One Heart-Three Tees Tutorial

I love unique t-shirts and tanks but don't like spending lots of money! What better way to transform a cheap tee than with a heart! This project makes use of the above heart shape, cut out of fabric and applied to three $5.00 shirts- three different ways!

#1

Start by journaling on a scrap of fabric.

Cut out a heart.

pin down and sew to the surface of the shirt- I placed mine heart right in the middle

#2

Use a fabric in different colors and cut out a variety of heart shapes.

Layer all the hearts onto the surface of the shirt- let them overlap each other.

Sew the hearts down either by hand or machine- let your stitches be messy!

#3

Cut lots of hearts from colorful fabric- I chose pink to go on a red tank.

Sew onto one side of the shirt- layer and crinkle the hearts until a ruffle forms.

what a difference a week makes!

Since my meltdown last week I decided it was time to make some changes over here with the goal of working smarter not harder, to have more balance and be able to grow into this new life! The first thing I had to admit to myself was that a big part of my immediate overwhelm was the disorganizationa and mess that has become my studio! After tripping on my hammer, slipping on pens, stepping in a big puddle of paint and not being able to find anything, I forced myself set time aside for a studio clean up-

and now all of my work counters are clear...

my paint is stored in clear containers and not in the middle of the floor...

brushes, pens and tools are all in their appropriate places...

all of my large pieces of painted canvas and fabric are hanging where I can see them...

smaller pieces are put away in large bins (someday I will fold and organize by color!)

the smallest pieces are tucked away in clear drawers...

my sewing table is free of paint cans and piles of fabric...

and my wall is freshly painted- for now :)

This clean up has already made me feel so much better, clear headed and inspired! I have a number of other things to do to get organized that will take some time but this is a great way to kick off my mission to better work habits- what a difference a week makes!

***I am in the midst of updating my teaching schedule so please keep checking the left column of my blog in the next couple of weeks for new classes.

***The rest of this week will include lots of tutorials dedicated to love and hearts- I can't wait to share lots of inspiration!!

Video Preview of New Purses!

In a quest to keep myself from having another meltdown, I am taking the weekend off and away from my blog to CATCH UP on other things!! But I will return on Monday with some fun news, updates and lots more inspiration. I will leave you with a video of preview of one of my many projects- new purses! Enjoy!!

purse preview from Alisa Burke on Vimeo.

music: printemps by coeur de pirate

Color Inspiration- Turquoise

did you know that pantone declared turquoise the color of 2010!

necklace from polishedtwo

1940's train case from our retro toybox

painting by sara john afana

suede platforms from miu miu

living room as seen on HGTV

fabulous door found at coastal living

self portrait from lazybones photography flickr

shoreline scarf by rollick

Marquise de Pompadour by François Boucher, 1756

cute sneakers from vintage fix

truck photo from integrity studio

vintage dress from becky drolen vintage

vintage film reel from sweetshorn

tufted chair print by melissa bryant

bedroom in san francisco decorator showcase

the paint water on my table today!

Healed Heart Winners

the 5 winners (via random number generator) are below-

email me at alisaburke@gmail and I will mail you a healed heart!

Healed Heart Tutorial and GIVEAWAY!

For years I have loved the simple shape of the heart and back when I was single it seems that much of my creative subject matter revolved around angry women and broken hearts (very telling about my love life back then!) I've come a long way since those days and when I met my husband my heartache of the past seemed to heal. To this day, I am amazed at how resilient our hearts are- we experience loss, pain and a myriad of life challenges and through care, faith, time and healing our hearts somehow keep loving.

These days being married and little more stable in the love department, I have often tried to visualize what my heart might look like today- colorful? put back together? messy? patched up? spots of shine? Our hearts can be wounded, beat up, broken and lost but amazingly they can be put back together, healed, more beautiful and stronger than before. This simple project is my tribute to the imperfections that come with love and matters of the heart.

Start with your favorite fabric, hand painted fabric or even paper. Choose colors that represent your heart.

Cut out a heart (a piece for the front and a back)

Use hand sewing and/or the sewing machine and colorful thread to begin the process of adding layers, color and texture to your heart that represent your own experiences-

Use found objects, string, twine or even wire on the surface,

use the surface to journal and write your story

use bright or metallic thread to represent shine

use colorful beads and sequins for sparkle.

When you are satisfied with the surface of your heart, sew up the edges and leave an opening for stuffing- stuff and sew closed.

if you like, continue to add to your heart

by wrapping with wire, twine and more thread.

optional- add wings!

I will be giving away all 5 of these hearts to 5 readers!

Here are the rules-

Leave me a comment with 1 word that describes your heart

check back Thursday when I will draw 5 names!

Creative Meltdown

Since returning home from Anaheim last week I have been in a creative flurry of activity (visualize tasmanian devil with a paintbrush!) trying to get things finished, orders filled, grasping at opportunities, planning for the future, holding on to momentum and on and on and on. After working for at least 10 hours each day last week and then 13 hours straight on Saturday I began to feel myself hitting a wall and Sunday I had a meltdown. One of those crying, every issue, frustration, fear, insecurity comes out kind of meltdown (don't worry, I usually have one of these every couple of months and always end up feeling better). It was in my explosion of tears and talking with my husband that I began to realize the problem...

my name is Alisa Burke and I am a workaholic!

Now that I have been living my dream of working full time as an artist, I've realized that I am slowly turning onto one of those people who eats, breathes, and worships their work! And while working for myself ROCKS- things are not always creative and happy in my world! I am now answering some big questions, overcoming challenges and trying to figure out self employment and self care. To be honest- it is wearing me down! Insert meltdown here. So I forced myself to take a couple days away from my blog (and other things) this weekend to just chill out a bit and put a little balance back into my life. But tomorrow I will be back and have a SUPER cool tutorial and giveaway planned!