Where do old boots go to die? Well, apparently they go to Texan Cowgirl Treasures to be resurrected as beautiful purses, clutches, and wine bottle holders! Made from vintage boots with vintage belts as straps, the bags have an oval wooden bottom (so they stand up!) and are available in a variety of styles and colors. I love it!

While perusing the internet, looking for a Mary and Jesus belt buckle, I stumbled upon this site, where they "strive to provide our customers with unique one-of-a-kind western creations reflecting the beauty and romance of the "Old West". Located in Austin, Texas, we specialize in Western Leather Cowboy Boot Purses, Western Boot Top Wine Holders and Custom Rhinestone Belt Buckles made from vintage and new jewelry, each of which are original handcrafted designs."

Now, I've been to Austin plenty of times and I've never seen these beauties! but here they are, and it's only a matter of time before one or more are making their way to my closet...

One of my favorite craft sites, Sublime Stitching, had a contest challenging people to make creative, handmade things for one another, rather than running to the mall for more "random crap" as my sister and I call it, this holiday season. (Although, don't get me wrong: I love me some random crap). They called it their "Handmade Holiday" contest and there were more than a hundred entries. I just loved to see how creative people were - truly inspiring. Next year, I'm going to start in August. No, better yet, I'm going to start NOW and maybe I'll finish something by December.

Check out the winners on Jenny Parker's Sublime Stitching blog.

But no more!

My summer resolution is to tackle all the unfinished projects around the house, from the Halloween scrapbook to the baby onesie that currently won't fit the baby it was intended for (no matter, there are plenty of babies around).

I vow to take on these projects before starting another, and to post the results here. So there!

My first finished project was this embroidered t-shirt - the Howdylicious! T-shirt, or Shirtalicious! I must have started this two years ago after seeing a similar t-shirt for over $150 at Nordstrom. I actually completed the embroidery (the hardest part), then got distracted and never glued on the rhinestones. I also never wore the t-shirt. But finally it's done! And while I think it could use some more embroidery, I think it's pretty damn cute.

Here's the detail:

And the back:

What do you think?

I never try to DIY when it comes to automotive repair, dental or medical situations, and most electrical repairs. Now that I'm a homeowner, I'm pretty brave about DIY plumbing, and a few good books will tell you whether or not you're looking at a simple repair (patching plaster, changing a plug or fuse, or changing out the guts of a toilet), or a major job requiring more tools than you own and a certification from a State Board. But how else do you know when to DIY and when to GAP (Get a Professional)?

There's degree of difficulty, and then there's degree of mystery: I have no idea how to do this, I have no idea what that noise is, I have no idea where the leak is located, or I have no idea why there is no water pressure or even how to begin checking. Yikes.

Degree of difficulty is one thing, but it can't be the only criteria, or we'd never try to do things that were difficult. I also go with experience: has anyone done this before? It helps to have a few handy friends that can give you advice like, "man, that's a bitch, you'd better call a plumber" or the famous last words: "I think we can fix it."

On the other hand, I have friends that are much more adventurous than I am when it comes to all things DIY: cooking, clothing, auto repair, and hair styling are a few areas that come to mind. And while I've colored/bleached/cut my hair for more years than you've probably been alive, I currently prefer to leave the mess to a professional, as I'm busy DIYing in other areas of my life.

What brought it all home to me was a recent encounter with a friend that started me thinking about when we should DIY and when we should consult a professional. Recently, I ran into a (formerly brunette) friend that was a new blonde. "Wow! I almost didn't recognize you!" I said. Translated; you look so different I don't know what to say. "Yeah," she sighed. "It seemed like a good idea, but I should've used a professional."

Famous last words.

New website: Scrapblog.

My friend Cindy Li is now illustrating for Scrapblog and has gotten several folks involved in it.

If you are a scrapbooker who has yet to take to any of the online services, might want to try out Scrapblog and let us know what you think.

Yes, rubber stamps in the shape of an acorn, a squirrel, and holy crap, a hedgehog. The Small Object is the cottage industry of Sarah Neuburger who makes "artwork, limited editions and handmade goods for everyday that are fun and quirky." Chances are, Sarah's not trapped in a cubicle somewhere, wincing under the flourescent lights. Or maybe she is.

When I get stressed, I imagine stamping these little fellows on my staff reports, time sheets, and performance measurements. And life gets better. And so much cuter.

Jenny Hart over at Sublime Stitching (who is my craft Idol) has made embroidering hip again, with her amazing art and must-have patterns.

I've been embroidering since I was a little girl, so I'm no stranger to the medium. In fact, this is the one craft that really relaxes me and mellows me out - with each pull of the needle I can feel my heart rate slowing.

So everytime Jenny comes out with new patterns, I collect them unabashedly, sometimes buying in sets of two (one to store, one to use). Her new collection is one of the cutest: Bon Voyage (Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal), Word Balloons, and Camping Images, but all the sets are adorable - precious chihuahuas, Olde English letters, fierce roller derby babes, luchadores. There are more patterns than there is time to embroider!

As a special treat, Jenny is featuring Kurt Halsey as a guest designer. Kurt's designs are "twee and sad" (to paraphrase Jenny) and I can't wait to embroider them!

Kindly Jess got me a subscription to Craft Magazine for my birthday, and I've been patiently waiting and waiting for it to arrive. Based on the arrival time of my other magazine subscriptions, I seriously think the mail lady steals my magazines, reads them, and then delivers them. They all arrive 3 weeks after the magazines hit the newstands.

But behold my delight when my first Craft magazine arrived in the mail today (for some reason I got Craft: 02 and Craft: 03 at the same time - thanks mail lady!), and the cover story featured these tiny kitties you can stitch from felt!

I'm not lying, I almost started crying. That's how cute these damn kitties are. I'm going to try to make them, as well as the punk rock reconstructed t-shirt and let you know how it goes. Thanks, Jess!

As a side note, Lone Star Gems out of Texas has an official cut for the state called the Lone Star Cut. Check this beauty out. It's a blue topaz.

Barflies.net ladies Sandra Mendoza-Daly, Julie Wanda Espy, and Ms. Jen Hanen record a question and answer on “What is Podcasting?”

Julie Wanda answers on licensing issues and studio recording. Ms. Jen answers on the easy, do-it-yourself podcasting with your computer, its on board microphone, and Odeo.

Remember the clunky old Record Weirdo website? It's gone, but it's back in a slightly more spiffy and slick design.
Check out the new and improved Record Weirdo website.

You know that I love Kiss. And you know that I love crafting. So it stands to figure that I would LOVE this amazing Kiss Latch Hook featured on Craftster and done by Monroeja.

The completed project is 27.5" x 25" and there are 12 colors of yarn used. And yes, he made this pattern and one-of-a-kind rug himself. AWESOME!

Buke : Burp and a small amount of puke comes up.

Scrotch : scratch your crotch.

Shart : Fart plus... you figure it out.

Let's Go!

I just registered. Come with me. It will be fun! ;o)