Pockets on Scarves... Great Idea!!!

Hello All,

Still BAMFing it up and done with my pocket scarves. So I'm in the process of moving and getting things together. Life is Hard man! I HATE moving with a fiery, bloody passion that burns with the intensity of a trillion suns. Solar flares and all can tell you the extent of my hatred for moving.

So on to the pocket scarves!!! I was trying this pattern and GOD it was pretty. Problem was, I made the thing too damn wide. I didn't want to unravel it like I do the other things, so I revamped the pattern and made a pocket. The idea stuck and a scarf was born! It's currently up for grabs because I didn't make it for anyone in particular. I'll let it go for $15.

The first scarf entitled "Gray" looks like this:

The pattern in a spiked stitch in multiples of 5. I used Red Heart Super Saver in Black and White with Michael's exclusive Loop & Threads Impeccable in True Gray. The result is a little stiff but It is quite lovely to look at. All it needs is a good washing to soften it right on up. I'll do all of that before I send or deliver it to the buyer. It took me a while to finish due to my work schedule picking up a lot. I finished it though and I'm so proud of it.

It's done in two separate pieces and the sewn together in the middle. I wanted to make sure the pattern was identical on both ends. It turned out better than I could have hoped. Take THAT Target!!!

After I finished the "Gray" Pocket Scarf, I loved the idea so much that I started another. This one took me less than a week and I worked on it for four hours straight one day while just waiting around. That really got me over the hump and I finished a few days later. This one isn't going to remain a scarf for long though. I'm going to continue the pattern and make it into an afghan. I figure some lovely girly girl will adore it. This is the scarf version here:





As you can see, the colors are way brighter than what I'm used to working with or wearing. I can't honestly see myself sporting this ensemble. It's amazingly pretty to me. The pictures honestly don't do it justice. The Iris is a jewel toned purple that is deep and rich, while the Watermelon is a bright and vibrant pink. It's a really hot pink that stands out in a real pop of color. I'm not so brave as to wear such an eye-catching accessory, but I'm sure that there are plenty of women that would.

I really enjoyed making this item. Everyone at work kept walking by and telling me how good the scarf looked. I even got some requests for lessons and items. If I'm not careful I'll have more things to do that I can keep up with. My work schedule gets really hectic. Plus we have this big kitchen sale... again.

For this scarf I used some of the stash I had on hand. The Iris, Watermelon, and Black worked up really easily. The Caron Simply Soft is some of the prettiest yarn I've worked with on the lower end of the price spectrum. It works up soft and silky and makes me smile at the array of stunning jewel toned colors available. I even find ones I've never seen. "Celestial" is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS. I can't wait to get more and to work up something. I have a book that I got for 50% off from Joanns back in January that has Caron Simply Soft patterns all through it. They are truly some great ones too. I usually can't look though a book and say I HAVE to have it because I want to do more than maybe 1 or 2 of the patterns. This book is different. I took one look and was interested. As I thumbed through it, each page was a WOW! I really want to make that. Had to have it. It was decided then and there. I used my coupon on it and $19.99 became $10!

 

 
I wore the Marble Nails to work and sure enough people started complimenting them. It makes me smile when people enjoy my art. It makes me cringe when people get too friendly and grab/touch me without asking. Anyway, the appreciation is wonderful just the same.

Look Out for more Crafty Shenanijinks by yours truly Jennifer M!

Until Then... Color Life Outside the Lines

The Nails Have It!!!

Hello All,

So here I am still being my BAMFing self and it's March!!! The third month of the year is in full swing and I'm swinging with it. I've been crafting and writing and guess what... Doing nail art! GASP! I know!

So I have like 30+ nail colors and I've decided to start using them. It's a lot of fun that takes nothing but about 10-15 minutes of your time and patience. I cannot stress this enough. It really helps your art if you give it the necessary time to dry. If you need to dance around or wave your arms like mad then do it, but give it its time. I'm guilty of trying to rush the process, but I've really improved on this.

First I did the Galaxy Nails: Blue, Purple, and Pink polish sponge painted on a black base and topped with glitter (cough cough stars). Sounds nice right? Here's the pic.

The Pics don't do it justice!!!

I always start with a Base Coat of Sally Hansen's Diamond Strength Instant Nail Hardener (to shore up weak nails, a result of my print photography class's chemicals). I followed with a coat of Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in 370 Black Out. I find that Sally tends to have thick polishes that give me solid opacity in one coat. The sponges are your standard cosmetic wedges. I then sponged on Sally's Hard As Nails in 770 Rock Bottom(purple) and La Colors Color Craze Nail Polish with hardeners in NP424 Wired(blue) and NP383 Ballerina(pink). The glitter was Rimmel London's 60 Seconds in 831 Magic Stardust (hint hint).

Not here's where things get weird. I used a "Fast Dry Top Coat" that supposedly dries instantly. LIES It takes at least 5 minutes and even then you can still get smudges, prints, and creases. It's annoying. If you wait the required time, the results are amazing. My nails lasted a whole week and this is with me submerging my hands in water, using chemicals, and down on the floor at work doing some heavy duty hand work with carts and pallet jacks and other such nonsense.

So today I took off the galaxy paint because my left index finger finally got a chip. I was going to attempt my own version of the newsprint nails, but lo and behold I had not ONE scrap of newspaper ANYWHERE!!! So I decided to do Water Marbling to reflect my job's color scheme. Check em out!

So I've been hearing that water marbling is so hard and messy... It isn't really. I found it to be simple and fairly quick honestly. I started out with my Diamond Strength base coat and Followed with L.A. Colors in NP164 French White(duh) for my base color. I then filled a teacup with water from the tap and dropped circles of L.A. Colors NP424 Wired, Milani 84 Green Glow, and Sally's Xtreme 360 Mellow Yellow in that order. I did each color three times in the above listed order. The trick of the trade is to: 1) Use a small vessel (whatever that may be). 2) work quickly for your layers can (and will) dry in the water. And 3) PATIENCE!!! You will get it, just take your time. You must completely submerge your finger to really get the design on your nail and remember when dropping, the seeming disappearance of the polish is normal. Just keep dropping.





I also scored FOUR of the colors on my list: Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri in 375 Gone Gray, Sally's Xtreme in 150 SunKissed and 160 Cherry Red, and Sally's Magnetic Nail Color in 908 Graphite Gravity. I am stoked that I'm finding the colors I want. I also finally got Essie's Matte About You AND NYC's Matte Me Crazy top coats. Things are about to get C.R.A.Z.Y!!! 

           

I'm going to wear these to work for sure! I already got a completely out of the blue compliment by a man tonight. He just stopped me and said, "I really love your nails." All I could do was say thanks and smile like a nutter. Oh well, I seem to be getting tons of attention with my nail art and other crafty undertakings. Little do these admirers know how close I am to total destruction, murder, and mayhem hahaha.


 
  


Look Out for more Crafty Shenanijinks by yours truly Jennifer M!

Until Then... Color Life Outside the Lines