sneak peek #2

sneak peek #2
Originally uploaded by gloryof_80s

i have decided that i will be relaunching my etsy shop with lots of new and different merchandise in late 2010! stay tuned for more sneak peeks as i finish items :) i will be taking my time and making things that i really love with some really great fabrics. the shop name will be the same, but overall a bit different than it was before. i'm very excited, but won't be sharing much except for sneak peeks until everything is completed! i can tell you that everything will include hand stitching, which is super fun!

finished the last two blocks for this, this evening in the midst of a huuuuge rain storm. once i figure out the backing fabric i can work on the really fun part - the hand stitching. i have grand ideas for this! :)

my little guy sleeping soundly.

my little guy sleeping soundly.
Originally uploaded by gloryof_80s

still in the (neverending) process of weeding things out and deciding what to keep when we move. the LOVE print that was in our bedroom is now in the living room so that i can do a little touchup painting on our bedroom wall. but, i think wookiee likes it here just fine ;)

another project.

another project.
Originally uploaded by gloryof_80s

i keep piling them up and messing around with them... but this is the one i am going to make next. another for the living room (since we're potentially in the middle of changing colors up a bit in there, with the arrival of a new coffee table tomorrow!). its mostly kaffe fassett's (including the three shot cottons) with a few anna maria horner, and of course the magenta bees! i'm not sure which pattern i'm going to do yet, but since i'm currently working on a bento box i am going to choose something different. something that can incorporate a lot of different prints...hmm.... i'll have to be on the lookout for my inspiration quilt on flickr! ;)

my blogging is moving over to apriltwoeighty. its becoming increasingly more difficult for me to blog in two places at once, so i am combining my sewing/inspiration blog with my personal/decor blog. please please follow me over there if you follow me here, as this one will no longer be used!!
xo

jennifer over @ madebygirl posted about our apartment this week :) you'll get to see the photos that my amazingly talented friend jessica weiser took for me. eventually i will be putting up a whole slew of them (that didn't make it into jenn's blog) into a website for my home decorating business - my schooling is going really well so far and i'm enjoying it so much! the program is challenging but also interesting. (i tend to blog more about that over at my personal blog. follow me there, too, if you'd like!)

i'll be spending my free time this weekend working on two custom orders. they've both been cut out and i'm in the beginning stages of the sewing parts of each. one will probably come along faster than the other, so that is the one i'm focusing most on this weekend.

the top blue fabrics are for a baby who has yet to be born. i'll be doing a 9-patch quilt with two matching pillows. the bottom car/truck fabrics are for a little boy who is four and loves anything with an engine! (that is the one i'll be working on mostly this weekend.)

snowball quilt;

i tried a new pattern today, and it was much easier than i expected! i actually made the blocks smaller than the pattern called for, so it was a little different, but it still came out well. i used fabrics from the "figgy pudding" line, can't believe its almost time for holiday decorations! (well, kind of ;))

you can see the finished product with info etc, in the shop!

i definitely want to make a larger quilt using this pattern (and the larger 8" blocks that the pattern called for) for myself at some point - maybe one with all of my flea market fancy fabrics, and another one using my heather ross/munki fabrics!

tiny art mini quilts.

new in the shop!!

i'm so excited to introduce a new selection of
mini (and i mean, so tiny!) art quilts!
the smallest one is only 8x8" <3
more on the way, but for now, check them out!

de-stash.

over @ my destash shop: brand new scrap bags! lots of colors, awesome fabrics from some of my favorite designers! if you love little treasures & fabrics, you'll want one. or maybe you know a friend who'd like one, too! :)

Etsy Buy Handmade littledestash

(all proceeds are going into our cruise fund. just ten more weeks til we go!)

brand new for fall!

check out the new Echino "Chelsea" pillow
in the shop!

once i can get around to it, i'll be heading to the store for some new quilt batting and some pillow forms, to stock up for fall/winter. i'm doing two custom projects this fall (a car/truck quilt for a 4 year old boy, and a new baby's nursery quilt and two matching pillows), but still hope to get some new items up in the shop when i can. i have a Heather Ross Far Far Away quilt in the works right now (blocks are sewn up), and about five or six others planned out awaiting their turns (little red riding hood themed, heather bailey's fresh cut, and erin michael's lush ...to name a few!). so stick around. schoolwork & the custom work will be at the top of the list, but i can't wait to create some new things to share with everyone!

END OF SUMMER SALE!!!!

EVERYTHING in my shop has been marked down for our END OF SUMMER SALE!! its for a limited time only, so be sure to take a look :)


also, i've started a more personal blog over @ apriltwoeighty. you're welcome to follow me over there if you are interested in my more day-to-day life :)

another one!

another new quilt in the shop!

new in the shop(s)!!

i managed to finish up my little kawaii quilt last night, i seriously can't stand how cute the fabrics are! and i love the wonderland fabric for the backing <3 the quilt is for sale in my littlelegwarmers shop.




meanwhile, there are a few new listings over at my destash shop:

weekend.

this is such a beautiful weekend here.. and i'm loving it so far! last night we went to a beautiful nighttime wedding <3 this morning we got up and went to the beach, then did a little sightseeing. this afternoon i worked on spraypainting some more frames for our bedroom (photos to come eventually...still waiting to hear back from our landlady if we can paint the room or not), and tonight i'm going to work on some sewing for my shop. but for now, until i have some real projects to show you, here are some photos from our recent adventures :)

weekend in the sun.

pat and i made sure to enjoy most of the sunny day yesterday, with a trip to portland headlight.. sat out on the cliffs and the beach! i love maine summers <3

2 new quilts.

up in shop!
loving the orange/blue/brown color combo!



working a bunch more... reds/turqoise.. neptune collection.. red/green.. yellow.. midwest modern II... (if i can find the time to sew in the next few weeks!!)

goals!

i very rarely write such personal entries as this, but i find its nice to share from time to time things that may be related to my sewing business, or just life in general. you never know who may be going through something very similar or who may have some great advice or opinions! please please feel free to share!


as the summer is dwindling on and is more than half over (i can't believe it! we've barely had a summer this year as far as weather goes..), i find myself getting ready to make my goals for the upcoming year. my boyfriend starts his school year in about a month, he's in the process of getting his second bachelor's degree (has one in biology) in engineering); i've been graduated from college for almost five years now (my original degree in sociology). we both work full time at the hospital, and although our jobs are getting us by, neither of us completely enjoy what we're doing, and hope to move up to bigger and better things.... and we're both trying to get on our paths for the future (which will hopefully include buying a house).


some of my goals for the next year include:

* continuing to work on paying down my credit card debt (which i had racked up living on my own for the first three+ years) - i have a tendancy to do really well and pay off a bunch, and then slip back and add to it. i've since cut up all but two of my cards, and have a running tally of what i owe where. it can be frustrating not having large lump sums to put towards paying each bill at a time, and resorting most times to paying only the minimum monthly balance.

* i have recently decided to open a destash fabric shop on etsy to try to sell though some of the fabric i have stashed in my studio that i may not want to use as readily. a great way to make space, and a little money! i have always liked to share fabrics with friends and others who may love to sew as much as i do. it has given me an oppurtunity tmae room for some fabrics i've been looking to collect, and also to put some money into my savings a tiny bit at a time (it all adds up). in conjunction with this, i have decided to do my best not to buy any more fabric, unless absolutely necessary (batting, backing fabrics, and sashing fabrics are not included in this, as i tend to need more of those with each project!) - i have a great stash of fabrics, and plenty to work with for the time being!

* i have a big goal to actually try to sew more! a couple of years ago, when i was working retail, my schedule was a bit more condusive to having my second job of sewing. now that i work a regular 9-5, i find when i get home from the OR i am often times completely unmotivated to sew and really just want to put my feet up on the sofa infront of HGTV or Food Network ;) ...so, my goal, starting this week, is to schedule myself for a couple hours at least a couple of nights a week up in my studio. after the last holidays, my shop was dramatically (and happily) depleated of quilts. sooooo, i need to bulk back up! i have a tendancy to start a bunch of projects and never finish them -- so i'm going to start with some of those unfinished projects and get them up on etsy. then, i have a whole bunch of projects i am dying to start! and as usual, i'll keep things updated here with works in progress and finished items!

* my biggest goal is to hopefully go back to school next fall. i'm not ready for this school year, as i still have some planning to do and funds to find ;) but i am hoping for an online bachelor's program (that will make two of us with two degrees each!) in interior design. i have had a love of interior design since i was a teenager -- i always used to rearrange my bedroom much to my mom's chagrin, and my college dorm rooms were always way more organized and coordinated and decorated than my friends' rooms. i have had so much fun living in apartments being able to design my spaces, and most of the time on a very limited budget. most importantly, if i cannot be fully supported by my sewing, i need to have a job where i am happy and doing something i love. i enjoy my hospital job, and the medical field is a very stable one to be in, so clearly i will not be leaving my job any time soon; but i am excited at the prospect of being able to study interior design -- i would love to be able to run my own business or have a business with others -- where i can incorporate my love of color, space, design, furniture, and creativity. it will be interesting trying to take those steps towards fulfilling this goal!

i have a lot of work ahead of me, and i am really looking forward to be able to look back at progress (on all of these things!).

quilt show.

finally, here are some photos from the quilt show i went to in augusta, maine last weekend. such a great source of inspiration!!

ta-da!

between swaps and the quilt show i went to last weekend, i have recently acquired a decent amount of new fabric. thus, i have spent some time cleaning out my stash and have a new etsy shop setup for my de-stash!! please check it out if you love fabric, there is some neat stuff there, and i'm trying to save up for our cruise! ;) lots more to be listed soon!



XO,
brooke

ps. pictures from the quilt show to come!

i almost forgot!

just a few pics of some new things around the apartment...
cleaned up sewing corner in the second bedroom:

new quilt (from LLBean!) in the bedroom <3

finally hung the artwork in the upstairs hallway:

the new washer/dryer in the bathroom:

and FINALLY found a home for my favorite lamp!