Jennifer Joy Creative

Handspun Yarn I covet

2012-01-12T19:28:00.000-05:00

Some beautiful and inspirational handspun yarn I found today...


Tuscan Walls by bluecocoonyarn


Yellow Daisies by aspenmoonarts

Flounce by Bricolage Studios

Textiles + Organic Farming with a sprinkle of German

2012-01-10T15:34:00.002-05:00

I just have to share my most recent school experience. A caveat here: its only the second day of the semester so the classes are new thus exciting and not stressful yet.

A bit of background first. I decided to go back and pursue my bachelors degree after 12 years of being a stay-at-home mom. Both of my kids were in school full time and I was looking to do something completely different than making clothing, which I had lost interest in. This was a year and a half ago.

I settled on Michigan State's horticulture program because it offered a Sustainable and Organic concentration and being the garden freak I am, this sounded perfect! After 2 semesters, I could feel myself questioning what I was going to do in the end. I didn't want to farm nor manage a greenhouse or work in the boring pointsettia industry.

I stumbled on a new and exciting option while talking one of my friends out at the MSU Student Organic farm. She was in a program that allowed you to get a BA in Interdisciplinary Humanites. You just needed to pick 3 areas of concentration and have 15 credit hours in each area (other college requirements also apply). Now I could design a degree to my specifications that I would feel good about spending money on. I chose Horticulture (because I DO love organic horticulture), Studio Art (because all of my photography credits from our local community college satisfied this portion of the degree) and Apparel and Textile Design (because its what I do and I really love it).

Fast forward ahead...I got my spring schedule all adjusted and here it is : Basic Apparel Structuring, Elementary German II, Textile Materials and Organic Farming Principles and Practices. These are my textbooks for Organic Farming:

How awesome is that?!

A New Year

2012-01-05T21:20:00.000-05:00

What better way to resurrect a blog than with a pretty picture...more profound thoughts coming soon

Abandoned then found

2010-07-26T09:51:00.000-04:00

Since I created a page on facebook, I find it really hard to blog. Not that a lot hasn't been going on! Jennifer Joy Creative is sort of being quiet. I headed back to school in January to pursue a degree in Sustainable and Organic Horticulture. Its been fun and hard at the same time. School uses a part of my brain I haven't touched in years :). The organization part has been hardest for me. I'm used to working at home, running from one half finished project to another and multitasking like crazy. I've found that I can't function like that with school work. I have to sit down in a quiet space and really really concentrate. Which I have to admit is pretty satisfying.

I have one more semester at LCC before I transfer to Michigan State University in the spring. I'm really nervous. The idea of writing a paper is terrifying. Up until now I've had all science and math courses. But I'm also very excited. The program has classes like pruning techniques, greenhouse construction and management, Organic Farming Principles and Practices, and Compost Production and Use. Nerdy gardening stuff I can't wait to get into.

At home, I creating a monster of a garden thats doing great. Minus the fact the rabbits ate all my beans. Next year I'll have it tilled bigger and fence it in with a cute fence with a gate. I already have 13 pints of green beans canned, 24 jars of jam, 1.5 gallons of broccoli frozen, 5 pints of pickles and tons of potatoes and onions. My tomatoes are just starting to ripen and I should have enough to can by the middle of next week.

Off to study for finals...I'll leave you with some pretty garden pics

Ice Cream, Bacon and Silk

2009-08-12T08:36:00.000-04:00

Here are a couple custom skirts I just finished. They turned out so cute! Who knew hemp could be so much fun :)

Mmmmm Bacon!

I've had an idea for this skirt for a long time. I actually had them all cut out and forgot :). So here's my pretty hemp silk charmeuse skirt. I low water immersion dyed it a beautiful apple green and aqua color. This fabric is tricky to dye. If you agitate it too much, it gets cloudy and pills. So this was babied and still has its stunning sheen and the drape makes is flow like water!
I'll be doing more of these...I'm thinking in the theme of Elements...

Etsy Love

2009-08-07T11:10:00.000-04:00

Whoo hoo Jennifer Joy Creative has some big Etsy love. 1500 people have favorited my shop!

A Noonday Textiles Creation

2009-08-05T19:27:00.001-04:00

I love it when people send me photos of the items they create out of my fabric. This one is new and very interesting:: A Zafu for meditation...Read all about Hillary's creation here

Etsy Storque Spotlight!

2009-08-04T19:14:00.000-04:00

Oh my gosh I'm so excited! My Woodland Goddess dress made it into the Storque Spotlight Etsy Finds: August Arrives! ...Its down at the bottom in the Related Items..Yay I've never made it before :)
http://www.etsy.com//storque/spotlight/etsy-finds-august-arrives-4586/

Gardens Gone Wild!

2009-07-28T16:24:00.000-04:00

Some updated pics of the wild kingdom I dare call a garden....
Planted tons of heirloom tomatoes this year...they are slowly taking over...Pumpkins (front right) are growing out into the lawn...they are so much more interesting than grass anyway...

Moon and Stars heirloom Watermelon, I'm excited to see what the fruit look like given that the leaves are so speckly.

Dwarf sunflowers I planted to draw bees and butterflies, almost ready to bloom...

Ari with some raspberries and some peppers she picked...

Full pic of the garden...2 raised beds. I'm already planning for at least 4 more next year. The clothesline I built this spring has been wonderful. Morning Glories are slowly growing up the posts....

Gardening is so much fun. I find myself out there several times during the day just looking at the plants. I think I'm going to have many hours of canning tomatoes ahead of me though!

One last pic

Found this beautiful little green tree frog hiding out in my tomato plants, just chillin' in the shade. I'm going to listen for him tonight!

As long as I'm at it...

2009-06-03T12:15:00.001-04:00

My yard is so exciting right now. All the things I've planted are growing up! Thought I'd share a few pics of my gardens...
The Lantrip Hacienda
The invisible tree in the front mulched circle is a Yellow Magnolia, should be very beautiful when it gets bigger....

Little coral bells

Lots of ornamental grasses

Our paisley shaped front bed. I'm using strawberries as groundcover and a nice patch of rhubarb growing at the end. Lovingly called the Pie Garden (yum!)

First almost ripe strawberry. Its been a good year for strawberries here in Michigan...

Our beloved Purple Weeping Beech tree

Its companion, the Weeping Birch and its awesome peeling bark...

The Tree Peony that was supposed to be orange...grrr....still very pretty though

Very happy backyard shade garden

Summertime projects

2009-06-03T11:11:00.000-04:00

I've been working diligently on a few projects I've been wanting to do for a long time...
New clothesline! Yay took me a few days and some tool borrowing but the posts are set and ready to go. Fresh sunshine dried sheets!! Can't wait!

My ridiculously small garden. I used a frame from one of the kids' sandboxes. Its 4'x4' :). I'm planning on 2 more 4'x 10' raised beds right next to it that run parallel to the clothesline.

Beans!

Peppers!

Peas!

INked up

2009-03-18T18:39:00.000-04:00

Today was a fun yet very hectic day...I got a tattoo covered up that I've been planning for around 10 years now...My dear friend Lacie, who's a kickass tattoo artist out of Raleigh, NC, was a guest artist at The Tattoo Shop in Lansing...
Before...

After....

Thoughts of Spring

2009-02-26T19:02:00.000-05:00

My apple skir t was just featured at PurplePinkandOrange.
It was chosen for 6 quick picks: Thoughts of Spring...

I tell ya, I'm thinking about spring everyday. Right now its pouring rain and thundering (which I love!) but its still a little cold...those little spring flowers are going to be poking up really soon :)

Crafting a Green World Feature!

2009-02-24T08:56:00.000-05:00

Oh my gosh I'm so excited! Becky from the Crafting a Green World blog contacted me last week about doing a feature on my Noonday Textiles line of hand-dyed hemp fabrics. The posting just went up today.

Let me say, I feel so honored! I just love this blog. Crafting a Green World features do-it-yourself projects that incorporate reused, recycled, and natural materials. It has so many great tips and excellent writers. Please check out the Noonday Textiles Feature, tell your friends :)!
xo
Jay

One of my favorite things...

2009-02-20T10:18:00.001-05:00

...to do is refresh the Etsy homepage. Last night I was doing this when this artist popped up, Marmee Craft

I may have to pick up some prints... I love this one,

And this one is beautiful!
Her work has this awesome folkloric appeal and subjects all show great emotion...
Thought I'd share!

Giveaway!

2009-01-19T13:25:00.000-05:00

Green Earth Journey blog is doing a giveaway of a Jennifer Joy Creative coin purse!

Check it out here...

New Handmade on Jennifer Joy Creative.com

2009-01-12T19:58:00.000-05:00

So its been about a month since I last posted anything new. I think I've been channeling some crazy energy cause in that month, I made 6 pairs of pants, 3 skirts and I'm just finishing up a 20 piece wholesale order for my friends new Eco-boutique.
I just posted the new pieces on my website...here's a peek...

www.jenniferjoycreative.com

Noonday Textiles feels the love

2008-12-27T16:18:00.001-05:00

Yay just hit the 100 heart mark for Noonday Textiles! I'm off to post some new hand-dyed fabrics...

An Awesome Feature

2008-12-27T16:10:00.000-05:00

I'm a member of Team EcoEtsy, and Etsy team dedicated to sustainability and recycling. Some of our teams bags, including a couple of mine, got a nice little write up on the Green Style and Beauty Slices blog...check it out here...

Hemp Fabrics for Sale!

2008-12-13T17:55:00.000-05:00

I just opened a new Etsy shop for beautiful hemp fabrics. I'm selling handdyed originals as well as natural undyed hemp/organic cotton blends by the yard...
Stop by!

So Much LOve!!!

2008-11-27T20:59:00.000-05:00

I just reached my 1000th heart on Etsy. I'm so excited!!! Check it out :)
Etsy has been an amazing place to sell my goods in addition to my website. I am very grateful on this Thanksgiving for the success it has given me. I have "met" so many amazing artists. I find myself only wanting to shop there for the quality and uniqueness the artists offer...I'm doing the Handmade Pledge this year. All (or almost all) of my holiday gifts will be bought on Etsy.

Featured!

2008-10-28T20:06:00.000-04:00

PurplePinkandOrange.com just featured me on their blog for Scores under $10! Thanks guys :)
Check it out here....

Hoodie Madness and DUCF

2008-10-24T13:55:00.000-04:00

Just posted some new hoodies to JenniferJoyCreative.com..here's a peek...

Also wanted to do a little promo for the Detroit Urban Craft Fair 11/15! Come see Kirsten aka. La Femme Monkita and I. We're sellling stuff!

A new beginning...

2008-10-21T22:13:00.000-04:00

I just read this great article in The Storque: Etsy's Guide to Blogging.
I'm really bad about keeping up on this thing! So i've decided to just start adding a bunch of stuff I like :).
Todays theme is Holiday Cards. I've been on the look out for some awesome cards that are unique and of course handmade. I seem to always have good intentions of making my own but never quite get to it...
Here's some of my favorites...

I love this Mod Christmas Stationery Set.
The color is great and that tree is super sweet.
by Snew set of 5 cards and envelopes $4.75

As a lover of midcentury modern furniture, these cards are perfect! Getting close to the time to pull out the vintage aluminum pom-pom tree and the swirly lights....

Mod Furniture Holiday Cards set of 3
by byvikINK $14

I'm fascinated by the process of letterpressing. I'm not exactly sure what it is but the outcome of the process is so interesting. These Joy Cards are a perfect example. They have this very organic handmade quality I love...plus its my middle name so I'm a bit biased

Red Joy Letterpress Cards set of 8
by Yee Haw $12

I heart EcoEtsy

2008-09-09T12:59:00.000-04:00

I'm a member of the most amazing street team on Etsy. Eco Etsy is a group of like minded people who are coming together to spread the word about reducing, reusing and recycling. They are a very active group that spend a ton of time working for the cause and supporting each other. I am so honored to be a member.

I just found out my Springtime Bird Coin Purse was picked to in the weekly theme posting on the Eco Etsy Blog. The theme was "little birds" and Fisheye was so sweet as to nominate me...Thanks!

Search keyword TeamEcoEtsy to see work by some of these eco-conscious artists.

We also have a website www. Ecoetsy.com

Fall is here!

2008-09-03T20:13:00.000-04:00

Holy cow I have so much to think about lately! My kids started school with my littlest going all day now. Its the first time in 10 years or so I've had the whole day to just make stuff! So what to do...

I spent today doing sketches for a new clothing line, updating my "About" page bio on the website (please look), laundry and then the day was gone...

Oh this is cool...I did check out Co-Op America, an amazing organization dedicated to good ol' eco-action!

Then I was just reading this Etsy Storque article on getting ready for the holiday season. Time is just flying. Kirsten (aka La Femme Monkita) and I got into the Detroit Urban Craft Fair. An awesome opportunity to share our hand-craftiness with some fellow Michiganders. I have confidence I'll get it together at some point though.

I do have sketches and all :)....

Vacation Crazy

2008-08-21T22:39:00.000-04:00

Jason and I took our first vacation in 6 years to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary. We left the kiddos with my folks and we were off...

So in order to save money I booked us a flight leaving at 5:30am out of Flint which is about a 45 minute drive. Being the procrastinators we are, we didn't finish packing until 12:30 am, passed out for 2 hours then got up, hopped in the car and drove to the airport. We landed in Atlanta at 7 am and had a ridiculous 3 hour layover most of which I slept on the benches. From Atlanta we flew to Denver.

My good friend from high school was getting married the next day (saturday).

Ok so from the airport we rented a supposedly compact car I reserved but it really ended up being an SUV so that was funny. Drove to my friends house, said Hi for like an hour then drove 3 1/2 hours north to Glenwood Spring Colorado. Totally the most beautiful drive I've ever been on! Overwhelming a bit on my 2 hours of sleep but beautiful. We arrive in town to meet the suppliers of my hemp fabric.

Hanging out with them was so amazing and informational I can't even explain. There's nothing I love more than knowing my fabric comes from good people doing good work. We ate dinner at the Hotel Colorado nestled in lush gardens with mountains towering everywhere! I crashed early cause I thought I was gonna die if I didnt.

The next day, Jason and I explored the town, took pictures and ate breakfast at a tiny little diner. We went back to the hemp compound for some more awesome conversation with our host and then hopped back inthe truck to go to a wedding!

We had exactly enough time to get to our hotel, check in, change and get back into the car for wedding. We arrive just as they are saying the last of the vows. Everyone cheers then we hit the reception (it was literally that fast). Do all the fun reception things like drink and dance, then get back to the hotel and crash.

6 hours later...we hop back in the truck, get to the airport for the second leg of our journey...

We land in Seattle at 9am where my cousin and her hubby pick us up. We explore Pike Place market for a few then head north to Anacordes, Washington. There we hopped a ferry to San Juan Island. My cousins hubby's family has a condo on the island. There we just lounged, ate too much, explored the island, ate more and drank wine.... for 4 days. Just the perfect way to ease out the insanity of the first half of our vacation. We even saw a whale fin!

We had so much fun. I forget how fun exploring is! You can see pics from the trip at www.holidazy.blogspot.com

They are camera phone shots so the movies are a little low res. If you go to the oldest posts first, its in chronological order.

All of you who support us through my business and otherwise made this vacation getaway even possible...So a huge thanks to you all!

Wedding Bliss

2008-07-29T12:03:00.000-04:00

I had the joy and pleasure of making my first wedding dress. My best friend Carmen asked if I'd do a dress for her reception and I agreed, albeit a little nervously. Normally brides scare the crap out of me. They are all tense and angry and generally scary. Carmen on the other hand was none of those things. She wanted only a dress created by me for her most special day. We talked about design, bouncing ideas back and forth till we came up with a great general outline. From there it was up to me...

Carmen loves shiny so I chose hemp/ silk charmeuse...absolutely amazing fabric. Soft shine on one side and raw silk looking on the back side. I wanted to try dip dyeing for this dress in the worst way. The trick was (A) I had only enough fabric to make the dress once, (B) it had to be finished before I dyed it so there was no weird lines, and (C) me being the big chicken procrastinator I am, waited till it was 3 days before she was showing up for a fitting :).

All went amazingly perfect. This dress was made for her, fit perfect and was flattering. Best of all I got to put all the love for my best friend into it....

I also made the little flower girl dress that Ari is wearing. There were 2 of those sweet little girls walking down the aisle. They made sure to get every last rose petal out of that basket.

The bride and groom took care of their guests with lots of good food and great music. But best of all, they took care of each other. They wrote vows that brought everyone to tears. Peter (the groom) had all of Carmen's friends records love songs for her on her wedding day. Each guest got a cd to take home. And my little Ari, who is extremely shy, got up on the dance floor and sang a song she made up on the spot in front of 100 people! Truly the perfect wedding....

My Peaceful Warrior

2008-07-09T15:46:00.000-04:00

I put my kids in Taekwondo for some good old fashioned discipline as well as some exercise. They LOVE it. If we did calculating right and Kiran keeps it up he'll be an 11 year old first degree blackbelt and Ari will be around 8 when she gets her black belt. This is Kiran competing in the school's form competion. He won first place.

Next I'll have to show you Ari's work with the Bow Staff, I won't mess with her when she's got that thing!

More Anniversary Goodness

2008-07-07T22:03:00.000-04:00

Kirsten summed it up perfectly...plus she got some amazing pictures...
check it out...
10 years

Thank you once again...thank you cards are going out shortly I promise!

Happy Anniversary

2008-06-26T08:39:00.000-04:00

I've been meaning to post about this for week now but I'm slow. Jason and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary at the end of May. I was marvelling the other day that there are very few people we hang out with who knew us when we were single. I'm really proud of this. We are young, I'm 33 and Jason's 35, and we made it this long. Of course there's been ups and downs but we are still madly in love with each other...but I digress...

So my friend Kirsten and her boyfriend Dan wanted to take us out for our anniversary which I thought was really nice. They live in the Detroit area and I thought it was awesome (if not a little weird) that they wanted to drive all the way up here for dinner with us. She told me to make sure we got someone to watch the kids so we could go get drinks and just relax...

A few days before she's like um are you ready for this weekend? did you get someone to watch the kids? Oops of course I'm forgetful and did not. I call my mom and she agrees (rather quickly I thought).

Kirsten and Dan show up to take us out, we're just relaxing on the couch watching Terminator 3. We mosey out the door to Beggars Banquet (which Kirsten picked).
We walk through the back door and Kirsten steers us into the banquet room and "HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!" everyone yells (well it sounded like everyone but it may have just been Carmen).

I honestly don't recall ever being so surprised. I don't think anyone got pics of us but I can honestly say my jaw was to my chest.

My amazing friend Kirsten has orchestrated the most amazing surprise party every. All of our friends, my family, Jason's work friends are there. Nothing makes me feel happier or more complete when all my loved ones are in one room.

Kirsten made the most amazing cheesecakes, Carmen made tiramisu and blueberry pie and there was more I'm sure. The food was beautiful. The extent to which this party was planned still amazes me. Kirsten actually contacted Jason's work to make sure he got out at a reasonable time (yes she scheduled his work day) as well as made sure they got invites there. She contacted my family and made sure my kids would be watched (which caused some panic since I forgot and called so late). Dan made this beautiful Happy Anniversary sign by hand because he thought we deserved and would appreciate it being handmade. They made a box for cards and asked for donations for us to go on our upcoming trip out west. She thought of everything.

We ate, had drinks (too many I think, for some, *eh hem Kirsten*) and we had the most fun in forever. My gratitude is so huge its overwhelming. I have thank you cards coming to everyone I just have to figure out what to say (sometimes that takes me a while).

And Kirsten, you are the best, most kind generous soul, and most organized person I know. You should honestly be an event planner, you'd kick ass.
Me and Kirsten
This picture is ridiculous but see how much fun we're having!

I got Press!!!

2008-06-21T13:10:00.000-04:00

I recently was asked to submit my Ginkgo Skirt to Belle Armoire magazine, an art to wear publication. I automatically thought it was just a small zine or something until I spotted it on the magazine rack at Joann Fabrics. Come to find out its distributed world wide and is the publishers most popular magazine. I just received my copy in the mailbox this morning! I'm so excited..Here's some pics...

I'm featured in a blog

2008-05-14T18:10:00.001-04:00

Things are going really great (and ridiculously busy) here at Jennifer Joy Creative. I've surpassed my goal on Etsy of 450 hearts for the month of May, and its still only the middle of the month! I've started dyeing fabric to sell too which is very fun as I've only dyed it for my own creations before. Here's a sample...

I just got a really nice email to let me know my Cherries Skirt has been featured on the Rare Bird Finds Blog...check it out.

Mothers Day

2008-05-12T09:22:00.000-04:00

Few things make me a mushy mess as much as Mothers Day does. My kids get super excited that I get to be queen for the day (why not everyday right?!). They get to give me presents they worked really hard on at school. I remember doing the same for my mom and I remember she loved nothing more than a bouquet of jaggedly cut felt flowers. Here's what my 2 favorite little monkeys gave me....
From my little girl Ari, age 5...She's quite the artist! Notice the ray of sunlight, and all the other amazing details. She's 5 and drew elephants for goodness sake!

And from my sweet little boy who's going to be 9 this summer (how can that be!)

His little note says
"The important thing about Mom is She's Loving
She is also reassuring
But the most important thing about Mom is she's caring
love, Kiran"

What mom wouldn't bawl at that?! Then he sewed me a kleenex holder that looks like a guy. I may have to put him to work soon...

Jason, being the amazing human he is, let me work all day with no interruptions. Then we all piled on the couch to eat pizza and watch a movie all snuggled under a blanket. The best day ever!

Introducing...The Wristlet!

2008-04-28T14:50:00.000-04:00

Let me start of by saying I really don't like the word "wristlet". Its like scarflette. Kirsten and I decided "clutch" is way cooler. Here they are...

Cute little mini purses just the right size for your phone, keys and a small wallet. I love big bags but I may just have to make myself one of these.

I just joined Eco Etsy, an awesome Etsy street team dedicated to promoting all that is green and good. Look for more recycled packaging from me. There are so many amazing sellers that belong to this group...

Alright my 3 hours of freedom is almost up and I have to run get my kiddos...then run, then run some more :)...

2008-04-25T09:17:00.000-04:00

Look Ma I'm in a treasury on Etsy
Thats my cherry skirt at the bottom :)...

Happy Accidents

2008-04-24T06:39:00.000-04:00

I just got in a small batch of roving the other day. Its like getting a big roll of natural fabric, a blank palette. I tried dyeing some 3 oz batches a couple different ways. The first one I did regular rainbow dyeing, where you paint the wet roving wrap it in plastic wrap and then steam it. I love this method cause you dont really have to touch the fiber so there's less chance of it felting. I got this...
which spun up in to "Midnight at the Oasis" mmmmm pretty...

Next I tried the hot pour method from the Twisted Sisters Sock book. You heat your roving on the stove with water and a bit of vinegar then pour the colors. It softens the colors but you have to be careful to not poke it too much or it felts. Well what I didn't realize is that some dyes split into different colors...so my well intentioned earthy brown, burgundy and plum mix did this...
What the hell? Where did yellow and green come from?! All I could think of was salamander (not that I don't like salamanders but I was hoping for something a bit more romantic)...
Now here comes the cool part...I snagged some of these from Loop on Etsy... in that collection of fibery goodness I found this beautiful black alpaca and firestar batt. Tons of sparkle and color...So that little tiny batt mixed with my ugly roving gave me thisAll the warm earthiness I could ever want with some sparkle to boot. I love happy endings....

Recycled Mailing bags

2008-03-03T10:45:00.000-05:00

I was so excited when i found that Etsy
has videos on YouTube. I love how to videos...I've learned various knitting and spinning techniques. Its pretty exciting.

Here's the latest amazingness I found...
Fusing plastic grocery bags...

This worked out perfect since I never seem to have first class mailing bags or boxes. My first attempt ended up a little melty...
Here's the final one. Looks pretty cool and is stronger and thicker than the PO's tyvek bags. I just sealed the edges with packing tape and voila!

2008-01-29T11:23:00.000-05:00

So I finished the hoodie...I tried a new hood design that really wraps around so when its down you get a cool collar effect. Nice and warm too. I put it up on ebay ...

I also added a new pair of pants to my site...

I've been experimenting with block printing a little bit. Here's a great tutorial if anyone is curious....I love her work...Here. For these pants I decided ginkgo, yet again. I really love the shape of the leaves. And I love the idea that ginkgo is said to increase concentration and memory...I could use some of that!

Up next dyeing some fleece! I got this today...Big Fun!!!

French Films and Gratitude

2008-01-27T20:05:00.000-05:00

I recently finished an amazing book my best friend got my son for Christmas...

This is an absolutely amazing story and the illustrations are stunning...
It has refers to early french film making by director Georges Melies. He did this beautiful film called The Trip To The Moon....I'm using it as inspiration for my next top....I can't wait to share...

I've been thinking alot about how much I just love my job. I get to stay home with my kids and make stuff and make a little money. I've tried doing "lines" of clothing but I get so bored with it, that it takes away from the thing I love. I know this is the way to streamline and be more efficient but it literally drives me crazy. Jason is always like cut out 10 of such and such and you can whip them out....I've tried and the result always seems less that what I like my end product to be....so my goals are to continue making one-of-a-kind pieces and try to make them cost effective. Its a work in progress.....

Here's some recent work...

Oh I took the plunge and applied to my first festival, Wheatland Music Festival.
Its a juried show so I'm waiting to see if I got in...I'm crossing my fingers...although I may have to reconcile making multiples of things if I want to fill a whole booth!

This blogging thing!

2007-09-24T17:11:00.000-04:00

I love blogs...I read them all the time. The whole knitting community is big on blogging so thats usually pretty interesting. What people are doing or working on...I love it...so why is it that I have the hardest time keeping up on my own? I'm going to be better I promise...

To catch up...
This summer was fun. We hung out at home mostly. This was our summer project...

This big beautiful Ash tree in our front yard was being killed by the Emerald Ash Borer. It was hanging precariously over our house. So we had to cut it down...We chipped up all the small stuff for mulch and this is what we did with the bigger pieces....
And thats not nearly all of it...firewood! Yay! So as sad as I was about losing that big beautiful tree, we managed to recycle every bit of it, makes me feel better.

My kiddos both had birthdays so they are now 5 and 8. Big kids.

My little business is still doing well. I was so excited when just last week my mailing list hit 100 members! I've been really loving Etsy lately. I haven't posted anything new there in a while but when i do its always good to me. There's some really amazing artists on there as well. I've started spinning again. I bought these batts from Loop...
Absolutely stunning. I'm deciding what to make out of the yarn I spin....maybe a hat or a scarf to go with the winter coat I'm making myself =)...

I'm trying to blend different fibers without a drum carder or hand cards...just by splitting the rovings...here's some of my latest...

The one on the left is blue face leichester in royal blue, light blue and seafoam green with splices of dark purple bamboo...

On the right is my FAVORITE! Its natural black alpaca with hand-dyed black bamboo with some undyed areas that turned silver. Its so heavy and soooo soft!

In clothing I've been trying some new designs... =). I have a couple new tops made out of hemp jersey that I left the exposed seams from the serger. I love the effect and they turned out really comfortable. The trick is how to make them really unique and not just another jersey top...its a work in progress...
I feel like this blog is so boring...thanks to all who sat through it :). I'll get there...pretty soon I'll be the MASTER BLOGGER!!! Ha, when i remember to write one....
You'll have to excuse my picture placement....I can't seem to get it right!

Mildly Distracted

2007-06-05T14:10:00.000-04:00

I have so much sewing to do and I'm sitting here absently staring at my computer eating peanutbutter ice cream. I'm daydreaming about a new spinning wheel and a drum carder. Spinning?! I barely have time to sew and that is my income right now. Oh well, I'll do what I'm supposed to soon enough. I'm normally a very easy-going kinda girl but when I have to get stuff done, I get this rebellious streak going. Like "you can't tell me what to do!". I am making a mental wishlish for when I have some extra money (get stitchin', right?!).
1. Lendrum double treadle spinningwheel with jumbo plying head and bobbins
2. Drum carder, preferably Pat Green or Strauch (um $500 later...)
3. Bernina vintage sewing machine, I'd the Record 830 or that awesome Favorit that was lime green on ebay a while back..
I guess thats all for now...Ok I think I've got the rebellion out of my system. The joys of being home-based self-employed. And only an hour left before mom-taxi is back on duty...

So Super Busy!

2007-05-21T22:26:00.001-04:00

I feel like I've been so outta touch lately. I haven't posted anything new to my website in weeks. Its not that I haven't been busy sewing though. I'm just finishing up a wonderful bunch of custom orders. Its so fun to take those. People come up with great ideas and its so fun to see how they end up... my new friend Sarah came up with the idea for this pretty skirt...

Camel color hemp jersey with dark brown accents and just a few dragonflies here and there. I almost couldnt let it go :).

My sewing machine now has all sorts of fun problems but my sweet grandma gave me hers to borrow. Talk about a life saver. Now I'm on the look out for a vintage Bernina..tis the season for gargage sale finds so who knows?!

Oh some more exciting news, my new friends Robyn and Jason have a cute little shop in Bloomington Indiana called Natural Elements. They have decided to start selling some of my clothing! We are both very excited about this. So if you live in the Bloomington area, please stop by and support their little family business! Our local natural food store, Foods for Living, is also carry a line of my tote bags, coin pouches and skirts...Like these...

So thats whats been going on here...oh and I have a new nephew! Cute baby pictures coming soon!

Some things about me....

2007-05-17T23:11:00.000-04:00

Alpaca Granny tagged me! Ok now you get to learn 7 things about me....

1. I love sushi, especially the Green Dragon Roll (yummm eel and avocado)
2. the site of blood, or any wounds, makes me pass out (no doctor here!)
3. my husband and i are celebrating our 9 year wedding anniversary at the end of the month
4. I went to school for photography but sewing just keeps calling me back
5. I love tarot cards.
6. I'm a huge fabric snob...Hemp is the only way to go! (although I havent tried bamboo yet)
7. I make my own environmentally friendly soap, laundry powder and most recently automatic dishwashing soap...

Oh the Colors!

2007-04-21T19:14:00.000-04:00

I got to dye some fabric today. It has to be one of my favorite thing to do. Not only is the result usually an awesome surprise but often the color combinations and textures are wonderful inspiration for a piece of clothing. Each part of the one piece of fabric are completely different. There may be one tiny part that is definitely texture and color for a moon, for instance.

I'm toying with the idea of doing an elements series. I always seem to end up with a hand-dyed piece that looks like water. Lately I've had a couple that are very jasper-like. Next I have to figure out air and fire...Here's the pieces I did today...

Sometimes I get little troll faces that come through...Like this blue guy above...he's super cute but maybe a little grumpy :)...

I also took pics around the yard today cause it was so nice!!!
My hostas are coming up....

This is my Mama Tree...She's the matriarch of our home...
Back to work now...tomorrow I'm gonna try to put 5 new pieces on the site and put the unsold pieces on ebay...

On the Nature of Selling and Kindness...

2007-04-08T23:01:00.000-04:00

So my husband and I owned a vintage clothing store for 6 years and I worked there for 4 years before we bought it. I've done a lot of retail. We sold our store in December to try our hand at something new. Its really amazing to me how easily things fall into place when the right decisions are made. We've had a great transition. Our bodies and minds are healthier. My business is flourishing and thats mainly where this rambling is all going. So selling... I am making my own line of clothing and handspun yarns. I am selling to these people that continue to amaze me everyday. They are so NICE!!! I get compliments from strangers across the country (world sometimes) everyday. They are so kind and supportive. I am able to stay at home with my children and make stuff all day. I can be an active contributor to our family's income from my little sewing studio in the basement. Thats so awesome! Mostly this blog entry is a thank you to all those who have bought one of my pieces or have wanted to. To all those who visit my website or my auctions on ebay. For all those awesome mamas who bought yarn from my etsy store to make amazing creations from my creations and for my friends who told me to just sell your stuff ya big chicken. Thanks so much for all the kindness... I am one lucky girl.....
Here's some links for those who haven't had the chance to visit or want to come back...

On The Grateful Dead...

2007-04-08T22:35:00.000-04:00

This is a pretty weird place to start but what the hell... I only started to listen to The Grateful Dead like 2 years ago. It all started when I was watching episode upon episode of Freak and Geeks. The last episode had a reference to American Beauty and the closing song was Ripple, which I'd heard a thousand times and never thought twice about it. But for some reason, it hit me how great it sounded. I mean in that deep breath, epiphany kind of way. So I got American Beauty and I understood. I understood the fascination. I've had some friends comment on how they listened to all the stuff in high school or talked about all the shows worth talking about long ago. I'm kinda glad I discovered them in my 30's. I can listen to the music for what it is, not as a stereotype hippie thing. I have since watched many live shows and listened to more. I know I like them best in the early 70's. I love Dark Star and Fire on the Mountain and tons more I can't ever remember the names of. Sugaree makes me smile all the time. Right now my hubby is sleeping on the couch watching GD in Europe in 1972 and the music fills my house and the vibe is so good....