Ties that Talk

I got started on a new alphabet, which I used in my Old Skool rabbit print.  It's meant to look like old-school typewrite font, and I like it because it's not too big and not too small.

I have a helpful hint for all you block-carving people out there: when it comes to alphabets, you don't need to do it all at once.  I printed up the alphabet I wanted in the size I chose, and have been carving the letters I need as I go.  When I'm done with the letter, I put a check mark under it on the paper, and put the paper away in a binder for another day.  Keeps me from getting overwhelmed with all the caps and punctuation and numbers and lowercase letters I have to do.  I'm kind of an instant gratification sorta gal. :0)

So I used this alphabet to make this "nerd" tie, the text of which I then outlined in purple paint for crisper edges.

Buy this nerd tie on etsy here.

Then, I got on a tie kick, and I pulled out two ties I made years ago that never sold, mostly because the text had straggly edges and looked unfinished.  So I did the same thing as I did to the nerd tie, and I went around the text edges in black and added a little decoration and here you have it:

Buy this UR MAMA tie on etsy here.

Buy this BTCH PLZ tie on etsy here.

They look better now than they did before, fer sure.

I also worked on the photography a little.  I don't have excellent photo skills or cool backgrounds, so I've been putting everything on plain backgrounds and altering the background using paint.net.  I think it looks pretty cool and fits with my personality and my store's personality as well.  Even with the photo-editing, it still is easier than trying to set up the perfect background shot.

I also added my etsy mini to a tab at the top of this blog.  You can go there if you're interested in buying or in looking or in getting ideas.

I've had a three day weekend.... can you tell? :0)

New Hoodie and Doggie Update

Sooooo..... here's my latest hoodie, a pink, kawaii-style upcycled Old Navy hoodie, with cupcakes and hearts and everything.  It's in my etsy DaisyDreams shop.  It took me several hours to make, but it was worth it.  It's extra-super soft and awesome.  I keep thinking I should keep these for myself, but again, my hoodie collection is far too large as it is.

Puppy hurt his paw last Thursday, no idea how.  I came home from work and he was limping and did not get an answer from dog-walking friend as to whether something had happened when they went out.  Took pup to the vet and they said paw infection, antibiotics, and rest.  I dunno about an infection, since he's not licking his paw, but whatever.

The vet and the tech, however, did wax poetic about Riley's white teeth, saying they'd seen white teeth before, but these were ridiculously white.  I told them it was a healthy raw-based diet, and for the first time ever, they did not chastise me.  They apparently now have a holistic vet working there, so they can't say much anymore. :0)

So, I'm taking it easy with Riley and we're walking in our local park instead of at the hunting training grounds. I don't think I'm going to the training grounds anymore till tick season is over.  Staying in our sprayed park from now on.  It's worth having a slightly hyper doggie if it means no ticks!

Tomorrow is my 34th birthday!  My students are all up to something.  I think they just want an excuse to bring food and not do class.  I told them we could eat cake and do class at the same time. :0P

More to come...  two days till the weekend!

Break!

Yay!  It's Thanksgiving break!  After two eight hour days of parent-teacher conferences, I'm ready for some time off. 

Yesterday, I was at conferences from 12 to 8 pm, and on Monday I had the same.  I managed to sneak in some time to print up a penguin shirt using my new penguin blocks.

It's a plus-sized shirt (2XL), and I think it turned out rather well.  You can see it here in my ETSY shop .

I also made a sports bra in size XL, using the same penguin block.  I'm on some kinda penguin kick now, I guess.  You can see this item here in my ETSY shop as well.

Because I was gone for the past two evenings, my mom was kind enough to take my pup over to her house for the evening.  She took him for a run on both nights, going 4 miles the first night, and 3 the second night because it was pouring.  She said he was an excellent running partner, so maybe she'll take him again :0)!  My mom runs marathons at almost 60 years old, which is quite cool.  My little brother got her healthy joint genes and is running in her footsteps. I take after my dad, sadly, and had all the cartilage scoped out of my knee after a bone spur showed up in there and scraped most of it off all by itself.  So I have to settle for walking endless miles with the pup.  No complaints though; I can still walk.

Now, off to enjoy 5 days off!  Yay!

I'm back!

hi there!  I'm back!  I let this blog lapse for some reason, like for more than 9 months, I think.  How terrible is that?  I'm not sure anyone was too disappointed.

Anyhow, added some pictures in the sidebar of my doggie and kitties, as well as random information about myself.

I got back onto this blog because  I felt the urge to start carving blocks again and printing thousands of pounds of underwear again.  So I have a whole new crop of those in my etsy store. 

I carved a kawaii sort of cupcake block two days ago.  Here's a picture of some underpanties I printed using them:

They made me smile anyhow.  I'm planning on putting the block on hoodies some time soon.  You can get these panties here.  You can also convo me if size 5 is not your size, and I'll custom make you a pair.         

I also carved a really sweet little fox block, but it's not printing clearly on fabric because of the detail and the thickness of the fabric I was using.  I'll have to deepen all my cuts before I print with it again, and not sure how deeply I can cut, because this is my first time using "the pink stuff" to carve blocks.  I like this pink carving material better than the white speedy cut (crumbles), and about the same as master-carve, though maybe a bit more because it's pink.  And pink is good.  :0)

Rainbow Brite Size 0 to 18 Small to Plus Size

So this is my newest creation, which I just put up on ETSY yesterday. It's a Rainbow Brite retro 80s, hippie paneled skirt. Modeling it is my most recent acquisition, a dummy / mannequin named, aptly, Daisy. She was delivered yesterday to my old address, and I got a note from UPS saying someone at my old place (I moved out from it a year ago) had signed for it. Thankfully, the leasing office had signed for it, so I popped Riley the wonder dog into the car, and we went to go get Daisy from her cardboard prison.

I took a bunch of new pics and updated my ETSY shop with them, figuring a dummy would indeed make it all seem more professional. So there ya have it.

Anyhoo, I'm proud of this skirt for several reasons. a) It fits from a size 0 to a size 18. That's a big variety. b) I French-seamed the whole thing because I don't have a serger and wanted to make this skirt last forever. c) I love the colors.

You can find the skirt here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18751944

Intro and Grateful Dead Dress

Here's where to get this!

So, here's a blog about me and the stuff I make. I'm a school teacher, and I enjoy making things in my free time. I guess blogging about it and other things that occur would be a fun thing to do. We'll see how it pans out because I'm kinda slow on the uptake on these sorts of things.

My first featured thingy here is a pink Grateful Dead dress. It's a size three, and the dress is new, though I took the tags off to wash the dress after printing. I carved the blocks for the Grateful Dead prints myself out of that white rubber carving block stuff and used them to stamp the pics on the dress. The dress is reversible, too, and the inside features green, white, and pink stripes that you can see at the ETSY link above.

ETSY is one of the greatest things I've ever seen. :0) Such cute things on sale there, and everything's either handmade or vintage. Dressing ETSY helps you stand out in a crowd and supports artists!