makin' pil-lows

it's craft rabbit central at my home because i signed up for my first two craft shows next month. the first on november 9 is crafty wonderland. i am actually sharing a table a few of my co-worker/crafty peeps. we formed a group called the limbo collective and there will be 5 of us selling our wares. if you are able to attend crafty wonderland, please say hi and introduce yourself, we will be the 3'x3' table with a mountain full of merchandise! we haven't figured out how we are going to fit everyone's goods in the limited space that we have, but we'll make it work!

the second show is the harvest moon bazaar on november 13-15. i will be sharing a space with another one of my co-workers, yuwen. our space will be twice the size of crafty wonderland and it's a 3-day long bazaar so i need to make alot of inventory! below are a few photos of my process and a preview of some of the things that will be at the show(s). well, back to work for me!

work in progress

next month my youngest niece will be turning one. we agreed to host the party at our house to give my sister a break from her on going entertaining. but secretly, [ok not much of a secret anymore] i just wanted an excuse to craft up some girly decorations for my sweet little niece, colette.
i have seen everyone and their dog make these cute fabric flags and now i finally have an excuse to make them! the fabric is vintage amy butler from her gypsy caravan collection.

i also made 54 feet of garland with paper circles and picot ribbon...it doesn't get any girly-er than that! the paper is also from amy butler.
also on the party to-do list are these pom poms or these cute paper flowers. i'm just getting started...

project swing bag

i made the insane offer to make 11 bags from amy butler's swing bag pattern for a dear co-worker of mine, carrie. she gave these bags as gifts to her 'sista friends' as she called them. i committed to this project months prior, but little did i know i would have a huge deadline at work and be traveling the day prior to the weddding. there is never just one deadline at a time, they always seem to be grouped in threes...hmm. i guess that's life for you.

carrie got married july 26th at the chinese garden here in portland - she was the most beautiful bride. i am sad that i missed it but i was en route to rome (more on that later) to meet my hubby, shawn, who had been in dubai for 3.5 weeks prior.

photography by evirm icoz

been busy

i haven't posted in a while, but i have had alot on my plate lately. we've been working on finishing/furnishing our basement, working on some design projects and just trying to keep up with life in general. but, in between all of that work i have been able to get a few moments of joy such as purchasing these pretty cards at the egg press sample sale...

...making a pillow for my friend/co-worker Katie's baby room...
...and wrapping it and other baby necessities in colorful bags to match...
...scoring some great buys from bolt and fabric depot. did anyone go this past weekend? all cotton prints were $5.99/yard! note: the red polka dot fabric i bought from chelsea. what a lovely person with a great blog to boot!
also portland peeps...paper source is coming to nw 23rd avenue in august 2008! for those of you who are not familiar with this awesome store, they carry a huge selection of paper and envelopes in many hard to find sizes and are available in the the most beautiful saturated colors. they also have a nice selection of japanese papers and diy kits. i designed wedding invitations and programs for my friend/co-worker alissa and we bought all of the paper + envelopes online from paper source. i'm so happy that they are coming to pdx!

zipper madness + other crafting

in the past, i have avoided any crafting that involved zippers. like the plague. i can be an impatient crafter and need instant gratification. zippers rarely provided that for me. zippers made me swear and yell. however lately i have been obsessed with facinng my zipper avoidance with a vengance. now i can't seem to stop making these bags. i have tons, i repeat tons of fabric samples that i have horded over the years (i know i am not alone, fellow interior designers). therefore: fabric samples + no zipper hate = bags pictured below...

feeling confident in my zipper war, i made good luck pencil cases for elizabeth + michelle, two of my 'pod mates' from work both of who are taking the NCIDQ exam (interior design board exam) this friday/saturday. i filled the case with no. 2 pencils, an eraser and a snack bar. they have been studying so hard. they have read the study guide mulitple times which blows my mind since i never finished reading it when it took it 2 years ago. that's because the study guide brings on narcolepsy like no other.

yet another zipper bag that i made...

...for my workout essentials: iTouch, identification, inhaler.

other crafting includes a pillow that i made for a co-worker/friend samantha for her birthday last week.

oh and i bought a new sewing machine!