Friday, March 28, 2008
And the Lid Thunked Open
It's garbage day, and I just busted a chick trying to dump her personal trash in my freshly emptied can.
It's quite a ways to the end of our main driveway, but, unlucky for her, I was up in my studio and near a window that faces that direction and the thunking noise of the lid flopping open caused me to get up out of my chair and look to see what was going on.
She was parked at the end of my driveway and in the process of hauling three huge lawn and leaf bags full of what sounded like liquor bottles and cans out of her car trunk and into my can.
Because I wasn't going to have to throw away anything this whole next week and therefore wouldn't mind storing her can full of drinking-fest detritus until next garbage day?
Um, no.
I busted out the front door and screamed "HEY" at her from the stoop at the top of my lungs.
I think I freaked her out. And when she looked up from her task, I screamed "WHAT are you doing?"
It went on from there, but suffice to say that she was persuaded to remove her party trash from my garbage can at full volume from 200 feet away.
I'm sure my neighbor thinks I'm insane.
But you know, I'm the kind of person that won't even put my doggie bags in someone elses' trash can when I'm out with PupCake, so that some stranger felt it was appropriate to FILL my can with her trash was quite an affront. (And for the record, I wouldn't mind if people put their doggie bags in my can. Around here, that they are picking up their dogs' business at all is something to celebrate.)
Ahhh...parents-out-of-town-teenage-party-trash. I remember it well, and evidently I chose my dumping grounds a little better, because I never got busted getting rid of it.
Or screamed at.
Anyway, this, which I love way, way too much:
is going on Etsy!
There are no words to describe how much I adore the color combination of the fabric I used for the lining on this. In fact, I am grooving hard on the whole olive, purple, orange thing in general lately.
Just one addiction in a whole sea, really.
It's quite a ways to the end of our main driveway, but, unlucky for her, I was up in my studio and near a window that faces that direction and the thunking noise of the lid flopping open caused me to get up out of my chair and look to see what was going on.
She was parked at the end of my driveway and in the process of hauling three huge lawn and leaf bags full of what sounded like liquor bottles and cans out of her car trunk and into my can.
Because I wasn't going to have to throw away anything this whole next week and therefore wouldn't mind storing her can full of drinking-fest detritus until next garbage day?
Um, no.
I busted out the front door and screamed "HEY" at her from the stoop at the top of my lungs.
I think I freaked her out. And when she looked up from her task, I screamed "WHAT are you doing?"
It went on from there, but suffice to say that she was persuaded to remove her party trash from my garbage can at full volume from 200 feet away.
I'm sure my neighbor thinks I'm insane.
But you know, I'm the kind of person that won't even put my doggie bags in someone elses' trash can when I'm out with PupCake, so that some stranger felt it was appropriate to FILL my can with her trash was quite an affront. (And for the record, I wouldn't mind if people put their doggie bags in my can. Around here, that they are picking up their dogs' business at all is something to celebrate.)
Ahhh...parents-out-of-town-teenage-party-trash. I remember it well, and evidently I chose my dumping grounds a little better, because I never got busted getting rid of it.
Or screamed at.
Anyway, this, which I love way, way too much:
is going on Etsy!
There are no words to describe how much I adore the color combination of the fabric I used for the lining on this. In fact, I am grooving hard on the whole olive, purple, orange thing in general lately.
Just one addiction in a whole sea, really.
Labels: sewing crafting handbag
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Messenger
I guess I am an all or nothing kind of person...go big or go home as they say. As I have mentioned here countless times before, just winging it tends to be when I am most in my element, which I think this has a lot to do with the fact that for me, one of the most exciting things about the creative process is just discovering where something will lead and seeing what will happen. I firmly believe that some of the coolest and most interesting ideas come about as a result of having to adapt to deal with the unanticipated and unexpected. The caveat being, of course, that sometimes this means miserable failure.
So maybe it is that I'm addicted to the risk. The gamble.
But really, there are very few instances that come to mind where something has gone so horribly wrong that I regret having started, because at the very least, there's something to be learned.
Anyway, my point...
Much, much too long ago, a certain someone gifted me some fantabulous fabric that was practically BEGGING to be turned into a stylish yet functional bag. But, not being willing to squander said fantabulous fabric on experimentation and not quite having a clear direction for design or being ready to fully commit to one, I started working up a prototype in some cheap IKEA canvas that I had in my stash. But, being unable to make any concrete decisions about how I should proceed and feeling like I was generally putting a lot of effort into something that wasn't really for anything and therefore a waste of materials and time, I quickly lost interest and tucked the project away into my WIP's box.
I guess it needed to percolate more....in my head that is.
Then the other day, finding myself with some time on my hands and no longer being able to ignore the design urge, I pulled out that fantabulous fabric that had been flapping out in the mental wind on the clothesline of my brain for so long and decided to dispense with the indecision and make something with it.
That little adventure ended up going fairly well, I think. In fact, I think I sort of love what happened, so much so that this morning has me thinking I'll try and make another for myself. Oh yea...I forgot to tell you that this whole project was born as a top-secret surprise for my fantabulous fabric-gifter pal. I hope she loves it too!
So maybe it is that I'm addicted to the risk. The gamble.
But really, there are very few instances that come to mind where something has gone so horribly wrong that I regret having started, because at the very least, there's something to be learned.
Anyway, my point...
Much, much too long ago, a certain someone gifted me some fantabulous fabric that was practically BEGGING to be turned into a stylish yet functional bag. But, not being willing to squander said fantabulous fabric on experimentation and not quite having a clear direction for design or being ready to fully commit to one, I started working up a prototype in some cheap IKEA canvas that I had in my stash. But, being unable to make any concrete decisions about how I should proceed and feeling like I was generally putting a lot of effort into something that wasn't really for anything and therefore a waste of materials and time, I quickly lost interest and tucked the project away into my WIP's box.
I guess it needed to percolate more....in my head that is.
Then the other day, finding myself with some time on my hands and no longer being able to ignore the design urge, I pulled out that fantabulous fabric that had been flapping out in the mental wind on the clothesline of my brain for so long and decided to dispense with the indecision and make something with it.
That little adventure ended up going fairly well, I think. In fact, I think I sort of love what happened, so much so that this morning has me thinking I'll try and make another for myself. Oh yea...I forgot to tell you that this whole project was born as a top-secret surprise for my fantabulous fabric-gifter pal. I hope she loves it too!
Labels: sewing crafting handbag
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Ideas Own Me
Sometimes I have these ideas in my head that need to be born so bad that I can hardly see straight. They get to the point where they're going to get out come hell or high water and I become just the helpless instrument of their doing. So, despite the fact that I am knee deep in MOOPocket parts and working madly to try to keep up, I just had to take a break and make something else.
This, friends, is why you didn't hear from me yesterday:
A new summer bag (anxiously awaiting handles)!! I'm so pleased with how it came out, which is great because I actually made this one as a prototype for one I really want to make out of some Amy Butler fabric I've had tucked away in my stash. Not that I don't love this colorway of the Alexander Henry Mocca a ton (I have it in the eggplant colorway as well), but I originally bought it thinking it would be nice for something home dec-ish so turning it into a handbag was a bit of a detour whereas the Amy Butler Kashmir pattern screamed handbag from the get go, as do most all of her prints (every one of which I completely covet, btw).
But now I think it's going to be a hard fought game for which bag will get top billing (assuming I can find the time and get around to making the other one), because I just lovelovelove this one to bits already.
I am definitely a tailored handbag kind of girl, and I looked and looked and just couldn't find a pattern that was perfectly the size and shape and functionality that I wanted, so I designed my own. Plus it bugs me to pay $12 or $13 for a pattern that's basically just some shape templates and instructions, because I don't really need that and I can usually come up with a better construction method than the directions say anyway. Anyway, I made this one nice and firm and structured and as soon as my missing hardware arrives, I'm going to give it two sturdy red handles that are just long enough to be thrown over a shoulder or not.
Because sometimes...a lot, actually...what a girl really needs is a new handbag.
P.S. If anyone can recommend a good stiff fusible interfacting similar to Pellon Craft Fuse, only with an adhesive that actually sticks and stays stuck, I'd appreaciate the heads up.
This, friends, is why you didn't hear from me yesterday:
A new summer bag (anxiously awaiting handles)!! I'm so pleased with how it came out, which is great because I actually made this one as a prototype for one I really want to make out of some Amy Butler fabric I've had tucked away in my stash. Not that I don't love this colorway of the Alexander Henry Mocca a ton (I have it in the eggplant colorway as well), but I originally bought it thinking it would be nice for something home dec-ish so turning it into a handbag was a bit of a detour whereas the Amy Butler Kashmir pattern screamed handbag from the get go, as do most all of her prints (every one of which I completely covet, btw).
But now I think it's going to be a hard fought game for which bag will get top billing (assuming I can find the time and get around to making the other one), because I just lovelovelove this one to bits already.
I am definitely a tailored handbag kind of girl, and I looked and looked and just couldn't find a pattern that was perfectly the size and shape and functionality that I wanted, so I designed my own. Plus it bugs me to pay $12 or $13 for a pattern that's basically just some shape templates and instructions, because I don't really need that and I can usually come up with a better construction method than the directions say anyway. Anyway, I made this one nice and firm and structured and as soon as my missing hardware arrives, I'm going to give it two sturdy red handles that are just long enough to be thrown over a shoulder or not.
Because sometimes...a lot, actually...what a girl really needs is a new handbag.
P.S. If anyone can recommend a good stiff fusible interfacting similar to Pellon Craft Fuse, only with an adhesive that actually sticks and stays stuck, I'd appreaciate the heads up.
Labels: sewing crafting handbag
