craft insanity.

in a fit of psychotic optimism, i filled out applications for four craft shows today {and another two will be going out as soon as the applications are available online}. all i need to do now is write out the checks {scary!} and get them sent out. here are my little application envelopes awaiting a little ellebee-ification-ization before being sent in for judgement. i mean the jury process.

if all goes according to plan, I will be participating in a craft show once a month from june through december! {with the exception of august, the hottest month possible in north carolina}. i have always wanted to have a real show “schedule” and this is the first time i’ll be doing more than two in a 3 or 4 month time frame.

I say psychotic because, well, my craft desk looks like this:

and my supplies look like this:

purely frightening. we just moved in, and since my studio is now in the basement, we simply put everything there to be unpacked and organized when i have {take} the time. my plan is to not even try to organize it {for now, unless a fit of frenetic cleaning energy hits me} and just try to work around it all until i have enough finished products for the show. the shows in november and december will be fun, because I’ll get to pull out all my christmas ornament ideas. exciting! here's the lineup, hopefully, as long as i get accepted to all of them!

june: handcrafted in n.c.

july: designer's downtown market

august: {none}

september: designer's downtown market

october: autumn arts festival

november: mistletoe market

december: holly days

baby sewing.

my lovely hubby m had to be out of town a few weekends ago, and i went on a bit of a sewing-for-baby streak while he was gone. i had seen a great tutorial for a baby wipes and diaper case and decided to make one for my impending neice-to-be! {a, if you still read me, you'll just never get any surprises again!}

i started off by choosing some lovely girly blues that made me think of my sister in law. i've been making things for her from fabric from my mom's huge stash since i think it's a great way for our family to remember my mom by having things made from material that she picked out {as with the taggie blanket i made for my nephew, which i noticed recently has deliciously been loved nearly to death! yay!}. baby girl's name is supposedly {hopefully still!} going to start with an "e" just like her big brother:

but then, after a dinner conversation where i got to hear all about her colors for this baby/pregnancy, i found absolutely the most perfect pink and green paisleys in the stash, which is exactly what she said she's into, so i remade this version:

it's not quite done, it still needs a bit of ric rac trim and the velcro for closure, but i am loving the colors! hopefully it is right on the dot of what she would like. my goal for any gift is always to try and make it be exactly what the person would pick if they had picked it themselves!

and of course, i had to make another one for my own little k in my favorite pinks and greens {it's astounding how often they go through these things!}.

and hopefully coming next, speaking of baby crafting, will be pictures of the completely completed nursery! and it's only taken 6 months {to be fair, there were basically two city-to-city moves in that timespan}. a bit of laundry is also in the cards... somebody got chocolate on the comforter! {ok, it was me.}

idea book.

with all these recent ideas and new inspirations floating around, i decided it was high time i figured out some sort of organization system for my little sketches and thoughts. i have a terrible and deep-seated habit of writing my genius {haha} ideas down on random scraps of paper, and i do mean random... envelopes, receipts, and even one of those recycled paper coffee cup cozies from starbucks. enter the fun {and also recycled paper} goodness straight from the target clearance rack for less than $5:

found space journal by new leaf paper. their tagline is "paper with a past. and a future." how cool is that?

it is 100% post consumer recycled, the covers are actually from some type of cereal-type boxes with a cute leaf and butterfly print on the other side. it's the perfect size for a folded-in-half piece of printer paper {which i often grab to sketch on since it's unlined. and convenient.} and i've just been punching holes in the other scraps of paper and sticking them right into the little binder clips!

now i can work up to having all my ideas in one place, if i can remember to start carrying it with me everywhere, and can stop stressing about the little scrap of paper that got away! i also plan to jazz up the cover with some stamps and label stickers when i get a chance.

my next organizational thought is some sort of giant notebook wherein to store all sorts of patterns i've jotted down here and there, my favorite online tutorials printed out with their corresponding pictures {for fear that i will click the links one day and they might be gone gone gone}, and directions/patterns i've cut out of magazines. maybe i will keep with a theme and try out their binder as well!

more inspiration.

rainy day + a bad cold is the perfect time to find some new
inspiration! i'm always amazed at the wealth of loveliness {color,
photography, tutorials, pretty places, evoking happy feelings} there
are to be found with just a few clicks. i was searching for ideas on
how to attach some handles on a little tote i'm making {pictures to
come} and found lots of loveliness to add to my favorites list.

behold this deliciously adorable pair of baby shoes by catarina m:

in fact, if you need a cheerful sort of thing to look at, her entire set of baby shoe pictures is absolutely wonderful! love it!

ideas, ideas, ideas!

i found these ridiculously cute "sweater pants" on etsy today, and immediately looked to see if i could find a tutorial on how to make them. i'm definitely filing this idea away for winter! i love to think of my little one this winter, turning a year old, starting to stand up... her little toes sticking out from the bottom of some super soft and cuddly sweater pants made for her by her momma!

the photo is thanks to handmade pretties on etsy, if you're not into making your own, she has some fabulous and adorable ones for very reasonable prices! i love how she made the tops of them like little yoga pants so the stretchiness can be pulled up over chilly little bellies {the rest of her shop is full of lovely felty and woolie goodness as well!}

i found a good tutorial from green kitchen on making the sweater {or sweatshirt} pants, and also one adapted for woolie diaper covers or shorties, if you're into the cloth-diapering thing. both tutorials reminded me a lot of soulemama's tshirt-into-pants idea in her creative family book. the tshirt ones would be a great weight for summer jammies! i've still got a great thrifted knit bedsheet i was planning on making into adult jammies-pants based on the amy butler wide-leg pattern from her book in stitches, but now i'm very much considering scrapping that {temporarily?} and making a rag-rug for kenna's room instead.

i discovered this vintage chica's blog thanks to mothering magazine, and found this great rag rug tutorial on it {which, apparently, she is known for}. i'm literally on my way out to by a size 11.5 crochet hook today! and, further proving that there is a flickr pool for absolutely everything, i found lots of awesome inspiration for rag rugs in the braided and crocheted rag rugs pool.

teeny tiny jars.

due to some completely crazy personal circumstances, we have moved for the second time in nine months, and my craft world is in complete upheaval. frustrating, but i'm trying to use the chaos to reevaluate a few things, regroup, and come out with some fresh ideas. i'm looking forward to what it might look like as soon as things calm down a bit. (if they calm down a bit?)

i'm still deep in the trenches of new-motherhood, and trying to figure out how my making is going to mix with my mothering. one cool idea i found recently is one for the growing pile of tiny baby food jars on my kitchen counter. they are ridiculously tiny and cute, and i was sure there must be some really cool ideas out there of what to do with them. one google search later, lo and behold:

a baby food jar chandelier

tiny miniature snow globes

tiny jar pincushion and storage spot

tiny travel candle with lid

and there's lots of "big jar" ideas that would be really cute when miniature-ized by using baby food jars, such as:

jar hanging lanterns

or you could take a few of the tiny jars, glue the bottoms into a shallow dish or tray, and then plant individual small herb plants {like basil, etc.} and have a little kitchen countertop herb garden!

here are some great idea lists from other blogs:

re-nest: crafty uses for baby food jars

repurposeful: how to reuse baby food jar