Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Long time....

I've neglected the blog of late, and I can tell you why: my baby does not sleep. I half expected it, I've always been an insomniac, my brothers and I would stay up in our beds long past being tucked in at night. My husband, on the other hand, is a champion sleeper. I'm amazed at the amount of sleep he can rack up in a night, and then take a nap. I had hoped that the two sides would even out in our son, but it just isn't the case. So life in general has been a sleep-deprived haze, and I'm coming to terms with it as something that I'll just have to deal with until he's old enough to at least entertain himself long enough to fall asleep at night.
We've also had so much to get done around the house. Re-arranging, baby-proofing, re-decorating. It's all been stressful but satisfying. The house is just beginning to become what I envisioned six years ago when we decided to buy it, and of course, we are hoping to move within the next couple of years. We want Ferris to have a yard to play in, and there just isn't a satisfying park nearby. At least I'll get to enjoy the results while we wait.

So Ferris had his first Halloween! It was adorable. We had planned on taking him trick-or-treating, but his mood just didn't allow. We got some great pictures, though...



mmm....leafy!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Flags

My current obsession: bunting flags. I think they are just too adorable and fun. I love the triangle ones but also the square ones that are like prayer flags. Earlier this year I made this set for Ferris' room:
I used swatches and scraps to make this one and I love how colorful it is. Turns out it's a little long, but not too bad.
My newest project has become printing flags on the garment printer to be used specifically for making these bunting garlands. Hence, the first example:Gnomes and mushrooms. I am in love with this set. It only has six flags but it's still 4 feet long. I listed it in my etsy shop but I am very tempted to keep it. I suppose if it actually sells I can make another, and for now I can gaze at them all I want!

Also, I'm quite obsessed with all things Montessori right now. I know my guy isn't quite old enough for a lot of it yet, but at the rate I've been getting things done I just might have my research and supplies ready about the time that he will be. I can't wait, I think I'm going to have a lot of fun learning along with him.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Sunday

It was a rainy Sunday yesterday, and it was actually kind of nice to hole up with the family and just do little things around the house. Though some things were not so little, like getting the paint up in Ferris' future room. It's almost there now, I just need to do one more top coat. It's a lovely, buttery light yellow. I can't wait to put up all the cute things for him and make it a nice space for him to spend his time.I came out from painting the room at one point to find this:


so sweet

So I also recently bought this cook book:


Would you even know that I'm trying to diet? I still have pregnancy weight and my little guy is 8 months old! It's probably because I can't stop trying out things like this! There's nothing like a recipe that uses an entire pound of butter to ruin my plans. I love butter. I seriously, seriously love butter.
Anyway...here's my finished product:


zucchini spice cake whoopie pies with honey lemon buttercream

So, yes, they are delicious. The recipe I used for the cake part was actually for pumpkin spice cake, but I had a squash/zucchini thing and and thought, how can I take this healthy, fresh gourd and make something completely unhealthy? They are just lovely to eat, though and they took 2 hours to make, so maybe I can write off some of the time making them as calories burned? Yeah, right.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Re-working

Well, the computer crashed horribly last week. So badly that we had to get another one. During this time I had been very caught up in compter-ized designs for tshirts and fabrics. Nothing wrong with all of that and I get a lot of pleasure from those things, but, those still feel very much like work these days. Not always, sometimes it's a load of fun and it's great for when my brain is just not wandering in the ways that it normally does.
The incident prompted me right back into 'traditional' art again. As traditional as I get, though I doubt I would ever be accepted into any group of artists that would identify themselves with the word. Either way, I feel renewed in a way that I haven't in a long time.
Results:

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Model Home

Our home is far from precious. It's been a work in progress since we moved in. It's an apartment style condo that used to be a rental, so wear and tear is a given. So much work to be done and so little time and money. I try to keep my humor about it and I was able to whip this up as a nice little touch the other day:
Remember The Money Pit? I always loved that quote.

The pattern and tutorial came from here:
http://sewing.about.com/od/christmasideas/ss/fabricwreath.htm
I'm sure there are others out there that aren't christmas oriented but really I just clicked on the first one I saw!

Thursday, July 29, 2010

15th!

My hand shadows made 15th, and I will say I'm quite pleased with that. I did not expect to do well, my design being so plain, but I love it...and here it is printed up!
mmmmm....yellow....

Anyhow, new contest!
http://www.spoonflower.com/contest_voters/new?contest_id=40
I've entered this design -


So there you go...and I promise I'll be making some posts that do not have to do with Spoonflower and their contests in the near future :)

Thursday, July 22, 2010

New Spoonflower Contest - Paper Collages

Time for another round of Spoonflower contest! Last time I entered was the cocktail theme and managed to place 7th with this design:

mmmm...all the alcohols.

Anyhow, the newest one is Paper Collages, and you can vote here:

http://www.spoonflower.com/contest_voters/new?contest_id=39

I've entered a design I've called Hand Shadow Animals:
to see it in repeat, go to my profile here:

http://www.spoonflower.com/fabric_items/new?design_id=281154

And just so you know, you can vote for as many or as few designs as you like, and you don't have to vote for mine at all if you don't like it, I'll never know!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Bloooo-berries!



This summer has been so hot and humid, and this weekend was no exception. Despite this, we decided we needed a blueberry fix, and of course the only way to solve that is to pick them yourself! We headed to Durocher Farm in Litchfield, NH and had lots of (sweaty) fun.


Me and the little guy grabbin some berries.

Andy and Ferris.


Ferris was mostly interested in grabbing whatever he could reach...there were many sad branches left that day!

His first taste of mushed up blueberry. Doesn't seem like much of a fan so far...

We came away with a fair amount of berries, there were plenty but in that heat Ferris just wasn't going to last. We'll try again this coming weekend and see what we can get.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Little Man Pants

Ferris is growing so fast, I've been trying to plan ahead. So, I've spent some time making little man pants. I gathered together some felted sweaters and a pair of corduroys that I no longer wear, and came up with these:


The two on the left I made using a pattern traced from a pair of 12 month pants -


And of course I had to add little knee patches to the corduroys. There's a matching patch on the bum, too.
The pair on the right was made using this tutorial - http://www.make-baby-stuff.com/wool-diaper-cover.html
The tutorial is great because you use the sleeves and so half the work is already done! All in all I got 2 pairs of pants per sweater, and one from the corduroys. I think I'll be making more, too, they are quick and easy, and I've been able to use our clothes to make them.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

And the Winner is....

Sarah!
Thank you to the random number generator!

I will be doing more giveaways in the future so don't give up if you didn't win this time :)

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Flea Market Weekend

Spent the weekend at the Londonderry Flea Market and it was pretty much a bust. Sold a couple of old things, but not really worth having spent the whole weekend there. Granted, it was raining and it was graduation weekend for Londonderry. On the bright side of things we got to spend some quality time with Lissa, who we haven't often seen in the past couple of years. Also there were moments of adorableness like this:

Ferris and daddy enjoying a book together, if even if they are enjoying it in vastly different ways.
I've also decided to have a giveaway of one of my pouches, Talking Crow...


Details about the purse here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/8224132/sale-talking-crow-wristletclutch

Just follow my blog and leave a comment 0on this post. I'll choose a winner next Tuesday, 6-22-10!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

My Stash - Complete

Or, at least for now...I'm sure he'll wear through some before he's potty trained. Yes, I am referring to diapers, cloth ones. I realized a week or so ago that I've been sewing diapers for my baby for over a year now. I've tried a lot of patterns. A lot. My absolute favorite at this point is the one my friend bought for me, the NykiBaby One Size Pocket Diaper by UberDomestic. It came from Etsy, here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/48835767/nykibaby-one-size-fits-all-pocket-diaper
I just love, love it. It fits my guy the best out of all the patterns I've tried, and I feel like I'm going to get the most out of my work since they're going to 'grow' with him.
By the end of my year-long diaper stash sewing stint, I got creative and started to use some of our old, but in great condition, tee shirts.


So cute. Technically I'm pretty sure her pattern calls for using PUL, but I prefer to use a separate cover, I like that one extra level of protection to keep the mess in. It's such a versatile pattern with very clear instructions, by far my favorite and I'm sure I'll be using it again!

Friday, May 14, 2010

Drooool

Lots of drool happening around here...I never expected needing bibs before we started on food, but the drool is insane! I only had about 2 bibs (why did nobody tell me I would need more than that?), so I grabbed some old tees, made up a pattern, and went to work.
Basically, I took shirts in good condition and cut my pattern over the design. I backed them with scraps of velour left from making diapers, did some top stitching to keep it all in place, and added snaps...I decided to make them adjustable to get the most out of my work, though when I get some velcro, I think it might be safer to use than the snaps.
When I realized I was left with a bunch of tee shirt backs, I cut some more from those and did a lot of reverse applique, which is a great quiet activity for when he's napping, but also it's pretty portable, so I was able to make some while waiting for appointments and such.
I got a bit obsessed, so we have about 2 dozen bibs now...would you believe that it still feels like we don't have enough? We go through about a dozen a day between spit ups and drool, and if I don't get to the laundry he ends up wearing crusty bibs. ew.
Anyway, thought I'd share my pattern in case anyone is interested, they are quick and easy to do, and if you make it adjustable you will get a lot of life out of them, and your old tees!

Friday, April 23, 2010

Greatness


When I was younger, I always had a feeling that I was on the precipice of some kind of success, or greatness I suppose. Maybe I watched too many movies.
It isn't as if I've just sat around waiting for it to come to me, either. I've worked at it, for sure, maybe not as much as I should have, but still, I have.
I've just been thinking about this a lot since I sold this piece of art. I had it out to pack up and send out when my friend asked me about it. It's called "Rejection Letters". It's a piece I made largely to soothe my bruised ego. As an artist, you send your work to be seen by so many people every year, and the rejections, for me at least, far outweigh the acceptances. It may sound crazy, but I do keep the rejection letters and I look at them from time to time. When I made this I had just recieved another rejection, and I really needed to remind myself that success isn't always something that's going to be tangible or recognizable to others. I have to be satisfied myself with what I do, and pay less regard to what comes from the outside.

That's what I'm telling myself anyway.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Garage Band


So I designed a fabric to enter a Spoonflower contest. I freaking love Spoonflower and if I had any money I would buy so much fabric. I adore that it's all done by individuals who decide exactly what they want it to look like, and only as much is made as purchased.

The contest is Musical Instruments. Personally, I really like what I came up with. I am really into sketchy things that appear to have been drawn by hand, and I have a thing about music and instruments (despite my lack of talent in that arena). I doubt I have a chance at all; I'll be surprised if mine even makes it into the voting...most of what I see there is so refined, polished. There's also the fact that my husband thinks the brackets look like mustaches. But hey, you've got to be in it, and stuff.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Things Left on the "To Do" List:


Everything.

Well, I started this blog because it occurs to me that life just doesn't follow our plans. Obvious, I know, but I also know that I forget this bit of info quite often. I'm sure plenty of people do.


I'm an artist with a husband and a son, and three cats...making life often feel equatable to chaos. The fact that I'm not already institutionalized speaks to my stamina, I believe. I bet you feel the same way; you should.