Christmas Came Early This Year

In July 2010 I purchased a little hutch at a yard sale to house my sewing and crafting supplies that I used the most. It fit perfectly into the last little bit of wall space we had, right behind the kitchen table where I do my work.
I was thrilled with it. I still had to keep more seldom used supplies in plastic bins in closets and in our outbuilding, but at the time it was a really good solution to my craft overflow problems.


Here's what it looked like the day I moved it in.





See how neat and tidy everything is? Later I purchased an armoire/entertainment center off of Craigslist to accommodate some of the overflow and also some kitchen apparatus and other clutter.
Flash forward to December 2011. My business has grown and accordingly, I've acquired a lot more fabrics and supplies. A lot more. The Christmas shopping season arrived after a ho-hum summer and fall, and suddenly I had enough orders to keep me working 12-15 hours a day for weeks on end.
And here's what my work area looked like last week.





And this was in addition to the bins and boxes piled in closets and in the outbuilding. I started to have some serious storage/shelving lust, and last weekend I went to an estate sale in the neighborhood and ended up buying a huge Ikea Pax "wardrobe". Here's a picture of the area looking like it'd been hit by a hurricane as we moved it into the house:





After working all day, I finally have most of my supplies in it. I still have some fabric and yarn in a closet, but the bulk of it fits with room to spare. I could use a couple more shelves to get it to maximum efficiency. I am beyond thrilled. Being able to get to things without the constant threat of an avalanche of supplies falling on me is going to do wonders for my efficiency, not to mention my sense of well being.


I have no familiarity with what it must be like to go buy exactly what you want with no regards to cost. I also have no idea what it's like to have a roomful of furniture that "matches". I'm sure there's something out there that would have been closer to my personal taste, but for now this is just perfect.

Christmas in July

"Record breaking temperatures." This phrase is so ubiquitous it's almost lost all meaning. It's been in the triple digits here in Austin so much lately that when the heat tops out at 99° it actually feels cool out. In December, we Austinites will be enjoying 70° days, and may have to don a light jacket in the evenings, but December is still a very, very long time from now. Or is it?


Every Christmas I promise myself that next year I'm going to get an early start. I vow to buy a gift here and there throughout the year and tuck them away. I tell myself that when I see a great deal on something that I know my husband/sister/mother-in-law would love, I'm going to buy it on the spot to save myself the stress of the holiday shopping crowds. I will get a head-start on any handmade gifts I intend to give, sewing a little here and there throughout the year instead of spending 12 hours a day at my sewing machine for the last two weeks before Christmas.


Well... it's July, and I have yet to purchase or make a single gift. But I have found some lovely incentives to get started, as dozens of EtsyKids Team members are having a Christmas in July sale. This is a great opportunity to pick up some wonderful hand crafted items for the mini-humans in your life. All sales are valid through July 2011. Here are just a few of the shops participating:


PetalPetal offers the most gorgeous modern flower girl and special occasion couture, and is offering a generous 20% off your entire purchase with the coupon code "SUMMERISFORLOVE". Her creations are so beautiful I find myself wishing they came in adult sizes!







*Photos by Marta Locklear


For the Christmas babies and new moms in your life , 2 Sprouts Stitchery has all kinds of wonderful offerings, like this chic All in One Diaper Clutch and cute toddler loungewear. She is offering 10% off with the coupon code: "christmasinjuly"










Bison Girl is offering 15% off her adorable handmade cotton baby booties. Lined with faux sherpa with faux suede soles, these booties will keep tiny feet snug and warm in the winter months. Use the coupon code "summer15" at checkout.








Apple N Amos offers whimsical wood toys and has something for tiny babies and older kids too, from teething rings to wooden yo-yos! I just love the wooden memory match games and stacking cups. Use the code "JULYSALE15" for 15% off everything in the store!








Chipper Cute Girl makes the sweetest "memory books", and is offering 20% off storewide using the code "EtsyKids20". These beautiful fabric covered journals are "divided by grade level, each page (left for mom - right for daughter) is filled with prompts and free space to capture the essence of each of you - together."







Happy shopping!

Birthday Presents

I managed to finish the second doll for my niece Madison, whose 3rd birthday is this weekend. I'd already made the kitty doll and was determined to make a puppy companion to go with her in time for the birthday party.


I will definitely be making some revisions to this pattern so that future dolls come together a little bit easier. Sewing the head and torso pieces together is incredibly difficult to do with all of the pre-stuffed limbs tucked inside, and I had to wrestle the pieces through my sewing machine. Future dolls will be a little more rotund, but overall I'm really happy with how they turned out.
I hope Madison likes them!

Made for Me.

It seems I'm always sewing something. There's rarely a day when my sewing machine doesn't get used, but I very seldom make anything to keep for myself. So when I picked up a copy of 101 Patchwork Projects at the bookstore last month, I knew I wanted to make the beautiful patchwork pillow covers featured by Lunden Designs.
I'd been sitting on some fat quarters from Joel Dewberry's "Aviary 2", collection, and this was the perfect project to use some of this fabulous fabric.


I only have one finished so far, and wanted to get some pictures of it before it is destroyed by children and/or pets. I have the second one pieced together and still need to finish it.

"It's freaky looking."

"It's freaky looking." Not exactly the response I was looking for when I showed my husband the doll I'd been laboring over for hours. How little he knows about the doll world. I've seen much freakier dolls than this one.
After posting a pic of it on Facebook, the consensus is that he doesn't know what he's talking about.

Ladies' Craft Brunch

I'm kicked up in my bed with my laptop, and a nap is on the horizon for sure, but I wanted to post some pictures from brunch today. I had a few friends over for (way too much) food, mimosas and crafting.


My sister and niece came over last night and we made cute little toppers for the quiches I'd made.







I found inspiration for brunchy goodness at Clockwork Lemon's blog, and roasted some baby red potatoes then tossed them with apple chicken sausage, caramelized onions, arugula and smoked cheddar.
We also had this lovely Lemon Pull-Apart Coffee Cake, which is just sinfully good; soft, tangy and sweet. Here's a pic before it got slathered with cream cheese icing.







But enough about the food. We also actually did do a bit of crafting. As a fabric hoarder who can't stand to throw even the tiniest scraps away, I have accumulated quite a few very small pieces of fabric; perfect for covered button crafts. I gathered the scraps up and they looked so cute in the little fabric baskets I'd made, especially paired with my new scrappy jelly jar covers that make charming little vases.





Annaliese was the only one who would consent to having her photo taken, and you should have seen the horrified looks my other guests gave me at the mention of the words "camera" and "pictures". I thought everyone looked lovely though.





And here's a picture of the fruits of our labors. We made fabric covered buttons in various sizes and then turned them into fridge magnets, bobby pins, earrings and ponytail holders. I had so much fun, can't wait for the next craft brunch. If anyone has any good ideas for group crafting projects, I'd love to hear about them.