Treasures

We have an unhealthy addiction to agate hunting. We spent 2 hours in the driving rain and incoming tide looking for rocks that end up in a jar. We're going again today!

Pears, Pelicans and Presidents

I'm at the Oregon coast for a week, relaxing in a house with no tv or internet. It is a joy! I thought I'd walk down the street to an internet cafe each day but I haven't. Time moves differently here and I'm just savoring it.

I'm taking long walks with the dogs on the beach. It has rained non-stop but we don't care. Pelicans are migrating so we stop and watch modest groups of them hug the coast on their trip south. I don't know if hummingbirds migrate but we've been seeing a lot og them too.

Before leaving for the beach I picked the pears off our tree. The first decent harvest off the little struggling tree. As the temperature has gone down my need for baked goods has increased so we baked a pear cobbler that filled the whole house with the smell of cinnamon while a hail storm raged outside. It will be breakfast this morning!

And lastly but certainly not last...the election! I'm not very politically active or aware and I'm ashamed to admit I don't vote often. I was very invested in this election. Imagine my dismay when I realized I'd miss the election, being out of state! So we opened a bottle of wine, played cards and listened to the radio. Oh Joy Obama! Thank goodness!

So I may or may not post again while down here. I intend to but the beach and this cozy old house have a funny way of bending time and rearranging priorites. And right now that priority is another cup of coffee and some pear cobbler!

Halloween Treat!

Oh Joy! How could I have forgotten to mention it yesterday? Delivered fresh to my doorstep- new fabric!

Receiving new supplies is always exciting but for me there is no greater pleasure than getting new fabric. Even the touch and feel of a new bolt if wonderful.

I spotted the cute red and blue fabrics in a shop and knew I had to order my own. When I got online I found the fantastic chicken print. Just what I needed as I'm all out of my old chicken fabric. And nothing says retro kitchen quite like chickens!

But look at the size of the print! It's HUGE. The squares are almost 5" across. I'm almost afraid it's too large for an apron. I'll make a tester and see what reactions I get from it.

Another risk when buying new fabrics is whether or not they'll match any of my other fabrics. I have some fantabulous prints but the colors just don't go with anything else. So they sit and wait for the perfect project or a good match. These fabrics are great! I love the colors and they play well with my existing palette.

Yay! Off to play!

Featured Blogger - Baby Friendly Beads

I'm under the weather today and would rather be back in bed but I really wanted to share with you this month's EtsyBloggers featured blogger. She has two Etsy shops; Baby Friendly Beads, Mama's Magic Studio, and a blog, Mama's Magic.
(Apologies for not having more photos! Jen's photos are quite large and in my flu-state I cannot figure out how to shrink them. Jen, I'm so sorry!)

Baby Friendly Beads is a wonderful shop of jewelry for nursing moms.

"Baby Friendly Beads are beautifully functional nursing necklaces and bracelets. Breastfeeding jewelry gives baby something else to focus on and play with, instead of pulling mom's hair or pinching her skin. Reminder bracelets track nursing sessions."

(I had a lovely pic here of this necklace)

This is a pretty clever idea, and beautiful pieces to boot. Take a look through her feedback to see how much moms and babies adore her work!
But who says you have to be nursing, or even a mom to wear this jewelry. I often have to remove my jewelry when I'm doing any kind of physical work that might break it. Buying something sturdy would fix that problem!
(I love this bracelet)

Her other Etsy shop, Mama's Magic Studio, is beautiful. I only wish there was more to see! Great pictures on a lovely serene green background. Clever paired earrings, very reasonably priced. See for yourself! The above earrings are from this shop.

The blog, called Mama's Magic, is full of the same green serenity as the shop of similar name. Sweet musings about family life, creativity and creative writing are a treat as she's a poet and her eloquent posts make that evident. But you have to go see for yourself!

All mommas and friends of mommas will be happy if you do!


Now I'm going to make myself a mug of hot, soothing tea, curl up on the couch with the kitty and hang out in my pyjamas all day :)

Craft Show Recovery

Once again I had a fantastic time at this event. And it is and event, not just a show. Belly dancing, raffles, and cake walks went on all day. And they had food and wine for sale. And music.

I got the same space as last year, which was perfectly positioned between the food and the restrooms. Everyone came my way at one time or another. The down side was a large couch blocking a major traffic lane. And my neighbor stuck her table out so far that people had to move single file between her table and the couch to get to me.

But I had a new weapon with me- my bright red kitchen display! And, I have to say, I looked really cute in a black 1950s dress with bright red heels on. If the display didn't draw them over, my outfit did (whenever it got slow I would wander out into the center of the room to act as a walking billboard. Shameless, I know, but very effective!).

I only had time to snap a few lousy pictures as my old battery was dying again. I'm really pleased with how my display is evolving. The red play kitchen is a fantastic focal point and draws crowds from a distance (it's terribly awkward to move but c'est la vie!) I'm finally getting some height and the theme is apparent. And I finally settled on some gift packaging that looks great and ties into the theme perfectly too. More on that another time :)

What the photos show me though, is the dead space the table cloths create. From the waist up it looks good. From the waist down it's blank. My next project will be to make new table coverings from canvas and paint kitchen cabinets on the front. I even have some awesome Formica picked out that would make for the most swell counter top!

I had a great time, sold about the same as last year (not too shabby) and am looking forward to next year's show. But it's amazing how exhausting it can be! I ended up getting a little sick and run-down after this one, and I was actually sore from lifting and lugging my booth and inventory (doesn't help that my studio is up a flight of stairs) .

Now I'm unpacked, inventory taken and the holiday sewing rush begins!

How have your shows been going?