« October 2006 | Main | December 2006 »
:: playtime with my baby boy while big brother is napping :: cute little boy in a headwrap [someone is waiting for mama to make him a scarf] ::
:: spending the morning with The Frantz family :: some of the coolest people I know :: freshly baked madeleines :: sipping hot tea ::
:: Baby J's love of rulers :: watching him point to the numbers and "count" out loud :: listening to Baby J say, "No, mine" [gosh, he learned that quickly!] :: the past 17.5 months raising two boys ::
:: woke up to a sky of snowflakes :: spent an hour watching the snow fall :: listening to Baby J say "sssnoooo" over and over again ::
:: a few more snowfalls :: melted by noon ::
:: patchwork + scarf for Big J :: inspired by Denyse Schmidt's patchwork scarf from this book :: couldn't find any cute dinosaur fabric [his first choice] :: opted for tigers + rhinos + giraffes :: fine wale corduroy :: quilted on one side
:: nice + cozy :: another one in the works for Baby J ::
:: my cheesy boy ::
I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving Day. We shared a wonderful meal with our friends [who happen to live six houses down from our house]. I spent most of the day in the kitchen preparing pumpkin pie, apple crisp, green beans + shallots, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. We had a yummy spread of food and every belly left full + content. [We'll be returning for leftovers this evening.]
Thank you for all the nice comments regarding the goods I made for ReForm School. I admit I was a bit nervous since the owners had never seen my handmade goods in person. I was a little worried they might be disappointed. So I was thrilled when I received a nice message from them letting me know they were really happy with the order. Phew!
Have I mentioned that I love little details? Well, I do. I was hoping to order some custom clothing labels for the patchwork + bibs and bebe + onesies, but it wasn't in the budget. These are the times when I'm kicking myself for not purchasing a Gocco machine [pre-extinction days]. But who knew a custom rubber stamp + fabric stamp pad + linen = custom clothing labels? I purchased a custom rubber stamp at our local stationery shop for $5. [They goofed a bit and made the "+" sign too big, but the lady was so nice I didn't want to complain. Of course the OCD side of me looks at the gigantic "+" sign everytime I see it.] After stamping your "design" on fabric, heat set the ink with an iron and voila, custom clothing labels. [Note: Make sure the stamp pad you purchase is intended for fabric.]
I was happy with the results.
And I always have fun designing collateral for my business. [That is my all-time favorite photograph of the boys, taken over a year ago.]
Thanksgiving 2005
Hoping your Thanksgiving was filled with laughter, joy and gratitude.
I have a feeling this is going to be a good week. Thanksgiving is two days away and I've been able to cross several things off my "to do list". I spent the weekend finishing up my first wholesale order. It felt really great sending off a big package of my handmade goods yesterday morning. What was inside the package?
:: fabric + cards ::
:: fabric + gift tags ::
:: wall + pockets :: 16" x 24" ::
:: wall + pockets :: 12" x 16" ::
More photographs here.
I also sent some pic + pockets, patchwork + bibs and bebe + onesies. So if you're in the Los Angeles area, check them out this weekend at ReForm School.
Preparing this wholesale order was a learning experience. There are so many details to consider, from pricing [my least favorite] to designing [fun!] to packaging [which i love!]. And limited resources--time, money, [wo]man power. But seeing the final goods all packaged up is extremely rewarding.
Now on to the next project!
This month is flying by so quickly. Is Thanksgiving really next week? I'm looking forward to taking a bit of a break from work. Good food + good friends + time with my family = happy me. This week I've been working on a wholesale order--wall+pockets, pic+pockets, stationery and baby goods. All this sewing has gotten me thinking about Christmas presents. I have to admit that up until a few days ago I hadn't even thought about the holidays. Every year I have dreams of handmade gifts for all our family members + beautiful decorations in every room of the house + tins of homemade cookies for all our neighbors. In reality there is quite a bit of last minute scrambling + "why didn't I do this earlier?" thoughts passing through my head. But this year my goal is to have a low-key + stress-free holiday season. Wishful thinking? Hope not. At least I know what I will be making for all the cute little babes in my life. [Apparently Baby J has outgrown the bib phase.]
:: patchwork + bibs :: I've been thinking about this design ever since I made Baby J his patchwork bib last summer.
More photographs here.
:: bebe + onesies ::
:: product tags ::
:: linen :: linen ribbon ::
:: wonderful packages :: from friends I've never met :: beautiful sea urchin shells from tasha :: and other goodies from hawaii :: amazing trinkets from jill's travels to asia :: japanese craft books + cute fabric from my husband's trip to japan :: more fabric from japan ::
:: seeing how a photograph can inspire one to create this :: reading one of my favorite weblogs :: oh, and i love julie's weblog :: and dawn's creations :: and shanna's work :: appreciating all the inspiration out there in this world :: the community of creative women I am privileged to be a part of ::
:: cheesecake thumbprint cookies :: blair, you've got me hooked! ::
:: seeing glimpses of art in my house :: have a wonderful weekend ::
studio CRAFT. I miss you already. You've probably already heard [here and here and here and here and here], but we had a grand time! What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon--surrounded by talented, genuine, fun-loving women, seeing familiar faces and meeting new friends. Several people asked me how I thought the trunk show went, and really, I couldn't have been happier. People came, people stayed to chat, people left with bags of goodies.
:: studio CRAFT favors ::
I have to thank Melissa + Paul + Sam for opening up their beautiful home and for all the behind-the-scenes work they did to make studio CRAFT a memorable day. And a BIG thank you to Abby, Alicia, Blair, Melissa, Stephanie + Sumi, for making so many wonderful handmade goodies and for being the inspirational ladies that you all are. How lucky am I to call you friends? Very. In the midst of the busyness, I didn't even shop for myself. WHAT? I know, I will regret this for a long time. But I was able to score some freebies though. You can see them here. And I also don't have any good photographs of the event, so take a peek over here and here. Oh, and last but not least, a HUGE thank you to my hubby + boys + babysitter for helping me get through a long week. Love you guys.
:: pin+pocket 02 ::
:: pic+pocket 02 ::
I spent the rest of the weekend enjoying time with my dear friend Sumi, the creative genius behind sun+ stone. I know many of you are wondering who she is and I'm proud to say she is one of my closest friends and one of the most creative gals I know. Although we are separated by distance, she is one of those friends that is so present in my life. When I see cute fabric, find a cool new font or think of a new project to work on, I think of Sumi [and often call her at work to tell her about my cute new fabric/font/project]. She currently does not have a blog [a shame, I tell you!] or an online shop, but don't worry, I'm pressuring gently nudging her every day. We have dreamed of working together professionally and I am super excited about a project we are currently working on. Hopefully you will all enjoy it as well. [More details next month.]
:: each wall/pic/pin+pocket is backed with wool felt + a numbered tag + sawtooth hangers::
This week I'm trying to catch up on some much needed sleep [my 32-year old body will not just "bounce" back after being sleep-deprived for a week] and refocusing my energy on a freelance project and wholesale order. In a few weeks I will be working really hard on making some handmade goods for my favorite folks [that would be YOU]. Wall+pockets, pic+pockets, pin+pockets, push+pins, pencil+cups, and stationery, sound good? My little online shop will be opening at the end of the month.
The gloomy weather over here is really interfering with the quality of my photographs. But this little guy's smile brightens my day [even though he won't sit still].
