Happy Monday! What an amazing amount of love and enthusiasm last week's give-away has created! Overwhelmed is an understatement. I'm soaking it all in. We just returned from a whirlwind trip to New Hampshire and Boston for a fun weekend filled with extended family. I love coming home! 780 miles! I don't know what we would have done with out our antiquated Heather Forest story tapes. They're available on CD, too... we're just old school sometimes! Highly recommended for travel with small ones (find them here
and here
). I'm recuperating with my laundry piles and to-do lists... and your lovely comments have sweetened the task. So have the baby leaves on our forced crab apple branches, that welcomed us when we returned.
Coming home to rain inspired me to carve this stamp on my "to make" list. So instead of posting right away today... I carved. Very grounding for me, as you know. A few more umbrellas might need to be made for April, because it's so fun creating collages with raindrops made from security envelopes... and a few digital drops tossed in.
p.s. Blogger is having some odd problems with formatting photos today... please bare with the strange layout and cut off images. You can see all photos in their entirety on my flickr page.
As a little thank you for joining me over the past two years, I'm offering a sampling of some of my favorites:
Good luck!
Today was filled with thrifting, rescuing coffee sacks, and cutting burlap. All are time consuming, and I hadn't anticipated posting tonight, but I wanted to thank you for those wonderful wishes left on yesterday's post. So fun to celebrate with you!
Yesterday my blog turned two years old! Oh my, how did that happen!? I celebrated its anniversary quietly. It's been such a life-changing experience to record this creative journey. I chose to spend some time reflecting and painting one of my friends who just returned home. Hello spring robin! It was just what I needed... slow down time. I've discovered a great deal about myself and how to make dreams come true, especially in the last year. I've learned to believe in myself and value my work. But I couldn't have... and simply wouldn't have accomplished so much without your incredible encouragement and love. For this I am grateful beyond words, so a little thank you give-away is in the works for the end of the week. It will include several quintessential maya*made items that I am looking forward to sharing with one of you. Today I wanted to give you ALL a little something. This is one of my favorite quotes... I've had it up for years in each creative work space I've used:
The little leather leaves from last week were my first foray into working with recycled leather. I loved it! Now every time I'm at the thrift store, I'll be scouting out potential leather. The green piece I have is soft and supple, so I felt brave enough to try it out on my sewing machine. An all purpose needle didn't work... not at all. I inserted a leather needle- what an amazing difference! So, as you can see, I stitched them up and added a button to make a cuff. I'm so excited about it, I couldn't wait to show you! I know it's just a little project, but sometimes these small discoveries get me the giddiest! It must have been contagious because I had a request for another smaller cuff from my daughter. Absolutely the best compliment I could ask for... and we do like to match.
Did I mention they're a quick whip up?! Another little cuff was ready in minutes. I'm might link some more leather in the form of circles... not necessarily cuffs next time, because they're versatile enough to morph into any number of creations. I'll leave it open-ended for now.
So soft and comfortable... with whispers of forest magic.
Dinner for a bunch of friends of mixed ages, and with varying eating preferences, can be a challenge. We always seem to have success with a make your own personal pizza party. This past Saturday night was another good one, and I realized that there's a hidden bonus: you don't have to prep much before your guests arrive... dinner becomes a cooperative endeavor. Community cooking is always more festive! The act of rolling out dough and decorating their own little pizza is entertaining for even the smallest guests... who, inevitably just like "plain pizza". Grown-ups will have an inordinate amount of fun getting creative with toppings while drinking a good bottle of wine. If you haven't had a pizza party... please, do! If you already are a pizza party giver... go make plans for another one soon... so delicious!
Tomorrow is the first day of spring! Rarely does the calendar match up with our weather reality in Ithaca at the end of March. This weekend might be an exception. So here's I hope to celebrate in no particular order:
Each morning for the last three days, I've taken my children to watch our neighbor's calves enjoying their brand new world.
We're in love.!
I'm happy to announce that the spring issue of Petite Purls is up. Petite Purls is an e-zine dedicated to knitting for the littles, with some lovely sewing mixed in. The patterns are gorgeous, the articles are wonderful, and the photography is stunning. Sounds pretty good doesn't it? Also included in each issue are interviews, book & product reviews, and a great selection of articles. Editors, Allegra and Brandy, have done a truly terrific job with this latest one... and did I mention, it's their GREEN issue! I happen to have little project in there, too. I know I can't stop talking about sachets... I did this to you about the same time last year, as well. It seems that lavender helps usher in the spring for me... So what else could my project be, but a sachet that uses up the smallest bits from your scrap basket! It's actually a little (and very adapted) version of my love-letter pillows that were so enjoyed last year. So go check it out, and then please explore the entire magazine... I was so excited to see what incredible women were along side me in this issue. I think you will be, too. It's a good one!
I've received multiple e-mails about the branch brooch I was wearing with my new ruffle neck shirt. I decided the easiest way to answer them all was right here. Last week my children and I were walking in the woods and examining branches for little buds that are the first sign of spring leaves. Even though we knew it was far too early in these Northern parts, we were hopeful. Not yet, I kept saying to both them and myself. So, of course, I decided to create leaves... why wait! We're always gathering sticks and branches so we had plenty on hand. A forgotten scrap of light green leather had been patiently waiting for attention in my studio. I simply cut some leaf shapes and pinched the bottoms together with a couple stitches of thread. Instant leaf!
Next, the leaf got placed on a little stick and was wrapped multiple times with green thread. I had planned on just placing it on the mantle, but couldn't stop holding it. A lace ribbon wrapped around the bottom made the perfect spot to attach a safety pin. So that's how I "grew" a branch brooch. I think this is my new Vernal Equinox accessory!
There are two other branch ideas that I'm loving right here and over here.
Your responses to my post on Friday were so thoughtful... so insightful! I'm very lucky to have you all in my life, and I encourage you to go back and check out the comments.
I got right to making several sachets with that coverlet, and I wore my new bag all weekend long! I'm so happy with it, but am refining the design in my head with each wearing. So to answer a couple of your questions: is it my pattern and will they be for sale in my shop? Yes to both. When? After I perfect the size and shape a tiny bit. I plan to make them in various materials: from burlap and ticking to more of the spring green tablecloth. For now, I've put the sachets up in my shop and even printed up some more Moleskine journals.
I can't live without mine! I always have several going at once: one in my bag, another on the kitchen counter (that's where I am most of the time),and a little one by my bed. I used them long before I started selling them, but am so proud to say that my hand stamped versions are now filling up with thoughts/sketches in several countries around the world.
In fact, the latest Sew Hip magazine from the UK just featured them in their "Things We Love" section. Yay!
Sonia just happened to be making her own beautiful Moleskine journals this weekend also! (I have one of hers, too... it's the one tucked in my bag!)
Good morning! I have such a beautiful way for us all to start our weekend. Lori Portka is generously offering one lucky reader their choice of two of her prints! What a way to bring some loving intention and vibrant beauty into your home! To read more about Lori and the joy she brings to each of her paintings, please check here and here. When you stop by her shop, you'll see how fortunate it is that she is giving two away... one would be so hard to choose... have fun trying to pick one. Looking through all of her images always makes me feel lighter, clearer and just plain HAPPY.
Yesterday did not go smoothly. I had the best intentions for a productive day. All of my design notes and fabrics were ready, coffee was had, music was playing, the house was empty... the making for a dream day in my studio ( if you follow me on twitter you heard a bit of this tale, bare with me please). I was almost done with my first bag... a messenger style that I was testing with my beloved vintage coverlet as one of the reversible sides. And then... RIP. Not a good sound.
Suddenly my sturdy white fabric was shredding in several places. I can't tell you how devastated I was. Far too much sadness for a bit of sewing, that's for sure. The tears over a project gone awry made me look in the mirror for closer examination... and here are just a couple of the hidden lessons this bag held:
So the bag? A new liner was made last night out of a white linen skirt. It's a very happy carry-all/everyday type of messenger bag. I'm thinking I can't part with it now. I'll be making more in this style, I'm sure. This one holds my stuff just right!
And the coverlet? An answer to yesterday's question about stamps was found in the ripped pieces (thanks Patricia!). Sachets for spring are on their way.
Have a great weekend friends, and please stop back tomorrow for a wonderful sponsor give-away!
Thanks so much for taking the time to cheer for the turtleneck revamping. I went through my shirt drawer yesterday and pulled out every lonely and forgotten turtleneck. As much as I'd like to chop up each one, I have some other sewing I'd like to attend to first. What I'm really excited about is cutting into some favorite thrifted fabrics I've been holding onto (desperately hoarding). It takes a great deal of courage to slice into a one-of-a-kind piece from my stash... but I'm ready. So, I've been preparing myself by choosing little groupings. Above is a vintage Ikea table cloth from a garage sale, a gorgeous white coverlet from a summer auction, and a piece of lace from a vintage pillowcase. I've got quite a crush on them together like that! Next I have ticking, striped denim, and organic cotton (new). These are classic favorites for me... add a little oatmeal shaded linen and I'm in love.
And, yes I'm stamping flowers on everything in site... even stones!
