Goin' off the Grid

Jeffrey got a clothesline for his birthday from his parents. He recently dug and cemented holes and is now hanging our laundry out for all to see.  He's quite excited about this, and wanted a cool bag to carry clothespins in.  So after some discussion and a couple of nights of planning and working, I bring you...

All of the material was from a large bag of fabric scraps (5 large bags to be precise) that was given to my by a friend.  Some was kept, some was trashed, and the rest was given to The Upcycle Exchange (which if you haven't yet checked out, it's definitely worth a look).  

It's got a large opening with not top closure for the clothespins.

The top flap has no opening underneath, but has snaps so he can hang it from the clothesline.

The straps button on, so if he wants to he can remove them while it's hanging.

Doesn't he look so cute getting ready to skip out on some of our electricity bills?

What The Rest Of The Family Is Up To

This is what happens when you go downstairs to change laundry while stamping is going on. Ha-ha-ha!

In related news, I've decided to start posting the kid's art on a new blog, Take Care and Be Good. We really do a lot of things together, but they don't always relate to what's going on here so...there you go. Thanks for checking in and until next time, take care and be good!

Faeries, Sprites and the Handmade Life

Oh, our poor, neglected blog...It's not that Mrs. Handmade and I don't have anything to say, summer has just been BUSY. I don't think that either of us were ready for how full our schedule would be with two wild active little girls, my freelance work, working at Fusion keeping inventory up and getting extra inventory ready to put in I Am What I Am On Mainstreet, a shop down on Mainstreet, Saint Charles that features handmade art, jewelry, clothes and decor.

Handmade family is the featured local artist(s) for the month of August, and we're so happy to be there! We did a little interview with them over on their blog, you can check it out here!

In addition to all the wonderful items Mrs. Handmade makes, like children's capes and masks, and key chains. We also feature illustration by me to fill in those gaps in your perfect children's bed or playroom. I did 6 new illustrations to be featured downtown this month, and thought I'd share a little bit about them with you.

Here they are after being inked and taped down to boards for coloring. Each illustration is 6 X 6 inches. This gave me enough room to really make a scene, but was still small enough that I didn't get over my head. I've been interested in faeries and sprites since I was a kid, and well...I felt like drawing some. Ha-ha-ha!
So after inking, I put in a light sepia wash to give the paper some tone, and then using transparent washes start laying in colors and textures.
Here it's almost finished. I was originally planning on those being big teeth on his front, but as I thought more about it when coloring, I decided that it made more sense for them to be like flower petals. Add a little splash of color.
Here's the finished piece still on the board, next to one of it's mates. You can see that I use a pretty big scrap area to test my colors before putting them on the picture. Maybe one of these days I won't be quite so timid in my painting.
The finished piece under glass. Usually I scan things before framing them so that I have a good head on picture, but...It was late, and I forgot. Anyway, that's why it's kind of tilted at an angle. The flash just wrecked it otherwise.

Got this pic of the girls playing house the other day. Unfortunately it took too long to find the camera, so I missed the part where Olive was laying on the floor looking through the front door. Those kids inspire me every day.

Until next time, take care and be good.
Your friend,
Mr. Handmade

New Line of Men's Keychains/Luggage Tags

With Father's Day just around the corner, I've got all new ribbons just perfect for dads!

Is he a superhero?  A sports nut?  How about just a little punky?  There's one for every man in the bunch.

 

These can be put on any color backing and a name or sports number can be added as well.

They are large enough to fit over a man's wrist.  I asked Jeffrey to model one and, of course, Abigail couldn't be left out of the fun.

Licensed keychains are $7.50 and unlicensed ones are $6.  Embroidery is an additional $2.

You can pick yours up at Fusion in Chesterfield mall (Wed.&Thurs.-12-7, Fri.&Sat.-12-9, Sun. 12-4) or email us at handmadefamily@redherringillustration.com. Or you can just leave a comment below with your contact info.

I Am What I Am on Main Street Grand Opening

Mrs. Handmade mentioned the other day that she is excited and kind of amazed about all the new friends we have made since starting to work together on Handmade Family. It's like a whole new culture has opened up to her. One of the great things about this community, is that it really IS a community. Maybe I'm wrong about this, but it really seems to me that the sense of belonging to something that's bigger than us (whether that's sports, church, facebook... whatever) is something that we're all looking for.

One of our new friends, Jessi Gisburne from I Am What I Am is celebrating (celebrating? is that the word I'm actually looking for? I just checked her blog, and she says "3 days of celebration", so that's what I'm going to go with too! :) the grand opening of her new shop on Main Street, St Charles. We went in to see her yesterday, and are very excited about the new space she shares with Bliss Eleven, a local photography studio. Stop by and see for yourself, this coming Friday, April 15th - Sunday, April 17 they are kicking off the new storefront with prizes, giveaways, face painting, free food and wine.


Other artists featured in the shop include:
-Bella Due
-The Crafty Geek
-Dana's Creations
-Letters by Landmark
-Pink Seven Design
-RHD Missouri
-Villa Design

So much super-cool, handmade art in one place, and awesome people to share it with! Hope to see you all there!

Crafty Memories

So I'm offering a few art projects for the Fusion Arty Parties.  When working through what and how I wanted to do, it made me think back on lots of crafting memories.  My mom has always been crafty, so it's kinda "in me" i guess.  The only problem was that she really couldn't teach me any of her crafts 'cause we butted heads too much.  Sorry about that, mom, but if you're reading this know that you were my first (and continuing) influence.

If you've ever been to my house and used the restroom you've seen one of my earliest attempts at cross-stitching.  It's a little bear holding a bunch of balloons that says 'love lifted me.'  It's horrible.  Seriously.  I can't even begin to tell you how many things are wrong with it, starting with the fact that there are no strings on the balloons, so he's not even attached to them.  But I don't care about all of that.  I was in 4th grade and I was so proud of it.  Hence, it has lived in every bathroom since I moved out of my parents' house.

We did a lot of crafts in Girl Scouts, which I was a part of from kindergarten until twelfth grade.  I had some awesome troop leaders (again, if you're reading, know that your influence is appreciated, as well) and got to learn some neat stuff and experiment with lots of different media.  I remember making turkey table ornaments for senior citizen homes, organic face masks (I can't believe I put oatmeal on my face!), and my favorite of all time...the latrine buddy.  We did a lot of camping, so we used a bath towel to make an apron that had pockets for all of our bath items.  I loved making it and using it.  Man, now I'm wishing that I still had it.

Another vivid picture that came to my mind revolves around the year my school began a student council.  Stupidly I decided to run for class president, ignoring the fact that I was literally a pariah.  Anyway, bright posters with puffy paint were appearing all over the school.  I don't remember if I wanted to be different or that my parents were already poor from hockey so i didn't want to ask them to buy me supplies, but I found a piece of burlap and proceeded to stitch out "Vote for Amy, She's not Lame-y" or some such stupidness.  I remember stitching a border of some kind and probably a few flowers; in the end I must say that I was pretty darn proud of it.  I recall excitedly posting it on the bulletin board, while at the same time beginning to hear the negative comments.  Those were generally hard times, but I do remember sitting in class and looking up at that sign.  I knew I didn't have a chance of being elected, but I was really proud of it, and I guess I still am.

So anyway, I have decided to offer tie dying t-shirts and a minimal-sew felt jewelry roll (pictured here).  Jeffrey is offering a Japanese-style hand-bound journal.  There are lots of other options offered by other Fusion artists, too.  Can't wait to do the first party!  If you are looking for a cool artsy experience for a birthday party or such, check it out!


Till next time,
Amy

Happy St. Pat's Day!!!! Abigail was a SUPER leprechaun!

Jeffrey and I had been throwing the idea around about going to the big St. Pat's parade this year. I'm usually not off if it's during the week, but spring break gave me the option to go. The forecast was beautiful, and we knew Abby would love a parade. So in true Amy fashion, we made the decision late last night to actually do it, and at midnight I had a brainstorm. We needed shamrock capes! Three hours later I've got a cape and mask for Abigail, and an extra set for her to share with her friends.

Even superheroes need a lift sometimes.

Watching the parade and protecting the citizens of Shamrock City.

No, Alex is not picking her nose. She's adjusting her mask.

She was super excited to see it this morning and wore it from the time we left the house at 11am to around 6pm when we were eating dinner with Nana and Papa Jim. The house that we watched the parade at was absolutely PERFECT. It was on the parade route, fenced in, and had a climber for the kids to play on. No 'keeping super-leprechaun on a short leash so she doesn't get squashed by people' for this mommy! She had a blast playing with all of the other kids (I brought extra masks, too, so they could all be supers). Olivia had her first crawling through the grass experience; no sensory issues for that little one! She went everywhere, and even climbed up the little slide over and over and over again. It was a great and exhausting day, and I'm very excited about the possibility of crawling into bed very soon.

The privacy fence was just in front of the climber, so the kids could still see the parade when they were up there. Just to the left in the pic is a chain link fence.

Olivia is becoming quite the 'super' herself.

Missy & Abby holding hands after the parade