Nuno Magazine : Shades of Gray

With the imminent new year upon us, I thought I would sneak in a fitting review. What is your new year's resolution? Excercise more? Quit smoking (Been there)? Go vegetarian (Done that)? How about something less intense, just as ethical and lots more fun? How about, you (and by you I mean we) resolve to craft with more recycled resources? Sound good? I thought so. And, to help you with both inspiration and instruction I present the second edition of Nuno magazine.

You may remember the glowing review I gave the gorgeous autumnal premiere issue. Well this review will be just as adoring. I am in love with the simplicity of the projects, the love and detail put into the magazine and of course, it is a gorgeous resource for any environmentally conscious crafter.

In this issue full of gorgeously photographed projects, there is something for every skill level...

Feeling particularly crafty? Try your hand at these beautiful "kokeshi doll inspired finger puppets".

 Can you knit? I envy you because you can make this lovely knitted clutch.

 For those last minute, quick but wonderful crafts, you can always create some wonderful newspaper bunting.

Elizabeth Abernathy & Co. have pulled out all the stops yet again in this 125 page volume. (Always ad free!) This  is but a sample of the projects you will find in Nuno: Shades of Gray. If you would like a larger sample, complete with four projects you can view the preview below.

Open publication - Free publishing - More tutorials

If that preview has you wanting more, you can purchase the full 125 page issue for the low price of five dollars at both ElizabethAbernathy.com and NunoMagazine.com All for the incredibly low price of five dollars. Buying this magazine is supporting many movements in one, self publishing, paperless publishing, green-crafting, and of course the independent artist. That is a lot of bang for one's buck oui?!

Tonight may be full of champagne and sequins, but tomorrow when the new year is upon us you will want to grab a mug of coffee, your fresh new copy of Nuno magazine and a pad of [recycled]paper for the ideas that will ebb and flow as you read.

Have a very safe and incredibly happy new years! Cheers!

My Crafty Weekend - Post Holiday Wind Down

     
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Happy Holidays! Oh what a whirlwind weekend that was yes?! We were all ridiculously spoiled and Wednesday got so much stuff I can't even tell you because I am sure it violates environmental laws in other countries! Anyone have any great Barbie organizing tips? Besides a shoe organizer I am stumped! Anyhoo..! What I am interested in your handmade stuff! Those projects you had been keeping on the down low for the surprise factor, are you ready to show them off?! Ooh and organizing tips, I would love some of those! I know this week is all about the cleaning and purging, and hopefully relaxing! What about you? What are your plans for this week?

OK! Show me what you have been making, sewing, painting and baking! OOOh and we cannot forget the golden rule! Visit the link before yours and leave a note of encouragement! ♥ Happy Monday

Wednesday on Wednesday

Wishing you a holiday filled with angels, 

heavenly and snow alike.

Love & Hugs,

Melissa, Ron & Wednesday

My Crafty Weekend : Holiday Round Up

It is Monday again my fellow lovelies. And if you are reading this you are fabulous reader who has stuck with me through my unscheduled hiatus. I want to thank you from the bottom of my coffee and craft loving heart. I am still living in a reno, and I really haven't a craft space (much less a sewing room) but I am hoping the new year will bring some amazing changes both for my home but also for the blog. So for my crafty weekend, I haven't any new projects to share (Trust me, a small piece of me dies each day that I get closer to Christmas without any creating.) But, I have been filling my think pads with scores of ideas for the blog and projects. I even think I might try my hand at self publishing, we'll see.

Because I haven't anything new to share, and truthfully I have no idea how many links we'll get today after such a long break between link ups (The last one was a pre Halloween edition.) so instead you get long run on sentences and all the tutes that i think would make up super fast for great last minute gifts. Oh and some party food thrown in for good measure. So I guess you can think of this as my first holiday round up.

So without further ado, i present to you all of my last minute gift ideas and recipes and I encourage you to share with us as well. Show us your masterpieces that you have finished in time for Christmas. Have any projects that can be made in a day? Or better yet a few short hours? Share those too! Oh and appetizer and desert recipes, what is the holidays if not a green light for feasting until we need turkey pants? Here are some buttons that make me just giddy when I see them on your posts and/or sidebars but not necessary to play the game.

     
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Sew What! Holidays Challenge Three Reveal!

This is going to be super fast! I am in the middle of moving and due to being sick last week I didn't get any scheduled posts done up. But I did get my stocking done and photographed weeks ago, thank goodness! Wanna see it? Here we go!

The challenge was a stocking and a toy if you had the time. Well, I ran out of time for the toy but I finished the stocking!I made it from recycled denim! The white jeans I turned into a skirt for  week one challenge plus some black denim from a pair of jeans I was given for the fabric. I could not be happier! Seriously, with every stage I was more and more impressed with how it all came together.

I lined it with black felt and added a vintage brooch I bought at a yardsale for a dollar. Pretty yes?

I'm sorry if the pictures are not awesome, I just didn't have time tweak the levels in Photoshop.

I hope you love it though. And if you want to make your own, stick around, sometime this week I will have the tutorial posted!

If you would like to see what Cynthia created click the button!


Okay, thanks for your patience guys! I'll be back as soon as I have internet access, or access to the internet! ♥

Wednesday on Wednesday

Recently we went to a corn maze. Not our first but our first big one! With three preschoolers and an elderly grandpa, we didn't quite know what we were getting into. Next time we'll go earlier in the day and pack snacks! But, I managed a few cute shots and Wednesday is even smiling for a couple!












I cannot save or link to the photo of the maze but for those of you interested here is the link. I can't wait to try it again next year!

Thanks for all the well wishes, I visit the doctor on Friday and hopefully I'll be on the mend soon thereafter!

Quick PSA

Hey guys, I have been fighting some serious jaw pain due to a sinus infection left to long because I thought it was allergies. It has kind of sucked the life right out of me and so I'm going to take a couple days off I think. I might post some simple stuff but My Crafty Weekend will be on haitus until next Monday. Thanks for understanding!

The Management

Channelling Our Inner Judy Garland

Happy First of November everyone!~ Wasn't October just the craziest? Wow. I am still kind of reeling from all the hustle and bustle! But, I thought I would pop in and show off my gorgeous little girl in her Halloween costume!



I made the dress for her birthday party in the summer. It was my (super simplified, ) version of Alice's dress. The fabric is a vintage bed sheet!


I actually checked ahead of time to make sure her curly hair was long enough for some low pigtails a la Dorothy.


I found the basket and dog at a local charity shop. I sprayed the dog down with a coat of Tulip Spray dye for the dusty prairie dog look that Toto has.


Wal-mart carried these shoes this year which was incredible convenient (and look fabulous with the blue socks!) but I have a pair of pink sparkly converse running shoes I was going to use! I bought some pink bamboo tights for warmth under the dress and you couldn't even tell it wasn't her bare legs.


All in all I think it came together so well it was almost too-good-to-be-true. But it held up and looked wonderful. For those of you Canadian Moms wondering, I put her winter coat right over the costume for trick-or-treating. I figured if the shoes and blue dress didn't give it away, nothing would!

For the rest of you wondering why a three year old is dressed as Dorothy, Wednesday loves this movie. She watches it at least twice a week and can do many of the routines and sing the songs...for instance...

The sound is a bit rough but Wednesday sings that song every single time I put a pair of blue jeans on her. (It is the pockets that trigger the memory of the Munchkins).
So, naturally after she had been watching the movie an almost unbarable amount of times it occured to me that we had allt he fixins (minus Toto) to be Dorothy. When I asked she agreed and instantly my Halloween was stress free. (Well, it was until she came down with a cold the day before!)

We all had a great time with close friends before and after trick or treating. And have to say the tradition is growing to be a wonderful one. I hope your weekend was just as safe and happy as ours! 

Fabulous Five! Coraline Edition

Around these parts we love Coraline. We probably watch it (And by we I mean Wednesday and I) once a week. It is the most perfect rainy day movie ever. Have you seen it? Have you read it? If you have done neither, I wholeheartedly recommend both! For anyone who loves the idea of a magical other dimension-quest-sort of movie with a hint of darkness (Much like Labyrinth, Alices Adventures in Wonderland and Mirrormask) this movie is just what you ordered! The book reads really well, and quickly since it is a novella rather than a full length novel.

I thought Coraline was fairly Halloween-y (Especially since I wanted to be her for Halloween!) and would fit right in for the bi-weekly Fabulous Five. The following is five simply awesome ideas/crafts/art I found that relates to Coraline.

First up...what is a post about Coraline without a handmade Coraline doll? This one is made by Sew Lolita of Etsy and I think it is just gorgeous. The book does not have a doll in it which was only weird at first (Because I watched the movie first) it added lots to the movie but the book definitely did not suffer for lack of it.

 For those of you that have seen the movie did you not absolutely love Coraline's sweater made by The Other Mother? I did! And when I found this version on Etsy knitted by Catwalk 7 I fell in love. For those of you who can knit yourselves (You lucky lucky people) you can download the pattern for the actual sweater (knitted for the Coraline puppet) here.

This Other Mother Box made by donovanbeeson @ Instructibles is awesome. Apparently when Coraline was about to hit theatres, fifty bloggers were sent this version. Not one to be left out, Donavan Beeson created their own and an instructible to go along with it. If you decide to make one will you show me?

They're good for lost things, or bad things. (Depending on whom you ask.) This Candy Stone made by belleazure of Etsy looks just like the one Coraline uses in both the book and the movie to find the eyes/souls of the ghost children. I need want would like one in my Christmas stocking!

And although this is not a prop related I would just love love this cake made by see-through-silence of Deviant Art. Just in case you are wondering, my birthday is in July!

I think my favourite character in the movie is Mr. Bobinsky. I loved him and his accent. I couldn't find an embeddable clip of the scene I wanted but I walk around saying it all the time in his accent too of course.: "I am the Amazing Bobinsky! But you can call me Mr. B because amazing I already know that I am."

And you? What is your favourite scene from the movie or book? Do have a preference? Do you have any fan art you love or make? I don't but I hope to make a doll soon. ♥

Cupcake Pumpkin Patch

I went a simple yet pretty route for this year's Halloween Cupcakes. Pumpkins! I made the cupcakes from my Fabulous Pumpkin Bread recipe found here. The decorating is a simplified version from Hello Cupcake. I love them. Hopefully so does the rest of the family. Tonight begins a weekend full of family Halloween fun! Cheers!

Wednesday on Wednesday : Halloweens Past

With Wednesday dressing up this Sunday for her fourth Halloween, I thought I would share with you some photos from Halloweens past.


When Wednesday was but a mere three months old we put her in a pumpkin for some great photos. Unfortunately the lighting was horrible, good thing the photos were adorable!


Due to my inability to decide on a costume, at the last minute I put her in a super fuzzy piglet outfit from Wal-Mart. A little ghetto but a lot of cute!


Last year I was totally on the ball and made Wednesday's Little Red Riding Hood costume from scratch. She looked so cute!

I can't wait to show you pictures from this year! Here is a hint: It will be over the rainbow awesome!

My Crafty Weekend - Black and White Edition

Monday Monday ... La la, la la la la la...To be honest, Monday has always been one of my favourite days. Don't get me wrong, I love the weekend and all it's sleeping in glory but when I was the working nine to five sort, Monday wasn't half bad. The way I saw it was Tuesday was the real day to be loathed. After all it was the furthest from the weekend. I always found the Mondays were so busy at work that they flew by too fast to get grumpy about them. Nothing good ever came of a Tuesday in my book.

You know what else is awesome about Monday? My crafty weekend of course! And I have been a crafty little minx I have! I finished one of my Sew What! Holidays challenges and seriously, I could not be more pleased with it! But due to the hiatus I cannot share with you photos or the how to. But,here is a teaser photo!

I have also been working on some card designs. I love paper craft I do. In a couple short weeks I will have all of my paper crafting supplies at my finger tips and let me tell you that has me giddy with anticipation!
But you guys have been crafting up a storm! It is getting harder and harder to pick which projects to feature so starting next week, I am going to showcase the links that received the most clicks. But that is next week. Today, I'll show you a couple I loved from last week!

This autumnal collage was made by the ever talented KJ of Let's Go Fly A Kite. This project is great for both it's simplicity and adaptability. Picture this changing with each holiday, I am sure Martha has enough punches to facilitate the undertaking.

 I love to bake. The Mister loves that I love to bake, especially when I make peanut butter cookies. So when I read that these are apple peanut butter cookies I had to visit Patty of Life on the Ridge Side. I am making these tomorrow, no ifs and or buts about it! If you want to you can get the recipe here at her blog.

Have you visited Nancy's Couture yet? If you haven't then you have missed a great tutorial on making a body double of your wee one. While she does hers with Saran Wrap, I might be inclined to recommend a turtle neck (only because the heat/sweat factor of a non breathable material like plastic wrap or garbage bags). But her idea to fill it with foam? Brilliant. Check out the whole how to here at her blog.

Ready to show me all the fantastic things you have been painting, knitting, roasting, gluing and sewing and all the all crafty -ings! Remember, the golden rule: visit the link before you and leave a note of encouragement! And with that I am off to finish what I started last night! Happy Monday folks!

     
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