benjamin moore decks! deck-a-pa-looza!

sung to the tune of "Here Comes Santa Claus": "Here comes UPS, here comes UPS, right up my side walk.  He's bringing big boxes full of paint chips to my front door!"

Santa was evidently wearing his summer wear, brown shorts & shirt.  And Rudolph must have had the day off...

Through a interior design friend, I was put in contact with the Benjamin Moore rep for Texas.  I explained how 'addicted' to my Benjamin Moore deck I am and she was generous enough to send me an AMAZING collection of paint notebooks and decks to take with me on my consultations. 

And my husband just called me a "color nerd".  Why, Yes I AM!

i found my prince charming on tula pink!

just a little fabric porno....

New line from Tula Pink....be still my heart.

polka dot chair ~ sew mama sew giveaway

one of my favorite pattern designers, Polka Dot Chair,  is having a giveaway in the Sew Mama Sew event this week.  I've have made her bags many times.

polkadotchair.com

Head on over there and enter....or don't....I want to win!  :)

blue moonshine design

wondering where in the heck I am? (or do you really care?)  I've been neglecting the heck out of my blog. That's because some new things have been going on in my life.  

I'm starting a new business!  I'm doing interior design color consulting.  I've been interested in this for a looooong time.  I just returned from Atlanta learning about color consulting from a wonderful interior designer from Vancouver, Canada.  I learned so much!  I also realize that I'm no where near being an 'expert'.  But, if I sit around waiting to become an expert....where does that get me?  I'm jumping off of the dock and diving off into the clear blue waters of design consultation.

I've order business cards. (see to the right)  I only have a facebook page right now.   I'll be trying to build a website in my spare time, but for now, it will have to do! 

Hang with me folks!  Let me know if I can help!

oil cloth: icky name...cute fabric

who named oil cloth, 'oil cloth'?  couldn't this indestructable, colorful, happy, versatile and oh so forgiving fabric should have been named 'Mom's Dream' or 'Happy fabric'?  I have friends that used to have an importing company that had a fantastic selection of Happy fabric.  They sold their business & liquidated their stock and I was the lucky purchaser of this!

woohoo!  But, as much as I love Happy fabric, it does have limited uses.  You can't exactly make a skirt out of it.  But it does make wonderful tablecloths....

 

And  of course adorable bibs...

Lunch bags....

 

Beach bags....

I could go on & on....  I'm currently trying to do a tutorial for a Happy fabric beach bag.  I made one yesterday that I'm only so-so excited about.  

Not so crazy about the colors, but it was a start. 

What would you make out of Happy Fabric?

jennifer clutch pattern test

the nice folks over at ithinksew.com let me do a pattern test for a new pattern that they are about to sell on their website.  "the jennifer clutch" is adorable!  I loved the pattern.  It was so lovely to start & finish a project in just a few hours!

It takes such a tiny bit of fabric (it calls for one yard, but I probably only used 1/2 of a yard)  You will definitely have some scraps in your stash and can make it this afternoon.

my sweet girl was wondering why we couldn't go on a walk today, instead of me sewing....again.

crate & barrel fabric?!?!?!

quick poll: raise your hand if you knew that Crate & Barrel sold fabric at their outlet stores?  for those of you with your hand raised, now take that same hand and slap yourself for not telling ME!!  sorry for the less than perfect picture, I was probably shaking with excitement.

on my way back from San Antonio today I had some extra time and stopped at the outlet mall.  Evidently the fabric emitted a magnetic pull, because I walked in the door and walked right to it.  be still my heart! Do you see the light is shining from above....as if from heaven?!?  Ready for the best part? $4.95/yard.  I really exercised some self control and only bought 11 yards and I don't even know what I'm going to do with it. (stop laughing)

So, the back story is that C&B Outlet gets these bolts sent to them from their regular stores.  They use them for display in their stores, then when they don't want them anymore, they send them to the outlet to sell off the bolt.  These fabrics are by a Finnish designer, Marimekko who also designs all of their textiles; bedding, pillows, tablecloths, etc.  

So, how cool is that?  you can stop slapping yourself now.

links & desires

http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/search?label=Anda

i was visiting one of my fav blogs today and came across this dress.  CUTE!  I'm going to have to whip this one out in the next couple of days.  This is from the blog grosgrainfabulous.  She has some wonderful posts for "Frocks by Friday"  These kind of super easy & quick sewing projects get me all giddy that spring & summer are right around the corner.  I even have some wonderful silk fabric in my stash that will be perfect!

http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/search?label=weekend

how sweet is this?  The Weekend Frock would be so easy and would become a staple in my wardrobe.


Will you join me in making this?  Come on over, we'll have some tea and pandora and have a good ol' fashioned Stitch & Bitch.

free pattern!

the wonderful people over at "ithinksew"have provided a cute little free pattern for a zipper pouch.  How nice!  I keep thinking how adorable this would be for sweet little gifts for Valentine's Day for the little girls in your life.

cute little coin purse, anyone?

Wouldn't it be adorable in some of these fabrics?  My daughter is quite the pack rate and will love a couple of these to stow her huge collection of lip gloss and legos!

jane's clutch

Jane's clutch

what a fun handbag to make!  This is from Amy Butler's Style Stitches book that I posted about here.  I found this fabric in a friend's stash.  It's a vintage linen upholstery fabric that she more than likely got in some fabulous estate sale.  It's lined with a creamy butter yellow upholstery fabric.  I embellished the front with some vintage aurora borealis earrings that I came across a few years back.

 It's called 'jane's bag' because it reminds me of my grandmother's couch from the 60s. Here's a lovely picture of her when she was in her 20s.  

Theresa Jane

early valentine's day present

i positively adore Anna Maria Horner.  I love her style, her devotion to her kids that range from 1 yr to 18 yrs, and her view on life.  I check her blog daily.  It's so inspirational.  Upon scooting over there today, my heart did a little flip!

Anna Maria Horner's Skirting-The-Issue

She is giving away a free pdf of one of her skirt patterns - Flirting the Issue! I'm sort of a skirt addict, so I can't wait to get started on these.  After glancing over the pattern, I realized I could probably make a few of these in one afternoon (sew could you!)  But, the fact that it was given as a freebie, makes me feel like I just received my first my first Valentine!

Just spreadin' the love.....

schadenfreude sewing?

my poor son was flat on his back on the couch today for the third day in a row with the latest virus that is going around.  He really is miserable.  but....I got to sew all day!  (slight guilt twinge in finding pleasure in my son's illness - sewer's version of schadenfreude?)

I love Fourteen May's March Bag.  I made it previously with grey & yellow fabric that you can see on an earlier post.  It's a wonderfully constructed bag, very sturdy and has several pockets.  She did a great job on this pattern.   I've had so much fun customizing it in many different fabric combinations.  The vintage button used on this bag came from a dear friend.  I find it a little hard to let these go...but hopefully the next owner will appreciate them.

I've tried to make a couple of different versions of the March Bag, the latest I finished today. whoopee!   I love the colors.  Not so sure the polka-dots will appeal to everyone.   It's such a cute bag, I hate to put it on Esty!  But some gal, hopefully with a juicy, fearless name like Gloria will enjoy!

where has my head been?

you probably know the answer to that....thinking about getting back to my machine and creating some fabulous bag that I don't have room in my closet for.  but my hands have been volunteering and working.   In the meantime, a wonderful blogger, "my crafty crap" (fabulous name) has started an Amy Butler Style Stitches Sew Along.

There just happens to be 12 bags in Amy Butler's book, so we will make a bag each month out of the book.  Cool, huh?  Unfortunately, I skipped to the back of the book and sewed my infamous bag that I blogged about here.  Click on the button on the right to cruise on over to her blog and check out the crafty crap!

So, when my hand gets too tired from raising itself to volunteer me again for another project at our school or my other wonderful non-profit, I'll get back to my haunting voices of vintage buttons, grandma's earrings, and Aunt Edna's broaches to embellish all the wonderful handbags that are swimming around in my head.

martha's bag was featured on Etsy!

my handbag that i currently have for sale on etsy was featured in a 'treasury' listing under "A little bit grey a little bit yellow"  I'm so honored!

I love the color combination so much, I guess I'm not the only one hooked on these colors right now.

Sew Mama Sew's: Share Your 2010 Reflections + 2011 Predictions

The folks over at Sew Mama Sew is giving everyone a chance to answer questions about trends and things people love in 2010 & looking forward to 2011.  It's a great website & great blog with always interesting conversations.

Looking back on the sewing scene of 2010, what trends stand out in your mind?

I love all the funky/retro fabrics that the designers are putting out there.  It's like walking into a candy store when I start looking at them.  My hearts starts to race and I want to buy all of it. My family and I were in London this past August and I thought I was in heaven while in the Liberty store.

Liberty of London store

What were some of your favorite things? (Trends, fabric collections, patterns, blogs? Whatever you really loved.)

patterns: Japanese pattern books  

Books:  Amy Butler's  Style Stitches

blogs: SMS blog, of course!

AMH's blog As a Mom, artist and creator; she so inspiring. 

Lizzy House

Pioneer Woman

What was your very favorite fabric collection or print? (If not listed above.)
Anna Maria & Liberty of London & Tula Pink  (I can never pick ONE of anything)


What was the best thing you made in 2010? (Be sure to share a photo!)

I'm hooked on handbags.  They fit every size body and every gal needs one.  

Martha's Bag

What is one of the best things you saw that was made by someone else?
I love the japanese patterns that sewists are experimenting with.  I'm not quite brave enough to head into that arena - maybe later this year after I burn out on handbags.

Anything you’re ready for the sewing world to get over?
fleece.  I'm so tired of garish fleece stocking rows and rows of the fabric store. 

What’s on your sewing agenda for 2011? What are you excited about? What would you like to learn more about?
I want to get my blog up and running.  I hope to find a way to get in touch with pattern makers to review patterns.  I might even try my hand at designing some patterns. 

what's in a name?

I need a name for my new handbag because I can't keep it.  It's probably my favorite bag that I've made so far, but according to Todd, "ANOTHER purse???"

I get it.  I have a purse addiction.  So, I've decided to test the waters on Etsy and see if I can make some money.  So just to be clear, I'm selling my addictions.  This may qualify me for a 12-step program.  So before I post it on Etsy, I need a name for this cute little thing!  When I look at it, it makes me think of drinking champagne with friends while wearing heels.  Brunch Bag?  Pelligrino Purse?   Any suggestions will be considered!

This is from a beautiful pattern from Blogger 'Polka Dot Chair'.  She has some great patterns for purses.  this one is called Fourteen May March Bag.

color!

I'm flying the friendly skies right now and last night I stayed in one of my favorite hotels, the Marriott in San Jose.  While lobbying this morning, I saw this and I couldn't help but take pictures.  Undoubtedly, the pilots standing behind me thought I had lost my mind...silly pilots.

Add caption

Isn't it gorgeous?  If I could have stuffed one of these vases (or both!) in my suitcase I would have.

handbag archnemesis?

can a project, or better yet, the end result of a project be my archnemesis?  Throw your hands together for the purse that has become my least favorite project of any that I've done!  {{{{{clap}}}}}

my version

I broke approximately 4 needles, jammed my machine so many times I can't count, and sewed through my own finger once.  And don't even ask me how many times I swore at the top of my lungs!

This gorgeous bag is from Amy Butler's Style Stitches book, this particular bag is called Miss Maven Ruffled Handbag.

Amy Butler's version

I tried to use this bag for a week or so.  I felt like I was trying to fake a relationship with a difficult boyfriend.   We just didn't get along. (wonder why?)  Just about the time when I was going to start the break-up process, my sweet friend Kavita-Velveeta fell in love with it!   I didn't have to kick my purse to the curb after all!  I just sent it off to build a new, fresh, happier relationship with another gal who would appreciate it's difficult tendencies and know how to deal with them (Miss Velveeta is a bona-fide psychologist)

Unfortunately today, it knocked on my door once again begging for some repairs.  (seriously?  I broke up with you, remember??)  So, after spending some more quality time with it, I'm passing it back to Miss Velveeta.

This book is gorgeous and very inspiring, but I've come to realize that Amy Butler really likes using fleece interfacing and I don't!  It makes the bag too soft and wimpy.  I like a handbag that has some stiffness to stand up straight and take some abuse.   Next time I use a pattern out of this book, I plan to tweak it a little.

it takes courage, tenacity and good pair of rubber gloves.

The landlord business is not for the faint of heart.  Every time a tenant moves out, I'm blown away by the condition they leave our cute little house.  Now, let me preface that our cute little ('quaint' in real estate vernacular) 50's ranch is adorable, yet it's not in the best neighborhood.  To it's humble credit, it's sandwiched between two great neighborhoods.   Let's just say it's striving to hang out with the rich kids while wearing walmart knock-off Nikes.

But we make it look as appealing as possible, while not breaking the real estate rule of fixing it up more than its neighbor.  Fortunately, that means we keep our standards pretty low. 

I was all ready to re-do the kitchen with new IKEA cabinets and countertops, but after closer inspection (while wearing the rubber gloves) have come to find out that the bathroom is a wreck.  So, the kitchen stays as is except new cabinet doors and a fresh coat of paint.   However the bathroom gets an overhaul.

Since I'll look for any reason to sew, I'm whipping up fresh batch of black & white gingham curtains for the kitchen.  Sometimes that's the best kind of project: quick & satisfying.  If only our rental house was too.

be still my heart....

sewholics anonymous, anyone...anyone?

My name is Shelly and I'm a sewholic.  is it bad that I dream about sewing?  I love this time between Christmas and New Year's Eve.  Todd takes the week off between the two holidays. We spend our days playing with the kids and their new toys and playing with our new toys. Which brings me to what I would love to do with this carefree time... make this:
 
But alas, real life has to take a front seat sometimes.  We are all headed down to San Antonio to do some manual labor on our rental house.   Sewing and re-habbing houses are so very similar.  You pick your materials, get a little dirty (or injured, in my case) along the way and Voila! you end up with a project that makes you proud and hopefully others will enjoy.

In the mean time, only my dreams will be filled with voiles, wools and silk brocades..

anthro felted garland

I told myself I was finished with my sewing for the Christmas season. And then I found this!  It's so adorable!  

kindle kase

I just finished my last sewn Christmas gift. yea!  Before I was even finished, thoughts started swirling around the next project.  I'm having to put the brakes on my brain, so I can get something else accomplished than another sewing project. 

We are getting a Amazon Kindle for my Mom.  When the UPS man delivers it, it will have a wonderful little case to be protected in.  After scouring blogs, I couldn't find a tutorial that I liked, so I made my own.  I'll try to post a tutorial later.

welcome!

I can't believe I've spent so much time designing this blog.  I've spent even more time thinking about designing this blog.  I'm not sure if I'm getting more enjoyment from putting the design together or designing the creations that will eventually fill this blank page.

Nevertheless, you are here! Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings about my creations, frustrations and brain mutations.  Grab a cup of coffee or glass of cabernet (depending on the time of day) and join me on my journey.

Sewing has been filling my every thought lately.  I'm either thinking about which fabric I'm going to be working with or who will receive my next project for a Christmas gift.  I just finished 2 aprons.  Oh Lordy, they are so incredibly adorable.  One for my sister-in-law and another for my niece.  I used the Amy Butler Domestic Goddess pattern & Montessori Child's Apron.   I'll post pictures soon.