:: up up website is UP ::

it's been four months in coming, but here it finally is. i'm pretty psyched.

whaddaya think? soon i hope to spiff up this blog to match.

:: daily drop cap ::

ow cool is this? it's a daily drop cap and it's available (along with 25 other beautifully illustrated letters) completely free from typographer and illustrator jessica hische. jessica provides the letters as well as simple instructions (and html code) for including a drop cap in your next post.

am kind of tempted to use them to begin every single paragraph in a blog post, just to see what they all look like together. as you can see, each letter is different. i myself love hische's take on the letter V.

:: behind the scenes: acorns ::

every so often, i like to share a little glimpse of things to come at the shop. i'm releasing a new desk calendar sometime super soon (still testing colors, tweaking patterns, waiting for the last supplies to arrive, etc.) and here's one small little peek at what you can expect.

below i've also included the original inspiration. last week evan and i went hiking and while he threw things into various bodies of water, i took pictures.
something about this acorn top (is there a name for the top of an acorn?) just really captured my imagination.

:: go indies ::

{ photo credit: from susanlprince's flickr photostream }

brian and i are worst case scenario budgeters, so there have been several years in our eight year history (okay, there have been eight years) when there was some doubt that we'd break even at the end of the year. with law school and graduate school and then with loans and mortgages, money's always been, well, let's say snug.

recently we've been having a lot of doubt about making it through 2010 without accumulating some serious debt. we've got some plans and things in place to help and since we've made it through every other tough year we've just assumed we'll make it through next year.

but now things have taken a turn for the worse. suddenly, we're worried about making it through this november let alone 2010. needless to say, my wheels are turning. there's only so much more saving and scrimping we can do, so now it's time to come up with a way to make more cash flow in. i don't know if that means i'll be seeking more freelance work or taking on new projects or what. i'm still in the beginning brainstorming stages.

my business is quote-unquote successful for a new independently owned business. i'm approaching my one year anniversary with more than 800 sales and (just barely) in the black. but it's just not right. i work so hard, put in so many hours, i am seen as having been successful in my first year out, and i've literally made peanuts. i know that's how things work but it just doesn't work for us.

anyway, this holiday season, i'd love it if you'd keep people like me in mind. sure, you can get your christmas cards at target this year, but think about all the people like me who run these great little businesses and who make something like $800 a year when all is said and done.

support the indie movement.

and that's the word.

:: likey? ::

so, friends. what do you think? good ad? would you click? it's headed to a blog directed at knitters, sewers, crafters, etc. you know, sort of the diy set. i can't decide how i feel about the cutting-and-scissors line. thoughts?

:: flickr favorites ::

more things that have me excited:

things to make, things to inspire, things to want for yourself, and things to make you happy.

1. munki in the middle back, 2. ", 3. vintage kitchen things, 4. Cake Box Illustration 18, 5. Garland of hearts, 6. Nursery from doorway, 7. Whit's Knits: Crocheted Stash Basket, 8. POSTER: Weinsburg, Ohio, 9. Pink and brown quilt

:: benevolent postcard society ::

have you heard about the benevolent postcard society yet?

it's a postcard exchange / art project with the aim of bringing a smile to its members through the random exchange of postcards. it started in september and runs for one year. at the beginning of each month, i get an address and i am to send a "cheerful, amusing, inspiring, pretty, or quirky postcard" to my recipient. (quoting from the BPS blog)

this is the one i made for october.

you can see lots of others at the BPS flickr group. some of them are pretty cool. i especially love this one:

hilarious.

:: knit one, knit another ::

i'm afraid i can't stop. me, the girl whose bio used to read, "julie hates knitting but knits one item each year." i just can't stop knitting.

in fact i've already got my next project on the needles. something for me.

but first: a little showing off. because i'm freaking proud of this little sweater. i wanted to make it but it scared the heck out of me. raglan shaping? neck placket? words i barely comprehended. i tried reading through the directions and they left me bewildered.

but then i just jumped in. i had yarn of the right gauge just sitting around and needed something to keep my hands and brain occupied, so i just started. and row by row i figured it all out. and it was actually pretty easy. and i love it so much.

hooray!

** edited to add: the pattern is from joelle hoverson's lovely book, last-minute knitted gifts. it's one definitely worth investing in. **

:: from wallpaper to chalkboard ::

there's still nothing on the walls in evan's room, making it appear slightly more "prison chic" than i intend it to be, but at the rate we're going it's going to be awhile before i've got pictures of his room to show off, so here's a preview of the coolest part: the chalkboard.

we used chalkboard paint and a chair rail. evan freaking loves it.

and if you're curious, here's a before shot of the same room. AHH!

and an in-progress shot.

it got a lot worse before it got better, eh?

:: red letter day on its way ::

this is the fabric i finally settled on for the little girl's room. it's from the red letter day collection by lizzy house (who has a cute little blog right here). it should be arriving today and i have to admit, i'm considering setting up a lawn chair next to the mailbox so that i can have it the minute the mail carrier arrives.

:: new in the shop ::

two new items added to the shop this weekend, and more coming soon.

:: solitude ::

original image (found here) is from kevindooley's flickr photostream.
i added the quotation, which i found here.

::

this week i've been working on a little theory about my depression, or maybe a theory about what it's going to take to climb out of it and stay out for good.

i sat down earlier this week and started a two-part list: enjoyments, hobbies, and coping mechanisms i relied on before i had a child; and enjoyments, hobbies, and coping mechanisms i rely on now. i also thought about how my days used to be structured versus how they're structured now.

and it hit me: i need solitude. i need it every single day. every single item on my "before i had a child" list was something i used to do alone. go to the gym (alone). read. write. take long daily walks. since childhood i've been someone who needs her me-time in order to be able to face the day.

i've always known i was an introvert. when i did that myers-briggs test in high school it was absolutely no surprise to me to find my first letter was an i and not an e. i mean look at me: i like to sew, to knit, to read. i love taking long walks. all of my most favorite hobbies are things you usually do alone. this has never meant that i don't enjoy social interaction or that i don't need it everyday, too. i do, on both counts. it has just always meant that social interaction drains my battery, and somewhat rapidly depending on the company, while solitude recharges me.

and living with a toddler is like 13 straight hours of social interaction. every single day.

i found the quote above here, and it made such perfect sense to me from where i stand right here, right now. when i'm depressed, yes, i feel lonely. i am not myself. i don't know how to find myself. i need to be around people, but not just any people: i need to be around people who know me. but being around people isn't going to be the solution, at least not for me. going out into the world every day may be a distraction, and it may be good for me in doses. but i think the way out of this is going to be by finding ways to be alone, quiet, thoughtful, and peaceful every single day. ways to bring back my solo walks when i can. ways to recharge. ways to encourage evan to let me recharge, maybe, and ways to get some time without him.

there's more to the theory, but this is my favorite part. it's the part that makes me feel hopeful.

:: the tie, revealed ::

here it is, finally. the tie, on my little boy. he wore it the whole. darned. night at my sister's wedding last weekend. his shirt stayed tucked in for about six minutes, but that tie was proudly worn until bedtime.

and how cute is he sitting on the counter with his little cousin. you should have seen them dancing. ohhh.

:: Flickr Favorites ::

an assortment of things that have my wheels turning right now...



1. mugs & china cups, 2. Broadway quilt, 3. Mural in dining room, 4. a few blankets, 5. Megan's Nursery which includes one of my banners, 6. embroidered sherbert felt pincushion 2, 7. sewing room, 8. sand cable moebius, 9. Apple

:: emerging for a short post ::

i'm feeling all crossroadsy. i guess that's part of this whole depression thing. i find myself sitting here contemplating my life and i just don't know which way to go. i'm not a change lover, and in fact i kind of hate change, but i feel myself needing a change.

but what?

hmm...

:: kusudama redux ::

in lieu of one traditional wedding cake, my sister and her fiance are having seven 10" cheesecakes at their wedding, and in lieu of a traditional bride and groom cake topper, she asked us (the family members) to create the cake adornments. all she told us was that our cake toppers should represent "ben and i, or love, or you, or whatever."

so as i said awhile ago, i decided to make kusudama flowers for my cake topper.

i found this great art book (in the used books section at barnes & noble, of all places) called the look of love that features illustrated romance novel covers from the last five or six decades. really silly stuff, really steamy stuff. (i ordered another copy from amazon to give the bride and groom at the wedding. they're going to get a real kick out of it.)

the pages were a bit thick for origami, but it worked out with some krazy glue and honestly making these were so surprisingly easy. you really must make some yourself.