HELLOmynameisHeather

Lotsa Lotsa

I didn't realize it until later, but "Random Debris" was a pretty sad-sounding post title, huh?  That wasn't my intention.  We're doing quite well for all of the hubbub.  My dad's heart tests went well and he was released from the hospital on his birthday - best present possible.  Home-cooked meal at our house & chocolate cake too. Four family birthdays this week in fact, and one little baby girl on her way.  Lots of birthdays, lots of design projects, lots of catching up, lots of Lotsa.

I'm heading out to North Carolina in the morning for Donna's big shindig.  Humorously, business trips seem to be my best chance to relax.  It's those long plane rides: sketchbook, embroidery, audiobooks, iTune movies for my Nano.  I'm all set.  Watched a rental from iTunes on my way to the Country Living event last month.  Pretty cool.  I just wish they'd give you longer than 24 hours to complete a movie once you start watching it.

photo:curious    fabric:coming soon

More on that later - *Pray for May* - Gotta go.

Random Debris

My intentions are good.  I keep meaning to take out the camera to photograph my sewing machines or my Foredom drill, but it's been a crazy week.  I'm busy wrapping up some huge projects that were put on the back-burner months ago when the paper collection cut in line.  You know that stage of moving where all of the furniture, boxes & other obvious items have been put on the moving truck, but the floor's still swimming with random debris: the broom, several floor lamps, thread racks, spinning wheel, cleaning supplies, whatever?  I'm at that stage on a few business projects.  Not the fun part -- but it does mean we're almost done.

My brother's wife is on bed rest trying to make it one more week before delivering their fourth child.  We've had their youngest over a couple of days this week & that's been big fun for Charlotte.  Then my dad went into the hospital today with a heart issue.  Word is that it's not too serious, but the doctor wants to keep an eye on him tonight.  So there we are. Just enough added jazz to make picture-taking less important for today.  But a quick blog post is still a nice change of pace for a few minutes :)   

Keepin' it pretty, here's a photo of Miss Charlotte showing off her favorite accessory (a snapped up point-n-shoot from our day at the Renaissance Festival).

And for good laughs, check out this April Fools Day banner!!

10,000 Points

Such a great week!  We had Laura with us for four days, kids included (Luke & Lily below).  We hit the best antique stores & boutiques, my favorite new grocery store (a few times) for gelato & aisle-coursing entertainment, and we ate out more than we ate in. Whoa.

I scored 6+ yards of vintage flaming-orange fabric, now destined for a bedskirt in my yet-to-be-decorated bedroom.  Got an old donut-maker tool too - in a cool paperboard box (that Charlotte later tore to shreds). Then more vintage buttons, a hand-knit yellow baby sweater, a bizarre basket purse, and a cool leafed table with a green & orange metal top.  I promise to show all at some point.  The donut-maker definitely fits into this month's theme (a theme which will have to extend well into April as I didn't expect my Chicago trip, Elijah's Spring Break, and an Easter week with Laura to be such wonderful distractions).

On Tuesday, Isaac took Charlotte & Lily out for an all-day girl-extravaganza.  Lily practically bubbled out of her skin to tell us all about it that night.  Here's Isaac's outline of their day.  Perhaps he's planning a thesis.

1. Glitter Box -- ultimate girl store
    a. Girls get princess up-dos and chat up the proprietresses
    b. Girls shop
        i. Lily - glitter journal, magic glitter face stamp, girlie bag
       ii. Charlotte - set of seven heart-shaped, flavored lip-gloss rings (cherry, orange, vanilla, etc.), magic glitter face stamp, girlie bag

2. Puppies 'N Love--puppy super store
    a. Watch puppies
    b. Pet and play with miniature schnauzer

3. Lunch at Johnny Rockets -- hamburger joint
    a. Nickel juke box
        i. Del Shannon, Runaway
        ii. Lollipop
    b. Waitress makes ketchup (catsup) drawings
        i. Lily and Charlotte get ketchup puppies
        ii. Isaac gets ketchup winkin' dude
    c. Burgers Fries & Chicken Tenders
        i. Cherry 7-up

4. Disney Store
    a. 'Nuf said

5. Play in Park
    a. Make a new friend

6. Apple Store
    a. Sponge Bob game
    b. Okay, this one is really for Isaac

7. Pick Up Elijah from School

8. Cold Stone Creamery -- ice cream mixed on a chilled marble slab
    a. Lily - finally settles on mint ice cream, cotton candy ice cream & rainbow sprinkles
        i. First idea - mint ice cream, chocolate ice cream & gummy bears
        ii. Second idea - cotton candy ice cream, pineapple sorbet & gummy bears
    b. Charlotte - strawberry milkshake
    c. Elijah - mint ice cream, chocolate cake batter ice cream, chocolate chips
    d. Isaac - chocolate cake batter ice cream, banana ice cream, graham cracker crumbs, YUM!

9. Movie Rental Place
    a. Aladdin
    b. Fox and Hound II
    c. Miss Spider's Tea Party

10. Back Home
    a. Princess photos by the front door
    b. Dump tablespoon of purple glitter on tile floor for special, girlie, princess grout-treatment 

11. Heather & Laura Return
    a. Lily bounces down the stairs to report 
    b. Charlotte twirls

12. Bedtime Bath
    a. Remove dozens of bobby pins 
    b. Rinse off glitter 
    c. Scrub out hairspray 
    d. Play some more

In simple mathematical terms ...

Princess Day for the Girls + Shopping Day for the Moms = 10,000 Points for Isaac & a Good Night's Sleep for Everyone.

Very Pretty

Like footballs.  Our first harvest of lemons.  They are huge.  Even my parents, who live on a citrus grove, can't believe how big our lemons are.  You can't tell from the photos, but they're probably 50% bigger than average & perfect.

Anyone remember the song, "Lemon tree, very pretty...?" My mother used to sing it to me when I was a small child.

Being new to lemon trees, I couldn't believe the thorns!  Some as long as 2-3".  I was extra careful with Charlotte underfoot, but not so careful with myself.  I wouldn't bother with gardening gloves (though I have really cute blue leather gloves with red trim).  I got poked here and there.  Not so much like a needle poke though -- those thorns are lemony.  So a lemon-thorn poke is like a needle poke with lemon juice on top.

The worst is getting spiked in the forehead.

I love it though.  I love to garden.  I even like the thorns.  It's just nice to be outside with the kids and the chirping birds.  And what's more sweet than sharing a pitcher of freshly-squeezed lemonade with your kids -- lemons they helped harvest?  Not much. 

It was a good day.

Now to get the rest of the garden in order.  One day.

Fun That is Funny

"Oh my. Oh. Look at her. Whoa, she is awesome! Even better, kinda scary."

I almost interrupted the Queen's presentation on historical costume to ask if she'd be my new best friend.  Got scared though.

Which reminds me of college...  I redintegrate again (love that word!)  One of my two closest friends in college used to charge around campus with a bulldog snarl on her face.  With hot-pink, spiky hair, heavy eyeliner, and lots of silver chains, she had droves of cutie-pies convinced she was bad news.  Funny thing was, she was the sweetest girl, never mean to anyone & not into anything shady.  She just got a kick out of stirring up a little harmless mystery. 

And there I was trotting along beside her, bright & sunny, newly-married & all-too squeaky clean.  I swear if anyone had the nerve to look her direction long enough, they would have surely noticed me beside her and her whole mystique would have dissipated in an instant.  My friend designed the most interesting clothes - not shy of pink feather boas or studded black vinyl.  In fact, she was all sparkes & chains really.  Extremely talented though.  Last I heard from her, she was forging swords for the movie industry or something. Coolest girl.

Which has me thinking...  Shouldn't there be a site where we ladies can officially call-out our maiden names and make ourselves findable?  I'm tired of searching for old friends to no avail.  It's those dern maiden names.  Or we can all post our maiden names on our blogs.  Or in the comments of this post if you like.  My maiden name is Heather Hutchings. 

There friends, now find me!

So, back on track... Um yes, we took the kids to the Renaissance Festival.  Sting was there again, doing his thing.  And there was my favorite new character with that Queen of Hearts flair.  I just love her!  And she had the coolest green floral trunk!  We could be good friends.

Granny got Elijah some tricky sticks. (I think they're called Crystal Stix.)  And Charlotte was bestowed a lavender butterfly wand. Costumes, jousting, greasy turkey legs, petting zoo - the kids couldn't have had more fun.   

As for me, as long as I get a good look at a Peregrine Falcon, a couple of freaky vultures & an owl, I'm good.  The Birds of Prey demonstration is really the highlight for me.  That, and a day in the sun with my family.

Hey & thanks for the huzzahs over my new paper collection.  I've always loved to make paper dolls & cards & whatnot.  I predict some seriously good fun.

And a fashion-history factoid from my History of Costume class in college... Did you know that women used to pluck out rows & rows of hair, more than an inch sometimes, in order to make their foreheads fashionably tall?  Or that Queen Elizabeth used to paint blue lines on her skin - you know, for younger- looking skin.  (I'd like to see Beyonce or Heather Locklear do that commercial.)  Interesting article on historical beauty practices here.  Lots of poisons though : (

Random, Random

Lists!  Why haven't I done this before? There's no sense trying to connect any of these thoughts together.  A list will suit the occasion perfectly.

1.  Laura Lure -  Laura has big news!  Read about it here.

2.  Rachel, Rachel, What Rhymes with Rachel? -  Isaac's sister has a new blog and an online store. called harper.  Remember Harper?  Rachel has perfected edgy simplicity.  You'll love her aesthetic.   

3.  Tara Haira -  Meet Tara.  Well, her hair at least.  Tara's now working with us a couple of days a week to help keep our many plates spinning smoothly.  This is the awesome Trash Ties 'do she wore to work last week.

4.  It's Back! -  Freshcut wasn't on the Free Spirit website for a while.  It turns out their web designer made a mistake, so yes! the collection is still available.  Free Spirit's new mantra is to keep every collection available as long as it's selling well.  Good plan : )

5.  Not So Sweet - I made it four days without sugar last week.  I'm trying for five this week.  This mini mug of cocoa love (see #9 below) is for Charlotte and there's one more for Elijah when he gets home.

6.  Drip, Drip -  It's raining outside.  I love rainy days!

7.  Trip, Trip - Isaac's brother moved to Germany this year to teach at a university. He's there with his wife and new baby boy.  I'm thinking I might have to get my passport in order and fly out for a visit.  Sometime.  Just thinking.

8. Flip, Flip -  We want to get a backyard trampoline for our kids soon.  One with a net.  Any suggestions before we jump to it?

9.  Sip, Sip - Cost Plus World Market is selling pink hot cocoa for Valentine's Day in pink-striped packages.  Might make for some fun grown-up valentines?? These little strawberry/chocolate bits are from there too.  The mini mug set is from Target. 

10.  Hmmm -  Check this out.  What store would you live in?

Sticky Sticky

Still licking the frosting off my fingers from a week of birthdays. 

Nah, I'm actually testing my willpower by avoiding it all together for a few days.  Two days down.  Detox, baby.  Ha, we'll see how that goes.  Of course you can't count fresh-squeezed tangelo juice.  My parents live in a citrus grove and my counter tops are covered with heaping bowls of oranges, grapefruit & tangelos, while the lemons on my own tree are growing as big as footballs.

Back when Laura lived nearby, we had a tradition of freezing baggies and baggies of freshly-squeezed lemon juice in one-cup measurements.  Through experimentation, we figured out how much sugar and water were needed for the perfect pitcher of lemonade so we could pop frozen lemon juice in a jug at any time and whip up some freshly-squeezed.  I'm eyeing my hand-crank squeezer now.  Hmm, what was I supposed to do tomorrow?  Oh yes, no sugar, Heather.  Whoa now.

Charlotte's party was a royal gala.  All the lords and ladies of the kingdom were in attendance, wearing their finest threads.  Little Max here, aka Lord Max of Hall, topped the parade with his bejeweled crown and emerald rings.  Have a pair of thread-bare toddler trousers flitting around somewhere?  Why, cut the waistband off and make a crown of course!  And rings, a king must have his rings. 

Ah, I loved Max's costume.

Heaven Does Exist

Gaw, isn't this gorgeous!?!  I'm ready to pack my bags & a tarp to go live in a lean-to right there by that fence in Who-Knows-Where, South Carolina.  Purple azaleas, mossy-green grass, gravel road, weathered wooden fence, misty forest...heaven.

I have this photo open on my desktop while I work and when I drift off, I drift off down that path.  Kinda nice, really.  You should try it. 

If you live somewhere as beautiful, pray, do tell where. Sigh.

Hey-la, Hey-hello-ah

I know, I know, I've been absent from these parts for most of the last month.  Beyond taking a much needed holiday break, I've been wrapping up some big projects and structuring my world to take on the new year.  If I get some of these things done quickly this week, I just might get to tap into the new-year enthusiasm in the air before it dissipates.  That's the plan. That's the hope.  I love a new year!  And I'm happy to bury 2007.

Things will pick up here as well.  I have some great new crafts and free patterns in the works for January.  And some fun finds to share. Looking forward to it.  Thanks for hanging around : )

Happy New Year!

Auto Obnoxious!

I just added an automatic response to my inbox to alert folks that I'd be out of the studio through Christmas and it appears to have gone berserk!  From what I can tell, it sent an "I'll be out of the studio..." message in response to every email I've received since somewhere around Oct 17th.  Sheesh!  So, I apologize if any of you are greeted with a dozen auto responses from my inbox today. I told it to only reply to emails that were less than one day old.  I don't know what went wrong.  So sorry.

I do expect to pop back in here before Christmas is through though. Happy Christmas Eve Eve -- Sing lots of holiday songs today and make a big, floury mess or two in the kitchen with your loved ones.  I plan to.

Whistle While You Work

Okay, so the Trash Ties response was amazing!  And a bit overwhelming.  We've turned our house into a full-on workshop and I'm experiencing Christmas through the eyes of Santa's elves.  Thank you for your orders.  We're making and packaging them up round the clock. I've added a post to the Trash Ties blog to answer some questions about shipping, security, applying discounts, extended coupons! and such.  If you've placed an order or are about to, you should have a read through that post.  (There's also a giveaway!)

Other than the elvish nature of this week's work, we haven't yet had a chance to break into Christmas this year.  The Christmas decorations are stacked in boxes in the middle of our living room and have been for two weeks. This year will have to be condensed, with extra Christmas effort and activities packed into the end of next week.  We'll make it particularly fun so the kids don't notice they had to wait! 

Oh gatz!  I'm getting weepy.  My friend's two daughters are over to help and they're watching Fiddler on the Roof while they work.  Sunrise, Sunset is bellowing from the other room and I can't get through that song without tearing up, even if I'm in a distant room focussed on writing this post!  I've got to wrap it up before they get to the Chava Ballet song, the one that starts, "Little Bird, Little Chavala."  Oh forget it, I can't even type it out.  I'll move on.  One of my favorite movies, anyhow!

The fish?  I'm looking forward to the fish.  I made him for our Christmas tree about 5 years ago or so.  Beyond my funky junky collection, he's one of my favorite ornaments.  I just love the idea of a goldfish swimming around in a pine tree.  A few more days to go...

One of Those Moments

How are you guys doing this?  Getting through the turkey comas, family get-togethers, late-night movie parties, early-morning shopping sprees, etc, etc, & so on, then fitting in a Happy Thanksgiving blog post? 

I missed it.  No Thankgiving post.  We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, but I have no photos and I'm a couple of days late in posting.  And of course, there are no luscious pies left to photograph!  So shall I move on or add my thankful chimes to the music? 

I'll chime a little.

"Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words." -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

I am so deeply grateful for so many things this year.  A bulleted list could never cover it.  And my little niece was baptized today to add to an already moving week (Ocho is now an Adam!).  My mother gave a perfectly beautiful talk that had me fighting tears several times throughout.

Then Charlotte decided to be a big girl this week.  Monday night she announced, "I need to go potty," and she hasn't turned back.  I'm even moved by this!  What's up?  She's just been so responsible about the whole thing.  It's her thing; she owns it.  My baby. 

Oh, I really could go on.  Whole categories I'm not touching on.  I'll say it's been one of "those moments" (from that quote up there) all week. Good timing for a holiday called Thanksgiving.  Of course, I am eyeing the couch (still feeling my turkey). 

Before I go though, I must express my gratitude to all of you! Taking time from your days and families to make me smile, bring me to thoughtful tears, send me rolling on the floor with laughter, provide me restorative distraction and share with me sweet sisterhood from around the world.  What a magical force you are for good.  Thank you dearly. 

Happy late Thanksgiving!
Love, Heather

Ocho

What do you do when your sweet sister's in the hospital giving birth and you're anxiously awaiting the news?  Assuming you've already worn a hole in the floor from pacing, you can fiddle with your hair.  Then, when it's finally time to go see the baby, your hair is all ready. 

And that's about how it went yesterday. 

Introducing my newest little nephew, what's-his-name, or as my dad likes to call him, Ocho (the eighth grandbaby).  He doesn't have a name yet, but isn't he darling and perfect? 

He looks a lot like my little Elijah did when he was born, but for the nose.  And his little head feels like the inside of a rose petal -- velvety, velvety soft. 

So, hooray and heaps of love for my sister Julia and her husband Brent -- well done!  A perfect and sweet new baby boy to fight over at family get-togethers.

I love him the most - me first!

Bric-a-Brac in Brief

Lots of artwork going on in the studio this week, keeping me occupied and content  My sister's due to have her second child any day now, so I've got that on my mind as well.  I've got about five projects that each need a good nudge before the week's over and I'm enjoying the busyness.  Perhaps getting sick last weekend was just what I needed to have a good rest in prep for a carnival of activity this week. 

Feeling grateful.  Looking forward to Thanksgiving.

Anyhow.  Two TV things:
  1.  My good friend will be on Martha tomorrow (Nov. 15th).  I've got a Martinelli's chilling in the fridge and popcorn ready to pop. Martinelli's and popcorn?  Not sure why.  It just seems like a good way to celebrate such a thing.
    2.  Project Runway is back.  Tonight.  It's been a while.

12:10 to Bed

One more Halloween photo -- If you could capture true magic on film, I expect it would look something like this. This is Charlotte "poofting" me into a pink frog. She's been poofting cars into carriages, toys into cakes and balloons into horses.  Today she "poofted Daddy into a kingdom" (king).  Ribbit.

I went on a date with my mom tonight.  We tooled around some new boutiques in town, then went to see 3:10 to Yuma, which was excellent! I love when a story ties every wandering thread into one tidy bow for the ending.  It's, well, magic when you realize, ""Yes, of course!" 

And Christian Bale.  What can I say?  Just go see it/him.

Hmmm.  Well, I didn't intend to drift into a glowing movie endorsement and then call it quits, but I've got the flu and was just hit with a wave of fatigue.  Next post will be non-Halloweenish.  Or is that non-Halloweenie?

(Did you know that Christian Bale starred in Empire of the Sun (amazing movie) and Newsies as a kid?  I didn't realize that until tonight.)

The Aftermath

There are lots of ways of dealing with the aftermath of Halloween -- the candy.  Isaac and I let our kids have at it for a couple of days and then get rid of what's left.  I have some friends who stage it out, dishing one candy per day for who-knows-how-long.  Then there's the pick-out- your-favorite-insert # here- pieces method.  Makes for a good alternate discussion topic amongst mommies when you've already memorized everyone's birth stories! 

Ok, being a bit sarcastic, yes.  We have plenty of other things to talk about than birth and candy!  In fact, we didn't discuss birth or candy at all last weekend in Houston.  Oh wait, I did hear how Anna's fourth baby was her most difficult delivery.  But beyond that brief interlude, it was all art and schoolmarms. I probably had too much fun at Market.  My next fabric line didn't quite make it in time to be released this Market, so I was free to hang out as I pleased.

I met some new friends and some old ones too.  If you haven't seen Liesl's new company, go take a peek!  My gush over her paper dolls was a bit embarrassing in hindsight.  I even ran to get my sketchbook to show her all the paper dolls I've been sketching.  Just to prove, "You see, I'm not just saying that I'm excited about your paper dolls!  I really am."  Ridiculous.  Liesl, forgive me.  And what a sweetheart and smart.  She's really got things together.

Hmmm.  I don't know that I'm up for listing everyone this time.  The list keeps getting longer.  I'd rather just report my embarrassing moments : )  I was a bit sleep deprived and shouldn't have been in a professional setting that last day.  Nothing horrible... I just get a little too excited about things like thread and Japanese fabric, you see.  I've got to chill. 

I figure I now have six months to rest up for before Portland (yah, right).  My eyes and my stomach are set on this chocolate palace for an evening escape.

Had the best time showing Laura around too!  So fun.

And yes, there were plenty of perfectly polite, well-mannered, calm conversations as well.  I've just got to get more sleep next time!

Want some candy??   

The Mermaid

Pure elation!  Do you see it?  And I thought I'd have a little pirate girl, or a piggy, or a little cardboard robot girl with a polka-dot bow.  No, Charlotte was very clear that she wanted to be a mermaid.  And somehow the timing worked out well this year, so I went all out!

I created the tail texture by running gathering stitches in a fanned-out pattern.  Huge relief that it worked as planned!  The skirt is supposed to be the ocean, but I didn't quite get to the seaweed and fish I had in mind.  I love the color variegation there though - makes for great interpretive water.

I made a removable plastic sleeve for the fin so Charlotte could enjoy her Halloween without being barked at about dragging her tail.  It worked out swimmingly -- though the tail stayed off the ground anyhow as she pranced around in just about the same pose as you see in this photo. Crazy cute!

I drafted the pattern for the bodice and went a bit nuts with ruffles and trim.  At one place in the sleeve seam there's something like 12 layers (a couple sets of doubled ruffles & piping, trim, & the usual stuff).  I had to outfit Charlotte with a sleeved dance leotard underneath to keep her little arms comfortable.  And dance she has, in full regalia, on Halloween and every day since.

Isaac's contribution was the crown.  I handed him the materials and said, "Go for it!" 

He responsed, "What's wrong with this one?" (The original plastic crown underneath all of the goop). 

"Nothing's wrong with it, but it could be so much more mermaid-y."

"Ya, I guess," he said, but then proceeded to spend the next thirty or forty minutes deeply enthralled, improving in every way my original plan.  He even got out the drill so the button shanks on the back of the crown jewels would nest into the plastic just so.  I mean he really got into it.  He's proud of that crown.

He went a bit crazy with the wand too.  Got burned in the process : (

Besides the hot-glue burns, we had extra-fun this year.  It was Charlotte's first Halloween where she understood what was up - costume, candy, costume.  What a joy to see the magic in her eyes!  She's really pretty caught up in her underwater fantasy.

And obviously, Elijah's still got the magic.  Thank heaven Jedis lead a simpler, less-layered, unglittered existence or I might not have made the deadline.  Love my twirly, big-eyed dreamers.

The Jedi

The Jedi, as promised.  Not shy, is he?  My kids really are the best appreciators.  Schwohng!

Touch & Go (the original, airplane-related definition, as I just got back from Disneyland and I'm heading back out again -- not the sad, someone's-dying-in-the-hospital version)

Off to Houston for Market.  I'm counting on some good fun and a couple of teary, giggly late night chats.  And some business stuff in there too.

I'm just about done with the costume (reveal to come)-- and thank heaven, as I have one more to make once I get back... a Jedi. Jedis are a bit more quick to put together.  And, I'm very familiar with Jedis. 

My older brother, Matthew, had me sew up Jedi costumes for him and two of his business buddies a number of years ago.  There was an Amidala in that crew as well, for a change of pace.  It was for a business presentation. (How cool is that?)  And it paid well. 

Then my other brother, Ryan, had to have a Jedi costume too.  He even scored a cloak to go with it, as I found the most amazing cloak fabric that year -- all sand-beaten and worn-looking.  It even wafts in the wind. 

So, can you guess what Elijah wanted to be for Halloween that same year?  Yep, a Jedi.  He was about 4.  Now he's 10 and he's feeling the Jedi vibe again.  And there's no chance the older costume will fit.

So that's the Tuesday/Wednesday that awaits me next week.  That, and a full report on my weekend away!

(Nope, photo does not relate to post.  But she's cool, don't you think?)

Magic of One Kind and Another

We're back from Disneyland and it was amazing!  Our first time on an official vacation as a foursome. Charlotte, though 2 and admitted for free, had as much fun as any full-fare filly.  And Elijah enjoyed himself even more than last time (with Isaac in May, I think) - improved by the company of cousins to hang on fences with and generally poke and pester.  I'll track down the camera cards from our trip and find some photos to share. 

We came home to a backlog of business, a visit from Isaac's mother and Halloween magic to make.  Wait till you see this one.  Charlotte is hovering.   

Unplanned Plans

Impromptu trip to Disneyland! Cashing in the coins to spend a couple of days out-and-about with our children.  My brother and his family will be there as well.  Should be big fun!

I think I've been only once before.  I faintly remember climbing around in a big tree- house of sorts.

Anyhow, time to hang the hypothetical Closed sign for a couple of days.  Be back online come Thursday. 

The Bulge & Pop of Things

Philadelphia in fish eye.  Isaac's weekend.  More bulgy, beautiful photos here.

Living Room in boxes.  Heather's weekend.  Shipment of secret product X.  Not secret for long :) 

The DIY workload is out of control.  We'll be hiring soon.  Most likely an assistant for Isaac at first, so Isaac can assist me:  websites, timelines, business systems, etc.  I'll need an assistant as well soon after.  We are laying a careful foundation so our family can happily handle the juggle.

Many may not realize how long the lead-time is in preparing goodies for the market.  Most product designer don't blog about the next year's collection as they put it together.  Hush, hush.  Shh, shh.  I know for a fact however, that we're all biting our knuckles to share, aching to tell all, but don't want to frustrate anyone in having to wait 3, 6, 9 or even 12 months to get her hands on said goodies.  In short, I can't wait to start letting things Pop!  Getting much closer on a number of things.

Two things I can share here today from my calendar:

1.  I've been invited to be a panelist at Country Living's Women Entrepreneurs event in Chicago the weekend of March 15th, 2008. They'll be releasing ticket & event details come October 15th. Pop! 

2.  I've also accepted an invitation to appear at the Inspired artist workshop (paper-craft) in North Carolina on April 10-12th, 2008. Registration is already in progress.  Pop!

Loving that hand-painted "Closed" sign up there.  We should all have one on hand for occasional use on the computer, oven, washing machine, brain, etc.

What Is It With Muskrats?

I'm not sure what all I can say here that the title of this book doesn't already achieve.  Read the title once, then twice, and your puzzled expression will inevitably bloom into a curly smirk. 

Come again?  His Muskrat Lady Housekeeper?  Uncle What?

I can't say how this floats my boat.  Really.  And I'm not sure it would be wise to try.  Let's just say that a quick glance at this book has diffused many stressful moments for me.  I can't help smiling.  So, there it sits, on the shelf above my ribbons, ready to cheer me up on demand.  It just wouldn't be right to keep such a thing to myself.

Of course, muskrat anything takes me back about six years to the night Isaac came home from work, spun me around in the kitchen and proceeded to sing, "Muskrat Suzy and Muskrat Sam do the jitterbug out in Muskrat Land..." with all the passion he could muster. Oh to have a record of the look on my face!  It was a classic expression of "You have got to be kidding me, right?  You're joking, right?"  He just kept on singing.  Me, "Oh my gosh!  Is this a real song?  No, you're making this up.  What are the real words?  What is going on?" 

Isaac, of course, knew all of the words.  He spent a good five or ten minutes trying to convince me that yes, there was indeed a very popular song in the 70s called Muskrat Love (it hit #4 in '76), before digging up the CD and proving it.  Poor guy, I totally spoiled his muskrat mood.  But, what the?  I can't be the only one to not feel the romance of Muskrat Love, can I?  "Honey, are you sure it was a popular song?  I was only a baby, you know." 

That was a funny, funny night.  Big, healthy laughs. 

I still don't get it.  Though I do wonder...  That picnic Uncle Wiggily's skipping to looks awfully romantic to me.  What is it with muskrats?

(And, no, Isaac wasn't serious.)

Boom Tin Tin

Pokin' back in for a HELLO.  Isaac's in Philadelphia photographing a wedding this weekend.  I convinced him to stay an extra few days to explore (in proxy perhaps -- would have liked to stay longer last June).  His rental car was creamed by a small truck minutes after leaving the airport though.  Completely not his fault.  He's not hurt at all & the other guy's got the tab for the damage.  But, as all other rental cars were spoken for, he's now in for an adventure with PA mass transit perhaps.  Let's hope he leaves the hotel -- or at least returns well-rested, right?

Took myself out to see The Kingdom on Friday night, babysitting already in place.  A large part of that movie was filmed about a mile or so from my house, on an old out-of-action military base.  The baseball-game bomb-scene and big-ol'-shoot-out at the end were two of the sets you could see from the road.   Man, some of those buildings sure looked shabby and pathetic in the movie -- nasty stucco stains, filthy stairs, roofs teeming with satellite dishes.  They were just facades, all plywood and braces from the back. 

My friend Sheeba was an extra on the set.  And thank heaven for the inside scoop, as we were awakened one night by a fearsome boom.  The house shook and grumbled and I sprung out of bed with a comical, "What...was... that!"  It was 3am or so.  Turned out they blew up the set that night.  For realistic tattering, I'm sure. Whoa!  Would have been nice to get a notice on that one.  I bet it was a busy night for the local 911 dispatchers. 

Anyhow, no!, my neighborhood looks nothing like Saudi Arabia.  Just a fun bit of this & that.

New tins above.

Hello Neighbor, Might I Borrow a Cup of Whales?

Oh my, Isaac erased my inbox on accident and it took a couple of days for him to restore what he could.  Still missing much of September and that last part of August.  So... if you're waiting to hear from me on something or other, I might just be in the dark a bit on your request or inquiry.  Please resend? 

Haven't been on the computer much this week, hence the lack of posts.  I have a big deadline to meet on Thursday.  We have been watching the first season of Heroes on dvd though while we work.  Wow! good show.  But, you have to watch it from the beginning as there are a gazillion characters and I'm not sure you could pop in and pick up on the story line very easily.  Easy to follow if you watch from the beginning though. 

Let's see, what's my tricky, one-line review...  A pound of Unbreakable, two cups of Superman, one teaspoon of 24, and a dash of The Matrix, creamed together and spread on a healthy slice of humor.

Food on my mind.  So hungry waiting for Isaac to finish up dinner. I keep popping in the kitchen and nibbling.  Told Charlotte I could eat a whale.  Her response -- "But we don't have any whales!"

Brownery

Yes, there were three bouquets.  Three.  I didn't get to the roses in time.  They didn't give me much time either.  Can you say "dead in one day?"  I snapped a photo for my own amusement, but it turned out kinda pretty-looking.  Hum "The Roses are Dead" along with this catchy tune.  There, that'll keep the dreary wilts away. 

I'm putting the finishing touches on a couple of big things that you guys have been waiting for for an embarrassingly long time.  I'm hesitant to come right out and say anything specific until I'm truly done.  Truth is, bigger, more amazing projects keep getting in the way and none of these can really be talked about just yet because they involve other people and companies.  Aargh. (I mean yay!  A good problem.)

I'm not twiddling my thumbs... unless it's to massage them from overuse.  And then fun things come along that I can blog about, but I don't get the camera out until the sun goes down.  Aargh again.  (I mean aargh.)

I have a pattern out in Sew News Holidays right now.  It's been out for weeks.  Have I mentioned it?  I picked up a doll house for Charlotte for Christmas.  Have I taken "before" photos and asked for your suggestions?  Laura made me the most amazing poppy painting while she was here.  Have I shown you?  Have I sung her glorious praises? (Well, maybe that last one.)

Hang in there, you.  Hang in there, me.  Big things are coming. 

Big things are slow :)

Pinkery

More fresh flowers in my world.

Isaac went kinda crazy with fresh flowers this week.  When we were first married, I was kinda bummed when Isaac brought me flowers, wishing he'd spent the money on a new tool or some art supplies.  The flowers were invitingly beautiful for a few days, but watching them wilt and die would make me tangibly sad. It wasn't long before the anticipation of that sadness kept me from enjoying fresh flowers in my home, even when they were still spritely and gorgeous.  Oh, such a complicated emotional relationship with flowers.  Woe is me.

Well, I'm over it.

I've decided that I can't afford to be so affected.  Other people can handle the wilt and so can I.  Perhaps this is all linked up with my love for floral patterns.  Hmmm.  Any pyschologists out there?  Or maybe it's because I've since collected every tool and art supply known to man.  In either case, I'm enjoying these bouquets while they last.  Really, truly now. And with a couple of quick snapshots, they'll last a bit longer than usual, in photographic form. 

Fresh flowers for everyone!  Just be glad you can't smell 'em.  Lilies are stinky.

Weekend Whatnots

Charlotte woke me up on Saturday, asking me to fix a broken clasp on her bracelet.  I was pretty groggy.  She gave up and left the bracelet on my chest. 

So, yes, wow, mom comes through sometimes.  When I was, at last, up-and-at-it, I pulled out my massive crate of beads and supplies from my days as a jewelry designer and re-strung her little bracelet.  While doing so, I discovered a little purple floral box containing sweetly-colored bell beads I had collected when I was pregnant with Charlotte.  Oh how many projects I dreamed up when I was pregnant! And, yikes, how many did I actually complete?  Not all of them.

Success! this time.  I can proudly say that these fun beads have made their way into a bracelet for baby before her growing wrist has required me to hunt down more bells for the chain.  Charlotte's new bracelet may not fit for long, but while it does, her unique and boundless magic is properly accompanied by the sound of tinkling bells.

Feeling the craftera in the air (and envying the camera attention), Elijah set about making a pirate ship from these printed cards by Klutz.  "Oh, mom, you've got to take a picture of my ship!  Isn't it awesome?"  Yes, yes it is! 

Really.  It can be tricky to keep a 10-year- old boy engaged in anything unrelated to video games.  You've got to hunt a bit.  This card kit did the trick and it got the laundry folded as well (fair trade -- thanks, Elijah).

Good timing too.  Look what's almost here?  Man, wikipedia has some treasures.  Or should I say, booty.  Here's the official site:

Talk Like a Pirate Day -- September 19th

And, did you see that Amy has a new pattern for sale?  And Joelle has posted about her upcoming book?  Claudine's heading for Martha and Jane's starting a new blog?  Congratulations, all!

∆   ∆   ∆ 

I'm still thinking about that catch-up post. I think I'll need a sloppy red condiment graphic to go with it.  Just because.

Granny Love

My mother is an amazing seamstress.  And she single-handedly takes care of all pajama needs for each of her seven grandchildren.  You should see these pjs!  Or even better, all seven kids running around in granny-made pjs.  We all live within 20 minutes of each other, so this does happen on occasion.

Anyhow, see that amazing dress up there?  It was meant to be a granny-made nightgown, but one irresistible sash and couple of matching barrettes later and here it is -- a darling little dress.  My mom called a couple of weeks ago, "Heather, I have this nightgown I'm making for Charlotte, but I think it might make an even-better dress. What do you think?  Should I do it?" 

Mom, you definitely made the right call.  The dress is beautiful and Charlotte is tickled silly with it. Thank you.

I'm a bit behind on some press stuff too, so before these issues are completely unfindable, check out my designs in the pages of:

        • Better Homes and Gardens August 2007, p. 68
        (I think there are two different covers for this issue)

        • Elegant Bride Spring 2007, pp. 186-193 -- Ooo, a Freshcut wedding!
        (follow this link -- amazing photos!)

        • Patchwork & Stitching Vol 7 No 9, pp.30-32
        (Australian magazine - Megan Butel's Freshcut quilt made the cover)

Oh yes, and please send a warm "hello" and a big round of blog love to my mom -- this is her internet debut! : )  Love you mom.

Longings & Belongings

I'm finally finding time to flip through these books I ordered ages ago.  It's a treat to browse my copy of Bend-the-Rules and see what Amy's been up to behind the scenes. It's amazing what an undertaking authoring a book is.  Potter Craft has done a beautiful job translating her style onto paper.

Bend the Rules is full of beautiful, often quirky photography and illustrations, and entertaining text as you might expect. It's magical. Congratulations, Amy.

Simple Gifts to Stitch is a fun book to touch.  The paper is more matte and stiff and the photography is peaceful and quiet.  Yes, as a designer, I'm much more of a book browser than a book-project maker, but if I did pick a project from this one, it'd likely be the magic rain poncho which houses a smattering of tissue-paper confetti. 

Oh, and here is the pool I missed out on in Florida.  I always, always pack a swimsuit when I leave town, but had to forget the swimsuit on the this trip of all trips.  Look at that pool!  There were caves and tunnels, waterfalls and rope-bridges.  Ay, ay, ay.  I thumbed through the gift shop swimsuits twice.  I was ready to splurge $150 on a one-swim suit.  Isaac even consented.  My pocketbook was saved by a late night conversation with these guys and one of these guys.  Sleeping in gained priority.  That was the Hyatt Grand Cypress in Orlando.

Then, the next weekend, we were at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas for Trash Ties.  They had a wave pool!  (I didn't take any pictures.  That's still The Grand Cypress over there -- about half of it.)  I walked past it to and from the convention center each day.  Yes, I packed my swimsuit, but no, I couldn't stay longer to dip in -- I needed to get back to the kids.  Needless to say, I think we'll be heading to a waterpark before summer's over.  Perhaps with the wave of family coming to town next week?

I don't think I've ever mentioned how much I like to swim.