I'm the It girl!

Well, I've been tagged by Mill Girl (via Sandra Eileen) in a game of blog tag and I must list some random things about myself. Randomness as follows:

1. I prefer pickles to chocolate.

2. I love to tap dance but haven’t done it in years.

3. I have two theories about movies: A) If Keanu Reeves says, “Whoa” then it’s a good movie. B) The quality of a Rutger Hauer movie has an inverse relationship to his weight.

4) I was born and raised in Colorado but can’t ski.

5) I’m a sucker for slapstick.

6) I live in one of those houses that does outlandish decorations for the holidays.

7) I have absolutely no sense of direction.

8) I wish I had played Barbies with my younger sister more often.

9) My drawing skills haven’t progressed past stick-figures and misshapen ducks.

Who will be "it" next?

Springtime

As I was wrestling with the lawnmower this afternoon, I noticed the dogwood tree had blossomed around my daughters' birdhouses. I don't know if any birds have taken residence in them but I think they look like cheery places to live.

A trio of new bags

I've been fiddling around with a sling bag design for a while. I have thankfully graduated from a mini-van sized diaper bag to a more compact 4-door sedan sized bag. I like this design because I can sling it over my shoulder if I need to be hands-free or especially mobile when chasing after kids. Here are my first three bags for public consumption:



It's also great fun to work with large scale prints! Wallets call for more dainty and delicately scaled fabrics but these bags can handle broader strokes and brighter colors. They'll be available in my etsy shop in the next week.

Warm and happy heart

Today I found another little gold star in the Etsy Treasury! Even sweeter, though, is the title: "Etsy Friends." The cockles of my heart are all warm and cozy. madeinlowell created the treasury. She is a wonderful polymer clay artist and hilarious individual. I made her acquaintance in an Etsy forum thread about poetry devoted to a mysterious Bow Tie Kid in her second grade class. Check out her Mill Girl blog!

The siren call of a fabric store

I have a very difficult time driving by a fabric store without stopping. Some of my all-time fabric stores are Pacific Fabrics, a locally owned Seattle chain. Not only do they have a terrific array of fabrics and yarns, they also have lots of fun and useful classes. I took an upholstery course and transformed two chairs from scary 70s to retro 40s (I also got to use an electric staple gun which is always an empowering experience).

My latest visit to Pac Fabric garnered me some pretty fabrics that resulted in this:

The color combinations on the diamond fabric are so crisp and fresh. And I like the old-fashioned quality of the calico lining.

Where do you like to shop?

I love a little gold star

I have ever since elementary school. That little bit of shiny external validation always makes me smile. Instead of checking my homework for little bits of foil, I now look at the Etsy treasuries for little gold stars. And yesterday I found one! Thanks for including me, Avision!

Tools of the Trade

One of the wisest things my husband has ever taught me is “Tape is cheap.” He’s a music composer and sound designer for theatre and back in the antiquated days of analog he used a lot of reel-to-reel tape for his recordings. Basically, I think he means it’s worth the investment in tools (in his case, tape) to get the best end result possible. This little catch phrase is so applicable to other areas of life – I just recently applied it to my sewing studio. First, I invested in a sleek pair of Gingher scissors. After years of hacking away with an old pair of shears, cutting and trimming is now a new-found joy. Next, I purchased a soapstone marking pencil. Now I can actually see and remove my markings without glaring sunlight and a pink eraser. Finally, I found a lovely and sizeable handmade pincushion, made by loosestring at Etsy. It’s just the right size to fit in front of my machine and it can hold pins galore. I’m finding that great tools add as much joy to the process of making things as finishing them.

Seller Shoutout: Hollyhawk

Photo from hollyhawk's etsy shop

Here is one of my favorite purchases from Etsy: hollyhawk's Floret leather cuff in plum. I love the color, the print and the width. It is impeccably crafted. Wearing it makes me feel girly and hip for which I'm eternally grateful, since my latest look is careworn and haphazard. Thanks Holly!

ps. I just discovered Holly's blog!

Longing for blue skies

As I was staring at my ever burgeoning pile of "To be made into something" fabrics, I realized that many of them had sky blue backgrounds. As much as I love Seattle's ever-changing weather, I'd like to have a nice stretch of blue skies for a while.

Hello, sad and neglected blog

I never did make a Brown Bohemian handbag for myself, although I did make quite a few around the holidays for other people! Now it's time for Spring and I just finished a custom order handbag that tickles me with its Spring-y-ness.

Originally uploaded by glassbeach

This is one of my favorite fabrics. I love the retro quality and the polka dots. I've made wallets with this fabric but I think the scale is well suited for a larger handbag. I think I'll have to make some more.