Check this out!

So, one of the artists I adore on Etsy is having a giveaway for one of their projects!

http://nighbluey.blogspot.com/2010/02/plaid-giveaway.html

It would be a great addition to any household and is a wonderful unique piece of work! If you wanna jump on it, this ends the 28th of February!

~Picpic Tewlikitpe

I hate Dress Shopping

 I am 5'3" and I am a size 22. Most of this is from medication that causes weight gain, three years of bad and greasy foods at the cafeteria, and sitting on my butt all day for the past four years (college, you know). However, because I am getting married this summer and for general health I am trying to change my lifestyle and loose weight.  But the fact of the matter is that most dresses that I think are cute are definitely not in my size and I dislike most of the ones that come in my size. Tragedy.  Thus  I hate dress shopping.

And because I hate dress shopping I have taken time from my normally scheduled basketry and studies to make one. It costs less, which is always nice, and it will be made to my liking and size without the embarrassment of the "big girl" issue.

 It was supposed to look like this:

But I wanted to make it without the pink tippets or the rows of tedious buttons. Tippets are the  funky sleeve things she has on them, and I have no patience for that kind of thing. Seriously, it would take a while.  Those take more precision. Aaaand the buttons are very tedious work to sew on as well as to button up when I wear the dress.

I  asked my mother, who has made one before, how I shuld go about doing it. She said "make it in panels," so I thought, okay...  make the skirt in panels and make the top with panels, too, so that it looks cool.


I realized about halfway through that it was not what my mother meant at all. She meant make the entire front one or two panels, and each side is a panel and the back is one or two panels. Oops. well, you have to learn sometime and you have to get things wrong to figure out how to do it right.


So, long story short it is NOT this dress, which I think is gorgeous, but it is The Disaster.





I made the brilliant decision to make the dress with no pattern, no pins, and no measurements. And with a fabric that shows every darn wrinkle... So The Disaster was born. It took me hours and I did the skirt and top separately. So far so good. Then I tried to stitch them together and add sleeves. Sleeve attachment is kind of really hard...

So THIS is The Disaster.

Note that all wrinkles are visible and every mis-stitch is in your face. It was not very exciting I am also making a frustrated face because I KNOW it looks like the kind of thing you give a kid for dressup when you know they are not leaving the house.

Or perhaps it is the dress you let them play with and tell them that it sucks. Any way you put it, even ironed out it was bad...


So, after failing, I had my moment of despair where nothings feels right and I thought I couldn't do it and I was frustrated beyound all belief. And went to bed.




The next day I felt a little better. But at the same time not because I had made myself sick with upset-ness. It was the morning of the dance and I had nothing to wear. So after taking a deep breath, making a smoothie, and looking online, I decided to try again.


I purchased some red suede at a cheap price, as well as some pins and a measuring tape (which helped IMMENSELY, and I cannot figure out why I was so foolish to try it without either). I ate a small breakfast and got to work.

It took me five hours of constant effort to get this done, but when I was done I was very pleased.

This picture was taken, of course, after the dance when I had taken off all of my jewelry and the jingly belt I was wearing.  The belt helped, really. It made it look better at my waist. Okay, at least I think so. The trim on the sleeves are a little off and they were weird. Yes, they are bell sleeves, but I like bell sleeves better than close sleeves. As for the off-ness: I notice, but everyone else said that you cannot notice.... I really really do notice. And the hem at the bottom is crooked, but with a long dress like this it is harder to tell that the length near the floor is uneven.

The dress was a hit at the dance. Everyone was really happy with it and were all "You MADE this?!" and Japanese students kept saying "sugoi," which means "cool," or "amazing" in Japanese. I was amused. I don't think it is praiseworthy, myself. It looks like a shift with bell sleeves, but looks a lot closer to what it was intended to look like! And (from when I started measuring to when the dress was finished) it only took me five hours. All in one continuous block.

Now that I have ventured somewhat into clothing, my friends want me to help make them costumes for an anime convention coming up. I hope I will be able to have fun and not die of everything... Yes. I hope those clothes will turn out better. I am no great seamstress

However, I think that I will not make clothing as a career path. I will stick to my jewelry and being a basket case.

~Picpic Tewlikitpe

Yay features

So, I like to check out the cool things on Etsy. It is a great distraction from Thesis, school, homework, job, and doing my artwork. The artwork I do takes forever, so one of these days will seriously be about the process of making what i do. A.K.A. basketry.

So this is a nice piece. It takes Victorian Lace and makes it something new and beautiful. If I could pull something like this off I would totally buy this. I think it is really really pretty! :)



Check this artist out at http://www.etsy.com/shop/hankietankie.







Here is an innovative person who makes fun wallets in bright colors! I think it is amazing to be able to do so with fabrics that would otherwise drive people insane.

This is one of the most tame of the patterns. They are beautiful, in all of their innovative glory. It can hold a ton of credit cards, a checkbook, and money. All in one place! :)


Check this person out! http://www.etsy.com/shop/KrazyFashion






Here is some beautiful Wedding Jewelry. I was cruising for ideas for my upcoming wedding and saw this beautiful necklace.

Something just feels classy. I like it. I don't know how to better explain it, it is just gorgeous!! The pearl works well with the crystals.



http://www.etsy.com/shop/liliswan








So there you have it, my latest scopes on etsy.com.

~Picpic Tewlikitpe

Features

So I am going to post more features before posting more of my own work.

This person makes amazing-looking soap that tempts me very much! Though they look edible and might very well be, as with pretty much all soaps I do not recommend you eat them!

These Mini Dessert Assortment Soaps, which look like delectable desserts, are made of goats milk soap and rumored to smell like they look. I would suggest keeping them away from children or scatter-brains like I am, or they will be eaten.

You can visit her at http://www.etsy.com/shop/soapopotamus.







Another artist to take note of makes some really neat antler carving. I am particularly fond of the carved rose in the image.

In the image to the right is the carved rose I was talking about. It is carved from genuine deer antler. By hand. I think it is absolutely beautiful! The other cool thing is that a deer was not hunted to make this item, but the antlers of the animal were taken after they were naturally shed. Which makes this immediately better in my book. Check this artist out!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/AntlerQLWear







Looking for a nice gift for someone who likes unique things? How about someone who likes small, adorable things? This next vendor is good at making adorable little miniatures! So jump right into the world of minis!

So I chose to show the sushi because my friends and I like to go out on "sushi nights" relatively frequently. And my fiance is obsessed with sushi. So this miniature is sure to please them, at least! Definitely a unique thing, yes? The artist even has an entire list of what to do with these miniatures.


http://www.etsy.com/shop/Snickerbug





So concludes this feature. Yup, the three are people on http://www.etsy.com, maybe next time I will feature DeviantArt friends or other fun things I have found.

~Picpic Tewlikitpe

First Feature!

These are amazing artists on Etsy, whom I have enjoyed their work and now want to share it!



The first is a ceramicist who focuses on masks. He found me and faved my mask on http://picpictewlikitpe.etsy.com and so I have decided to feature my favourite pieces of his. He can be found at http://www.etsy.com/shop/DaveBowen

I particularly enjoy the offset of warm/cool colors. I also enjoy how, while not symmetrical, it is balanced. I also think this mask is amking a fun, funky face that I can't help but smile at when I see it.







This artist, who is also found at http://www.etsy.com/shop/jstinson, makes all sorts of beautiful beaded Native jewelry. Her designs are lovely and I like the color choices that she uses. She is an amazing artist and here are a few of her pieces that I enjoyed. 

These earrings are adorable! They come in different colors, too, if pink is not your fancy.











 For my third feature, I picked an artist that has made a Native prayer fan that I adore. You can find her at http://www.etsy.com/shop/SeaMySoul.

This fan makes me smile. It has a lovely copper-colored face so at peace that I feel peaceful just looking at it. The beadwork compliments rather than detracting from the copper piece and all beads and metal work well with the wooden base.







I hope you take the time to visit these artists and look at the rest of their work!
Have a wonderful Friday and a great Weekend!

~Picpic Tewlikitpe

Welcome!

Hello,
I am Picpic Tewlikitpe. I am a Niimiipuu artist that specializes in Native Basketry, Jewelry and Fine Crafts. I love to weave and am inspired by the Old Ones who have come before. I particularly use Wasco and Niimiipuu designs, though altered a bit. My favourite pattern to weave is the "family" pattern with adult and child figures on it. My baskets are mostly made of yarn and hemp. Jewelry is strung on jewelry wire and any large beads are stone beads. I dislike most large glass beads...

The purpose of this blog is to write about my art, my projects, my ideas as well as other artist I find interesting. Most of these will be found on http://etsy.com and http://deviantart.com, as well as a few other sources.

To start this blog I am going to post images that are already on my site http://picpictewlikitpe.etsy.com, as well as http://picpic-tewlikitpe.deviantart.com.

This is an example of my work:

Lapis Basket Necklace: Lapis Lazuli on the beaded 'chain,' blue basket of blue homespun yarn on hemp warps.

 

Choker: White bone, amber horn, green marble, red coral on jewelry wire with leather ties.

Basket: "Sisters" from the basket collection. Tan and black yarn on hemp.

 

That is a taste of what I have made so far. You can view more at:
http://picpic-tewlikitpe.deviantart.com

You can view and buy your own pieces (including requesting custom pieces) at:
http://picpictewlikitpe.etsy.com

~Picpic Tewlikitpe