It Was a Really Good One...

This year, I truly enjoyed my birthday. It was super-deluxe and very me.

Jzboy took the weekend off and we spent it doing the things that I love to do. No, not camping! Not hiking big gorges...or any of that boy-stuff. Not even organizing the "clutter" as I am want to do. We ended up having lunch at Cafe Gratitude my fave vegan restaurant, hit my regular fabric shop and got provisions at the all time most excellent market that exists. Jzboy seemed to like it - a lot, even. But even if he didn't, he was a rockstar at hanging with me.

On the actual "day", Jzboy told me that I needed to be ready by 10:30 - with no further details. He later dropped me off at the local, stellar swank spot for a full-on massage and facial. It was absolutely divine. I felt like a happy, fresh, squeeky-clean person once they released me! Jzboy then picked me up in a freshly washed and tuned up car (which was my not-so-secret b-day wish)! Wooooot! Holla!! Now, that is my man. I love that guy!

We hung out and had burgers at our favorite place in the East Bay, then tripped around the local streets picking up some goodies for the evening celebration. Here is the best part:


How cute is that? Way better than I could have cooked up! Pey-Pey is just the most curious and sweetest baby boy that we could have hoped to bring into the fold! Oh yeah, and the cake was tasty and cute, too!

There were some presents....


But! the greatest gift was for me to be with my bestest peeps. It was a very good birthday, indeed!

Birthday Nails!

Check em' out! They are like a birthday party on my hands, make me want to bake cupcakes & I LOVE them.


Originally I thought I would go navy blue with white polka dots, but I thought that the lighter shade of blue suited my mood better. Definitely not pink, though, no matter how much the lady tried to convince me. When all was said and done, pretty much everyone at the nail shop wanted to see my wee works of art.

Yeah, I know, I'm weird...but this sort of thing makes me happy. Besides, now that I've become a hand model - I need to keep up with manicures. Actually more of a wrist model, if you want to get technical, but makes for a good excuse for blinging it up at the nail salon.

Here I am modeling one of my latest creations - a Cuff for a Cloudy Day:


I call this one "Grrl Scout". It is actually made from vintage boy scout uniform fabric plus the flashy red compliments that I think take it to the "Grrl" level.


Decorative cuffs are really trendy on etsy right now and I'm having fun trying something new. Cool thing is that I get to continue with my passion for upcycling as I use repurposed fabric in every cuff. A scrap of fabric from an old project here, a salvaged button from a favorite blazer there, a hand-me-down bit of vintage denim here, a little thrifted corduroy there...and so on. What can I say? Its my thing.

Time for a little more show & tell.....I named this one "Election Day".


And this one is "Indian Summer".


One thing that I love about my etsy endeavors is that I can be as creative and quirky as I want. Perhaps this newfound workout of my unique muscles is what gives me permission to paint polka dots on my fingers?

Works for me.

By the way, feel free to click on any of the highlighted titles for more pictures, or if you'd like to drop by my shop. I love visitors. If you are registered with etsy, send me a "heart" by adding me to your favorites. I'd love to know you were there.

xo

What Have I Been Up To???

Here is a glimpse of what has been on my table recently...


Lots of hunting for fabric, designing patterns, cutting and sewing.

What has been on the agenda is (drumroll please): 6 penguins, 10 owls, 8 strawberries, a large bunch of carrots and a slew of tooth fairy pillows. Here is one of the first Strawberry Sweets to roll off of the conveyor belt:


She is also known as Candace and has a very cute brother named Wyatt. Both are up in my etsy shop, so you can visit them (& see more pictures here).

Creating cuteness has been keeping me going these days. I've got some fancy Art Shows booked with the holidays on the horizon and am equally freaked out and absolutely stoked about all of that. If you are curious, here is a link to the Sonoma Artisan Faire where I'll be "vending".

Oy, so now I'm a vendor. That freaks me out completely. Cool thing is that this big show will also include wine tasting. Nice.

Good for the anxious vendor.....and the shopper.

Sorry I've been so quiet lately, but there have been stitches to be sewn, out of town visitors to be loved, clients to be soothed and pies to be lattice draped and cooked. My heart is still in this game, but a little distance is what the doctor ordered. Hopefully you understand. I'm immersing myself in color and creativity right now.

Maybe I'm an artist at heart.

xo

PS - Stay tuned for pics of my birthday nails. They RULE!!!!!!!

A Random Laugh - In German

Sometimes the random doppelganger brings a surprising, welcome smile.

Wordless Wednesday