Pixie Blossoms

I've been thinking about blogging since Monday. I can't believe it is Friday already! Summer is the busiest season for me. I have both kids at home and they beg to go outside, to ride their bikes, to be in the pool, to take a walk...and somehow I have more energy in this season. I even cooked today. I mean, I always cook but I am talking about good food. I don't like cooking but it's a pleasure for me when my kids are excited to eat something special that I make. I made a good soup today and fried yucca roots. Have you heard about these roots? Yucca roots are what we call in Brazil aipim, macaxeira or mandioca. I never make fried foods. I avoid fats as much as I can. I do an exception for yucca roots that are so much part of the brazilian culinary and very popular down there. Peel it, cook it in salted water and when soft, not mushy, damp in really hot oil. Not too long, because you don't want it too hard. The best is when is crunchy outside and soft inside.

Today is Saturday. I could not finish the post last night. I was too tired.

I guess I did not mention that our trip to Brazil was cancelled. Yes, we must wait a bit more. We will spend one week in California in July. My children haven't seen the ocean yet. Well, the oldest did but I don't think he remembers it. I bet it will be a blast! So, I can go back to my sewing room and make some pretties for this Summer. I've listed some totes in my Etsy shop last week. They were made of my own pattern and ideas.

Yesterday I started to work on something new. Super colorful. I dyed the linen with Rit on stovetop. They say to stir the fabric back and forth in the pot and they mean it. If you don't, the result is no good. I had to redo the process once and I think it looks nice now...

In my opinion these two look great...

I have more linen to dye in red and orange. I hope to show you next week!

This is my work in progress. I am loving it. Yes, it's a bag. Very soon I will try other things, like crazy colorful pouches, brooches, collages...

I can't forget to mention these books I got a few days ago. I've seen a lot of people talking about Lotta and her cool ideas for printing on fabric. I've been thinking about trying these ideas this Summer...with my own drawings, of course!

The another book is D.I.Y (Design it Yourself) by students and faculty in the Graphic Design MFA program at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. For those that are looking to learn something about Design, it is a nice start. It was published in 2006. I am looking foward to learn more about graphic design.

Another book that I got not long ago and I think is the best in the subject, it's called Craft Inc. (Turn Your Creative Hobby Into a Business) and it comes with great advices and important stuff we need to know if we would like to go business with our little arts & crafts. I like to surround myself with these readings lately. I wish that one day I can have real profits from whatever I do.

These links take you to Amazon. Happy Shopping and happy weekend!

*Lotta Prints: How to Print with Anything, from Potatoes to Linoleum

*Craft, Inc.: Turn Your Creative Hobby into a Business

*D.I.Y.: Design It Yourself (Design Handbooks)

Labels: handmade, handmade by me, Links