Wedding Dress

Wedding Dress
Originally uploaded by Dailyville

Oh my. This is so lovely.

Pretty dishwater

I took this shot yesterday while washing up my mess from making a rainbow colored cake. Inspiration via The Morale Agency. More pictures soon!

Clever

Devil's Dyke Crows
Originally uploaded by tommy martin

"If men had wings and bore black feathers, few of them would be clever enough to be crows." - Rev. Henry Ward Beecher

Happy-making

st Huberts Church Idsworth
Originally uploaded by Dan Bennett2891

Another thing that makes me happy? Church bells. I am an absolutely un-religious girl, but I sure do love the sound when those bells are rung.

So pretty

Looking for love
Originally uploaded by IrenaS

This needed shared.

Inspiration

30-09-2008 Mi lugar feliz / My happy spot
Originally uploaded by Julie Alvarez

This lady has the most gorgeous home. Full of bright colors and fun things. 2009 is the year my house gets some serious prettifying. And it'll happen.

More painting. More roadming vintage shops for one of a kind finds. More making it our own.

Another Festive Idea

Vintage Christmas ornaments
Originally uploaded by thevintagelaundress

And so simple and pretty!

A new kind of tree

this year's tree
Originally uploaded by ATLITW

How awesome is that?

How true

an idle wanderer
Originally uploaded by KarensJilly

Housewife dresses

I simply adore pretty vintage housewife looking dresses like this one. And why do I never think to pull a sweater vest over a dress?!

Such a sad sweet

Good Old Dogs III
Originally uploaded by dr.Ozda

It's hard to even ponder the feelings brought on by an old dog. I adore dogs and have had many a geriatric old dog in my day. There's such an awkward nobility in a senior dog whose done his duty as a faithful companion for a longtime and now takes his greatest pleasure in a warm spot to curl up and a scritch behind the ears.

My neighbor lady was out this frigid morning helping her aged collie back up the stairs. The poor old sweet thing.

(These two sweeties found on flickr. They are Toaster & Biscuit and are 15 years old. Adorable.)

So Romantic

I adore this outfit spotted on flickr. Its so pretty and wearable and yet kind of looks like she just stepped out of some wonderful period piece.

Icarus

t h e . b i r t h . o f . m a n
Originally uploaded by Whisquissos

Love this shot from Whisquissos on flickr. Very dreamlike. Reminded me of the following poem:

Waiting for Icarus - Muriel Rukeyser

He said he would be back and we'd drink wine together
He said that everything would be better than before
He said we were on the edge of a new relation
He said he would never again cringe before his father
He said that he was going to invent full-time
He said he loved me that going into me
He said was going into the world and the sky
He said all the buckles were very firm
He said the wax was the best wax
He said Wait for me here on the beach
He said Just don't cry

I remember the gulls and the waves
I remember the islands going dark on the sea
I remember the girls laughing
I remember they said he only wanted to get away from me
I remember mother saying: Inventors are like poets, a trashy lot
I remember she told me those who try out inventions are worse
I remember she added: Women who love such are the worst of all
I have been waiting all day, or perhaps longer.
I would have liked to try those wings myself.
It would have been better than this.

Too Cool!

Scaramouche
Originally uploaded by bacondog.

This looks to be a paper mache creature. Found on flickr (of course). You have to check out the whole photo stream. All the creations are so colorful and fun, and there's some really neat feltwork as well.

My last paper mache project was a jellyfish that never came out like I thought it should. This might inspire me to try something else.

Lately I've been playing with shrinkydink (a word I just love to chant). Nothing great so far (I'll still share pictures - after all this is supposed to record my failures too, right?).

I'm also painting, but I'm reluctant to share pictures of this project. My reluctance comes from the fact that the idea is totally ripped off from a fabulous etsy artist. The painting isn't a copy - the idea is. I want to buy one of her wonderful pieces, but at the moment its not in the budget (although I'm making strong birthday hintings). So how awful is it that I'm trying to do one of my own? I obviously am not gonna ever sell anything like this - they just looked like so much fun to do that I had to try it. So I'm doing one and having fun with it, but still feeling guilty and unoriginal (and appreciating just how talented she is). As I said, I'm gonna buy me a real one sometime this year, but I still am doubting that I should even post the one I'm doing for right now - just do to the lack of originality issue. Anyway, here's her etsy shop. Go buy something and make me feel better.

Color

...follow me...
Originally uploaded by ManonManon.

Bad bad bad leaky roof, car problem galore, crappy day. So to cheer myself up I'm looking at pretty flickr pictures and envisioning what crafty things they could become.

This one......a quilt! A vibrant beautiful stripey quilt. Too bad I have no quilting skills. My mum is an excellent quiltress (and if that isn't a word it should be). I cannot send the idea her way though cause she's still working on my wedding quilt. And as that's almost a year and a half overdue (hint hint if you're reading this, mum), I should keep other ideas to myself.

I suppose its a good thing I haven't gotten it yet because there's still the leaky ceiling issue. It hasn't gotten my bed, but it would if there was a beautiful subtley colored Irish chain quilt adorning my bed.

Anyway, I love these colors much. Oh and some of the photographer's other pics would make delightful quilts. Like this or this. I like the idea of looking for more inspiration from random things rather than just other craftiness.

Or this would make a great embroidered piece or this a painting or this another quilt or printing on a skirt (from completely different photographers). I know that everyone takes ideas from the whole world around them, but I am enjoying this exercise of looking closely at pictures that appeal to me and determining what I could specifically do with each different inspiration.

Mural

Martha Mural 138
Originally uploaded by thistledew.

People are so clever! Isn't this lovely? Okay maybe in addition to painting my walls, I should be thinking of cool murals to put on them. I usually am not all that taken with murals. They have to be done really well not to make me think of a nursery room.

But this is stunning - and the design is somewhat simple (not easy, but not too fancyish). Hmmm...the possibilities are endless.

See this whole set here.

Squoosh

Squoosh
Originally uploaded by Felt Up Design.

More inspiration! I spotted this dress on flickr. She made it from a pattern found at her local goodwill. Cute, original looking pieces like this are another reason I need to keep practicing on the sewing machine. (and looking at that dress, getting familiar with my pilates tapes again wouldn't hurt either).

You can see more of her clothes on Flickr.


I did cut out the pieces for a turtle puppy for another nephew. I think he'll come together pretty easy unless I keep making it harder by adding ideas to it. I'll share some progess pictures tonight. I'm making him and the kitty to go with out of kids flannel fabrics which is pretty fun to work with after all that grey corduroy I used for the robot. These ones are very bright.

And I watched Marie Antoinette last night. Pretty! That's the best description for it - pretty, pretty, pretty! And I often find Kirsten Dunst a little on the annoying side (especially in that one movie where she had a southern accent and played a flight attendant. Bleh!). But she was perfect in this one. And oh my the costumes and sets were spectacular.

Bird Tree Corset

bird tree corset
Originally uploaded by smicksy.

This is stunning! I'm always awed by the talent and creativity in the world. This is jaw-droppingly beautiful. Visit Smicksy's flickr page to see it from all angles.

Good news!

My computer is fixed (and wasn't nearly as messed up as I had assumed). Tonight I will busily be getting all those pictures that have been pent up on my camera. Hooray! I like sharing other people's pictures, but am feeling quite unoriginal lately without much of my own content to add.

In not so great news, my poor little Lincoln hurt his hip playing the other day so we're on a strict regimen of buffered aspirin and no horsing around. Its sad to see the bouncy lil guy not without his high spirits. Hopefully, he recovers quickly. We've had long talks together on how he has to take good care of himself so he can grow old with me. I'm hopelessly smitten with my dog.

I purchased fabrics for a stuffed dog and kitty to be sent out with my robot buddy. I need a cute tummy and ear fabric to go with before I get started. In the meantime, I'm making lots of little puffy origami stars for a garland. Only 1 out of every 3 is okay at the moment so hopefully I get better quickly.

As for inspirations, Danielle White does the most adorable softies:

Blog - http://www.danielleorama.com/
Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/30329685@N00/
Buy - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=72244

Martini
Originally uploaded by danielleorama.

So freakin' cute! Those ears! Her beavers and oddball creatures are the coolest I've seen. Stuff like this keeps me practicing.

Bee

Bee
Originally uploaded by Victoriano.

In the meantime, here's more prettiness to share. Love this picture. I wish I were a better photographer and could capture amazing things like this. More reason to practice I guess.