Crafty Blogger Links

This week we welcome Sister Diane of CraftyPod to our group! We look forward to her inspiring and innovative ideas! Now on with the show!!

The Impatient Crafter
Madge shares one final project from her new book Beyond the Bead! Plus she's giving away a free copy of the book and a crystal stash!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
With inspiration from Cathi Milligan's new book Mod Knots a soda bottle goes under the knife and becomes a mod cuff.

Naughty Secretary Club
Get felt up with Jen and her customized felt baby booties how-to.

CraftyPod
Learn how to turn an old paperback book into a cool picture frame.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Expose yourself....in a good way that is...Tammy tells her thoughts on the process of creative exposure.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
This week there is an Andy Warhol inspired scrapbook page and ATC's, an interview with Lisa Kettell author of Altered Art Circus!, a super cute clay pot hedge hog how-to, and a link to two free bottle cap graphics.

Cathie Filian
Blythe and Barbie can now have their cake and eat it too! Cathie whips up some mini cakes and pies perfectly sized for fashion dolls with sponges and seed beads.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Would You Stitch With Scented Floss? Vote in the poll and be sure to read the comments and add your own.

About Family Crafts
Discover how you can create an entire fairy village using items from nature.

Aileen's Musings
Check out which names won for Aileen's Color Mist Sorbet Collection and help BREAK THE TIE by voting once more! An additional winner will be chosen once the tie is broken.

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Swelldesigner gives new life to a plain paper lantern with tissue paper!

Blisstree
Mixing two of Cyndi's favorite things: fibers and books!

11/365

Busy tonight so just a quick pic as I walk out of work.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

10/365

Trying to get my creative groove on! I was pretty tired tonight, but mustered up some energy and tried to think outside of the box (or should I say, outside of the circle?). Anyway, I don't know if this is an obvious use of props, but this is a paper lantern in all its spiraly goodness. Not the one I shot last night, rather a long oval-shaped one that I have. I have some cool stuff going on with my bedroom decorating and can't wait to share, but it may be a couple more weeks. Need to craft up some pillows!! I'm a little unsure of myself using the sewing machine. Yikes!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

DIY Dotted Tissue Paper Lantern

Looking for a fun way to jazz up regular paper lanterns? Break out the Collage Pauge™ and some tissue paper and you have a totally new, fresh look for your room!

Here's how you do it. It's soooo easy!

Dotted Tissue Paper Lanterns

Supplies:
– White paper lantern
– Collage Pauge™ Instant Decopauge (Matte Finish)
– foam brush
– scissors
– several sheets of tissue paper in colors of your choice.

Directions:


1. Fold tissue paper into several layers as shown.

2. Cut circles into your tissue paper. I used a punch at first, but honestly it didn't work very well. My shapes were irregular, but if you notice, it doesn't hurt the overall aesthetic of the piece.

3. Use a foam brush or your finger to apply Collage Pauge in little areas at a time (you don't want to spread it all over cause it will dry before you get to some parts). I chose to have heavy dots at top that tapered down into smaller dots as I went.

Some things to note:

1. Don't forget to buy your lightbulb and cord to complete the look when you buy your lantern! But, you might just want it hanging on its own without a light. It will illuminate and glow in your room if hit by sunlight!

2. Try this idea on the little medium or mini string lanterns. Using tissue paper in a rainbow of colors would be soooo pretty!

3. This project isn't too time intensive, but it did take me 3 or so hours to complete. It would be the perfect thing to do while watching the tube!

Hope you enjoyed this project!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Crafty Blogger Links

Check out some really awesome crafty and inspiring links from some of the craftiest people on the web!!

About Family Crafts
Discover some ways you can save money on your crafting without stifling your creativity!

Aileen's Musings
Looking for a new spin on store bought plastic easter eggs....Aileen offer's you a Glitzy Easter Egg Project!

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Swelldesigner upcycles some old tins with Collage Pauge and scrapbook paper!

Blisstree
Don't miss out on the second annual Collage Mania event !

Cathie Filian
Cathie has a dollar store do over! With a scrap of paper and a little flirty flower you can make this easy headband in under 1-hour.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
This week at Craftside there is a how-to for making a Chinese Knot from Kenneth King's new book Cool Couture, a Scribble Lace scarf pattern, a woven lampshade made from scrap yarn, and 4 upcycled necklace designs.

Crafty Princess Diaries
The Crafty Princess catches you up on her various crafting projects and asks, "What's on your crafting plate?"

Cross Stitch at About.com
Use the free Street and Traffic Sign Motifs to decorate a cake, a child's jacket, or whatever your imagination can come up with.

Naughty Secretary Club
Jen asks the question: Would you wear an apron out on the town as a fashion accessory? According to some trendsters it’s all the rage. Join in the discussion about Apron-ology.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Sweater Surgery meets Sublime Stitching with a fun gun embroidered altered sweater.

The Impatient Crafter
Madge is hooked on Drew Emborsky's new book The Crochet Dude's Designs for Guys! Check out her book review!

9/365

I took several goofy photos and then got a little more serious. This was a serious/sitting by the window moment. I thought the extreme white out areas made it a bit more interesting, but i like how my eyes look in this. Makeup isn't something I do everyday, esp. in bright pinks and purples.

Here's the goofy one. I'm wearing grills! Actually just a candy lollipop that Amy sent me last year for a Halloween costume. Been meaning to use them for ages...just never got around to it!! They weren't exactly the most comfortable things or easiest things to put in (thus my face).



Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

8/365

Geez oh pete. I struggled with this photo tonight. I wanted to take something outside and have a cool "dressed in black" theme, but honestly my complex is boring, y'all! I am going to have to go on the outskirts or stay inside to do my portraits. I'm pretty uninspired by my apartment surroundings.

If you can't tell, I merged two photos together for this shot. This was actually shot right outside my doorway. I guess it looks a bit Olan Mills-like. Is the result cool or hokey? I'm not sure.

Sometimes I guess there's time where you're just not on your game. I think tonight was one of those nights. You can't win 'em all!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

I <3 faces Week 11

Above is my Adult Entry for this week's I <3 Faces challenge. You may have seen it a month ago when I went to Laguna, but it goes along with this week's theme which is "No Flash". It's of my friend Carey, and I love how it turned out.



My Kid Entry is this adorable photo of my nephew, Grant. He was wearing his Indiana Jones hat. He is so photogenic and adorable. I think he could be a little Ralph Lauren model, but maybe I'm a bit partial...no, I'm not, he's always a little heartbreaker...see?



Go on over there and check out the other I <3 faces entries.

7/365

I went to Old Navy today. I got a black trench and a red striped top for $1.99. Score! Oh, and I also got my pose on with these mannequins (I know you've seen the silly commercials).

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

6/365

This is a borderline post/not post for me. I took this just after waking up. My hair is that greasy look a lot of people get, but in a way, I think it adds to the human element of my 365 posts and I'm guessing it gives you more insight into me, rather than trying to make everything "pretty".

Took this one with the iphone. I went and got my good camera, but the pictures were no good. I think the iphone gives a more voyeuristic quality, which for this works.

I noticed my cat laying in the light and quickly shooed her off so I could get a picture. I'm so mean. I did get a couple of her, see? She is so pretty, but has a big belly.



So, this pic boils down to the fact that I love to sleep. Especially on the weekends. I have a lot of pent up guilt about this, for a couple of reasons. The first being that I sleep in really late a lot of mornings and people chastise me for this in a jokey way (family members and friends). I used to (as a kid and young adult) get up really early and actually always wished I could sleep a couple more hours. I get up around 7:30 for work during the weekdays, so I can get up, but weekends are another story. I simply like the luxury of sleeping in. I also feel the guilt of knowing that people are out there doing stuff, making stuff happen while I sleep away. But, I also rationalize to myself that while they may be doing this, I'm plugging away at night while they are sleeping. I'm a night person, simply put. I can flourish at night with crafting, some cleaning...note, I said some, and with succeeding at finishing projects. I think I have a lot to show for that through my blogging and finished work, so I shouldn't be hard on myself. And also, I don't have kids, so it's ok that I just take care of me and my needs. If I had kids, I know I would sacrifice sleeping in and things like that for them. I don't think it's a selfish habit, only unless it affects someone else.

I'm now up and at 'em for the day...going to make a couple phone calls, visit and craft with a friend, and get some starbucks with her (yum)!

Hope you have a good weekend Swellions!

Alexa

5/365

Today I released my inner rock star in front of a sign in the lobby of my work. I know, I'm really breakin' the law.

The lobby is brightly decorated with products, packaging, signage, frames, and pieces. It's actually pretty cool. It makes a big statement to an outsider coming in. I'll post a few pics to show you here in a bit.

My friend and co-worker Allie actually did this. She is very much into the graffiti style and executes it awesomely. She's about 10 years younger than me, so she totally gets that younger demographic. I guess I get it, but it's not my style (only unless I can fake it for a 365 picture...hee hee).

4/365

Tonight I walked around my complex a good 30 minutes trying to find a suitable shot. I like where I'm living, but it's pretty cookie cutter. Everything pretty much looks the same and it's visually boring from a cool photo op standpoint.

I took a couple of other scenes and then as I walked back to process one of them, I noticed this illumminated patch of grass. It was lovely, and this is the result. I am a bit bummed about the location of my apartment in the complex overall. I don't get streams of light coming through my windows like this, cause my building is blocked by another building. Well, maybe I do (I guess it would help if I actually opened the shades...har har, but it would only be in my bedroom at that). Not ugly in a boring brick wall kinda way, but just not in a pretty sun streaming through the windows kinda way. My last place had light like this and it was nice.

I have been trying to open the blinds just a smidge in my bedroom so that Pixie can look out. She had so much to look at at my last place...birds on a wire, a field below, nature at her paws. I once looked out that window and saw a possum. It was like I kinda lived in the country in a way. There was a stream back there as well. I think she liked it a lot. Now she atleast has people, children, and dogs to look at...a bit of diversity for her, huh?

This place is nice in a comparative scale. It is a lot better manicured, I have a carport, and overall it's a much newer and nicer place. Also, it's so accessible to everything. I'm centrally located within 5 minutes of a Target, Jo-ann store, Michaels, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Z Gallery, the mall, and a Cheesecake and Spaghetti factory. The funny thing is that I haven't totally taken advantage of them. With time, I will. I just need to meet people to do fun stuff with!

Well, have to work on a logo design tonight for the Central California Etsy group. No TV, so might as well get it done. I have to present it at the meeting tomorrow.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

P.S. Are you enjoying my 365 posts thus far? I'm finding it overall a lot easier on me and less stressful. I actually look forward to taking my daily pic. And, it's easier for me to write about. It's like writing one big long caption!

Upcycled Tins w/ Scrapbook paper and Collage Pauge™

I created this crafty project for my office. I was pretty tired of these old tins, so I revamped them with some scrapbook paper and Collage Pauge™. Here's the tins I started out with!



Now, I admit they are pretty cool in a nostalgia way, but I've been looking at them for the past 5 years and frankly, I'm bored with them. Decopauging them and giving them a new look was so super easy! I decided I wanted each tin to follow a basic color theme, and then I found papers in my stash that I could use (I have a lot of 79¢ sheets that I bought a few years ago with the intention of using them...if you're a paper crafter like me, I'm sure you can totally relate!). I then cut the papers into strips with scissors the height of each of the tins. If you are more particular, you may want to cut the strips with a paper trimmer. For some of the strips, I didn't measure them beforehand, so I cut some off after I decopauged and then folded them over the rim. Here's a pic in progress!



I used the sparkly Collage Pauge™ to add a little glitz. You can use a foam brush, but I just spread it with my fingers. The tins will look great in my office once I get it all together! I'm admittedly slow and messy. It's not easy for me people! Ha ha. My office is going to be a colorful conglomeration of all kinds of bright colors! No rhyme, no reason, just colors and things I like! I'm going to feature in the next couple of weeks a lamp project for my office, and I'll include a tutorial for that one as well!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

3/365

Dealing with Comcast Cable is one of the worst things I've dealt with since living here (believe me, KY friends, Insight is great in comparison).

The customer service is really bad. The first call I made to them I had a rude customer service agent and the technician wasn't really all that nice either. A technician will usually help you set up your internet, but in my case he just handed me the box and said I had to do it.

If you don't know me, I'm the type that usually doesn't think to say what I needed to say until after the call/conversation. I have always been this way.

Then I had to call, cause the program they gave me wasn't compatible with my computer and I couldn't get the internet to work. I called and they did it over the phone, but I just wish I didn't have to go to all the effort. The funny thing about that call was that when it was over on his end, I didn't immediately hang up and I could here the guy singing, cussing, and being stupid with his co-workers over the phone. Honestly, I wasn't offended (more amused), but if a less tolerant person had heard it, they would have been upset.

And now, for the past month, my TV has been in and out. A screen pops up telling me to wait a few moments for the channel to come up, but it never does. It started on my big TV, and I just watched the little TV (I figured I needed to clean my craft room anyway). Lately, the little TV has been glitchy as well. I called two weeks ago on a Monday and the lady told me that she couldn't schedule a Saturday appointment til Wednesday and it was my responsibility to call back. Well, I forgot and then forgot last week again.

Last night; however, I had had enough. I went to watch Idol and all it was was a big glitchy screen with no sound on the small TV. I was pretty disappointed. Same thing tonight too! All I want to do is watch Lost, but the TV is still out of service. I did just call and the lady is going to call me back tomorrow to confirm a time, but just dealing with this service is a big pain and I don't think there's any way to get around it, other than getting a satellite dish. They have a big monopoly in this area.

Oh, the lady on the phone tonight was pretty nice, and I appreciate that, but she told me that if the technician deemed it so, I could have to pay a service fee for having him come out here! One month of ok service and another with basically non-existant service, and I'm going to possibly be charged for something I have no control over. I just added a 99¢ charge to my plan so that it covers such services (something that I just heard about for the first time tonight). All of it is pretty crappy and frustrating.

So, that's the dealio. Are you still with me Swellions? I'm guessing these 365 blog/photo posts really may open a wider door into a world you never knew about me. Ha ha.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Win a Crafty Chica™ Prize Pack!

Enter to win a fabulous Crafty Chica Prize Pack courtesy of www.ilovetocreate.com! One lucky winner will receive a $30-valued Crafty Chica Prize Pack filled with the Love Shrine Workshop in at Box™, a Flocked Iron-On Transfer, Paint Writers, Glitter and Charms.

How to Enter:
In order to be officially entered in the contest, you must add us as your friend on the I LOVE TO CREATE MySpace page - and - leave us a comment telling us what you love to create! If you are already a friend of ours on MySpace, you will still need to leave us a comment telling us what you love to create to be officially entered into the contest.

Contest begins at 12:01 AM Eastern Time (ET) on 3/18/2009 and ends at 11:59 PM ET on 4/30/2009. A random drawing of all entries will be held shortly thereafter by the www.ilovetocreate.com staff. If you are selected to win, you will be contacted through MySpace for your mailing address. Your Crafty Chica Prize Pack will be mailed to you once your information has been collected.

Please note: Only one submission per person.

Employees of the Sponsors, their affiliates, subsidiaries, distributors, retailers, advertising and promotion agencies, and the immediate families of each are not eligible to enter or win. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited by law.

Submission of projects constitutes consent to use writers' names and messages for editorial, advertising and publicity purposes without further compensation (except where prohibited).

2/365

Before I get into the photo above, I just wanted to tell you, my loyal blog readers, that since I am doing the 365 project (where I post a photo a day for an entire year), I plan on focusing more time on my photography over the next year. As a result, I will be posting more photographs obviously of myself, but this may mix up the way I do my blog. I will still be posting to my blog, but sometimes instead of brand new content, it will just be my 365 picture along with a brief descriptor. It's not to say that I won't be posting craft projects or an occasional topical or inspiration post, it's just to say that my main focus isn't coming up with various topics throughout the week to share with you. The 365 project will give you a little better glimpse into me and my daily tasks. I hope this will be a nice change for you and me both. Sometimes it is VERY hard for me to come up with an interesting topic or just post off the cuff. Many times, 11 o'clock comes and I still don't have a post idea, so this alleviates a lot of stress on my end. I don't know...this may actually even result in more posts, so we will see where it goes!

OK, back to the photo, I'm not particularly feeling festive today. The closest thing to it was accidentally wearing a drab blue/green shirt and eating a clover-shaped cookie.

This was taken at my new friend Patty's house, who is much more festive than me (she wore a "Whose your Paddy" shirt...cute). It's the closest thing to home I've experienced since I've been here. Her family calls me "Kentucky", which I really don't mind. Her husband and her have a daughter who is kinda becoming my surrogate neice since I've already started spoiling her with gifts. Hee hee.

We met (Patty and Sylvia and I) tonight to discuss the Etsy logo I designed for our Central California Etsy Chapter and what we plan on doing on Friday night at our official Etsy meeting. It was nice.

Please check out Patty's "Knick Knack Patty Shak" shop here. I'm particularly fond of her latest creation...chalkboard glasses...so cool. Check out Sylvia's "Chebang" shop here. I just love the artwork on her pendants (so quirky, vintage and cool) and her color choices in her feltwork!

If you haven't gone to the cookie party site to vote for your fellow Swellion Donna Bush today, please hop over there and do so! I'm sorry if this is starting to sound like a PBS/NPR fund drive, I just really want her to win!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Vote for my friend for Best Cookie Party Hostess!!

One of my closest friends from my old work at DecoArt, Donna (who I affectionately refer to as Donna-Mom), is in an online cookie party contest and I'd really like to see her win!! That's her above in an embroidered apron my mom made based on a design Donna did. If she wins, she gets a prize and some positive kudos, so I'd like to help her out.

All you have to do is go to this link, scroll down midway and click on the Donna Bush button and then hit submit. It would mean a lot if you could do this. It only takes like 5 seconds (I timed it! I really did!) If you have a chance and remember to, please check back daily and vote. You can vote once a day!

If you want to see her cookie party and the details, you can click on her name above the entry form (It says Donna Bush, Danville, KY). It shows pictures that I took at her party and a silly one of all of us (including me) who attended!

Sorry for the repost if you've already seen my posts on Facebook. And I'll probably ask you again to vote at the end of the month!

Until next time Swellions.

Alexa

1/365

So, here I am doing something I claim I never have time to do...the 365 project where you take a photo of yourself each day of the year. The truth is that I always thought it was a cool idea, but there was a big part of me that didn't know if I could be committed to it. It is a commitment that I am going to try to make. Even if it is with the crappy iphone camera.

Chris told me I should do it, cause he's doing it, and I texted him back saying that I in a few sum words, "Needed to lose weight". Well, I thought about it and there's always going to be something that's going to keep you from doing something if you let it. I need to just be sometimes and accept myself for the way that I am.

I do like my hair in this photo, but I'm not fond of the wrinkles that are starting to show (actually, I've always had bags under my eyes...even as a child). Like most people, I can be pretty darn critical of myself and I'm starting to see the signs of aging on myself. Also, I think this has a lot to do with my lack of sleep, which seriously isn't healthy.

If you know me, you know I'm not a very revealing person. I plan on not revealing too, too much with this whole 365 thing, but I think you can tell a lot in a person's eyes and I don't know that I'm that great at faking emotion. Sometimes I am, just depends on my mood.

I used Daniel Diaz's b/w filter from Action Central on this. It's my favorite filter. I tried 5 other ones that frankly made my photo look worse. I would also like to expand my knowledge on color correction with this project as well.

So wish me luck. We'll see where it takes me, considering I'm in a whole new place (literally) in my life.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Crafty Blogger Links

Check out these fun and crafty links to get you inspired!

About Family Crafts
Find out how you can make your own cards, party invitations, favors bags, place cards, napkin rings, gift tags, and much more to help celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

Artful Aileen
Come help Aileen name her new Color Mists' Sorbet Collection and earn a chance to win a free Sorbet set!

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Are you using Google Image Search to its fullest? Swelldesigner shows you how to find better images and information and save time while doing so!

Cathie Filian
Recycle your junk mail and old papers into beautiful handmade designs with Cathie's easy tutorial.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
This week at Craftside there are 2 fun "J" ATC's made with free downloadable graphics, tons of info about the June session at the Squam Art Workshops, a minijournal made from a recycled card, a cool creative exercise and some interesting quilting folklore.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Jewelry Validation! Nothing gives you validation, no matter what your craft of choice is, like having someone actually purchase one of your creations.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Guest writer Lori Fellows presents another fun and easy Cross Stitch project. Learn to make an Easy No-Sew Vase Cover using your choice of free patterns.

Layers Upon Layers
Cyndi shares the simple steps she's used to create a collage with monoprinted papers

Naughty Secretary Club
Customized wearable cupcake toppers that look as good on your cupcake as they do around your neck!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Stefanie folds up some cool envelopes with the help of Karen Elaine Thomas' new book Origami Card Craft.

I <3 faces Week 10

Adult Entry
This is my friend Molly from last year at a Derby party. She was wearing her lime green derby hat! A perfect match for her green eyes!


Children Entry
This is a picture I took of my nephew at the park that I love. I considered editing out the bird doo, but I don't know, it just makes the picture more realistic and less futuristic.



If you remember from my Terrorific Tuesday posts back in October, Amy Locurto played along providing us with lots of fun and inspiration. Well, she's at it again!

She is the co-creator of I Heart Faces and it's quickly becoming a buzz site to go to for photo enthusiasts! Lots of fun, lots of photos, and lots of ideas and inspiration! I love the weekly theme as well as the Fix-it Fridays posts. Be sure to head on over to I Heart Faces! to check out all of the beautiful face entries this week!

I thought I would play around this week with the week 10 "Green" theme and these are some photos I came up with!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Photography from the college years

The above digital art piece I did was created tonight from this photo that I took for my b/w photography class during my sophomore year of college. I was 20 back then, so 10 years ago to be accurate. Here's that photo (it's actually a photo of my photo on matte board, I tried tearing it off to scan it, but I ripped one and thought I'd just photograph them instead):



Back then, I started hitting my groove more toward my senior year of college (if you're curious, I went to Murray State University in Western KY) and I created a lot of similar photo collages. I loved merging the computer with my artistic photography endeavors. I had a mild clue about composition and subject matter of my photography back then. I just knew what I liked. I liked a lot of reflection, light, introspection and emotion. For some reason, I also really dug this necklace. I thought it had raw symbolism...



My friend and suitemate Laura did a lot of posing for me. She had beautiful hands and features so it worked out quite well. She was always a good sport too and didn't mind the task. That always made it a lot easier!



I have been thinking as of late that I'd like to get my old Pentax back out and start playing around with it. I always love the way the photos look with this camera. There's something about it that just doesn't compare to my digital camera (though I wouldn't give it up for the world). There's actually a LOT of people you can find out there that still prefer the look of film to digital. My friend Ima loves shooting in film and gets some really great shots like this I went in Urban Outfitters the other day and there were a ton of old school reproduction cameras, so if they carry it, you know it's a big trend or the next big thing. Check out their stash of cool 35mm and point and shoots (along with film) here. It makes me really want to buy some and start playing around with new techniques.

And I finally leave you with this last image. I developed and processed them myself. I have since forgotten how to do that, which kinda bums me out. It's a really cool skill to have that is not needed as much in the digital age. In college, I didn't get a lot of feedback on my photos, but in one portfolio review my teachers told me that my photos were the strongest of my art skills. I wish I would have pursued it more (I never went past the introductory course), but I was totally overwhelmed with my other courses and yearbook, which was practically a full time job in its own. I'm glad I've continued to pursue photography. It's a great creative outlet for me that lets me think outside my crafty box.



Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Why aren't you using google image search?

So, I was totally going to post about something else tonight, but last minute paused and thought this would be a rather informative topic. I kinda pride myself on being able to find stuff through Google in seconds or minutes. For example, the other night I discovered that Kristen Stewart, the girl from Twilight, was also the same girl in Panic Room with Jodie Foster. I remember thinking that she looked very boy-like in that movie and wanted to see a picture then and there. I quickly googled "Kristen Stewart + Panic Room". I then switched over to the image search option at the top of the Google search panel and found the pic I wanted to see in under 30 seconds.

Anything and everything related to that phrase will show up. As you can see from a google search on "Swelldesigner", you see stuff I have on Flickr, Cafepress, Curbly, and other blogs and sites that I've been featured.

This is an absolutely awesome tool for you at your fingertips and it has provided me with a wealth of information. For example, when I'm doing trend or project research for my job or myself, I simply type in key phrases like "cool packaging" or "upcycled crafts". It really helps you be able to locate stuff much quicker than having to wade through tons of web pages.

A couple things worth noting about the image search:
–If you copy your image to your hard drive, make sure to select the "See full size image" option. It will give you the largest resolution size possible for that image.

– There's a pull down menu on the main page that lets you select which size image you may be looking for. Admittedly, in the past, I've gone in and found an "extra large" image or something really, really generic for a personal project (I used these type of images for this admittedly stereotyped custom invite for a friend a few years back...). Anyway, the extra large images have the highest resolution. I will note that if you are searching for something very specific, you get very slim pickings at this size. You are much more likely to find the image you need at a small or medium size, but it all depends on what you are needing it for. If I end up selecting an extra large image for a project, I then end up modifying the heck out of it. Some people may not agree with this, but I think it's pretty harmless for images as generic as clouds and grass.

– If you need to reference the web site you got the image from, click on the link next to the "Below is the image at: etc, etc." as shown below...



– Just because you search for a certain topic doesn't mean all the images that pop up are going to relate to it. For example, the "swelldesigner" search at the top of this post features projects that are totally unrelated to me. You have to weed through several pages to find the right image.

– Certain key phrases are going to sometimes produce questionable images. For example, a search of images about my friend Jennifer Perkins, the "Naughty Secretary" club as I typed it in Google, resulted in some pretty randy images. Just be prepared for that. People choose some weird ways to tag images on the net so you've been forwarned.

Hope you found this little post informative. And on a kinda related note, my actual name is in google search engine lights, meaning it pops up automatically if you try to spell out something past "Alexa We". Someone out there is actually searching for me or the stuff I create. If only it was my future husband, but I seriously have my doubts on that one. Ha!



Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Postcard pop art project

So, I made this tonight. Here lately, I haven't really had much great craft revelations or things I've been dying to make. I guess everyone goes through a more or less inspired phase, right? Well, I have been wanting to make stuff, but honestly, like many people, I have soooo much stuff that I need to use before I buy new and if I do go and buy stuff at the craft store it just inevitably becomes more stuff. So this is another good ol' recycled project!



This box top was my surface. It was to a photo box that has now basically collapsed and really doesn't need a top anymore. I saw it sitting there, and thought, "Hey, I'll just use that!". Anyway, I didn't have a rhyme or reason to what I created. I just created in my own way. I would describe my intuitive style to be graphic, bold, and bright. For me, paper crafting and collage is very planned. Some people take a little more loose and almost spiritual approach to placing their art together, but the graphic designer in me always wants control, grids, and boxes. That's the way I've designed for a really long time. Everything has it's own space and doesn't intersect. I guess those sensibilities go beyond the computer screen.

Another thing about my own crafting style is that I am very messy. I just cut out scrapbook paper with scissors and glued it into place with Aleene's Tacky Glue. I then used a postcard from a POP ART postcard book that a friend got me for the central focus. For this project, I did it for more personal reasons, so I seriously didn't care if it was perfectly cut even. For me, it's all about creating, then going back in and modifying and covering up any trouble spots. If I sewed more stuff, you better believe I would be putting lots of fancy trims and ribbons on it to cover up my mistakes. I'm very messy and imperfect.

When I was in college, I would submit my stuff into shows and it would rarely get in. I was often discouraged about this. I didn't really have enough insight at the time, but I really think it was judged more crafty than art. It was like having a crafty sensibility was a bad thing. I wish now that I would have been able to realize that my craftiness is a good thing and that I should have pushed myself harder to create high-concept craft pieces (I think a lot of stuff back then lacked general direction). The act of creating is so powerful and different for different people. I'm glad that I'm able to accept how I create now. It's something I would get discouraged about. I think just getting older and more knowledgable about my skills has helped in this area.

So have you ever felt like you had to defend or downplay your craftiness in the name or art and did you have to come to terms with your creativity? Or have you always just gone your own way and totally owned your creativity? I think this is definitely something we as crafters think about! Let me know your thoughts.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Earrings, Earrings, Earrings!

I'm so excited. I found out today from my online friend Melissa J. Lee that a book I submitted earrings to last year was now out. It's called Earrings, earrings, earrings! and is edited by Barb Switzer. I hurriedly went in for the kill on Google to discover the beautiful cover with a pair of my earrings on front! Yippee!

Mine are the ones on the orange/peach background on the top right...the sequin ones. I know I gave it a much more clever title in the book, but if you know me in person and have actually seen my work, you know these are a pair that I make quite frequently from sequin trim. See?



They are a good pair of earrings, cause they aren't too big, but their not too dainty either. Young and old alike have worn them. Last year, I volunteered at a halfway house of sorts and the girls there made them for a craft night. They were super excited about their finished creation and surprised at how cute and easy they were to make.

I'll give a much more in depth review once I get my actual copy in the mail. I'm assuming it went to my old address, so I'm hoping it gets forwarded here any day now. I can't wait to see my other designs as well as the designs of my multi-talented jewelry-making online friends!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

P.S. Please cross your fingers for me tonight as I have had a nagging minor sore throat all day. I took Zicam a couple hours after it started and have been taking each 3 hours after that. I'm hoping I can nip it in the bud this evening...going to even go to bed early (for me that's a major "GASP"). Everyone has been sick at the office and I was hoping I wouldn't become a casualty.

Crafty Blogger Links

The Impatient Crafter
Check out this video to kick off Craft Month at Crafty Nation. Madge shows you how to make a jaunty mixed media nautical pendant!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Cell phone car chargers get revamped with help from Jennifer Perkins' New Book-Naughty Secretary Club: The Working Girl's Guide to Handmade Jewelry.

Naughty Secretary Club
Every Monday in March Jen is giving away a different craft book! Read the book reviews and then leave a comment for your chance to win titles like Sew Darn Cute, Plexi Class, Canvas Remix and more.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Connie has charted her favorite Irish Blessing for you to stitch and enjoy.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Exercise your brain by crafting. That's right. According to a recent study, you can make your brain smarter by crafting.

Layers Upon Layers
This is "Book Arts month" on Layers Upon Layers!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
There are a couple of fabulous tutorials on how to sew a cuffed hem and a paper bead, wild photos from my night with the stars at Robert Vetica's Book launch party for Good To Great Hair, an interview with Garth Johnson author of the upcoming 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse and if you want to be a part of the book the deadline for submissions has been extended to March 13th!

Cathie Filian
Get poppy and modern with Cathie's easy technique for making one-of-a-kind "Warholesque" art.

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Swelldesigner shares a childhood craft memory all about Scribbles Paint!

Aileen's Musings
Make it a banner day and enter Aileen's blog challenge and giveaway!

About Family Crafts
Discover how to make your own craft suppies.

10 really annoying things!

For the most part, I think I'm a pretty positive person about most things. Or at least I hope so! But there are some things that really, really annoy me. The first of which is the security decoding captchas that you have to spell out now anytime you want to post a comment, add a friend, etc. Yes, I know they are supposed to be good to prevent online hacking, but how annoying are they when they look like what you see above? It's illegible. As a part of my job, I've been seeing them a lot lately, and yeah, they get on my last nerve.

Here's 9 other things (for a total of 10 in all) about daily life that annoy me as well...what pet peeve of yours did I leave off the list?

1. Magazine inserts falling to the ground when you are looking at an issue at the newstand.

2. Fast food workers who stick their hand out with your food before you pull up to the window.

3. The people at the mall kiosks that pounce on you to buy their lotions/cell phones/etc. as you walk buy (I never make eye contact).

4. Choosing the wrong line at the grocery store and then seeing the other people behind you suddenly jump ahead of you...if only you had chosen the right lane!

5. Buying a shirt and then having the button popping off the first time you wear it.

6. Plugging something into charge overnight only to discover it wasn't connected properly in the morning.

7. Investing time into a reality show only to find out the ultimate outcome is infuriating (oh, and I'm not personally referring to the recent Bachelor, but if you watched it, you know what I mean).

8. Finding out that a gift you went to a lot of effort picking out for someone was regifted (double annoyance if they forget that you were the one that gave it to them and they give it away in your presence).

9. Finding out from the cashier that the coupon you planned on using (usually for a big ticket item) is expired.

Now that I've got that out of my system, you can expect a lot more positive posts in the upcoming week. Ha ha.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

When Swell met Scribbles

As most of you guys know, I currently work for Duncan Enterprises in Fresno, California. The funny thing about me working there is the fact that I've already had a 20 year or so relationship with the company, because of the Scribbles Paint you see above. Let me explain...



This was me...around age 11, 5th grade to be exact. I look very wistful in this photo (I remember specifically trying to be modelesque as my dad shot this photo-ha ha). Around this time in my life, I was a very crafty girl. This was the year I got my first glue gun to make ribbon hair bows (I even had glitter glue sticks to go with it). I also loved making macrame bracelets using my fingers as a loom out of those neon nylon loops (which I learned that year in Bible school). For me and the rest of the crafters in this country, this was also the year of the painted t-shirt and sweatshirt!

My mom and I would go to the little Wal-mart (it was super tiny) in our town and I'd scour the fabric section for the perfect print to make a custom sweatshirt out of. The designs came printed just for the size of a sweatshirt, so that you could just cut the image out, Wonder Under it onto some fabric with an iron, and then outline it with your favorite Puffy or Slick paint. The swatch below is something I've kept all these years as a momento from my childhood. I made a black sweatshirt with this exact same design outline and embellished, but unfortunately I don't have it today. The print is from Daisy Kingdom. Back in the day, Daisy Kingdom had a huge line of fabrics and patterns. Many patterns featured matching mom and daughter dress designs like this. Even back then, I was totally all about Halloween and apparently cute bears (don't ask me why about the bears part).



I specifically remember being enamored by the Scribbles Paint in the Hancock Fabrics store that we went to in Owensboro. As a kid, I would spend hours in there with my mom as she perused through the pattern books and fabric, so I was bored a lot! The fabric paint was ALWAYS something I was very much gravitated to and I remember studying the bottles and usually pulling my mom's arm into buying me a bottle or two to make a shirt with.

So back then, I had no earthly clue where this paint was made. I had no concept of the craft industry or that an industry such as it even existed. It just is funny to me that I work for the place whose products captivated me as a child.

I make a point now to tell my nephews and crafty niece about how things are made and explain the inner workings of how our products that we buy come to be. In there era, there is so much information at their fingertips and a big 'ol world out there for them to explore. Having some additional perspective and knowing that they have options will hopefully give them even more opportunity to go after what they want in life and a career.

So anyway...that's how Swell met Scribbles! Hope you enjoyed!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

My Polyvore outfit and an important creative lesson

I've known about the site Polyvore for a while. I've seen people put together fun little clothing and home collages. I got a sudden urge to do one after seeing a fun collection of 80's/spattered paint images that someone had done.

There are thousands of high-end and low-end items to choose from to create a great outfit with. I'm not entirely sure how they are compiled, but I'm guessing either web designers at the Polyvore site gather images from various sites and do a very fast magic selection around them in Photoshop and then nsert them into the program –or– they are submitted by users. Anyway, whichever way they compile them and program them into Flash for us to move and manipulate in our browsers, it's pretty darn fun. Here's a pic of what the site mainframe actually looks like if you decide to try it:



You would think this would be a relatively easy task for me to compile one of these, but I'm incredibly hard on myself in judging certain things. I've never been a fashionista, though I do think I have some knowledge of what's on trend or looks good. Just on a regular basis, you probably wouldn't know this based on the clothes I wear. I'm a basic jeans, black tee, and funky accessories kinda gal. So putting together a complete look mystifies me a bit. For this look, I was trying to put together something I thought I could actually see myself wearing if I had a reason to wear it...I guess a funky party dress combination is the look I was going for. I actually think this loud mixture of prints is really fun. I like the playfulness of it with the yellow trim and bow. For the accesories, I went with simple things with a bit of a funk. In my own personal style, I love bangles and bling. I also love the texture in the open toe snakeskin pumps and the pleats in the purse.

Putting this entire look together took me an hour....I mean afterall, I wanted to create something I was happy with, but wouldn't hopefully get readers thinking, "Man, this girl really doesn't know what looks good." I hope I succeeded. I always put a lot of pressure on myself in things like this that showcase my creative skills. It's like I set this bar for myself that I think others have of me, and I'm afraid I won't live up to. One time, while visiting with a friend who I really respected as a graphic designer, we made mother's day cards (we even went to michaels to buy materials). I was sooo consumed with the fact that my friend wouldn't like my work or think it was good enough that I ended up wasting all my paper cutting it up into stuff I didn't like, and I walked away without a complete card. I was measuring myself against her and what she thought of my skills it wasn't a good thing.

So this is the deal...even though I struggled with this and worried whether or not you guys would like it, I also have come to the realization that it's ok if you don't like it or get it, I'm happy with it and that's all that matters. I don't think I need to put so much pressure on myself to have this perfect finished product to show off, it's about getting there and being confident in myself and my decision making.

So Swellions, while I hope you like my creation, the more important thing I want you to take away from this post is to not over complicate your creativity or set measures too high for youself when creating. It totally weighs down the creative process and what's the fun in that?

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

The Swell Shop is open for business!

Hey guys! I just opened a shop on Etsy filled with colorful, artful digital prints of some of my favorite craft supplies (I'm betting they're some of yours too!). Right now I only have 7 images up in my shop for purchase, but I plan on putting more up as time allows. I will in the next few days also be offering some specials, so keep your eyes peeled for that. Setting up one of these shops isn't a LOT of work, but it is time consuming and not something you can just do on a whim. I had to research professional phtoography sources, create a banner, research prices for photography, and now I have to actually think about colors for photo backgrounds, etc. I think so far that the shop looks pretty vibrant and colorful and I plan to keep it that way. I am a busy gal as most of you guys prob. already know. My mind is racing a mile a minute and since I love photography and it is relatively easy to organize to sell, I figured it would be a good item for me to sell on my etsy shop. I may in the future sell some other stuff, but for now I'm going to try to stay focused just on the photography and see where and if that takes me anywhere! I'm hoping. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

I've been wanting to open up a shop for a while, but I've not just sat down and focused on it. I did reach out online, since I'm new to the area and found out that several ladies wanted to create a Central California Etsy group! So, now I'm on board with that as well. I hope to get involved and get to know some of those ladies! That should be super fun to interact with some other creative people in the area.

Please hop on over there and check out my shop and send your friends over there if you think they might like my stuff. Please feel free to send me any suggestions or ideas you have for future photos as well!

Oh, and on a closing unrelated note, Britney Spears is the new face of Candies. Check out the video below of her Candies shoot as well as scenes from her Circus tour, which starts tomorrow in New Orleans. I really wish I were lucky enough to go see it. I'm betting it would be a blast! Her costumes look pretty over the top as do the props. I signed up on the Candie's site to win concert tickets in L.A., but yeah, I'm betting that's going to happen.



Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Crafty Blogger Links

Want some inspiring ideas to get your week started on the right note? Check out some of these by some of the craftiest bloggers on the web!!

About Family Crafts
If you are planning a party for an upcoming birthday or other occasion you have to check out some of these creative resources!

Aileen's Musings
Aileen's looking quite regal in her faux metal crown! Check out her tutorial and make your own crown or two and join her in Queendom!

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Check out the cool pin-up shrine that Swelldesigner made with her Crafty Chica Love Shrine kit!

Cathie Filian
Cathie Filian has an easy idea to revamp $1 store candles with a little cha cha cha flair.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside has a how-to on using a doming cube from the new book The Jeweler's Studio Handbook, handwriting ideas from Creative Paint Workshop, some wild "hand" art, and a "going green" ATC made with free downloadable art from Altered Art Circus.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Still trying to get your studio organized? Tammy is too! Maybe this resource she discovered will help you out!

Cross Stitch at About.com
A flock of free Fairy patterns have flitted in and landed at About.com Cross Stitch. Use the charts for frilly, flirty, fun projects.

Layers Upon Layers
Making monoprint background papers is an addictive activity...

Naughty Secretary Club
Jen delves into the world of paper crafts and plays Ms. Manners making personalized thank you cards.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
See how I made a recycled sweater cuff with a cross stitched reindeer from the cool reproduction of the 1929 book "The Sew-It Book".

The Impatient Crafter
Madge shares another free fab project from her co-authored new book along with another prize giveaway!