birds of a different kind

Oh, the start of beach camping season - how I love thee! I spent last weekend camping in Edisto, SC, with my mom, her new pup (a cairn terrier named Paula Deen), my grandma, and my cousin and his fam (hi, Kate and Ned!). We had so much fun, especially decking out my mom's new camper with its requisite amount of mingos. Here's Ned with a small portion of the flock... right before the carnage started. And there's nothing like sharing some grand marnier with your soon-to-be-88-year-old grandma!

And nothing like doing a little cross-stitch in your tent! I saw this fabulous birdy (of course!) pattern in Alicia Paulson's new book Embroidery Companion (love it!) and I just couldn't help myself! Not that I need a new hobby OR more excuses to make bird-themed thingies... simply lovely, though, and portable too - loving doing a little stitching in bed at the end of a long day. I estimate I'll complete this pattern sometime in 2013 ;) so check back on my progress!

little springtime adventures

Sometimes I need a break from sewing flat decorative things... you know the feeling? The whole reason I got into sewing was to make clothing (back, oh, 15 years ago) but I haven't done much of that in a while. Until, that is, our good friends had little lady Sofi. Making kids clothes is so much fun... in about an hour and with about $3 worth of fabric, I whipped up these little cuties (using a pattern from Sew Tina!). Fun, non-commital, useful... lovely! A sew-errific Saturday was followed by a leisurely hike at Sam's Knob on Sunday (oh, Blue Ridge Parkway, I love thee!), with my little lady Violet. So nice to move and just breathe some fresh air! And get some much-needed exercise after lots and lots of sitting! That is a downside of this crafty life of ours...Violet went to the vet last week and she is absolutely tipping the scales at 51 pounds - yikes! Turns out those "growths" I was worried about are actually just love handles....

march showers, april mushrooms!

A case of art/craft imitating life? May be! I've been so enthralled with all the little mushrooms popping up here in WNC, especially the tasty kind (see my previous post!). This month's installment of bird-a-month was brought to you by morel power! Gosh, those little mushrooms are fun to make, especially when I should be doing other things like a zillion WIPs, walking the doggies, cleaning the house, and cooking food and stuff... oh, crafty distractions!

I couldn't help myself with the basket! Now to figure out where Mr. Birdy is headed next....

coming up mushrooms!

Everything is.... that is! And that's one of my favorite parts of early spring. I've been working on a little side series (for a show this July - fingers crossed!) with little hooped-up mushroom outcrops. These are so addictive - really the perfect thing for those little fusible backed scraps in my scrap basket. I've been painting the hoops... and, er, getting better as I practice.

Speaking of mushrooms, we have so many varieties of mushrooms here in western North Carolina! Imagine our surprise when we stumbled upon a crop of these tasty morels, growing in a random bit of mulch in our apartment complex! Guess what's for dinner? Yes, a bit alien looking, but so so tasty.

I'm loving this little mini theme - welcome to my new blog header! I stuck with the same one for so long, I'm really enjoying switching things up seasonally. Keeps it interesting! And I'm thinking a birdy might look right nice among those fungi...

birthday apron (con tiger pig!)

Well, after crafting something for my friend with mildly evil intentions (she rocked the crown!), I felt that I needed to redeem myself. About that time, this fabulous apron kit arrived in the mail from my friends at Crescendoh. I'm not usually into kits, but I must say, it was kind of nice to have the work done for me - a perfect set of fabrics and notions, cleaned, pressed, and ready for me to get started. It was also nice because my vintage fabric collection is kind of wimpy, but I so love that look. And when I saw the fabrics, I knew just who the apron would be for...

(Take a closer look at this kit and other fabulous kits over here!)

And here it is, about two hours later. Fun and done! And I love the vintage-y look. And so does a certain tiger pig I happen to know... (scroll down).

A face only a mother could love? Perhaps. A little scary if you met her on the street? Probably. Seriously happy dog with a seriously silly smile? Yes indeedy! A smile that is REALLY hard to catch on camera, hence the blur. But golden nonetheless!

birds and umbrellas!

As promised, here's the March installment of my bird-a-month challenge. It has been so rainy in Asheville, and I've been seriously craving some bright colors - I think that happens every spring, with (always!) serious repercussions for my (growing!) fabric collection. I'm enjoying being able to focus on one single little project for the year (with plenty of other projects on the side, of course) and I'm liking how the project is shaping up... seems like each installment has its own distinct feel. I like to think that these birdies are all part of the same family, so not the same birdy every time. I've got some plans for the summer months - think crazy adventurous auntie birdy! It was nicer here this weekend, though...and just in time. The hubs and I are in house-hunting mode and I can't help but be on the lookout for the perfect crafting space! I don't need much - just a little space of my own. I think I'll know it when I find it!

crafting for good.... (and -mild amounts- of evil!)

Strange title, I know... but let me explain. The weather here in Asheville has been unseasonably warm and sunny, well, during the weekdays that is. The weekends, that's a different story, especially the last one - rain, rain, a little snow, and more rain. All that precipitation does make for good crafting weather, and I have been quite productive. Which brings me to the "good" part of my title. Our Asheville Modern Quilt Guild is creating a charity quilt. We're all string-piecing blocks like these:And now for the evil... my nearest and dearest friend is having her 30th birthday this Saturday. I simply couldn't let the glorious occasion pass without making something silly for her...and then requiring her to wear it...out on the town...all night long! If you can't dress your friends (or kids or dogs or spouses) in silly handmade stuff, who can you dress up? And in case you're wondering, her nickname is Tortilla Mae (long story!). Got my March birdy in the works... hope to share him with you soon!