Currently: July 26, 2004 link
I did it. I bought the Print Gocco. I have been needing/wanting to get some business cards, letterhead, correspondence type items and I am constantly appalled at the price and minimum quantity requirements. Heidi posted about screening up some mailing labels recently, and that got me inspired, along with the article in ReadyMade. I think I am going to print some cards, some stationary...some envelopes perhaps. I also purchased the fabric printing attachment, but I can't even begin to think about what to do with that. I am in New Jersey again this week (working very, very hard obviously) so it'll be a few weeks before I can devote the kind of time needed to fiddle around with my new toy. I am going to try to come up with some designs in the mean time.
I noticed last night as I was pulling into my hotel that there is an Anthropologie store RIGHT NEXT DOOR. I hope I have the time to visit...like I need to be spending any more money.
I was searching online for patterns the other day and stumbled across this purse pattern. I love it!
July 23, 2004 link
While I was away last week, my boyfriend had a very important epiphany: Life is too short not to use Aveda products. How could I ignore such a divine manifestation? We trucked on down to the nearest Aveda salon and plunked down some cash. That stuff is so expensive..but life is too short not to use expensive but extremely fragrant beauty products. I bought a lip gloss which has quickly become my new favorite. It's the Lipshine in Beetroot. It's such a pretty, light red.
And since I am on the topic of my man's epiphanies, he recently confided to me that he is tired of our bedroom's black and ivory decorating scheme. Remember my inspiration page? I don't blame him, like a lot of people I am sort of afraid of color. So after careful consideration, I have come up with a new theme. I bought this Paint by Number off of eBay a while back and it's just been sitting around collecting dust:
I think we are going to ask our landlord if we can paint the room to match one of the blues in the painting. I have heard blue is soothing.
I recently discovered that this painting is part of a pair:
I was SOOO tempted to bid on it, but it was being sold with the one I already had. I've noticed that the Paint by Numbers of Paris are hot items and they tend to get kinda pricey. Oh Well...someday....
So anyway...I recently spotted this chest of drawers in the latest Anthropologie catalog and love the way it's painted. I picked up a crate/end table at a garage sale that we are using beside the bed and I was thinking of painting like that stripy chest to match the color scheme of the painting. I just don't know...decorating is so hard. I don't know how people do it and get it right.
July 21, 2004 link
I am back! (YAY!)
But only for a week! (BOO!) I have to go back and forth to NJ for the next
three weeks starting on Sunday. Brutal.
I am really inspired by Mia Hansen's art dolls at the Predicta Gallery. Vancouver is not that far from here and if I wasn't traveling so much I would really be tempted to go and purchase. J and I have been wanting to visit Vancouver anyway, so it would be a great excuse. Check out a great picture of Mia's art on her blog, the July 11th entry. Link via Lori-Joy Smith.
In other news...the
next book I illustrated is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Behold the
glory of Quirky
Quilting!
I bought two new books this weekend, Simple
Crochet by Erika Knight which I really, really like. The photos are
beautiful and she has projects crocheted with interesting materials like leather.
The other book is The
Encyclopedia of Embroidery Techniques by Pauline Brown. This book
also has amazing photos. I love seeing the different stitches. I try to imagine
what I can used each one for...hair? jellyfish? feathers?
July 10, 2004 link
There
will be no posts this week as I am going to be in New Jersey for my job. :(
I will leave you with some projects I recently completed:
The Airplane Tote:
I have
a tote I use for the Farmer's Market that I based this on. I wanted something
I could take on the plane to store my crocheting and nasal spray. It was really
simple. I used french
seams for extra stabilty. The camera doesn't really capture how pretty
the fabric is. It's a brocade I think...I am pretty happy with it. It was
so easy and went so smoothly that I want to make more. Projects like this
remind me why I love to sew. In pic #1, there is an outside pocket which you
can't see very well, but trust me it's there. Pic #2 shows the inside pocket.
The reverse of this fabric is almost as pretty as the right side.
The Bunny Sachet:
I have a book I bought which was published in 1947 that
has wonderful sewing, crochet, and knitting projects. One of them being this
stuffed bunny. I chose to stuff him with lavender so he smells fabulous. The
joints are shell buttons and the tail (which you can't really see, sorry about
that) is beaded with grey and black beads. He is 100% sewn by hand, no machine
work here. I tried at first, but it's too hard for me to navigate those curves.
I had to make this guy about three times before I got it right. He is off
to live with a bunny loving home in Canada.
Okay! See you all next week!
July 7, 2004 link
Visited the local yarn shop this weekend, called Canvas Works. They recently moved locations and are now housed in a HUGE warehouse with lots of space. It's really nice, and it was good to sort of familiarize myself with all of the yarn-speak I keep reading on knitter's blogs. I don't really knit much, I am more of a crochet-er and am not familiar with the different sorts of yarns. I have been wanting to crochet this shawl for a long-ass time:
I bought some Jo
Sharp Rare Comfort Kid Mohair in the loveliest chocolate brown. I
only bought 3 skeins and have promptly run out. That pattern, by the way,
is from a book I have which my mother gave me. I can't wait to make the fringe.
I am also very interested in this
shawl/capelet which I found through Missa's
wonderful blog, perhaps I will tackle that next. I have been stockpiling
poncho
and shawl pattern's for ages, so I have quite a large selection....too
much...
July 1, 2004 link
Found in the current issue of Bust: So-Charmed Jewelry
I love, love, love, these bracelets. They are so inspirational..it makes me want to throw down tons of money to buy beads. I especially love the Soul collection: Valentine for Morticia, Cat Bird, Bones and Stars, and of course, Freaky Tiki.
I got a Shipwreck Beads catalog when Flummel was so kind enough to take me recently and I have been flipping through it trying to figure out what to make. I have been especially drawn to the specialty glass beads like this sweet monkey face or this mouse. I also ordered a Fire Mountain Gems catalog to supplement the selection. I love flipping through catalogs like this designing things in my head. It's usually to stave off boredom and I rarely move past the design stage and into the ordering stage, but the holidays are coming up....I hope you all like bracelets, 'cause that's what you're getting.
I bought some black pansies at the farmer's market a few weeks ago and I have since been a flower pressing fool:
I love Black flowers. I always tried to get my mom to buy the Queen of the Night tulips when the flower catalogs showed up in our mailbox, but she never seemed quite as enthused about them as I was. Here are some links to more black flowers and plants:
Backyard Gardener-Black flowers
Garden
Gate-More Black Flowers
Black plants
from the International
Black Plant Society
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