May 13th, 2009
Mrph. I’m mind-blowingly tired today. I’ve been sewing and ironing like crazy, and I hope it pays off in the form of hundreds of lovely aprons and goodies! Poor Eric got even less sleep last night- he stayed up late working and got locked out of the big house and I was so fast asleep that I didn’t hear him knocking on the window. I woke up in the middle of the night and he wasn’t there, so I went back to the studio and found him curled up in a little Eric-ball on our too-tiny sofa. You’ve seen the sofa- the one with the really high arm-rests. His feet were up on the arm rest and his head was all smooshed against the other arm rest.
But what I really wanted to share was this lovely photo of my Cicada Studio fabric that came in the mail a few days ago.
I’m ridiculously in love with it. YUM! I only bought a bit of each fabric in the collection, but if all goes well I’ll be buying lots more! Did I mention that one of my goals for Polly Danger is to use mostly fabrics designed by crafty-folks? I see it in the near future. I’m still playing around with which fabrics to pair this with, but it’s really exciting stuff.
Also, we’ve had a new houseguest. Meet Foxy.
She weighs about a quarter of a pound, and she gives fantastic kisses- don’t tell Petina! Foxy belongs to Grandma’s helper, Teresa, who has been telling us about Foxy for probably over a year. Finally last Friday we got to meet the mysterious Foxy, and she’s been coming over almost every day since. She is really one of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever snuggled. I love that furrowed brow! Petina isn’t too keen on Foxy coming in and wagging her big, poufy tail, but at least she’s not hiding under the sofa anymore. I know it’s crazy to want more dogs in our house, but even though it’s tons of work, it’s also incredibly fun to have so many dogs around. Foxy is only here for a few hours a day, which is perfect.
One last thing before I go eat a really late dinner. Here’s my working counter, with a fair amount of stuff on it. Plus some gorgeous red tulips that I gave myself for Mother’s Day- being a dog-mom counts, right?
I LOVE tulips.
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May 6th, 2009
Ever searching for adorableness and uniqueness, I’ve made some additions to my fabric stash and therefore to my apron collection. I love my Denyse Schmidt goodies (God bless that woman) but I really want to bring in styles that mesh with my vision but are also supportive of folks like me- hard workin’ indie crafters makin’ it happen. Movers and shakers. So here are a few of the goodies that have arrived in the mail so far!
From the bottom they are: “Wolf and Lil Red” of the Fables and Foxes collection by Gumball Grenade, “Wheels’ by Little Crows, and “Raindrops” in Chocolate, Mandarin, and Split Pea by Swanky Swell. The fabrics in the photo are washed and dried and they’re still all really vibrant and nummy! I’m also expecting fabrics from Cicada Studio- I can’t wait! I LOVE the trees. And the birds. And the telephone wires. When I can afford to buy everything in this shop, I will.
One more time- BIG UPS TO SPOONFLOWER! We love you. And soon, God willing, we will be bringing you our own set of fabrics. Yep. Dial 9-1 just in case your brain explodes from the cuteness.
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May 5th, 2009
So yesterday started my four weeks of production in preparation for all my juicy upcoming craft events. So far it’s going pretty well, minus the fact that now I really understand what it means to work from home. There is no leaving work. And since I help take care of Grandma part of the time, the two things sort of bump into each other rudely sometimes. I can’t remember ever getting less sleep. It’s like walking around under water.
Let me give you an example. Yesterday I nearly cried because just as I was going to put a fresh load of fabric into the dryer I discovered that it was “broken”. I spent about half an hour trying to make it work. I was about to call a repairman. And then. Eric came home and pushed the ‘start’ button and it worked. I had temporarily genuinely forgotten how to use the dryer- it’s the washing machine whose dial pulls out, not the dryer. Not good.
Anyway, I’ve got some cute pictures to share. The studio is really starting to come together. I changed the layout a bit so that now I’ve got an L shaped workspace. Here’s a collage I made to cover an ugly part of the L. I just layered papers and fabrics that I love to look at and covered them with glass. So cute!
There’s the collage in action! So cute and so practical.
Here’s my happy new iron caddy. My favorite little cigar box fits everything perfectly. No more losing my tape-maker!
Ooh, and I found a great new use for my favorite ikea containers. I found these a while back, when I was doing merchandising for The Urban Craft Center. I love them because they don’t interrupt the mood. They just let you see exactly what’s inside, without being distracting or fussy. And they’re cheap!
Everything within reach! Vertical storage! I love those boxes.
I think that’s all I’ve got for you today. Rest assured that I’m working on many secret goodies that will bring copious amounts of convenience to crafters everywhere. I don’t want to say too much but I will say that it’s all incredibly cute and will most likely be for sale at Baz Biz!
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May 1st, 2009
So I went to do a little pick-me-up shopping today with my sister. We hit up all the usual places, and although I found little bits here and there, I didn’t really see anything all day that made me drool. UNTIL. We decided to stop at Ross, which I rarely do because even if I manage to park without getting cursed at I still have to elbow my way through the store and risk tripping over a broken hanger on the floor or getting into a shouting match with an old lady. It just raises my blood pressure more than it’s worth. But today I was feeling optimistic. Either that or I’ve been cooped up in the house for so long that I forgot about the hell that is the Mission Hills Ross. Anyway, I’m glad we went because I got tons of goodies. But here is the gem. Talk about recycling- I don’t think it gets much cooler than this.
That’s right, it’s made out of rolled up newspaper.
Chinese newspaper to be exact. I’m smitten. I want more. I might have to learn to basket weave.
In case you’re interested in similar products I found a great link. Or, if you want to attempt the craft yourself, here’s a more do-able version.
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Apr 30th, 2009
The ultimate wet t-shirt contest, and he’s the obvious winner. If you’ve seen Lost In Austen then you know what I’m talking about. If not, let me open your eyes.
I netflixed it. Sounded cute. A modern girl gets trapped in Pride and Prejudice and has to keep the plot true to the book despite her own interference. I started watching it while organizing my junk bag and I had to turn it off. I couldn’t concentrate. It was so F-ING AWESOME that I had my hand in the same pile of junk for forty minutes. I got absolutely nothing done. I am in love. True, there’s no Colin Firth in this miniseries, but there are plenty of mentions of him. I have a new dvd to watch on repeat while I work! I highly recommend this if you’re a Jane Austen fan. Of course if you’re that big a fan you’ve already seen it. Fuel for fantasies, that’s all I have to say.
I think I’m going to go start Pride and Prejudice for the hundred and fourth time.
Oh, and I’ve posted another adorable knitting needle pouch today!
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Apr 27th, 2009
Cloudy days really just throw me off. I didn’t start my day the way I had intended to this morning and I’m in a bit of a slump. UGH. I did manage to post some new bias tapes this weekend though. Ooh, and I have two new sets of buttons. So I guess I’ll post some photos for you, and maybe that will cheer me up. Ooh, actually I have a new picture of my studio to share!
Only a week or so old and it’s already a mess! That’s creativity for you.
New buttons! How cute is this combination?!
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Apr 22nd, 2009
Last night I went to my writing workshop and it was my turn for a critique. I always dread critiquing days and I usually spend the day trying to think of ways to get out of going. But of course I always force myself to go and then I’m always relieved that no one makes me cry and then afterwards I’m actually grateful for having such intelligent and observant peers. So, once again I went through the process and I was more glad than ever that I decided to join the group. It’s nice to have a deadline, to have a regular reason to force myself out of the house, to connect with other writers, and with other people for that matter! I have a tendency to hole myself up sometimes.
Anyway, here’s a good picture for a Wednesday:
He’s just passed out after a three day rave.
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