Work In Progress

I am really happy with how these are coming together so I just couldn't wait until they were finished to take a couple of pix. The red and black purse has already been claimed, but the others will soon be available in my Etsy shop.

When finished, they will be similar to the bag below.

Thanksgiving with the Mauks

Today I went to my parents' house for Thanksgiving dinner and was reminded how fortunate I was to grow up with wide open spaces. I would have to say it was a very modest upbringing, but I don't think I would trade growing up on 40 acres for an Upper East Side Manhatten apartment anyday (to be honest though, I don't know that I would have said the same thing when I was 15).

My dad and nieces decorate one of the pine trees (God bless mom - she's finishing up the dishes).

My husband has help putting lights on the treehouse.

How does my niece feel about my husband's contribution to decorating the treehouse?

Walking out to the cabin - mom did get to join us, but did not get in the picture.

Dad designed and built this cabin a few years ago.

This wind generator powers the lights and power outlets in the cabin (note background - a fraction of my parents' "backyard"). My dad, who is very passionate about wind energy, did most of the design and fabrication for this wind generator. Read more about it on his blog: phloxpowerandluck.blogspot.com

Finally - Something for Me...

After months of making things for others and of course big batches of wallets, I was excited to finally have a moment to sneak in a new winter purse for myself! It's working title is the Double Flap Snap until I can think of something better.

I don't mean to ruin the mystique of my pattern making process, but here it is:

I draw what I want in my sketchbook, then decide what pieces I am going to need. If any of the parts are not a rectangle, I cut a full size pattern piece out of craft paper. The photo below shows my sketch and pattern for the purse above.

Happy Birthday!

A couple of months ago my friend Jen showed me a picture she took of her dog with her iPhone. I knew her birthday was coming up and wanted to make something special for her to thank her for being the first person to buy one of my handmade items.

The result is this 4" X 7" wristlet (made sure it was big enough for the iphone) featuring the ever adorable Earl.











I was even ambitious enough to put a label on the inside pocket!

When One Door Closes, Bolio Opens...

Unfortunately Christa at Esrtwhiles, who was selling some of my handmade items, has decided to close her shop and move on to other ventures. At first I was a little bummed, but not far from her shop I happened to stop into Bolio, a new boutique on Menasha's Main Street and it seemed like a perfect venue.

I contacted Bolio (see the absolutely gorgeous photo above) and on Saturday I dropped off some of my wallets and mini wallets to add to thier fabulous inventory.

Mixed Blessing

We are dreadfully slow at work, so I have the day off. While I don't like to have to take the day off under those circumstances, it does give me time to move the 50 (it seemed like a fine idea when I started cutting) mini-wallets I am working on in a forward direction.

Like I have said in the past, it is more fun to start than to actually finish a project, but darn it, I am going to get these all folded and snapped by Sunday!