News

Not of the baby variety, unfortunately, but (in a way) of the "dependent" variety.

I've officially opened my Etsy shop.  *cue dramatic music*

That is, there are things in it.  Two things.  Two mei tai carriers that a friend ordered.  So even though you can't buy them, they're in the shop, and I think that counts for something.

Some Sewing...

Oh dear, I haven't been nearly as good at keeping up on my sewing lately as I should.  And I haven't even been good about sharing the things I have done with you.  But I can share a few pictures (at long last--processing and uploading is slow for me too. Hmm..), with links to my inspiration, if you are interested :)

So, to begin.

...

wordless

Fiction Friday

The door closed and he stuffed his hands in his pockets.  He often had his hands in his pockets, especially on nights like this.

It wasn't that his hands were cold, of course.  They always found his pockets after he saw her.  He'd never really thought about it, but it was his own small defense mechanism--hands in the pockets was a sign for anyone to read:  "Leave me alone.  I don't want to talk to you."  So he walked down the steps and around the corner, picking his slow way home through the chilly evening, musing on their conversation, kicking pebbles with his toe.

"Are you happy?" he had asked her.  He always asked that question, even though he knew her answer.

"Oh yes, very much!" she said, eyes shining.  She always said that.

It all seemed a bit idyllic to him, no matter how many times she said it, no matter how often she explained it.  He had heard that people could be happy like that.  That it suited some people to live the life she did.  But he never saw it for her.

Hadn't he known her since she was young?  Hadn't they had grown up together, played together, gone to school together?  They had the same classes and knew the same people and liked the same things.  She had so much potential, so much energy, and so much promise!  He had seen great things in her future, wonderful things.  And yet he couldn't wrap his own conception of her around the fierce reality of her happiness as he sat there, face to face with her smile.

Cookies

Nothing happens at the Black's but the Two Little Girls know about it.  Especially in the kitchen.

If you pull out baking bowls or flour or sugar (particularly sugar) or vanilla, you will soon hear the familiar (sometimes dreaded) sound of their little wooden high-chairs *scroooooonkeeeeenkskenrrnenssk* scraping across the dining room, squeaking slowly (but steadily) into the kitchen, and up to the counter, right in front of your workspace.

"I'm just gonna see what's in this loodle bowl here," they say. 

Warning

Posing for self-portraits in a pretty handmade Christmas dress leave husbands irresponsible for their actions:

Christmas to Me

To me, Christmas is a time of creativity.  It always has been.  From my earliest memories, Momma was always cooking, baking, gifting, sewing, painting, and decorating.  She loved the holidays. 

Momma's nativity sets, for example, took countless hours of hard, detailed work from start to finish.  She even poured the ceramics herself, and had them fired.  Then there was the basecoat (which we kiddies got to help with--how hard can it be to paint something all one color? (turns out it's rather tricky, to get it not-lumpy and goopy)), which was sealed, then the antiquing, sealing, colored antiquing, more sealing, and finally, the painted details, which Momma mostly did.  

It was just stunning to see her finished sets arranged just so at the parish holiday bazaar.  I wonder how many of her sets are scattered through our home town--how many lovely pieces of Love and talent and dedication adorn the homes of our friends at Christmastime.  

And still, nothing puts me more in a Christmas mood than getting my full box of paints and paint brushes out and, stroke by stroke, bringing clay or ceramic pieces to life.  

My Christmas Dress

My very own Christmas dress.  A good friend sent me a pattern she thought I would like, and I finally cut it out last week.  I started sewing Friday evening and hand-stitched the hem yesterday afternoon, watching Wall-E with my Sweet P'Taylor...  

I remember Christmas dresses when I was a little girl.  Sometimes we would buy them; sometimes, Momma would make them.  On Christmas Eve we would all open one present from under the tree before going to the children's mass as a family.  Momma would often suggest a particular gift for us to open, and I remember once I received a pair of brand new, shiny black, heeled shoes.  I felt so grown up and beautiful walking into Church that night.  Rustling dress, new shoes, warm winter coat.  I sat up straight because I felt like such a lady.  I paid extra close attention because I was so grown-up.

Snow Day

Kris Kringle has been working on some ornaments this month.  Each one stitched by hand.  Each one emerging slowly from pattern pieces and teeny tiny stitches.  Each making an appearance on sometime close to Sunday morning.  A labor of love, though, no matter when they are finished.

They tell a story of a snowy afternoon... coming home from the library.

Wrapped in a warm wool coat..

Three gray buttons keep the cold out.

There's a note in my pocket from someone special..

filled with love.. 

As I passed out of the city, I think I saw a polar bear watching me..

...

Teal Wool

in skirt form

pattern from a wrap-around jean skirt I've had for years, which isn't dressy enough for the workplace.

warm. cozy. stylish. adjustable (to wear on the hips or at the natural waist).

buttons. pockets.

I like it :)

Two

I made two purses last weekend!  One large one for use as a minimalist diaper bag, and one medium one ordered as a gift. I'm very happy with how they turned out :)

First, the large one:

I was able to use a lighter-weight cotton on one side because of the stronger black twill as the reverse.  And I'm so excited that I finally got to use some of my pretty (favorite) yellow buttons!

Custom pockets, of course

reverse--a nice subtle, goes-with-everything black, but with just enough fun in the accents.

Now the medium bag: 

Since this purse was a gift, I had to improvise with some of the details.  I don't mind :) I like to improvise.

reverse

Pockets + key fob.  The fob is sewn into the top seam, so it can be used with either side of the purse out.

And my favorite improvisation:

The angeled pocket

See, it's good for taller, skinnier things (like a small lipgloss tube or a short pen or a nail file (not that anyone would really carry around a seam ripper in their purse (especially unprotected) but it's what I had)).

But it's also great for shorter, less skinny things, 

like a standard lip balm:

Am I the only one who is amazed at my genius?  Ok, that's fine if I am, but I still think it's pretty cool :) 

All in all, two satisfied customers--and that's pretty fabulous too. 

Two in Two Days

I felt rather like Mickey Mouse, when he triumphantly declared he'd killed seven [flies] with one blow, when I added the tag to little Daigh's blanket on Tuesday afternoon last week.  


[Incidentally, the cart of pumpkins the Giant eats in that cartoon have always reminded me of the candy-corn pumpkins at halloween, and I always get one little bag to have out at our costume party, just so I can sneak a few for myself each year :) (ok, I usually end up eating most of them--but it's a small bag.)]

You see, I had a few rush items to finish after we got back from Washington (Saturday morning), and before I left for my brother's house (Thursday).

On Sunday, I sewed one mei tai: a gift from a first-time-grandmother to her daughter-in-law (the shower was Sunday--hope she liked it!).  They are expecting a little boy, so I got to use the same bright green and blue I used for two other carriers. It seems to be a hit! Shout-out to Pixie for picking this material :)

Yes, the wine helped, if you were wondering ;)

I didn't have quite enough of the flower material for one continuous piece for the body, but I think my embellishment masks it (and reinforces it) well enough, non?

Pockets for the boy side, too:

this is one of my new tags :) I love them!

Then, on Monday, I finished sewing up the mei tai my sister-in-law picked out for their new baby, Daigh.

and, since I had some extra material (and since he is my nephew), I made him a matching blanket, too.

All in all, a pretty crafty break between trips!  I still have a few purses to get out this week, and now I'm getting requests for aprons :) Exciting!

Heart of the Home

The heart of our home has always been the kitchen.  Growing up,

I spent many happy hours in the kitchen with Momma and my sisters, baking, cooking, and painting (we always painted ceramics in the kitchen--as Christmas approached, the table was almost perpetually covered with newspaper, dozens of bottles of paint, and little ceramic figurines scattered about, waiting to be colored.)

Momma's remodeled kitchen

Although we didn't have family dinners on a daily or weekly basis, food was an important part of our experience. We had favorite things to eat and to make.  Momma's kitchen was always full of food and we were free to munch and nibble at our leisure.
It seemed to work best for our family that way.  When we moved to a bigger house outside the city, with a ginormous kitchen, we just spent more time in it together.  Tea parties, shrimp dinners, Saturday morning breakfasts, all happened in the kitchen.  Holidays were birthed there--the cookies and sweets and cakes and candies that shaped our savored memories of those family times could happen nowhere but the kitchen.  

 the goodies tower

tea party with the grandkids

helping Grandmama with breakfast

When we were little, she used to preheat the oven so it was warm when we got out of bed, and she'd open the door to let the warmth out while we got dressed in front of it.  I remember she used to sit on a stool in front of the oven watching her food bake.  We had many good chats in front of the oven.. such lovely memories.

"this kitchen is awesome!"

If you've ever wondered where I get my penchant for remodeling/refurbishing/building things, look no further than my parents :)  They were always tweaking things here and there in our house(s), improving little by little, making it more their own. I remember so many projects we did around the house, but especially in the kitchen. 

So it only stands to reason that my kitchen now is the heart of my home.  I gather people with food from the kitchen, and it's fun to work with others in preparing it.  Learning to make sushi rolls, chatting while the pizzas are baking, waiting for the delicious-smelling cake to come out of the oven, stirring the soup in between sips of your favorite brew surrounded by friends.  You can tell a lot about a home by its kitchen.

"the food's good, who cares what the cabinets look like!"

And I have spruced mine up a bit, having a week-long opportunity while T was out of town (it's still hard for me to cook only for myself).  I figured, if I won't be using the kitchen all that much anyway, what better time to repaint it?

So I did.

Here are some pictures. Enjoy :)

Kitchen

Another One

Another custom purse, for the awesome girlfriend of one of T's law buddies.

Here you go, D--some pictures to pine away the time until you receive it :)

This is one of the three-in-one purses.  Three materials, three outsides, (three straps--just tuck that middle one inside when you're not using it), all in one purse.

Not a bad deal, really :)

D wanted key-fobs, pockets for chapstick and tissues, pockets that close, a few pen slots, and matching front buttons.  Hope she likes it!

Want one? :)

Funny

I took a survey for Etsy today (prize is an iPad with a handmade case--not a bad deal) :) But when I got to this page, I was a little amused.

 Notice anything funny about the things I can sell on Etsy? (click for a larger image)

 . . .

I'd really like to find the store that sells children. I'd like about a dozen of those, please. They come cheaper by the dozen, right? :)

Introducing...

the "law bag."

She wanted a pretty, versatile bag that was still big enough to hold a law school textbook or two.*  So I added a few extra inches on the sides and reinforced the straps and seams.


Button on the inside closes in a buttonhole on the back of the purse.  Ample-sized pockets can hold small notebooks, purse doodads, and the pen slot can hold two pens, to keep 'em handy.

If my law-student husband was a girl (um.. we won't go into that too deeply) ;) he'd want this bag. I know it.  He'd be so stylin'!  Everyone would ask him "where did you get that fabulous bag?" and he'd say "my wife made it."  Or maybe, if he was a girl, his (her) husband would be doing the sewing, and (s)he'd have to say "my husband Anne made it for me."

Hm.. nevermind. That's confusing. 

Back to the purse :) 

contact me if you're interested 

*photo credit to Taylor for his law books :) 

Little Bird Told Me...

that someone ordered a custom purse

From Purses

click for more pictures.

Contact me for pricing and other information!

Babies Don't Keep

I sometimes get rather inquisitive looks from friends (friends who know T and I don't have any kids (yet)) when I talk about all the baby things I make.  I mean, really? for someone who has zero kids--even nieces and nephews that live close to me--it may seem strange that I make all sorts of things for babies.

But I love them :) and I figure that, by the time T and I are blessed with children, we'll be pretty much set.

The real reason, though, that I tend to make so many things for babies is that I have so many friends and family who are having babies.. and need, well, baby things. And I like to encourage hands-on parenting!  See, the joy I gain--knowing that some sweet squishy baby is squirming in one of my carriers, or nursing contentedly under my nursing covers, or doing tummy time on my blanket, or having his face wiped with my burp rags--is life-giving.  This is something I can do now to welcome Life into my marriage.  And, as the nursery rhyme says, "babies don't keep." So, here's another baby thing I make:

Nursing Covers. 

Reversible, of course :)

with soft corners for dabbing up spilled milk

and a pocket to keep your nursing-related things in.

complete with matching bag




















Contact me with your email address for pricing information. Enjoy the pictures.

Crafty Things