Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Inspiration from the Giveaway Entries

Thanks, once again, to everyone who entered my giveaway. So many of you left awesome links, so I had to share, since I know you're not going to comb through 300+ comments!



This cute game would be the perfect way to use up little scraps of awesome fabric.

Speaking of scraps, this map of the US made of scraps is amazing, and you can make one, too!

I love this beautiful rock collection.

Refashion a men's shirt into a lovely ladies blouse.

This embroidery would make the perfect wedding gift for the nine weddings I was invited to this year!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

And the giveaway winner is...

Thank you so much to everyone who entered my giveaway for Sew Mama, Sew's Giveaway Day! I had a record-breaking 334 entries. And welcome to new readers!

The winner of the giveaway is Michelle who blogs at Sew Shellz!


Thank you to everyone who left a link to something inspiring - I have to do a round-up post tomorrow, there was a lot of stuff I want to share! 

If you'd like to give feedback on the Giveaway Day, head over to Sew Mama, Sew and check out this post.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

It's May Giveaway Day!

It's that special day: Sew Mama, Sew's May Giveaway Day! 


I love participating in SMS's Giveaway Day - hundreds of blogs will be giving away fun stuff all week, so visit the link to check out what you can win.

This time, I'm giving away a copy of Amy Karol's Bend the Rules with Fabric, and two fat quarters of vintages linens. 

May Giveaway Day!

If you haven't read the Bend the Rules books, you'll love them! Very inspiring stuff. 

To enter you must:
  • Leave a comment on this post before 9pm on May 25th
  • Leave your email address in the comment
  • Live anywhere on planet earth
If you'd like, you can leave me a link to the most inspiring project you've recently come across. I love new inspiration!

The winner will be chosen at random on Friday morning. Good luck, and happy Giveaway Day!

Friday, May 20, 2011

Craft Fairs, oh my!

A few weeks ago, I happened upon an awesome chance to apply for the Custer's Last Stand Festival of the Arts, a huge street fair held in Evanston, IL, just north of Chicago. You may remember Evanston as the setting of your favorite teen comedy, Mean Girls. No? Just me?

mounted hearts, owls and bunnies

Well, I was accepted to the craft fair portion, which means - I will be participating in my very first craft fair! I'm really excited, and I'm crafting non-stop, including a lot of new things, like those tiny mounted bunnies, owls and hearts above.

mounted mustaches of all shapes and sizes

And of course - mustaches in many sizes and shapes. I've ordered a tent and decided that I should "get into" this whole craft fair thing. So stay tuned for more craft fair updates between now and June 18th & 19th!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

LA Trip or "Ugh, beautiful!!"

And now for the official slideshow:

 My Trip to LA 
by Katie Canavan

crochet phone cozy

The lovely woman seated next to me on the plane was crocheting, so of course I had to strike up a conversation with her! She gave me this phone cozy at the end of the trip - so kind! 

beautiful views while stuck in traffic!

Chris and I were in awe of the beautiful "mountains" you can see from everywhere in LA. Chicago is flat, people, so these are mountains to us.




We went to the Getty Center, a beautiful museum at the top of a hill, and took this silly video before we looked at all the art.

bushes that look like trees

The gardens at the Getty Center were spectacular.

cuuuute


gardens at the Getty Center

See? Crazy (sexy) beautiful!

Chris is sooo LA

Chris is so LA - talking on the phone and wearing sunglasses at the same time. 

Melissa on the mountain (hill)

Melissa, our lovely host, took us hiking in Griffith Park. We hiked up to the observatory, which was a good opportunity for me to realize how out-of-shape I am. 

Chris, after climbing the mount

Once again - hiking up a mountain - not something that happens in Chicago. 

beach + mountains?! yes, please!

Chris, Melissa and I spent an afternoon at Santa Monica Pier. We rode the roller coaster, shopped a bit, and ate good food. I insisted we take off our shoes and wade in the water and it was quite cold. Despite this, children were happily swimming! 

cuuute at Santa Monica pier

We had a really great time, and got to see so many of our Chicago friends we've been missing. It was such a great break from the (still) dreary Chicago weather, and I can't wait to go back. 

ps. more photos here

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Crafty Peep Swap

Earlier this Spring, I signed up for the Crafty Peep Swap on Becky's blog, Strumpet's Crumpets (the most awesome-ly-named blog, right?!).

Spring Floral Embroidery

At the time I signed up, I was going through somewhat of a creative slump. Nothing serious - more like crafting apathy. Sigh. Let me tell you - ain't nothing like a swap to help you get your mojo back!

Pretty Wall Hanging!

But, not only do you get to make something awesome - you get to RECEIVE something. My swap partner was the delightful Katelyn of the blog likes & loves. She made me this cute wall decoration, with a bunny on it! You know how I feel about bunnies...

Pretty Spring Shelf

It goes perfectly in my living room. A nice bright little corner! 

I made Katelyn this embroidered wall hanging. The flowers are felt applique, with embroidered accents. I put it in a patchwork "frame," and I love the way it turned out! I was a little sad to let it go, I'll admit, but I shall comfort myself by making more. 

close up on the Spring Floral Embroidery

Thanks to Becky for hosting this lovely swap!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Ohio Knitting Mills Knitting Book Winner!

Congratulations, Elizabeth!


You won the Ohio Knitting Mills Knitting Book. I'll email you later today!

Monday, May 9, 2011

and we return...

the gardens at the Getty

Chris and I just got back from a little trip to LA. We ate a lot, visited with good friends, and took a few (ha) pictures. I'll post a bit later this week, but in the mean time - it's nice to be home. 

ps. Last chance to enter the Ohio Knitting Mill Knitting Book giveaway!
pps. Above picture is the Gardens at the Getty Center

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Giveaway - The Ohio Knitting Mills Knitting Book

This past Christmas, my mother gifted me The Ohio Knitting Mills Knitting Book.


I'm a sucker for vintage and vintage-inspired patterns, so I requested it, thinking it might have a few fun patterns. The photography looked amazing from the promo pictures online, and I love a knitting book with great photography - just inspiring, you know?


I was not prepared for the wealth of information this book contains! Not only does it have great vintage-inspired patterns with gorgeous photos (for men and women, both), it includes the entire history of the Ohio Knitting Mills. From inception to designers and designs, there are lots of interesting details about running a knitting mill in the early 20th century. Each pattern is inspired by not just one sweater, but many, and there are great photos of these lovely vintage sweaters. 


Now, if you're like me - you'll love the mix of interesting history and hip patterns, with a great visual aesthetic. Lucky for you, when my mom ordered this book for me, she accidentally clicked twice, and ordered two. So you can thank Jean M. Canavan for this giveaway. 

To enter:
  • Just leave a comment! 
  • For fun, tell me which decade inspires you most (I love the 60's. So much fashion packed into 10 years!)
  • Leave your email in your comment - written like this: katie (at) gmail (dot) com
  • Open to everyone
The giveaway will close Tuesday, May 10th at 9am. I'll pick the winner randomly at that time. If you're bored, hop over to my mom's blog and thank her for accidentally sponsoring this giveaway. She's a really talented watercolor artist, so there's lots to see!

Good luck!

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Pyrex find!

A few weeks ago I met up with my friend, Susan, to do some knitting. Instead of actually knitting, we ended up eating cupcakes and shopping. That counts as knitting, right? .... 

As we were perusing some fancy antique stores, Susan excitedly cried out, "Katie! I read your blog, and... they have Pyrex here, and I think it's your pattern!"

Sure enough, stashed down on a junky shelf in the back of the store was this:

New addition to the collection!

A nice addition to the collection! And an excellent example of a good friend.