Simply Curious

I've gotten totally hung up on how to write about my jewelry box revamp.  I don't want to post pictures of my jewelry online, even if it isn't expensive, and I also don't want to dismantle the whole thing to show you, so I'm going to just do a very long 'there is too much - let me sum up' post and show you the awesome things I've produced since moving to Colorado.  (It's so nice to have a big craft room!)

1.  The Jewelry Box.  (un-illustrated until I make up my mind)

I spent my days in the temporary apartment plotting how I would do this.  I have a lot of pendants, and wanted to just see the pendant part.  In most jewelry boxes, (which only seem to think that the average woman owns only 6 necklaces) you hang your necklaces up, and the pendant part ends up lost at the bottom somewhere.  How am I supposed to know which is which?  my jewelry box is a large rectangular piece with two doors on the front, which has three hooks on each side and a little cubby box at the bottom to keep your jewelry from getting caught in the door.  On one side, I removed the hooks and instead placed a number of rectangular squares of wood about 1 1/4" tall and long enough to fit snugly within the door.  I cut notches in the top of each, although I don't think it's actually necessary.  I drape a necklace chain over the top, chain dangles down the back, all I see is the pendant.  At the bottom of each rectangle I plan to glue a thin layer of fabric to keep each row of necklace chains separate, to prevent tangling.

I also put in a narrow square pole in the interior to drape my bead necklaces and other items too bulky to fit in the door.  On the right hand side I took a square of fabric similar to cross stitch fabric, only the holes were much bigger, and installed all of my earrings.  I mostly wear studs, and now I can easily see them all!  My rings left their DIY box and moved back in to the ring drawer inside the cabinet.  Pins got tucked in to other areas.  Everything's so nice and easy to see!

2. Shower Curtain

I needed a new shower curtain, and hated everything I saw, so I made my own.  I had big fancy plans for one in dark earth tones, turquoise and rust, but hated it when I tested it out.  This was Plan B, a fabric I found at Walmart that seemed perfect.  I had to learn how to do a flat felled seam and fought with my machine about buttonholes, but other than that I'm pleased.

3.  Mountain Paintings

Work in progress - but shows the colors properly.

The same bathroom is long and narrow and BEIGE, and I wanted a series of pictures to fit that narrow space and break up the blah.  I was inspired by a set of three vivid paintings by Don Li-Leger that I found online, but felt they were too big for the space.  I picked up four 8" canvases at JoAnns (they were half off, too!) and proceeded to paint my own!  I picked the colors to go with Plan A shower curtain, otherwise I would have done something floral.  Instead I tried to imitate the mountains from this photo by James Bo Insogna.

4.  Rainbow Crocodile Stitch Scarf





6.  Peasant Blouse and Skirt


I needed something to go with the bodice I bought from Olde World Wardrobe at the AnomalyCon earlier this year.  I found a simple peasant blouse pattern and a long skirt pattern that was NOT in the costume section of the patterns, and made these up.  Nearly instant wardrobe!  I think this will be adequate for a Ren Fair, right?  Except the hair thing . . .

7. Hip Bag





I made a fancier version of my hip bag.  I iddn't bother with the card pockets this time, just one fabric divider in the center.  I tried to make it all one piece, but got SO confused because I forgot how i turned it right side out!  Oh well.  Maybe I'll be happy with the NEXT one . . .

8.  Willowcrest

So, yes, I've been keeping busy while hunting for a job out here.  (I don't even watch TV anymore.)  I've also been trying to identify the flowers popping up in our garden, spying on bunnies that hang out in our backyard, and relearning to ride a bike.

There!  I think I've remembered everything.  Now I can move on.