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November 30, 2015 by Lisa Leave a Comment

Get Paid

Filed Under: Make Tagged With: Crafts

This is a friendly reminder to all you artists, crafters, bakers and makers out there to get paid. Get paid for the work you do for others. Is it difficult to talk money? Is it uncomfortable to ask for what you’re owed? Yes and yes, but it’s also absolutely necessary.

This PSA comes to you after a coworker commissioned a piece of work from me and forgot to pay. Word of this spread to a creative colleague, and she gave me a stern talking to this morning. At first the idea of asking for money – even though it was money I had earned and a price that we discussed! – seemed way too uncomfortable. But she gave me a proverbial shake of the shoulders and said that’s absolutely not OK. Allowing others to take advantage of talent, time and experience without compensation is an insult to not only to the creator themselves but all artists; it discredits their craft and it devalues their work.

Two pieces I got paid fairly and promptly for.

And that chat really reignited that sense of creative justice I have in me. So all you makers out there: get paid. Get paid fairly for you time, talent and materials. Settle a price and form of payment up front; it is not acceptable for someone to say they’ll pay you $20 and give that to you as a $20 Starbucks gift card or a $20 shirt – those are not equivalent. Tell your client what your price is, when you expect payment, how you expect payment and, if need be, follow through. I did it today, and it feels good.

This is an important lesson, makers. Now go get it.

August 13, 2015 by Lisa Leave a Comment

Palm Springs Sampler

Filed Under: Make Tagged With: Embroidery

Remember when I went on and on about how hard it was to make that Rowdy Roddy sampler? Well, some projects are just more difficult than others. Not this one, though. This one was a total breeze.

My friend Kat, who you’ve seen on the blog before, eloped to Palm Springs last year. Since then, I knew I had to make her and her husband Jeff a little commemorative hoop – because that’s what I do now. Once I got their invitation to their belated reception, I knew it was on.

Unlike some projects I’ve worked on, I knew exactly where I was going. No second-guessing color schemes or fonts or design. Kat and Jeff have such a clear and cool mid-century meets tiki meets sleek style about them, that there was no guessing involved. This one just poured out of me like a nice cool Hawaiian Eyes (which is Jeff’s best top secret cocktail).

I won’t lie, this is my favorite wedding hoop so far.

July 31, 2015 by Lisa Leave a Comment

WIP Meltdown + Why It’s OK

Filed Under: Life, Make Tagged With: Crafts, Embroidery

Have you ever gone into full-on meltdown mode over the most insignificant thing? Of course you have. We all do, especially us sensitive spirits.

This winter, I remember having an unnecessary and incredibly stupid pity party over a bottle of grape juice. After marathon shoveling, all I wanted was some leftover sparking grape juice from the holidays. I grabbed the bottle and twisted – nothing. My cold, weak hands could not grip that bottle tight enough and could not twist that foil cap. I sat on the floor of my kitchen and just let out a big gahhhhhh whyyyyyyyyy like adults do.

This happens.

And it happened this past weekend as I looked at an embroidery project. The project was an odd one from the get-go: a coworker asked if I could stitch a quote from the 1988 thriller They Live for him. Definitely uncharted territory for me. It started out fine – solid fonts, a decent layout, punchy color scheme – and then, after a few days of puttering, I hated it. I’ll admit it – I cried. I sat in the ugly recliner and cried over a satin-stitched quote from They Live. I lost my shit and said to Michael something akin to the following: “It’s boring and lame and the orange is too red and the green looks like boogers and all of it looks like Christmas.” Because he’s sweet and admittedly doesn’t know about colors or embroidery, he assured me it looked nice.

WIP2 — Still working on this one. Stitches to rip out, cat hair to lint roll, the works.

I’m not sure if that’s true, but sometimes you got to work through it.

I strive for perfection. But in this case, I had to take a step back and ask Is there such thing as perfection for this for me? And I had to think about it, and the answer is no. No, there’s not a world in which “I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass and I’m all out of bubble gum” is embroidered perfectly. There’s not because this sort of thing would never dawn on me. But, to the person that dreamed it up, the person that commissioned this project, someone that asked for this to be made because he could not do it himself nor would want to, a green and red-orange stitched quote about ass kicking might be just right.

• • • • •

P.S. By happenstance, this post published the day Rowdy Roddy Piper passed away. So rest in peace, Roddy. You were a righteous dude whose memory lives on through this tiny project.

July 16, 2015 by Lisa Leave a Comment

Mr. Mukki + How-To Kicker-Roo

Filed Under: Make Tagged With: Cats, Crafts

Happy times over at the cabin – we’ve got a new addition! Well, sort of. This handsome boy is Mukki, Michael’s cat. He’s a real gentleman and just about the sweetest boy around.

He’s also a little more playful than some cats around here (that’d be my Zara), so we’ve got toys all over the place. But a feisty cat like this needs more than felt mice, so I decided to whip him up something a little more substantial: a kicker-roo. You don’t know what a kicker-roo is? Well, you’re in for a treat. Bonus: this project is super easy to make and your cat will love you.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Fleece or faux fur fabric
Fiberfill
Catnip

To start, grab your fabrics. Go for something cat-friendly and fairly sturdy (to withstand all the claws and biting). I went with some fleece and low-nap faux fur that I had on hand.

The construction of this is just like making a pillow… with a tail. That means you’ll want to identical pieces for the body (the pillow part) and a smaller strip for the tail. I cut two body pieces at 12″ by 5″ and the tail 8″ by 3″, but you can cut to any size you like.

With your pieces cut, you’ll make the tail: sew the two sides, clip the corners, turn right-side out. Easy as that.

Then center this on the narrow end of one your other strip and pin it. Then give this a few good zips on the machine within the seam allowance (I just did the standard 5/8). Cats will want to tug on this part the most, so best to reinforce it now.

With the tail in place, pin the body pieces right-sides together. Sew around the perimeter, leaving a gap for the stuffing where the tail is. Same as last time, clip the corners and turn right-side out.

Now you’ll want to stuff your pillow – I mean kicker-roo. First, add a few pinches of dried catnip inside. Is it necessary? No, but it’s more fun for them. 🙂 Then just stuff your pillow with fiberfill. Don’t skimp on this part – you want it to be densely packed to stand up to lots of playtime. If you don’t have fiberfill on hand, feel free to use plastic bags – added bonus: cats love that crinkle.

To finish this project up, just stitch up the open end. You can do this by hand or make it easy on yourself and run it through the sewing machine. And with that, you’ve got your own homemade kicker-roo.

As soon as I trimmed the threads on this project, Mukki was all over it. I think he’s a pretty happy camper right now.

He could hardly stay still he was too busy playing. And below is perfect form for kicker-roo kicking. What a sassy cat.

If you give this silly thing a try, let me know what the kitties out there think!

May 14, 2015 by Lisa Leave a Comment

A Little Hoop-La

Filed Under: Life, Make Tagged With: Embroidery

I’ve got a little sales pitch for you all that I’ve been mulling over for some time. Now, almost two years ago now (holy cats), I made what I’d say was a darling little stitchery for a friend’s wedding. It was cute, had the bride and groom’s names, the wedding date and the best font of 2013: Lavenderia.

See what I mean? Not too shabby and a nice little trinket to commemorate the day that’s not champagne flutes or some cake cutting knife etched with the wedding date (not that those are bad). So when my friend Amanda got married, I figured why not make her a little ditty. And I had a blast doing it.

These projects combine a lot of things I love: embroidery, typography, design, cool people. So I’m figuring, why not try to drum up a little business stitching away peoples’ wedding dates or baby names or even quotes (I just got commissioned at work to embroider a quote from They Live)? For a reasonable price, I’m open to designing you and yours a meaningful little hoop-full.

If you’re interested, shoot me an email at heycabininthecity@gmail.com

Until then, I’ll be whipping up a belated wedding gift for my pal Kat.

April 9, 2015 by Lisa Leave a Comment

Short Story: Teacup Centerpieces

Filed Under: Make Tagged With: Flowers, Wedding

Until I was engaged, I refused to pin wedding stuff. That’s right: no “Future Wedding” board, no dream dresses, not even a checklist that says “pin now or regret forever!” My one exception was this little gem here. So I thought, if I suddenly become a millionaire, I’ll have teacup centerpieces.

Well, turns you don’t have to be rolling in it to have similar exquisite arrangements. As it so happens, all you need is a fiancé that loves tea (Michael and I have had a lot of tea parties in our day) and a few bucks.

With that one pin and our venue in mind, I headed over to my nearest Goodwill to see if they had any vintage teacups. I was of the mindset that there was no way I’d be able to find anything that fit the pre-1950s feel that I was aiming for at a Goodwill – you’d need an adorable antique store for that sort of thing. I know, I’m a Negative Nancy. But I browsed the china section and immediately found four beautiful cups and matching (or close enough) saucers all for under $5. After a few more trips I had something like 15 cups for which I paid $20. Yeah. I’m good at deals.

Well, I’ve been sitting on these cups for a while and I figured that I shouldn’t wait until the day before the wedding to try my hand at an arrangement. So I hiked over to my local grocer and picked up a bunch of ranunculus, mini hydrangeas and lemon leaves. And that’s all you need: your cups, a handful of flowers and some floral foam.

Now, I won’t give you a how-to on arranging because I’m no expert. My mom, however, is, and you can bet I’m banking on her florist skills to make these little arrangements look even better (and to maybe help me pick out some better flowers for this particular application). One pro tip I’ll leave you with: ranunculus stems are flimsy as heck. If you want to stick them into wet floral foam without them bending all over, just cut a straw the length of that stem and thread the flower through that. It will stabilize the stem and allow you to use my favorite flower of all time.

And because Michael and I are old old souls (and he’s a literature dude and I’m a writer), these babies are going to be staged on a stack of old books. Yes, I know that’s on Pinterest too, but it’s still a good idea.

January 16, 2015 by Lisa Leave a Comment

Groovy Printed Napkins, Baby

Filed Under: Make Tagged With: Crafts, Entertaining

Sometimes you want a practical little craft you can bang out in a day. You know, something you can bring as a hostess gift or a little whatnot to complete that birthday gift. This is that craft. These printed napkins are so simple, so quick and super satisfying.

Here’s what you’re going to need:

Plain cotton napkins – I got mine at JoAnn
Fabric paint – I recommend going with the Martha Stewart brand for all craft paint; it’s good on a ton of surfaces
Craft foam
Cardboard
Glue
Foam paintbrush

Now before you do anything, wash and dry those napkins (no fabric softener) to remove any coating from the fabric. This will make for smooth sailing for that fabric paint. And give them a good ironing while your going through the trouble.

OK, now that you’ve got that done, it’s time to get doodling. For this, you do you. Leaves, cat faces, initials, whatever floats your boat. I’d just advise to keep your shapes about an inch across or more. Tiny designs and ones with a lot of detail can get pretty muddy with this informal stamping method.

So doodle one design, a handful or variations on theme on your craft foam. Clip these out and glue the shapes to scraps of cardboard.

Once you’ve got your stamps in order, you can get to painting. To get a nice imprint that’s not too mottled, swipe an even coat of paint on the foam. You don’t want any globs here. Then give that stamp a whirl on some scrap paper. You want to get a feel for how it works with the right amount of paint and pressure.

I’m sure you can guess what’s next: get stamping on those napkins. Get groovy with this. Multiple colors, multiple stamps, print on one edge, print all over – it’s all you!

And it’s as simple as that. Just let these dry overnight and you’ve got some slick fabric napkins to bust out for your fanciest party or to give as gifts. These are totally washable too, so don’t be afraid to get some use out of them!

If you’ve made printed napkins before or if you make some now, I’d love to see them! Happy crafting!

December 29, 2014 by Lisa 2 Comments

Short Story: Tiered Tray

Filed Under: Make Tagged With: Crafts, Short Story

The holidays, man. I love them but boy have I been booked solid the last few weeks. Don’t worry, though, I’m back with a simple DIY that might be just the ticket for your next party: a tiered tray.

A few weeks ago when I was in a cookie competition I found myself in dire need of platters that looked at least halfway nice. Well, I didn’t want to invest too much money in cookie plates and cake stands, so I did what any sensible maker would do: I hit my local Goodwill with a plan and a few bucks.

Here’s a full list of what you’ll need when you waltz into your favorite thrift shop:

3 plates in 3 sizes
2 candlesticks
Glass/ceramic glue – I grabbed this kind by Elmer’s

Now you can figure out the rest of this, I know, but I’ll walk you through it. I grabbed three coordinating plates with the tacky 70s vibe I love and two plain candlesticks. The whole lot was $3.50. I took them home and gave them a good wash and dry.

From there, apply your glue to the candlesticks, press firmly in place and let that dry for a few minutes. Then you can move on to the other tiers, working your way from the larger plates and candlesticks to the smaller ones. Let this dry for as long as the packaging of your glue specifies. I’d also advise that if you plan on using this for serving purposes, to select an adhesive that’s low on fumes (you don’t want to taint tasty treats with that chemical smell).

This project is almost too simple but it’s a great solution when your short on cash or want a more eclectic look for your cookies, cheeses and more (heck, I’d even put craft supplies on here for a craft party).

Hope you all are having a wonderful holiday!

December 18, 2014 by Lisa Leave a Comment

Crafter Hours: Putz Houses

Filed Under: Crafternoon + Crafter Hours, Make Tagged With: Christmas, Crafter Hours, Crafts, Holidays

Whoa, you guys. This holiday season is flying by. There’s only a week until Christmas and I’ve still got crafting to do! Thankfully I’ve got some great pals that indulge me in my DIY habits.

Last week my friend Kat came over for the late night version of the crafternoon: crafter hours. Like me, Kat has an affinity for midcentury homes and oddly specific decor. This means that when she sent me over to Retro Renovation to check out some putz houses, I knew we had to give these a try.

To get us in the Christmas spirit, we cranked up our favorite Christmas jams and poured a few hot toddies. Then I pulled out a heap of craft supplies. Since this is so customizable and detailed, I won’t call this a DIY post (you can check out Retro Renovation for a complete tutorial) but maybe some inspiration/an intro to putz houses (because now I’m obsessed).

I will say that if you are looking to make these little honeys, grab all the things. Between the two of us we used:

Cardboard – cereal boxes, shipping boxes, anything you can get your hands on
X-Acto knife and mat
Paint
Glitter, obvi
Hot glue
Craft glue
Pipe cleaners – metallic, duh
Felt squares
Tissue paper
Craft foam – I picked up some glittery stuff with adhesive on the back
Mini pine trees – you can find them in the Christmas village section of your craft store

That’s a lot of stuff, I know, but chances are you avid crafters have a handful of it already.

For this project Kat used one of the templates in the links because they are adorable and classy. Because I am a fool, I insisted I make a model of my own home. Word to the wise: it will take you five times longer and test your geometry skills. But either way you go with this project, straight lines and careful cutting are key. Kat was very deliberate about her house and I was – despite my perfectionist nature – less interested in straight lines and more interested in getting the proportions right.

You can also see that I was not interested in a clean workspace. We both needed every possible thing at any given moment. In the end though, I was very pleased with my rendition. Cedar siding? Check. Tiny windows everywhere? Got it. New roof? Done and done.

Kat’s turned out so perfectly. I loved the nontraditional coloring on hers and how petite it is! I can’t get over it. Right now we each only have one lonely house, so I think we might need a second session to build up the neighborhood.

Hope this got you in the holiday spirit! Let me know if you’ve mad these before (or are planning on making one). I’d love to see!

December 16, 2014 by Lisa 1 Comment

Prize-Winning Cream Cheese Pillows

Filed Under: Make Tagged With: Baking, Christmas, Holidays, Recipes

Here it is, like I promised, the recipe for my favorite Christmas cookie and award-winning confection: cream cheese pillows.

My mom has been making these forever. The recipe is a favorite from her collection of Wisconsin Electric Company cookbooks. You can find it in the 1968 edition, and if you’re curious, the whole set is available in PDF form online – pretty rad.

To make these you’ll need:

1 cup flour
3 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
Jam
Cinnamon sugar

To start, cream softened butter and cream cheese together. Once those are blended, mix in the flour. Once you’ve got a nice dough, wrap it in wax paper and chill for a half hour (or more). And you read that right – there’s zero sugar in this dough. It’s surprising, I know, but these get all their sweetness from the jam and cinnamon sugar later.

Once your dough is chilled, dust with a little flour and roll it out to about ¼” thick. Then you’ll cut out circles. I used this little cordial glass to get the right size – about 1 ½”.

Then you want to break out that jam. I used a few tablespoons of black raspberry jam stirred up with about a teaspoon of water just to make it smoother consistency. Spoon the tiniest drop into the center of your circles. You seriously don’t want more than just a pony bead-sized amount, otherwise it will seep out all over the place.

Next, you’ll wet the outside of each circle with a little bit of water. You could use a little pastry brush if you want, but your finger will do the job just fine. Then crimp each half circle together with a fork. You can dip the fork in a little flour if needed to prevent it from sticking. They’ll end up looking like awesome little cookie calzones.

Then pop them into the oven at 375ºF for 13-14 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden. As soon you take them out of the oven, toss them in a bowl full of cinnamon sugar. Then place on a rack (or paper bag) to cool.

Like I said, these were a hit. Give them a try and let me know what you think!

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