I wanted to share some of the things of learned as a ‘traveling crafter’.  I’ve been vacationing and my crafts have been limited to one duffle bag.  I struggle with this as I really like to spread out and I’m afraid I’ve been spoiled to have a whole room in the last 2 years.  

Necessity being the mother of invention, I wanted to share some of the things I’ve learned:

• I packed more tools than anything else: paint brushes, hole punch, files, wire working pliers, scissors, needles etc. - this way when I get to my destination and I do some thrifting or borrow from my mom’s stash I can actually do some things where maybe the raw materials didn’t fit into my bag.
• Watercolors are great - and so cheap for $.99 you can get RoseArt watercolors, which has been fun for me and for my 3 year old.
• Second-hand flash cards are a fun canvas for small portable art.  I picked up a bag of flash cards from the thrift store and have decorated them with Gesso, water colors, colored pencils, buttons, glitter, see the photo.
• Buttons are great for making art too.  String them together, decorate your shoes, embellish a sweater or just decorate the buttons themselves.  A few weeks ago I noticed an Ebay auction where the seller had used permenate markers, glitter, jewels, paper, fabric etc to decorate a batch of buttons.  This one was fun for me and the 3 year old as well.

We were in Lincoln this week visiting some family and saying our goodbyes.  We made some reservations at a reasonably priced hotel and the first morning of our stay we went looking for breakfast.  As my daughter and I made our way through the main lobby we walked through a little sitting room and I was really shocked by the art.

This room had a very interesting tangle of bed springs and several walls of painted and distressed canvas.  I was really impressed to find common items used as recycled art installations.  I guess I just don’t expect to find too many main stream hotels, or businesses for that matter, supporting this kind of thing - I’m pleased to change my opinion.

Enjoy the photos, and take a look, this is the Villager in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Alright, I finally got something done on this vacation!  About 3 months ago I bought these really fun enamel flowers from Sleepingdogstudio on Etsy.  I was so excited when I got them but couldn’t focus on what to do with them.

And then I’m afraid I put them in a box…  out of sight out of mind, so they’ve been waiting for me.

When I packed my craft emergency bag (living with only one suitcase of crafts has made me a little overly dramatic) they made the cut along with some of my thrift store jewelry.  I’m so excited to wear my new necklace this weekend! 

I’m still in the middle of my move so I’ve been struggling with what to write about lately.  It’s been really nice to be on vacation before we get to our next post, we are moving to Brasilia, Brazil on May 15th.  We’ve been living in Virginia while my husband completed some language training and we are very excited to be headed out to a new embassy.

Anyway, in this little dry spell that always happens when I have all my crafty stuff taken away (well most of it, I do pack one suitcase of stuff) I was hopping to profile a few of the really cool folks I’ve found on Etsy*.  Since I’ve found that a few people have taken my photos and articles without permission I ask before posting photos and info about someone else’s work.  I thought that this is the way things should be done…

The thing is, I’m a little in the grey about what is and what isn’t ok here on a blog… is it generally acceptable to use someone else’s info if you give them credit and link back to them… should you ask before using any info, do you link or ask for permission at all?  What is the etiquette here?

*Etsy is a marketplace for handmade merchandise.

I wanted to thank all those who entered the give away, we’ll definitely keep this little tradition for next year as well!

Ingredients:  remnants of swimwear, high-count cotton fabric, my old fat jeans, a ribbon from an Amazon present, fabric swap from upholstery book, a few mother-of-pearl buttons, and a little boiled wool.

She’s done!!! Yeehaw!

I’ve finished the fairy doll I showed you a few weeks ago.  She’s been a great learning experience for me.  I’ve learned some new painting techniques and constructed a new pattern for her arms and body.  The legs are my new favorite type, but they started with the tweed doll.

I liked the way this one came together, I’m planning on doing a few more in this same vein.

Just one week left until Earth Day. I think it’s a good time for another Give-Away! So, here’s the nitty-gritty:

-All entries will need to be IN before midnight this coming Monday (before 12 pm on 4/21) , that’s next week, the day before Earth Day. The winner will be announced on Earth Day, April 22nd in the morning.

-To enter you’ll need to submit a comment to this entry or send me an e-mail at thisrecycledlife@gmail.com. Don’t worry I won’t sell or give away your e-mail for any reason. I’ll get in touch with the winner and ask for all of your info at that time so I can arrange shipping.

-The give-away - well it’s a surprise, but I’ll let you know that it’ll be some recycled upholstery jewelry. Have a look through the site for some examples. Sorry but, U.S. entries only, cause the shipping will be on me.

-Visit the Earthday website and check out what other events are happening in your neck of the woods.

Best of Luck!

I’m working on a skirt based on my last book purchase, 49 Sensational Skirts. Check out the book review from this week. To try it out for myself I decided to modify a dress I bought at the thrift store. You can find some great things at the local Savers or Goodwill, especially if you are like me and visit once a week. Be sure to take a donation as well, most thrift stores offer discounts or vouchers for your next purchase.

I don’t like the top of the dress at all, it’s just not me. But I’m pretty excited about the idea that I might wear this little thrift store find if it was a cute little skirt. I’m hoping to save myself some work because the dress is fully lined so when I cut it up I won’t have to come up with facing pieces.

My first step was to cut the skirt into pieces. I was careful to cut the skirt and the lining seperatly so I don’t end up with lining that I can’t use because it isn’t cut straight. I also cut the back zipper and decided that I’d keep it as part of the skirt.

First I sewed together the right sides of the skirt and lining, making a new waist for the skirt. I put the zipper back together by hand and later I’ll add a hook and eye for added security.

After pressing the new waist I did some hand sewing to make sure that things can’t roll up when I am wearing it. The next installment will hopefully have some fun additions to the skirt.

I bought 49 Sensational Skirts last week after two weeks of ‘thinking’ about it. I do a lot of thinking on Amazon… it’s good they have that feature that let’s you review the purchase about 4 times before any sales are final. I don’t know how many times I’ve gone to step 3 and then decided that I just wasn’t ready.

I love it, I think the author is my kinda gal. She does some amazing things with thrift store clothing and has some great and fun ideas for making your own kind of skirt out of a ‘find’. Her ideas are really fun, some very sophisticated some that are very costume-y

The pictures are wonderful, I am so drawn to a book with great pics. Inspiration happens as you thumb through this one. She has great ideas with found items, fabric strips, some basic stitching. It’s wonderful. There is a simple pattern included in the back envelope as well.

My everyday bag has breathed it’s last. I have a bag that is just the right size for a few diapers, wipes, some assorted snacks, a few squares of chocolate, my wallet, a bink, and house keys. It’s my basic around the town kit, with just enough stuff for me and the girls to get out of the house.

Well I’ve had the bag for 5 years and two babies now, and it’s been washed a few times, the straps have been repaired and I’ve done my best to get the mystery spots out. Somehow we’ve managed to get some new stuff on it that the usual washing and spotting just isn’t working. We’ve also got two torn pockets now, I love scrambling around the insides of my bag trying to put a finger on my keys.

It’s time for a new bag and in that spirit I’ve made three new bags, waiting for the right combo to appear. This is it! I made this bag from some scraps of jean, one of grandma’s old bag straps, white and green t-shirts and some really fun blue and white fabric, I think it came from one of my fabric store grab bags.

I’m really pleased with the way the t-shirt flowers and stems worked out, I can’t wait until a little wear loosens up the petals a little more.

I’ll be working on a pattern for my Etsy shop, look for it if you want one of your own! In the mean time, hold on to your scraps and don’t throw out anything…