Team Rierra

July 19, 2013 | leftylex

Can I theatre geek you out for a minute? Or maybe for this entire post. Yes? Why, thank you! We haven’t chatted about theatre in a bit and I’m dying to so play along, won’t you?

Okay, I want to talk about Team Rierra. What, you have no idea what Team Rierra is? Well then friend, you are in for a treat! Team Rierra is composed of Canadian star Ramin Karimloo and American cutie Sierra Boggess.

Among others, they have starred together in Phantom of the Opera as the Phantom (Eric) and Christine Daaé and they starred in the sequel to Phantom, called Love Never Dies. They. Are. Magical.

That romantic chemistry… oh my! Their chemistry is probably the best of any two actors who have ever graced the stage! They are adorable. But, he’s married and she’s engaged. (Insert sad sigh here.) The romantic in me wants them to be together. However, the realist in me thinks that I would be very, very concerned if I were either of their significant others. Watch the clip below and tell me that you wouldn’t be a tad bit nervous. This is part 4 of a 4 segmented interview; and all other clips are on Youtube if you’re so inclined.

I am not alone in my love for Team Rierra. Hardly. There is a whole giant theatre geek movement with endless social media accounts dedicated to the two of them

And at the rate of completely embarrassing dear Husband, I am going to share a story that made me fall even more in love with him a few weeks ago. I was in my office listening to some Broadway station on Pandora when “Beneath A Moonless Sky” (from Love Never Dies) began playing. I, in attempt to be a smart Alec, asked Husband who was singing the song. He paused for a second, listened to a few lines, then said “Ramin Karimloo”. I was astonished! So I prompted further, and asked who Ramin was singing with. He listened for another line or two then said “Sierra Boggess”. I was in love all over again! This was immediately followed by him saying, “See Wife, I listen to you.”. What a fabulous man that I am married to! (Now keep that between us, I don’t think he would want you to know that!)

You are officially Lefty Lex theatre-geeked out now. Have a happy Thursday, carry on!

Christmas in July

July 18, 2013July 18, 2013 | leftylex

Hello and happy Wednesday! Today marks three more days until my last craft fair of the summer… I think. I love doing fairs but while they can be exciting, they are also exhausting!

I am, however, looking forward to this particular fair for a few reasons:

It’s going to be a small fair,
I’m sharing a booth with my crafty pal, Kate of Small and Great Crochet (!!!),
This fair’s theme is Christmas (and I had a lot of Christmas items left from last year!)
I get to have conversations with other individuals who support the handmade movement!

This fair is being hosted by the Granite Hills High School Choir from 8AM to 3PM at 1719 E. Madison Ave in El Cajon, CA. You’ll see our little blue 10×10 pop-up in the parking lot. And (if you can keep a secret), we’ll be the ones with a Christmas tree in our booth! Sshhhh! We thought that we were so clever with that idea. Little crafty geniuses.

Click here to check out the event’s Facebook page and to see which other vendors will be there along side us: https://www.facebook.com/events/167172560128811/.

And you can read what Kate’s saying about Christmas in July here: http://www.smallandgreat.com/events. You can also shop Small and Great here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/smallandgreat.

If you’re a local San Diegan, then I hope to see you there!

Important & Personal News

July 11, 2013 | leftylex

Hello! Remember me? I know, I know, I’ve been the world’s worst blogger as of late. It’s not that I do not love sharing with you; it’s just that I have been so insanely busy in my little corner of the planet.

Now, time to get personal. Okay, the entire vision/purpose of Lefty Lex Creations shifted a few months ago from something that I enjoyed doing/a goal that I had set for myself to its current mission: Operation Adoption Fundraiser! I share this because yesterday was my 29 ½ birthday. (Yah, happy halfie to me!). Now normally people over the age of 9 do not give a hoot and holler over half birthdays, right? And it is certainly every woman’s lifelong goal to never reveal her age; especially if she’s hitting a milestone year. However, I am broadcasting my 29 1/2th because it means that I have exactly six months until Husband and I can officially submit our application to adopt from China! Hoorray!!!

Now, there is still MUCH to be done in between now and January 10^th. One of the largest being fundraising. Husband and I are very smart with our money and are not lavish people; so we have saved a healthy amount towards our adoption over the past year or so. However you would be amazed at how much an adoption costs!

The “average” Chinese adoption costs between $27,000-$35,000. Um, yikes? Why so much? (This is the question that usually follows when I astonish people with those numbers). Well, a bunch of little adoption fees add up to one giant expense overall. Application fee: $500. Homestudy: $4,000. Dossier fee: $800. Orphanage donation: $7,000. Child’s Visa: $380. Closing an adoption and brining your child home: priceless. (Sorry, I couldn’t refuse; the list was beginning to sound like a bad credit card commercial!). Obviously, the fees I listed are not the only one associated with adoption, but you get the gist.

I share this all to explain why I’ve been blog MIA. I have been working my little butt off on custom orders and preparing for craft fair after craft fair after craft fair. All of this because I want to be a mom and we need funds in order to make that a reality. If that means that I have to continue waking up at 5AM and put 3 hours of Lefty Lex work in before going to the office and then picking up the stitching again as soon as I’m home and put in a few more hours, then so be it. I’m not looking for pity here, I’m just sharing. And if you have a rich uncle who wants to donate to our adoption, by all means, send him our way!

In the meanwhile, I encourage you to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and (best of all) Instagram and if you see something that you like, I’d be more than happy to sell it to you. I also do custom orders (which I absolutely love) so if you don’t see what you’re looking for, then just ask. I will be starting bi-weekly Insta-sales, so I’d encourage those of you on Instagram to follow @leftylex.

Geez, I can be wordy! Well, hopefully I didn’t bore you all to death, and if you’ve made it this far I applaud you. And I’ll reward you with this tidbit. When shopping at my Etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/LeftyLexCreations), use coupon code: ADOPT to receive 15% off all purchase of $18+. And please, pass the word along! Thanks for listening to me ramble, I’ll see you all soon.

Round 2: Two Shabby Sisters Craft Sale!

June 27, 2013 | leftylex

It would appear that I am a glutton for pain. Yes, I am doing yet another craft fair this weekend… in just 4 days!

Remember the lovely girls from Two Shabby Sisters? If you don’t, then do yourself a favor and click here: https://leftylex.com/2013/06/20/sdicm-vendor-two-shabby-sisters/. Well, they have decided to unload of a few more of their leftover SDICM lovelies by having a fair of their own and asked if I would like to join them. Of course! Needless to say, I am going to be stitching my little heart out for the next 3 days so that I am well stocked for the TSSCS. Wish me luck!

And what providence, I haven’t unloaded my car yet!

If your’re in the SoCal area, please stop on by. More details can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/TwoShabbySisters?fref=ts

And here’s my tiny ad here: http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/eve/3896049403.html be sure to pass this along. Cheers!

Weekend Wrap-Up: SDICM

June 25, 2013June 25, 2013 | leftylex

It is over!!! The San Diego Indie Craft Market was the big to-do this weekend, and I’d like to report that it was a success. Whew, what a relief! And today, your’s truly (who usually wakes up at 5AM) slept in until 6:47AM… that’s almost 2 extra hours! I justified it as being my reward for a job well done at SDICM. That’s justifiable… right?

Let’s start at the beginning. The initial 30 minutes of vendors setting up for a craft show looks something like day 2 of Extreme Home Makeover. You know, the demolition has already been done and a slew of contractors and laborers are running every which way with PVC pipe, wood beams, drywall, etc. Yes, that is almost exactly what initial set up of a fair looks like!

But instead of home building supplies and (generally) men, you have a flock of chicks running in and out of the building with tables, tablecloths, backdrops made of pegboard, wood, fencing, fabric, etc. And most importantly, their handmade lovelies! There is, of course, always the endearing (and no doubt begrudging) husband who assists his frantic wife during these crazy moments; my own husband was counted among these brave soldiers this time. Thanks, boys! The lucky husbands are free to leave once set-up is completed, but some poor souls get trapped into playing assistant during the entire fair. I was fortunate enough to have Momma Lex help me out once the fair craziness actually began. Thanks, Mom!

I was also fortunate enough to be back-to-back with my buddy Kate of Small and Great Crochet and Emily of Lovenote Crafts. Both of their booths were ridiculously adorable and I hate the fact that I was so busy that I couldn’t walk around the fair and take pictures as proof of just how amazing all of the booths looked. You’ll just have to take my word on it; I wouldn’t steer you wrong. Being next to Kate and Emily was lovely and I was genuinely so happy whenever I saw them make a sale. I did a cheesy dance and round of applause when I saw that Kate made a pretty big sale to a family who purchased a few of her items, including an adorable crochet octopus (the mom had a half-sleeve octopus tatoo)!

I did have a few beefs with the venue; namely, my booth space was so incredibly dark that you really could not see the colors of my embroidered pretties. (The photos above have been heavily brightened.) This killed me! I take painstakingly care over selecting just the right shade of a particular color when creating a piece, so the fact that all 6 shades of purple on an ombre hoop looked like only one shade of purple was extremely frustrating. I was not happy. The closer a customer stood to my display, the greater their cast shadow became. It was torture. And I’m sure my mom was tired of hearing me complain about it.

Overall, the highlight of my day was definitely meeting my fellow vendors. I absolutely love meeting other creative souls, and I hope to play vendor again with these lovely ladies… and soon! It almost felt like the first day of school when you walk into your classroom and look at a sea of faces; some familiar, some unfamiliar but all friendly. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: all craft fairs should close their doors to the public and remain open for vendors to shop (or swap) each other’s booths for at least 20 minutes. I was so sad that I was not able to experience all of the handmade goodness that was created by all of the SDICM vendors. All the more reason for the second round of the San Diego Indie Craft Market to come along very soon!

SDICM Final Push!

June 22, 2013 | leftylex

With the San Diego Indie Craft Market just 2 short days away, the final push has come upon us! And while I feel surprisingly calm (this time around), I have read several nervous FB posts, Tweets, and Insta-posts from my fellow vendors. I cannot figure out (for the life of me) why some of these extremely talented ladies have butterflies! The crafts(wo)manship of this fair is going to be phenomenal! Several vendors and I have agreed that we need to have our own vendor swap after the customers leave… I have already eyed about 10 lovelies that I would kill for!

L to R: Stitched. desk, Two Shabby Sisters armoire, Two Shabby Sisters wooden signs

L to R: Jill’s Eclectic Designs, Vaux Swift Jewelry, Small and Great Crochet

Top to Bottom: JustPeachyKeen, Lovenote Crafts

Are you dying of cuteness yet? I am! Giddy anticipation is now greatly increasing in my belly. I am so excited to see all of these pretties in person! I hope you all enjoy your evening, it looks like I still have my work cut out for me. Happy Friday!

SDICM Vendor: Wyng’d Lyon Creations

June 20, 2013 | leftylex

Today is the final day of the San Diego Indie Craft Market vendor highlights. Are you sad? I’ve had so much fun meeting the other talented women that I will be selling alongside with. And today is no exception, so without further delay, let’s meet our final vendor, Wyng’d Lyon Creations.

Please introduce yourself to the good people! My name is Colleen and I’m the owner of Wyng’d Lyon Creations. I started sewing at the age of 7 and haven’t stopped since. Wyng’d Lyon has been my creative outlet to the public for over 12 years now and my creations vary from simple doll clothing to elaborate Halloween and Victorian costumes. I also I like to dabble in the world of painting, wood burning, needle work and other various arts and crafts. My business has taken over so much of my home, I actually took a leap of faith and moved my entire operation to an off site space where I do all my sewing and meet with clients by appointment. In addition to my creative process, I also carry handmade art and other creations from some close friends.

And what type of treasures do you make? A little bit of everything. Though, mostly I make men’s Steampunk clothing and accessories, apothecary bottles, wood burned and painted boxes, and whatever other works of art my brain comes up with.

What are your favorite materials of choice and what do you like to create with them? My favorite material would be fabric, mostly natural fibers, like silk, cotton, linen as well and working with various brocades.History is my biggest influence and inspiration for creating things. I love the time and artisan work that is put into things in the past and their general durability and craftsmanship.

Care to show us your five favorite creations?

1.) Mina dress (not for sale), 2.) men’s vests, 3.) decorated boxes, 4). apothecary bottles, and 5.) Day of the Dead skull.

And lastly, where can the good people find you online?

Website: http://wyngdlyon.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WyngdLyonCreations
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wynglyncreation
Blog: http://blog.wyngdlyon.com

Stop by this Sunday’s San Diego Indie Craft Market (info here: https://www.facebook.com/SDIndieCraftMarket) and say hello to Colleen! You can also visit Wyng’d Lyon’s Etsy shop by clicking here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/wyngdlyon. And don’t forget the importance of buying handmade!

SDICM Vendor: Two Shabby Sisters

June 20, 2013 | leftylex

I’m going to be completely honest and tell you that I have a major design crush on today’s SDICM vendor. I guarantee that you will become admirers too, just take a look at their lovelies! We’re dealing with a dynamic duo today, Two Shabby Sisters!

Please tell us who you are and what you do? We are Jennifer Ciani and Morgan Olinger, best friends (more like ‘sisters’), military wives and stay-at-home mommies, who share the same passion for giving new life to old vintage furniture finds and creating unique shabby chic home decor.

What types of lovelies do you make? A little bit of everything! We started our company out refinishing and repuropsing vintage furniture and giving it new life but have now expanded to offer a variety of products, from hand painted custom signs to hand sewn burp cloths, diaper cakes, lampshades, message/ memo boards, picture frames… You name it, we probably make it! Not only do they “make” it, they make it extremely well, I want to live in a world of their creations!

Since you are so diverse do you still have a single favorite material? We solely use chalk paint on all of our hand painted products and furniture pieces. We love choosing materials that are natural and eco-friendly.

So what and/or who is the inspiration behind your creativity? Jennifer: My inspiration first and foremost comes from my great-grandfather, who from as far back as I can remember pushed me to follow my creativity. As a young man, he landed a job as a window display artist for Sears department store, along with hand painting signs for their store displays. He had to leave his career to serve in WWII, but eventually returned to the job that he loved. He instilled in me that nothing can come between you and the passion that you have to create. He pushed me to share my talent with the ‘world’. My second inspiration is my grandmother, who is now 84 and still full of life and creativity! She noticed my creativity from a young age and encouraged me to create. She took me to countless craft and street fairs as a little girl. It was my dream to one day be one of those “crafty ladies” with my own booth! And lastly, the biggest inspiration in my life is my Mother. She not only was my biggest cheerleader, she taught me everything that I know. She kept a spotless ‘model home’ worthy house, she could sew just about anything and juggled raising two children while running a business from home. She did it all. Unfortunately, I lost my mother to lung cancer in late 2011 while I was pregnant with my Daughter. It is because of her guidance, encouragement and example that I have followed my dreams!

Morgan: My inspiration comes my grandfather and grandmother. As a child, I grew up watching my grandmother sew and create crafts for her church craft fairs. My mother is another huge inspiration to me, watching her re-create old “junk” into one of a kind treasures thanks to all of my dad’s FREE ally scores! As he says, “The only trash there is, is something that the earth can absorb. Everything else can be recycled into something new.” Creativity runs in my blood!

It’s obvious that both of these ladies were born into families that fostered and championed their creativity. And even as an outsider, I’m confident that their families must be so proud of their talents and willingness to put that creativity to use!

Back to the topic at hand. Would you like to share your five favorite products with us?

And finally, where can the good people find you on social media, Etsy, and other sites?

Blog: TwoShabbySisters.blogspot.com

Etsy: Etsy.com/shop/TwoShabbySistersShop (coming soon!)

Facebook: Facebook.com/TwoShabbySisters

Email: TwoShabbySisters@gmail.com

Instagram: @TwoShabbySisters

Needless to say, I’m a giant fan of Two Shabby Sisters and hope that you now are too. Make sure to stop by the San Diego Indie Craft Market on 6/23 and say hello to Jennifer and Morgan! Click here for info: https://www.facebook.com/events/366212010146804/?fref=ts. If you follow them on Instagram you’ll get a sneak peak of the goodies that will be accompanying them to the SDICM!

(And just because I seriously cannot help myself, here are two more adorable Two Shabby Sisters creations!)

SDICM Vendor: Lefty Lex Creations

June 19, 2013June 22, 2013 | leftylex

Yup, I am now going to highlight myself! Those of you who are regulars to the blog already know about me, but those of you who are are new-comers around here are not yet so familiar. So allow me to introduce myself.

Who I am and why I do! I’m Alexcis and I’m the owner of Lefty Lex Creations. I became interested in handmade items about five years ago and began putting my 8th grade Home Ec sewing skills to use making baby quilts for friends. I loved the creative process and being able to give something that I had personally made, not store-bought, but had to put that creativity on hold for a few years while I completed grad school. Once graduation was over my poor brain was dying for a creative release and I became consumed with sewing, knitting, and (most recently and fervently) hand embroidery! Since then I have not been seen without some form of craft in my hand. I stitch whenever and wherever I possibly can; I’m obsessed!

What lovelies do I make? While I do occasionally sew and knit still, embroidery is my primary art form and embroidered hoop art is what I enjoy creating the most. Embroidered hoop art is an embroidered design, on a piece of fabric, that is affixed to a wooden embroidery hoop. Was that technical enough for you? Hoop art is basically decor; it can be wall decor or it can be placed in a plate holder to fancy up a shelf, desk, table, etc. I also like using the teeny tiny 3″ hoops as added flair when gift-wrapping presents!

Favorite tools of the trade? This is the thing that I love most about embroidery… the materials are so basic! My favorite embroidery supplies are small wooden hoops (never mind that plastic nonsense!), DMC embroidery floss, and quality solid, colored fabric. I have been drawn to muslin and lace lately but I typically love all the bright colors found in Robert Kauffman’s Quilter’s Tweed line. Love them!

What inspires me to create? Creating is first and foremost, an artistic release for me. There is nothing like picking up a needle and floss after being glued to a computer screen for 8 hours in the office! But my primary reason for selling my creations is to raise funds for my adoption! My husband and I are in the embarking upon an international adoption and it is going to cost around $32,000 to bring our little one home from China. So, I suppose, my true inspiration is create is parenthood; we are very anxious to become parents!

My five favorite creations.

1.) Talking heads: I adore these colorful silhouettes and have probably made many more than I will ever need (or sell)! I love their simplicity yet their boldness. 2.) Art Deco Randomness: I love the colors and whimsy of this piece. I just let the needle move where it wanted to and this was the final product! 3.) Bride & Groom hoops: I made my first set of these hoops for my brother and sister-in-law’s wedding but have sold quite a few pairs since then. They are fun little props to use at a bridal shower or on the big day itself. 4.) Happy Thoughts in Ombre: I used fly stitches and monochromatic color palettes to create lovely ombre effects in every color of the rainbow. If you’re looking for a certain color, it’ll be with me at the fair! 5.) Embroidered Lace Necklaces: I inherited yardage of vintage lace with stains throughout so the only logical solution was to cut it up into pieces and use them as necklaces! The designs are very simple but make a big impact.

And that’s me in a nutshell, folks! Feel free to follow me on social media at:

Blog: https://leftylex.com/
Vine: Lefty Lex
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeftyLexCreations
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeftyLexTweets
Instagram: @leftylex

You can also find my products on Etsy by clicking here:http://www.etsy.com/shop/LeftyLexCreations! And don’t forget to visit me this weekend at the San Diego Indie Craft Market. Just 5 short days! For more info click here: https://www.facebook.com/events/366212010146804/?fref=ts. I look forward to seeing you around!

leftylex

stitches on a mission

Handmade