I was at the campus bookstore last week and for some reason the canvases were crazy on sale, so I got 2 little 6×6 inch linen ones to try embroidering on. They’re already stretched and everything, so it seemed like a good idea at the time. The patterns are bird stamps I got in a Martha Stewart kit for embossed velvet ornaments. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to wash out a transfer pencil, so I just stamped the pattern onto some tracing paper and embroidered over it. Every time I do that, I forget what a pain it is to pull out all the little bits of paper at the end. Ugh.

The embroidery was pretty annoying too. The wood stretchers were pretty wide and made it really difficult to embroider anywhere near the edges. On a larger canvas with a centered design, it would’ve been waaaay easier.

For the second one, I’m trying the punch embroidery tool thingy, which so far is working great in the center of the canvas.

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My favorite Martha Stewart issue of every year came this week. Yay, ornament crafts. There’s a pretty good spread on doily crafts, one of which is a bunch of doilies treated with fabric stiffener and strung in a garland. I wanted to recreate it, but I didn’t feel like getting doilies. Instead I used this funny pillowcase I bought at Ikea a few years ago. The pattern looks like papercut snowflakes. I cut out a bunch and saturated them with Stiffy (lol), blotted the excess, and let them dry on freezer paper. They wrinkled up a bit as they dried, so I ironed them afterward (between sheets of paper, because who knows what that junk would do to an iron). Strung them on sparkly crochet thread I had around, and what a cute garland for the front window. I think I will make a second one to go right next to it.

While I was laying them out, I could tell some of the little snowflakes were going to be too small for the garland and scrunched them out of the way. When they dried, they made these neat bell shapes that I thought would look cool as a necklace. I only had a few that turned out nice, so the last thread end is 2 dots also cut from the fabric pattern and glued back-to-back. While I was threading them onto the waxed twine, I realized the similarities to the blissen fabric flower necklaces. Now I feel bad about being a copy cat :/

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Take a look at Martha’s craft room in this month’s MSL, and on her website. It makes me want to paint a whole room Martha green. And drawers. I want a bunch of shallow drawers to store stuff. And matching little cubbies for papers and stuff. And a cutting table.

Though the article has what has to be the most disingenuous pull quote ever, regarding some custom napkins made on Martha’s smancy embroidery machine, “My guests can’t believe that I made them myself!” Martha, I would believe you built the whole damn house with you own two hands. C’mon!

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With all the cyber-gushing about Martha’s new craft line at Michaels, I had to go and see for myself. Yes, it is as good as everybody says. There is seam binding, in a zillion colors. There are cute kits. There are stickers and paper and linen-covered things. I managed to contain my enthusiasm to a few sheets of labels (I am such a sucker for labels) and a pendent kit. The example in the instructions uses a photo, but I used a piece of pretty fabric. It took me longer to decide which fabric to use than to actually make it.

Oh, and comments are back up.

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I got the Martha Halloween Village kit a few years ago, and I’ve never had the attention span to do the whole set of houses. Usually we end up with one or 2 new houses per year (see 2004 version for the first batch). The big church was last year’s and the second one from the left is the new one, which Mark did most of. The pink and mint color scheme make me think art deco, which is apt since we’re in Miami for the holidays this year. I punched out a few trees too. The houses all have little lights in them, of course.

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Advent day 17: straw again.

Yeah, I’m cheating here; I don’t really have straw twice in the advent calendar. The Bad Bad Kitten completely destroyed the last star I made, and I need a topper for the tree. This is another design from the same kit, which is just hot-gluing pieces of straw to a wooden bead. I’d forgotten how much fun hot glue is.

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advent day 4: straw

I bought a Martha straw ornament-making kit off eBay a while back, but never got around to making one. This is my first and maybe also my last. Such A Pain To Make. I don’t know how anyone with larger fingers than mine would make this thing. It’s pretty, though, isn’t it? It’ll be the star on the top of the tree this year.

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First thing from the advent calendar: buttons.

The new issue of Martha Stewart Kids has some really sweet button ornaments. I threaded buttons of different sizes over a thin pipe cleaner to make this snowman. Most of the buttons are vintage from my grandmas and great aunts, I think. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough browns to make a reindeer pal for him.

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I bought the bump chenille stems a long time ago meaning to make these, but only finally did it while playing with my niece this weekend. The Marthadex failed me when I tried to search for the instructions in the magazine, but luckily the pattern’s up on her website. I used bits of yellow pipecleaner for the middle instead of the called for fake flower pips. It was my niece’s idea to add the leaves.

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Martha Stewart Living issues 4-15 are now in the Marthadex. Thanks to Amy‘s mother-in-law for letting me borrow them.

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