lurking just around the corner

frank will be making an appearance in the shop in the first week of september, and he's bringing a few friends to join in the spooky fun. stay tuned!

nearly there

i know it's still pretty warm out, in fact this past weekend we had what i think was the hottest summer weather yet here in vancouver. nonetheless, it is nearly september, and i can't help but think of fall fashion. these pieces from pretty birdie would be perfect to transition into fall, don't you think? i love the rich colours, all hand-dyed with eco-friendly dyes. even better, all of pretty birdie's clothing is made with organic and sustainable materials. that dress is calling my name -- love the olive green, and it would be super cute over jeans, too.

images via pretty birdie

kitchen -- still!

why, yes. this will go down as the longest-short-kitchen-renovation ever. here we are nearing the end of august, and we are finally seeing the light at the end of the long, long tunnel. this past weekend, i finally stole a bit of time and painted the powder room and my workspace wall. i am in love with the colour, a cool + calming pale grey. the name makes me laugh, 'heavy goose' by none other than martha, because who else would call a paint colour 'heavy goose'? it looks fabulous next to my gorgeous bamboo work surface. here's a little peek!

the paint colour doesn't show up too well in the photo, but it was getting dark. anyhow, i'm so happy to be making a bit more progress. we finally got our floors put in last month, and i adore them. we chose a dark grey marmoleum plank, and it feels so soft and warm underfoot, it's perfect. the rest of this reno is all up to us, so there's no telling when it may get done, as we are both super busy. so wish us luck as we paint, tile, paint, and tile some more!

hopefully i'll be showing you some final photos in the next month or so, though if i were you, i wouldn't hold my breath ;)

fall fling

images via j.crew

loving the colours in these fall offerings from j.crew. that golden yellow is divine, and i love the resurgence of tweed and cable knits in the early autumn clothes i've seen popping up so far in shops. fall fashion is probably my very favourite, always rich and layered and oh so pretty.

red + orange + green + blue

not long ago, i got a request from a customer to make large fabric storage buckets for her baby boy's room. she had a fairly neutral colour palette in his room with some greys, and then a couple bright pops of primary colours. after chatting back and forth, she decided on a scheme that gave each bucket it's own colour, red + orange + green {with grey on the outside} + blue. it worked perfectly, and i love the fabrics she chose.

this is the largest size of bucket that i make, 10x10x10 inches square. i find this is as big as i like to go while keeping a good amount of structure, and when they're filled with toys, kids can still pick them up. they fit perfectly in the ubiquitous ikea expedit units, which we have in both our kids' rooms [i photographed the buckets in there before i sent them off]

my customer was really happy with them, and sent me a couple pictures of them in her son's room. i love doing projects like this, giving people a one-of-a-kind item that no one else will have. i think they turned out really well, what do you think?

summer smidgey blankets

i've been a bit busy lately, between sewing + summer + vacation + life, and haven't had the chance to catch up on posting my work. here are a few blankets that i've made this summer so far. i've mentioned it before, but i just love working on my custom smidgey blankets. each one is different from the last, fun colours, applique images, sweet names. all ready to be sent off to a special tiny person whom i hope will love and cherish it for many years to come.

addison's sunny lion and beckett's cute little owl were special requests made by my customers. both were asked to be in a specific style, and i think they turned out quite nicely. i have had the pleasure of working with some pretty amazing customers, who have fun nursery colour palettes and themes to work with. i feel lucky to have such great people coming my way!

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on to a little shop news. please excuse me for chatting a bit about the holidays {yup, here we are in mid-august, and i'm thinking about the c-word} but i have to be thinking ahead!

I'm going to be taking a break from custom orders for all of september and october while i prepare for my holiday craft shows. I will have to focus solely on amassing stock {mainly for the One of a Kind Show mid-december} so unfortunately something's got to give! I'll keep my shop open with a good selection of ready-made items, so there will be lots to choose from in the meantime. In november, i will be taking a small number of custom requests for holiday gifts, but there will be limited availability. I know it's early to be thinking this way, but if you've got a smidgey blanket or a set of custom fabric buckets or stockings in mind for holiday gifts, it might be a good idea to let me know as soon as possible so that i can reserve a space!

sitting on a cloud

all images via cb2

i thought i'd share some new offerings from cb2 that caught my eye. i especially love the look of the cloud 16 lounge chair {bottom}. i'd love to have one in my living room to replace the leather slipper chairs that we've currently got, which i feel are just too weighty and chunky now for the look i'd like in that room.

fall fresh

all images via west elm

i feel as though we've barely had summer here in vancouver, the weather has been less-than-desirable for our fairest season. the chill in the air each evening has me thinking of fall, so i though i'd do a little shopping. west elm always has really lovely seasonal selections, i like the ocean hues here, juxtaposed with the warmth of wood and textiles.

oh hello there

i've been away, spending my days here

and my evenings here

gazing at amazing sunsets every night

and spending a whole lot of time with these two incredible kids.

i will be popping in and out of the blog this month again, i do hope you'll bear with me and these extended breaks. those two little people have five more weeks of summer vacation, and i plan on taking full advantage of the sunny weather and spending it outside. they grow so fast, don't they? i just want to enjoy them.