Here we go again

I didn't think I could have said or written the word "postcard" more often in the past week than I have. Postcard this, postcard that. I love postcards, I really do. All of the postcards are sent, people! If you gave me your address, your postcard is in the mail. Or already in your hot little hands, which ever the case may be.


While we're talking about postcards, here is my all time favorite one. Noon. So random and cute. Thanks Jim!


I'm sorry, I am feeling very loopy. It must be the fact that I've typed postcard 7 times in this post. Well 8 times if you count that last time.

You have my solemn vow to never mention postcards again here. Too much of a good thing, I guess.

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Winners, earth hours, preview, oh my!

Happy Weekend everyone! The winners in the U Create/ Brassy Apple e-book giveaway have been posted! Skip on over to see if you are a lucky winner!

On another note, did you know that today is Earth Hours day? Join millions across the globe as everyone "powers down" for 1 hour. Between 8:30pm - 9:30 pm turn off all your non essential lights and appliances. They have some beautiful photos posted from last year and a few from this year in parts of the world where the Earth hour has already come and gone. A great teaching opp. for you and your kiddos - and it could be really fun to "camp" out in the house tonight for 1 hour. Hmmmm......maybe we will break out the marshmellows and roast them over candlelight. *snicker*

Also, is it getting "Haute" in here??? I will post more about my new pattern on Monday! If you are a retailer and interested in more information on how to order, please visit here.

Oh and if you didn't win in the giveaway this go 'round, in about a week I will be having another one giveaway - HERE on my blog. It's Perfect for Mother's day and worth $50.00!!! Don't miss out! shhhhh!!!

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Global Success

I've found lots of postcard matches and I've got a big stack already to go. Now I just need your addresses, folks.

If you wanted one (and even if you didn't comment!) email me your address and preferred locales to aemerrick(at)gmail(dot)com, I'll send you a little treat even if I can't match up you with a postcard.

PS- There are Canadian and UK postcards, please give me a reason to buy pretty overseas stamps!

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SALE Time.....

All my Andalucia Skinny Scarves are on sale starting today! Snatch one up for a steal of a price!

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iPhone icons

Actual web design

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"U Create" a project giveaway!

Happy Monday Morning! It is Spring Break time here and we are hoping for a week of great weather! If you stopped by my blog this weekend then you saw the sneak peek post about a giveaway coming up TODAY! You may have noticed that I am now "tweeting" on twitter! I'd love to tweet with you!

Kari from U Create has teamed up with me for a "creative" giveaway this week! (just love her blog!!!) 4 lucky winners will receive a Brassy Apple ebook! Simply visit Kari's giveaway post on U Create HERE and follow the instructions! It's easy peasy.





Make it a great day!

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I'm Tweeting!!!

Ok I'm slow to jump on the tweeting bandwagon..........but I'm riding it now! I'm still new and navigating myself around but I'd love to tweet with you! Help me find you :)

Plus I have a twitter widget on my right sidebar that will give my most recent updates. So in between blogging you can see what I'm up to!

Can't wait to tweet with you!!

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Going Postal

My love for all things mail related is no secret. I've talked about my favorite kind of stamps, mailing supplies, my cross country letter writing campaigns, I could go on and on. I really love the US postal service.

So imagine my unbounded joy when a few years back I found these, a set of over 200 old postcards at a Provincetown thrift shop, all together just $10!

Collected from all over the country (and a bit heavily in California, I might add), they're mostly blank, some are oldies and lots are from the 40's and 50's.


Dozens have already been sent out to my friends in the past few years and a ton still remain.

Help me get rid of my worldly possessions and tell me where you're from and I'll try to find you a match. Not a lot of East Coasters, but lets try anyway.

Modesto, anyone? I've got a ton of those.

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want to know a secret?.......

Hello my "Brassy" weekend blog readers! I'm am so thrilled that Spring has arrived! There is nothing like Spring sunlight, warm wind and things starting to green up to put me in a good mood!

If you are surfing around this weekend and happened to stop by - welcome and hello! I'll let you in a secret since you are here :)

(typed in my best whisper voice)...........On monday I will be announcing a giveaway!

So if your interest has been peaked - see you back here then! Ta ta for now..........back to work for me! xo ~Meg

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Are you a little "brassy"?

Introducing my Miss Brassy" Applique Pattern ebook!

Just added to my website and ready to come flying into your inbox and be created into something GREAT!

These are my FAVORITE designs that I have sketched up - mainly for women - but the ebook gives you some examples and photos of how to use them in little girls fashion and for your home too! I know there are lots of "brassy" women out there! Add some punch and character with these applique patterns!

Don't forget to upload and share what you create using these patterns in the Brassy Apple Flickr Group!

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Apple or BlackBerry?

Apple the roller should answer on bottom advertising.
It is interesting, whether continuation, how in well-known history with motorcar giants will follow?

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Who here the Boss!?

The BlackBerry Bullet Takes a BIG BITE out of Apple!

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Gypsy Caravan

I literally had to stumble over a big pile of garbage to snatch these photos from the top of a newspaper pile at my favorite hidden gem junk shop.

Sometimes you can forget that there are wonderful little pockets of truth in folklore. For example, gypsies really did exist and so did their head scarves. Case in point.

They also made adorable matching mother/daughter dresses. That little girl makes me want to cry she's so cute.

Sometimes they prematurely shaved there heads (on the right) and looked like amazing carnival strong men. Or carnival strong men looked them them.

Anyone still keeping up with Hebrew? All I got is 1925.

My big sis is going to have her own gypsy caravan one day, complete with homemade dresses and painted wagons, so I had to send these to her.

Until that day comes, I'll just have to wear more silk scarves while practicing my dark and mysterious pout.

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Back to the cat.

His name is Bertie. Like Gilbert Blythe, Bertie Botts (I'm outed as a massive HP nerd) or Sesame Street.

He is adorable. He is charming. He is handsome. He is a cheeky little monster. He fell behind the stove yesterday and was there for about 6 hours. Not a single peep.


I though he kamikazed out of the 3rd story window. I was in hysterics. Jim played it cool for the most part. We were both a wreck, though. Eventually Jim thought to move the stove to double check he couldn't fit behind it. Well, he could and he did.

But I think he knows better then to pull a stunt like that again. I almost smothered him to death with kisses afterwards and while he tolerated the kissing, I don't think he'd like to have it happen again.

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Calling all "mod podgers..."

Hey this contest is for you! If you are familiar at all with my blog then you know I've done a fair amount of "decoupageing" with Mod Podge. Well.................now you could put those good skills to work and love of all this mod podged and win!




Plaid is holding a Spring Craft Contest! They want to see your Spring inspired projects using Mod Podge. So break out a bottle and craft up something fun! Let me know what you create and if you enter!!! Have fun and good luck!

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Suspiciously Swedish

Ikea: a four letter word or salvation depending on who you ask. While walking around the giant, mostly windowless fortress (as we did yesterday) isn't my cup of tea, neither is paying through the nose for the same stuff elsewhere.

That being said, I do try to support my local businesses, but with two kitty mouths to feed I've got to watch the good ol' family budget. For things that are really special or where quality matters (like kitchen knives) I shop locally, ahem, the brooklyn kitchen. Sheesh, I love that place.

Long story short, I am not above Ikea. In fact, I love my Ikea bits and pieces. Not the furniture though, I'd rather find something old for the same price. But that's just me.

The red and white dish towels I adore, 49 cents and if you squint they look like old french linens. I try to buy them in stacks of 20, I don't use paper towels, so the more the merrier. And the knit pot holders look very handmade, too. Only $2. Couldn't buy the yarn to make them for cheaper.

Heavy bottomed juice glasses. A classic and a steal.

Plus the yellow ones also came from my local dollar store, $1.49 for a set of 4. I think they've been sitting on the same shelf since the 70's.

I don't dream of fancy can openers, so buying cheapo Ikea ones allow me to take the money I saved and buy a dreamy bread board or a hand carved wooden spoon, kitchen tools I DO dream about.

And the trash cans can't be beat. White enameled oscar the grouch style for both garbage and recycling.

Cork trivets, woot woot! A million and one uses!

Their cookie jars hold damn near every thing in my kitchen. Pasta, nuts, rice, tea bags but I keep the big one holding my spare sheet moss outside the cabinets. Looks like a terrarium but isn't.

Blue and white napkins in assorted plaids and stripes also make me very very happy. Hmm, wonder why.

And yes, as soon as I get home I immediately get rid of the evidence; snipping out tags and peeling off stickers. Then I can get back to pretending the whole trip never happened in the first place.

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DIY Fridge magnets and pushpins

(Be sure to upload your photos from trying this project into the Brassy Apple Projects Flickr group!)

I love taking fabric and using it on other fun crafting projects besides just sewing or what you would typically expect. I have several projects I have done over the last couple of months and thought I would share them with you! So if you - or your kids - are itching for a little DIY project, here's a great one for the whole family!



Fridge magnets and pushpins



step 1: gathering the supplies - you will need largecrafting "bubbles" with one side that is flat. You can use any size you like. Magnets - make sure your magnets are large enough to support the size of your bubbles. If they are too small the finished magnet will slowly slide down your refrigerator when you try to use it to actually hold any papers. Small pushpins with a flat head if possible. Craft glue - I prefer E600 - it's great for many projects, is clear and dries fast too. And then of course your fabrics or patterned scrapbooking type papers if you don't have fabrics on hand. Scissors, and something to trace with - I like using a fabric marker. Fusible interfacing or fusible fleece - optional.

Step 2: Layout your fabrics and place your bubbles
over top moving it around until you find a pattern that you like. Cut around the pattern in a small square and continue with as many fabrics and patterns for the magnets that you want to make. Optional step: Fuse interfacing or fleece to the back of your precut squares on the wrong side of the fabric. This will give the back of your magnets a finished look and keep the fabric from fraying when you cut it and use your magnets.



Step 3: Trace around your bubble and cut out your circle. Repeat with all your cut squares.















Step 4: Using a toothpick, squeeze out some glue and use the toothpick to apply it to the right side of your fabric. Place a nice medium sized glop in the center of the circle. Take your bubble and place it on top of the glue and press firmly and evenly down. The glue will race for the outside edges - be sure to push out any or as many glue bubbles as you can. Set aside to dry and repeat until finished.

Step 5: Using craft or hot glue adhere
your magnets to the back and place them right side up to dry. Remember to use a large enough magnet for the size of your craft bubble.

Step 6: Once dry they can dot your fridge, metal file cabinet, etc. Another great idea is to place them in a small container like an altoids tin, wrap it up with some ribbon and you have a great personalized gift to give away! Enjoy!

Push pins

To make push pins for your bulletin board simple
use the smaller size craft bubbles and follow steps 1 - 4 as outlined above. Then, instead of gluing a magnet to the back glue a flat headed push pin. Set pin side up to dry.

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Vote MIMO

DisplayLink USB graphics enabled mini monitor, the Nanovision MIMO UM-710 has been nominated by Engadget for Display of the Year. Cast your vote now.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/16/vote-for-the-2008-engadget-awards/

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DIY - Coloring pages

I have recently seen a few spotlights on sites that create custom coloring pages and even a tutorial on how to do your own in photoshop on the Craft Magazine blog. I don't have photoshop but I still wanted to be able to create some fun coloring pages using pictures of my kids and other shots we have captured so I started tinkering around in irfranview which is a program I use to quickly resize pictures, fix the color, etc. I use it all the time and it was is free to download too. I discovered it was very quick and easy to create my own coloring pages using this program and I wanted to share a short HOW-TO tutorial with you.

Custom coloring pages

Step 1: open up your photo in irfanview and resize the photo if necessary. Click on the "image" botton at the top and then click on the "convert to greyscale" button. This makes your photo black and white.

Step 2: Click the image button again and put your mouse on the word "effects". This will bring up a pop up box off to the side. You will then want to click on "edge detection."
Step 3: Back to the image button - (we are quite familiar with this one now - LOL) and click on the word "negative" to apply that effect to your picture.
Step 4: You now have a custom personalized coloring page! It can easily be copied (ctrl button + the "c" button) and pasted into word. There you can resize it if necessary and print! If you would like your coloring lines to be darker please follow the next steps.
Step 5: To darken the coloring outlines Ist click on the image button and click on "enhance colors" This will bring up a box. You can darken your lines but dragging the tab in the gamma correction section to the left. (pictured as 2nd) This will darken your lines but may also add some shadow or graying to your coloring page. To lighten this shadowy color drag the tab in the contrast section to the right until you achieve the look you want. (pictured as 3rd) click the OK button to apply these changes to your page Step 6: You now have darker coloring lines and can copy, paste and print your coloring page! (see the coloring page in step 4 to contrast the look of the lighter lines and darker lines) Now break out those crayons and get to coloring!

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DIY - custom fabric party crowns

(Be sure to upload your photos from trying this project into the Brassy Apple Projects Flickr group!)

1. Start by gathering your "royal" supplies:
fabric of choice
buttons
bias tape
rick rack
lace
extra fabric scraps
rhinestones
and other fun embelishments
You will need: fusible fleece or heavy fusible interfacing

2. Create a pattern for your crown shape using a piece of paper. If you like winging it just skip this step.

3. Fuse your fleece or interfacing to the wrong side of your fabric per the manufacturers instructions. You may want to use 2 layers for a more stiff effect/feel. Play around with what works best for you.

4. Place your crown pattern on top of the fuse area, trace and cut.

5. Now the fun begins! Embellishing! Get your children involved! they'll love it! I added complimentary double folded bias tape to the bottom edge. Just place, pin and sew. Cut out other fun fabric shapes to put on your crown too. Using craft glue, hot glue, thread, heat n' bond, etc attach your embelishments. The skies the limit so go for it!

5. Measure the crown around your childs head to find a good fit. Pin and sew your crown closed. I folded under my edge for a nice clean finished look.

6. Hold an royal coronation ceremony and crown your newest King and Queen!

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