coco, the glove bunny

It’s time to get stitching for spring with this super cute glove bunny. This is Coco, bunny #1 in my bunny making journey (I have since stitched up and shared over 20 of these little guys) Hippity-hoppity.

You can either use a pair of holey gloves that aren’t going to make it to next year, or a pair of cheapo worker man gloves from the 99 cent store like I did here.  The details of the project are outlined in the pictures below… you are going to have to CLICK on the pictures to see them in more detail.

For the arms: I stuffed them about 3/4 full with the other pieces of glove that were cut off and then tucked the rest of the finger (the cut off part) back in to the finger with the stuffing, creating a smooth edge. Stitch the arm on to the bottom of the body, below the rim of the glove, with either matching or contrasting thread if you want a patchwork look.

Stuffing the bunny: Stuff the head and body, use a chop stick to get the filler up into the ears and legs. You can use whatever type off fill you want, but if you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know I like to use recycled fill like stray sock stuffing or an old clean t-shirt all chopped up.

Attaching the head to the body: If you notice, with this particular glove, there is a lip (or a rim) around the bottom of the glove.  If you notice on the top picture, it looks like the bunny is wearing a turtleneck… I simply shoved the head all the way down into the body portion of the bunny. Sewed along the edge where they were joined (I went around twice with the stitching because some of my bunnies were going to kids and I wanted them to last through some heavy hugging) and then flipped the rim of the glove over the stitching to create the turtleneck effect.

And if you only have one stray glove lying around the house, be sure to check out the baby glove bunny project.  Happy Spring!!

This may come as a surprise since I don’t post a lot about either.. but two of my favorite mediums to dabble in are linocut printing and india ink. Here’s a quickie run-through of my latest project:

(click on the pics for more detail)

Please keep in mind that this is only an overview of linocut printing, and that any time you plan on using a sharp tool, it is important to observe proper safety precautions. The instructables website has a nice piece on linocut printing and safety here.

And for further reading and inspiration be sure to check out this impressive online exhibit of Picasso’s prints by MOMA. As usual, they have outdone themselves with another amazing interactive web presentation!! Love. Love.

Get in the Valentine’s mood and start spreading the love a little earlier this year with a project that ends in a gift. While this is a photo project, moreover, it’s a way to leave a little heart in some unexpected places.

Shown, are just a sampling of outtakes from my Hearts Project. To get started all you need is brightly colored paper, scissors, tape, a digital camera, and the guts to look ridiculous in front other people for a few moments.

The adventure began by cutting out a purse-full of hot pink hearts, grabbing my camera, some silver duct tape (for lastablitiy) and going about my week as usual. The only difference being that, like cupid, I left a little love everywhere I went… and photographed it!!  Sometimes it was not possible or appropriate, but whenever I could I left the heart where it was shot, like tiny pink remanence of joy for whomever might cross its path.

There are oodles of things to do with the pics when you’re done, but if you’re want to really go for it, I suggest transforming your digital collection into a beautifully bound book to present to your Valentine. Both Kodak Gallery and iPhoto are great reasonably priced places to get you going.

I hope to see your hearts around town!!

I’ve been busy, busy, busy, sewing surprises for those I care about (will post details AFTER the gifts have been received).  In the meantime, I thought I would post some pictures of last year’s holiday project.  I’m happy to see that many of the little critters I gave away last year have made a holiday comeback.

Happy Holidays. xoxox

I was about to make an impulse buy and purchase a charming roll of recycled holiday paper (placed cleverly near the register so you drool over it while waiting in line)… then I remembered all the magazines in the recycling bin, and put it back.

There’s beauty in resourcefulness… plain and simple.

(click on an image to enlarge)

* * please bear in mind, the finished project is not suitable for food * *

When clearing out the closet to make room for all the unbelievable after-holiday finds, be sure to put aside a few graphic-T’s and interesting fabrics for sewing projects like this one…

Old Clothes Pillows is also an amazing way to hang on to a part of a favorite old shirt, or kids outfit that is never going to fit again. Tween girls will love filling up their beds with these tiny little pillows, and boys can turn their favorite old sports shirts into team pillows. Sewing skills are required (but not professional!)

1. Using sharp scissors, cut out the shape you are going to use for the front of your pillow. Then, choose and cut a contrasting color or pattern for the pillow back.

2. Pin the fabric together inside-out, and then sew. We used our sewing machine (because practice is good) but, for the most part, these pillows are not that large and can also be sewn by hand. Be sure to leave an opening for stuffing the pillow

3. Flip your pillow case right-side-out and stuff! Since these were to toss around my house, I used poly-fill from an old (clean) dog bed. I also suggest shredding the remainder of the clothing fabric you did not use for stuffing or, stray sock stuffing.

4. Hand-sew the stuffing hole and you’re done! Enjoy! …but watch out, they’re totally addictive!

The Animal Totem Ribbon is a fun and adorable, multi-step project.

This project involves cooking and permanent paint, so adult supervision and interactivity is required. To get started you will have to make some Salt-Dough.

Salt-Dough
- 2 cups flour
- 3/4 cup salt
- 3/4 cup water

1. Gather the ingredients and squish them together in a medium sized bowl until everything is combined. You’ll have to push up your sleeves and get your hands dirty for this one!

2. Roll out the dough and cut out your favorite animal shapes with cookie cutters (or whatever is in the Play-Doh bin).
3. Carefully, slide half of a bobby-pin (or paper clip) into the top of the shape, and then place on a cookie sheet.

4. Bake your creations at 350 degrees, for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

5. Let cool, completely.

6. Paint your animals with acrylic paint for a nice, long lasting finish. What about kids? Make sure there is a lot of supervision for young ones, it’s okay to use permanent paints sometimes, as long as there is the proper amount of adult help, and everything is covered up! Note: You could try tempura (or poster) paints, however when we did, the high water content made our baked goods a bit soft again… it dried eventually, but we were not that pleased with the results.

We painted each of our animals with a single, bright color. Once dry, we added eyes (and other tiny details).

7. Let dry, completely.

8. Arrange your creatures, and then, starting with the top, tie them one by one, onto a long piece of colored ribbon. Tie a loop at the top of your totem to hang it up with. **Make this project boy-friendly by using thick string or twine instead of ribbon. Tie big chunky knots and wrap tape around the ends of the string**

9. If you want, you can jazz up your totem by adding some beads, bells, or more ribbon… like us!

Check out the pictures…

This was, hands down, the best gift I gave this winter… and while the holidays have passed, there are plenty of birthdays ahead in the new year to give The Best Gift Ever. Art Box Deluxe is filled with tons and tons of great art-project stuff for crafty kids about 6years and older (depending on the child, of course).

To make this interesting, the majority of the contents in Art Box Deluxe were selected to accompany the projects listed in the book D.I.Y. Kids, by Ellen Lupton and Julia Lupton. In addition to tucking all the materials neatly into a large tupperware container, I also put post-it tabs on the corresponding pages in the book to make it easy for youngsters to get started right away.

Since the gift was also for a bubbalulu kid, I made sure to put some extra supplies for projects we write about (or will write about) on our blog.

Check out the picture below for a listing of all the goodies inside this great gift…

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What You Need:
- Old Magazine
- Scissors
- Mod Podge glue
- Paint Brush/Sponge
- Old Frame

Instead of tossing out those old, banged-up frames… Recreate Them!

1. Cover your work area with paper, then start cutting out pieces from the magazine to cover your frame with. It is a good idea to cut and measure all your pieces before starting to glue.

For our frame, we went with a patterned background and then put a couple of cute pictures on top of the pattern… to make them stand out.

2. When all the cutting is done, you are ready to decoupage.
The steps are simple: apply Mod Podge glue to frame with your brush, place your cutting on top of the glue, then cover the entire image with even more glue. Do this for the whole frame.

Tip: If you are applying picture layers (a picture on top of another picture) allow the bottom layer to dry before applying the next layer to the top. As Mod Podge starts to dry, painting over the same place again while half-wet, often results in paper tearing.

3. Allow your decoupage to dry a few hours, then apply one last coat of Mod Podge, to even things out, and you’re done!!