molly milkfish

2010-08-09T21:17:00.001-07:00

2010-03-31T22:14:00.001-07:00

my mom sent me a wacom tablet in the mail, here is my first drawing with it!

2010-02-24T09:16:00.000-08:00

today i made

2010-02-05T19:13:00.000-08:00

i valentines sweatshirt with ribbon and thread!

2010-01-16T09:00:00.001-08:00

New listing on etsy for a bow headband! I hope to start cranking a lot of these out - I just need a ride to target to get more supplies...

I hope to have a car soon!

Also working on some valentines day necklaces. I have no idea how to promote this stuff, I guess just word of mouth.

granny hexagons

2010-01-12T13:54:00.000-08:00

I just learned to crochet granny squares, now onto the granny hexagon. One day in the distant future this will be a colorful warm blanket. I better get to work.

Here is a great tutorial to make your own!

If you have time, check out these bedrooms on apartment therapy!

2010-01-11T11:21:00.000-08:00

via ffffound

Have you heard of Meatpaper Magazine?

I sometimes shelve it at my job, and I noticed it in the window of Belmont Butchery. It is a really neat magazine about, well, meat. And not recipes or barbeque tips, but the beauty of it, really. I guess I never thought meat was beautiful - and I still don't really - but this magazine casts it in a whole new light.

I was talking to my brother yesterday and he mentioned that the older he gets, the more he cares about eating deliciously. When he came to visit, we went on a little foodie tour of Richmond, and I had the opportunity to try some things I've never had before. I'd never had a bbq pulled chicken sandwich before I had one at Buz and Ned's. And I tried my first fried catfish, brussel sprouts, and NY sirloin at Comfort.

While enjoying a gyro "battleship" at the Black Sheep, I said aloud - I feel sorry for vegetarians. I definitely understand where they are coming from, but it's not for me.

I love meat!

If you have time, watch this quick animation I found on their website

2010-01-08T11:00:00.000-08:00

these were great christmas gifts.

2010-01-07T10:33:00.001-08:00

my etsy shop is slowly coming back to life

cacti

2010-01-07T09:32:00.000-08:00

these will be posted in my shop soon - a series of 5 fabric cactus necklaces. I might want to find a model for them to show how they complete an outfit.

walk

2010-01-06T12:40:00.000-08:00

Hank wanted this panda,

and I want this building. Ever since I moved to my neighborhood in July I've lusted after it. I would live upstairs and have my little handmade shop downstairs. It used to be abandoned, but now someone is fixing it up and putting in what seems to be a daycare - with a mini barn!

Hank enjoys his mid afternoon strolls in the city.

2010-01-05T11:13:00.000-08:00

loving this

why i love breaks from school

2010-01-04T10:50:00.000-08:00

I have time to spend making things that are sell-able,

time to embroider and hang out with my favorite dog

time to cook - homemade turkey burgers with gruyère

cactus necklace

2010-01-03T16:54:00.000-08:00

something i'm working on for

my machine hates when i topstitch - the feed halts and then lurches.

happy 2010!

2010-01-03T08:19:00.000-08:00

I live alone - officially now. I am recently single and like i suspect everyone has been doing, pondering what will make 2010 different than 2009. Of course the main changes will come by themselves - new classes and new people will filter in, new inspirations for new projects will casually pop into my mind (probably while I should be doing homework), and now that I can no longer spend time with my partner in crime, new ways to pass the day will present themselves.

But what about the changes we feel compelled to make ourselves in celebration of a new year? I try to avoid the dreaded New Years Resolution but there is something about this new year and my recent situation that makes me really want to find ways to better myself.

I think it's important to not set yourself up to fail. Ideally, my resolutions would be to go to the gym, cook at home, read the paper everyday, read more books, and draw in my sketchbook at least once a day. I can't handle all of those.

So my resolution for 2010 - treat myself better.

Today that means make myself the kind of meal that I would have only made for someone else.

christmas wrap 09

2009-12-31T10:30:00.000-08:00

obsessed with pom poms

and shrink dinks as always

homemade holiday market roundup

2009-11-30T09:07:00.003-08:00

The Bizarre Holiday Market at Chop Suey in Carytown was lovely. Andrew and I spent more than we planned but I never feel guilty buying handmade, especially if it is a gift! It is open until Christmas Eve.

cute oven mitts from Tidbit for andrew's mother

spider monkey pendant for my mother

The VCU Craft department is having it's own holiday market Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (I believe - could not find info online) in the circle by the Cabell library. I plan to check it out sometime today.

Another good one will be the Handmade Holiday Market at the Visual Arts Center on December 12th. We will surely be visiting this one.

2009-11-30T08:52:00.000-08:00

this is a brand new hand embroidery magazine.

it's viewable free online. It has some nice articles on contemporary embroiders.

2009-11-29T20:38:00.000-08:00

i need a new sofa.

these are the pillows im working on for my textiles final.

hank is also an added bonus

2009-11-28T13:59:00.000-08:00

christmas is coming!

I'm really excited. Andrew and I spent last weekend crafting this wreath out of homemade pom poms. I got the idea from this lovely blog. I wish could take better photos.

Anyway the space above my tv is bare so we've been using it as a holiday decoration canvas.

Here is some holiday inspiration to get you into the decorating spirit. I can't wait for classes to end so I can actually devote some time to decorating!

from here

this photo

from hulaseventy ( a great blog all year round!)

via craftizine

2009-04-17T08:57:00.000-07:00

i have a new business venture:

padded bags for cameras, phones, pipes, whatever you don't want to break!

they'll be on etsy soon!

2009-04-16T12:36:00.000-07:00

i've been keeping a sketchbook! i'm very proud of this feat.

here is a page from it. easter egg collages! i miss easter already!

easter!

2009-04-14T12:25:00.000-07:00

My friend Jared and I made a costume for my dog, hank potato, for easter. I entered him in a dog bonnet contest at the easter parade on monument avenue. he lost but got a lot of compliments! I sewed him a little saddle, appliqued some eggs onto it, and then jared strung peeps on the sides for some dangling action.

here we are on stage being judged. julio won our round and apparently a chinchilla took home the prize basket (seen in foreground, hank wanted it bad).

i got some major blisters on my feet!

2009-02-10T19:12:00.000-08:00

a list of

2009-01-25T20:17:00.001-08:00

THINGS I HAVE MADE RECENTLY:

i made this embroidered knight picture over my winter break. i've been liking primary colors and it looks wonderful on the natural oatmeal colored cotton. i traced the image from a dover book that i got from barnes and noble. it's something i wish i had drawn though.

I made this shrinky dink portrait of gustave, my brother's cat. shrinky dinks are great for small, detailed portraits. i stuck fabric behind him and put it in a shadow box.

this is a necklace i made for my lovely friend chandler, author of her very own craft book! she is like a little baby bunny so i made her a baby bunny necklace with white shrinky dinks. i like to pretend it looks like porcelain.

these are christmas sugar cookies. they look about as good as they tasted - not very. but i gave them to a friend who said they were delicious so maybe they were just not my thing.

these, on the other hand, were delicious. i used this recipe. They were very chewy, oaty and sweet, and the best part - raisin free! this picture doesn't show how tasty they look. i made this recipe again and followed the advice in the comments that said to add more flour, baking soda, and salt, and they turned out not as good. they're equally cookie-y and oat-y, and i like more oat-y than cookie-y. does that make any sense?

vanilla cupcakes with strawberry frosting

2009-01-14T17:33:00.000-08:00

my boyfriend and i made magnolia's vanilla cupcakes, which i've made before, but this time i topped them with whipped strawberry frosting. i got the recipe from a cupcake blog. it's a swiss meringue buttercream with strawberry jam mixed in. it's really really delicious. the cake was super dense and not as good as i remember it, but the frosting saves it.

i'm trying to take better photographs of the things i make. i really have no idea what makes a good photo, but i'm trying better lighting!

2008-11-14T11:50:00.000-08:00

collection of found objects from charlottesville

i've been away for a while

here is what ive been doing:

i moved to charlottesville for the summer, got a wonderful job at a coffee house called mudhouse, found out that i got into my dream school, decided to transfer, and moved to richmond.

i am now attending vcuarts. it's really stressful and busy but so much more fun than UVA. this is definitely what i'm supposed to be doing.

i'm trying to resurrect the blog. let's see how it goes.

2008-05-23T14:58:00.001-07:00

not craft related but:

this song and video by Noah and the Whale is so cute. i love the shoe square.

also can't go wrong with ukulele. i have a friend who plays it and i want to learn!

2008-05-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

i made dead battery underwear!

journal wednesday 1

2008-05-21T20:10:00.000-07:00

new tradition at molly milkfish!

wednesday is journal day.

i've kept journals all my life. i don't write in them consistently, really. i go through phases where i'll write every day and then take a 5 month break. the older i get, the more i use visuals in journaling. i'm really inspired by drawing from life: the journal as art. it's beautiful.

anyway ill start out with some recent stuff.

my current journal is a moleskine - a staple, hipster or not. (hopefully not)

charlottesville map and tracing paper.

announcement

2008-05-19T14:27:00.000-07:00

i'm so excited to announce

my etsy shop!

stamp drawer!

2008-05-15T00:34:00.000-07:00

i am going back to charlottesville on the 9th of june. so unpacking is a bit frustrating because i know it all has to go back in boxes pretty soon. when i was organizing, i realized that i finally have enough stamp/stamp paraphernalia to warrant a whole drawer! (i think that the words paraphernalia and warrant look weird, but spellcheck told me they were right!)

letter and number stamps.

homemade linocuts

drawer!

BLAGOBLOGSPHERE

2008-05-12T14:10:00.000-07:00

i've been working on a really awesome project,

but it is secret for now.

i'd like to call your attention to this.

while im working 2-7 on my project my favorite 9-5ers have created a blog!

and 3 posts in one day! does it get better?

i need a camera

2008-05-07T00:14:00.000-07:00

these are way more fun than i remember. there's something really awesome about a disposable camera. i would recommend it, definitely. i got some awesome shots of the banana pancakes my new ihop friend robert made for me. hopefully i will scan the cream of the crop for your viewing pleasure.

i really like to use phrases like "cream of the crop" and "that really gets my goat!"

happy birthday amber!

customized pencils: the project for when you're really bored!

2008-05-06T13:10:00.000-07:00

this is a tutorial about how to make covered pencils. it works best to use hexagonal pencils, but here i've used a round one. magazine paper works really well for this project!

After you have chosen your paper, measure out a strip. I make it as wide as my pink ruler. Draw a line.

then measure the length of the strip by matching up your ugly uncovered pencil's metal strip to the edge, and make a mark.

now, turn your paper over and glue the back of it. i used a mixture of about 1 part glue 2 parts water.

slowly roll the paper and cover the pencil. be careful! this is where it's easy to mess up. make sure your top edge still lines up with the metal band!

you're done! sharpen and admire!

maybe even use them!

2008-05-01T14:56:00.000-07:00

i made this for my mom, as a thanks for the awesome care packages she sends me (definitely a post to come dedicated to that!). it's a plastic-y bag filled with perfume, scented pencils, a little notebook, and a cool fortune telling fish! the bag was a little plain so i used some sticker paper she got me to add an armadillo. it's one of those things that i drew randomly and i dont think i can recreate. bummer.

oh oh

2008-04-30T15:07:00.000-07:00

i made this as a quasi-easter-basket-sorry-i-couldn't-go-to-the-beach present for my friend (and future roommate!), kate. i filled it with tea, mints, a dark chocolate bunny, and a necklace.

i do believe she liked it.

bunny label

2008-04-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

I used to try to write my friend Richard a letter each week, because he gets sad on Wednesdays (long story). Of course, I slacked off, but I still love him and send him good vibes on Wednesdays. Anyway, I really liked this bunny.

2008-04-28T22:31:00.000-07:00

following amber's lead, i made magnets using some ugly free "i love gavin degraw" magnets that plan 9 gave out.

sharpie art

2008-04-24T13:42:00.001-07:00

raccoon bandit drawing. i want to burn a screen with him... or make a stamp. we shall see.

amber

2008-04-23T17:13:00.000-07:00

000

this is my friend amber. she's a pretty awesome artist. check out her online uber portfolio.

she came over and made me a wonderful gift using my two mollymilkfish stamps (perhaps i will later post about the wonders of linoleum?)

she also made this awesome cow cutout. with more shameless mollymilkfish plugging.

2008-04-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

for illustration friday

this week's topic is primitive. i chose to layer the cave drawings in order to make the whole piece even more primitive. i don't know if i like it all that much, though. just dicking around.

i am a bug geek.

2008-04-21T16:46:00.000-07:00

this is my favorite thing i've ever embroidered. it's a cicada on a white tee shirt.

i really miss the cicadas. it's officially been 4 years since brood X visited northern virginia/dc. i remember my bio teacher took us out digging for little ones. today i saw a white webbish thing in a tree, and almost 100 tiny caterpillars were wriggling around it. bugs are always better in large numbers, dont you agree?

click here for a really awesome stop action molting cicada. if you dont like bugs, you might not want to watch.

speaking of bugs,

this is herbert. he was my dead bee. he was really cool while i had him. but i got drunk one night and got a little too rough. he split in two. now i can't listen to Tom Petty's "You Wreck Me" without a heavy heavy heart. ("you wreck me baby, you break me in two"). that album also has "Honey Bee." it's a guilty listen.

p.s. 5oth post!!!

need more spf 1000

2008-04-17T16:32:00.000-07:00

this is what 45 minutes of sun yesterday did to me. note how appropriate the necklace is...

ok enough chest shots for one blog!

in progress:

2008-04-16T23:03:00.000-07:00

gregor mendel in thread. on purple fabric i found for free outside the frame shop here in charlottesville! almost makes me regret saying anything bad about this place. also check out my totally cute wooden needle holder from the small object. photos taken on cassie's refrigerator. i dont really put too much in there (it's inefficient to eat), but the top of it makes a great glossy background.

in progress:

2008-04-15T18:58:00.000-07:00

my grey (gray? which is better?) sweatshirt was looking a little boring. here is an iguana that i am putting on it. he'll have a frame around him when im done.

cluster

2008-04-14T17:54:00.000-07:00

my wall has gotten busier.

this is my dream.

new blog!

2008-04-13T23:38:00.000-07:00

i've moved from cuterthanmartha

for a few reasons.

#1.
ever heard of notmartha? well i hadnt, until after i created cuterthanmartha. and then it was just awkward.

#2.
no one is cuter than martha

#3.
the old blog didn't allow me to do a lot of things. there were some account glitches.

#4.
the plan is to legally change my name if i can't find a man named milkfish to marry.

so welcome to the new blog. photos courtesy of amber erickson. she's good for some stuff.

and i resolve to try to post every day!
whoa!

everyone's favorite wish-he-wasnt-gay guy

2008-04-13T23:17:00.001-07:00

i've been obsessively listening to ten in the swear jar and xiu xiu lately.

click and print for a jamie stewart coloring page!

oh oh robespierre

2008-04-07T23:16:00.000-07:00

i have a friend who really likes the french revolution.

like REALLY likes it.

for his birthday, i embroidered robespierre, leader of the jacobins. i dont know much about any of this, so you'd have to ask him for details. alls i know is this is what he looks like. I traced over it with a sulky heat transfer pen, then put it on some white fabric.

here he is embroidered. he sorta looks like george washington, oh well.

then i stuck him in a shadow box, and put a frame around him about 2 inches in front of the fabric. it creates a sorta peek in kinda look.

anyway, he says he liked it so im glad! im going to make one for me with gregor mendel. ive almost finished embroidering him.

ben

2008-04-07T02:15:00.001-07:00

my brother (^) is moving to France. Maybe I'll go visit him.

baby animalssss

2008-04-07T02:15:00.000-07:00

i made this envelope for a friend from a book called "Baby Animals" nabbed from the bargain section at Barnes and Noble. Giant glossy pages with picture of cute things are perfect for envelope making.

2008-04-01T13:17:00.000-07:00

im loving paper cutouts!

here is a rooster in a shadowbox; he's on my wall with a bunny right now.

2008-02-29T22:32:00.000-08:00

today was a really beautiful day. at about 12 am, i posted some secret fortunes in the classrooms and outside around my school.

"i want to meet you"

"you should be a bit nicer to people"

"going to class isn't the most important thing in the world"

"college isn't the only option."

"in 10 years, you won't remember this class, but you might remember this note"

and as i was walking back to my friend's dorm, i saw this sign. oops.

i laid in my friend's bed until 4, and then i came home and slept for a long, long time. i had a dream that someone i was supposed to hang out with that night went out of town.

i met a friend for lunch. we stopped by a bagel store and i saw a girl whom i had read about on craigslist's missed connections. someone has a crush on her but is too scared to talk to her. she matched the description on the post. i knew it was her. i told her about it and i hope she checks it out. maybe ill go back sometime and ask her about it.

and my dream from the early morning came true; the person i had made plans with went out of town!

2008-02-24T19:48:00.000-08:00

i got a cute baby squirrel tattoo!

2008-02-21T16:47:00.000-08:00

i think it's important to leave your roommate secret notes everyday. the more random, the better. today i went to Foods of All Nations. I was psyched because they have some good european candy. also, they have cadbury mini eggs - the best easter candy ever. not those gross creamy things, these guys have a chalky sugar shell and super good milk chocolate inside. i love easter. yet another sign that i might be jesus. lets add it to the list:

REASONS I THINK IM JESUS
1. stigmata
2. meekly nice
3. love easter (for the candy)

REASONS I MIGHT NOT BE JESUS
1. not jewish
2. dont believe in me
3. dont have apostles - yet.

another reason to love easter is baby chicks. my mom used to get them in her easter basket. this has never happened to me. when i get older and have some money i'd like to have chickens and a goat maybe. you know what always cheers me up? saying PEEP PEEP out loud. go ahead, try it.

2008-02-17T23:00:00.000-08:00

here is what's on my wall: it makes me happy
most people have photographs of friends or family. that's kind of boring. mhm.

this was a birthday present - and an awesome one at that - it's a linocut of a man and his bike in Amsterdam.

i think bugs are pretty cool. i dont know though. if i saw these guys walking around my room i might feel differently. but i wouldnt kill them. no no no.

this is a photograph by my friend ellie (blog link soon!). it's a squirrel amongst nutcrackers. i was really impressed.

this is a shadowbox i made with some of my vintage buttons. my favorite one is the smoking one. resting on it is a postcard of souther salazar. he's amazing.

i'm sorry that i take such shitty photographs. I should learn how to do that...

on another note, id like to say that this weekend has been a pretty good one. i love listening to people talk about what they love. kate, thanks for talking to me about your epiphanies. they're beautiful. chandler, i loved hearing about reed. im so excited for you and jealous! james, hearing you talk about SAS is awesome.

does anyone else feel like going to class is making them dumber? i mean so far i've had only one teacher talk about the subject with passion. and it was an awesome class because of that. genetics and anatomy with pennybacker was awesome last year because he was excited about it.

i know that college is making me less creative.

2008-02-09T22:59:00.000-08:00

correspondence

it's important to have stickers of yourself. i put them on my letters so my pals dont forget what i look like.
this is a letter to my friend kimbles. i drew pictures on the border of my banana pipe, my moccasins (and a cigarette heading towards them), and pb and j.

this is the cover of the letter. more dwell cut-outs.

i am very hungry, there's nothing to eat here. nothing looks good to me anymore. i just want seaweed salad from tokyo rose. mmm.

2008-02-09T22:58:00.001-08:00

i made these little envelopes from dwell magazine and glued them onto cards. i was inspired by martha stewart.

they're for 2 friends' birthdays, who hopefully never read this. i mean does anyone?

2008-02-09T22:58:00.000-08:00

i made this stocking for a buddy for xmas. he loves 80s/90s volkswagens. this is a mk 2 gti. i was happy with how it turned out. you may recall the one i made for my friend charlie last year. charlie still has it hanging up in his room. i thought that was sweet.

i like nice people.

2008-01-10T22:57:00.000-08:00

here is what my day consisted of:

waking up at 11
reading blogs
eating banana cake with lemon glaze frosting that my bunny and i made together
talking to my bunny on the phone about the redeeming qualities of cycling caps (it may have been an argument) and the merits of backing out or pulling through a rotunda parking spot
planning dinner with my dad
playing street fighter alpha 2

winter break is lovely, but i think i can stand for it to be over. i need more direction.

2007-12-31T22:55:00.000-08:00

a preview of something i've been working on:

i havent been very creative since ive been home. ive been so antsy and i have some nice ideas, but i havent been motivated. oh well. at least i have something to keep me busy...

things i want

2007-12-07T13:21:00.000-08:00

happy december!
here is a wish list:

a mercier kilo tt. this is my new bike-of-choice. it's more practical (and less expensive) than a keirin. i also want to get it powder coated. i'll probably go with a sea-foam green. or maybe navy.

here are some books i want to read and thus i want to own:

I am literally obsessed with this bracelet from bittersweetsny. i actually think i like a ring they have better. but this bracelet is the epitome of awesome design.

owl pendant for A.P.C. owls are very trendy, and of the millions of owl necklaces i've seen, this is the most unique and cute.

no description needed - just gorgeous.

a 500$ honeycomb blanket from 2modern. so beautiful but more money than i would ever want to spend on a blanket.

what do you want for the holidays?

21!

2007-11-26T12:15:00.000-08:00

My boyfriend, Will, turned 21 on Sunday. I wanted to make it a pretty awesome bday - 21 is a pretty big one.

I bought him a Jeff Lewis plays Crass album. It's really good. I saw this wrapping style in a Martha book. Basically you wrap your gift in tissue paper and then wrap it again in folded parchment paper. I just used tracing paper. The folds are very convenient for tucking in notes.

I also got him a straight razor set from Lehmann's and wrapped it in newspaper.

I dropped off a strawberry cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory in the hotel room before I brought him there and at midnight we lit the candles, he blew them out, and then we went to the bar for a drink and to watch people dance.

2007-11-14T10:56:00.000-08:00

I got the most awesome and unexpected care package in the mail on Friday.

After "ignori[ng that] part," I found a note with a cute description of everything contained inside.

this picture doesn't include all of the awesome things inside. everything was so thoughtful and perfect.

thanks, Anh!

GOOD WAYS TO CHEER UP (non craft edition)

2007-11-09T12:01:00.000-08:00

1. listen to songs about people who feel the same way as you. Jeff Lewis, Spoonboy, and Kimya Dawson have been saying all the things that I can't lately.
2. plan something fun. I've been starting to think about christmas, which is fun because then I can think about being home and being with the people I love. I want to make it a really nice time.
3. lately looking at pictures on Flickr can really cheer me up.
4. call a loved one. will cheers me up.
5. think about drugs.
6. go somewhere alone.
7. when you're bored in class make up stupid stories abotu the people around you.
8. eat great tasting, beautiful food
9. buy something nice for yourself or a friend.
10. take a day! when it's your day you feel great.

day of the dead

2007-11-01T22:12:00.000-07:00

Well,
One post during October.
I've hit an all time low!

I feel so uncreative here - but today while reading about el dio de los muertos i remembered my little embroidered day of the dead skull that i have been meaning to make into a bag. then i looked down at my sewing machine (that's right! my very own sewing machine! a belated bday gift to myself), and I looked at my thread, so I decided to get off my ass - and well, get back on my ass - but this time with zipper and 4 pieces of fabric in hand. I didn't have straight pins but it worked well anyway. So I present to you, my DAY OF THE DEAD ZIPPERED BAG, the first product of MY BRAND NEW SEWING MACHINE!

yay!

I need to admit- i was lazy for halloween and did nothing. i'm glad it's over. all the halloween stuff in the stores just made me feel guilty for not feeling it this year.

I plan on getting an early start to xmas. As you may have read, last year I decorated with a cowboy theme. this year it's going to be lumberjack-ed out. lumberjack xmas!! how fun! squirrels, woodgrain, thermoses, flannel, fir trees - i'll keep you updated.

School is going a bit worse. i am really lonely and busy here. but today, riding my bike around some of the most beautiful buildings and gorgeous trees was enough to banish all negative thoughts from my head.

anyway, tell me what you think!

miscellany

2007-10-22T20:20:00.000-07:00

the fabric store makes me happy.

i might be in a craft fair! ill let you know if it works out.

ive been trying to embroider but transferring images onto fabric is hard with a dorm-sized iron.

2007-10-01T11:51:00.000-07:00

I like to make envelopes.

care packages

2007-09-27T17:46:00.000-07:00

i love care packages
i love sending them
and i love receiving them.

the picture above is a care package i sent my friend anh.

inside, will and i included magazines, candy, pretty colored paper, lip gloss and a handmade accordion book i had made a long time ago and was never able to give to her in person.

the book was a mini scrapbook of pictures of us throughout high school.

ingredients of a good care package:
something handmade is always appreciated. today i received a tiny box - inside were clay creatures and twine on which to string them. my boyfriend is pretty sweet. I sent my friend chandler a care package over the summer and included a handsewn pencil case. she told me recently that she still uses it!

food. this is always appreciated, especially if the recipient is in college where every foodstuff is overpriced. think about their favorite candy or snack and stick some in. if someone were to send me a package, theoretically of course, i would greatly appreciate watermelon sour jacks. just saying.

novelties. junk is always more appealing if it has been sent across the state. in chandler's care package, i included a tamogatchi. anh's had a headband. little things are sweet reminders of friends. it need not be just junk either, send pencils, pens, notecards, stationery; think useful.

a thoughtful gift. if you know a book someone would love to read, send it to them. my mother sent me a necklace she knew i'd love. it doesn't have to be too expensive - but if you find something and say "______ would love this" (this happens to me daily), send it to them! why not?

a note. a handwritten note is a sweet touch and reminds the recipient how much thought you put into her gift.

with that said, i would like to stress that if receiving a care package seems really fun, you should give to receive. create good care-package-karma.

i am sorry i have neglected this blog. school has been stressful, but that is no excuse!

mmm

2007-09-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

you cant get sandwiches like this in the dining halls here.

2007-08-26T10:42:00.000-07:00

i have moved in to school. my room is bigger than i imagined and there's lots of storage space. i even have an extra closet in the suite common room because there are three of us in a smaller room. i sleep on a top bunk. it is alright but hard to get up and down easily.

the "ladder" is just the support beams of the bed.

but my bedding is cute! it's hard to take pictures of something so high up.

if the seemingly great idea occurs to you to jump from a bunk bed this high onto the hard linoleum floor, ignore it.

secretly i want to come home. i dont think i should admit that though...

a list of things i want

2007-08-20T11:37:00.000-07:00

wall hanging by salvor fauna. 275$
i have a pillow by this brand and i love it. this wall hanging is pretty expensive but worth it for such a beautiful piece of original art. the coolest thing about it is that it's printed on little balsa rectangles that are attached to a flexible backing. it's beautiful.

salvor fauna also makes bags. i love them. i want one - ergo it makes the list.

i love the area big bedding. it's beautiful. i sorta wish i'd have bought this for my dorm room. but i think this is good first house bedding. so will better love it if we ever move in together. he will. how could you not?

a chris king 1 1/8" no threadset in silver. they're beautiful and awesome. they're also 135$. which i cant bring myself to spend. maybe because im broke.

uncle eddie's chocolate chip cookies are the best cookies ever. but they dont sell them on the east coast.

bag from giant robot. i love this penguin tiger bag. my purses are usually all totes. and i need a new one because my discovery center for cell bio tote has chocolate on the bottom.

i love this tee shirt with art by souther salazar from giant robot. it's reallyy cute. women's large please!

2007-08-17T23:00:00.000-07:00

i sorta neglected the blog for a bit and im going to try to make up for it. lately ive been sort of prepping for moving out so i guess i havent had as much time to craft. im worried that my dorm room wont be big enough to suit all my crafting needs. i have so much to think about. should i bring my gocco? how and i going to cut straight edges without my mother's nice paper cutter? will i have room for all my paper, markers, pens, x-acto knives, rub on transfers, stickers, glues, glitter, etc? im worried but excited! i also want to decorate my wall, if i have space. there are three of us living in a small room and so hopefully ill have some wall space to make my own.

ive been watching futurama a lot lately. it's very funny. in fact, will and i had to make a mad dash to barnes and noble before it closed. we made it about 2 minutes before closing and picked up season three. so bender, the robot on the show, deserved to be immortalized as a pseudo stuffed animal. he was originally a zippered pouch but the lining bothered me because zipper kept eating it up, so i cut it up and made this.

ive also been into accordion books. they're really easy and i love to cover the squares with martha stewart paper. she has so many awesome color combos.
i bought a bunch of stuff to make a scrapbook, but ive decided that ill probably never get to it. so i cut up all the photos and supplies for accordion book use. theres no use hoarding this stuff. after all, shutterfly's not going anywhere.

i've missed this blog!

2007-08-17T13:04:00.000-07:00

today i cannot get motivated. i need to get a chest xray. but id rather stay home and make accordion books. does anyone else feel that way?

right now i am waiting for will to come over and poke me until im ready to don the lead apron and get the stupid xrays done.

he is good motivation.

smores cupcakes

2007-08-14T13:13:00.000-07:00

Will and I made smores cupcakes and they were delicious. I got the recipe from Cupcakes Galore by Gail Wagman. This is the only recipe i've tried from this book but it was super delicious.

graham cracker cupcakes
.5 cup all-purpose flour
1.5 cups finely crushed graham crackers
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
.75 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
.75 cup milk
1 cup milk chocolate chips

1. preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. mix flour, crushed graham crackers, baking powder, and salt together and set aside
3. cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. add eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. add vanilla and then alternate the flour mix with the milk. beat until smooth and then fold in the chocolate chips.
4. spoon the batter into cupcak liners and fill them about 3/4 full*
5. bake for 20-25 minutes. remove from oven and cool

marshmallow icing
2 egg whites
pinch of salt
.25 cup sugar
.75 cup corn syrup
marshmallows, crumbled graham crackers, and milk chocolate for decoration

1. beat egg whites with salt until soft peaks form. the egg whites get a lot bigger than you'd expect.
2. add sugar slowly while beating
3. gradually add corn syrup
4. beat until soft peaks form
5. drizzle the frosting onto the cupcakes
6. decorate

makes about 15 cupcakes, but i recommend doubling it. you cant have too many of these.

i decorated my cupcakes by microwaving marshmallows for about 15 seconds, placing a hot m-mallow on each cupcake, and piercing it with a graham piece. then i grated chocolate over the sticky topping.

will used crumbled graham crackers and chocolate chips and sprinkled them on his cupcakes.

we gave them out at fort reno. i think people liked them.

2007-07-08T15:56:00.000-07:00

made this for gideon for his birthday. he liked it. i was satisfied. i didnt think c3po looked c3po enough, but yeah.

here is a rhino embroidered pencil bag that will be for my etsy shop once i set it up. until then, im selling it for 23$ if anyone is interested. it's hand embroidered and hand-sewn. the embroidery is from an original drawing by yours truly.

this is another embroidered bag with another originial drawing - dead batteries - from a series called 10 things that are annoying. this one is smaller and is 20$. if you're interested let me know!

i know i havent posted in so long, but i have kept crafting. will and i will be going to california on thursday for 10 days. we are going to another diy craft fair in la called felt club and we're excited. it should be bigger than pile of craft.

i picked up this book, the guerilla art kit by one of my favorite bloggers, kerri smith. i made these king tomato stickers using a recipe she had for lick and stick stickers. the picture on the left is the drawing process. the stickers are all cut up now complete withthe mixture on the back of them. you need to get this book and try it out, so much fun.

hope everyone had a great 4th! i have more to post but ill try to break it up.

2007-06-07T12:34:00.000-07:00

im addicted to making these lined zippered bags that i found on this thread on craftster. i made them with all the scrap material in our house. zippers are really cheap and easy to "ninja," so they're virtually cost-free. also it's a great way to get used to zippers and the zipper foot. they're so easy!

also, i bought some great fabric from purlsoho. it was expensive but worth it.

i havent been doing too much sewing lately but yesterday i did hem a shirt-dress i got at good will. i also tacked the sleeves. it's a lot cuter now.

2007-06-05T01:47:00.000-07:00

magnolia bakery cupcakes.

Will and i made cupcakes from the magnolia bakery recipe. they turned out delicious. they're pretty buttery and dense, but still taste light. it's hard to explain. i guess you'll have to make them to see.

i got the recipe from the 52 cupcakes blog

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Line 2 muffin pans of 12 muffin spots each with cupcake liners. whatever they're called. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. In a small bowl combine both flours.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter using an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
4. Add the sugar gradually and beat for 3 minutes or until fluffy. (will did this because he's really good at mixing. he has good arms because his car has manual steering)
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla.
7. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overmix.
8. Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling about 3/4 full.
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
10. Cool the cupcakes in the tin for 15 minutes.
11. Remove cakes from the tins and cool on a wire rack before icing.

for the icing,

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
6-8 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add in 4 cups sugar, then the milk and vanilla. On
medium speed of an electric mixer, beat about 3-5 minutes or until smooth and creamy.
2. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well (about 2 minutes) after each
addition, until the icing is thick enough for good spreading consistency (you may not need all
of the sugar. we used about 6.5 cups total).

we frosted ours pink and blue and just spread on. you could pipe the frosting from a pasty bag for the swirly look.

2007-06-02T18:19:00.000-07:00

These are all presents i've given my boyfriend:

I. I went through a softie phase and here is what came of it:

a.
this is an ankylosaurus stuffed animal i made in about an hour and a half without a pattern. it is very crude but cute in its crudeness.

b.
this is an elephant i made with a supremellllly complicated pattern. im not the greatest sewer so he didnt turn out perfectly, but he's cute nonetheless. he's bigger than i thought he'd be. he took about 5 hours total and i worked on him on and off.

c.
here is ankylosaurus #2. he was made by embroidering an image and then sewing pillow-style. i wish i had used a thicker thread, but i do like how he came out. the sewing was a breeze but i rushed it. the embroidery took long but was worth it. id say it took about 4 hours on and off.

II. He loves Haruki Murakami, a Japanese author (Kafka on the Shore, Norwegian Wood, The Wind-up Bird Chronicle) so i made a triple layer stencil. i really like how it turned out.

ive been addicted to embroidery. it's so relaxing and rewarding. i love how things come out when they're done with thread. im thinking about doing one and then framing it for my dad for father's day. i think ill do one of a california craft bungalow because he loves architecture and that's one of his favorite types of houses. he also likes chairs, oddly enough. and jay-z. i have a weird dad.

sorry for the long wait! i dont know if i have any readers but i do know that i should post in this more frequently.

2007-05-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

it's been so long! i havent been crafting as much as i should but ive done a few things.

but this update is about other crafty people in my life.

firstly, my new (and fucking awesome) boyfriend will made 2 adorable easter eggs.

this is a squirrel easter egg (it's my favorite animal)

this is an audi egg he made for my mother.

he also drew me a squirrelysaurus, a hybrid ankylosaurus-squirrel:

it reminds me of the art in the royal tenenbaums. i love art like that. with a handwritten pencil title complete with a period at the end.

and for those of you who wonder where my crafty impulses come from, meet my mother, the crafting queen. she used to be really into making things for my class when i was little, but when she went back to work she had less and less time. lately she's been sewing again. she sews me a new lunch bag every monday, wednesday, and friday. i kid you not.

a pile of some of them

a few of my favorites.

2007-03-20T17:49:00.000-07:00

my computer is fixed! yay!

so lately my crafting has been limited, but here's what i have.

i worked on a scrapbook for a friend, and i really liked this page so i thought i'd share. it's just a sorta messy page with artifacts from our relationship - a ticket stub, a sticker, pieces of letters, etc. lately ive been liking this exercise - mapped out compilations of things - or junk to some people - with hand-written explanations.

ive also been working on an "art journal." it is essentially a written and visual medium to journal or list, and it's fun to write whatever is on my mind or give myself an activity. here is a picture of a page, i tried to make it blurry but if you work really hard you can read what it says.

tons of buttons! im thinking of putting them in sets of three and selling them. anyone interested?

and finally, the screened shirt (please excuse my polka dotted bra):

would people be interested in purchasing one? id probably sell them for 15$. but i dont know. i might need to retire the screen. let me know please!

i think im going to get some stickers screened to promote this site.

2007-03-10T22:04:00.000-08:00

my computer broke. well, i broke it. i dont want to get into the details, ill feel stupid again. but because of this it's hard to upload photos. i need to get a usb flash drive to do this, and i will soon, but i predict posting will be slow. ive been making a ton of new button batches, embroidering some more (monagrams and hopefully a new photobanner for the site), and i gocco-screening some shirts. Im thinking about selling them, im really digging them. ill post up pictures soon. it has the name MILKFISH printed on it, because that's my new design alias.

you should probably buy a shirt because i need the $$, and you'll just love to wear it.

so take care loyal blog readers, if youre out there.

2007-03-05T12:11:00.000-08:00

my camera got lost in the woods and miz found it and i had to walk down the steep hill and i wasnt about to walk back up it in my condition soooo

there can be no picture posts at the present time.

embroidery

2007-02-28T19:23:00.000-08:00

lately ive been really into embroidery. i had a hard time at first because i had no idea what i was doing but i bought a book with instructions and it really helped. im trying to do an embroidered portrait of steve nash (my favorite basketball player), and im learning as i go so it's not that impressive but it's fun!'

this is what i have so far.

i also did a little ghost. i dont know what to do with him, but i kinda want to put one on everything now. he's so cute but sad.

mmm new threaddddd

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

2007-02-27T22:38:00.000-08:00

i like rubber stamps. a lot.

ive been wanting some good alphabet rubber stamps but i couldnt find any in a suitable font. so i decided to make my own. i took out my linoleum and my carving tool and, after tracing Bill Hicks font onto tracing paper, i transferred the image to pieces of linoleum block. many rubbery strips on the floor later, i finished. it gets easier the more you do it, so z is a bit better than a, but whatever.

gocco a gogo

2007-02-24T09:03:00.000-08:00

last night my print gocco came from japan! it's a beautiful pg5 kit for fabric and paper. for those who are unfamiliar with gocco - it's a screenprinting machine from japanese brand riso. you draw an original with a carbon pen or pencil, then slide in a master screen and expose the screen with camera bulbs. you use the screen as a stencil to push ink through the mesh.

it's just like silk screening but it's less messy and much easier. i was so excited when it came i quickly drew up a messy squirrel to test it out. it might have been a waste of screen but i got some good cards out of it.

and i made a chromosome card. oh how i love science.

vday 07

2007-02-14T10:30:00.000-08:00

valentine's day is a good excuse to flex your martha muscle (which is anatomically located posterior to the sternocleidomastoid). the average man spends about 150 dollars and the average woman spends 80 dollars. me, i spent about 5. and used a lot of stuff around the house.

for my friends, i found some playdoh valentines with really ugly stickers on. i took off the stickers and put them on my dog, then i made my own stickers and stuck them on. i used recycled paper i had lying around the house from french paper. playdoh doesnt make you fat and it's more fun than flowers.

for my valentine, i made a homemade card - the essential gift for valentines day. last year i made little coloring books, but this year since i have a special someone i decided to make a unique card for him. lately i've been obsessed with shrinky dinks. a lot of people dont know what they are... which is ridiculous - did you have a childhood? shrinky dinks are these thin plastic sheets that you can draw on, and then you stick them in a 325 degree oven. they shrink and get thick. they're great for jewelry (more about that in a different post).

Well the boyfriend really loves Casablanca, and since it's a pretty beautiful love story i chose that as my shrinking subject. i found a picture online and drew it onto the plastic (tracing is easy too because the paper is pretty clear-ish). then i stuck it in the oven and watched it shrink down (it will curl up at first but then eventually lay flat, so be patient!), and then took it out and let it cool. then i used a glue gun to stick it on a doilie and some more recycled paper. it makes a pretty memorable and unique valentine.

i also made him red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. i dont like red velvet cake and i hate cheam cheese frosting, so i dont really know if they're any good. they look pretty! and they're bright red. we'll see if he likes them.

i have one single shoebox and i need good ideas for what to do with it. i want to make something. please help!

coca-cola cupcakes

2007-02-13T13:02:00.000-08:00

cupcakes

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 sticks margarine
2 tbsp. baking cocoa
1 cup Coca-Cola
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups mini-marshmallows

Combine flour and sugar. Boil margarine, cola, and cocoa. Definitely watch the pot/pan while you're boiling, the cola bubbles over like crazy. Pour over flour mixture. In a bowl, beat eggs; add marshmallows, buttermilk, baking soda and vanilla. Combine both mixtures and mix well.

Put cupcake paper cups in muffin pan, dont try to make them without these - the cake is sticky! spray them with pay to insure no sticking. Pour equal amounts of batter into the muffin tins and bake at 350º for 18-20 minutes.

cupcakes before baking.

coca cola frosting

1 stick margarine
1/4 cup Coca-Cola
3 tbsp. baking cocoa
2 heaping cups powdered sugar

Boil margarine, cocoa, and cola. Pour over powdered sugar; mix until smooth. You'll need to add a bit more sugar into it to make it thicker and fudgier. I also added a bit of vanilla into mine to counter some bitter taste. While the frosting is still hot, dip a spoon into it and drizzle it over your cupcakes. it will set smoothly.

xmas 06

2007-02-10T11:04:00.000-08:00

im posting backwards because i want to share my christmas stuff.

as an atheist i dont get to into the spiritual side of xmas, it's just a fun holiday to celebrate. in my family we usually all get together and pretend like we get along and try to make up traditions to salvage, which we will inevitably forget to follow through with the next year. this christmas my mom didnt want to decorate, which is wholly depressing, so i took over. since i was in charge, i decided to scrap the usual and go with a cowboy themed celebration. here's what i came up with.

my dog, hank, in full cowboy attire in front of the cactus tree. I made it by cutting foamboard and spraypainting it. then i made snow with adhesive dots on a string and hung them around the tree. i made a custom stocking for my brother ben, who loves futurama.

the table.

the placecards were made with rope alphabet stickers. i used paper bags to make placemats. the napkins were cowboy bandannas. i took mini cowboy hats for dolls, tied ribbons around them, then glued them to a 1inch ring cut from paper towel rolls to make napkin holders.

it was a fun christmas, and for the first time in years, no one cried! haha