home to work (without covering the office with lime-pop), i've PLANTED the place. haha!

wheatgrass

clipping from a neighbor

sweet basil from mom

plus, a small jade start from one at home and TOMATOES!
oh yes, soon i will be eating tomato and basil salad with wheatgrass topping.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

did you know you can plant your tomatoes upside-down?
the things you learn!

Mini shop update

Just put a few new knitted goodies up in the ole etsy- check em out if you'd like here!

Plaid Loves the 80s

juneau has a few thrift stores of note- st. vincent de paul's (my fave), and good ole sally ann's (salvation army). a few months back S.A. re-opened in a new, improved space so on a lark we headed over. it was very nice, bright and organized (which was a major improvement over the darker messy space in the previous place). we scored bright red 80s belts to pair with the plaid of the day.
it really rocked my socks! and, at $1 a piece, even i can afford that kind of fashion. also, mine has this crazy silver snake in the front- totally brilliant.
please don't be too jealous.

Getting Ready to Celebrate Mom

i've been brushing up on my mother's day history for my latest craft article. i am amazed every day by the things I DON'T KNOW! i mean, the woman who tirelessly worked her entire life to create mother's day subsequently protested it's existence until her last dying day.

why would anyone spend a life life that? because the commercialization of the holiday became overbearing and she couldn't stand to see the day set aside to celebrate her mother tarnished by an industry greedy for money. and that was only in 1920! what would she say today nearly 90 years later?

i know! she would say "get to crafting!" and i am not saying card-makers or florists are evil, but a handwritten note saying how much you love your mother is sure to have more impact than a card playing the beegees with sequined disco dancers all over it.

just a thought.

Earth Day article . . .

yesterday was earth day which might as well be crafty day as far as i'm concerned just because a lot of crafters out there are super-eco-friendly, thinking of new ways to recycle, reuse and most importantly REDUCE! (although cap'n wishes i would do more reducing and less creating- but no matter)

i wrote about the point at which the two meet in my latest article for the CCW, check out here.

and have a crafty earth week!

Billy, the first bird

so far there are three beauties in the birdy collection: felix, phil, and billy.

here is billy.

she is the first in the line of three, making her a bit, hmmmm, shall we say "loved".
with a swirly red and white tail and blue polka body she is not going quietly.
thanks!

More Birdfaces

meet phil.


he is super-loosely based on the stellars jays hangin outside our windows in the auke these days. they have such brilliant hair-dos i couldn't resist a bit o' mohawk action. i wish i could muster up the courage for a bit o' mohawk action. fo sho. - t

Birdy-licious

well, i agree with you, i certainly have not been posting properly. but, there is no rule that says that a person cannot make resolutions on April 20th (as opposed to Jan 1), so here goes:

i resolve to post once a week consistently (one must start small in these kind of endeavors).

Aaaaah, i feel better already.

now, to the birds. i have been making birds with my fabric scraps and bringing them into work to liven up the place. after a heavy load of design work, i was feeling a little out of touch with my handmade side. i started knitting briefly but all that jetted out was mittens, which a. it is supposedly spring and even if it doesn't appear as such outside i don't need to be supporting winter's bad habits of clingyness, and b. you have to make two matching things for mittens which means by the finish of the first i either want to totally redesign both or give up altogether, or i've forgotten the pattern.

in any case, pairs aren't my friend(s).

so, here is singularly what i have turned to instead. felix. she is a yellow gingham-feathered, tangerine stripe-bellied, curly-tailed soul who appears to be missing eyes and beak. but i think i'm okay with that.

i really want to make a bird-a-day because i like the sound of it and i feel as if everyone could join me and we could amass a giant bird collection of recycled scraps and then be happy. but right now i'll just settle for a bird-a-post.

hope you like her! - tp

The Aftermath

Wearable Arts was a crazy time this year- I have to thank the Cap'n for his tireless efforts on our behalf- besides that he rocked his booty up onstage to help us out! (can you spot him above?) Mwah!

And my hat was three feet tall, and looked kind of like a tree. I think it was a fairly good likeness to the sketch I made beforehand, so at least there's that.

I was in a group of five and each of us were one of the Alaskan Brewing Company beers.

And I have to give a big shout out to the photographer Mihael Blikshteyn who captured us in all our glory (?)

Soon to come, projects for the new apt. and pics as well . . .

Wearable Arts Sneak Peek

Here are some puzzle pieces of my kooky sketch for Wearable Arts. I'm using 90% reused materials like bubble wrap, insulationy bubble wrap stuff, white foam that wraps around paper rolls, and cardboard 12-pack beer inserts. We'll see if I can finish it in time. Everything below the neck is pretty much done- but I guess I've got a lot of work on the headpiece. I'll reveal more as the days progress, because I know you have no idea what I'm supposed to be!

Moving . . . What a Mess!

Okay, so on a wild whim Cap'n and I moved from our tiny little "suite" to a new place with a teensy bit more room. We are giving up the view of a downtown filled with busy bustling happy people for a floor to ceiling bank of windows exposing us to breathtaking Auke Bay harbor.

If you are not a Juneauite or never have been, there are no words to describe a streaming ocean sunset behind a calming harbor full of lovely boats all lined up like ducks. Somewhere in the middle there are snow-covered mountains and broad evergreens. Actually, right at this moment we live in a soothing sea of white- as the walls of our white-washed apartment blend directly into the tall windows that are filled with snowcovered boats, mountains, yards, buildings, gardens, cars, bikes, bushes, trees and people! As you may guess, I often prefer to stay inside and see it all from my new windows (as opposed to wrapping myself head to toe in knits and venturing outdoors).

But I have been enjoying a new line of neckwear and hats this winter season that have been keeping me quite cozy. I like to bundle up and bundle down until all that you see is a funny madeleine-esque silhouette and two shiny eyes peeking through.

In fact, right now I am having troubles figuring out how to hang/display/store my scarves and hats properly. Any ideas?????? I'd like them to be somewhat stored, but when I get ready I want to be able to see them all at a glance without any digging. Tell me what to do!

I think I may need to put a mirror somewhere in our split-level entrance because I often like to check my exterior outfit more than the interior. Isn't that what they say- it's what's on the outside that counts???? Oh dear, no no, that's not it.

Well, stayed tune. I promise promise promise to tell you all about wearable arts- starting with my column coming out next Wed.

Adorations- TP

Amazing Acorns, Ornate Ornaments

Over the holidays I was fortunate to be able to discuss crafting with TONS of people!! I'm talking family, friends, friends of family, family of friends, friends of friends and family of family. Phew. And the greatest part was their willingness to share their crafts with me.

Here, I got a few snaps (with my iPhone- I LOVE that thing) of some lovely things made by the aforementioned. And, it never ceases to amaze me how interconnected we all are!

These two lovely little crafty morsels were made by two entirely separate peoples. As in, one is my co-workers mother, and the other is the Grandmother of my brother-in-law (i think? so confusing).



Both have bases of a foam ball/egg and then the little fabric squares are folded and attached with straight pins. How clever! Each has their own nifty embellishment- lace and embroidery, and a luscious pile of ribbons dripping off the top!

Well, no, neither of these items belong to me, but I'm crossing my fingers for next year . . . oh, then I would have to get a real tree!

Stay tuned for postings on the most AMAZING gifts my family exchanged for this years "made" gift. You won't even believe what I got!