BloodHoney Designs

Passion. Fashion. Combined with needles and thread.

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A week or so ago, my friend asked if I could whip up a pair of dreadlock hair falls so she could wear them at DragonCon. She knew what colors she wanted and then gave me artistic control. I love it when it works out like that! I get a mixture of emotions. Proud that someone would trust me that much, nervous that I can create something that will exceed expectation. I am very happy with how these turned out. And the owner of these babies seemed quite pleased as well.

I used black, burgundy, bright red, and a blend of black and burgundy. For the black and burgundy color, I hand-blended equal part of each color together. It was a time-consuming task, but looks so lovely and natural. There are also strands of silver glitter Rexlace for sparkle.

Nothing to show off this time around. That’s not to say that I haven’t been keeping busy though.

Last week I started working on what I have previously assumed to be a simple dress. The pattern I drafted seems straightforward. Halter top with shirring across the midsection, and a long, flowing skirt. An easy dress I can toss on and be comfortable yet fashionable on these hot days. It sounded lovely. Unfortunately, I did not think it out thoroughly. The top didn’t fit, so I kept cutting and fitting the sides until it was too small and revealing. I did the shirring on the midsection before attaching all the other pieces, with would have made project so much easier had I waited. I forgot to attach the lining while sewing on the skirt. I’m tempted to just toss the whole thing away as a lost cause but so much fabric has gone into it. My beloved pink spider fabric, at that! The dress is laying across the ironing board, waiting for me to come back to it.

The painting is drying after a couple coats of varnish had been applied. I’ll put it up for sale on ArtFire soon. I’m not sure what price to ask for though. I put a lot of time and effort into it, and it seems as though even the most skilled painters are asking for dirt in exchange for their art. It’s a little disheartening. But I’ll ask for what I feel is a suitable amount and hope that the image appeals to the right audience.

There are other projects in the works, but I’m keeping my lips sealed until they are completed. Wait and watch!

In my previous entry I wrote about how I’m trying my hand at painting again. Unfortunately, I think I’m hooked. Acrylic paints make it so easy to paint a canvas full of rich, vibrant color. I was so nervous when I sketched the design on the canvas because I had no idea what the results would be. To be honest, what you see here is nothing like I would have guessed.

I knew what I wanted the focus to be. The Maneki Neko, or Japanese lucky cat. When I was a very young child, for a short period my family and I lived in Japan. Lucky cat statues were everywhere- in the entryway of corner stores, sitting on the counters at restaurants, even my brother had a coin bank in the shape of this cat. I never had one, so this painting would be it. The decor of our home is in silver and black, so I felt a painting of a white cat against a silver background would fit in. But as I was painting, I realized that I had forgotten to pick a color for the cat’s color. A bright fuchsia sounded nice. After the cat was completed, it looked so alone in a big canvas of silver. I sketched branches of cherry blossoms, but that seemed too difficult and out of place with the cartoonish critter in the middle. Stars! That playful pentagram sounded perfect.

I am overjoyed and so proud… and will probably put this up for sale. What I originally pictured in my head was a painting I could hang in our office or living room, but what I ended up with is a bold and playful picture that would look odd against our modern, sleek furniture. I don’t mind a bit though. I would be honored to have this happy kitty bring luck to someone’s home. If you want it, drop me a message.

Oh my, where does the time go? I’ve been arms deep in so many projects that I plum forgot to show them off! Most of my attention has been focused on a totally new territory- acrylic paints. When I was much younger, I was quite comfortable with watercolors (all modesty aside). But over time I grew irritated with the paintings I made. What I put on paper didn’t stand up to my expectations. I put painting aside and moved on to other activities. Now I’m going to give painting another shot. So far, I’m really enjoying the act of painting itself. Enjoying the warm weather and quiet while I’m painting outside on the balcony.

The weather moved me to create these tasty hairpieces. Okay, the weather, and a strange infliction- the terrible attack of the sweet tooth. Candy and cool spring days conjured up this-

Cotton candy pink, canary yellow, grass green, sky blue, and lavender. I think it would look lovely mixed with blonde, but we’ll see if that ever comes to be.

Getting a little quiet in here, isn’t it? I promise it’s for good reason though! My husband changed my laptop over to Linix so my photos and files are backed up elsewhere. And we’ve been busy preparing for a friend coming to stay with us.

I scrubbed the kitchen floors, the grout in the bathroom, even the walls in our bedroom! If you haven’t picked up a bottle of bleach for cleaning purposes, I highly recommend it. But follow the directions! You only need a little and you will need a lot of ventilation.

It was while scrubbing the bathtub that I had a moment of creative genius. I was so concerned with getting the bleach on my clothes, I realized, ‘wouldn’t it be easy to create a design on a tee shirt using this stuff?’ Of course! I like using fabric paint and screenprinting, but washing and stretching the fabric causing the image to crack and look old. But bleach would never be altered. It’s with this thought that I eyed a plain black tee shirt and went to work.

Mind you, this was entirely spur of the moment, so there may be a better way of doing it. But this was mine. First, a tee shirt. I used a plain black one from American Appareal. Second, a piece of cardboard (I used a flatten box) to slide inside the shirt. You don’t want the bleach to seap through to the back, do you? Third, an image. I picked something incredibly simple. I used parchment paper, but anything that is non-absorbant will work.

After taping the image to the shirt, apply bleach. You could use a spray bottle, but I didn’t have one on hand. So I used cotton balls. I dabbed the bleach onto the shirt, and within minutes, you could see the black turning to yellow. It’s quick, so keep a close eye on it! You don’t need much bleach either. You can always add more, but you can’t take it out.

Wash it. Wash it thoroughly. The bleach will continue to do it’s job until you completely wash it out. I dunked it in my clean tub full of hot water and scrubbed it for more time than was neccesary. I can’t emphasis enough how you need to make sure the bleach is out! Wash wash wash. Then hang to dry or stick in the dryer.

Tada! Alright, it’s not fabulous. But it’s a step up from a boring tee shirt. Maybe I’ll add a couple small hearts on the back. Now that you know what to do, go raid your cleaning supplies and give it a try!

Weeks ago, I was reflecting on what drives me to create. The plain and simple answer is ‘inspiration.’ It can be as straight-forward as the design printed on fabric or as obscure as a candle’s glowing wick. The latter is the justification for these dreadlock hair falls.

Fire is fantastic! It’s a destructive force, but so beautiful at the same time. Touch it and risk being burned. But you can put your hands all over these! I think I captured the brightness and color of a blaze. Neon yellow, warm canary yellow, pumpkin orange, spicy red, and a dark burgundy. They’re not for me though- they could be yours! I will be offering them for sale through Etsy eventually.

Remember that creepy fabric? Here it is! It wasn’t as easy as a swipe under the sewing machine though. When I drafted the pattern, I was far too generous with the sizing. After I pinned all the pieces together and slipped into it, the dress looked like an oversize sack. After widening and lengthening the darts and taking in the sides, all was well.

I feel like a princess! The sash at the waist ties into the bow in the back is like icing to the cake. The fabric is light and airy, perfect for the current humid and hot summer I’m ‘enjoying.’ But to ensure that a breeze doesn’t blow anything up, there’s a length of bias tape hidden in the hem of the skirt to keep it laying down and out.

I have a small pile of scrap fabric leftover. I can’t bring myself to throw it away, but I’ve come up with an ingenious project. I feel very proud of my cleverness, so you’re going to stay in the dark until it’s done. I will tell you it involves quilting, a zipper, and some sort of animal.

It’s no small secret to those who know me that I have a soft spot for zombies. At times they’re even a source of inspiration for me. Many weeks ago I even had a dream I was a zombie! My clothes were worn and full of holes, and my hair was a knotted mess full of debris and the odd animal bone. I have no control over my subconscious! But it makes for interesting craft visions.

I am not going out and scouring the hillsides for chicken bones, so that leaves man-made materials like clay. I’ve flipped through books on the subject but have never actually touched the stuff. Totally by coincidence, the craft store was having a sale on the Sculpey polymer clays. I dived straight in and picked up white, silver, and translucent Premo! Sculpey. I had the image of what I wanted in my mind, so I went home and started rolling out thin lengths from each color. I really can’t emphasize how difficult it actually was though. Once warmed by my hands, it was a dream to play with. But right out of the package, it was crumbly and hard. I was worried it was too old and wouldn’t work! But after a bit of twisting and pushing, it relented and was so much fun.

I wanted the obvious ‘bone’ shape but an element of playfulness, so I worked it into the shape you see here. I baked it just a touch too long so there’s a slight tan shade on the back of two of them, but I would say it’s a great result for someone who’s never touched the stuff. Anyway, after letting them completely cool, I coated them in a high-gloss glaze. The silver is full of mica so it shimmers too. It’s really quite pretty, if I can say so.

I have a bunch of Sculpey left so I’m toying with the idea of making a few and offering them up for sale. Sculpey comes in a wide range of fantastic colors and effects, so I’m also tempted to pick up bold colors. Purple and green? Pink and yellow? When I’m standing in front of an isle full of choices, I’m equally elated and frustrated. What do you think I should do?

Have you heard that saying about idle hands? Well, my hands have been very busy indeed! But I’m not going to spill all the details just yet. I have a lot of wonderful hairpieces  that need to be mounted on elastic before I can take pictures to show off. But I can give you a sneak peak into a sewing project I’m in the middle of.

Can you imagine I spent the afternoon drafting out the pattern for a dress? It’s a simple enough design, but I never take into account how much time it eats up. Every detail needs to be correct and all measurements right before I cut into the fabric. And oh, the fabric..

I picked up four yards of this fun fabric while on a trip through Pennsylvania. It was waiting right at the door of the fabric shop, as if just for me! It’s black cotton with the words printed in metallic silver. A JoAnn’s seasonal exclusive design, so there’s no chance I’ll ever come across it again. It’s going to make an adorably creepy dress!

My husband recently landed a fantastic new job, which means a whole new wardrobe. I’ve been hemming pants and altering shirts. It’s satisfying to transform a pair of loose pants into perfectly tailored slacks, and he’s so appreciative of my help. But I wanted to do something.. girly. And what’s more feminine than a big ol’ flower?

Making delightful hair clips is nothing new, but I like to think I put my own twist to it. Instead of glue and glitter, I used iridescent fabric paint along the edges of the petals. That way I get the sparkle without worrying about wearing it and looking like I have shiny dandruff because the glitter shook off. The center is full of glow in the dark fabric paint and rhinestones.

These are much larger than the pictures lead you to believe. Four or five inches across, you won’t miss them when they’re worn!