welcome to designs maya*made!

Hi friends! Did you wonder where I went? Halloween parades and pumpkin muffins for 24 children were my first priority, but here I am...

You're just in time for my first shop announcement. My knees are shaking a bit, and I'm feeling rather shy after your flood of wonderful wishes in my last post. Thank you for supporting me as I pursue my dreams.
I have high hopes and a slew of wonderful ideas for the very near future, but today is just a small step. Remember, I really want to start out little and slow. The pictures in this post are some of the items available at this moment.





When I'm feeling comfortable and have learned my way around Etsy, shipping, and all of those other pesky details, I'll increase my stock. For now, my goal is simple... open the doors and let you in! Please go visit me at my new spot on the web at designs maya*made! Or just click, here. Any suggestions or helpful advice will be welcomed, so don't hesitate to leave me your 2 cents! I'm such a newbie at all of this, and I'm still ironing out the kinks!

on my desk...

For other players of "on my desk..." please visit Kirsty's.
Over the weekend I hinted that I would be making an announcement soon (no, I'm not having another little one, at least not right now). My desk will give you a very big clue. The doors to my Etsy shop are finally getting ready to open. There was a point back in September where I almost let go of that dream. I recently realized that I could start slowly and small. With blogging, I jumped in before I knew how to swim. With Etsy, I'd love to start in the shallow end and work my way towards the deep. Any advise from you seasoned sellers or buyers would be so appreciated.

So on my desk are several different maya*made labels. Coming soon will be an entire post just on different techniques I've been trying out... in hopes of helping you if you ever were to need a label of your own.

Above my desk are a couple of the things I plan to have in my shop. I decided to display them as if my studio was my shop. I'm really enjoying this idea.

More coffee sack pin cushions- you all seem to love them as much as I do! Above my window is a string of linen "patches" that are stenciled and hand painted with simple organic images.

It was suggested a while back that I sell some of my designs on linen... ready to be turned into other peoples creations. They also look nice mounted and framed. I did that with this bird. So now that I've gone public, I guess I'd better get to putting "things on the shelves". Doors open on Friday. I'll slip you the directions then... :)

sew and tell

I'm excited to show you a couple of the things that I've been making. First up, is my new knitting basket. It's a burlap vessel- the perfect size for holding a little embroidery or knitting project. It's also nice for gathering up those odds and ends that gather on counters and surfaces.

I lined it with this luxurious black dotted linen. I have some salvaged pieces left over from a local clothing manufacturer. I love putting it to use and it works so well with the black graphics of the burlap. As much as I love it, I know that I just how I want to improve upon it. This was a wonderful starting place for a burlap container... I'll show you the evolved design at the end of the week. I'm enjoying the challenge of working with burlap more each day. Are you wondering what those vintage wooden clogs have to do with the basket in the top photo? Nothing! My daughter was clomping around in them and they wound up in the photo shoot, because I love them so much. I own two pairs of clogs that my grandparents brought back from a trip to Amsterdam in the early 1960's. All of the grandchildren in our family have dressed up in them, and I loved seeing them worn by a little one again.

She's wearing them with her new dress made from this Sugar City Journal pattern. It's made out of soft and cozy flannel in sage with brown bias tape. It's meant to be a dress or a tunic and the neckline is low and square to show off layers. A perfect fall dress. My daughter would live in pajamas if she could. This feels like a cuddly nightgown, so she didn't want to take it off, but I realized it was missing an important feature. A pocket! Now it has a place to put all of her little treasures: sticks and stones... maybe a pretty leaf.


We're expecting our first inch of snow this afternoon... I'm wishing I had a flannel dress in MY size!

pumpkin madness

The week of Halloween has finally arrived, and my children can talk of nothing else. Yesterday we had a pumpkin extravaganza. We always carve one pumpkin for each of us. I've collected a wide assortment of child-friendly tools and we let them design and carve on their own as much as possible. Several years back my son begged for a fancy carving kit that came with a wide assortment of templates. Each year we take them out and admire them, and then agree that they look too tricky. It's satisfying to design your own, but this year. My big ten year old was totally ready to give it a try. He carved for two hours! I only helped a little itty bit. The front of the pumpkin has two rats...the back is carved, as well, so that it will project a shadow of a cat face onto the wall... spooky. This is the pattern book it came from here.


He was so proud of himself, and rightly so!

I kept trying to take a picture of our three inside pumpkins (the biggest is on the porch), but someone kept trying to make off with my props. Fresh baked pumpkin-cranberry-chocolate chip muffin/cookies. Can't blame them, they're addicting. By this morning, they were almost gone!

I got the recipe from a friend, who got the recipe from a friend, who got it here. We make them every year and so far, everyone who's ever tasted them wants the recipe immediately. Our version has a few variations and less sugar(organic).. .sometimes mixed with maple syrup , grain sweetened chocolate chips and cranberries. It seems like the kind of recipe that you can modify to your liking and ingredients on hand.

We always roast the seeds after carving and nibble on them throughout the day. After rinsing them, we toss them in olive oil, garlic, salt and a dash of maple syrup. Then we spread on a cookie sheet and roast until golden... mmm! I took a moment to sit in the fading sun and look around at the rapidly changing scenery.


Winter is right around the corner here in the Northeast. Tree skeletons are everywhere...

Cows graze in a cut cornfield....


Take a look up at my banner. Here's the same view a couple of weeks later!


I've been squeezing in a bit of sewing and am having so much fun coming up with new designs. Some are still in the prototype phase, but if you stop by tomorrow I'll give you a sneak peek.
Happy Monday!

countdown to halloween...

Just stopping in to wish you a lovely Saturday. We'll be finishing up costumes, carving pumpkins, and baking cookies for the next couple of days. Hope you're having a great weekend filled with Halloween fun. Here are a few holiday links I wanted to share, just in case you don't already know about them:
The Crafty Crow: a huge line-up of wonderful children's crafts, sweets, and more for Halloween
one pretty thing's Halloween Round-ups: brimming with Halloween DIY and fun hand-made ideas
Green Halloween: an entire site (with a blog) dedicated to eco and alternative Halloween choices
family fun costumes: there's still time to make your own costume...here are some great ideas
Martha Stuart Quick and Easy supermarket costumes: just what the title says :)

I'll leave you with these pictures I took at the barn last week. These are my Grandfather's Halloween costumes from the early 1920's. Yes, we've saved them...wouldn't you!?


The one on the left is a mime or maybe a clown. The right is a Native American Indian with head dress. The vintage pumpkin on top of the rack seemed just right.



Thanks for all of your great feed back and enthusiasm about my sack ideas... I've got a bunch more! Next week I hope to share another tutorial, art project, recipe, and a little announcement. See you then!

recycling: good, clean fun!

I missed playing "on my desk" yesterday, but my little napper has suddenly given up napping. My Wednesday blogging window just got a little more challenging. My making window didn't seem to disappear, though. She and I whipped up a little storm together. I'm going to confide in you: I'm having a little love affair with coffee sacks, and it looks like I'm not alone...my inspiration board turned up all over the place this week: Design*Sponge, Craft, whip up!, Apartment Therapy's unplugged and re-nest, one pretty thing...maybe more. Thank you soooo much! I really enjoy working with burlap, playing with the graphics, and most of all... giving new life to a resource that would have otherwise gone unused. The above bag is my daughter's new tote: a lunch sack, snack bag, nature collector, and anything else she might decide. Here she is waiting to go to nursery school... Miss Upcycle, herself. She sits upon my re-done chair, with her Mama Goose shirt and her handmade (from thrifted fabric) skirt. She wears it all with pride, that's my girl!


Back to the bag. Don't you love the shape? It's a soft and drapey (yes, burlap is not as itchy as you might think), but has structure even when empty!

I made a quick and simple lining in linen, and the straps work over her shoulder or as a handle. A friend dropped buy today, and now she wants one too...for her knitting. I'm going to make several in different sizes and style... I need a couple!

I hate wasting. I had to use the scraps, of course. This is my new favorite pin cushion.


It reminds me of a little sack of coffee. The loop means I can hang it on the wall above my sewing machine, and always know where it is. I have a habit of misplacing my pin cushions, so this is GOOD.

In other making news:
I had a special request for some more stone dolls. I spent a beautiful fall afternoon collecting more stones at the lake, and here they are:


I also stitched up a couple of these birds from Spool after seeing this gorgeous interpretation of their project by Molly.

I have big holiday plans for these sweet little birds. They can take on so many different personalities depending on your fabric choices. Here's my simple, rustic one in linen and ticking (one of my favorite combos). I added some quilting details to the tail that I'm really enjoying. Might play with the pattern a bit to make it my own...I love tweaking.


I also made one for that little girl at my side... with her fabric choices. She loves it more than any softie I've ever made for her. I've made quite a few in the past year, but this one feels just right in her hands, and she hasn't let it go for 24 hours!

Maybe we all need a little someone to hold onto...

thanks design*sponge!

Just a quick note...I wanted to give a big thanks to Grace, at Design*Sponge, for putting up my "Sack Hack" tutorial this morning. I really appreciated all of your great ideas in the comment section, as well. You are such a creative bunch... I love it when you join in! Keep those ideas coming...

mini fall galettes

Over the weekend, the temperatures plummeted and it felt like the perfect time to do some baking. Galettes are a rustic pie, baked on a cookie sheet, rather than in a pie plate. These hand-held miniature versions are so fun and simple... we all enjoyed each step. Pie crust can be so temperamental and trying to have children help can be stressful, but this dough is totally forgiving. Since they are meant to be free-form pies... no worries about perfection. I don't think I've ever been so excited to share a recipe...delicious...easy...inclusive of all ages. Did I mention that they taste divine? My family declared these to be the best pies we've ever had...and I've baked a lot of pies! Who doesn't love having an entire pie for herself?

Make your fillings first and then start on the dough. We made two varieties:
Apple Cinnamon
3-4 apples peeled, cored and sliced
a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar or maple syrup
a generous sprinkling of cinammon (my children love to shake it on when we don't have to measure)
a squeeze of lemon juice
Mix together and let sit.

Gingered Pear with Drizzled Honey (too spicy for the small ones...all the more for us...these were my favorite!)
several pears peeled cored and thinly sliced
1-2 teaspoons of freshly grated ginger (to taste...could also used powdered)
squeeze of lemon juice
arrange pear slices in a bowl, side-by side and drizzle with honey


no-fail dough:
makes 1 large galette or 8 minis
2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of sugar
12 tablespoons of cold unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces
1/2 a cup of ice water as needed

-Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
-Cut in butter, blend until there are pea-sized pieces.
-Sprinkle on water, one tablespoon at a time, until you can form the dough into a ball.
-Press into a disk on counter and cut into eight pie slices.
-Refrigerate 6 slices while you work with the first two.
-Form each piece into a ball and roll into a disc (1/8 inch thick) on a lightly floured surface.
-Keep dusting surface and rolling pin with flour to discourage sticking.
-Set each circle on a cookie sheet. I like to use unbleached parchment paper underneath...no mess.
-Place filling in center of disc with 1 1/2 to 2 inches left around the sides for folding up.
-Drizzle juices on top.
-Tuck your fruit in, overlapping the sides and pinching any opening along the bottom shut...to keep the juices in.
-Paint the exposed dough with an egg wash (one egg beaten with a little cream or milk) using a pastry brush (optional).
-Sprinkle crust with sugar(optional) .

-Bake at 375 degrees until golden and bubbly.


EAT! These are small enough to eat with your hands like a little pastry... although you could certainly bring out the utensils and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.



The following day, I had the Gingered Pear Galette with a cup of coffee for breakfast... it doesn't get any better than that!

sack hack

Feed and coffee sacks...grain and flour bags, I love them all. Finding a new and beautiful use for something that originated only for utilitarian purposes is totally satisfying. Now when I say beautiful, I know it's a matter of opinion. Natural burlap with nice printed graphics happens to be an aesthetic that really appeals to me. I've always found letters and numbers in different fonts to be visually stimulating. When I was planning the window installation for Mama Goose, I knew I wanted to try to get a hold of some coffee sacks for a back drop or stage cover. I contacted our local coffee roastery, Gimme!*, and asked what they did with their empty bean sacks. Turns out, they have mountains of them and were pleased to have me take a couple off their hands. After creating the window display, I had some left over. I wanted to hang one in my studio, but hanging a sack didn't feel quite right. I had been thinking of covering my bulletin board with fabric...bingo! Here's how it turned out.

Want one, too? Here's what you'll need:


-bulletin board- I scored mine at a garage sale, but all office supply stores carry them
-staple gun
-scissors
-coffee sack... try calling your local roastery

MAKE

1. Cut your sack open along seam to get the largest useable piece of burlap out of it.
2. Measure your board and cut your covering with about 2-3 inches surplus around each side.
3. Position the graphic where you'd like them and secure it with a couple of thumb tacks.
4. Flip cork board over and staple burlap to back side. Don't pull taut or you will skew the graphics. I pulled it tightly the first time and regretted it. My second go at it left the letters a little wavy still, but it didn't bother me.

note: Because you're inserting staples into cork, they can pull out easily like a tack. This makes for easy re-doing, but be careful not to let any pop out before you install it on your wall.

I hung mine above my computer table this afternoon. My new inspiration board is just waiting to be filled up...but I'm also enjoying it just like this!



find a sack
make a hack
get a tack
knick knack paddy wack!

I'm sure there are other ways to make use of this wonderful resource...what are your ideas?

*note: Gimme! coffee is incredible...wonderful practices and exceptional taste. If you are a coffee lover, you really should check them out. They've been getting some sensational press and since they're our local bar and bean, I want to give them a little shout out!

happy birthday mom!

I am so lucky to have you! We all are lucky to have you! So many of you have gotten a glimpse into my mother's world as you watch her settle into her dream "barn"( see the side bar if you're new here). Maybe you remember my Mother's Day post... and one or two of you might even remember my very first blog entry. My mother's presence here is a reflection of the tremendous role she plays in my life. I never take for granted how rare and blessed our relationship is...we've hit enough bumps along the way, to give me a true appreciation for how beautifully we love and support one another today! This next photo (one of my favorites) was taken 30 years ago on the lawn of her childhood home...the arrow points to my favorite detail: my sister's diaper pins attached to her shirt. I never noticed them until I was a mother, myself.



Magically never gets older
Yips and hollers when she's excited

Magnificent grandmother
Owns her very first home/barn!
Makes beauty with all she touches


You are so loved!

knittin' and drawin'

After my last post, a cold snap hit and we've all been enjoying more inside cozy time. My goal at the beginning of the week was to start knitting... the weather inspired me more than ever. My daughter has just about outgrown the mittens I made two years ago (size 2-4 really lasted). After many stops and starts in the form of gauge swatches and yarn changes, I am finally casting on tonight. I'll let you know how it goes, but I've selected a new-to-me washable merino wool, called Saphira. I bought it locally, but here's a link I found for you. Have you ever knit mittens before? It's fairly basic, and if they are for wee hands, they knit up quickly. I've collected way too many patterns... if I knitted non-stop for the rest of my life, I still wouldn't have used them all. Especially, since I always come back to the book pictured above, The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns. It allows me the freedom to use whatever yarn I want, because each pattern is charted with multiple gauges. This book also gives ideas on how to customize each pattern to make it unique. Basically, it's a guide for the type of person who likes to create their own recipes with what they've already got stashed away... that's me! The super delicious alpaca (above) was too drapey for mittens...but makes a great hat (made one last year for another niece of mine...I have four). Blue was the request...guess that's obvious. If you're not a knitter, yet...this is a wonderful time of year to start. Because of upcoming holidays and winter weather, many knitters come out of the woodwork. Ask an experienced friend to get you started. Most knitters love giving help and advice.

My children and I have also been very busy drawing. the October Big Draw has had a big impact on our family. The next picture was taken this morning before breakfast...a spontaneous drawing session. There have been many!


My son hasn't been this interested in drawing since he was six or seven. We now spend regular evening hours side-by-side sketching in front of the the woodstove. It's become a magical part of our day and I don't want it to end when we move into November. I've included several of my drawings from the last week or so. You can find more in my photstream on flickr (in the sidebar).

retro robot:


concentrating:



knitting matryoshkas:


matryoshka family:

A number of readers have been writing in to say they've made various newspaper buntings or paper leaves...please consider joining the flickr pool of maya*made designs...here. I'd love to see them!

Check back soon...I've got a little tutorial coming up shortly.