belle epoque

September 28th, 2007

Patch it Up

Before I went on my trip, a lovely friend (who I won’t link to only because she hasn’t blogged in awhile and I don’t want to give her update anxiety) put a copy of the book Softies in my eager little hands. I poured over it and seriously considered trying to unearth some felt and cut out one or two of the darling projects to stitch together on the plane. I didn’t manage to get my act together and to that. But I did bring the book with me so I could plot which to make when I got home.

I loved this project the minute I saw the picture in the book, even before I knew it was designed by the divine Alicia Paulson. Of COURSE it was my favorite one, that explains it. Instead of stuffing the skirt with fiberfill, I used lavender so these little ladies are sweet sachets. Now there’s a little plaid dog calling my name… This book is wonderful. The instructions are simple, almost every project has a full-sized pattern included in the back envelope, and each was designed with love and personality by a different crafty blogger.

Though the dresses are not strictly patchwork, they are ushering what looks to be a happy trend around here for fall. I was lucky enough to squeak in to Linda’s wonderful Patchwork Swap (click her beautiful button over on the sidebar to learn more) which is really perfect timing, since I have tons of scraps that need a new home, and I also just ordered this book, which will surely inspire a perfect patchwork gifty for my swap partner. The MSL first serial only whetted my appetite, and I cannot wait until it arrives.

Hope you are having a happy Friday, and enjoy a crafty weekend!

September 27th, 2007

Gah!

I know, it has been about a million years in blog-time. After moving in and the unpacking frenzy (that pile of boxes is a lot smaller now, if not totally gone), I hopped on a plane east to visit my family for two weeks of relaxation by the sea. My mother is my great inspiration in craft, and she taught me how to rewire a lamp (we added a three-way switch!) and make an ice cream cake from scratch (not the ice cream part, but the crust and the layers of different flavors etc). I also took a ton of pictures in her garden, and on walks around town. If you’d like to take a little virtual walk through them, click on the photo below to go to my Flickr photo set of the trip!

Now I’m home, and as of yesterday have lovely wireless all over the house. I have so many new crafty ideas, and even a tutorial or two up my sleeve for you. So if you’re still around, thank you for not abandoning me, and stay tuned!

September 10th, 2007

Cleaning up Messes

Hello! While I try very hard to keep things over here relatively aesthetic, I just have to show you this, to justify where the heck I’ve been while the comment spammers have been busy over here

In addition to unpacking boxes and setting up a new place (which I will show you bits of when it is more after than before), Moondoggie and I spent hours on hold with a certain phone/internet company whose services we ended up having to terminate. Which means I’ve been sans internet and e-mail at home since we moved. I am currently in the little cafe on the corner using the free Wi-Fi and having a mocha. Yum. For all of you who’ve been visiting and commenting here and on my Flickr, thank you! I’m really enjoying catching up on your photos and blog posts while I take this wee break from unpacking!

Until I have reliable access to the internet again, I’ve turned on comment moderation over here to avoid any of you innocently reading the comments from coming across any ickyness that finds its way through the filters. I’ll be reading and approving legit comments when I can, so don’t be afraid to say hello. I will also do my best to assure that that scary pile o’boxes picture above is replaced with something more fun soon. In the meantime, if you’d like to see pictures of trees and mountains, check out my Labor Day Weekend set over on Flickr. Moondoggie and I hiked up the mountain that looms over the beach, and back down again, taking pictures all the way.

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