greenbeanbaby art

a new style...

remember when i was in a creative funk? and then i worked on some invitations after all the wonderful advice you gave?! well, i am back in the funk, only this time, not stressing... actually, its better to say that i am not in the mood to work on illustrations... granted, there are some that have to be completed soon, but i'm embracing the moment away from paper... after all, diego will be going to pre-school in september so my goal is to go full swing into art then (and have another sale in the etsy shop with new items)

despite the lack of mood, i'm being inspired... amy makes some cute lil outfits for her girl, molly... [molly is one day younger than isabella; how cute is that?!] so i decided to make isabella a top!!

i made one for myself last summer and sadly, it doesn't fit me just yet (being 7lbs over my pre-pregnancy weight)... this teeny version for isabella, took one night to create.... ramel picked out the material and you must admit, it's cute, eh?! there are several mistakes, as i don't sew often but it held up well... so far... and i plan on making a couple more tonight for isabella and i... key word: PLAN.

a bazillion photos were taken of her in this top... the sun was out, she was all smiles, and my camera battery was fully charged... we had a dandy time clickin' away, as diego and ananda swam... the weather was cooler than the previous days but we all had a good time... we went to my mom's house shortly after, where she showed me a TON of vintage wrapping paper that she got at an estate sale... (and when i say a TON, i am not kidding you)

oh, and have i told you how strong 'bella's legs are?! they are strong enough to hold herself up while leaning on the crib rail... not that she sleeps in the crib just yet... she can keep herself standing for awhile without bobbing her head all over... if she is like diego, then she'll be walking in no time! she makes me more nervous though because she shoves things in her mouth... i didn't have to babyproof the house much with diego as he was more interested in pulling dvds and books off the shelves... with diego's many toy parts, baby proofing is quite the necessity... thankfully i got a bit of time to prep...

anyhow, if you have any sewing tips or super easy patterns for baby gals, i would love them!!! suzdeth's tutorial was simple and fun to make... if you have any more like that, i am all ears and eyes!

WIP- all around...

even though this li'l soft tree is done, it's nowhere near worth displaying... i got the pattern from amanda jean who got it from stephanie... it's not exactly the pattern stephanie made because i decided i wanted a taller tree... so maybe that is why mine tilts... no matter how i stuffed it (even with a bit of rice), it tilts... and whenever i go to do an important part of the sewing bit, diego climbs on my lap and oops, there goes the straight stitch! ah, well for my first sewn stuffed item, i'd say it's a C+... i will try again this weekend though- unless i end up sketching...

and here one corner of my afghan that i'm working on... for the first time doing embroidery in nearly 12 years, i think it's coming along well... i wasn't in the mood to sketch or cut paper, so i decided to bust this out and finish the entire corner... 3 more to go with all the middle to do as well... a long way to go but at least it turned out better than my tree...

my other WIP... hehe.. my nearly 21wk belly... yeah, it feels like i have been 20wks for 3wks now, thanks to the change in due dates... the doctor said i was "filling out well" and i guess that would be right, since 13lbs have been added on to this body.... i now weigh as much as when ramel and i first began to date... craziness... my hips hurt more and it could be the chairs i sit on... no matter how i sleep, the hip bones seem to be in pain... ah, but this time  i'm not suffering charlie horses in the calf or heartburn at night! ah, it still seems surreal- another baby in the belly... when will it sink in? during labor?! hehe...

WIP and a bit of reads....

this is the kit i bought at a thrift store a couple days ago... it's a green (yep, my favorite green color too) afghan with yarn to embroider flowers onto it... it was only $5 for the entire kit and it looks fairly simple to make... and incredibly beautiful!!! my goal is to finish it before the baby comes, which its not for the baby, just something to make.... it would be a pretty addition to the living room, eh?! and i could use it to cuddle up with on the couch, with diego on one side and the baby on the other side and the cats underneath... yeah, i never sit alone these days :D imagine adding another!


so this how far i got so far... ah, just a mere two flowers in one of the four corners... and um, we don't wanna look to close or else you will see the mistakes already made... yep, i am a rookie when it comes to embroidery! i haven't done it since eighth grade so that is over  10yrs... (holy cow, i was in 8th grade only 10yrs ago?!) but i figure by the time i get to the second corner, my skills will improve... and by the time i get to the middle part, i should be a pro... haha, i doubt it will get that good but it should be nice enough- i hope... ramel says it looks great but he was half across the room- hehehe.... plus i doubt he will criticize this kind of art, ya know?!


and i am trying to read a lil before i go to bed... yep, the chronicles of narnia- 1970 printed edition...i also try to read to diego too but i know these stories are a bit to old for him...  (even though when  he was about a year, i tried reading war of the worlds to him... he didn't much care for it).... i have literally one chapter left in the prince caspian book and i will be onto the next one... i have the whole collection purchased a year ago...  when i was in 6th grade, i read the whole series (the same edition too) in a matter of a week... and now, it takes me a week to get through one book! ah, but they are good and we will see if i will venture into reading lord of the rings later on...

ps. if you want to see how my studio looks when the guys lounge in it, go here....

a visit to mom's house

you've heard me say it before but here it goes: my mom has A LOT of stuff... i mean,  there is enough goodies to start a new store.... every time i go visit her, i leave with bags of goodies ranging from toys to books to sewing goodies.... just like last week... she doesn't sew but she bought grab bags full of lace and bias tape, pins and zippers.... my sister and i were sitting in her "warehouse" room and she busts out a big bag of fabric! and while i am looking through fabric, my sister is checking out retro cookbooks... and throughout all this, diego and ananda are busily jumping on my dad's bed.... dasiy is trying to get attention from one of us and there are craft items of all sorts spilled out on the floor...

and she will let us pick what we want... as if this is a candy store with free samples... grab a basket and fill it up.... between pom poms and popsicle sticks... appliques and googly eyes... fake cat whiskers and cat eyes... pipe cleaners and toys... books and even more toys... magazines and greeting cards... and while we browse through her amazing stash of goodies, one of her many clocks will ring away, letting us know, another hour has passed.... my dad will often offer us chips or coffee and there is never a dull moment... never...

one day my mom will open up a museum of some sorts... she has too many goodies that are now spilling out of closets and drawers and in every corner... still she rummages and thrifts... and she comes back with even more goodies... she's often willing to swap some of her stuff including certain dolls and toys (the above are mine that she gave to me on diego's birthday- haha)

here is a link to her flickr pictures... fun old new... the woman who loves both the old and new goodies.... my mom...

a sewing frenzy...

well, thanks to storme of gingillos, i was able to thread my sewing machine properly... several of you offered help and advice; thank you all so much! apparently, i was threading it horribly wrong, but the dilemma was solved... now the only issue is how to stop sewing in zig zag! (yes, all my projects made over the weekend have the lovely zig zap pattern hahaha! its been some years since i've sewn!)

on saturday, there was a tank top to complete (cut a couple weeks ago)... i found suzdeth's tutorial on whip up, and was determined to use the fabric li li sent me a long time ago... however, i had to redesign the top to fit my small bust and to accommodate the lack of several inches of the fabric... so by the time the top was finished, a button was added to the back... and the back itself is slightly open for style purposes... (well, you get good ventilation too)... it turned out well enough to wear the next day!! of course, i'm inspired to make more however, i've still more illustrations to complete...

and sunday, i decided to design and sew a small apron... it took a few tries as i wanted the bottom to have a scalloped look but couldn't sew the hem very well... and i have no clue on how to use bias tape... even if i did, there wasn't enough of the color of the bias tape that i wanted (green, of course)... the apron is about 12" wide and made for my niece... it's small enough for my sweet ananda and made with alot of love (and a bit of "oh shoot!" and a couple "grrrs"... and of course, there was a pot of coffee in my system)... i hope she likes it!

lastly, i have to say with all the patterns i received, none of them actually will fit me (although, i still like them all!)... i am apparently between a petite size and a misses... with my proportions, i am unsure of which size to actually buy... my bust is very small, my waist is normal, and i think my hips are normal too (i did have a kid though)... skirts won't be a problem and i don;t plan to sew a dress... but the shirts?! i guess i will be taking in the bust part alot (or redesigning it!)... nonetheless, i can't wait to buy some patterns now! and some more fabric too!

a two minute post...

remember this?! remember how happy i was when i got this retro sewing machine?! well, i finally bust it out and was ready to start sewing... with a mouth still in pain, and some vicatin in my system, i had the energy of a 2 year old on a sugar high... with material (that li li, whom i must email, gave me) cut and ready to turn into a tank top, i was revved to go...

i used a sewing machine before... i kid you not! it's been some years, yes, but i am not entirely ignorant on the subject of sewing machines... but when you read the next paragraph, you may think otherwise...

i cannot thread the machine right!!!!!!!!! i  was up from midnight to 6am  trying to thread it... it was a no go... i don't have a manual and i checked online for one... i  discovered one that was a similar model and was following that... however, there is like 8...yes, 8... different spots to stick the thread through... the needle moved, the bobbin was in place, but when i tried to sew, the thread wouldnt move...

any solutions?! suggestions?! i am gonna hunt down a manual because i cannot figure out how to do, what should be, the simplest part of sewing... *sigh*

it's okay, you can laugh...

it's lovely to rummage...

this past weekend was quite eventful... from friday to sunday, i was steady rummaging with well under $20... on friday, i bought some old records (look here) as diego and i walked around to closer garage sales... but on saturday, my dad picked diego and i up, and we all (including my mom) went rummaging... as my mom and i went to check them out, my dad happily entertained his grandson... anyhow, one of the greatest finds on saturday was the two yard toys for diego... together the picnic table and slide cost only $7... what a great deal, eh?! diego just loves it!! i was so happy to be able to find something so perfect for my extremely active son...

 
but even better, i got a ton of free stuff over the weekend... the first picture is of vinyl decals... they were in the free box! i had a total of 7 assorted pages but i gave my mom 4... they are really neat close up and i believe they are from around the 70's.... the duck in the first set is absolutely the cutest... but regardless, i can't believe these were free! and i found some cute lil books for my collection...

 
wait! you won't believe this! on sunday, ramel took a walk with diego so i could get some artwork done... he calls me up asking me if i want some patterns... of course! he told me to meet him outside and i see him a block away talking to a lady... i walked over there and the lady gave me four boxes filled with patterns and material and magazines for free!!!! i mean, isn't that wild?! four whole boxes fulla retro patterns and some early 90's patterns too... patterns for babies, toddlers, women, pajamas, toys, quilts, even aprons, and purses!! i am so overwhelmed with the possibilities and cannot wait to snag some time so i can get to working on sewing...
 
the boxes were very old so i moved them into newer boxes and a couple bins... here are just a portion of the patterns close up... i cant even tell you how many i received but let's just say that i have enough to fill one big bin, a big box, and a smaller pattern box... like i said, there was also material and that is already in my cupboard of fabric stash... there was also a couple bags of cross stitching kits and needlepoint...

 
there was one full box of crochet and knitting books/magazines... most of them are from the 70's but there is one from 1958 and one from 1963... most of it looks way to complicated for me however, they are so colorful and well, inspiring! and who knows, maybe one day my skills in these areas will be good enough to attempt some of the patterns in these books...

i've enough stuff to keep me busy for a long time... it's beautiful to find such generous people in this world...

all the way from australia

a couple days ago, i received a lovely swap package from samantha...  after ripping open the envelope in excitement, i began looking through everything, and then putting it all back so i can take pictures as if i didn't open it yet... am i the only one that does this? anyhow, this is how the package looked once out of the envelope.... a pretty handmade bag holding a ton of goodies inside and under...

       
and what a plethora of goodness!!! there were sheets of vintage wallpaper in all colors and patterns... and a retro fairy tales book (perfect timing for inspiration for amy's atc swap), which held even more papers! she even included a book polar by elaine moss and jeannie baker... the illustrations in both books are so wonderful and completely my style!!!! there was even clip arts of beautiful fairies and flowers and animals!

         
but that's not all! there was oodles of papers and book clippings.... as well as an humpty dumpty clipping and the fiddlin' cat... there was shiny paper, dotted paper, fuzzy paper,stationary, and borders too! she also included embellishments and tags and more stationary, pretty napkins, and australian postage stamps from the 60's and 70's.... aren't you amazed?! i said "awwww" and "wow" so many times while going through the package, that diego kept mimicking me... haha!

      
and there was still more in this package!!! fabric (for my june goal to sew some goodies)!!!... even ribbon too! but lastly, she sent me a handmade apron that was worn right away!! (yes, that is diego's foot in the way, with his too small socks).... i cannot wait to reorganize my studio to put all this stuff in right order (yes, i do this every time i get new stuff)

thanks samantha so much for the fantastic package! it was a pleasure to swap with you!

i have had only wonderful packages  with every person i've swapped with... thank you all :)

more mail goodies... & basement finds too

as i've been tremendously busy with moving furniture, finishing projects, and playing with my lil bean, i've spent little time blogging and surfing blogs... thankfully, these next few days i'll time to catch up... however, i've received some goodies in the mail that i can't help but to share... miss fawn pea celebrated her 100th post and was giving away free cell phone cozies... and guess who got one?!  it's 100% hand knit and felted... beautiful, wouldn't you say?! she even sent me a floral pigtail holder... bring out the puerto rican in me... hehe... thanks so much fawn, for the lovely gifts that will surely be put to use!

cori sent me a surprise package that i received on saturday... i was shocked by not only the package but the contents! inside were these 5 lovely blocks fulla pictures of my family! isn't this sweet?! a personalized gift with pictures of diego, ramel, ananda, logan, me, and even of some of my artwork.... and some sides of the blocks had lovely green paper... now these sit on my kitchen table so everyone can see... thanks so much cori, for the sweet gift!


with all the vintage love being shared around the flickr world, i decided to dig up some of my what-nots from the basement... i've plenty of pictures here... well, friday night i ventured to dig through the boxes and managed to get a few things such as old music sheets and pictures out... however, i was looking for my pattern box that was filled with retro patterns... before i could find the pattern box, i was interrupted by a creepy crawly... a centipede... and yes, there was a blood curdling scream that woulda scared the tenant if she was home... i had hot flashes and the shakes as i ran up from the basement and to the attic in under 30 seconds, no doubt... *shudder*... saturday afternoon, ramel was kind enough to dig through the boxes to retrieve what i couldn't the night before... and thus, you have the above picture...aren't these retro aprons just a beauty?!

up for a mini swap?!

my mom, nina, doesn't have a blog but her flickr site, fun old new,  is loaded with her thrifty goodies and the collections she's accumulated in time.... well, she has a few sewing items to swap if anyone is interested.... if so, email me right away! nina is willing to swap most anything like vintage, fabric, paper, crafting supplies, etc. etc. etc. just a note, some of the items don't have model number info... but we will give you as much info as we know ourselves :)

here are pix of them all! they are in good condition and of course, retro!

   
a singer buttonholer (right?!) in a green plastic case (pic of outside and inside)

a pink one is also available... looks just like the above... (you can see it also on the very first picture)

   
the first box is singer accessories for model 648(zig zag parts) ...

the second box is singer accessories for model 64(deluxe straight stitch parts) ...

   
the first is a tin case... a ruffler for the brother sewing machine...

the second is a box... buttonhole attachment for the kenmore machine

   
this is a tin case of rotary pieces... i am not sure what this means but as you can see the inside parts are in good condition.... nor do i know what brand it is...

   
another singer button holer for slant needle zig zap sewing machines...

looks nearly new, eh?!

   
this is a box of special discs... for deluxe zig zag singer machines... and for special zig zag machines...

it has all the discs too!

   
more accessories for the singer deluxe straight stitch sewing machine model 639...

   
this is a precision built button holer attachment... it comes in a tin case... i don't know the model number! and i don't want to sound dumb, but i think the precision built is the brand but i never heard of that sort of sewing machine...

lastly, this is a singer sewing machine attatchments box... for class 604 machines... i forgot to take an inside picture... but request, if interested...

so are you up for swapping???