All Things Thrifty Home Accessories and Decor: Tutorial: How to make a Fabric Headboard

Absolutely putting this on my to-do list!

All Things Thrifty Home Accessories and Decor: Tutorial: How to make a Fabric Headboard: "In my master bedroom, I wanted an extra large headboard that would make a statement. Here are my instructions on how to make a fabric headb..."

Erin Tyner on Flickr!!

Fade
Originally uploaded by Erin_T

I just discovered that Erin Tyner is on Flickr!! Not sure how I missed this before, as I am a big fan (recall my much anticipated purchase here).... in any case, see her pics in all their glory any day of the week at Flickr. com. YAY!

My winter vacation

I have a secret desire to work as a florist, so anytime I get the chance to act on that desire, I pounce! Case in point: the Houston Chamber Choir (of which I am a member for this holiday season) was needing a little "brightening" for the holiday concert.... I dreamed up a little something, made the pitch to the man in charge, and he bit!
So this is how I have spent a few drizzly afternoons:
some for men...
and some for women...

and look at 'em all ready to go in their bins..... pretty.... sparkly....


I think we can safely say I am a horrible photographer. But I have a knack with the holly berry, folks.

If you wanna see some really gorgeous work with corsages see Laurie Cinotto's Etsy Shop (Laurie of Itty Bitty Kitty Committe fame). She works with vintage materials to create one of a kind masterpieces. And basically I wanna grow up and be Janie Medley, a florist with breath-takingly beautiful taste. See her lovely work HERE.

Anyhoo... if you ever need some flowers whipped up, drop me a line. I am cheap. And my floral work doesn't cost much, either. .... ba dum dum.

Etsy love

I haven't written a post about Etsy.com in a while, but I still love it. I am the WORST about my own shop, but I spend a lot of time looking at pretty things there, and love to buy handmade presents. Who wouldn't love these cuties?....

sockmonkey piano duet

e soule gnome print

Sewin up some Love

I have been a big fan of Alicia Paulson over at Posie Gets Cozy for a very long time. When she posted a pattern for these "Pleasant Kitchen Dishtowels" several months ago, I just knew I had to make them myself...and I knew just the gal I should make them for: my pal Sus! I whipped them up just in time for her birthday.

And by "whipped up," I mean "laboriously struggled" for several weeks. hhaha. Ok, they were not THAT bad, but this was the first bit of embroidery I have ever done, and sewing the calico backings and trim was quite a bigger task than I planned on it being. BUT AREN'T THEY CUTE???

Getting ready for final packaging (the gingham fabric is just for presentation)...

Notice that each towel has a different trim and backing?

I think Thursday is my favorite.

But Saturday is pretty darn cute, too. ...sigh...

Random: floral design blog

ok, this blog is nothing if not random, right? You should see my Google Reader..... opera stuff, crafting, fashion, design, self-improvment.... there are well over 1000 articles coming my way everyday.

One blog I particularly enjoy is: HouseMartin, a blog about floral and home design. These bouquets she posted about recently were really just breath-taking to me. They make me want to drop it all and go back into floral design, open a little shop of my own, starve to death in a whole new way. :)

tiny secret: I am only half kidding.

the fat cat lives on

I seem to have an affinity for painting fat orange cats. hmmm

My 2nd Treasury!

Hot dig!!! I got another Treasury!
"I'd sell my SOUL for COFFEE: a study in cream and brown."

Day 25: my first treasury!

Today, after lurking and trying half-heartedly for months, I got my first treasury on Etsy!! See it here: Pink Lemonade is for Girls.

an actual screen shot of the lovely thing....

So, what the heck does this even mean, you might ask. Well, here's the deal: on Etsy, the online craft community where I have a little shop, the treasury is a place where you can curate your own little gallery. I have made sample treasuries in the past, that I displayed on this blog, but I have yet to garner a spot on the Etsy site. The spots are hard to come by... you must wait until enough lists expire that there are only 333 current lists, and then hope you are one of the first few to grab an open spot. Right this moment, for instance, there are 624 lists, so it will be days before any available spots even open up. This is all very complicated, but trust me, it is a thrill to be able to post my very own list. And if I keep my fingers crossed and am very good and very lucky, my list may be chosen for the front page of Etsy.... so it would be the first thing visitors see when they come to the shop. This is probably a pipe dream, but a girl can hope, right? hehe

Anyway, get thee over there and check it out!.

Day10: Cowboy love

Have you ever thought to yourself, "Boy, I wish I had a tiny cowboy hat to wear! But how would I keep it on my head?"

WELL THINK NO FURTHER!

Jennifer over at the Naughty Secretary Club has provided us with step-by-step instructions for making our own Cowgirl Hat Headband.

This announcement brought to you with love by Tara.

Day 9: Dreamy

Aren't these images by photographer Irene Suchocki just dreamy? You can see (and purchase for your very own!) more at her Etsy shop: ISphotography. I am smitten.

addict

ok, i am an addict. Addicted to beauty, that is...

Day 7: Etsy treasury

Etsy is perhaps one of the most interesting sites on the web. Basically it is an online arts and crafts show...but this is not your mama's craft show. Many many artists (including me!) create little stores and display their wares. The variety of things on the site is astounding, and I do most of my gift shopping there these days. You can see a bit of my shop in the sidebar, and also a selection of some of my favorite items.

Also, they have incredible tools and the site is always growing and changing.
This morning, I curated my own little treaury:
I call it "Pink Lemonade is for Girls"

pretty eh?

Softie Village

cottage 007
Originally uploaded by thefatcatshop

So look at the cuteness that I whipped up last night, while watching the much-lauded (at least by my pals) BBC series "Wives and Daughters". These are the first items in a Softie Village!!

Blame it on my intense desire to have a home of my own. Or a room... or any dwelling that I don't have to re-pack every 6 weeks. I have been daydreaming about Seuss-ical cottages for most of my life, ever since we did that "Gnomes" unit in 2nd grade gifted class. This one is a little staid, but completely adorable, if I do say so myself. Expect to see quite a few of these little babies in my Etsy shop: www.thefatcat.etsy.com

A Valentine for my Friends

Last night I could not sleep, and spent a lot of time rolling around processing random thoughts and remembering really odd stuff. One thing that came to me was the memory of this slightly corny but incredibly thoughtful poem that I found in an old anthology when I was in high school. I have been mulling over the nature of friendship a bit for the past couple of weeks, and to me this sums up my deepest feelings about it all:

What is a Friend? I'll tell you.
It is a person with whom you dare to be yourself.
Your soul can go naked with him.
He seems to ask you to put on nothing, only to be what you really are.
When you are with him, you do not have to be on your guard.
You can say what you think, so long as it is genuinely you.
He understands those contradictions in your nature that cause others to misjudge you.
With him you breathe freely-you can avow your little vanities and envies and absurdities
and in opening them up to him they are dissolved on the white ocean of his loyalty.
He understands. - You can weep with him, laugh with him, pray with him-through and
underneath it all he sees, knows and loves you.
A Friend, I repeat, is one with whom you dare to be YOURSELF.
--Unknown

We cross paths with so very many people on this earth, and it is sometimes difficult to know who is your friend. What I particularly love about this poem is that implies that true friendship is not something that is cultivated... it is a natural state of looking at another person, faults and all, and loving the whole thing. As I said to a friend the other day....It is a person you can look in the eyes and know that they are looking back with their whole selves, no pretense, no disguise.

I have been blessed with some incredible friends over the years, and my life is 100% percent richer with you in my life. Thank you thank you thank you.


ps. the pictures I used today are prints by two of my favorite Etsy artists: The Black Apple and CreativeThursday. If you love them too you can purchase them for your very own HERE: salt & pepper and sock monkeys.

i scream for icecream.

group 1 sweets pins
Originally uploaded by thefatcatshop

ok, i know some of my readers... ahem, chad... are getting a little sick of my crafting posts. BUT IS THIS NOT ADORABLE?

there is just something so satisfying about cutting out all the cute felt and seeing these little pins come to life. and when i am not sewing i am dreaming up other cute things to make out of felt. i am addicted.
of course, this might just be an elaborate excuse to avoid packing up my room... and my car... and preparing for the 13 hour drive to Dallas tomorrow...

If we must argue, let's at least look cute

political pin dem batch etsy
Originally uploaded by thefatcatshop

Ok, so here is a little peek at how i have been spending some of my hours since i have been home in georgia. ARE THESE THE CUTEST OR WHAT?? ok, actually i have to admit that the republican elephant is even cuter. seriously democrats... a donkey??
anyhow, I have posted several of these cuties for sale in my etsy show: www.thefatcat.etsy.com. Check em out and tell your friends.
something even cuter to come tomorrow....

My mind is awhirl

My mind is abuzz with creative ideas right now!! I feel a crafting explosion coming on! I really don't mind this traveling lifestyle too much... but at the end of a gig I REALLY WISH I had a place to land that included a "crafting area" where I could keep track of my supplies.
anyway... some eye candy from Etsy...

Etsy Buy Handmade thefatcat

Interesting... I just realized that as my favorites change on the Etsy website, they change here too. WILD. TECHNOLOGY IS WILD.

My creative bug

Sometimes I get a wild need to be creative. Since this "need" often hits when I am on the road with a single long day off and no real supplies, etc., the situation can be more frustrating than satisfying. One way I try to vent this urge to create is by reading up on various creative projects and/or looking at the work of other creative people. I read a multitude of blogs by artistic folks and spend a lot of time at Etsy.com, "Your place to buy and sell all things handmade." If you haven't taken the time to look around this incredible online emporium, I urge you to take a few moments and do so now!
Here are some of my "favorites"... as you can see, I am in a valentine state of mind. haha. I have some ideas a-brewin' for my shop as well... expect an update soon!

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade thefatcat.etsy.com

Beading for fun and profit

In the interest of procrastination (do not remind me of this when I am freaking out, mid-season), I have spent a little time doing some bead work. I love this hobby, though it could easy bankrupt a person like me. A person who is inordinately attracted to beautiful, colorful objects. Yesterday I spent a little time at a local bead shop, and then made 2 necklaces.

Little wooden bead,
your beauty fills my soul with
longing and wonder.

The little number in brown is available for purchase in my online store at Etsy.com. The little number with the celtic knot is not, as I plan to wear it everyday for the next several weeks, at least.