Getting Ready for Cali

I stitched the tote together this morning, just have to finish off the straps.  It will be perfect for the plane AND the beach for our southern California trip coming up next month.  I will add a little scotch guard just for extra protection.  I also made some JaKoozies for the girls on the trip they they can sport their drinks in style.  I found the iron on lettering which adds some personalization. 

Pretty in Pink

I got a little carried away with the pink for a travel tote, but tried to tone it down with some brown accents. I have had my eye on the pink & white hounds tooth fabric for a while and wondered what I could marry it with. There’s no question that this is a summer accessory, perfect for those who like to change it up season to season. I’ve also added a larger interior pocket to support an average size netbook laptop and also small pockets for ipods, cell phones and that handy pen. More finished pics to come soon.

Laptop Tote

I finished up my first laptop tote that fits up to a 17” laptop. Exterior pockets are perfect for cords & accessories, while the interior pockets are perfect for a starby’s card. I included a ribbon loop to latch keys onto (or a convenient pen). I think that the knife edge pleat will work better than a box for a more snug fit for a sleek laptop.

More fabrics….more projects

I went shopping this afternoon for fabrics for 2 new totes.  I had some Amy Butler in reserve, but picked up some more at the local fabric store.  They are in the washer and will be ready for creation tomorrow, more pics to follow.

 

  

Ending the weekend & the outdoor projects

We finally finished the chairs!!  Whew, just in time to enjoy them before the sun went down.  I also painted over a “colorful” mural that was painted on the house by the previous owners.  It is now a dark stone color to accent the slate (as seen pictured above behind the chimnea).  Just when we sat down to enjoy the new chairs, we discovered we weren’t the only ones relaxing….

Out of the studio & into the garden…..

It’s that time of year again, I have been out of the studio and in the backyard taking advantage of the cool spring time weather. We bought a couple of lawn chairs online and thought to give them more personality then just “white”. Our deck is a dark cherry stain, and we thought this avocado green would accent them nicely. They needed two coats of grey primer & two coats of finish paint….so this has been an all weekend process. I also have some solid plum fabric for accent pillows that will bring out the new flower colors in the garden.

I have started up the garden bed again, including tomato, basil & pepper plants. If this summer turns into a scorcher I will need to rig some sort of shade structure above them. We also adopted two large aloe vera plants to accessorize our patio with. Hopefully we’ll be able to wrap up a few of these projects today, so I can play in the studio next weekend.

More Spring Pillows on the Way

It’s been a successful month in the pillow department, so time to bring in some new styles to replace inventory.  These floral, organic & mod pillows will hit the shop soon but here’s a preview…..

 

Behind the pillows are new fabrics for summer scarves.  I’m playing around with the size between a long or short scarf, I’ll keep you posted.

Also, new summer jakoozies are around the corner with a new and improved design.  I’ve enlarged the overall length slightly, and mirrored one of the slant edges so now it makes a more comfortable overlap.  Great for venti ice teas as well!

Design Sponge

If you haven't seen this website yet, and you like handmade, it's a must. I especially like the interior design pics of the before & after: http://www.designspongeonline.com/category/before-and-after. There is so much personality in these designs.