Summer crafts turned into a jewelry making obsession!

Arizona summers are HOT.  Being from the Pacific Northwest, we are used to milking every bit of a sunny day, from sun up to sun down.  But here in the desert, every day is sunny and when the temperatures reach the triple digits, we avoid the hot sun at all costs.  That means lots of time indoors.

We were looking for a fun craft to keep busy on hot summer days during summer vacation.  I have two girls who absolutely love dress up and go all out with makeup, costumes and accessories (I go a little bonkers with the costumery as well).  

My eldest daughter, now 11, is into anything steampunk (especially dress up), so she decided to try her hand at making steampunk-inspired charm necklaces after a visit to the craft store.  I put the word out on Facebook and her first seven pieces were sold within a few hours.  She was very excited and proud of herself and couldn't wait to make and sell some more.

In the past I'd made a few jewelry pieces for Deeds & Petunia, but never delved that deeply into jewelry making.  But in watching her work and helping her along, I discovered I too LOVED the creative process of jewelry designing.  Pretty soon my 9 year old was hooked as well, and before we knew it we had amassed a collection of jewelry that's designed around our love for imaginative play and favorite dress up - woodland/faerie, steampunk, or fable worthy.

We decided to try starting an Etsy shop called Odd Hazel.  The girls would keep making designs as it suited them and I would design alongside, run the shop and sell whatever we dreamed up.

I get to create alongside my daughters which never feels like work.  :)  Looking forward to see how Odd Hazel grows.

Embroidering Pillowcases For My Daughter

I feel like I've been out of the crafting game for so long (a much needed break!), I thought it would be fun to rekindle my blog and document my progress on a new embroidery project.  I've always really enjoyed embroidery because it reminds me so much of painting or drawing, but with thread and white fabric canvas instead of brush or pen and paper.  Plus, anything with a vintage vibe that can be passed on as a handmade heirloom is always exciting to make.

I'm embroidering two pillowcases that I found at Joann Fabrics with horses and flowers on them for my horse-crazy tween daughter.

A few years back I found a case of every color of embroidery thread you could imagine at the Goodwill for just a few dollars.  To finally be able to use that thread and so many colors makes me happy!

The progress so far is from just over a day of embroidering.  It feels good to use my hands again and to do something relaxing that doesn't involve a tv, computer/phone screen or a camera.