Bluebirdbaby

A New Corner and Mail(!)

I showed a sneak peak yesterday of this corner. It's been a corner of many things in the past year, but I think we're getting closer to something that might last. I had visions of antique wooden boxes stacked in every which way halfway up the wall, but it's not yard sale season, so that idea may have to wait. Enter an old confectionery box from Portland, an antique (but very awesomely painted) tool cupboard recently thrifted, stacked thrifted tins, artwork by all sorts, and a new paper banner the little one and I made today out of origami paper. I love it so far. It's a corner I think will stay for a while. I later added old wooden spools of thread. Yay for new corners!

And mail...what can I say about lovely mail? The little one and I were having a slow morning due to rather early waking. We trekked through town in below zero weather (okay...at least it felt like it with the wind chill!) and came home to a lovely package awaiting us. A vintage book for her, tea cups for us both, vintage fabric, two lovely prints....oh my! Were we spoiled! Thanks Julia...you ROCK! You totally made our day.

And oh, I can't forget this lovely, amazingly crafted snow queen and her baby. This was sent all the way from Europe. The little one has been playing with this non-stop and adores the baby so very much. Gosh, I have the best readers! Thank you all so much for everything!!

I hope you enjoy your weekend! We're looking forward to relaxing, nature walks, hosting a dinner, and just having fun!

A Material Girl

I assure you that a lot of time has been logged in the green room lately. After finishing up the last of the custom orders (I am not taking anymore at this time, but have a waiting list), I quickly got to work on my spring collection. I figure I've probably spent around 12 hours so far just creating patterns and heavily modifying vintage ones. Searching for the perfect fabrics has taken me another four hours (and there's still more to do!) and then there's designing my new shop look, scouting for older models to test my clothing, and getting little goodies to include in packages ready. The above is another sneak peak of my first completed pattern using the actual material and not just muslin! Gosh, I am sick of muslin. It's so incredibly boring.

You see, the longer I sew (it's been a little over a year now) the more I learn. My ability to create an actual piece that I can hold in my hands from an idea in my head is getting easier and easier. I still have a long way to go, and pages in my notebook of ideas I can't quite make realities. But it's getting easier and I have confidence that if I keep at it, those harder things will soon become realities too. I hope this next shop update  (sometime in April, I hope...) will reflect the growth I've made with my sewing. The clothing will have a simple, sophisticated look, but I still keep all my principals in mind: comfort, sizing for cloth diapers, gender neutral, etc. I'm really, really getting excited about it and wish I could work all day, everyday for the next two weeks to get these things in my shop. So please excuse the delay. I do realize other people are much closer to spring than we are!

And a long-time blog reader from Portugal sent us a lovely package with some handmade goodies for both Elisabeth and I! What fun! The bookmark has really come in handy, since I was using a piece of tissue before. And the little one loves her new finger puppet and doll. Thanks Teresa! You'll be hearing from me shortly!

I hope you all have a terrific weekend! See you back here on Monday.

green week~five

We received a lovely package from Melissa over at Tiny Happy earlier this week. And guess what color rickrack she used? Green! (And I was so pleased to get one of her lovely gocco cards I had been eying on flickr. I love trees.)

Yesterday was a good mail day. The little one got the above package from a family member and it was wrapped in green paper. How appropriate! We also received some other lovely things in the mail that you can see here.

The resale shop we frequently visit also sells balloons. A lady walked out with a large bunch of balloons and the little one politely requested one for herself. So I chose the nearest color balloon and had them inflate it. It wasn't until later that I realized I had picked green. Perhaps it was a subconscious decision on my part?

And not green, but something I'm rather proud of. A wholesale order completed in record time. Phew! Now, back to the spring things!

I Love Etsy

Lovely things from the Green Leaf & Owl. Eva is the greatest and I think her creations are brilliant.

A tiny felted bird for the little one to add to our nature table. The creator of this is a home schooled student who has her own Etsy shop called Vermont Fairies. Elisabeth loves it and says "beh" over and over again in between kissing its little beak.

And some felted gnomes from Chocolate Lily's. They are the cutest things and so well made. She even included a little gift with our purchase which is always a pleasant surprise.

I took the pledge to buy handmade for the holidays. Have you?!

Received

Yesterday, this wonderful necklace from the Green Leaf and Owl arrived in the mail. Elisabeth loves birds. I really have no idea where this love came from, but it is very clear that birds are on her favorite list. She is quite taken with this necklace and points excitedly to it while saying "beh" over and over (her word for "bird"). I got this one specifically because she seems to love the big birds like hawks and crows.

Yesterday we found a brand new pair of shoes at the thrift store that were just her size. She is very pleased to have laces and actually wants these on her feet (or in her mouth). They are great for climbing rocks and running through mud. She seems so proud to be wearing shoes with laces. Mama is just pleased that she sits still long enough to tie them.

We may be off to Portland for a long weekend. Back to posting on Monday, unless I can bum free wi-fi from someone down there. Have a great weekend everybody!

Bits and Pieces

Mail:
I've been anxiously waiting for the arrival of three prints from The Black Apple. I ordered them during her three for two sale and was so thrilled that I would finally be able to purchase all three of my favorite prints. They arrived today and I can't wait to have them framed and up on the wall.

Made:
More pants for the babe. Corduroy is really my favorite material for clothing. I love it and actually dreamt of wearing it during the hot summer months. These navy blue pants have a cute linen pocket on each leg with some trim for fun. It's getting harder and harder to take pictures of her because she's always on the go. This picture? Well, I think she was doing some yoga on her "yoga ball" and I really have no explanation for how my new shoes keep ending up in front of the camera. And for those readers out there who were wondering, they are Simple's Green Toe shoes found here.

In Progress:
I have grand plans for additions to the shop. I've had these plans for a while, but haven't really taken the plunge to start them. Here is the first tiny bit of progress.

The Shop:
And there are 4 clutches up in the shop. I'll be making more in the future, but there's no telling when. They were fun to make and I have been using one for months and find it is just perfect for a checkbook, some cash and cards. So slim, it slides right into my bag.