A craft, a link, and a photo: Ornate Edition

Since I will be gone for this week and next, I thought I would still compile some fun things to inspire you. I plan on sharing a craft and photo that I've created and taken...hopefully to inspire you as well as a link to a fun site you should check out. Enjoy!

Mermaid Art I made a few years back


The ceiling and some stained glass in a Mediterranean restaurant in Chicago.


And a series of pretty crafts using ornate and old materials via nskwood.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

A craft, a link, and a photo: Vintage Sign edition

Since I will be gone for this week and next, I thought I would still compile some fun things to inspire you. I plan on sharing a craft and photo that I've created and taken...hopefully to inspire you as well as a link to a fun site you should check out. Enjoy!

Bowl Crescent Box (the photo on the box is actually going to be featured in the International Bowling Museum)


Cool signage in Lexington, KY.


This retro sign on Patrick Q's Flickr makes me laugh!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Sand Hearts & other Valentine photo ideas

This is a post from last year that I thought I would reshare. Enjoy...

I wanted to create something special for my nephews and niece for Valentine's Day now that I'm so far away. I really was struggling with an idea, but when I went to the beach, the idea popped into my head to write their names in the sand in a heart. I was going to make cards out of this, but decided to put them in frames for them to display in their room. I hope it reminds them that though I'm far away, I still love them very much and think about them.

Here's me drawing Taylor's Valentine in the sand:



You could create a more elaborate frame, but I just put mine in a basic whitewashed (and cheap - only $2 each) frame from Big Lots. Big Lots has some really great frames!

I'm all about the quick craft. I like that it only really took me 15 minutes in all to draw, resize, print, and insert. It's more about the sentiment than anything else. I think that's the best kind of Valentine!

You can translate this idea into other photo image messages. Try photographing these ideas:

1) Write it in the snow
2) Spell it out with branches, nuts, or rocks (anything natural).
3) Arrange candies like red hots, conversation hearts, or M&M's
4) Photograph a ribbon heart and name (satin ribbon would make beautiful cursive type)
5) Make a name and heart with buttons, rhinestones, or poor out glitter on a plain surface
6) Spell out the name in rose petals
7) Put a prized pet in the picture and write out the pet lover's name in dog or cat food (or kitty litter if you decide to go there, but that may be an anti-valentine, huh?)
8) Spell it out in their favorite food (think the opening them of Napoleon Dynamite). Use Fruit Loops, Alphabet soup,ketchup etc. to share a special sentiment.

I guess if you didn't have enough of one object to spell out something, you could always just do an initial instead.

I hope you find this project inspiring!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

A craft, a link, and a photo: Eyes Have It Edition

Since I will be gone for this week and next, I thought I would still compile some fun things to inspire you. I plan on sharing a craft and photo that I've created and taken...hopefully to inspire you as well as a link to a fun site you should check out. Enjoy!

A fun googly eye pendant necklace I made a few years back!

I think this cat's cross eyes might make you laugh.


If you want a laugh or a boost to the day, check out these funny googly eye images in the WNYC's Amy Sedaris Craft Challenge pool.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

A craft, a link, and a photo: Red Hot Edition

Since I will be gone for this week and next, I thought I would still compile some fun things to inspire you. I plan on sharing a craft and photo that I've created and taken...hopefully to inspire you as well as a link to a fun site you should check out. Enjoy!

Red Hot Necklace (Instructions here)


This photo was taken with my film camera. I love that camera!!


And I like these Red Hot Dot earrings from Etsy seller SNoU. They remind me of candy!

And speaking of red hot candies, cinnamon candies have always grossed me out. A little factoid about me for ya.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

A craft, a link, and a photo: Citrus Edition

Since I will be gone for this week and next, I thought I would still compile some fun things to inspire you. I plan on sharing a craft and photo that I've created and taken...hopefully to inspire you as well as a link to a fun site you should check out. Enjoy!

Charmed Citrus Bracelet


Doesn't this photo kinda make you long for Summer?


And I love this set of yellow images from Country Living! Esp. the yellow yo yo pillow! I actually own the yellow and white striped candles but in pink and white (Marshall's, baby!)

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Crafty Blogger Links!

Check out what the crafty bloggers are up to this week!

About Family Crafts
Sherri shares a collection of craft projects, all made from fleece fleece fabric. You can make everything from Sleeved Blankets for yourself and your pet to simple hats and scarves.

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Get into the early Valentine spirit with these colorful and cute Valentine brooches!

Cathie Filian
Check out Cathie's CHA plans! Her new book 101 Snappy Fashions and her new product line will be unveiled.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
This week Craftside's got tutorials on how to make a paw print place mat, a tasty "bite" from the new book The Designer's Graphic Stew, how to sew a neckband into a neckline, all the CHA author details and how to make a scratching box for your cat.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Is it really possible to quit your day job and become a full-time crafter?

Cross Stitch at About.com
Cutesy Cross Stitch not your style? Seeking stitches for your sarcastic friends and family members? Check out Connie's snarky stitchery patterns for a refreshing change of pace that avoids an X rating.

Farm Girl Roots, City Girl Style
Learn to make Linda's favorite baby-quilt standby--Baby Blocks.

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
It's Chipboard Week at The Impatient Crafter and Madge throws down an 80s inspired mixed media necklace for iLoveToCreate!

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi's shibori fabric is finished...and it was easy to make!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
See how I use some fun Sweater Surgery and button flowers to dress up a clutch and check out my Craft Super Show and CHA Schedule so you can join me in Customizing a Greeting Card Album and making all sorts of goodies with recycled wool felted sweaters.

The Artful Crafter
The Artful Crafter Are you sometimes frazzled by all the demands for your time? Here’s Eileen’s plan to make more time for her art.

The Crochet Dude
Drew reviews Arctic Lace by Donna Druchunas, and enter to win some lace weight qiviut!

CHA madness

So, I've been a little crazy busy prepping and getting ready for the Craft and Hobby Supershow and Trade Show! I haven't had time to devote to my blog and I'm not sure I'll be able to do a lot of blogging during the week! I plan on sharing some inspiration and old projects to hopefully get you inspired (prescheduled, of course).

For those of you not in the know with CHA, you can read about it here. And if you are in the L.A. area, please stop by the Craft Supershow! I will be at the iLoveToCreate booths for both working and doing social media! So please follow our Twitter, Blog, Flickr and Facebook! You will be able to keep up with what's going on at the show and in our booth.

Well, gotta get packin'! I hope you have a great week and for all my crafty peeps, I hope to see you at the show!!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Valentine's Video Love

Thought I would scout out a few fun Valentine videos that you guys might like...from cool to crafty to fun, just wanted to send some love your way!!











Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

My Punny Valentine's

Admittedly, I've been making Valentine's like this for years. If you didn't know this already about me, I love celebrity gossip and puns, so mixing the two together is one of my favorite things. I think these Valentine's are a lot more personal of a gift than a lot out there. You can find images that relate to people (I mean, who out there doesn't have a celebrity crush or fave tv show?) It's also a really quick craft - something you can embellish as little or as much as you want.

Here's the basic rundown of how you make them...

1. Make a simple heart pattern (mine was about 6" inches wide) and trace your hearts onto posterboard, scrapbook paper, or construction paper.
2. Find images in magazines that fit the basic shape of your heart and cut out.
3. Paint on your paper designs, stripes, dots, etc. I actually painted my hearts entirely with acrylic paint on posterboard, cause it has a nice weight that you don't get with cardstock, but it's totally up to you.
4. Use Aleene's Tacky Glue to mount images on your hearts.
5. Embellish around images using Tulip 3-D Fashion paint, rhinestones, buttons, etc.
6. Write a funny/punny phrase on your card using markers, rubons, and stickers, whatever tickles your fancy.

At a local ad club meeting a few years ago, Michael Osbourne, a renowned creative director, speak on branding and marketing for his design firm. His company sends out Valentine cards instead of Christmas cards each year. I think this an incredibly ingenious way to market yourself or company! Think about it...how many Christmas cards do we toss or not give a second glance to? A LOT! A Valentine card is a nice welcome, and it doesn't have to be uber mushy or meant just for a loved one. It's a nice little statement that can truly make someone's day (especially those single folks who would like to nix it all together). Oh,check out the stamps at the bottom of the Micheal Osbourne bio...he designed them for the postal service...how cool is that? Now that's one awesome gig! Everyone gets to see your work!!!

Hope you enjoy making these cute Valentine's!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Help me pick my 365!!

Occasionally during this 365 photo project, I take several photos in the same day and I have no preference over the ones I take. Today was that such case. I like these photos for different reasons (cool abstractions/mood), but I thought I'd get some other opinions, before I pick my photo to represent Day 302/365. So, what do you think? Leave your choice in the comments below.











Weigh in and let me know!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

This is how I feel when I eat ice cream too!

How seriously cute is this cat? He really likes the Häagen-Dazs®!

Quick post today...but sharing some fun links to get you inspired as well! It's pathetic, but I feel lazy for just posting a single video!



1. A fun post on Retro Gravel Art from Mid Century Mania! I totally remember someone in my family having some of this gravel art, I just can't remember who!



2. Love this little (or should I say not so little) Wedding Invite (seen in it's entirety here on Matt Dorfman's blog). So clever and super sweet.



3. Saw the Young@Heart documentary on PBS last night and it was really touching, funny, and heartbreaking. It's about a senior citizen choir who sings modern music and you need to see it! It will touch you, and you can also get it via NetFlix!



4. Oh, and speaking of another documentary...if you haven't seen Anvil: The Story of Anvil, I totally recommend it too! It's one of the best documentaries I've seen in years. And I don't even like heavy metal. Your preference of music doesn't really matter, it's about the heart!

OK, cheese time is over.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Valentine Ribbon & Felt Brooches

So tonight I wanted to do a quick and easy craft for Valentine's! Valentine's is my 3rd favorite holiday after Halloween & Christmas. While I usually don't have a Valentine on the big day, I still love the holiday. I think people get too caught up in the drama of it sometimes that they forget to think about love as being universal, not just between a person and their significant other. I like to think of Valentine's more as the way I did in 1st grade, when you made a crafty Valentine box from a shoebox (decorating w/ doilies & glitter, of course) and stuffing it with little notes and from friends. So, with this in mind, I suggest you whip up a few of these, not just for you, but also as a way to say "I love you" to your pals! They're fast and fun and you can do something a little different with each one!

Valentine Ribbon & Felt Brooches

Supplies
– thick felt sheets
– wood disks
– markers
– various ribbons
– various rhinestones
– pearl accents (I purchased mine...the heart and dots from Michaels)
– Fast Grab Tacky Glue
– Scribbles paint
– Glossy Collage Pauge
– Scissors
– pin backs

Instructions
If you notice, my pins are very "rough" around the edges. I wanted them to be organic...that's how I craft. Basically, I just sat down with the felt and the ribbons and played. I folded the ribbons, cut them into pieces and layed them down onto circles I cut out of felt. I arranged the ribbons and accents until I was happy with their arrangement.

For the wood disks, I used my markers and colored them in as desired. I covered it in Glossy Collage Pauge to seal when I was finished. For the one with the leopard, you also notice that I collaged on some magazine pages. I love magazines for small little projects like this, cause you can cut out colors and patterns from ads and whatnot. I found the leopard print on a jacket on an ad actually.

I glued all the elements together using Fast Grab Tacky Glue. It's great cause it bonds really quickly. You just need to hold it together several seconds to get it to bond into place.

I also added some Scribbles dimensional paint on the pink and black one as well, but there really are limitless materials and embellishments you can add! Glue or sew on beads, buttons, dimensional stickers or add your own embroidery touches! Have fun with them and go to town.

I finished them off by adding felt to the backs of all of them and adding the brooches with the Fast Grab. Let dry, then wear and enjoy!

Here's a photo of some of the steps in my process of making these...



Here's a closeup of each one of them!







This would make for a fun craft if you are holding a crafty Valentine's party or a Valentine's party for little girls! You could also adapt this idea to go on a headband or hairclip as well!

Hope you enjoyed this project!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Social Media Instruction Book Parodies

You know I love vintage stuff, so when I saw these funny faux instructional book covers for modern social media services, I had to share them! I found them on a great site called GearFuse. They were created by artist Stéphane Massa-Bidal.











I have a couple of old books myself, one inparticular on photogaphy processing that I can't let go of. There was something so cool and thoughtful about design back then. Everything was communicated with strong, iconic imagery and few words. Sigh, I kinda wish we could go back to that in everyday design.

Anyway, wishing you a happy Tuesday!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Crafty Blogger Links!

Look at what the crafty bloggers are up to this week!

About Family Crafts
Have a sick kid at home? Check out this collection of crafts Sherri has compiled to help entertain them while they get better.

Aileen's Musings
Aileen has a blogoversary coming up and she's offering a fun giveaway!

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Alexa gets back into her crafty groove with a cool & modern statement ring!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
The first week of 2010 at Craftside brings you ho-tos on crocheting broomstick lace and then framing it up to store your earrings, stringing up a ribbon and pearl zigzag necklace, and a call for entries for a new book-1000 Ideas for Decorating Cakes, Cupcakes & Cookies.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Even though this crafty princess is from the South, she still needs a warm crochet hat now and then.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Connie has a "handy" motif you can adapt for multiple uses. Stitch her suggested saying or choose one of your own.

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Madge opens up a rather sticky can of worms in this post about copyright infringement. Right click, save. Done.

Mixed Media Artist
A new year, a new technique! Cyndi shares the first steps to making a shibori background fabric for a new quilt.

The Artful Crafter
Eileen went shopping in her closet and made a 20-something sweater new again. Here's how to update a dated BIG sweater.

Seeing Red

Tonight I took some photos of things I love (including my Pixie cat). She is so cute how she cuddles on the couch. She is such a photogenic girl.

I also tried to come up with a cool, crafty project. It didn't turn out how I had planned, but that's just part of trial and error, I guess...just gotta keep chugging along and another idea will strike!

Here's some of my pretty rhinestones (I was trying to think of a Valentine project)


I also played around with some mirrors for a project. I love mini mirrors, I would just need more to accomplish the project I want to make...Wah, wahhhhhhhhhh.


I am attempting on working on a red scarf. I love this yarn. I just have to practice more. I can knit, but I can't purl very well and I need to get familiar with the process. I know it will just take time.


Here's another pic of the Pix. She is so weird. She runs away if I make sudden moves, but when I put a camera in her face, she is surprisingly cool with it. Oh, well, I have come to realize that she's an oddball...kinda like me!


I hope you have a great start to your week!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

5 Swell and Random Things!

1. Love this photo I took yesterday of colorful foil!! FYI...a project is in the works.


2. Love the cover of this old vintage book! My design heart pitter patters at this kinda thing!


3.This Dream Captcha by Gus23 is one of the most clever crafts I've seen in a while!


4. I soooooo want this Fresno pillow from Jonathan Adler. I just don't want to pay $98 for it.


5. Oh, and in 10th grade, I totally rocked a pair of these Keds baseball shoes (I wore mine with laces). I wish I still had them!

Just a few little fun things. I'm in a random mood, what can I say?

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Reflections on a middle school poem

So, I dragged out something funny (or perhaps kinda sad?) from my past for today's post. This was a poetry publication that my class did in 7th grade in Mrs. Robinson's Language Arts class. My version got a little damage from where I stored it a few years back, but atleast I still have it! I love looking back at old things like this from childhood.



I remember we had a silhouette art project that went along with this. Our shadows wer cast onto the wall and we outlined each others profile. Since that was kinda crafty, I for sure enjoyed that part of the process! Oh, and my lips didn't really pucker out like that...that's just water damage on that page.

We had to write a poem that started out and repeated throughout who were were as people. The main line that resounded throughout my poem is "I am a person of many moods".



I thought it would be fun if I recited it for you. It's pretty silly to me, cause back then I was trying so hard to be so serious and grown up.



Do you have any relics like this that you hang on to too? I'm such a sucker for this kinda thing...ya know, personal nostalgia. Anyway, hope you have a great Thursday!!

Until next time Swellions!

Make a Modern Statement Ring

So last night I was doing a little research online. I wanted to make a cool statement ring and I have seen a lot online, but none that totally caught my eye. When I sat down to create, I thought I would do a ring with a modern looking pinwheel or bow. I quickly realized that wasn't going to happen with the materials at hand and I just began to play with some of my beads and findings on a little wooden disk. Then it happened...inspiration struck! I laid out my findings and started to create a little collage and my statement ring started to materialize in front of my eyes. It's such a fun thing when you are in a groove and the moment and make a discovery. So, I wanted to share my discovery with you!

Make a Modern Statement Ring

Supplies:
– 1.5" wooden disk
– Various findings, rhinestones, washers, beads, spacers, etc. (color doesn't matter)
– Liquid Fusion glue
– toothpick
– white matte spray paint
– ring blank
– Matte spray sealer
– paper plate
– newspaper or cardboard surface
– tweezers
– camera phone or digital camera

Instructions:
1. On a flat surface lay out your wooden disk and various findings. Play around with shapes and combinations until desired collage look is achieved. At this point, I took a picture so that I could go back to this arrangement later.



2. Lay out your various findings and disk onto cardboard. Prepare area outside or in well ventilated area for spray painting. Following spray paint directions, apply several coats, letting dry in between each application. Make sure to also flip and paint other side as well. Don't overspray...this may cause puddling on your surfaces.



3. Review your composition on your camera and start reconstructing your arrangement. I applied a little dab of glue to the backs of each finding and placed it onto my wood blank. Depending on how picky you are, you may want to use a toothpick to apply Liquid Fusion or arrange your findings using tweezers. Let dry thoroughly.



4. At this point, I actually sprayed another coat or two of spray all over the piece. I then coated it with a flat matte sealer.

5. Using glue, apply ring blank to back of wood circle and let dry.

6. Yay! You are finished! If you don't want to make a ring (or if this is just a bit too big and too annoying), you can add a pendant bail or pin back instead!

Here's a closer look at the finished project:



Hope you enjoyed this fun and easy project. And the cool thing? It used leftover materials I had around! I was actually surprised at how great it turned out. I think you will too!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa