cherry tomato

as promised...shop update

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I spent the weekend resting since I appear to have the flu. I spent last week working on some items to add to my etsy shop, and I'm happy to tell you I've just updated the shop. there are some new aprons, some flower brooches and screen-printed gift tags. here is a sampling of some of the items available:

brooches:

gift tags:

If I feel well enough this week, I'll probably add a couple more aprons this week.

Well, I'm going to get back to resting. Fortunately, it's blustery outside, and I'd much rather be inside anyway. We made a huge pot of chili and gluten free cornbread last night, and it's the perfect meal for days like today where you need something to warm you to the bone.

Have a great Monday! xo

more aprons

more aprons to show you. these too are available in my shop.

and just so you don't think my blog is nothing but a vehicle to sell some aprons, i want you to know that i do have lots to write, but i'm going to have to do it later today. :)

new aprons!

I just put some new aprons in the shop and will add some more tomorrow. It looks like I'm coming back a litle sooner than expected.

i'll be back tomorrow!

home sweet home

hey ya'll!

After getting off to a rough start, I ended up having a pleasant stay in South Carolina. My luggage got lost on the way down there, but I finally received it nearly 24 hours after my arrival. After spending two days wearing the same clothes, I was so thrilled to get my clothes.

I lived in Alabama for approximately six years, and I always feel a sense of nostalgia when I return to the South. I took full advantage of the abundance of southern cuisine that was so readily accessible. I love it all, grits (especially with cheese), fried okra, collard greens, sweet potato pie, red velvet cake, etc. I seriously gained 3 pounds while I was down there because I never really eat three full meals a day, but I went a bit bonkers down there. There were large white rocking chairs outside the building where I was in training, and I went out there and enjoyed the views of the red brick buildings, pine-needle mulch and beautifully manicured lawn while absorbing the day's last bit of sunshine. I only wish I could have done more touring, but I just didn't have the time. I'm sure I'll be returning, so I'll be able to take in some of the history of Columbia.

After returning home, I had a nice lazy day on Saturday. Then Sunday, Eric and I had my mother and step-father over for a mother's day dinner. We had a lovely day. This was the first year I have been able to treat my mother on mother's day, and Eric and I had a great time putting the meal together. We made grilled wild king salmon, mushroom risotto, steamed asparagus and a salad with baby greens, goat cheese, walnuts and raspberry vinaigrette. For dessert I bought a lemon meringue pie because I'm lame (for not making my own), and my mother loves them.

My mother is such a sweetie though that she brought us some absolutely delightful pink frosted cupcakes:

yummy...

here are the gifts I made for some of the moms in my life:

my mother:

for my mother-in-law:

my aunt-in-law's apron:

It's good to be back. I have much more to show you, including some lovely packages I have received recently. I'll share those with you this week.

focus, focus

I have been neglecting my blog a bit the past few days, but I have been busy producing, so I have some things to show you today.

Last Thursday, Eric and I came home to three packages at the front door. Eric exclaimed, "It looks like your birthday!" It felt like it too. I received a package of screens for my print gocco, a package of fabric I'd ordered from reprodepot.com, and the very best of them all was a lovely package from Lisa. She is an absolute dear, and sent the most gorgeous, colorful fabrics, most of which are vintage.

I am also the happy recipient of one of her mini tissue holders and a little package of buttons and ephemera. I can't wait to use my goodies, and the tissue holder is already in my handbag.

Since I finally received some new screens, I was able to try out the gocco this weekend, and was so please with the results. Eric came up with the design, and I did the printing. I think we'll be doing some more joint screenprinting and goccoing projects together. Eric has a fantastic collection of images and ephemera he has picked up over the years, and we had great fun going through his box of goodies yesterday. Here is an example of some of the cards we made.

Yes, it's a simple design, but I wanted to start simple and work up to more complex designs with multiple colors.

Finally, I used some of my new fabric (and some old) to make this patchwork cafe apron for my etsy shop. I just love the color combination, and I really tried to capture that Japanese aesthetic. The pocket is my favorite part.

I'm experiencing a creative burst right now, and it's almost overwhelming me. I keep having to make lists for myself so I can prioritize everything I want to do. It's a great to feel so inspired, but it shouldn't be stressful!! I really don't have any pressure from anywhere but myself, I just have so many ideas in my head and not nearly enough time to execute the projects.  I just have to keep focusing on one thing at a time.

completed projects and free fabric

I had an incredibly productive weekend that went by way too fast. I think the spring sunshine is definitely motivating me to get some projects completed. I finished my two art quilts and just need to frame them. here is a picture of the one I haven't posted yet:

and here's a close-up of the stitching:

I also finished two new aprons that are now in my etsy shop:

I also made a birthday present for my mother which I will not show you now just because I don't want my mother to see it. Finally, I knit a scarf for a co-worker who had expressed a strong desire to have a scarf made of ribbony yarn. I hadn't knit anything for awhile, so I just it as an excuse to complete a quick project. Hmmm, let's see, I think that's all I got done this weekend. It felt really good to get so much done and get some new things in my etsy shop. I'm planning to get some more aprons in there this week.

I have a friend who is an interior decorator. Last week she emailed me and said that her office had about 30 books of fabric samples they were looking to get rid of, and she wanted to know if I was interested in taking them off their hands. Well, of course I got myself right on over there. While I couldn't take all the books, I think I got about half of them. I don't know if you're familiar with these sample books, but they are filled with some gorgeous silk and cotton fabrics in addition to upholstery fabric. I'm going through the books right now, and separating what I think will be the most useful fabrics from those I probably won't use. While the samples aren't huge, they are large enough to make small zippered bags, patchwork items and a lot more things I'm sure you all could think of. I'd love to share the wealth, so if you're interested in any of these fabrics, please email me with your address , tell me your three top color choices, and I'll get a package of fabric out to you. If I send you some fabric, I would really love to see what you do with it.

tie one on - january

The assignment for this month's Tie One On was to make an apron out of old clothing. Unfortunately, by the time the assignment had come out, I had already donated most of the clothes I no longer wear. However, I was able to scrounge up a couple of things. I used some old pajama bottoms for the main part of the apron. The fabric is very lightweight and nearly see-through. The waist of the pajamas had a tie, and I just cut it out of the pajamas and used that for the tie for the apron. I made the waistband and pocket out of an old, white sleevless, button-up shirt, and I used the buttons from the shirt to decorate the pocket.

tie one on - holiday apron

here is my submission for november-december's tie one on.

i just love this festive fabric. i didn't think it really needed much more decoration, so i just added a small pocket with light blue rick rack. I cut the pocket so it would blend in with the pattern of the fabric.

i can't wait to tackle January's project: using pieces of clothing  to make an apron. I already have a few ideas...

checkin off items on the to-do list

now that the christmas decorations are up, i'm starting to get a little more into the season. for some inexplicable reason, i have had a craving for hot buttered rum. i remember my mother drinking it on cold winter nights when we lived in germany, and i have had it once or twice. in order to satisfy my craving, i whipped up a batch of hot buttered rum batter the other night using this recipe . yes, it is extremely decadent and fattening, but that's what christmas is for....right? well, i know gorging yourself on decadent foods has something to do with it.

it was delicious, and had an amazing ability to warm me to the core (plus i got a little tipsy).

in the meantime i have been plugging along making gifts. today i focused on my two adopted, half step-brother and sister. i'm not entirely sure that's the correct title for them, but to clarify, my father and step-mother have adopted two children from cambodia, emma and chhay (pronounced like chai tea). they are absolutely adorable, and if i had any digital pictures of them I would be happy to share them with you. Anyway, i always try to give them useful gifts, and i am drawn to gifts of the artistic type. In years past I have given seven year-old emma an easel and cooking and baking dishes and utensils, so I thought this year I would give her an apron. I figured she could use it for a multitude of purposes. she loves the colors red and pink (as do i), so a pink and red apron it is:

here is a close-up of the  pockets:

i think this will be absolutely adorable on her!

since i've been long-winded enough today, i will wait until tomorrow to post a picture of one of the gifts I made for chhay.

all set for the sale

As promised, here are some pictures of some of the items I'm selling tomorrow. I have already posted pictures of most of the pillows and some of the aprons, and you can see all of the items on flickr. I am only going to post some of those you haven't already seen.

all ready to go!

some short cafe aprons:

 

other aprons:

and some pillows:

I still have to make some signs, but other than that I'm ready to go! I'll get some pictures of the sale and post them tomorrow evening.