Big Friday Fun!

I finished up the messenger today and the little card wallet design I had been working on this week. I am pretty darn pleased with both! I cut out a couple card wallets just because I thought it would be nice to offer a few smaller wallets in my store again. I think I may want to add a snap flap to a few down the line for those of us who are concerned about losing our cards. I know I am pretty darn paranoid about losing my stuff when it comes down to it and perhaps a snappy closure will make me feel more secure:)

Today is the big dude's 39th birthday and we are planning a very small but fun celebration for him this evening. Apparently we will be heading out to one of our local bar/eating establishments to say goodbye to one of Mark's co-workers, then home for homemade sushi and chocolate cake balls! THEN........ we get to watch Jaws with our cold and frothy beers gripped tightly in our hands. Hopefully, Ciaran and Ed will be merciful enough to sleep well tonight. Little stinkers have been eating up all my sleepy time this week! O.K. got to get movin', have a fabulous weekend all!

Tired, Tired, Tired

I can't believe that I am still awake at this hour. No sleep last night and I must push myself to work today so I can get the messenger bag that I am working on done, plus I have to finish up a wallet to go with it. Luckily I have enough coffee to make it through the day. Just wish I had some chocolate to go with it. Maybe some will magically appear in the pantry if I wish hard enough:) The only thing keeping me going right now is that the messenger bag is turning out to be really very nice and now I am wanting to put the one I cut out for myself together like RIGHT NOW! I can't wait to work with the beautiful turquoise suede! It is just gorgeous, I think it will make a really lovely, sturdy bag. Hopefully, I will get to put it together while Ed is still in diapers.

Springy has Sprungy!

And we are all a flutter out this way. Lots of plans and schemes but most will have to wait until I get this cold out of my head. As you can see above Imogene is feeling that Spring Fever. She almost made it all the way out of her habitat the other day, luckily, I looked over just before she fell out onto the floor! Actually, she probably would have fallen right into one of Mark's boots that is right under the cage!

So our little family has had access to a car the last couple of weeks so many errands and little adventures have taken place. We got to visit the beach, the forest, the mall, and lots of other places. Our most memorable adventures were watching Ciaran play in the sand at Trinidad State Beach, and playing fetch with a donkey on the way home from the park they other day. Most of our time seemed to be spent doing things that we don't usually get to do, this time around we went shopping for a little stroller for Edolie so I can save my back! I have been carrying the little girlie in a carrier for the last few months and I am finding that I am getting quite a work out from carrying her about, it is killing my back! Finally, last night we found a lightweight collapsible stroller and will be happily parading about town today to pick up some dinner, and sewing supplies. It will be nice just to get out of the house and enjoy the sunshine.

This week is going to be a busy one! I am making a messenger bag, a new wallet design, and trying to get a bunch of coin pouches and wallets sewn up and ready to go so I can get my busy-ness restarted. I am just itching to get back to creating full time! I really do need to get things going now. So that's my plan for this week. I am also in the process of re-organizing my sewing space and clearing a lot of clutter out of our house just to make things a little easier for all of us. We tend to trip over each other most of the time so I hope to remedy that by a little Spring cleaning. Last year's goals kind of fell through the cracks with all of our various illnesses, and being way too pregnant to do much of anything. I have much more hope for this spring. We will see what this queen of clutter can do to get things in order. It's going to be a very interesting experiment.

Bubbling and Boiling

yes, things are bubbling, brewing, and boiling over here in my secret laboratory. Mostly in my head at the moment. The ideas are fighting with a nasty cold I picked up somewhere this week. Ciaran's got it too, so no sleep for me the last few nights, which is making me a very grouchy lady. I am using my "grouchy time" to draw up new designs and reconfigure old ones. Since my eyes are pretty much a wreck when my sinuses are all messy and wrong, I don't do much as far as sewing. I do however, do lots of drawing, cutting and gluing. I managed to plow my way through a pile of coin pouches and wallets yesterday and once my head is a bit clearer, I plan to sew, sew, sew and get these babies listed!

I am also collecting more and more for my collar project. I was going through my stash this morning and thought I would snap a pic, just so I could show you all what I have going on. I forgot how much I love antique and vintage items, so full of mystery. I am crossing my fingers that I can finish up the initial collection of antique beads and baubles by the end of the month so I can get this show on the road. I am still looking for the perfect black buttons for closures, a bunch of little teeny tiny black beads, and a handful of beaded trim and applique, then it's full steam ahead!(here's to hoping anyways!)

The Start of Things

So, this piece is one I started many, many, moons ago and finally dug up the other night. Its a lovely piece of embossed black leather with embroidery that I added a bit of lace too. It is soon to studded with little garnet diamonds and sterling silver seed beads and some antique buttons to add a little zip to the closure. I am very excited at the possibilities and I will be using some of the beads, baubles, and lace that I have been furiously hunting for in a series of cuffs and collars along the same lines. This is a different path for me to walk down so I am crossing my fingers that I am up to the challenge. I look forward to showing off the successes and/or failures soon.

What I'm Doing Today

My list for today is not very long or very interesting but I will share it anyways. Of course all of my projects are very exciting to me, but maybe not to everyone so I will not go on forever about the perfect pieces of leather and suede I have picked out and the madness that the new glue I am using is causing me. Instead I will just make you a list

1. Searching for more beads and baubles, the whole mourning collar thing has turned into a series of them and now I must prepare!

2. Gluing together some wonderful leather projects for some wonderful people. A pair of booties, a a new wristlet(to replace the one I ruined earlier in the week)

3. Going out on the town to search high and low for some storage for our apartment and thrift store antique shop lurking. I am thinking that I want to collect a few antique knick knacks to have around my work space to inspire me.

Thats it! No big plans, just Saturday stuff. I'll report back with my finds and results if I do find anything or have any results:)

Itchy Madness

Hives are a funny thing. I just seem to get them sporadically, out of the blue, not sure what sets them off but right now I have them EVERYWHERE! This time they started out behind my ears, spread throughout my hair and face and now they are all down my back and arms. I can't think of what I might have eaten or been exposed to that would set them off at the moment. It's a good thing that we are staying in today, otherwise I might scare the good people of Arcata with my splotches and bumps. Have an un-itchy and fun weekend everyone:)

What Do I Do With Myself?

Two small children actually taking a nap at the same time. This hasn't happened....well, since before there were two small children in this household. Yipee! I may have 10 to 15 minutes to work on something. I better get off this computer while I can!

Wow, Where Have I Been?

I just realized that I had not bloggity- blogged in a long time. I guess all that new baby stuff and just living have taken over for the meanwhile. I am still here, just a little busy with entertaining and caring for Baby Edolie and her big brother Ciaran, and trying to use most of my "downtime" to work on various projects and try out some new hobbies. I recently rediscovered my interest in working with herbs and am trying to make some infused oils. One of which I ruined yesterday, but oh well, it's all a learning experience I suppose.

I am trying to keep up with my shops, but it is slow going at the moment. However, I am finishing up things a few at a time and listing whenever I get the chance to take photos, which isn't very often right now. I am just happy to be chugging along no matter how slowly at the moment. I am just enjoying. Very many, very wise people have told me just to enjoy this time with my children, you never get it back. That is how I am looking at all of life right now. Just trying to enjoy each day no matter how it turns out(even though the last two days have been full of clumsiness and no sleep!) I can't help but feel really, very lucky these days, especially with all that is going on out there in the world.

I have had no sleep for the last few nights and I'm feeling kind of off, but in a giggly, silly way. I keep knocking stuff over, losing my balance and running into things(remnants of my bout with vertigo I think)and breaking everything I touch. So today is" get a free coffee day" at the mall with the kiddos and my mom. I am printing out my coupon as I write this!(Thanks Borders!) I have three wonderful projects ready to be put together on my table and I don't want to screw anything up so I will be taking yet another break from sewing until I walk more than two steps without breaking something. Hopefully, I don't pour my incredibly steamy cup of goodness all down the front of me at the mall today. If that happens, I am going back to bed permanently until this spell is over!