new projects.

ahh my little blog. color week was lots of fun, but i'm glad to be back to getting a chance to write a little more. plus, i have other pictures to share!

i'm most excited that i have a super secret special project in the works:

it's going to be given as a gift later in march and i could not be more hyped about it! it's biting off quite a bit more in the sewing world than i ever have before, which is daunting when i can't just call my mom every time the bobbin gets stuck like i used to. i will admit here, in my safe little craft world, that i don't even know how to change the needle on the machine yet. i have no doubt that will have to change soon! but yes, it is coming along quite well, and is almost done. there are a few very special touches that still must be added.

the drawing for my first year "blogiversary" is officially closed now, so i can finally stop sounding like a broken record on every post! i will be contacting one of you lovely readers soon to get an address to send your goodies to!

i'm gearing up to be adding lots of fun new stuff to le shop for spring, and also thinking of possibly introducing some housewares-type items... placemats, napkins, magnet sets, coasters, and a few other things in light of my sudden wealth of fabric. i get so excited about new ideas that i have to make a serious effort to stay focused on my current projects long enough to finish them. the good news is, matt and i started weight watchers this past week, and 5 days later i've (actually lost a couple pounds!) been inundated with this crazy amount of energy! hopefully i can harness it into productiveness and really get the shop packed full of loveliness. i plan to pretty much revamp the whole shop over the next few weeks of march. right now there's lots of great clearance to check out, to make way for the new!

blue.

color week : day seven : blue

my mom's last major project before she passed away in january. she was making quilts for each of her kids, my brother and i and our spouses. she liked to pick out the colors and design based on what each person really loved and the colors that were descriptive of or important to us. i'm really nervous and at the same time excited about finishing this quilt.

today is her birthday; she would have been turning 53. it's still incredibly hard to comprehend that she's not with us anymore. the physical signs are there... a closet full of clothes that had to be given away, projects that someone else will have to finish for them to be done... but mentally it's still hard to believe. i saved a message on my phone she left me in october, and when i listen to it (usually at least once a day) i still feel like she's just away on a trip. i know someday it will break my heart to hear her voice after who knows how many years of missing her, but right now, it just solidifies in my mind the feeling that she's just away and out of contact for a little while. i can only assume that someday the reality will set in, and i'm not sure that will be a good thing.

and so, in recognition that this would have been my mom's birthday, today is the last day to enter the drawing for some free goodies celebrating my first full year of blogging (as of january!). if there's some reason you've talked yourself out of entering, that's just silly! enter anyway! all you have to do is leave a little hello or comment. i get really excited over these kind of little freebie things. i won't draw a name until tonight or first thing tomorrow morning, so there's still time!

black.

color week : day six : black

i'm sure you're wondering what on earth this one is... it's a huge wrought iron candelabra from notre dame in paris from our trip this fall. all the many tealights are prayer candles that seekers and travelers had lit and said a prayer for someone.

time's almost up!

sorting, organizing, and stashing

i just returned for a long weekend (5 days, actually!) of hard-core sorting, organizing, and stashing-for-future-use of my mom's craft universe. i say universe, because try to imagine literally 30ish years of crafting supplies of every imaginable kind and many partially finished projects all in one place. i can't wait to post some pictures of some of the many treasures my sister and i encountered. i think a huge shop update will be in the (hopefully) near future as well, as i finish up some of the projects and unleash some of the supplies out into the world.

in my kick of trying to finish some of my own projects (mostly in light of knowing the huge influx of really great supplies that i was about to inherit) i actually got a few fun things done just in time. i tend to be a late-night crafter... i get on a kick about 10 or 11pm and, if i really want to finish what i'm working on, will work until i get really sleepy, which is usually no later than 3am. i am such a night owl, i love staying up late and that's when i feel the most productive.

i used some of the amy butler fabric squares i bought on etsy last week to make a few coasters.

i used a bit of the linen from pants i thrifted from goodwill and also ended up running out to get a little more of that awesome dot fabric to finish the backs.

when i was looking through my fabric, i found a happy little piece that was just calling out to be made into napkins. i'm planning to make several sets of two matching ones to go with my new ones. have i mentioned i really love when things don't exactly match? all the more fun with all-white dishes!

because i know much sorting, organizing, and stashing is in store for me in my own home, i decided to try out a color week idea i've been reading about in other crafty blogs. for the next week or so i'm going to try to post a different photo of beautiful color. it'll be a fun chance to play around with the camera and to finally use some of these photos i've been saving for the experiment.

by the way, it's not too late yet!

petite spree of shopping.

after reading this lovely little tutorial for a little zippered pouch, i decided that would be just the thing for corralling all the little gift cards and coupons that keep floating around my purse and over-stuffing my wallet. instead of braving the zipper foot on my sewing machine (for now) i decided to see what fabulous offerings were to be found among my fellow crafters at etsy. well, of course, i ended up finding several little somethings i just couldn't live without. it was really fun to splurge a little paypal cash (which feels a little like play money to be honest!) and to spread a little good-selling-karma by buying from others. ok, i don't really believe in karma. but when you love making things by hand, it's really fun to purchase things others have made by hand. part of my 'finishing the projects i start' revelation is that it is possible to have a home full of handmade things without biting off more than you can chew by trying to make them all yourself. and that, my friends, can be done by shopping.

so! the good stuff:

patchwork zipper coin purse by lindylou

polka dot cloth napkins by the orange bicycle

amy butler fabric scrap squares by the funky bag lady

vintage wallpaper pack by sweet kate

and a canvas market tote by modern charm.

ps-product pictures are all thanks to these lovely individual sellers. go crazy and check out their shops, there are many more fabulous goodies where these came from!

i stayed up way too late last night, clicking around and making absolutely sure these were all exactly the things i wanted. it really is sick that i get such a rush from shopping, especially the small rare times when i just buy exactly what i want (within reason) without thinking about it. i figure it is a nice little celebration for myself since my paypal account is all profits from the sales i've made. what better than to perpetuate the fun selling cycle? i also get a happy rush thinking of these five sellers that will (or already have) woken up to an email that they made a sale in their shop. such a good feeling.

here are a few other favorites that were hard to turn down: patchwork coasters, a gadget case, a little mini box pouch, and a cellphone snuggly. ok, i'd better stop before i start clicking away again.

and don't forget the anniversary free goodies drawing! come let me know what you've bought on etsy recently... how you like your coffee... what you've been reading... or just a hi!

...in with the new.

i'm trying something a little new... a clearance event over in the shop! some of my designs that were one-of-a-kind or made in really small runs (only one or two of each) are going on clearance. this is the first time i've tried any type of sale or clearance at all, but i want to make room for some fun new stuff coming in the spring. i've been in spring-cleaning mode in a big way over here in the studio, so i'd love for some of these lovelies to find new homes and make room for the new!

much of it is christmas cards and tags, and some of the others will look familiar... crocheted sunglasses cases and a few pieces of jewelry. i'm really excited about the mix of new things i've got in store, so come help me make room for them!

also, don't forget that the drawing for free goodies is still out and about! just a quick click and "hello" and you're in for a chance to win! (at least i was poetic about it!)

sick days.

i rarely get really sick, but yesterday and today have been a big mess of sleeping more than should be humanly possible, crackers and juice, and taking a shower just to put my jammies back on and go back to bed. i have limited amounts of time that my dizzy head and aching body will let me stay vertical, so i'm using my computer time quickly while i wait for my wonderful husband to bring more dayquil!

i've written about my mom's beautiful quilting a little bit before, but i wanted to share some pictures of the first lovely and treasured thing i've inherited from her. i think this may be one of the first, if not the first, quilt she ever made. i remember it always being around the house since my childhood in the early 80's, along with a big latch hook rug pillow that we used to snuggle on with the dog. it doesn't surprise me that something my mom picked out seems to have melted right into our decor perfectly.


pontouf doesn't seem to understand yet that she will not be allowed on this quilt.

matt just walked through the door with soup and more drugs, so i am off to the couch to watch my favorite go-to sick day movie and spend some quality time with my couch.

ps- don't forget to go enter to win some free goodies... all you have to do is say hello, just for fun!