Bari J.

The Truth is, I like Crazy Town.

The Truth is, I like Crazy Town.

My mom used to say, "I thrive on chaos". It was her explanation for having four children, I think. All these years, I've thought she was slightly nutty in that regard, but I have to admit... the excitement of having lots going on at one time, I think I do thrive on that. Maybe not chaos exactly, but having lots to do. Never a dull moment. That kind of living.

Right now, I may just be right in my element. As you know, I'm preparing for both Surtex and Quilt Market (photo above, a bag I just finished for quilt market from Emmy Grace fabric, and the photo below, brochures/lookbook for Surtex). They happen simultaneously in two weeks, and everything must ship by Thursday. I'll be going to Surtex, but I still have a partial booth that I'm sewing for and will be shipping items to Pittsburg. Meanwhile, we are throwing a big birthday party for my mom next weekend and my siblings are all going to be in town. The party is at our house. The night before mother's day. No worries. I got this. (cringes)

But there's also been other big excitement here... This past week, I was very happy to welcome a photographer for Where Women Create into my home to take photos for the November issue. While this was loads of fun, I couldn't be more excited for the issue, and I feel really really lucky to be part of it ... the timing? Well? It was slightly not fantastic for me. I'd have preferred June maybe? But when Where Women Creates wants to take photos for an issue, you just don't say no to that! It's something I've wanted to do for years. The original Where Women Creates book was published in 2005. I bought a copy, and have dreamed about it since then. This was big for me. I got the studio all cleaned up and Super Husband was nagged into doing a little light painting in here. 

There was lots I wanted to do to the house, but at some point, I just finally ran out of time. I did manage to make slipcovers for the chairs in the living room which we didn't really take many photos of in the end. But I really had to make the slipcovers anyways because prior to knowing about the photoshoot, I'd taken apart one of two of the covers to make a pattern for new ones and so I had two mis-matched chairs. The process of creating the covers needs to be a post all on it's own, but I can tell you that I'd have been better off creating covers from scratch rather than trying to use the old cover as a pattern. That was a total pain in the butt. Now I have to make new gray linen pillows for the sofa to pull the room together, but let's do that in June, shall we?

 

In other news, my 18 year old daughter, Anna, graduates high school the day after we get back from New York, so please pray for no flight delays on the way home! I'm doubting I'll post until we get back, so I'll see you after this is all over! Cross your fingers for me!!! 

Photography is Exercise

Photography is Exercise

I've been staying up too late and not getting enough exercise and working like crazy. Specifically, I'm working on a document that I'll be able to take pages from and use for a press kit, a lookbook and a portfolio.
But this morning I decided to take a "working walk" by bringing along the good camera (as opposed to just my phone) to take flowers to use in the lookbook I'm working on.

The desert is about to burst into bloom. I'm betting one more week and I'll have some seriously beautiful cacti blooms to photograph. Meanwhile the bouganville is prolific so I ended up with lots of shots of them. 

I better get out and run tomorrow. Sitting in front of the computer all day ain't pretty on the fitness level.

 

Thank you... and Stencil News.

Thank you and Stencil News

I can't tell you how much I appreciate your comments on my post yesterday. Thank you so much. I'm doing much better now, which is likely why I could write about it ... December was definitely one of those months. 

Meanwhile, I did mention that I would update you on the stencils... and it turns out, they were actually posted for sale yesterday. Probably as I wrote that post. I'm really excited about these. There's something about transforming spaces that gives me great joy, and I hope that these will do the same for you. You can get all of the following stencils at royaldesignstudio.com. Click "new stencils" to find them. This is my collection. Thank you so much to Melanie Royals. This has been a long time in the making as we started thinking about this idea in 2011. My move to Arizona among other things diverted our attention, but the collection is here at long last!

 

 

We are starting to smell like dead fish.

We are starting to smell like dead fish...

you know the saying.

I'll start this post with a photo... it's the view as we drive into my parent's neighborhood. It's gorgeous. We are very happy living here... and will be happier when we buy a house so we aren't stinking up the joint at my parent's house. I know they'll be appreciative. (We put a bid in today, btw... but it's a short sale, so...).

Ok, so now that I've blinded you with the beauty of this place, and you know we are ok and love our family, I'll get down to the nitty gritty.

It has been decided that a reality TV show needs to be made not only about this particular living situation. In all likelyhood, my parents all on their own would make for a classic reality comedy... Why you ask? Ohhhhhhhhh... maybe some of the things on this list will give you a hint.

1. In January Dad (not so impulsively... ha!) bought a ping pong table sans the legs. He did this so he could put said ping pong table on top of the formal pool table in my mom's formal living room next to her gorgeous buffet filled with glass and collectibles so he could play ping pong with his grandchildren (two of whom are living here and are teen girls with expertise in eye rolling). I'll just say, the ping pong table did not make it's way into the Living Room (yet). Cue Mrs. Costanza a la Seinfeld: "Allllllllennnnnn!!!!! Over my dead body! You are not putting that ping pong table in the Living Room!!!" Hence: Dad bought legs for said ping pong table and has been building something in the garage for it... we don't know what. But make a mental note of it and read number 2.

2. My dad is not handy. I repeat: My dad is not handy. This is much of the reason I made a conscious decision to marry a man who is handy. For example, there are a few deferred maintenance issues that Super Hub has been fixing around here. One of the items on his list was to replace the back door handle and lock as it stuck and was very difficult to get open if you weren't using two hands. While Super Hub and I were back in CA packing and closing on our house in late January, Dad decided he'd change the handle and lock himself. He was very proud he'd done this. We were proud of him. And everyone was amazed he'd taken the initiative. Two days after we got back, late at night after letting the dogs in, I confidently turned the lock and quickly turned to go to bed. Immediately: "Clink! Clank! Klunk!". Me: "What the heck?". I turned on the light to look. No lock on the door. Lock is now on the floor. So... ummm... ok. Super Husband will continue working on "the list". 

3. Mom watches Judge Judy at 4PM. Every. Day. And if you have the pleasure of sitting next to her, you'll find that she will smack you in the thigh and tell you, "I told you! Didn't I? That Judge Judy! She doesn't take any guff!". And anytime a defendent starts with "Ummmm...", you'll hear mom in unison with JJ, "Um is not an answer!". The girls told her they were going to get her a Judge Judy t-shirt... Mom said she'd prefer a Judge Judy lunch box. Because Emily "got a Hello Kitty lunch box, so it's only fair".

(Now read the first sentence in number 2 again. Ok? Go ahead and read number 4.)

4. Dad just spent the past week creating "something" in the garage. No one would tell mom and I what he was making, but we were certain he was up to no good. Until we came home from somewhere or another Sunday afternoon to find...

And there was one for me too. Who knew? The man has a sense of humor. And, with just a bunch of pieces from Home Depot? Very clever.

5. My mom leaves sticky notes everywhere. Usually it's things like, "Do not leave the bread basket on top of the toaster when you use it!!!". She may or may not be a slightly anxious person (I don't know where I get it.) But this has won the prize as my all time favorite sticky note from mom...

Yes, that is gefilte fish. It is "For Passover". The question is, which is more concerning, the fact that (a): Mom put the note on there because she was afraid someone (Dad) might eat the (shudder) gefilte fish before Passover or (b): She was worried Costco would run out of gefilte fish before Passover which is in April or (c): She didn't just hide the gefilte fish in the pantry because she was afraid it would "get lost" or she would "forget she had it" and buy another. 

I don't know. You decide.

5. We counted. Dad has 6 musical instruments, including a ukelele...none of which he can play... We forgive this because he didn't have a good childhood. Which also explains the remote controlled helicopters and airplanes, telescope and not just one gaming system that he, "bought for his grandchildren". 

6. Mom shuffles down the hallway in the morning. Her slipper steps are recognizable all on their own, but she shuffles with her iPad blaring talk radio. She carries it all over the house for that matter. And PS... she leaves it on when she leaves the house. I am convinced it's an evil plot to brain wash me... which ain't happenin'. I'm just saying.

Ok... so this is all for now... more later. Seriously. I could write a book.

 

ohhhhhhh wait... PS there are 6 animals in this house. 2 Labradors, 2 Pugs, and 2 cats. Think about it.

PPS My parents are aware that we make a very goofy bunch.

It still doesn't seem real...

It still doesn't seem real...

We have lived in Northern California for 14 years. That doesn't seem real. And now we are getting ready to move, and that doesn't feel real either even though we've known for about three months that it was a very real possibility.

Super Husband accepted a job in Arizona about a week ago. And I've been staging the house for sale for a month.

We've loved it here, we've raised our two girls here who are now almost 14 and 16. But all this time, we have desperately missed having famiy here. 

When we first moved here, I cried every single day for about a year. I was pregnant with Emily, our second daughter. After being here for four months, I ended up on bed rest for pre-term labor. A bit of a conundrum when you have an 18 month old, no family, are new to an area and your husband is traveling on business all the time. In the end, of course, everything worked out. Somehow or another we made it through, and we are stronger for it.

Today one of my sisters has two little boys aged two and two months. She lives in Arizona near our parents, and I've been pining to live there for years now. My wish has finally come true, and it's bitter sweet.

I love my life here, but I love my family even more. I miss my sisters, my brother and my parents. I wish the girls could have spent their whole lives near Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and cousins. So though I will miss Northern California, it's beauty and it's weather... and our friends, the only thing that would make this move better would be if my other sister and brother could live in Arizona too. It seems unfair that we all can't be together.

We have lived in this house for eight years. Longer than we've ever lived in a home our entire married life... nearly 17 years. Getting it ready to sell has been a huge undertaking. And now that it is decluttered and beautified, I sure would like to take it with.

Of course new adventures and a new home await ahead of us. I don't know when this house will sell, or when we will finally make it to our destination. I do know that good time are ahead. I'm looking forward to playing with my nephews, family dinners and holidays, dropping in on my sister and parents without a moment's notice and a new life in a new home.

There once was a very fickle decorator...

There once was a very fickle decorator...

Not so long ago I begged Super Husband to hang a rod over the buffet in our kitchen... so I could stage a quilt for a pattern cover. 

Super Husband doesn't really take well to "knocking holes in the wall" because I need to take a photo for a single pattern cover. He also doesn't take well to rearranging furniture and stuff like that ... This is what he says, "If I knock holes in the walls every time you have take a photo there would be thousands of nail holes in every wall of this house.".

To which I say, "But how am I supposed to stage this quilt and get a beautiful pattern cover? I NEED you to hang a curtain rod over the buffet!". Or "I need you to hang this coat rail in the living room!"

The bottom line here is, the rod over the buffet in the kitchen? And the coat rail in the living room? They are "permanant". Super Husband is "Not. Moving. Them. Again.".

Which means there must always be a quilt hanging above the buffet and in the living room. And the problem with this is that not every quilt I need to take a photo of is always going to look fantabulous with my decor at any given moment. Know what I mean? 

Especially since I may or may not be prone to changing curtains and pillows every five to ten minutes... Um. I mean months. It *apparently* *seems* as though I change curtains and pillows every five to ten minutes. Apparently I am very fickle with the decor in this house.

Whatever.

When there's new fabric, there's new pillows. And there are new curtains. Duh.

The only obvious solution is I also need to keep making new quilts to go in these places that go with the curtains and pillows and all the other changes I make every five to ten minutes.

Which is a very long story to tell you the reason for my presto-chango-quilt-o-rama this weekend. Here's the latest "over the buffet" quilt rendition... I'm loving this new one. If you are wondering, the fabric is my Paris Apartment mixed with Atsuko Matusuyama's Fruit Flower Garden printed by YUMA (the seed packets and the border prints). I am thrilled with it's off-centered-ness and somewhat planned scrappy look. And you may or may not notice... I was extremely reserved with color/pattern here... Um. For me, that is.

It took every single ounce of will power I had not to add in one more print or one more color. I was like crazy uber disciplined. 

 

 

 

 

Where oh where did my Summer go?

I thought I'd get more done this summer than I did. In the end, I ususally over estimate my get it done prowess. I know some of you've been waiting on the Beachside Holiday pattern... it will be back from the quilter soon, and I promise I will bind it FAST and take photos. The pattern is done. I'm just waiting on a good photo for the cover. So, if I'm not overestimating my binding skills (ahem) it really will be done shortly.

Also, I did say I'd have the Fall Quilts and More in my shop and it is now there. (Wipes sweat off brow. Marks one thing off The List.)

And now I'm wondering... What else have I promised? Seems like I'm working my tushy off here. Although ... just thinking aloud here... the tushy seems rather large for having worked it off... and on the other hand, the juicing has really been helping... if you wondered.

On the sewing front, I made my little 2 year old nephew a t-shirt. The guy is obsessed with clocks for some reason. My sister has a photo of him sleeping with his wall clock. So for his birthday party he will be wearing this hand embroidered T-shirt. I'll post the pattern over on We Love French Knots for any of you who want a cute simple clock pattern. I hear toddlers love them. Apparently it's not just our little man.

I will admit that I did make curtains for our kitchen again this weekend. I say I'm "admitting it" because I might have a small problem with changing curtains in that same spot...this is the fourth curtain rendition for the area. Can you tell that this is one of my favorite prints from Paris Apartment? (hint: the background on this blog)

I blame it on being a fabric designer (and mind you I am not whining ... I am SO lucky). But you want to use your fabric for everything. And you really shouldn't have four million different fabrics in one room. So I'm trying to go more one tone... I didn't get too far on one tone, but this fabric does have a cream background. And I went and made pillows to go with them. I'm thinking I brought it together by mixing white and cream, no? We are getting closer to matching or something of the sort.

I have a couple projects that have got to get done... stuff for other people's blogs and such and then I swear to the heavens above I will finish that hex quilt that was for my sister, Ilisa's 40th birthday which was in April. I am SUCH a slacker bad sister!!! 

Ah, well, as I write, The List, it is a-growing. So have a super day, and happy sewing to you!

To market to market...

I'm exhausted. I shouldn't be writing this because I should go to sleep, but I felt compelled to tell you that I'm exhausted. I've finally got my patterns about ready to go to print (thank heavens), I've been sewing like a mad woman and everyone in my house is ticked off at me for ignoring them. And that includes the dogs.

People in this house are not used to me throwing frozen lasagna at them and saying "see ya". And heavens to Betsy, they've had leftovers too. People are not happy with me. They're socks don't match, their clothes are not clean and more than once a teenager has called from school to say, "Hey, my lunch account is not full." That's life in this household right now. That's life in this household the month before quilt market.

Ah well, whatever and whatever. I have my patterns almost ready, I've ordered postcards (above), the booth is being built (thanks to one INCREDIBLE Super Husband who has more fabulous ideas than you can imagine), and samples are being made. Oh, and I ordered "I'm Inspired to Sew" pins for 100 lucky people. I'll pass them out at my book signing (Saturday the 14th at quilt market, C&T booth) and then the rest will get given away at my booth. And "oh" again! I have a surprise, non-fabric related product that will most likely debut in my booth. It's pretty stinking cool, if I say so myself. 

Maybe someday I'll send my kids to college with $ from this business and they'll thank me for not matching their socks.

Rain

At least the azaleas seem to enjoy it.

The way Izzy's eyeballing that sewing basket, it makes me believe the rain Inspires her to Sew.

Maybe she'd like a pretty raincoat.

 

and because i can't resist a can of spray paint...

 The white frames from the previous post are now yellow.

 

 

sew me something good

 
Decorating is an on-going thing around here. And I'm definitely a person who changes it up on a regular basis. In fact, moving furniture is sort of a monthly ritual. 

I've sewn many curtains over the years, but I think I'm really in love with my newest from my Country Lane group which I'm thinking really lends itself nicely to home decor. First I made these for the family room...  
 

 

The above are just a width of fabric, and are hung half above and half to the side of the window. I didn't line them because they are simply to frame a group of three windows and don't really serve a functional purpose. But when I finished the next set of curtains, I wished I did, because truly, lining curtains gives them a much more luxurious look and feel.

This next pair is lined and fully reversible. They look just as pretty from the outside. I used 4 different fabrics on them... All from Country Lane (Lattice, Prairie Plaid, Meadow Monarchs and Vintage Lace). You can see the butterflies from the lining through the plaid, and when I put them on the tie backs I can turn them so the lining shows.

As a side note, I referenced Deborah Moebes new book Stitch by Stitch because I wasn't sure how I wanted to finish the hem being that it was two-sided. I received an advance copy of it, and Deborah will be stopping by my blog for a chat on September 29th so you'll soon be hearing a lot more about her and her work. Her book, which teaches you to sew step by step, is really helpful even to those of us who have been sewing for a while because it has details in it that sometimes you just don't think of if you haven't done it before.

 

When I finished with the curtains, I did something I'd been planning to do for a while... with a can of spray paint... You can see them on the back wall of our family room. I'm thinking now that the wall color needs to be yellow or blue. Not ready to decide quite yet, but the sand pebble color definitely has to go. We purchased the two sofas this Spring. The leather on the left is from Crate and Barrel and the white straight ahead is from Pottery Barn. You can see in this photo how the first set of curtains flank the bank of windows. Thinking a version of the curtains should go on the far window. But for now, I better get back to sewing for quilt market which is approaching very quickly! 

 

    

lazy weekend

I did what Izzy did this weekend... 

I slept:

 

I ate:

 

((Izzy didn't have strawberries, yogurt and granola, but believe me, she would if we'd let her.))

And I sewed. This is the most I managed to accomplish aside from a limited amount of laundry. I sewed a tea towel from my Art Journal fabric. 

(Of course Izzy didn't sew or do laundry. But there's a chance she'd sew if we'd let her do that too... She's smart like that, you know.)

 

 
 

blue ... the happy kind.

Since I've been kind of a drag lately, I have been trying to lighten up everything around me... literally. 

Spray paint does the trick very well. The can has been confiscated though. 

(Doesn't he know that I know where to get more?) 

  

birthday peonies

My friend Janis gave these to me when we went out to birthday lunch last week (I'm 41 now!). I'm amazed at how they are beautiful at every stage of opening. They are the best gift ever. Thank you, Janis. 

  

 

 
 
 

Bird Brain

I've never been able to get enough of the whole bird theme. I think it's because of all the little creatures, they really are just the sweetest ... as a design element, I mean. Not for instance, the ... ahem ... pigeons... who have invited themselves to a party on my roof. (Sorry PETA, don't come after me.) 

You can see that my bird obsession runs a little wild in my fabric designs. I just received a small bundle of Art Journal the other day and started sewing up a messenger bag...It was funny how the birds lined up so perfectly with my pattern piece on the right side of the bag, wasn't it? It was like I designed the fabric to fit the bag. I don't have that kind of foresight, but I really was pleased none the less.

 

There was also a bird in my Full Bloom fabric line, and yes, I did just contribute to a book called "Little Birds". When picking items for my OpenSky Shop the bird theme obsession has gone unchecked. You saw the print in one of my previous posts. But there's also decor eggs in a nest, a ceramic bowl, and I especially like this vase with the bird sitting on it's side. I'm thinking right next to the stove for kitchen utensils. But I also see pussy willows or cherry blossom stems in it. And the blue works with my new(ish) curtains and canisters. 

 

I've got to wondering... how long have I been using the whole bird theme? So I rifled through some old files. And I have to laugh. 

Some of you may know that one of my first handbag designs involved a little birdy...

 

But I even found it in some collage art and jewelry I created almost 10 years ago...

 
 

 

What I'm showing you here? The tip of the iceberg. 

And it's not over people. Although I can assure you my third fabric line contains no birds, I will make no promises. I like 'em, and until I'm sick of them, well, they're here to stay. 

Tweet.

 
 

The Laundry is Up to the Ceiling

I have tunnel vision. When I decide I'm going to do something, I move and move until it's done. And since I've been doing nothing but working, the laundry is up to the ceiling.

Someone needs to do it.

Someone also needs to finish painting our bedroom. It's half done.

And if someone would please clean out the refrigerator that would be greatly appreciated. 

I did in fact go grocery shopping yesterday. But only because we had no food (yeah, there's the evidence right there on the right). 

I planned on doing a garage sale. Didn't.

I also planned on bringing all the stuff that I didn't sell in the garage sale I didn't have to St. Vincents to donate. Didn't do that either. 

Was considering cleaning out the guest room as it has become the land of unwanted items... that was to prepare for the garage sale. Nope. Not done.

You see where I'm going with this. The list goes on endlessly. The floors need vacuuming, the dogs need walking, the plants need watering.

Someone has got to do it. And you just know who that someone is...

Be back in five minutes... I'm going to go hide the laundry in the closet.

 

Sewing Patterns, Decorating and Shopping

 Before I get started... Keep your eyes open for a fabric and sewing pattern giveaway in the morning over at the Where Women Create blog!

It's been quite a long week. It feels like I've been doing a million different things, and I have. I finished a free download for a quilt for Art Journal which is now being technically edited, I finished my quilt for our master bedroom (OK, fine. it needs quilting and binding but whatever), and my sewing patterns came in and began to ship which was super exciting. I also have been working on my OpenSky Shop quite a bit... you can see the new button to the right and I made a pretty banner. The flowers in the button and banner were fabric rejects. They didn't quite go with the rest of the line. But I'm making good use of them anyways.

OpenSky has been getting some great suppliers, and I'm super loving the stuff I have in my shop. Especially the bird themed items. I love this print below... it's not to scale here... I photoshopped it into the photo of my settee, but you get the idea. You can probably tell, I like the colors a lot... the pillows below are in Full Bloom. I think they look nice with the print.

 

(And I repeat: the print is NOT to scale and has been photoshopped in)
 

Below is the quilt I've been working on for the past year and finally put the outer borders on today. Love it. It's for our master bedroom and it's made of Anna Maria prints. The first border is a combination of velvets that were samples I had laying around. I love the combo. And the outer border is a shot cotton.

 

 

 

 

Well, that's all folks. I'm one pooped pup. Going to go sit in front of the TV and stuff patterns into bags. 

PS... I'll give you one hint what this is all about. It has something to do with that upcoming giveaway I mentioned. 

 
 
 
 

Easy Slip Cover Tutorial

This slip cover was created because I needed to make the black chairs in my kitchen lighter for photographs. We didn't end up using them, but it was so easy to do, I'm going to make two more for the chairs I didn't cover. Here's what I did:

Measuring and cutting:

1. Measure chair back across and to the seat.

 

2. To cut I added 1/2" to the measurement going across and 3/4" to the measurement going down.

3. Cut two layers of fabric on the fold in your new measurements. The fold is the top of the chair, so you are cutting the long way.

4. For a ruffle, cut a piece of fabric double the width of the chair x 4 1/2".

Make Ruffle:

1. Fold the ruffle fabric in half the long way right sides facing. 

2. Sew a 1/4" seam on each short end of the ruffle.

 3. Press, trim and turn so the right side is out.

4. Press

 If you have a ruffler for your machine, by all means, use it. I did. But if not do the following:

5. Using an 1/8" seam allowance sew a basting stitch across the right side of the ruffle. Pull thread to gather.

Hint: I like sewing from the middle to each end.. That way I have less of a chance of breaking the thread when I pull it over the two shorter distances. Another good idea is to sew two lines of stitches to give you a fuller gather. Always press your ruffle after you have gathered to hold it in place. 

Attach the ruffle to the back side of the slip cover:

1. Fold the short ends of the slip cover in 1/4" toward the wrong side of the fabric and press in place.

2. Pin the ruffle in place 1/4" from each end of the right side of of one of the ends of the slip cover with the raw edges of the ruffle along the fold you just created.

 
 3. Using a 1/4" seam allowance, sew the ruffle in place.

Create the slip cover:

1. Fold the piece together right sides facing and sew each long edge using a 1/4" seam allowance (pin the ends of the ruffle inward so they don't get in the way).

2. Press stitching, trim corners and turn and press again. The ruffle is now facing down and the folded edge you sewed on is folded under.

Hem:

1. When you pressed the ruffle down, the hem of the ruffle side naturally turned up toward the wrong side of the fabric. Now turn the other side up 1/4" toward the wrong side to match and press in place.

2. Turn the piece inside out, and edge stitch along the inside edge of the folded hem using a 1/8" seam allowance.

Finishing touch:

1. You'll notice at the top of the slip cover that the top corners are rather pointy. To make them more of a box shape, fold each pointed end down 1/4" onto the side of the slipcover and hand stitch in place.

 

  

Photo Shoot Week

 

The past week is all a blur. I learned a lot. It was fantastically exciting, incredibly time consuming and often plain old tedious. It took two full days to take the photos with the exception of a few "how to" shots, but it took over a week to get the house ready. 

I moved tons of clutter out of my studio, the living room, the kitchen and both of my kids rooms to prepare. A lot of which is still in the dining room. 

Getting the composition of each shot was really interesting to me. The photographers take the shots, we all looked at them, rearranged the shots, took different shots of the same things and then when we decided on the ones we liked the focus had to be checked. This entails zooming way in on every pixel on the computer screen. The computer is attached to the camera so the pictures go straight there. 

The lighting in my house is really not good at various times during the day, and we happened to pick two of the greyest days ever seen in Northern California. So, lighting the shots was a bit problematic. I thought it was very interesting to see how it's done though. Often the lights in the house were turned out as they turned the photos kind of yellowish. But then they use big pieces of foam board and a silver screen to reflect what light is in the room. I got lots of new ideas for taking my product pictures and learned a little bit about how to use my camera. 

The photo above is the mess from cutting and arranging flowers to "style" the photos. Styling photos is more fun and way harder than I thought it would be. I sort of knew. But I didn't. Props for photos are super important so I spent a fair amount of time searching for those. Again, great fun, but also time consuming and somewhat stressful. But when you see how it all turns out, everything is worth it.

In the end, I think the photos are going to be beautiful. It's funny. I didn't picture the photos to be in my own home. I think it's that I feel slightly insecure and maybe a little exposed by the idea. But they are definitely going to be very much my style as we used mostly my own things. 

That's it in a nutshell, really. I'm still processing that I actually wrote a book. So this was sort of an out of body experience. Maybe it will sink in when I see the book in stores... or maybe when my Mom sees the book in stores. (((Man! I so wish my grandfather were here to see it!)))

It's a Three Ring Circus...

And that's how I like it. Most of the time. But sometimes I have so many balls in the air, that I can't catch my breath and celebrate things like reaching goals and even small victories along the way. I forget how far I've come and continually ask myself, "Ok, you did that... what's next?" without stopping to smell the roses for a minute. I'm always running for the next thing without acknowledging the first. 

And even as I say this anxiety over what I "should" be doing right now is nagging at me. 

But for a minute I'm going to celebrate by taking the time to blog and share.

What have I been doing? 

I got a couple of sewing patterns out to testers, spoke to distributors and printers and I finalized my third line of fabrics with Windham last week. I'm really proud of this bunch. I think it's my most cohesive work so far and it's audience is broad. It falls in the contemporary category, but if you like country and vintage this might be your thing too. It will be introduced in May at Spring Quilt Market and in stores in the Fall. So weird to even talk about it being that Art Journal is not yet in stores. 

 I also managed to get enough aprons cut and sent to the seamstress so that my sister can take them with her to some of her Southern Living at Home shows. 

 

Today I launched a new little product, or really an old product made new... key fobs in French Velvet. They feel super luxurious. Love them. 

 

The biggy that I've been avoiding thinking about is photos being taken for my book... at my house... on Monday. We planned the shots last month, and now I'm getting props together and making sure this place looks photo worthy. I'll be sure to have photos of the C&T publishing photographers at work to share with you. 

Alrighty. I'll be getting back to work now...

cue Circus music.

Collections

 

Hi there. Hope you all had a nice weekend. I have spent mine clearing out a lot of stuff around here in preparation for taking some photos for "The Book" ((I say this in quotes because my kids have started commenting on what I'm doing around here saying, "Oh, It's for 'The Book'." I'm pretty sure this is meant to be an exasperated commentary on my general mindset lately, but I'll try not to hold it against them.))

While I'm not nearly done fixing up and making the place look close to book-worthy, I did find that I have a heck of a lot of junk. My sister would faint if she saw it all, so confessing it here is going to make her go into shock. My sister is "Junk-Adverse" ... or "stuff-phobic". I would say that I generally am too, but while I admit there is probably a fine line between collecting and hoarding, I do make exceptions. And I tend to hide my exceptions. I don't usually have all this stuff out at once, you know. Only to show you.

Because even if my sister would put her foot down and not let me buy one single piece more of milk glass, most of what I have is pretty cool "junk" ... in various categories of "junking". I did notice that most of it is stuff I decided years ago I would "collect", but clearly lost interest somewhere along the way. 

This is one of those starter collections. Really love my puppies. One is a chalkware Scotty and the other three were part of a set. I truthfully would like some more of these (but where to put them...).

 

I had a thing for dress forms at one point. I'm pretty sick of them now, but I do think they look pretty cute all together like this...

 

I'm still pretty fond of vintage wooden spools...

 

And the cute little hens in there with them...

 

And for a while, I couldn't help myself when it came to milk glass. I still love this stuff but have sworn only to buy it if I find a good deal on pink pieces. They are pretty hard to find, so I'm safe saying this.

 

And my favorite. Vintage tins. These are useful junk. They hold other junk and are thereby justifiable junk.

 

Now I must go put all this stuff away before my sister sees this post and calls me up along with my brother and other sister to do an intervention. That way I can say, "but I have a place for all the stuff and all the stuff is in it's place".
 
 
 
 
 
 

Merry Happy Joyous

 

I spent the past couple days sewing and making my favorite holiday treat, Kolatchkies: sweet pastry cookies sweetened with vanilla ice cream rather than sugar, and filled with your favorite preserves. 

These goodies are time consuming work, but really worth it. Just don't do as someone I know did, and try to double the batch in one bowl. (Your mixer will likely blow it's motor unless you are using industrial equipment... someone's Kitchen Aid was sorta' smoking after pulling that stunt... just saying.) 

Below is my mother's famous recipe.

Betty's Kolatchkies

4 c flour

2 Tbsp sugar

1 lb butter

1 pint vanilla ice cream (slightly softened)

pastry filling or preserves (our favorites have always been apricot, blueberry and raspberry)

Blend flour and sugar. With a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles fine meal. Add partly softened ice cream and blend. Wrap in foil or wax paper and chill overnight. Roll out to 1/8" thick. Cut into small (2.5" or so) circles using a cookie cutter. Put a small amount of filling in the center of each piece. Fold sides together and pinch closed. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes or until slightly brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Weekend Warrior

Got quite a bit done this weekend. Book stuff, pattern stuff, even stuff for our house. While Super Husband worked at building in desks for the girls (hopefully will be able to show you before 2010 2011), I took down our old Restoration Hardware dark red curtains and made these from my Full Bloom fabric line.

 

to go with these:

 

Yes, I'm building my decor around a set of canisters.

It's like building an outfit around a pair of shoes or a great necklace. 
 

 

Where have I been?

 

First of all, thank you too all of the nearly 700 people who signed up to win a stack of fat quarters! Your support is incredible and I am absolutely FLOORED by it! I keep looking up and thinking, how did I get here? So surreal! 

It's funny, I think there are 700 people who entered because I left the thing open for so long. That's because I've been crazy crazy busy (with more than I can even tell you)! My daughter's bat mitzvah in which she did the most incredible job was last weekend! She was so poised, so together, so grown up I could hardly stand it! I'm so proud of that chicky!

 BTW, my friend, Janis made all three of our dresses! She is a genius. There is no doubt about it. Anna and Emily drew pics of what they wanted, the three of them went to JoAnns and picked similar patterns, and Janis adjusted accordingly. Mine was from a vintage Vogue pattern that Janis endlessly altered because those old patterns can be a bit off for a shorty like me. In the end I wanted to wear my dress all day every day. I love it that much!

Prior to Bat Mitzvah Mayhem, we were at Super Husband's family reunion in Sun River, OR. Wonderful place. We had a great time and the bonus was that the Sister's Outdoor Quilt Show was that weekend, so we got to sneak off to see it! Fabulous. Only problem was it was so crowded, I didn't really get to see The Stitchin' Post (owned by Valori Wells' mom). The pic below is our little cabin in the woods. I wish I could tell you who did all these fab quilts from the show, but alas, I didn't write down a thing. I just drooled.

Emily Calls "Dibs!"

 

This is the Garden Tea Party Quilt shown in my sidebar. Before it gets shipped off to hither and to yon (apparently there is some taking turns going on), we decided to take some pics. 

This first photo was Emily's idea. She said, "Hey, let's take one of those Pottery Barn photos and I can be in it!". Sounded like a plan to me. Sweet thing called dibbies on this quilt upon the first stitch. That's a kid after my own heart.

Work Play

Weekend synopsis:

When there wasn't some of this...

Or some of this...

or this...

There was some of this...

And I loved this...

And I know I promised you some of this...

Sunday Sewing

I thought this would brighten up the place a bit, and it was much easier than I thought it was going to be. I was a bit nervous about patterning it, but ended up being really surprised. A tutorial is definitely in the future. I dare not say when because I'll surely pass my self-imposed deadline.

I managed to squeak in a couple of hours in here all by myself after we did the obligatory trip to the San Francisco Mission for our daughter's fourth grade project. Every fourth grader is required by state standards here to do a "Mission Project". In the past they made them build replicas of one, but now you can do a photo journal which thank goodness Emily opted to do.

Anna did the model, and Super Dad took it on as HIS own special project. He was very proud of the results, but I'm not so sure how much Anna actually ended up learning. Frankly, I'm not so sure any of the kids learn much from it... The dad's seem to get a real kick out of it. Although I do suppose that doing a big project start to finish is a good experience in and of itself.

I'm not sure about the kids, but I learned a lot and had fun. San Francisco has the oldest standing church in California which is a neat fact, I think. In this picture, I loved the way the light was coming in here inside the chapel and confiscated the camera for a couple of minutes from poor Emily who seemed about to pitch a little fit. "It's MY project, Mom!" Fine, fine, here's the camera. Party pooper.

Around My Home

Just stopping in to say hello. This week sure got by me... Sigh.

Today, I've been playing with the camera that I spent so much darn cash on last summer and still haven't figured out how to use... so, here's some shots from around our house... what I really should be doing is cleaning it. Eeew.

   

New and Improved.

Not sure if you'll be able to tell the difference in the paint here in the living room. The light from those windows was blinding, but here it is... I removed the slipcovers (which I plan on reverse engineering for new ones) and couldn't help but move the furniture (that is something I do all the time anyways, and my husband laughed because he was totally expecting it.). I was a little tired of the shabby chic look in there. What do you think?

Before...

After...

I got this quilt several months ago, and I didn't know what I was going to do with it. I think I like it here.

And some holiday pics just because I happen to like them...

 

More Paint Please

Finally, finally, finally. He agreed to do a little painting around here. Today... the backsplash in the kitchen, one accent wall, the living room & the dining room. I went for the entire kitchen, but settled for just the accent wall and backsplash... And, actually he wasn't going to do the dining room, but I taped it all up and now he has to or live with blue tape everywhere. He can't do that. Hates the sight of unfinished work. Muahahahahahahhahahaha.

Oooh, I can't wait!

The contents of the living room ... in the dining room. Boy I have a lot of junk. Didn't realize until I had to take it all outa' there.

Tomorrow... the painting results. Wee-hoo!

No, I don't want to watch "Pirate's of the Carribean" #310.

Yeah, No. Thanks, but I can't. So, while the peeps were in the family room watching said movie, I snuck off to my little cave here and made this ... inspired by Laurie's pretty pillows. Now I'm going to have to make a couch full because I really like it. Ahhh, well, they may watch Spider Man #310 tonight.

Dressing the Living Room

I'm so glad I have a mom that thinks the way I do. Not all mom's would have suggested a "vintage" wedding dress as decor. But my mom did. She offered up her gorgeous wedding dress to do the job too.

And a little tinsel, glitter, and vintage goodies didn't hurt one bit. Mom at 19 now resides in my living room. She's a winter bride. I thought that I had the tiniest dress form in the world. My mother was tinier. The dress doesn't make it all the way around the back... no peeking. (Note to Mom: in no way was your dress altered with anything except a couple of pins, I promise.)

Once I got the dress situated, the mantle needed a little dressing as well.

Add the silly little tinsel tree, and voila. Finished.

 

Domestic Goddess

Maybe it's because it's almost time for Thanksgiving or maybe it's because it was raining yesterday, but I'm in the mood for sewing and cooking and baking.

I've had a stew in the crock pot since early this morning. I baked muffins (I'd show you the muffins, but my family is not used to this kind of domesticity. They ate the whole batch before I had a chance to take a photo.) and made us some new placemats.

Now, if only something could put me in the mood for cleaning and doing the laundry...

(And no, this isn't a staged photo. The vacuum cleaner has been sitting there next to that pile of laundry for 24 hours. And I'm pretty sure that sock has been there right along with it.)

Beware of Lists

I'm a list person. Not that I get much checked off. I just make lists. This is all part of my futile quest to become organized.

When I make the lists (and this is all the time), I believe I'm going to get through them. I think that this time, once and for all I'll become an organized, efficient person.

The problem is, I have no concept of how long it takes to do stuff. So the lists go on and on. Today is Friday. I am on Wednesday's list. Remember Monday I bought Quickbooks? Thought that little set up would take an hour. It took six. This threw off the whole week. That's what I'm blaming it on anyways.

So today after an hour or so off trying to check off little items from the whole week, I decided I was going to tear up the list. I sat for a minute just staring at it (wasting more time) ... I couldn't do it. So, I buried it in a drawer and did something I actually wanted to do.

This is the beginning of what will go on my "art bag" page. It will be a Zoey Carry All with a patent leather bottom and handles. It was still work, and I think somewhere on The List is "Make Art Bags", but marked with a "C" priority. And there were plenty of "A" priority items that I didn't do yet. None-the-less, it made me very happy.

But I could practically hear that list calling my name from the bottom of the drawer like a big bag of Oreos. And blogging is not on it.

Lacey Ellen, The Bunny Bed and Filthy Gorgeous Home

Before I had kids I dreamed that having them would look like this picture.

I want to say it was about 13 years ago. I saw this picture in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. I drooled over the room and knew I had to decorate a room some day like that for my daughter.

I saved the magazine for years and through a cross-country move. I was going to have that bunny bed. I was obsessed with the bunny bed. And I wanted my daughter to have a room "just like that."

Oh, and by the way, I was just married and not even pregnant at the time. Thankfully, we had a girl. I'm pretty sure a bunny bed would not have sat well with a boy.

So, when Anna was ready for a big bed, I went searching the house for the magazine. I'd looked at it only about three months prior. But it was no where to be found. I needed it to figure out where to get the bed. I was sure my husband threw it out. and this was a major source of discontent around the house for a while.

[Sidebar: now that bunny bed can be found all over the place. But back then... nada, nothing.]

I did finally find a picture of the bed in a BHG book, and found that the designer owned a store called Lacey Ellen in a town ironically half an hour from where I lived which is now closed (irony and more reason for me to believe that bed was meant to be in my house because I'd moved 1000 miles to be in this town). I don't know how, but I finally found out the name of the foundry where the bed was made.

It turned out to be a $900 bed. There was no way we could do that or would do that at the time. So, being the completely stubborn, never take no for an answer kind of girl I am, I called the foundry and begged them to give me a good price on it. The sweet man on the phone took pity on me (I gave him the whole sad story... "I've been saving this article, I wanted even before I knew I was having kids"... you get the idea), and finally got a floor sample for a price that I swore I'd never tell (but it wasn't anywhere close to $900).

Happy dance! Anna gets the bed. I decorate the room completely inspired by this look. In fact I spend about 20 hours painstakingly painting cream and white stripes on the walls which Anna later told me she hated.

Fast forward to today... I walk into this new and incredibly fabulous store in Walnut Creek (Filthy Gorgeous Home) where I got the most gorgeous tea towel (some of you may remember that I have a penchant for tea towels) and instantly think I know the owner or have met her somewhere.

So, I go home and look at her website and wouldn't you know it... this is the gal that designed that room. She and her brother work together and this is their new store that they own together. I feel like I've met a movie star. Or at least had an Oprah full circle moment.

[Another sidebar: I knew it would happen some day, but booger Anna doesn't want that beautiful bed anymore now that she's almost 12... it's staying for a while. I have to figure out where I can store it for her little girl... muahhahahahahhaha... evil laugh and secret mom revenge on vintage-style- hating-and-I-know-they'll-change-their-minds-when-they're-old-enough-to-know-better daughters.]

Quick Fall Fix

Nothing a couple pair of 2X brown tights and some fall foliage can't cure. A cowboy hat doesn't hurt either.

A flowery Sunday, and a very bad caterpillar.

Front Door Decor

The incredible Heather Bullard came up with this idea... And I just love it! Pieces I used: vintage frame, velvet ribbon, millinery, a nest and enamel pin.

BTW, I did not put any nails in the door. Those nifty removable double stick hangers are all you need. And to keep the frame from bouncing up and down on the door every time you open and close it, use double stick foam tape. Hurray for 3M. I've used these products on my door before and they really don't leave a mark.

"I don't like 'vintage', Mom."

This adorable cabinet spent 11 years in Anna's room. But now Anna is 11 and is Middle School and has opinions of her own. I was not counting on that when this cabinet was purchased. Or the wrought iron bunny bed that I saw in Better Homes and Gardens three years before she was born and dreamed about until she was big enough to be in a bed. Or what about that super adorable vintage bunny baby blanket that I had at the end of her bed until this year?

As alarming as this growing up thing is, the truth is that this was always really my cabinet. I'm the one who picked it and loved it. So if Anna wants hot pink and green magnetic boards in it's place, well so be it. It will always have a home in my studio. Today I finally got Kevin to hang it (it had been sitting in the upstairs hallway since May when we painted Anna's room.)

Now it proudly contains all my goodies and chatckies. And when Anna decides that I was right and vintage is cool, she simply can not have it back. No matter how much she begs.

It's A Sleepy Saturday

The Ackerman's have done nothing today. I did walk the dog for an hour, so that counts as something, I suppose. Other than that, we woke up late, late, late and ate, ate, ate. My husband makes mean biscuits and gravy. We were going to get to the laundry, the yard and all that... but we didn't. There was some flipping of magazine pages on my part, and books on my kids parts. I created a huge wish list at Amazon.com. Including...

This,

this,

and this.

I have nothing to report. So, instead of telling you all about the wonderful things we've been doing (ha ha) I'm going to show you some of the "wonderful" things I (me me me) have already done. You see, the preamble to this little report, although true, has just been one great big excuse for me to post more about me, me, me, me, me. I'm very important ... to me.

I'm actually really proud of these girls. A slow news day always provides an opening for me to indulge. Hey, it's my blog!

OK, that was so painful, that I have to show you the work of others I've been admiring... who today? Oh, I know, I need to show you this work I saw in London (yeah, it was OVER a year ago, but you're gonna' love it,trust me!). These wire creations are the work of Cathy Miles. I happened into the Chelsea Crafts Fair unwittingly as I wandered around by myself all jet-lagged (husband was working which was a blessing because I got to do whatever I darn-well pleased which included quite a bit of fabric and art gawking). I stood long enough at Cathy's booth to probably make her nervous. I was very intrigued and just the slightest bit goofy from travel. I'm sure she thought I was insane. This one below is on a great big canvas. It says "Greenfinch glowers at competitor on the the fatball". The writing on her pieces gives you the idea that she has a great sense of humor. She probably needs it with crazy Americans like me stalking her at various venues.

Good Foam...

...makes my day. This needs to be immortalized.

Peets coffee does perfect foam... Starbucks even. But at the Ackerman household it's elusive. I think I might have cracked the code this morning.

True Confessions from a Devoted Vintage Furniture Fan

I get really, really fussy about trying my hardest to use only vintage jewelry pieces in my handbag line. I make exceptions on belt buckles because the older ones tend to break and, only if I'm absolutely beyond a doubt stuck, on brooches. I think that when it comes to my house my decorating should be authentic. I want old pieces not just pieces that look old, right?

But the truth is that it is not practical in my life most of the time. I can't seem to make it work. I look for the authentic thing. I've bought a few little pieces that needed some fixing up, but I hate refinishing furniture. I mean I really hate it. It's messy. It's hard work. And my husband is sick of it too because it ends up his problem. I drag things home from the Alameda Point Antique Market, take it out of the car, and give up as soon as it hits the driveway.

Recently though, I have found a solution. I'm not sure why I hate to admit it, but I've become addicted to Ballard Designs. They have great things really. They have old world flair, get delivered pretty quickly and it's easy, easy easy to order.

This is my latest purchase. It's cute, huh? I was REALLY excited to get it. The space that it is in is a 90" wide nook that the builder put in. It was designed to have a built-in something, something. But of course, we declined to get that because we thought we'd find some fabulous, big old piece to put in there. But low and behold three years go by and we haven't found anything... at least not anything that reasonably fit in our budget. So when I found this oldish looking piece at 72" from Ballard, I had to get it.

I really like how it looks in my house. Is it cookie-cutter? Maybe. But there's no painting to be done, the drawers don't stink, there's no hunting and it's decently priced for what you get. Is it a crime to take the easy road sometimes? And why do I have guilt over this? I still want a big authentic old piece. I've been telling myself that this is a temporary solution. I say, "I'll move this into the dining room when I find it.".

When, do you think, am I going to admit to myself that I live in a track home in the suburbs?