Who is that masked man (or woman)?

The non-profit where I work (Scrap) is having a masquerade party for our big fundraiser. Everyone is required to make a mask to wear during the event. Because I wear glasses, I thought that I would make a mask on a stick that I could just hold up in front of my face. I went for a fall leaf theme using fabric to make the leaves. I think that it turned out pretty good. It was a great way to use up some of my fabric scraps.

Fabulous Fabric Week: A Modern Floral

I have decided that this week I want to show off some of the great fabric that I have found during my searches. Since I only use second hand fabrics, I always get super excited about some of the great stuff I find. Today I want to show you one of my all time favorite prints. I found this print at SCRAP. I love the modern floral print and the color combination. Sadly there was only about a yard of material so I have to be selective about how I use it. I made a bag with it that I posted for sale on Etsy. It sold in one day all because of the power of an amazing print.
I only have a little bit of the fabric left and my sister, Lindsay, has requested that I make her a bag with it. She is lucky that she is my sister or I probably would have said no and kept it for myself. Since I do like her a lot I am willing to part with the fabric but with a small tear in my eye.

Gnome more plain Jane

I finally got a picture of the felt beard that I made my sister Lindsay for Christmas. Personally I do not know if there is anything else in the world that makes a girl look sexy like a little gray beard.

Homemade Sewing Box

My mom asked for a small sewing box of Christmas. Since I like to make projects out of as much reused materials as possible, I started searching for a box. I found an old floppy disk box at SCRAP that seemed to be just right. Of course a floppy disk box is not all that attractive so I decided to cover the lid with some cute fabric that I padded so it could also be used as a pin cushion.
I also lined the inside with fabric to hide more of the plastic box. All that was left was to throw in all the fixings; the pins, thread and such. I think that it turned out really nice.

You, sir, are not a Gentleman!

At a craft fair during the holidays, I saw someone selling fake beards made out of felt. I thought my sister would like one to add to her mustache collection but they were super pricey and I figured that I could just make one myself which I did. Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of Lindsay in her beard (It makes her look like a super hot gnome) Since, Lindsay's beard turned out so well I also made a couple more as gifts for my friends Liz and Bryce. For them, I decided to explore some different types of beards. For some reason the 19th century was calling to me. This is how they turned out. I do not want to toot my own horn but I am pretty sure they would fit right in at a civil war reenactment. Mission accomplished!

With Fabric....the sky's the limit

I think that it is about time that I start talking crafts since that is the whole point of this blog. For now I am going to talk about some of my creations but in the future I would also like to include the work of some of my friends who do some amazing art. I have a business called Pickle Things. Mostly I make things out of fabric or felt. A lot of what I sell is bags, coin purses, games and play food. I use 100% second-hand materials. I like to give materials a new life. You should check out my Etsy site to see some of my stuff. www.picklethings.etsy.com or click on the link over to the side. Lately, I am really into making wall hangings. I have just made them as gifts but maybe I will try to sell them in the future. I think of them as fabric collage. For example I found this vintage towel with really cool owl images.
My roommate really likes birds so for her birthday I used one of the images to make her a wall hanging.
It is really easy to make. I am hoping to post tutorials soon so I will take pictures of the process next time in case someone is interested.