Famous Blue Raincoat

i live for fall

 

Some people dread this time of year (ahem.. Alexander... ahem), but I can't think of a time of the year where I am happier. The colors of fall are just to die for. It may be physically cooler, but visually it is the warmest part of the year, so it equals out. Oh, and don't get me started on how much I love fall fashion. I'm not much for tank tops or shorts... more of a sweater kind of gal.

Things have been quiet(ish) around here... just the way I like it. It's not very often that Alex and I get to slow down and just enjoy a nice evening at home cuddling on the couch and watching a movie, but we've been doing a lot of that lately. Alex's most current injury has been keeping him from skateboarding at night, so he's stuck at home with me... just the way I like it! I think he's enjoying the quality time too. We've missed it.

There are new baby items in the shop, and there will be more to come once Stevie and I can work out a studio schedule.

Take care everyone,

Natalie

cooler days to come

With the temperature dropping, and having a full house of couch crashers (5 people in our tiny little house), I've lately been focusing my efforts on making our home as cozy as possible for our long term guests. In these cases, I generally look to Martha Stewart, and Etsy for guidance and inspiration.

1. Candles  2. Cozy duvets with wintery designs  3. Mugs for hot tea  4. Fluffy puppy beds

As you can see, winter is pretty much just time to lounge for me... until the crazy hussle and bussle of the holidays. I have yet to decide whether I am going to make my gifts this year, or buy from other Etsy sellers. Probably a mixture of both. What does your winter look like?

Well I hope to get some time in the studio soon, even though a friend is currently living in there. I need to get cracking if I want to have some inventory for the holidays!

stay warm, natalie

happy birthday mommy

Hello strangers. My mother's birthday was a couple weeks ago, and I never had a chance to share with you the gift I made her. She is still finishing her new office (which is located in my old bedroom at by parent's house), and my dad mentioned she needed some organization and some decoration for the walls. Inspired by Lotta Jansdotter's design, I made a hanging wall organizer made with some fabric I fell in love with and had no idea what to do with. Luckily it just so happened to match her new office.

 

Well, that is really all I have to share at the moment, but I hope to carve some pumpkins soon and share that with you.

take care, natalie

happy October

I don't know about you, but I have major Halloween fever. I've not yet figured out what I will dress up as, and haven't started hanging the decorations, but I've purchased the glow stick bracelets I will be passing out. One of my favorite parts about any holiday is to see what crafters are making the celebrate the event. Now is time for me to share some of my favorites from Etsy.

1. Coffee Sack Basket  2.Glitter Sticker Pack  3. Friendly Ghosts Studs  4. Halloween Owl Invites

I hope to have some decorations or something to show soon.

In other news, my sister Courtney has opened an Etsy shop of her own, Bunnies for Babies, selling "boo boo bunnies" that my mom used to make for us when we were little. You put an ice cube in their back and put in on your bumps and bruses. Works great for little ones. They even have cute little names. I believe they were sitting around the house, and her boyfriend Jake had to walk by them so much he eventually gave them names. Here are some of my favorites.

 

Well I hope you are enjoying the beginnings of Fall, and I will have more to share with you soon.

-Natalie

on the mend

Hello all. It's been a miserable week for me, as I have been an odd sort of sick, and unable to much of anything, and have had the creative itch also. Apparently, you can get an internal infection in your neck that can spread all around and make you pretty much unable to move your head. At least I got a flu shot out of it.. even though it gave me a fever for a couple days... but it could have been the infection....

Anyway - Since I was unable to do much in the sewing department, I got a lot of screen printing type things done. There was lots of paper cutting and corner rounding, making words and designs for cards, and even finisihing some baby cards. I will share some of these when I get the chance to photograph a few. Now that I'm writing it, it seems like I had a pretty productive week, considering I usually was only awake in about 3 hour intervals.

In other news the rain, humidity, and heat have finally come to an end. Today the windows are open, the sun is trying to shine, and the temperature is pure Autumn. It's fantastic. Truely a day I wish I had a hammock for outdoor napping or reading.

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. I will try to get some more work done and share it with you... or I might play that game I mentioned a while back... even if it is just me playing. We'll see.

-N

back in the saddle

hello again. I've been a busy bee working in the studio lately. I've been working on some baby clothes, and a while back I shared about a top I made. I am upset that the top is too small for me, so it may end up in the shop at some point. I also have one dress ready for sale, but I think I should come up with a little bit more of a collection first. Here is the top I made a while back from my grandmother's old fabric.

 

Here's a sneak peek at the little dress I made. A kimono style dress for a little lady age 0-3 months.

 

My neighbors Frany and Tom are expecting a little boy very soon - like within days! - so I am putting together a little gift for them of some kimono style PJ's and some booties. Photos will come soon, hopefully!

I'm sorry I have been bad with this whole blogging thing, but I think a nice blog game would get me back into the swing of things. I was thinking of a different version of color week, but more of a get-to-know you week, so I can become more aquainted with my readers and fellow crafters. I'm not sure if I will do this because I'm not sure if anyone will participate, but if you are interested please leave a comment!

I hope to hear from you!

Natalie

just what I needed...

...a weekend in the wilderness with Alex. First we went to my aunt + uncle's cabin (which is just a really nice house) in the mountains near Andrews, NC. It was just the break we needed from the city, and the view is to die for. Also, there is nothing like drinking a glass of wine after a home cooked meal watching the sun set over the mountains. It may just be my favorite place in the world, largely because of the night sky. I didn't even realize you could see that many stars (or the milky way!) with the naked eye. It is truly breathtaking, and luckily Alex agreed.

 

 

 

(ignore the grill in the middle of the room...)

Alex liking to relax in a different way, we headed to Smokey Mountains National Park for a hike and camp. Alex doesn't like to be comfortable, and he really likes to challenge himself a bit too much. We got there pretty late so only got to hike about 6 miles, but it was nice and the camping was of course great. I did almost fall of a cliff (until Alex caught me) because a hornet got caught between me and my pack and stung me, so I tried to take my pack off, forgetting it was connected to my hips too. Lesson: a 25 lb. pack will throw you down a cliff if you're not careful. Unfortunately I wasn't able to take any pictures on the trail because I never hike with my D40, but there are a couple from the drive back through the park.

 

 

Now I'm going to enjoy a nice break at home while being very tired and sore from the mostly up hill hike from yesterday. I'm hoping to have some craftiness soon, and if not, I will at least stop by to say hello.

peace.

Natalie

ho hum

It has been pleasantly quiet around here today. The boys are off to Virginia and I'm enjoying some down time. Having the house pretty much complete (besides having to clean up after the boys), it is much easier to relax now. I hoping this will give me time to start some new projects and get the ball rolling again.

Looking forward to taking it easy with a glass of wine and a movie... or a couple glasses and a couple friends.. we'll see.

All for now, more soon.
N

finally moved in!

I'm sorry about the lack of blogging this past couple months. Moving has really taken it's toll. Luckily yesterday, we finally finished getting the house livable. I asked people to come over, and that was just the incentive we needed to get the house finished! It was nice having people over at the new place. It was so nice outside we barely left the back yard! We have a backyard! It's great. Now I am looking forward to getting out the sewing machine and getting back to work... after a little relaxation first :)

You can't really see much here, but it is our garden. We have planted tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, jalapenos, cucumbers, green beans, onions, green peppers, red, peppers, yellow peppers... and I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Also, you will notice Alex's cute fence he made to keep the dog out. He made it from bamboo stalks found in the trash and twine. Gotta love a free all natural fence!


This is my little part of the yard. I put together the horribly uneven checkerboard style patio, and spray painted our old metal chairs. I think they turned out nice, it just kind of looks like a kindergarten room!


My boys are also loving the new place. Motown sleeps on the back of the couch in the window all day. I've also been spoiling him with kitty crack toys, which he loves. I even got him a cat leash. He's not too fond of it right now, but I think he will learn that that's the only way he can go outside.

That's all for now. Hopefully I will have some projects to share with you soon.

Take care,
N

busy birthday girl

I'm sorry for the unexpected almost month long break from the blog. I went on the canoe trip, then we moved, and then my birthday happened, and Alex's mother came in town. It's been a bit hectic around here.

First of all the canoe trip was pretty good. We got rained out a bit... or a lot. There was a huge thunderstorm and the river flooded so bad they had to close it. Luckily we got 1 good day of canoeing and 2 great nights hanging out with beer and cards. I don't know about you but the nights are my favorite part about camping. Luckily our friend Erik brought a huge tarp and a bunch of rope, so we were able to hang out at night during the storms, instead of going back to our tents and spending the whole evening alone. It was a pretty nice setup.

You will notice it was car camping, which is not our favorite thing to do, but we had some first time campers with us. I think the storm scared them away for good.

In other news, my birthday was great. Alex's mom took me to get a manicure/pedicure in the morning (I haven't had a french mani/pedi in years!) which was so relaxing. Just what I needed. Then Alex took me to the Zen Garden, which is a vegetarian restaurant. After that, a lovely birthday nap. In the evening I had a great dinner with my parents and Alex at the Red Rover, an Irish restaurant. Finally some good friends came over and we had a blast. All in all... maybe the best birthday ever : )

More soon,
Natalie