I took apart one of my shoes that had a hole (I only buy the finest of the finest quality of pleather shoes in NYC of course), separated all the parts, and then traced them on to new fabric and lining and then stitched them up. I reused the sole from the shoe that I took apart. The first shoe came out pretty good, if I may say so myself, but the left shoe (not pictured) came out a bit too small.
What I learned from this experiment is that shoe making is definitely a precise art. A few millimeters off in cutting out the pieces or when sewing them together can mess up the whole shoe. I think my mistake was that I sewed one of the heel seams too wide. I think the felt will stretch a bit, so they should be just fine for shuffling around the apartment with.
I made myself these booties last night. I used felt, vinyl floor molding that I bought at Lowe's for the sole (very easy to cut), and a Dr. Scholl's insert for support. I signed up for shoe making class in October. I can't wait to start, I've been obsessing over making my own shoes for a while now.
This past weekend Sal and I took a road trip from NYC to Montreal for my cousin's wedding, and on the way back we stopped off in Vermont to turn our trip into more of a vacation.
Montreal
After an exhausting 9.5 hr ride up to Montreal on Friday, there was plenty of traffic and a generous amount of toilet breaks, we spent some time with my family and then settled into our hotel. We didn't rest though, until we made a scene at Tim Hortons (Canada's equivalent to Dunkin' Donuts). After having them translate every type of donut from French to English, we thoroughly confused the staff with our order (1 coffee with milk and 2.5 sugars, 1 coffee with milk and 7 sugars, 1 coffee with milk and no sugar, a hot chocolate, a medium iced coffee, 1 maple donut, and 1 cinnamon bun). They messed up 2 out of the 7 items, which is fine, but what irritated me was when they said, "Everything is okay now, Madam!" when it wasn't, and "Thank you for depleting our milk resources", when I held back from taking the whole damn bowl of mini-milks. I gave her the good ol' Brooklyn hairy eyeball and then she said, "just kidding!". Grrrr...don't make me come back there.
On Saturday it was time for my cousin's wedding, A.K.A. Dancing with the Stars - The Wedding Edition. My cousin's new wife is a dance instructor, so half the people at the wedding were amazing dancers and the other half were old Italian people doing their best Chubby Checker "Twist".
Here is my favorite dance routine of the night:
On Sunday morning we spent more time with my family, then headed to downtown Montreal where we had booked a room for one night. We parked the car at the hotel and quickly took a stroll down St. Catherine street, I was focused on getting to the department store Simons before it closed for the day. A few years back, I purchased a couple of sweaters from them that I still love to this day. If you are in the downtown Montreal area I recommend checking out the ground level of this store. After we built up a thirst from window shopping, we tried our luck again at another Tim Hortons. This time I kept it simple and ordered a Cappuccino Glacé, it was pretty damn delicious. It was like a Starbucks Frappuccino, but for a fraction of the cost.
When Sal and I arrived downtown we were pleasantly surprised by the annual Just for Laughs Festival. The streets were filled with tons of performers and some free giveaways (free 7-up, yay!)
Below are a few pics from the festival: percussionists that shot fireworks out of their backpacks
acrobatic team with cute striped socks
We then purchased some poutine and hot dogs, and headed back to the hotel to indulge in some Québécois fast food. As soon as we finished eating I got a call from my parents, who were in Montreal also but had traveled by plane, saying that their flight had to be rerouted back from NY to Montreal because they weren't able to land at LaGuardia because of weather conditions. We had 2 double beds in our hotel room, so I told them to stay with us rather than forking over more money for another hotel. Of course, Sal looooved the idea that his future in-laws were going to be sleeping right next to us. After a scary ride through the worst thunderstorm I have ever witnessed (thank the Lord for GPS and the lights from the car ahead of us to keep us in lane) to pick up my parents from the airport, Sal headed straight to the hotel bar. I had a yummy green gumdrop-tasting martini with him and then headed to bed. He stayed at the bar to chat with the bartender a bit, where a short time thereafter the comedian David Allen Grier sat next to him! Of course when I'm not around the celebrities show up.
Vermont
On Monday we headed out to Burlington, Vermont. As soon as we arrived in South Burlington we noticed an awesome shop called Cheese Traders and Wine Sellers. They had a fantastic selection of gourmet foods. We picked up a small block of smoked cheddar, a snack size pepperoni, super-delicious Vermont chevre, a loaf of fresh bread, maple cookies, chocolate covered pecans, and some blood orange soda to wash it all down.
After our picnic in the hotel room, we swung by Lake Champlain, literally:
We walked along vibrantChurch Street till our toesies started to cry out for a break.
Later that evening we had dinner at the American Flatbread restaurant: Organic and locally sourced ingredients combined with a chewy, delicious crust!What's not to like?
On Tuesday morning we had breakfast at Skinny Pancake, an eco-conscious creperie and restaurant: The special of the day- blueberry crumble crepe. If I get a chance to go back to this place again I will stick to a simple granulated sugar and butter crepe or the always delicious combo of Nutella and bananas.
Later that afternoon we took a self-guided tour of Magic Hat Brewery in South Burlington, VT: Sal was in love and purchased a growler of double chocolate stout beer and a schnazzy work shirt from their store.
After the brewery we headed to the Ben & Jerry's Factory Tourin Waterbury,VT: (back view) I love the way the sugar, milk, and cream tanks look.
~where the unsuccessful flavors are laid to rest.
For $3 you get a short tour of the factory and a generous sample of ice cream!
...and lastly we visited the quirky Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks in Montpelier, VT: Sal purchased a small container of Morse Farm maple syrup. They were also selling soft serve maple ice cream, sounds yumma!
After eating all of the food supply of Montreal and Vermont, we headed back home to Brooklyn!
Pink Dahlia & QUICK! Any tips for Vermont or Montreal?
I just added the painting above to my art shop on Etsy. You can find it here.
I started this painting back in 2007 but played around with it recently, adding the flower and the stylized striped shirt.
By chance does anyone have any tips today for things to do/see in Vermont and/or Montreal? I'm thinking about stopping in Burlington, VT for a day or so. Know of any good places to have a look at from NYC to Montreal? Please spill the beans in the comment section :D
How adorably sweet are these kitties!? I thought they were plushies when I first came across these pictures here. Look at the crossed legs of the one on the right, how stinking cute is that!?
If anyone is interested in commissioning a small portrait of themselves or someone they know, or their lovely pets, or anything else that would work well in a small format, I am now accepting commissions.
In the past I've shied away from taking commissions because of lack of time and fear of unhappy customers. Now that I have more free time, I am able to work one-on-one with potential customers to make sure they are thoroughly satisfied with their purchase.
If you are interested in having me create a painting from one of your photos you can view a price list and more info on my website.
P.S. I will make and post some painted samples soon.
Here is my entry for Illustration Friday's theme "hollow".
My first thought when I heard this week's theme was the emptiness felt within our bodies when dealing with depression, and heartbreak. I have the hands bound with "debt" and "doubt", two potential catalysts for depression and common immobilizers in fulfilling one's true potential.
Here is another sneak peek of the progress of my Luke and Yoda softie for Stitch Wars. I've been working on this project non-stop for over a week and a half and I'm still not done, just a few more details to go!
This pic features Luke's backpack kindly modeled by Chubster McCullister and Charcoal Bear.
I will be recreating this scene from Star Wars for the Stitch Wars show at Bear and Bird gallery. I need to work quickly and ship it out for the July 18th opening. EEEP!
"Not good is procrastination" -Yodalyn.
Also I've been working on Timmie 200's accessory, it is taking me so long to finish! I will post a pic as soon as I am done with it.
In other news, Sal and I discovered popcorn flavored gelato (yumsy!). I don't have a picture because we scarfed it down in 2 seconds. I always thought that gelato and ice cream were the same thing until I heard on television one day that ice cream is made with cream and gelato is made with milk, so it is less fatty. So schnnnnaaarf away. Well, not too much schnaarffing or else you will turn into a plump pudding like me. If you feel like taking a trek to the middle of nowhere Brooklyn you can find this gelato at Villabate bakery on 18th avenue. If you find yourself on Bleecker street in Manhattan you should try the straight-up CORN ice cream at Cones.
That is all the crafting and ice cream/gelato news for today.
Recycled paper pencils ~ engorgeousness (engorged with gorgeousness). It reminds me of beautiful Japanese linen like this. I got this picture from this Korean website but I first saw it on Etsy.
Here are the 6 Timmies I will be adding to the shop tomorrow at noon. I will also be adding 11 other softies, a carrot messenger bag, 2 pairs of the prototype glasses, 2 pear keychains, 3 Timmie oil paintings, and a couple of Mr. Blackbean journals.
For July's update I will add more accessories, some Timmie jackets, some small Mr. Blackbean softies, and Timmie 200!
If you have a wish list or I've promised you something years ago and then forgot, feel free to comment with your request. So far on the promised list is ~ Crocomonster themed hat or outfit, red hooded jackets, a purple elephant, and a girl version of Timmie (Tammie Tadpole?). I do not take custom orders but I am open to hearing your requests.
I will be adding about 18 softies to my Etsy shop next Saturday. Hopefully the weather will be nice and sunny this upcoming week so I can get decent pictures of everything. Also I've been working on some Mr. Blackbean stationery that I will post and I will also post 3 small Timmie paintings. Hmm...I think that is everything. Oh... and I have some pear keychains too.
Here are some photos of my table at the Art Star Craft Bazaar. ASCB took place this past weekend in Philadelphia.
You can click on the pictures if you want to see the notes on each item in Flickr. Although I didn't sell many things, I had a great time at ASCB. First of all, the location is beautiful - right on the Delaware river waterfront. I felt like I was on vacation the whole time; very relaxing. Just as lovely were all the nice people I came in contact with. I was touched by seeing kids use up their allowance money to purchase a Timmie. It really meant a lot to me. Also, I saw a few cases of friends buying gifts for friends who were standing right with them in my booth, which I thought was really sweet. Annnnnd... I met other Patrizios!!! I have never met another Patrizio randomly. Our families come from the same area in Italy too! If you are reading this ladies, keep in touch!
I also made 2 excellent trades with my neighbors. I have to admit, lately I am a bit of a trade snob. I will only trade for items that I can use on a daily basis or art/craft supplies. I live in a small apartment so I have to be selective. I got some delicious smelling soap (my mouth actually watered when I smelled the cherry amaretto scent) from Bunny Butt Apothecary, and some lovely wool pebbles from Traveling Rhinos, which I plan on turning into super fancy pom-poms for softie hats. Yay!
I will try to add all the items I have left over to my shop soon. I will post an official shop update notice shortly.
So far I have Emily, Donna, Jean, Becky, Ismoyo, and April...did I miss anyone? I have some more postcard/flyers if anyone is still interested. I am going to the post office today.
I'm freaking out A TAD. I have so much more I need to get done before I leave for Philly. I decided to keep Timmie #200 at home because I don't have enough time to make a special outfit for him. So after I have this "special outfit" completed I will put him and any other items that I have left over from the fair in my Etsy shop when I return. Unless I grow a robotic crocheting arm (patent pending) over night or Santa's elves come a knockin' at my door I won't have many softies at this show. I recently looked over a picture from a craft show I participated in the past and noticed my table looked too much like a rainbow junkyard. This year I will try my hand at minimalism and make the most of what I do have.
I have a bunch of beautiful postcards (illustrated by Julie West) for the ASCB this weekend, anyone want me to mail them one? Email me your mailing address and I will send you one.
Edit: I just added my email address to the image, so you don't have to search around for it.
1. The purchasing of very expensive dirt. "Oh my SOD, did you just buy dirt?"
To counteract this purchase, I just purchased a small moss terrarium from weegreenspot on Etsy. I think our little patches of earth will look cute together.
2. The turning of your spatula into a piece of coral-like art.
It reminded me of this coral hook I saw at Anthropologie a while back- The spatula is still functional, so I am going to hold on to it till it completely falls apart. I can't get too mad about my melted spatula because he was making us din-din when this happened. +1 -1, we are even.
My wrists have been hurting again for the last few weeks so I switched up my routine by working on some little paintings of Timmie. Painting puts much less stress on my wrists than crocheting, so I am probably not going to have too many softies at the show this year. I am going to switch my business name to Sowhere are the Softies?. What do you think? :P
