Skitzo Leezra's New Studio

WooHoo!

The new and expanded Skitzo Leezra is being unveiled! It's been months in making and I am ready to share photos and how-tos from painted floors to fabric covered peg boards.

Take a look at a few sneak peek photos and check back for detailed tutorials and ideas.

The Master Plan

Ribbon Gutters make an appearance

Gotta be organized!

You label me, I label you

This has been me

A wooden artist model used to reside on my closet shelf where he held bracelets until stuff was relocated while the closet was painted.
There he sat on the hall bath vanity for months as the project dragged on and on.
And one day, I noticed a change in posture.
Pretty sure my wisenheimer sister Rikki Tikki Tavi adjusted him to be funny but it was a reminder to me to get my finger outta my ass and get goin' on my much-too-long project.

Here's hoping YOU won't need a wooden digit in your backdoor to come back and check my progress.
New stuff tomorrow!

Trippin' on ribbon

Being a ribbon whore/hoarder, I have plenty of grosgrain stash to make the (say it in a high-pitched tone) fabulous cosmetic bags!

Sew some ribbons together then add a zipper. With right sides together, sew one narrow side and long side. Make sure the zipper is open. Fold other narrow side and sew.


(Wish like heck I could give credit for the concept but I cannot remember the ribbon craft book title.)

Craft supply suggestion: buy in bulk from eBay.

Book cover

Kristie the commenter asked where I've been.
Down a rabbit hole, I think.
Last year, I had an easy job where I blogged from work and worked on volunteer group obligations to pass the day. Now that I have a "real" job, volunteer work is done in the evenings thus, cutting into my craft and blogging time.
Very little crafting lately and I gotta tell ya, it's been wearing me down. However COMMA I am working on a new and improved craft room. More soon. I promise!
Here's a cute book cover sewed for a volunteer group friend. One handle made longer; the other, shorter. The longer handle pushed through the shorter handle holds the book closed. If you make one, note the ends of the longer handle could be placed closer to center. Fray Check applied to webbing. (It's not yet dry in the photo.)

Upholstery fabric, cotton webbing handles.

Super fast + super easy = just like your ma.

Fabulous floribunda (that's Latin for fabric flowers, I think)

Looka, I made a whole mess o' fabric flowers for my hen party Girls Night Out friends.

This one is silk necktie fabric.

The wool fabrics are my favorites.

Home dec fabric

Gingham. Me love gingham.

Click fabric flower link for the original Design Sponge tutorial source plus check out my suggestions for quicker, faster, easier flower success.

Trixie gives me stuff

Trixie sent me a box o' goodies. Yay!

My very own just-add-water prince

Ribbon, fabric and tulle ~ oh my!

Purse handles, neckties and fabric

Beads!

Thanks for thinking of me, Trixie!
A home for craft cast-offs.
That's me.

Baby stuff

A gal in my Girl's Night Out group had a baby last week and we showered her with gifts at dinner the week before.

While I'm no fan of babies, I actually like making baby gifts. Go figure.

Her first child was to be a male child so off to fabric store in search of masculine fabrics to sew a stack of reversible burp cloths. (No more sewing diapers for me. The diaper fabric slips and slides to make for a jumbled sewn mess.)

Oh Fuh Gawd. Have you shopped for baby fabric? It is the worst. Little cars, little trucks, and girly fabrics galore. Oh, and John Deere shit. Tractor brand for a new born baby? Get this, there's even John Deere motifs in pink. Sure, pink tractors are great for future dykes and farmer chicks but I'm not digging the lame-o bambino themed prints. Wonder if style and good taste disappear with gestation?

ANYwho . . . .so not impressed with the fabric choices.

Found a flannel plaid (you KNOW I loves me some plaid) in the apparel fabric section and combined it with a flannel polka dot print. Boy-like but not hokey.


Used a cloth diaper as a cutting guide, sewed the coordinating flannel prints face to face around 3 sides, turned inside out and then top stitched around all 4 sides plus two lines to emulate (simulate?) a true diaper. It gives a bit of body to the burp cloths plus "quilts" the fabric so it lies flat.


The onesie is a quick reverse applique with T-shirt knit scrap. So dang easy. Click HERE to see my tutorial.


The gift wrap was my favorite part. Most baby gifts from me are in the "special delivery" theme. Brown paper packages tied with string, a vintage diaper pin embellished with a blue scrapbook flower sticker plus a rubber stamped paper package tag. The stack of burp cloths and onesie were folded and placed inside brown paper and SEWN closed with a zigzag stitch. Edges were trimmed with pinking shears.



Fast, simple and (as Elizabeth would say) so stinkin' cute.

Chalk it up, dog

Look who I hung out with yesterday ~ ~

George Rodrigue of Blue Dog fame!


The New Orleans Museum of Art sponsored traveling Rodrigue exhibition showed up in my lower left-hand corner of the boot-shaped state that is Louisiana.
Yesterday was a beautiful sunny Saturday and crowds showed up to watch George draw on parking lot pavement with sidewalk chalk. Parents and adults wanted first row looks but allowed the magic to viewed by children.
George drew his familiar and much beloved Blue Dog.

Later, I took credit for drawing it and told my friends he signed it for me. :-)

Here are a few creations by budding artists.
My nephew was good enough to allow me to partake in the day by being my excuse to go. You don't often hear me NOT be sarcastic or jaded but it was a special day. A rare opportunity to be upfront and close to an artist. A real sense of community with youngsters and creativity.

Right place and the right time.
That was me.
Yesterday.
Joy.


Check out the free Blue Dog iPad counting app for children or just to let your eyes get stuck on something fun.

Get yourself organized

Heck, I am so organized, I did my tips LAST YEAR and they can be found by clicking HERE.
~~You're welcome.
At least three of the voices in my head are complete freaking hypocrites because my house presently appears to have several lady hoarders residing there and one might wonder where the other 40 cats are.
A wreck.
Why?
Procrastination.
A leaking water heater and the mess it created when I cleared everything from the nearby closet.
A master bedroom cleared for ceiling "cottage cheese" scraping and removal.
Laziness.
When my sister asked where to move the mattress, my reply was the dining room. Her sarcastic comment? "Yeah, of course, the dining room is where everyone places their mattress, leaning against the wall."
But just you wait, my friends. I am making progress. Water heater replaced, ceiling scraped, ceiling primed, shopping for light fixture now.
Now, go read my (wh)organizing posts and throw away something, ya freak.

Covered in cat hair
and
breathing in possibly horrendous dust,

I am,

Skitzo Leezra

Remake the fake

I'm not gonna lie, I had a fake Kate Spade bag back in the day and quickly learned it was not only inexpensive but cheap. Once you see your brand of trickeration everywhere, it's no longer a bargain.
Mix the faux with quality shoes and jewelry and the ruse might just work. However, a teenager with bargain store shoes, who has never visited a major city but carries a "$1200" Louis Vuitton handbag . . . yeah, it was probably purchased from a car trunk and not a LV boutique.

A few years ago, Louis Vuitton offered a Stephen Sprouse inspired graffiti print. Not at all a fan of the look, I was still intrigued. How about my own graffiti designer bag, Leezra style?
Well, y'know people give me stuff and last week, my friend Ann offered me her Canal Street fake Louis. While I intended paint text, a cake stencil screamed at me from the paint drawer.

Can you have your cake and eat it too?

As in, can you buy a fake and make everyone else believe it's real?
I think not.
Not when everyone else is in on the secret.








Shut up the shuttin' up, cake hole.

Birthday? Bucket!

So, my brother Rollo's birthday was last week. He doesn't appreciate nice ribbon or a pretty gift bag so how best to bestow his request for underwear and socks?
Then it hit me. A bucket with a lid! Reusable, unique and very practical. THAT is something Rollo can appreciate.
A camouflage print bucket was stuffed with packs of underwear and socks. Bratcake Nephew Gregory made fun of Rollo for receiving a diaper pail for his birthday. (Gregory is a budding smart ass. Good boy.)
Wait, best part: the bucket cost less than a fancy paper gift bag.
One more idea for ya:
Ann no longer purchases the pretty bags for a nice gift presentation but instead places gifts in the cute reusable grocery bags.
If ya really wanna mess with someone's anticipation level, purchase a brand new paint can (found on the paint supply aisle), place gift inside and hammer the lid down in a snug-like manner. Hide the can opener and watch your very own personal meltdown show.


Bucket?
Bag?
Or diaper pail?
Whatchagonna use?

Made by my great-grandmother

Found this pillow cover made from a quilt square in my linen closet. It was made by my great-grandmother who was a prolific quilter.

The colors aren't great and God bless her, she used what she had and composition wasn't her strongest forte.

I gave the pillow cover to my quilter friend Dori and hopefully she'll be able to use it for inspiration and perhaps even a pattern for a copy. Imagine it with coordinating print fabrics. It's got potential, I tell ya!

Take a look at the hand stitched piecing.


I feel lucky to be able to see and understand my great grandmother's handiwork and blessed to have a willing recipient as a friend who will appreciate it more than me.

Proving I am NOT a hoarder,

I am,

Skitzo Leezra