HELLOmynameisHeather

Giveaway Day 6

Thank you, everyone for your encouraging comments. Please don't lose any sleep over my last post. It's been years and I'm doing okay now. I think I've only shared that experience with ten people beyond my family. It just needed to be said aloud. I knew it would explain some things I haven't been able to explain around here. Like why I've been rather quiet about Trash Ties, when they are so darn fabulous.

So, let's get back to lollipops and chirping birds. There is plenty to celebrate. Especially in the fabric department. I have two cotton quilting collections coming out in the next year—one of those is very, very soon. I also have a basics line to support those feature collections that will be out in the fall. And. And. And! I just heard word this week that Free Spirit will be moving forward with my fashion fabric collection for next Spring. Now I can put my fashion design degree to direct use in designing dresses, skirts, blouses, shifts. I've got a sketchbook full of ideas.

Ashley and I have been brainstorming new products all morning and I'm dying to make time on my schedule. If only I commanded a troop of robot clones. Or hired a larger pool of talent at the studio. That might be more feasible. Especially if I can get these great products into your hands.

I'll be patient. My business is art-centered which means it just plain takes longer to get those products made. I'm cool with that. I just get excited.

Okay. So are you ready for today's giveaway yet?

Today's HELLO giveaway prize is a copy of Signature Styles by Jenny Doh, featuring 20 stylish stitchers. Projects from each designer are included. My contribution is the quick and easy wristlet purse shown at left. Winner will also receive Where Women Create—the one with me on the cover up there. This magazine is much more like a book for its fabulous content. In my opinion, they should make these things with hard covers. Every page is draped with images of luscious studio spaces and inspiring stories and insights. A $45 value.

Comment to enter today's contest. Be sure to include your email address so we can contact you if you win. Today's giveaway closes at 11:59pm PST on Tuesday 8/6/13. Watch for the winner to be announced within a day or two at the bottom of the post.

Prizes from our friends are starting to arrive at the studio now, so watch for a greater variety of items in the weeks to come. We have a full-on Project Life kit, fabrics from my upcoming collection (yet to be seen!), a giant 50-spool pack of thread, inventive baby items, and much, much more.

xo—Heather

Creative Spaces Giveaway

There is a new issue of Creative Spaces out this week. Apparently—and of course—volume #1 was so popular that Creating Keepsakes decided to publish a second volume—and this time I was able to say "Yes!" Kudos to Megan Hoeppner for gathering such inspiring spaces—and for her patience and tenacity with my busy schedule.

Confession: I've been holding back on you guys—a little. You see, I've finished a handful of craft-organization projects around here that I haven't shared yet. I'm letting Creative Spaces Vol. 2 have the scoop: embroidery-floss storage made from a spinning earring display, colored-pencil storage from a transformed gift box, tiffin boxes for paint storage, the handy metal caddy I keep next to my drafting table for paints, brushes, pencils and inks—FUN STUFF.

So, go pick up a copy at your local book store or craft store for 132 pages of DIY storage and décor projects, and a behind-the-scenes tour of a wide variety of crafting spaces, from Amy Yingling's sleek and modern space to my own eclectic menagerie. For a full-size sneak peek at the issue, click here, then click on the ISSUU image at the center of the page.

!!! I have one glorious copy to give away. Leave a comment below to enter. I'll announce the winner on Monday. !!!

Hungry Walls

My walls are disturbingly void of artwork. I just don't like most commercial artwork. It's not personal enough either. And I don't have time to scout out great pieces on Etsy or make the artwork myself. Not usually, anyhow, but I'm making an effort this month to at least get a couple of pieces started and see where they lead me. Starting with this owl.

Of course, he might sit on my drafting table for weeks, waiting to be painted. I thought work would slow down a little during the holidays, but holy cow, every licensee is looking for new product lines from me. I really need to get an artist-type on staff.

I do have two awesome birdie prints from Laura Gunn that need framing. I should go get frames, huh? — like, right now while I'm thinking about it.

If you have art to recommend, certainly post a link. I have hungry walls.

After

Here's the finished remodel. We went ahead and laid down the white flooring from our last tradeshow booth, figuring we could swap out the flooring in both rooms later on. However, I'm liking it. It's incredible how much brighter the room is with a big, white reflector for a floor.

Here's a glimpse of one of our finished work tables too. They are amazing. Each table is seated onto a rolling platform. The tables can be lifted off the platforms as needed for classes and workshops—at some point—or for a myriad of other uses. And they are tough as nails with a commercial-grade finish.

Now that the sheetrock dust and construction debris  have been cleared out, it's time to get back into artwork. With Project Life under my belt, next up is more fabric. I'm working on completing a couple of new lines for next year. 'Tis true.

Expanding

It's time to expand our workspace again. This time we're connecting two of our three home offices for better workflow. It's going surprisingly quickly. Isaac is the Incredible Hulk in there, tearing through walls, grunting, chewing on nails.

What a dusty, snarly, gratifying mess. There's insulation, wood, nails and sheetrock everywhere. Raaargh-yaw!

Isaac used to remodel homes back in college, so I'm in good hands. Of course, he did saw through some electrical wiring, leaving us without internet for a few days this week.

Everything is connected back up now—see those two gray junction boxes on either side of the passageway, with the wiring strung above?

The new sheetrock goes up today and then it's onto mud. We haven't decided what we're going to do with the wood floor yet, but we'll figure that out after we sweep up.

I plan to make this space into a pattern workshop down the road: sewing machines, cutting tables, dress forms, fabric stacks, thread. What I really need to do is host a talent search and get more help. So You Think You've Got American Sewing Talent?

Good as New

Getting back to project eye-candy, here's my finished chair. I went with St. Charles Bouquet in blue—which is perfect with my living room decor—and a distressed green finish to pay homage to the original condition of the chair. The contrast between the crisp new fabric and the lightly-weathered frame makes for a bold, yet elegant statement—in my smug and humble opinion.

This is my Garden District™ fabric collection which came out right around when little bub came out to meet the world. I announced the collection to my newsletter subscribers but never managed to post any reveals here on the blog. Having a baby can be disorienting, to put it lightly.

St. Charles Bouquet is a modification of Rose Bouquet from my Pop Garden™ quilting-weight collection. Those of you who have collected my designs will note that the focal bouquets of the print are much closer together and the scale of the design is much larger. The artwork was re-created and re-colored with home decor specifically in mind.

The other prints in the Garden District™ collection are all new. Mockingbird is a print I put together at first for my Nicey Jane™ quilting-cotton collection, but it was swapped for Picnic Bouquet at the last moment, favoring the scale and mood of Mockingbird for home dec projects. Plus, Picnic Bouquet was too perfect for Nicey. It is one of my favorite prints in that collection.

I have received many pleas to release these home dec prints on quilting-weight cotton and laminated cotton as well. It would be helpful to know just which prints you're most interested in seeing in these other formats. They would need to be rescaled, paired with the perfect companion prints and recolored perhaps. There is a lot of thought that goes into balancing a cotton collection so the variety of prints can be mixed into the same quilt or craft project. It's complicated. But it can certainly be done.

This collection was inspired by the urban gardens and vintage architecture of historic New Orleans. The prints are distinctly romantic with an urban influence. A portion of the collection is printed on a luscious cotton sateen, and others are printed on a sturdy cotton canvas. (In my opinion, a well-designed and inviting room offers a variety of textures.) The sateen prints are 55"/56" wide and the canvas prints are 58"/59" wide. Think bedding, curtains, pillows, purses, jackets, skirts, nursery decor, and more. At $17 to $19/yard, they are considerably more affordable than most designer decorating fabrics.

That stack of chairs I just posted about... Garden District is the whole reason there IS a stack of chairs. My furniture-collecting habit reached new heights once this fabric collection was put into production.

Finally, great color for the home! I got tired of searching for the perfect fabrics for my own home and decided to give up already and design them myself. I am genuinely, personally relieved.

Good as Old

I was digging through some old pictures today and came across these 'before' pictures for a chair I upholstered last spring. If Shredded Chic worked in a family environment, I might have kept the chair as it was—it had its own appeal, all shredded and torn.

Once I had the chair fully dismantled I learned it was much older than I expected —and really well made. The frame was solid. The whole thing was upholstered with tacks and the arms were padded with horse hair. I had incorrectly assumed that its larger size meant it was much newer.

This thing was old. Perhaps big-bummed-bustle gowns explain its size.

Tacks are more of a pain to remove than staples—but more gratifying. Once you get a good purchase on one, it prys out like butter. They aren't so friendly on bare feet though.

I only had one day to finish the job before photographing the chair for a tradeshow. I was 5 months pregnant so this was quite a task. Upholstering is like wrestling a dusty, groggy bear. Afterward, you're covered with claw marks and you're sore all over.

Isaac was very attentive that day, fussing over my swollen self, bringing me tools and water, untangling the air hose as needed. He was fascinated with the process and envious of the loud racket I was making. Though I learned upholstery back in college, Isaac had never witnessed me do the work.

He got involved here and there. He had his first adventure with a webbing stretcher; he tied the springs back into place for me too and made sure the frame was square again—he did an excellent job.

I'm planning to have him do ALL of the prep work next time. That should save me a few pulled muscles.

I have a stack of collected chairs waiting to be upholstered with Heather Bailey home dec prints. More chairs than I have room for really. So, birthday presents for friends? Reception seating for the office?

I'll post 'before' photos of my next project and get your take on color/fabric combos.

Truth is, such physical work is a nice change of pace. With gear laid out and a queue of chairs ready to go, the blazing heat of the garage is nothing a freezy Jamba Juice and a run through the sprinklers can't remedy.

Fabulous.

Watch for my friend, Kristin Alber, in the new issue of Where Women Create. Kristin is the owner of Found, the most amazing boutique this side of the Mississippi. For this issue, Isaac photographed Kristin’s space, along with several gorgeous studios from within her same building, including an interior design studio, a graphic design firm, and a photography studio, all women-owned businesses. Kristin’s kitchen will be featured in Where Women Cook as well—she’s that fantastic. This girl can decorate. I can't leak out all of the photos, but trust me, these spaces are crazy-cool. And so is Kristin. (Here's a peek at her home.) In fact, Isaac is up at Kristin's house today, working a shoot for Gold Canyon Candles.

If you're piecing this all together, it was at Kristin's other store, Domestic Bliss, that I held a strawberry pincushion class a while back.

Sadly, I missed Kristin's private launch party for the magazine. I went out for a weekend on the town with a gaggle of girlfriends last Friday and Saturday. Isaac had to juggle the kids, the party, and a busy Saturday on his own. I just had to juggle my overnight bag, lots of chocolate and diet coke (to stay up), and a ride to Elijah's State Band Festival the following night. It all worked out perfectly—except for missing the hoopla over at Kristin's. She does what she does so beautifully. Even a 'casual' dinner at her house is styled to the nines.

Le-Purrty Please?

We’ve decided to dress up the turret. Even if it only serves as a temporary nursery for the baby, this playroom space will surely be improved with color, curtains, and a little bit of magic dust known as attention. Once bub starts sleeping through the night, we can address how to best fit his masculine self into the lavender girlapalooza that is Charlotte’s bedroom—or sort out some other solution.

The older kids were skipping to get involved. All in all, painting took only 3x longer than it would have had Isaac manned the roller the entire time. I reassured him that it was a worthy trade off for good memories and sweet feelings. Besides, who could resist this petitioning kitty cat?

Smells Like Nobody

Drexel Heritage makes a sturdy dresser. When you come across one for $40 bucks at a thrift store with dovetail joints and great lines, you might be tempted to take it home and doll it up with a new coat of paint. I was.

Elijah did the sanding. Who knew a 14-year-old could be so useful?  I made a note. And Isaac used our paint sprayer for a quick and even finish. I had the best job as the lemonade-maker. 

We're debating whether to keep the finished piece in our living room or our bedroom. I really could use a new dresser upstairs.  The one I have now is a beautiful, refinished antique, but it's teensy and smells like old people.

Below is a glimpse of this spring's hobo shanty town, though the photo doesn't do it justice. Think mis-matched tarps tied up with zip-ties and held down with water jugs. Then imagine loosely-wadded tumbleweeds of used masking tape drifting through the scene. It baffles me that the HOA left us alone. (This dusty contraption was up for weeks.) They sure are on top of things when a visitor parks their car on the street for the evening.

I do think we kept the neighbors entertained.

I know I've been MIA for the last while. I repent. I have a ton going on and it's been all I could do to keep up with my deadlines and still get some sleep on occasion. Sleep is my new best friend -- where has she been all my life?

With the kids out of school now, let's see if I can get back in the groove. I have at least two dozen posts scribbled down in my head -- and lots of BIG news.