Pruitt Hand Crafts

This month's Featured EtsyBlogger - congratulations to Linda of pruitthandcrafts.

She has been so productive she had 3 Etsy shops, but she’s closing one, so hurry and visit http://PruittDesign.etsy.com for her 50% off sale till Jan. 15^th. You will get some great looking jewelry at a fantastic price.

(I have trouble keeping up one shop, don’t know how she managed three.)

But her other 2 will remain open with lots of goodies there too. 

Quilting, crochet, purses and paper arts at http://pruitthandcrafts.etsy.com

And supplies for your crafts at http://PruittSupply.etsy.com

So lets support a lovely teammate and don’t forget to visit her blog at http://pruitthandcrafts.blogspot.com

Necktie Scarf

A gift for my nephew. Another scarf I created from neckties. I pieced 3 together in alternating directions & added some fringe.

Earring Tree

Well no wonder I’m behind on Christmas shopping, I’m still making birthday gifts. Here’s an earring tree I made for my big sis. I used odds and ends from my stash to embellish a picture frame and then added a piece of plastic needlepoint canvas covered with some lace to the center. It can either be hung on the wall or stood in an easel.

Visit The ReFORMatory in person

Don’t forget, this Saturday Dec. 4^th,  2010 the ReFORMatory will be setting up shop at the Pink Ghost Mini Market, 1888 Polk Street, Hollywood, Fl - 1 to 5 PM.

Check out some new hair accessories, fun new ball chain necklaces, pillows, handbags, totebags, and other handmade goodies.

Take I-95 to Hollywood Blvd. Head east into the downtown. Just before Young Circle turn left on 19th Ave. Go almost 2 blocks, at the end of the 2nd block, on the right is the entrance to a parking garage (the first 2 hours are free). Walk out of the garage and go left around the corner on Polk Street. The Pink Ghost is a few doors down.

A Batch of Flower Hair Clips for my Niece

Here are the hair clips and bobby pins I made for my niece for her birthday. She wears a lot of bright colors, so I made a broad range of designs. She also loves butterflies and I recently found the enamel shoe clips but thought they were a bit heavy for shoes, so I incorporated them into the flowers. I enjoy experimenting with different ways to create the petals, and I especially like the two buttons (one shell, the other rhinestone) that make the center of the yellow flower.

 

Schoolbook Tote Bag

This is the tote bag I made for my niece. She wanted one strong enough for her schoolbooks. Her favorite color is purple, so she chose the few pieces of fabric in my collection that had purple in them. I combined them with recycled jeans and lined it on the inside with remnants from a fleece sweatshirt I made myself many years ago. The handles were made from a thrifted belt. The one downside of using fabric samples and remnants is that I can’t make multiples of the items. I really really really liked this tote bag and had a hard time giving it up to her once it was done.

EtsyBlogger of the Month - Devine Designs Jewelry

Congrats to Cindy, a fellow Floridian. Cindy is an incredible jewelry designer. She works in beads and metal craft (copper, silver, twisted wire) to create many unique pieces. Look at these wonderful items in her etsy shop Devine Designs Jewelry. 

And don’t forget to read her blog for her latest shows and events and creativity.

Eco Friendly and Recycled Inspiration

What can I make from items I already have on hand? Can I put something together that doesn’t require me having to go buy anything new? That’s always my first question when I start a new project, be it an item for my shop, a gift for someone special or a project around the house.

This month I created two purses from old fabric pieces and  zippers & buttons I already had on hand. For my upcoming mini-market, I needed some packaging for small items , so I made some origami boxes from magazines I intended to recycle.

My two nieces both have birthdays this month, so I created numerous fabric flower hairclips (all of them from various remnants and vintage buttons) a few of which one niece will receive. My other niece wanted a tote bag for schoolbooks. I had her look through my fabric remnants and the old jeans I recycle and I patched together what she chose into a tote bag I’d love to use myself. I even used an old belt for the handles (post pics later -haven’t had the party yet).

Even my husband got on board last week, he built a new step for our shed from some wood we got off a scrap pile over a year ago. He even painted the step with leftover house paint. I’m always pleased when we can make something new and beautiful from stuff we already own.  

Upcoming Event

On Saturday Dec. 4, 2010 the ReFORMatory will be setting up shop at the Pink Ghost Mini Market, 1888 Polk Street, Hollywood, Fl - Noon to 5 PM. Come shop for pillows, handbags, jewelry, accessories and other handmade recycled / upcycled crafts.

Gorgeous Fall Colors Wristlet Purse

I’ve created a new, OOAK wristlet from sample swatches of designer upholstery fabric. On the bottom, a gorgeous textured striped fabric in lovely fall colors. It is topped with a warm ruby colored worsted wool band & handle. I also added a lovely handmade fabric flower with a vintage button center, made from the wool and another small upholstery sample remnant. I used up almost every inch of my small sample fabrics.  Available now on Etsy & Artfire.

I’m a Finalist

Two of my creations have made the finals in the Recycled Denim Challenge on Ecouterre. I’m so excited to be part of this eco friendly competition. Ecouterre and it’s mother website Inhabitat are great eco/green websites to explore for inspiration, wonderful new designs and creative creations. There are links on my sidebar if you’d like to vote for me or explore the other finalists in the competition.

Jack-O-Lanterns through the Years

Today I’ll be going out to buy a pumpkin or two for this year.

  We usually cook them to use for pumpkin pies.

But our favorite part is coming up with a new Jack-o-lantern each year. 

 These are a few from years past.

The internet has now become our greatest source for ideas. 

Jetson’s Halloween Costumes

I’ve been making Halloween costumes my whole life. Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays, probably cause I loved playing dress-ups as a kid. My mom made our costumes when we were little (wish I still had some of those vintage patterns). So having a handmade costume is always preferable to me.

It wasn’t easy trying to decide a best or favorite costume for this blog carnival. I just went though my Halloween photo album and picked one that I enjoyed creating.  It was 1989, so the old scanned photo here isn’t the best. I decided my hubby and I would be George & Jane Jetson. Their clothing wasn’t so hard to design, I even got the rings around the wrists and ankles, and used wire to make the skirt hem flare out. The hair was the hard part.  Since the photo was taken at night it’s very difficult to see, but I ended up getting some cheap wigs and trying to style Georges in that flat swirl across the top and Janes with those winged curls along the sides. I wasn’t perfectly successful with those, but it was better than our real hair.

Latest Upcycled Handbag at the ReFORMatory

My newest handbag was made by upcycling a placemat I recently bought. I loved the colors in the print. I found a nice cotton quilt remnant from my mother-in-law’s stash that coordinated nicely. I incorporated it into the sides, handles & inside pockets. I also used a corduroy remnant for trim. Look for it on Etsy.

The Yellow Green Farmers Market is here

After months of delay, the Yellow Green Farmer’s Market opened in Hollywood. It’s an open-air market featuring local produce, gourmet foods, tee-shirt shops, arts and craft booths and health and beauty items for green living. With space for over 300 vendors it’s a much-needed fresh green market for South Florida. I’m hoping it’s very successful. It’s open Thursday nights, Saturday and Sunday. Check it out.

Splendid Little Stars - Etsy Blogger of the Month

I love visiting this blog, Splendid Little Stars, it is such a comfortable place to hang out. Margaret is a great photographer and her beautiful peaceful nature photos are usually accompanied by nice poetry or stories. She also features adorable photos and narratives from her kitty cats. A great place to hang out when you need to distress online.

 

In addition she is a busy member of our team, always checking out what the other members are up to, lending support and encouraging commentary. 
And don’t forget to visit her two wonderful Etsy Shops, 
Splendid Little Stars for fabric and clothing, 
Sparkly Park for jewelry.

Stitch Rock 2010 Indie Craft Fair

One of the largest Indie Craft Fairs in south Florida is this weekend in Delray. I’m so looking forward to going to Stitch Rock. Maybe next year I’ll have it together in time to get myself a booth. It’s the 4^th year, but will be my first visit. Over 70 vendors and many can also be found on etsy. Follow my link for all the event info.

Latest Purse

Wow, this was more of a challenge than expected. The beige fabric on the upper part of the purse started unraveling before I finished sewing it together.  I had to hand weave it back together as it was all of the fabric that I had. Then once I finished the purse, the old recycled zipper I used got stuck and when I tried to close it, the cloth part ripped. I didn’t think I’d be able to get a new zipper in without taking the purse apart (couldn’t do that after fixing that fraying fabric). So I ended up hand sewing some Velcro in instead. Came out pretty lovely in the end & my sister-in-law really appreciated her birthday gift.

Our Handmade Wedding

Our wedding was a small family affair in our own back yard. With the help of friends and family, we made most everything for our wedding. We wrote our own vows and we created & printed our own invitations. I restored my grandmothers 1920’s wedding dress (it had major damage to the silk fabric) and my mother helped me sew the rest of the clothes for the wedding party. My sisters & sisters-in-law helped make the bouquets and decorations for the house. Most of our friends pitched in making the food for the reception. It was a lovely intimate wedding, and it sure doesn’t seem like that long ago for us to have celebrated our 20^th Wedding Anniversary just a few weeks ago.

Off Subject

I know its unrelated to crafting, decorating and recycling, but I just created a second blog. This one is my travel blog. My husband and I just returned from an Alaskan cruise, so I decided to create a separate blog for our travel tales & photos, take a look if you're interested.

Escaping Our Everyday

Patch First – Etsyblogger of the Month

Planning an upcoming wedding? Attending a wedding soon? Then you should visit Patch’s Wedding Guide Blog . It’s chockfull of photos & info about the latest looks & styles, hairstyles, diamond buying advise, etc. And then it’s off to patch’s Bridal jewelry & accessories shop where you can have custom made stuff or just get something for yourself to wear to a wedding.

Not into the whole wedding thing, then check out her Vintage Shop or her Supply Shop. And also visit her personal blog that highlights her prolific creativity.