The paints been flying. The sewing machine's been whirring. The pottery's firing. There's been a whir of activity around Needle and Nest here lately. Needless to say, I'm gearing up for next weekend's craft show SpringKle. I'm eager to be there... and hoping to see many of your lovely faces there too. Here's just a sampling of what I plan to showcase:
Fabric silhouette hoops (seen above) - sold out of them at the last show... made more!
Painted purses - just a few bird bags for your 'nest eggs'.
... to list a few! (phew)... I think I'm a little bit bonkers sometimes, but I just keep getting other crafty ideas I want to try. There will likely be a couple other surprises there too... so we hope to see you there - mark your calendars! Creatively Crafting Crazily, Mel :o)
Wisdom comes in many forms. And hindsight is 20/20 they say. Gray hairs and wrinkled hands have much insight. But my main 'sage' lately is my daughter... she reminds me to look at the world with fresh-eyed wonder once again...
...to take life one step at a time.
...to be amazed by the details.
...to know we're all on this journey together, and having someone that deeply loves you and holds your hand as you walk... is all the riches one needs.
Like Dorothy discovering the Wizard of Oz... I'm going to show you behind the scenes of where all the creative magic takes place at Needle and Nest Design. Welcome to my teeny tiny make-shift studio as it stands currently. When we bought this house last summer, the dream was for me to make the attached garage into a big, bright airy studio. But the chill of winter with no insulation out there, and the tumbleweeds blowing through our wallet... forced me (and most of my crafting/painting gear) into here... the back end of our bedroom! It's cozy, and bright enough... I make it work for now... and dream of a larger future studio/garage.
The real key to working in a smaller area is - be organized. My main attempt at that goal is to stash lots of colour coded fabrics into those big clear salad containers - try it out! I think any of us who sew know how addictive these fabrics can be...my husband always wonders why I ever 'need' to go buy more in light of this stash I squirrel away up here.
{sigh!} There she is, my sweet little muse. The inspiration to sew much! Azriel likes to get tucked into my studio space while I work - though I tend to fear she'll find a stray button or needle to chew on... so usually we go into the other corner (seen below) and read a book...
Detail shots: In case you thought I had a fancy cyborg computerized machine.. I don't. Just me and my pudgy fingers forcing fabric under the needle. And yes, in the background I did put ripped strips of damask wallpaper on my walls... with a brown wash over burnt red paint technique (seen below as well).
Gotta love having a chandelier in your bedroom... a great 'steal' from the previous dining room.
Here's another corner of our bedroom, the beloved window nook. I'd love to say how often I snuggle in here with a cup of tea, good book, warm blanket... two cats... but to be honest - when I get a spare minute I'm in the other corner - the studio - creating. The exception is when my daughter and I get the chance to snuggle and watch the world go by ...
....which is a pretty delicious moment to savour. I love motherhood. I love creating. I love how both seem to mutually spur the other on. If you want to see how my daughter inspired a pile of creative projects for her own room, you can see the tour over here (sweet Erin of Apples with Honey had me as a guest on her blog - worth a tour too). Thanks for taking the time to flutter through my studio with me, it's my little nest. Live creatively, Mel :o)
My husband's birthday is coming up, tomorrow in fact. I want to dedicate this blog post to him. As one small example of how wonderfully supportive and sweet he is to me - he bought me this book I have been drooling over for months. You may remember my recent post about Alphonse Mucha and his beautiful art. Well, Ben got a gift card to Chapters, and being the kind heart he is he said "I could get a book for each of us (our daughter too)". I tried to argue that it was his birthday money to spend on books he loves. I thought I had him convinced. He went out to shop with it. I came downstairs later to find this book on the table, and a tantalizing glass of this Muskoka Summer Weiss. (He also bought a Mercer Meyer collection for our daughter). I love this guy.
Ben
i love you.
you hold my hand
and my heart so tenderly.
your wit is as dry
as the choicest of wine
and I get drunk off you.
you're not just our
bread-maker
and
bread-baker
your our soft place to fall
our strength to stand.
our daily delight
our kiss goodnight.
i thank God for you.
"I am thinking it's a sign that the freckles In our eyes are mirror images and when We kiss they're perfectly aligned And I have to speculate that God himself Did make us into corresponding shapes like Puzzle pieces from the clay."
Such Great Heights. The Postal Service.
... we sure are cute for two ugly people...
xoxo
happy birthday.
(no exclamations were used in the making of this post.... that's for you babe.)
Well friends, the wait is finally over. I managed to wrestle my latest pics off my camera and get them into this stubborn-as-a-mule lap top of mine! So here they are... my latest sewing projects. Aren't they a hoot? I saw this fabric and knew it would make perfect plumage for these little owl friends. They will be fluttering in for a landing at the next craft show (SpringKLE) coming up in two weeks where it will be a who's hoo of local crafty/yummy artisans. Ok, ok, I'll stop.
Stay tuned this week, now that I have my recent pictures in tow.. I will be showing you lots more of the 'going-ons' around Needle and Nest. :o) Mel
Pssssssssssss! Okay friends, just wanted to keep you posted. The pottery is now finished [fired up and ready to wear fashion]! I am in the midst of getting these pieces bound with leather strapping - for wrist cuffs/necklaces. Then I will be posting pics [as long as my camera decides to comply for once] and showing you my latest line-up. So stay tuned.
In other creative news... I've been sewing some very cute [if i do say so myself] little owl stuffies. I found a fabric that i adore for them. So hold your breath, and those pics should be coming soon too. In other, other news... my wee one has been up with a croupy cough/fever these last two days. Mama has been snuggled in close for both nights as her giant kleenex/sippy cup. Hoping she's better soon, for both our sakes!
Did anyone else notice it's snowing out there?! What the heck... where's the Spring we ordered? Anywho, have a lovely day despite that silly snow! ;o)
