cherry tomato

where's the snow?

It was supposed to start snowing last night and snow all day long today. It did snow a bit last night, but the snow had stopped coming down by the time I awoke, and I haven't seen a single flake all day. I haven't given up hope though. It's still overcast and terribly cold, so maybe the snow just got a little delayed.

In the meantime, I have a few projects in the works.

This is a little dress I made for my friends's daughter Alice. She's about 2 1/2 weeks old now. I didn't use a pattern for this but used another dress as a template. Over 10 years ago, I was at an antique show and spotted the most adorable dress I had ever seen. It was so simple and delicate looking, and I immediately fell in love with it. The fabric is the palest of pinks and the fabric is thin yet sturdy and almost has the look of paper. I wasn't pregnant, and I didn't have a child of my own, but I bought it knowing that one day I would have a little daughter who could wear it. I don't think I could ever give it away because, well, I just always felt like I was supposed to have it. I've held onto it for all these years, and once and awhile I take it out and look at it, but for the most part I just keep it tucked away.

Last night I took it out to make the dress for Alice. The shape is identical to the dress I bought, but everything else is different. I used some sturdier fabric I thrifted ages ago that has been waiting for the perfect project. The fabric is not woven very tightly, so instead of hemming it on the bottom, I did a tight zigzag around the bottom and pulled the threads of the fabric to make a little fringe on the bottom. I thought about embellishing the dress with some sort of floral design, but I just really like the simplicity of the design and decided to just leave it. I'm happy with how it turned out, and I can't wait to see it on little Alice. I think I'll be making a few more for her.

Next up: a quilt. I don't believe she has a handmade quilt yet, and I really think every baby should have one. I've already designed it, I just need to get the fabrics and get busy. I'm really excited about this one!

show and tell

criminy, i can't believe it's been a whole week since my last post. this whole house-buying thing can really take a lot out of a girl. the whole process had been cruising along just great until last friday when some issues came up that brought everything to a screeching hault, and left us scrambling to figure out how we were going to make this work. after a frustrating few days, everything has been resolved, and it looks like we may be signing the documents as early as tomorrow! once this is over, i'm going to let out one big sigh of relief.

needless to say, i haven't been extremely productive. Actually, that's not entirely true. I made a dress and skirt for myself a couple of weeks ago, but I don't have any photos to share right now.

I do have this:

and this:

this was a package of vintage fabric and vintage trim i received from my mom. she picked it up at a fantastic little thrift store called, appropriately enough, "nifty thrifty". there are great deals to be had there.

i suppose the big news of the day in crafty blogland is the much anticipated release of hillary's first booklet, "kitty, bunny and bear".

i had no doubt it would sell out quickly, and at 8:00 am i was all set to make my purchase. i was so worried i wouldn't get one, so i kept hitting refresh until it popped up for sale. i think the last time i waiting to buy something like that was when i bought tickets to see radiohead back in 2003. i suppose hillary is kind of the radiohead of cute softies. does that make sense to anyone but me?

it did sell out, but i know there will be another batch coming out.

anyway, thanks hillary for sharing a bit of your brilliance with us!

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.

hooray for photos!!

I finally have some photos to share with you. Some of them are over a month old, but some are recent, like this:

mmm, ginger scones.

Here are some things I worked on before the wedding and honeymoon:

this is a deer i made with all vintage and thrifted fabric.

this is a quilted mat i made for the kitty bowls. my apologies for the messy bowl, but hey, it's an accurate depiction of the mat in use.

my first potholder with obvious evidence of my struggle with the bias tape. i think next time the bias tape will need to be a bit wider.

Aaah, I'm so happy to be able to share these images with you. I'll post more tomorrow.

fun fabric

I got this fabric a few years ago, and I haven't had the heart to cut it up. When I bought it, it was a curtain with old, muted gold ball fringe along the bottom. I took off the ball fringe (I'm sure I'll use it on something else), but I still haven't figured out the perfect project for this. I just adore it - the colors and images just make me feel happy.

I did manage to find one use for it. I used it in my new masthead. It's ideal for now because I can use it, and I didn't even have to pull out the scissors.

something a bit more light-hearted

i found these delightful goodies at the thrift store last night. i am really pleased with the recipe card box. i have needed one for quite awhile, and i thought this one was perfect for me. i particularly like the "made in usa" impression on the bottom. far too many things aren't these days if you ask me.

i am using the creamer as a centerpiece for the wedding. i have decided to collect small vases and creamers from thrift stores for the next several months and fill them with flowers for centerpieces. I'm looking for ones in our colors: ivory, brown, celery and pale/turquoise blue. this is my first piece.

i'm working on postcards for the new years postcard swap, but i don't want to post any pictures until i'm done. i'm  hoping to get some finished tonight.

oh, and one more thing, i have been looking for a gocco, and seattle's inventory appears to be completely depleted. i'm looking on ebay, but now that they're no longer being made the prices are climbing. oh how i wish i had gotten one last year when i first decided i wanted one! if anyone knows where i can get one at a reasonable price, please let me know.

a very vera day

I was thrilled to find these wonderful vera treats at a local thrift store:

I found four of these napkins in pristine condition. they looked like they'd never been used or washed.

This is a photo of part of a beautiful tablecloth.