new clutches....

I recently took a little break from making plush toys and went back to sewing clutches.  I used to make almost solely clutches, which usually included trees and grassy hills.  I still make them, but not as much.   However, once I made one of these, I knew I had to make more.

The fabric that lines the clutches is one that I've had for quite a while.  Kinsey saw it at our local fabric outlet and thought we should get at least 2 yards (I think it was really cheaply priced...maybe $1.98 a yard?).  I wasn't quite into the colors and wasn't sure, but I went ahead and got a few yards.  It sat untouched for some time.  Then I found it again.  And loved it.  Moral: Always listen to your husband in the fabric store even if you think his selection is a little off.  (Kinsey always picks out great prints, even if I don't think much of them at the time.)

I really like the off center jellyfish next to the small fabric circles and french knots.  These clutches just came together really fast and quite beautifully.  I'll be keeping one for myself.

I've done jellyfish clutches before, but these really stand out to me.  These are currently available in the shop.

good reads continue

Last year, I decided to keep track of what books I read for the entire year.  This was for no real reason other than to see what types of books I typically read.  I included only novels/"book" books.  I read a number of guides, cookbooks, travel things, etc over the year, but did not include them in my count.  Overall, I made out at 32.  I had no idea what number to expect to read, but I think this is a pretty level number.

I've decided to try the same thing for 2012.  I'm already at 3 (in the second week!), mainly because I really liked these books and read them rather fast.

1-Lessons From the Mountain: What I Learned From Eric Walton - Mary McDonough

2- Start Something That Matters - Blake Mycoskie

3- Flunking Sainthood: A Year of Breaking the Sabbath, Forgetting to Pray, and Still Loving My Neighbor- Jana Riess

I'll be listing them as I read them under the "book" tab.

great rocket ships!

These could quite possibly be one of the coolest things I've done.  Plush rocket ships!

I really am not a huge space fan or that in to astronomy.  Although, I did go through a brief time in 6th grade where I thought I wanted to study planets.  (This was back when Pluto was considered a planet.)  But after seeing (and buying) this fabric:

I knew I had to make a rocket ship. 

Sometimes, a new plush design takes me a while to make.  Days, weeks, or even in some cases months!  I usually start by sketching out what I want and then cutting templates out of paper.  Most times I have to make multiple trial runs of a design, but this one just clicked.  

Just listed in the shop.  Perfect for future astronauts or star gazers.

new fabrics and Christmas

Now that all the holiday rush is over, I thought I'd share some of the things I got for Christmas.  Kinsey gave me this wonderful fox necklace from boygirlparty.

I've loved this store for quite some time and have various prints and cards from her.  I've been wearing this necklace everyday it seems.

He also gave me fabric.  Lots of fabric, which I love.  A few are from illustrator,  Julia Rothman, whose work we both admire much.  I can't wait to start using some of these!  The green hill one on the far right, I'm planning a octopus or squid plush with it.  I can see it now.

So great!

Also, on the subject of Julia Rothman, he got me this wonderfully illustrated book she did.  

We saw a review on designsponge a while ago, but I completely forgot about the book.  The illustrations inside are beautiful!

You may be wondering what I got Kinsey since he got me all these and more awesome things? 

Here's one more thing he can cross off his list for his new business.... an iMac!  (I must admit though, I've been using this a little bit and LOVE it.  It's so much easier to use for photo editing and updating than our rather old laptop.)

In addition to my Christmas fabrics, I stopped by our local fabric outlet and picked up some great finds.  First, this rocket ship fabric.

It caught my eye across the room and I fell in love.  Not completely sure what I'll do with it, but it DID inspire a new plush design.  Any ideas?  (Coming soon!)

On the $1.98 a yard table, I found this crazy circus fabric.  Once again, I have no idea what my plan for it is, but I couldn't resist getting half a yard.  

And finally, from the .99 cents table:

I've actually seen this before there, but for some reason never purchased any.  It's a pretty thin cotton, but such a lovely print.  

Obviously, I'll be keeping busy!