Just a quick post as I'm off to hang out with the family. I made this tote for a co-worker friend of mine. I picked her name for our gift exchange. I thought it would be nice to make something instead of buying something. She almost cried when she opened the present, that was so sweet. When I told her that I made it, she stopped talking and gave me a huge hug. Aaawwwww...
I have been MIA from this part of my life. The job has been taking up all of my time and energy these last few days. However we have from today until the New Year off, which is great because I need a break from all the madness even though I already know that the first 2 months of 2008 will be crazy as heck. I surely plan to spend the last few days of this year relaxing, recollecting, spending time with my family and getting some use of the other side of my brain. I do have new creations to show which I am super excited about. I plan to post images and write about them within the next few days. Stay tuned!
This statement helps ground me and helps me remember to stop making excuses, especially when it comes to the creative side of my life. I think I have the day to day of my "real" job down. I mean, there are bumps in the road for sure but nothing I lose sleep on. The creative side, however - meaning this blog, my shop and any other creative work that I try to accomplish, has many many bumps. And I really do make up a lot of reasons and excuses for not being consistent, for never being good enough and for procrastinating. As I'm making resolutions for 2008, this phrase will serve as my guide and my inspiration. Thanks Mati.
My birthday falls right smack during the holidays. As a kid, it always sucked cuz I never received separate presents for christmas and my birthday. As an adult, it still kinda sucks cuz a lot of my friends are out of town and for some reason it always rains on my birthday, or at least it has for the last few years. But I'm not here to complain. I'm here to list things that I am currently coveting 'cuz as you may know I do fall in love with objects.
Paint By Numbers Clock by Umbra. I love, love, love it! I first saw it in a store in Sonoma, CA. Then I spotted it again at the SFMOMA store. 
I need a new machine! Janome Sewist 521I finally got off my bum and decided that I'm going to sew today. Alas, Murphy's law kicked in and my Singer decided to break. I think it's time for a new one. I don't know if I've written about this before but a friend of mine actually gave me this machine. It's her mom's old one and has been sitting in her basement for years. I gladly took if off her hands and brought it to the shop to get tuned and repaired. It has worked well for me for the past 2 years and it will last for many more years to come. However, I think that instead of spending more moolah to get it repaired again, it'll be more cost efficient to buy a new one. It'll make for a great combined Christmas/Birthday present for me, hint hint ;).
Luckily my sis in-law actually bought a machine from a garage sale a few months back and decided to leave it in our house. I can use that for now until I get a brand new spanking one. Ok back to sewing.
I've been vintage shopping a lot lately, be it for clothes, shoes, purses, furniture and other knick knacks. I pick up a lot of stuff because they are hard to pass up, I fall in love with objects and can't let them go. Yes I have that problem. However, I've filled my closet with so much stuff that it's getting ridiculous so I've decided to sell some of my finds in my shop. These are the first 3 things that I've let go. Hope you fall in love with them too.
I've been cooking more often lately, which makes the hubby happy. Maybe it's because of our inspired + inspiring kitchen. Whatever the case may be, I made a feast last weekend. I woke up that Sunday morning with one thought in my mind: cioppino. So I set out to our old 'hood, the Richmond, and bought lots and lots of seafood. I just have to say, even though it means that I have to toot my own horn, that it turned out fabulously. So fabulous in fact that I am already planning on making it for my in-laws when they come to visit us over the holidays.
Yesterday, I made pizza with tomatoes, sausage, pancetta and mushrooms. I also bought some pomegranate which is a first. I had to go online to find out how to open it. It is yum! We will definitely buy more before the season is over.
On to other things, I've started to organize the sewing room a bit more so that I can actually start sewing in there. I purposely wanted an open cabinet so that I will be forced to keep it organized and it's also a good way to display my collections of fabric, ceramics and art. This is not the final home of the prints, this is the for now location until I get the time to hang them up on the opposite wall.
Prints from L-R: Mati Rose's Sounds of Silence, theblackapple's Miss Cupcake, Lisa Congdon's Birch Tree, thrifted vintage botanical trio, theblackapple's Acorn Twins, theblackapple's Appledress Girl.
A really quick post cuz I really should be working :). We entered our home into the Apartment Therapy fall colors contest. Granted I know these are not the best pictures but we realized that we would have missed the deadline if we didn't take photos right at that moment.
Anyways, please visit and vote! More later.
Finally, it's here the long awaited (by me, at least) shop update! I've managed to produce 3 new yoga mat bags yay! I have more on the way but who knows how long that will be? They are now available at my shop. I especially love the red one, I've also made it so that the fabric lining inside contrasts with the outer fabric. Small things like this make me happy. 
Like I mentioned, this is a bit of a big deal for me. I'm posting the first picture of myself on my blog. I wanted to make sure I followed-up with all the talk that I did in the previous post so here I am. I didn't let myself back out. I'm working on the quality of the photo. This was taken with the camera propped on the kitchen counter using a self timer. I think we have a tripod somewhere, gotta find it. Also, in the morning I am always in a hurry cuz I'm always running late so.. anyway enough excuses. Here I am.
i appreciate this post found over at bits and bobbins. it is good to be reminded once in a while to be true to who you are. i've always struggled with this ever since i was young. we have to be honest, as human beings we are always influenced by what's happening around us. it is just now that i'm older, more matured that i am finally finding my own self. i'm starting to learn not to care what other people think, or even knowing that other people are not even really paying that much attention. i'm learning to just dress up how i want, with what i'm comfortable in and with what i think looks good on me. i still falter many times, of course but i think what's important is that i try.
i joined the wardrobe_remix group on flickr. i intend to start contributing to this group soon. i admire all these men and women who put themselves out there. i tend to be on the shy side so this'll be a big step. as you may have noticed, i don't really like to show my face on my blog so this is also sort of a little "coming out". at the same time, i think it's a good way to display my recent thrift store purchases. i've made several trips in the last few months and have found a few good things, some of them for mere pennies. i'm addicted!
Sunday was pleasant. I spent a few hours with Mati at her studio. I met her studio mates, we had yummy croissant on their rooftop and I showed her a thing or two about sewing machines. Afterwards, the hubby and I went to Ikea to continue our furniture hunt. We weren't too lucky on the furniture front but we found some dish towels, a duvet cover and a few lampshades. The find of the day, however, are these wonderful Matryoshka dolls. I yelped with glee when I saw them and I swear the people around me were looking at me like I was crazy.
The baby doll was still asleep, I didnt want to wake her up :p.Every weekend, I tell myself that I am going to finish making yoga mat bags out of that pile of cut and ready to go fabric that's been sitting in my sewing room for weeks. However, every weekend something else comes up. One of those "things that have come up" is this cute little thing:
