Tuesday, November 29, 2011

A Quilt to Remember



This weekend I finished a quilt for a musician friend of mine.  He was a rockin' bass player, and just an all around awesome guy.  He, and his girlfriend Diana, would come to my early gigs and support my efforts as I would play my guitar shaking with stage fright and fumbling for my fingers to find the right chords.  They both played in a larger, more well known band in town, so their showing up to my gig on an off night legitimized my music in a way... 

Jerry found out he had cancer all through his body and decided to go into home hospice.  I found out about a week later & ordered fabric to make him a quilt to comfort him until the end.

He passed before I could finish it.

Sunday, folks in my town threw a big bash for him on what would have been his birthday.  People donated items, musicians played, folks danced, and we all tried to commemorate Jerry in the best way we knew how- by having a good time.

I donated this quilt to Diana, as I intended for her to have it all along...  


Rock on, Jerry... Rock on.


Tuesday, November 22, 2011

And Now for Something Completely Different...

So, I'm at work and I hear about this contest for the Dixie Chicks to record a cover song & upload it for a chance to win a DVD & maybe even an acoustic guitar... 

Well, naturally, I ran right home, tuned up "Shorty" and went to town.

Here's the video: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqEcaQmD0uU


Enjoy!

Monday, November 21, 2011

Cyber Monday?

Well, I'm not really sure about this Cyber-Monday deal, but figured it was good incentive to get my holiday line photographed & onto Etsy... So, that's what I did all weekend.


See my make-shift photography studio? Well, at least it worked & you can find the finished products in my Etsy shop here!

Enjoy shopping for loved ones, knowing that you'll also be contributing to the Food Bank of NYC, and In Our Hands Rescue, Inc. this holiday season! 

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Be Thankful...


It is that time of the year when we give thanks for the good things in our lives, and think of others who may benefit from our good cheer.
Thanksgiving is my most favorite holiday.  It's up there with Christmas, but there is something about the idea of having a holiday where you aren't required to give gifts that makes it special.  (And, the loads of turkey, mashed potatoes, and pies doesn't hurt either!)
It's a day where we are reminded to give from our heart.

So, I was thinking of everything I'm thankful for this year, and I found myself thinking of my new friends who have touched my life without their even knowing.  I'm talking about those blogger friends who create those posts that make you warmly smile, or spit out your coffee laughing (you know the ones!).

I've decided to send a couple gift aprons out to two of my new friends.  The first, is Ree Drummond.  You may know her as the Pioneer Woman, and if you don't- please visit her here!  She is funny, inspiring, humble, amazingly talented, and makes me feel like we could sit on the front porch, get a keg of nails and drive 'em!
This cowpoke apron just screamed to me "REE!"  I hope she likes it!

Cross-back to alleviate neck strain (thanks, Debbie Snyder!)


Michael Miller, is there any fabric design you can't do??

At the very least, she can let her basset hounds drool on it...

My other friend is someone who I actually get my beautiful feedsack fabrics from, Marydon Ford of Blushing Rose Boutique.  Don't know her either?  Well, click here to visit!
I've been meaning to send her something, as I get so many wonderful compliments on her fabric, but it took me until today to get my tail in gear.

Here is an apron I made using one of the feedsacks she sent to me (she LOVES pink).

Cross-back again... don't you feel like cooking?  Or, at least pretending??

I just love how beautiful this feedsack fabric is!

Thank you to both Marydon & Ree for their dedicated postings... I am very thankful for them both!

Well, this post has been a bit long, so I'll write again tomorrow with my NEW holiday postings on Etsy- portions of the proceeds to benefit two charities; Food Bank of NYC, and In Our Hand Rescue (Pets). 

Have a wonderful evening & thanks for visiting me!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

From the poultry barn...part 1

I had a great time at Funky Finds in Fort Worth, TX this weekend!






Here was my space in the poultry barn:



And, after the magic!



More to come!

- Posted on the fly!

From the poultry barn...part 2

And now some product shots:

Doggie flannel coats:



Beeswax Candle Kits:



Coffee koozies and coasters:



Catnip-filled cat pillows:



Kitty stockings... Did I mention this was a cat/dog-friendly show?



Quilted hanging of Jack and Ginger (I'm not above pimping my cousin's dogs!)



Quilted wine koozies and bibs... Big and small



Holiday big and little aprons



Aprons hanging on the line



Sold the brown apple one right before closing on Sunday!



Of course, some candles






And, look what my cousin made for me- a bird barn for my cards!



It was a great time visiting family and friends, and meeting new folks along the way...
One last pitstop before signing off- my cousin took this picture of me in the neighboring sheep barn...



Can you believe he just left me there??
We were having WAY too much fun!

Back in NY and ready for next week's show in Park Slope- cheers!

- Posted on the fly!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

For the Love of Coffee...

It may be just me... but I do have a solid, bordering on freakish, need for coffee in the morning. I need those two wonderful cups of hot, milky, coffee-enriched goodness to get my day started on the right track.

I'm assuming I am not alone on this life-boat, so I've created some new coffee koozies to celebrate this love/obsession:
This one is reversible with coffee fabric on one side/NYC subway map fabric on the other...
You never know when you'll need directions!


I also made some holiday fabric ones too:


Owls on one side/stripes on the other- Michael Miller fabrics...
All 100% cotton, so if you spill a little- just throw in the wash!
These will be uploaded onto my Etsy site & also available at the upcoming Funky Finds Holiday Shipping Experience in Fort Worth, TX on Nov. 12th-13th.

A Life Uncommon...

Music often inspires me, and as I'm listening to "Life Uncommon" by Jewel, and scrolling through the blog postings on my Google Reader, I am struck by a few observations:


 
1. There are many, many lovely, talented and driven artists & crafters out there!
2. I am proud to be a part of this lively group & to be actively creating pieces of work(love).

When I get overwhelmed trying to "keep up", I have to remember that I have my own voice and my own timing. And, that is more important than just pushing objects out in the attempt to mass-market.

I am a hand-crafter for a reason: Each item I make is made with love... and that takes time. It takes time not only to make, but also to allow myself the space to dream and create new designs.

I think this is one more sad reality of our fast-paced, market-based economy. We have been told "faster is better" for so long, that it is really, really hard to disconnect and re-connect to our inner musings.

So, for tonight, I will continue to muse... and I hope that the products of my musings will be something that delights you for postings to come.

Bird