Crochet 4 A Cause

Wow, I was just looking at my timeline and I have NOT posted anything this calendar year!!!  I have soooo many new projects that I am currently working on.  I just started a  non-profit organization and would like to share the news with you all!!!  The organization is Creative Crochet 4 A Cause!! It is my passion and I am constantly making new items.  The group focuses on making hats for newborns and children.  Take a look at the site and let me know what you all think!!!  If you all would like to help or donate some hats, let me know!!

www.crochet4acause.org

Mother and child in Kenya, Africa

Young girl in Swaziland Africa wearing a donated hat

Stay creative,

Charmel

belts, belts and more belts!!!

Greetings,

As you all know, I am officially in LOVE with thrifting.  Well, as I stated in an earlier post, I recently decided to make something with belts from the thrift store.  The funny part about the belts is, when I came home with them, my sister wanted to keep one of them for herself.  So, as soon as I saw the belts, I knew EXACTLY what I was going to do with them and who the gift would be for.  I decided to glue the belts on a canvas, spelling out my friend's name.  My favorite item on the canvas is the zipper that I found to put on it!!!  The first letter is made from a chain belt that I took apart, I knew that I had to have the belt when I saw it. 

My friend is the manager of a boutique in Atlanta and also a stylist, so what better person for the belt art right?  So....here is the big unveiling and I hope you all like it.

Stay creative,

Charmel



The belts on canvas for Daryll.  It spells out his name!!  I LOVE the zipper on the end!!!



Charmel's Creative Corner: picture frame

Charmel's Creative Corner: picture frame:  bare picture frame  Greetings, So, I wanted to show you all the finished picture frame that I told you about in the earlier post. ...

picture frame



bare picture frame


Greetings,

So, I wanted to show you all the finished picture frame that I told you about in the earlier post.  I picked up a picture frame from Goodwill last week and decided that I wanted to "upcycle" it.  I covered it with scrapbook paper for it's makeover.  Let me know what you all think.

Stay creative,

Charmel




measuring the paper for the frame



cutting paper for frame







strips measured and layed out, ready for adhering to frame



2 strips glued to frame, 2 more to go!!!



Voila!!! The finished product!!



Charmel's Creative Corner: more thrifting

Charmel's Creative Corner: more thrifting: Greetings, So, this weekend I went around Houston and found some resale and antique shops!!! My first stop was Texas Junk Company BUT they...

more thrifting

Greetings,

So, this weekend I went around Houston and found some resale and antique shops!!! My first stop was Texas Junk Company BUT they are closed until January 27th...BUMMER.  I can't wait to go back and look at all of the goodies they have!!!  Then I was off to Sand Dollar thrift and a few more thrift stores in that area.  When I arrived at Sand Dollar Thrift, I was not looking for any particular item.  I walked over to the belts and BAM, an idea hit me!!! I am going to make something with these belts!!! I did make something over the weekend BUT I can't post it until the recipient has give me the ok.  I forgot to take a pic of the belts before I put them to use.

Now, back to the antique shops!!! The antique shops are located on Westheimer and I was in HEAVEN!!!  LouB's was the first one that I entered, and it was AWESOME!!!  It is owned by an African-American woman!!!  There was also a younger guy in there helping her with the store and they were very friendly.  They had great pieces including typewriters, furniture and records!!!  For some strange reason, I am now becoming fascinated with vinyl records....you know what that means.... a PROJECT is coming soon!!! I purchased a record by the Wooten Brothers.  The Wooten Brothers are a funk band that plays in Nashville every Wednesday night at Third and Lindsley nightclub and they rock the house!!!


I almost forgot to mention the greatest find of my weekend!!!  While antiquing in the same area, I found another great shop!!   As you all know, I am from Shreveport LA.  There is an HBCU about an hour east of Shreveport, Grambling State University, of which a few of my lifelong friends are alums, I must say.  Well, low and behold in the store they had the Eddie Robinson commemorative coke bottle for sale!! That was the greatest find of the day for me and of course I had to purchase it.

All in all, my weekend was relaxing and rewarding because I found new stores!!!  I can't wait to share my new projects with you all.  The picture frames that I posted last week.....one of them is finished and a post is coming soon!!!!

Stay creative,

Charmel








Texas Junk Company, Houston TX



Eddie Robinson commemorative Coke bottle



Charmel's Creative Corner: Thrift store finds

Charmel's Creative Corner: Thrift store finds:  iron storage rack!!! LOVE!!  Greetings, As you all know from my last post, that I really enjoy thrifting. I went to Goodwill la...

Thrift store finds



iron storage rack!!! LOVE!!




Greetings,

As you all know from my last post, that I really enjoy thrifting.  I went to Goodwill last night and found a few cute things!  As we all know, crafties can acquire a lot of things and ALWAYS need storage.  So, I went in Goodwill and found an iron-rack that I am going to use to store some of my things.  I really want to paint it gold but haven't decided if I am going to do that yet.  I also found some picture frames and am going to do some things with them as well.  I am going to post my before pics now and in a few days I am going to post after pics!!!


I can't wait to show you all the new items!!

Stay creative,

Charmel


wood picture frame

wood picture frame!!



iron-rack for storage




iron-storage rack put to use!



Charmel's Creative Corner: Valentine's Day and more

Charmel's Creative Corner: Valentine's Day and more: Greetings, As we all know Valentine's Day is coming soon!!! I know people are going to be scrambling to buy last-minute gifts. I am going...

Valentine's Day and more

Greetings,

As we all know Valentine's Day is coming soon!!! I know people are going to be scrambling to buy last-minute gifts. I am going to feature some items that I have made for V-day that can be worn any time of the year.  Since it comes around in the winter, I have a red and pink crocheted scarf available and also some wrist cuffs.  I hope you all enjoy my creations and please provide feedback. The wrist cuffs are 7 inches long and 3 inches wide. 

I know that I haven't posted any new entries recently and I have some new discoveries!!!!  I watch the Nate Berkus show whenever I can catch it and I LOVE it!!!  I enjoy watching him get items from thrift stores and redoing them.  There was a gentlemen on the show a few weeks ago that was awesome!!!  He goes into thrift stores and turns the pieces from drab to fab!!! Check out his blog, his name is Mr. Goodwill Hunting and he is fabulous!!!  Here is the link to his blog!! http://www.rashoncarraway.com/

I am looking for great places in Houston to do thrift store shopping!! I am going to check out some places today!!! 

Stay creative,

Charmel
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Charmelscorner




red and pink scarf



"bling" heart wrist cuff



heart wrist cuff



Mr. Goodwill Hunting

Hello,

So, I have always loved thrifting but this guy is awesome!!!!  He is Rashon Carraway and I first saw him on the Nate Berkus show.  I found his website today and am hooked!!!  Take a look at the great things he does with thrift store items!! 

Take a look at his blog and you will be hooked!!!

Stay creative,

Charmel

http://www.rashoncarraway.com/

flower headbands

Greetings,

I realized the other day that I am obsessed with FLOWERS!!!  I attended the Nutcracker Market a few weeks ago here in Houston and was analyzing the booths and patrons.  I noticed that booths that sold items related to little girls were very popular.  Also, over the last year, I have noticed the flower headbands on newborns and little girls.  Well, I took a leap and decided to make some.  I ordered some flowers about a year ago and they have been sitting in my closet and I realized they needed to be put to use.  Last week I pulled them out, bought some headbands from a local store and went to work.  I am really pleased with the way they turned out and they were super easy to make.  Here are some pics of the finished product.


They can also be found on my etsy shop....www.etsy.com/shop/mclester78

Stay creative,

Charmel



yellow flower headband



blue flower headband



pink flower headband



animal print headband



green and black animal print headband

Emma Amos



Harmony rug, 2002

  Greetings,

I just found a great article about a wonderful artist, Emma Amos. 

Painter, printmaker, and weaver Emma Amos was born in 1938 and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, where her parents owned a drugstore. She began painting and drawing when she was six. At age sixteen, after attending segregated public schools in Atlanta, she entered the five-year program at Antioch University in Yellow Springs, Ohio. She spent her fourth year abroad at the London Central School of Art, studying printmaking, painting, and weaving. After receiving a BA from Antioch, she returned to the Central School to earn a diploma in etching in 1959.
Amos’s first solo exhibition was in an Atlanta gallery in 1960. In that same year she moved to New York, where she taught as an assistant at the Dalton School and continued her work as an artist by making prints. In 1961 she was hired by Dorothy Liebes as a designer/weaver, creating rugs for a major textile manufacturer. In 1964 she entered a master’s program in Art Education at New York University. During this time Hale Woodruff invited her to become a member of Spiral, a group of black artists that included Romare Bearden, Norman Lewis, and Charles Alston. She was the group’s youngest and only female member.
She married Bobby Levine in 1965 and received her MA in 1966. She had a son, Nicholas, in 1967, and her daughter, India, followed three years later. While the children were small, Amos focused on sewing, weaving, quilting, and doing illustrations for Sesame Street magazine. In 1974 she began teaching at the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts, and in 1977 she developed and cohosted (with Beth Gutcheon) Show of Hands, a crafts show for WGBH Educational TV in Boston, which ran for two years.
In 1980, Amos was hired as an assistant professor at the Mason Gross School of Art, Rutgers University. She earned tenure in 1992, was later promoted to Professor II, and served as chair of the department from 2005 to 2007. She continued teaching there until she retired in June 2008.
Amos’s work has been exhibited internationally and is included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Wadsworth Atheneum, the New Jersey and Minnesota state museums, and the Dade County and Newark museums. She has won prestigious awards and grants.
She continues to create work in her studio in NoHo, New York City. She lectures and participates in symposiums, and shows the work nationally. Emma Amos also serves on the Board of Governors of Skowhegan and in the National Academy Museum.


Here are some pieces by Emma Amos, notice that she has a variety of work.  There is a piece that is acrylic painted on tapestry and the hook rug at the beginning of the post is my favorite. 

Stay creative,

Charmel



Sand Tan, 1980



Twined Flowers, 2009



My mother was the greatest dancer



Crocheted Earrings!!!




Extra large red and black earrings

  Good evening,

As I sit and crochet I can become impatient when it takes a while to finish a project.  Therefore, I have now started making accessories that don't take as much time and are very fun!!!!  I had been toying with the idea of making some earrings for a while, but every time I tried, I couldn't get my gauge correct.  One earring would turn out larger or smaller than the first one the I made.  I was on etsy one day and saw someone that made some earrings and they used the hoops and crocheted into them.  I was a little hesitant at first, but after I made my first pair I was hooked!!! I am thinking about spicing them up a little by adding more things but it's still in the making!!!

Check out some of my latest earrings and I am also working on other accessories as well.


Stay creative,
Charmel





Extra large black and silver hoops




Large hoops made with gold crochet thread



Actual look of the extra large earrings when worn





Newborn photography props



multicolored baby hat




Hello,

I recently joined Etsy, an online community for crafters.  For you all that are unfamiliar with Etsy, you can create an account to sell your handmade items.  My friends have been telling me for over a year to set up a shop and finally did.  Well, as I was browsing through the other shops, I realized that I needed some professional pictures on my site.  I was trying to decide where I was going to find a photographer and DING, a light bulb went off.   One of my childhood friends that lives in D.C., told me that she recently started a photography business.  So, I sent her a text and asked if I could send her some items to use as props in exchange for me using the pictures on my site and she agreed.  Who would have known that bartering still exist in the world today!!! I took some pics of the items that I made for her and am going to share them with you.  All of these items were made for baby photos and I hope that you all enjoy them!!!


My etsy shop address is: www.etsy.com/shop/mclester78


Stay creative,

Charmel




 

baby hat in pink

 

baby mat, beanies and booties



crochet ties

Good evening all,

I know I have been M.I.A. lately, but I am back again.  I am trying to get more inspiration for items to crochet.  Recently, I was having a conversation with a good friend of mine that had been to a fashion show.  He told me that there was a young lady there that had crocheted some items and they were awesome!!!  He then asked me to crochet him a tie!!! I was a little reluctant at first but I found a pattern over the next few days and took a shot at it.  The pattern was very easy to follow and the tie only took a couple of hours to make!!  When he received the ties, he was very elated!!  Here is a pic of one that I made last week.  If you have any questions, feel free to send me a message or leave a comment.

Stay creative,

Charmel

Here are some snapshots of the tie:

My newest love!!!

Greetings,

So, as all of you all know by now, I am addicted to crafting!!!  When I was in Tyler this summer for a retreat, I was introduced to decorating canvases.  I can't draw a straight line, so this was a great way for me to be creative using items that were already made.  The canvases were made for my best friend's daugthers that live in the DC area.  Their mother knows that I like to create things, so when I called her to ask her the color of their rooms, she was immediately suspicious.  They did arrive via the US Postal Service but they did have a few dents and bruises.  She was able to patch up the canvases and they worked out perfectly. 

These are super easy to do and embellish with different stickers and other miscellanous items that can be found at your local craft stores.

Madison's canvas for her room.  Check out the yarn on the side, a cool accent!!



McKenzie's wall canvas.  Check out the pearls on the side and the button..... a few items you could have laying around the house!!!



Stay creative,

Charmel

I'm back

Greetings,
I have been away for a while, catching up on class work.  Well, I am back and ready to start blogging again.  As we know, winter time is approaching and I am getting started on some scarves and other winter wear.  This is one of my favorite scarves from last season!!!! 

Also, if you have any requests, feel free to let me know.

I am also going to post more artisans info as well.

Stay creative,

Charmel

Talented Hands



Harley-Davidson sandals



Greetings,

I have another good find!!!! This gentleman makes Greek organization pieces and other regalia as well.  Check out his bio below and some pics of his pieces. 

Chris Walker
Born and Raised in Houston TX


I started making jewelry in school because I like being different. I want people around me to be different. I didn't like seeing the same Greek license plates or Greek Jewelry. I thought if I could study and learn, I could market affordable custom jewelry to friends.

What started as a hobby turned into people all over the US wanting jewelry. It all started with Facebook. Everything I do is with tools and my hands. No machines. I don't have any orders laying around because they are made to order. I love what I do. I also love seeing smiles on my customers faces. All I need is a picture and I create it.

Talented Hands


Stay creative and enjoy,

Charmel


Chris can be reached via facebook under Talented Hands.


Omega Psi Phi pendant



AKA pendant



AKA plate

 


sheriff key chains



Little Bow Peep Girls.......hair accessories

Little Bow Peep Girls!!!!

Greetings,

Today's post features Little Bow Peep Girls line of hair accessories.  The CEO, S. Jenell Green, is a New York native but I met her while she was living in Shreveport, La.  We had the privilege of reconnecting a few weeks ago and she told me about her company.  Check out her bio below and you know I am going to post some pics of her work.  Another great and inspirational sister doing her thing. 


Little Bow Peep Girls
It stared off as an idea I had back In August 2007-I loved for my daughter to have a bow for every outfit.......the boutique I was buying them from were not lasting which = me no longer spending my money with them on bows because I said to myself that I could do this.  I wanted to include people I felt were closest to me(but that didn't work out), but in the process of starting up the business I lost my Mommy and that shook me.  I took a couple months off trying to regroup but then her Mom(my Nana) went on to join my Mother so I had to then thrust myself back into LBPG's to keep my mind off of those things.........

Little Bow Peep Girls, LLC  believes that having your own business is the corner stone of independence.   We started our business for many reasons but the most important was that as people of color and women we do not leave legacies for our children.  I wanted my daughter and the children in our family to have something that they could be proud of and call their own while taking pride in the business we are building.  We believe in our brand contributing to the economics of society.  It's very liberating to become an entrepreneur and not accept another's definition of success for our lives and having Little Bow Peep Girls, LLC is the freedom to pursue our own success.  No matter how many times something don't go our way, we never give up because success is a journey, not a destination and that's what having your own business means to me/us!

We have Bows  for all ages...headbands, bow holders, bibs, onesies, and tees for Mommy&daughter!

All Links are below




S. Jenell Green
CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER
http://www.littlebowpeepgirls.com/
www.facebook.com/pages/Lewisville-TX/Little-Bow-Peep-Girls-LLC/190179202085
www.twitter.com/LbpGirls
"No matter how many times something doesn't go your way never give up, that's because success is a journey, not a destination. "
 

Stay creative and enjoy,

Charmel




Tweety-bird bow!!!



Elmo!!!



ladybugs and bumble bee's!!!