Inspiration and Perspiration

Well, today started my last full week living in California, and none too soon. It's blazing hot here! Get me outta here already. I can't wait to head north next week and to begin my real life with Nick. For the past 3 years we've been living a very temporary existence & this move is going to really change that. We're really looking forward to owning a home and (fingers crossed) starting a family. My house is full of boxes, my kitties are nervous and my brain is on overdrive. It's pretty fun.

I can't wait to decorate the new house.

These are the fabrics that will inspire my new sewing room. What do you think?

Getting Ready to Move

Nick and I are finally getting ready to make our move to the Seattle area. Yay!! We've been talking about this for about 3 years now so we're really excited that it's finally coming. We're buying a house and getting out of California (hopefully for good). I plan to get a moving company in to help out, but I'll be doing some of the packing myself.


I've already started going through my stuff to donate. I give away clothing like you wouldn't believe! I'm also going to be destashing my fabric supply. My new sewing room will be bigger, but I still want to lighten the load. I've got lots of flannel to put in the shop, so if you're in the market, stop by soon & see what's available.


In our new house, I'll be able to properly decorate my sewing room. I can't wait to be able to paint & hang shelves at will. To get myself into the mood, I made a new cover for the ironing board. The old one was a bit tired.



This fabric is a lot nicer and I had it on hand. I think it looks a lot better now and will copliment the new room. What a fun way to destash...use what you have! haha

Now I need to get back to work. As Nick said the other day, I'm in my element. I love to be busy and I love to plan! Wish us luck on the house too, we hope to be making the offer soon.

Tomorrow's a Big Day

Guess what's gonna be here tomorrow?

That's right. Our shipment from the UK, completely and exactly on schedule, is being delivered tomorrow. Nick is really glad that he'll have his stuff around him again, and I am too. The only downside is the unpacking I'll be doing...again. Because of the lack of bookcases etc., a good portion of what I had in storage here in California is still in boxes in the garage. Nevertheless, we're looking forward to seeing all of our things in one place. (A HUGE thank you to Sterling Relocation, they were amazing. Unless all my stuff is broken)



It will be fun to get my sewing room sorted out. At the moment, it's still just a 6' table and a bookcase. I've really been missing some things (see photo), especially supplies. I've had to go out and buy so many things that I know I have a million of. I have enough fabric these days to open my own shop. I'm seriously thinking of stealing Missses Kwitty's idea and making some inspiration kits or something. Though I only have fabric and not all that other cool stuff she uses. There are probably a lot of books I can get rid of too. Maybe I'll add some de-stashing items to my Etsy shop. As if I needed more things to do. Aaargh!

And on another note, we had a great time this weekend at Jim & Julie's. Her very nice son was there and her sister too. I'd never met Julie's sister, so it was a treat. She recently moved back to California after a brief stay in New Brunswick. She had been very helpful to me while I was in the Canadian Residence process. Too bad it didn't work out for me. Don't get me started on that subject.

Anyway, the weather was nice, a bit hot at times, but not bad. The drive was shorter than I expected, and I got lots of monkeys made. Nick was happy to be able to do nothing for a few days too. All in all, we're really glad we went.

Here's just one photo of Jim & Julie's property. I took this out in front of their house, you can just see the fence through the trees. Nice.Happy Tuesday!

The Last Piece of the Puzzle

Raise your hand of you're sick of hearing about my move back to California. (extended pause) I thought so, sorry. Maybe this will be the last thing for a bit, haha.
Nick & I have spent the better part of the past week shopping. We got a bed, a bed frame, a kitchen rug, groceries, a new computer, a Dyson vaccum (more on that later), and a bunch more. While we were out & about, discovering our new area, we pretty much found everything we need. Ice cream shop. JoAnn Fabrics. The Container Store. Target. Costco. You know, the basic necessities. There was just one thing missing. . . a quilt fabric store. So yesterday I set out to find one, it was Nick's first day at work, and my first day alone. I can be a little old fashioned, so I started with the phone book. (It's that big yellow one they throw in front of your house every year or so) Not much luck there, but I happened upon a listing online for a shop in Petaluma, about 20 miles north of where we live in San Rafael. Close enough for me!

Well, Petaluma turned out to be a pretty cute little town. Nick & I are definitely going to have to go there some weekend & have a walk around. The Quilted Angel turned out to be my savior. It's big, for one thing. As soon as I walked in the door, I knew I'd found what I was looking for. There was vintage reproduction, April Cornell's Sunshine collection, Chocolat, Asian, flannel, Peas & Carrots! Need I say more? This store is great.. I was pleased as punch walking around just seeing all the beautiful, neatly organized bolts. I was in heaven. Sad, isn't it? But seriously, there was one store that kind of came close to this in where we lived in the UK (a 45 minute drive), and the prices, forget about it. I'm so glad to have found this place. I can now honestly say that I'm happy here. I have everything I need.
And here's what I got...You didn't think I'd walk away empty handed, did you?

Where are they now?

With me!

Nick & I are now officially living in San Rafael with my kitties, Jody and Maple. I was pretty nervous about the car ride but it went very well. They went to the vet last week to get checked out for tranquilizers for the car trip, that all went well. Poor old Jody had to stay over night and have his teeth cleaned & some shots, but otherwise it went smooth.

They each had a tiny pill with a light breakfast before we got on the road. Neither of them went fully to sleep, but it definitely relaxed them. They were so good in the car we couldn't believe it. I only gave them the one pill each, and they were fine. Here's what they looked like about 5 or 6 hours into the trip. Gooood kitties.

We've now been in our new house for about 5 days. We're all adjusting well to our new surroundings. Nick & I have spent most of this week shopping. It's been fun, but tiring. We were able to buy a new bed on Tuesday which made life a lot better. I don't recommend air mattresses. eugh

Yesterday we took a drive to the coast on a long road that goes through some redwoods and some really beautiful hills. It took a while to get there, but it was worth it. It's very pretty around here, and that coastline was no exception.













I'm pretty sure this was the longest beach I've ever seen in California with no houses on it, very refreshing. It was really windy out on this point, I think it's Point Reyes. We passed a bunch of very old farms & lucky cows to find this lighthouse. It was so windy there that the stairway was closed, it made for some big waves too. We drove home via the north and passed even more beautiful rolling hills and some very expensive homes including Skywalker Ranch (super secret compound of Star Wars creator, George Lucas). Not too shabby, I must say.
Anyway, that's it for today. It's good to be landed. Now I just need my sewing room to get delivered. I think it's somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean at the moment. :O

All Quiet on the Western Front

I don't like being homeless. It stinks! I haven't been able to post anything on my blog, make anything new...nothing. I don't like it at all.
For those of you keeping track of my move, I'm in California now. Good to be back in some ways. It's been 4 days since I landed and I've been running around the whole time. I think I've got nearly everything done that needs to be. Utilities turned on, cats have been to the vet, I've got my car back, all of my website products (well almost all) are in my posession, truck is partially loaded...what else can there be?
Nick is flying in, as we speak, so we can drive to the Bay Area tomorrow. I can't wait to see him. I think it must be a good sign when you miss someone so much. It's only been 4 or 5 days, what a sap. Anyway, I get to pick him up at LAX at 3pm today. Hooray! I know it's hard for him to leave home but I think we're in for a great adventure. (I'm not referring to the 7 hour drive with 2 cats either) I'm looking forward to getting settled in & making things again. It will be fun to be in a new place. I hope so anyway.
As for the crafty bits...I haven't really made anything all week. I got some new monkey yarn and lots of REALLY GREAT fabrics. Some I got in person, some from the mail man. I'll have plenty to do when we get moved in. I did make a new monkey on the flight home. The girl sitting next to me seemed very intrigued. He's called Charlie, but he's not for sale. I'm giving him to my friend David who's been looking after my 2 kitties for the past year. What a friend, eh? Actually, I think if he & his wife had a choice, they'd get to keep Jody & Maple. No dice! They're coming with me. Can't wait to get them tomorrow morning. Jody completely knows something's up, bless him. He's really smart that way, always knows what happening. Maple on the other hand, well, she's very pretty if you know what I mean. Ha Ha It'll be fun.
How's business? I sold a diaper bag and a pair of booties this week. Gave my niece the monkey you see here, Bruce, and sold 2 to my sister. Not bad for being so out of touch. I haven't been able to get online with my own computer so it's been difficult. Nick & I will have internet powers as of Tuesday morning at which point I'll be somewhat back in action. Anyway, so far, so good. Wish me luck...again. Oh yeah, I'll be doing the drawing for the monkey giveaway tonight, maybe I'll let Nick do it. :) Thanks for all the well wishes, it's nice to have friends.

....what?

It's Friday the 13th & I'm sitting here waiting for a bunch of strange men to come & take our stuff away. Weird. I think, for the most part, the house is ready to go. I'm more concerned with what I have to fit into my suitcases that I'll need for the next 6 weeks. I guess I can just run to Target & get whatever I need. (It will be great to be able to do that) I hope it all goes smoothly and quickly.

More later.

The Monkey Bunch CONTEST!

So I had this idea to take a bunch of images of my little gadget monkeys & put them into a Brady Bunch type background. I know, I know, I'm supposed to be moving in a few days, but a girl needs a break every now & then. The thing is, I made 7 new monkeys over the last few days & I wanted to find a cool way to show them off. Besides, Nick doesn't like to see himself on my desktop. This will definitely make him smile when he sees my computer & these smiling faces are staring back at him. lol
I've actually been making good progress in the packing department. I don't have to pack much myself anyway, the moving guys will do most of it. I spent most of today sorting through the wardrobe in my sewing room to consolidate all the small stuff. I've got a diaper bag & 3 handbags cut out & bagged up so I can do some sewing in the new house before our shipment arrives. I get to use my old PFAFF again, that'll be fun!

I'd also like to announce my first Contest!
I currently have 3 monkeys for sale on iSew.biz and in my Etsy shop. Only 2 of them are seen in this picture. Send me a message through Etsy or my Blog with what their names are and the name of the 3rd monkey that's not shown here. If you answer correctly, your name will go into a drawing for a custom gadget monkey. Don't put your answer in a comment or you'll give it away! I'll choose the name on Friday, April 20th. Good luck!

Here's the latest

I sold my one Jenny bag last week, a miracle since I was out of town, so I decided to make another one. My original plan for this bag was to make a zipper version, and one with a flap closure. Here's the result... I think it turned out really pretty. (Naturally it's on iSew.biz and Etsy)

Things are getting a bit stressful now. The movers should be here a week from tomorrow to pack up the house. That will include 99% of my sewing room. This means I'll be unable to make new things for up to 6 weeks! (omg) Lucky for me, I have a sewing machine sitting in my cousin's closet in California right now. The problem is deciding what fabric & supplies to carry with me. I'm running out of time here. sigh

The good and the bad news - I have sold 2 monkeys, a diaper bag and a backpack since I got back on Monday. I just got some REALLY cute fabric to use for another Catie Diaper Bag too, it's going to be so sweet. The bad news - (not bad really) I have a backpack & monkey to make. I need to make a baby quilt for some friends & the fabric hasn't arrived yet. When it rains it poors, right?

More good news, Nick's work visa was approved yesterday so we will actually be moving in a week or two, haha. Just wish me luck getting the house we picked out. The owner wasn't planning to allow more than one pet, I have two. Wish me luck. The property manager man thinks it won't be a problem. (crosses fingers)

Back to the old sewing table now. Tomorrow's a holiday in the UK, I gotta get this backpack done so I can ship today! Cheers! And big hugs to my poor cousin Ryan in the hospital right now after having surgery on his jaw. Poor guy is in a ton of pain, send him your good karma please...and a milkshake.

SFO

Well, the trip's over & we're on our way home now. Nick & I have been sitting in San Francisco airport for about 2 hours now, one more to go. How cool is it that I can sit in an airport & check my email, add products to my shops and blog? I love that.
The trip was a success. We found a great place for us to live in San Rafael, north of San Francisco in Marin county. I'm really glad that's taken care of. It will make packing up the house in the UK a lot easier. I just hope we get the place, it doesn't sound like we'll have any problems. The house is a newish, 3 bedroom in a nice little neighborhood. I'll have a sewing room with a big closet and inside laundry. Hooray! I can't wait to be able to do laundry with a working washer & dryer. I can't wait!
Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting home & back to the sewing machine for a bit before we pack up. I guess I'll have to take a short break while we're in between countries, but it will be worth it! Off for the plane now.