change in weather

After a few days of rain we were thankful for the sun that came out today. It was truly a spring day and one to enjoy. Miss. A and I enjoyed some time playing in the park this morning only to return home to warmer weather and sun that would only duck behind the clouds momentarily. Miss. A did not even want to go inside the house but instead insisted on playing in the yard.



So in the yard we stayed playing and eating lunch. Daniel was even able to take a bit of time off from to join us outside.



The progression of the plants and flowers in the yard are exciting to watch. Since this is our first full year in the house we are captivated by the different plants and are always talking about what should stay/go, how to trim different trees, etc. We have just finally finished identifying the plants in our yard thanks to our local nursery. The even let us know the plants that were poisonous and may not be so good to have around with a little kid. As the weather warms up we are finding ourselves slowly waking up from hibernation. House projects that have been put off for months are being revisited or started. There is something about the changing of the season that has allowed us to be revived. This is going to be a wonderful spring.

a progressive update::

This week I will be updating my shop in stages. I am excited to get new items in the shop but I want to take my time with all of the processing and descriptions that need to be written. So check in throughout the week if you are interested. I am just finishing some more bibs that I am very excited about. They are patchwork with an oil-cloth and my stock was sold out at the last sale so I have been working on more. Those and many other items will be in the shop soon.

It was a lot of fun having Miss. A help out with modeling items. I agree with Martha that it is truly hard to get a little one to stay in one place for long. There was a lot of cajoling that went on but in the end everyone went away happy and she was quite the trooper.

In addition to working on shop stuff I have been making Miss. A some great summer bloomer pants. I have just made a prototype to far but she loves them. There are a few things that I am going to tweak about them but I am thinking they may be her new spring/summer wears.

bloggaversery:: missed by 1.62days

So it has been a year since I started this blog, that is hard to believe. Over the past year so much has happened, I have grown so much as a individual. Little did I know that a year ago when I started this blog (all thanks to a great friend) I would have met so many amazing individuals all over the world. I love knowing that there is such a talented and supportive group of women even here in my own town. When I became pregnant with Miss. A it was quite unplanned despite four years of marriage [hence the title of the blog]. At the time I was quite involved in my job working in special education and was looking into applying to graduate school. Daniel was just getting started with his graphic design business and so we were just getting by. The idea of me staying at home was not in on our minds but it was hard to image going back to work after just a few months. Thanks to a wonderful supervisor who encouraged me to take a year leave of absence from my job I am now a full time SAHM. The funny thing is that I never imagined myself as one but then again I was still not imagining myself as a mother.

So thanks to the wonderful encouragement of the amazing people in my life. A year with my blog has encouraged, inspired, pushed and coerced me into the place I am today. Without this outlet I would not be working on running my own business, doing something I love and never had time for before. I would not be pushing myself each day to be the mother, friend and wife I know I should be. It is with a great "Thank You" that I continue this blog. I look forward to seeing what the next year brings.

light reading

So back at the end of March I picked up the wonderful Maritime Garden Guide. I felt inspired to work hard in the garden and get a raised bed set up. Actually that weekend we even started making a new compost bin in order to move the current one. The one we have now is taking up prime real estate in the sunniest part of the yard. The guide has been quite inspiring but between all the time consuming events since the end of march we have not made any further progress.



The plan for this weekend is to finish the compost bin just in time for Earth Day and get a bit more reading done with both the Maritime Guide and my first (three weeks old now) issue of Selvedge. I have read a few of the articles and am looking forward to the rest. I am also tempted by many of the books in their Bookshop issue as well. I can just see the bank account being depleted by the end of the weekend. But that actually may be due to the home repairs we are getting quotes on. Oh the fun of owning a home.

she can do what...

So I guess my daughter is a contortionist but I would not have believe the news if it were not for the photo documentation. I was not around when the event took place but Daniel said it was unprovoked and he could not believe it so had to photograph for proof.

So about three weeks ago I found this amazing wooden toy house at a thrift store. The whole thing including a large lot of people/freniture only cost $20. I was shocked at the deal and had to buy it. Miss. A loves it and wants to play with it all the time. Well on the night in question I believe she got a bit to into playing with her people and decided she wanted to get into the house. Mind you this house is not that big but she found a way to join in the fun. Somehow she was able to get herself through the living room and out the front door.



Since this incident she has only done it one more time but this time I was there to witness and it scared me a bit as visions of us cutting the house apart to get her out were running through my head. It has been about a week since her last contorting adventure and I hope that maybe she has forgotten about it.

love all around

I am not sure who was more excited last week when our package from UNIFORM Studio arrived. Miss. A has fallen in love all over again with a new coat. The amount of compliments we have received makes me think we need to start carrying around Martha's business cards to pass out. The only trouble now is getting Miss. A to choose between her newest jacket and her winter one we got back in November. At this rate Miss. A is going to have a small archive of Martha's clothing line spanning her childhood which I would not object to.



This past weekends sale went well and was a lot of fun. I enjoyed meeting many new people and getting to see old friends who stopped by for support. Crafty Wonderland is an enjoyable venue to experience both as a buyer and seller. I was hoping to update my shop following the sale but due to the depletion in stock I am going to need a few more days to work on more items. During the sale my table was setup across from Old School Stationers and I admired a piece of work the whole time. By the end of the sale I just had to make a purchase and Miss. A truly enjoys saying 'hi' to her rabbits as she leaves her room.



It was a lot of fun getting together my package for the vintage button swap. I believe it has been since the last button swap that I had done something like this and it was nice to get back into putting a little something together for someone in a different country. I am looking forward to getting my package in the mail.


I do hope to get back into to blogging more regularly but I will make no promises. For now I need to work on uploading three cards worth of images to the computer, I am a bit behind on that. Have a wonderful rest of the week if I am not back before then.

studio notes

::sorry for the break. our house was hit with two weeks of sickness leaving me with little energy to post. ::



i am quite excited to announce that i am finishing up some work for my booth at Crafty Wonderland this weekend. they are celebrating there one-year anniversary and the atmosphere is promised to be festive.



i am also pleased to announce that three of my current products are being sold Milagros Boutique, a locally owned children's clothing store. after this current show the plan is to get the studio back to a manageable work environment and to work on some more personal projects that have been put on hold.

a little something for Miss. A

More often then not Daniel asks 'why don't you make ______ for Miss. A'. He always wants a little something made up for her and for a long time it was knitted items. My excuse was always that she would grow out of it quicker then the time it took to make. Now don't get me wrong I have made things for her but very few because of that very reason, she is growing so fast. Recently all of that has changed it seems as if every other thing flying off the sewing machine or needles is something for her.

On Friday I had finished my March 'hat of the month' and she decided to co-opt it for herself. Over the weekend I got quite inspired during her nap and decided to take a pillow that was going to be donated and transformed it into a new log cabin quilted pillow for her. This was my first attempt at quilting not just patchwork and I'm hooked.

The pillow was intended for her big girl bed when she makes the transition but for now it is being used in her new swing that was just installed (finally, it only took about three weekends to get it put up).

Yesterday I picked up my latest order from superbuzzy. Let me tell you how much I love having Mariko live right up the hill from me.

Honestly I think I may be making a monthly order from them. Well the fabric I got was so inspiring that I picked it up around 2:30 and by 9:30 I had made Miss. A her new library bag. And since I was on a roll I made her a matching tissue holder.

It looks like after her nap today we may just have to put that bag to good use and get a fresh supply of books. Now don't worry I am also making a bit of time for myself to read I just always have to make a choice between all of the things I would love to be doing.

much needed momentum

I feel like the momentum ebbs and flows so quickly around here. The past few weeks I have been productive in the sewing room but have had little motivation to document or write about the work. I have found the calendar to be filling in quickly these days and am excited about an opportunity to have a table at this great craft extravaganza the third week of April. Just in time for mothers day.



I am also working on a few new items that I am excited about and they will be posted in my shop at the first of the month. But for now this translates in to a lot of time sewing in the evenings which I find to be hard when all I really want to do is read a book.

experimenting

It is hard to believe that a week has passed just like that. Where does life go? I guess in part it goes to a toddler who is teething for what seems to be the hundredth time. Honestly I just want the rest of them to come in. Actually in all honestly it has not been so bad with the exception of excess drool and snot. She was taking long naps during the day which was a nice trade off but that all changed with this new time change. She is now all out of sorts and did not even take a nap today, instead she just lay in her bed and talked with the whale CD she had playing. Now that I think of it maybe that is what kept her up, she was just having so much fun communicating with the whales that she did not want to sleep. Ok note to self don't play that CD at nap time again....turn on the classical music.



Well every since last weekend I have been sketching up some ideas that use felt and I got quite excited about some prospects. Then I went and got myself a few Japanese craft books on felt and I could not resist making a few new things. It was a lot of fun working with these botanical pieces and I know that there are more to come but I am even more excited about some bags I have in mind. I need to still place an order for some thicker felt and see what I can do with that. It is a bit discouraging that there is not a felt distributor in town who sells thicker stuff. I just want some small samples just so I can start working with and see if it is the material I even want. Sometimes ordering online is hard because it cuts out the tangible aspect of the process. Aside from working with felt I am currently in the process of making some different models of bibs. It is fun to start experimenting with new patterns and seeing how the process morphs as time goes on.

A new week means new things. May I stay inspired.

happy weekend to me

This weekend was wonderful in that it seemed to last forever. I was blessed to spend some quality time with both family and friends and that is what a happy birthday is all about. The weekend seemed to start on Thursday and go well into this evening. These are just a few of my favorite things.

::opening my shop:: going to hear an author speak about her great book::receiving a gift subscription to Selvedge magazine:: going to the museum with the family:: not cooking a single meal:: having brunch with the extended family:: receiving a beautiful necklace made by SCHEER:: going to see a great movie at this new theater in town. i would recommend this place to anyone who lives here:: wrapping up brown paper packages tied up with string and shipping them off:: sketching ideas in a new journal, it always feels good to finish a journal:: walking to the park with friends and playing in the sun:: knitting with friends::

There is something about having the sun come out that just enhances the events of a day. The weather around here has been so nice and is has put everyone in such good moods. I know that the rain is said to be coming tomorrow but I believe the events of this weekend will hold me over till the next sunny day.

shop news

I am happy to announce that the scissorstitch shop is now up.



This whole process has been a good learning experience. I have truly enjoyed the whole process. I am actually now ready to get back into the studio and make new things.



It is amazing what a bit of time off and then a big push to the finish can do for a bit of inspiration. There are many new ideas swarming around in my head and I am eager to see them come to fruition even if only in the form of a prototype.



I want to thank everyone for all of your encouragement and support. Without this wonderful community I would have never known my full potential.

[february] calendar&hat

February has passed so quickly and it is now time for the hat and calendar page of the month to be revealed. The hat of the month was no small task as I mentioned before. Despite the many times that I ripped this hat out it was a lot of fun to make. I am currently working on sizing it down in order to make it in a child’s size. The shape and texture of the hat is so fun and it makes for a unique knitting experience.



This months calendar page was made by Jo. Her calendar page was built around the theme of 'these are a few of my favorite things' and with this she combined a smattering of objects from the craft world. She included samples of her favorite artist, designer and fabric designer. It was wonderful to get a glimpse into someone else’s inspiring forces.

Now back to figuring out Etsy and writing up product descriptions. If you would like to be notified of shop updates please email me at christina[at]scissorstitch[dot]com.

studio work

Well the first of March is fast approaching which is the self-imposed launch date of my Etsy shop. I guess I could see it as a little birthday gift to myself, it never hurts to have a driving force to get something accomplished. Yesterday I spent Miss. A's naptime photographing products. For some reason it was such a daunting task that I had put it off until now. I believe that part of my hesitation is that I live with a photographer who does product shot for a living and so when I asked him for a little help to set up lighting etc it took quite a bit of time. There are just so many details that I don't take into consideration. I guess it would have been easier if I would have just done my own setup of products upstairs but since we have the small lighting studio in the basement I figured I should take advantage of it. So after 1.5hours of shooting I had about 70 images and only about half of my items documented. The above images are of some dishtowels I made special order for a friend. Last summer I gave her and her husband aprons for their wedding gift and she loved the bird&tree fabric so I made these to be added to their kitchen setup.

The exciting thing for me it that the shop is finally becoming a reality and I am eager to start working on some new projects. Just this past weekend I went to the fabric store for the first time in a month and bought just a few fabrics to work with. I am very drawn to solids right now and I have some items of clothing that I want to make for Miss. A this summer. one of which is the smock that Alicia posted last week.

I am excited for what's to come but for now I need to get back down into the basement and document a few more products. The first is just around the corner and there is still so much to do.

finds of the day

just wanted to post a few sites that caught my eye today.



::DWR just announced the winners of the Annual Champagne Chair Contest.

::Some interesting USA Architecture as they like to call it. I am enjoying the modern houses from around the states.

::Print&Patterns mention of Hanna Werning. Always something fun to look at.

::11.5 foot wide house. This is actually an older link from the site be bought our house numbers from. The story of this place is quite stunning and I was reminded of it when looking at USAarchitecture.


now back to the evening at hand.

Work In Progress

I was thinking of writing this post a few days ago and it never got written. At the time I was going to talk about the hat I was knitting for February. About my love for the pattern and how fast it was knitting up etc. Well I will admit I still love the pattern and it truly does knit up quickly. The problem lies in my faulty knitting. I was well into this hat, about 114 rows in when I realized I was increasing instead of decreasing for a few rows. Usually this would not be a problem I would just rip it out to the point where the problem started but this pattern is different. You knit the hat on a horizontal axis as opposed to the normal vertical pattern. Honestly the first time I made this hat it took me the longest time to actually see where the pattern was going. Over time I grew to loving this pattern and the way that it kept me on edge always paying attention to things that were changing. So Sunday evening we were getting ready to sit down to watch a few episodes of Deadwood(our newest Netflix obsession) and I realized that the whole thing was off. So to the woolwinder I went and ripped the whole thing out. Now I am starting all over again. It is just funny to think how excited I was to see the hat come together so quickly and now I am back at row 14. I hope make some major headway in it this evening at my usual Tuesday knit night.

Another thing that I am in the middle of working on is RSSing all sorts of blogs. It has taken me this long to actually figure out how to do it. You would think I would have done it a long time ago but no. I am excited to finally read posts within a few hours or days of them being posted verses the days or weeks it used to be. It will be some time before I get all my blogs bookmarked etc. but at least I am making progress. I guess this may explain to some of you why you are actually getting comments from me.

One other thing I was in the middle of when I first thought of posting this WIP was a new book. I have since finished it but would highly recommend it to others. The book is Midnight at the Dragon Cafe by Judy Fong Bates and our local library chose it to be the Everybody Reads book. It is a captivating book that delves into many different cultural issues that I found challenged the reader in a good way. I am excited to go hear the author speak on the first of March. I would recommend those of you who live in town pick up this book and read it before Fong Bates comes to town. Since finishing the book I moved on to reading Morrison's BELOVED but have just started it. I am quite certain I am one of only a few people who have not read this book but I am looking forward to seeing what I have been missing out on. It was not my intention this year to read so many books but a friend of mine decided to challenge herself to reading a book every two weeks for a year. For me that was a lot because I am a slow reader but I did challenge myself to reading only one book at a time. This is something I thought I could never do. The challenge has been wonderful and I love how I am now drawn into the book and have a desire to finish. Prior to these two books I read Gileadand want to read it again very soon. It is such an endearing book I would also recommend this for a good read.

R is for Russian

Saturday was an amazing day of sun and warm weather. It was enough to get everyone outdoors and enjoy a bit of it. Just the sight of sun put people in a good mood, my self included. Early yesterday morning the whole family hurried around getting dressed and fed before piling into the car to visit a few estate sales. We love doing this but it always tends to be an after thought meaning we get there in the afternoon. This time we arrived before the sale even opened and there was a line and people had numbers. We had imagined things like this but this time we were those people. It was quite funny to be there among the collectors and sellers. We felt a bit funny but it was interesting at the same time to get a glimpse into this subculture.

The first sale was amazing in that they had already had a sale the previous week and they still has so much stuff. I love seeing all the different things obtain over the years. Their interests ranged from photography to knitting, sewing to screenprinting, Russia to wood cuts and many more things. We actually only walked away with a few items most of which were Russian books. There was an amazing children's text book and a 1974 calendar which has a collection of many images including sewing and knitting instructions for Russian garments. I am quite excited to see if a friend of mine will be nice enough to translate for me.



The second estate sale we stopped by because they advertised having a letterpress. When we arrived a line was still out the door. We wavered but decided to wait it out. The press was still there but the type was sold. It press was actually selling for quite cheep considering we were seareiously thinking that if the type had been there still we would have gone for it. This is not the first press we have looked into but we know that we can take our time on something like this. I will admit we were a bit sad when we saw the proofing press being taken away by a lucky buyer before we even got into the house. Now that would have been a great purchase.

After the last sale we walked up the street to a little shop for lunch and then to a children's bookstore. Before walking in we agreed to not buying a thing but of course that did not hold. We discovered the book BLUE2by David A. Carter, it was something we could not pass up.

I believe the whole family is interested in pop-up books every since Miss. A received MOMMY? for Christmas. Despite being frightened of MOMMY? at first Miss. A has now warmed up to it and will want to 'read' it three times in one sitting if she gets the chance.

When we got home from our long family outing Miss. A took a very long nap while we did chores around the house. I was able to get out in the yard and get a few things done between the visits from neighbors walking by. It was nice to see people coming out of their houses for walks to enjoy the weather. I can tell that as the sun starts to show itself a bit more we will be seeing more of our new neighbors.

wall art::1

after a good seven months in this house we are just now getting around to hanging things on walls. it is just such a hard task. we have a lot of art; both framed and unframed. actually much of the work we own is sitting in the basement waiting for either a frame or for us to rediscover it. despite the collection we already have we now feel the need to buy new things. recently Daniel acquired a bit of art for Miss. A while her and I were in Seattle. the truth of the matter is that he is the true artist/graphic designer in the family who loves to research and track down items. this most recent piece is by Hanna Werning. Miss. A loves the many different animals layered within the poster.

while shopping for this piece he also found the poster hangers designed by Jorgen Moller. there are now a few bits of art around the house being hung in the same manner.

i believe there is no stopping him now because as i sit here and type three different things have been either hung or rearranged. this has just made its way onto the wall but that is for another post.

lesson

I have realized this week that there is a lesson to be learned in traveling a lot. Over the past three weeks Miss. A has been traveling quite a bit and I believe it has caught up with both her and I. About three weeks ago she flew to Montana with her grandfather for four days and the report was that she had an amazing time. She returned in good spirits despite her new found obsession with babies and waking up a bit early. Once she returned we were able to enjoy a fun-filled week at home and then went back on the road for a few days to Seattle. Only to return and send her to the grandparents for three days. I have now realized that it may have been a bit much for her. On all accounts she did an amazing job of transitioning from one place to another and had a wonderful time while there but now it is different. It actually took me most of this week filled with frustration to figure out that she may have been a bit overly stimulated by the events.



This past week since being home she has needed to be attached to my side. Wanting me to follow her throughout the house, most of the time saying 'hand' so that I would then have to hold her hand on our excursions. At first it was fun being right by her side. I too had missed playing together and enjoying her company. But soon I grew frustrated as she would become mad if I was doing anything other then giving her my full and undivided attention. She would rip a paper out of my hands if I was reading or push me away from the counter if I was making dinner or washing dishes. On most days by the time she went down for a nap I would just sit there spinning my wheels because there was so much I wanted to get done that little actually got accomplished. Yesterday I finally realized that thought I had thought it was a developmental stage she was in, and it may be, it struck me that her behavior may be due not only to knowing that I would not leave her but that for three weeks she had experienced the undivided attention of friends, family and relatives. I am still a bit unsure about how to get that happy old Miss. A back, the one who would be happy to sit in her room and read books on her own or play with her toys for a bit while I finished a task. For now I just feel a little bit better with a new outlook on why she may be acting this way. I hope that as this stage passes more will get accomplished around here.

refreshed

A short vacation is always good for the mind and soul. Miss. A and I had a very nice visit with my sister and her two little ones. Her new little girl is very easy and it was a lot of fun to see the older kids play together. Miss. A and her cousin are only three months apart and so they were able to entertain themselves quite easily. It was sweet to see how much Miss. A enjoyed the little baby. She actually became quite obsessed with her and wanted to make sure she always had an idea of where the baby was at all times. I will make a note that being around a new little baby did not in any way give me the 'baby bug'.

We returned from our trip mid-afternoon friday only to repack and drop Miss. A off at the grandparents. Daniel and I took a nice weekend getaway. I had booked this weekend almost a month ago and at the time I was not aware that it was Valentines weekend. I guess one could say that it was a Valentine getaway but that was not the intention. In actuality we just needed a break. Daniel has been working quite hard all winter on many different contracts and we just needed a break. It was a lot of fun looking at antique shops, driving through the country side, and lingering with meals. We came back from the trip refreshed but a bit sluggish from the time away. I have found it a bit hard to get back into the swing of things. There are piles of laundry that need to be washed and bags waiting to be unpacked. I am sure that by the end of the week things will be under control. I was originally going to upload my Etsy shop on the 15th but I will be pushing the date back to the first of March in order to prevent stress in my life. Right now I am looking forward to finishing a few things for the shop at a slow and easy pace.