art nest clutch no. 3

...simple, easy, and quick to sew. I guess it's really a wristlet, but either way, it's just the right size to stash a drivers licence, cell phone, lip balm, car keys, sugar-free gum and a hand sanitizer. In the spirit of living simply, I've managed to squelch what I 'need' to carry with me at all times. Using my own sketches, I was able to create a pattern for this fully lined clutch with zipper closure. art nest clutch no. 3 patterns will be available sometime this summer. Simply lovely!

The pattern for this completely hand stitched forest fawn stuffie is available here. I love having little projects to work on in long lines or while sitting on the sofa late at night watching television with Jeff. I think there is a little Audrey Hepburn in all of us that wants a pet fawn!

(so, this photograph made it to Grosgrain...yea!)




I ducked into a favorite thrift store this afternoon and, to my delight, found this owl shirt for $1. I think it's vintage and the embroidery is hand stitched. B was an uncommonly good sport while I took these photographs...I think it's due to the fact that I let her stand on the dresser... You can see the progression in the last photo...enough was enough!! I will treasure some of these photographs forever as they capture her sweetness so well. Oh, and don't you love the Thumbelina hair...Simply lovely!

Little B is turning 2 next month!! She was born 2 days before my birthday and I have the beautiful memory of bringing her home on that day...sigh. I like buying gifts for my children and when I stumbled across My Red Boots, I fell in love with these vintage French puzzles. I'm cooking up a birthday party inspired by the book Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey. Check out all of his amazing books - I also love One Morning in Maine.

A Week in Review

I've been painting portraits, sewing shirts, re-taking photos of B (click on picture to enlarge?), playing at the park, and glad to be back online!!

I like cooking, kind of. My mother is known for her cooking and I help her run an upscale eatery in the town we live in. While she is creating quiches,tomato basil soup, and orange glazed 4 layer carrot cakes, I'm at home trying to perfect scrambled eggs & toast. Well, I thought I'd try my hand at some classic banana bread and the results were beautiful. I used a Cooking Light recipe, however, I did substitute the low-fat yogurt with sour cream (per my mothers suggestion). I took one little bite yesterday, but saved a slice for this morning which was enjoyed with some organic coffee made in my French press. Simply lovely.

Art Nest

Remember Newsies? My aunt was on the set designing team (she's an architect) for the film and I could sit for hours listening to how she and her team recreated the early 1900 New York streets...she was also always happy to tell me just how polite and talented Christian Bale was (is) and how she knew he would have a bright future in the industry.

I recently had the opportunity to design and create my own version of newsboy outfits for a local dance production. Above is the progress so far...I wish that boys still dressed this dapper! Can you tell that my daughter is modeling - she was being such a stinker...she's actually on the cell phone...it was the only way to keep her still long enough~