Been A Little Busy...

Hey Everyone! Sorry I haven't been on here reporting and inspiring all of the creative fun things that I usually have my hands in. I've been up to my ears in helping Salt Harbor Designs with weddings and events over the past few months and I GOT MARRIED! Now I'm on to an event that I'm directing called, Courtyards & Cobblestones: A Walk Through Wedding Row taking place on January 14th. This entire event was designed and created to change the way wedding shows are done here in Wilmington, NC. Check out the sneak peek into the event in this film by Life Stage Films. I will be blogging more soon about my wedding, Christmas crafts and more!

Tooling Leather

My husband, Michael and his dad Steve, turned me on to this fun art. Tooling leather! We have had a great time making different leather items for friends and a few for ourselves. Michael and I got married just over a month ago and we gave presents to our groomsmen and bridesmaids that we tooled. I will let Michael put up some pictures on his blog to show you some of those. Below, I will show you what we did a few months before we got serious about this awesome leather cutting/tooling business. We did a few simple things like cutting and tooling some bracelets. Michael also made me a bible cover with my new initials as an engagement present. I've just done a few leather items but Michael is getting very good at this!!! Here are a few of the steps during the process. :)

Michael is my sweet leather cutter (which is hard work)

He taught me how to add a nice edge around the bracelets with this tool

Here are a few of the tools that when put together in a pattern can make incredible designs

We have three different dye colors: Black, Dark Brown and Tan

Here's the edge I added to my first bracelet for my sister

There are many different sets of metal letters this is a classic western style font... you can't go wrong with it

This is a "C" for my sister Caitlin

"A" for Abi

Closer view of the tooling

Tan center with Dark Brown Edges

We added some snaps and they are done!

Contact Abi if you'd like a hand tooled leather bracelet with your initial: Abilea20@aol.com

Felt Camera Creation

My sweet friend made one of these felt camera cases a few months ago and I thought I would give it a go as well for a gift for my photographer friend, Millie Holloman. I knew it would not hold one of her incredible Nikon or Canon cameras but she would get a kick out of it and use it as a change purse or to hold gift cards. I used a thicker piece of felt for the body and softer felt and buttons for the interior and embellishments. I began by measuring and cutting out a pattern for the body, tracing that onto the thicker felt and cutting it out. I added on buttons and decor to make it look like a camera. I used the blanket stitch and embroidery thread to stitch around areas and add finished edges. I sewed on buttons and added a purple handle. It was a good first attempt... :) Being crafty is fun sometimes ehh?

final front

final back

800 Steps to 800 Magnets!

My friend, Gayle Tustin and I have completed our wedding project of making over 800 clay magnets with Terra Sigillata and patinas. What an amazing adventure this was. We have rolled out clay, added texture, cut them out, let them dry, applied Terra Sigillata, fired them, applied patinas, fired them, adhered magnets to the backing and ta-dahhh... 800 magnets! If you have ever worked with magnets, you know they can be very tricky! They stick to everything and fly all over the place. We had many hilarious moments with the magnets moving, sticking to everything and frustrating us. At the end of the day the process and the final product was worth it. We are happy to have these done and are looking forward to giving them out on May 14th!

After being fired once, the patinas are applied and wiped off.

 

This is what they look like after they were fired again with the patina.

These crazy magnets were applied to the back of the clay with hot glue.

Applying pressure as the glue dried.

Many many steps later...  they were complete!

Happy Wedding Day - Jarrie and Justin - May 14, 2011

Yarn... my new thing!

I am just loving yarn lately! My roommate turned me back on to knitting and making circle scarves (as we call them) a few months ago and I haven't stopped since. Because we live at the beach, winter really is the only time that it seems okay to knit and make winter accessories out of yarn... there's something wrong about knitting in the summer. So I am on a roll making scarves, toboggans and these fantastic circle scarves and won't stop until Spring arrives! Let me know if you'd like to custom order anything. I'd be happy to knit you up something in your favorite color! Email me for pricing and options.

Acrylic Wool Blend - Color: Low Tide

 

I can't get enough of it!

Order a Circle Scarf - $28
Email Abilea20@aol.com

Low Tide

Bark

Gray with Brown

Cobalt

Cream

Silky Cream

Get Inspired!

Over the past three weeks I have had the pleasure to assist my good friend Gayle Tustin in her art studio. We are making clay magnets as the gift for her daughter's wedding guests in May of this year. We have been rolling out slabs of clay, applying terra-sig and firing these cute little guys! We will add patinas and a magnet on the back next week. Each guest receives four magnets each... so at this point we have made over 800 magnets! Take a look below to see some of the process. 

Unfired clay cutouts with texture

White Terra Sigillata applied on the unfired clay

 This shows about 250 future magnets!

 Examples of what the magnets will look like 

after being fired and applying different color patina

We chose our color palette from these test tiles

Final Decision: light blue, cream, white and green