Once Weekly

When you have limited opportunity to craft, it can be terribly annoying to have time but no ideas. The desire to be creative is present, but sometimes it’s hard not to get bogged down in all the ordinary stuff, or else to be overwhelmed with prospects. I made this list of a year’s worth of weekly projects. I’m going to try and make something each week. Hopefully this will encourage me to blog weekly as well, ha ha ha.
The purpose of these is not really to make something you love. It’s more to give you new ways to look at the world and new places to find inspiration, or just give you some vague guidelines in which to work. You can do these in any order and take as long as you want with each one. The result can be as intricate or as simple as you like. Just try to think outside the box and bring your style to everything you make.

1. Go through your craft supplies and find something that you forgot that you had. Create a project centered on this item.
2. Do a craft that you enjoyed as a child. What did you like about it then? What do you like about it now? Can you update or change the technique so it suits how you craft today?
3. Think of your favorite place to be. Make a list of all the things you enjoy about this place, describe how it makes you feel. Make something to remind you of this place.
4. Go somewhere different for supplies. It could be the thrift store, the hardware store, even the grocery store. Find something exciting to use.
5. Go somewhere public and people watch for 30 minutes. Find something inspiring in the people around you. Perhaps it’s the pattern on a woman’s dress or a snippet of conversation, be as abstract as you like.
6. Go for a walk and find something on the ground that inspires you. Embellish it, reconstruct it, or incorporate it into your work.
7. Find a craft buddy to be your partner. Each of you make a list of random words that you like. Exchange lists and create a craft based on one of your partner’s words.
8. Use something you would usually throw away.
9. Write down some of your secrets and find a creative way to share them with the world.
10. Go to a library or bookstore and find the craft and hobby section. Close your eyes and grab a random book and then turn to a random page. Make the craft on that page or use it as a starting point.
11. Go outside and cloud watch. Make a craft incorporating what you see, whether it be bunnies or boats or severed heads.
12. Grab something you own but don’t really like. Fix it so you love it.
13. Get a blank piece of material (paper, fabric, whatever). Decorate it however you like and then make something with it.
14. Go to a dollar store and make something using only things that you purchase there. Spend less than $10.
15. Grab 15 to 20 random supplies. Jumble them up, close your eyes, and select 4. You can add other things if you like, but these 4 things must be in the project.
16. Make a monster or mythological beast.
17. You’re ruler for the week. Make yourself a crown.
18. If money and time where no object, where would you like to visit? Research this place and discover its crafty roots. Is it known for a local craft? Is there a famous craftsperson from there? Make something based on what you find.
19.Take an item and make it into something else. Maybe a tea towel into an apron or some hardware into a necklace.
20.Fix something broken.
21. What scares you and why? Craft it into something that isn’t scary anymore.
22. Write down ten words that you feel describe you. Go to Google Images or Flickr and search each one. Make a craft based on an image you find.
23. What is your favorite holiday? Research its origins and make something in the true spirit of the holiday.
24. Make a gift for someone you love.
25. Are you having a bad week? Make something to cheer yourself up!
26. Embellish something you’ve bought that’s too boring.
27. You’re in a band. Make some swag for your loyal fans.
28. Learn a new craft or technique.
29. Spend 15 minutes writing stream of consciousness. Find something inspiring that’s already hiding in your brain.
30. Start an idea board or journal. Collect things that inspire you.
31. Make a list of things you couldn’t live without. Interpret one of them into craft, try and explain why it’s so important to you.
32. Use your powers for good. Make something for someone in need.
33. Make a collage. It can be out of any materials you want and in any shape you like, go crazy.
34. Create your own craft exhibition. Make small works of art and leave them around town for people to find.
35. Do you have something to celebrate? Make a cake in any way you like. Paper, fabric, metal, flour? It's up to you. Just make sure it reflects your personal style!
36. Try something you've been wanting to do but lacked the confidence to try.
37. Don't get discouraged! Finish a project you gave up on or give a project you had trouble with a second chance.
38. Break some crafting stereotypes! Do something unexpected in your project.
39. Guerilla craft time! Make something to beautify a public place (preferably something removable so you don't get in trouble).
40. Make something very big or something very small.
41. Spend thirty minutes at the bookstore or library or checking out blogs. Find a new project to try.
42. Urban life getting you down? Make something decidedly natural. (Do the reverse if you're in a more rural setting.)
43. Make something boring and utilitarian prettier.
44. Make a project based on a song or poem that you love.
45. Craft so that the finished project contains nothing purchased. You can use purchased things in the process, like glue or a blender, but the finished project must be only found and free objects.
46. Get nostalgic. Look at the library, used book store, or online for a distinctly vintage craft.
47. Make something to hold one of your favorite treasures.
48. Feeling a bit naughty? Make something sexy.
49. Chronicle something average or commonplace in you day in craft.
50. Help spread the craftiness. Teach a craft to someone else.
51. Go to a craft show or art exhibit and find something that you love. Talk to the artist. Make something that represents why you craft.
52. Make some very creative snail mail and send it to someone who inspires you.

I'll (hopefully) be posting my weekly projects. I'd love to see how other people interpret these too. If you want your project to be featured, just e-mail me a link at kittyzilla@gmail.com and I'll include it in my weekly post. (Please make the subject "Once Weekly #____" so I can keep them straight.)

Happy crafting!

Nifty Thrifty

I know there are lots of people who dislike thrift stores. They're often smelly, full of weird and dirty things, and who wants to think about where some of these items have been? Personally though, I LOVE them. Saturday morning was thrift shopping time for as far back as I can remember. I think it's the possibilities that are so exciting. The hidden corners of old stores, what treasure might be hiding in the bins and racks. Things that you can't find anywhere else. I think I've mentioned before I have an odd love of truly ugly 70's things, thrift stores are the only place to find this stuff.

Even if you don't find something you like, isn't it fun to go with someone and show each other the crazy things that can be found there? I know my mom and I were constantly calling each other over the aisle only to hold up some ghastly thing and giggle.

So if you couldn't tell what this was leading to, I had a very successful thrift store excursion.


This little guy was about $2. I have such an owl thing lately. I'm trying to decide how I want to paint him. He might look neat painted all one bright color, like turquoise or green or red?

I have had excellent luck with sheets at this store. Every time I go I've found at least one I like. It's awesome being able to get close to six yards of fabric for just a few dollars. This one has that blue and red combo I love.

E.T. sheets, can you believe it? I saw the little part with the spaceship first and immediately adored the little pink and brown mushrooms around it before I even realized what it was.


And He-Man sheets! Bats said he had these as a kid. The design on this is huge, the whole thing only repeats on the sheet three times. I want a pillow with Skeletor I think...



I also grabbed these cute plates. I found two of the second one and it was only 40 cents for all three of them. I like having plates and jars to hold things, and I think the the ones with the yellow borders would be sweet under small potted plants.

MOAR AND MOAR MEMES

Big news guys! The first batch of meme patterns in for sale through the awesome Mr X Stitch. Please buy some!

It got me all inspired again, so I decided I wanted to extend the meme quilt. There are just too many awesome memes I wanted to include. Here are some of the new ones!

The Llama Song

Bale Rant


Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny

Don't Tase Me, Bro!

End of Ze World

DO NOT WANT!


Check out the rest at my Flickr page.

Patchwork Pretties

I've been making these little patchwork quilts, and they are too much fun. (If you couldn't tell, since I made seven of them!) They are lap or baby quilt sized, 36" by 45". You just need 20 10" squares (I used a 1/2" seam allowance) and then enough for the backing. It's a goo way to use up some smaller pieces and really cute.

The yellow floral is from some recycled pillow cases. The little alphabet print is the focus fabric, I got it from my college sewing instructor.

I got this little cowboy print from my sewing instructor too. I love the red and grey with it, and there's also a cute star print.


The little cupcake print with this is a nice fuzzy flannel and I used it for the backing too.


The big floral and the yellow floral are both reclaimed fabrics, I totally love them. I think grey and orange and green are so pretty together.


I used a soft minty chenille for this and a cute nursery rhyme print flannel. It's really cuddly. I love the little bias floral too, so cute!


What's more fun that little guitars?


That yellow floral again, I wish I had more!

I have enough batting for one more quilt, but I can't decide what fabric to use. What do you think?

Birds of a Feather

Here was the other item I got on my trip to Hobby Lobby.

Cute little day of the week heat transfers with birds. This was actually purchased with another project in mind, but they ended up being something to fill up my lunchtime at work.

More Watching

I've been making more Watchmen crafts, this time little felt applique patches.



If you want to see blue weenie, go here.

Cute as a Button

Once again I have taken forever between updates and once again, here's a mass of posts at once. Oh well.

There is a serious lack of fabric stores in and around Charlotte. I don't get to Hobby Lobby very often, since there isn't one really close. But when I do get there, I always find something adorable.

For example, this fabric! I love the colors, especially the shades of green and the pale blue with the dark pink.

I have been looking FOREVER for a bag of assorted buttons that doesn't suck. I use a lot of single buttons on bags and other projects. So I was super excited to find these. I got the "pastel" bag, but there was also "nuetral" wuth browns and blacks and "bright" with deeper gemstone colors. The creamy colors on these and fabulous, and there's a great range of sizes.


Like this teeny little flower button, how cute. I think this might have to go on a little dolly dress.

And look what I saw when I was out! There are geese all over the place this time of year, they are so cute.


I got one more thing, but that's for the next post...

In the Garden

I've been a busy little bee, selecting fabric for totes and then making said totes.

I have to say that picking fabrics is pretty much my favorite part of any project. I'm a bad little fabric hoarder, and many of the fabrics I buy I have no project in mind for. I buy things because they make me happy, either with color or pattern or subject matter. I love to play with color in pattern in unexpected ways to find the combination that makes all the fabrics look better. A lot of my fabrics have some sentimental value to them too. So choosing fabrics means I not only get to play with color and pattern, but I'm reminded of good memories.

This was the last bit of this pretty bird fabric I had, I had juuuuuust enough to do the tote. I've also made a bead embroidered tote with this fabric. These are both from Home Fabrics but bought about two years apart. The little velvet ribbon was from an online fabric swap.

This was the last little bit of this floral as well, boo. I got this from my college sewing instructor, it was a discontinued decorator sample she had in her supply closet. She used to also go to estate sales and auctions and get huge lots of fabric to bring back to class and let us pick through and just give her a small "donation". I have some really cute vintage bits from that.
I had the floral matched with two totally different fabrics and ready to go when I noticed the houndstooth and liked that better.

These are both decorator remnants from Hancock Fabrics. I love the textured blue that's at the top. It has a fleecy backing on it, so it has a little stiffness for bags and doesn't ravel when cut. I kind of wish I had gotten more, but oh well. The little crystal button is from a pair of shoes I was getting rid of.

I had the hardest time with picking the fabrics for this one. I grabbed the floral and paired the yellow with it right away, but I just could not find anything I liked with both. I was actually pulling something else out and noticed the blue houndstooth that I had forgotten about. I love it together. The houndstooth is such a traditional pattern it works with the floral, but the colors are modern enough to make it a little unexpected. I really like it with the yellow too.

If it's not obvious, I loves me some huge gaudy florals.

Owlies

I have been really digging owls lately, and everyone else seems to be as well. I love their round bodies, big eyes, and teeny tiny beaks.

I found this wee owl couple at an antique shop. I'm not sure why they're green, but as it's my favorite color there are no complaints.

I've had my eye on this fellow for months, but I've been waiting for him to go on clearance. I finally got him 75% off, for just a bit over $6. He's going to live in the yard once I get out sitting area set up.

I got this nifty fabric, which I used to make...

...one of several owl pillow covers.

Here are some more.

I am also seriously coveting this owl vase from fruitflypie on Etsy. I think it would look adorable in my kitchen.

Edit: I got all owl inspired last night and made three little owl pendants. Here's one and you can see the others on my Flickr. They are made from polymer clay and hand painted.

Here They Come To Save The Day

I've been busy making some comic character plushes. Atomic Skull is in the works, I just need to finish off his flames. I finished two Ambush Bugs that were hanging out in my unfinished project basket.


They each got some cute little shorts to protect their modesty. The one on the right has chenille stems in his antennae, so they stand up and can be posed. They're both going on my Etsy shop later this week, along with Copperhead and Baby Rorschach. MODOK is also on Ebay until Sunday (July 12).


This little Ambush Bug already has a home.