Conversations with Designers

DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT :: Guest Blog: Recycled Silk Ribbon from Nicole of ‘Darn Good Yarn’

(Remember a few months back when I talked briefly about a yarn company which produces yarn made from unusual fibers like recycled saris, bananas, and nettles? Well, todayΒ  Nicole, the director of Darn Good Yarn, is with us to tell us more!)
Guest blog - Nicole of Darn Good Yarn - Recycled Sari Ribbon

My mom thinks it’s cool that I have my internet friends because I never leave my office long enough to make the real-in-the-flesh kind. It’s not that I’m anti-social, I just own my own business, Darn Good Yarn. And like a child it consumes me day and night. So, when Gina “@”‘d me on Twitter to guest blog about my child…errr business I was all about it!

At the start of 2008, I wanted to make a difference and I needed to be stimulated creatively since I didn’t have that in my “past life” (I was active duty Air Force). So, I merged these ideals and Darn Good Yarn was born.

Darn Good Yarn - recycled silk yarn, recycled silk ribbon, exotic craft supplies, recycled sari

Continue reading “DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT :: Guest Blog: Recycled Silk Ribbon from Nicole of ‘Darn Good Yarn’”

Handmade, Little Style

vintage rickrack, eyelet fabric, and my due date

i’m keeping myself busy today, my due date, by carefully pinning vintage rickrack to an eyelet fabric baby dress cut from an old skirt of mine. the dog is freshly bathed and smells of essential oils and sunshine (yes, sunshine has a scent). the blue light pouring in through the windows doesn’t hide the fact that it was a mere shivering 28 degrees this morning, or that overnight, the sleeping world was covered in icy frost.

cutting a pattern for a little girl dress out of an old skirt

homemade baby girl dress pattern laid out on old skirt fabric

macro photo of vintage black rickrack trim being pinned to hem of tan eyelet fabric

inside, i’m warm, with my decaf mocha and my quiet music. and i know you’re wondering — am i feeling patient? well, not so much, but i’m working on it. =)

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Handmade, Little Style

box of knitted baby goodies from a dear friend

if we’re connected on twitter, you’ve already had a sneak peek into the box of hand-knitted goodies my dear friend lauren sent for the baby. lauren has been my kindred spirit for years now, and she was one of my bridesmaids when i got married two years ago.Β  we’ve never lived in the same state, ever, and often don’t even live in the same country — but that’s no matter. when we’re together it’s like no time has passed and we catch up right where we left off. everyone needs a friend like lauren.handmade knit knitted pink and white striped short sleeve baby girl sweater

handmade knit knitted green and purple kimono style baby girl sweater with matching knit had and embroidered owl

handmade knit knitted white and pink baby girl blanket with ruffle

pretty pale blue grey and green indonesian sarong for mama

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Handmade, Little Style

Hand-embroidered, Japanese, and Mexican Baby Girl Clothes

It was deliciously cold this morning: 27 degrees. (Go ahead, you Midwesterners, laugh at me. But this IS California, after all.) I woke up to the little dog curled up tightly in his bed…and my husband outside in shirt sleeves and wet hair — taking photographs of ice and frost. Brrrr. Even the sunlight looked cold this morning…icy blue and shivering. I grabbed my camera too (well, eventually; after reveling in the warm covers for an rather lovely amount of time), but didn’t leave the warm house. No sirree bob. Instead, I stayed inside and took some photos of lovely baby clothes. Ohhhh, I can’t wait to put a tiny little human into these clothes!

Hand-embroidered onesie in progress

close-up macro detail photo of colorful abstract hand embroidery on white baby girls onesie

hand-embroidered white baby girl onesie - taken in front of white curtains and blue christmas garland in morning light

Infant sleep sack from Japan

close-up macro photo of detail on japanese baby girl outfit

japanese baby girl outfit, hanging in blue light in front of window and curtains

Little Girl’s Dress/Shirt from Oaxaca, Mexico

mexican little girl's embroidered shirt from oaxaca, mexico

mexican little girl's dress/shirt from oaxaca, mexico

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Poetry & Words

how do you answer the question, ‘are you ready for the baby?’

it’s a quiet day here. it’s been gray outside all day, but gray in a lovely, sleepy, peaceful way. lisa hannigan and damien rice softly sing in the background while the dog sleeps, the Christmas tree lights twinkle, and the votive candles silently flicker.

silver metal votive holder with diecut snoflake design - lit with tea light on black background

at the request of generous friends who’ve offered to make me meals after baby is born, i’ve been working for hours on an exhaustive list of allergy-safe foods. you know, those strange ingredients which are free of corn, dairy, and wheat/gluten. they DO exist. they’re just elusive. i’ll post the list here, in PDF form, after i’ve finished compiling it.

beginnings of an embroidered flower on a baby shirt

speaking of baby, she’s due four-and-a-half weeks from now. eeee! obviously, i know she could be earlier or later than that, but it was quite a reality check when my doctor informed me this week that baby has already dropped.Β  and how do you answer the question, “are you ready for the baby?” i mean, the crib is set up. the changing table is stocked with diapers. the clothes are washed and folded. my tummy is more than ready to stop stretching. the freezer meals…ok, the freezer meals aren’t made.Β  and the hospital bag is not packed.

hanging white paper stars from the ceiling of the dining room

but how do you answer that question? are we ready for the baby? everything, and nothing, prepares us for this moment. we are altogether entirely ready and entirely unprepared. we are entering the unknown for which we’ve longed and prayed. we do not know what faces us, and yet, we run madly into this moment. we run madly, with eyes open and with eyes closed, with open arms and with overflowing joyful hearts.

beginnings of a 3D cardboard giant letters project - hope - lowercase century gothic

and hope shines on, every brightly.

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Inspiration

pops of red and yellow for a gray day: a roundup of bright and cheery inspiration

i thought i’d share some of the pretty things catching my eye around the interwebs today. i’ve been down with a cold, and these bright pops of colour brightened my day. are any of you having a wintery gray day? maybe this will brighten your day as well.

danish flower red and birds and flowers yellow - dresses from winter water factory as featured on bloesem kidswinter water factory dresses featured on bloesem kids (there’s a giveaway, too!)

the  Lord  is  God,  and  He  has  given  us  light. Psalm 118:27this was such a perfect reminder this morning. (no link to source — typography is my own.)

HideNSeek/Art of Fairytale as featured on Try Handmadehidenseek’s art of fairytale featured on try handmade’s winter delights

more images after the jump Continue reading “pops of red and yellow for a gray day: a roundup of bright and cheery inspiration”