30 Days of ______________?

My "30 Days of the Everyday" project is coming to an end. Just 6 more days to go. And now I am wondering what photographic adventure to take next.

Perhaps, 30 Days of:

... Close-ups.

... the Handmade.

... the People in our Lives.

... Home.

... the Outdoors.

... My Neighborhood.

... Strangers. (see here for some great inspiration)

So, what do ya think??? Anyone want to join me as well?

Love,

Jodi

Read More

Tees for Toddlers, Teens and InBetweens.

I have posted some *freshly* made tees on Etsy:

I am very excited about them. I just adore the way they came out - as does Isaac. He thinks the figure on the teal tee is him :) The red ones didn't photograph well - but in all truth, I find them the most beautiful. The black on red is quite striking.

These tees are available in various sizes and colors. And more are on the way - including my favorite owl. I hope you enjoy them.

Love,

Jodi

Read More

Try Some Paper Crafts.

I have always enjoyed working with fabric. It comes in so many colors, textures, themes, etc. I love collecting it, cutting it, touching it (oh, I love the touching :) and sewing it. But I had no idea, until recently, that working with paper could be so satisfying as well. I think I have found a new obsession ... I mean, hobby.

It all started with a simple snowflake book:

I bought it for $9.95 on Amazon.... and have been making snowflakes almost daily since! When I use a pattern in this book, I get a quick and beautiful result from paper and a just a few snips with the scissors. Not a bad way to spend 10 minutes. Now these snowflakes are taking over our house...

But it doesn't end there. I went on to buy this book as well:

I am having such fun with it. There are some amazing patterns in this book - and all are easily accomplished by anyone (that means you!) with some paper, sharp scissors and an exacto-knife. There are dragons, snowflakes, animals of all kinds, people, large scenes and small, etc... Truly something for everyone - at every level. Here was my very first attempt at cutting a pattern from this book:

No doubt - these little chickies will be multiplying all over the house this Easter.

Ahhh ... but of course, my paper obsession continued to grow, so I picked up this amazing book as well:

It has become an absolute favorite. I had been visiting this author's blog for quite some time, but though I admired her artwork, I assumed it was beyond my capabilities. Then I bought her book ... and I am taking such pleasure in creating personal collages... and lovin' the results:

She uses fabric in her collages as well (a step I haven't yet taken), so crafting in this way may be the ultimate blending of my two favorite materials. Oh, and paint is certainly alot of fun as well!

So, for those who have written me in the past, to say that they admire my sewing because they themselves are not "crafty", I say ... phooey.. you are wrong. We are all crafty, we all have art to share ... and perhaps you may want to start expressing yourself with some snowflakes ... and then move on from there :)

Enjoy!

Love, Jodi

P.S. More papercrafting books are on their way to my mailbox (of course), so I will be sure to offer up more ideas as I receive them :)

Read More

Missing Home Already (partly).

I am going to miss these country walks so very much when we finally make our move into Bangor. I am sure that I post WAY too many "outdoor walk" photos on this blog as well as on Flickr. But I can't help it ... these walks are often the highlights of our days... and they make for some great photographs.

These walks give Isaac and I time to be all alone ... to chat ... to discover ... to breathe deep.

And the freedom that our dogs enjoy when we walk our secluded country road is something I may never find at our new home ... so I am taking it all in now while I can. I will hope and pray that we can find a way to enjoy outdoor walks in the "city".

There are so many wonderful reasons for us to make this move ... and I am very excited for this new family adventure. However, I already know how deeply I will miss this silly old country road :) You will surely see more of it before we pack our last moving van.

Love,

Jodi

Read More

Lovin' the New Bag.

I am loving this new bag I made. Though it may look similar to many of the bags I have made in the past, it is actually quite different. I love the way the long shoulder strap slides through the shorter "strap" to close the bag. I love the pocket inside. And I love the size ... just perfect for a child to carry across their chest (I am thinking this one will make a great bag for Easter egg collecting :)

Though the appliques were my idea, the pattern is from Amy Karol's book: Bend-the-Rules Sewing. I reviewed this book a while back ( I would post the link but can't locate it right now) ... and have completed several projects included within ... but this one is a favorite.

The directions required a little "tweeking", as the pattern sizes must have been misprinted in the book. And though I highly recommend this book for inspiration, it is flawed in its presentation. Basically, as many reviewers have noted, the book needs better editing. BUT, it is still one of my faves ... as the projects are sweet, fun & make wonderful templates for expressing your own creativity.

And, Amy created a wonderful Flickr group for sharing photos of the projects people make with her book (I will post these photos to it today :) Lots of inspiration! But even better than that are the discussions that are posted there as well. If and when someone has trouble with one of the patterns, they can get help from someone else ... or even from Amy herself. Check it out.

I leave you now with some additional pics of the previously mentioned bag:

If you are using her book as well, please leave a comment about your fave pattern.

Love,

Jodi

Read More

Sweet Love on her birthday

HB012

What was I thinking when I design this card? Hmmm....sweet sweet sweet love hehehehe...the mood of Valentines day and probably hunger for candy prompted me to make this card hehehe...well, that's what I was feeling and thinking of at that time.....kinda cheerful and happy feeling inside with all the colorful heart shapes all around the birthday wording... :)

Read More

A Brief Reenactment

Scene:

Isaac jumping on swivel computer chair.

Dialogue:

Mommy: Isaac, be careful. If you fall, you will get hurt and then Mommy will be so sad.

Isaac: Am I you're best friend, Mama?

Mommy (while hugging him and taking him down from the chair) : Yes, you are my best friend.

Isaac (as he cheerfully walks away from the chair): Okay Mama ... and I'm a good boy too!

Moral of the Story:

Tell your kids why you are guiding them - because you love them so very much - and they just might listen :)

Love,

Jodi

Read More

Love you girls even more....

V006 (brown)

5.2.2008 - I thought I would share with everyone here a card I made for my dear friend who lives far far away in Maine...I wanted so much to give her this card design which was pink in color but I actually ran out of pink paper but still wanted to give her this card .....so I thought and thought about it and finally got an idea to use brown paper since brown hues are her favorite colors...and since the patterned paper has that color too, it just seemed perfect! My sister said that it looks like chocolate to her when she looked at the card...and I thought so too!! :) Looks yummy hehehe! Hope she loves it too! :)

V006

I found this really cool stripe patterned paper sometime ago...and I finally got an idea of what to do with it last night hehehe :D....I cut it out in heart shape forms and layered it with a thicker paper before pasting it on the card....and added the wordings "Love" and "You" on each heart... :) and later surrounding them with tiny red punched out heart shapes......As I thought of how to make the design using these heart shapes, I came up with an idea of matching them with a style that I love doing which is using strips of different colored paper pasted side by side using the colors found in the heart shape patterned paper....with a red hot ribbon tied up at the top, it completes the design!

I already know who I'm giving this hot card to....do you? :P hehehe.....This is to all the hot girls I love! :)

Read More

Love you guys too....

A simple wording inside of "Love You" in a tag form with a matching ribbon....sweet!

A matching soft purple handmade envelope with a heart shape form attached to the back of the envelope, using the same colors found in the card...

V005

I was thinking to myself when I made this card...hrmmm...wonder if the guys would prefer to receive a Valentines Day card that has colors other than red, pink or other girlish colors hehehe....WHY NOT RIGHT??? I wanted it to look less feminine and with a subtle look....I played with the different colored strips of paper to achieve that checkered pattern or maybe a "kain pelikat" pattern hehehehe....so that it is more masculine...but since it's for Valentines Day, I couldn't help but add the tiny punched out heart shapes on it!! :D Plus, I added a short sweet message inside by making a tag out of it saying "Love You"....

So what do you guys think?? Would you like to receive one of this card from a loved one this Valentines Day? Or is it a big NO NO NO!?? Hehehehe......I love it still no matter what :)

Read More

Freezer Paper "Screen Printing"

My new friend, Celtic Mommy, suggested that my family might like to create our own "screen printed" t-shirts using a simple freezer paper method that she learned over at The Angry Chicken. I had heard of this type of craft before, but hadn't gotten around to trying it ... until I saw what she and her 3 year old produced - and then just had to participate!

So Isaac and I headed over to our best friend's house (Aunty Missy) ... with all the fixins' ... and began to create some masterpieces:

I have yet to produce any sort of tutorial on this blog, but the instructions for for making freezer-paper "screen printed" creations are pretty simple:

* Find or create the image that you would like to put on your cloth.
* Trace it onto the matte side of freezer paper.
*Carefully cut out image.
* Iron freezer paper onto cloth (shiny side down).
* Slip paper or cardboard inside of your shirt (or other material) so that your paint does not seep through.
* Liberally apply textile paint (other acrylic paints will also do) to your template - trying not to create brush strokes by applying pressure - just sort of move the paint around and let it seep in.
* Allow to dry for a couple hours OR blow-dry (we opted to blow dry).
* When dry - carefully peel off freezer paper, then heat set your work by placing a sheet of paper over the image and then iron over that paper. It is important not to iron the image directly at this point...but you may do so later.
* Lastly, ENJOY. And wash as normal.


My girlfriend "screen printed" the most amazing silhouette of her daughter on to a sweatshirt. She did this by using a photo she had taken of her daughter. She simply enlarged the photo on her computer, printed it out, traced the outline onto freezer paper, and followed the rest of the steps. It looks SO great ... and sh was able to carefully transfer some nice detail - like the feathering of her hair, etc. My girlfriend has an amazing way of taking every art project a step further:

She joked that she would apply a silhouette image of each of her children to the rear pockets of her jeans. I think its a great idea! Then her kids would move along to the beat of her booty :)

I hope you all find the time to share in the freezer paper fun. Please feel free to ask any questions, as my directions may be lacking.

Enjoy!

~ Jodi

Read More

Thank you, Martin Luther King, Jr. ...

... that our family can look like this - is a testament to all that you worked to achieve. We are Haitian, Turkish, Native American and French/English. And we are family.

Amen.

Love,

Jodi

P.S. this picture was taken in 2006.

Read More

A birthday card for a dear friend :)

HB011

This is a special card I designed for a good friend of mine for her friend's birthday that's coming very soon this month.....she wanted something sweet with soft colors. Since I am still crazily in love with making those plum blossoms for Chinese New Year cards....I decided to make some that would suit the birthday girl's card too! I am like soooooooooo addicted to making those plum blossoms at the moment and I just couldn't help myself! hehehehe!!!! :P Please forgive me hehehehe..... But I am happy that my good friend loved this design and so another mission is successfully completed! And I love it too!!! :) hehehehe!

Read More

Day 13: Mama's Side of the Bed.

(Click on photo to see some notes. )

I hope you enjoyed a wonderful weekend.

Love,

Jodi

Read More

Swimming in Fabric... and About to Drown.

I have collected fabric for years. And I thought I had stashed away way more than I could ever use in a lifetime. But then, I inherited more ... lots more. I mean, LOTS more. So, slowly but surely, I have been weeding through it all in an effort to downsize my collection to a manageable size for our big move. It has not been easy. I mean, I LOVE fabric. And I am finding ever so many more uses for it all. But there is just no way that my new home (or any home for that matter) can support the sort of fabric fetish that I have going on.

So, part of my weekend will be spent sorting through fabric and reluctantly parting with pounds and pounds of it. And for anyone interested in purchasing some fabric treasures ... you can check out our sale site here: www.estatefabrics.blogspot.com.

Enjoy your weekend.
Love,
Jodi

Read More

Day 10: Walking the Dog.

I am 10 days into my "30 Days of the Everyday" photography project and am lovin' it. What a great way to photographically chronicle our lives - by participating in these sorts of group projects via Flickr. My cousin has begun participating in the "Project 365" project ... and there are so many others to join in or create on your own.

Here are a few to check out:

*handmade family*

Catchy Colors

Jumping Project

Own a camera? Well, check them out! There is something for everybody on Flickr. So much inspiration as well.

Enjoy.

Love,

Jodi

Read More

Chinese lanterns....

CNY003

I am so excited about this design :) as I have never made a Chinese lantern before...how cool! Another fun project :).

Raising the red lantern is a tradition that began in China back in the 1600's during the Qing Dynasty. Chinese red lanterns are a symbol of happiness and good luck. These traditional Chinese paper lanterns are used on the fifteenth day of the Chinese New Year for the Lantern Festival, are bright, colorful, and in many different sizes and shapes, but mostly they will be red in color.

Read More

Mandarin oranges...

CNY002

I got this cute idea to make a Chinese New Year card using mandarin oranges as a subject matter. Did you know........... that the mandarin oranges are the most popular and the most abundant fruit during Chinese New Year. Piles of oranges and mandarin oranges with leaves attached go on sale in the weeks before the New Year. Both oranges and mandarin oranges are round golden fruits surrounded by emerald leaves. Their shape and color symbolize the sun and connect with the yang principle, which represent the positive element and generative force in nature. Thus oranges are considered auspicious fruits and important symbols of the New Year.

The name of the fruit is gut in Cantonese, and therefore it symbolizes good fortune (dai gut). It is an important item for the household. At the New Year, a pair of mandarin oranges, together with a red envelope of money, is placed next to the pillow of every child in the family. This stands for dai gut lai see "good fortune and good business". The same items are placed on top of the chuen hop, the circular box, containing New Year's preserves and candies, as well as the family rice container, to bring good fortune for the home. Dishes of oranges are also placed in front of altars and on top of New Year's gifts for one's friends. Mandarin oranges are used as a "return" gift when one is given a New Year present. These are some infos I got about the mandarin oranges and what it symbolizes for the New Year....

So go and spread some wealth and good fortune to others with this cute card during this new year! :)

Read More

Inspiration: Chief Mankiller

Many years ago I read this great book by and about an Indian chief who achieved amazing things for her people against incredible odds. Her story was such an inspiration to me. At that time I was just beginning my journey into womanhood ... I had just left home to get married ... and I had no clue yet about the wonder, beauty and power of women. Chief Mankiller , and many other inspirational female authors, helped to initiate my self-exploration into what it meant to be a woman, a wife, a mother, a member of my community, etc.

And today, by divine intervention, I came across the following quote:

"When people cease waiting for great leaders or prophets to solve entrenched problems and look, instead, within themselves - trusting their own thinking, believing in their own power - and to their families and communities for solutions, change will follow. In traditional indigenous communities, there is an understanding that our lives play themselves out within a set of reciprocal relationships. If each human being in the world could fully understand that we all are interdependent and responsible for one another, it would save the world." ~ Wilma Mankiller

I am now reminded of the power of me (& you), of the beauty of the reciprocal relationships I (we) share with so many others, and of my (our) responsibility to the whole of humanity. I was thankful to have found it today, and thought I would pass along the book title that inspired me so many years ago ...

Mankiller: A Chief and Her People

Much Love,
Jodi

P.S. Day 9 of "30 Days of the Everyday"

Read More

We Are On Our Way ...

... to a corn-free diet!

And let me tell you, this is not an easy task. I made it my New Year's resolution to free our fridge and cupboards from anything that contained corn, high fructose corn syrup and any meats that were from corn-fed animals. I decided that this was in the best interest of my family, humanity, and the earth after I listened to THIS program on NPR.

Believe me, I SO knew this would not be an easy task ... especially given that my husband's favorite meals are Frosted Flakes and Salsa on Tortilla Chips. But, he has conceded that in the best interest of our son, he will have to eat those meals by himself - out of my son's sight (sorry Daddy). And I am sure we can do this.

And now, after a couple weeks of searching, I am so glad to report that I have found a new breakfast cereal that is not only corn-free (try to find one and see how hard it is) but is also organic! And - get this - it tastes so good! And if all that weren't good enough ... the box also contains the picture of one of my son's favorite tv characters... Clifford Crunch. Have I hit the jackpot or what ??!!

There is a down side though, and that is cost. These 12.25 oz boxes go for about $4.50 each. But, I have also found a way around that as well. I went to Ebay and purchased 20 $1 off coupons for $3 ... thus saving me $17 on the 20 boxes I am now going to stock up on. Not bad.

Now, if you are still wondering why I would even care to take on this task of freeing our lives of corn, I offer you the following videos to check out:

KING CORN

FOOD NEWS: A Conversation with 'King Corn' Filmmaker

FOOD NEWS: A Conversation with 'King Corn' Filmmaker: 2

FOOD NEWS: A Conversation with King Corn Filmmaker: 3

Love,
Jodi

Read More

Colors of the new year...

MBL67 (SOLD OUT)

I simply am crazy about the combination of these colors on this new design of my mine. The red, orange and yellow colors are so bright and attracts one's attention to it. I bought this bright orange lace a few months ago last year but have not used it for any of my designs. Couldn't get the right combination of colored paper to suit the lace and now I have! So excited about that! I guess it must be the Chinese New Year mood that somehow got me the idea hehehe.... I am not sure if this card is suitable for use as a Chinese New Year card, but I do feel that it would be suitable as a Thank You note card or even as a card for one to use to just say Hello to a friend that's long been missed..... :)

Read More