Mer - Sea

J'aime la mer.

I saw a pillow, similar to this one, at my favorite beach shop in Port Aransas (in fact, there's even a picture of her here [3rd row, middle pic]). I fell in love with her immediately. The price tag, though, not so much (a mere $400). No can buy, I said. But I could probably make, I thought. So I did.  And I love her. She is fashioned in a similar way to all the rag dolls I make, but I had to freehand the pattern which was surprisingly easy. I used tea-dyed muslin, cotton netting for her hair, and hot glued a boat-load of small sea shells to her body.  I'm taking her down to the beach this weekend, where she'll sit peacefully on my bed. Reminding me how much I love the sea.

Tie Dye Day

Today we made the cutest tie dye baby clothes! Found the how-to's in the current issue of Parent's Magazine and it looked simple enough. It was easy, but beware it is super messy. We did these outside--my sweet boy really wanted to help and got a little carried away being the "pot stirrer." At the end of our project we had created a tank top for my child, three cute baby onsies/tees and a hat for my niece and a oh my gosh it's totally ruined beautiful new patio chase lounge cushion covered with blue dye (aaarrrggghhh!)

p.s. if anyone has a tip for getting dye out of upholstery fabric, I will be your new BFF!

A boring day

Had a couple of orders to fill plus one birthday present to complete, so I spent much of today sewing away. This is what my sweet boy calls, "a boring day." So that he didn't lose out completely, I made this for him (cut a T-Rex out of some old camo fabric and stitched to a t-shirt). Apologies for my crummy photos, I'm still without a camera and have to resort to the cell phone and camcorder for taking pictures.A friend ordered a couple of mess kits from me (burp pad and reversible bib), these came out cute:

This tooth fairy pillow is a birthday present (and also one of my best sellers) for the daughter of this creative mom:

Beach Baby

About 4 years ago, I started a small baby business as a means to unleash some energy from my crafty curse. Yes, I'd just had a baby and yes, I was overwhelmed, and yes, I'm a glutton. Over the last year, Up To The Moon (the biz name) has definitely taken a back seat, due to a super busy kid's schedule and me trying to get my priorities straight. When I received an order yesterday from a client in California, I just couldn't turn it down. Sure it took time out of our day to crank some things out, but for me it was worth it (despite the guilt I feel when child o'mine peeks his head in my sewing room every five seconds and gives me that pouty "you're ignoring me again" look). Let me just say it now, I LOVE TO CREATE THINGS! I cannot deny myself this pleasure (or sickness, depending on how you look at it). So one slightly neglected child and a bit of a mess later, we have our surfboard changing pads and matching bibs on their way to California. I love this on-the-go changing pad; it's cute and pretty practical for that matter (find out more about it here).

Living deepinahearta I have done many western themed baby items, which are great, but I am a beach girl at heart. I guess it just proves you can take the girl out of California, but you can't take California out of the girl.

A new use for some old cloth

I finally finished this blanket today (ordered by a friend for her new baby girl), and I have to say while I did not truly enjoy the process, I love the outcome. This baby blanket is made from 4-inch squares of feed sack cloth sewn in a quilt-like pattern, then backed with a soft pink minky dot chenille. The feed sack prints give this blanket a vintage look, which is great in my opinion because I am not a traditionalist when it comes to baby things. I have collected vintage feed sack prints for a few years now, I simply love them and I hope my friend loves this blanket!

"What a better world it would be if we all had cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon, then lay down on our blankets for a nap."
Barbara Jordan

Dollville

For absolutely no logical reason at all, I've started making vintage rag dolls. I certainly do not have the time, and it would make more sense if I was getting more sleep or catching up on a good book, but I was born with the crafty curse. When I am creating something, I'm just happier (i.e., not as bitchy). Even having a baby hasn't stopped the curse from plaguing me. About a month ago I got the itch to try my hand at doll making, found a fabulous website for doll patterns, and I've been hooked ever since. I can't explain the thrill I get out of taking a piece of muslin, some yarn, paint, and fabric scraps and creating something that makes me smile just looking at it!
If you think about it, creating anything makes life more beautiful. It makes your world a better place. When you become a Mom, it is so easy to lose your sense of self. You become consumed with all things child, and rightly so because raising your children is one of the most important jobs you will every have the privilege of holding. However, we will all be better Moms if we hang on to what makes us happy, take some time to do what we enjoy (and wake up those mushy mommy brain cells!). For me, that "thing" is creating something out of nothing and brightening my corner of the world one project at a time.

The creative person is both more primitive and more cultivated, more destructive, a lot madder and a lot saner, than the average person.
~Frank Barron