Look what's coming to MY neighborhood!

I am pretty durn excited about this one.

Sewn Studio is opening up here in Oakley, right on Madison Rd. in February.

It's going to be a modern fabric shop, plus sewing studio with classes. I've never taken a sewing a class before, but I'm totally going to take them here. How very studious of me.

(pics from their FB page)

The space is right next to one of our faves- Redtree Gallery. But now they have swanky signs and window graphics all up. I only found out about it by driving by, and I'm pretty sure I about swerved off the road. Wait, no I didn't, that would be irresponsible behind the wheel. I would never do that. 

Please go here to follow them on FB and Twitter, especially if you are a Cincy sewer. If you aren't, well feel free to be jealous this place isn't moving in a few blocks from you. 

(P.S. Did any of you locals used to go to St. Theresa's Textile Trove in College Hill before it closed? I really liked that place and I feel like it left a big crafting void around here. But I'm very sure this place is going to be even cooler.) 

Family of Monsters

Back in the fall, my friend Carrie asked me (commissioned me) to make 8 monsters named after her kids and all the other grandkids in her family. It was in the middle of my very gross first trimester days, so it did not get started on until just a couple weeks before Christmas. She wanted to give them to her parents for Christmas so that each kid would have their special monster always at Grandma and Grandpa's house when they visited- such a cute idea.

It was very fun designing some new faces and writing their little descriptions based on some of the kids' characteristics Carrie had given me. Here's the whole bunch-

I had hoped to make multiples of each and get them in the shop before Christmas. Here's the thing about having an Etsy shop: You have to keep making things in order to keep selling things. Revolutionary idea, I know. But you can't just open your shop and let it sit. And I didn't when I first opened. I kept listing and relisting pretty regularly. I had big plans for diversifying my products and price-points and all that stuff the emails from Etsy tell you to do as a seller. (I still get those emails. I used to read them, now I delete them immediately. Yet I haven't unsubscribed from them because I know that someday soon I want to be motivated again and start reading them. Isn't that silly?) But after getting pregnant again, I guess I kind of lost interest. I do enjoy making a few things to sell and having people appreciate that, but I really enjoy sewing for gifts and for my kids and occasionally even me. And I never expected to try to be one of those sellers featured in a "quit your day job" article, but it would be nice to just make enough to take care of a bill or two each month. Anyway, I know I'm totally rambling now, but I was just wondering if any other half-assed Etsy sellers out there could relate to the ebbs and flows of motivation... But I guess that is one nice thing about the way Etsy is set up- everything is already there and ready for me when I decide to get selling again. And it will sit and wait when life/apathy gets in the way again.



Hey, did I tell you guys yet that I'm having a girl?!? I don't think I've mentioned it here, but yup, it's a girl. We are pretty excited about that :)

Kid Cushions

For one of H's Christmas gifts, I made him one of these cushions so that he could have his own little seat in the living room. It's a really great tutorial, especially for trying piping for the first time. The piping seems like a pain when you are doing it, but it's totally worth it and makes things look so much more polished and store-bought.

I used a super-fun fabric from Ikea that I've had forever and didn't know what to do with. I think that guy on the mountain is actually THE lonely goatherd. 

Making the long side strip fit to both circles was a bit tricky, but nothing you can't handle. I ended up having to add a little extra strip of fabric to make it fit, but it looks fine. I think it was just because I didn't have a compass to make my circles with like the tutorial recommends.

The handle is good for toting around and beating your dad with the pillow. My last recommendation would be to add more stuffing than you think you need. I wish this one had just a skosh more. I also made a cute girly version for H's little girlfriend that was brown zebra print with pink piping, but I forgot to take a picture.

Here he is on Christmas day, enjoying Toy Story with his new elephant Mr. Tibs while we packed for Nana and Papa's house. 

 I'm pretty sure he would have asked Santa for one, but he was too busy planning an exit strategy.

The post where I have nothing of substance to say, but you might laugh.

I guess I've taken a bit of a blogging hiatus, only partly intentional. You see, we have not had internet at our residence for the past three weeks or so. Well, we never really did, but for the past 2 years, we have used a semi-reliable random wireless signal that has suddenly disappeared. So whenever I am annoyed that it is gone, I remind myself that we were worthless moochers in the first place. So now I am saying hello to you from Panera and we are working on figuring out how to get legit wireless without also getting cable and a landline, neither of which we want.

But the holidays were a good time for a break anyway. Ours were joyous and wondrous and jolly and every other adjective that might make you think we have the perfect little family.

I do have more Christmas gifts and handmad-y-ness to show you eventually, but no pictures for now. So instead, I will share with you this completely random story from my husband's tumblr. I came across it again today and remembered how much I love it. It cracks me up every time I imagine the tangible awkwardness. He also wrote it in probably the best way possible. Enjoy:

The following is a true story which details events that transpired on the 10th of November in the year 2010. It all happened at the music club d.b.a. which is situated on Frenchman Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. 

10:30PM - I am seated near the window with my friend Nathan. I look outside and see a guy that kinda looks like Phoebe’s canadian-gay-ice-skater-husband from that one episode of Friends… I think he was also that one guy from Joyride.

10:31PM - IMDB on my iPhone.

10:32PM - It’s Steve Zahn. Not sure if it was him or not… He’s gone now, so I guess I’ll never know.

10:35PM - I see Steve Zahn or his doppelgänger at the bar. 

10:36PM - I walk up to the guy in question:

  ”Are you Steve Zahn?”

  ”uuh….. Yeah…”

  ”Wow! That’s crazy man! Cool!”

10:36:20PM - I realize that, besides that one episode of Friends and that shitty thriller/horror movie Joyride, I don’t know anything else that Steve Zahn has been in… I’m not going to tell him he’s awesome, because he isn’t… But I can’t just say nothing and walk away… I mean, his self esteem has to be perilously low as it is.

10:36:30PM - I finally craft a statement that adequately expresses my appreciation for his career and simultaneously extricates me from this awkward situation:

  ”I dig your shit, man.”

10:36:35PM - I walk away, confident that I have made a new friend. However, I do have a moment where I think, “I wonder if my new BFF Steve Zahn was annoyed to get approached in public?” But then I convince myself that He probably was just ecstatic to get recognized within 2 minutes of walking into the bar.

A Couple of Completed Gifts

I have way too many unfinished projects going on right now, but these two were quick and easy to complete in one sitting. Hopefully they'll be headed to the post office today.

These quilted notecards are for my husband's grandmother, who is the only person I know who still sends a handwritten note for no special reason. I love it. I would say it's something I'm going to start doing, but who am I kidding? I'm just going to keep sending facebook messages to my friends. Gross but true.

Fantastic way to use up some of my mountain of scraps. And I always love a project that doesn't require careful measuring and cutting of fabric. That is my least favorite part of sewing.

Also made a couple of these for 2 little artists I love. These are so fun. I'm thinking I need to make a crayon roll version next to stick in H's diaper bag.

This is the third Christmas since I've started sewing, and gifts are definitely my favorite thing to make. It's nice to think that these kind of gifts won't be the ones going to Goodwill in a year or two... I would hope. I also love that I am hibernating up in my sewing room instead of navigating snowy, crowded mall parking lots. Ugh. But no matter how you are gifting this year, I hope it is fun and stress-free!

Wrapping Paper Painted by Toddler

First, decide that an unnecessary Christmas craft with your toddler is indeed necessary because, well, we are starting traditions here.

Then, put on Justin Timberlake's Justified album. You might think you would want a favorite Christmas album here, but you would be wrong.

Next, prep:

I used those little fisher-price shape blocks as patterns for cutting out my sponges. Some very washable kid's paint- check. And for the paper, I used some blank newsprint sheets. Someone gave me a TON of it a while ago and it is handy for many things. You could also use butcher paper, recycled paper bags, also those rolls of banner paper from the craft store would be good.

Next, go to town. Go there with jingle bells on. But no pants. (He did get the stamping thing, but I admittedly did a bunch of the stamps too. Duh, he's one.5. He really liked pressing the sponge down after I put it on the paper, using his big muscle grunts and everything.)

 Aftermath.

Out to dry.

Clean up.

Don't forget the lips, if said toddler maybe tried to eat a little paint.


Clean up on the kitchen floor wasn't bad either, I just had to spot clean with a clorox wipe. Of course, if you have a kid who actually enjoys the feel of paint on their hands, it might require a full mopping. We lost interest after just 3 sheets, but hopefully that's enough for the grandparents' gifts. Really, who will love this more than them anyway?

Yule-y Smells and Tastes

Made some more of these yummies this past weekend. They always disappear very quickly, but are also very easy to make more of. This week I want to try it with dried apricots. I don't think they'll be quite as good as the juicy clementines, but I'm big fan of apricots too. 

+

= Mmmmmmm

This time I decided to put all the peels to use too. I put them in a pot with a little water, cinnamon, and ginger and simmered them all evening. I also threw in a few craisins. You could use cloves, vanilla and cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, whatever wintery things you have on hand. Half my apartment smelled like winter tastiness and the other half like winter woodsiness from our tree. Also, it's fun to say you are "mulling" things.