Calamity Kim

Blue

Blue, originally uploaded by Kim Naumann - Curiouser & Curiouser Designs.

today.
Not red, don't wanna orange or purple.
Just Blue.

How to Make Roses Shabby Chic

My Blog has always been an outlet for my creative endeavors and I never was able to classify it  in any one category. This probably would have been more beneficial when folks were looking for certain topics but I didn't think about that when I began blogging. I just started making things and posting pictures.

Now, this isn't going to be a flash back post, so don't be alarmed! I just wanted to say that I should have made a section for Shabby Chic, because for me, it will never go out of style! I love old lace, shattered pink silk and little porcelain doodads.

When I am working on something I often tea dye the trims and fabrics so that they appear older and frayed. I made this bear several years ago in a Marie Antoinette phase I was in and loved the decadent use of silk flowers, pearls and velvet. The ship's sails were made from satin and linen and I strung the masts with crystals and beads.

Last night as I was wandering around the webs I found a new (to me) site called The French Cupboard and I knew I had to share the rosettes with you. Here is the link to the page with all the different tutorials and how to's.Check it out- there are some really nice flowers shown there.

I would love to do something similar here and have a giant Rose/Flower making party with everyone linked up to their blogs and showing off their own flowers. Ever since I posted my own flower making tutorials my stats have jumped off the charts with crafty types coming by to get the info on twisted flowers and fabric roses that I make, so I know how popular they are.

I woke up my right brain this morning making a few new flowers to jazz up a new bag I bought recently that is made with natural canvas and trimmed in tulle and wrinkled ruffles of muslin. I love wearing skirts and dresses and pinning on a big flower just makes me smile. Maybe it's too old fashioned but I see lots of 3D flowers being added to t-shirts and around necklines, so I think it must be trendy now- modern old fashioned- I think we can be liberated and still enjoy wearing aprons, ruffles and lace without it diminishing our power as strong women.

Maybe I can do a Shabby Roses of September  Slumber Party here with a virtual celebration of all things shabby, chic, french, sweet, tattered and feminine. What do you think? Would you participate? Do you make flowers to wear or pin in your hair? Next month, several of my friends and I are going to have a slumber party- it will be my first and I anticipate fine food, paper doll making~ stamping fun and chick flicks and giggling! Lots of giggling- I might even take my mini trampoline just to keep things hopping! heehee. I think it would be great fun to make some flowers to wear  to add to the festivities!

Leave a comment if you think you might want to participate in the Shabby Roses of September (virtual) Slumber Party and I will notify you with details as I get it all together. 

thanks for stopping by,

calamity kim

On the Selvedge of Magnolia Pearl

Have you been to visit Magnolia Pearl lately?

Sometimes when I am feeling like a pick me up day in the country, I go to her website and hang out with the girls for a while. Drinking cold glasses of sweet tea and talking about first kisses and picking thistles as the evening turns to twilight and the lightning bugs start to blink and dance...

Lounging about in vintage rags and doing a little embroidery or sewing bits of lace to a blouse is my idea of a good time and Magnolia Pearl does it with style and a heaping teaspoon of panache!

Wearing flouncy, fanciful, feminine and fun clothes is one way to beat the heat and look as artistic as you feel and I love her ruffles, lace and repurposed doilies.

Go on- go see her new stuff...I'll wait here...

Unless I decide to go down to the creek and pick some queen ann's lace, sweet peas and daisies to put in my milk glass vase that sits empty on the table...or maybe sit on the front porch swing and read the new issue of Selvedge Magazine that just so happens to have an article about Robin Brown the creator of Magnolia Pearl...

have a lovely day,

xo,

calamitykim

taking the time to write a real letter

Did you ever get a letter in the mail that was just like a warm hug and a cup of love?

I have a friend that I write pen pal letters to and we carry on a long distance conversation that includes sharing good news and bad, sadness and joys, stickers and presents and generally anything that can be stuffed into an envelope or small box!

Saturday I received a box from her with a lovely long letter, an Alice in Wonderland rag doll and a mermaid that she had made from flour/salt dough. The inside of the box was cushioned with ribbons of all sorts and it was festive and sweet to open! I have to say thank you, Sara, for the thoughtfulness and kindness.

Alice and her fishy friend will fit right in to my crafty chaotic sewing room. I started cleaning up and throwing out and getting it more manageable this past weekend and am still working on it today. I am hoping that it won't take all day but it doesn't seem to be getting any easier as I go through this and that, trying to unclutter the room.

The mailman just stopped by and I got a great card from my friend Gina- thank you if you are reading this- I sent an email to thank you- what a nice surprise! She lives just down the road and I smiled when I saw the envelope. You sweetie!

I love getting cards and wish I would make time to write more people more often- it's one of the ways to get more cards.

It's a nice thing to do and it shows that they think you are worth the time spent to find a card and write it. I would love to do a fabric postcard swap someday, as the idea of receiving a fabric stitched postcard just rings my bells and blows my whistles! But for now I have to use my time wisely- I have work to do and must stay focused to meet those deadlines! Maybe sometime this winter I can set up a swap-we'll see come Feb- we could do it for my big 50th Birthday celebration.

So, I just wanted to put it out there- I keep all the cards and letters that I receive and sometimes I find letters in my drawers that were written by people that wanted me to know something or feel something when I read them and now I have to wonder why they did that when they didn't really mean those things. When you have it down on paper it should make it seem more real but sometimes its just words. I would like to send a few back to a certain person just to let her think about what she said and how it wasn't really true, but then, I might be poking the bear with a stick and I really don't have time or the energy for that.

Anyway, I'll get back to cleaning out and throwing away. Shaking it off and getting back to my happy place...somewhere in this mess is a sewing machine that needs some quality time with me.

Check out this awesome blog if you have time- I borrowed the blooming cactus from her website- it's written in French and I can't translate it but the pictures are pretty awesome!

happy august,

xo,

calamity kim

Row 10 Quilt Group Woodland Theme for LauraJ

Happy Monday morning and welcome to Calamity Kim where I try to share my projects and process as I sew, stamp, paint and conjure up inspiration while trying not to burn down the house or stab myself with too many pins!

I have been a part of a Flickr Group called Row 10 this year that is comprised of 10 women who each have a month with a theme of their choice and I wanted to share a few pictures from July's row which is for Laura J.

This block has some of my favorite things- red cap mushrooms and gnomes raw edge appliqued on top of some random pieced woodland fabrics. I started a Flickr Group for red cap mushrooms this summer and if you enjoy them too you might want to take a peek at the gallery of loveliness over here.

I like to try to tell a story and this is about Mr Toad as he sets off on an adventure to try to catch some new butterflies for his collection while Mr Turtle heads down to the lake for a swim. Laura will sew all the rows into a quilt top that will be for her son Aaron and the colors she chose are easy to work with- green, blue, aqua, brown and small splashes of red and yellow with a woodland theme.

I am a bit behind as this was due by the end of July but they are very forgiving and understanding when it comes to deadlines. I am getting caught up this week and look forward to the red and gray theme with liberated words for August. My word is song and I was thinking about mermaids have songs so we'll see what happens when I get there. Last week I finished June's row for Sara C and it was great fun with orange, pink, purple liberated houses on black and white backgrounds.

Here it is finished right before I got it shipped off to her. I enjoy making the houses in the Liberated style of Gwen Marston and Freddy Moran and strive to be as wonky and imperfect as possible but it really is difficult not to make everything straight and perfect!

I love this sweet little house and couldn't have made it without the gnome fabric from my friend Susie. The Heather Ross gnome fabric is so difficult to find and I really appreciate her generous sharing with me. Isn't he cute in his little house with cupcakes cooling in the windows?

I called this house block "no time to sit" as it featured chairs and a Heather Ross mermaid who can't really sit in a chair and doesn't have time because she has to get this row done! Yes, mermaids have keep me occupied this summer and I have enjoyed playing with paper but am now behind in my fabric!

Getting caught up feels really good and I can't wait to get LJ's row finished and start on Anita's row for August.

Saimba, my new Favorite Blog

How serendipitous that I just ordered that stamp (of the girl above) from Teesha Moore and received it today and then found this great Blog called Saimba where the lovely Sarah shares her very cool handmade books and jewelry. Check out a few pages of it and tell me it's not a rockin cool blog!

don't let those bed bugs bite!

xo,

calamity kim

the gnome village table runner

Recently a reader named Gillian left a comment and asked about the table runner that I started last year so I pulled it out, ironed the wrinkles and took some new pictures.

I was all gung ho on this project for months and then when the Fall leaves started to turn and I started decorating for Halloween I gave it up. I am slowly adding flowers and veggies to the center patchwork area and when I get enough added I will layer it with batting and start quilting.

I can just see it now, in my mind's eye, all finished and bound with black and white polka dot fabric. I have embroidered lettuce, cauliflower, tomatoes, onions, turnips, carrots, and am working on strawberries and flowers.

I just don't have enough hours in my days- this probably has at least 120 hours of hand embroidery in it and it will be something to keep and not sell. Of course I didn't plan for it to be this large of a project- I thought I was going to just whip it up in a week or so! In time for Easter last year I was thinking! heehee- well! Maybe next year!!!

There was no pattern- I cut the mushroom caps and stems free hand and then stitched them down and started embroidering! No lines just free needle work! It's liberating! o hoop either! Just sitting and stitching until it makes a picture.

It's like seeing an old friend.

I think I started spinning all hot and heavy and that's when my attention to this cooled off a bit.

I do love it and hope to finish it one day in the not too distant future, so thank you Gillian for asking about my progress and I will post it here when I get more done.

Happy Stitching, xo, calamity kim

Pardon me, I didn't knit that for you...