Thursday, April 24, 2008

Scrumptious-Beadalicious by Sonya Nimri


Oh so00000000 tasty! Beadalicious: 25 Fresh, Unforgettable Jewelry Projects for Beads Old and New
is packed full of wonderful jewelry projects and tasty recipes- the perfect combo if you ask me! I devoured this book with all it's inspiring jewelry designs. Hmm can I make more food puns???
Not only are the projects beautiful and diverse, there are wonderful step by step illustrations that really make creating the pieces easy and fun.

I whipped this little "gem" up in just a few minutes by following the clear instructions.
If you want to see how to make this little simple piece or some wild and extravagant baubles you'll just have to grab yourself a copy of Beadalicious and get crafting!

Oh, and be sure to pop over to Sonya's neck of the internet and check out more of her creativity-it's not just limited to the bling!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Piggy Tales Pine Tree from CHA on Earth day 2008


Piggy Tales press kit at CHA Winter 2008 was an actual pine tree!

"This was a great way to announce that they are the first major scrapbook company to take the big plunge to Go Green. They will be printing their fabulous new papers on certified recycled paper with organic ink, and keep the outrageously vibrant colors, and still be acid and lignin free. The press kit claims that they are estimating saving 100 trees a year by converting their line to recycled paper."
Patti wrote on her blog and (I snagged her before picture.)

Here is my baby now:
Yes that is an upside down pink flamingo hanging from the tree in the background. Pink flamingos in Burbank like to pretend they're in China.
Piggy Tales is having a photo contest- pop over and check it out-!

And if you would like to see more green crafting head over to Craftside for a gatefold card made with recycled wall paper and 2 tools one from a cereal box lid and the other from Scor-it!

But wait there's more- if you click on either recycle or upcycle in the side topic list you will get tons more projects that are good for the earth both here at Sweater Surgery and Craftside!

Monday, April 14, 2008

F.U.B.A.R Cross stitch

Well here you have it, my latest finish object.
Again inspired by the wonderful book Subversive Cross Stitch.

Click here to read all about the origin of this acronym. Hugs!

Saturday, April 12, 2008

In Loving Memory-Uncle Joe Lesizza


Eulogy
By Cathryn Clark Girard
For those of you gathered here, you probably know this man as Joe, or Mr. Lesizza. From the time I first knew him, really for as long as I can remember; to me he was Uncle Joe, and so today I will tell you about my Uncle Joe.

He was my mother’s youngest brother, married to my Aunt Mary, who hailed from Staten Island, NY, with all the fanciness you might expect to find in a person from NY. They were a special couple to all of us Lesizza cousins, because they had no children of their own and they poured out their largesse of time, talent, interest, and attention on all of us. Now just who do you know who would pile a gaggle of noisy teenagers into guess what -- a convertible – and take them off for a day at the beach? This was beyond cool in the 1950’s.

Just as Uncle Joe’s kindness was outsized, so were his expectations. None of us were ever allowed to whine, quit, or otherwise wimp out. I must admit there were times when I had pitched battles with him about the rules of a game or the technique to best make a shot during our backyard croquet games. I have even been known to stomp off the croquet field in frustration, but he never compromised his standards.

In my first year of high school I was struggling with quadratic equations in Algebra. I was a good student and I felt like I reached some sort of Waterloo, and what was I going to do? I have no memory of exactly how he did it, but Uncle Joe caused some kind of light bulb to go on for me that turned quadratic equations and the rest of Algebra into a breeze. The magic of a teacher, even without the title!

Uncle Joe took me to New York City, to Radio City Music Hall, to Coney Island, places that seemed like magic to me and for sure not common fare for my friends and playmates at the time.

When I grew up and became an adult woman with a husband and children of my own, Uncle Joe was still a part of our life. It wasn’t always easy for him to make the adjustment to me being an adult and to treat me as such -- old habits die hard -- but he continued to bring his special magic into the lives of my two children, Joseph and Stefanie. Many a meal he shared with us, many evenings of card games, board games, backyard sports, and holiday gatherings. There were always laughs and smiles.

Uncle Joe loved the movies, he loved to bowl, and he loved to dance. In his later years, he loved a trip to the gambling boat. He knew how lucky he was to have found Pearl and to share his life with her, brief though it may have been. These are things that many people knew about my Uncle Joe, but only a few of us knew that special magic of having him as an uncle during our crucial growing up years. We will remember him in a special way, and we thank God for his presence in our lives.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Skull and Winged Heart Shrink Plastic Earrings


I have been playing with shrink plastic since I was a kid and I love it just as much as I did then as I do now. I watched Judi's Plum & Verdigris Episode - Punch It, Shrink It, Wear It






Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Playing with Fire


Is this HOT or what!?
This is Tina, Leela's daughter Hula hooping on fire!


What a cutie!
--------------------------------
And speaking of fire, check out these cool buttons made with fire by
Cathi Milligan of www.beadbrains.com
Cathi is a really talented designer-such a fan!
I haven't decided yet how I am going to use these little beauties.
Any ideas that are super unique????

Friday, April 4, 2008

Sweaters aren't the only thing I hack up!

I put my touch on just about everything. This necklace and ring used to be a pair of screw on earrings. For the ring I simply clipped off the backing and glued a blank ring finding onto it. For the necklace I clipped just the screw off and bent the remaining wire to form a loop into which I threaded a small chain.
And if you want more jewelry goodness pop over to
Craftside.typepad.com
to check out another
Upcycled jewelry piece!

A Tune to listen to while reading and crafting

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Where in the world is Stefanie Girard-The view from both sides

I went on a hike the other day to the top of a mountain that I can see from my house. This is a tree on top of this mountain.
If you look really closely in between the "V' of this big tree you can see the tree on top of the mountain that is behind me in the first photo. (Click on the photo to enlarge it)

This mountain burned last year. This is the picture I took of it burning at the time:
Here is the view through the same burned out branch looking toward the valley and then the other side of the mountain toward Hollywood and Los Angeles.
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