Craftin' Out

Craftin' Out #10 Recycled Bags!

2010-07-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

So, you know this place? Three Kings Tavern...
This is the Denver Craft Ninjas' new home!

They make a mean bloody beer there and the bartenders and staff love us because we leave them with all our leftovers!

The last project we did seems like ages ago.
I have to admit...I'm off my blog game, but I'm trying to correct that!

But this last project was a good one...
We used plastic grocery bags and recycled them, with some irons and a little elbow grease, into totes.

Everyone has a surplus of grocery bags and this project was a good way to re-use those bags instead of throwing them away.
Here's a website with a tutorial, if you're interested...

Dana Made It

The tutorial is FAR fancier than what we were attempting, but it's something to try as one gains experience with the materials!

And let me tell you...we all learned a thing or two about fusing plastic bags together!
Even me!

I'd like to take a moment here to praise our friend and all around awesome lady, Sarah.
She pitched in her time and materials to us and was a patient guide for many crafters.
She's a gem, people, and she deserves a round of applause!

Christine had NEVER done any sewing and she took to it like a fish to water!
Her bag was phenomenal! Is there anything she can't do?!

Mariko was there! And let me say, she's a talent as well!

Meg!

The Hunt sisters! So rad!

Miriam and Julie!
Miriam didn't even make a bag...she just showed her support by hanging around and encouraging her fellow crafters!

Brandy Lou!

Kelly and Nicole!
I can't begin to tell you what a fine addition to the Denver Craft Ninjas these ladies are!
Top notch!

The best part of hanging with this crew is everyone has something to offer.
Materials, time, a quick sewing lesson, or laughter!

Michelle's mom joined us!
She's a sewing aficionado! Which was good because we needed her!

Mariko stepped it up with some fancy fabric that she bought quick like at Fancy Tiger!
It's awesome because they are basically right across the street from Three Kings!

This FINE specimen was one of the best of the totes made!

New Ninja Cara busted out some skills!
She'd done a little research, which we'd NEVER discourage, and made a really kick ass one of kind bag!

Julie with her long bag...

Steph doin' some fusin'!

Shanda isn't only good at slingin' a guitar!

She knows how to use an iron too!

Another long narrow bag!

Faith throwing some notions around!

Still life with cheese plate.

Our stockpile of plastic bags.

Because so many ladies had never sewn before...we had quite a learning curve.

But with some help, everyone learned a thing or two!

Shanda and her tote!

Hard at work!

Wow! Seriously well done, Mariko!

Faith and her tote! So cute!

The ladies posing! Nice work, crafters!

This fine series of pictures portrays the talents of one of our favorite Ninjas - Kristin!

How to poop in a bag.
Take a plastic grocery bag and slide the handle openings up your legs.

Secure bag for coverage.
Poop.

CAREFULLY remove bag.

Gather handles.

Tie handles.

Dispose.
See, it's so much more than boozing, eating, and craftin'.
Practical stuff here, babies!

And while I was watching Kristin demonstrate the how to poop in a plastic bag...
Ladies were finishing up their handiwork right and left!

Nicole's bad ass bag!

Dawn's dick bag!

And cute little Meg's tiny tote!

We all learned a lot that day.
We also ate a ton of cheese, laughed, and sweat our asses off! It was hot with all those irons!

Best of all...we all left with something that we crafted with our hot little hands!

This blog was late in coming, but the fact of the matter is...Denver Craft Ninjas is always a good time and we want you to be there!
Join us!
Imagine what you'll learn!

Craftin' Out #9 - Handmade Skin Care

2010-05-02T07:50:00.000-07:00

First, a little housekeeping:

We must, first thing, give a maje shout out to Three Kings Tavern!
Not only did handsome faces meet us when we arrived, but those same handsome faces hauled tables, chairs, and helped us to set up our space in the Phoenix Gallery!

The Phoenix Gallery ended up being the perfect place to have our little crafty get down! Spacious, tidy, and well lit - we spread out with food, projects, and the usual lady convos!

I was a little out of my head, rushing around, and didn't manage to take a lot photos that lent to a narrative.

So, enjoy these fine pics of our Denver Craft Ninjas getting witchy - Mixing sweet smelling recipes for Vitamin E Face Scrubs, Lemon Tea Sugar Scrubs, and Relaxing Bath Crystal Body Scrubs! (all the recipes were found in the amazing book 'The Big-Ass Book of Crafts' and can be found here on Amazon.com)

So, this is what it looked like down in the Phoenix Gallery...
Ladyfriends working together!

Mama Kel grabbed a bloody mary from the bar and observed everyone's performance!

It was so nice to have new Ninja - Jen, old school Ninja - Sarah, and all around cute Ninja Mariko there!

Actually, we had a grip load of new ladies!
What a delight! Thanks for coming Kelly, Nicole, Michelle, and Heather - you're all Ninjas now whether you like it or not!
Come back - you're all so sweet, friendly, and hilarious!

All the ingredients came from natural stuff!

And everyone kept ooohing and aahing about how excited they were to get home and slather themselves in smelly goodies!

Faith! Keepin' it cute!

Miriam and Kristin still talking about the new lead singer of Journey.

Michelle, Heather, and Rachel!
Those first two ladies hang super heavy and keep it cool always!
And Rachel is so old school...she's East High School Class of '93 just like me!

Lauren swilling the tall girl!
Yes, tall girl...it's LADIES CRAFTIN' YO.

Shanda and Steph!
Steph is my partner in crime on these Denver Craft Ninja adventures!
I'm so thankful for her!

I'm thankful for Miriam too!
She shows up and keeps things awesome.

There was a lot of laughter and camaraderie!
And that's what the Denver Craft Ninjas are all about!

We know how to follow directions too!

TJ and Shanda!

Michelle's decolletage coupled with some serious grating action...
I think this picture says a lot of great things about her!

Keep working, ladies!

Ah, the Hunt sisters!
Katy and Jacqueline - ALWAYS nice to have a sister duo!

Green tea has tons of anti-oxidants and make your skin more lovely and energized!

When it was finally my turn...I got the job of grating.

And Shanda did the mixin'!

Faith looked on...already an experienced handmade skincare expert!

The sisters Hunt!
Skincare mixologists!

Adding some fragrance!

And when we were done...I had 4 tubs of the best smelling stuff for every square inch of my bod!

Even better, the best turn out ever for the Denver Craft Ninjas! New friends! Hurray!

And when it was over, the folks at Three Kings practically kicked us out for cleaning too much and gifting them all our leftover goodies!

Three cheers for Three Kings and the Denver Craft Ninjas!
It's a beautiful relationship and here's to many more weekend projects in the Phoenix Gallery!

There's more to come! Find us on Facebook!
It's always a blast and you leave with new quality lady friends and a finished project in your hot little hands!
It doesn't get much better than that! Also, did I mention full bar?!
See you babies soon!

Craftin' Out #8 - Book Making!

2010-04-17T11:57:00.000-07:00

First, I'd like to apologize to the Ninjas that follow this blog...this particular entry is long overdue!
However, the length of time it took me to get to it in no way reflects upon how awesome the get together was or how brilliant the projects were!

We met up at a dear crafter friend's house...

She has opened up her home to us more than once and we're forever appreciative of her and all the Ninjas that have been generous in allowing us to take over their space, raise hell, and have fun!

In an exciting turn of events, Three Kings Tavern has graciously agreed to let the Denver Craft Ninjas use part of their space for our get downs!
Thanks Three Kings! We'll be seeing you very soon!

As per ujzhe, the spread was amazing.
We love food and we love sharing food with each other!
Also, we having amazing taste. Just the way it is!

The always delightful Andrea, Miriam, and Stephanie were there!
Lovely and hilarious as usual!

And Jen Wood too!
Bless, she's a vision!

We had some new additions to the group this time around and what a pleasure to have these faces!
Tina, Mariette, and Spencer's mom Linda!

We, of course, noshed, dished, and giggled before setting to work with Spencer's thorough, patient guidance!
He's got mad book making skills and offered to learn us! What a doll!

The supplies were plentiful and gorgeous.
Papers of various textures, colors, and weights were piled on tables all around us.

And it was exciting to see all the components of what would aid us in creating beautiful handmade notebooks, emergency contact info toy books, and charming photo albums.

Spencer brought some examples of how the techniques he would be teaching us had been used in the past by tried and true artisan book makers.
And he showed us his own book making efforts that can be found through his amazing small press Laughing Mouse!
Please take a look at the website and support the work of Spencer and the artists that trust his vision and talent!

The first group of book makers got settled...

Spencer set us to work on our first project.
The toy book...

Here is an example of an antique toy book...

We would be using the same stitching technique to create our emergency contact toy book!

Spencer took the time to personalize our emergency contact toy books with the Denver Craft Ninja logo!
How amazing is that?!

We listened very carefully to Spencer's instruction...and began folding...

We used the bone folder a lot on this project.
There was no shortage of "bone folder" jokes.

Cute, right!?

Spencer is an amazing teacher.
And his interest in the subject makes him all the more exuberant about sharing his knowledge with the rest of us!

Stephanie was particularly excited about this project!

She's all about accuracy!

Spencer and his Mama!

I even got in on the project.

Sarah wouldn't let me get away with not being in some of the pictures!

Can't believe anyone let me loose with an awl!

As we were finishing up our toy books, the second group came in...
Shanda showed up! And thank heavens! It's always so fun when she makes an appearance!

The first group got to work on the photo albums...using the same fundamental technique as we used for the toy books.
You'd be surprised how easy it is to make books!
You should be making one right now...a journal, a zine, a gift for a friend!
Don't know how? We'll show you!

It's unusual when you can get everyone's attention like this!

Usually, we are too unruly to really listen too closely...
Spencer commands attention!

I picked a toile for my photo album, but Spencer had selected a colorfully beautiful variety of papers for the covers of these albums!

Everyone picked their favorite!

Sarah's was gorgeous...she even tricked it out with colored string!

Jen Wood showing off!

Tina! So glad you joined us! Please come back!

Michelle! We love Michelle!
SERIOUSLY...Hostess with the mostest.

Stephanie's fine handiwork!

Thanks for coming Linda! Would love to have you back!

Here's Miriam enjoying a piece of bread with a variety of spreads on it.
Creative!

As we moved through each of the books, we had the opportunity to re-use the skills we learned and create something tangible from our new found skill!
This is important stuff, people!

The second group was a far more wild bunch than the first group...

But we had Sarah...and she's the best!
So effing hilarious!

Everyone we know has a talent - Expertise in something that they can contribute with.
That's what makes these get togethers so awesome!
We're sharing knowledge and hanging heavy - also, mimosas make everything better!

Also, a crew of ladies can set you straight!
Sometimes, you just need to join up, talk shit, and have some laughs!
All the better when there's something productive and creative involved!

At the end, we shared some cake, celebrated some birthdays...

and got down with some brownies and cookies!
That's pretty typical!

Also, if you've never had cheese rolled in pistachios then wrapped in sun dried tomatoes and basil...
Then I suggest you contact Jen Wood pronto.
She's sort of brilliant!

See! We have fun...
We'll be doing it again soon!
We want you to be there...so, drag yourself from your list of responsibilities (just for an afternoon) and join the Ninjas!
Seriously...

THANK YOU!

2010-02-07T19:53:00.000-08:00

Super big thanks to Jake Fletcher for always being willing to lend his creative assistance to the blog effort!

He's the fine talent that made the header changes with our logo!
What a champ!

THANKS JAKE!

Love,
Denver Craft Ninjas
xox

Craftin' Out #7 - Mozzarella!

2010-01-25T19:33:00.000-08:00

The first Craftin' Out of 2010...it was a special day indeed!
The plan? Mozzarella stretching with Val - our go to, in the know, cheese maker friend!

Also, it just happened to be our friend Shanda's 40th b-day! Could the day get any better?

I met up with Steph, my co-ninja planner and partner in crime!
She made a chocolate cake from scratch for Shanda and we had to put it together and decorate it!

Decoration accoutrement!
Crafty in every sense of the word, friends!

There were some "fissures", as Steph called them...and a few tenuous moments, but look at the results...

Gorgeous, right?
Bravo, Steph!

Shanda goes by "Killer"...because she's a super bad ass lady...and a rippin' front lady and guitar shredder for The Swanks!

Steph and I also wrangled together a little caprese salad to go with our freshly stretched mozz!
We were so excited!

I did the dishes...

When we arrived at Meg's...the spread was already pretty amazing!
The ninjas are all about the food, drink, and camaraderie of the hang out...just as much as the actual craftin'!

AH! JEN WOOD!
We love you! And she brought ham and brie sammies!

Miriam and TJ!

Delightful, hilarious ladies!

Shanda opened some gifts...

The Ninjas bought her a goodie bag filled with embroidery stuff to help her embark on our newest obsession!
There's a imminent stitch 'n bitch in our future...want to join us?

We were so excited to have Christine there...and she brought her darling daughter Diamond!

The result of a frozen eclair!
Those things can shock and surprise someone!

Bobbi and Brandy!

Meg was the mixologist!
She makes a mean Cosmo!

Obvs, Kelly loves it!

Diamond sat next to the cookies! She IS a smart cookie!

So, as usual...we must eat, drink, and be merry before we get down to business!

We must catch up with one another!

Be reminded why it's so important to be amongst one another...once a month!

VAL!
Bad ass and cheese connoisseur!

Man, I dig this fellow! He's super cool...unflappable under the pressure of all us wild woman!

We had some newbies with us!
Sarah was joined by her friend Mariko! Mariko - come back! We were so glad to have you!

Miriam brought her friend Rachael!
Nice to see you, new friend!

So, as we milled around...Val set up the work station!
You see that wedge of cheese curd! HOW GORGEOUS!

Val boiled water...

And...cut the cheese, for lack of a better expression, so we could see how one stretches mozzarella!

We got our acts together...put on our thinking caps...and got ready to learn a thing or two!

Val conducts a great class.
He knows his stuff where cheese is concerned and not one of our questions stumped him!

We learned how the curds are separated from the whey...

And we learned how to start the process of encouraging the cheese to join up with the other pieces of cheese in the warm water.

You can imagine that Val had his hands full with us!

Sarah and Mariko are good listeners!

Val added some salt to the water to flavor the mozzarella once it was stretched and formed into a ball.

Diamond being cute! What's new!?

And then the stretching began!

We were all at attention!

The cheese is temperamental in a way...

You don't want to bully it too much with squeezing or stretching.

You just have to let it sort of stretch itself.

Once the cheese had been properly stretched...

Val instructed us on how to form the stretched mozzarella into balls.

He's a cheese whiz.
Ha!

After the first sample was done, Val let us sample his wares...
And holy moly - it was divine!

Miriam was the first volunteer to give the cheese making a shot!

Then Sarah and Mariko!

Rachel and Jen Wood!

And while all the other girls were cheesin' it up...
We were eating cheese. We were talking about cheese!

We were also celebrating!

It was Shanda's b-day and we had to light up that cake!

She managed to blow out all the candles!
Happy Birthday Shanda! You're one of the best!

Then I figured Kelly and I better take our turn...

So, I got my hands dirty!

The finest cheese companion any lady could ask for!

I don't know how helpful I was...

But I stirred a little...

And Kel stirred a little...

And then I took breaks to sip wine and shoot the shit with Val!

And when the stretching began...I let Kel have at it!

I supported!

Until I had to make my own cheese ball.

That water was hot!
(P.S. Thanks for taking these pics, Brandy Lou!)

Val showed me some technique and then I managed to make my own incredible mozzarella!

Brandy and TJ were up next...and because Val had to hightail it for band practice...Miriam took over where he left off.

The ladies followed her lead and we learned that Miriam is a cheese master in the making!

I love TJ's face here!

Brandy Lou stretching!

Then Shanda and Meg!

Miriam gave guidance...

By the end...we were all so happy to be together!

So much laughter and friendship!

And then Chris showed up and ruined everything!

That's okay...we love him too!
Thanks for letting us invade your home, Chris!

And thanks to all the rad ladies that showed up to this craftin' out!
We love you all - so please come back next month!
We're doing book making! You know you want to be there!

As for Val - what a guy!
We were lucky that he was so kind, generous, and willing to show us all a new skill!

And what about you...
You reading this...you, ladyfriend, that has nothing to do on a Sunday afternoon!
Get in touch, come join us!

Craftin' Out #6 - FREE FOR ALL!

2009-12-27T19:54:00.000-08:00

Hey sweet crafters! It's the end of 2009 and we're gearing up for a new year with lots of cool activities and quality lady hangouts!

The last of our meet ups was just a get together to work on whatever your little heart desired...and mostly, it was just chillin' and stuffin' our faces with tasty treats!
'Tis the season, right?!

So, here's the recap:

I am happy to report that Maura joined us this time around.
Her laugh is infectious and her presence makes everything a hell of a lot more fun!

Jen Wood was there too...keeping it leisurely and cool...
Jen had a little Christmas get together the night before and some of us were still reeling from how AWESOME the party was!

The kitchen is always the place to hang out and it always gets cuddly!

Especially when there's a giant dog in the room!

Jen and Abbey! Abbey wore her holiday finery...crafted by the talented JEN WOOD!

Dakota & Abbey - becoming acquainted.

Michelle was working on this awesome knitting contraption. I have to admit, I was totally jealous.
Kelly was doing some decoupaging...skills she'd gained from our first craftin' meet up!

Brandy Lou was experimenting with a couple different mediums...with outstanding results!
She's a talent...and we adore her!

Faith was a first timer...Craft Ninja virgin!
But she was with Kristin, so we knew she could hang!
And hilarious - I hope she comes back!

Mmm, Kelly and her dirty pillows!

Knitting contraption...jeals.

Spencer showed up with cornbread with crab in it...
I'm trying to figure out how to needle the recipe out of him!

Sebastian - outside looking in...

It was a nice relaxing craftin'!

Meg kicked it into high gear and rocked out a TON of bookmarks for all her students!
Look at that spread!

And as per uzjhe, tons of food!
Tons of cheese...CHEESE everywhere!

And cookies...and sparking ciders...and cheese!

Steph made the most divine mini sloppy joes!

Michelle made rum balls...and, against my better judgment, I had one...
And it was delish!
Also, TJ!
Fleece blankie makin'!

You know, we are quite a crew and we're ready to kick 2010 in the ass ninja style!
Come check us out...we'll keep you in the loop!

Craftin' Out #5 - No Sew Fleece Blankets

2009-10-28T17:29:00.000-07:00

So, first...apologies...
We've been sort of bad about keeping the blog updated, but we're back and we intend to try to keep things fresh!

As far as Craftin' Out #4 - Embroidery...It was a small group and there weren't a lot of pics taken.
Sadly, the ones that were taken weren't great.
Still, when any of the ladies that were present get done with their projects...send us a pic and we'll show them here.

In another quick update, we've got a Facebook page and we'd love to see you on it!
Please visit, join, and keep up with the rad stuff that us ladies are up to!
Denver Craft Ninjas!

Alright, now...Here's the deets on our 5th meet up!

So, any good Craftin' Out starts with food!
Lots of food!
Mini pumpkin pies! Thanks Jen Wood!

We had apple cider!

And Darling Meg made mulled wine!

Michelle was our host again...and she's pretty much the best ever!
It's always so nice to have TJ present! She's a busy lady!

Miriam was full of piss and vinegar and it's never a good craftin' sesh without her!

There were piles of yummy delights - jalapeno poppers, boneless chicken wings, and spanikopita!

And mimosas! It's just not a get down without mimosas!

But once bellies are full and drinks have been procured...it's time to get down to the business of craftin'!
Andrea found a spot and spread out!

Our new friend Betsy was there!
Betsy was a blanket making speed demon! We hope she comes back...she's clearly got skills to share!

This meet up we gave our ninjas the option to do the project proposed...or to bring their own project.
Miriam is still cranking on her embroidery - her patterns are adorable and she's a diligent stitcher!

The incomparable Jen Wood brought some broach makin's and settled into a spot...maybe she'll teach us how to make them at another crafty gathering? Maybe, Jen Wood?

First timer, but always a fave, Kristin showed up ready to craft and cracked everyone up!
We love her!

Steph is always the first ready to jump in and she did! She took the risk and started her blankie!

So did Betsy and Andrea! We've got some brave & talented mamas in the mix!

But once one lady kicked it into gear...we all got motivated and we all spread out our blankets, did some measuring, and started cutting!

Christi observed approvingly!

There's always a little dancing involved...Andrea showed us some of her tried and true moves taught to her by her mom!

If you'd like to learn how to make these blankets...

hit us up!
We've got directions that we're happy to share!

With the larger blankets, you really have to use up a lot of space!

But once you get the hang of it, it's easy peasy!

Everyone ended up doing a lot of tying...

tying and cutting and tying...

Christi encouraged us!

Jen working her tail off!

One crafter had to take her blankie elsewhere to cut it - we ran out of room!

TJ facilitated...she promises she'll finish her blanket at home!

And, as usual, Michelle monitored our progress, kept our glasses full of warm toddies, and brought us delicious cookies! She's absolutely the best hostess!

Things always have to wind down though, but the best part of it...is that every lady had a blanket to take home.
Or at least the start of a blanket!

Steph's turned out great!

Meg's pattern ruled!

This secret member is gifting her blankie to someone!

And Andrea made her blanket for her handsome son!

Oh, we laughed, we ate, we gabbed the afternoon away and we've planned to do it again!
So, join us...if you think you can handle it!

It's Official!

2009-10-03T12:55:00.000-07:00

The AMAZING Andrew Robbins, long time friend and insanely talented artist, let me sweet talk him into doing a logo for our craftin' out crew...
I couldn't be more excited about how it turned out or appreciate more his talent and willingness to indulge me!

This sweet lookin' logo is just the beginning and solidifies our presence as a craftin' crew to be reckoned with!

Please click on the link to Andy's website above and hire him to do something amazing for you!
OR buy some of his beautiful art pieces and tell your friends about him!

Also, keep connected - I'll be posting pics from our stitch & bitch!
xox

CRAFTIN' OUT #4 - Details!

2009-09-11T06:28:00.001-07:00

Hey, craftsters...Did you miss us?!
Well, we'd be lying if we said we didn't miss you!

A whole month has passed without a get together and it's high time we rectified that with some serious crafty lady hangouts!

So, here's the deal:

September 27th, 2009 - A SUNDAY!
What are you doing? Because we're planning something really special for you!

EMBROIDERY!
Steph and I brainstormed the best way to do this...and we think that Jenny Hart http://www.jennyhart.net/ , OG craft mafia mama, could give us a hand!

So, we're going to be ordering a couple of these little gems from Sublime Stitching:

http://www.sublimestitching.com/stitchinbeekit.html

These Stitchin' Bee Kits come with enough materials and instructions for 5 eager chicas!
And will cost about 10.00 + shipping - or about 12.00 per person!
When you leave, hopefully you'll have a head start on your embroidery project AND you'll have all the fundamental craftin' materials and learnin' you need to continue your work and expand your repetoire of craftiness!

But here's the deal - we don't want to order a grip load of stuff for all of you and then have a bunch of peeps bail!
So, we need DEFINITE RSVPS by September 18th!
We'll collect your dough when we see you on the 27th!

As far as deets are concerned, here's the run down:

Where: We haven't secured a place yet! Wanna host? Let us know!
When: September 27, 2009
What time: 1-5 PM ROCKY MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME
What are we doing: PILLOWCASE EMBROIDERY!
What you bring: YOU, YOUR FRIEND (Both of you will have RSVP'd, RIGHT?), YOUR NIMBLE STITCHIN' FINGERS, SOMETHING SNACKY, MULLED WINE, ETC.

We're pretty excited about this particular foray into stitchin' and we want you there to dive in with us!
If you have some embroidery experience, WE NEED YOU! Come show us what you got!
If you've always wanted to try embroidery but got hung up by embroidery floss and intimidated by a whip stitch - then let's learn together!

Get in touch - can't wait to see your faces!

Hearts,
Becky
releasethekrakenplease@gmail.com

&

Steph
grlrocker@msn.com

Craftin' Out - Meet Up #3 T-SHIRT SURGERY!

2009-07-26T20:51:00.000-07:00

Mmm, notions, tools, the accoutrement of Craftin' Out!

So, a small, but really righteous crew of ladies got together this weekend for another installment of Craftin' Out...
And wonderful things happened!

This month's objective was T-Shirt Surgery...
An art for some - an intimidating project for others!
Steph and I had been practicing all week trying to perfect a couple of styles to show the group!

Michelle was a kind and gracious host!
The best kind of crafty facilitator you could ask for! Thank you, Michelle!

TJ showed her lovely face! She's a sweet presence!
And Steph is working her sample shirt that she cranked out before the actual get together! Looks good right!?

Ah, Miriam! Bless you for being so damn enthusiastic about Craftin' Out! I salute you, friend!

And Darling Meg - jack of all trades! She's got loads of talent and is always ready to dig in crafty style!

So, trepidatiously we started cutting and any doubts about what one can and can't do with a t-shirt started to slip away! There's no rules with T-Shirt Surgery!

We were inspired, excited, and having a blast!

Steph used an old Alcoholiday shirt - her old band...
And me, I chopped up my old Lopez shirt - I figured Lopez would understand.

It was a wonderful time!
You should have been there!

It feels good to creatively recycle!

And through risk...comes reward!

This kind of HOT ASS reward!

Yeah, I made that!

Um, HELLO!
Gorgeous!

All ladies should show a little back every now and then!

We were diligent, but still shot the shit...and discussed important issues!
Particularly, what we intend to call this Craftin' Out group.
More on that in another post!

TJ reworked a Swanks t-shirt into something really special...

And she managed to bedazzle her shirt with some red jewels in the skull's eye holes!
It looked smart!

Miriam felt so good about her accomplishments that she changed out of the shirt she came in and wore her new creation!

It doesn't work unless you stick your tongue out!

Meg took it to the next lev and made a cool skull and cross bones stencil and then sprayed over it with a half and half mixture of bleach and water!

The results were astounding!

And Steph, moved from amateur to profesh, and did a cool corseting tie on the back of her last shirt of the day!

All in all, good times! It's so fun to start and complete a project - walking away with something you're proud of!

We do this once a month - you'd be a fool not to join up!

Craftin' Out - Meet Up #2 JEWELRY!

2009-06-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

For a month, we're planning, planning, planning...
And the culmination ends up a little something like this - Sweet Sarah offered her dreamy, manicured back yard for Craftin' Out #2...JEWELRY!

There were loads of sweet and savory goodies from all the ladies in attendance!
Steph made an amazing blueberry rhubarb crumble that stole the show...but let's not forget the mojitos, sangria, and brownies!

Meg was our instructor for the day and, although I'm sure she knew what she was getting herself into, she had her hands full with us Craftin' Out ladies!

Meg's talent is more far reaching than her simply divine musicianship and teaching abilities.
She's got style, taste, and she can bust out some super hot jewels.
She brought a stock of lovely beads and accoutrement that she allowed us to pilfer.

And like any good get together, the real hang out always starts at the goody table.

Still, we had work to do! Meg had promised us 2 pairs of earrings and a lovely memory bracelet by the end of this sesh!
So, we had to step to it!

She set us up with all the gear we needed and we got right into it!

Shanda made a bracelet for her mother in Iowa!
Carol! Be expecting something ostentatious and amazing! I PROMISE.

Thanks heavens Brandy and Bobbi showed up....these sweet things keep us young and they are brilliantly sarcastic and hilarious!
Also, they both are taking guitar lessons! Expect wonderful things from these ladies!
Serious!

Steph multi-tasking with a smoke and some beading!

Brandy did this really beautiful bracelet with a mermaid-ish nautical theme...

ANDREA! The newest member of the Craftin' Out team!
She accompanied our old pal Miriam and she fit right in!
Come back Andrea - you're part of the gang now...and there's no gettin' out!

Sarah, our rad hostess with the mostest!

Beads galore!

Speaking of Miriam - this lady busted out a super lucky Vegas bracelet!
She's headed to Vegas next weekend and I can't wait to hear how the bracelet goes over!

There was LOTS of laughter, as usual...

But we worked our asses off!

Focused!
Rachel showed up a little late...fresh from a birthday party at Chucky Cheese. Poor thing...we poured her a mojito and she felt a lot better!

Brandy Lou...she's an expert earring maker now!

Here's some jewels freshly crafted from our hot little hands!

It's so fun to be amongst lady friends!
Have we mentioned you're invited...you are...shoot us an email and you'll be put on the list!

Shanda even brought a bottle of 409 carpet cleaner just in case...
We love her guts!

As things wound down, we managed to get a few peeps wrangled into a pizza party...

There was some puppy cuddling...and then a crew of us went to see ANVIL!
It was the natural progression of our evening!

Go check out this amazing movie with some of your favorite crafty ladies!
It's got so much heart!

And if you're in Denver...after you go see it...try to meet up with Aunt Bea!
She's a riot!

Alright, lady friends, lady neighbors, and Denver chicas with nothing to do...
We'll be getting together next month for another cool installment of craftin' out!

Hit us up!

2009-05-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

Hey Craftin' Out ladies and friends!

We know you're dying to know what the next project is...and we're dying to tell you about it!

So, here's the plan:
JEWELRY! Every lady loves it...a little glint and sparkle...Come on, you know what we're talking about!

Darling Megan Kelley, our multi- talented friend and stunning musician, has offered to lead a class on jewelry making!
She makes the most lovely stuff - a lot of it you can see at Pandora Gifts on 6th Street in Capital Hill!

At any rate, Meg has estimated that the cost of one memory wire bracelet, one pair of charm earrings, and a pair of beaded earrings will cost about $12.00.That means, you show up with $12.00...you'll leave with 2 pairs of earrings and a totally hot bracelet!

You can't get a nice pair of earrings for $12.00 these days...and the fact that they're hand crafted by you will make them all the more fantastic and perfect!

June is a big birthday month - make a bracelet for your favorite Gemini or Cancer and keep the earrings for yourself!

If you're an aspiring jewelry maker, have a black tie affair that requires some jewels pronto, or just want to hang heavy with rad ladies and craft...then hit us up for the WHERE, WHEN, HOW, and WHY!

We're excited to keep this monthly shindig on your calendar so schedule us in!

Becky craftinout@gmail.com & Steph grlrocker@msn.com

Craftin' Out - Meet Up #1 DECOUPAGE

2009-05-11T18:05:00.000-07:00

Craftin' Out has been a long time coming!
The idea is to get a bunch of rad ladies together, pool your creative resources, and crank out a new craft project together once a month.

I think the first get together turned out absolutely perfect, but I'll let the pictures tell the story!

It's not a party without delicious, healthy goodies...
Oh, and Sangria, Vodka Crans, and Plum Wine!

Just getting started!
No one showed up empty handed! Mod Podge, brushes, magazines, tissue paper!

Materials!

Craft dog - Dakota!

Kelly and Rachel!
Having a snack before they get down to business!

Some decoupage examples!
Steph and Meg are experienced in decoupage! It's nice to have professionals in your midst!

Shanda Swank!

Shanda came with pre-cut wooden coasters and some vintage boating imagery...
Just wait until you see how it turned out!

Kel worked on a small box...

While Bobbi and Brandy tore, snipped, and cut from the surplus magazine stash we acquired.

TJ and Michelle were diligent and got the job done!

Steph was cooking on a cool star decoration with a copper and animal print motif!

Katie's got skills!

Jacqui worked on a really cool cigar box!

The start of Shanda's coaster set - with a nautical theme!

No matter how much laughter or chatter there was...everyone stayed focused on their work.
And believe you me, there was some laughter and chatter!

Michelle busted out the raddest picture frame!

Brandy Lou used some maps and vintage Victorian clip art inside of the lid to her box.

Brandy and Bobbi cleared up what "hipsters" are for us.
We're all old ladies...we don't know what's what.

Meg is no stranger to decoupage...she'll Mod Podge you under the table!

Gina and Miriam!
Workin' hard or hardly workin'?

Gina had to leave early to deal with some minor work issues.
While she was on the phone she said, "No Mohammed, my friend, that's bad!".
I couldn't stop laughing at that!

Someone brought Mike's Hard Lemonade and someone drank Mike's Hard Lemonade...
I shall divulge NO NAMES!

As ladies completed their projects, they started piling their amazing works of art everywhere!

Shanda spilled some Sangria. I'll probably pay for this photo....

Mother/Daughter craft team!

Sadly, at the end, you've got to do the clean up!

But mostly, we just milled around and gabbed with each other about ideas for our next meet up, caught up with each other, and admired each other's work!

I told you! Shanda's coasters were amazing! The pinking shears clinched it!

So, when the jello shots are gone...it's all over!

Maybe you'd like to join us next time!
Maybe you have a skill you'd like to share!

We want you there!

We'll be updating on this blog for the next Craftin' Out Meet Up!
And we'd love to see your face!

Stick around, this is just the beginning!
xo