Artificial Flowers

I had this flower idea in my head since yesterday and just had to make it today.

I wanted to use some of my Dupioni silk collection and a contrasting colored flower stamen.

I haven't really made (m)any flowers like this before so I think it turned out not too bad for a first time.

As you can see, I've been playing with the editing again...and I couldn't choose which of these photos to post. So I put them all!

I basted one long edge and pulled the threads to gather. I cheated and glued the stamens in place as you can see by the pin above.

I have quite a few of those stamens too. Most of these are vintage. I am now far away from the place where I used to get them but a quick search online revealed a place I have shopped with before and they have quite the collection as well : )
(Click the link and scroll through their catalog for all kinds of inspiration).

Vintage artificial flower stamens

How do you say Andrea?

Studio coming along. Carpet? Check.
Nothing to do with post, lol

My name is Andrea.

I was named after my Dad who, because he grew up and lived in many different countries, had many different versions of his name. Andres, Andrew, Andre.
We knew him as Andy.
I didn't always like my first name. Growing up I thought it didn't go well with my last name.

The way my name is pronounced changes everywhere I go, but I have learned to accept any pronunciation to make life easy.

In California I was "On~dray~uh".
In places where one must give their name, like Starbucks, I would say it that way.

Here, in Ohio, I noticed if I give my name as "On~dray~uh", they often make me repeat it 'til I give up and try "Ann~dree~uh" . They seem to recognize that version better here. The pronunciation that bothers my Mom the most.

In France, I was : " ondray~ah", emphasis on the last syllable.

To my Italian family~ I have a man's name, and they say : On~dray-ya. Emphasis on the middle syllable. When I go to Italy, it's fun to see the look on their faces when they're told my name.: "But she's not a man?!"

So how do I say it?
In my head it's pronounced: on ~dree~ uh.

But if I have to repeat it a bunch of times for that Tall Latte- it quickly becomes "Bob". No joke.

For fun, I've been thinking for awhile now to collect names of crafty bloggers who are named 'Andrea', and compiling a list to post....

Is your name Andrea? How do you pronounce it?

Buttons and Photography Skills

Non vintage buttons

Or lack thereof.
The other day I posted about Coco on a whim.
I was trying to upload and edit photos of a new pouch I made, and they weren't turning out.
I saw Coco staring out the window. She was so cute, I took a few photos of her.
They turned out pretty nice so I took the pouch to the same window thinking they'd turn out good too.
They didn't.

Photography is hit or miss for me. I know, I've said it before.
I like to take photos for fun.
But trying to get the colors exact and all for etsy...that's another story. If I get a good one, it's all luck.

I like to play with photos like this instead:

I got these jars at the scrapbook store and Michael's had the same. They're plastic, = unbreakable :)

The colors are exaggerated. I can rotate and crop and zoom. I'm not showing anything that has to be accurate. Much less pressure. More artistic :)

Much more fun!

white buttons, vintage and non vintage

I usually use old jelly jars etc., but saw these and thought I could use them for all of my non vintage buttons and save the jelly jars for something else.

Do you like to take photos?

Coco

Are you a dog or cat person? Both? None?
We mostly had cats growing up and just 1 dog that passed away not long after we rescued him from the animal shelter.
I never thought of myself as a dog person. My daughter had been wanting a dog for awhile before we got Coco. I had promised. And so one day, on my birthday a few years ago, we happened to go to a pet store and there she was...
Now I think of myself more of a dog person. Funny how that is.
Now my younger daughter wants a cat. We already have 2 parakeets. We promised them we could have more pets if we moved so I guess that's it then.

She has claimed this box of fabric under the window. That way she can bark at all of the cars that go by :0
I love how the heater just beside the box makes her ear fur fly.



It reminds me of a shampoo commercial...



Oops, she caught me looking. Just like a person, she knows when you're looking at her from behind. So funny.

Distraction

Pinks

Can't think of a good title for today...Distracted is how I feel. So I guess we'll go with that.
It seems as though I can only get one post a week out lately...I'm too distracted.
Housework, working from home, errands, kids, a move that I'm still not undone packing from (!), a studio in the process of being worked on. A mess in the temporary studio that keeps me from working. And people that think if you're working from home =you're not working.
How do you deal with it?
I deal with it by getting nothing much done. That frustrates me. I have all of these ideas floating around, sometimes they make it to a sketchbook so they don't get forgotten. Sometimes they just get forgotten.

Meanwhile...while not getting any work done ;) I went to a local fabric store.

New stash

They had some of the new Denyse Schmidt fabric and some of the new Heather Bailey line. And some other things I bought once I saw it.

They also carry Presencia thread. I hadn't ever seen it in California. I usually use Gutermann and Mettler (sorry couldn't find a direct link for them). I like Mettler a lot because they have what I call 'one off ' colors. Say, the regular color but just a little off in either direction-lighter, darker, more intense...not sure what the correct terminology is I'm thinking of. I'm a little distracted... Presencia, they're even more off than Mettler. I guess they're the in between colors. Lots of in between colors. I had to control myself from buying them all.

Blues

If you're still with me here, I wanted to show some more things I got at the scrapbook store....

O.k, not the thread..more ribbon, paper for making Valentine's and a stencil. I don't plan on using it for stenciling but embroidery. If it goes as planned, I'll take some photos.

Oh, and have you seen these?

Butterfly

Butterfly makers from Clover. I have used the flower here, and here and heart shaped ones. I've yet to try this one but will today...They have a shamrock too~
Better get going and get to work!

Also, many thanks for your kind words about Coco, she seems to be doing much better.Whatever it was only lasted a day. She must've been tired from playing : )