I'm back.

So no one bid on my barrel. Sniffle. But because of that, i was able to present the fat Bacchus to our friends Jeff and Heather, since they hosted Bacctoberfest at their house this year. KYU KYU KYU!!! They love it. He squatted on their front porch for the weekend. No idea where he'll end up next.

Christmas is coming up and we are quite LITERALLY BROKE when it comes to Christmas gifts. So i'll be sporting some crafts soon. If you get something, there's a good chance i made it or upcycled it or found at the Sal Val for CHEAP!

Tag ya later.

Welcome, Painted Wine Barrel Enthusiasts!

Hello! My name is Chris and I chose the fun, 'cartoon-y' route with my wine barrel, titled "Modern Day Bacchus." Below you'll find documentation of the project in reverse chronological order (as well as other "arty" notes in my life)...

Bacchus (aka, the God of Wine) and i go all the way back to 1993, thanks entirely to a group of college friends from Alfred U. who lived in a dorm under the same moniker. We call ourselves the "Bacchus Gang" and have met, with our growing families, for a special annual weekend ever since. I've drawn a handful of teeshirts for the occasion as well, each quite different, but each sporting The Dude of Honor, Bacchus.

So - - Take a look at the jolly old fellow, all burnt and fat and freckly, and you'll see that he's quite "with the times." He's sportin' a BlueTooth, his trusty iPod by his side, and has a special tattoo on his left arm. And of course, he can't forget his "WineBerry." How would he know where and when to go for all the fun?!

Just hang with Bacchus, and you're sure to have a good time!!!

(My barrel is painted with acrylic paints and paint markers, all sealed with a water-based polycrylic sealant. At close of bidding, I would be more than thrilled to personalize the barrel with your family's name or maybe a phrase of your choice. I can also sign it too, if you'd like, though my initials are snuck in the artwork - can you find them?)

VOILA!!!

First, a coupla "pre" pics for your amusement... (and to drive you nutz)






And now - **drum roll** - The FINAL PRODUCT! I'm incredibly pleased. I don't give myself enough credit sometimes (don't roll your eyes!!). I've never painted to this scale before, nor on a non-flat surface. Go Me!

On My Way...

Slowly but surely....

My Link's All in Place!

So throughout the auction, here will be the direct link to my barrel and the BIDDING WARS taking place (ha! - i can be optimistic, no?).

(<-- I find it interesting to learn the parts of a wine barrel, especially the hole in the side. Hmm...)

That's the Size?

Ron, Thom and I took a drive out to Wagner Vineyards, the winery i've been paired with, to pick up my barrel. It was a gorgeous day which made for an awesome drive up the east side of Seneca Lake. Wagner is only 36 miles from home, i was interested to learn.

I got to pick from about 6 barrels. Turns out the one in front was perfect (they were all nice, really). I'm glad we took Sam's carseat out before we went up, because the barrel fit perfectly in the car with the seat folded down. The gentleman that helped us was surprised to learn, i think, that there was a quiet baby in the car, as he hadn't noticed Thom initially when he hunkered in to help pull the barrel in. Thom just smiled, snug as a bug.

For some reason, i had it in my head that a wine barrel was much bigger than it turns out to be. Sure, there are different sizes, but your "standard" wine barrel isn't much higher than 3 feet or so and 2 feet wide, if that (haven't taken the measurements yet). So i'm PLEASED to find that I'm comfortable with the 'canvas' i've been presented with. I don't usually work 'large scale' but this is very doable and i'm excited to dive in.

Sam's toys quickly found their way to hanging out on top of the new addition to our porch.

They Like Me! They Really Like Me!

I got picked to paint a wine barrel!!!
Here are the details from the website:

Finger Lakes Wine Country Tourism Marketing Association proudly announces Painted Barrels 2009, an exhibit celebrating the Finger Lakes, on display July 3 - October 11, 2009.

This regional art exhibit will take place throughout the Finger Lakes, and feature painted barrels on display at over 50 wineries and area attractions. All of the barrels will be painted by Finger Lakes artists and showcase the beauty of the Finger Lakes.

Visitors to the Finger Lakes during the exhibit will be able tour the region and stop at the wineries and attractions featuring the painted barrels. There is no cost to view the barrels on display at each venue during regular operating hours.

Each painted barrel is available for purchase through a silent auction on this website. Minimum bids start at $100 per barrel and the auction begin on July 3, 2009 at 10:00 AM EST and ends on October 11, 2009 at 5:00 PM EST. The proceeds of each barrel are equally divided between the artist and Finger Lakes Wine Country Tourism Marketing Assocation, a 501 (c)(6) corporation whose mission is to promote tourism in the region.

Sounds like fun, no? Oh boy, here we go!! I'll be updating the blog regularly with "Work in Progress" pics and stories. This should be a lot of fun!

Okay - so - you are DYING to know my idea, aren't you? Well, sketches forthcoming, but for now: Picture a Modern Day Bacchus, a fat jolly dude, sunburnt, freckly and chillin with some wine, his iPod and his Blackberry. I'll leave it at that.

[Glad i found something to jump start this site, right? S'been a ghost town lately. Tsk tsk on me.]

Loser

Sorry folks. Still nothing. I'm a loser. Well, no, i'm not a loser. I'm just focused in other ways lately. I'll have to jumpstart the right brain soon. I promise (to me... and you indirectly).

Inactivity

A daily blog this is not. Sometimes life and apathy (to a degree, of course) take over. I'll be back. I've actually migrated a touch from pursies (although i do still love making them; there's nothing like the finale FLIP from inside to out that's exhilerating!) to drawing a little. Some French Fruit. Tune in soon for more details.

I Made It!!!

TO THE FRONT PAGE OF ETSY! This is a big deal folks... of the THOUSANDS of sellers and HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of items out there, mine was picked by a member "sedgeworks." I sent her a thank you note! ;-) (p.s. - this is indeed related to the entry below, describing my elation over making essentially two sales of the same cool bird pursie! The gal who designed the fabric saw it on the front page, thus her quickie clicky finger buy!)

What an EXCITING DAY!

Two days ago, i made two more patchwork coin purses and listed them on etsy. Lately, i make, i list, i photograph, i smile, i move on. It's fun.

I sold one of the two already! Here it is, a little 'birdie' theme in patchwork with coordinating colors in greens and tans. The fabric really caught my eye at JoAnn Fabrics. I almost didn't buy it at the time, due to its price (i'm cheap) but 'splurged' cause i loved it so much. Then i was timid in cutting it! I'm lame, i know. But the other day, i finally went at it with the scissors and came up with a fun little creation.

Well, the gal who bought my purse... Are you ready for this? Are you sitting down? SHE'S THE CREATOR OF THE FABRIC DESIGN!!! It's her little birdie drawing that made it onto the fabric! I'm blown away by this. Not so much that she drew a picture that made it onto fabric. I have, on a side note, been interested in this career (textile designer). But the fact that she found ME among THOUSANDS on etsy, and my little pursie!! This is amazing and totally cool! It has really made my day.

But if this weren't enough, there's MORE! Upon surfing on etsy, looking at my sales, this buyer's note, etc., i stumbled upon another "conversation" sent to me. It is from a first-time etsy surfer who came across my birdie purse as one of her first finds and was disappointed to discover it had been sold (within a matter of minutes or hours, perhaps). She was asking if i wouldn't mind making another one.

I'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO! Not only do i really love that fabric and the colors, but it's exciting to me - - lil ol ME! - - that there's a mini "demand" for my work. My patience in mastering this purse-making has paid off! With each sale is the art of Word of Mouth, and i'm mostly excited about THAT. Everytime my little pursie is whipped out to pay for something is potential for a conversation that might go something like this:

"Hey... if you don't mind me saying... that is a SUPER CUTE little pursie your are pulling your money out of. Where did you buy that?"
"Actually, i bought it on the website etsy, your place to buy and sell all things handmade. Have you heard of it?"
"Why no, i haven't, but now i'm really excited to check it out. You mean... *I* could maybe find a little purse like yours to use as well?"
"Well SURE.. in fact, the seller's name is artrighty, and i bet by now she's got even more of them posted to choose from. In fact, if you send her a message, she'll probably even custom make one for you!"
"That sounds AWESOME! I can't wait to get off work to go visit etsy.com."

... or something like that. ;-)

Whoo Hoo ZIPPERS!

I ordered 25 5 inch zippers thru etsy to continue my purse makings. I had been paying $1.79 (plus tax) per 7 inch zipper. Not only does that start to add up, but they were too long, so i was cutting off a total of 2 inches with each purse. So i surfed for 5 inchers, found em, and their price plus shipping came up to $0.50 EACH! ROCK ON. Let the sewing begin.

(I cannot promise this, but i HOPE to write about another right-brained endeavor soon. Don't worry... it's completely unlike me to be fixated for an extended time on any one focus. Quite frankly, i'm a little surprised that i've been on the pursie kick for so long! But i'm happy!)

Put it to Bed, Mama!

I have officially mastered the change/coin purse wallet creation! Check it for yourself.

(To my endearing fan, who's been waiting patiently for the final product, i gently warn you now: i'm on a roll! The two listed are not the only two... many will be forthcoming. If you have something (a color theme, perhaps) in mind, send me a note and i'll work on it and reserve it for you!)

My Hubby, the Arty

I gotta give Ron props on his latest venture: posting his old sketches (from h.s. and college days, i think) in a new blog: The Wygal Drofnor Sketchbook. Check it out - some really funky, fun, creative stuff.

I love you, babe.

Am... Dying... Must... Eat...

Today is ROUGH, mang. This whole Weight Watchers Core Plan thing is mocking me, shooting spit wads in my face and saying NEENER NEENER. I wanna eat everything in sight, be it good, bad or preferably, UGLY. Ugly meaning YUMMY-n-JUNKY, if you haven’t figured THAT out.

SO - - - I post this as another testament to myself (and for your enjoyment) to STICK WITH IT, !@#$%!!!! I just reread my initial Weight Issue missive for support. And as an alternative to blowing what decent dent I’ve put in my weight loss (a fluctuating 10 lbs), I’m going to eat as much Core foods as it takes to chill me out. I’m HUNGRY first, before craving junk, so I’m going to follow my heart on the veggie/fruit train! Right now I’m eating ½ a container of fat-free cottage cheese with a medley of fresh pineapple and cantaloupe that I cut up a few days ago (with a couple canned Mandarin oranges tossed in). All this is “free” on the Core Plan.

The Core Plan makes sense to me, so I need to push my mind’s RESET button on this. I’m determined to stick with it, because in this life, I need to eat these foods, and quite frankly, I LOVE THEM. I love just about all fresh veggies and fruit. And my body is responding to this intake mostly positively (i'll spare you the details). And I gotta plug the Fiber One family - AWESOME!

Anyhoo… now I know I’m babbling. You are thinking “get back to the crafties, hunny… enough about your body.”

I hear ya, I hear ya. Will do.

I'm Still Purse/Zipper Obsessed

I'm still trying to perfect the whole coin purse - purse - zipper thing. I know this is boring for most of you, especially poor Ron. But while i'm learning this whole technique, i'm also working on mastering it. I'm not 100% comfortable with the outcomes of these little purses/pouches. I want to get it to where the inside looks as good as the outside and i want the zipper to lay in a manner that feels right. Sometimes the zipper is getting "crinked" in the seams, and that's bugging me. I've been looking at other coin purses on etsy and particularly their photographs to see if i can see how they do their zippers. Oddly, a lot of the coin purses for sale out there are using the style that is bugging me! The corners are 'tucked' and i don't like that. You can see this in the purse with the pink zipper and ribbon cross on the front. I'm working on it.

The TINY zipper pouch that came out square with the zipper laying flat near the top is my favorite pattern so far, but i want to perfect the INSIDE. I'm pleased with this little cutey, but its decently useless, in a cute way. Maybe if i attach a cute beaded zipper pull, it will grow on me.




I'm close. I'm close to getting this right and whipping out a bunch that i really love, and then i WILL post those on etsy to sell.

A note on etsy at this time: i've picked (not intentionally) very competitive THINGS to make and try to sell on there. Jewelry is about the WORST thing i could pick. My things are not that unique. I think they are cute, and i've got a mini-something going with the sculpey beads. But there's SO MUCH jewelry on there. And there are a TON of coin purses, though not TOO MANY patchwork ones, so i might have something going for me THERE.

Bizzy Bee

Maybe you've logged on here a few times since my last post and thought, "Man, Telford is SLACKING! Where's the GOODS!?"

Well, i've been far from slacking. I'm still catching up on Nip/Tuck, but while waiting for those to come, and between laundry, boogar faces and various other THINGS to do, i've been BUSY!

First, i found a coin purse pattern online that i printed out and was really dying to try (this time, using a sewing machine zipper foot - funny story about that in a second) and could never seem to find the time to try it out! If i wasn't at work or busy with the boys, then i just wanted to VEG, and not drag everything out. Blah blah blah, and so it goes.


Well, i found an HOUR one evening, before going to Chinese Buffet to celebrate my dad's birthday, to try it out. I didn't use rulers, a pattern or even many pins. I eyeballed the whole thing. AND THE END RESULT (a 'space-themed' coin purse) ROCKED! I should go back on that sewing forum to give the gal props who wrote up the pattern. It was easy and fast. And i pleasantly surprised myself by figuring out how to not only install my zipper foot (God - WAY TOO easy - i can't believe i've been avoiding them all these years!) but create clean and professional results. I was literally RELIEVED to have gotten the HANKERING to try the pattern out of my system.

But quickly I wanted to take it a step further. I have a little shoulder-strap purse (left pic) that i've had for years. I wanted to see if i could copy it. After a trial-n-error first sewing (Sorry i snapped at you Ron, i was frustrated!) and some minor seam ripping... **I DID IT!** I was beyond excited that i was able to recreate my favorite purse pattern all on my own. Now i have TWO zippery pouchy pursy patterns to delve into. The next focus is to embellish the outside of these creations, as i might have mentioned from the git-go. We're talking ribbon highlights, some beadwork, some embroidery. All when warranted. Sometimes, i realize, a nice patchwork can hold its own nicely.

So - - the zipper foot story. I'm going to attempt to keep this brief. I went to a specialized sewing shop and asked if they sold them. They did. Lady wanted to know the make/model of my machine. All i could tell her was that it was a Singer. About 10 years old. I convinced her to sell me the two she had, i'd try them, and return the one that didn't work/fit. I got home, and this is when i did the FIRST coin purse (see entry below). I decided it would be way too tedious/tricky to sew with a zipper foot on the machine, so i packaged the feet up to return them. And i did.

Then i found this NEW pattern and thought, "no... a zipper foot WOULD work.... i HAVE to try it." But i didn't want to go back to that lady and RE-buy the feet only to have to return one of them anyhow! Back to square one. My friends at work thought this was all very comical. One friend volunteered to buy the feet for me! Until another friend said, "you know... your machine COMES with a zipper foot." I said, "No it doesn't............... WAIT! - - you mean in that little compartment box attached to the machine!?!?" I knew about this box, but had completely forgotten about it. When i got home, i checked the box and WOW! - there was a BUNCHA stuff in there. Zipper foot, three other feet i have no idea about, spare needles, some thread holder thingie - - GOLD MINE BABY! i was siked. Sewing-Shop-Embarassment-Debacle AVERTED! Take that (... um, whoever). :-)

UPDATE (2/20/09) - - I like THIS pattern even better. Even EASIER. Now i'm siked to try THIS one out soon! ;-)

I'll be back. If you check here and you see electronic tumbleweeds, check etsy. I've been a posting maniac on there. Last night i whipped out ELEVEN (count 'em!) super cute and fun dangly earrings while sitting in front of a french movie, sans subtitles. I really like how they turned out.

Craft Night a Success!

I was rushing around from the minute i walked in the door from work to when i finally left for Craft Night, so i accidentally forgot to bring the camera. Three of the six of us worked on things: I worked on 2 necklaces, Amanda worked on a St. Patty's Day green-themed necklace, and Christa fired up her scrapbooking for the first half, and making Valentine's treats for her kids to take to the school for the second half! She was ambitious!!! We all had a great time, and I really appreciated being able to get two creations completed. i think everyone thought it was a good idea and we'll keep it up. The three who did not work on something sat around and chatted with us and helped some of us with parts of our projects. A good time.

In making my necklaces, i was surfing around my supplies and i found this old Crystal Light container with two sandwich bags full of - - - NECKLACES! THAT was an exciting find! Most of them, i was telling Ron, are really cute and i will definitely be taking pics and posting them on etsy for sale. A couple i need to redo and a couple were just plain ugly. But i must've found about 15 altogether, including about 7 child-sized seed bead bracelets. I gave three of them to Christa to give to Hannah.

The First of Many?

The gals and I are having a “Craft Night” tonight, suggested by me.

Needless to say, there are many nights (and days) where I’d like to just hunker down with all my supplies of Given Interested Craft At The Time and just go to town. When one is a mom of a curious (but VERY good) 3 year old toddler and a baby who can’t just bounce happily in his Johnny Jumper for a couple hours, between feedings/naps (ha!), then spreadin’ out is rather difficult, not to mention time-consuming. I don’t mind the time-consuming part; quite frankly, I love getting so deeply involved in my work that I look up and 3+ hours have gone by. But I just can’t do that these days.

So I suggested to the girls that we pick someone’s kidless house at which to meet. Spread our respective crafting interests out, share supplies if we’re working on the same kind of project, and each of us bring a munchie. The girls seem into it! I’ve also made it quite clear that if you don’t have a craft, then just come to watch and chat and hang out. I wanna take pics of what everyone’s working on, so I’ll post them here next entry!

WOO HOO!

My First Etsy Sale! Thanks, Sue. This mighta been the boost i needed to get me outta my arty slump... :-)

Purse Learnings

Well, i gave my scrap material purse a go today. I love the free pattern i got for it online. Sewing it was a cinch.

Then came the zipper.

I've avoided zippers in all my sewing endeavors my whole life. My mom taught me how to sew and i've got it in my head that she discouraged me from zippers if at all possible. I learned buttons. And snaps. But never zippers.

I wanted to give it a shot.



I went and bought a zipper foot for my sewing machine. When it came time for the zipper and installation of the foot, i looked at this little purse and the curve of the zipper and thought "how the heck am i going to get that under the machine to sew it?" So i decided to stitch it by hand.

I think my first pursie attempt turned out great. There are some things i would do differently. I would find a more convenient start and easier way to stitch the zipper by hand (my pins kept getting in the way and it felt like my hands were crossing over one another).

Stay tuned, or like i said, check etsy. I have a feeling the next few attempts (successes) will be posted for sale. Seems I've already got a buddy slippin' me winks and nudges for her own patchwork pursie. ;-)

Chug Chug Chugging Along

Over the past few days, i've been creating some necklaces as time permits and posting them for sale on etsy. I find that i look forward to hunkering down in the recliner surrounded on both sides and my lap by all my supplies. I am unable, however, to BOTH create necklaces AND catch up on Nip/Tuck on Netflix, so i have to pick one or the other, and lately, Nip/Tuck is winning (oof!). Such a good show.

Anyhoo, today, while at work, I decided i want to go down another creative avenue. I want to create things (probably SMALL things, since i have a penchant for them) out of the tons of scrap material i have around the house. Not only scraps from projects i've made (and POSSIBLY finished, if i'm doing good), but also from scraps i purposely buy. I think they are called "fat quarters" in the quilting world. In MY world, they are just fun scraps of fabric that in my mind's eye i can see being made into different things.

So tune in (or check etsy) for what i come up with. I do have a couple ideas in mind. Little change purses that i embellish with hand embroidery (time consuming, but fun/rewarding) as well as these little mice i made when i was in h.s. They're goofy and meaningless, really, but OH SO CUTE!!!