betz white

studio tour

2008-05-13T14:25:00.002-04:00

On occasion, readers have asked what my studio looks like. I hesitate to show it because:
#1: It's usually a complete disaster
#2: It's not "pretty"
It doesn't have the wood floors I so desperately want, I haven't painted the walls yet, etc. It's not like my old studio. In some ways it's better because it's bigger and I have more storage. But most of all, I am just thankful that I have my own space, because I could NOT do what I do without it. But, I'll show you today, because I recently tidied it and there should be proof that I have done so..

Here's my computer and miscellaneous notes all over to myself. Coffee, lip balm, hand lotion, etc.
This is the big drawing table, right behind my computer next to the window. I usually swivel my desk chair around and raise it up to work there. The stool is for my sons when they come visit the studio to do a project along side me. The walking stick and feathers laying there are the start of something...most likely a project from the Crafty Crow... Felt and fabric in the elfa bins on the left.

My sewing partner, Bernie. She's on the other side of the window from the drawing table. I flanked the window with both tables so I could look out while I work...

Look, right over the spool of thread and out the window...that's the park behind our house. (wow, the thread matches the grass, how funny!) The park is raised up on a slight hill, so I have a pretty good view of the kids from here. Problem is, now that the leaves have come in, my view of the play structure is blocked! Oh well, I just open the window and listen for them...

Opposite the sewing table is a small cutting table (out of view here) and the floppy futon couch. This operates as a place for small people to plop while they think up elaborate projects for us to do together and generally distract me from my work. It is also where sick little people can snuggle close by on days home from school. Since this room is really a spare bedroom, house guests sleep here as well. And for the finale, the storage closet! Just a small peek into the mania that is mine: felting with recycled sweaters. The "clear" mesh bins are from the Container Store and house scraps, sorted by color. The big bins at the bottom are more sweaters. Thrifted fabrics in the middle. Top shelf, cashmere sweaters, more felt, roving, etc. There is another closet this size to the left of this shot with my boxes and other shipping/packing materials. Plus there is a small door into the eaves, which is sadly, almost my favorite part of my studio...more storage! Lots of sweater stuff in there. Believe me, you don't want to go in there....

Missing from these shots: several bulletin boards, a dry erase board, and a clothesline, all of which I use to pin up/display inspiration, thoughts, pictures, magazine tear sheets, etc.

So there it is...my day to day universe. It works for me!

happy mother's day

2008-05-11T14:59:00.003-04:00

To my wonderful mother, all of you great moms out there, and to the little purple finch mama that put her nest between our house and the front porch light!

Have a great day!

looking for normal

2008-05-08T09:19:00.004-04:00

Well, my dear bloggy friends, May 1st has come and gone. May 1st was my big fat manuscript deadline for book #2. I wish I could say how relieved I am and how much lighter I feel with the weight off my shoulders, but it's more of a gradual awakening. Of course, there are many straggling loose ends that didn't quite make the deadline, so I wouldn't dare use the word "done" quite yet.

I am starting to look for normal. Not perfection, just some kind of sane, regular rhythm around here. Like perhaps a few evenings spent on the couch knitting and talking to my husband instead of working until midnight. A shower every other day would be nice (for everyone). If you're a regular visitor around here, you know that we moved across the country (WI to MD) last summer right before school started. I took 2 weeks to unpack than dove into this book head first as soon as the school bus pulled away from the curb on the first day of school. I have been sitting at my computer, drawing table, or sewing machine ever since. Practically.

Now there are five weeks left of the school year. Five weeks before I switch to summertime mom-mode. Five weeks to catch up on all of the things I should've taken care of for the last nine months...finding a dentist, start exercising again, answering long over due emails, maybe get my Maryland driver's license...but I'm going to take it slow, one thing at a time.

Funny story...the afternoon before my big deadline, a neighbor kid rang the doorbell. I heard my oldest son answer and tell his friend, "You can't come in, my mom has a deadline." The neighbor kid said incredulously, "What? Your mom has a DEAD LION????!!!"

Ha! Love that. I sure did...I had a big fat dead lion and thank goodness it's gone now.

(hey, and thanks everyone for the anniversary wishes! That photo was taken by my sister-in-law one weekend in Chicago, 1990. The roll of film was forgotten, went undeveloped for years, then was rediscovered and developed. What a nice surprise! It is my favorite photo of me and the hub.)

happy anniversary, honey!

2008-05-06T09:33:00.003-04:00

photo of us, 1990

B + D = TLF
xoxo
ojbw

from me to me

2008-05-04T16:31:00.010-04:00

This past week I totally lucked out and caught wind of new stock available from yarntini. Ever since Susan introduced me to this yarn I have been dying to get my hands on some. This stuff gets snapped up fast and now I know why. Yummy to look at and yummy to touch. Is it wrong to snuggle a skein of yarn? I bet Susan does it. I mean, look at it. It's adorable!

Just as I was finishing up the last "Mom's Day Special" cupcake orders to go in the mail, my yarntini package showed up. Aren't they delicious together? Neapolitan goodness. As I send so many of my own handmade creations into the world, it's nice to be the recipient sometimes - even if they are gifts from myself!

Steel yourself for more cuteness. These amazing woodland pins are from Pinks and Needles and they came with their own little coordinating pincushion pot.

I know!

(You might ask why I would buy myself a pincushion, since I am surrounded by them. Well, I can't actually use one of my cupcake pincushions while I am making more cupcake pincushions. That would get mighty confusing on the ol' sewing table wouldn't it?)

Ahh, I sure needed these little pick-me-ups. Last week was a bugger for me, trying to stick a fork in that pesky manuscript. The bulk of it has been tamed but there are a few lingering odds and ends I hope to take care of by mid-week!

i'm it

2008-04-29T11:12:00.006-04:00

I have been "tagged" a few times recently and feel that is my blogful duty to participate in the trivial, yet ever-popular "7 Random Things About Me" post. Here goes...straight off the top of my head:

1) Family nickname: Boop (as in Betty)
2) At one point in my life, I had counted how many times I moved to a new home. The number matched my age. I was 31.
3) When I was about 7, I accidentally hit my brother in the head with a golf club so hard he needed stitches. He forgave me.
4) I have a habit of putting used kleenex in the door handle of the car when I am driving.
5) I had a best friend stop being my best friend and I never found out why. I was 40.
6) I once ate spaghetti out of a ziplock bag while sitting on the floor of a train station in Pisa, Italy.
7) I don't have a history of being very politically active, however I once wrote a letter to President Ford asking him to grow a mustache. I was 10.

so there you have it...

good times!

sweet tweets!

2008-04-24T11:05:00.004-04:00

As I careen towards my May 1st deadline, I thought I'd take a minute to update my etsy shop with a few "left-overs" from the show last weekend. (Do you like leftovers? Mostly I like dinner left-overs for lunch the next day. That's the best.)

These little zippered bird pouches have been a shop and show favorite in the past...but I never have the time to make them anymore! I'm considering putting together a downloadable pdf of them to sell in the shop...would there be interest in that? A project for me in May or June perhaps. Well, for now these two cuties are ready and looking for a home...
***UPDATE: Sorry! Birdies SOLD OUT.***

...in addition to some fresh and fruity looking cuppys!

TTFN :)

Bada-Bing!

2008-04-22T09:09:00.006-04:00

I'm back from the Richmond Spring Bada-Bing show this past Sunday. Phew! What a trip. The show was really fun, the people were friendly and it was so good to get out from behind the computer for a change.

For a spring show and a torrential rain storm, there was a nice turn-out. Richmond is about a 2 hour drive for us and it was white knuckle all the way! (there and back, unfortunately) It was relentless rain that made it difficult to see the road or even hear each other over the din...it was rough action!

The venue, Plant Zero, is in a very cool industrial type area and it was a really great space for a show like this. (*had a camera flash problem with this shot, but you get the idea*) One of my worries for the day was bringing along our two boys. We had planned to bring a sitter/helper but the plan fell through. We totally lucked out that our booth was situated at the end of a row. We set up a little table for the boys to draw at.

Check it out...they sat there ALL day (10-4) drawing. They were cracking me up...they decided to sell their drawings and posted a sign, "Drawings for Sale, 25 cents". But the best part was, people were actually stopping and buying them, bless their hearts! I thought of slipping a customer or two a quarter to go humor the boys, but it turned out I didn't need to.

Do you see that black thing under the table? Um, yeah, that's the DJ's speaker. We only had a small space to squeeze the table in and the Richmond Craft Mafia folks were SO accommodating, they let us put the table over the speaker. I was a little worried about hearing loss, but fortunately it wasn't too loud!

The "Bickerson Brothers" behaved all day, it was awesome. Bringing them along was my biggest worry and somehow it turned out to be the best part of the show for me. I loved having them there! I don't know that I'd tempt fate and try it again, especially for a super busy holiday show, but this time it turned out to be a great family adventure.

I wish we had had a little more time (and better weather!) for scoping out Richmond. After the show we packed the car and got some dinner in town at Bottoms Up Pizza before heading home... yum!

Oh and by the way, since I didn't sell out at the show, I'll be updating my etsy shop later this week. More on that later!

lapse

2008-04-17T10:39:00.006-04:00

For someone that over-thinks nearly every aspect of her life, I 've managed to add another "What was I thinking?" moment to the list...

With 2 skinny weeks left to my giant manuscript deadline (that's already been extended ) I've decided to participate in the Richmond Craft Mafia's Spring Badda-Bing on Sunday April 20th.

Say it with me now..."What was I thinking?"

I dunno. I was thinking I'd like to visit Richmond, I haven't done a show in 18 months, I could meet people, sign a few books, sell a few cupcakes. Y'know, stuff like that. That's not so crazy, right?

Well, let's not use that word. All I know is that my brain aches and a little cross-training between writing and crafting never hurt anyone. (Whoa...does anyone else get vertigo staring at those cupcake swirls?)

Hey Richmond! Ready or not, here I come!

10 great things

2008-04-15T10:43:00.005-04:00

...about my birthday...in no particular order

1) Dinner out...on a beautiful spring evening. Thai food, outdoor seating, great company
2) Red velvet cupcakes for dessert at home
3) Visitors for the weekend: my brother, sister-in-law, and niece
4) T-shirt weather for a day!
5) Kite flying in the park behind our house
6) Happy kids, frolicking cousins
7) Group crafting, kids and adults
8) Spa get-away gift from the hubby! (redeemable next month, after book deadlines)
9) Beer and pretzels and late night talks
10) Awesome birthday blog comments from YOU! ...thanks guys :)

little ol' me

2008-04-11T11:09:00.005-04:00

It's my birthday and I'll post what I want to!...not that I ever post stuff here that I don't want to, things are just a little random today. :)

Blossoms on the neighbor's tree. I can't get over how beautiful the Maryland DC area is this time of year!

The shelf above my computer. That little robot guy was made by my son and husband. I handle the fabric crafts, the dad handles hot glue and "parts".

A needlepoint project done by little ol' me in 1976. I was 11.

another, circa 1973 with my mom's help...

wow...life goes by fast, doesn't it?

I'm gonna eat cake. :)

they're back!

2008-04-08T09:29:00.005-04:00

Last year I offered a selection of Mom's Day Special Edition Cupcake Pincushions. Maybe you remember them? Similar to the Classic Betz White Cupcake Pincushion, only in yummy chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, and mocha colorways with a dotty-polka ribbon and bow.

Each comes with it's own brown and white striped box with pink grosgrain ribbon, perfect for gift giving! Still made with the freshest feltiest recycled sweatery goodness and you can find them in my etsy shop.

So how's that for recycled recycling? I recycled the idea from last year...I was going to offer something new for Mom's Day, I really was. I've been busy with other things....

Oh, and by the way...all orders of the Mom's Day Special will ship the week of April 28th. Just sayin'.

making me happy today

2008-04-05T21:12:00.005-04:00

a stack of clean laundry...at least for a moment.

A gift from a thoughtful and generous blog reader. (A while back Coralie read that I love Marie Claire Idees magazine...and sent me some old back issues! All the way from the UK, with love...and chocolate! Thank you so much!)

A favorite band of mine, now loved by my own kids. The CD/DVD They Might Be Giants: Here Come the 1-2-3's. Not only are the music and lyrics addictive, the visuals are great too! (very old school Sesame Street meets indie crafter meets clean graphic style...)

what's making you happy?

our weekend...DC

2008-03-31T17:03:00.006-04:00

Few words today (I'm saving them for this)...mostly pics Cherry Blossom season began in DC.

We endured the crowded metro to go into the city for some flowers and art. Sunny day!

Boys observe art...and become it?

Hanger sculpture at the Hirshhorn

and back home to a few pre-April showers...

beautiful!

How was your weekend?

daffy

2008-03-28T12:04:00.006-04:00

Oooh, some signs of spring. Pretty daffs...a surprise in our new front yard. I mentioned the kids being home on Spring Break this week...we've had a good time with the ideas on Cassi's new site, The Crafty Crow, a collective of kids crafts. Every morning the boys ran into my studio asking to look on the computer to see the new "thing of the day". Thanks Cassi, for making Spring Break not so "booooorrrring" for them while keeping me from getting daffy.

Today we had paper airplane competitions (not from the Crow but from this book, which I recommend!) "Red Wing" seen here. My other son, "X-Wing 2", made a chart to document the longest flight, the fastest plane, best design, etc. I was in charge of "judging". It was good to get outside...away from the computer.

Plus it was a good excuse for me to wear the Best. Sneakers. Ever. These are my new Eco-Sneaks by Simple. And they aren't just good lookin', no ma'am. The are made with organic this and that and they've got the coolest outsoles made from recycled tires! (I know!)

Have you ever bought some shoes and you just knew the minute you saw them that they were so perfectly "you"? Like someone who really understood your true essence designed them with you in mind? And every time you wear them you smile and think that you are being the coolest possible you????

Ok, so maybe I did get a little daffy this week. It's ok, I love my shoes....they complete me.

in hot water

2008-03-25T10:28:00.007-04:00

Hot water for boiling eggs.
(We made these using the "silk tie" method as shown on Martha. It was fun, I think we might try it again next year.)

Hot water wash for felting (fulling) sweaters.
(Is it wrong that the kids have no clean socks and I have this fluffy stack of yummy sweater felt?)

And then there's me. I'm in a bit of hot water myself. Behind on my writing and with the kids home on Spring Break...we'll not much progress happening with the manuscript. Just warning ya...the blog posts will be a little sparse for the next 2 weeks. (I need to go into seclusion like Harlot!)

Before I sneak away (figuratively, I assure you), I thought I'd do a quick felting Before and After. I have gotten a few questions about felting Fair Isle sweaters. People wonder what the pattern might look like, how much detail will be lost, etc. The examples below were all washed in hot water, once, in a front load washer (top loaders typically felt faster/better) with detergent and a tennis ball for friction. Fair Isle sweaters usually felt thicker than solid sweaters due to the stranding on the back.

content: 59% merino wool, 16% cashmere, 15% angora, 10% nylon

content: 82%wool, 7% angora, 7% nylon, 4% silk

Not a fair Isle, obviously, but I thought interesting to show what happens to a printed sweater. Content: 70% lambswool, 20% angora, 10% nylon

You can also see from the contents that the sweaters don't have to be 100% wool. I say at least a 90% combination of wool and other animal fibers. No more than 10% nylon. Silk doesn't count as an animal fiber, either. :) For other felting Q&A, don't forget to check out the discussion area of the Warm Fuzzies Flickr Group over in the sidebar.

Enough talk of hot water unless it's for tea or a long soak in the tub. Hope to check in here again real soon...

TTFN!

Happy Easter, 1967

2008-03-21T08:13:00.005-04:00

I dug out my "baby book" to find these old and rather faded Easter photos from 1967. Yes, that's little betsy-boop (um, me) in the footie pjs on Easter morning. I love everything about this photo. The BEST Easter basket ever (It's still around somewhere...) the doggie pull toy, my crazy bed-head hair and especially the little wicker purse I told you about.

Here's my brothers and I later that morning, all jazzed up on sugar and ready to sit still in church. What a dapper crew. (I have trouble believing that stuffed doll on the left is me, but who am I to doubt my mother's documentation in my own baby book?) But the purse! The purse! I bet my little white gloves were in there. :)

Happy Spring and Happy Easter! Here's to a weekend full of chocolate, bed-head and fabulous accessories!

in the mood

2008-03-17T10:22:00.006-04:00

I thought I'd squeeze in a blog post here before I head out of town. I am going to upstate NY for a few days to attend part of the photo shoot for my next book. I know, I know, I keep mentioning "book #2" and then not really saying much else about it. The truth is, I have been working on it so heavily for the past 6-plus months, that sometimes I'm not in the mood to talk about it here. (Ha! My family should be so lucky. At our house it's like an old Far Side comic. Do you remember those? Like the one, "What Dogs Hear: blah, blah, blah, FOOD, blah, blah, blah, WALK, blah, blah, blah". Only our version is: "MY BOOK, blah, blah, blah, DEADLINE, blah, blah, blah, PROJECT, blah, blah, blah".)

an early "sew green" mood board - tear sheets from various magazines..

As soon as the boys started school last fall I have been nose to the grindstone designing, developing, sewing, researching, interviewing, writing...for this bookity-book-book-book! (And then of course with the first born book coming out in December last year, the chat here was all about that. And it still is. I mean, with all of the work sweat and tears put into one of these babies, it's not something to push to the side any time soon.)

So, here's what I can tell you about book #2 for now. This time I am working with Melanie Falick at Stewart Tabori and Chang. The book will be a good deal different from my first book...a little more "lifestyle" you might say. It's tentative title is called Sew Green. And...oh jeeps...where to begin? Can you tell my brain has gone mushy in the wake of it?

The sewing projects will go beyond felting wool sweaters (although there will be some of that!) to include all sorts of repurposed materials. In addition there are projects using new sustainable and organic fabrics to round out the eco-friendliness of it all.

another mood board, color, inspiration, visual feel

Green crafting, green sewing....repurposing, yes, all of that. But really, there is so much more. Much more in fact, that needs to be written. So, on that note, I will stop trying to describe it and finish the dang manuscript already. Deadlines have come and gone...more following.

"Blah,blah, blah, BOOK, blah blah, blah, PHOTOGRAPHY, blah, blah blah, WRITING..."

Please bear with me...thanks!

**P.S. Such as the lead time of books, the release date is Spring 2009

this just in

2008-03-13T13:56:00.007-04:00

Howdy, hey...just a quick post to say I've got fresh book restock on Warm Fuzzies in my etsy shop! It was on back order from the warehouse for a bit but now we're back in action. So, if you're hankerin' for a signed copy, pop over to the shop.

There are just a few recycled sweater scrap bags left and some fresh Cupcakes as well.

Thanks to all that have sent pics of your versions of the Spring Mini Tote. So happy to see them springing up! Click here (then scroll down), and here and here, and here! And for this one scroll way down...it's worth it.

where do you get the balls?

2008-03-11T13:00:00.006-04:00

Yup, a question I get asked all the time. :) Where do I get those felt balls? My favorite little accent for so many of my projects...

Many Warm Fuzzies readers have written to me asking where are the directions in my book for making felt balls. Well, there aren't any directions in the book for making them . There are several reasons for this (space is one...) but that main reason is that I BUY all of the felt balls I use. (And I do list where to buy them in the Resources on page 126. ) Lots of people make felt balls, and it is fairly easy to do. But when you use as many as I do, buying them makes sense.

If you want to try your hand at making them, there are a few tutorials floating around on the internet, one of them from Martha.

There are also several etsy shops that sell felt balls and other felt goods. I thought I'd share a few of them with you. I have not personally purchased anything from these sellers, but I like to promote fellow etsians whenever I can!

Bigfish has felt beads and other felting accessories
MaryJanesAttic has roving (for making your own) and other felting supplies
FeltCraftStudio has wool felt sheets - great for appliques
BloomingFelt has felt balls
HandBEHG has felt balls

It appears that stock comes and goes pretty fast, but if you check back or do a "item" search on etsy.com for "felt balls" or "felt beads" you will most likely find some!

By the way, if you get a crazy notion to do a little photoshoot with felt balls, watch out! They scatter all over the place if you're not careful. I wasn't careful. I bailed on my styled shot and just went for the crazy-felt-ball-explosion shot!

***P.S. Just updated MY etsy shop yesterday with a fresh batch of cuppy's!***
***P.P.S Just added felted wool scrap bags to the shop too!***

pounce

2008-03-07T11:20:00.004-05:00

Do you know about "pounce"? It's a fun little search feature on etsy. A little like Stumble, but more dangerous to one's paypal account. (go to etsy.com and look in the left side bar) Pounce lets you see what has just sold from various shops and what other items that seller has to offer. I was skeptical of it at first...but a-pouncing away I went!

I bought this sweet little button bouquet last week from lil fish studios. I was really drawn to the color combination and I knew they'd be the perfect accent for my entryway table.

I'll be sharing some other finds soon. Glad you're enjoying the tutorial, by the way. Thanks for all your kind words about it!

happy pouncing...I mean, weekend!

Girls Spring Mini Tote - tutorial

2008-03-03T08:42:00.006-05:00

As a kid, one of my favorite things about going to church on Easter Sunday was carrying a special little purse. Mine was round, white wicker with a hinged lid. I wore white gloves with itty-bitty flowers on them just to have something to put in the purse when I got to church. I was always such a tomboy, I can hardly believe it was me. I guess everyone likes to dress up and be girlie once in a while.

I love the idea of a spring pocketbook in felted wool. Easter, especially an early one, can be a little chilly. This mini-tote is cozy to hold yet springy to look at. As usual, I had an idea in mind for this project but kind of made it up as I went. I wanted to do something small, just big enough for gloves (c'mon, it could happen...), a small doll or stuffed animal and maybe some contraband jelly beans. (I won't tell.)

Materials
Wool Sweater, "felted" by washing in hot water
Felt scraps (either from felted wool sweaters or wool craft felt)
Assorted buttons
Sewing Machine (optional)
Craft Glue
Needle and thread

1) Make Pattern and Cut
Using a piece of 8.5 x 11" office paper, measure a trapezoid following the measurements above. The top width of the bag will be 10", the bottom width will be 7", the height 8.5". The oval for the base should be 1" shorter in length than the width of the bottom of the bag, about 6". I made my base 3.5" wide. Using your paper pattern, cut out 2 trapezoid sides and one oval base. I lucked out and found this sweet pink sweater with a basket weave look. Any sort of texture or pattern would be adorable for this. Cables, fair isle, etc. Note that a fair isle will tend to felt more firmly due to the stranding on the back. A ribbed texture may not appear to felt at all. (more on this topic to come in a future felting tutorial)

2) Sew Sides and Base
Right sides together, pin then sew side seams. Pin then sew oval base to bottom opening, aligning mid-points of oval to side seams. Resist the urge to zigzag your seam allowances. There is no need (the felted sweater will not ravel) and a zigzag will cause your seams to get all woopy. Trust me, I know woopy.

3) Hem Top Edge
Fold down 1" around the top opening. Pin, evenly distributing the fabric. Straight stitch 7/8" from the folded edge. The bulk and the flare of the trapezoid will cause the opening to curve out slightly giving it a cute basket-y shape. At this point, you could line the bag, if you are a liner. I'm not so much a liner. I'm a "hurry and get it done-r".

4) Cut Straps
For double handles, Cut 2 strips measuring approx. 2.5" x 11". Fold raw edges in toward each other. Butt edges together firmly and stitch down the center of the strap using a wide zigzag. Stitch the full length of the strap.

(for a single handle, cut a strip measuring 3" x 14". Stitch as described above. This gives the tote more of a basket look)

5) Attach Handles
Pin handles to the inside hem of the opening, making sure they are spaced equally from the side seams. Stitch along the previous stitch line to secure. Gather some bright sweater scraps together for embellishment.

6) Add Leaves
I was going to make flowers all around the edge, but decided to start with leaves instead. (Why do I love pink and green?) The tote is pretty small and softly constructed. I didn't think it would hold up to a whole bouquet of flowers around the edge. Cut some simple leaves from scraps and glue into place. Pin until dry. (There will be plenty of hand sewing to come. Go ahead, glue the leaves.)

7) Make Flower Pieces
For my flower, I pretty much made my standard brooch. Cut scraps into strips. To make loopy petals, cut 2" x 6" strips, fold lengthwise and sew edge (yellow and dark pink above). For straight petals, cut a strip 1" x 4" (orange). Next you'll snip the strips every 1/4" to make petals.

8) Roll Petal Strips
Roll the strips up and hand stitch the base together catching all layers. Wrap with a second color strip and stitch. For the flower on this tote I cut a daisy shaped base and glued the rolled petals onto it.
(For more details check out my felted brooch tutorial or the video podcast demo from CHA)

9) Finishing Touches
After making several flowers, I chose the one I liked best for this project. I sewed my flower in place then added a few vintage buttons for an extra dash of color. I like the different textures of the fuzzy felt with the smooth buttons. Besides, it's nice to have something pretty to look at when you're sitting in church all hopped up on Easter candy.

Speaking of hopped up, do you recognize the little bunny friend from last year? Hope you enjoyed this tutorial and please let me know if I've left something out.

quick, like a bunny...

2008-02-29T09:46:00.003-05:00

Just a quick note to let you know that Rob Kalin, founder of etsy.com is going to be on The Martha Show today, February 29th. Short notice, but check it out if you can. There will be a table full of handmade items from an assortment of etsy sellers on the show. Great PR for all Etsians!

Working on an Easter tutorial (sneak peek pic above). Check back next week!

warm fuzzies flickr pool

2008-02-27T10:22:00.006-05:00

Hey Warm Fuzzies friends...have you visited the Flickr pool lately? Here is a small selection of wonderful projects made by YOU! Oh yes, there's more to it than just the cutest cupcakes ever, felt fans. We got hats and mittens and vests...etc!

1. bailey cup, 2. Felted Robot Vest, 3. Recycled Sweaters!, 4. Warm n Fuzzies 001, 5. cupcakes, 6. Cupcake Pincushion, 7. Untitled, 8. Cupcake Pin cushion, 9. Felt Heart Scarf

Just click on the pink icon in the right hand blog sidebar to check out these and other projects. I am also using the "Discussion" area of the group to handle Frequently Asked Questions from the book. Got a question? Post it there! I check it daily and would love to help you out. Really. I check it every day. Sometimes more than once. Just sayin'.

Oh, and btw, I hope to have a new easter-ish tutorial really soon! Easter is early this year and I'm trying my best despite germy kids and looming deadlines and cloudy-no-good-for-photos days!

monday inspiration

2008-02-25T09:36:00.006-05:00

Here's a little peek at that magazine I was looking at last post. I do love Marie Claire Idees!

It's very french and very girlie...which is not how I would ever describe myself, but the projects and photography are so inspiring. It's just a favorite of mine. Check out this candelabra. Tea cups and plants and fruit...oh my! On another page is a floor lamp made entirely of tea pots and tea cups stacked one on top of the other...
And Hey, Alicia, look at these fab-oo kitchenware dishtowels. Do you have a french twin? :) If the rest of you haven't checked out the Posie's free Pleasant Kitchen Dishtowel patterns, walk..don't run! (oh wait...I thought I was yelling at the boys. I meant RUN don't walk...heh)

Hanging beautiful china patterns on the wall is one thing, but these are made of fabric! Sweet! Somehow this whole issue reminds me of a french flea market. I went to one in Paris about 10 years ago for "work". I just searched it and it's still there! I'd sure love to go back...

Hope this provided a little perk for your Monday morning. One of my cocoa drinkers was sick all weekend with a fever. Back at school today but I feel as though the phone could ring any minute beckoning me to retrieve him.

In other news, more stuff in the shop today. I had best intentions to provide some new items and some old favorites, but I have been derailed once again! Oh well...I'll get there eventually.

au revoir!

(update here...I purchased a subscription to the magazine through Amazon...see 2nd link above)