First Harvest

This is the first "bounty" of the summer. Actually, it may be the only bounty since I've been lagging on planting the vegetable starts I bought two weeks ago. Not bad though for my tiny little strawberry patch next to the front door. It gets bigger each year and this year it put out enough berries all at once to actually make something with. If they don't all get eaten out of the bowl, that is. They are super sweet and it's hard to resist a red, ripe strawberry no matter who you are.

These are in the shop, they are bookmarks that I made with some recycled paper scraps. They're block printed and laminated. I'm hoping to get some new blocks carved this week in which case there will be even more bookmarks available.

I am still working on the website however, I think my initial goal of mid June was overly ambitious. I think I'll be happy if it gets done by mid summer. I can see why web design costs what it does, it's very tedious and time consuming. I like being able to do it myself for the purpose of updating but it can be a pain.
I've got a busy week ahead with orders to fill and a messy house to clean. I'm still counting the days to Ikea! It's really just around the corner. Happy Monday!

wet.

Well it rained and rained and then rained some more. In fact it started raining about an hour after we set up and didn't stop raining until late last night. This morning the sun was brightly shining and the sound of lawn mowers was in the air. I suppose the sale was cursed from the get go having been planned to coincide with the rose festival parade. I left early to come home and dry out. Some of the merchandise got wet but it wasn't as bad as I'd feared. Yesterday's fiasco has me thinking that I'll stick to indoor sales from now on. Sales where the lighting is controlled and restrooms nearby.

I did sell some things and got to talk with some lovely people. I met my "biggest fan" which was quite a treat. Hi Julie, it was delightful meeting you and your adorable family!

I also got to talk to a couple of my regular customers about Chet and Dot Home Parties. I've been thinking about the idea for several years but have never really gotten it together. It sounds like so much fun! Here's how it will work:: once a customer decides they'd like to do the party, we'll set a date and time. I will bring a selection of items for the party guests to shop and maybe have some sort of activity or mini class. I think it would be a great holiday activity. Every year we have a last minute shopping party at the house with all of the merchandise we have on hand. It's always a lot of fun and we always make sure there is plenty of homemade eggnog and snacks to go around.
On another note, the cakes are in the shop and I'm in the middle of a shop update so you should see some new goods soon.

One more thing, these are some of Jenny's newest pieces, I love the whale the best! She was very sweet, running home to get my coat and camera yesterday. That was no easy feat, I tell you, what with half the streets in the city blocked off for the parade. It took us 40 minutes to drive what normally takes 15 minutes.
Have a nice Sunday!

And We're Off

The weather is looking better and I think we may escape the rain tomorrow. The sun was out for several hours this afternoon and it was lovely. I do hope to see some of you at the etsy sale tomorrow. I've got goody bags for the lucky friends who mention the codeword. yay!

This morning I managed to get a few more charms made for the sale.

I'm really loving this modern floral design, and find myself putting it on all sorts of things lately. It may find it's way onto some cards soon too. I'm also loving this display. Pink and white tapioca pearls in a vintage muffin tin. Sweet.

I'm off to get change and some last minute items. Wish me luck!
Have a delightful weekend.

Countdown...

I can't believe it's Thursday already! I suppose my non chalant, 'I've got an entire week to get ready' attitude is catching up with me as I find myself running around like a mad person gathering every item I could possibly need for the sale. I must like the last minute insanity because even if I had 3 years notice before a sale, you could still find me the day before said event frantically trying to round up a table cloth and scotch tape.

That said, here are some new additions for the sale, tissue holders. I love making these, they are the perfect, quick little project and it's very satisfying to put the tissue in right at the end. I put off making them for a long time because I didn't really think anyone used them anymore, so I was very happy to find out that people do use them. In fact, I've started keeping one in my purse and the car.

It's been very cold and rainy here in Portland the last few days. I had to turn the heat on for a bit this afternoon (in June!). It's making me want soup and warm cookies. What happened to summer? Just a few days ago we were grilling in the back yard, now we're wearing sweaters and keeping an umbrella close at hand. I'm ready for all things summer. I want to go to the farm and pick berries and visit the coast. Each year, my friend and I make raspberry jam from berries in her backyard. I hear that some ripe berries have made an appearance, it won't be long now. I'm ready summer, come on!

Busy as a Bee

I finished the banner!

I picked up my latest order from superbuzzy yesterday. I am feeling very spoiled with this access to such amazing Japanese fabrics so close to home.

It's funny because with all the adorable character prints and patterns, my favorites right now are these dots. The colors and the fabric is splendid.

Also I've been working on the idea for these for awhile now and finally perfected them, I think.

They are mini pin boards with fabric covered button push pins. These two are in the shop and more will be coming along soon. I like that they can hang on a wall or stand on a desk or other flat surface.

I'm starting to work on the new layout and design for my website. I'm hoping to launch the web shop by mid June, wish me luck, it's a huge project. Speaking of huge projects, I've got one that I'm very excited to share with you all, but it will have to wait just a bit longer.

Much Better

The little blue desk got a coat of paint last night. Now it's the little yellow desk. It was a super quick and easy project, the best kind. I totally love it and found the perfect spot for it under a window in the dining room. I've never been happy with that little part of the room and it's become one of our many junk collection stations. I was planning to use the canisters in the craft room, but they seem perfectly suited to this little table so they will live here for awhile.

My banner for the sale is coming along nicely. I thought I'd give you a little peek since I needed a break from forming tiny rick rack into words. Sheesh! I do love mini rick rack but it isn't easy getting it to go where it's supposed to.

I may do the last 't' over again, I was getting lazy toward the end there. This is the first banner I've made which seems kind of silly since I've been selling at craft fairs for almost 5 years. Anyway the sale is this Saturday and I feel like I've got a million things to do. Hey, let's make a list. I do so love list making.
:: stamp bags
:: make: purses, bunnies, a few more cakes and some notepads
:: price and organize tote bags; press the ones that need it
:: gather 'free with purchase' items
:: laminate signs
:: create a selling kit that includes: calculator, money bag, tape, clothespins, pens and mailing list
:: find a candy dish for the table
:: decide on a table cloth
:: fine tune display
:: find a line to string for hanging lunch totes
And I'm sure that's not all but it's a start. Well no more chatting, I've got work to do.

I Like Yellow and Other Things

Saturday morning started off nicely with coffee on the go and some yard sales. I found some little treasures. Some little glass custard cups and three yellow tin canisters. I'm really loving yellow lately. I found the little table today also, but the blue and purple has to go. I think it needs a coat of paint in butter yellow. It might end up being a display table for the etsy sale.

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No fabric today, which I guess is okay since I've been carting bags of it out of the craft room. When I first started sewing and thrifting, I would toss any and all vintage fabrics into my cart, take them home and then decide whether or not I liked them. Not the smartest way to shop, let me tell you. Now, several years later, I find myself narrowing my focus more and more. No more poly knit blends for me.

We dropped by the Hollywood farmer's market today. There wasn't much to get excited about this go around. I'm not sure if I'm over the farmer's market or if it's just been kind of blah. There were 2 vendors completely sold out of strawberries and when we left the one vendor with berries had one box and there were about 12 people in line for them. Crazy. We did pick up some lovely mushrooms. We also made our way to Uwagimaya where I found these adorable little eggplants. They are like eggplants for babies. So. Cute. What does one do with 3 tiny eggplants? I'll let you know what I come up with.

And yesterday I made butter! It was easy and very delicious. I just put some heavy whipping cream into a pint jar and shook it for five or ten minutes and suddenly I had butter. I could get used to this whole fresh butter thing.

Sweet Pastels

My new (and very persuasive) friend Kim talked me into setting up a table at Last Thursday on Alberta St. last night. Last summer, I swore I would never set up on Alberta again because of the pirate. Oh, you don't know about the pirate? Well, I'll tell you about him. The Pirate was a middle aged man with a bucket who decided that next to me was as good a place as any to place his bucket upside down, put one foot upon the bucket and belt out pirate songs as loudly as possible for at least 2 hours all the while clapping his hand against his leg. I am not generally a fan of street performers and this was no exception. I'm pretty sure that's the fastest I've ever packed my set up into the car. I came very close to placing the pirates bucket up the pirates...well we won't go into that. Anyway, I'm sure you're wondering what this has to do with the delicious cupcakes pictured above. So as I was saying in spite my ban on Last Thursday I decided that a::I could use the money and b::it would be a lovely chance to chat with my new friend. Also I thought it might be nice to bring less sewn goods and bake some yummy treats instead. That's just what I did. Two batches of cupcakes and a carload of street vending necessities and we were on our way. It was fun and I sold cupcakes! All but 4.

I'll be back Alberta, though I will be leaving a bit earlier as the combination of 90's rave music and bizarre opera after the sun went down was a little hard to bear. If you live in or will be visiting around Last Thursday next month, come on down and say hello...I'll have cupcakes.

On a similar note, I'm restocking my supply of little cake pin cushions for the pdxetsy sale. I used some of the handmade wool felt from Bolt on the last three and I think I'm in love. There is something about the wool that makes these seem all the more delicious. It dyes very nicely and looks rich and warm. You fellow wool lovers know what I mean.

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Yesterday, I got the news I've been waiting a very long time for...Ikea will be opening on July 25th here in Portland! I'm so excited I can't stand it. I really hope this one has fabric. Jenny went to Ikea in Texas last March and picked up some of the loveliest linen and canvas fabrics for me. It seems like it would be foolish for them not to have a fabric department what with all the Portland fabric lovers. I've already got a list for Ikea, it includes three Hensvik shelves for my sewing room, which I'm hoping is the long awaited solution to my fabric storage issues. The list also includes kitchen chairs, a patio umbrella and new rug for my sewing room. Really, I'm just so anxious to see all the things I need but don't know exist. Hooray!

Have a delightful weekend, the weather is supposed to be lovely here and I plan to spend some time in the garden.

My Love Affair With McCall's

I have a large collection of vintage magazines. I use them for robot candy. Though they are a necessary part of my business, they are heavy, bulky and difficult to store. I've been paring down my collection recently because as I mentioned in previous posts, I live in real fear that I may one day be crushed to death by a towering stack of Life, Better Homes and Gardens and The Saturday Evening Post. This isn't even factoring in the ever growing collection of Martha magazines.

My favorite of the vintage magazines is McCall's Needlework and Crafts. These were published biannually and were packed full of craft, sewing, crochet, and knitting patterns. I have made many projects from the patterns, but mostly I use them for inspiration.

I just finally decided to inventory them as I was quite sure I had some duplicates (did I ever! at least 12). I was surprised and delighted to learn that my compulsive hoarding had paid off, I have every issue between the years 1949 and 1974 + several of the Annuals which were published around the holidays. I'm only missing one from 1954 but I'm sure I'll come across it. If you ever find one of these at a tag sale or thrift shop, pick it up, you won't regret it. Not only are the projects amusing and often adorable, the ads are great too!

A Knit Wit and Other Treats

This afternoon I hauled 5 bags o' craft supplies and fabric to the craft supply swap. It was so great to get some of the stuff out of my studio space that I've been holding on to for years and pass it on to someone who will use it. It was also fun to "shop" for free. I got quite a few little treats, a Knit Wit, which I was watching on eBay for months and finally gave up on, some thread, zippers and a few other little goodies.

I spent most of my Saturday working on a custom order for some little girls' bedrooms. It reminds me of how much I'd love to get started on my Handmade Nursery idea. I love the idea of making things for a baby on the way that isn't all Gerber if you know what I mean. One room is in a Little Red Riding Hood theme for which I made a lamb plushie and wall hanging. The other room is cupcakes and sweets! Adorable. I made a giant cupcake plushie, a pillow and a wall hanging.

Then tonight we had dinner at a good friend's house. Dinner at Allison's always means waddling out to the car totally full on great food and conversation. Tonight's menu included copper river salmon, especially delicious tonight, marinated in shoyu and maple syrup, yum!

Zakka Sweet Zakka

My latest creative endeavor has been making these sewing kits. It's really a most delightful project. Each kit includes a pin cushion, a fabric covered tape measure and six illustrated pins. The boxes are lined with parchment from the new Martha line (LOVE! but that's a topic for another day). I'm not totally in love with the white boxes. I have been looking for some in kraft but to no avail, so for now they are white. These are available in the shop.

Have a nice weekend, I'll be holed up in my craft room working on some custom orders and getting ready for the etsy sale.

My Blue Egg

This is my egg. My friend Nicole gave it to me when I was visiting her. It must be so lovely to have some sweet little chicken friends leave pretty blue eggs for you every day. Sometimes, I think that I would like to have chickens, but they seem like a major commitment and I'm just not sure I could give them the time they deserve. Instead, I will treasure my one blue egg. Am I crazy for not wanting to ever crack it?

Hello...

It's good to be back. It's been a crazy past 6 months but I think I've finally got some time to sit down and chat. I hope your Holiday season has been relaxing and full of sparkle and cheer. I can' t believe it's almost time to pack up the Christmas decorations and cart them all downstairs for another year. I'm always sad to see them go. There is a warmth and sparkle when the house is all decked out that just isn't there the rest of the year. I suppose that's part of what makes the holidays so special.

I am looking forward to a whole new year to work on some exciting new ideas. I'm feeling very spoiled now as I bought myself an amazing new sewing machine which has already proven itself to be indispensible. I've got big plans for me and this machine!



This is one of my new creations, inspired by one of my many Japanese craft books. I'm hoping to add a few to my shop soon.

Vintage Crafts

I want to make everything in this picture! The chicks, the hens, the apron, potholders--all of it!


And these little totes and bookcovers are so adorable, yes? I have over a hundred vintage craft magazines, books and pamphlets, and yet I can't resist buying them when I'm at tag sales and thrift stores. It's verging on ridiculous. I envision myself surrounded by piles and piles of magazines in my old age. People will stop visiting for fear they may get buried under a pile of McCall's Needlework and Crafts from 1965.

This is exciting! My very first fabric Friday post. For months, I've been amdmiring all the amazing fabric finds out there. All the while, wishing I could share some of my favorites from my own stash, well, now I can. Yay! This is one of my most recent and most beloved acquisitions. This is one, I'm afraid I may never have the courage to cut into, it's so amazing, with the original tag, which is also a sight to behold. Qualiti Pakt -- adorable! I can only imagine what it would be like to walk through the Woolworth's fabric department during the 1950's or 60's. Dreamy, indeed!

This is Green Sweater Kitty, isn't she sweet? She'll be in the shop today. She's made from a recycled wool sweater that I found while out thrifting yesterday. I came right home and whipped her out. I thought it was just the right color for a kitty with a green ribbon, in Spring.

Goodbye little fish

This morning I came downstairs to find that our 3 goldfish had died overnight. We cleaned their bowl and changed the water and that proved to be too much for them. Let's hope this is not an indication of how the rest of the day will turn out. I'm planning to set up a table outside of Half and Half cafe where Nicole is having an art show today. For any of you in Portland, please find the time to come say hello. That is if the rain decides to let up These are the two new additions to the shop today.

Winston

Oh, one more thing, I'd like to introduce Winston C. Butterfield. He's available in my Etsy shop. He's made from a thrifted cashmere sweater and he's so very soft.

I am finally joining blogland!

I've been thinking about starting a blog for some time now and finally took action! So here it is, my blog. I suppose a good place to start is with a brief history of the name, Chet and Dot. I happened upon a lovely little Christmas card from the 40's while thrifting a few years ago. The image on the outside was of a charming brown cabin covered in snow. It wasn't until I got home that I looked inside to find it said 'Best Wishes, Chet and Dot' signed in the most lovely old lady handwriting. For 2 years, I thought of Chet and Dot often and knew it would be a great name for a business or maybe line of children's products. Then, last summer, I decided to go with it, and I love it. I love the name and where it came from. Thank you Chet and Dot, whomever you are.