Busy, busy, busy!

Whoa! I can't believe it has been a month since my last post. Now another holiday weekend is upon us. All I can say is that this summer has been busy, but in a good way.

I've done some solo antique shopping in Lewisburg, WV and found some gorgeous, vintage fabrics and antique sewing notions to bring home. Mom and I took the little ladies to a huge quilt show in Columbus organized by the National Quilting Association. And I've had several weekend getaways to step away from my sewing machine and gain a little perspective while getting some much needed sunshine with my crew.

So, I've got loads of inspiration and so many project ideas in my head. But I've also managed quite a bit of time in my studio as well because I have a DEADLINE!

I'll be sharing some of my fabric designs and latest projects for Marietta's Merchant and Artist Walk on Friday, July 8, from 6 to 9 p.m. Teri Ann's at 290 Front Street has graciously offered to host my work for the evening. The ladies at Teri Ann's are incredible, so I'm excited just to spend some time with them amongst their closet of luxe ladies' wear. But I am anxious to get some feedback on the fabrics, dresses and the "Arrow-Fold" napkins I've designed.

Here is a sneak peek of one thing I'll be bringing that night. I whipped up some fabric flower pins out of the Honeysuckle Rose fabric. I'll have a few things for sale, so please stop by to say hello—I'd love to hear your ideas on ways to use custom fabric!

Inspiration is contagious.

The thought of writing a blog really hadn't really crossed my mind before now. Okay, after watching Julie and Julia—I considered it briefly, but didn't believe the kids would actually eat beef bourguignon.

I have been so inspired by friends who are stretching themselves to be more and documenting their lives. Subscribing to design*sponge has reminded me how important it is to look at other people's work—even if it is an entirely different medium. The inspiration generates so many new ideas.

Already, I've found that inspiration to be quite contagious. One dear friend said that after taking a hiatus from her blog, she's excited to come back to it and have a buddy to talk about the technical stuff.

I shared the site with Brownie last night, showing her how all the links connect to other pages, such as fabric on spoonflower and my very, empty Etsy shop. Her eyes lit up when she asked, "Can I make something to sell on your Etsy page?"

So, today I'll include a watercolor painting by my favorite brown-haired girl.
It is a sunset (not over the ocean, but a rolling green field). I should have had her give it a title. Expect to see more from this one—quite possibly on Etsy.

T-Mobile Dresses

T-Mobile has me hooked! But I couldn't care less about their myTouch 4-G phone. It is the pink dresses in the latest advertising campaign that have me talking! Am I the only one who is completely crazy for every pink dress worn by T-Mobile's latest spokesmodel, Carly Foulkes?

After Googling the lively, magenta-white-striped, tea dress, I discovered that I am not alone! Apparently, there has been quite a frenzy in cyberspace about who made the dress and where to find one.

According to the LA Times, the standout pink-and-white dress was a custom-made, vintage-silhouette-inspired dress designed by Debra LeClair, the stylist who worked on the campaign and photo shoot. So they are not available for purchase ANYWHERE! Marc Jacobs has a similar style, but it is black and grey—not nearly as spunky as the bubble gum pink!

As if the striped beauty weren't enough, they keep bringing out more! The polka dot number is super cute, but I think the floral sundress may be my most favorite.

Since there has been such interest online, I wonder if some Nikety knock-offs might sell on Etsy (or fit in my closet)!

And so it begins…

To further my effort to be the best possible version of myself, I've decided to start a blog. I'm not a writer nor do I usually have much to say. I know people who use more minutes on their cell phone than I actually speak each month. Even my rollover minutes have rollover minutes. So why blog?

I'd like to share my creative projects with others. Feedback from family and friends has always been a big boost for me. I swear Grandma is the biggest fan of my work and I wish I had a dollar for every time I'd been asked if I made the dress I'm wearing. I'd love to expand that to include some online friends who are working on similar projects or be noticed by some other (read: more impressive) blogs.

This is a personal challenge to be more creative every day. Between four kids and a full time job, some days just slip by. Hopefully, this will be a daily (or weekly) reminder to stick with it—just keep creating. Sometimes I get to enjoy an afternoon at my sewing machine, other days I might only have time to try a new recipe. I feel most like me, when I'm creating and I hope this blog will add some accountability. At least I'll see something accumulate for time spent.

I hope it will be an inspiration for my creative kids. Last night, Brownie painted a lovely sunset with watercolors and informed me that she would like to have an "art area" in her room. Blondie repaints her nails every night and helped sew herself a wild, floral skirt. The Boy is certainly crafty in his own way, just not in the glue-gun sense. He is always happy to test any culinary creations. C put pink streaks in her hair and is talking about going to design school. How cool is that?! I want to encourage each of them to keep creating.

It will be an excellent creative portfolio and form of record keeping. So many times I'm reminded of something I've made in the past and wish I had a photo of it. I wish I had pictures of all the little dresses I made for the girls when they were small. I've made so many bridesmaid and flowergirl dresses. My tastes and talents have transformed over the years too. I went through a doll-making phase in my teens and even made some teddy bears at one point.

So, I'm adding one more thing to my to-do list. Feedback is always appreciated.