Attention All Crafty Types

As I've mentioned before, I spend my days working as a commercial Interior Designer in a large architectural firm. I like my job and sometimes I get to be really creative, but other times I'm boggled down in paperwork and computer drafting. On those days when I'm drowning in technical info and piles of paperwork I day dream of going home and crafting.

One of the benefits of commercial interior design is the free lunches provided by the reps of different types of interiors products. Yesterday we ate with the Maharam rep and she showed us the new line from Hella Jongerius. I was super excited to see it because I have had a designer crush on Hella and her wonderful designs since I was in school. You may recogize this pattern. It is on display at the MoMA in NYC.


So our vendor whips out Hella's newest line and all I can think is some of these crafty types in the blog world could totally make this...maybe even me! It's two layers of felt sewn with a straight stitch. But here's the kicker...this fabric retails for over $250/yard!! And I do not even feel bad that this weekend I plan to totally knock this off because Martha Stewart just had this random lady on her show teaching us all how to do this embroidery technique. We'll compare the $250 image to the yard I'm going to try to produce with my felt from Hancocks.

I don't consider myself to be a copy cat (in this one instance) I just think great minds think alike. I guess those minds would include Martha and Hella...I guess I am a copy cat...a copy cat who's ready to go home and do some crafting!

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Word of the Day= Rejigger

Ever heard of it? Me neither. It was on the cover of Martha Stewart's Blueprint magazine and I'm looking at it for the past two days on my desk wondering what the heck does "Rejigger my home bar" mean? It sounded something from a rap song that I was probably not supposed to say and here it was on the cover of a Martha Stewart magazine!

Main Entry: re·jig·ger
Pronunciation: \(ˌ)rē-ˈji-gər\
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: re- + 3jigger
Date: 1942

Meaning: To alter or rearrange.

Now we know. Let's try to use it in a sentence today. Or better yet, make it the Pee Wee's Playhouse Word of the Day...Any children of the 80's remember that one? I say Rejigger....you say AHHHHHH!

Thank you Martha for broadening our vocabulary skills.

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Game Day Wristlet

Two posts in one day! I've had company all weekend so I have not been able to upload my crafts, thus the rapid fire craft loading.

My friend Ashley turned the big 25 yesterday, along with her husband and dog (husband is the same age, dog is 14 in dog years) Isn't it crazy that they have the same birthday. Webster (the dog) thought it was so cool he changed his birthday to join in on the mass celebration. Anyhow, Ashley is a fellow UT alumni and I made her something that I am definitely going to make for myself before football season rolls around.

Note my lovely hand model. Did I marry a good man or what? He's totally embarrassed by this, but I thought it would be funny. I should have made him hold it with his glove tan-lined hand...lots of golf this summer. He says the tan lines symbolize a good summer. I'm thinking he's not going to think it's as cool when we go to the pool this weekend.

I made this thing the perfect size for a camera, lipstick, credit card, cell phone, and football ticket. Whooo, it gets me excited just thinking about it (football season, not the purse) but I love the purse too. You can clap, shake your shaker, throw up some spirit fingers....all without having the lay your purse down in the beer sludged bleachers. This is really becoming a UT crafts blog. I should probably consider getting a store in Pigeon Forge...although I think that's the place all good crafts go to die...or become a Thomas Kinkade painting.

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Don't Mess with My Tutu

I think that must have been a song in the 80's. I remember my best friend in kindergarten singing it on the playground...random memories...I have a million on them.

My cousin has an adorable baby named Ella. That would make her my second cousin. Her first birthday party is this Saturday and it's in Michigan so we will not be able to attend. But I made her this little 1 onesie and matching tutu and I thought it turned out super cute.

I sit around all boys at work. They've all become quite accustomed to me coming in in the mornings and making them look at the photos of my latest projects and I thought it was so funny last week when one of them commented saying "The littlest tutu in the world"....I'm breaking them down....they'll begging their wives for 10 kids by the time I'm done with them.

I say this and then I never do it, but I'm going to try to start posting tutorials. This one was super easy...but I think I may have discovered ways to make it even easier. Isn't it cute? I think every little girl needs one!

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Good Design Does Not Equal Good Business

So I visited NYC last weekend with my Mom. Visiting NY in the middle of the summer is quite a different experience. Imagine being up close and personal with a billion strangers in the middle of a heat wave...yikes. Despite the heat I had a very good time. I love New York. I love New York more on account of it's appreciation of art and good design. So upon booking my last minute ticket I looked to one of the walls of my workstation and observed a magazine picture I've had hanging up for about a year. Hospitality Design Magazine does an article every year of award winning design and this bakery named Fluff was featured. I loved this shop because they used what appears to be plastic laminate and a bunch of strip fluorescent lights to create an awesome, suck you inside, space...which isn't that the point of retail? And it looked like it was done on a semi-tight budget...as are most of my projects. Anyhow I Googled it's location before I left. My Friday afternoon plans included :

1. See the new Bank of America Tower

2. See the Hearst Tower.

2. Have lunch at Fluff.

I had one and two knocked out when low and behold Fluff no longer exists! This beautiful piece of interior design gone! never to be seen with my own two eyes, after hanging on my desk for a year! You can imagine my dismay. I did learn something from this disappointment. Contrary to popular belief among my colleagues, people's main objective when visiting a restaurant is the food...not the design. So while the linear black and white stripes pulled you inside, the cupcakes did not keep you there.

I did get to see the Eliasson Waterfalls!

Here we are at the center of the world.

Thanks to my mom for a super fun weekend!

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I WON!!!

Not first place....but I am one of three runners up in the Michael Miller Baby Bootie Contest!! I'm so pumped! I think there were over 100 entries. Here are the Winners. This was my entry.

Again I owe 95% of the credit to my friend Thor who took the pictures. As you can see from my recent posts, if I would have photographed them I would have had no chance. Funny thing is that I showed them to my friend Laura, who is the mother of Caroline and she said "Who is Stephanie Leigh Frye?"...and I realized that my Yahoo account still has my maiden name...whoops! I love the first place entry. They were actually one of my favorites. So look for future posts with my fun new Michael Miller fabrics!

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Good Ole' Rocky Top + Crafts

Two of my favorite things! Everyone who went to UT knows that the cool way to go to a game is to wear orange and white in the most fashionable way possible. Last year I was at a crafts fair in Memphis and saw a burp cloth that said "I spit orange", obviously intended for the baby UT fan. I vote that equivalent to an adult wearing a jersey to a football game, not the most stylist way to go. So here is my baby UT fashion made specially for the soon to be little Will Kingery.

For the noon game- it's going to be a long day so this outfit is complete with a pacifier pocket right on the chest.


For the 3:30 game- A little collar action means you can keep it on all night and still look cool.

The 7pm Homecoming Game- all business


And contrary to popular belief....we do wear shoes in Tennessee!


Sorry again for the lame pics...I'm pleading with the hubby for a new camera ASAP. I told him, the future of my craft blog depends on it:)

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Bakerella?

I was blog browsing Friday afternoon at work and found myself super inspired by Bakerella's Blog. So I came home and whipped up some cupcakes for a party I went to this weekend. I'm proud of my first try. I don't have any fun icing tools. I just cut a hole in a sandwich bag to make the swirl. I've informed my husband that I would like my next career to be in the cupcake/ dessert industry...he laughed....we'll see.

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Sneak Peek

We have still have over a month until game time, but I thought I would post a sneak peek of a project I am working on for Ros and Catherine. These are the bottom of, you guessed it, baby shoes...I'm totally addicted.

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The Friday Night Knitting Club

A MUST READ!! I loved this book. I just finished it, cleaned my fogged up glasses and blew my nose and now I must share. This is our book club's selection for the month and I have to be honest, I thought it was going to be in the family of the Shopaholic books....but it's SO much better. I'm sad it's over. I already miss the characters. Women + Real Life Experiences + Crafting = Are you kidding me, why would you not want to read this book? Buy it (or borrow it from me) read it and then tell me how much you loved it.
I don't know how big of a dork I am. Yes I do, I'm a pretty big dork. In the back it has the author's email address and it says you can call her in on your book club meeting. We only have 3 consistent book club members....Katie Jacobs you may be number 4!

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