On My Market Table ... The Extended Version

I had a farmer's market yesterday. It was 100 degrees when I left at 1:30. I thought I was going to pass out. Luckily I had an iced coffee and a gallon of water. Phew! Heat is not my favorite.

Last weekend, when we stayed at my friend Larry's house, I found this wonderful surprise waiting for me. Larry's wife Janace works for Stampin' Up. She saw this set in the catalog and somehow knew that I would like it. Yep, she was right. Whenever I go to their house I look through that catalog about 4 times. I love that stuff and I'm not a scrapbooker. Wait till you see what I ordered, teehee. (Thanks Janace!)

And when we got home I found 3 boxes waiting for me. One was this lovely little travel pillow that Jenn recommended.

It's so pretty, isn't it? I love the colors and the lavender scent is so yummy. I got it from Mireio on Etsy. She's got some more pillows in her shop if you're interested. I'll be using mine on the 11 hour flight to London in a few weeks.

If you're wondering what was in the other two boxes, umm, it was fabric. Surprise! I know, I know, it's an addiction. I haven't taken any photos yet, but I did use some.

I'll be able to add a new quilt to the shop soon.

A Long Weekend

This weekend we headed south to Orange County. It's a long, boring drive, so we took the scenic route on the way down.

We were lucky, it was a gorgeous day. It can be very grey along this part of the California coast.

We stayed at the Cambria Pines Lodge and had a quick walk through the gardens before continuing our journey.

Good thing I remembered that fabric shop in Buellton. It was so packed with goodies, even Nick enjoyed it. All the fabric is $5 a yard so I had to get some.

Remember those blocks I was working on last week? Here's the reason I made them and the reason we went on the trip. Mark is one! It was great to see him walking and smiling. What a cutie! (I think he liked his blocks too.) If you'd like to see a better shot of the blocks, click here.

We also stopped at an old favorite shop of mine on Saturday. I was surprised and delighted to see that Material Possessions is now carrying some Japanese fabrics. I picked up a few.

In the end it was a great trip and we're so glad to be home. The kitties are pretty glad too. We'll be home for 3 weeks now & then it's off to the UK for our wedding reception. phew, I'm worn out already.

On My Desk - August 20, 2008

Are you surprised to see monkeys on my table? Probably not. I'm working on a few custom orders right now, but I'm also trying to stock up a bit.


At the back of the table is a project for my cousin's son's 1st birthday this weekend. I plan to make a set of soft blocks to spell his name (Mark). You might remember him from this post. He's still super cute and doing quite well considering all of the medical drama he's been through. Nick and I are heading down to Orange County on Friday for the event so I better get sewing!

Movin' Right Along

Remember a while back when I mentioned my KitchenAid Mixer? Well, I finally got it out of the box this weekend. Better late than never. I still haven't christened the food processor, but hopefully some lemon scones will take care of that.


That's not all I did this weekend. I went to JoAnn Fabrics and picked up some great corduroy. I completely don't agree with selling Fall stuff in the summer, but that doesn't mean I'm not gonna buy it. That one on top will go great with a green pintuck cotton I have in the closet. I'm thinking zipper pouch to start.


I also grabbed some bright & colorful Debbie Mumm fabrics (on sale) to make bibs. They're a big seller this time of year so I'm trying to rotate some new ones into the mix. I have a ton in the shop right now.


I also got a pack of really cute card stock to make gift tags with. I like to include them with orders sometimes. This was also from Debbie Mumm, and on sale. It's great quality, and thick, so the tags punch out quite nicely.

Now, I really do have to start stocking up for Christmas. I already have a request for monkey ornaments! Yikes!

On My Table

Today's "On My Desk" post is 2 days late, haha. At least I'm consistent. I did the farmer's market yesterday so I had to show you what was on my table. My basket of tissue cozies, still full and neat. And one lonely monkey called Hermes. He's of the iPhone variety. I used to put the monkeys together in a basket, but they just weren't seen. I think people have a tendency to paw things in a basket more, so I just place them around the table.

And here's a little peak at what the new table skirts look like. They could be a tiny bit longer, but to save money, I cut the fabric in half lengthwise. They stay cleaner this way, no dragging on the ground. I'm very pleased with the way they turned out and I'm glad to be able to look at that gorgeous "Swell" fabric all the time.

Cards & Pouches

Check out these awesome cards I just received from Inkspot Workshop. I luuuuuv them so much! Nick drove a blue mini (that's the name of his website) for a long time back home in the UK and he was brought home in a red bug that only just retired.


They even come with stickers. And wasn't it nice of Inkspot to throw in these cute tags? This is exactly what I love about Etsy. What a great seller!


And here's what I'm working on this week. Lots of new zipper pouches out of fun, fun fabrics. Yay!
I'm almost finished with my new market table skirts too. Perhaps I'll snap an action photo on Thursday.

They Let Me Out of the House

Nick and I live in a lovely part of the Bay Area called Marin County. It's extra nice because it's not as densely populated as other parts of California (like just south of us in San Francisco - talk about population density). Just 2 exits from us on highway 101 is a road called Lucas Valley. (It's actually where George Lucas lives and works if you can believe that. It's not even named after him!) Anyway, I digress. Only a short drive from our place is total peace and quiet. Rolling hills, redwood trees and this lovely spot called Pt. Reyes Station. It was a sweet little town with a wonderful little farmer's market.

We went for a nice walk along this little river.


Nick even picked some berries. There were loads of them along the trail. It was a lovely day and we made it home just after lunch. It's so nice to be able to get away from things without going too far from home.

And just in case you thought I'd given up the hooks for good. I had to show you this little lady. Meet Nurse Frida. I made her special for a friend who just had surgery. I may be spoiling the surprise because she's probably still on her way, but I had to show you. Think good thoughts for Christina.

On My Desk

You'll always find a collection of DVD's in my sewing room. I like to listen to films while I'm working. Not only do we have way too many DVD's of our own, but I get 2 from Netflix. Right now I have some episodes of Road to Avonlea waiting to be seen. I'm a huge Anne of Green Gables fan, so this series is one of my favorites.

And yesterday I received several orders for custom monkeys. (I guess monkeys are back in fashion, haha.) Here are a few of them awaiting their photo shoots.

Wedding Invitations v2.0

I mentioned yesterday that I'd tell you about the other project I'm working on. Here it is.


Nick and I are having a second wedding reception in the UK in September. We went out to Paper Source on Saturday to pick up some supplies. Nick has been an excellent helper this time around. He did all the printing! YAY!! I've mailed the majority of these now, so that's a big thing off the to do list.


We've got thank you's to send out too. I spent some time working on the graphics for the cd we'll be sending with the cards. I found some great blank cd's that look like a record. You know, old school vinyl records? My friend Dan did the original caricature and a cool Yosemite background & I did the layout & the disk. I think the labels turned out very cool. Now I just have a million cd's to burn, bits & pieces to print, and lots to assemble.


After Paper Source we headed down the street to Scrapbook Territory. The racks of paper in this place are such an inspiration! I got a new monkey stamp & some papers to make gift tags. Nick was nice enough to get me these cute buttons! They'll be seen on monkeys soon enough.

I've Been a Busy Girl

I won't bore you with the details tonight, just lots of pictures....

I'm working on lots of new zipper pouches.


I just finished a pile of new bibs. Check out my latest monkey fabric. Cool, huh?


Six new tissue cozies for the farmer's market basket. It's getting a bit low.

I listed Ginger and Salma today. I'm finally getting some new monkeys into the shop!

A new diaper bag made it online today too. I haven't made one of these in months. I've had this one cut out for quite some time. Chico likes it, I think.

Remember that new quilted backpack I've been talking about? Well, here it is, finally done. If you want to see the other side, click here. It's reversible.

And last but not least, the latest quilted tote. It's reversible too.

If I have time tomorrow, I'll show you what else is in the works. :)