Mama's got a brand new bag!

We have both been looking for some new things to make. We are always looking for new designs, new patterns, fun colors, and pretty fabrics. We found this latest one in the book Sew Simple.

This book is filled with lots of simple, yet cute patterns for everyday living. There are easy home decor patterns as well as patterns for accessories and gifts. I think what I like best about the book is that the patterns are easy to follow, but the final product doesn't necessarily look too simple.



The first pattern I made was the Sling Bag, which is pictured on the back cover of the book. The bag was not too difficult to make, although I had to re-read the directions several times to make sure I understood the construction of the bag. I have become so used to tote bag construction. It is very similar to a Martha Stewart pattern that you can find on her website. Martha's bag is a simple and functional, unlined bag using a pillow case.

The Sew Simple bag is trimmed, lined and complete with pockets. I chose a pretty aqua and brown fabric for the outside of my bag, and a summery white with aqua and brown flowers as a lining material. The two complement each other nicely. I followed the instructions for using ric-rac as a trim. Chocolate brown ric-rac seemed to make a nice accent. Instead of using fabric covered buttons, I found some painted ones in coordinating colors and fun designs.

The bag is quite a bit bigger than I would use for a purse. But I would use it as a tote or market bag. I may try to scale the next one I make down a bit and add an interior snap, for every day use.

My next project will be the striped pot holders. I will let you know how those turn out, too. I guess I do still make things, I just haven't blogged about it in a while.

comtemplation

I spend a lot of time making combinations.... thinking about color...

thinking about pattern...

thinking about texture...

What will all of these combinations become?

Weekend Project

Looking around my house, I am itching to bring spring inside. I am tired of the cold, the wind, the snow and mud trudged through my kitchen. I can't wait for the tulips to peek out, the robins to start singing and the birds to come to roost on my front porch. I am itching to make beautiful things to have and enjoy in my home. Making bright and beautiful things is one way I try to battle the winter doldrums.

My weekend project, which encorporates two of our goals --using our materials and living a more artful life-- was to recover two of the little foot stools I had sitting in our living room. Reupholstering furniture, wait, is that part of this blog about craft and art? Stay with me here, it is not as hard as you might think.

These stools were old and frayed, to say the least. They certainly didn't yell out, "I come from an artful home." They are the ones who put the shabby into shabby chic. Actually, there was no chic there.

Maybe I could rescue these two before they ended up at the dump. I had two fabrics in my stash that would make great new covers for these old stools. A smart red chenille and a springy yellow brocade might do the trick.

First, I gathered the tools I would use to do the job. I needed a Phillips head screwdriver, a staple gun with mid- to heavy weight staples, pliers, wood glue, new batting, scissors, and fabric.

Next, I removed the legs from the stools. Each was attached with screws. Then, I used pliers to remove the upholstry nails and staples holding the old fabric in place. I used the old fabric as a pattern template for the new material.

Each stool received a new layer or two of batting to improve it's cushy nature. I trimmed the batting and secured underneath with staples. Then I fitted the fabric. The rectangular stool was a bit more challenging, I had to sew seams at the corners to create the fitted look. Once the fabric was in place on each stool and secured with more staples, I reattached the legs.

I am pleased with the results. The ratty-tat stools have new life. The bright red chenille picks up the bright reds of our living room rug. The yellow brocade, with it's springy pattern of flowers and leaves looks lovely with my grandmother's antique chair. The touches of red, green and blue are nice to break- up the yellow background.

So, I think that I have successfully re-habed these two; they are no longer destined for the dump.

Unique Boutique and The Light Idea

This Friday, October 19 and Saturday, October 20, we have invited 4 artists to join us for our fall art and fine craft sale. Today I would like you to meet Linda Brookover.

Ok, Kerry and I have been in serious hummingbird mode this week. We had crazy-busy orders for jewelry plus we were hard at work getting ready for the sale and publicizing. That part is hard. Does anyone have an easy button for that? Anyway, we are finally all ready and I can stop and take a breath and introduce you our friend Linda who is brave enough to have two businesses, Unique Boutique Handbags and The Light Idea Lamps.

Linda is the maker of high quality fabric handbags and purses. She uses interesting yet durable materials. She has an eye for combining fabrics, buttons, and ribbons to make these fantastic creations. Her bags also have lots of detail, with lots of pocket, magnetic snap closures, and even a hook inside to snap onto your keys. Boy, do I need that! I am forever digging in the bottom of my purse to find my keys.

Linda also makes beautiful lampshades! She finds adorable lamps and matches them with the perfect shade which she embellishes with fringe, ribbons, and beads. These creations are quite the focal point in a bedroom or on an end table. Again, her eye for combining texture and color is fantastic. These lamps evoke a sense of softness, femininity, and style.

Linda says this about coming into creativity:

"My love for arts and crafts started at a very young age, while taking art classes at the McNay Art Institute and all the way to college. I love many forms of art from painting, stain glass, pottery, but there is not enough time to do them all. Along the way I became a flight attendant and was able to experience the world and many different cultures. With that came new forms of art and color combinations I had never seen before. Unfortunately I was in an accident and I am not able to fly again, but now focus on my art and bring to you some of the experiences of the world through the art that I create. I live a few miles from the Flatirons range near Boulder Colorado with my husband and two kids."

We love Linda's attention to detail and her lovely color combinations. Her work is high quality and first rate! We know you would agree.

Join us tomorrow at the studio (and Saturday) from 9 - 1 to see We'll even have some nice treats to nibble on, and some warm tea to sip on as you get a head start on your holiday shopping. Can you stand it? All these wonderful women in one place! We hope you can make it to the sale!

Fun Lovin' Art - Paintings by Ruth Meere

This Friday, October 19 and Saturday, October 20, we have invited 4 artists to join us for our fall art and fine craft sale. Today I would like you to meet Ruth Meere.

Ruth is the artist behind Fun Lovin' Art. She paints whimsical, fun, bright original pieces. Her subject matter spans the imagination of every child, from mermaids to dragons, lady bugs to lizards, flowers to fish. She even has some fantastic pieces for adults, using fruit, martinis, or jazz as their inspiration.

The common factor in her work is that it reflects Ruth's bright, exciting personality. She uses vibrant colors and pays careful attention to the details, in the designs of the borders and even in the embellishment the frames on many of her works of art.

Ruth says this about how she became a full time artist:

"In search of personal fulfillment, five years ago I decided to quit my job in Marketing and Public Relations to become a full-time artist. Though I enjoyed my work, I found I always had a hand in the more artsy side of my job. I still do marketing and P.R. part-time for Crawdaddy's Toys in Lafayette, CO.I paint at every available opportunity - at night and during naptime - thus my housekeeping is very sporadic, but we couldn't be happier, messy house and all."

Ruth's approach to making art accessible is what I find appealing. In addition to offering original paintings, she offers mounted prints of her work so that each piece can be more affordable. According to Ruth, a mounted print is a high-quality reproduction of an original painting. A photograph of the original piece is printed directly onto a 3/8" thick wood board. The board has a finished, beveled edge and requires no framing. It is easy to hang and easy to clean. Most importantly, it looks great!
Join us at the studio this Friday and Saturday from 9 - 1 to see Ruth's paintings as well as some other fabulous art! Tomorrow I will introduce you to Linda, maker of fabulous handbags and lamps.

Can you stand it? All these wonderful women in one place! We hope you can make it to the sale!

Elizabeth Hagen - Photography

To continue the introductions, today I would like you to meet Elizabeth.
We were looking for artists to participate in last year's art sale. Elizabeth's sister-in-law, our friend Kathy, introduced us to Elizabeth. Elizabeth had recently moved from California to Colorado; and we were told that she was a great photographer. And is she ever!
She takes beautiful black and white photographs of landscape and scenery around the world. Then she adds her own artistic flair when she hand tints those photos. The results are fabulous! Some of the photos have lots of hand-tinted detail, some have minor touches of color, and the works of art created with Elizabeth's careful attention to detail are wonderful.

She takes things one step further as she experiments with the presentation, using tasteful matting and framing, and printing some of her creations on canvas for a truly unique look.

Elizabeth says this about her work:

"My professional background has been in real estate finance though my passion has always been photography and art. I took a course in hand tinting photographs about 15 years ago which combines photography with painting which was perfect for me. I could actually take a black and white photograph and bring either one particular object in the photograph to life with color or create a unique color scheme to the whole photograph. I now love being a stay at home mom and try to do my artwork during naps and in the evenings. What a wonderful life!!! "

Kerry and I were thrilled last year when Elizabeth agreed to teach a class in our studio. We had several students, including us, who were able to learn Elizabeth's craft. With her gentle, thoughtful instruction, we all thoroughly enjoyed the knowledge and expertise she shared with us. It was a delightful evening.

Elizabeth doesn't yet have a website or a gallery showing her work. But her art shouldn't be hidden away!

We hope you enjoy the pictures Elizabeth sent me to share with you. Kerry and I are glad that she is joining us for a second year of the Fall Art Sale. We would love to have you come to our sale to enjoy her work in person. And if you know any galleries looking for work this beautiful, I will pass along the information.

S a n d y l a n d - Handpainted Pottery

Next Friday, October 19 and Saturday, October 20, we have invited 4 artists to join us for our fall art and fine craft sale. I would like to take the opportunity to introduce you to each of the artists who will be joining us.

Today, you will meet Sandy. Sandy has a gentle soul, and a big heart. She is new to selling and marketing her art; it is a challenging and vulnerable position for anyone to be in. We think that Sandy's art is special because she takes regular items and turns them into magical, whimsical creations. When looking at her pieces, it's hard to even imagine that they had a "life" before she got her hands on them.

She says this about her work: "My work takes on many forms from pottery, painted tiles and "found" objects to greeting/post cards, prints, magnets, pins, containers, tote bags, clothing, et cetera. A large part of my inspiration comes from a desire to honor the Earth and all living Beings. I RECYCLE gently used items so that they will be REUSED, thereby RENEWING each item so that it is REBORN. Each piece has a chance to return to life rather than taking up dead space on our planet. Inventory is constantly changing as I "find" new treasures to paint/rebirth. This process also supports local agencies, charities, those-in-need as I purchase most of my items at places like the Habitat for Humanity Thrift Store, Greenwood Wildlife Thrift, Ares, Salvation Army, Savers and many, many more. Most of my work involves recycled parts, some does not. My images range from the comical to the spiritual. "

Sandy redefines "recycling" and uses it as a creative outlet. Her pieces are special, she gives new life to carefully chosen pieces with her magical painting. She takes re-purposing to a whole new level. We are glad that she will be joining us for the sale. And, we are happy to be able to share her work with you.

You can read more about Sandy and see her work on her website. You can come to our studio on October 19 and 20 and see her work in person. What more could you want, a unique piece of art that is eco-minded as well?

American Idol

Recently Rachel was googling us, (Yes, we google ourselves, doesn't everyone?) and found us on the American Idol site. Apparently Gina Glocksen, who was unfortunately voted off, had one of our necklaces listed in her style section. You would think we would then have a huge run of selling these pieces but unfortunately not. But it is nice to have our work recognized on something with such huge exposure. I am including the link for anyone who might be intersted in looking.
http://getthelook.americanidol.com/IdolLook.aspx?path=women&mediaId=1&titleId=719&contestantId=725&episodeId=908&userId