I don’t know why. I’ve been collecting hands (preferably porcelain) for a while now. They’re not easy to find, which probably stokes the flames of my obsession. I have them displayed on my vanity. There is no rhyme or reason to it, I just love them.
Two. Improbable birds
Still obsessing over rainbow candy floss birds. I have no idea if these ones are real or not. I’ve asked my friend Anna to make me a pair from felt. It’s going to be a kickass Mother’s Day present for myself from my family (they don’t know yet). They will fit in so well with the ultra-eclectic miscellanea on my bedroom shelf.
Three. Sunflowers
Don’t know what took me so long, but I am working on some embroidery designs inspired by Van Gogh, starting with sunflowers. I am very excited for the possibilities here.
Four. English gardens
I am still working my way through Midsomer Murders (season 15 and counting!) but at this point, the actual plots are secondary; I’m watching for the homes and (especially) gardens. I am so excited for summer to come so I can start puttering around in my back yard. It’s not a true English garden, but I’ll be slowly working into transforming it into the closest thing I can. I’m also planning to turn it into an art garden — mosaics, fence murals, glass installations, sculptures, more statuary … it’s all on the table.
Five. Crochet
No explanation required. I am loving all things crochet, especially colourful granny square stuff. If I could wear it head to toe, I would. I can’t wait for summer, so I can rock the pieces I have outside.
Thoughts: My friend made me a sweater out of another granny square blanket I thrifted. Sorry, can’t get enough of this trend. I’ll be wearing it long after it falls out of “fashion” … although it’s worth noting that this isn’t the first (nor, likely, last) time that crochet has been trendy. I love dressing it up, like here, as well as down (i.e. more boho). And of course, I adore the colours.
Details: handmade cardigan (secondhand), Frank & Oak pants (swap), Oak & Fort turtleneck (retail), BR belt (thrifted), Tignanello bag (Poshmark)
Thoughts: Patchwork cardigans were all the rage last year (or was it the year before?) but I am still obsessed with mine. It makes me so happy to wear it, and I love finding new ways to style it. And speaking of obsessed, check out the bag. I just adore that chonky, compact design; the leather is nice and smooshy, and the colour is perfection. I already bought another one in yellow because I love it so much, and I’m looking for it in purple, orange and green too. Tignanello is pretty good quality (real leather) but you don’t pay a premium for branding; I paid $20 plus shipping for my little turquoise gem, and a few bucks more for the yellow one.
Details: Icone blazer, Tse sweater, Vero Moda pants (all thrifted), J. Crew shoes (retail), selfmade necklace
Thoughts: You guys know I am obsessed with this colour (in all different shades) so you won’t be surprised to hear that I thrifted this blazer solely so I could make this exact outfit happen. Well, okay, maybe not solely for this. It *does* have a cool shape that I’m really digging these days — I love long, coat-style topper in lightweight fabrics in a slouchy/unstructured style. This is not quite duster-length, but it has that vibe. It works great as a “third piece” in outfits; it makes me feel dressed without being over-dressed, if you see what I mean.
Details: Re/Done tee, Sweet Lovely cardigan, H&M pants (all thrifted)
Thoughts: My love of dusters knows no bounds, and includes coatigans like this one. Someone on IG said that I looked like The Dude from The Big Lebowski and, honestly, I’m all over that whole vibe. Yes, please!
Details: Rebel Sugar turtleneck (gift), Giambattista Valli x HM dress (Poshmark), Do Everything in Love cardigan (thrifted), Rafael Alfandary necklace (secondhand)
Thoughts: I’m calling this “meadow witch”, the second cousin twice removed of “swamp witch”. She likes flowers and all things soft and floaty, but also appreciates a bit of moss 😉
Details: Oak & Fort turtleneck (retail), Rick Owens tunic (secondhand), no label skirt (thrifted), Caleche by Anne Klein belt (thrifted), selfmade necklace
Thoughts: I wanted to layer the tunic and the skirt but one was overwhelming the other, so I decided to try some strategic tucking/draping and voila — a pretty cool silhouette was born. I added my moonface pendant to it for a little extra magic.
It’s been a couple of months since my last post on all things crafty, let’s talk about what I’ve been making lately. I’ve been branching out in a few new(ish) directions, as always following inspiration wherever it takes me. I’ve been able to carve out a consistent amount of time every week to devote to creative pursuits, which has been an incredible boon for my mental wellbeing especially during difficult times. A lot of my inspiration lately has come from art. I find myself drawn to certain artists and works because of their colour stories; my brain is constantly craving colour. I swear, colour is like some kind of serotonin boost for me. Whether it’s embroidery or beadwork, it all comes back to colour.
Speaking of embroideries, I’ve worked on a few larger pieces so my output hasn’t been large but does include pieces I’m very happy with.
This is the 4th hoop in my waterlilies series. I like to try different techniques and design ideas each time. This piece was influenced by Monet’s waterlily studies.
Here is the whole series, side by side:
I’m taking a break from waterlilies for now, so I can recharge my inspiration. Instead, I’m working on some different flowers, like this:
This was a large hoop (10 inch) which takes significantly longer to complete — when doing a full coverage design — than my usual 8 inch hoop. I like the extra design space that the larger canvas provides, but it’s a struggle to stay committed long enough to finish it. However, this one was enjoyable to work on, start to finish — I think the diversity of colours really helped.
I also worked on another large hoop that was a complete departure for me. I decided to try an abstract portrait in the style of Picasso, inspired by a post on r/Embroidery. The OP’s work was done by rug-hooking, and I wanted to replicate that texture so I decided to take the plunge and commit to French knots. Over the entire hoop. Did I mention it was a 10 inch hoop? Gah.
For the design, I used these 2 Picasso portraits as inspiration:
I was initially very excited about the project simply because of its novelty, but the reality of French-knotting a full coverage design soon kicked in … and almost kicked my butt. But I persevered:
I love the texture of the finished piece and how it turned out in general, but I’m not sure I want to turn this one into a series, haha!
Next up, I did a little bit of jewelry upcycling again after a hiatus. But instead of working with polymer clay, I simply used existing (thrifted or secondhand) pieces to assemble new ones. It started when I found a bracelet at the thrift store which matched a necklace I’d thrifted a few years ago. I hadn’t been wearing the necklace very much, but I loved the design and realized that I could make a piece more to my liking by combining the necklace and bracelet. So I connected them together, and added another thrifted piece (a collar-style necklace) to hang them, like so:
I love long vertical line necklaces, and this first try inspired me. So I decided to tackle another bracelet I Poshmarked last year; it’s a labradorite cluster bracelet that I adore but found too bulky to wear as such. I attached it very simply to a choker, and later added a separate labradorite pendant (also sourced on Poshmark) in a complementary shape as a finishing touch:
Meanwhile, I had thrifted a moon face pendant which I adored — I am obsessed with moon themed jewelry. I didn’t love the leather cord it was strung on, though, and decided that it needed a similar setting as my recently converted bracelet-necklaces. So I hunted on Poshmark for a bracelet to upcycle for that purpose; I specifically looked for a moonstone one because (a) moonstones are my second favourite stone, and (b) it seemed appropriate. And, voila:
I am obsessed with these necklaces, and I’m keeping an eye open for more similar pieces that I can add to my collection.
Lastly, let’s talk beadwork. For the last few months, I’ve been keeping 2 projects going at all times, one embroidery and one beadwork. I find it keeps from getting too bored with any one project (as they all tend to take at least 1.5-2 weeks to finish). My focus has been on beaded necklaces, and trying out some new designs.
First, I wanted to try a design based on vintage needlepoint. I used a vintage bag I thrifted years ago as inspiration. Unfortunately, rather than waiting to buy some graph paper for plotting purposes, I decided to make my own. 0/10, would not recommend. But I managed to make it work, sorta:
For this next piece, I gave up on graphing the design. Instead, I transferred the design directly onto my backing medium (felt) and worked off that. It was somewhat less painful … but I made up for it by deciding to attach a full fringe, which was a huge PITA. Nevertheless:
Last but definitely not least, I wanted to try a necklace inspired by one of my obsessions, Monet’s waterlilies. I gave up trying to prep a design in any way, shape or form, and did a totally freehand design (making it up as I went along). And it turned out pretty well, if I say so myself:
I have a few projects on the go, including a new embroidery flower series and some other beadwork designs. Till next time, happy crafting!
