March Madness - of the non basketball variety

This is the month where my professional life becomes a blur, deadlines are fast approaching on numerous projects and we are getting ready to deliver for spring events and shows.  So please excuse me if I am often absent from the blog and if new pretty and girlie things are not added to the shop.  April will be better, I promise!


In the meantime I finally finished the Coffee and Donuts Gathered Front Apron, it's so sweet!

And look this guy got his big boy bed!  He really loves it, and I have the fabric for his new quilt.  I will be sharing the fabric I chose and quilt pattern soon.  Stay tuned!

Attempt N0 1

I have been wanting to try something new for a while now but hadn't quite worked up the nerve, today I got brave with some great remnant fabric that I picked up last weekend.  

For a first attempt it's not too bad, but I need to work on refining the design a bit.  I think I want to widen the bottom to help out the shape.  

I have a lot more fabric and a couple more frames so with any luck I may have a completed refined version of this bag soon.  

Listed yesterday is a great new travel bag in a vibrant floral pattern.  Check it out here.

Be Mine

Did everyone have a good Valentine's Day, I know this guy did.  He really really enjoyed Mom's chocolate cake, especially the frosting!  

He gave me a special valentine that he made at school. 

My hubby gave me a special valentine too!  

So far I am really enjoying this book and learning about Julia Child.  And I recently found the recipe for the bruchetta that Julie makes in the begining of the movie Julie Julia!  Oh boy I can't wait to make it, it looked so mouthwatering!  And I recommend the movie, it was a sweet story loaded with delicious looking foods, it makes you want to run out and buy Julia's cookbook immediately!

In other news there is no WIP today :( I have been so busy at home and work this week I haven't had the chance to sit down and sew.  I will be back next week with a new WIP, in the meantime I did finally get all the baby bundles loaded to the shop.  You can see them here.  I also have one more completed bag that will hopefully be listed tonight.

My Labor = Your Fruits

Yesterday's Snow storm proved to be a very productive day for me in the Sweet Things studio (read my dining room).  I finished these two lovely bags to start.  The N07 Bag and the N09 Bag both now listed in my Etsy shop.

I finished up photography and the bundling of my baby burp and wash cloths and even listed a few today, check them out here.  However, I am still in the midst of photo editing and etsy loading, look for all 9 new bundles to be listed in the store by tomorrow.

I also dug thru all my sewing books and magazines and may have found the perfect quilt pattern for Payton's new bed.  I will reveal it next week with my fabric selections!

WIP Wednesday - Snow Day

Happy WIP Wednesday special snow day edition!  This is the view outside my windows this morning.  And this is a look at my neighbors sweet playhouse all covered in snow, it's a snowy fairyland.

I have been working hard at dwindling down the projects in my WIP box.  I was getting a little stressed about how many projects were in there and how long they had been in there waiting.  So I decided to tackle the less time consuming projects and leave the more labor intensive aprons til last.   As a result I have this fresh pile of baby wash cloths and burp cloths completed and ready to be photographed, bundled and listed on etsy.  Look for them to be loaded later this week.

Today I will be taking advantage of the snowy day to get started sewing up these favorite travel bags.  

Looks like I have lots to do, so I better get my cup of coffee and get started, I hope you all are having a fun and warm snow day.  Happy blizzard 2010.

Maybe a Quilt

We have been thinking lately that Payton is starting to look awfully big for his little toddler bed and that he might sleep just a little bit better (oh please, please please) in a big boy bed.  And of course a new big boy bed requires new big boy linens, comforters and more.

So I was thinking, why not a handmade quilt made special just for him.  Unfortunately, I have never made a quilt before, but I am intrigued by the whole process (and quite intimidated)!  

I have a tendency to jump right into a project, usually the most complicated one I can find, but I am trying to hold myself back a little and proceed with caution.  I want this quilt to be beautiful, warm, sturdy and something for him to have for many years to come.  

In order to accomplish this and not get too far ahead of myself I am going to take it one little step at a time, starting with the fabric.  I have come up with 3 options so far that I think will work for his room with out re-painting his soft green (Aloe is the color) walls and his black furniture.  

1. Michael Miller, Haul It Spice and Alexander Henry Traffic Jam

2. Riley Blake, Wheels, Green/Blue

3. Michael Miller, Modern Baby Citron/Grey

These are my picks so far, all from the lovely FabricWorm who I love!  They have so many great fabric choices, sets and patterns too.  

I am leaning towards the Michael Miller fabrics right now as I am not sure how the brown would look with his furniture.  I will be posting a poll in my sidebar, let me know which fabric set you like the best :)  

Does anyone have any good starter quilt suggestions for a full size bed?  I would be interested to hear about your quilting experiences and tips.  Thanks!

Pretty Posies

There is nothing like a bunch of pretty posies for a pretty price to make a girl smile. Take a gander at these lovely roses that I picked up at my local Trader Joe's for at steal at just $5.99.

Don't they look so pretty in my new, vintage Fenton Hobnail planter. I purchased this planter from Jen at My Milk Glass Shop on Etsy. If you like vintage milk glass then this is the place to shop, Jen has a lot of options at a great price, plus she is so wonderful to work with. I plan to visit and purchase often as I begin the long process of up-dating my home.

Speaking of new things for the home :) Check out the new Cottage Collection pillow from Sweet Things. It's the Sweetheart pillow, made from a vintage handkerchief and 100% natural linen.

WIP Wednesday - Coffee and Sweets

Happy WIP-Wednesday! What a change from earlier in the week the sky is an almost cloudless blue and I feel my mood picking up by the hour with each new minute spent soaking up the sunshine. If you could see me now I am sitting at my desk bopping up and down in time to Campus by Vampire Weekend (great band) with a smile from ear to ear.

Great sunshine and peppy music combined are putting me in the mood to create, create, create! It is in that spirit that I present to you this week's WIP Wednesday project.

This is my new gathered front apron, in Michael Miller's Sweets fabric. It is just sort of pieced together right now to give you the idea, I have quite a lot of work yet to do but it's fun to see how it is going to come together. The neck and waist ties will be in the little heart fabric as well as a ruffle that will be added to the hem. Enjoy!

WIP Wednesday - Lucky Charms

This lucky little apron should be in my Etsy shop real soon and ready to wear for your holiday festivities. Wear it out to your pub crawl or as hostess to your very own St Patty's Day party.

I know I have been away for a while but I have been busy, well kind of, I mostly took a very nice overdue break to spend quality time with my family and read these books. But I still had time to finish this tea time cutie and this super sweet Valentine's Day beauty.

And up next is this beast... the super box of WIP... my goal is to get thru this massive heap of projects before the spring. Keep watching as I empty out this box and make lovelies for you and yours!

Amy Butler Love

Love Gathered Front Apron , originally uploaded by Sweet_Things_Design.

Have you seen the new fall 09 Amy Butler line of fabric called LOVE. If not I highly recommend you check it out because you will fall in love with all the beautiful new fabrics.

If I could I think I would buy every piece in the Love line but for now I started with these pieces of the collection, Memento in Midnight and Sun Spots in Mint, to create the beautiful apron pictured above (Love Gathered Front Apron). 

Also, created with Amy Butler fabrics, the Sky Poppy Gathered Front Apron. This apron fabric is from the very popular and beautiful Midwest Modern 2 line, I used the Sky Fresh Poppies and Honeycomb fabrics. I coveted this fabric forever and held onto it with both hands for quite a few months before I broke down and cut into this pretty fabric. And I am so glad that I did, this apron turned out so pretty and feminine.

Both these featured aprons will be at the Holiday Show later this month. To see more pictures of these lovelies please visit me on Flickr.

The Count Down

Lavender Sachets , originally uploaded by Sweet_Things_Design.

Now that Halloween is over we officially have 52 days left till Christmas! I don't know about you but I am excited for Christmas this year, I love spending the time with my family and have lots of ideas for handmade gifts and yummy treats for gift giving. I just have to remember to write them all down so that I remember!

I am participating in a small Holiday arts and crafts show this month with my friend Cheryl. To get ready for the show I will be making wonderfully sweet things morning till night. I will be giving you all a sneak peak at what I am working on as I go, but unfortunately will not be updating the shop until after the show. I will however keep everything listed in the shop that is currently there until the 20th and then it will be down until the 22nd.

So if there is something in the shop right now that you want, don't wait! It could be gone very soon.

Pictured above are the lovely lavender sachets that I completed over the weekend. They are each made with linen and embellished with ribbon or buttons. The lavender is imported from France and smells heavenly!

Snowmen Gathered Front Apron

Snowmen Gathered Front Apron , originally uploaded by Sweet_Things_Design.

Now that Halloween is almost here (just 3 more days) it's time to start thinking about Christmas!

I have a whole bunch of super cute Christmas fabric stashed away that is begging to be made into aprons for your holiday parties or gift giving. I started with this sweet snowman apron, the fabric is by Riely Blake.

I love the colors they are every retro Christmas! It's hard to see from the pictures but the red fabric features snippets from the very famous, much loved poem The Night Before Christmas.

The poem was a great family tradition growing up, my Dad read it to us every Christmas eve and my brother and I looked forward to it each year.

I have since inherited the family book, it is quite lovely, beautifully illustrated and so full of warm memories.

I now look forward to reading it to my son on Christmas eve and hope that he gets the same pleasure from it that we did as children swept up in the magic of the evening.

To check out this sweet Christmas apron for yourself click here.

New Batch of Aprons

I have been busy working away and now you can get the fruits of my labor all uploaded to Sweet Things on Etsy!  

4 new Girlie Girl Aprons: Roosters, Black Dot, Juicy Ruffles and Modern Damask.

And check out the awesome photography style for these photos!  I used rollip.com, they have several styles of free templates to turn your photography into vintage style polaroid pictures.  It was so much fun and so easy to use! 

New in the Shop Animal Print Bags

Animal Print Bags, originally uploaded by Sweet_Things_Design.

New in the shop this week makeup/travel bags! I added 5 new travel bags in very sophisticated, very chic animal print fabrics. These would make great Christmas gifts for all your friends and family.

Click here to get yours today.

Vintage Handkerchief Pillows Finished!

Vintage Handkerchief Pillows, originally uploaded by Sweet_Things_Design.

Finally posted the vintage handkerchief pillows! These beauties have been finished for a little while now I just haven't had time to post them.

I have more vintage handkerchief's that have been set aside for pillows in the near future!

Here are the links to see them in my Etsy Shop

Ribbons & Bows click here

Violets click here

Tulips click here

WIP Wednesday - Vintage Handkerchiefs

WIP Wednesday - Vintage Handkerchiefs, originally uploaded by Sweet_Things_Design.

Hello everyone, this weeks WIP Wednesday is a new addition to the Cottage Collection. Pillows made with vintage handkerchiefs.

Some of the hankies were given to me and some I have picked up from various antiques fairs. I have been kicking around different ideas on how to use these lovelies for quite a while.

It seems like every couple weeks I get them out stare at them longingly, play with them for a while trying out ideas and then put them back away.

But this time I think I have it and I am so excited to see how they turn out! I can't wait to post them finished for you all to see.

I am hoping to get at least one completed before the weekend, as the Royal Oak Antique and Garage sale is this weekend. If they turn out as cute as I hope I will be picking up a more handkerchiefs to add to the collection. If you should be in the RO, Michigan area this weekend you should come and check out the show, it's really great I look forward to it every year.

Last week's WIP pincushions are now posted up in the shop click here to pick-out your favorite.

Thanks for stopping by!

The Detroit Urban Craft Fair

I just found out about this craft fair in Detroit coming in November.  The application submission time just ended on the 15th so I think I am going to check it out this year to see if I might be interested in showing there in 2009.  Here is a little information from the DUCF about the show.  If you are in the Detroit area mark it on your calendar to check out this November.

The Detroit Urban Craft Fair is an alternative craft fair featuring 50+ independent, DIY artists and crafters. DUCF exists around a community market feel, encouraging the interaction of maker and buyer, while showcasing a wealth of handmade talent.

The 2008 DUCF is November 15 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at The Fillmore Detroit (formerly the State Theatre.)

What does ‘alternative craft fair’ mean?
Simply put, we aren’t your typical arts and craft fair. You won’t see country crafts, painted saws or jams n’ jellies at our fair. You will, however, see rock star nightlights, recycled t-shirt tote bags and vegan lip-gloss.

What type of stuff will be there?
Clothing, accessories, bath and body products, stationery, zines, toys, baby stuff, art, household accessories, jewelry, recycled and sustainable crafts and more.

Who is running this thing?
DUCF is run by Handmade Detroit, an urban craft collective for people who like to make stuff. Handmade Detroit exists to create community and opportunities around Detroit’s DIY makers. Our web site features connective information for crafters and more about our mission. Check it out at handmadedetroit.com.

There is also an etsy site that you can check out to support the fair at handmade.etsy.com.