visions for the new year

I'm not going to list my resolutions, dreams, and expectations for 2012, but I will give you an idea of where I'm headed with this blog.

Motherhood has consumed my life, and it's a welcomed change, but I don't want this forum to chronicle my day to day life as a mom. I will keep this blog project based. That said, I don't have anything posted in my Etsy shop right now, and that probably won't change any time soon. I'm more likely to show off the curtains I made for the nursery (BabyCenter told me he would become more interested in complex colorful patterns this week, and ta da! I found him staring at them over my shoulder twice this week. Mission Accomplished!) or the tiny all-in-one cloth diapers I made for a not so tiny baby (ten weeks in and they are officially too small).

nursery curtains

cloth diapers

I was inspired by some Children's Place animal hats to make my own funny faced versions, and I got a copy of Handmade Beginnings from the library today... so add baby clothes to the list of pending projects to keep your eyes open for!

baby blankets

So one side effect of making all our local friends in a couples newlyweds group is that now (three years later) there are a lot of little ones in our circle of friends. I love making baby blanket quilts for them. The one pictured above is my current work in progress. I don't usually offer sneak peaks, but since I'm running behind this time and not making progress as quickly as I usually do, a little preview won't hurt.

Teddy is a charmingly dimpled babe, and if you want to know more about him and his family, I highly recommend his mama's blog: Savoring Every Moment about adoptive parenthood.

I have fabric selected and creative juices flowing for two more baby blankets that I hope to finish in the next month (ish), so stay tuned for updates.

Merry Christmas from the Jurgens family

decor by Jesse, latte by Patrick

Merry Christmas!

Though I have not attended a single holiday party this year, we've stayed busy this season. This week I decorated our apartment and some gingerbread cookies. I wrapped the final gifts going out to California today (a little late), while Patrick worked on setting up our Christmas gift to ourselves: an espresso machine! We couldn't wait until tomorrow to get started. Patrick is a natural and made us some delicious drinks this afternoon. He has yet to perfect the latte art style heart on his first attempt, but I didn't mind a bit. My mocha was foamy and perfect.

gifts going out to Cory and M

I really enjoy wrapping gifts, almost as much as buying them. Gifting is my love language, and finding a way to make the gifts I choose look good without spending much money is a creative outlet and an excuse to get crafty. I was especially pleased with the stuff going out to Cory and Matt this year. I did not buy any of the paper used. The brown paper was in the Amazon box with our espresso machine as packing material, and the rest was reused from various baby gifts we've received the last few months.

I hope your holidays are filled with warmth, joy, and family. Merry Christmas from the three of us!

life changes

I am fully aware that I have not posted since February. I haven't worked on many projects since then either, but I think I have a pretty good reason. I was pretty preoccupied with this little guy!

Meet Atlas.

Of course, I bought a journal to start writing to him (more on that later) when I was about two months pregnant. I carried it around with me my entire pregnancy and now two months into his life I still haven't started writing... We'll see how I do resuscitating this blog!

be mine

Wishing everyone a very happy Valentine's Day, and much Love to Patrick!

custom bag

There is something really exciting and simultaneously intimidating when someone asking for a custom order says something to the effect of "you're the artist, you decide." I've decided I like it because it gives me some creative license to run with an idea that's a little beyond what they asked for. Here's my most recent (and first Etsy official) custom hand bag.

launched

a contest

Bring your thinking cap and a bit of creativity to the launch party of Old Soul Threads tomorrow. I will be holding a contest for the best new product line idea. Be ready to describe your idea briefly in writing. The winning idea will be the one I feel I'm most likely to use, and the winner will go home with a coupon for 50% off one item (custom or pre-made) from my shop. Sorry e-friends, you must be present at the launch party to win this one.

announcing...

 ... a silent auction to benefit Heifer International's project in India. The below handbag will be up for auction at the Old Soul Threads launch party this Saturday. I found the featured fabric at a market in Mumbai, and I hand stitched the embroidery on the front. It's a lovely little tote with pockets inside too. For more info on the project the sale will benefit, see the Heifer site.

work space

I love hosting. Inviting people to my home and making them feel welcome and comfortable is one of my favorite things. We've had house guests staying in our spare room / guest room / my studio / Patrick's telework room for all but three days since we got back from Christmas in Michigan, which has been great, but it hasn't helped me meet my self imposed Etsy deadline. Today I'm finally migrating from my temporary living room set up (pictured below) back to where I usually work. Here's hoping it helps my productivity.

just tall

Patrick doesn't fit in normal sized clothes. He's 6'1" and has a 6'7" wingspan. Do you shop at big and tall? you might ask. No. He's not big. Just tall.

This is a shirt I made for Patrick's birthday. Notice the length of the sleeves (long enough) and trim fit. I had to take about four inches off the waist and add about that much to each sleeve.

 The cuff detail was something I saw on Modern Family and wanted to try... of course the sleeves aren't long enough any more when he rolls them up to show off the customization.

I didn't match up the plaids on purpose. It's just a little off and looks just a little funkier than your average lumberjack outfit.

new inspiration

I think crochet flower flourishes are an inevitable component of one of my next projects. My sister, gift giver extraordinaire, gave me several fun things this Christmas, but by far the most fun was inspiration. She gave me 100 flowers to knit & crochet by Lesley Stanfield. I'm so excited to try every variety listed (ok, maybe not the asparagus).

Not only that, but during her visit to DC we visited the National Museum of Natural History which is currently exhibiting a crochet coral reef exhibit. It is one of the most creative things I've ever seen. Color me inspired.

The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef