Snowmageddon (our two day snow storm here in Seattle) dumped on us just in time for Sadie to grow out of her snow boots from last year. Sledding with daddy was urgent, so I hopped to making some quicky fleece booties to line her ladybug rainboots. I was planning to make them with soles, but time was of the essence. I simply cut around a pair of babylegs as a pattern, cut on the bias to allow mechanical stretch and stitched them up lickity split.
Warm kid feet, brilliant!
It is quite the trend now to make new clothing from recycling discarded clothes, but I've recently found some inspiring projects and artwork made from reusing old duds:
Reupholstered easy chair from denim jeans:
image: Design Sponge
Cuddly Bears from men's shirts:
image: fab.com
Forest gallery installation:
image: Neraldo de la Paz
Ooo, I feel a trip to the Goodwill Outlet comin' on...
Well, one precocious 3 year old named Sadie to be exact. Now that she is 3, she is really enjoying crafts and baking for Christmas. We started by having a pinecone hunt around the neighborhood and gathered up loads of supplies that I have, feathers, sequins, glitter, pipecleaners, buttons etc. The only thing we had to buy was the old fashion 'doll' clothes pegs. Sadie got the glue stick and I got to use my new glue gun. Here is Sadie starting her glitter pinecone project (with a nice ring of chocolate around her mouth :) The first thing she did was rub glitter through her hair...
Our dove on a crystal glitter pinecone and pinecone owl:
This pinecone guy that was supposed to be a bird but has turned out more like a holiday hedgehog:
Our clothespeg angels inspired by the ones at Anthro:
Cookie fun...more sprinkles in the mouth than on the cookies...
Happy Holidays!!
Sadie (2), Juniper (6m)
My favorite holiday cookies to make (read "Eat") is this fabulous Cranberry Shortbread with white chocolate drizzle topping. This year I'm gifting some packaged up in easy to make origami boxes (I used 12" x 12" paper), instructions to make here.
Cranberry Shortbread Recipe (Ladies Home Journal 2009)
Start to Finish: 1 hr 30 mins
1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9-by-9-inch pan with a strip of foil or parchment, allowing edges to hang over opposite sides.
2. In a food processor, blend cranberries and confectioners' sugar until cranberries are finely chopped; transfer to a mixing bowl. Blend butter into cranberry mixture until smooth, then add vanilla and salt. Stir in flour until completely combined.
3. Press dough evenly into lined pan. Bake until firm and pale brown, about 30 min. Let cool in pan about 10 min.
4. Run a knife around the edges and lift shortbread from the pan using the parchment overhang. Gently score shortbread into 12 4-inch or 18 3-inch triangles and let cool completely. Cut cookies following score marks.
5. Place melted chocolate in a plastic bag, snip off a small corner and drizzle chocolate over cookies. Sprinkle with crystal sugar and tap off excess. Allow to set 30 min. Store airtight for up to 5 days. Makes 12 to 18 bars.
If anything inspires me to get the old crochet hook out its this glorious granny square Christmas tree skirt at Antho! I wonder if I have time, hmmm. With yarn from the Goodwill I'm pretty sure I can do it for less than the $298 asking price...
Of Seattle Met Bride & Groom!
I hadn't made hats in ages and was right in the middle of a particularly pukey pregnancy when they asked me to make up some hats for their shoot. They were really fun to make and look great in the shoot. Here are some more shots from the mag:
Here are some more of the hats that I made that didn't get in:
The flowers are either vintage or Italian silk. Some available at Frock Shop.
I'm always so in awe of the gorgeous pictures of peoples studio spaces, all funky and clean. Well, I thought it would be fun and a little embarrassing to post 360 degree pictures of my work space, which is also our spare room. There is no time to clean or decorate in a cool and trendy work space way, so it's just a great mess.
This is also where my mother-in-law gets to sleep when she comes to stay once a month...
So, last year, before I got pregnant, I started designing a line of vintage inspired dresses and separates to start selling in my shop. That's the dream, to one day have my own design studio with pattern maker and sample machinist, rolls of fabric, cutting tables, dress forms, and on and on. It's coming along very slowly, but along none the less. I found a small factory in Hong Kong that has very low minimums and are pretty easy to work with. Their English is great, but if you've ever worked with China, some things just get lost in translation. So, a lot of trial and error. I would love to have my garments made locally, but the few factories in Seattle have minimums that are too high and to have them made by one machinist would just be too expensive. Eventually, if I am able to wholesale my line then I will have it made locally.
I'm very pleased that some of the styles have sold out (the shirt dress and the print dress) and all have received great comments. I have re-ordered the shirt dress in red dot and black dot and should have it in the shop in the next few weeks. Next is to do a fashion shoot with our model Lucy and really show off how cute these styles are. Below are pictures of my label, inspiration & sketch.
These styles can be found in my shop and on the Website.
Fingers crossed for more to come for summer and on into Fall!
I bought the most recent and last issue of Craft: magainze lately and it is, of course, wonderful with great articles and inspirational projects. Sad that such a sweet little gem is not going to be published anymore. They will still be online in their extensive website & blog. So many projects, so little time.
