While Supplies Last

Well, I finally did it. I put something that I made out there in exchange for cold hard cash. Expect some updates in the next few days as I get better pictures and descriptions written – but for now the shop is open. I posted some cards and a few bags. I have a couple more bags to post and some infant clothing, cause it's so darn cute.



I am totally open to suggestions and advice. I have horrible spelling so if you notice something like that please let me know.

Here's to selling your craft!

Low budget aged models for hire

Here, at work, we create things that promote the newspaper
a lot of the time we are the model and the designer and the printer and even the consumer.

This is me modeling the paper for an Newspaper in Education ad. Don't laugh but I'm supposed to be a 'teen'...OK laugh. At least I remembered to take my wedding ring off.



Happy Tuesday!

What to do?

I found these quilted squares at an antique store on my birthday a couple weeks ago.





I love the vintage fabric and the wonderful pieceing together. There is not one bit of excess fabric here. Even some of the center pieces are made of two smaller scraps.


Here you can see that the center square is hand stitched and the corner pieces are sewn with a machine.





There are eight of them and when I first picked them up I thought about how great they'd look in the center of a child's top or pieced into one of the totes that I am making for the shop. But now after having them here for a while I'm not sure what to do.

To me, quilting is the ultimate in practical fine art. Quilts that are created out of scraps, pieced together over many days with creative hands result in a quilt that is a blend of memories. Memories of the fabric from a girl's dress or the new kitchen curtains stitched up together into something warm and soft – often used until it falls apart.



I sort of feel like these squares belong together. Maybe I'm just overly sentimental about the whole thing but take it from me, no one takes the time to piece together scrap fabric in a decorative square so it can just sit there and be forgotten. Perhaps it was a demonstration, maybe a teacher's sample. Maybe they just need to be used for something, anything.

Anyway, I'm trying to figure out how to use these squares and I thought I'd share that with you. Anyone have any ideas?

Back to craft

It's time to get back to craft!
I have the fabric lined up an ready to go.



My Internet cruising has been mostly to this beautiful blog lately It's been such an inspiration to me. I spend much too much time daydreaming at work about going home and sewing something.

The sun is slowly coming back from it's winter vacation and I am gearing up to start something new.

These bags and more will be available at my Etsy shop in March.



I've sold very few things that I've made over the years and I don't know what makes me think that I can sell anything, I much prefer to give my work away.
I don't really want to face the possible rejection but after thinking about it for a while I decided that being vulnerable and facing 'gasp' no interest there will be something to learn...so that's my goal here...TO LEARN and to expand my creative consciousness, that's the whole point right?

Month 420

And now I'd like to hand this blog over to my Mother who granted my request for my 420th month gift. I am envious of those kids who's Mom's record their lives from such a loving point of view so, I asked her if she would write my post and she did.

I've also included some photos from this year that I'd file under "be yourself"

Thanks Mom, I love you very much!

Month 420 - by Klay's Mom, Cathi




I have a glass pig about 20” long and 32” around its middle. Thank goodness it is lightweight and hollow because about two weeks before Klay was born I found it in a department store and had to have it.



I carried it home, 9 months pregnant, on the bus. With all our moves over the years, I could have decided to get rid of it. But, I have quite an attachment to that pig. I look at it and am immediately transported back to that moment. I remember thinking I was crazy to think I could carry it home when it doubled the amount of space I was already taking up on the bus with my big tummy. Somehow, I overrode the voice in my head, threw caution to the wind, and bought the pig! I remember the slightly bemused look on the salesperson’s face when I brought it up to the counter and she discovered that I planned to carry it home with me.



It represents the successful culmination of a somewhat difficult pregnancy and the beginning of something new and wonderful. (Note to Klay: remember this when you are in the position of having to decide what to get rid of when I am gone.)

When you are pregnant, you don’t always think about what it will be like when your child is an adult. But, they do grow up and have lives of their own. Somehow, I was wise enough to figure out quite early in my children’s lives that the true test of good parenting would be to see your children leading happy, successful, responsible adult lives. I know there were many times I probably didn’t even closely approximate the perfect mother, but I think keeping the big picture in my head helped guide those times when life was challenging.


Mom and Holly

I look at the kind, loving, creative Klay and I see in her those days when she was so very young and so very determined. She definitely marched to the beat of her own drummer from her first breath. She started dressing herself at a very young age and you never knew what she was going to wear. The color and pattern combinations were quite incredible and now I know they were only a small sign of what was to come! As a young adult, the time her hair was shaved ½” long and dyed either neon orange or pink was as individual as it gets. Thank goodness I even had the confidence to help her buy the pink dye.



I admire Klay so much. There have been good times and hard times along the way. But, even at the darkest times, she manages to pick herself up and keep going. The tension between how Klay wants to do something and how the world expects something to be done has always been there. Somehow she manages to maintain a fine balance between compliance and stamping her style on whatever she touches. Everyday she teaches me to be more of myself.

ask and ye shall receive

I knew that my Mom would remember something about that day..
Here it is, thanks Mom!

I took the picture in the early spring of 1977. One of the first days when you could go outside without all the winter clothing on and just wear your coats. You were all very giddy that day, running around like freedom was the greatest thing! You were 5, Laisha was still 4 (almost 5 in June), Andrea was 6 (I think her birthday is also June, but not sure) and Ricky would have just turned 4 in March. You were all so happy that it begged for a photo! This really brings back memories!

Let your awareness rest on your breathe

I read an article last night about surrender. Surrender in the yogic sense is to allow life to flow through you without trying to control it. How do you let go of that little control freak inside of you, editing your thoughts, seemingly choosing your path in life? I don't know. I give up trying to force my life toward something, I give up trying have the right attitude. I am going to let life, the Universe, whatever it is that makes shit happen, take over and see where we land. It can't hurt right? Well I guess it can but not anymore than it does normally.

This photo makes me laugh. What made someone snap it at that particular time? My guess is that we were playing 'hide and seek' or maybe just hanging out on the street – who knows but I'd kill for a Mommy blog about that day. What were our concerns that month? Our miniature milestones, our favorite books or food or friend? (I bet if I asked my Mom she could tell me) I know for me, at that time, it was those 3 other people who made me laugh and cry. Andrea used to run away when I had to go inside to pee – that made me cry, Ricky used to hold my hand – which given this photo kind of makes me feel a little queasy and Laisha made me laugh – oh how we laughed. At what I have no idea and she might not even think the same way but you know that kind of giggling that you just can't control... that's what it was like. How will kids tomorrow look back at the complete history of their early childhood and feel? Will they let go of their inner control freaks trying to 'make things happen' in this world and remember what it was like when life just pushed you around and all you wanted to do was try new things? Terrifying but fun. I think that life should be more like that...maybe. What do you think? Maybe your life is already like that – to that I say congratulations!


Ricky, Andrea, Laisha and Me circa 1977 (I think that we were all about 5ish)

For more on surrender start here.

A day in Mica

I may not have mentioned it here but I am taking a very casual photography class.
Basically we, the class, meet at some location and take pictures for 2 hours and then meet again in two weeks somewhere else and do the whole thing over again.

Last Saturday we met at a working brick factory just southeast of Spokane in a really small town called Mica. It was really industrial and loud and dark and great!

Here is my favorite shot from the day, I took so many pictures (the beauty of digital) The rest can be seen on my flicker account.