an old trip

i recently found some negatives from a road trip i took with a friend in 02, and i had the images put onto cd. we had the best time. 6 weeks total, from vancouver, across canada to the atlantic, then down to connecticut, and east on the i-5 all the way to washington. what a trip. here are my favourite shots.

no exit :: nowhere, saskatchewan

badlands :: south dakota [if you've never been, you simply must]

calm before storm :: wisconsin [hours before scariest. storm. ever.]

full moon, ghost town :: south dakota [ghost towns rock]

awesome roadie, great company, incredible memories.

fascinator

have you seen this? this is the rosette fascinator headband, and it is just about the loveliest headband i've ever seen. 

image via Giant Dwarf

the shades of aqua are spot-on, and the leaves are the perfect hit of green. [great photography, too] and come on, just the word fascinator makes me want to buy one. it's pure fantasy, reminiscent of black-and-white movies and fanciful love stories.

these and other little lovelies are handmade by Giant Dwarf, available in her etsy shop.

a little more aqua + orange

the beginnings of a baby gift for my friend jen's baby-to-be. i love making bibs for new babes. i usually like to monogram them, but as we haven't met this babe yet, i went for an aquarium theme to match the nursery instead. the baby shower is coming up, and i made a little bunting banner for decoration. 

i couldn't resist adding a little fishy to the bum. aren't baby bums the cutest? i am almost finished the coordinating stroller blanket. i'll take some more [better!] pics when i'm finished.

ah, the dresses

of course, the dresses are pretty much the best part of the oscars.

and i think that kate winslet looked absolutely lovely. 

and her hair was divine.

[ edit :: ooh, and she won, too!]

bunting

i finally had the chance to make a flag banner this past weekend. i've been seeing them all over the web, and was just waiting for an appropriate reason to whip one up. i'm co-hosting a baby shower in a couple weeks, so i decided i would make one for decoration, and the lovely mama-to-be can take it home with her as a little treat. 

the new baby's nursery will be aquarium-themed, so i figured that heather ross' mendocino collection was the way to go. [have i mentioned how much i love heather ross' fabric designs?] i also included some of three sisters' simplicity dots + pinstripes, and lecien's micro-polka dots. i think that the aqua with little hits of orange is so fresh and sweet looking. this was a fun and quick project, and i think it'll look great at the shower. 

there are more images on my flickr.

turkish pots

there's something about these little turkish pots that makes me feel warm and cosy inside. i'm loving orange these days, so i'm sure that's part of it, but they just feel so inviting. when i was a girl, my mom used pots like these at dinner parties to serve warm sauces. it makes me want to reach out and grab them.

via three potato four

all of these little guys are sold, but there's a chance they may get some more. and who doesn't love browsing the goods at three potato four, anyways.

block love

one of my oldest friends welcomed her second baby, a girl, on christmas eve. i finally had the chance to finish her baby gift yesterday, a set of soft blocks. i enjoy making these, they are a fun project and [i think] a nice gift. babies seem to love them, and they're pretty to look at!

here is my pile of fabric waiting to be cut. i just love the way fabrics look all stacked up and ready to be used. so fresh and pressed and pretty. that erin mcmorris bird print in the ivory colourway is probably one of my favourite fabrics ever. swoon worthy.

i had fun mixing up lots of different fabrics for these blocks. i do like pairing prints from within one collection, but for me, the fun part is finding pieces from different collections + designers, and coming up with my own combinations. with all the amazing fabrics out there, it's always a pleasure.

opposite sides of the blocks. lots of little ribbons to touch + inspect. i think it's so cute how wee babies are drawn to ribbons and tags.

you can see more pics on my flickr. 

i've talked about it before, but i want to start working on some of these to go in my shop, which i hope to have up and running this spring. i'll keep you posted.

felt lighting love

i have always loved this light fixture by mixko. it is such a fantastic whimsical light, perfect for a nursery. a friend of mine has put it in her nursery-to-be. wouldn't any little girl love to have this in her room?

image via inhabitat.

bag lady

last fall i participated in a craft show. i sewed 'wee chef' apron + potholder + oven mitt sets, and loads of tote bags. these were my three favourite totes, but really i loved making them all. some were more geared towards kids, others for adults. they're super handy to use as a purse, library bag, small shopping bag, or a matchbox car-carrying bag, which is how my son likes to use his.

'bird + tree' small tote. denim exterior with a silkscreened willow tree on the front pocket. lined with joel dewberry's sparrow fabric in almond colourway.

'a hit of pink' medium tote. denim front with a peek-a-boo reverse applique. alexander henry's viceroy fabric in black + white for the straps and back. lined with kaffe fassett's aboriginal dot in pink.

'coriander seahorse' small tote. grey wool felt front with peek-a-boo reverse applique. backed with amy butler's coriander fabric in dark grey + aqua. lined with heather ross' seahorses in aqua + orange. [heather ross is one of my favourite fabric designers. i horde all of her fabrics]

this tote bag was my definite fave from last fall's craft show. i'm glad it found a good home, and i'm sure it is well-loved.

more pics of my tote bags, along with other smidgebox products, can be seen on my flickr.

frost

my friends marie and kas make the most lovely art and jewelry for their company, frost collections. their stuff is original + beautiful and totally cool.

find frost collections on etsy here and on dawanda here. 

check it out for some awesome gifts for all your friends. 

and don't forget to buy some for yourself.

beginnings

wow, i have to say i'm a little slow on the uptake here. i've been wanting to start this blog for awhile now, and i think i'm finally ready.

i've been super busy trying to get my little business [smidgebox] started, and this blog is part of the plan. i wanted to have somewhere to share my thoughts, inspirations, and endeavors, whether they be new products or gifts i've made, new designs i'm toying with, or stuff that i like that i want to talk about!

i guess i'll start with this.

this is a set of soft blocks i made for my baby girl for christmas this past year. i'm pretty happy with how they turned out, and she really loves them! i have a wee bit of a love of fabrics [or an addiction, depends who you ask] so i had fun choosing some of my favourites from my stash to use for each block.

i am in the process of making a few more sets of these for upcoming baby gifts. i also think these will be a great product for smidgebox. i'll probably end up paring the design down a bit, and maybe offering them in sets of three to begin with. eventually i'd love to accept custom orders, spelling out names or initials, or using specific themes to match a nursery. we'll see where these end up...

i look forward to popping in here a few times a week to share my thoughts. hope you enjoy!