craftingwithcoco

I’m so obsessed with this pattern. It deserves it’s own post..

I’m so obsessed with this pattern. It deserves it’s own post 😊💙

Ok… when I say slow process, I mean SLOW !This pattern took ..

Ok… when I say slow process, I mean SLOW !

This pattern took so much sewing and concentration! And it took so much time to pull the threads and make sure the folds were lining up evenly. Once I checked that the folds were looking good. I finally dyed it in the indigo bath. It took about eight dips to get it to this shade of indigo.

The final result will blow your mind… swipe to the very end!!!! 😳😱🤯💙💙💙

I’m trying a very new sewing/shibori process today. This one..

I’m trying a very new sewing/shibori process today. This one is also laborious!!! I can’t wait to dye and reveal it….

I’m working on a new dyed piece today.I start by creating th..

I’m working on a new dyed piece today.

I start by creating the folds to bring out the pattern then I will start sewing around it to make the design!

Making arts and crafts can be so tiring (not a complaint! Ju..

Making arts and crafts can be so tiring (not a complaint! Just being real about the energy it takes)… so sometimes I just like to lay in the park under a tree and absorb all the fresh air provides. It’s scientifically proven to provide cleaner oxygen, reduce stress, boosts the immune system and more! Please hang out with some trees if you’re ever feeling low or need to reduce stress after some projects! 🌳🌳🌳

The finished product (finally!!!) what do you think of my ar..

The finished product (finally!!!) what do you think of my art? :-) I have a thing for webs. I find them to be so beautiful. 🕸️🕸️🕸️

Here is the project I’m currently working on. In the first p..

Here is the project I’m currently working on. In the first picture, that was four dips into the Indigo vat. The second picture is after 10 dips. It takes a long time to build a really dark shade of blue. This was so much work and it took days of sewing and dyeing. I can’t wait to undo all of the stitching and show what design I created 💙

I’m having such a blast playing with Indigo!One of my favori..

I’m having such a blast playing with Indigo!

One of my favorite ways to give something new life is to dye it. I had these pair of yellow boots that I haven’t worn in a while and decided to over dye them in indigo. My goal is to eventually have an all indigo wardrobe.

I honestly love the end result, and I can’t wait to wear them! Also check out my cool stick that I found while I was hiking. It’s perfect for stirring the indigo vat. You can see all the little termite bites in them! I love the pattern.

It’s a beautiful sunny day in LA and I am sitting in the sun..

It’s a beautiful sunny day in LA and I am sitting in the sun on a comfy chair, sewing my tie dye piece. It’s so much work but so meditative at the same time. My fingers are so tired….

How was your weekend?It’s a gloomy day in LA today. I’m curr..

How was your weekend?

It’s a gloomy day in LA today. I’m currently planning my next tie-dye project. I think I’m going to do some flowers. I just prepared the fabric by washing it and getting all of the oils out. Now I’m going to start drawing out my image. 😊 stay tuned!

Spring is here!!!!!!Spring is here and I can’t stop staring ..

Spring is here!!!!!!

Spring is here and I can’t stop staring at this plum blossom arrangement I just made from freshly forged branches that were on my street. This makes me so happy and it’s amazing with flowers and having live plants around can do for your mental health. 🌸🌸🌸

Hope everyone is having a beautiful day and go out and smell the flowers and craft yourself an arrangement!

Mending….In an effort to reduce waste and to extend life ont..

Mending….

In an effort to reduce waste and to extend life onto a garment or a piece of fabric, I am a huge proponent and supporter of the visible mending movement. I really like seeing when fabrics are repaired and all of the layers and stitching that goes over the patchwork. It’s signifies life and being worn and I think that’s beautiful.

I have these linen sheets I’ve been using for a while, and bed linens are quite expensive! Through many washes it’s worn out a bit, but I want to repair some of the holes. I have a bunch of beautiful scrap fabrics with different patterns on them so I started repairing it today. I first used an embroidery hoop to add tension around the hole while I hand sewed some running stitches around it.

I really love how it came out. I still have a few more holes to mend, but I can’t wait to keep adding more patches onto the holes. I think it gives it so much more personality and life. 🩵

I’ve been very interested in beeswax lately. I decided to co..

I’ve been very interested in beeswax lately. I decided to coat one of my indigo fabrics with some beeswax. It was inspired by those eco-friendly food wraps, where instead of wrapping your food using plastic, you can wrap it with a beeswax covered cloth. So eco friendly!

Beeswax is such an amazing material and naturally antimicrobial. I also like the way it brings out the color in the fabric and I think I will do this more!

Life has been feeling so intense lately and one of my favori..

Life has been feeling so intense lately and one of my favorite ways to cope is by doing things with my hands.

I was at the store and saw some purple potatoes… and felt like making some gluten free bread. Only took 5 ingredients: purple potatoes, tapioca flour, sugar, soy milk, and olive oil.

The bread came out so chewy (like mochi) and delicious and I can’t wait to make this again. I’m really into natural foods that have naturally fun colors so making a purple bread really lifted my spirits. 💜🍞

Happy Sunday everyone 💚Winter is nearly over and Spring is j..

Happy Sunday everyone 💚
Winter is nearly over and Spring is just upon us. Can you feel it!?! It’s getting more wet and warm in LA, the streets are becoming more verdant and lush… 🌱 we really needed this after the fires.

I did a seed swap with my friends today. We were only trading native California seeds. It was soooo fun and I’m so excited about what I got: Tiny Tips, Lupines, California poppies, Milkweed, Yarrow, White Sage, and so much more. I want to invite more insects and pollinators to my garden this year and this will help our ecosystem thrive 🦋🦋🦋

Do you like my new palm leaf basket purse I made? 💚🧺I really..

Do you like my new palm leaf basket purse I made? 💚🧺

I really enjoyed this process so much! I can't wait to do more. I wove this using a Mexican palm leaf which are ubiquitous in LA. There are thorns on the stem, so before weaving, I sliced them off. Then, I separated the leaf into strips while it was still attached. Once separated, I did a basic over-under-over-under weave and then bent the stem to create the handle of the bag. The fibers are very strong and I can't wait to see how it ages and turn more yellow. Would love to craft more of these!

Trying something new today I’m gonna be weaving, a palm leaf..

Trying something new today I’m gonna be weaving, a palm leaf, and seeing what I can make from it…. Stay tuned! It’s so bright and warm out. 🌴

After doing a project, I love to recharge by going into natu..

After doing a project, I love to recharge by going into nature. I was so happy I got to put my feet in the sand and stare at the light reflecting in the water. Nature is endlessly inspiring and invigorating. 🩵🩵🩵

Finished weaving my rock! This was the biggest rock I have w..

Finished weaving my rock! This was the biggest rock I have woven. 😳 It is going to be a gift for a friend! I estimate it weighs about 7 pounds. I put the first rock I wove next to it for scale. The final part is weaving the “lip” of the weaving and one of my favorite finishing parts to do. 😚

Making progress 💪

Making progress 💪

Having a very quiet night to myself and starting a new rock ..

Having a very quiet night to myself and starting a new rock project. I am going to wrap a rock much bigger this time.

Crafting with one of my favorite people, @kai.kianu last nig..

Crafting with one of my favorite people, @kai.kianu last night! He was teaching me how to make giant tissue paper flowers! The flowers make such beautiful decor. Definitely give him a follow, he’s a genius when it comes to all things floral! 🌺🌺🌺

How is everyone doing?Sorry for the lack of posts! I was fee..

How is everyone doing?
Sorry for the lack of posts! I was feeling under the weather.

Today I want to touch upon the topic of sustainability. I know this isn’t a cooking page, but I do like to focus on sustainability as part of my practice :-) one life hack I learned recently was to freeze scallions! In the kitchen, I hate being wasteful, and I love being efficient. So I learned to cut a bunch of scallions and you can freeze them for later use!

I cut them into two different shapes because I like the long diagonal cut for some soups and I love the thinly sliced ones for everything else. This is going to save me so much time when I’m cooking and prevent a lot of waste! Sometimes the produce goes bad before we can even get to it. I hope this tip helps in your sustainability journey. 💚

HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR! 🐍🧧❤️It’s the year of the snake!The sna..

HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR! 🐍🧧❤️

It’s the year of the snake!

The snake embodies intuition, intelligence, and transformation.

2025 is a particularly powerful year for cultivating personal growth and deep, meaningful connections.

Embrace the opportunities that come your way this year, and trust the process.

I’m currently at home, wearing red for good luck, and drinking a redish homemade beet juice. I just finished sketching and journaling about my wishes for this upcoming year. I’m wishing everyone so much luck and love and prosperity! ❤️ (extra luck to those who send me a Hong Bao (red envelope) hehehe 🤭🧧) ❤️

Taking advantage of the current rain in LA and planting some..

Taking advantage of the current rain in LA and planting some sunflower seeds from a sunflower I saved from last season. 🌻 much easier to plant things when the soil is wet and we are expecting more rain.

Thank goodness there has been rain this weekend! Our city really needed it. 🌧️🌧️🌧️

I’m choosing to plant sunflowers specifically because they help absorb heavy metals from the soil. With all of the current fires, there’s a lot of ash everywhere and contains a lot of toxic chemicals from houses that burned, and those houses were painted with paint that contains lead and titanium.

Just trying to make a small effort in my garden and improve the soil health 💚🌻💚 I truly believe that nature has the power to regenerate itself, but could use some helping hands along the way!

Trying out my lettuce stem stamp from yesterday’s post 🤭🥬I t..

Trying out my lettuce stem stamp from yesterday’s post 🤭🥬
I think it’s pretty neat! It looks like a rose. 🌹
I could have gotten a crisper print, but the stem was a bit wilted because I waited too long. Next time I will immediately do this so the stamp will be a lot more firmer.

I started decorating some envelopes with my stamps. I like how abstract the rose looks! I think I will write somebody a love letter 💌 it looks so romantic 🥰 I want to try this method with other vegetables too.

(Please excuse the imprint on my face from wearing a mask all day. The air quality in LA is still not good because of the fires! 😷🔥 . I have to wear a mask in my studio. If you would like to support me, please tip under this post or through my DM’s so I can get an air purifier 😭🍃🍃🍃 Thank you soo much. Please pray we get some rain soon!)

Was making a salad today when I looked at the bottoms of the..

Was making a salad today when I looked at the bottoms of these lettuces and thought, “Hmmm! These would make some great stamps!” I’m going to go to my studio tomorrow and ink them up and see what happens :-)

Throwback 🩷Missing Spring. Can’t wait to play in the garden ..

Throwback 🩷

Missing Spring. Can’t wait to play in the garden again and grow plants to dye with. Still too cold. Plus the air in LA is not so good right now with the fires still ☹️

Rose:Ok, this one was actually the most difficult and I'm so..

Rose:
Ok, this one was actually the most difficult and I'm so glad @kai.kianu was there to help me because I was losing my mind. I have never made an origami piece that involved having to twist the paper like that! I think it would've turned out better if I had a double sided red piece of paper :-(. Still so cute though! ❤️🌹❤️

Pinwheel flower:Ok, this origami pinwheel flower drove me a ..

Pinwheel flower:
Ok, this origami pinwheel flower drove me a little crazy, but that's only because I overcomplicated the steps, it's actually quite easy. Though, it involves some glue which I didn't know was ok to use in origami, but it's ok, we can break the rules sometimes!

Also included instructions for these if you want to follow along. The smaller part is the same as the bigger one. I just used a quarter of a square to make the little guy. 😊