Christmas Wreath Craft 2011

We were in Pennsylvania visiting my mom this year for Thanksgiving. My mom and I went to a wreath making craft party hosted by a woman from her church, and I decided to do another paper wreath similar to the one I did last year. My lovely mother is holding up her finished wreath in the last picture.

The Nutcrackers Comeback

Yes, we did it again! Pulling out all the stops for Halloween this year after a year off. These are homemade with thiftstore blazers. All the details are hand-sewn and glued together. Check out more pictures and detail shots over at the Olives and Pennies Blog by Jenn, the green nutcracker.

Past costumes: Mariachi Band, American Gladiators, Ice Skaters

Windsor Beer Labels

One of my favorite Christmas presents last year was a home beer brewing kit that I received from my Dad. He started making his own wine about five years ago, and I have been interested in home brewing ever since.

I knew the beer needed a name and decided on Windsor Beer, paying homage to the street we live on. Like any good beer, the beer needed a label. And since I've always been inspired by the sturdiness of classic beer labels, I wanted a timeless design of my own, complete with handlettering. The label calls out "Brewed in Kansas City's Historic Northeast", another nod to the pride I have for our neighborhood.

Little did I know how much of a passion this would turn out to be. This spring I constructed a pergola in our backyard which will support my own hop plants and give us more shade. I've planted three different varieties: Cascade, Mt. Hood and Willamette, all which have their own taste characteristics to be used in a variety of beer styles. Here's picture of the finished pergola. Hope we can enjoy some Windsor Beer together some day!

Get Ahead

I had the chance to do a paper mache workshop at work and make this llama head! It's alot more involved than my previous coyote head, which was my first time really working with paper mache. We used a laser CNC machine to cut the bases, and I used chicken wire as a armature. Several people in my studio (Sarah, Stuart, and Mirna included) also made heads, and were going to mount them in our work area. I will definitely update the post with a photo of the whole lot when that happens.

Christmas Crafts

A good way to slow down and connect during the Christmas season is too gather some friends and craft! There are tons of tutorials on the internet for handmade wreaths we used 1 and 2 for our inspiration. Now I have a gift to give at the annual gift exchange with my husbands family, where handmade is encouraged.

Paper Mache

I tried my hand at some paper mache and fashioned this coyote/ dog head and then painted it with acrylic. Paper mache is sort of a lost art, you don't see to much of it out there in the main stream, but there is this husband and wife team, Kinya and Kao Hanada, that go by Mumbreeze. They make tons of awesome paper mache sculptures and they also have an an etsy store.

Jenn's Baby Shower

My best friend since the 3rd grade is having a baby boy! My friend Nicole and I threw a shower for her this weekend. It was a lot of work, but very fun. With a retro story book theme, and lots of good food (Thank you Susan and Jamie) we knew we couldn't go wrong. The upper right picture is Nicole's and my gift to Jenn. She got lots of gifts and love, it was a really good time.