New headphones

Sal bought me some mint colored headphones so I can enjoy my new favorite pastime ~ obsessively watching how-to videos on YouTube ~ in silence.  Modeled by Mr. Bank Bear who moonlights as a free card peddler at craft shows.

Linen Project Folder

Here is a jumbo size (14 x 24 x 3") linen envelope I created for holding patterns and materials.  Right now it is housing the uppers for a pair of boots that I am working on.  This envelope has 2 compartments, one holds the fabric/leather and the zippered part holds pens, patterns and small supplies. Although it is starting to get a little wrinkly, I still think it is a classy and more eco-friendly alternative to a plastic folder and it doubles as a blankie on the subway on the way to class :)

D.I.Y. wood veneer table (first attempt)

The D.I.Y. in this scenario stands for Don't Irritate Yourself.  Have you ever thought that cheapy weirdly-hard-to-clean-surfaced Ikea laptop table would look awesome covered in cheapy cedar shelf liner...maybe not a good idea.  Self adhesive veneer sheets or tape would have been a better bet, but they are pricey.  If I try this again, I would first flatten out the lining with heavy objects for a day or so and then glue it on. I already had the glue,varnish, and pressure roller thingy in my studio, so for a $6 investment in the liner I thought it was worth a try.

Shear Crazy

Finally I have my grizzly paws on these brass handled tailor shears from India! I've been eyeing these for 2-3 years and waiting for a good deal to come along. The first time I laid eyes on this style of shears was a jumbo version at Fishs Eddy.  I thought that it would look awesome hanging on the wall as functional art but wasn't ready to fork over the $40+ at the time.  These are a smaller 8.5" version that I purchased with a free shipping deal from The Sundance Catalog.

New hobby?...and $4 sunglasses...

I purchased hair cutting shears this past weekend for cutting Sal's hair but I decided to test it out on myself yesterday after watching a couple DIY hair cutting videos on youtube.  I just trimmed a bit off from the existing layers, so not much of a difference is noticeable.  I am going to buy some clips soon so I can separate my hair better and then try again. In other news, I am now the proud owner of 2 pairs of $4 sunglasses after my high-end $6 H&M pair got stepped on. R.I.P. icy turquoise H&M sunglasses. I think these are pretty cute for the price.

 From the $5 Below store in Staten Island, NY.  Due to my sophisticated taste I generally only frequent $8+ stores but I wanted to get the most *BANG* for my $13 bridge toll.

Beauty school drop out...

An international haul from the local beauty supply shop:

Korean eye liner

Italian hair cutting shears

German anti-static hair cutting comb

Chinese neck brush

Japanese nail cutter

U.S. tweezers

New 'do

Cat rooftop par-tay at my place

Friend or foe arriving?

Stocking up on the mini zips!

I'm excited to try these mini metal-toothed zippers. Perhaps some new Timmie jackets are in order!

Sweater obsessing...

Looove this sweater Hugo is wearing in the Hugo movie. In reality it is red, green, and tan but in the movie sometimes it is tinted an amazing teal-y blue with varying degrees of rusty red and golden brown. If you haven't seen this movie yet, I recommend it. I just saw it last night at the charming Cobble Hill Cinema. This movie has a gorgeous color palette and is filled with whimsical details that are worth seeing on the big screen.

The Timmettes help Pippa C. unveil her new bootsies

Above: Slip-on boot prototype
Below: Commissioned lace-up boots that I completed last month.

I am slowly working on a new pair of boots for myself as well, in the same style as the top pair that Pippa is wearing but with a (lime green) zipper in the back... and some silver studs action as well...and silver faux-spur for an urban cowgirl look...or just weird looks on the subway...we'll see.

New York International Children's Film Festival 2012

The NYICFF starting March 2-25 showcases over 100 films from around the world.  Two films that caught my eye are Le Tableau from France and Toys in the Attic / In the Attic from the Czech Republic.

 Super charming stop-motion

Timmettes 12-15 now in the shop!

Shop

Timmette ballerina

Timmette ballerina a video by m patrizio on Flickr.

Pimp my paintbox- Part 1: Razor Blade Paint Scraper

I am going to try to document all the different accessories and components used to create a compact studio for quick studies and outdoor paintings on my painting + sketch blog.  Today I posted about paint scrapers.

ready for spring in the middle of winter

I purchased these striped springy ~ summery Keds tonight because they were 50% off and the only pair they had left was a size 10 (my size) so I took it as sign from the heavens to buy season inappropriate footwear.

OMG Tutus!

still need to make a bow and then Timmette will be ready to dance dance dance!

Ikea shelves & a bigfoot sighting

Two things I need to address today:

1. Super inexpensive studio shelving at Ikea for $14.99!

2. I saw a Bigfoot appear in one of my paintings! A Bigfoot with a bouffant apparently.

Let's discuss :D

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore from Moonbot Studios on Vimeo.

A beautiful short film about the love of books that was created using miniatures, computer animation,and 2D animation. The animated Humpty Dumpty book is so adorable!

Small paintbox made out of cigar box and recycled picture frame glass

I made this yesterday. I used grey toned paper under the glass. This box will probably turn into a big ol' mess after the first use, but i still think it is a good palette for on-the-go painting. The glass was from an old 5x7" frame and the box was from my uncle's cigar box stash.

The years of dancing school really paid off.

Handmade Christmas Gifts ~ better late than never :D

Here is Sal modeling the hat and the backpack I made him.  This hat was my third attempt. The first one was more suited for an old Russian lady from my neighborhood, the second came out too small so I am using it as a travel beverage carrier, and then I made this one out of a fine weight wool. I tried some texturing at the base of this one, but nothing exciting.  The backpack I made out fabric remnants I had in my studio. I wish I had thought it through a little more and not mixed all these colors and kept it super simple. Next time, next time...

Sale starts this Saturday!

20% off everything in my So Softies Etsy shop with coupon code LOVE2012, January 14 - 28.

creamer

I purchased this white creamer with a cork base from the tea shop as well. It is made in Portugal.

Update: Sophia from Portugal just let me know it is made by the company Alma Geméa. Thanks!

Super quick dip tip.

Simple recipe I blogged on Kung Foodies

Here's how the hat turned out

I decided to keep it simple and not add the third green shade.

New stitches for the new year

going to incorporate this muted green into the hat ~ beret

Started a hat to try to learn some new stitches. Here is my first attempt at a V-shaped stitch. I don't think it is right just yet. I did a combo of both stitches from this guide here.  I was inspired to do a textured green hat because I saw this cutie from The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe movie:

(click photos to enlarge)

I love the color and pebble texture of this mossy green hat she is wearing and the jacket is super adorable too. Rounded collars, piped plaids, and mossy green wool yarn added to my 2012 wish list.

like this one from here.

First good find of 2012!

Happy New Year! Good riddance to 2011, a year of turmoil and fear. Sincerely hoping for peace within countries and in nature this year. I plan to focus even more on shopping local and with businesses that care about our environment.

I found this gorgeous double walled glass travel carafe and tea at David's Tea, a company originating in Montreal, Canada, now on Bleeker St. in NYC. I've tried two teas so far, Glitter & Gold black tea and Midsummer Night's Dream, a super yummy citrusy herbal blend. I have one more sample at home to try, Read My Lips, a chocolate and mint tea. I am saving this one as an after dinner treat.

p.s. I did a little searching and found out that the carafe was made by Aquaovo. I looove this design!

Happy Holidays!!

New paintings and sketches added

I added some new paintings and my entry to this week's Illustration Friday theme "Sink" to my painting + sketch blog here.