Monday, November 30, 2009

I Give Thanks

My project for the Thanksgiving Day weekend was to finish this purse. Well, I fell short. This is not completed but almost.......
I still have to put in the blue Velvet and blue Satin lining and put the decoration on the flap. I have this lovely white and black Jade carving that really is very special. But I wanted to show that I have been working. Working and listening to books on tape.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Clearing House

My garden is giving me the last promise of 2009. The last flowers are losing petals. I will miss the colors and happiness but I know that it will come again. Isn't that wonderful that we always have next Spring?

Friday, November 27, 2009

New Photo!!!!

This is a new photo of my latest purse. I need to take lessons is photography. I can't seem to find the right light in my house.
Care to tell me how you do it?
The fabric of this purse is so nice and touchable that I wanted another photo to show the loveliness of it. This is a definite improvement.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Lighthearted Tuesday-Late-10% Penalty




The days have gotten away with me. Too many other things intrude on my consciousness.

But this is a funny card and hopefully the wit will redeem me.

I hope that Thanksgiving will inspire us all to forgive and think higher thoughts. I will be working for that also.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

My Attempt at Jaunty


This is my attempt at frivolous and fun. The long wallet fits very easily inside, as well as the cell phone and there is the pocket for keys and lipstick. It did not take to much time, once I had all the parts together. The outside is a very new design and it is cotton and rayon. The inside is dark brown Chamois. I do like the feel of leather.
I think that I when make this design again, I will make it a bit larger. I don't do jaunty that well and I prefer to have a lot more room.
P.S. The little black spots on the left side of the top photo is Mr Chester, the sweet darling!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Vestige of my Youth

Somehow throwing my iron in the refuse bin does not seem like the proper thing to do to an old friend. I purchase this iron the first week of moving to Los Angeles. I went to the May Co. and bought it. I had brought my sewing machine but a seamstress needs an iron! That year was 1967. When I say it like that, it makes life zoom by. But this iron has been a trusted friend for 42 years. My goodness! But it always worked. The steam always came out and I never had even a thought of getting a new one. "When it ain't broke, don't fix it" is sort of my motto.
Well, yesterday, my trusty iron said that it couldn't go any further down the road. And I had to get on my horse and look for another. I was surprise to see how large the irons have gotten. I don't know if that makes them better or not but I will find out.
New is not always better!!!!!!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Light Hearted Tuesday

This little guy is a little faded. I have had him on my desk for about five years. I had him clipped to a note holder. I just liked to look at him. A few weeks ago I brought him up to the house to use on "Light Hearted Tuesday" but not until St Patrick's Day. But........
I guess I feel that I need a little luck. And then all the little things started to come together pushing me into today. Last night I dreamt I was watching a lady put St Patrick's Day cards into her shop. I told her how my birthday was on the 17th (June), I was Irish, I was named after my uncle Patrick and how my birth announcements were especially printed with a shamrock. When I woke up and was dressing, I reached for my favorite green shirt and I remembered my dream and then remembered that today is the 17th. How the mind works...... But I still need the "Luck of the Irish", so here is my little man.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

My Past Life Offering

This is the "Reticule" that I just finished. It feels good to get that out of my system and get back to normal purses. This "Reticule" has three different types of lace. I dyed the lace and now the colors all have a relationship to each other. It is lined with orange Taffeta. Like all "Reticules", it has a pull closer. One side of the "Reticule" I have adorned with Biwako (FreshWater) Pearls and the other side is adorned with Coral. I think that I have kept the feeling of "Reticules". And the funny part about it is that it does not feel new but decades old.

Friday, November 13, 2009

New Old Purse

I made this purse about two years ago but was never happy with it. You know how sometimes you work on something and put all of your concentration on it, thinking that this is the path? Well, that is what I had did with this purse. I liked the grey and the counter point of the red underneath. But as a usable purse, it just didn't make me happy.
Just last weekend I understood how I was going to correct it. I put a flex opening in the top. It gathered the top nicely and it all came together. Now, for me it works!
This is grey felt with white felt on the inside and with red trim. The straps are satin that I fringed.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Rememeber the Red Flags!





This about the size of the worm that invaded my computer yesterday. Not very big but VERY invasive. I received an email from someone that I had "red flags" about, but since I wanted to have good relations with, I went ahead and opened the email.

Guess what? When you get "red flags", they usually are correct. This little worm took over my computer. I completely lost control. I couldn't open the Internet, I couldn't open my word processor, and I couldn't even play a solitaire game.

Fortunately, I have Norton Symantec. I called and for a "certain" amount of money, they remotely cleaned cleaned off all the porn sites that were placed on my computer, took out all the "cookies" and supposedly made it run faster.

I am now up and running and maybe a little wiser!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Don't You Feel Like Dancing?


I do enjoy the creativity of the posters from this era. They seem so vivacious and fun.

I received this postcard from a customer that had bought a sound system from me. She is a singing teacher that had over used her voice and needed relief. We were able to help her and she sent this card to me as thanks.

I kept the card because of the sentiment that she expressed but also because of the drawing on this side.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Am I Crazy?

I had admired this Marble topped Walnut dresser many years ago. The friend that owned the dresser was getting rid of it. Naturally I said " Oh, why don't I take it?"
With the fine memory of it confirmed in my mind, I drove my little truck over and picked it up. I didn't realize that it was as heavy as it was, with the marble on top but we were able to secure a neighbor to assist me in the moving. But in moving of it the marble came off the top and slide into the truck onto the packing blanket. That made things possible for me to handle it easily.
I did not have the time to examine it for a few days but when I did, I thought "What, are you crazy?" there a many things wrong with it and I will have to find new moulding or make it. I will have to replace two different mouldings, create another piece and stain it. Yikes. But it is old and the marble still looks good and every drawer has a lock on it. Not that that is important but it does tell the approximate age. So, I will keep going on it and try to think of it as a lovely holiday.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Work(s) in Progress

I have two works in progress. What was I thinking? I truly don't know. I just got so excited by the "Ribbon" purse that I started it and then came across a problem with the loose weave of the ribbon that I have to make a few changes. And while I was doing the changes, I decided that I needed a distraction. So I began something that I have wanted to do since I read my first Jane Austen novel at fourteen. I wanted to make a "Reticule". The dictionary definition is a lady's draw string bag. Somehow Jane Austen drew a picture of it for me with words. But I have never made one. This one is three different weaves of lace and the body is going to be taffeta. I dyed the lace and the "drawstring" so that they would all harmonize with each other. I wanted three different shades of orange. There is a lot of hand work to this but that seems natural, considering the era that I am trying to emulate.
The "Reticule" is giving me a lot of pleasure and the "Ribbon" bag is still giving me minor upsets.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Halloween Recap


Here is Pippi Longstocking*
















Here is Astro Boy!*













*Wigs courtesy of Papa Crane

Light Hearted Tuesday

Years ago, when I was taking care of my father, working in the shop and shouldering life's problems, I felt overburdened. I probably was a burden to my sister, being so downhearted. Then one Saturday morning, I had gone to the local farmer's market to by strawberries. Strawberries were a favorite of my father's. I was in the kitchen rinsing and coring the strawberries. And out of the blue a very small Butterfly flew out of the basket. It was a blue Butterfly. It flew around the kitchen. As it flew, it gave me great hope that life would once again become free and happy. it showed me that I needed only to change how I looked at life to have life look better. The story of the Butterfly was so important to me that I could not delay in telling my sister about it. My sister commemorated this event in my life with this wonderful book mark.
Every time I see this bookmark, it reminds me that life is how we perceive it. It can be bad or it can be good. It is only a matter of perception.

The writing on the side of the book mark says "Strawberries give birth to Butterflies" Mother's Day 1994.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Inspiration!

I was reading mendofleur and I was getting very inspired to get in and organize, clean and (if necessary) discard in my studio. Then I received that huge, heavy box from my darling niece. Needless to say, I got off track and sat on the floor and played with the fabric. I do have a problem when I see wonderful fabric. I fall into imagining what I can do with this piece and that piece would be wonderful for this purpose. And I got very distracted. My studio is still in a mess because I have to finish my next project. And did I mention that I have a few more on the line?
What is wonderful about these samples is that they are heavy duty fabrics and will take a lot of abuse. So, for making purses they are ideal. What fun!!!