Zemphira's Creations

Working On New Images for 100 Proof Press

2012-01-29T15:10:00.000-05:00

So, I've been trying to catch up after the holidays. And I must admit blogging if one of the first things I ignore on my to-do list - a long with cleaning up the craft room. But, at least I've been a bit productive for the stamp company. I have been playing around with some new images, trying them out, seeing if they are good enough to include in the catalog. I have fallen in love with this little owl girl.

I tried to make a Valentine with her. I just think she's so cute and unique. Soon I'm going to have to help my little ones make 50 or so Valentines for their classes. Wonder what images they will choose. . .

Let the advent begin!

2011-11-30T18:13:00.000-05:00

Well, my father and I both made our deadlines. He made the tree, and I got the fabric bins done. Although I still have to do something about the numbers - so if December 1st is tomorrow, the tree is basically ready - oh wait, it IS tomorrow! It's not like I've never stayed up late craftin' it out. So, here is the ALMOST finished Advent Calendar.

One of my goals with this project was to use up some of the cute Christmas fabric I've been holding on to. It's going to be fun taking this bad boy out every Holiday, and I know my kids will have fun remembering all the fabrics I used - er I mean the goodies they got each morning.

My father claims every cubby space is the same size...

Now it's time to get creative filling the bins!

Ok ok, so I have a few more finishing touches, but I am very excited about this tradition. My sisters and I had an "advent fairy" stirring up excitement every December, and it's something we'll never forget.

I got side-tracked...

2011-11-18T10:56:00.000-05:00

Did I get the bins done? No. Did I get half of them done, no, not yet. I got into the craft room and got crafting ADD. This is when I have a million ideas in my head, and I start a few projects, and well, finish some. I did get a few more bins done, but I will have to step up my bin-making game this weekend.

4 more, cute owl, a green to match a some little snowmen

So what did I work on instead of bins? What - do you ask did I squander my precious nap-time on? I made 4 aprons, I am calling them work aprons, because they are designed from the pattern I made up for the apron I use at work. It's a full apron with an "X" in the back instead of ties. I also jumped back into the goat phase, and make some little pincushion/ornaments with some goat fabric. Don't they look busy? I might even get them listed in my Etsy shop.

busy sewing goats

Do you have any unfinished projects you NEED to work on this weekend?

Numbers, fractions, probability ...

2011-11-15T17:53:00.001-05:00

I asked my dad the other day if he would make a wooden advent calendar for my family. In his typical style, he did not say anything. Then I got a call "this project, what size do you want the space for the boxes?"So the pressure was on me to come up with a number. Three inches I said. Well, hmmm.. maybe two, eh, two isn't big enough, grr... 2 and half. It didn't really matter I was just happy to hear he started working on it. Honestly, I did not think it would happen this year. Of course, that is chicken counting - you know, before the egg hatches. So then I realized, he was a roll, and I had to make 24 little fabric bins. Normally I have time to make something like this, but I knew I couldn't put this off. So I used up a nap-time to create the pattern, (I'm crossing my fingers it will fit into the cubby space that is 3 (?) inches tall. My goal is to get them done this week. So I can put the finishing touches on the calendar during the last week of November. Here is a peek at the first three fabric bins.

3/24 (12.5% complete, if they are the right size)

I spent a good deal of time working on the pattern and finding fabrics today, so I hope I can get more sewn up tomorrow. Hmm... what is the probability I will actually get them finished this week? We'll see. We have 15 days until it needs to be ready to go.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T18:05:00.000-04:00

How to confuse my children... make their Halloween costumes 5 days before Halloween. Usually we are working on costumes right up until the first trick-o-treater comes to our door (I am ferociously working, as I'm being barked at by a little one as to how: THAT IS NOT HOW BAT WINGS LOOK!). Seriously, that's how it usually goes. Not this year. I got 3 of the four costumes done a good 5 days early! And the following 5 days were followed by a bombardment of questions as to why we weren't going door to door that night.

The Monster Mash!

Now it's no secret that owls have been an important part of our lives the past few years. My daughters each wanted to be an owlie. And thanks to the encouragement and inspiration from my Etsy OWLS teammate. Squarejane, they were the perfect little hoots!

The first-grade-smile owl

Hazel sat on the set next to her "owl pumpkin" hooting the night away

Another current house obsession is bats. Thanks to my 5 year old son, we have learned a lot about bats, made bat-houses, been to bat festivals, crafted up a lot of bats, and made at least 2 official bat costumes.

The flying fox fruit bat

Frank

The Monster Mash song is a very popular tune around our household, Halloween or no Halloween - hence our little Frankenstein. I hope you had a Happy Halloween. I must say I had a lot of fun making costumes this year - who knows what Handmade goodness I will be pushed into next year (the count down has already started)!

A Little Halloween Craft

2011-10-24T09:57:00.000-04:00

I found this matchbox paper pattern a few years ago on the Swap-bot blog - I figured it was time for me to make something fun for Halloween for my little squirrels. I found some Halloween paper and embellishments and got to work. This was one of the times it was fun to have to make four of something. I had the time, and the inspiration. I put 5 little orange pumpkins for them to decorate and use in the "5 little pumpkin" poem.

I know for sure one of them is already smushed, but the kids enjoyed them.

I love using orange and purple together.

My Little Bat Boy. . .

2011-10-19T19:23:00.002-04:00

... or actually I should my my little boy dressed up as a bat. As that is what he was for Halloween last year. It was about this time last year I decided once and for all I was going to become the new owner of 100 Proof Press. My son was flipping through the catalog and found image#5737, the boy dressed up as a bat. That image is what he used to design his costume. My sister had the task of bringing this stamp to life, to my son's very specific specifications. I think she did a wonderful job, and eventually we convinced Joe it looked enough like image#5737, the BOY dressed as a Bat.

This photo makes me so very happy. It was a beautiful day, and I'll never forget this little boy dressed as a bat trying to fly in the wind.

I made Joe this Halloween card this year with the bat boy stamp. The saying is just perfect: "Clothes make a statement. Costumes tell a story." Joe finally outgrew his bat costume - he got very good use out it , he wore it weekly. This year he wants to be a bat, not a BOY dressed as a bat, a flying fox fruit bat (we have a stamp for that too!).

Fun card, I just loved playing with this paper!

Baby Boo Feet

2011-10-16T14:51:00.000-04:00

I thought of a fun little crafty thing to do with baby this past week. Paint the soles of the feet in white paint, and turn them into ghosts of course. I think it makes a cute little keepsake for baby's first Halloween. Of course this can work with bigger kids too, but the baby boo feet are the cutest.

So, if you have some baby feet and white paint, you might want to give it a try, just takes a few minutes, and you can have the keepsake forever, because those little feet don't stay tiny for long!

Trick or Treat, Stamp my Feet. . .

It's a Halloween Party...

2011-10-08T11:44:00.000-04:00

... for the spooky paper dolls.

I recently just got back into the paper-crafting world. Before this week, I had always just used a glue stick for my paper creations.. never again! I got some awesome Helmar products to play around with, and well, I am in love. I was actually having so much fun testing them out I made two paper dolls - just so I could use some more Zapdots - the zapdots were perfect for attaching the "puff-balls" to the hats. And of course I used several 100 Proof Press images, and that famous inkadinkado dress stamp. Let's just say I had some fun with adhesives, stamps, scissors and paper. Boo!

Party Skull

Also, I am going to enter them into the Halloween Contest over a Retro Cafe Art - I figure they are all dolled up and ready to go out I better take them somewhere.

Punkin' Party Gal

Skirt Detail

Let's Party!

We would love to have more attendants at the party, if you have a Halloween doll, I'd love to see it. We could have a parade.

Echo Park Paper

2011-09-23T12:09:00.000-04:00

For awhile, I moved off of fun papers to fabric, now I'm back into the paper. And (this is how long it was since I bought fancy paper) NOW papers are useable on BOTH, yes, BOTH sides! Crazy - I got bats on one side, and coordinating stars on the other. Needless to say, I am excited about this paper and I had fun making cards. Here is one of them. My son is in love with bats (more on that later) and here's a cool bat card... And yes, always with the owls. Hoot hoot.

fun card, 100 Proof Press stamps and Echo Park Paper

But wait, there's more! This paper kept me going...

Look at me, using brads and pleating paper! Ha!

Back To School

2011-08-22T07:57:00.000-04:00

Wow, that month flew by - and I was going to create so much over the summer! Here's a little back to school "goat love" card I made. I am still thinking of fun goat-y things to make. My daughter said these goats are falling in love - I guess that one is trying to impress the other with that fancy bell around his neck.

Goat Love

Miss You Card

2011-07-16T14:53:00.000-04:00

I finally got some time to play with my Danita stamps instead of just making the stamps. I made this little card for my sister who is far far away in Alaska. Now I just have to send it to her.

Miss you.

Little Miss Cupcake

2011-06-29T11:13:00.000-04:00

I finally got around to making some new images for my rubber stamp company. Months ago I asked Danita, from Danita Art if she would like to work with me to make some rubber stamps. I was so excited when she sent me some illustrations I could use to make rubber stamps. I turned three of the images she made into stamps - I can't wait to make more. This is the first one that is for sale, my daughter who is a big Danita fan, named her "Little Miss Cupcake."

Little Miss Cupcake

Stop looking at me... GOATS!

2011-06-17T09:31:00.000-04:00

These goat stamps just keep looking at me, asking me to make something with them. I haven't quite figured out what it will be. I just have them there sitting on my work table, trying to get me motivated. I'm just not sure what they want to become. Thinking, thinking.

The goat phase - two stamps starring me down.

A new place for sitting

2011-06-07T07:14:00.001-04:00

I finally got around to cleaning up an old chair and painting it. I love using fun fabric and adding color to my craft room. My dad had this chair in his basement for a long time and it was in his "work in progress" pile - he was going to sand it down to the beautiful oak and then refinish it. But I abducted it and it became a WIP for me. I did find a carved in branding on one of the pieces, so I think the chairs are kind of old - it would have been nice to see how it started out, who sat on it. . . it is painted purple now.

I stripped off what was left of the sitting part, spider eggs and all, and then I cut a piece of ply-wood to size and covered it with a thick foam and fabric. I knew I wanted to do something with that fabric I would see everyday, and this seemed like the perfect project for it.

I feel a goat phase coming on!

The Party is Over.

2011-05-26T23:44:00.003-04:00

Blue Bird Pillow, a photo by Zemphira Creations on Flickr.

I've had an idea for a pillow like this for sometime now. And last month I was hopping around some creative sewing blogs, and I found a "pillow party" for bloggers over on Stitched in Color. You make a quilted pillow, blog about it and share. It was my motivation to get this pillow made - but guess what, the party ended last month. I really like how it turned out, and it is going to stay in my craft room. Maybe one day I'll make a quilted wall-hanging to match. Even though I missed the party, I'm happy to have found some much-needed inspiration and creative time.

Birdie Apron and a Custom Request

2011-05-20T08:43:00.002-04:00

Birdie Apron, a photo by Zemphira Creations on Flickr.

Woo Hoo! I got a request for a custom apron last week , and I thought my Zemphira shop was never going to have another sale. I quick-like headed to my stash and put together a few new aprons for the Spring Craft festival season. I even got them listed in my shop.

Via Flickr:
Tweet Tweet

Alchemy Journal.

2011-04-28T12:39:00.002-04:00

alchemy journal, a photo by Zemphira Creations on Flickr.

Before my sister headed back to Alaska, we had a few "crafter-hour" sessions. This is when we made stamps all day, and then went back into work and stamped up some of our own creations. We had a lot of fun, but stayed up way too late.

This journal was one of my "crafter hour" creations. It uses four stamps that I think are pretty cool, some tags, and some baker's twine. I hear it's not crafty these days if there's no baker's twine.

We took the Hares to Akron.

2011-04-21T12:54:00.001-04:00

The Handsome Hares., a photo by Zemphira Creations on Flickr.

Well, we did it. We got our first "STAMP SHOW!" under our belts. It was a lot of fun meeting customers and helping them search through the catalog to find just the right image. We found a perfect cactus, constellation stamp, a realistic pig, octopi, and a few other special requests. Still looking for that fried egg though - I know we have one.

There's more than one way to stamp a hare!

2011-04-11T14:07:00.001-04:00

dashing rabbits espresso cups, a photo by pinkkiss on Flickr.

Love em'!
Espresso cups by pinkkiss.

Hop, Stamp, Sew

2011-04-07T01:10:00.000-04:00

I found a little time to create some rubber stamped mixed media art -and I have my Etsy OWLS team to thank for the inspiration. I am a member of the Etsy OWLS team, and the challenge for this month was to create something with a rabbit. I used the handsome hares stamp from 100 Proof Press and some fabrics from my stash, and I even used a hoop! Hoop hoop! Hop! Hop!

This little art quilt hanging was inspired by Jennifer's fun Handsome Hares Pillow

I've been meaning to make something in a hoop for awhile now, and I'm pretty happy with how this Easter decoration turned out.

I also experimented with another idea. This was my original idea inspired by the challenge, but eh, it wasn't quite what I was going for. I had fun making the cuff, so maybe I'll work on this idea a bit later.

Rabbit cuff... hmm...

Springy Sort of Purses

2011-03-29T23:48:00.000-04:00

I made this purse pattern up last Spring, and I am just now getting around to listing them in my shop. They are just little hip pouches, kind of like an extra pocket. But what makes them so delightful is the fabric. Ahh.... the wonderful Japanese fabric! Stop by my Etsy shop and check them out.

3 years selling on Etsy...

2011-03-20T23:22:00.000-04:00

And where am I now? I am still trying to sell handmade items on Etsy but my new business tends to eat up all my time. Around November I thought a good goal for Zemphira would be to have 1,000 sales by my third Etsy-versary. I did not meet that goal. Another goal I had was to list a commemorative Polkie the Owl Pot holder. This I did. If only I could sell 39 of them to complete both goals.

The Original - My Favorite

2 year anniversary

1 year anniversary

3rd year commemorative Polkie the Owl Potholder.
Now I see I made the eyes different.

Polkies are fun to make, and they really got me going into the owl-world of Etsy. I just wish there were more hours in the day to create. Happy Etsy-versarary to me! Bellissimo!

Screen Printing with my Sisters

2011-03-13T22:44:00.001-04:00

So, I guess I wasn't feeling very "bloggy" during the month of February. I have been pretty busy working on all the stamp-shop stuff. My sisters and I took a stamp-making break to screen print some 100 Proof Press hoodies.

The screen came with the biz, so we put it to use.

Mary's inkin' the screen.

Time to squeegee.

Voila! 100 Proof Press uniforms.

Right now we are really busy getting ready for our first stamp show. Lots of stuff to do. One day I might get back to my sewing machine.

A Fabric Heart Garland

2011-01-28T12:47:00.000-05:00

While I was crusin' the web I found this wonderful tutorial for a fabric heart garland over on How About Orange. As soon as I saw the garland I knew it was just the project for my red Valentine fabric, and naptime. So I quick-like got some cute fabrics together, cut out some hearts, mixed some water with glue and made this festive decoration.

Cute lil' girlie heart.

This project was very statisfying: it's cute,

simple, and a productive way to spend

nap time (right?). I did not have

any fabric stiffener on hand so I mixed

glue and water, and it seemed to work fine.

I also think this project would be fun with

paper too.

Hearts on the table.

Me, *patiently* waiting for the hearts to dry.

My sister got me this fabric, so cute!

The hearts strung. I think it would have been cute to string them together using baker's twine. Alas, I had none.

I am still in shock that I actually made something with the red fabric, BEFORE February. I might need to make more hearts. . .

WINTER - A Fabric Art Book

2011-01-21T23:26:00.000-05:00

I have kind of lost my time to create for now, but I wanted to share this fabric art book I made 5 years ago while I was pregnant and on bedrest , trying to pass the time. I used one of my favorite 100 Proof Press rubber stamp images for the cover. Little did I know five years later, I would be a mother of four, a sewing fool, and the owner of 100 Proof Press. Life is busy.

Since I was not allowed to get up, my
lovely sisters fetched my supplies for me.

I included some Turkish worry beads and a watch face.
Seemed appropriate at the time.

The Beetles. It was alright.

Frost.

I used 3 buttons from a glove from my husband's grandmother's
wedding dress along with the words of Rumi.

This Winter we are not waiting around for a baby.
We are making the rubber stamps.

Wonder what I'll be doing five years from now . . .

Thinking of what to create with this Red Love fabric

2011-01-10T11:07:00.000-05:00

This fabric caught my eye quite a few years ago when I was shopping with my Auntie. It is just so sweet, I just haven't decided what I want to make with it. I could fussy cut and make a cute Valentine's Day wall-hanging, put some of it in hoops (you know the crafty hoop craze that's going on), or there's always an owl.

What do do with this lovely fabric?

Or maybe I'll just come up with some new idea. I really just want to make something with it THIS YEAR! Ooo maybe a bunting!

Custom Valentine's Purses with a tiny card inside!

I got to make 6 sweet Valentine purses for a customer, I'm so happy to do custom orders! I do have a some left in my shop too.

Valentine Owls

2011-01-04T23:02:00.000-05:00

I'll owl-ways be yours, say you'll owl-ways be mine... so many fun Owlentine puns. What's your favorite?

Hoot hoot!

My goal was to get 5 Valentine owls in my shop by January 2nd, and I almost did it. I tried to get away from the classic pink and red thing I usually do for Valentine's Day. This guy is my favorite. I have a few others in my shop right now, and I'm going to try to sew up a few more - if I have time!

"Whooo cooks for you?"

Artful Rustic Owls by Teri

2010-12-19T22:46:00.000-05:00

I was doing some Etsy shopping, and I came across this shop, terraworks'. I was drawn to the artistry and whimsy of Teri's handbuilt clay art. And then I bumped into two artful owls, and thought they would fit in perfectly on my Etsy tree.

Artful Owls by terraworks

These bird sculptures are one of a kind pieces of art. And I just love that awesome espresso cup. I'm sure just drinking out of it will give you creative powers! Her work is so unique and creative stop by terraworks and take a peek.

Mushroom House Ornament by iktomi

2010-12-10T00:42:00.000-05:00

I just could not resist this mushroom house ornament. I have had pieces of work by iktomi in my list of favorites for a long time. Her hedgehogs are front page famous, and oh so adorable. And now I own my own little piece of art from iktomi's world for my Etsy tree.

Mushroom House Ornament by iktomi

If you visit iktomi on Etsy, you'll be sure to find a one of a kind piece of hand-sculpted art that speaks to you.

Pipodoll Owls for my Etsy Tree

2010-12-07T14:27:00.000-05:00

I love owls, and I knew if I wanted to I could fill my Etsy tree with a collection of handmade owl ornaments. So, I made a conscience decision to go beyond the owls of Etsy. But then, I came across Pipodoll's shop and I fell in love with her owl ornaments. So as my collection stands, I have three owls, and one pink angel.

Set of Two Owl Ornaments by Pipodoll

Stop by Pipodoll's shop and wonder down a path of imagination. She has greeting cards, art prints, original art, and plush gnomes and matryoshkas.

These origami lights perfect for the creative spirit!

Angel In Pink by Flor for my Tree

2010-12-05T23:21:00.000-05:00

It's one thing to see art on your computer screen, but it's a totally different experience getting to open up a package with a unique one of a kind piece with your name on it. I ordered a pink angel for my Etsy tree from Flor Larios. I love the colors and the energy you see in Flor's work. I always enjoy stopping by her shop and admiring her art. I fell in love with her Madonnas but when I saw the pink angel ornament, my Etsy ornament collection grew.

Second Ornament - Pink Angel by Flor

Some more pieces of from Flor Larios' Etsy shop that I love.

Trimming My Etsy Tree

2010-12-04T00:21:00.000-05:00

This year I started collecting unique handmade ornaments from various artists on Etsy. This owl ornament by Misspottery is the first one that arrived. I love it! There is so much texture and spunk in this little guy. Misspottery's shop houses wonderful pieces of art that incorporate texture, color, playfulness, and functionality.

My first ornament for my etsy tree - an owl from Misspottery

Her shipping was super quick, so if you're still looking for a special handmade Holiday gift, you have time. She offers a variety of pieces: jewelry, dishes, teapots, plates, ornaments. . .

Misspottery on Etsy

Now they are gift card holders and ornaments...

2010-11-27T18:33:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you start out thinking you're creating one thing, but then another idea comes along. These are my little house ornaments that double as gift card holders, but they were supposed to be part of an Advent calendar.

The snowmen houses.

Well, back in July I had some great ideas for Advent calendars. I kept telling myself I would make at least three to list in my shop. It didn't happen. I made 20 of these cute houses and I couldn't quite make myself finish the job. So, I decided to list them in my shop as gift card holders. Maybe next year I'll start working on the holiday items in July. Maybe...

It would have been a really cute Advent calendar.
But now, they are gift card holders/ornaments.

Trimming a Tree With Handmade Acorns

2010-11-11T13:15:00.000-05:00

Whew! I finally got some sets of holiday acorns made. The little hats my family and I collected during our hikes were sitting in a dish just begging to become ornaments. So, here, is what they became.

cute little acorns for your tree

I still want to try to make some sort of garland with the fabric acorns... we'll see. For me, it's delightful to use something from nature to create art.

acorn ornaments just for fun

The Baby Boy Owl Mobile

2010-10-26T08:54:00.000-04:00

I really love custom creations. It means someone likes my work enough to customize it and put my idea with theirs and create something meaningful and personal. This past weekend I got to make an owl mobile for a little boy's nursery. I made the felt-style owls with the moon and stars. Here's how it turned out.

Hoot hoot!

Owls & Moon Mobile

Owls in Hoops

2010-10-10T23:46:00.001-04:00

So more fun with the Tina Givens Opal Owl line. . . I love it! I had some hoops laying around waiting to be turned into mobiles, and I had some owl fabric out and next thing I knew I had some bright new owlsome wall decorations. This is such a quick and easy to way to display fabric you LOVE and add some color to your room!

Hoot hoot!

October is here!

2010-10-01T22:05:00.000-04:00

I finally got back into making some original large Zemphira owls. I love to use Tina Givens' fabric for my owls. Almost every fabric design I see of hers I picture it as a new owl. I got very excited when I found out about her new line of fabrics "Opal Owl." I had to make a few Halloween themed owls!

Edar Allen Owl

And here's Jack O. Lantern. Same fabrics, different design.

Hoot hoot! Happy October!

One of a Kind Lunch Bag for a One of a Kind Girl

2010-09-13T22:08:00.000-04:00

I was so excited when my little girl asked me to make her a lunch bag for Kindergarten instead of buying a Hello Kitty one! Of course I had a little help tipping the scales to the handmade side thanks to Danita. I asked Danita if I could have one of her images printed on a piece of fabric, and she happily supplied me. My daughter just learned to ride a bike and I thought the little girl on the bike would be just perfect. Then I came across this wonderful tutorial about how to make a fabric lunch sack from A Lemon Squeezy Home. I spent sometime designing it with my daughter and here is the final product!

I used a cloth dishtowel for the main fabric

My kids got me a set of handmade owl buttons from beadfreaky for my Mother's Day gift - I thought this would be a good place to use one!

Fabric Acorn Tutorial

2010-09-04T22:22:00.002-04:00

I thought it would be fun to create some fabric acorns made with real acorn hats. So, we headed out on a family hike to gather some nuts like little squirrels. After we got home, we carefully pulled the tops off the acorns and I played around with some fabrics until I got the acorn-look I wanted. Here's a quick little nature-inspired craft tutorial on how to make fabric acorns. I had fun making these, and I couldn't make just one, my kids had fun helping me collect and choose fabrics, and my husband just thinks I'm nuts!

colorful fabric acorns

supplies needed

cut out a circle with 2.25 inch diameter
snip the circle 4 times just up to the center

fold the circle in half and sew a seam for each section you just cut - be sure to back stitch

(you will sew 4 seams)

when you are done sewing the 4 seams it will look like a cone - this is the bottom of the acorn

sew a running stitch about a quarter inch from the top of the bottom of the acorn

leave a little bit of a tail at the start of the running stitch

(i usually use a matching thread, i used black here to illustrate this step)

after you sewed all the way around the cone you should have two tails, the start and the end of the thread

pull the ends of the thread together so the cone closes up a little bit

stuff the acorn bottom with a little bit of stuff 'n fluff

(do not entirely close the cone once it is stuffed- it will fill the acorn hat better if it is not pulled all the way)

put hot glue into an acorn hat

quickly press your acorn bottom to the hat and squeeze the two together

and there you have it - a quick, fun, and festive craft

Right now my acorns are being used as Nutkin's snack. But I think they would make a very cute brooch or look fun in a bowl as a decoration for Autumn. I am thinking of stringing a few and making an acorn garland. I would love to see your nutty creations!

Owl Wall Art - Baby Name Sign

2010-08-24T23:29:00.008-04:00

I finally got around to making something for my little one. Her older sister helped me choose the fabric for the little owls. It is from Heather Ross's Mendocino line - great taste, right? I also made Hazel her own little owl. Here's a photo of the crazy baby hanging out in her crib.

I had been wanting to make Hazel her own owl mobile for awhile because every time I make one she gets so excited looking at it. I had fun personalizing the tiny little owls just for her - plus this way she will get to keep it! She may never get a quilt, but she will have baby owls spelling her name. Ok, maybe ONE DAY she will get a quilt.

Etsy Treasury - Meteor Shower Inspired

2010-08-13T11:35:00.006-04:00

It's mid August and that means it's time for the Perseid Meteor Shower. So, since it was way to hot in the sewing room last night I made an Etsy treasury with an Astronomy theme. I have always been interested in Astronomy and I had a lot of fun looking on Etsy for items to fit this collection. A few owls snuck in there, but they go with the theme!

Tonight I'll be outside in the back yard looking up - I am hoping for a clear night tonight!

Back to School Time

2010-08-11T22:51:00.006-04:00

It's back to school time. For the first time in six years I am going to have to wake up to an alarm! My daughter is going to be going off to Kindergarden. She is very concerned about every detail concerning. . . her lunch. I told her I would make her a little coin purse for her milk money - oddly enough she choose a fabric with owls on it!

One thing Etsy introduced me to was imported Japanese fabric! So CUTE! I order a bunch of the little prints for snack bags, and I am going to use some of the smaller pieces for these little milk money purses... I will be listing some new ones in my shop soon.

Tiny Owls

2010-08-02T00:05:00.004-04:00

I've been on a mobile making craze. Mostly cute owl mobiles. I thought I would make a few "loose owls" to sell in my Etsy shop. This guy, Dipper, is made out of fabric I bought with my aunt a long time ago - before I was fabric-crazy. I LOVE it. I was going to make a quilt with this fabric, but I think it makes pretty cute owls.

More tiny owls to come because they are sew fun to make!

Tiny Fabric Art Quilts

2010-06-30T15:07:00.007-04:00

So after completing my Frida Sardine can altered art piece I was quickly reminded that I am not just a maker of aprons and purses. So I started laying out all of my special fabrics to make an art quilt - then I got distracted by the cute Little Red Riding Hood scrap and needed to turn it into something quickly! I started making these tiny art quilts, then I decided they would make great brooches. And now I can't wait to make more!

I tried really hard not to make an owl-related item, but a little hoot snuck in! But my favorite is the sewing one. They are on sale in my Etsy shop now.

You made THAT with a FISH can?

2010-06-29T14:30:00.005-04:00

So - back into Swapbot. I had a lot of fun creating my last swap - an altered sardine-can featuring Frida. It was nice to take a break from sewing aprons and owls to create a small piece of altered art. I used a sardine can - first can of sardines I have ever bought - and some fabric and a stamp from one of my favorite artists, Danita.

My daughter watched me open the sardine can and scrub the heck out of it. And then when she saw me packaging up the Frida can to ship out she said "You did THAT with a FISH can? I like it Mama."

Owls on Branches Mobile

2010-06-17T07:39:00.004-04:00

I was telling my sister about the last little owl mobile I made, and we started braingstorming other ideas. Here is what I came up with- cute little owls on real branches. I am pretty happy about how it turned out, but once again photographing a mobile has been tricky for me. I can't wait to make more!

Here it is for sale in my Etsy shop!

Owls, Stars, and a Moon

2010-06-10T00:03:00.003-04:00

I finally got around to creating a mobile. It think it turned out pretty cute. But I found out that it is VERY tricky to get a good photos of something that hangs and moves.

I will make more of these because it's fun. I just have to figure out how to get a better photo! Any suggestions?
It's on sale now in my Etsy shop.

Owls, owls, and more owls.

2010-06-01T10:40:00.005-04:00

I love owls. And I love creating owls!

I designed this green owl for a friend of mine. She has a shop named Shop Green Owl, and I made this little guy to hang out with her in her store! She has some really neat finds in her shop - Click and have fun browsing! Our love for owls brought us together.

And I made some new owlets for my shop. Here they are, Dottie, and Scarlet Hoot Hoot.

Ric-Rac Road - Fabric Houses - Zemphira Style

2010-05-19T13:23:00.008-04:00

So, I started making little fabric houses and now I cannot stop. I think I might turn them into ornaments - or something to hang. I made the little Red Riding hood one first, then the gnome, and then of course I HAD to make an owl hut.

I created some larger ones to decorate my craft room. More are on the way.

Fabric Cards Full of Love.

2010-05-12T22:16:00.010-04:00

I opened up an Etsy shop because I love to create - I get on crafting kicks where I make several of whatever it is I am working on at the time: dream catchers, totes, art dolls, pajamas, memory quilts, necklaces, snack bags... these creations pile up. My family can only handle so many of my handmade one of a kind pieces of art work! But then once I did open up my shop, had orders to work on found I didn't have time to make those matching doll outfits for my daughter, stamp out a quick card , or create a special art doll for someone I was thinking about. This year for Mother's Day I finally got back at it - creating something for someone I loved. Here is the fabric card I made for my mom- as you can see, I am still excited about the Japanese fabric. Oh, and I also made her a set of pot holders.

Cinco de Mayo Challenge

2010-05-05T23:14:00.005-04:00

Te Amo Mucho.

I am a member of the Etsy OWLS street team. This team has provided me with support, laughs, and constructive criticism for almost 2 years. One of the main reasons I joined an Etsy team was to keep my creativity in motion. Our team has a monthly challenge, and when I find the time, I always enjoy creating a piece specifically for a challenge. This month's challenge was a Cinco de Mayo challenge. It was kind of a spur of the moment entry for me. The piece had to be somehow related to Mexico. I have been having a lot of fun making snappy purses and I found the perfect Frida Kahlo fabric to use. I'm not quite sure what we get if we win the challenge, but I am happy I entered this one. If you feel like taking a peek at the other entries and checking out the team blog click here.

This particular cut of fabric also reminds me of a song my dad plays... can you guess what song I am talking about?

A little more Fabric Art please.

2010-04-28T12:21:00.005-04:00

So, I have been trying to push myself to create more fabric art, which is what I love to do. Don't get me wrong, I love sewing in general - aprons, snack bags, zipper pouches. But I feel like so much more goes into one of my "wall - hangings". I even made up a crafty little fabric house last week - photos to come. This blue with an orange heart art quilt has been "in-progress" for about 2 years. I just never took the time to complete it until this week. It's on sale now in my Etsy shop. I made 5 of the heart background blocks at once and I am slowly figuring out what thoughts to put on them, and how to embellish them. So now I still have a pink one to make - gotta think of the words for it...

New Pincushion - Crafty like a Fox

2010-04-21T17:25:00.004-04:00

This week I told myself I was going to create something new - with a new pattern and everything. I am so into Japanese fabric right now and I had this piece of fabric that was floating around my craft room and it needed to turn into something. I thought it would be cool as a pincushion, but I could not use my regular pincushion pattern or the fox would get all cut up. So, I came up with a new one that featured the crafty little fox and purple polka dots. I think I'll have to make myself a scissor sleeping bag to go with it.

On Mondays I never go to work...

2010-04-19T22:59:00.004-04:00

Since my Etsy shop has been so slow, I've been finding new things to do to keep my creative juices flowing. I cannot believe I didn't know about Swapbot! What a fun thing - a large group of creative people who like to make things and send them off and get a fun package from a another artist in return. There are all kinds of swaps out there. The first one I signed up for was an Owl ATC swap - perfect for me. I can't wait for the zipper pouch swap.

Snip Goes Zebra

2010-04-15T01:09:00.006-04:00

So, when I wasn't busy up-cycling my neon tee shirts into "rad" outfits for Mindy, I was sewing up a storm. A storm of red and white candy-striped fabirc, and mostly in the shape of a square or a recatangle. This included: pillows for Mindy, pot holders, and a soft spot to rest my scissors so they would not scratch up my beautiful new sewing machine. To this day, I still use this candy-striped scissor pocket. I even started selling them in my etsy shop - my craftmanship has since improved, and so has my fabric selection!

The wind cries Mindy.

2010-04-09T22:41:00.006-04:00

When I was about 12 years old I got a Singer sewing machine for Christmas. I had no idea how many hours I was going to spend in front of that baby. One of the first things I created with my machine was a dress for Mindy. See, Mindy was my doll that I took everywhere. She had cute blonde curls, 2 arms, 2 legs, and probably about 30 eyelashes. One day she fell into a duck pond and she was never the same. We went for a walk a couple of days later and we crossed a stream that runs off the duck pond. There was Mindy floating by and my cousin dove right in and came back with Mindy. I don't remember this, and I suppose we are not one hundred percent sure the doll we found a few days later was Mindy. But I can feel the excitement of the reunion of a two and a half year old girl whose doll came back to her after slowing bobbing away in nasty a nasty duck pond.

I'm not sure when she lost her legs, but before I had my sewing machine Mindy spent most of her life as a "mermaid" - she wore a long purple sock to cover up her leg holes. Then one arm broke off and I had to cannibalize another doll for a new arm and then she had 2 arms, each with a different color. Then the dog chewed up her other arm. At this point she was down to 7 eyelashes and in need some fine new threads. I fashioned the coolest dress for Mindy with my new toy. It was upcycled from a T-shirt of mine that had neon pink and black stripes. It was just long enough to make it look like she might have legs. I don't mean to frighten you with the photo, but I thought it was time for the story of Mindy to be told. She inspired my first sewing creations. (photograph 2010 with a Zemphira headband)

I fought the blog and the blog won.

2010-04-07T11:43:00.002-04:00

Baby & Me
Originally uploaded by Zemphira Creations

I have been resisting the blogging community for sometime now. I am much better a speaking with creations than I am with words. So I started out by exploring different blogs - I got inspired. There are so many beautiful artistic blogs out there. So, now I am viewing my blog creation as an art project. I have so much to learn - but I have to start this blogging journey somewhere. If not today, when?

Creating a Reversible Fabric Headband - Zemphira Style

2009-02-23T23:48:00.000-05:00

You Will Need:

2 pieces of fabric that measure 19 inches by 3 inches
5 inches of elastic
template and tracing utensil, safety pin
iron, sewing machine, thread, scissors, & and chopstick

Step 1- Choose your fabric. I tend to use two fabrics

that somewhat coordinate. Cut a 19x 3 inch rectangle from each fabric.

Step 2 - Put the two fabrics right sides together, and then fold them in half. Place the end of the template on the fold and then trace. Cut out the pieces on the line.

Step 3- Sew the two pieces of fabric together leaving the ENDS open as well as a 2 inch hole along one side. (sew 1/4 inch away from the edge)

Step 4 - Attach a safety pin to one end of the elastic and thread it through one end of the headband. Do not pull it all the way through, stop with a little bit of elastic hanging out of the end. Then sew down that end of the elastic - I backstitch over the elastic a few times. Then pull the elastic out the other end and sew it down. (right now the headband will be scrunched up and inside out)

Step 5- Turn the headband right-side

out through the 2-inch hold you left on one of the long sides. Use a chopstick to push out the corners and along the seams. Iron the headband flat.

Step 6 - Top - stitch a little less than a 1/4 inch all the way around the headband - make sure you pay extra attention when you are sewing the hole to be sure you close it up.

Step 7 - Wear your headband, give your headband away, and then create another!

Zemphira's Creations

2008-07-03T13:37:00.001-04:00

Here are some of my creations.