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!
We walk my oldest son to school every day and nearby lives a neighbor that has 2 cars. One is red and another one is yellow. Vintage cars. Bebezinho always stop in front of their house to ask why those cars are the way they are. Why those cars are small mom?Are they for small people? What kind of cars are these? I usually don't have the greatest answers. I suck, speacially when I am moody. Ha, another day the small yellow car was inside the garage, the garage's door was open all the way up. The red one was parked outside. Little one asked again and I had fast answers at that time:
Him: Mom, why that yellow car is inside the garage?
Me: Resting, taking a nap.
Him: And why the red one is outside?
Me: sun bathing.
I know, it's probably silly. I am a mom, you know? So, these are my stories.
BTW, we saw a bunch of lady bugs without the dots (I don't know why some of them don't have the black dots) on the way home and we thought that they were dead. We brought some home and alas, they were all alive. We placed them with my succulents. A bit of watching and taking photos and we let them go back to nature where they belong.
I like succulents a lot. I have 5 different kinds in the office, by the window. It's the best spot for them (that particular window). All I can grow indoors are succulents, orchids, kalanchoes and mini roses. Everything else I tried to grow, did not survive. I don't bother with gardening outside. We got snow another day and it killed what I've planted. I give it up. We are going to a long trip soon and I can't watch my flowers. All I have indoors will be sent to my father in law, including the cats. I am afraid he doesn't really know about this yet!!!
Have you seen the snow we got here another day? Tomorrow it's going to be warm, up to 80 degrees or so. Crazy, but finally a bit of heat. One day is cold, super cold...the another day is warm!
As for our trip...I really hope that at this time, we can go to Brazil. I don't have the dates yet. We might even cancel this trip one more time. Because of that, I am doing a sale over my Etsy shop and the only thing that I will upload these days is the set of postcards. When I come back, I will decide about making things for sale or not. For now I have some gifts to make. I am thinking about dying some natural linen, printing fabric with my own designs, try some new embroidery, use my vintage camera I got several weeks ago, to make some ttv photos...
I am not being too crafty or creative lately. As I said, I've enjoyed home and kids. I think I will be blogging once a week, since I am not making stuff all the time. I think I am already blogging once a week for quite sometime, hu? I don't even know! I do want to focus this blog on the handmade by me thing. I can't force myself on making new things every week just to keep up with this blog. Wow, when I think about what I have done in the past to keep a blog...going to sleep after 1 am, skipping important things in life just to belong online...really people, loneliness stinks. I don't even like to remember. I promised to myself to manage my time, to cut half of my computer time and I don't regret it. I wanted to say hello to everyone, I wanted to visit all the blogs, I wanted to see what people were doing. Enough.
My son's room is getting nice, I think. I like to search for vintage items to decorate their room. I got that globe for 12 bucks in an antique shop. Those on the wall were pages of vintage kids books. I have more to frame. I really like vintage illustrations for children! The vintage quilt I got last year. It was a great find for a lovely price!!
I've learned a lot, it's true. This is a great thing. I never though that one day I would sew bags and make websites. I have stopped with the web design (hohoho, no I don't consider myself a designer or whatsoever) mania a long time due my new time management. I just know enough to put a simple website together and play a bit with Photoshop graphics, textures, layers, brushes...
As for sewing...oh my gosh, 5 years ago, I could not even think about it. Sewing for me was not possible. All right, I knew a little bit, because as everybody else, mom and grandma tried to teach me when I was a kid, but I wasn't interested. I wanted to climb on the trees and play cars. Kinda tomboy. When I tried to sew curtains for my son in 2003 I gave it up. I kept my brand new sewing machine (the one I use now) in the closet for 3 years and in 2006 I started from nada. Destroying fabric, making tons of mistakes...I still don't have the best skills, but I get there. I don't feel like going further with web design though. All those codes...nah...too much for my brain. I just wanna learn enough to make my own websites (if I need one). That's it.
I almost forgot some links that I kept on my favorites and I would like to share with you...
Brazil: Now I find this delicious açai (blended with other fruits) drink and coffe available in town. Also, Havaianas are being sold at the local Dillards. Yay!
Kids:Cool craft projects for kids over Bloesem (super cool blog for all things children, I love it!!!).
These fabrics came last week. Pretty fat quarters from here. It's my favorite shop at the moment, speacially because I like to purchase fat quarter bundles and this shop is pretty organized and displays all their products really well. I am a big fan of Darlene Zimmerman and her collection. I've quit the victorian style and it's definitely not for me. I am not that shabby. I am not too modern and I love colors!!! I am also watching this and very tempted, but I need a pause. I need to avoid looking at fabric as much as I can. Sooo very crazy, isn't it? Call me weird! I don't mind. Maybe next month...hahaha! My husband doesn't understand either.
Sometimes I peruse over here and I like these by Lecien (not the dark ones), and these and these (ooooh so perfect for the kids!!!), and these are gorgeous too!! I could go on and on...oooops, I could not forget these...wow, one day I will put my hands on them! As you see, I don't like fabric with huge patterns...not yet.
I want to make quilts for my sons. Being so girly makes it hard to pick fabric for boys. It must be something easy and simple, because I don't really enjoy long projects...
And how about books? I put my eyes over this group sometime ago and I am also addicted to home decor books, sewing books, craft books and mags...these books are cool, but they are written in japanese, yes it's just eye candy, who said I want to read anything? Gimme photos and I am pretty satisfied!!! I got them from this bookstore in San Francisco and what I like about Jeu de Paume books (childrens' rooms) is the reality, the honesty they show other people's kids' rooms. Don't you just hate, not hate....hmmm too strong for that, but don't you just dislike these books or mags where they have all things perfect and very expensive furniture that tou can't afford at all??? And who says that kids' rooms are always pretty, clean and organized like on those mags and books??? Hahaha, impossible. If you have kids, the walls will have scribbles and sometimes...buggers ( I told them, don't do it...but I will find one here, another one there...helpless...) Unless your kids are very perfect and out of this world and you don't let them explore their little space...yes, perfect books for perfect kids! Sooo from my part...kudos for Jeu de Paume books!
A flair for vintage...
Hope you have enjoyed the links and photos. I must rush now...have a nice week!!! Xoxo!
Yes, not enough inspiration? Not enough! Sometimes I go far, I've landed on some cool sites from Korea, Japan...I can't understand a single word, but the images are interesting, inspiring. I wish I could order some stuff from this shop, but I did not get a decent online translation. Here are some cuties to look at...
Monomomo is a shop that sells fabric and sewing notions;
I don't know the name of this blog, but it has nice photos from Japan. Wow, I wanna go there!!! Dream trip!
Hectic days. Tons of ideas and no much time to put them in practice. I am moving sewing stuff to another room. I hope by the end of this week I get my little space organized to start and finish some Christmas gifts! Right now I need to go back there and help my hubby with shelves for the closet...
Zee
♥
mom of 2 little boys, wife, cats, photography, Photoshop, crafts,
sewing, handmade things, Rio de Janeiro, Arizona...
hey, my mother language is
portuguese!
If you like what you see, get a cup of tea and enjoy! Thanks!
♥
