saturday shopping list...

a little bit of vintage inspired beauty for you and your kitchen, this week. perfect for a little coffee and brunch with friends....

1) tangerine flower pin, from refashioned
2) midcentury coffee pot, from tigerluxe
3) turqoise gingham half-apron, from daisytoad
4) fabulous fifties canisters, from imsovintage
5) midcentury serving piece, from thewhitemole
6) vintage terrycloth tablecloth, from vintagous

visit fancypicnic for more in the saturday shopping series!

sad day...

i was sooo sad to find out my favorite magazine is going out of business. it may sound silly with all the other terrible things out there, and of course in the grand scheme of things it is... but, this magazine does bring a little bit of joy each and every day of mine. yes, that's right day. i don't know what it is about this magazine but i find myself looking through old ones on pretty much a daily basis. i keep stacks of them around and will browse through them when i get a chance, usually beore going to bed at night. it's sad when you lose those things that bring you a little bit of needed realxation and happiness. my mailbox will be lonely each month...

in shop relaled news, i've started adding items today. my little blue bird quickly sold... but i have another bird almost finished and will list it soon, along with many more goodies. my three year old makes it difficult to do the time consuming process of listing on etsy during the day, so more tonight.

inspiration wednesday...

1. just the way i am, 2. Ransburg handpainted toleware canisters, 3. A l p h a b e t S t r e e t, 4. january 20, 5. Pastel Village..., 6. Do you know who is the fabulous artist who made that?, 7. mushroom trio, 8. in waves, 9. hm..., 10. P1100491, 11. A sweet creation by frippelous...another gift from Amy!, 12. basket full of balls, 13. in dreams, 14. vintage gardens, 15. special order family, finished, 16. bunny friends

i always love when i see people sharing their favorite photos on their blogs. i find some many great new finds this way. since i spend way too much time on flickr anyway, i thought i'd start sharing mine regularly too. maybe you'll see something you like too.

shop update thursday...

the shop will re-open on thursday! as stated earlier, i will not have as many pieces as i wanted to have done, but there will be some new animals (including birds, rabbits, turtles), my new mini mushrooms, and feathers. it will have a very woodsy feel. i will continue to add more pieces as well, and i'll let you know about them here first. thanks for your patience!

** the beautiful birds nest in this photo was made by katy (winsome hollow).

giveaway...

my very sweet friend, miri, who i have been lucky to meet through the online world is having a little giveaway on her blog, here we are together. it's to celebrate opening her new shop of the same name! you can win one of her felt covered stones, a felt sushi kit, and a surprise! check out miri's blog as well. she share's a bit about her life as an atachment parenting mama to two very cute kids. good luck miri and to those entering her giveaway!

quality over quantity...

... another way of saying things are coming along slowly. well, i had planned to have a lot more done by now but it's not working out that way. you know how it goes... one kid getting sick, which means days home from school and doctor visits. our tub cracked, which means no showers (we luckily have another bathtub though), which means workers here for days putting in a new one and all the disruption that goes a long with it. some other big plans going on in the family, which i'll discuss more of later... and so on. many excuses i know (and also a bit of laziness). i can say that i am pleased with the quality of my work lately, though. i am proud of the way my sewing skills have been improving lately. i have lot's of new ideas as well. i just need to buckle down a little more and get them done. i will go ahead and open up my shop again in a few days because i really need to, but i won't have one large collection as planned. i'll have a few new pieces and i'll continue to add to them over the next month. you can see more pictures of my pieces on flickr.

just to give you an idea of what lies ahead, my next project will be a collection of "wild" animals. for those missing my elephants, look for a some new styles to returns to the shop, as well as some other new wild beasts! i'm excited to get to work on that down the road a little bit.

abby try again...

i'm really loving the work of abby powell. it captures/creates a world i really just want to climb into. the colors just make me swoon (perhaps you guessed that i favor the color blue?). abby sells prints of her gorgeous photograph's through her shop abby try again, on big cartel. she also has a lovely blog with the same name, where she shares her work and a bit about her life in portland (i envy all you lucky artists living there). also check out her flickr site for more amazing photos.

thanks abby for allowing me to share your images here!

nesting...

inspired by the little nest i found this winter, i've been working on a new series for the shop based on the idea of "nesting"... feathering your nest in winter to prepare for the coming spring. i'm working on some more birds and bunnies. i have made a new line of smaller mushrooms.

i also have been working on some feathers. i like the idea of having the sweet little tokens of nature like these in the home. i have seen several other people though who are also making feathers! i never know what to do in these situations? i guess that's the way the universe seems to work.... i'm not sure where these ideas come from but people often seem to have them at the same time. i was surprised and disappointed when i saw some other feathers pop up on flickr yesterday by artists i really admire. bad timing on my part i guess. so i'm not sure the feathers will end up in the shop or not, but i am enjoying making them. i am going to experiment with adding some silver beads also. i'll post pictures here at least.

this is an issue i always wonder about and would be curious on other's thoughts? what do you do if you have thought of an idea and then realize someone else is doing it? has this happened to you? it has happened to me before, and i've discussed it with others it has happened to and it's a difficult issue i think. any thoughts?

** by the way, i'm not quite ready to open shop again as planned! my kids have both been sick with something or other the last few weeks, and ive gotten a little behind. i'm really hoping to get a lot done in the next few days and post something again!

bright day...

such a wonderful day for new beginnings. it was interesting to share it with a three year old. i'm not sure how much she understands or will remember but she did master obama's name and was very excited to point him out when ever she saw him. my son watched with his school mates today, or some of them anyway. much of the school traveled together down to the capitol to be there in person. my thoughts were with them today... i hope they didn't freeze!

1. IMG_4019.JPG, 2. IMG_4017.JPG, 3. Ed.Inauguration_0445, 4. IMG_9728, 5. CRW_2191, 6. Ed.Inauguration_0405, 7. CRW_2184, 8. IMG_9741, 9. IMG_9725, 10. Obama Inauguration - Chicago, 11. IMG_9732, 12. IMG_9745

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

i created the above by putting in the tag "inauguration" and this is what came up. there is a great flickr group also, where people are sharing their own photos. kind of a nice way to connect with others... something many people are doing on the historic day.

garlands...

1. snowflakes, 2. Snowflake Curtain, 3. Untitled, 4. Christmas Bling, 5. Mary Poppins, 6. A new fabric bunting, 7. garland, 8. chasing Anthropologie, 9. Untitled, 10. silver oak garland, 11. Paper heart garland, 12. party garland 4, 13. Easy Holiday Garland

i've made some holiday garlands in the past, but ever since etsy asked me to make the how-to for them and i had to do a little research i've become fascinated with them. i love that they can be very simple or much more complex and embelished; they can be used for special holidays or celebrations, or simply to make everyday life more beautiful; they are simple craft projects or elaborate pieces of art. they are really lovely additions to any room. check out this great flickr group for more inspiration.

saturday shopping list...

love...

i'm not usually a big fan of valentine's day. i usually just avoid it or ignore it for the most part. i've been thinking about it a bit this year though. as i put away my christmas things, and was feeling the loss of the cheery color is adds to grey winter days, i started thinking about the sweet aspects of valentines day (and not just the candy!). i like the idea of adding pretty pinks and reds into our homes, the gesture of handmade and thoughtful gifts, a special meal shared together, or even just a little extra time made for someone you care about it. here are a few simple finds i wanted to share this week...

1) a dozen old romance novel paper flowers- a creative alternative to traditional flowers which will quickly fade, made by sparklepants
2) the white swan 1, fairy tale plush for grownups- this magical listing from lapomme is for one swan only, though it doesn't really look like they want to be seperated!
3) woodland white valentine bunny- from my very creative sister katy (winsomehollow). who could possibly resist that little heart nose?
4) sometimes of the land- a beautiful print from myfolklover. my husband and i often give prints to one another as gifts. it's a special way to share something you love that will be a reminder of that special occasion everytime you look at it.
5) print and give 2009 calendar- i love this creative gift idea from littlebrownpen! the lucky receiver(s) will remember your generosity all year long. plus, the shop is offering a free 2009 calendar right now with a purchase (also check out the really cool tutorial video they made http://tinyurl.com/6mk6t8)!
6) peacocks on your table- this vintage table cloth from vintagefoe is such a pretty way to add color to your home or make a meal extra special.

check out more lovely shopping lists over at fancypicnic, and visit my treasury based on my list this week, to see more great options for valentines day!

fabric giveaway...

i thought i would be generous and share a great giveaway going on at the long thread (although i'm really hoping to win it myself)! the prize is your choice of five yards of fabric from the etsy shop, the fabric bar. how great is that? the shop has a wonderful selction of fabrics, including japanese prints. check out the giveaway and the shop... and you can thank me later if you win:)

mushrooms...

i made some mushrooms for a special order this week, and i enjoyed working on them. i think i will try some different ones while i'm on a break.

etsy front page...

very lovely front page today from my friend amy at the peach tree... thanks amy!

inspiration, and a shop break...

1. Molly's Sketchbook: A Wedding Quilt, 2. vintage wooden blocks joy, 3. Butterfly Celebration, 4. inspiring shadows, 5. *sniff*, 6. Spring Swallow Tea Towel, 7. needle felted nest and eggs, 8. happy new year, 9. this is my most favorited flickr picture, 10. happy new year everybody!, 11. before, 12. after, 13. for j's grandmom, fan of the white on white, 14. sled, 15. house mobile, 16. evergreen

hello my friends. so i've been thinking that i would take a little shop break... not long but just to refocus. i'm not really happy with my shop right now, and i think i will close it for a bit, just a week or so, to rethink, work, and start fresh. i have a custom order to post first, and i wanted to give a little warning in case someone was thinking of purchasing anything. so, i will probably close wednesday, the 14th. i will continue to blog and update on my work. it may be for more than a week, depending on where my angst takes me:) i think some time to work, and enjoy flickr, and the blogging world, and etsy... and of course the real world(!), without worrying about sales will be good.

above is some of my flickr inspiration as of late. the weather is so cold here now, i feel as if i'm slowly building a little cacoon around myself.... searching for a warm little hidey hole to curl up in for winter. perhaps this is inspired by my current favorite children's book humphrey's corner.

stay warm.
xoxoxo

saturday shopping list...

some of my current favorite art pieces on etsy. just looking at the photos makes me happy, i'd love each one for myself:

1) hand embroidered crochet surprise, with a secret message inside from leighadactyl
2) wee bud vase with woven honey colored knotless net, from one of my favorite designers mudpuupy
3) bunny girl print, so lovely from mummysam, used as her self portrait for a japanese bok she is featured in!
4) crochet lily of the valley, from suili, whose line of crochet flowers are just brilliant
5) wordy butterfly mobile- from royalbuffet, sadly this one sold but i'm hoping she'll have another like it
6) sylvias bell jar- a beautiful print from an original painting by brianataylor

go to fancypicnic for more saturday shopping lists in the series.

i give my heart...

some new little tokens of love in the shop... you will get two. you can keep one and give one away, give them both away, or use them to add a little more love to your own home. just something sweet.

easy leg warmers...

ok, yes... i'm a child of the 80's. i love legwarmers, i admit it. they did come back into fashion recently, probably because we are now passing our dubious taste onto our own children! just kidding:) i have rediscovered for myself the actual practicality of legwarmers. they are great in winter. i find them especially useful when i want to wear tall boots but don't have long socks to wear under them... add some legwarmers over your normal socks and problem solved! today my daughter wanted to wear her clogs out. not really practical for such cold weather, but they were just passed onto her from a friend and i didn't feel like arguing with a three year old (for the 500th time today). my friend knit some really cute legwarmers for her daughters last year. it took her a really long time though... and i don't actually knit. so instead i took five minutes and made these (i already have a pair of black cashmere ones for myself). of course i have many felted sweaters lying around handy, but if you don't it's very easy. just take an old wool sweater and throw it in the wash on hot water to felt it (it's pretty easy but practice makes it much easier to predict the results based on type of wool in the sweater and water temp). i use eucalan wool wash, but any mild detergent would work. if you are making child size leg warmers, you will want to start with a smaller sweater or felt it tighter. after it is felted and dry you are ready for the hard part... take a pair of scissors and cut of the sleaves (to desired length) and put them on! the wrist part goes on first becasue it is tighter and will hold them up. i used pinking sheers on sidney's to give the bottoms a cute little edge. you can embellish them with embroidery or cute fabric too! easy, fun, and warm!

little love blue bird...

finally back to work again! it's been a very busy week just trying to get us all back to some kind of normal rhythm (hasn't really happened yet). it's nice to be working again.

here is a new little bird for the shop. she is made from a new design i have been working on! i'm quite happy with how she came out. it is similar to some of my other birds but definitely something new. i used one of my most popular fabrics, the bright blue cashmere, which sadly i'm running out of. the pretty pink and white floral cotton was purchased from the repro depot at the bust craftcular. i love it's vintage feel. i find the process of making these birds quite a challenge! i'm happy with how they come out though- i love that each one is completely unique. i actually love the slight imperfections that make them so. i think it gives each one it's beautiful character. i hope you do also!

i'm thinking of love and friendship as i work these days. this is the first work i have inspired by valentines day. more to come soon.

in my shop now.

happy new year...

i hope it was a lovely new year for everyone! i'm glad to finally be back to the world of work and blogging. we had a very nice christmas... here in brooklyn, and then up in the catskills to visit family. it was great having time to just spend with family and friends. we have done a lot of playing, resting, moving watching, laughing, eating and drinking (well, hot chocolate anyway). i'm afraid i did absolutely no work, but it was a a much needed break and i'm excited to get back to it. my son goes back to school tomorrow, and i'm hoping i can find some time to start in on all the projects swirling around my head. i know my little one will need a little extra attention because she will be missing her full time playmate, so we'll see how much gets done. i'll start posting updates on new projects soon!


by the way, the nest you see in the mosaic above was found in our christmas tree! we didn't see it until i was taking the tree down. i don't know how we missed it, except it was well hidden deep in the branches next to the trunk. it was nicely intact and a special little gift to find and keep. i added the little blue egg, and it looks very sweet on our little blue corner table.

** how did i not notice the candle picture in there twice? my brain is still on vacation me thinks.