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Happy Half Birthday To You

zannestar — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:02:33 +0000

When is My Birthday? – Well, dear sweet Iz, today is your half birthday. (She is 2, but if you ask her she will hold up her hand, all fingers extended and say 5.)

Now, I wouldn’t normally even acknowledge this, but everyone and their mother has been asking me how old she is. Has she grown? I hear full sentences. Listen to those words coming out of her mouth.

So – I find myself today, checking out cupcakes. We have cupcakes for every birthday. They are delicious and easy. No forks, no plates, no cutting. I LOVE THEM. They are super special. Here’s what I’ve found:

There are some great recipes and pictures and info at 52 cupcakes and I thought these were really cute!

I love reading about Posy’s Party Cakes Cupcake Adventures – and this post on Saint Cupcakes.

And of course – we’ll have to invest in a couple of these cupcake carriers to make sure everything stays in tact.

I’d love to decorate the house with one of these fabulous fabric flower garlands (added to my to-do list…) or I love these garlands too!

Happy Birthday dear sweet Iz. Can’t believe it’s been 2 1/2 years already.

Bag-o-Rama

zannestar — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 01:28:13 +0000

I am really in the bag mood. I really want to make this Betty Shopper bag as reviewed by BitterBetty. I really love it. The size seems just perfect. I think I’ll add a bag class to LuckyStitches. I really want to make some bags this year. Maybe a bright blue or hot pink? Patent Leather? ooh the possibilities are endless. Regardless, this is definitely on my To-Do list!

oh…and don’t forget to click over to LuckyStitches and sign up for the newsletter. In the next week, I’ll be announcing the May/June 2007 Calendar. I’ve planned a bunch of great workshops. If you’re nearby, I hope you’ll stop in!

My New BAG!

zannestar — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 23:33:18 +0000

My New BAG! – close-up, originally uploaded by zannestar.

This Saturday, I’ll be sewing bags for The Old Creamery Grocery in Cummington. It’s part of their Sustainability Initiative. Last year, they purchased 47,000 paper bags. HOLY MOLY! This year, with the help of volunteer sewers and donated fabric, The Creamery hopes it’s volunteer sewers will produce 500 bags, and reduce the paper/plastic bag waste. These will be community bags that will reside in a basket in the store. So, if you forget your reusable bag, you can borrow one from the basket to take your groceries home. When you come back, just remember to bring the bag back to the basket for the next person.

It’s an awesome idea. I know a lot of people are already on board with the concept. Rob and I were just talking about all the paper and plastic bags we get from shopping, and it’s kind of ridiculous. So to prepare for the Saturday Sewing Bag Marathon…I made up this little bag.

The deal with these bags is that nothing new should be purchased to make the bag. Items should come from your scrap pile, your old clothes, or thrifted. I found this skirt almost a year ago:

It’s a great print! It’s a cotton canvas. Nice and sturdy. I was thinking that I would make something for Iz out of it, but this bag was just calling it’s name! (no worries- there is plenty of fabric left, Iz will get a very cute skirt…)

I measured the brown bag from Trader Joe’s and cut out my pattern pieces:

If the fabric was big enough, I would have cut a 42″x19 1/2″ piece for the bag, but the skirt wouldn’t allow that. Instead I cut two squares: 21″ x 19 1/2″. I cut the binding off the skirt, knowing that it was long enough for my handles.

To sum it up here are the basics:
1 piece – 42″x 19 1/2″ OR
2 pieces 21″ x 19 1/2″
handles – 56″ (long enough to wear over your shoulder)

Since I would need to sew the handles on the bag first, I needed to finish the top edge of the bag. So I pressed under 1/2″ then, folded another 1/2 pressed it and stitched it in place.

One thing that kind of made this a bit of a challenge, much of the skirt was on bias, so the pieces I cut were on bias. And once you cut a bias piece, it will stretch a bit more or relieve the tension on the grain. Surprisingly, it effected how I would place the handles and made it more difficult. So I folded the pieces in half and placed the handles in 2 1/2″ from the center and pinned in place.

Once in place, starting at the bottom, I stitched along one side. Once I reached the top of the bag, I turned to stitch across the handle, backstitching a few times for reinforcement. Then, I turned again, and stitched down along the other side of the strip to the bottom of the bag. I repeated that 3 more times, for each leg of the straps.

Once the handles were done, with wrong sides together, I stitched the bottom of the bag together. I did a second row along that for reinforcement. I placed the straps of the handles so that they would be next to each other at the bottom, to help eliminate bulk.

I wanted my bag to have a flat bottom (just like the brown bags…). So I decided to tuck up the bottom and catch it in the sides, so that once right side out, the bottom corners would be squared for a flat bottom. After measuring my brown bag, I turned up either side and pressed 3 1/2″ from the bottom.

Once I was done pressing, I turned right sides together, tucking up the bottom, so it would be caught in the sides.

After stitching along the side (twice for reinforcement), I turned right sides out and voila! a bag.

To test it out, I stuffed it full of things….I holds a lot!

You can see how the bottom tucks into the sides, and helps to give it a flat bottom.

I love my new bag! I do wish the handles were a little thicker for comfort. It seems really sturdy, and the next time I run to The Old Creamery Grocery (or Trader Joes), I’ll be sure to put it to the test!

Vintage Vera

zannestar — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 20:20:01 +0000

The above is an image from ebay.

While thrifting a while back, I picked up a few scarves ($.50 each at the local hospice thrift – one of my favorite resources) for my daughter to encourage “dress up”. I brought them home and they sat in the bag until I could wash them. A few days later, I was hanging them up to dry after coming out of the wash and upon further examination, one of them was a VERA. Lucky days! I have always been a fan of VERA prints. Bright, bold and wonderfully full of sophisitication. Vera started putting her prints to fabric in the 1940’s and worked until her death in 1993. So, today I google’d vera. Here are a few things I found out:

They are relaunching VERA. The Vera Company

tons of collections out there – here are a few:
www.vintagedesignerclothing.com

www.anothertimevintageapparel.com

www.helloimfabulous.com – great photos of scarves
and here is a guide for Vera on (of all places…)ebay!

here’s an exerpt from the above link helping to distinguish Vera’s design timeline:

Early 1950’s – small signature with no copyright or ladybug marks.

Mid to late 50’s – small signature with copyright symbol and ladybug.

Early 60’s – larger signature with copyright symbol and ladybug.

Mid 60’s thru 70’s & 80’s – signature becomes larger still, copyright symbol but no ladybug.

1993 (following Vera’s death) to present – small signature with copyright mark.

and while entering Vera in ebay – I came across these wonderful collectible linens:

Vera created beautiful and sophisticated art and design throughout most of her life. Her artwork is inspiring, the colors used, the lines created and the patterns born.

colorific Jan07 swap – sent

zannestar — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 03:05:47 +0000

colorific Jan07 swap – sent, originally uploaded by zannestar.

This wonderful package will be on it’s way tomorrow.

It’s been crazy around here. So much going on. Projects to do, businesses to begin, people to take care of. I did have a bit of fun with this swap.

The Red and White theme was fun and easy. My secret swap partner was wonderfully descriptive. I put a lot of my own fun stuff in it – especially the buttons. For those of you who know me, I LOVE buttons and collect them like a mad woman (ok – I’ve stopped bidding on them on ebay, I have a college education to think about!). I made the pin cushion. It’s my first handmade pincushion (except the pin “pillow” I made in Home Ec class 20 years ago (jeez), and it was super simple. I think the key to making them is lining the fabric with super fine steel wool so pins and needles stay sharp. If I make more of these, I think I’ll invest in a hot glue gun, would make it much easier I think. I was going to make something with the fabric, but decided to continue with my gift theme for the holidays this year – giving inspiration – so the receiver will “make something”. The poodle yarn is yummy and I love how it knits up – and would make fun “hair” for a softie I think. Then there is the button star card. I used to make those left and right! The Japanese paper is sweet and fun for decoration and wrapping. I might have to go back to the store and get more so I can play with it too! I absolutely adore the French Bull Plate. If I were to ever register for anything again, I want a set of those. They are wonderul. Have you seen the monster plates? or the superhero ones? Might be an Izzy birthday present this year?

I got CRAFT!

zannestar — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 13:52:44 +0000

CRAFT on newsstands now!, originally uploaded by natzee.

I have been running to my mailbox every day now for two very important reasons:
1. I have been eagerly awaiting ornaments from the Holiday Ornament Swap (things don’t get mailed until tomorrow anyway…but a girl can dream!)
2. The first issue of Craft.

I am a lucky girl, Craft arrived yesterday. It’s a little late because I subscribed to it a day or two before it hit the newstands, and well, you know how rags are – they don’t arrive for another 4-6-8 weeks after you pay for them. I have to say, I love it. I love the size of it. It’s smaller than your “typical” magazine – which helps make it special. Oh, but the pages inside are really, really wonderful. I haven’t even had it for 24 hours, and I can’t let go of it. For me, this is a sure page turner. The projects are clever, the writing is quick and the people are fabulous.

I love the robots on the cover, I love the knit boots, the LED clothing (I want to make a tee for the Iz – she’d LOVE IT, and probably never take it off), the whole bazaar section hilighting cool stuff like my all time FAVE fabric store, Reprodepot.com.

Needless to say, I’ll read and read and read this issue until it is memorized, try out some of the patterns/projects and wait patiently for my next issue which will arrive in a few months. Thanks Craft!

Bag Update

zannestar — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 19:16:48 +0000

Pictures sometime soon….

I decided to use fabrics I had found at a local thrift shop. I love it. I made a pattern for it around the fab bamboo handles I mentioned earlier. After making the pattern, it’s taken me no time at all to sew it. (Might have to come up with another project during the Sewing Series to take up any extra time!) It will probably beome a knitting bag, or better yet – my bag! I am ready to move on from a diaper bag, and this bag is big enough for an extra diaper and some wipes. I’ll just leave the extra stuff in the car…

oh ELMO…

zannestar — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 21:59:52 +0000

The Iz wiggled her way out of the “truck” cart at Target today as we pushed along the toy section. She was screaming “ELMO!! ELMO!!” and I have to say, I didn’t see the little red guy at first. Then I spotted him, on the very top shelf (THANK GOODNESS) were Elmo Plush sitting chairs – the perfect size for my lil’ Elmo lover. She went further sown the isle, found an Elmo chair on the bottom shelf, pulled it down and sat in it with the biggest smile I think I have ever seen. I don’t think she was quite ready for what happened next. The chair started to vibrate as Elmo giggled. She jumped out of that chair so fast, looked at it, picked it up, put it back on the shelf – stood back, looked at me with eyes bigger than soccer balls and ran into my arms. She held my neck tightly as she cried, mama – mama. I was shaking so hard from the laughter – I thought I was going to lose it. To satiate the Elmo desire – we found Elmo finger paint bath bubbles. She’s been carrying the bottle around all day today, loving it, and she even took her Shout with Me, Elmo to the farm this afternoon to show the moo moos and the baa baas.

Now – do we get her the chair? We’ll have to see if there is room under the Christmas Tree this year…

Itchin’

zannestar — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 01:03:49 +0000

Shopping cart installation was successful! Woo hoo. Thanks Rick and Rob. The juices are flowing. The brain is in overdrive and well…I just can’t stop thinking about how much fun this is for me. For those of you who know me, I LOVE to take charge, and to move ahead with my very own idea, well, it’s pretty fun!

It wil take a bit of time to get it all finalized and even close to being published, but I think it will work for a bit. I want to focus on the site and my business class. Once they are done or at least well under way, it’s time to start looking for product. I decided to take the class so that I could stay on track. My mind was going in all different directions (especially – the mom direction) and I was feeling like I really needed some direction so I could get this whole thing going. Now, I can’t wait for it to get going. CRAZY! My mind is still racing, but at a much more refined state (at least I’d like to believe that!).

design*sponge has launched her very own shop. Beautiful items. Esp love the cards by port2port press. So lovely.

Design

zannestar — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 22:59:59 +0000

It’s amazing really. Clever design and excellent craftsmanship. What could be more awesome? Makes my heart skip a beat. Came across this cool zine. Love it. Neet.

Visited H&M and Tarjay (aka Target) today. Got the Izster some really hip rags. LOVED the Skeleton Hoodie. Some might think it’s just for Halloween, but we are going to try to wear it as often as possible. Pictures later.