Fabulous February

So January while being notable for my slow output, had its fair share of successes and definitely a really positive start to 2015. I Must Draw was featured in an article in the OC Weekly. There was an air of excitement as I hunted down a freshly printed copy which unfortunately ended in disappointment, and a trip to the library used book section where I landed a copy of a Martha Stewart business book. My husband tracked a copy down for me and there on page 28 I found myself looking at Footmoose in a very contented way.

OC Weekly Article !

In my quest for knowledge of all things paper I bought an online course about the Paper goods biz, (still haven't made my way through it all.) I learnt that half my line should be Birthday cards. It wasn't something I worried about before, I had all the major occasions covered plus the never ending line of any occasion "punny" cards. However it does make total sense, if you think about it. With that in mind 6 new designs have been created and I'm sure there will be more added to it.

a really nutty birthday card

With no event prior to Vee Day I had to make a late January display instead. I probably spent more time on making the backdrop but I think it was worth it. 

cascading hearts 100% recycled materials of course

Valentine's Display at Artists and Fleas

Wool Flower

With Valentines Day on the brain I got a bit obsessed with the idea of making fabric flowers but wanted to avoid the monotony of hand cutting each petal so I made a template and lasercut them instead. I've yet to attach a stem but I've used them as photo props to great effect. That's it for now, next event 21st and 22nd February @artistsandfleas in DTLA.

V-Day and Pot Dyeing

Following an unplanned seasonal bout of flu, things got a little off track. I did get to watch season 2 of Gossip Girl guilt free from the comfort of my couch. At the weekend I did a little Valentine's day workshop where in my rush I forgot to bring a camera. I had a good little group and we made very cute embellished heart pins. Finally made progress on a store front and I have one thing in my shop which by the time I post this will hopefully be fuller. You think it's going to be so simple and before you know it you have to design a banner and change all the colors of the text etc etc. I do protest too much, if I wasn't so indecisive I'd be fine. There's also been some graphic design projects which I'd been working on for some time which thankfully were completed. Nothing worse than a deadline and a raging headache.

Heart pin

You may recall I mentioned a Pringle jumper that shrank from XL to mini mini. I decided on some pot holders, too thick for what I had originally intended. I blanket stitched the outside. I'll probably stitch a design onto the center but trying to stay focussed.

Pot Holder Super Felted

These should be in Thrift store find. In the spirit of Valentine's Day his n her cups. I love these they both have little lids/coasters. Whoever decided these weren't treasures must have been mad they are so adorable aren't they ?

his n hers mugs

Before I got ill I decided to dye a pink cashmere sweater on the stove. Like most of my ventures it was messy but ultimately successful. I plunged this garment into a pot of boiling water and dye and a cup of vinegar. For the next thirty minutes I had to stir it with my wooden spoon. Cashmere is usually hand wash only delicate and there I was stirring it like a stew. The color looked amazing and I would be lying if I didn't think it was going to shrink to the size of a small infant tee but praise be no shrinkage and beautiful color. The secret is apparently to let it cool naturally no shocking it with cold water and no tumble drying. So if you have a sweater in a color that doesn't suit you, or is plain blah. Have a go, you're not going to wear it any less are you ? You can use your washing machine if you want but I didn't want to risk the wrath of an unsuspecting neighbor accidentally having blue tinged clothes in the next wash and it sounded far more complex than the pot method.

From pale pink to lovely blue

Invigorated by this success I am planning more dyeing adventures, there is a rather plain jane oatmeal blanket that I just purchased which will be perfect for testing out various colors. I'm thinking I can make some bags and exciting pouches, creatures who knows....

ER and alternate Universes

Well it would seem that the flying start to the year that I had hoped for is experiencing a few bumps. This past week was almost a total loss except for the progress made when my intern came in. It was the jolt I needed to finish off a large pile of owls and begin some new projects. On Tuesday 3am, the husband started feeling excruciating pain otherwise known as acute sciatica down one leg. We ended up in the ER on Friday after the pain killers failed to make a dent. We struck it lucky as we were seen pretty much instantly, it was pretty empty when we arrived and we were the only ones checking in. I can't say that has ever happened when I've been to the NHS casualty where many an hour goes by in crowded waiting rooms. So after he had some pain medication administered he fell asleep and I was left trying to keep awake. I am so glad to not to have had back issues and touch wood it will remain that way. Fast forward 3 days and as we wait for a scheduled procedure this week, pain management has been the overriding priority.

On a positive note I have begun working on a Spring Line and signed up for a craft fair in Silverlake, Los Angeles in two weeks time so I need to get sewing.Here's some of the Valentine inspired Owls that have been finished.

 What an appropriate stitch ?

Love is in the Air

I think I'm going to need another week to catch up on the lost sleep. Boss, the oldest dog who sleeps in our room has started to snore really loudly and I haven't really got the heart to chuck him out. I think he would be a bit upset, so I've been trying earplugs that I found (they're for shooting with and we had a whole packet) they apparently go up to 30 decibels which means Boss' snoring is louder than that as I still hear a faint sound, but if I lie on my side and bury one ear in the pillow it improves a bit. When living in London we had these noisy neighbors from hell, we are talking Beyonce singing "irreplaceable" so loudly on repeat that the walls vibrated. It really put me off Beyonce in a big way and to this day I have flashbacks of sleepless nights whenever "I hear to the left to the left..."

With earplugs you enter this alternate universe where your own breathing becomes really, really loud.  Speaking of alternate universes I found myself in a laundrette having amassed so much washing that it would have been about 6 loads. The speed queen (honest that's what the washing machine is called) wasn't slow but when all you're doing is waiting for the spin light to come on it seems like an eternity. For those whose minds conjure up early 80's Nick Kamen Levi's Ads I can assure you that the likelihood of that happening in this particular laundrette were pretty slim. It was like an anthropological study trying to work out whose pale green towels were spinning around in the dryer. A bearded man apparently. I wondered what my washing load revealed about me, other than the obvious observation that I hadn't done laundry in a while. I had bought a book to read but I opted to watch the clothes spinning in the dryer. Those are 2 hours that I will never get back, how sad is that ?