Summer Update!

It's been a very long time since I last posted, but now that the school year is finally over I have some time to craft again! Also, I'm officially a senior! One more year to go!

Anyway, over the past few weeks I have been working on a lot of different projects. I'll just share a few, all of which are available to purchase at Found on Fremont in my space, which over the year has been doing very well! I'm glad to have stuck with it so long and I'm really pleased to be selling my handmade and vintage finds in a little store.

I have continued painting owl rock paper weights, as the last group I made sold pretty well. I also really like using my beach combing finds for crafts! Now to find something to do with all the shells and tiny rocks I always pick up.

I started working on another refinishing project. Mom brought home a little side table she found at a yard sale and I decided it would look lovely pink! This is only the first stage though, because the final stage will be to remove some of the paint to give it a 'shabby chic' look, which is pretty popular at Found on Fremont during the summer.

I've also been utilizing some of my old pinterest posts, or more like the ideas I had postponed until now. Of course I had to make use of all the plastic dinosaurs I had been keeping in the studio. They look awesome covered in glitter and make cute mason jar toppers when painted pastel colored! Glitter covered anything is amazing, but glitter covered dinosaurs is even more great! :D These have been added to my space last week. 

Along with dinosaur crafting, rock painting, and refinishing little tables, I've still been making some creepy cute jewelry. I had made some plastic spider and roach hair clips a while ago (which I haven't posted here yet), but I decided some roach earrings would be fun for someone as creepily inclined like me. :P I only wish they could be seen in my dark hair. Anyway, I've added them to the shop as well, though I'm not sure Found on Fremont is the right venue for cockroach jewelry. 

Anyway, I'll post some more things soon because I've been working in the studio a lot on my days off from working. 

Holidays at Found on Fremont

I have been trying to stop in at Found on Fremont more often since I have a space there. Every time I visit, it seems like there is always something new. I get so inspired by some of the wonderful displays and crafts the vendors come up with. Thought I would showcase one of my favorite vendors at Found in this post. :) Mom has some of her jewelry and I try to get a piece of her collage work for mom during gift giving holidays as often as I can. This vendor's space is brilliant and beautifully creative! And, I'm so impressed that almost all the things she sells are handmade!

 And, mom's space has been looking super festive! I know Christmas is over, but I like to think the holiday spirit can last a bit into January. :) Vintage ornaments, origami, wreaths, and a petite little tree!

New Space at Found!

Haven't posted in a really long time. School is almost out for winter break soon, so I'll be posting new creations around then. There has been no time to craft or make things with this semester being so challenging. 

Big update: I had been contemplating being a vintage vendor in some shops around town, but I wasn't sure which local store would be okay with handmade and vintage items being sold together. So, I went back to Found on Fremont where mom's space is and leased out another space because Found on Fremont is great for vintage, resale, and handmade items. My new space is about three times bigger than my old shelf space and I'm trying to make it more cutesy for some of the more mature shoppers at Found. So far things have been going great and I'm really pleased with how cute my new space is. I think the J'reyesha banner and the signage really helps shoppers see my space. 

If you live in Portland, come visit Found on Fremont! :)

Beach Trip Finds and Back to School

It seems like summer came and went too quickly. Can't believe I'm back in school already. I feel like I ended summer with a pleasant productiveness though.

I spent my last days off with summer at the beach with my family, where I spent most of my evenings crafting. I created a whole new line of leather jewelry and made about twenty new bows, all of which will be available on etsy and in local store, Found on Fremont, soon.

  

Both mom and I beach combed early in the morning too! I was able to find so many beautiful rocks and shell pieces. I'm working on making some more natural styled jewelry using some of the stones I found. My favorite are the rocks with holes in them. When I was little, I used to adore fairies and a book I had read said that rocks with holes are the only way humans can see fairies. So, I pretty much found the fairy seeing jackpot at the beach! :) I think the rocks will make awesome pendants, especially when I add some charms and things to them. 

Outside of crafting, I spent a good amount of time gardening this summer. This was my first summer working in our garden without the rest of my family, so I can't say it was a good crop this year... probably attributed to my not so green thumb. But, I'm very proud of how lovely everything grew, despite the lack of fruit. What I did master, however, was growing corn! I can't even begin to count how many people stopped to stare at the towering corn stalks around our yard. It may have looked a little funny in an urban neighborhood, but the corn was delicious. So, though we had few beans and tomatoes, tiny peppers, and only about 4 carrots... at least we had some amazing corn. 

I also thought I'd take the time to talk about Found on Fremont. Mom's displays have been getting better and better. And, it seems like her space keeps acquiring more and more interesting things. I took some pictures of my favorite areas in mom's space. 

This one displays a local artist's hand drawn cards. I think the vintage accessories and jewelry look lovely with the artist's colorful work. 

I love this vintage vanity set and the way the old pictures and gloves are displayed with them. 

Come visit Found on Fremont for more treasures, vintage goods, and gifts. :) 

Summer of the Bows

I have been so busy working, but crafting away on my days off. Just hadn't had time to upload pictures and blog here. I absolutely love my job at the best book store in town. I'm constantly inspired by some of the funky things we sell alongside the books.

Last week I vended at Last Thursdays with my sister. It was the first time I had sold my fabric bows, leather flowers, and the new line of cutesy jewelry. Things went really well down there and I was stoked to have sold so many of my bows and new items. A lot of friends came by and visited me too, which is great since I haven't been able to spend time with anyone in a while. A photographer even came by and took this picture of our table.
Check out Velour Photography's work here: http://www.facebook.com/velour

The bows did really well on Alberta and I sold a lot at mom's store, Found on Fremont, so I have been cranking out bows to sell on etsy, Alberta, and in the store. I love making them too because sewing is such a great activity to do while watching movies and relaxing. :) This is the latest batch of bows!

I also haven't shared my new business cards on here yet! I ordered these from a great little company called 'Playing with Paper.' She custom made them for me, which my mom picked out the style. Of course, she had throw a crown on there somewhere due to my Rose Festival Princess ties. But, I really like the circle and ruffled shape. Super unique and at a great price for business cards. 

Anyway, I'll try to post some of my newer creations soon. I have a couple new projects in the works that I can't wait to share when they're finished. :)

Aliens, Eyeballs, and Pretty Bows

So, back to work for the weekend, but I'm pretty happy because I crafted straight through my three days off. It's so nice to finally have time to make things again. College and too much time off almost made me forget how great it feels to be creative.

Of course, before I craft I always have to organize my supplies - some of which, are lego pieces! I really liked how they looked after I color coordinated them. Not many color wheels are as pretty as a lego one. And, yes I know it's not a literal color wheel. I wouldn't get any true complimentary or contrasting colors here! ;)

I also got a chance to make a new art piece! It has been months since I even touched any of my assemblage materials to make a new box. This piece is supposed to be about solitude, loneliness, and the dark places your mind takes you when you're alone. Good and bad. But, I was at my job and saw Albert Camus' book, The Stranger, and was reminded of my piece. So, I might make this piece dedicated to Mersault from the book. :)

I have taken to hand sewing a lot of small crafts too. I think I like hand sewing because I can do it while watching shows or talking with family. I had been eyeing (hehe) some eyeball felt pins on etsy for a while, but wasn't willing to pay shipping from the UK to get one, so I finally just bought some felt and made my own. I hand sewed these two pins, an alien and a blood shot eyeball. I'm hoping to find a jean jacket and deck it out with patches and kitschy pins soon. 

More hand sewing and more bows! The few I made for Found on Fremont flew out of the shop, so I took a trip to Scrap in NE Portland and made a whole new line. I'm super stoked with how pretty they are. I still want to order some funky patterned fabric soon, but for now the bows are made out of recycled fabric scraps! 

And, lastly I refined some old collages by adding something to hang them with. Collages are fun, so I was glad to find a way to make them useful for wall decor. 

Overall, it was a very productive three days and I'm looking forward to more crafting binges. 

All Day Crafting - Bows, Scrabble Necklaces, and Rings

I have been so busy these past few weeks. I got a new job at the best book store in town and have been working almost everyday. I'm finally on my normal schedule and am on the first days off! It's funny how much more I can appreciate the free time in summer now that I've filled most of it with work. I guess it's a good thing, because I have been crafting all day.

I had been buying bow hair clips from some great storenvy and etsy stores to accessorize, but it didn't dawn on me that I could make my own until a few weeks ago. Got a chance to try it out yesterday and I absolutely adore the new bows I made. I'll be selling a few in Found on Fremont through mom's space soon. I can't wait to get some new novelty fabrics and make more!

I also got a chance to try some more delicate jewelry work with scrabble tiles. I have always loved collaging, so naturally collaging on a smaller scale was even more fun. I even made a bottle cap necklace, which I haven't done since I was ten. I'd say it looks a lot better than the ones I made as a kid. These will also be for sale in Found on Fremont soon. I'm hoping to make a great display for them soon.

I got some great supplies from an etsy store called Skymagenta, which included a ton of ring shanks. I made some rings out of layered vintage buttons, resin flowers, and even some kitschy domino rings. These turned out so much better than I expected and I can't wait to sell these on Last Thursdays on Alberta. I think they'll be a hit! 

This has been one of my most productive craft days in months. It finally feels like summer! :)