outlined in ink
jen
(ms marz)
soon to be mum
(oct 09)
baker. lover. maker.
(ms marz)
soon to be mum
(oct 09)
baker. lover. maker.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
i wish that this poem was about me
XIX
my girl's tall with hard long eyes as she stands, with her long hard hands keeping silence on her dress, good for sleeping is her long hard body filled with surprise like a white shocking wire, when she smiles a hard long smile it sometimes makes gaily go clean through me tickling aches, and the weak noise of her eyes easily files my impatience to an edge--my girl's tall and taut, with thin legs just like a vine that's spent all of its life on a garden-wall, and is going to die. When we grimly go to bed with these legs she begins to heave and twine about me, and to kiss my face and head.
e.e. cummings
crafts for the not so artistic amongst us
i wanted to write an entry to tell you about a store that i just recently found. i have an insane love for books and it is not unlikely to see me on the internet for hours before i go to the library, researching what books i want to get. i have pages and pages of wishlists on amazon. borders online sends me recomendations. im a member of shelfari and i dont know why. my new poison is chronicle books. go to that site and try not to find something you want. its impossible. they have not only great fiction books, but the best collection of craft books i have yet to come across.
now...i LOVE crafts and any craft related books. know this though: i really am not that artistic. i wouldn't do well in art school. mainly, i cant draw. at all. i can hardly stay in the lines when i color. this doesn't stop me from having a craft room, a shelf on my book shelf devoted only to craft books, and the supplies to take up nearly any craft you can imagine. my two left hands dont keep me from creating. i selected some books from the chronicle books website that are really inspirational to those of us who are artistically challenged but still want to make gifts and presents and trinkets with our own two hands.
Lotta Prints
How to Print With Anything, From Potatoes to Linoleum
By Lotta Jansdotter
Sukie Iron Ons
By Darrell Gibbs and Julia Harding
• 20 gift tags
• 24 sheets of stickers
• Ornamental elastic string
now...i LOVE crafts and any craft related books. know this though: i really am not that artistic. i wouldn't do well in art school. mainly, i cant draw. at all. i can hardly stay in the lines when i color. this doesn't stop me from having a craft room, a shelf on my book shelf devoted only to craft books, and the supplies to take up nearly any craft you can imagine. my two left hands dont keep me from creating. i selected some books from the chronicle books website that are really inspirational to those of us who are artistically challenged but still want to make gifts and presents and trinkets with our own two hands.
Lotta Prints
How to Print With Anything, From Potatoes to Linoleum
By Lotta Jansdotter
many of the techniques used in printing, whether it be by stencil, rubber stamp, silkscreening, or other methods, can utilize tracing. tracing feels less like cheating if you get your hands dirty.
30 Sheets of Awesome Fabric Transfers
By Mike Perry
Sukie Iron Ons
By Darrell Gibbs and Julia Harding
30 Sheets of Typographic Fabric Transfers
By Brett MacFadden and Scott Thorpe
i have never seen iron on transfers like these ones! while they may make kinda dorky shirts, i think that these books provide iron ons that would make really cute pillows, purses, and other fabric crafts. no drawing skills required at all! cut and paste, really!
By Jenny Hart
i have the book Sublime Stitching by Miss Hart. it teaches the basics of embroidery and then is cram packed with iron on patterns that you embroider over. while the embroidery lessons in the book are super helpful and well illustrated, the iron ons are kinda....blah. very traditional and simple and repetitive. however, i still love the book and use it all the time. each iron on cam be used between 9 and 13 times! this book, however, looks like it has more interesting patterns and ideas. even if you have never embroidered, i guarantee you could if you picked up one of Jenny Hart's books. you iron the design on then essentially trace over it with a needle and thread. not to mention the cost of this hobby: a embroidery ring costs a few bucks, you probably have some sewing needles around already, and each skein of thread costs like...13 or so cents. and if you suck, you can always just use the thread to make friendship bracelets. i also don't see why you couldn't paint within the lines of the iron on designs with fabric paint if thats more up your alley. if you order Jenny Hart's books through chronicle books, they are buy two get one free using the code JENNYHART when you check out.
By Studio Rarekwai
this book has an INSANE number of stickers (250 over the course of 132 pages to be exact) and honestly, who doesn't love stickers? we all own at least one item that is covered in random stickers. this book is filled with so many different styles and each sticker is truly an art piece. make anything into a craft by slapping a few stickers onto it! great for letter writers too.
A Recipe & Wrapping Kit for Delicious Jams, Sauces, and Pickles
By Tara Duggan
i have a soft spot for this one. i love cooking and love giving the food i make to the people that i love even more. i always want to get real crafty with my food gifts, but never really have enough inspiration. this book-in-a-box has not only the 48 page book with instructions, but also includes:
• 10 decorative cellophane bags
• 10 fancy printed jar-toppers (fabric)• 20 gift tags
• 24 sheets of stickers
• Ornamental elastic string
everything all in one box! for under 20 bucks! that can be a huge portion of your christmas gifts taken care of right there!
so check out chronicle books plz. and make some crafts plz. and then we can trade them!
Monday, August 31, 2009
intro/first post
oh hi!
i am going to assume that many of the people who will read this already know me, but who knows. its the world wide web. whole wide web world. maye someday people will read this and think im cool and hip and want to send me free stuff.
anyway. where to begin.
i'm jen. jennifer. jenjett. ms marz. whatever. i live in coastal maine and i just love it. i recently moved here with my man of all men, cory marz. (he has a real name, but hes a rockstar. don't tell him that i said that cory marz wasn't his real name.) on october 27th (tentatively) we are expecting a little peanut. it is my dream to one day own my own bakery/icecream shop/tea parlour...or perhaps just a bakery. i like to try to take photographs, but my digital camera broke and will be replaced with a simple point and shoot i think. my old film models make my not-so-skillish skills seem better anyway. i love anything japanese. i collect books. i like to fancy myself somewhat crafty but in reality i dont have much in the way of artistic skills, so i dabble (poorly) in a little bit of everything. craft supplies are just so costly though. i want to live in an old cottage filled with things that i found for free on the side of the road and painted with the "oops" paint that they have messed up and practically give away at the paint store. i want to pretend i'm old without ever getting old.
i'm quite sure that a lot of this blog will be me musing about my days because i don't get out too often, but i would also really like to share some of the people, blogs, art, photos, poems, stories, recipes, projects, sites, templates, and all other things that inspire me.
so...welcome! if you know me already, say hi. if you don't know me, introduce yourself! leave comments or else i'll think that i have no friends, and everyone needs internet friendship. send me links to things that you love and inspire your creativity. just keep in touch ok?
i am going to assume that many of the people who will read this already know me, but who knows. its the world wide web. whole wide web world. maye someday people will read this and think im cool and hip and want to send me free stuff.
anyway. where to begin.
i'm jen. jennifer. jenjett. ms marz. whatever. i live in coastal maine and i just love it. i recently moved here with my man of all men, cory marz. (he has a real name, but hes a rockstar. don't tell him that i said that cory marz wasn't his real name.) on october 27th (tentatively) we are expecting a little peanut. it is my dream to one day own my own bakery/icecream shop/tea parlour...or perhaps just a bakery. i like to try to take photographs, but my digital camera broke and will be replaced with a simple point and shoot i think. my old film models make my not-so-skillish skills seem better anyway. i love anything japanese. i collect books. i like to fancy myself somewhat crafty but in reality i dont have much in the way of artistic skills, so i dabble (poorly) in a little bit of everything. craft supplies are just so costly though. i want to live in an old cottage filled with things that i found for free on the side of the road and painted with the "oops" paint that they have messed up and practically give away at the paint store. i want to pretend i'm old without ever getting old.
i'm quite sure that a lot of this blog will be me musing about my days because i don't get out too often, but i would also really like to share some of the people, blogs, art, photos, poems, stories, recipes, projects, sites, templates, and all other things that inspire me.
so...welcome! if you know me already, say hi. if you don't know me, introduce yourself! leave comments or else i'll think that i have no friends, and everyone needs internet friendship. send me links to things that you love and inspire your creativity. just keep in touch ok?