and then I found it...

I  have got a bug to get going on all the projects swimming around in my head….my hands are just itching to get started…and I’m sitting at work, in a cubicle, looking at a computer screen with a word document that requires lots of brain power and I just can’t focus!

And then I found it.... I was doodling in my notebook and I came across a note I had written after listening to Jennifer on Craftsanity.  She was talking about how she wants to get an airstream trailer to park by a lake on a farm and use as her studio.  Heaven!  So I went to the internets and found this beauty:

source

I could TOTALLY handle that!

Off topic – but the cubicle.  DRAB, BORING, MUTE (in a bad way), BLAH, BLAND your choice of favorite adjectives.  SO – mine has multicolored Christmas lights year round (probably why I'm so drawn to this picture!), a shelf full of pretty things I’ve collected through the years, pages torn from magazines tacked to the walls, a picture section with people and places I love and a fruit cocktail can as a pencil holder.  It does make it a little better to be in here, but I don’t know how much longer I can last…

I’ve got a year and 3 months before I can ditch the cubicle.  Don’t get me wrong, I like my ‘job’, I just don’t necessarily like what I do and I certainly don’t like being in a cubicle and well, I just feel this isn’t where I am supposed to be forever.

Perhaps I'm supposed to be here forever instead?

source

Yes, you say?  I agree.

we're in!

Ah!

We've got a booth at the Freret Market come October 2!  Which is great!  And will be even better when I feel a bit more prepared...

Not going to get all stressed out though.  If I don't have a booth chocked 'full-O-stuff', that's okay.  It's quality not quantity anyway, right?  Plus, this market will be a trial to see if the craft show/art market/etc. scene is for me.

So, if you're in the New Orleans area on October 2, come say hi and try on an apron or two!!

Detail work from a vintage piece I got at the September market

felt is fun! (and other tid-bits)

Not sure what spurred it, but I'm suddenly very interested in felt.  I made some felt flowers (which I forgot to photograph!) and this little strawberry.

This little guy was created while I watched Top Hat (how can you go wrong with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers???).  I've been using the acrylic craft felt which I have not been happy with at all.  No stores in my area sell anything else, so I looked to 'the internets', as my husband calls it, where I stumbled upon Wool Felt Central (check it out here!).  It turns out the brick and mortar store behind the website is in Cozad, Nebraska!

"So what?" you ask?  Well, it turns out I'm from Nebraska and while Cozad is not all that close to where I grew up (South Sioux City), just the fact that it is in Nebraska got me really excited!

Well, when I found out they are in Nebraska AND they have great prices AND fun patterns for things I've never tried before but want to look in to (all these fun patterns), I had to give it a go.  A little package arrived a few days ago and I can't wait to get started - but I'm not sure when I'm going to fit all this fun in!  This is going to be a present for my mom so I'm not sure if I can share a picture yet...

I also thought I'd share a picture of why my craft space looks like these days.  It is close to being declared a disaster area.  But you know what, I'm getting stuff done!  And who wants to see a pretty, clean, organized studio anyways?  Doesn't that just happen in our dreams?

Out of that mess came this 'dress-up apron'.  

You'll notice that I match my furniture.  The pillow and napkin (that's the top layer of the apron) are from World Market in a retro strawberry pattern that I LOVE!!!  The napkins were on sale the last time I was there so I got a whole bunch knowing that 'someday' a perfect project for them would come to me. 

The layer underneath is a pillowcase (ruffles and all) that my mom found at a tag sale.  I added a flower made from an old t-shirt, a leaf from a green ribbon and some worded ribbon from the scrapbook stash.  My first apron just for me!

In other news...I was sewing along in my happy little way the other day, making an apron out of a sheet and a pillowcase for a friend, when my sewing machine jammed up.  After taking it apart, cleaning it, putting back together, re-threading, etc. it is still not working correctly.  Now, I found a shop that repairs machines, but I'm afraid it will cost as much to repair it as I paid for it.  SO - I asked my friend Trish, who makes the most BEAUTIFUL quilts, what kind of machine she used and how much I should paid for a decent machine that won't do things like this to me on a regular basis.  She has a Janome that she really likes.
What about you?  Any advice?

Inspiration

First of all, the market was fun - full of good food and music and lots of fun booths!  Still haven't signed up, but I'm gearing up to have a booth at the October 2 event.  What's holding me back is the actual set up (I don't have a tent or table yet...) and I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to make enough "stuff" in time.

BUT, I need to just do, even if I only have a few things ready.  At least I will have one market under my belt.  It can only get better, right?

So this is where I will be come October 2:

Now, on to what's been on my mind...

I found a podcast about a week ago that I have been listening to non-stop since.  CraftSanity (accompanying blog found here) with Jennifer has been such a treat!  I'm pretty sure I'm the last person to find this gem...where have I been???  But I am sure glad found her!  Jennifer interviews all sorts of crafty ladies and has the most wonderful conversations that we are fortunate enough to be able to listen in on.  CraftSanity and the little bits of wisdom I've gleaned from the interviews as well as from Jennifer, have really given me so much inspiration and a little kick in the pants to get myself going.  It's so fun to hear about all the aprons and running in Jennifer's life too - both things I enjoy!

Another podcast that was the first one I listened to, and am always waiting excitedly for the next one to air, is The Quilted Cupcake (found here) with Jean.  Although I wouldn't call myself a quilter, it doesn't matter because Jean has so much information about EVERYTHING - book reviews, product reviews, tips, updates, tid-bits about all the crafty trips she takes.  She is so fun to listen to and she's been a great source of information and inspiration for me (and she loves aprons too!).

step 1

Tomorrow we check out the Freret Street Market to see if I want to get a booth there next month!

Stay tuned....

And then it dawned on me

I must apologize for the long absence of posts. I'm going to throw some words at you and let you come to your own conclusions for said absence: back to work, 3 1/2 month old, 4 flights in 2 weeks (with 2 1/2 month old at the time), husband out of town for a week, etc. Sure there has been a lot going on, but it really comes down to the fact that I felt Led to take a step back for awhile.

And then I didn't.

I was able to meet some old friends for lunch one day a few weeks ago, and we didn't even talk much about crafty goings on, but it hit me that local art walks and fairs are where I should be right now. That's what I wanted to do a few years ago when I started fusing plastic bags. When I couldn't take anymore melting plastic fumes, my art walk booth dreams went the way of my plastic scraps. That is really where my passion was, and apparently still is. So, I'm gonna go for it.


Plus, an Anthropologie opened here!! It is such a wonderful place to visit. My husband was even willing to go and he was very impressed. I will be working just down the street from the loveliness starting this week, so I'm sure there will be many Anthro up-dates!

Local fairs and art walks, here I come!!

delinquency and embroidery

So way back when, I mentioned I had a project that was due July 1, that needed some love...

It was Will Rogers that needed some love.  Through the Sublime Stitching blog, I found out about this project.  I'm not from Oklahoma, but it sounded like fun AND when I signed up for it this winter it seemed like such a long ways away... then all of a sudden we had a newborn and I had barely started!

Fortunately Sara, from the project, sent me a link to this fabulous poster to use as a guide.

Well, it bears somewhat of a resemblance.  Hindsight being what it is, I would probably use less than 6 strands of floss and start earlier so I could fill things in!

But, it got done and sent in by July 1st!  Hooray!

I love the quotes I found when doing some research on Will.  The one on the mat is my favorite: "I never met a man I didn't like".  What an axiom to live by!