02 March 2009
A rainbow to start the week
To start the week...here are a few shots of a rainbow that appeared with the rain yesterday. These were taken from the back of our house. My favorite shots are the two with the rainbow over my green house.
01 March 2009
Self-Portrait Sunday: Four Things
Four things that make me happy...having my hair done by Michelle, my new A.B. fabric, natural light, and a husband who will indulge my photography impulses!
28 February 2009
Ahhhh the weekend!
It snowed on Wednesday night...actually, first it hailed and then the snow dusted. It wasn't enough for a snowday - or even a late start actually. But the husband still was nice enough to drive me to work on Thursday morning. The Californian in me still doesn't like my odds on potentially icy roads in my little car. 
Here is what it looks like this morning - all the snow is gone because it's been beautiful for the last couple of days, lots of sunshine.
Today I have a hair appointment, cut and color. I only color every other time, but it brings back the blonde highlights that I used to get naturally when I had more in-the-sun-time. Also on the to-do list is to get a desert ready for a little get together we're going to this evening. I've planned some sewing time too - probably tomorrow if today ends up being too busy. I've started to come up with a list of items I want to make to start selling this summer. I also was able to get over to Joann's on Thursday evening to pick up a few things - elastic for the sleeping masks I'm working on, and some very stiff interfacing for making burlap buckets and purses. It will be fun to see what I can do with it. I'll finish with a couple of pictures of a cloth beach ball I made a couple of weeks ago. It was fun to make it, once I'd figured out how everything attached. I am thinking it would be a good project to use up little scraps. 
Here is what it looks like this morning - all the snow is gone because it's been beautiful for the last couple of days, lots of sunshine.Today I have a hair appointment, cut and color. I only color every other time, but it brings back the blonde highlights that I used to get naturally when I had more in-the-sun-time. Also on the to-do list is to get a desert ready for a little get together we're going to this evening. I've planned some sewing time too - probably tomorrow if today ends up being too busy. I've started to come up with a list of items I want to make to start selling this summer. I also was able to get over to Joann's on Thursday evening to pick up a few things - elastic for the sleeping masks I'm working on, and some very stiff interfacing for making burlap buckets and purses. It will be fun to see what I can do with it. I'll finish with a couple of pictures of a cloth beach ball I made a couple of weeks ago. It was fun to make it, once I'd figured out how everything attached. I am thinking it would be a good project to use up little scraps. Until next time!
25 February 2009
Stamped Label Experimenting
It has been another busy week, I haven't felt on top of anything, at work or at home...hopefully this weekend will help with that. Friday afternoon I'm going vino tasting with a dear friend from work. It is her birthday tomorrow so that's our excuse - though normally we don't even bother to find an excuse. So I thought I'd try to make her gift - I came up with a little bag made from the thrifted materials I found last weekend.
This was the first "tag" I've ever made for my new little business. More later about how I made it (that goes back to the suprise I had last weekend that I promised to write about - I haven't forgotton...soon I still promise!)
Speaking of labels, I got set up with a few stamps. I've started to experiment a bit with making my own labels. I don't feel like I've got it just right yet, but it's a start. The picture at the top is one of the labels I've made being sewn onto one of my owls (also part of the birthday gift I put together).
That's it for now...db 23 February 2009
Onesies, Onesies, and Onesies
It is the middle of the day on Monday and I'm home...I went to work today and just a few minutes after I'd opened up my classroom a nasty wave of nautiousness went over me and I lost my breakfast. Fortunately a dear friend in the office was able to find me a sub within an hour...she's amazing, the school would never operate without her! So now I'm at home. If I don't move around much I feel fine, but movement is pretty hazardous right now, the vertigo is nasty! The pets are happy to have me here...Figaro was on my lap first thing for a cuddle nap - making it a little tough to type on the laptop.
I thought I'd post a few (actually alot) of pictures of the onesies I've worked on over the past several months. Starting with the most recent ones, I kind of made up my own "applique" method. 
The owl was my first of the three, I like his bugged out eyes, I didn't plan for them to turn out off-center, but as I was working on it, I liked the way it made the owl look kind of nutty in a cute way. The little birdie and the hedgehog are also pretty cute...
...though I do think the legs on the birdie aren't quite right, maybe it's that the color wasn't dark enough? 
The other onesies I've "enhanced" were all free-hand drawing done with fabric pens. The ones 
that are pictured together have all been gifted to friend's babies already. The others are tucked away in my sewing room. This last fall I found myself feeling very itchy to do something creative. I've had babies on the mind since lately I've been around several friends who are either pregnant or trying to get pregnant. It's one of those seasons of life I suppose - like my early to mid-20's when it seemed as if everytime I turned around someone else was newly engaged and planning a wedding. Now it's babies. I don't feel the pressure in a major way, but it is always there in a subtle way. Even when I got sick earlier today, that was the first question a 
colleague asked me "Are you pregnant?" Not that it's an unfair question, I wasn't offended, it just reminded me again of the stage of life that my peers are in - even if I don't feel like I am. I think if I spent a Sunday morning volunteering in the nursery at church I'd fill my "baby cuddle quota" for at least a month. Actually, even just snuggling with Bambino or Figaro can do the trick these days. They think of me as being their mama. I guess they are my low-maintance furry babies. It's nice that the in-laws enjoy having them over (especially Bam, because that makes it easy for the husband and I to get away for the weekend. The next time they are scheduled to go over to "Grandma and Grandpa's" is for spring break when we go to Brazil. That trip is coming up very quickly, I'm getting more and more excited! I've actually been thinking quite a bit about what I'm going to pack to wear. That will have to be another post...So I'll finish with pictures of
the onesies that I've drawn on. At some point I'd like to take some of those designs and sew them onto onesies. The obvious question is: Why am I making all of these onesies if I don't have a kid to put in them? The answer to that of course goes back to all those babies that my friends are having and to the fact that I'm very seriously considering two things...First is having a booth at a farmer's market/craft fair this summer, and second is starting an Etsy store. I've bought a few things on Etsy recently and I love looking there to see what others are doing. So, hopefully soon I'll be able to say that I have my own side business selling things I sew, etc.
I thought I'd post a few (actually alot) of pictures of the onesies I've worked on over the past several months. Starting with the most recent ones, I kind of made up my own "applique" method. 
The owl was my first of the three, I like his bugged out eyes, I didn't plan for them to turn out off-center, but as I was working on it, I liked the way it made the owl look kind of nutty in a cute way. The little birdie and the hedgehog are also pretty cute...
...though I do think the legs on the birdie aren't quite right, maybe it's that the color wasn't dark enough? The other onesies I've "enhanced" were all free-hand drawing done with fabric pens. The ones 
that are pictured together have all been gifted to friend's babies already. The others are tucked away in my sewing room. This last fall I found myself feeling very itchy to do something creative. I've had babies on the mind since lately I've been around several friends who are either pregnant or trying to get pregnant. It's one of those seasons of life I suppose - like my early to mid-20's when it seemed as if everytime I turned around someone else was newly engaged and planning a wedding. Now it's babies. I don't feel the pressure in a major way, but it is always there in a subtle way. Even when I got sick earlier today, that was the first question a 
colleague asked me "Are you pregnant?" Not that it's an unfair question, I wasn't offended, it just reminded me again of the stage of life that my peers are in - even if I don't feel like I am. I think if I spent a Sunday morning volunteering in the nursery at church I'd fill my "baby cuddle quota" for at least a month. Actually, even just snuggling with Bambino or Figaro can do the trick these days. They think of me as being their mama. I guess they are my low-maintance furry babies. It's nice that the in-laws enjoy having them over (especially Bam, because that makes it easy for the husband and I to get away for the weekend. The next time they are scheduled to go over to "Grandma and Grandpa's" is for spring break when we go to Brazil. That trip is coming up very quickly, I'm getting more and more excited! I've actually been thinking quite a bit about what I'm going to pack to wear. That will have to be another post...So I'll finish with pictures ofthe onesies that I've drawn on. At some point I'd like to take some of those designs and sew them onto onesies. The obvious question is: Why am I making all of these onesies if I don't have a kid to put in them? The answer to that of course goes back to all those babies that my friends are having and to the fact that I'm very seriously considering two things...First is having a booth at a farmer's market/craft fair this summer, and second is starting an Etsy store. I've bought a few things on Etsy recently and I love looking there to see what others are doing. So, hopefully soon I'll be able to say that I have my own side business selling things I sew, etc.
22 February 2009
Busy like a bee...
This weekend has so far been fun, suprising, and busy! I started it Friday afternoon heading to a couple of thrift stores in search of material and other sewing goodies. I scored some vintage zippers - several still in their original packaging - a few of them sold way back when for 45 cents - that's exactly what I paid. I've been wanting to try making purses, pouches, bags, etc with zippers, now I have a nice little stash to get started with!
I also picked up some very fun fabric, a pretty purple linen and a couple of funky vintage fabrics. A couple of the fabrics are peeking out in the background of the zipper picture. Friday night I cut fabric for my next project - owls! The fabrics I picked up were perfect...I cut out enough for 15 owls, they aren't all sewn up yet and I still need to pick up stuffing for them, but here's a little preview of a few of my little "hoots".
My other project this weekend was to try a new bread recipe - I found it online - it seemed easy enough and was...the bread turned out wonderful! Soft inside and a crunchy crust, yum!
I started the bread on Friday night, the dough sits out (covered) all night as the yeast reacts, it's supposed to sit for 12-18 hours.In the middle of the morning on Saturday I turned it a bit and then let it rise again for 2 hours. 
The dough then went into my cast iron dutch oven (which had been warming in a 450 F oven for 30 minutes). It baked for around 40 minutes (about 30 minutes with lid on and 7 without the lid). It was easy and fantastic!
Just as it was coming out, the husband and his offspring were just coming inside for lunch - we hadn't planned it that way, it was just one of those incidents of good timing. They had been outside for a couple of hours burning brush - perfect day for it, no wind, no rain, ground still wet from recent rain.
Bambino (our miniature Austrailian shepherd puppy) even got in on the fun, he loves running around outside when we're doing yardwork or any kind of outside project. The husband reported that Bam was trying to herd the tractor (from a safe distance), I guess the shepherd in him is bored. 
I also picked up some very fun fabric, a pretty purple linen and a couple of funky vintage fabrics. A couple of the fabrics are peeking out in the background of the zipper picture. Friday night I cut fabric for my next project - owls! The fabrics I picked up were perfect...I cut out enough for 15 owls, they aren't all sewn up yet and I still need to pick up stuffing for them, but here's a little preview of a few of my little "hoots". My other project this weekend was to try a new bread recipe - I found it online - it seemed easy enough and was...the bread turned out wonderful! Soft inside and a crunchy crust, yum!The dough then went into my cast iron dutch oven (which had been warming in a 450 F oven for 30 minutes). It baked for around 40 minutes (about 30 minutes with lid on and 7 without the lid). It was easy and fantastic! Just as it was coming out, the husband and his offspring were just coming inside for lunch - we hadn't planned it that way, it was just one of those incidents of good timing. They had been outside for a couple of hours burning brush - perfect day for it, no wind, no rain, ground still wet from recent rain. Bambino (our miniature Austrailian shepherd puppy) even got in on the fun, he loves running around outside when we're doing yardwork or any kind of outside project. The husband reported that Bam was trying to herd the tractor (from a safe distance), I guess the shepherd in him is bored. When they came in they smelled the bread and we decided it would make a good lunch - with cheese for them and avocado for me (the California in me loves avocado with almost everything). I told you I was into color lately - things have been jumping out at me lately, the greens in this picture made me want to drool!
The final thing that's happened so far this weekend is a very big deal for me...the husband found out that Uncle Sam is being a bit nicer to us this year that he has been before (especially last year - he was just plain mean), and because of this, one of my wishes has been granted...I'll give you a little peek and explain more later (promise!)
Until next time! -D
Until next time! -D
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