Chet and Dot

Spoonflower Take 2

2010-09-17T17:46:00.000-07:00

I finally got the carnival and coffee shop design swatches from Spoonflower this week. I think I've found a new obsession.

Even though I'd like to start off with full yards of my designs, I am really glad I got swatches as both designs have some issues I want to correct.

I forgot to offset the colors in the coffee shop print and I think offsetting looks so much better. It gives it a screen printed look that I like. I think there might be too much negative space and the objects could be closer together. The background ended up a little more peach than I wanted as well.

The carnival print seems to have a little too much negative space as well. I'm pretty happy with the colors but will tweak those a bit. I'm not sure but I think the size of the design needs to be smaller.

And the Forest Bear fabric made it's way into a pin cushion:

Spoonflower

2010-09-06T17:12:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to designing some Spoonflower fabric. I'm not sure what took me so long, but I decided to take advantage of the free swatch day they offered last month. I'm so glad I did!
I will definitely be ordering more of this little forest bear print. I am really impressed with the quality and color.

It's so great sewing with my own fabric design.
I've got these two designs on order:
Carnival!

and Coffee Shop:

I can't wait!

And how the heck is today the last day of summer vacation? I can hardly believe it's September.
Fall is definitely in the air!

It's the Little Things

2010-08-12T18:16:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start a weekly series called The Little Things.
This will consist of a short post about something little that I like.
I have a lot of little things that I like so this should be an unending series.
I like that in this life we can surround ourselves with things that make us happy.
We go out in the world and often come back with something to feather our nest, something we didn't necessarily need but knew we couldn't live without. These things may have a story and may be as simple as seeing it at the grocery store and buying it on impulse.

I'm starting with this wood doll. I'm having trouble remembering just where I found her. I think perhaps my favorite thrift shop on the other side of the river. I like that she's wooden, that she's plump, and that she is likely handmade. She can often be found in my photographs, she's funny that way.

Springtime Organizing

2010-05-22T21:27:00.000-07:00

I think it would be nice to pick up my house and shake everything out onto the lawn and then carefully put back only the things we need and love. Then the rest could be donated, sold or recycled. Wouldn't that be lovely? Ah well, instead I sort, little by little.

I bought this bookshelf at a yard sale a couple of years ago for $10. I'm not sure why it took me so long to get around to painting it. We debated about colors for weeks before settling on this bright robin's egg blue. The color was inspired by this Method bathroom cleaner bottle, of all things.

Have we talked about Method? No? Well, quickly, I'll tell you that I love all of their products. Well almost all, the daily shower cleaner smells a lot like the scented feminine napkins, not good. Other than that, the products rule. The toilet bowl cleanser is not only totally effective but comes in the most adorable bottle. Who knew I could like something so mundane so very much? I love love love the ginger yuzu dish soap. And I am completely obsessed with the Method Baby rice milk and mallow dryer sheets. Have you smelled these? They smell like magic. They are expensive, like ridiculously, I can't believe I'm paying $6 for such a small package of dryer sheets, expensive. I'm telling you, they are amazing. Men seem to hate them, but don't let that stop you. Treat yourself. I've started putting the used sheets in my dresser drawers and in with my little softies instead of sachets. They smell like MAGIC and the packaging is lovely. I suppose it shouldn't really come as a surprise that a Method bottle inspired my bookshelf color.

Here are before and afters. Hooray!

I love that print, it's from here. We got it at Crafty Wonderland. It's not going to stay there, I'll hang it on the wall once, I get to IKEA for the right size frame.

Oh, and the weather here is bull#*!@. I'm feel like I need to have a bathing suit on under a parka so I can be appropriately dressed at all times. It goes from hail and blowing rain to sunny and 75 and then back to rain. It's obnoxious. We're still turning the heat on and it's the end of May! Boo.

Wedding Season

2010-05-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

My roses are blooming. I only have 2 rose bushes. I love this rose, I'm not sure what variety it is. I love that the buds are very dark pink almost red but when it opens, it's a smokey sort of pink and lavender.

The flowers have got me thinking about Spring weddings.
I made this ring bearer pillow this morning. I think the wool, linen and satin pair nicely together.

C is for

2010-05-17T15:46:00.000-07:00

Cupcakes!
I was in serious need of some cupcake therapy on this Monday afternoon.
These did the trick. I used this recipe and I like it quite a lot.

Found

2010-05-13T07:41:00.000-07:00

I spotted this sad little secretary on the side of the road for free the other day. I immediately saw it's potential and since I love few things more than before and afters, I knew I had to bring it home.

Someone had drilled a hole in the front of the fold down panel, I'm assuming for a lock. That needed to be patched for sure. I didn't have a drill bit the right size to drill a plug out of wood, but I did have a good supply of wine corks, one of which fit perfectly in the hole, then I puttied over it and sanded it down, you can hardly notice it now. The wood veneer on two of the drawers was warped and peeling away so we tried removing it on one drawer which turned into several hours of chiseling at it to get it off and then eventually sanding it down. We opted to leave the veneer on the second drawer and hope the paint and primer would hide the problem. Happily, it worked, hurrah!

The primer we had was tinted grey to make the yellow coat better and it happened to be the perfect shade of grey, so we used it as paint on the inside and knobs. Love that. I'm loving the bright yellow, too. The office is almost all white and a bright shot of color is just what it needed.

I have been looking for just such a piece of furniture for storing merchandise. And to think that it could have ended up at the dump. I love my little secretary!

Spring Blossom Tissue Paper Garland

2010-05-06T17:19:00.000-07:00

This is a very simple and fun project. It would be great for any occasion, and perfect to do with little ones. You can right or alt-click and choose save image to download the instructions.

Have fun! I would love to see photos if you are so inclined to make your own garland!

Weekend Plans

2010-04-30T09:12:00.000-07:00

I will be at Crafty Wonderland this weekend!

If you're in Portland, come by and say hello.
I designed a craft project tutorial for the programs, I'll be sharing it here next week.

We spent all week working on a new display. It's a monster but it will offer up the vertical display space we desperately need.

I can't wait to see it in action!

Houses

2010-04-27T07:29:00.000-07:00

I'm making houses! I'm also making a craft show display but that's much less cute.

Dottie Dots

2010-04-22T09:43:00.001-07:00

I have a bit of an obsession with polka dots. I keep telling myself I can't buy anymore polka dots and then I find myself at Bolt with polka dots in hand. So it's only logical that I make my own polka dots. What is it about little dots of color scattered on a solid background that is so appealing?

I've been trying to take more interesting photos lately. I got all caught up in using the light tent which I have to do in the winters here, that I sort of forgot about trying to use natural light. I am astounded at the difference in quality when you use natural lighting. On that same note, I want to buy a new camera and I'm trying to decide between three different models. There is an obvious price difference, but I don't like to make decisions like this based on price ie. go for the cheapest. I want this to be the last camera I buy for like 10 years so I want to get the right one. I like the idea of a digital slr but I think it may be too much camera for my needs. Although if I had a super fancy camera, I might be inclined to make more use of it. See, this has been going on for months. I am sort of leaning toward the middle option. Is it better to get the fancier camera for longevity and maximum functions? I currently have this camera and I love it. It's only 4 megapixels, but it's been an awesome camera, it just eats batteries like mad, so it's got to go.

I went to Modern Domestic a couple of weeks ago. It's a new sewing machine shop and sewing studio on Alberta Street here in Portland. It's a beautiful store. If you're in town, check it out. They have classes, open sewing and access to sergers and this fancy ass iron. I had no idea I could love an iron, but I LOVE THIS IRON. I am presently trying to justify buying this iron. It's got a touch sensitive handle and you don't have to set it upright when you're done. You just slide it off the fabric, let go and magical little feet pop up so you never have to worry about burning your house down. It's amazing and it's yellow.

Berries

2010-04-19T14:39:00.001-07:00

some new messenger bags are in the shop:

I'm on a strawberry kick lately! I see I'm not the only one. I've found a couple super cute Japanese fabric prints with strawberries. It's surprising how long it took me to find some that I liked. I've been looking for a good berry print for awhile.

My strawberry plants are showing promise of berry goodness too.

Rain

2010-04-13T11:01:00.001-07:00

This little bear is ready for a Portland Spring:

Maybe I should make a beach bear to beckon the sun.

Friends

2010-04-11T10:06:00.000-07:00

Three springtime friends in the shop

Making

2010-04-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I did any needle felting, but I broke out the wool last night:

I have also been making earrings. I have a good supply of beads, but I don't make anything with them for resale, just for gifts. I actually don't wear earrings, but they are fun to make. These are going to my sister.

Newness

2010-03-29T15:54:00.000-07:00

The shop has been updated with all sorts of springy goodness.

I've been listening to the new She and Him and it's lovely! It's every bit as good as volume one, if not better. Isn't the cover great?

Spring!

2010-03-27T11:55:00.000-07:00

So it's officially Spring! Hooray!
I wanted to share some pics from my birthday. I spent the week before making some flowery decorations. The garland was made with baker's twine and tissue paper in 3 colors.

I found 3 paper lanterns in various sizes and we covered them in tissue paper. The peachy one was covered in circles, the green in a leaf shape and the ivory one was covered in scrunched circles. I love these so much. I still haven't taken them down. I think they can stay up for Easter, don't you? This was such a fun project. I love love love tissue paper. When I was growing up, I had a serious love for tissue paper. That love is still strong.

The cake was amazing! We used the white cake recipe from Baking Illustrated. Again, I can't emphasize enough how much I love this book. We didn't use the raspberry filling and instead opted for butter cream frosting with orange zest. The cake itself has vanilla and almond extract so the subtle orange flavor paired perfectly. The cake was frosted with plain vanilla buttercream. In case you're wondering, the cake was inspired by the beautiful cakes by nikole herriott. Jenny did a wonderful job piping the frosting after about 20 attempts at the perfect curlicue.

Apples and Pears

2010-02-27T11:07:00.000-08:00

These fruity friends are in the shop.

I didn't have much luck with the apple lid, so this one is lid-less, which I kind of like. It was crocheted and then felted. I like how crochet looks once it's felted, it has a nice texture.

Coffee or Tea?

2010-02-22T12:13:00.000-08:00

I almost always opt for coffee. I take mine with just a bit of cream, no sugar. I do enjoy a mug of hot tea from time to time, but my love for coffee is undeniable. I've recently acquired the equipment to roast my own coffee beans, I'll be sure to share the process as soon as it happens. I can just imagine how the house is going to smell! Yum!

I've just added these little cups of goodness to the shop. I'll be working on a few more and then it's on to something else. I have an idea for a little crocheted apple bowl with a lid perhaps.

Flock This

2010-02-12T15:31:00.001-08:00

So I didn't realize that The Leader had a line of flocking powders. A few years ago, I was shopping in a funny little scrapbooking store in Vancouver, WA and mentioned something about flocked cards and one of the sweet owners said she had some flocking powders that I could buy if I wanted. So she brought out a box of vintage flocking in all different colors, I, of course, bought them all. I think they were like $1 each or something. The colors weren't quite as delicious as these lovelies I found in the Martha Stewart aisle of Michael's this morning.

Hooray! I can't wait to flock the crap out of some stuff. I wish I could flock fabric. I'll have to look into that.

I've added some more baby booties to the shop:

Flowers

2010-02-06T15:27:00.000-08:00

I love to have fresh flowers in the house. A friend recently commented on how after she bought her house, she had to really budget and couldn't splurge on wine and flowers. Flowers are definitely a luxury item, but they are so lovely. I especially love having them around this time of year when I do so look forward to Spring's arrival. I've already seen several cherry blossoms in bloom. It is a bit early even for here, but such a welcome sight.

After attending my friend Greg's memorial this morning, it seemed that we could use some cheering up. So we stopped and put together this little arrangement.

I love these little wax flowers. I would love to grow some this year. Wouldn't it be amazing to have a cutting garden full of your favorite flowers? I would grow hydrangeas and zinnias and mums and lilacs and lots of little flowers too.

macarons!

2010-02-04T13:57:00.001-08:00

Behold! My first attempt at macarons:

I started out simple with vanilla vanilla. Next, I'd like to try strawberry or maybe coconut.
I made a basic vanilla buttercream for the filling. If you are interested in making these, I highly recommend the book. The instructions couldn't be more clear and easy to follow. Plus, there are pictures of every step. This took the mystery out of macarons, hooray for that. The only issue I had was that I baked two sheets at once, which I would not do again. The top sheet baked up perfectly, but the bottom ones ended up with cracked tops. Delicious but not beautiful. I will photograph all the steps when I make them next. It will be soon, I'm sure.

I just noticed the ridiculous price on that book through Amazon. I'm not sure what's going on there, but I'm sure my copy wasn't that much.

eta: I see that Chronicle Books has it for $14.95 but it's back ordered.

Cupcakes!

2010-02-03T12:05:00.001-08:00

Cupcakes for no particular reason.

The recipe is from the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook. These are the vanilla cupcakes. They were the quintessential white cupcake. I bought a ton of vanilla beans on eBay last month and have been adding them to everything. So the frosting just had vanilla beans and no extract. Yummy!
Excuse the crummy photo quality, it's been a dreary, wet past few weeks. I am beckoning Spring with pastel sprinkles, in spite of Punxsutawney Phil.

Potholders!

2010-02-02T09:36:00.000-08:00

There are 4 new bear potholders in the shop.

These are so much fun to put together!

2010

2010-01-11T12:23:00.001-08:00

I thought it would be nice to pop in here and update my poor neglected blog. Though I struggle to find the time to keep this blog updated, I do love that it's here waiting to be tended to when I have the time.

Here's some of what I've been up to:

Hanging out with these little sweeties

Four of whom are laying eggs. Adorable, little eggs. They are such a bright spot in my days. I adore watching their hilarious antics in the yard.

I've been doing lots of knitting and crochet, everyone around here has a new hat and scarf. I have fallen in love with knitting in the round. I am going to make this soon, although it is crocheted and not knitted.
I've been saving empty candle glasses for several years and finally found a way to put them to use. Cozies!

I'm steadily working on updating the shop. I'm working assembly line style which is great! I've just added new button sets, coffee cozies, charms and a new print. There are also some new softies.

A colossal amount of organizing is happening. We've lived in our house for 5 years, and things have gotten a bit out of hand in the junk and clutter department. I have a rather lofty goal of having every square inch of this house organized and decluttered by the end of February. Wish me luck with that!

Eating way too much fro yo, it's the new bubble tea!

I got this book for Christmas and I cannot wait to try my hand at making macarons

Watching:
Big Love
Parks and Recreation (I seriously love this show!)
I just finished watching the Tudors Season 3, it was so good.
I saw Where the Wild Things Are and didn't like it a bit
I want to see the Fantastic Mr. Fox

Buying this yarn. I LOVE this yarn, it's the perfect weight and the colors are dreamy.
I also got these boots for Christmas, they are made of felt (!) they are soft and warm and oh so cute

The year started out on a note of sadness. I learned a couple of weeks ago that an old friend took his own life. While we hadn't been close the past couple of years, it was always nice running into him and knowing he was around. Greg was instrumental in helping us get our first business off to a good start. Greg's was one of the first shops we ever sold to. He will be missed. I do feel some comfort in knowing he is at peace, finally.

Tomorrow!

2009-12-12T20:00:00.000-08:00

I'll be selling at Crafty Wonderland tomorrow from 11 - 7. Stop by and say hello if you're in Portland.

'Tis the Season

2009-11-10T11:30:00.000-08:00

November is one of my favorite months. I love the fact that it's not quite full into the Christmas season but it's close. I like the feeling of preparation in the air. Like we're all starting to think about family, meal planning and gift giving. I spent the past couple of evenings happily stitching a new holiday garland.

I heard today that Christmas is 6 weeks away! With that in mind, it's off to work for me!

October 31

2009-10-31T11:08:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween!

Quality Bunnies

2009-10-20T10:11:00.000-07:00

The bunny factory is pumping out bunnies like well, bunnies.

We've been working on our holiday craft show display. If all goes well, it's going to be a little bit magical. I'm super excited and I think I will finally have the display of my dreams. I may have mentioned it before but setting up for craft shows, always leaves me longing for a proper display. I feel like our setup always ends up looking ok, but we've never really had a dedicated display that can accommodate all the merchandise properly. I think that's going to change. Here's a little hint. .

Crafty Wonderland

2009-10-11T08:55:00.000-07:00

I will be at Crafty Wonderland today. If you're in Portland, come by and say hello!

Penguins!

2009-10-04T21:24:00.000-07:00

The penguins are back in the shop!
Molly:

Clarence:

Dottie:

Wool

2009-09-28T21:11:00.000-07:00

I went to the Oregon Flock and Fiber festival this weekend. I got some curly wool that was asking to be made into a lion's mane:

I learned that I want to have two sheep and an angora rabbit. The bunnies were quite possibly softer than a cloud, which is very very soft. Sadly, I left my camera at home so no pictures of cute bunnies and cuddly sheep to share.

Motivation

2009-09-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

I have been seriously lacking in motivation lately. Definitely these little ones aren't helping the matter. All I want to do is watch their backyard antics and wait for eggs.

We got our first egg last week. Miss Millie is the only one laying so far, here is her egg next to a store egg. Bantam eggs are about as adorable as can be. I love the creamy beige color of her eggs. The other chickens should begin laying any day now.

I have been doing some sewing. I am totally in love with this bee fabric I just found.

I scored a pair of IKEA linen curtains for $5 at a yard sale last weekend, which was awesome because I was just about out of my favorite linen. They were floor length so there must be at least 4 or 5 yards. Hooray for yard sales!

Factory

2009-09-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that the first day of Autumn is only a week away. I do love this time of year in spite of my disbelief that it's here and summer is at it's end.

The start of Fall means it's time to start working factory style. No more leisurely crafting, it's time to up production so I can be ready for the holidays. I do feel more prepared than past years. I think I am finally starting to understand that holiday crafting needs to start way before the holiday arrives. Seems like a simple concept, yet it's taken me years to really get it. I'm starting to work in multiples. Here's the first batch out of the "factory":

26 + 27

2009-08-30T13:17:00.001-07:00

pumpkin:

candy corn:

24 + 25

2009-08-29T19:05:00.000-07:00

Getting there
Barley Bear:

Gertie:

23 -- Sleepy Owl

2009-08-29T18:53:00.001-07:00

The Wagon

2009-08-28T18:23:00.001-07:00

It looks like I fell off the softie a day wagon! I wonder if I'm up for the challenge of getting caught up by Monday. I'll try. I've been working on baby booties for a wholesale order. I said yes, without really thinking about all that knitting. I got them done pretty quickly though so all is well. Plus, I have the pattern memorized which is pretty crazy.
Here's 22 Carlos:

21 -- Clotilde

2009-08-21T19:14:00.001-07:00

20 -- Gocco!

2009-08-20T21:28:00.000-07:00

19 -- Owl's Cupcake

2009-08-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

Chicken Picks

2009-08-19T16:07:00.001-07:00

Some coconut cupcakes for a special birthday today:

On another note, I see many, many more cupcake picks in my future.

Baby Banner

2009-08-18T17:10:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe but my little niece Maddie is going to be one on Saturday. I made her a banner with her name embroidered in circles. I used a nice selection of wool and cashmere sweaters. I'm pretty happy with how it came out even though some of the edges are a bit wonky which is from a combination of working into the wee hours and working with non felted sweaters.

My sister and her family were just in a terrible car accident. Everyone is ok but there looks to be some surgeries in the future. Luckily the kids came out pretty much unharmed which is surprising considering how bad the accident was overall. I'm putting together a care package for them. I wish there was more I could do. I won't be able to go over for another week or two. It's times like these that make me wish my family lived closer. I made 3 batches of cookies and am thinking about making some blueberry muffins, though I do worry about how those would do in the mail. Any other ideas for sweets (or non sweets) to perk up their spirits?

18 -- Humphrey Woolingham

2009-08-18T16:42:00.000-07:00

17 -- Frederick

2009-08-17T11:20:00.000-07:00

16 -- Elsa

2009-08-17T11:19:00.001-07:00

15 -- Parsnip

2009-08-17T11:18:00.001-07:00

14 -- Hazel

2009-08-15T11:13:00.001-07:00

Made with wool from Kim. Thanks Kim!

13 -- Constance

2009-08-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

12 -- Myrtle

2009-08-13T21:23:00.001-07:00

I'm running behind on my softies, but I'll catch up!

11 -- Prudence

2009-08-11T13:14:00.001-07:00

10 -- Marshall

2009-08-10T14:31:00.001-07:00

9 -- Apartment

2009-08-10T14:29:00.001-07:00

I'm running a bit behind but here's number 9:

8 -- Kitty Pink is Fancy

2009-08-08T23:07:00.001-07:00

7 -- Happy House

2009-08-07T16:01:00.001-07:00

6 -- Clara

2009-08-06T22:21:00.001-07:00

5 -- Edwin

2009-08-06T22:10:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Chary found this amazing trio of cashmere sweaters for me. The colors are so dreamy. I am particularly in love with the heathered aqua. Which brings us to #5 Edwin.

4 -- Lucille

2009-08-04T09:34:00.001-07:00

3 -- Karloff

2009-08-03T16:07:00.000-07:00

2 -- Winston Applebear

2009-08-02T19:29:00.000-07:00

1 -- Oswald

2009-08-01T23:04:00.000-07:00

Oh, Japan

2009-08-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

How is that you never cease to amaze me with your cute wonders? How I wish to visit you so that I may see the magic in person. I want to buy things from your vending machines, shop in your fabric stores, stroll beneath your cherry blossoms and marvel at your politeness and respect for your fellow citizens. In the meantime, occasional visits to Uwajimaya and Kinokuniya will have to suffice.

I always say that I would need no less than $30k to fund a trip to Japan. Mostly to spend on shipping crates full of goodness back home. I can't think of a more dangerous place for me to be actually. I have little self control when it comes to Japanese cuteness. And I know I'm not alone.

Also, I think I may die if I don't get some of this.

Here are some things I couldn't leave behind in Kinokuniya today.
Cute plastic folder and matching pencil.
Little pink notebook that says "personal simple convenient" on the cove
Yet another craft book
Some of the most beautiful masking tape. Pink polka dots - yes, please!
Shinzi Katoh Red Riding Hood mechanical pencil, seriously, how could I leave without this?

I've got a couple of new sewing kits in the shop and I'm working on a few more. I am completely in love with this tulip fabric:

This one is my favorite! The pins are tiny little houses.:

So I have a plan to make a softie a day for the month of August. I really need to get stocked for the holidays. I actually can't believe it's August already, can you? I'm planning to post each softie here so keep an eye out.
Happy Summer!

Coffee or Tea?

2009-07-27T15:47:00.000-07:00

New embroideries in the shop:

It's so hot here today! Tomorrow is going to be 102! In the Pacific Northwest. It's supposed to be cooler here.

New Look

2009-07-24T11:54:00.000-07:00

I thought it was time to freshen up this little blog. The banner design is doubling as packaging for brooches and pendants.

On another note, I had no idea I would become a such a chicken nerd. We will be going on the Tour de Coop tomorrow along with a large percentage of other Portlanders who have taken the chicken keeping plunge. In case you're wondering, the Tour de Coop is where you can go to about 25 different homes to see their chickens and coops. What fun! What? This doesn't sound fun to you? For shame! I was delighted to chat with a fellow chicken nerd at a party recently. See, most people have about a 3 minute chicken conversation tolerance. But us chicken nerds, we can discuss for hours. Really, no question is too silly. How big is your run? Do your chickens like zucchini, because mine won't touch it? How old were your chickens when they laid their first egg? This is a sampling of the questions we ask each other. I feel like there should be a secret society for us c.nerds so we don't bore others to death.
Here are some new pictures of the cutest flock in town:

chickens on deck

Millie, Petunia and Freckles

in the run

Petunia, star of the chicken show

Happy Weekend!

Summertime Crafty

2009-07-11T20:31:00.000-07:00

We will be all set up at Crafty Wonderland tomorrow! If you happen to be in the Portland area, it's supposed to rain - perfect for an indoor craft show.

Some new illustrations are in or headed to the shop:

Etsy-versary!

2009-07-06T19:34:00.000-07:00

Hey! Guess what! Wednesday is my 4 year Etsy anniversary. It's hard to believe it's been 4 years since I discovered the wonderful world of Etsy. To celebrate I'm offering free shipping on all purchases made July 8th on domestic orders, and half price shipping on international orders ! Use code "etsy4" in the checkout and then wait for the revised invoice with your shipping discount. Hooray! The shop is chock full right now, so it's a great time to shop.

I've just posted some of my newest project 'cheap ass art'. I'll be doing some simple illustrations on lovely beveled matboard for only $5! It's bargain city here at Chet and Dot headquarters.

Summer Sunday

2009-06-28T16:48:00.000-07:00

Today was just lovely. It started off with coffee out watching the chickens (the best!).

We went to the farmer's market in the morning to get berries for

pie!

felted bowls drying in the sun

Tonight it's off to dinner at a friend's where I will pick raspberries until the sun goes down.

Craft Sale

2009-06-26T20:57:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to let you know that I'll be selling at a craft show/food drive tomorrow (Saturday the 27th) at Urban Outfitters in NW Portland.
Stop by and say hello!

Coffee

2009-06-20T12:55:00.000-07:00

I'm waiting for the second pot of coffee of the day to brew so I thought I'd share some thoughts on coffee.
Coffee is good. Stumptown coffee is very very good.
My favorite way to brew coffee is in a stovetop espresso pot. I use a French press sometimes, but the stovetop pot, brews good strong coffee really fast, which is important.
I made some new coffee cup (or tea if you're so inclined) cozies.
I forgot how satisfying these are to make. They're a quick project and great way to use up sweater and fabric scraps. These are in the shop. Which, by the way, now has over 400 items! I can't believe it.

On another note, the weather has been positively dreary here in Portland. The chickens don't care for it one bit. As you can, see it's best to stay close to the coop in case of a downpour.

Now I feel that donuts are in order. Yes, coffee and donuts.
Happy Weekend!

Prints

2009-06-15T21:01:00.000-07:00

I have been going through some of my sketchbooks trying to sort through and pull out ideas I like or drawings to use for embroideries or prints. It's always interesting to look back at older work and see how my art has changed and improved. Some of the older drawings are so crude, but I remember just being happy they resembled what I had in mind.

These prints are in the shop. They're my first new prints since we got our new printer (which is awesome). I'm really happy with the results. Yay for good printers!

Elephants!

2009-06-13T21:11:00.000-07:00

The shop has just had a delivery of elephants!
I have had this elephant stamp that I carved a few years ago and today I decided she needed a bow. Then it became clear that a banner was in order. So here's the new and improved elephant design. I'm thinking these would make sweet baby shower invitations or maybe first birthday party. Fun!

Chickens, Gardening and Notecards

2009-06-09T10:10:00.000-07:00

The title should give some insight as to what's been on my mind lately. Our chickens are growing big and are hilarious! It's so nice to look out the window and see a flock of little chickens pecking and digging and chasing each other. I love that having chickens gets me outside so much more. I can keep a close eye on the garden progress that way.

the coop is almost done, it just needs the roof and run attached

Miss Millie waiting for some yummy worms

Millie and Honey in the herb garden

There are several short videos of chicken antics here, if you're so inclined. We have one blue egg layer, which I'm so excited about. Blue eggs! It's hard to imagine that soon I'll have my own egg supply right in the back yard. I'm expecting the 2 older hens to start laying around September and the others in October.

I've got some new block printed notecard sets in the shop. I'm anxiously waiting for my hydrangeas to bloom, so I thought I'd carve a stamp in the meantime.

Life with Chickens

2009-05-02T19:25:00.000-07:00

I thought it was time for an update on life so far with the chicks. We diagnosed two of the five as roosters, and they have gone to live with a nice family who were looking for just that sort of rooster. Now we are left with what we believe are 3 hens. It's so funny because we were really unsure if we wanted to get chickens, even on the way home after buying the chicks, we weren't sure we wanted to raise urban chickens, but they are so much fun, I'm sure we made the right choice. I spend way more time than I should watching their silly antics. Every time I sit down to watch them, they are doing something new and crazy. They all have different personalities and have grown attached to us as well. They'll be going outside in a couple of weeks, and while I'll be happy to have the dining room back, I will miss having them so close by. It's amazing how fast they grow too. They are already getting to the awkward chicken teenager phase. This is the 3 girls perched on their box today:

I have managed to get a lot of sewing done in the past few days in spite of the chicks. In fact, my Etsy shop has a record number of items in it. 301, to be exact! I've just added these sweet friends and some new felted houses. I also carved a new stamp with a little house on it. I'm excited to print some new house cards.

Happy Weekend!

The Babies are Here!

2009-04-07T09:30:00.001-07:00

We picked up our chicks yesterday. We had to get 5 so that we could increase our chances of getting the 3 hens we want. We suspect one is a rooster but it's far too early to tell. Meet the new family members:

We haven't named them yet but we've got some ideas in mind.

Wooly Goodness

2009-03-30T16:33:00.000-07:00

There has been lots of needle felting going on here lately. I am very fond of this little owl. It will be hard to let him go:

Easter Delivery

2009-03-28T13:04:00.000-07:00

The Easter Bunny has just been to the shop.

More Cake

2009-03-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

This weekend Jenny's mom was here for her birthday, which was a perfect opportunity for yet another layer cake. This one is a 4 layer lemon mascarpone cake. I used an epicurious recipe but I don't think I would make this particular cake again. The cake itself was a bit dry and spongy, and not as moist and springy as I would have liked. I made a lemon vanilla buttercream that was just lightly sweetened and balanced out the lemon curd-mascarpone filling which was very sweet and tart. I am always happy for a chance to practice royal icing flower making:

It ended up being a perfect early Spring birthday cake.

My Nest

2009-03-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

Hello again! I'm posting twice in a week how unusual.

My house was featured on the Housemartin blog today. Pam came over last week to photograph the house. If you live in Portland, be sure to visit her amazing store, Ink and Peat on North Williams. It was so interesting and fun to see someone else's view of our home.

photo by Pam Zsori

Nesting

2009-03-17T16:25:00.000-07:00

My birthday was last weekend. I had a small get together with some friends. This year we decided to make a nest cake. This was a labor of love, let me tell you. I think Jenny and I spent 5 hours on Sunday putting it together, then dismantling it then reconstructing it. It was all worth it. The cake is the coconut layer cake from Baking Illustrated. The cake was delicious! So coconutty! The nest was made of coconut and meringue which were baked in a bowl to achieve the nest shape. The eggs, leaves and flowers are marzipan. If you like marzipan but not the price, I recommend making it yourself. It's actually ridiculously easy and so much less expensive.

I've had nests and eggs on my mind a lot lately. We're thinking about getting some chickens. We would get bantams because they are small and cute and I love all things small and cute. The woman at the garden store showed us one of the bantam chicken eggs and we were sold. They are so adorable! I am hoping we can get the chicken set up figured out quickly so we can go get the little chicks. There is one variety of chicken I like called brahma chicken, I would like to name one Barack Obrahma. Ha ha. I kill me.

Oh, and I've just added a big batch of new sewing kits to the shop.

5 Targets

2009-02-15T16:13:00.000-08:00

I went to 5 Target stores, one of them twice, today to get this bounty! The new Orla Kiely line is so lovely. We got the canisters at three different stores. We still didn't manage to find any of the textiles like the dish towels, aprons and place mats. We'll keep checking. I will stay strong.

I've been embroidering like crazy lately. There are some new framed pieces in the shop. These are so fun. I've been going through all of my sketch books and turning various drawings into embroideries.

Peas and Jam

2009-01-23T09:16:00.000-08:00

On a recent thrifting trip, I bought a vintage craft book. It's from 1981 and while that's not usually a decade whose crafts I admire, this particular book had some real gems! Like giant crayons with faces in a GIGANTIC crayon "box". Adorable. Anyway it also had a pattern for mason jar potholders. I'm not sure if you know about my obsession with jars. Really, I love and collect all sorts of containers. But my favorite is the jar. I like them teeny tiny and super big. I also seem to have a bowl collecting problem, so much so that there are always bowls which cannot fit into the cabinets so they sit on counters and shelves. I can't seem to resist buying a lovely bowl or jar. So how could I resist making jar shaped potholders?

Clearly, I could not.

Coasters

2009-01-15T17:09:00.000-08:00

I had the idea for these woolen coasters before Christmas, and finally got the chance to make some. They are made with 100% wool felt and wool roving. The flowers are all needle felted. I have to say that if I could only choose one craft to do forever it would probably be needle felting. I love it so. These are in the shop.

Making and Naming New Softies...

2009-01-11T16:32:00.000-08:00

Is my true calling.
Meet Fenway, Danforth, Piedmont, Omar, Pilar and Murray:

What could be better than...

2009-01-10T17:32:00.001-08:00

Coconut cream pie with hot coffee? Perfect for a January afternoon.

New Year Ramblings

2009-01-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

We've been doing a lot of nothing around here lately. It's been very refreshing. In between doing nothing I have been knitting and working on a few very late Christmas gifts. Namely this one for my niece, Olivia.

I could see myself tossing everything aside for the world of miniatures! Is there anything more adorable than tiny versions of everyday objects? I think not. I have left the house unpainted so that she will have something to do when she gets it. With the new baby in the house, it's always good to have something to keep the 5 year old's hands busy. The house is from Michael's and is actually a cd holder. I believe it's the same one that Angry Chicken mentioned awhile back.

I did manage to get a huge shop update done yesterday, with lots more to come.

I've been meaning to get these photographed and blogged about for awhile now. Inspired by all the great pine cones out there lately, I came up with these little pendants. I love the way they turned out. I am particularly fond of the white one.

eta: I almost forgot to mention that I was interviewed by Christine of Flapper Girl Creations. The interview is here.

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T18:55:00.000-08:00

I'm quite happy to be done with 2008. It was a hard year around here and for a lot of people I know. But the good thing about hard years is that they end. And thankfully so.

A few ideas I have for 2009:
I've got some new crafty projects in the works I'm excited about
I'd like to get a few new wholesale accounts
I hope to be blogging more regularly and keeping updated with Twitter.
Some budget planning is in the works
I also plan to do lots of organization and destashing

Here's to a whole new year of possibilities and handmade goodness. Hooray!

Seasons Greetings

2008-11-30T11:43:00.000-08:00

Hello!
I have missed my little blog these past few months. I thought I would pop in with a quick update and a link to me at Twitter
Keep up with me there and I promise to be back here soon.

I'm planning a big shop update today and tomorrow. New sewing kits, coffee cozies and some sweet little button sets are coming!

Summer Things

2008-07-21T21:04:00.000-07:00

Things I'm loving right now:
1::my garden

2::sewing for a new baby niece due next month. made using this pattern

3::canning jam
4::eating homemade jam on freshly baked bread YUM!
5::these plastic screw on lids for canning jars. they have changed my life.

Things I'm not loving right now:
1::new neighbors and their heavy metal band
2::cabbage worms
3::aphids
4::powdery mildew
5::scary noise my car is making when I turn left

Things I'm looking forward to:
1::figuring out what to do with the giant bag of blueberries picked this weekend
2::holding a new baby that arrived last month
3::starting on the new baby's quilt
4::buying some of the Michael Miller organic fleece for the back of baby's quilt
5::upcoming trip to Seattle, Beard Papa, here I come!

Happy Independence Day

2008-07-04T16:28:00.001-07:00

Have a safe and fun holiday!

Summer Sweets

2008-06-28T21:58:00.001-07:00

I made my first strawberry rhubarb pie last week with berries picked from a local farm. I used the recipe from this book. If you don't have this book, and you like to bake, I strongly recommend it. It's huge and thus far every recipe I have tried but one (and I think it was my fault) has turned out perfectly. I like that all the recipes are tested over and over until they are perfect. I also used the pie crust recipe from the book for the first time and it was great. I think it's going to be my new pie crust recipe, perfectly flaky and lightly sweetened. Unfortunately, said pie was devoured before it could be photographed.

I did make some donuts yesterday and managed to photograph them. The recipe is here. They were delicious. Not too sweet and definitely not as heavy as fried donuts. I dipped some in cinnamon and sugar and some in powdered sugar. The cinnamon ones were hands down the favorite.

In gardening news, I recently discovered a most unwelcome garden guest, the cabbage worm, happily munching on my broccoli plants. So I mixed up some natural pest spray and pried them off and now I'm on cabbage worm patrol. Other than that, all is well in the garden. I think we'll have some tomatoes within a few weeks. Yippee!

I hope everyone had a nice fourth of July. Ours was very low key except for the neighbors very loud party and the insane amount of fireworks in the neighborhood. Fireworks are illegal in the town I grew up in, so it's still a bit of a shock each year when I start hearing them in the days leading up to the fourth. I like fireworks ok, but I would not be in least bit sad if they were outlawed here. I know many little animals who would be fine with that as well.

I've got family coming to town on Monday and so much work to do around the house. Have a lovely weekend!

Me Hot

2008-06-28T21:44:00.000-07:00

It's muy caliente here in Portland today, 97 to be exact.

Yesterday we drove to a local farm and had a picnic with friends under a giant oak tree.

It was such perfect weather, we could see Mt. Hood.

Another set of felted coasters is in the shop. I love these colors together!

I'm off to hug the air conditioner.

Friend Flax

2008-06-23T21:16:00.000-07:00

More coffee cozies are in the shop.

I got some new linen over the weekend and have fallen in love with it. It's a bit darker than my usual linen. I find it funny that I have a "usual" linen. Anyway, it's very beautiful and has a really nice drape to it. I bought the last of the bolt, so I'm hoping I can get more. I think linen is the only fabric that looks as good wrinkled as it does nicely pressed.

A couple of new bags:

Some mushrooms, photographed on my new favorite background. I'm trying to use it sparingly so I don't get tired of it's rustic woodiness, though it does seem unlikely that I could get tired of such a thing.

Hello

2008-06-19T20:51:00.000-07:00

Some new wooly goods have made their way into the shop the past few days.
Mama Bird and Her Nest:

A Happy Apple Friend:

and some felted coasters:

I just added a new print to the shop also. I used chalk pastels for the first time and I really like the sort of dreamy effect they add.

Have a great weekend!

A Very Nice Day

2008-06-12T15:09:00.000-07:00

After getting some work done, we were able to spend some time outside in the sun, it was delightful. It started with gelato and a cappucino on the patio at Mio Gelato down the street, then some time in the garden winding yarn into balls and knitting, followed by a walk to meet a friend for dinner. A perfect summer day. I'm always amazed at how much we miss when we're in the car. You really notice the little things when walking. Today, for example, I fell in love with peonies. Why haven't I planted peonies yet?

I've added a few new prints to the shop.
Small Town:

Business Bear:

and Bedtime Story:

Sun and Prints

2008-06-09T19:10:00.000-07:00

The sun has been out for the past two days, and although it's still chilly, it's been so welcome.

I spent a good part of today working on some new art prints. These two are in the shop.

It occurred to me that I've only got a couple of months before I need to get into holiday stock up mode. Scary, huh? It's still hard for me to shift my brain to retail timing. I don't really want to think about Christmas card designs in August, but alas I must.

Hey, It's Raining

2008-06-05T11:33:00.000-07:00

Again. And it's going to rain until the end of time, I'm pretty sure.

Anyway, I've just updated the shop with some new cup cozies.

Sorry for the blah post, but I am rained out. I had to turn the heat on this morning, this June morning. WTF?

Happy Thursday! The weekend is coming hurrah!

How My Garden Grows

2008-06-04T10:39:00.000-07:00

One of the things keeping me busy the past few weeks has been the garden. I have been craving the ever so elusive Pacific Northwest sun this year more than usual. We've been outside nearly every day planning and digging and planting. Every year the garden and backyard become easier to maintain. A lot of that is due to experience. I've had to move a few things that were planted with no real thought as to the size, shape and space requirements. Lesson learned, don't plant a hydrangea in front of an azalea bush in a 3 foot wide bed.

This year we built two raised beds in the garden bed. I'm so happy with them. They took half a day to build and are already making things easier. I've got pretty much all of my vegetables in and now we just water and wait. The only things I'd still like to have are spinach, brussels sprouts and some peas. This year I'm growing 2 tomatillo plants, 4 varieties of tomatoes (roma, amish paste, carlotta and cherry), english cucumber, butternut squash, pumpkin, zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, and butter lettuce. I've also got a little section devoted to herbs.

Busy as a Bee

2008-06-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

Here is my submission for Spiralling's Ice Breaker:

1. Jenn's birthday cake, 2. Diesel Fried Chicken, 3. Tamarack, 4. feathers and roses, 5. Flor de Cera!!, 6. Strawberry-Rambutan Boba Tea - Homemade Vegan Mix!, 7. Google Japan Vending Machines, 8. SWEETIE PIE, 9. done!, 10. laundry, 11. Mao~ What a beautiful gal?! CRW_3677, 12. Handmade Love 1
The Questions:
1. What is your first name? - Jenn
2. What is your favorite food? - Fried Chicken
3. What high school did you go to? - North Central
4. What is your favorite color? - Aqua
5. Who is your celebrity crush? - Michael Cera (yes, I know he's technically a teenager)
6. Favorite drink? - Bubble Tea
7. Dream vacation? - Japan
8. Favorite dessert? - Cake
9. What you want to be when you grow up? - Fabric Designer
10. What do you love most in life? - Linen
11. One Word to describe you. - Funny
12. Looked up my flickr name and found something about me - "chetanddot" Several sweet pictures of my handmade stuff (peanut).

And a new friend in the shop:

Back in the Saddle

2008-05-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

Hello little blog, how did a month go by so fast?

I haven't been in the mood for crafting for awhile but thankfully the craft fairy waved her wand and I got reacquainted with my darling sewing machine.

Some new pincushions:

A new Friend, Lyle who loves lemonade:

My favorite cookies, Lemon Sandwich, from Everyday Food:

Happy Friday to you!

Happy Earth Day!

2008-04-22T14:11:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone is having a nice Earth Day!

I've been thinking about the changes I've made and the little things I do to make our earth a better place and thought I'd share them here.

::I try to use my own bags every time I buy something, whether it's at the grocery store, hardware store or fabric store.

::Reusing packing supplies as often as possible. I recently discovered a local source for used packing envelopes, they're just 25 cents each!

::One of the things I get most excited about is when I can use the back of a letter or junk mail to print shipping labels. I have also configured my printer so that I can print 4 labels per sheet instead of 2 (very exciting)

::We recently started composting all of our food and vegetable scraps, I'm amazed at how much room that took up in the trash can

::Purchasing recycled paper for printing

::Using vintage and reclaimed fabrics and craft supplies

::One of the hardest things for me is trying to drive less and consolidate my errands but I am working on that

::And of one of greatest things ever is paying bills online! I think there are only two that I don't pay online because of the fees.

::Buying local whenever possible

::Using cloth instead of paper towels

::making products that are sustainable and helpful like recycled sweater cup cozies and cloth gift bags.

::Using natural and earth friendly cleaning products and laundry soap, still have a few to get rid of and add in this category

There is still much room for improvement, for example, I'm am planning to switch to using eco friendly fiberfill for my softies as soon as I can find a cost effective substitute, I am working on finding a good replacement hair conditioner for the Pantene I've been using for years, I'd like to have a more productive garden this year and water it with rain from a rain barrel.

What about you? What things do you do to make a difference?