mosey handmade

you can find us at our new blog:

2010-05-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

BITSANDBOBBIN

moving day!

2010-03-27T08:54:00.000-07:00

hello loves!

our little corner of the world has moved and is getting a fresh start for spring at:

BITS AND BOBBIN

new batch of hats, new mosey kiddo!

2009-11-18T06:28:00.000-08:00

i have just realized i have the perfect in house hat model & field tester- hooray! and as it turns out my friend kristina at stella photography is a wiz at capturing both!

we just came out with this new cozy hat design for winter 2009.
introducing: THE CHILDREN of the FOREST HAT! tah daaah!
it's fashioned after a vintage knit pattern i have been fawning over for years.
it employes 2 great cozy-ing strategies:
1. it falls down and around the ears for a wind free winter sans earaches and blustery colds.
2. it attaches securely to kindly children by tying like a scarf under their wee chins.

let me know what you think~!

it's always martha! martha! martha!

2009-11-11T08:11:00.000-08:00

and thank goodness!
we here at mosey handmade are delighted, thrilled and even elated to have been picked (along with 19 others out of over 3,200!) as a finalist in the Martha Stewart Weddings & Etsy DIY contest.
we couldn't be more proud!
congrats go out to all the finalist and everyone who participated in entering their loveliest wedding goodies!

a return to the real

2009-10-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

oh dearies. it has been too long.
but right now as the rain hums outside my window and the wee one sleeps deeply above me i am able to get a bit of the old me back. i am at my breakfast nook window with the laptop and a cup of french pressed coffee, a scone half eaten beside me.
i have already washed my face, scrubbed my teeth and put on the clothes of the day.
the dishes are done, a load of laundry is brewing and all the baby things are picked up and put away.
i have discovered that the saying:"a place for everything and everything in it's place"
is not a mere suggestion but a mantra.
it is the only sane way to get through the day around here between trying to sew, run a household and smile and laugh with baby em.
i miss my friends. online and offline. the offline friends are free to stop by now and again or drop a line...but dear inter-nest friends how i miss our comments, light emails, and blogswaps.
taggies and no tag backs.
i hope that this is the fall of getting back into the swing of it...cos my arm is out of practice
but
my mind is blooming with possibilities.
to alla my internest friends out there- a big "hello, how's it been"
"me- i'm doing fine."
xoxoxo

the woods are lovely dark and deep

2009-07-12T17:04:00.000-07:00

and i do have promises to keep, and miles to go before i sleep.
oh sleep.
who knew crafting with baby could be so wild. i guess i should have thought of it~!
getting the TWO of us ready to fly to the west coast on wednesday in preperation for the renegade craft fair...packing a suitcase for em and i and another full of mosey's wares. i feel like a traveling salesman...in a good way. i am so glad that my family will be there to recieve me on the other end of this flight!
so-
this is a project i have been dreaming of all month. well since my wedding really (which was woodland themed, of course!)
the tiny moss terrariums have arrived!
made from rummaged vintage glass bottles and moss from the maine forest, a pinch of sea glass and a dash of vintage millinery.
i hope you like them as much as i do.
they look socute on my windowsill i almost hate to give them up!

acorn sweetlings

2009-07-11T18:44:00.001-07:00

i love terrariums, don't we all../but i wanted to make something for those with a not so green thumb, something that could just sit on the windowsill and BE.
so here they are: the acorn sweetlings.
captured and contained in recycled glass jars and perfect for your shelf or desk or windowsill!
i'll be offering a whole lil' series of these guys at the renegade craft fair in san francisco next weekend, so stop by to bring home your very own specimen!

morning doves.

2009-06-25T09:01:00.000-07:00

yes, doves that were made this morning that is!
getting ready for the renegade craft fair in san francisco this year. figured with baby em in tow i ought to be in my home town with helpers! em on my back and crafts on the tables! summer fun!!
i have been busy sculpting up a new batch of 'dear doves' nests!
since my old birds (feather and foam craft birds) are now officially extinct i have been making my own. these are a second version of the first built-by-me-doves. i feel like these have a daintier look and feel more like the original birds. what do you think?

my most ambitious handmade project.

2009-05-30T15:11:00.000-07:00

this is our little em. seen here in all her finery (thanks to 4 grandmas and 2 grandpas she'll be a kept woman for like the next 10 yrs!)
she is the one keeping me from folding that last bit of laundry at the foot of the bed, who makes it that the weeds have taken over the garden plot already, who wills it that the tub goes unscrubbed for weeks, the dishes pile up effortlessly and the dog begs for walking.
but i don't mind. i really don't. it is hard to believe that the 'bump' formerly known as just bayba is now really here with us! eating and talking and cooing and laughing all the time.
i love her as the day is long.
and days around here- they tend to get pretty long now!

spring-lings: polka dots to peonies

2009-05-22T21:24:00.001-07:00

more little clay birdies added to the shop today!
they are so cute all lined up and ready to fly away...
spring is finally creeping into summer as june is fast approaching in maine. i love the way the house feels all warmed by the sun in the mornings and cooled by the ocean breeze at night. summer has a smell. like grass and peony baked all day in the sun caught up on a light breeze. the house creakes more with the humidity. the back door sticks a bit in it's jam. all the floor boards that were 'plumb' are now lifting here and there at the corners.
alexander has mowed this lawn twice in two weeks and we are enjoying napping in the back room whilst he runs the mower steadily below. my new little one tucked under my wing.

pack(age)

2009-05-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

hooray! this is my 100th post!
here we are at mosey : this last month has been a baby travel whirlwind. in mid april we packed (and repacked and repacked one last time) our bags for em and i to head west. that's right...i took my maiden voyage... just the bebe and i on a 6.5 hour plane across the states. i sweated a lot~ she did wonderful.
i was just her age when i traveled for the first time to sunny california.
it was so nice going from our cocoon in snow bound maine to the lush inroads of the bay area. and we got to introduce em to all her cousins, second cousins, aunts, an grandmas and even a great grandma. it was lovely.
note how i went with only 1 suitcase but had to return with 2! spolied already..check!

the new hatchlings...a.k.a. my spring ~ fling

2009-05-09T15:19:00.000-07:00

the story goes a lil' something like this:
the birds i used to use in my beloved "dear doves" cake topper are fast becoming extinct. and what can i do, you say?
make 'em myself!
after a little bit if shaping and reshaping and a trip to the toaster oven here we have it - the newest mosey hatchlings! each named after a different flower from my garden and available in the shop.

winter recap: february

2009-05-02T20:41:00.000-07:00

oh feb. baby em came home with us! my mom stayed on a few extra weeks (thanks mom!) and we celebrated a valentines with so many goodies sent to us in the mail! we looooove getting mail. it was so cute seeing things addressed to em. seeing her tiny name in print. in the handwriting of my grandmother, my little sister, my dear friends. i love the look of her name scrawled across a pink envelope in the flowy script of lucinda, the bold caps of karen, the organized bite sized lettering of iris, the dandy scroll of elizabeth and the shakey cursive and serifs of my grandmother.

oh how the world loves her.
p.s. hat by ms. shelley at waldorfmama
atc's by iris at craftymamalibrarian

winter recap:december & january

2009-05-02T20:33:00.000-07:00

december was cold. and with so many snow days. and my little emelia was determined to be born before the new year. the midwives and my mister and i were determined to keep her safe and sound for as long as possible. and in the belly. we went on bedrest the day after christmas and we waited patiently, so patiently. she was born after 3 days of hard work on jan 31. ah the sweet smell of new baby!

old skool stamping.

2008-12-12T17:38:00.000-08:00

time was short today but i managed to get all of my bags stamped for the craft fair. i had this vision of snowflakes and i couldn't get it outta my mind. i quick carved a potato stamp and stamped them all up while my beloved put the lights on the tree.
oh love.

bitty birds.

2008-12-12T17:35:00.000-08:00

here are a few teensy birds that are winding there way to wisconsin this week. made of recycled wool sweaters and pure wool felt and stuffed with wool batting from portland fiber.
i'm working on another version of these for the winterwork faire, but hey~ those are not done yet!

the view from up here.

2008-12-11T13:41:00.000-08:00

the schools closed early today and all the people rushed to the store to prepare for the big storm, not quite a nor' easter, but a doozey...we think.
no snow to report...yet.
mosey is excited to be part of the hope spinnery's "winterwork holiday faire".
the place out in hope is a spinnery run on wind power, pretty amazing i think.
today we are hold up in our sewing corner in preparation for the weekends festivities.
we are cutting wool, dyeing wool ,and trying to drink enough hot water for our pregnant belly.
note: i can no longer see my feet from where i stand.
only about 6 weeks left~!

new mosey holiday collection!

2008-12-08T06:14:00.000-08:00

lady lamington wristlettes - a more dainty version of the wristwarmer , named after elizabeth's famed and elusive petite fours.
treeling cuffs - sure to keep you cozy and stylish.
wee treeling leg warmers- inspired by all the new little sprouts coming into this world!

holly-bells are ringing.

2008-12-03T11:56:00.000-08:00

here at mosey we are proud to be a part of the poppytalk handmade holiday market again this year!
our holly-bell wristlets were featured in their newsletter this week!
be sure to check out the guide for some GREAT holiday gifting!!!!

the new crew!

2008-12-03T11:46:00.000-08:00

some new woolens i've felted...
the red white and blue ones are inspired by my mister's mistress...his new bike.
over thanksgiving we went to boston to visit family and friends and mr. mcgregor and i caught up with a few old friends, one of which had a bike for the taking. as it turns out it is an older version (by just a few years) of the bicycle he has been obsessed with for the past three months solid.
and it's orange. and it was free. merry christmas!
anyhow- he was in need of some wrist warmers for riding his dream bike into the winter.
the bird ones are a version of my mittens from last year with a cable-knit-felted twist.

a little love from germany

2008-11-22T06:42:00.000-08:00

andeesigns featured mosey's bird mobile in etsy favorites this week! hooray!

the effects of a low pressure wind.

2008-11-22T06:30:00.001-08:00

man, have i been missing the snow!
the last few days i have been in sucha rut! and then this morning i woke all refreshed..looked out my window..and yes- we have snow.
i guess i was really feeling that low pressure system moving in, and am so glad it's here finally.
i'm not a winter baby (i was born in the heat of late august in the midwest...poor mom) but i love the chill in the air. being cozied up in my jacket, scarf, and hat and feeling the cold wind whip around me while little snowflakes fly-
about the best feeling i can think of right now~

mom.

2008-10-17T11:53:00.001-07:00

i cannot even express how much my mom made this day.
made this day.
made this day.
mom, you amaze me.
you worked so hard and lovingly to make this an even better and more beautiful day than i could have ever dreamed.

something old and new borrowed and blue

2008-10-17T11:47:00.000-07:00

the pearl rosette is from my great grandma's wedding dress.
(thanks ammie)
all the girls on that side of the family have had a bit of her dress with them on there wedding day. even my mom. she wore hers on her veil and so did i.
the pearls are form both my maternal and paternal grandma's.
the hands are mine and my little sisters.

the taking.

2008-10-17T11:43:00.000-07:00

the best day ever, really. so beautiful, so lovely, so surrounded by love. a nest of friends and family. and in the middle of it all my mister mcgregor.
hello sweets!
also pictured: liz blessing our rings.

the giving.

2008-10-17T11:40:00.000-07:00

my dad is amazing. can i just say that. he has always been my rock. when peopletalk about true norths - i always think of him. as a compass. as a landmark.
thanks dad for giving me away.

the menu: recipe for a handmade feast

2008-10-07T05:32:00.000-07:00

spicy olives &
olive medley by ted
goat cheese
country batard bread

heirloom tomato salad with fresh basil
mixed farm mesclun greens
roasted beet salad with maytag blue cheese and candied walnuts

blackbird pie: chicken and vegetable...rainbow carrots, fresh peas
roasted root vegetable pie: beets, parsnips, celeriac, carola potatoes, radish, shallots, carrots
wild gathered mushroom tart: boleta & porcini mushrooms gathered in maine and n.h. with gruyere cheese, cippolini onions and leeks.

on the zaney pie table:
phoebe's raspberry lattice top pie
phoebe's apple and vanilla custard tart
the eichenlaub's heirloom tomato tart
tamara's custard pie
gail's black and white mini pies
nana webber's choco chip cookies
elizabthe's lady lamingtons

diy wedding diary: project two

2008-10-07T05:21:00.000-07:00

the apple tartletts.

these little babies were made easily by just cutting out a round of dough. filling each tartlette with one apple slice and a tad of sweet sweet apple jelly. fold over and press the border with a fork. top with a bit of rosemary and egg wash, pop them in the oven for about 15 minutes. voila!
that's our priestess in there with her hands in the dough. see liz later blessing our rings and the tartlettes make there debut at 'apple hour'.. our version of the after ceremony cocktail hour.

diy wedding diary: project one

2008-10-07T05:10:00.001-07:00

the savory pies.
these are the root vegetable pies being made with love. we washed and peeled, boiled and roasted, rolled our dough and pinched each tiny individual pie crust to perfection. there were over a hundred pies in total...but only about 35 of the roasted root vegetable.

the wedding tomatoes.

2008-09-27T07:12:00.000-07:00

just a lil' peek at some of the amazing photos taken by my dearest friend brown mouse photography.
i'm basically pirating this shot...but it's only one wee one.
these are the tomotoes. the wedding tomatoes. grown lovingly on the chase farm and delivered in buckets to us a few days before the wedding. i'm talking 60 lbs. of heirloom tomatoes.
yum.
we had the most spelndid time and as soon as the pics are ready i will post more.
thanks to everyone who lent a hand, sent good thoughts, attended and enjoyed.
love.

oh summer.

2008-08-28T04:32:00.000-07:00

wow, have i mentioned this summer has flown by? it really has. already it is back to school time here in the great north east. the air is chilly, the water is too cold for swimming, and the hollyhocks are almost done blooming.
but then again, the watermelons are just starting to come in.
you have gotta love new england.
the wedding is 3 weeks away still. but all is well and good and my mom arrived last week and got my life in order for me (thanks mom!)
but i have really been missing my dear friends out in the world and feel so connected to everyone i've met online. who would have thought that? not me.

it's my brother who is the cyber nerd right? i'm, talking kaleko vision at age 4, then onto the atari... joy stick and jammers and paddles and all.
then nintendo, etc. and on and on.

but me ? i was dressing my dolls in calico and minding my strict reading regimen before bedtime. a tad of lilttle house, a bit of mr. poppers penguins, some roald dahl thrown in for good measure.
even in college i was a ludite. preferring to shot all my film on 8 mm and edit on the actual reel. handwriting all my love letters and pen pal post. picking out the stamps with careful detail.
but man, the internest has been good to me these past couple of years.
i just realized i wrote 'internest' and am now here to coin a new term.
internest:
the woven bits of cyber space allies and actual friends that make up the cozy little nest we call the www.
xo,
mosey

more on mosey handmade.

2008-07-29T05:59:00.000-07:00

the shop has been doing good. busy on the weekend and not so busy during the week. a funny thing about all the goings on, moving, planning our wedding, opening the shop is all the while i've had a little secret. i mean a reallllly tiny one! but it's caused a bit of a stir around here and it's meant that i wasn't able to get all the many things done on my long summer to do list.
yes, we are expecting our own little one!
we were very surprised and very excited. but the first few months were rough. when i wasn't working or trying to unpack a bit(and were still not all moved in- yikes!) i was in bed. but it seems as though the tired and sickish days are behind me so i'm hoping to be posting more and crafting more!
lots of love dears.

while the cherries were blooming.

2008-07-29T05:53:00.000-07:00

last week and the week before we had an amazing discovery. out dear little cherry tree- that only had a few cherries on it last year and none the 2 years before was in full bloom. it was a cherry wonderland! we made pies, and mash, and phoebe even put some in her 'mixed fruit tart with vanilla custard' and sold them right at the chase's bakery counter! they were lovely. we also gave a bunch away to friends and our dearest duo chuck and jill became a trio over the weekend, after only 3 days and night of labor little isa jules was born into this world. he missed the cherries but ah- there is always next year!

snippets.

2008-07-02T06:05:00.000-07:00

pictured above: becky's work from dirt girl pottery and dear jen from sprout studio, and a dash of mosey of course.

open shop!

2008-07-01T07:02:00.000-07:00

so last weekend we made a double batch of chocolate chips and opened our doors. it wasn't the "grand' opening per say- but we really wanted to open those doors. here's a peek inside and a promise that i'll be posting some more pictures as well as featuring a different mosey handmade artist every week in july. thanks for all the love my dears and kind words of encouragement!
xo

mosey meets oncewed!

2008-06-19T08:01:00.000-07:00

my very first encounter on saturday morning ~ hello emily!

2008-06-18T07:11:00.001-07:00

dear loves,
we have been so swampy around here- what with unpacking, repacking, getting the shop in order and going to and fro to brooklyn...we haven't meant to neglect.
so the renegade was amazing. 2 hot muggy and raining days of amazing. did i mention rainy. cos it was a down pour. we were lucky to salvage almost everything, but a few of our craft fair neighbors did not fair as well and were mia on sunday. we give them our love and best wishes!
got to get some pictures up to show all the amazing sights of nyc. until then-
xoxo,
mosey

p.s. bre pettis from etsy snapped the above shot.

11 days

2008-05-31T05:44:00.000-07:00

life is a little bit fuzzy rigt now ~ but just about to come into full focus.

wow. it has been a long time since my last post. you know the camera has been packed up and sent off with almost everything else we own to the new house. well- the new old house. {we are actully moving back to our same dear little house we left behind in september} alexander and i have been in gloucester this past school year teaching at a waldorf school together. couldn't have been more homesick. we are glad to be heading back north to our little cove in belfast! cape ann was good to us, and we met many good friends but it was just not quite our speed. even though gloucester is on the ocean, it did not incite long walks and picnics and sea- glass hunts like my rocky maine coast does. we missed the pace in maine, the slow deliberate lull, the smell of the good clean ocean, the waking up and walking everywhere we need to be. life in maine is good. sweet. and very local. we love that. well with just one week of school left - we have moved everything home - and are getting by with just the bare bones.
the computer will be boxed up today and we are off to cambridge to stay with alex's folks and get some good visiting time in with old friends there.
well dearies- when i next write you i'll be sure to include some pictures of the new shop and house and coast.
much love.

woolies is fast at tag!

2008-05-20T11:58:00.000-07:00

i was tagged by dear woolies at;
www.woolies-woolies.blogspot.com
( she makes the sweetest knitted animals!)

and in response to woolies' fun facts i have a few of my own.
1. i also love to be alone. i sometimes get to feeling like i am really only truely myself when i AM alone. like singing in the car loudly...or at all. i would never do that around other people - but i enjoy it so much.
2. i love waking early and heading out the door on a simple errand. it gives me so much satisfaction for some reason.
3. the forest is a magical place and the smell of the mossy earthy floor is one of the best i know.
4. when i first became a kindergarten teacher i felt like i was cheating. i got to take long walks with the kids to the stream, catch waterbugs(and even a red spotted salamander once), tap maple trees, color, paint and knit. all in a days work.
5. i relish in simple tasks like folding the laundry when it's warm (my dear rd- i loved reading that about you!!), making my morning tea or coffee (depends on what side of the bed i woke up on), cleaning up from last nights dinner, and checking my mail.
6. my parents house in maine on a warm afternoon is about my favorite place to be. it also has a smell..of my dad's vegetable garden. it's sweet peas, it's overgrown horse radish, and green beans, the wildflower patch and the rhubard near baking in the hot sun... the woods and the stream near by. home.
7. my close friends chuck and jill are haivng a baby..and alex and i stay up nights whispering about how wonderous it is going to be!

okay- now i need 6 friends who wnt to play tag. well i'll have to think on that!
xo

2008-05-20T05:27:00.000-07:00

do you ever make something you really don't want to give up. but then you do in a way 'cos you know it's one of your best things?

well - that was how my morning went. plus i had left my good scissors at ash's and was trying desperately to make due with a veeeery old pair of fiskars that i have let alex have a while back.. and wouldn't you know it i sliced my finger right open.
man- those fiskars would not cut a buttonhole open but were not shy when it came to my hands.
blast.
oh -well - i'm okay now, no stitches or anything.

on another note:
this summer i am going to start featuring some of mosey handmades artists. that is to say- those who's wares we are selling at the brick and mortar will all get a little blog love.

look for those posts starting in the magical month of june.
happy day everyone!

new lables.

2008-05-19T05:50:00.000-07:00

here at mosey we struggle with our lables. we once found the perfect teal leather scraps for making them...but alas the are extinct.
we did try hand stamping them... but i wasn't too excited with how they came out...
well now we used the gocco and as always (with the gocco) are o-so happy with the results.

are you in need of cozy-ing?

2008-05-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

for that matter is your french press in need? i certainly know where you can get a whole lotta cozy at a great price! and what could be better than say...two elephants in love...in pink and orange no less!
aly the red of bliss monkey studio makes great f.p. cozies out of recycled sweaters. be sure to check out her shop and all her other coffee cup cozies and creatures!
aly's wares are as hip as they are eco friendly and she has become a very dear etsy pal.
thanks aly - for my great cozy, my french press is so much more happy now, and it makes me smile every morning!

PART TWO ~ the handmade registry

2008-05-16T04:44:00.000-07:00

so dearies, if you are reading this you likely stuck through yesterdays veeery long post (thank-you!) and are wondering just what i was getting at.
well here you go - PART TWO:
SO i made my macy's registry. pots, pans, some things we really would love to have in our kitchen. i even registered for a fancy place setting that i do really love and HAVE be drooling over since i very first saw it. 'but it's so much!' i said- well my grandmother reassured me that you register for the good china and kind of collect it all your life - and that appealed to me. i love collections.
but still something did not feel right to me. i wasn't feeling the gleeful excitement i thought i would. i was feeling - well.. guilty.
my beloved, who sometimes surprises me by how well he knows me, said "well - i just thought you'd make a whole HANDMADE thingy."
and that really got my gears turning.
i remembered and etsy post in the etsy wedding series about registries and went there..the suggested wists and a few other outside sources. no, that wasn't quite right for me either.
so this is what i did all day a few weeks ago- i set up a new etsy account under alexander's name and went ahead and picked a bunch of favorites. i linked it to our wedding blog and voile - here you have it:
OUR HANDMADE REGISTRY!
i was so excited picking out things that i think i picked too many. macy's wouldn't think so they kept telling me : if you have one hundred and ten guests it's likley you should register for over two hundred gifts! ack! no thanks - about 60 etsy lovelies will do.

something blue.

2008-05-15T06:10:00.000-07:00

i wanted to share a little something on a more personal note!
okay- yes we all know i am getting married in 16 weeks. i use the weeks method to scare myself into gear - my mom thinks it's crazy and just keeps saying "you know that means you still have 4 months!" i know mom- but i need to be scared.
anyhow,
when my mom was visiting form the east coast a few weeks back we did a TON of wedding planning. i realized in part i was stuck because i didn't WANT to do it without my mom - who lives a mere 2,500 miles across the land.
well we really got a lot done. including, but not limited too, my registry.
just a wee bit of backround:
i consider myself a pretty green girl. and a pretty low-key-mostly girl.
my beloved and i strive to live the good life, you know.
when i was a kid and after my parents went there seperate ways i ended up touring the eastern and southern most parts of the states in a vw bus camping all the way with my dad and brother. my dad finally settled in the northern most points east and we camped out until our house was built. (it's an amazing post and beam made by my dad's own hands!)
but: i spent many a summer vacation, long weekend, every other christmas and alla the school holidays in sunny northern california. where mom and grandma and great-grandma and all the aunts showed me the finer points of life.
like shopping - lots of it.
i would always come back to maine with these great outfits- and first the kids would be like - "um..woa!" and then the'd be like-"can you get me that"?
funny.
anyway this is all a long way at explaining why and how i arrived at registering at macy's.
i grew up spending saturday afternoons between there and bloomies, eating lunch at the now defunct bloomingdale's cafe...i loved it.
i love lunching with my posses of ladies in the late afternoon after a good shop.
it's a guilty pleasure- can you tell?
i can still remember when they would "swipe" the card manually in this great machine and hand you over one carbon copy of three.
infact i still have my great-grandmothers "famous&barr"store card, tucked neatly into the back of my wallet for good luck- it expired in the early eighties.
pause-this is getting to be a really long post!
and i say:
we need a break and then i'll be posting part two: all about my HANDMADE REGISTRY.
take a deep breath and let your mind rest.
and forgive the ramble of one with too much black tea.

henny pennies

2008-05-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

oh yes. i love chickens. and even my beloved said we might get a pair after we move. i am so happy. i have been on the chicken train since the first summer we spent in maine at our teensy cabin. and it's been a slow train.(about 3.5 years)
finally conditions will be optimum for such an adventure.
any hen keepers out there-advice welcomed. esp. on designs and workability of the coop.
chicken coop - my ultimate summer nesting project!
these little ladies are available in my etsy shop and made or upcycled wool!

to-do tuesday.

2008-05-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

tuesday is here again. always my long long day at kindergarten and at home. for some reason monday is always a wash but by tuesday the to-do list is in full effect.

these next few tuesdays are gonna be some real doozies over here at mosey handmade.

1. we move in 2.5 weeks

2. renegade craft fair is in 4 weeks

3. we open shop in 3 weeks

4. i get married in 16 weeks

man. so out the window with the to-do's that lag around from weekly list to weekly list:

i.e. (and i quote)

call jared about mosey sign

send things to kare fto be photographed

mosey handmade banner for shop and fair

get my beloved alex's linen suit

frames from ikea

yup- these things have all topped the lists for too many days-weeks-some even a month.

man, this being three weeks behind in life thing needs to change!

and by the way - the owls - they are brand new this tuesday.

the weren't even on the to-do's.

more wedding love- garden wedding love.

2008-05-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

the indie wedding guide is a great resource for diy fussy and non-fussy brides alike.
{as a girl who is getting married in the fall i can definitely speak to this}!
they offer so much information on eco-weddings, diy projects, everything from favors to dress making!
we were so excited when gabreial contacted us about featuring us in their garden weddings article. thanks gabreial~
check out their wonderful site: here.

for otter~mamma

2008-05-04T09:58:00.001-07:00

she listed it this way:
"funky - baby - wardrobe - revival"
and all whilst i was sewing it was on repeat in my head.
i know spring is here and summer is fast at it's heels but can i just say one last time:
I LOVE WOOL. esp. felted upcycled wool sweaters. dare i say i am already looking forward to next years woolies?
alright, alright- i won't say it anymore, you never know when in new england the winds might change and suddenly it's snowing in may.
good thing ottermama lives in the cool and chilly and damp pacific northewest.
cozy up baby!
xo
p.s. see more of this collection here.

the new packaging.

2008-05-01T05:17:00.000-07:00

we here at mosey handmade are so exited to be going to the renegade craft fair this year! we were there back in 06 and were such newbies we didn't really know what we were in for! now we are gearing up for table decorations and organization and also mosey perfect packaging.
here is our first try!

mosey's: "it made my fridge" contest!

2008-04-26T06:24:00.000-07:00

okay. one more thing. i've got a little thing going called:
"it made my fridge"
post five things/people who 'made my fridge' and your name goes into the hat.
the name i choose at the end of the week wins one of my teensy nests! check them out here!
here's the link for a more detailed photos: {click me}
happy hunting!
xo

p.s. got the idea after shelley of waldorf mama spied a friend on there. thanks shelley.

woolies tag.

2008-04-26T05:36:00.000-07:00

my dear woolies tagged me. days ago, weeks ago, maybe a whole month has gone by.
o~ woolies:
i forgotten to tell you this simple fact...weighing it at number one on my list:
1. i am literally about 3 weeks behind in my life (i was born 2.5 weeks early, and have never caught up!..i needed those weeks you see.)
2. i love to hear the sound my computer makes when i throw out the trash. so i always turn it up for that last little electronic crumble.
3. i also love the sound of the radio on search, and if driving alone, will often leave it on search. a few seconds of lionel ritchie, a dash of the boss, maybe some good oldies or otis reading if i'm lucky. this maddens my beloved and he almost cannot believe he is marrying me.
4. we will be married under the big oak tree next to the great atlantic this fall.
5. i teach kindergarten as my day job and delight in almost every second of it. it's the one thing i know i do well and brings me peace beyond peace.
6. mostly my family and friends live far far away and so i have always felt like i am saying goodbye. part of the reason i am me, but there is no cure for nostalgia and missing.
and
7. i so believe in magical thinking.

brambles "feather your nest" event.

2008-04-25T15:11:00.000-07:00

a whole day dedicated to feathering your nest! making your space a spring delight.

yes, we know. there was no way we could have said no.
and so we rummaged and gently pieced and worried over which german millinery supplies would do.
and now here they go~ off to market.
we threw in some felted birdies for good measure.
bye~bye dears!

mosey gets some bridal love!

2008-04-24T07:04:00.000-07:00

i have been so excited by the response to my nests! here are some lovely wedding blogs who featured some mosey nests!:
the finer things
once wed
relish bridal
my wedding hero

thanks so much ladies!!!!!

a labor of love & a happy meeting!

2008-04-24T05:49:00.000-07:00

so, the shop is coming right along. what with it being the last dash of kindergarten and a slew of custom orders~ it comes along a bit more slowly.
ashley was a super hero and painted everything! all of the parts of the shop that needed painting and that meant very tall ladders and lot of labor!
most excitingly we placed our first few wholesale orders and have been in touch with many of our consigners. it's so great talking with everyone about there work and getting to pick out our very favourites for the shop.
a great bit of luck came my way on sunday as i was working in the shop. i heard the words "well..there's jes!" it was jean {of mosey nest fame}, her aunt mariam, and daughter emily!
what a delight.
emily of ravenhill lives in faraway norway and is a lovely crafter who makes amazing matryoshka dolls which she sells at her etsy shop. she has been a great friend this past year and is my first "online" friend that i have met in person.
many hugs insued and excited chatter! i showed them around the wee shop and just loved having them all there! they just happened to be in belfast checking out the wonderful yarn and fabric shops and had thought to stop by where they thought the shop was.
what a happy coincidence!
i was sad to see them go and many more hugs were had by all.
as well as a firm handshake by aunt mariam.
all the good luck and happiness was mine that afternoon!

a bird in hand..is worth two from my backyard.

2008-04-17T05:36:00.000-07:00

well i decided to write a bit about WHY and HOW i have come to love nests so much.
when i was little i dreampt of finding a baby bird that needed my help, that i could feed and take care of and would sleep on my pillow~ and wake me with chirps. (you know the mind of a 7-10 year old is mysterious and vast!) i was always thinking about it and on the look out for any baby birds that had fallen from the nest.
then when i got a bit older i started finding abandoned nests in the woods lined with clay and lichen. i was fascinated. fascinated to learn that the birds collected all types of goodies for the nests. i started leaving out bits of string and yarn. (think friendship bracelets and those woven pot holders!) and to my ultimate happiness i would find bits of those treasures lining the next nest.
but my most favored and cherished story is of my dear friend jean (think beatrix potter meets an avid gardener in straw sun bonnet).
when jean and i were talking of our love of nests one afternoon and she relayed this story:
while walking among her gardens and peering in to nests she was often delighted to discover~
that the birds had lined there nests with strands of her silvery hair.
just think, how gentle and delicate the beak that collects the single strands of silvery locks to line it's nest. think of the care.
this years nest are dedicated to jean and to those fanciful birds who knew without a doubt that they had found the ultimate treasure ~ a sliver or two of true silver for sprucing up the nest.
wow.

from the great atlantic to the mighty midwest.

2008-04-09T13:43:00.000-07:00

you know i was born in st. louis. land locked except for the ozarks and the mighty Missouri river.
we moved to the east coast when i was 8.
as soon as i saw the ocean i was in love.
now, when i was a kid moving to the east coast you could find seaglass all day long. and we did. brang home ball jars full of the stuff. you could find pottery, bits of broken tea cups, plates, perfume bottles, old glass soda bottles. and even the blue glass.
over the years it all got eaten up by the steady stream of coastal tourists and probably people quit throwing there trash over board and many things stopped being put into and sold out of glass jars. what a shame. i had so loved to beach comb.
but there is a small length of beach on the coast of maine that still holds amazing sea~glass finds.
a few years back, i was in luck. my friend elizabeth took me to " the secret sea~glass beach" .. really it is. you have to sneak into it a bit- but boy is it ever full of magical treasures. so much so that i had to wonder--okay what wise guy is dumping antique bottles and china into the ocean??
but it's just an undisovered little cove. a place not many people bother to get to..and so the sea~glass has been rolling around in it's rocky undertow for years.
now we go, and we try not to be too greedy but we do take..and throw back those that are not ready yet.
this is to say that:
i sent a package to renegade handmade in chicago today. among it's contents were 2 nests with a bit of seaglass tucked among their felted eggs. it was like sending back a bit of this rocky coast..postmarked, tagged and headed west towards the river bottoms. the place where the first trickle of sea heads out and around towards something more grand.

for the space.

2008-04-06T20:34:00.001-07:00

my first "alchemy" request on etsy.

2008-04-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

etsy just added (well re-added) a lost feature called "alchemy". one of it's perks allows a potential buyer to request a custom item from your shop and you can then bid on the order. i was overjoyed when meghan contacted mosey handmade about the possibility of making her custom boutinneres for her wedding party. she is having a nature inspired event and funny enough she and i are having the same woodland cake!
well i set to work- and even found some teensy hemlock cones and here are the results ready to ship!
thanks meghan!

mosey on etsy's handmade wedding series

2008-04-03T15:13:00.000-07:00

yes. we are so excited. vanessa from etsy contacted me a few weeks back. she asked me a few questions about the wedding dress i made last summer for alise and bens wedding out on peak's island. yes it was so lovely out there. everyone made their way to the island by sea. and all were in good spirits by the time they arrived-and even better boarding the ferry to come home.

by the way--i love etsy. it's been so good to me.
to read the full article click

here.

paint, plants, and other tiny particles: setting up shop!

2008-03-30T06:16:00.000-07:00

here we are. the first real week of shop key in hand.
ash came for a visit and we scoured the thrift stores for good finds. namely a nice dresser which we plan on using as a fixture in the shop. we saw a lot of fancy ones we loved and then made our way out to the furniture warehouse of the salvation army. wow.

we found one we just loved (and had a mirror "i bet it's the old kind" ash gushed.. and it was)
the guy working there gave us a great deal and voile..it was ours. we headed back with a truckload of goodies for the shop and a pocketfull of dreams.
tune in later this week for painting 101: moseyhandmade.
*after much deliberation we picked "sea-cove" a lovely robins eggshell blue and "hawthorn yellow".

psssst...

2008-03-23T05:37:00.000-07:00

see more here.

through the looking glass window.

2008-03-21T17:18:00.000-07:00

i was just reminded of this, spring is coming, today.

so i took a much needed long drive out to my parents property to investigate and reacquaint myself with "the looking glass studio".
originally built as a green house by my dad and i-- and made almost entirely of salvaged windows and glass doors.
the roof is courragated tin and fiberglass from an old chicken coop and the floor is equal parts cobblestone and slate. the slate was purchased from a local quarry and the cobblestone was salvaged from a cobblestone street they tore up in downtown portland. my dad is a pretty resourceful guy and i like to indulge myself in thinking i've picked up a bit of that from him.
the windows we found mostly at the town dump and a few on curbs. many of the large windows were from the old post office building in town.
we used it as a green house for a few years and then i started using it as my studio. there was at one time a honeybee's hive under the eave of the roof facing the east side.
they hummed and i worked.
tonight i just snapped some pictures.
oh- and yes, the royal typewriter was a dumpster dive find too.
see my flickr for more on the looking glass studio.

mosey is imortalized in cotton and wool!

2008-03-17T14:25:00.000-07:00

dear denise made these bunch of dolls styled after our group of waldorf inspired and natural toy crafters!
here i am and i couldn't be happier!
i just have a minute but wanted to post my little me!

the first wash.

2008-03-15T04:56:00.000-07:00

there is nothing-nothing- like handknit socks. fancy, plain, scalloped, fuzzy, angora, worsted...i don't care. any will do. if you have not the occasion to wear a pair, i highly suggest it. and if you are not much of a knitter-- i still encourage you to get down to work. there is a great 'classic sock' patters available in most yarn stores. and i'm not a strong knitter but was able to fashion alexander these brown and red cuties in last year. i was lucky enough to have a dear friend show me how to turn a heel but other than that things went pretty smoothly. the small red socks on the left were knit up by my friend jill and given to me for christmas. oh the coziness. as soon as i put them on i never wanted to take them off. having knitted for others, i myself, had never had anything knit for me before (see the hats post for more of jill's lovely work). i have hardly ever felt so pampered as when i first put those ruby slippers right on!
well - as you can imagine i wore them. a lot. and so this week they had their very first handwashing. i threw in alex's for good measure.
now our cozies are all fresh and new again!

all hail handmade coziness!

green-pop today!

2008-03-10T04:26:00.000-07:00

we couldn't be more excited for SPRING - be sure to check our table out at poppytalk handmade's virtual market!

shelf life

2008-03-09T06:04:00.000-07:00

i have always always been picking things up on the side of the road. when i traded in my old jeep for a more eco-friendly car..well boy was i missing the space. you know not "the back" but " the WAY back". i could tool around town and pick up just about anything. but alas- the toyota can only hold a trunk full of sweaters, a few old suitcases and maybe a lamp or two. but we make do.
our neighbors down the street where cleaning their old barn out and had put this outside on the curb for pick up. and we did just that. thanks to my brother for cleaning of the worst parts(slugs, spiders, and the like) and thanks to my dad for always taking me junking and giving me the thrifting itch! and by the way spring means FLEA MARKETS. they should be reopening any day now!

the birds- all sewn up!

2008-03-03T17:17:00.001-08:00

and available in my etsy shop!

diy madness

2008-03-02T16:58:00.000-08:00

our design*sponge entry for the diy contest.
karen from brownmouse and jared of jrusten furniture and i put our heads and hands together on this one. wish us luck!

about the project:
"the bi-coastal"

my oldest and dearest friends jared and karen rusten and i have been
itching to work on a project together. karen and i both spied the diy
contest as soon as it was posted and began conspiring at once!
jared is a modern by hand furniture maker (jrusten.com) and his wife
karen is a photographer(brownmousephoto.com), and me i'm always up for
a project esp. if it includes sewing-- see also (www.mosey.etsy.com).
so jared had this old box spring that he had found on the street in
brooklyn last summer. and actually when the two relocated to the bay
area this fall the box spring came all the way across the country with
them (much to alls dismay) .
jared loves working with reclaimed wood...think calls in wee hours of
the morning pleading for helping hands to haul off giant slabs of
walnut that were on there way to the chipper!
the woods used (amapola and cedar) to make the frame were also
reclaimed wood scraps from his work at the macri park bar in
williamsburg,ny .
so jared got to work and built a wood frame. he then cut up and
covered the ye old box spring with a bit of foam (picked up from canal
street in nyc). we topped it off with unbleached canvas.
we had gotten some fabric from mood back in the new york days and so
we went right to work.
we covered buttons, sewed french seams, and pinched and pulled until
the whole thing was a glorious piece of modern furniture.
the luxe-y green is just right for spring and their new live work space.
what i loved about the project was working together and also being
able to incorporate and reuse something that had been discarded.
it's very comfy and the wooden back piece comes right off for use as a
bed so it is multi functional- and perfect for there petite living
space.

for the birds.

2008-03-01T09:42:00.000-08:00

these WILL be incredibly soft and luxe-y bird mobiles! (i hope soon) and are inspired by the little mobile that hangs above my bed (came over on the boat from tibet).
i love using recycled sweaters. i have always been a thrifter and it feels so good to put "the old" to new use and send it back out into the world.

new avatar

2008-02-29T14:19:00.001-08:00

thanks to db who got me some tools - and here it is!

putting all of my (new) eggs in one basket.

2008-02-20T15:15:00.000-08:00

this morning i woke up early. i had stayed the night at my brothers house (think lord of the rings meets jake gyllenhaal). anyway he got up early too (and made me a great breakfast, by the way) and while he was busying himself in the kitchen i set about rooting around in his attic. i have a bunch of things stored up there for now and i found a bin of fabric i'd stashed and forgotten about! eureka. it was like christmas. or better. it was like finding one of your old favorite toys you'd forgotten about or were sure had gotten thrown out in the hub bub of your teenage years.
i ended up picking out some great blue polka dot fabric and some vintage reproduction calico...one of my very faves.
so here are the results. the snow was melting and dripping outside my window while i was scheming these up. so spring was surely on my mind.

the swap.

2008-02-13T15:22:00.000-08:00

here it was. jill nad i were at the common ground fair back in september. we decided we would pick up a few skeins of yarn and make eachother a cozy hat before it got too cold. mine (the one jill made for me) was aptly titled the 'autumn leaves hat, with secret heart' (because it had a secret heart sewn into the back)and the one i made jill...well..as you can see it befell a much different name. an apology. i just put hers in the mail on monday a full 3 months i've been wearing MY cozy hat!
also- one really neat thing about our hats are that while jill's is a peachy orange and mine is a pinky red the accent color is from the same skien of yarn. and it is this terrific bulky weight yarn with all of these great variations and slight flaws and a bit of glitter running through it!
well - at least i finished it in time for three snowstorms in one week! hope your cozy jill!

thank you very much.

2008-02-11T13:30:00.001-08:00

i love sending and receiving mail. honest to goodness, i licked the stamp and took it to the post..mail.
i have been wanting to do a little something more special for my etsy customers and so i spent a rainy and then snowy afternoon at papersource. and these were the results!and yes, that 'platinum' ink. fancy!

bucky bliss

2008-02-07T17:59:00.000-08:00

so i had this little pain. a crick. in my neck..and it kept on getting worse and worse. i would move my head at night and craaack! very uncomfortable! and i kept on thinking...i really want one of those fancy buckwheat pillows. so i went to the fancy greenie store here in gloucester..and boy they were so pricey. then i got smart. i went to the co-op and got a ton of buckwheat hulls. well not a ton but about 6 lbs. and away we go. sorted through the fabric stash of flannels and sewed two up quickly. alex and i thought we'd give them a try..and i swear we were both out in five minutes. and what a blissful sleep. we woke up a few hours later revived! stayed up late last night making a full sized pillow with my crick in mind. i have to tell you - i slept like a baby in a buckwheat and lavender induced slumber. when i awoke this morning the crick was gone. really.
i'm ready for the bucky revolution.
are you?

i've been tagged.

2008-02-06T05:49:00.000-08:00

by mandy b. ..and be sure to check out her etsy shop full of goodness.

so here goes..5 random - little - know - facts about me.

1. not unlike ms. mandi b. i slept with my childhood doll until i was 21. went on a trip to sweden with my college boyfriend and thought it was a good time to break the habit!
i still keep her in my sock drawer though!

2. i get much delight out of putting on clothes fresh out of the dryer. i'm a pretty green girl, but have to say the dryer is one of my vices. nothing better than warm socks hot off the presses on a blustery day.

3. i used to make films, but know i just take walks or ride the bus with my i pod on and pretend i'm in a really great montage scene. oh, well.

4. when my sister was little we invented this cool way to chop onions without crying -- we wore swimming goggles..then later we saw that in a movie and were like 'we so did that first'! and we still giggle about it.

5.i cannot seem to erase old messages from dear ones, voicemails, text messages, emails, they seem like these little letters to me that are going to get lost in the great sea of nothing...so i keep them as long as i can.
so loves--if you call or write and my mailbox is full..i'm not that popular- it's just that i've been saving them up.

thanks mandi.
xo

inky gets some love!

2008-02-04T16:40:00.000-08:00

once i made this little guy iwas in love. his face is so lonesome and his cheeks are all blushing.
i'm glad he got a little love on emilias blog today!

strawberries!

2008-02-04T09:21:00.000-08:00

so we have had a few 45 degree days here in new england. and being that it's february (the coldest month in these here parts) that is a bit odd.
but i did sneak on my new spring jacket and walk the meme dog an extra bit this morning. it feels like spring and so, i made these.
still cozy but with a hint of whats to come!

new hats for the new year!

2008-01-05T15:02:00.000-08:00

with a little help from my local savers(well actually i was home in california over the holidays..so i should say "my old haunt..savers")
i found a bunch of great wool sweaters just waiting to by dyed, cut up, and fashioned into new hats! i was worried that i wouldn't find any wool in cali- but quite the opposite- i suppose people cast off their woolies after 1 season since it's never really THAT cold in the bay area.
anyhow..here's the new batch c/o my brand new sewing machine!!!!(thanks nan!)
and many hugs to karen of brownmousephoto who took my new pics...her nieces who did the posing and mama victorine who graciously egged everyone on!

natural kids makes a go of it!

2008-01-05T10:09:00.000-08:00

many thanks to woodmouse for coordinating naturalkids...a new site devoted to sharing information about natural/waldorf childrens toys and wears! and i got a little new years love on page one!

featured on friday faves..

2008-01-02T22:16:00.000-08:00

mixed plate was lovely enough to feature mosey in their holiday gift guide.

some love from my etsy kin!

2008-01-02T15:10:00.000-08:00

colorada returned the love in 2008 with a bit of kind words on her blog about mosey!
posting new hats in the next few days!

2007-12-24T15:18:00.001-08:00

www.kiwee.com

the new unit.

2007-12-10T06:47:00.000-08:00

okay...so now i am rethinking snowmen. or at least why i suddenly love them so much...and then my grandmother reminds me that that old frosty cartoon movie..i knew all the songs and was especially concerned with his two eyes made out of coal...and that i won a contest in kindergarten by drawing a snowman which then appeared on the school play program. i'll have to dig that out and take a look at it- i'm sure my dad has it filed away somewhere.
so these are the new guys. and they have new hats, and new scarves, and new eyes made out of coal...well almost.
i got some of the felt on mad sale and decided to try dyeing it myself- wow- what a thing to love!

bird of a feather on etsy

2007-12-07T17:55:00.000-08:00

colorada has some great things for sale in her etsy shop. her colors are bright and beautiful and you can tell she puts much time (and a touch of whimsy into her designs)
i love her bird skirts and you will to! to see more of her work click here.

what else is been keeping me busy!

2007-12-05T04:16:00.000-08:00

dear david at kaiju big battle hooked me up with this gig.
i'm up to my elbows in plantain brothers but i think they are turning out oh so cute and i love the way 'limited run' sounds on my cv!

a whole lota mosey

2007-12-03T07:08:00.000-08:00

hah! this pile of packages is making me really happy right now!

OOOOOOO! mosey on etsy gift guide!

2007-12-02T17:44:00.000-08:00

ornaments oh ornaments

2007-11-30T05:46:00.000-08:00

so i have been bust making these lil' birds. it was something i sketched out first(which i rarely do) and was s o happy that they turned out something quite like the drawing!
stuffed with natural wool roving and lavender- so cozy!
available at my etsy shop!

my snowman army

2007-11-06T16:13:00.000-08:00

i only wish army were made of snowmen and everybody was just throwing snowballs...the only way to fight(other than pillow)!
last year my dear friend jean and i made an army of these felted snowmen for our kindergarten kids. they loved them and you will to...check them out at my etsy shop. spent a rainy monday making s'more!

work space

2007-10-10T05:09:00.000-07:00

this place needs some cleaning up! time to put some elbow grease into it!
thanks to karen who always makes my life look too lovely!

my 2 days early birthday present

2007-08-27T05:26:00.000-07:00

so i found my fave person on etsy! grandmas girl has a great new shop...all items listed are cute and oh so affordable. i had her sew me up a custom order and she graciously offered up a bit of vintage red calico fabric that had been in her family for years! also she was so fast in sewing up the new item i could hardly believe it!
i thought it would be many days to a week but woke up this morning to discover my new birthday bonnet!
thank you grandma's girl!

katey's trees

2007-07-27T12:10:00.000-07:00

katey at onegoodbumblebee and i have started conspiring...and these are the preliminary results. sewn up in linen with pink linings. katey's trees are oh-so-cute, but my screenprinting made these lil' trees more like birch trees than i would have suspected. well- i'm off to mail them to her and see what she thinks.

etsy contest winner - confections!

2007-07-26T16:17:00.000-07:00

so here was the contest:
tell me your fave vintage/thrift store find. simple right. i had a lot of posts, a ton about finding something amazing on ebay and being able to sell it for a ton of money, and one guy who bought a jacket at his local thrift and found 100 bucks in the pocket. but the one that stole my heart from the minute i started reading was this story.

in cheryls own words:

"My 5-year-old niece and I found this forlorn-looking vintage Effanbee doll last month at the Salvation Army Thrift Store. We had been to tea earlier in the day, and Grace had brought her American Girl doll, Elizabeth, along to the festivities. When we entered the thrift shop, she made a beeline to a group of dolls which included this well-loved charmer."
read all about "helene elyse's" new dress made from cherlys own vintage calico stash and all about the tea parties she's been attending here and here.

be sure to check out cheryl of confections amazing fiberarts etsy shop too! thanks to all who posted and thanks to cheryl and her niece for rescuing such a prize!

button bags

2007-07-26T11:47:00.000-07:00

when i was a kid i had one of these. it was all my own. it came with 3 different "outside purses". one was pink corduroy, one was tiny green whales and the other was my initials in navy-blue on white. we moved when i was about seven and my purse(s) did not make the cross country trip. i was devastated. ever since then when i was thrifting i would always pick them up. i now have a decent sized collection.
BUT what i really wanna do is make them, so that all the loveliest girls of the world can skip around with one of these on there elbow.
does anyone know the real name of these cuties?

2007-07-23T07:22:00.000-07:00

because everybody loves gnomes! young & with it

littledear

project grab bag

and tiny airplanes

whale of a tale

2007-07-19T08:15:00.000-07:00

i have always been in love with sea creatures. starfish, stingrays, sea urchins.
but these lil' guys were inspired by a story that one of my kindergarteners told me. it involved her great grandfather being swallowed by a whale. audrey said he was a sailor who got thrown off of his boat, swallowed by a whale and lived inside of the whale for months. think gepettos workshop in pinocchio. and anyway when he was finally rescued all of his hair had turned white. i know this is the kind of story for which phrase "whale of a tale" was made and since she was only five at the time i figured she was really working on her story telling skills. at the end of the year i mentioned the story to her mother who then brought in an article from a 1940's newspaper about this very whaling disaster/triumph.
woa!

etsy owls forever

2007-07-15T07:01:00.000-07:00

i LOVE owls. especially brown felt ones! i'm the kinda girl who when thrifting with her dear friend on her birthday (also a huge owl lover), and upon spying a pair of owl salt and pepper shakers had to keep myself from grabbing them and holding them tight to my chest and exclaiming their mine their mine!
so having said all that, elizabeth got the owl shakers, hey- it was HER birthday and i went on a search for the perfect brown owl or owlette.
if you know anything about the crafty site etsy you know it's chalk full of wonderfully handmade do-it-yrself items, so it wasn't slim pickins' but here are my favorites. enjoy!

fig.1 mr.owly owl by marmee craft
fig.2 the owl and the pussycat from the beloved little birds,
fig.1 woodruff brown owl from chet and dot,

for alise.

2007-07-13T08:59:00.000-07:00

because i happen to be in the throes of making her wedding dress. raw silk and grosgrain ribbon and lots and lots of tulle. i'm comforted by the fact that i could make her a silk pillow case and she would look splendid in it.

and because i made the quilted scarf and tee for her as a birthday present and she wore them to her first show.

a strong knitter

2007-07-11T20:59:00.000-07:00

i help teach kindergarten and so, i get some of my inspiration from my 4-6 years olds. they can knit, sew and some can even play the fiddle. talk about motivation...to keep up at least!

peace meal

2007-07-11T19:44:00.000-07:00

this past winter i made a go of quilting. my friend megan and her mom opened a quilt shop here in town and i put up a note: will work 4 fabric and so i did.
my own mother is quite a quilter and in fact she and my sister made the blue calico quilt thats tucked into this pile. i'm a big fan of quilting in the winter, quilting together and just plain getting ready to quilt. it's a great way to use up fabric scraps or make a really fancy gift. to check out some real serious quilting take a peek at gabi d'italia's quilts and totes at spring st. co.
this gal lives in a converted one room school house and her quilts are like waves...of buttercream.