Fashion and Fun!

  I've actually been working on jewelry this past week!
  Here's a sneak peek at some earrings I've been painting.  (Some are even at the stage of being glossy-sealed!)

  I want to do some more to the yellow ones, perhaps drill some holes in the bottom, and dangle some beads.  The black ovals will have a print eventually, the same colour as the hearts.

  I kind of goofed on the palm trees (which are sparkly, by the way).  One tree should be a mirror image, shouldn't it?  Then again, I wonder if some people prefer their earrings be exactly alike.

  Anyway, as you can see, I've been enjoying my neon paints, and I'm very inspired by a tropical, summery, surfing vibe!  (Toss in a little 80s-90s influence as well!)

  As for the fun part of my title, I thought I'd share an in-progress pic of the Ninja Turtles costumes I'm making my husband and myself for a themed event we're going to on Wednesday!  (PS - I don't own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - just a fan!)

  Since it's sort of a last-minute thing, and not an elaborate event, I'm keeping it basic, just using a bleach pen to outline the front and back turtle-parts on a couple of green tees.  (The front view is Michaelangelo, back view is Raphael.)  You can tell that the Michaelangelo tee is drier, as the bleach has totally whitened the outlines!  I'll probably be cutting the sleeves off mine and altering the collar, too - I'm not a big tee person, plus it's hot out, and I'm pregnant!
  I used scrap fabric from other old tees to make our eye mask bands (Orange for Mikey, Red for Raphael) to complete the costumes!

  Sometimes a last-minute deadline forces one to really get creative in a different way than usual - and sometimes it turns out better than if there were months of preparation!  Have you ever had to be creative in a crunch, whether it be throwing a great outfit together, making a really great dessert, crafting a gift for someone, or even writing something on a tight deadline ?

Creativity Out of the Art Room

Creativity doesn't have to mean just working on an art/craft project. It's in music, in writing, in dancing, photography, in the kitchen. Let's be honest, it's bigger than that: It's the way you decide to dress yourself, or do your hair or makeup. The way you sign your name, or the doodles you absentmindedly draw on scrap paper when you're talking on the phone. (some people still use the phone, right?)

A few weeks ago, I had some fun in the kitchen baking cookies for a fundraiser at work. Nothing fancy, but the colors of the frosting really made me smile. It was the first time using one of the cookie cutters from my Wilton Mickey Mouse set.(I do not own Mickey Mouse, Disney does - I'm not worthy!)

If anyone's curious, I used this recipe for the sugar cookies, and this one for the frosting. (I needed a frosting that dried hard and glossy, so I could package up the cookies.)  They were delicious!

  Next, I did some "photography" in my back yard.  I needed a pretty new cover photo for my facebook, and this pretty tree was briefly in bloom:

Of course, the best thing I've ever created is the little girl growing inside me right now! :)  This project is a collaboration ;)

You can't see her legs, but they're up and crossed.  She was active during the whole ultrasound, so it took awhile to get certain photos!

Here she is with her fist at her mouth (the rest of her hand is out of focus here, but we got to watch her - everything is where it should be!)

Lastly, one of her feet.  I can't wait to take my little lady shoe shopping!  (When she's a bit older, of course!!)

  We revealed our baby's gender at a BBQ on the weekend, and that was the last of the events planned for a little while.  That means things should start to wind down on the home front, aside from preparing our home to welcome our baby girl in the Fall, so I'll be able to devote more time to the earrings I've started working on (stay tuned for pics!)  Work is about to get hectic for a month or two, as everyone takes holidays in the summer but me, so I'm hoping I'll be able to manage my time!
 Hope everyone is enjoying the summery weather!