[((Approved!!))]

Hiya! I run www.pinkbird.net ((Approved!!)). I've been updating my links page (http://www.pinkbird.net/catalog/links.php) (in part b/c of the new craftster banner i've added), so please feel feel to email or PM me for link swaps.

this is my site: http://www.pinkbird.net and assuming this works, below you will find the banner code for my site:

<a href="http://www.pinkbird.net" target="_blank">
<img border="0" src="http://www.pinkbird.net/linkimage.jpg"></a>

the banner looks like this: .

ok, i've probably rambled too much for one post! Thanks everyone!
Take it light, bekki

well, i (finally) finished the hat--just in time to bring it along on our trip to maui tomorrow--

i tried forever to get a smaller spirograph in the center of the larger on in the front, but the white seamstress tracing paper just wouldn't work (i think there was a ridge or seam in the hat that was keeping the white tracing paper stuff from showing up)

anyway, so i fell back on something i do quite a bit: i made a patch. i embroidered a small spirograph onto a piece of black fabric, then cut it out and used both a "heat and bond" type of thing to fuse it to the hat, and i also put a few stitches to help secure it. (i think the edges of the fabric, which i left alone, will eventually fray, and i'm cool with that).

ok, so here it is, bad lighting and all:

A long while back I bought a brown fatigue hat to replace the camo hat I usually wear.
My problem was that I wanted to embellish it—with embroidery--a bit, but wasn’t sure how. So, I came up with some ideas and emailed a bunch of friends to get their input. My friend Christine suggested I do something with Spriographs. So, I busted out the trusty Spirograph maker (my little Hasbro drawing toy) and got to work making designs. Eventually I came up with this:
(please ignore the cat hairs on the hat! ).


Front: It’s not totally complete, as I want to put a smaller design in the center of this larger one, but haven’t had time.




Back:




The back has a random design b/c I liked it too much to un-do it.

Side:




This is an early version, but as you can see I ended up pulling these out, because it seemed to be too much and I didn’t like the colors. But, since I was experimenting it was no big deal:




Then, for my friend who inspired this whole thing, I made some simple spirograph patches, which she apparently has the perfect purse to sew them to:



 and some close ups:







Basically all I did was make the design with my Spirograph (the “toy”) and then trace it onto the hat and fabric with colored seamstress/embroidery tracing paper. Then, went to work. I love how it turned out, and think everything I own will now have an embroidered spirograph design on it!!

(for more about spirographs (and more complex designs) go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirograph)

   ~~BEkki (@ www.pinkbird.net)

p.s.
feel free to move this to a different section, I wasn't sure if it should go here, or with clothing/accessories.

i had the same problem someone mentioned about the tiles cracking when i drilled them lengthwise...so, instead i drilled 2 holes, one on either side, and connected them with jump rings.

(sorry if the picture is huge, i just took it directly from my website...   )

it's called, "and sometimes y" b/c i think that's funny.

i'm a bit late too...though i have to post pix, b/c i didn't get to wear my costume too much...
i was the tooth fairy. i made a tu-tu (sp??), and a sequined outlined tooth for my top, i made jewelry from toothbrushes, floss, and those metal coin belly dancing charms. i even made a tooth shaped purse. (none of which show up well in the pictures).

i wanted to wear the wig (since my hair is normally blond) but all my friends insisted the toothfairy is a blond--which i guess is particularly why i wanted to wear the wig!






(i live in hawaii, which is why it seems to sunny for halloween--i wish we had more seasonal changes...i miss crispy colorful leaves underfoot on halloween!)

so, i really love this picture...and i love to mix tape.....so i printed it out and made it an embroidery pattern. I made a few embroidered tape patches, and finally got around to making a tank top, inspired by your hoodie and the threadless one....

i embroidered the tape onto fabric, and basically made it into a patch, then, "splatter painted" (only the top half of) the tank top, then sewed on the patch.

the picture is bad b/c i had to use my phone...but you get the idea.

i love it...
i did something similar about 2 years ago...i bought these sand dollars from one of those cheesey beach-souvenier shops on the gulf coast, and did the same thing you did, i painted the frame's cardboard teal and distressed it. and painted the frame light yellow and distressed it. i have mine in my living room...i was afraid the cardboard would warp in the bathroom b/c of the steam--do you have that problem?

kinda a bad picture b/c i took it w/ my cell phone:


great minds think alike. hee.hee.

for my pictures i've had to rig up all kindsa lights and stuff to get the lighting just right....then, i decided to take it outside. the natural ighting outside on a sunny days has really helped. just a thought.
though, i am selling jewelry, so it may be a bit different. i've also found setting my digital camera on "macro" for close up pix works awesome.

i like to get creative and hang my pieces around randomly...
for example:

taken outside.

erasing the background seems like a good idea too. i've never tried it though.

i had a similar issue, actually...as i am a "phishhead," and had a friend having a baby.
she had a girl, and i live in hawaii, so i just took pink aloha ("hawaiian") print fabric and appliqued it onto a plain white baby onesie.
 
you could take this idea farther by appliquing trees, fish, grateful dead bears, etc in a more "hippie" fabric onto a baby onesie.

this is what i did, it took no time at all, and my friend loved it! she;ll be the only baby on the block w/ this one-of-a-kind onesie!




another idea is to make one of those "baby slings"--they have a better sounding name, but i don't know what it is. it's like a hammock thing you tie around your body to carry your baby (maybe tie-dyed or earth tones). 
or a patchwork/corduroy hippie-ish diaper bag?

just a few ideas. good luck!!

cowgirl,
sequins are easy, if you use a bead or charm to hold them in place (b/c of the hole in the center)
thats what i did, i ran the thread through the sequin, through a seed bead, then out through the bead, and back through the sequin. (if these seems confusing, i may have time later to draw a little picture).
i've also seem people use just sequins to do an entire picture, like a butterfly, out of only sequins, then you just arrange the sequins and sew over, under, etc.

i hope this enlarged picture helps.

sometimes the beads will stand on end othertimes, they lay flat--like in the picture.