{creating myself}

fall minialbum! :)

we are all the same.

sure, we're different. some of us are older, some younger. some more outgoing.. some shy.
some of us have more connections. some of us make use more popular supplies, and create things that the majority of crafters want. some of us have more time to create, and more money than others.
some of us have different reasons, different motives, about why we do what we do.

but we all love what we do. and it has changed our lives. we are never bored, and never lack things on our "crafty to-do list". we all know the unique feeling of giving a handmade gift to someone, and have all experienced the feeling of completing a project that means the world to us.

and in this way we are all the same.

in other news... i made a painting. :)
it's really different than my other stuff. i used a variety of mediums, including acrylic and watercolor paints, stickles, yarn, buttons...
thank you for stopping by!

The One With All of the Crochet.

I figure any post featuring a bunch of crochet will be lovely, no? Even if I am quite the amateur.  I actually kind of taught myself, with a lot of practice (this is my only advice.)  Anyway, I promised to share some of what I’ve been working on.


Here are some scarves + cowls I made.















… we later used Mom’s scarf as some tree trim. :)



This is one of my favorites… a handmade headband.  I was afraid that because it was tied in the back, it wouldn’t stay on Megan’s head all day.  But it looked beautiful and stayed perfectly in place for the several hours we were together.  I will be offering these in my etsy shop later this week. :)



Here’s a camera case I made for my cousin Pinky…





...and an iPod sleeve I made for my little sister.  She will certainly be the only girl in the eighth grade with this particular case.





This is my discombobulated granny square.  Which is obviously not a granny square. I guess I should really work on these.



That’s all she wrote crocheted.
She I now have carpal tunnel.


I better start working on Christmas 2010... :)

oh, why thank you kindly!

i have been chatting back and forth with the girls from The Creative Type, as i was guest designing this month... long short story short... they asked me to join the team! :)

it's been quite some time since i've been on a design team of any sort, and i'm excited to get back in the game. you know, the one where we throw yarnballs instead of baseballs. and have board moderators instead of referees, and end up in the hospital not (usually) because you got tackled too hard, but because you crop-a-diled your fingers together! ha! (it's late and i'm very tired.)

anyway, here's what i made for the challenge, and you can expect much more fun stuff to come! yay! :)

dear scrapbooking, you will always be my first love.

here is some stuff i've made lately. i wish i had a scanner here, but i don't... so i took the best photos i could get in the new york winter! :)




she dreams: i don't know how i ever scrapbooked without a sewing machine, and thanks to julie, i used one on this layout.
other: studio calico homefront paper, michael's label, typewriter, sequins, acrylic paint, Ranger mist.






tell me: i didn't feel comfortable posting this photo online, so i blurred it out.
other: prima pearls, hambly rubons and pp, ranger mist, handcut title, studio calico homefront paper





know this: i loved sewing across the title letters (cosmo cricket chipboard alpha). these are the things i wish to teach my goddaughter, ellen.
other: ranger mist, acrylic paint, prima pearls, studio calico homefront paper, labels, and fabRips, ranger ink (pearl).


stay tuned for some cool scrapbooking news later this week! :)

theee chelsea market.

I was born and raised in new york, but for some reason I’ve never made my way over to the Chelsea Market.  The other day, Mom, our friend Lisa, and myself took a day trip, and let me tell you, it was incredible!  So beautiful and inspiring… a mix between old fashioned architecture and modern typography + decor.  Here are some photos I took whilst falling in love. :)

(these are cookies!) i die over the i "gingerbread man" NY one.


this is a tree... made of cd's!!

i really wanted to make a freebie for my readers...

the only problem is, i don't have a scanner here at my mom's. so! i made this cute-sy 2010 goal sheet, and took the best photo i could get. and i saved it as a PDF file for you! yes, i am becoming quite the technological wizard (ha!)  i hope the quality is okay for you... feel free to print as many copies as you like and to share it on your blog as well! i think it would be a great addition to an art journal/scrapbook/goal journal.

happy new year, dear bloggies. i look forward to a lovely evening of drinking + dancing, and of course, a new year full of inspiration. <33

Download 2010

P.S. i recommend printing on high quality cardstock. if you print it and discover that the quality sucks, i will be glad to scan the image next week when i get back to florida.

"i hid under your porch because i love you."

last week i had the greatest playdate with one of my favorite scrappers, julie. she is sweet, funny, and above all, ridiculously talented. watching her work with prima and paint was eye candy. :)

we chatted a lot (a LOT) but i managed to get a few things done! three layouts, and i spent a little time working on my fall minialbum (which i'll share in more depth later... there are a lot of photos.) the bottom line: i'm not sure how i ever scrapped without a sewing machine, let alone for the past ten or so years that i've been scrapbooking.

thanks for a great day, julie! and thanks to john, (also supersweet) who took these great photos for us!

here are some of my favorites of julie's, so you could get a taste of inspiration as well. :)

all images via her blog.

merry christmas eve to you :)

what an exciting season. :)

for those of you still catching up on last minute gifts and holiday ideas (me!) i wanted to share some photos of my own handmade christmas (so far at least!) possibly they will inspire you. :)

more on these handknit gifts later this week.



some merry christmas calendar gifts for my family.



some holiday cards, finally ready to go out. :)



am i the only one who hates decorating the tree?

some orders, ready to go out, and a photo of my christmas card.

a peek at my christmas wrapping 

thank you for reading. :D

i've been taking fun/silly photos all day!

i am secretely obsessed with these buttons. i'm using them for something extra special. i must have accidentally.. ;)... slipped them into the huge box of scrap hand-me-downs i passed on to my mom a couple of years ago.





and i suppose these are some she already had! love this collection.

the journey of a painting

this is a custom painting made for a friend, and i thought it would be fun to take some step by step photos! this is pretty much how all of my etsy orders go down:


main elements (hearts, and some "paint-heavy" circles for texture.


background color: painted around the hearts but over the circles. (step 2 raised several questions + eyebrows from my family.)


added quote in middle + dark glitter around all hearts.



hug beautiful + happy customer.
love you, andi!
xo

p.s. i'm still taking orders for christmas... paintpaintpaintsleeppaintpaintcoffee.

eat, pray, love kits?

hey guys. i have one eat, pray, love kit left and i'm wondering if anyone wants it??
it won't ship until after the holidays, because i'm on vacation.. but still....
they are extra cool and inspiring and only $13!

click here if you want it... when it's gone it's gone. :)

here's some of what i did with the kit...





here's some of what guest designer ms. kara did with the kit...



you can see more in our flickr group here.

xo.

ETA: thank you, jamie! i can't wait to see what you make... i'm 150% sure you'll rock it!

this is my very favorite new website.

or "my new very favorite website." (?)
either one.

it is freaking amazing.

here are some of my faves for your inspirational pleasure:

















if you do visit the site, be sure you have hours to spend. and don't say i didn't warn you.
xo

handmade holiday, volume five. :)

this is a great project if you answer yes to any of the following:

• you want a superfast way to get crafty
• you want a supereasy project
• you need a supercute way to store your headbands, and find that you use your stuff more if it's out in the open.
• you need an inexpensive way to get crafty

(this is the bottom view, so you can see where i glued the fabric.)

if you have a roll of paper towels, a swatch of fabric, and a little fabric glue... you can make this! :)
i gathered the ends and tied them, first with a pink hair tie and then with a piece of lace. sort of like a candy wrapper.
but if you want, i'm sure you could tuck them in and glue them, like a wrapped present.
if you have any questions, of course you can leave them in the comments or e-mail me.

and in other "hand"made news... i finally grew out my nails long enough to give myself a french manicure!! :)

xo.

happy december!

ever since i was little, i would wish my mom a "happy first of the month". i love the beginning of a new month. it's so.. promising. i also love making a list of goals for the month, and seeing how many i could get through. often times, they carry over to the next month... that's okay too.

here was my november list:

• make a granny square
  
  i left it in new york and i didn't take a picture. but picture a mis-shapen octagon. in purple.
  these are not them.
  
  
  via
  
   
  via
  
  
  i didn't say make a "correct" granny square! thanks to aunt delle who showed me how to do it, even though i couldn't pull it off. yet.
  
  
• finish my gloves
  
  
  
  
  it's actually one glove, and it's actually more like a sad, demented potholder-type thing. but it was my first solo project and i taught myself the stitch and the pattern, no help from the internet or youtube. i'm abandoning this project because it sucks so far and it's ugly. and i don't remember what kind of stitch i even used, because i made it up as i went along.
  
  
• save $400
  i did make an excess of this amount, but it's not in my savings account because i'll probably need it over the holidays. i'm crossing it off anyway, because i worked extra hard for it.
  
  
  
  
• get a short haircut.
  i still haven't found the time, or the cajones, to get this done. i want something along these lines, though. i should find one of those sites where i can photoshop my face + the haircut so i can see how it will look first. also, i'm a little scared because the last time i donated it i asked for ten inches off and she cut eighteen.
  
  
  
  i'm smiling but i'm actually crying on the inside.
  
  
• take one photo a day.
  i'm crossing this off, because although i'm not sure if i took one EVERY single day, i definitely took hundreds of photos in november. and did a really good job documenting some crafty adventures + my thanksgiving vacation, and blogging almost every day.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• start a recycling program at work.
  i work at a bar, and we throw away an unsightly amount of bottles every night. i haven't had the time yet (i've been away the past week) but hopefully before my next shift (thursday) i can call up the recycling people and get some bins to distribute. even a few bins full of bottles is better than none, right? i mean, without recycling, the following projects may not have been possible:
  
  
  via
  
  
  via
  
  
  via
  
  
  via
  
  
  via
  
  
  
  via

tomorrow i will share my december list. :)

handmade holidays, part five.

a.k.a. my thanksgiving favors!

 

 

i made 4x6 prints of my thanksgiving canvas, framed them, and wrapped ribbon around them. it was super simple, but really cute + matched my mom's table settings perfectly (unplanned but not surprising).  i think it would be cool to emulate something similar for christmas favors. (click here for my holiday design.) you are welcome to make them yourself, but if you want some help or would rather take all the work out of it and have me make them for you, shoot me an e-mail. ;)

xo.

you asked, i answer.

does that seem like a strange name for a wish*list post? it's a running joke in my family that i create a massive wish list each christmas, and it's usually finished weeks in advance. it's not a serious list, it usually has a ton of items, most of which i don't expect to receive. this year, i didn't send a list to anyone because my mom santa is buying me a package at the salon where i will promptly have all body hair removed, beginning 11 a.m. tomorrow morning. also, i have so many blessings, most of which could never be an item on any wishlist, and all of which i am grateful for.

however, in the spirit of a fun post, planning for the holiday season, + entertaining myself, my family, and my readers, here it is. christmas wish*list, amy-style.

a supercool bed frame for my plain ole' matress + frame.

and while we're at it, we might as well decorate the bed with a purty one of these. (promise i won't paint on it, mom.)

and some stuff from this shop too. (wow.)

this dress, or anything ruche. (i've mentioned this dress + site before. there are always coupon codes to save 10 or 15%. google "ruche coupon codes".

i've been eyeing this sweater for a very long time. :)

this poster, i've been wanting for QUITE a while!

a  subscription to this tiny kit club.

this kit and lots more from rva. i love it all! :)

this print from my favorite etsy shop.

• some great training sneakers- i really don't know which ones to get but mine either fall apart with each step or are murderous to the foot.
• any one of these beautiful etsy finds here at one of my favorite shops. petal pushers,
• a massive registry at amazon, because "books, film + movies" are the new "toys".
• art supplies, yarn, paints, lace, paintbrushes.
• more time in a day.
• and i would be ridiculously happy with a gift card to anthropologie, urban outfitters, forever 21, aldo, amazon, massage envy, paper source.... you get the idea.

wow. that was fun. and time-consuming. but really fun.

i hope you got some good gift ideas for yourself. :)

xo, A

hello, to*do list!

if you ordered anything from me within the past few days, it's going out today. :)

THANK YOU!

quick share

just a small peek into the factory:

(magic.)



so superbusy, but loving every minute of it! first with the show, and now with custom orders, and trying desperately to work on my handmade holiday, which is really important to me but can't take precedence over everything else.
still riding the high from when my mom surprised me... won't be over that feeling for a veryveryvery long time.

love xx

just a little artist inspiration.

beautiful, lovely, amazing kurt hasley. he's incredibly inspiring to me... take it in:

grab your sketchbook, i know you want to.

today was amazing!!!

today was my first private art show. my lovely friends at tanrific allowed me to use their space for the day and i set up camp. i have a ton of pictures... i'll upload them tomorrow. my MOM flew from new york to surprise me for the day... is that the most amazing news ever? i'll never get over it or the feeling that i got when i saw her face... i am incredibly blessed.

i feel like i've been hit over the head by the hard anodized gourmet pot that's on QVC right now.
must.
sleep.

i love you. :)

handmade holiday, part four!

i've finally taken some photos of my 2009 holiday cards! i didn't want to make cards that were specific to christmas-- i used red and white because i love that color combo for the holidays. but you are welcome to write whatever happy holidays saying you would like-- the cards are blank! i wrote an example message in the sample to give you an idea.

details: the cards measure approximately 4.5 x 6. my card packs are $10, and usually come with 4 cards and 4 envelopes.  in the spirit of the holiday season, and keeping in mind that most people purchase several of the same holiday cards to send to family and friends, i'm including 50% more in each pack-- 6 cards and 6 envelopes. each card is printed on high quality photo paper with amazingly vibrant colors and heavy cardstock backing. :)

click here to see more :)

what do you think? :)

handmade holiday, part three.

i am in love with this baby cuff. i don't even know how it came about. well that's not entirely true. i was actually trying to make these gloves, and i messed up. so i started over. but i had that small strand already completed, and i hated to throw it out... so i sewed it up into a sweet little winter cuff. YIPEE!

plus some more inspiration:

(holly)

(elsie)

(vivs)

(pdr)

new loves + obsessions

what current trends in scrapbooking are tickling your fancy?

for me, it's definitely been masking/misting and stamping. (and woodgrain, of course.)

i'm not sure if either of these can be classified as "new trends" because my tim holtz mist bottles are from several years ago and i probably used them back when i bought them, became frustrated, and gave up. but i've been playing a little more, and more, and more... i want every color! :)

here's some recent stuff.

as i've been blogging while making myself breakfast in the kitchen, i'm off to eat my eggs + toast! arrivederci! <3

very super news.

there is someone (a wonderful someone) in our dreamy artsy industry who needs help. someone who's family member is either hurt, sick, or both (i don't know the story because it's a private, personal, family matter.) but i have donated an original painting to the etsy shop created for this family, and i would love for you to check it out! all proceeds from the items will go to this lovely family in need of a little generosity :)...




please click here to visit the shop!

in other news, the lovely folks at colorinc have just about the most amazing customer service i've ever experienced. i wanted to order a trial set of FIVE 5x7 prints (for FREE... including shipping...) and three subsequent things occured:

1. i tweeted them to ask why i couldn't upload my photos (turns out you upload folders as opposed to individual photos) and they answered so quickly and efficiently.
2. i received some of the nicest photos i've ever seen.
3. i received a postcard from ben thanking me and personally acknowledging this blog and my artwork.

pretty.
darn.
cool.

and that my friends, is what i call customer service. and here i thought the art was lost.

xo, A

some of my most favoritist quotes.

i apologize for the lack of sources, but these are just some icons that i picked up around the web + tumblr. i didn't create these, but i LOVE them! :)

not just a hat rack, my friends.

desperately want to make these gloves (arm warmers, whatever..) from the red velvet blog:


+via rva

but there are two problems:

1. i don't know how to knit,
2. i don't possess the patience it takes to knit.

holly is an amaazing knitter.. i'm so jealous.


anyway, i've decided to attempt making these gloves, or at least something that RESEMBLES these gloves. here's what i have so far (remember, i'm basically teaching myself here... don't judge!) my crochet skills are about a 1 (on a scale from 1 to 10, ten being the highest.)  so that's what i'm doing.



i'll be sure to keep you updated! :)

what's your scrapbooking style?

I once read somewhere that in order to find your true scrapbooking style, take a bunch of your favorite layouts and list similar elements repeated in each one.  This is your personal style, or what brings out the best in your artistic abilities.  I’ve gather some  of my favorite from the last couple of years and I’m going to think about my favorite elements (to me, “elements” could mean journaling, photography, a specific product, white space, composition, etc.)




fashion is one of her very best friends: photo, journaling, mixed media book




Betrayal: paint, composition, journaling, embellishment alteration (broken heart)



you me us: journaling, composition



you really fucked me up: honest journaling, rigidity, placement of title




every day: composition, photography, journaling




i could not love you more:  composition, stamped title, cut out label, composition, colors. (this was a lift of kara haupt).





find it: paint, colors, composition




oot; labels, composition




thank you: colors, paint, composition, sentiment (this layout was featured on scrapjacked and the SIS catwalk :). )




caption: sentiment, journaling





favorite city: sentiment, colors, photo




stellar: composition, star embellishment, colors



the place most full of love: mist, glitter, quote, photo


Obviously, my favorite repetative elements are journaling, composition, photography… These are some things I’ll focus on the next time I’m stuck with scrapper’s block.  I may even copy the outline to these layouts in my sketchbook to refer to for composition ideas.  Also, some of my favorite embellishments + paper on each page repeat themselves: Hambly rub-ons, lacy ribbons, acrylic paint (circle shapes), label stickers, rhinestones.  I’m sure to always have these on hand :).

Reflecting on your layouts gives you a fresh perspective to your own work.  You are welcome to enjoy your own creativity as much as you want, and you’re allowed to be your own critic.  But I’ll repeat the first thing I tell my students in Scrapbooking 101 & 102: “There is no bad art.  You’re not “good” at scrapbooking… you either love what you make or you don’t.”

Oh… I would love for you to link me to some of your favorite pages!  Challenge yourself… you may see your supplies in a whole new way.

xo

new paintings <3

i'd like to share up close the paintings i made specifically for the 2010 calendar!











and now it's time for hot cocoa! :)




xo

i see myself in the bottom of my coffee cup.

this week has been lazy and creative. normally that would make this girl estatic, but it's hard for me to create when i feel guilty. i know it's not my fault when a school doesn't need me to sub, but i suppose i should look for a more steady job. it just sucks... i love subbing but it's not as guaranteed as it used to be. anyway, here is what i've been making:















xo, A