I really just love being a woman. And, hey. I'm so very thankful I live in a country where, while imperfect, I get to make my own decisions. I do not fear religious persecution. I don't have to marry the guy my dad picks, as lovely as my father's guy picking prowess is. I get to chart a course that is for me and me alone.
On that note, my addition to International Women's Day is to open myself up to the world and I have a confession.
I have been a terrible business woman. I don't say that lightly. I don't say it for the bucking up brigade to come and tell me that I am, indeed, awesome. I know I'm awesome. But I have been a TERRIBLE business woman. I could give you a million different reasons and so many excuses that I couldn't carry them all in a bucket as to why I've been awful. Let it just suffice to say that I dropped the ball. I sunk into myself and shut off the world. I let the negative weigh me down into terrible depths. And above all else, I miss myself. I miss the girl in the picture below here. I miss her spunk and her confidence and her tendency to want to be a very bright light. I miss her. I miss myself.
So, today. Today for all of those ladies around the world that do not have the ability, the strength or the even the basic rights to stand up for themselves, I'm here to say, being a woman is amazing. Being a woman means you get to bring life into the world in so many ways; with your light, your power and your children. Today I'm going to say, "enough excuses, Laura. It's time to let yourself speak and your work speak for itself." Today I'm starting my course over and I have my compass ready.
Today I'm a woman. Today I am powerful.
oh, and it's time to go back to blonde. I was a fox as a blonde.
This Saturday I had the chance to attend a pretty eclectic and fun wedding. As I was getting ready, I realized I'd planned the perfect outfit but had neglected to plan any type of hairstyle to go with my fancy gold dancing shoes. I had a look around my craft room and for the life of me could not find a single piece of tulle (blasphemy!!) to make a quick fascinator. What I did find was a stack of pink pull string gift bags. I found some black feathers, grabbed a black head band and some washi tape and got to work!
First I clipped a few feathers from the bunch and wrapped their ends with the washi tape just to hold them together.
Then, I began to cut simple leaf shapes out of the gift bags. I cut off the pull string top, folded them in half and cut out 7 sets.
I pinched two leave shapes together and began attaching them to the feathers with the washi tape. Pinch and wrap until all of the leaves are snug and happy on the feathers.
I attached my little leaf and feather bunch onto a headband with the washi tape! Presto! A fancy new hair adornment with things I had laying around the craft room. My inner hoarder is laughing and shaking her head saying, "see, this is why we never throw anything away!"
p.s.
This is my sister and I on our way to the wedding! Don't you LOVE her beehive? I saw the tutorial on Mollie Makes and begged her to let me try it! The first attempt left a lot to be desired, but the second was absolutely fantastic! You can check out the tutorial here. It's incredibly adorable.
My mom and I have started a recent tradition. Each April, just as the flowers start to pop their heads out of the warm ground, we take a Fabric Road Trip four hours south to the charming city of Paducah, Kentucky. Paducah is the home to the National Quilt Museum and every April, the American Quilter's Society starts its quilt show season in its hometown. Nestled next to the Ohio River, with cobblestone streets and enough southern charm to choke a chicken, it's the perfect place to spend a few days digging through literal mountains of fabric. The entire city turns itself into one enormous quilt store. Every empty store front and back room is rented out to traveling fabric salespeople. It's quite a sight to see. The city is easily walkable from one end to the other. With a cool breeze coming off of the river and the Spring sun beating down on you, it may very well be what heaven is like for a crafter.
The Paducah Convention Center is filled with thousands of quilts from all over the world. They are works of art made of strips of fabric and miles of thread. I'm always overwhelmed with how much patience and time went into each piece. I'm fascinated with how many of the quilts come out of Japan. I wonder what a Japanese quilt store looks like? I think I need to hop a plane and find out!
After the quilts and the $3/yard fabric, my favorite part of the trip is eating a Kirchoff's. It's such an amazing place. The bakery is heavenly. The food is delicious. If you want to eat what is perhaps the best sandwich in America, go to Kirchoffs and order the Big Lou. Sit outside in the courtyard drink some iced tea, enjoy the splendor of the ENORMOUS trees that line the street and thank God you are alive.
This year I scored 27 yards of fabric to turn into animals, make a new summer dress and to tackle a few other crafty endeavors. But mostly, it's such a nice time to spend with my mom and my second mother, Ruth. We eat, talk sewing, soak up some sunshine and I listen to them laugh. I can't wait until next year.
A few weeks ago, there was a small banana surgery inside The Wind and The Sail studio. Dr. Laura was on duty to repair a small fracture in the rattle bone. The whole procedure was set to take less than an hour with a small incision, a removal of the cracked rattle bone and a new one inserted into its place.
The incision was made with a small x-acto scalpel. The broken bit was carefully removed, then a new prosthetic was inserted. Mr. Banana was stitched up without incident or too much stuffing being lost.
He is now back home with a happy baby Isabell who loves her banana to pieces! Literally.
A small note: Baby Izzy is my newest niece and had quite a night a few months ago. She had a small seizure at home and due to the type of seizure that occurred, she was sent to Riley Children's Hospital. It was a worrisome couple of days, but when I met my sister and her fiance at the hospital, I brought her a banana so that she could have something in the bed with her to play with. She has latched onto Mr. Banana. It's so touching to be able to make something with my own hands that can comfort someone I love to the ends of the earth. Being a plush maker is worth every effort, 80 hour work week and sleepless night ever. I love my job.
I have this very wonderful dress that I've worn for seven years. Yes, seven years. The worst part is that I bought this perfectly comfortable dress secondhand. So really, this dress is on its fifth or sixth life. Last week, as I pulled it out of the dryer, I noticed how thin the fabric is getting. What will I wear on mega production days where I sit in front of the sewing machine of 18 hours? I turned it inside out and looked at the seams and said to my cat Hal, "oh yeah. I can make one!" I decided to spend my saturday making a new version of my absolute favorite dress.
Materials: Jersey fabric, pins, pencil, scissors, wrapping paper and my seven year old dress.
I like to put left over wrapping paper to use because most of it comes with a one inch graph on the back. It makes it easier to lengthen things and make small adjustments and keep lines straight.
I laid each section of the dress, starting with the arms, onto the paper and simply traced around them. I added a quarter inch to each side that would have a seam to allow for a seam allowance. I added an entire inch on each side that would need a hem, i.e, the neckline, the sleeves and the bottom.
After each piece was traced, I cut the pieces out of the wrapping paper and pinned it onto the fabric, just like you would a real paper pattern. Pin and cut, pin and cut, pin and cut.
All of the pieces have been cut! If you decide to try this yourself, you can look at the seams inside your dress to find out how they put it together. Look to see which seams have been sewn over twice, which seam has been sewn over by another seam. A tip is most dresses are put together from top to bottom.
And LOOK! A finished dress for me to romp around my garden in! I'm laughing because my neighbors caught me taking a picture of myself in my new dress! I'm a total dork.
Spring is rushing to my doorstep and it just makes me want to be outside making the world bright. After cleaning the winter ick off my porch and sweeping away some errant fall leaves, I noticed how terribly bland my mailbox was looking. I decided it needed a hood ornament.
Being the kind of person I am, there was a perfect plastic hippo sitting on my craft room shelf. I decided to spray paint him aqua...
add a little E-6000...
and stick him to my mailbox! Now every time you step up to my front door, you are greeted by a roaring hippo. I think it's rather perfect! Happy Spring!
It is a pleasure for me to tell you that I'm participating in Martha Stewart's American Made Awards. The winner receives $10,000 and publicity in a magazine I have coveted for years. No, really. I have EVERY ISSUE. They are lined up against my living room wall like a growing art collection. So in love.
If you have a minute, please go here and vote for me. I'll be eternally grateful. You can vote six times per day until September 13th! Spread the word!
As a side note, this video I made still makes me misty like a Hallmark Movie at Christmas. Thanks to Louis Capwell for his help. He is a real creative genius.
Guess what! I'm all set up at Renegade Brooklyn! Even better than that? I'm debuting a brand new product- my hand-dyed produce rattles! All your favorite farm-fresh handmade is here: carrots, radishes, lemons, bananas, and turnips! Cool, right? If you're here in bklyn, make sure to stop by (Booth 205!) and say hello!
When I'm getting ready for a show, I do a lot of internet stalking. I'm not ashamed. I lust openly over the people I'm excited to check out. This craft show circuit world I live in opens me up to so many different people, different crafts, mindsets, genres, and styles. I like taking it all in and lovingly making them all talk to me. Seriously. I made a lovely friend in St. Louis by yelling at her to come over and chat at my booth because she looked like the kind of girl that read good books. I'm classy, what can I say? In 15 days I head to the great Columbus, OH to Craftin' Outlaws. And here's who I plan to give a shout to!
1. YAO CHEN holy moses! Don't you just want to dive into her work and live there in the light and air I'm sure smells like jasmine? sigh. I just love it.
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2. COLETTE PAPERIE Every time I see her work, I want to go home and paint my house. Her colors are so perfect and fresh. I'm in love.
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3. JESIII I'm sorry. Is this not the greatest thing you've ever seen? Look at that saturated color! The sweetness! The quirk! This is dreamy.
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4. B. RADLEY Who can resist cross stitch goods? I cannot.
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5. CYNTHIA VARDHAN CERAMICS When I'm a grown up, I'll have china like this. Perfectly delicate, happy and clean. swoon.
Every year for the past five years, I get paid to host the the coolest weekend ever. I lead a Mystery Quilt Retreat at the Canyon Inn in McCormick's Creek State Park. We arrive Friday evening with our fabric cut, waiting for step number one to begin our marathon sewing session. I eventually give up and go to bed, but some of these ladies (all of them my senior) stay up until 3 or 4 in the morning. Then Saturday morning, they make it to the sewing room before I do, coffee cups in hand.
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The schedule goes something like this: breakfast, sewing, lunch, sewing, dinner, sewing, wine, sewing, singing to Time Life AM Gold 1974, sewing, yelling at thread tension and taking a walk, sewing. Everyone works at their own pace. I'm the keeper of the steps and I try to urge everyone to keep them a relative secret. This year's quilt was made in 14 steps. It is Sunday morning and there are still a few stragglers trying to finish before they go home, but most finished in the wee hours of last night. There was a lady here that actually works in a sewing factory making uniforms who finished before dinner last night. She spent the rest of the evening sifting through quilt books everyone predictably pulls from their sewing totes.
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There's something magical about the chorus of 20 sewing machines all running at once. The small tidbits of conversation that float over the noise that make you smile to yourself. There are ladies I met five years ago and some brand new friends. Some come from 4 hours away, others from 20 minutes, but all become dear and precious friends by the end. Marcia might be my favorite. She is hard and opinionated, but talented and, at times, endearing. The twin sisters, Terry and Sherry, who are quiet and reserved until you get them laughing with a little liquid courage. And good ol' Paula, who knows more than all of us combined.
Sewing is this bright community of creativity and endurance. Some projects take years. Mary, whose grace and eloquence follows her in an aura around her body, has been working on a quilt with the tiniest, little pieces for three years. It's also a community that prides itself in idea sharing. If you have a new tool that makes your life easier, you CANNOT wait to show everyone and proudly display exactly what it does (and more than likely pull out your camera to show everyone the pictures of all the projects you've made with it.) Sewing is something you do alone but with a group. It connects your solitary parts and gives you a sense of belonging. Every stitch it just another step forward.
First things first, I must admit that this is not my picture, nor is it my recipe. However, I do make these all the time for the boy I love to have in his car as a traveling snack. He's not a fan of sweets, so making him a salty, cheesy cracker is the fastest way to his heart. I've used almost every cracker recipe on the Smitten Kitchen website; along with many, many other. She's a genius! I love her writing style and her pictures are absolutely beautiful! I use the Parmesan Cream Crackers most often, adding in some spice from time to time or a hint of rosemary. If you have someone who loves the salty more than the sweet, get out your smallest heart cookie cutter and get to rolling out these wonderful crackers.
Let's kick off our 14 days of Valentine's Day celebration by making the perfect envelope for your sweet notes of love. From felt! HERE! is the .pdf with instructions for you to print out and begin! Included is a template with five easy steps to creating this adorable note holder.
On the door to my craft room is a bulletin board I pin things to all season. I've gotten in the habit of making state shapes for lists of animals I need for each show. Geography, ftw! (oh, also! I'm a nerd!) Just the other day I cleared it off to start fresh for the new year. It's really helpful reminder as I'm sitting in my sunlit living room, enjoying a nice relaxing [insert activity] that it's probably time to get back to work. There are animals to make! There are ALWAYS animals to make! It's also become a place to hang inspirations and aspirations.
[singlepic id=50 w=640 h=480 float=left]1. Porter Flea! 2. Big Crafty! 3. I want to make a raccoon. 4. Maker Faire Detroit! 5. Handmade Promenade Pop-up Shop! 6. Collection of Craft Show Hotel Keys 7. RCF Chicago Holiday! 8. <3 Letters (no greater inspiration needed!) 9. Pen Pal 10. Etsy Orders 11. Guide to my sweet Owen County home 12. dumb-dumb-dumb....The $240 speeding ticket I received in Detroit on my way to Maker Faire!
As I stood staring at this cork board, I was forced to remember all I'd accomplished this year. (Or in the case of number 12, screwed up. haha) Sometimes as creative people, it's hard to feel pride in our work. There's always something you could have done better, places you could have been stronger. "If I'd just had one more day to prepare." I say this a lot to myself. But standing and staring, I had a real sense of pride of what I'd accomplished, the people I'd connected with, the places I traveled.
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2013 is already filling up. 8 stores to fill, and a show coming up the first of March. (and of course, I had to leave one love letter up.) I'm excited. Let's sew!
The Fourteen of Valentine's Day begins in one week! Starting February 1st, there will be fourteen projects to inspire love and craftiness! Outdoor crafts, a tote, a torte and so many more! Get ready to show your love! Stay tuned!
The weather has turned so chilly that may face hurts when I go outside. Like my 3 year old nephew, I want to yell at the wind to stop blowing, "stop blowing on me, you mean wind!" Because of this, I've been finding ways to remind myself that spring is mere weeks away. And if I close my eyes I can smell the sun warmed earth and feel the cool new grass beneath my feet. I can also whip myself up a batch of homemade lemonade to remind me that soon I will be sitting at a picnic table sharing a warm sticky evening with the boy I love. More than likely complaining that it is yet again too hot.
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It is really easy to do. Grab yourself a large vessel, such as this pretty mason jar, squeeze a whole lemon inside, cover with a little simple syrup and ice. Then fill the rest of the space with seltzer water. Screw on the lid and give it a sexy James Bond shake to combine. A little lemony fizz can chase a huge cloud of cabin fever away in mere seconds. You can also make it with limes, which just happens to be my favorite. Happy Winter Survival!
There's been a good bit of stress in my life the past couple of days. So, with the sun shining and the breeze of a 63 degree January day blowing through my screen door, I set out to clear my head by cutting vegetables in the kitchen. There's nothing really as stress relieving as spending time hearing the chop on the cutting board, or feeling the heat from the stove top as you gingerly stir something bubbling in a pot, or my most favorite, dancing around in your kitchen while something simmers. Being a crazy creative person, there's no "just" making something. You need to make it with pizazz. I set out today to make "hearty" beef stew.
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Pinterest is filled to the brim with valentine's day ideas, and while perusing the endless pins, I came upon one that showed how to cut carrots into hearts. "YES!" I exclaimed to an empty room, "this is perfect!" But, why do carrots get all the love? Why not the potatoes too? I dug around in my cookie cutter drawer and found the smallest heart cutter I had, sliced up some potatoes and voila! heart potatoes. The rest is just normal beef stew. I love stew because you can put absolutely anything you want into it and it is going to be awesome. All the root vegetables you have on hand can go into a pot and with a few herbs and some spice, you have a soul warming dinner. Below is the recipe I stick to on a normal day, but feel free to tinker with it to suit your tastes or to clear out the fridge.
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"Hearty" Beef Stew 1 onion, roughly chopped 3 stalks of celery, chopped 4 potatoes, cut into hearts if you are feeling creative! 4 carrots, carve those things up! 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 can whole tomatoes, chopped with juice 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 cups beef broth 1 teaspoon oregano 1 tablespoon rosemary 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes juice of 1/2 lemon 1/4 cup fresh parsley salt and pepper to taste chuck roast (amount depends on how meaty you like your stew) flour, just enough to coat beef olive oil
Rinse and pat dry beef. Cut into cubes. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a dutch oven (or other heavy bottomed pot). Place beef in a bowl, sprinkle with salt, pepper and flour. Toss to coat. Once the olive oil is hot, place flour-coated beef in pot. If it doesn't sizzle, your oil is not hot enough, let it heat a little longer and try again. Let beef brown on all sides, turning every couple of minutes. Once beef is browned, remove from pot and place on a plate. Deglaze the pot using a splash of red wine or water, however you see fit. Scrape up all the chunky beef bits from the bottom. Toss in the onion, celery, garlic, oregano, rosemary, red pepper flakes and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is tender and slightly translucent, 5-10 minutes. If the onion starts to stick, add a little more red wine or water. Add tomato paste, stirring to coat. Once the tomato paste is heated and fragrant, add potatoes, carrots and canned tomatoes. Heat the mixture thoroughly. Pour in the beef stock and bring to a boil. Next, stir in browned beef. Add lemon juice and fresh parsley. This will really brighten the flavors. Cover and simmer on low for 30-45 minutes. Add more beef stock or water if needed. Enjoy!
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P.S. Carving vegetables tends to create a lot of waste. I ran my scraps through the food processor and will have amazing carrot and potato hash browns in the morning. You'll be amazed at how good they are.
I have to admit that 2012 was a hell of a year. I quit my day job and became the full time crafter I'd always wanted to be. In all, I visited half of the states in the union and enjoyed (almost) every one. I swam with dolphins, stood on mountains overlooking the Great Salt Lake and drove a whole bunch of miles in a 17 day cross country adventure with my best friend. I learned the ins and outs of being my own boss, which has become a daily lesson with homework. I packed and unpacked craft show supplies so many times I felt I was living out of a box. I met innumerable amounts of people and sold my animals and rattles to happy craft show attendees. Speaking of! Here are my top five for 2012.
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#5:Handmade Arcade-Pittsburgh, PA I loved this show because of the venue in which it was held, most of all. Lots of natural light, lots of fun vendors, my road weary mom and a really amazing soft pretzel. The people were friendly and I had GREAT booth neighbors. I stitched a lot during this show and it was fun to answer questions about my product and the process that goes into making them. Also, driving the highway system of Pittsburgh always makes me feel like I'm in a real life video game. I'm glad I got out with all of my lives.
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#4:Bloomington Handmade Market-Bloomington, IN The Market is held really close to my home town near the campus of Indiana University which always makes the crowd really diverse. I love this show mostly because it gives me a chance to look at the new products so many of my art friends are putting out. It just feels like home walking into the convention center and seeing smiling, sleepy faces ready for a day of selling.
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#3: Porter Flea-Nashville, TN The Porter Flea is AMAZING. There, I said it. I loved this show. It was packed most of the day. I sold everything I took. My mom got to squeal while meeting the infamous Mike from American Pickers. (He really was a very nice guy.) And the venue. Oh, the venue. I almost cried when I walked into Marathon Music Works. It's this beautifully renovated, yet still industrial, warm well-lit space that you just felt like a cool guy walking into. The Porter Flea Team is the sweetest; super organized and helpful and really, really beautiful. I can't wait to go back!
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#2:Art Star Craft Bazaar-Philadelphia, PA This was my second year vending at Art Star Craft Bazaar. Everything about this event is just such a joy. It's held at Penn's Landing in South Philly right along Delaware River. This past year the temperature was perfect, the sun was shining and I got to chat with Phil Barbato, whom I obsess over on the internet. Louis always drives me out and we get to spend some time in the Lehigh Valley. Overall, just the perfect May event.
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#1:Renegade Chicago-Chicago, IL
Chicago is one of those places I find people either have a love affair with or they can't stand it. I'm one of those love affair people. There's something really exciting and accessible about the city itself. But the Wicker Park neighborhood where Renegade Chicago is held? It's like walking into someone's home. You feel invited and in good cheer. The craft fair itself is all hustle and bustle and cool kids doing what cool kids do: making awesome things. I always feel on top of my game at this show. I sell a lot of animals to a lot of nice people and I have SO MUCH FUN! Plus, there's the world's best tacos in Franklin Park.
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My goal for 2013 is just to grow bigger and stronger. Both as a person and a plush designer. I want to go to more craft shows and test new lines. I want to make new art friends and eat at more taco stands. I want to drive to new places and take pictures. I want to learn how to actually keep receipts together and not just in a glad container. (yeah, I'm THAT girl.) But mainly, I just wanna dance. I want to throw out all of my inhibitions and just let go and enjoy myself.
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