Mori Mori

One of the things I absolutely love about my new job is the fashion. For years and years, I've been wanting to make my own clothes. Growing up a large child, being a large teenager and carrying that largess into my adulthood, I've always had a love hate relationship with my clothes. I have always felt like I dressed in what fit me, not neccessarily what I liked. I lamented this to my mother in law once and she said, well they have a plus size section at nordstroms. Except that I don't shop at Nordstroms. and I've never spent crazy money on clothing. Just the neccessities..and lots of hand me overs from my mama. So, I got by. I tried to coordinate well. Adding a little funk here and there with colored socks, or a funny t shirt or two. and I tried making clothes with patterns, only that made me really dislike sewing. So much so, I hid my sewing machine. and then the question became, what would I make? What is comfortable? What would I want to fill my closet with?

Well, many, many thanks to Charissa..for introducing me to Mori Girls and killing that fear monster that had taken over my sewing desires. 

This is a sample of a Mori Girl dress from Charissa's Curly-Cue Design shop. 

I have not been able to work on anything but clothes for the last two months. My entire closet has been ripped apart and slowly being sewn back together. 

These are the first three dress/tunics I've made, all from my closest and a few trips to the goodwill. I wear the grey one all of the time. 

This one I made from an old dress and an old tank top, that showed wayyyy too much booby, and some fun hearts fabric I found at a hospice thrift shop. I would wear this one every day, if I weren't such a messy eater. hee he

So a little bit about Mori Girls; Mori is Japanese for forest. So imagine you've fallen asleep in the middle of the forest and while you were dreaming, the whole world as you know it fell apart. The stores, the factories, every little bit of convenience that we've becomed accustomed to has ceased to exist. What would you cover yourself with? What would you wear? The idea is that you would have to cobble together whatever you could find. And that's where Mori girl fashion comes in. A loose, second hand, layered look, taking advantage of all materials that are available to you and are still comforting and comfortable.

I take this to mean, that I will transform my wardrobe to reflect what I already own, what I scrounge and what I love. Everything is comfort first. Google mori girl fashion to find out more about it's japanese sub culture and origins. and check out my pinterest board; Mori Mori. 

Are you a Mori Girl?

TRUTH

A happy, smiling, giggly girl, that's the me I project. That's the me that I love. One part Pollyana, one part Laughing Sally. A silver lining, a bright side, a reminder that not all is doom and gloom. A big plus sign of positivity. But we all know you can't be all sunshine and bacon, there is always another side. My other side, the brooding girl who is never good enough, she hides in an ostrich hole, only coming out in the safety of my home. My home, my office, my prison, my life. This is where I retreat to when life seems too big to handle. I don't reach out. I don't make phone calls and lunch dates. In fact, I pretty much gave up on answering the phone and making any calls at all. I didn't have anything to share or to offer.

{if i ever feel better, remind me to spend some good time with you}

The last year has been a  big hibernation year for me...and I thought all sorts of things. I'm too old to not know what I want to do with my life. Look at all of these great, together people I know on Facebook, the creative geniuses on Pinterest, the comic masters of Twitter..I'm none of those. and I started to be really mean to myself, shoulda-ing all over the place. I felt really lost, like I knew I wanted to do something new, something fun, something tangible and meaningful ..but I didn't know what. and that's a terrible, useless feeling. and then add to that, getting months behind in my rent, mooching off of my generous sister, not having even a clue as to how to make that cash. Feeling like I was disappointing my husband, burdening him with my mental masturbation. Betraying all of my friends, feeling like I'm not much of friend to have at all, grieving still for my grandma...I had moments of wanting to give up. I won't lie. I've been in those depths before, I've visited often in my 35+ years. I tried once when I was 20. I felt like there was no future and that I wasn't destined for this earth for long. It was such a terrible mistake and I am really thankful that I threw up and was able to grow up. I'm still here and I'm shaking off this death wish, but it's a hard one. I didn't realize until recently how much it had infested my whole life. I didn't really think I would be here long enough to do anything, achieve anything, learn anything..create anything. I'm flipping that on it's head and stabbing it through the heart.

Because even though I've been living in the dark, there have been those shining moments; getting to work with, getting to know and touring with Gabby, cash mobbing with Melissa, eating cake, raising kittens, hanging out with the family. Loving my husband. and I got a job. I applied for nearly everything under the sun. Not really wanting to get back into the system, the daily grind..but not able to make it any other way. Until one day I looked at Craigslist and there was a listing for an assisstant. and it read almost like my life itself. and I got it. In fact, I said to my sister; "I'm the best for something!" and I really felt that way. A year or two of no call backs, failed interviews, pointless information sharing had taken it's toll. But this new job, assisting Charissa at Curly-Cue Design has breathed fresh air into my lungs. I'm unafraid of my sewing machine, making upcycled clothes like the world was on fire...helping to tighten the lug nuts on the tires of this business. We work in her home studio, in the beautiful northern california west coast..it's been great for a lot of things. and especially for my psyche.

So, as I digress, I felt like I needed to unload some of these truths, so as I move forward, I'm doing it with less baggage. Fewer chips on my shoulder. One less monkey on my back. I've not been a faithfull blogger, because like in the rest of my life, I have felt like there wasn't much to share. Not that I needed to brag all the time, but Pollyana only wants to blog about sunshine. But I'm here to say that I want more TRUTH and the truth is, there are moments of pea soup fog and heavy rains..and I'll be sharing those too. I will write instead of hibernate. I will reach out instead of hiding away.

ps...what truth are you hiding and what do you do to make it better?

Weekend Project

A few weekends ago I was desperate for a project to work on. You know how sometimes you really want to make something you just don't quite know what? Yeah, I had that! So, I got to thinking about how much I love playing board games with my family..and it struck me that it can't be that hard to make! So I made a drinking game in honor of Cinco de Mayo. The fun part is I only just used one piece of mat board, a sampling of Sharpie markers and, of course, some beautiful stenciled images from Stencil 201!
I used an old scratched record and a mixing bowl to create the large circles and then just started filling them in! Let your imagination run wild!

Pinteresting

Are you pinning on Pinterest? It can be wholly time consuming, inspiring and overwhelming all at once. But  if you're looking for a creative *spark*..this is a great place to hang out!!

Here are a few of my favorite pins;

:)

Seven Simple Stencil Projects

Seven Simple Stencil Projects 

featuring stencils from Ed Roth's newest book, Stencil 201

{Projects Shown clockwise, starting in the upper left hand corner}

1. Stenciled Gift Bags

2. Stenciled Stickers

3.Stenciled Journal

4. Stenciled Magnets

5.Stenciled Gift Cards

6. Stenciled Framed Art

7. Stenciled Door Sign

Stencil 201 includes 25 reusable laser cut, plastic stencils, which makes them very long lasting and versatile for use in many different projects. With a copy of this wicked inspiring book and the above supplies, the following Seven projects will turn you, like me, into a stenciling fooool! :)

#1 Stenciled Gift Bags!

Supplies; LOVE Stencil, Two Paper Lunch Bags. Red Sharpie Fine Point, Black Sharpie Ultra Fine Point

Slip a piece of cardboard inside the bag and trace image with ultra fine tip sharpie marker. 

Fold top and add ribbon for extra festiveness!

#2 Stenciled Stickers!

Supplies; Phrases Stencil, White Cardstock, Double Stick Tape, Black Sharpie Ultra Fine Point and Assorted Fine Point Sharpie colors, scissors

These make great scrapbooking stickers!

Lay Phrases stencil onto white cardstock and trace each phrase onto sheet, using the black ultra fine point sharpie. Use a post it note to help hold the stencil down onto the cardstock. Remove stencil and color in each phrase according to picture. Use scissors to cut each phrase out and then apply double stick tape to the back. 

#3 Stenciled Journal!

Supplies; Mushroom Stencil, Star Background Stencil, 1 sheet white cardstock, 10 sheets of copier paper, hole punch, Black Sharpie Ultra Fine Point and Assorted Fine Point Sharpie colors, scissors, rope or string

Lay white cardstock sheet, 81/2 x 11, lengthwise and layer mushroom stencil across the front. Stencil with ultra fine point sharpie, remove and color in. Fold cardstock lengthwise to make a booklet. Fold copier pages in the same orientation. Use a hole punch to bind, by punching two holes along the spine of all of the pages. Feed a thin rope or string through and tie off. I also stenciled a few of the inside pages, just for fun!

#4 Stenciled Magnets!

Supplies; Black Bear Stencil, Tree Stencil, Cardboard sheet, Magnets, Black Sharpie Ultra Fine Point and Assorted Fine Point Sharpie colors, scissors, white color pencil

On a piece of cardboard, I used a piece from a shipping box, stencil Bear and Tree using black Sharpie ultra fine point. Use the white color pencil to add highlights to the design. Cut out with scissors along the lines of the design and adhere magnet to back. 

#5 Stenciled Gift Cards!

Supplies; Bird on Branch Stencil, White Cardstock sheet, Black Sharpie ultra fine point, Navy Blue Sharpie fine point, scissors

Lay Bird On Branch stencil onto white cardstock, in the landscape orientation. This design will go across the whole page, creating two cards at once. Stencil with black Sharpie ultra fine point, remove and color in with navy blue Sharpie fine point. Cut cardstock in half along the 11" side, creating two panels. Fold this panel in half to create an A2 sized gift card. 

#6 Stenciled Framed Art

{This is a fun example of how you don't always have to use the whole stencil. }

Supplies; Black Bear Stencil, Stencil 1 Spray Brown, White Cardstock, Scissors, Frame

Use the Stencil 1 spray on the solid part of the Bear stencil on the white cardstock, which is cut to the size of the frame. Add the detail with Sharpie markers.

#7 Stenciled Door Sign

Supplies; Phrases Stencil, Star Background Stencil, Waves Backround Stencil,  Cardboard, Black Sharpie ultra fine point, Navy Blue Sharpie fine point, White color pencil, hole punch, rope, scissors

Cut a rectangle piece of cardboard, like a panel from a shipping box, and stencil Make Something phrase with the black Sharpie ultra fine point. Remove stencil and color in with Navy Blue Sharpie fine point markers, add highlights with white colored pencil. Use the white colored pencil to stencil stars and wave background. Punch holes in each of the top two corners and tie rope to hand from your craft room door!

No Angel Like Snow Angel

While I have a working camera, thought I'd catch up on the things I've been making/doing laterly. 

Including these hand stamped/stenciled posters for Snow Angel, Gabby La La's newest incarnation.

Yes! I stamped and embossed..with neon powders! I did, of course, manage to burn myself with my heat tool, but that is to be expected. So out of practice I am.

I had fun with this version, done with Stencil 1 sprays..it's what I thought was a faux 3-D, but thanks to Gabby super fan, Joe!, we discovered they really are 3d! You need the red/blue 3d glasses..and it makes you feel Drunk! Weeeeeeeee!! I've done this one on t-shirts as well..more coming soon!

and for a Snow Angel music fix, check out their cover of Lykke Li's Love Out of Lust..it's beautiful!

I'm In Stencil 201!

Hello blog, how are you? 

Lonely and bored and it's your fault.

I know, I'm sorry. But I'm back and with goodies!!

They better be good. It's been a while.

What could be better than a feature on Ed Roth's Stencil 201 and a shrink plastic project?

Well, don't keep me waiting...any longer. 

Stencil 201! It's been here for a while and while I've been in the dirges, this wonderful book has also been waiting for me to get to it. The format is just like Stencil 101, except this time the stencils are laser cut plastic and there are projects featured from artists all over the crafting scene. Including Jenny Hart, Erica Domesek, Author and guru Ed Roth and Me!

Here's my two page spread extolling the virtues of stencils and shrink plastic. say cheeese!

I love this project of stencils on old plates! 

and I would sooooo totally do this to my hair. Ok. Yes, I tried and it ended up looking like this;

I digress..so I was very inspired to do a new shrink plastic project by one of the new stencils, this great looking Day of the Dead skull. 

Shrink plastic, Sharpie marker, colored pencils and stencil. Ready to go.  

This is everything after the shrinking. I was going to make a pin, but that came out horribly..so I switched over to some fancy clips...

{yes, I make a lot of really ugly looking stuff, that I usually hide or take apart. It 

isn't always all roses.}

Fancy Clips! Thank you Ed!! You are an inspiration!! 

For more information about Stencil 1 visit; http://www.stencil1.com/

Goo Goo for Goyte

Oh, what does one blog when one has not blogged in so very, very long? How about a current obsession. I mean obsession. I saw comments posted here and there about 'Somebody I Used to Know' by Goyte. Once the fervor calmed down a bit, I checked it out and now can't stop listening/singing it. The melody is beautiful, the lyrics are haunting and the video brings it all together. I've seen most versions and remakes of this song, but the original is truly the original.

I liked this cover too..for a while. But I went back to Goyte, I missed him.

Goyte and Kimbra live..I also love her.

and then I started listening to his other songs...

beautiful.

We ARE the 99%

I've been watching, cheering and supporting all of the Occupy movements..so happy to see so much participation, awareness and need for change. It's inspired me beyond words and into pictures..I've drawn these so far..with a few more in the works. Power is the People.

"Another World Is Possible. On a Quiet Morning, I Can Hear Her Breathing"