2008 to do list

i have about 50 to do lists floating around in various journals, word docs, notebooks & calenders, but i've decided to lay it all out here. here are things that i hope to do in the next year. cheers to 2008!

• travel to sweden & germany (vacation time holds me back, but i smell unpaid leave in the future)
• design & develop a new website - natalie will be my partner in crime & we will revolutionize the crafting world, online at least
• sew a dress using a pattern - i really want to challenge myself sewing this year
• make red velvet cake - i now have a beautiful kitchenaid mixer & it longs to be used daily
• take on a new physical activity - boxing, yoga & dancing are my initial thoughts
  
• complete branding efforts for stilldottie - develop a regular tutorial & pattern schedule for the blog, create business cards & letterhead, create line of prints or housewares for stilldottie.etsy.com
  
• go somewhere warm for my birthday - mexico & hawaii are the front runners.
• clean & organize my walk in closet - this will require a trip to home depot & lots of patience
• create a system for referencing all of the inspiration i find
• redecorate my bedroom - new duvet, hang curtains, find something for my walls
• rev up the hunt for furniture - more flea markets, estate sales & craigslist
• take an art class (or two or five)

also fun to think about - big changes in 07: short hair, 00g ears, platinum blonde, opened the etsy shop, gave up my car, moved into my first one bedroom, moved up at work (graphics baby), fell in love with a bike, created graphics for cal anderson summer 2007 (my first limited edition set of prints), learned how to row, become a co-organizer for chicks play hard, learned to screen print & so much more that i'm forgetting to mention. thank you & cheers to all of the fantastic people in my life this last year & years past, you are all appreciated & loved!

photo credit to alicia bock

a night of make believe

my apartment was dimly lit, the little light there was provided by the white christmas lights in my window. i put on my warmest sweater, riding boots & my new snowboarding jacket in preparation for the night. it started off at six arms with natalie & stina to get ourselves hot liquored bevs; my drink of choice: mcmenamin's coffee (whiskey, frangelico & coffee). imagine our surprise when santa walked into the bar! we all got a little giddy it seemed; i pulled out my camera to snap pics & he gave natalie her requested candy cane. divya showed up & we headed down to the meridian 16 to watch enchanted. the movie was sweet, entertaining, funny & incredibly ridiculous. although, i found myself being a cynic: "how'd he learn to dance," "why is he following her around," "why would she forgive him for supposedly cheating just because he had 2 doves fly her a heart wreath of flowers." overall the movie was pretty good (i imagine it would be even better if i was a 10 year old girl who dreams of being a princess) & the night of make believe was even better!

handmade christmas gifts for mom & dad

here are quick pics of my parents with their christmas gifts i made. my dad got beer labels for his at-home brew. i'm posting it mostly because it's such a great pic of my dad. my mom is holding her trivets, coaster set & teapot cozie. isn't she cute!

handmade 2.0

i really enjoyed this extensive article, handmade 2.0, written about the craft & diy movement by new york times writer rob walker. at the vibrant age of 25, walker has also featured a list of additional links & resources on his murketing blog.

he writes: "f the marketplace today has become alienating and disconnected, then buying something handmade, from another individual, rolls back the clock to an era before factory labor and mass production."

latest apartment pics

in the last couple of weeks i have a couple of apartment additions. first is a four generations picture of my mother, my grandma, great grandma & great great grandma. i got the picture matted & framed on capitol hill; i picked a slightly off white matte & a distressed gold & silver toned frame. it looks really good hanging next to my syroco birds. i also bought a shag rug from urban outfitters for dirt cheap! i like the way that it warms up my apartment & creates a separation of space. i also snagged a little white shelf from craigslist for underneath my photo collage. it needs a repaint & may eventually be replaced, but it works for now.

i'm getting there i tell you! still on the list: a new dining set, a chair to face my couch & artwork for behind my couch.

teapot cozie - tutorial

my mom was very specific about wanting a teapot cozie for christmas & i gladly tackled the new craft. now that we've exchanged gifts (celebrating early while they were in town), i can post the tutorial. this pattern should work for most standard teapots.

needed:
sewing machine
half yard of any light cotton fabric
scrap of contrasting fabric
quarter yard of heat resistant felt/liner
1 yard bias tape (wide single fold or your own)
rotary cutter, board & ruler

instructions:
1. cut a 4" x 3" rectangle of contrasting fabric (d), 2 of piece a out of patterned fabric, 2 of piece b out of felt/liner, 2 of piece c out of patterned fabric.
2. fold & press piece d: fold in half vertically, then fold in each side a half inch, creating a 4” by 1” tri-fold. the front of the fabric should be facing out.
3. stitch along both vertical sides of piece d.
4. fold & press the finished piece d (pull/tab), should now measure 1" x 2" loop.
5. place 2/3 of the pull/tab in between both pieces of the a pattern at the top center, secure with pin.
6. stitch along the dotted line with the pattern facing in & majority of pull/tab inside.
7. flip inside out. you should have a large pocket, pattern & pull/tab facing out.
8. for pieces b, place pairs back to back & sew along dotted line. repeat for c.
9. stuff piece c into b & both b & c into a.
10. with total cozie lying flat, use the rotary cutter to cut a clean line (rounded) along the bottom of the pattern.
11. finish the bottom off with a wide single fold bias tape. you can also make your own as i did, tutorial here.

etsy artist - elloh

i just bought this print from etsy seller elloh. i love it. most of her work is based on pop culture, including a great set of the office, amelie & hitchcock prints. she sells her prints as 8.5" x 11" or 5" x 7"; selling mostly at $15 - $24. she also will stretch the printed canvas over a wood frame so an additional $15.

wish list aka product lust

everybody has a wish list. every blogger is posting a holiday guide. i just have product lust.


kiss limited edition letterpress from keep calm ltd



wenge series from jason linde



kitchenaid 5-qt artisan mixer



eames shell rocker from design within reach



pebble felted wool rug - ivory



unforgivable woman by sean john


gocco printer from print addict - no longer in distribution



swimmer t-shirt from waterloo

paper ornaments - update

after dropping my christmas cards in the mail, i decided it was time to cross these off the list! i hung them up above my desk at work to keep the holiday spirit with me all day. they were really easy to make & it only took 3 sheets of cardstock for 4 ornaments.

i love this idea & as soon as i finish 4 sewing projects, two printing projects & print, cut & mail my own holiday cards, this is what i'll be doing. i'm spending the holiday season in seattle this year & am debating the idea of decorating. this & some christmas lights or a wreath may be just enough.

check out the full tutorial at design*sponge. maybe this could even turn into a craft night for all!

wear palettes

i enjoy visiting the satorialist fashion blog every once in a while. in addition to looking at the styles & articles of clothing, i like taking in the image as a whole. the blending of person to clothes & clothes to background. the wear palette blog collected around 1500 different palettes extrapolated from his clothing pictures & will continue to update it daily. i like that this idea is becoming more & more common, taking fashion colors & using them in everything from print design to interior decorating.

yeti labels

i don't mean to give any spoilers as to what my christmas cards will look like this year, but here are some downloadable gift labels for your personal use: christmas or generic. these documents are 8.5" x 11" & should be printed on self-adhesive label paper.

visit my etsy store to see the coordinating cards! if you find that these aren't printing at the desired quality, leave a comment or email me & i'll send you a press quality file.

pro nails

i've been waiting for an event that calls for getting really long acrylic nails with an airbrushed sunset. looks like a new kid sister & kanye single might be reason enough.

living in anthropologie

i've thought for a while that if i could, i'd just set up shop in an anthropologie store. this set of photos only confirms those feelings.