The Left Me All Alone.

So I worked on things. I worked on some wallets and FINALLY listed one. I decided to try out some white with purple and black and OH YUMMY!->

Then I dyed some shirts a lovely deep lilac color. After that I juggled some heavy duty diaper washing and a seek and destroy mold mission. I can smell it! Just gotta find it and kill it! I have a strong suspicion that the moldiness is what is killing mine and the kiddos noses and eyes. This means a whole lot of wall furniture, and toy washing. Not to mention clothes, shoes, and anything else that exists in the back of the house.

Now, while I wait for my next creation to finish drying, and my homemade lasagna to heat up, I am having a homemade tea latte and watching something kind of paranormal on the television. Feels like heaven! I love my family but I sure do treasure my alone time, it makes me feel all happy and fluttery inside. The relaxing part doesn't hurt either:)

New Leather! Time to Play!

I got some lovely leather from my sister in the most unusual embossed patterns and now I am up for the handbag challenge. My goal is to design just a few handbag designs and get them out there. I am so inspired now. I also got a box full of brightly colored leather clothing from a very good friend of mine and now I have even more to play with. My first project is going to be my messenger/diaper bag out of the brightest blue suede. I have been playing with my applique designs recently, just to liven things up a bit and I am finding that I really like what is happening. It feels much more like painting to me and I can get pretty crazy with shapes and colors which is all the fun in the world. So far I have made some billfolds but I am furiously sewing up some travel wallets as well. I will post more pictures as I finish up! I love it when I feel inspired! Thanks Seesa and Kathy! You guys rock!

First Nap in The Big Boy Bed

Ciaran's first nap in the big boy bed! Hopefully he is o.k. with it. I am slowly cleaning out his room so it is all his. I don't want him to feel shunned once little Ed comes to stay. I am keeping my eyes peeled for animal illustrations, kites, and all sorts of decorations to make his room really fun for him. My first decorative purchase will be a map of the world. Since his dad and I are hoping to get this family on the go once Ed is here and situated. I have only left the country once, but I am so hooked! We want Ciaran and Ed to see more than just Arcata in their lifetimes, so a traveling we will go. Hopefully, I will have the energy to keep up with everyone.

Besides big boy bed and decorating fun, I have been cutting out a lot of pieces to stock up and prepare for Fall when I will be taking a short maternity leave with Ed. I just need to get to sewing and preparing in other ways too. This year I am being smart and ordering my supplies early. I also found a huge box of misprinted business cards that I will be re-decorating with my logo and my online information. That makes it a little easier to afford all the hardware for my wallets and the few baby items we still need to get for Ed. So that's it for now. I feel a little more prepared each day. Just got to keep myself in check.

Now I Can Relax!

I spent the morning at the Doctor's office getting the lowdown on my high blood sugar and what I need to do to control it. Basically diet and exercise should do the trick but I still need to test my blood sugar many times a day to keep track of what is going on with my body. No sweat, I am a pro, I had the same exact problem with Ciaran too. Now I am back at home and just relaxing while the boy gets a much needed nap. I think I will cut out some wallets to pass the time! I just listed this one in my artfire studio! I think I like it!

Two New Things

Just finished these yesterday evening. I am pretty happy with both. I tried some new color themes and design elements and they seem pretty successful to me. I got up early once again to work on a project for a very special person and I LOVE IT! I think my special person will be happy once they see it. It is in the softest deep purple suede with a super cool applique design. I am also finishing up a hot pink wallet that I have had sitting on my table forever! Then on to finish up a collar, two cuffs, another little messenger wallet, and stuff for my show in November. Yes, I am doing the Ink People Center for the Arts Holiday Gift Fair again this year. If all goes well, I will have baby Ed in my arms the whole time and lots of stuff to share. Most people think I am crazy trying to do a show a month after my second child is born, but it's like my holiday tradition and I can't not be a part. That would be just wrong! I am working hard to stock up the shelves and get all the other stuff done now so I can just pack up my wares, go, set-up, and sell instead of the traditional week of panic that usually takes place. Wish me luck!

Building up my Shops

So, after this weekend, I should be able to concentrate on strictly building up the inventory in my shops. I am thinking about cancelling my icraft shop and just concentrating on Etsy and artfire for now. I just need a spot for my handbags for now, and that's what I am doing with icraft. I love the site, but I spend way more time on the other two. Although, I have promised myself that I will work strictly on leather bags, since the fabric ones don't do very well for me. So, I will be finishing up the few custom orders that I have and a couple of other projects(collars, belts, etc.) so I can get a bunch of wallets, cuffs, and etc. cut out and ready to put together. My plan is to be prepared for the arrival of baby Ed(that's her new name) and the holiday season this year, so I am starting now. I want to get my already established designs ready to go so I can focus my time in the early Fall on a couple of new ones, mainly guitar straps and belts, and a few smaller items. I hope to have lots of pictures of my progress to share over the next few weeks, wish me luck. Happy Fourth of July all! Enjoy your festivities!

New Designs or More of the Same?

That is what my dilemma is this week. I am all done with crazy paperwork stuff and moving on to some intensive sewing projects. Mainly for me, I am in desperate need of bigger, stretchier clothes these days, has something to do with that whole being pregnant again thing. (Yes, I finally get to spill the beans! thirteen and a half weeks and excited, nervous, happy, overwhelmed, and of course sicker than a dog:) So I will be making a couple of skirts for myself, and a top or two. Should be fun. I miss sewing for myself. So, finding the time to sew for myself on top of stocking up my shops, and coming up with new designs is a bit much right now. I am pretty happy with the designs I have established already, but I always want to challenge myself more. So I continually think of improvements or new designs. It's driving me bonkers! I guess I will take the day to clean-up, organize, and get those thoughts all put in place in my head. I am sure I will eventually come to a decision..............and then I will probably change my mind...........again!

A Little Time Alone!

My two um "latest" billfold designs that I accidentally forgot to list way back when, hope you like them!

Mark took the kiddo to run errands so I get to hang out and relax for a few. I have decided to split my time between making a new cuff and perusing Etsy for new tee-shirts. I am itching for some interesting clothing right now! I hope I find something I can't live without. I hope to have the new cuff up and listed by Monday. I am really having fun with it:)

Back To Real Life?

I hope so anyways. This week has been hard. We have been through a death, a funeral, my first years worth of taxes, a traumatic Dr.'s appointment for Mr. Ciaran (and his mom), and my stomach is still in knots. I have been on the verge of puking the entire week. For a week that started out so fantastic, with Ciaran's 2nd Birthday, it kind of went down the crapper Tuesday morning. I did manage to get some other things done during my dying kitty vigil. A new wallet design and a few other pieces that I needed to get finished up. I am glad it's all over and look forward to our dinner with Grammy and Grampy tomorrow. Steak and more cake! The only way to go. This time gooey chocolate cake with lots of fudgy frosting and perhaps some coconut on top!

The New Kid on The Block

Here is the newest member of our family. My new machine. My old machine is now reclining on the couch ready for her much deserved vacation. I got to play around a bit last night and ended up making two wallets and starting on a third. It is nice to have a machine with a bit of a punch to it. Not that my viking wasn't powerful. I love that machine but she needs a little love to get back to her old self. So now there are two and I love them both! I tried not to get too much of my messy sewing table in the picture. I have a huge pile of patterns and other little pieces of info that need to be filed away somewhere. I hate organizing!

Here is my first wallet from my new machine. I love deep green suede. It is so purty! I wish I had more of it to play with. I got a great idea for an applique with some of it. It will be very inspired by the redwood forest. I hope it turns out as good as it looks in my mind.

So now it is back to finishing the little devil's accessories for Halloween and finishing up a couple of wallets to list in my Etsy and icraft shops. But first!............more coffee! Have a great day all!

My Newest Custom Order

The end of the week has brought a successful finish to my latest custom order. It was really fun to put together. I love a challenge and it was quite a challenge sewing a teeny ohm sign onto this little wallet. It turned out beautifully though and I am glad. I hope it's new owner will be happy with it:)

It has been a long and crazy week full of terminally ill kitties, tantruming toddlers, and other shenanigans. Now that it is winding down, I am looking forward to a weekend of pumpkin patch exploring, and festival going. I need to get out of the house, get my mind on other things, and wrap my head around what is really going on here. I need to sort out a new schedule for Ciaran and I, and get cracking on more stuff! I just want to be as efficient as possible, especially with Humbug needing a lot of extra care for the rest of her time here. I am sure it will all work out but I at least want to have a plan, a plan will just make me feel better. It's that safety thing, just having some grasp on what is happening next...........even though what I plan and what actually happens could be two totally different things. Ah the unexpected! Surprises me every time:)