#50 Pizza servant costume

This ditty was a quickly for the playa... It is a one size fit's all number that can be worn several ways due to the magic of rope... my beloved beloved rope.

#51 Mane...

Things like this will go to a sisters head. Was totally thrilling to draw something out and then have someone fabricate it right on the spot (thanks Felix). Wow... what fun!

#52 Spicy Pickeled Mexican veg and my inability to post regularly

Long time no post. I know. Silly. I just lost my will to polish and post content. The good news is that I have been generating content and I am gonna get off my ass and post it! And if I can figure this out at all I am gonna integrate this blog with my wordpress creative site, too. But enough of this.


I pickled this weekend... unlike other weekend were I just got pickled.

This is a combination of Jalapenos, red onions, carrots, and garlic pickled with vinegar and lime juice and spice. Yummy. 12 pint recipe will follow shortly and be edited into this post.

And Now the recipe
8 red onions, sliced in thin half rings
38 jalapeños, topped, halved and deseeded
2 C garlic, whole peeled cloves
14 bay leaves
1 lb Carrots, in large thin angled slices
15 C rice vinegar
1.5 C lime juice, fresh only (about 10 - 12 limes)
8 Tbl Salt
.5 C sugar

12 Pint jars with lids and rings (about $8.99 at the hardware store)

Mix veggies well in a large non-reactive bowl or container.
In a large pot bring vinegar, salt and sugar to a boil. Stir until the sugar and salt are completely dissolved. Add the lime juice and bring back up to just to a boiling (you don't want to over-boil the lime as it kills the flavor... but you do want to get it to boiling for about a min.)
Pour over the veggies and set aside to cool
In the bottom of each (washed) jar add 1 large bay leaf ( or two small ones).
Once the veggie mixture has cooled for about an hour or two, use your hand to evenly divide the veggies into the jars — packing them in is okay! I like to make the jars kinda pretty by showing the nice veggies on the outside. Then poor the vinegar mixture into the jars until very VERY full. This part is messy. It will spill when you put the lids on. The idea is to get rid of as much air as you can and keep those veggies submerged. Add tops and tighten down... then place in the fridge... you can dig into these in three days but I like them in one week. If kept continuously cold they will stay good for some time (several months).

If you want to hot seal them check out the directions here for canning pickels: http://www.pickyourown.org/makingpickles.htm

52 Pick Up

*

For the year of 2011, I intend to complete 52 significant, worth a week projects. They may be crafty. They may be arty. They may be just crazy-ass ideas all drawn out with plans. I will do my best to chronicle the process not only for entertainment purposes but also an effort to improve the quality of my endeavors. Many aspects from the 365 project still hold true.













*Ha! Fooled you. You thought of course I would include a image of cards from the old card trick. The main image for this post and this project is a 1952 pick up truck. I was tempted to use this image... for the sheer creepy factor. But the source material just squicked me pretty out though I dig the blog that posted it.

Blogging is hard work

So it has been almost 2 months since the close of 2011 and the 365 project. I learned a few things. 1, it is insane to plan a project a day and have a full time job and be a parent and friend. If I ever do that again, I am gonna have to ditch one of those things. (Guess which one it would ditch... come on, guess ;)

As I closed the 365 project I only completed about 100 projects. I didn't even get to blogging them all. I learned a few things one if which is it takes time to photograph and write and illustrate stuff. Who knew. I find that despite that I still like doing it. And I love thinking about projects and then actually doing it. I plum adore the whole process.I also learned that have a goal, a structure and making that structure know to the world was immensely helpful. It gave me drive not only to complete my ideas and project but also a greater sense of "rightness" about recording ideas in books, blogs and journals regardless of if I ever brought them to life.

I also learned to accept and embrace the fact I will always be one of those people with a million ideas. An Ex once said to me (in a not very nice way) that "you always have a million ideas but I only see you doing one or two... you have all these dreams and you aren't doing them." That was painful to hear not only because he was saying to be mean and belittle me but also because well it was true. And years later, after removing him and adding some of those dreams I figured out... well that it is okay not to see each and every idea, dream, half baked notion to the light of day. The first step is to think it or dream it... so job done there.

So I will be starting a new project ( i sorta already did) for 2011. One that respects the time it takes to write, image and otherwise communicate the whole dealio. I will call this project 52 Pick Up. After the card game. Pick Up as in I am picking everything back up after a right crap holiday season. And the 52 comes from one a week. I have a bunch of blogging to do from projects started and completed since the first. Stay tuned.

Shoe lust

I have almost reached the ripe old age of forty and up until now never WANTED a pair of shoes the way I want these.

#298 Drafting #288 Painted Lettering

So a good friend did this amazing standee for an awesome wedding. I helped by drafting the type (3 different creatives) and then painting it with him.

Here is a snapshot... I will try to get close ups soon too.

#299 Recon 30's style dress

So in my previous post about the "plan" to make this dress I made claims to not counting it twice... but this was hard work so I am gonna anyway. On the up side it was quick work and next time I will more closely follow the plan. I am happy with the result but it could be even better. This was a 1.5 - 2 hour project.


I was inspired by these looks from the 30's.

#300 Black and Cream Vinty Recon Dress Idea

So in order to tackle a project I really need to think it through. This starts with sketches and a plan.

Stuff needed

• 4 buttons (possible to snatch off bottom of shirt)
• Small (10 in x 10in) Scrap of thick black fabric
• Loose fitting man's shirt
• 2.5 yards black cotton fabric (I will use a strippy kind)
• Black thread

Equipment needed

• Pins
• scissors
• sewing machine
• Dress Form*
• chalk
• Butterick 5001 (for the skirt part) Or any mid calf stretchy skirt pattern

Master Plan

1. Make the skirt from the pattern
2. Take the loose fitting dress shirt, and place inside out on the dress dummy, tack down the side seams and center front with pins and tape so it doesn't shift around.
3. Press the shirt firmly down the boob and use a spare piece of elastic to test how it will fall when you cut off the bottom. 
4. Pin any darts in the back and fiddle with gathers needed for the girls, mark all with chalk including marking the cut line all the way around.
5. Take the shirt off the dummy, clean up the cut line and cut the bottom off the shirt 1 inch below the cut line. 
6. Sew in any needed darts and put back on the dress form. Check and mark places for gathering etc. Then put the shirt on the dress form inside out
7. Tape the skirt to the dress form
8. The drappy middle bit is going to be two layers. One for the ruched effect and one for structure. Measure from the waist of the skirt to the bottom of the shirt all the way around. Average out the numbers and divide in half. Add .5 inch seam allowance. Cut from black knit fabric. Now add 50% to 100% more to the height of those pieces and also cut out of the Knit fabrick... this will be the outside.
9. Next Sew the sides of the tall bits together gathering along the side till it is the same height as the short bits.
10. Sew the short bits together.
11. You should have to tubes at this point.
12. Next match up the short tube to the bottom of the shirt. With the right side of the tube facing the wrong side of the shirt. Match up the sides and center (front &Back) then pin. Next match up evenly about 2 inches of matertial from the sides to the center front. Stretch and pin the remaining knit fabric along the front of the shirt, careful to remain even on both sides.
13. Take off the dress form.
14. Take the ruched up band and with the right side of the band facing the right side of the shirt pin it to the bottom of the shirt making a sandwich... match up sides and stretchy bits to the short band.
15. Sew to the bottom of the shirt, being sure to stretch when needed with a .5 inch seam allowance.
16. Flip bands down. You should have a nice finished edge at the bottom of the shirt and all the sides should match up.
17. With the right side of the top facing the right side of the skirt, match up the sides and pin and sew first at the .5 inch mark. Then again at the .2. inch mark for a nice strong waist. Flip up seam and tack to top
18. Embellish the front with 2 button frogs made from the extra shirt bits and scraps. Possibly use shirt scrap fabric to embelish the skirt.

*Optional if you have a friend help with the fit part


P.S. Okay, So I promise not to count the dress too when I finish it.

#301 Quick Creepy Halloween costume

I needed a costume in 3 seconds or less... and I had lent out all of my stage make up. Soooooooooo... So I came with this Typhiod Mary costume (name tag not shown)