February 22, 2011

Off the map; or should I say... all over the map!





Sorry I have been off the map a little bit lately. I have been.... BUSY!

With my photography promotion that ran in January I have been keeping extremely busy on the weekends, at my lunch hour and even after work. And when I am not busy doing photography which I love I have been busy sewing. Not sure when that turned into a part time job; but I can dig it. At least I get to be at home and get really cute breaks with Emma. Versus with photography, I can't take her with me.

Here are some previews of what I have been up to the last couple of weeks.









February 03, 2011

Fabric Soccer Balls

Back in November I found this pattern for a fabric soccer ball that I thought would be really cool for Emma. So I made her one. This is what it looked like.

After I made that one, I was like my nieces one year birthday is coming up; I should make her one too! Emma loves hers so, it just made perfect sense in my head. Inside the ball I put 4 big jingle bells so that when the ball is bouncing around it makes some sound to keep Emma's interest because lets me honest, she is two now and things do not amuse her the way they once did. In addition to placing the bells in the ball I wanted the ball to be full of texture. So, I got to thinking what can I do to make this ball more interesting. AH! Tags, Tags, Tags! great! I will add tags. Then, I found some really crinkly plastic that came with some of my fabric. It had a great crinkle to it, not obnoxious but enough to entertain my two year old! PERFECT! And the creative juices started going from there. I was having fun with these balls!

I made one for my niece, and then at work, we had a baby shower for a dear co-worker of mine who just adopted a child, a little boy to add to the family. He was 3 months old when they started fostering him and he was close to 6 months now... what can I get him? What should I get him.... think, think, think... I can make him a ball. That would be perfect! And he would really appreciate it. Perfect, my first boy ball! I was nervous about bringing a homemade gift to the work baby shower.

WOWZA! Had I thought wrong about my homemade gift... I was approached by a woman at the shower and she asked if I sold them... well, I hadn't thought about it... But, I can make you one if you would like to buy the supplies. I figured it would be perfect practice for my sewing but I shouldn't profit off of something I am not that good at. It takes me about four hours to make them I told her so I could have it to her in a couple of days. Perfect. I got her ball to her, I was approached a couple of days later by another woman I work with. She wanted three! THREE? I was about a week before Christmas and she wanted two as gifts. Oh boy. I told her I would try to get them done for her. Then she asked, "Do you have an Etsy website?" I was like no, I am not that good at sewing yet, so I don't think I should do that. She was like, I disagree, I have seen your work, and I think you are great! You should totally sell them on Etsy. Sense her three balls, I have been approached by about a dozen other people asking for balls. So, I decided it was probably time to start selling them for real.

One of my favorite balls that I have been asked to make was this one:

This ball was facilitated by their friends. Each patch on this ball was chosen by their close friends and mailed in to create this ball. It turned out beautifully! Very sentimental and something that will last a long time. When their son is not longer interested in playing with it, they can put it up on a shelf. I love it!

I love making these balls!

You can order one on my new Etsy website at: http://www.etsy.com/listing/65377252/fabric-texture-soccer-ball

Add me to your favorite, and pass me along to friends!

February 01, 2011

Go Red for Women



The American Heart Association's National Go RED for Women day is this Friday, February 4th. Wear RED and show your support for the fight against heart disease, the number one killer of women in the United States. Go HERE to make donations, sign up for the Go RED movement, take the Heart Check Up, get heart healthy recipes, and much more!