mr. monkeysuit

Cissie's new apron

I used a medium weight denim for the body of the apron...I think I got in on sale at Jo-ann's last year and the orange double fold bias tape also came from Jo-ann's. Even though I despise going there, Jo-ann's is a useful shop to have around.

The pocket fabric is vintage and I found it at Goodwill...love it. You'll be seeing that in another project very soon.

The twill tape at the neck is by Shinzi Katoh and is from Superbuzzy...looks like they're out of that one but they have a ton of others.

The appliques were all cut out by hand as I went along with the exception of the bird (he's from a children's book). I did a rough sketch of them which you can find here (minus the bird). A couple of people asked about them so I've put them on PDF form for you to print and cut out. Please don't mock my lousy drawings...I have never been able to draw and it is a constant source of amusement to some of my friends who wonder how I can be so crafty and yet so crap at drawing.

Still, I'm pretty darn happy about how this project turned out. Not least of all because hanging up on the hook, that apron matches my clementine kitchen aid mixer PERFECTLY.

embroidery Friday/ talking shop

Just thought I'd share some of the embroidery I've been working on.
 

These are all from a project I am working on for Cis and I have another morning in my sewing room today (don't be hatin') so I may even get it finished.

It has been such a creative and productive week for me. This was just what I was hoping for back in November when I was up to my eyeballs in hair clips and traveling art shows.
Some of you have asked how all the craft shows went and what it's been like starting a small business. Well, I have to say all in all it was a really positive experience for me. I did about half a dozen shows in November and December, some went better than others...some were quite busy and some not so much. I didn't have a single show where I was rushed off my feet but I made sales everywhere I went and everyone was really positive about my stuff and I made enough money to feel like it was worth pursuing further.
I spoke with lots of other vendors who had been doing the shows for several years, they all said business was slow, much slower than previous years, but meeting people, making contacts and having people invite me to other shows was totally worth the effort.
I will definitely be back to doing craft shows in 2009...but now I think I know which ones are the better ones to attend. As with all things there is an element of trial and error.
I have lots of ideas for my Etsy shop and hopefully this month I'll actualize some of them. I have two quilt commissions to get to first then I am hoping to build up my stock over the first half of this year and get some bigger quilts in the shop.

There are parts of staring a small business I have not enjoyed like keeping accounts, paying taxes on time and generally feeling a little too busy. But there is a great sense of satisfaction in doing this and there is so much free support available through small business centers, friends and family that those egregious tasks seem less significant.

Of course I couldn't get through this post without saying a huge thank you to everyone of my readers who helped in one way or another. Those who helped to spread the word about the shop, those who bought something and of course my fabulous pattern tester (thank you Angie!) you have all been so kind and supportive and I hope in 2009 I'll have some more good things to share with you.

felt peas tutorial

Peas glorious peas! Another fairly simple tutorial for some felt food, though this time I am branching out into the world of vegetables. Radical. Fruit, then wait for it....vegetables. I'm not sure I can stand the pace.

 

Powerpoint version::

Download here

Word version::

Download here

So, yes we have been have a deliciously sleepy, lazy summer. The kids have been waking up about 8 every morning, for the first few weeks I would wake up at 6 and wonder why it was so quiet. Now it is going to take some fireworks to get me up at that time...at least we have a few more weeks before school starts.

In other news we are buying a new car. I really don't like doing this. Really. I mean honestly I am so crap at buying cars...I've had more experience buying houses than cars. (We've moved...a lot) It is the inevitable feeling of getting ripped off. Like when you do renovations in your house and the contractor comes in and sucks with breath in....you know then and there this is going to cost you way more than you thought. Same thing with cars. So this time in a somehwat radical move we are leaving the choice up to Floyd. He is going based on color. He wants a gold car with blue and yellow stickers all over it.

I think I'm going to look pretty stylin' driving round town.

winner / exciting news 1 and 2

winner::

Congratulations to Sandi Andersen from A Legacy of Stitches! She wins the cupcake and if you get on over to her blog you'll find yet another giveaway.

exciting news 1 ::

Cissie's hair is finally long enough for hair clips. I have been waiting for a long, long time for this and I was terrified she would poo-poo the whole hair clip thing but no, she loves them and whenever she finds one lying around INSISTS on me putting it on her chanting over and over, 'hairqwip mummy, hairqwuip mummy' - possibly my two favorite words.

I made all of these using Angry Chicken's felt hair clip tutorial and my left over felt scraps.

 My favorites....

Once I got started on the whole hair clip thing, there was no turning back. I bought this tutorial from HeatherKnitz on Etsy and made a bunch of button hair clips.

My favorites...

All these hair clips are going into a wooden box that Floyd is painting for Cissie and will be given as one of her birthday presents.

exciting news 2 ::

Cis turns two on Saturday. TWO! I can't believe it and honestly I think I am suppressing some deep emotions about the whole growing up thing. I am just not sure I am ready for it. There is definitely a shift  in the daily routine of the house now that there are no little babies around, some of it good, some of it great but some of it leaves me with a little bit of longing.

So this birthday we will be taking it very slow. I plan on drinking in the last little bit of babyhood round here. No party, just us on a picnic, with a cake....she loves cake....and of course some presents.

Hope you're weekend is filled with summery celebrations too.

50 + 1 = giveaway

Here they all are, finished and ready to go. A veritable army of cupcakes.

Each one is different.

Some with beads, some with sequins, some with flowers...

some with velvet bows.....

all of them got a label....

but this little one has no home....

Leave a comment and it could be yours. Winner announced Thursday morning.

slowly, slowly

I am beginning to go cross-eyed with all the tiny blanket stitches.

I might be a while yet. Wish me luck....and a good dose of sanity.

felt strawberry tutorial

April was so hot and beautiful here but May has been cold and wet. This weekend we are expecting some nice weather and I hope we are going to manage our first barbecue this year. To celebrate the beginning of summer, here is a free pattern/tutorial for making plump felt strawberries.

The powerpoint version::
Download microsoft_powerpoint_felt_strawberry_tutorial.pdf

The word version (for those who like to have a hard copy i.e.me)::
Download microsoft_word_strawberry_tutorial_word.pdf

This is my first attempt at a pdf file and I have a few more in the works so I'd love some feedback on how this one works/looks.
 
Supplies for the felt strawberries::
felt :: eco wool stuffing :: organic wool stuffing for the very rich

These beautiful bowls were part of my mother's day gift and I love them! They are very small about 4.5" wide by 2.5" tall and are by Nicholas Mosse. I think they are perfect little summer ice cream or snack bowls and we have used them a ton already and I am pleased to say they compliment my Bridgewater very nicely. Lucky ol' me!


Hope you have a very summer-y Memorial Day weekend and thank you for all your blogging support this week.

felt necklace

Wool felt necklace for Cissie, who is really into to dressing up now. Made using small squares of felt from my scrap box and strung onto some Elasticity bead cord. I made this and the bracelet all in the time it took to watch Elizabeth: The Golden Age, which was great. I am convinced there will be a third movie but Andy poo-poo's this idea saying that the rest of her life was "a boring run of peace and prosperity and who's interested in that?"

As soon as I put this on Cissie, Floyd announced he wanted one too.....only it has to be *all* blue.

The force with which she started pinging this one around suggests I'll be making more than just one of these in the near future.

I ordered a whole load of ingredients from Mountain Rose Herbs and I can't hardly stand the wait!! I have printed a bunch of recipes from recipe zaar and found Craft Bits which has a veritable library full of recipes. I just want to get making, I love the idea of the whole house being filled with the smell of cocoa butter - yum! or lavender, rose and chamomile - sweetness itself.
Still no progress on convincing Andy about homemade toothpaste though.

sunny side up

A new spring garland for the mantelpiece.

The weather here certainly suggests spring. A sunny 58 degrees. And if I didn't know the forecast for tomorrow (winter storm warning: sleet, snow and ice rain) I could almost be fooled.

Garland : felt daisies (the yellow center is stuffed with a little wool then stitched on) and pompoms strung on green embroidery thread.
Simple and fun.
And most of all, not red.