sweet and dirty's emporium of good stuff

unpacking and all that follows...

2012-02-06T11:17:00.000-08:00

Well we are still trying to get settled in this new home, unpacking isn't as easy with two mobile kids under 3 and a puppy. Thus we have come to terms with the fact that there will be boxes around for a few more weeks.
As far as the shop goes everything is still on hold. My machines are in the shop, and I am hoping to be up and sewing again soon.. but to be honest I'm not really rushing into it just yet. I've got a few kinks to work out in my new designs, so it buys me some time.

Anyhoo.. here are some shots of moving/the new house pre-truck unload..oh and i've also included the beyond hilarious photo of dave sporting items that belonged to the previous tenants..
enjoy and Happy Monday all!

good to be home.

2012-01-27T08:17:00.000-08:00

It's our last day/night in the old place... then we are headed to the place we call home.
This here is perhaps the most perfect song about where we are headed... I think anyone who lives, or has lived there gets a little warm and fuzzy when they hear this.

It's by the everybodyfields .. go look them up.. it's magic i tell you.

happy weekend ~

and finally... we have a home...

2012-01-25T15:07:00.000-08:00

Well folks, after a long and frustrating hunt we found us a place to call home for the long haul.
After many a dissapointment we stumbled upon the perfect house.. a super old craftsman in a lovely little sidewalked neighborhood. The kids were ecstatic to be done looking for a house... see photos below for how they handled the hunting process:

The whole family is excited about the house... Dave has plans to "braverman" our back yard, Ruby can't wait to get in her "cool new room" (that's all she says, I swear), and Harvey was so comfortable in the place upon setting foot in it he pooped up his diaper (this is a true sign of a success... because he only does that in a place he feels comfy). I'm looking forward to being settled... we've been slightly nomadic lately, so this will be a wonderful feeling.
I'll be sure to post pictures as soon as we get in there.

In the meantime all my sewing is on hold.. but I've got lots of new ideas I can't wait to share soon about where the shop is headed. Lets just say it includes making my own fabric... can't wait.

happy week all!

The Moving Sale...

2012-01-18T08:11:00.000-08:00

Our move is fast approaching.. so fast, that i realized two weeks from today I will be unpacking boxes in a new house. I'm not sure if I have shared this stress with you guys yet.... but we have not found a house, let me repeat, WE HAVE NOT FOUND A HOUSE.
This makes for one ball of nerves and stress, also known as me. We are continuing our house hunt this coming weekend, and regardless of what shanty we may encounter, we must claim a house as ours asap.

In the meantime I am putting my entire shop on SUPER SALE mode. I hate packing, so the less I have to do the better...

to give you an idea of some prices.. all bags are less then $38.00, some even as low as $23.00...
and all pins are $10.00 or less...

so happy shopping, and happy hump day!

..the above bag was originally $50, it's a large one, but is now on sale for $38

the pin above was originally $14.. but is now only $10...

and ruby turns 3...

2012-01-16T12:12:00.000-08:00

Our sweet little Ruby turned 3 this past weekend..
It's wild to think she can already be this old.. and in selfish mom fashion I wish her small just a little while longer. I can't count how many times I was told when i was pregnant with her..."enjoy it, they grow so fast"... and now I realize all those people were telling the truth.

Dave and I threw together a shindig at the house.... surrounded by discount silver christmas decor, fairy wands, pirate swords, lots of sprinkles, many a loved one, a rather rambunctious cheese ball eating Harvey and a pup named biscuit... Ruby felt uber loved.
It was the kind of birthday a parent hopes their kid gets to have.... so thanks all you lovely, lovely people.

happy monday folks ~

poor, poor machine...

2012-01-09T10:27:00.000-08:00

hello folks...
well in rather sad news my machine has decided to kick the bucket.... apparently settling for the cheap one wasn't the best idea. it's been a good two years.. but i've ran it into the ground. my little local sewing shop will be receiving it soon to see if it is worth salvaging... so newness in the shop is put on hold for just a bit.

i'm a little disheartened, because i've been in the sewing mood a lot lately, and i have so many new ideas ... however it's kinda good timing i suppose. ya see, the family and i are moving again.. and soon.. actually in three weeks.. and not a single thing is packed in my house.

soo...

i suppose fate interviened to tell me to get on it with the boxes and packing tape. ...
and in case you are interested, we are headed back "home".. to the land of family, friends, and pal's (if you live there.. then you know.. it's a to be missed place)...

lots of new adventures are on the horizon career wise.. and hopefully sewing machine wise too..
i'll keep you posted.

and for some monday funny... a rather accurate picture of how this day typically goes here (monday's are the pits for these babes)

Year End Sale ...

2011-12-29T14:21:00.000-08:00

well friends, the year is coming to a close..

i've got lots of new ideas that need to be sewn, and that will be arriving in the shop in the coming weeks... i'm actually pretty excited to see them come to fruition. so stay tuned on that front...

in the meantime however i've put the entire shop on sale.. out with the old and in with new...
all bags are marked down and all pins are buy one get one 1/2off... pretty fancy...

so happy shopping and happy rest of the week!

the christmas post....

2011-12-29T08:05:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a lovely holiday.. we sure did, and I must say I am sad to see it ending.
it was a weekend of family, way too much food, lots of movies, and much time in pajamas. . .
santa was super kind to the kiddos... ballerina shoes, rapunzel's tower, a train set and mini-workbench...
oh, and I made Harvey his own Muno. ..

we are all enjoying some much needed downtime.. lots of playing, relaxing, pj time, and taking things away from Biscuit (he chews everything)...

hoping you all are enjoying some rest time too :)

holiday discount!

2011-12-19T10:03:00.000-08:00

Well the Holiday season is in overdrive mode at the moment.. so much to do, and not much time to do it all in. It's been a busy season for myself.. and I am ready to take a much needed break for a few days. But before I do here is a little gift for you wonderful folks... an extra 20% off your entire order from now until December 31st.
Just enter MERRY20 at checkout :)

the new year has lots of exciting things in store for little ol' Sweet and Dirty's, so stay tuned!

(our super failed attempt at the gingerbread house.. )

the new man in the house...

2011-12-12T10:30:00.000-08:00

The girls are officially outnumbered in the house....
we picked up our sweet little puppy boy yesterday and Ruby named him...

so everyone please meet Biscuit (she really loves them and him).

happy monday everyone!

meet our new family member...

2011-12-09T11:01:00.001-08:00

And one more post for the day.. mostly because I can't contain my excitement really.

Dave and I had decided recently that we wanted to get a dog.. we were searching for a border collie mutt (our sweet Mazoo girl was border collie / chow).. and then yesterday we found him. He's in a shelter about 2 hours from here and he is ours. We are going to fetch him this weekend .. and in a crazy twist of perfectness he is a border collie / chow mix. How sweet is that face ?

oh christmas tree...

2011-12-09T10:50:00.001-08:00

I gotta say, christmas is pretty darn awesome. This past weekend we went and got a tree, Ruby picked it out by informing us that "it was the best tree" so we took her word.

(it's our first christmas without mazoo.. so Ruby made sure to hang her stocking on the tree ... )

and away we went...

2011-12-01T06:53:00.001-08:00

I miss Thanksgiving already....
Dave, the kids, and I all had such an amazing trip. It's always nice to see family, ecspecially when it is 2 years overdue. Being surrounded with love and stuffing your face ... best holiday ever.
The kids were complete champs with the traveling, so much so that after being in the car for 9 hours they got out smiling. It completely reassured me that we can take trips .. now if only we had the money to make more of those happen. ....

turkey day Sale!

2011-11-21T07:48:00.001-08:00

It's been lovely here lately (insert sarcasm)...
we've all been dealing with a little seasonal sickness.. and having two small kids means germs travel at warp speed in this house. However, I do believe all has passed and we are all moving toward this super amazing holiday season that awaits us.

My husband, myself, and the kids are all piling into a car this week and making a 9hour drive to Pittsburgh for turkey day. .. please wish us luck. Harvey has proven time and time again to not be a good traveler, so if anything we will have plenty of laughable stories to share afterwards. It'll all be worth it though.

So in preperation for my upcoming absence from the shop for 5 whole days I have decided to run FREE SHIPPING in the shop starting today until November 28th... just enter code SWEETHOLIDAY at checkout. Since I'm going to be away all items will ship on the 29th.

oh, and here is to wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving .. love this day.

halloween

2011-11-03T07:09:00.000-07:00

oh halloween... you are so fun.
The kids had an awesome day, as did Dave and I. Ruby did her own take on Rapunzel and Harvey went as a pirate (he was going to be Ron Swanson, but he wouldn't keep the mustache on, which is super crucial to that entire costume.. so we went with the outfit I found on a clearance rack last year for 3.50).
I let Ruby dress me up how she wanted... according to Dave I looked like a Scooby Doo character.
The kids went door to door trick or treating for the first time, which was hilarious... Ruby was in amazement that each house was giving her candy. The best was we actually went to a dentist's house who gave toothpaste. All in all it was a great evening... and I am in the process of gaining an extra five pounds thanks to the candy Harvey can't eat.

yep... so its been a month....

2011-10-31T07:07:00.000-07:00

shew.... just call me the blog slacker.
Its been insanity around my neck of the woods lately. I've been busy sewing up orders that are headed to three storefronts, and I still have another to do this week. In the midst of that the kids were kicked in the tail by the recent cold weather.. lots of tissues, meds, pixar movie marathons, and apple juice later they have recovered to an astounding, full throttle energy level of kid function.
Those things there have kept me kinda occupied ... so today heralds my return to some kind of normalcy... well actually I'll say tomorrow, since today is Halloween and I have a Rapunzel and short pirate to tend to.
I have lots to post this week in regards to the stores who carry Sweet & Dirty's now, a recent fun day in Chattanooga, new goodies headed to stores and the shop, and of course a Halloween montage.

I'll leave you all today with a favorite of my favorites... getting into the Halloween stash of course.

newness...

2011-09-28T07:33:00.000-07:00

I've been super busy lately trying to figure out inventory for the holiday season. When doing my recent festival I opted to make a wide array of items.. mainly so I could see what was a hit, and what was a miss. It was pretty darn helpful.. and gave me two new additions to the shop.
Before my husband left his last job he scored me lots of awesome faux leather fabric samples, a bunch of tiny squares in an array of colors that have turned into a collection of abstract pins. I found people liked them a lot in Bristol, and it sure doesn't hurt that they aren't bank busters either.

I figure they were worth trying out in the shop .
Aside from bags, the most purchased item at the festival were my fabric remnant scarves. I actually had some in my etsy shop last year at Christmas time, and after they sold I just didn't make anymore.. not sure why. But I got the hankering to sew some recently, and turns out they sold like hotcakes... so ta-da, they are back. At the moment I've only got one to list.. because I sold the others .. but be looking out for a lot more to come soon. Not only are they fun, but making them and bloom pins really allows me to use up every little piece of fabric I have. So yay for fabric control.

okay that was a lot of rambling for today.
happy hump day all ~

the return of the pin ..

2011-09-26T09:50:00.000-07:00

Bloom Pins are back in the shop... I missed making them, and they help me control my ever growing fabric stash.. so head on over to the shop and see all the lovelies! New pins will be listed daily for quite some time .. at the moment I've got 50+ pins awaiting their moment in front of the camera.

happy monday all!

fall shop preview and a website too!

2011-09-21T08:10:00.000-07:00

So excited about this one... My website is finally here!
The wonderful Brad and Sam have given Sweet & Dirty's such a spiffy makeover, I couldn't be happier about it.... so go here and check it out here .
I've still got to figure out how to work the thing myself.. but that will come in time. I'm just happy to have a lovely place to send people.

Also I've been sewing like a crazy person... lots of new things hitting the shop daily. I have 50+pins that will be showing up over the next week... for the moment though it's all about the bags. Here is a peek of what is in the shop, what will be arriving soon, and some favorites I sold this past weekend... enjoy!

rhythm and roots

2011-09-20T12:38:00.000-07:00

The family survived the weekend festival... I'll go ahead and throw that one out there first. What was supposed to be a nice, yet busy, weekend of selling my items turned into a train wreck of craziness that I must say I am glad to be done with.
The husband and I ended up having to tag team babysit / work a booth for three days .. luckily Dave had a place to take Harvey so he could nap, but Ruby was deadset on staying by my side the entire time. Having to keep a two-year old from cracking during 12hr days is not what I would call ideal. We did manage to have some booth help in the form of friends, love you guys, and Ruby had some kids to keep her company on Saturday afternoon (yay). But to add up being 2hrs from home, the money that went into the festival, the stress that was involved in prep and just being there.. it wasn't quite worth it this go around. Ah well, at least I got some good pictures out of it all :

Mazoo

2011-09-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in a bit, so I have lots to update you folks on... actually three posts worth. September has been a wild ride of a month for us, granted we knew it would be, but to start it off a giant curve ball was thrown in our direction ... we lost our sweet Mazoo girl.
Mazoo was our dog child, a little muttly mix of border collie and chow.. which meant lots of fluff and attitude. She was stubborn and smart, the two combined into a powerful combo of hilarity. Always there, and full of love for her parents (sorry kids, she didn't quite like you as much) she was the best dog you could ask for. She was Dave's sole companion for 5years til I came along and took on the role of mama. Mazoo was 13, and passed away with us by her side .. love her.

Harvey Jack's Birthday . . .

2011-08-29T09:24:00.000-07:00

Little Harvey Jack turned 1 this past weekend...
It's craziness to think he's been here a full year now, and I've honestly loved every single second of it... even the super crappy, sleep deprived, can't keep food down first 4 months of Harvey's existence. Is it silly to actually miss the smell of spit up?
His big day was Friday so we took Harvey out for some super delicious, local, made from scratch pizza .. yum. Some outside play followed and then we came home and let him practice his cupcake eating skills for Saturday. He mastered it for the party, hands down.
We had us a shindig two hours up the road, so it would be close to friends and family. In the end it was a huge hassle, a whole lot of work, and a super disappointing turnout (no children came.. at all). But we did learn us a good lesson.. parties at home rock, so that will be how we tackle those from now on.
Oh well. Regardless, Harvey was oblivious to it all, yay for being 1, and he had himself a fancy, family and "family" filled day. He was hugged a crazy lot, loved a ton, and in rather big boy news he tackled the slide all on his own .. growing like a weed that one.

the last two images, new kicks and something to make my husband happy.. Harvey's first Steelers toy (both courtesy of Uncle Matt and Aunt Hey).

can we make em' 36 hour days?

2011-08-25T08:47:00.000-07:00

My work load for the next 21 days: 85 pins, 60 bags, and 15 scarves ....

Now you know why I've been a little bit behind on adding new items to my etsy shop .

at least I should have a pretty rockin holiday inventory....

happy thursday folks.

shop makeover teaser . . .

2011-08-23T10:20:00.000-07:00

September means big things for little ol' Sweet and Dirty's, thanks to the awesome help of the wonderful Brad and Sam ... a little sneak peek below ...

so excited!

birthday week has arrived...

2011-08-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

It's birthday week!
Harvey turns the ripe old age of 1 on friday, and on saturday there is a little shindig for the sweetest/rowdiest fella I know.
A few things in preparation for the big event :
- first haircut (gasp! i know.. it made me want to cry, but having to explain he isn't a girl is getting old)
- a family fun day out and about in the "big" city
- a multitude of drawings per Ruby for Harvey
- treat bags for the little ones (full of homemade sketchbooks and crayons)
and the photo montage that follows these events....

happy monday !

bangs

2011-08-19T14:03:00.000-07:00

Typically when fall gets here I give myself bangs...
call it wishing for the season to hurry up.. but i went ahead and cut them today.
yay for bangs..
now if only fall (or just cooler weather for that matter) would follow suit.

Harvey Jack the Giant

2011-08-19T12:51:00.001-07:00

friday fun....

sweet Harvey, sewing, and the Everybodyfields...

2011-08-19T10:03:00.000-07:00

Well it's that time of year where I'm about to enter into heavy production mode. I've spent the past little bit getting my house super clean and my fabric super organized... this all leads up to long dates with my sewing machine. If everything around me is in order then I don't feel to bad about the mess I make in my little corner.
Rhythm and Roots is 27 days away (eek!) and I have a super sweet spot where I will be able to sell and listen to the most wonderful sounds all the day long. There are so many bands I can't wait to see, that being said, I am most looking forward to The everybodyfields reunion that is going to be taking place.... Johnson City at it's finest.

Aside from Rhythm and Roots I've got etsy holiday season to prep for... so lots o' sewing ahead!

But first and foremost I've got a little man about to turn one next week... Harvey Jack is getting to be a big boy for sure...

isn't he just the sweetest?

Happy Friday Folks!

box houses ...

2011-08-02T11:39:00.000-07:00

So it's super hot outside, as I am sure everyone is aware of, and we've been rocking the indoors a little bit much this past week. A super fun way to do that is with lots of boxes and a "handy with a utility knife and packing tape" husband. I present to you our box city with a passed out snow white as well :::::::

happy day everyone ~

hot weather and new bags

2011-07-20T10:07:00.000-07:00

happy hump day all!
Well I've been a busy sort around here lately..
I realized yesterday I've got less than 60 days until Rhythm and Roots , which makes me kinda want to hyperventilate... but it's all good.
I've added some new bags to the shop made out of some super fantastic vintage fabric finds :

I'm getting ready to start on more fall/autumn inspired bags this coming week. I'm not trying too rush the summer away, but I sure wouldn't mind some cooler temperatures. Luckily there is air conditioning and netflix for those days that are too hot for my taste... oh and this little gem is the best for times like that :

til next time!

a little something for the peeps...

2011-07-15T08:11:00.000-07:00

well friends I've got a special deal in the shop this weekend only...

enter HAPPY15 at checkout and get 15% off your purchase.. pretty good huh?

this bag could really use a home....

so head on over to the shop and take a look around...

happy weekend everyone!

and one more thing...

2011-07-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the little update..
but I finally have a tumblr and flickr account..
here they are if you want to check them out:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sweetanddirtys/

and

http://sweetanddirtys.tumblr.com/

that's all for today.. i promise!

happy hump day.

a quick up to date..

2011-07-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

hello folks!
so yes, I am a slacker.. but it's summer so that's okay right?
well to spare you all the boring details of why I have been not on here.. how about I just show all the distractions that have kept me away.

in short... harvey is walking now... the kids love water, when uncle matt & aunt heather visit, the alphabet, and wearing helmets to see fireworks... rainboots rock.. and i love a cold pbr...

happy week all !

vintage reads and sweetness

2011-06-20T12:55:00.000-07:00

Ruby and I have been reading and cookie baking this afternoon, not shabby, and Harvey is napping, of which I am seriously jealous.
I wanted to share this fabulous vintage book with you guys.. the images are awesome. My dear friends Brian and Mary found this little lovely for me ... ( brian has an etsy shop - here - so go check it out )...

copyright 1948 . . .

and some rather hilarious readings...

there is also a part that lets you know that "there is plenty of water available everywhere, so people should be clean." - love it.

oh and here is how our cookies turned out... sugar free so the husband can enjoy them too :)

happy monday folks!

mabel ruth....

2011-06-17T11:24:00.000-07:00

This blog entry is near and dear to my heart.
It's all about this lady here...

That is my sweet mamaw Mabel Ruth Donihe... she was the queen of chicken and dumplings, dill pickles, and sweet tea... she always had my back and made sure I knew it. I love her something fierce and miss her everyday. She passed away six years ago this week... which is crazy because I didn't realize that when I started writing this.

I was fortunate enough to be given many items of hers that I will cherish, and pass along to my own kids one day. For the moment though, they are my precious little memories of her...

The point of all this is to share with you guys my new project I am going to tackle this coming week. Two items left to me were quilts that were started by my great-grandmother, worked on by my mamaw, and will be ultimately finished by me. In the end I will have a three-generation quilt, two actually. I'm so excited about it..

Aren't they beautiful?

The whole sewing thing has come full circle in my family... my mamaw actually helped me make my first purse when i was 8.. so I like to think she would be happy to see what I am doing now.

Before I end this thing for the weekend here is my absolute favorite picture of her and my sweet papaw, John Henry Donihe ( he was fantastic, super imaginative, self taught genius tinker-er, and big kid at heart ) ....

i swear i love this on so many levels...

happy weekend everyone :)

yay for babies who play well together....

2011-06-16T15:10:00.000-07:00

ooh wait.. i squeezed in one more!
new record for me since having harvey : 4 bags in two days...
it's the little things people :)

well hello strangers

2011-06-16T11:35:00.000-07:00

So I've been working on several custom orders... which has me looking like a slacker everywhere else.. but I have been busy, I promise! Luckily yesterday I finished all those up and it just so happened to be the quintessential rain filled, dreary sort of day.. which gave me the time to make these :

that's all for now...
i'll be more interesting some other time :)
happy day all!

two new minis . . .

2011-06-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

so i made two new mini bags...
let me clarify by mini i do not mean clutch size.. more like slightly smaller than what i normally churn out. a little break for your shouler kind of bag..
that being said here they are :

have a super day!

a treasury makin' fool. . .

2011-06-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

and snow white helps me sew . . .

2011-06-08T12:07:00.000-07:00

while making some new bags today i was visited by snow white..

happy wednesday all :)

tis the weekend....

2011-06-03T11:27:00.000-07:00

so it's friday... whoop whoop...
i'm not sure how, but it seems like it took it forever to arrive.. happens i suppose.
our weekend plans got scratched, which stinks, but sometimes being financially responsible wins (actually it always wins these days - but one can dream that it won't matter one day)... so that means for the first time ever no blue plum, sorry johnson city peeps.

but we did upgrade the kiddie pool... slightly larger and with cupholders... so i feel that all four of us will spend the weekend in inflatible, water filled goodness... can't beat that with a stick.

oh and here are some new shop goodies...

happy weekend friends!

give it up for some pizza....

2011-06-02T11:45:00.000-07:00

i gotta say i love the evenings when we grill...
the kids play outside, us adults get a chance to talk.. have a beer (or two), and the food, oh the food tastes better...
my husbands new specialty... grilled pizza... entirely from scratch... awesomeness...

it honestly makes me hungry just looking at it...

happy thursday folks!

new goodies...

2011-06-02T11:35:00.000-07:00

just added to the shop today...

more to follow!

my weekend...

2011-06-01T10:07:00.000-07:00

a little photo montage of this past weekend... this is the truly edited version...

* * * * * * ** * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * ***** * * * * * * * * * * ***** ** * * * * * * * * *

treasury time...

2011-06-01T09:53:00.001-07:00

its been a good week my friends...

2011-05-27T06:57:00.000-07:00

this week was lovely...
my husband applied for his dream job (fingers crossed), my kids are just a crazy good time, my shop has picked up, my sewing is getting furious - and i'm excited about where it's all going, urban outfitters got served by the crafting community - sorry hipsters, we won that grill, and it's a long holiday style weekend that is going to be spent with my sweet little family and my best friend. love it.

i think i'm going to just take the next few days off and enjoy..
so happy weekend everyone ~ hope it is super duper awesome :)

i love vintage fabric...

2011-05-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

i have a serious vintage fabric addiction.. one that will eventually take over my house... well maybe not the whole house, but definitely one room of it. that being said, i just made this little lovely from some of that stuff mentioned above...

have a super rest of the day!

nectar.. some wednesday treasury love...

2011-05-25T08:32:00.001-07:00

we won a grill.

2011-05-25T05:12:00.000-07:00

okay so this is just me being excited...
but first, for the record, dave and i never ever ever win anything... we've played the lottery (because who hasn't dreamed of being debt free?), we've entered info on our target receipts (i really want $5000 in that store - for real), and on and on... now granted those are rather slim pickins on winning.. but still, you get the point.
but yesterday we won a contest we entered... which is totally due to the fact ruby has the cutest face ever (i'm her momma so of course i think she does). all you had to do was send in a photo of the person who does the grilling in your house - so we sent in the photo below.... and cha-ching! dave is over the moon ... he is afterall the grillmaster in our neck of the woods :) thanks earthfare and ruby!

boo power company

2011-05-24T15:02:00.000-07:00

so i had this epic day of sewing planned... then along came the power company foiling my plans.
1800 homes without power due to some faulty breaker. thanks kub.

i figured if i couldn't make new, then i at least needed to give the shop some love with updated photos..

so here are three of the newest items in the shop with all new snazzy pictures...

happy tuesday all!

happy faces monday edition....

2011-05-23T20:31:00.000-07:00

album cover Ruby....

sweet boy, just ate some bubble sticker Harvey....

happy start to the week!

thus far on a wednesday...

2011-05-18T11:24:00.000-07:00

so far today has been the longest day imaginable...
it probably has something to do with my varying wake up calls ...
the first being at 2:30am.. which ended by 3am.. so back to bed until 6am... and since then i've been up and at em'. thank you harvey.

the cruel part to this whole bit is that harvey peacefully goes back to sleep for 2 1/2hours... and ruby, having woke up due to harvey's cries at 6am ( i keep stressing the a.m. part), is not sleepy one bit. eventually she gives in to the whole "i'm up way too early" thing.. so for an hour, i had time to myself.

i chose to drink coffee, eat a bagel, and indulge in my super guilty pleasure of watching last nights episode of Glee. my husband laughs a little at my liking of it, and to that i say i laugh a little at myself too. anyhoo.. it was a good hour.

oh and aside from watching glee i have (and currently am) been sewing.

two teasers... and pardon the bad light and fuzzy pictures please... it has been so rainy and overcast around here lately that i have absolutely no ability to take a decent picture. so the shop won't see these til later this week - word on the street - sunshine tomorrow!

alright folks... that's all she wrote :)

a treasury happy tuesday....

2011-05-17T09:35:00.001-07:00

love him.

2011-05-16T11:39:00.000-07:00

i'm not much on posting pictures of myself on here...
but i do love this little quickly snapped photo of dave and i...

and two of us 7 years ago.....

busy days ahead....

2011-05-16T09:57:00.000-07:00

morning all...

It's about to get super busy in my neck of the woods.
I just found out this past weekend that i got accepted into Bristol's Rhythm and Roots Festival... which made my weekend all the sweeter. It's my absolute favorite place to vend....i missed it last year (harvey arrived only two weeks prior, so i was slightly busy)... so it will be oh so nice to be there again this September. As far away as that seems, it always has a way of sneaking up on me really quick like... so i am getting ready to enter heavy production mode. But at the end of it all i get to set back, sell what i love, and hear the sweet sounds of super amazing music... not too shabby :)

in other news... we gave ruby our old camera... so she has been going all around taking pictures of her day to day. it's wonderful to see the world from a 2year olds eyes...
here are a few of my favorites she took (they will be framed soon and on the walls in the house)

happy week everyone :)

slacker dacker doo

2011-05-07T10:02:00.000-07:00

oh i am the slacker of all blog slackers.
it's been a rather interesting time lately... so my mind has trailed off from this.
harvey has been cutting teeth for what feels like forever, even though he's been miserable for only a week... a really long week for the both of us. ruby is working on conquering her toilet fear... which has to happen because this two in diapers business, no thank you. there have been birthdays and random celebrations galore.. so needless to say the blog and shop have fallen by the wayside.

the good part to all this distraction is that it has given me the opprotunity to really evaluate the shop and get myself a good list of changes i need to make in order to make it more successful, and make me happier about it all too :) thankfully i have a wonderful husband who sat down with me last weekend, a bottle of wine and lots of conversation later i laid out a nice new plan of attack. so look for lots of changes ahead.. from bigger & better bags, to the return of bloom pins (yay - i've missed them), and some special new additions!

In the meantime i need to clean house... so the shop is in crazy clearance mode, and i'm running free shipping until May 10th. oooh and also I have a super sweet website and entire image/logo makeover coming very soon, yay for good friends.

alrighty so happy weekend folks..
i will leave you with some sweetness!

harvey as jessie

dill pickles, biscuits, and a cheese sandwich.. ruby is such a little southern girl

handsome harvey....

2011-04-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

had to share this sweet little face....
happy monday everyone...

Dr. Sanderson: Think carefully, Dowd. Didn't you know somebody, sometime, someplace by the name of Harvey? Didn't you ever know anybody by that name?

Elwood P. Dowd: No, no, not one, Doctor. Maybe that's why I always had such hopes for it.

getting settled... with fine music and greasy food....

2011-04-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

ooh goodness i am in springtime heaven...
we have moved into a neighborhood that is full of dogwoods (and apparently on a trail that people take to look at all of them) so it is utterly glorious outside right now. Harvey is napping at the moment, so i thought i would do this right quick before we descend upon the outdoors with buckets of sidewalk chalk...

we are having a wonderful time in our new home. this past weekend we took the kids to the rhythm and blooms festival and danced ourselves silly to the sounds of Robinella and the CC stringband (who reunited for a hot minute to sing lots and lots of wonders - 'islands in the stream' and 'jackson' were covered)...we went and ate heaven on a plate at Litton's - and by heaven i mean a greasy bacon covered burger with homemade onion rings, sweet tea, and a honkin piece of key lime pie. I have craved that pie ever since, but in perfect timing my birthday is soon ( 29 - eek! ) and i have been promised another slice for the occasion, thank you husband of mine :)

in other exciting news Harvey has cut two teeth now - woohoo - the poor child has recently turned to the dark side with his mouth hurting, so seeing those teeth gives me hope that all that will end soon, or at least until the next ones decide to show up. oh and Ruby has become super obsessed with all things related to 'Tangled' - all the songs are what have now filled my head.... particularly this one , oh and your welcome :)

I'm still trying to get a good routine going in this house with sewing... it's slowly improving - i've made four bags this week, which is the most i've made in a weeks time since we packed it up. Hopefully I will be back in full swing and running the shop super swell like here real soon.

Anyhoo.. the sunshine is calling... and as much as i should stay inside and work, i can't turn down the option of playing out there instead.
happy rest of the week and weekend everyone!

it's about time...

2011-03-28T12:24:00.000-07:00

it's been awhile folks. pardon my neglect on here and in my shop .... all that is about to change though, so yay! We are finally moved... unpacked no, but moved yes. It's been a crazy week of still wondering why we have so much stuff, getting the kids accustomed to a new house, harvey crawling for the first time and cutting his first tooth (which is just awesome for moving purposes might i add), learning where all the places to get the goods are, and on top of that just doing our day to day routine... which is slightly off still due to the time change. All that said and done I am ready to get back to work... this time off has really given me the opprotunity to reevaluate my shop and sewing - and i must say i am so excited for the next couple of months ahead.

I have a wonderful website that is in the works... I am switching my entire shop focus to bags of all sizes... and I am getting ready to sell my things in a storefront in Indiana. For the moment my biggest challenge is trying to find the best spot in this new house to take my pictures... I have yet to find it. anyhoo.. here is a little photo montage of what has been going on...

we have a home - -

2011-03-01T09:12:00.000-08:00

well folks the search is over....
we found a house.
this takes a huge weight off my shoulders. i had lost my packing momentum for a while, because it seems silly to pack and have nowhere to take it, but now we do.... and it is the cutest little piece of 1940's home pie!
i will have to post pictures when we get to getting down there... we still have some things to finish here for the moment, but in two weeks time we will have a new home. a home that comes with arched doorways, thick wood trim all around, and built ins galore - all this makes my heart happy. i do believe one thing i was the most excited about is the fact i will finally have a dining room - not some corner in the kitchen - and not only that but the room also has a built in china cabinet, yeehoo! i have my parents old wedding china i have long wanted to put out, and never had the space for it.... so let me repeat.. heart happy!
all this has put a strain on my shop upkeep. so i apologize for how slowly it is being restocked ... trust me once i get settled i will sew like a madwoman... because, yep, i get my own sewing room!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <- i'm not sure if that is even enough exclamation points on that one.
so in the meantime i am finishing up the last of my custom orders... making a couple of new bags and pins.. then i will be busy unpacking and decorating all new wall space.
however don't fret, the shop will remain open!
happy week everyone.
oh and because it is funny...
ken suffered a tragic event at our house this week...

love. treasury. talking heads.

2011-02-17T12:57:00.000-08:00

so i made a little treasury ode to the talking heads yesterday...
i love them oh so much.... they are my 'all is right in the world' music...
without further adieu here is the treasury.... and a sweet little ditty (it was mine and my husbands first dance at our wedding - so it holds a special place in my <3 )....

treasury....

and love....

notes for future generations.. and oh yeah i'm sewing...

2011-02-17T10:14:00.000-08:00

a sweet teaser dose of spring has hit my neck of the woods... and i couldn't be happier.
i am able to wear a sun dress today ( they make me oh so happy ), the kids are barefoot, and my windows are open... now if it would only stay this way.

i've been sewing up new bags all week long... which has been lovely... and we have also set a move date ( two weeks from saturday)...

so look for new things coming soon in the shop ...
and i will be looking forward to a new home..

here is a little something we left for the next ones who get our house ...

it's the underside of the mantle my husband built for the fireplace surround ....see below...(he built that too)

(sidenote- this is a super clean stripped down version of our living room for selling purposes)

the idea for the little note came from whomever built our house... when we were removing the wall heaters we found under the walls a little note that said "hello 2000" - from 1950. it was such a fun find we had to carry the tradition on ourselves.

anyhoo.

have a happy rest of the week folks!

sweet music...

2011-02-15T14:47:00.000-08:00

okay.. so i love music...who doesn't? but lately it has weened itself out of my life... i've been engulfed in toy story, yo gabba gabba, and on and on...
but enter this week
so far it has been quite musical in my house.
we had a grammy filled sunday evening... apparently ruby is a justin beiber fan - she danced the entire time he was on - sigh.....
i on the other hand was excited about seeing my sweet, wonderful Avett Brothers ( they did not disappoint ) and i was so happy to find a new bad, Mumford and Sons ( late to the game on that one)... rule of thumb in my house - if a stand up bass is nearby then good music will abound.
Beginning yesterday I googled the heck out of my new discovery and found myself in a blissful situation listening to the NPR tiny desk concert series ... a combination of two of my favorites, NPR and music - double love. Now i have this little collection of new to me bands and tried and trues that i have played all the live long day... so i will share them with you.. .because i like to think you all might like to hear them too :)

new shops to love!

2011-02-15T11:26:00.000-08:00

a lovely little teamT challenge today got me to pouncing on etsy... talk about a fun time.
i found so many new shops that need some love that i wanted to share them with you guys....

loving these drawings over at Nat Smith Illustration --- they are wonderous and sweet...
brand new vintage goodness at Oracle Muse --- coats galore, and i love me some coats...
adoring all items here... like a lot... EvaDiCaro ... i would like this one please....
ooh and this one... derooted -- amazing... and i think this would look so nice in my house (well soon to be house)...

okay so go check these shops out.. love em.. heart em... and pounce around on etsy to find your own blissful goodies!

happy tuesday everyone - - - - - -

2011-02-11T07:05:00.001-08:00

i love this character oh so much... hence this treasury today... enjoy :)

empty shelves and new fabric....

2011-02-09T11:26:00.000-08:00

it's getting a little bare at my house... lots of packing and not so much making.. but thus is life...

my sweet little built in that i will miss so dearly is almost empty with the exception of some odds and ends and my husband's kangaroo - it holds all his day to day items - and was found at an antique store in Boone, NC - a must have for my 'Pulp Fiction' loving man.

i have never moved with children.. but i have found that diaper boxes are a dream come true for such an occasion. At least that helps ease the cost of them a little.

This past week we officially got our house on the market.... which is a little scary.. but exciting. I've never sold a house so I am crossing my fingers on this experience and hoping for a smooth ride.
Our days are numbered in this little nook of Tennessee.... only 3 more weeks til we bid adieu to the area i have lived in my entire life and head on down the road (it's only 2 hours away). Even though it isn't all that far , I am looking forward to the change it will bring to us.

I've been doing some searching online and found there is a wonderful community of ETSY sellers who meet monthly where we will be living - so that has me super excited. I have noone nearby who does that sort of thing.. and my husband and I have always joked that our neighbors are probably always trying to figure out what it is that we do - because from time to time i pack up my car with my Sweet and Dirty's set-up and peddle away - this always involves many random pieces of vintage display furniture (dumpster diver extraordinaire right here). So it will be nice to have others around :)

Speaking in terms of making - i've got a long list of custom orders that are at my feet, which i love... and i bought some new to me fabric this weekend - that translates into new bags for the shop! I spent the other day printing up more tags, since i had dwindled down on my last batch...

I've got plans to spend the rest of this week sewing when i can... photo it up this weekend... and then present some springtime goodness to the shop starting monday morning.

in other news harvey loves ruby - - -

and ruby loves my new fabric - so much so that she napped in it....

happy wednesday everyone...

treasury goodness...

2011-02-04T13:14:00.000-08:00

happy friday.. and happy shopping ....

want to Win a FREE bag? sure you do ....

2011-02-04T11:01:00.000-08:00

alright people...
all you got to do is go to my facebook page to play...
if you win you get this little lovely...

winner is chosen at random on sunday... i'm letting ruby pick :)

good luck!

happy day....

2011-01-30T17:40:00.000-08:00

this has been such a wonderful weekend ~
i reached my 100th sale on etsy (thank you alice, you rock!)... got to see my little lady go wild at a karate party... blew lots of bubbles....ate gobs of pancakes, biscuits and gravy, and oranges.... spent some wonderful time in the book store (which ruby loves like crazy)..... played at the park for hours and hours... and currently ending it with some pajama clad couch loving little people hug filled goodness.

thank you blissfully warm weather.. you were a welcome change to all that is january :)

and thank you sweet family... love love love

now back to it tomorrow...

who will be lucky 100 ?

2011-01-29T08:26:00.000-08:00

so this morning not only is the sunshining super bright, but i hit my 99th sale in my etsy shop - and this makes me super happy - but what will make me even happier is that 100th customer... because they get all kinds of free goodies!
so thank you lesley for being number 99...
and good luck to my number 100!

have a wonderful weekend everyone :)

here are the newest of minis...

Beastie Boys - Shake Your Rump

2011-01-28T07:50:00.000-08:00

one for the weekend - and because i love them oh so...

dr. enuf, bacon, sewing, and oh moving....

2011-01-28T07:41:00.000-08:00

happy friday. it seems like it took it so long to arrive ~
it's been a week of busy.. in so many different ways. the beginning of the week was spent calling close friends and family, breaking the news of our soon to be here departure... followed by cleaning out random drawers and discarding unnecessary crap (because who really needs a whole bunch of old computer floppy discs - darth vader pez dispenser, you can stay). house hunting (which i love by the way), looking for a neighborhood we can afford to rent in, because buying a house ain't happening for a bit... and always finding the best deals in places i might not want to be home alone in. figures. my poor husband, having to get everyone at his work on board for his transfer, and as one would figure there is always one person who likes to cause difficulties about it - however she isn't the boss, so ha!
in the midst of all this i have been making pancakes on heavy rotation and peeling oranges like a mad woman - for the moment ruby is obsessed with both... introducing harvey to the wonderful world of mashed up bananas and pears.. and making sure to get my ron swanson fix. ( if you don't watch it, parks and rec... hilarious! '' you had me at meat tornado'' - love)
oh and of course i have been sewing. the latest edition - mini bags! because there are those out there who do not need a large bag ( not me ) or need to downsize for special occasions ( these aren't fancy lady dinner party bags - more like "im going to see some wonderful outdoor music" kind of bags - yay!)
here is the first of many - - -

and here is what was happening under my feet....

a little bacon eating beauty -- i tend to have to crop pictures because she can usually be seen running underneath all my photos... and in time i'm sure that will become a two headed ruby/harvey blur.
well i best be getting to the rest of my day and finishing up this wonderful Dr. Enuf ( best little drink ever - and it's made 10 miles from my house - heaven - i might have to stock up on this stuff before i move.. hmm).

happy weekend all !

The Warrior - Scandal (HQ Audio)

2011-01-25T09:56:00.000-08:00

the infamous karaoke number that landed me that man o' mine.....

big changes ahead...

2011-01-24T07:33:00.000-08:00

well all that 'making something everyday for the rest of the year'.. that's going to have to go on hold for a bit. I did manage to get around to three new bags last week (yep, only three)...

the reason for all the 'on hold' business.. we are getting ready to move.
The past week at my house has been full of discussion, weighing out options, figuring next steps, and lots of planning. In the end though, this is the best possible thing for all of us. The job market around here is tapped out, and luckily (hopefully) my husband can transfer his job to its sister branch.... not to mention we are beginning to sink under the weight of our house ( thanks crappy last job that decided to lay the husband off ). So here we are beginning the tedious process of trying to sell a home, pack up all our stuff... and trust me we got lots of it, not like hoarder lots, but pretty close im sure... and relocate with two small kiddos and one stubborn pup, mazoo you know it's true.
That all being said, making something everyday has dropped off the list of my top priorities for now.. til we get settled. Now when that happens i will plan on picking up my 365 days extravaganza of sewing and whatnot.. but in this moment.. i've got some packing and cleaning to do.
wish me luck!
happy week all ...

lack of time..

2011-01-19T13:00:00.000-08:00

and now about that daily making of things ...

so far so good on the creating end.. yay.. however what is getting difficult is getting around to taking pictures of them all everyday ~ so that being said i have decided i will do a blog post on every sunday to showcase what all i made for that week. seven lovely photos all grouped together.
it will make it all much easier for me that way :)

i am the kind of picture taker who needs the right time of day to make things look swell .. maybe i need to invest in some kind of setup so i am not always watching the clock and sun for the appropiate lighting time...
because as of now the back wall in my little dining nook looks best around 9am.. or 5pm... and i am starting to worry about when we get to painting that kitchen how i will lose my neutral backdrop ( i like my kitchens in crazy colors - can't help it). oh well.
as i waste time jibber jabbering about silliness... i could be sewing.
see you guys on sunday.. when i hope to be more interesting!

something this boring needs to end with a dose of cuteness...
harvey jack says hey peoples...

happiest of days

2011-01-16T18:09:00.000-08:00

I've been a little preoccupied this weekend, and for good reason...
my sweet little lady turned two..
so Happy Birthday Ruby ... you are this amazing little tiny person i am just mad about...love you!

day four...

2011-01-16T13:55:00.000-08:00

since it is birthday weekend.. and me and my machine arent as close as usual, because two year olds are insane and require mad attention on their 2nd birthdays...... here is what i am counting as my handmade item for day four... yum...

a sweet dark chocolate wax cake....

day three...

2011-01-16T05:51:00.000-08:00

here was my day three goodie...
(i am running so behind.. it is ruby's birthday weekend - needless to say i am slightly frazzled)

i will get to posting yesterday's this afternoon when i can get to taking a photo of it....

day two...

2011-01-13T10:02:00.000-08:00

yesterday i mentioned making a new bag everyday this month.. and that sounded good and well enough.. but i know that i can do that.. so i have decided to up the ante. i am vowing to make a new 'something' everyday and i will post them on here so i can make sure that i stick to it.
i've read of others doing this kind of challenge.. and i think that i'm ready to join in at it...
they won't always be sewn goods.. sometimes i am sure i will be lucky if i can get a doodle or two done..
so here is to being creative for 365 days... yay!
i posted my day 1 bag yesterday...
here is number 2...

see you tomorrow!

new things and new challenges....

2011-01-12T11:04:00.000-08:00

well harvey is officially on the mend.. thank you tummy gods. so things are returning to a much more stable pace, yay. i am slowly getting back to the grind...
i had some custom work keeping me busy this week.. i made a yellow submarine tee for a super sweet friend who keeps me supplied with new customers almost all the time (thank you dear)...

then i was able to make a new bag yesterday due to the wonderful cooperation of harvey and ruby.. ruby is a one woman show these days and well, harvey sleeps a lot still. so here is the new lovely...

it was made from large portions of some fabric i made back in college that i have been hoarding for a bit... so look for more bags featuring fibers from me .. it has got me wanting to print my own fabrics.. so we will see when and if that happens.

making that new bag yesterday got me real excited.. so i have a new goal for this month.. to make a bag everyday.. cross your fingers for me. i used to make multiples a day.. but i have two priorities above that now :)

happy week.. hope the snow doesn't give too much cabin fever...

thoreau coat

2011-01-06T14:03:00.000-08:00

almost forgot....
here is the teenie tiny Thoreau coat...

silly me though... i forgot to take a picture of it after i added the text... but it read ......

"to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life"

so much for a work week...

2011-01-06T12:07:00.000-08:00

i had such wonderful plans for this week... fabrics picked out and ready to go.. new things arriving daily starting friday. well so much for that...
my poor little harvey has been sick all week long with a tummy bug, which has kept me from doing much of anything at all - amazingly he is content enough at the moment for me to do this.

i did manage to get one new bag out and about in the shop this week.. a sweet little valentine number....

and i was able to get some new 'manboggans' thrown together over the weekend... thanks to my lovely husband for serving as my model.. he isn't too keen on it, but he is supportive...so.... :)

so hopefully next week i can resume cranking things out like a mad woman... but as in all things it depends entirely on these two...

( at least harvey is happy )

happy week to all!

christmas and the machine....

2010-12-29T07:32:00.000-08:00

we survived christmas.

ruby was showered with plastic high heels (which are hilarious to see her in), yo gabba gabba goodness, and a new found toy story obsession... while harvey was happy to have anything that made sound near his face... trust me christmas is better with kids :)

we ate a lot, visited family, and got that long awaited for white christmas we'd been wanting.

my husband and i etsy'ed each other up with super nice gifts... he got a wonderful hoodie from blackbird tees (awesome awesome awesome giant squid) http://www.etsy.com/shop/blackbirdtees

and he got me these lovelies from oliviaclare (http://www.etsy.com/shop/OliviaClare) that have ruby and harvey's birthstones in them (sweetest of the sweet)

and now we are recuperating from it all... trying to find room in our tiny house (which never seemed tiny until we had two kids and two kids things in it) for all of it.

the holidays also took a huge toll on my inventory.. which is wonderful... but means i need to get my butt in gear and sit at my machine for a good month straight. my stock has dwindled and needs some refreshing so i have been making myself busy at that. new mens hats, a sassy little purse that i had been wanting to make for awhile...

and several custom orders that are in varying stages of completion. i am pretty excited about one in particular, a little girls coat themed after thoreau's 'walden'... a wonderful customer with a fabulous idea.. can't wait to finish it up.... photos will be coming next week. and in other exciting shop news.. i am only 5 sales away from hitting 100.. woohoo. i have decided that whomever is my 100th customer they will be showered with many a thank you gift.

ah.. i had better get to gettin. the little ones are napping and this is precious time in my house.
happy week and new year!

making, pushing, and wishing....

2010-12-21T07:48:00.000-08:00

that time of year is upon us again.. lots of love and fun and all that good stuff. i am looking forward to seeing the little lady rip into her gifts (because last year she was too small) and well, harvey can keep trying to roll over while it's all going on :)

i have a small list of things i still have to make by friday... and if i dont stop procrastinating there will be some gift-less people in my family.....so i need to light a fire under that....

in etsy news...
i am taking a little break.. and by little i mean til sunday.. on sewing for the shop. but i am really looking forward to what i will be new starting next week. there is this stack of old weavings i did in college.. yep, weaved on that big ol' loom of yesteryear...that i am finally going to let myself cut into for bags. i've been hesitant for so long, because i am bad about hanging onto things... but it is time and i am looking forward to what they will become.

i have also been trying to encourage my husband to get his own etsy shop up and running.. because he is a pretty darn talented fellow... with some crazy good prints and paintings. as you can see....

i will be sure to let all know if he gives in to the etsy push.

anyhoo.. i wish everyone a happy holiday... hope you've been good this year!

being snowed in and other things...

2010-12-14T09:20:00.000-08:00

ah winter, you have arrived...
it is currently a chilly 18degrees outside with snow all over the ground... needless to say the most perfect of days for all that is indoors. we were all snowed in yesterday... thanks to our living in a place where snowy/ice covered roads are just better left for the next day. everyone lived in pajamas, watched holiday movies, and drank cocoa... there was also a failed attempt at homemade sugar cookies, thanks to splenda's need to dry everything out they were more of a powdery substance than sweet treat....i just havent gotten down diabetic baking, but i am trying.
in true being stuck inside boredom ruby decided to draw all over her face.... and harvey rocked his crazy hair....

my own inside project is about to begin... making the last of the christmas gifts that are left on my list. always fun.... and then working on squeezing in some etsy making time as well..... oh and pumpkin pie baking, because that is one thing i can bake that works everytime :)

i wish you all warmth and cozy food!

handmade makes me happy

2010-12-09T07:02:00.000-08:00

one of my favorite parts of the featured seller interviews on etsy is when they ask the sellers what there most favorite handmade possession is. it's amazing to read what has been passed down or made for everyone, and it emphasizes why spending money just isnt as special as some time and love put into something special.

my husband and i have always been the gift givers who have set rules for each other, they usually involve not spending over 20dollars on one another or making it from scratch.
over the past eight years i have accumulated so many lovelies...from jewelry he has made to super fantastical sewing scissors that i will use from now until forever... to the sweet vintage ruby stick pin i got one christmas right before we had our own ruby. ladies and gentlemen, my husband is a good gift giver, whether he realizes it or not, no matter how much he stresses out about it, because he does... he is good at it.
Seven christmases ago he kinda outdid himself for the years to come... it was our first, and showing off his attentive skills he made me the best gift i have ever received. When i was a wee one my prized possession was my green sprite doll (rainbow brite - woo). he met a rather unfortunate end, along with lots of other loved items ... from books to dolls to many a vintage avon collectors item (thanks granny kate). now i dont want anyone to get the wrong idea of some grown ups who will remain nameless, so i will just spare the details of how they all went away (it is rather tragic for a former 9year old to remember seeing her dolls in trash piles). but anyhoo... my sweet now husband took note and made this for me from the remains of an old teddy bear he dyed green and with lots of love and sewing...

our daughter plays with him now and showers him with kisses. so if etsy ever decides to ask me what handmade item i love most i will share this guy with everyone... him and some ruby doodles and hopefully harvey ones too.....

ruby doodles

2010-12-08T12:39:00.000-08:00

oh happy wednesday.... how you feel like you should be friday. but whatever.
it has been horribly cold here, as in 19degrees as a daytime temperature, so wrong. But being held captive indoors has allowed me to befriend my sewing machine this week. As usual it all depends on the cooperation of my kiddos, and this week has been superb compared to the past few. All it takes is some markers and paper to make em happy.
ruby has began drawing faces and characters.... they are pretty darn awesome for my little almost two year old. here are a few :

she's so fancy :)
sweet harvey jack is finally learning that he cannot be held from morning to night (no matter how much i love it, and he loves it....nothing gets done). He has recently discovered how to use his hands to make things happen, so for a four month old that is endless entertainment. granted ruby and harvey still need me lots during the day, and who am i kidding.. i need them lots too....but being able to make a few items here and there sure feels good. so here's to sewing, making, and creating... with sweet little ones in tow.

2010-12-02T13:10:00.000-08:00

well it has been a week of new-ness for me. as of yesterday i have finally thrown in the towel and ventured into the world that is twitter... yes i have a twitter account. so please be patient while i figure the whole thing out... i think i seem pretty boring on there, but whatever. you can go follow me if you want...
http://twitter.com/#!/sweetanddirtys i promise i will get better :)

also i have been making treasuries on etsy like a mad women... if you are needing something to do go take a look at them..
* for the men - http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cf7edda99648eef3154e912/for-the-menfolk?index=0
* for fancies - http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cf7b9e79d488eef31e4a91b/missing-my-daily-vitamin-d?index=1
* for santa - http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cf6ce3cb1f26d919c0eb696/dear-santaplease-and-thank-you?index=2
it's fun to promote those whose work and shops you love!

and as a final jolt of new i joined a new team on etsy this week... team t international. awesome team, so glad to be a part of it.

well i suppose i had better cut this short... a small lady wants me to accompany her on the drums... and i have a chicken pot pie that sure won't make itself...

happy thanksgiving

2010-11-30T12:10:00.000-08:00

so my first thanksgiving was a success... i managed to make it happen without a single glitch (which trust me was more than expected)... i told my husband that if this is how it continues i might just keep this tradition going at our house....

holiday sale :)

2010-11-26T15:25:00.000-08:00

holiday sale this weekend only!
* free domestic shipping
*free gift with all purchases made on cyber monday
*extra 15%off when you enter coupon code SWEETHOLIDAY10 at checkout

that's all i got time to say this evening... busy busy!

enjoy!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/sweetanddirtys

2010-11-23T13:20:00.000-08:00

i have been a slacker with my sewing machine this week... and most of last week to. it's hectic times here. i am getting ready to throw my first thanksgiving this thursday (woo) and i plan on being uber lazy on friday (because who can really function on a tummy full of stuffing, pumpkin pie, zucchini bread, etc.). and here is what most of my time has been devoted to...

carboard home construction and baby cuddling...

see you next week machine :)

2010-11-19T05:18:00.000-08:00

long time no post...
this is the most neglected thing in my life i do believe. it honestly doesnt cross my mind to do until too late in the evening, or sometimes just not at all....but realizing that i need to keep up with it, i have decided to make time for it weekly. so here goes, the first of many blog posts.

a lot has changed since my last one. i now have a little fella to keep up with :) and my little lady is a rambling about everything almost two year old. as for my sewing i have ventured into making a lot more things for my etsy shop... hats, scarves, etc. which are fun to make and a welcome break from bags and pins. ruby (the almost two year old) is beyond interested in my sewing....

as you can see the accessories are what gets her attention most... such a girl.

2010-06-23T13:54:00.001-07:00

oh the perils of the sewing machine....

she and i have had quite the bought this past week.... and just when i was getting into sewing again she up and quit working on me... my little janome is on the fritz.

so luckily i have two possible backups that i can get running soon...when the funding is there. i found a sweet deal on a singer machine years ago, that is only in need of a foot pedal, and then there is "the beast" of a steel warrior that was my mamaws.... it seems to want to work, but i think it is going to need a good cleaning and oiling after 30+ years in the garage.

the last thing i was able to crank out on my beloved on the fritz machine was a pair of pants for a dear friend.... they are music festival fantastic britches....

anyhoo.. in the meantime of all the 'unable to make anything new for a week or two' business i decided to focus my attention on getting my etsy vintage shop up and running all proper like.... so go take a gander if your heart desires....

at http://www.etsy.com/shop/sweetrubysvintage

i suppose it's okay that the sewing is taking a break for a bit, my afore mentioned babysitting father has developed vertigo so he is out as a sitter for awhile.... and the little lady is still not fond of my machine.

but it gives me time to sort my fabric, work on the vintage store, and watch a multitude of Yo Gabba Gabba (it's the favorite).

til next time.....

2010-05-25T05:15:00.001-07:00

good morning :)

today is my first official work day.... since i have been having some trouble lately with being able to sew (maybe it had something to do with the small little girl throwing herself crying at my feet everytime i turned on my machine?) i am now getting a 'sewing day' every tuesday. ruby gets papaw time, and i get to make a few things...and help keep my etsy shop up and running...because lord knows here lately it had began to ween with lack of new items!

so i suppose tuesdays will be my day to blog and update.... it's odd, i almost don't know where to begin because i am so used to my daily routine i've had for the past 16months. but it will come together soon. alrighty.. first order of business.....being able to take a shower!

have a happy day and week everyone.

2010-04-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

it seems sometimes like i am not meant to blog! my internet decided to fail me for two weeks, just as i had decided to set up a weekly keeping up of this thing...so i will let that all begin now!

in the meantime i have had much time to sew...making lots of custom orders and new etsy items....

and all at the same time while sewing and making we found out our next arrival in the baby dept. is going to be a little fella.... harvey jack.

so maybe not having the internet isnt such a bad thing afterall....

til next time...

2010-03-24T11:03:00.001-07:00

well.. here i am 2 months since the last post.

all is quite hectic in my neck of the woods... the husband has a new job... i have an ever-growing belly...and the little one is walking all over the house. so i am behind, yet again.

but i am getting into the swing of our new schedule and am now making it a point to make time for this.

in the meantime i have reorganized all my fabric lately so i can commence sewing on a much grander, and less frustrating scale. ive been busy making custom orders for friends... so the shop hasnt seen much added to it in a bit. however, starting this coming week new items are going to rolling in quite regularly....

so look forward to a more productive blog... and shop...
happy spring everyone....
til next time...
oh and here is shot of why ive been so busy lately....

2010-01-30T10:23:00.000-08:00

snow..snow..and more snow...

as much as i enjoy it from time to time, i must say i am ready for it all to go away. i do believe i am beginning to go stir crazy. really there are only so many days in a year meant for living in your pajamas and watching movie upon movie.. dont get me wrong, i love those days when they present themselves... but i feel like i have had a month of them. i am in need of spring and all things green..... i have to keep telling myself it is closer rather than not.

so in honor of being stuck inside with the cold weather blues i have decided to share my most favorite soup recipe that cures all....

Chickpea Soup

1 tbs veg. oil

1 lrg. onion

2 zuchinni diced

1 can chickpeas w/ liquid

2 cans chopped tomatoes w/ liquid

3/4C dry white wine

3tbs melted butter

1tsp Garlic (although i am guilty of adding more)

1tsp Basil

1 Bay leaf

1C heavy cream

1C mont. jack cheese

1/2C romano

*preheat oven 400

*heat oil in saucepan over med. heat, saute onion

*in baking dish combine onion, zuch., chickpeas, tomatoes, wine, butter, garlic, basil, and bay

*cover and bake for 30min

*uncover, stir, and bake 30min more

*add heavy cream and cheese, mix, and bake 10minutes

enjoy! its so good, i promise :)

2010-01-10T13:43:00.001-08:00

i must share.. because i love them so...

here are ruby's first little drawings.. she figured out how to use markers this weekend, and it has been quite the eye-opening experience for her :)

2010-01-03T17:47:00.000-08:00

hello all! hope the holidays and new year have been treating you kindly :)

as always i am behind...which never fails in my life these days! i have spent the past few weeks stitching up gifts for loved ones and trying to pull off the little ones first christmas with success... even though she really only wanted the wrapping paper.

<-- all interest is lost...
and now that is all out of the way, with many a full belly and a happy face. in between the rush of the holidays we were happy to find out that a new baby bean is on its way into our home this summer... needless to say i have been otherwise preoccupied!

i also must share that i have a good friend who has opened up her very own etsy shop... sentimental heart photography... so please go support her and her lovely photos.. http://www.chelebert12.etsy.com/
anyhoo...i will be back with a better more thorough post later this week... hope everyone is keeping warm :)

2009-12-10T14:40:00.000-08:00

oh.. before i forget... i must share my new handmade holiday creations...

prior to this year we were a tree and a couple of lights pair, who were too tired from work and pretending to be 21 to do much else. last year we were due at any moment with ruby, so a tree didnt even go up. needless to say this year is a breath of fresh air....

ive been bit by the homemade holiday bug. in part because i want ruby to have so many memories she cant stand it...and because its so much fun to make them...

so here is what ive gotten to so far...

a wreath, 3 people stockings, and 4 critter stocking...with more to follow :)