garden update

Well, my summer has ended up being more full of both good and bad than I anticipated, and I haven't even come close to reaching my goal to work in the garden half an hour each day. It makes me sad. However, along with the weeds, my garden has continued to grow even in my absence. Here are a few recent snapshots.

baby broccoli

Something seems to like the cabbage.

I've begun to wonder if we will get any of it at all!

tomato blossoms

I have some baby tomatoes too!

baby pepper

I'm afraid it looks more like a hot pepper

instead of the bell pepper the label promised.

snow peas

There are lots and lots of snow peas.

Little Man and I have been gobbling them up without sharing at all.

Pea tendrils make me smile.

quite possibly the best use for polyester ever...

One vendor at the farmers' market last Saturday was upcycling double knit polyester shirts and vintage buttons into adorable hair accessories. It just might have been the best and most clever use for polyester that I've ever seen. How could I resist buying two fancy bobby pins from her?

one is red and black

and the other is brown, cream, and pale yellow

I love them and have already worn each of them more than once!

Farmers' Market

When I vended at farmers' market two years ago, it was a rather lonely experience. Over the course of the summer I did make some new friends, but this year is so different. In addition to looking forward to market as a way of selling some of my wares are making a little money, the market has possibly become my week's biggest social outing.

My beautiful friend Katie and I are sharing booth space this year. She makes gorgeous vintage-style aprons with a variety of cheerful prints.

Another friend, Erin, was just across the street from Katie and I. Last Saturday was her first day vending her home grown organic produce at the farmers' market.

And of course I was there with my handbags, cards, bibs, little treasure bags, sandwich wraps, and reusable snack bags.

Little Man stayed at home to help Daddy with work around the house, but Brother came to market with me. He enjoyed eating many graham crackers and getting very dirty as he crawled around on the ground. (You can sure tell he's not a first born!)

I'm looking forward to the next time I'll be able to go vend at our farmers' market!

Meet Catherine

Catherine is the first hand bag is my first design with ruffles. Or polka-dots. I've been a little slow catching on with the whole polka dot thing; they're just not my cup of tea. While I'm still not wild about them, I have managed to overcome my disgust enough to acknowledge that they're cute for other people. : ) I think it was a good thing that I came to that point; Catherine was my most-ogled handbag at last week's market.

Catherine closes with a cute little antique button just above the bag's most prominent feature: the double-ruffled pocket.
Catherine is made with quality cotton fabric with Pellon fusible fleece lining which gives it durability as well as a more substantial feel. The inside of the bag sadly has no pockets (I ran out of fabric), but the cheerful blue and green print is sure to please.
Catherine's handles are the perfect length: short enough to hold in your hand...
but long enough to be able to put over your shoulder.
I am asking $45 for Catherine which includes shipping to anywhere in the contiguous United States. In you are interested in purchasing Catherine, let me know, and I will post it in my Etsy store where you can purchase it securely.

Meet Fairfax

Fairfax is the first bag that I have designed and marketed that I haven't made for myself first. This is probably a good thing since I only need so many handbags, but it feels a little strange to not know from experience how it's going to last or describe just what I love to carry in it.

Fairfax is my happy-accident bag. I knew the general shape I wanted it to be but was having a hard time deciding how I wanted the handles to attach. That problem was solved when I caught a glimpse of a handbag carried past me in a restaurant It had just the right kind of handles for incorporating into the Fairfax design. To top off the happy accident part of it all, when I got out my fabric out to start cutting, I realized that a bad cutting mistake while making Elinor bags made perfectly sized rectangles for Fairfax.

Like the Elizabeth bags, I have two Fairfax bags to sell: one in pink sprig and one in lily-of-the-valley.

Fairfax's unique handle design adds pretty gathers around the edges of the bag and makes the inside more spacious.

Fairfax is perhaps my most streamlined and lightweight bag design yet. There is only one pocket on the outside, leaving one roomy, tote-bag-like area in the inside (but oh, it's such a cute tote bag!).
Fairfax is made of two layers of quality cotton cloth, making for a light yet sturdy on-the-go bag perfect for throwing a few necessities into and taking off.
Fairfax costs $35 (which includes shipping and handling to anywhere in the contiguous United States). If you are interested in purchasing one of the Fairfax bags I featured here, let me know, and I will post it in my Etsy store where you can pay securely.

Meet Elizabeth

The first of my new handbag designs that I'd like for you to "meet" is Elizabeth. This isn't an entirely new design since I already made one for myself last fall. I love it. While Elinor is the perfect purse/diaper bag combination, Elizabeth is the perfect camera bag/purse combination. I love taking it along on days when I need to pack around more stuff than will fit in one of the slim, petite purses I love so much but when I still don't need a huge bag. Plus the backpack style is comfortable and practical.

I have two Elizabeth bags for sale right now:

one in pink sprig

and one in lily-of-the-valley

There is a nice assortment of pockets all the way around the inside of both bags, including pen and chap-stick/lipstick pockets.
The straps weave through the top of the bag. When whey're pulled tight, they close the bag in draw-string fashion. The knot in the front can be retied, adjusting the length of the straps to what is most comfortable for the wearer.
The bags are made of quality cotton material and lined with Pellon fusible fleece which makes them more bulky and heavy duty. Also, the areas most prone to wear and tear are reinforced to further lengthen the life of the bag.
I am selling the Elizabeth bags for $60 each (this includes shipping to any of the contiguous staes and handling). If you are interested in purchasing one of them, let me know so that I can post it in my Etsy store where you can purchase it securely!

July Trip-Bed and Breakfast

Another extra-special treat we had on this last trip to Utah was an overnight stay in the Inn on the Hill, a charming Bed and Breakfast in a beautifully renovated over-100-year-old house. The boys stayed with their grandparents, and we fully enjoyed being able to finish complete sentences and be just two grown-ups together.

Just a couple of blocks away from the Bed and Breakfast is the architecturally lovely Utah capitol building. I had never been there before, so we walked up to look around. Since we were visiting on a weekend, there were very few people around, and we both enjoyed taking photos and wandering around the large, echoing rooms and halls that were open to the public. I think I could have spent several hours there playing with my photography.

[The marble columns and staircases under the arching roof were marvelous.]

[my love]

[Beautiful script from a framed letter written early in Utah's statehood.]

After our trip to the Capitol, we walked back to the Inn, did a little bit of shopping, and ate dinner in a funky basement Sushi restaurant. It was a dining experience that was most definitely out of my comfort zone, but I found it to be delicious.

[me, striking a pose back at the grounds of the Bed and Breakfast]

[fountain in the Bed and Breakfast's garden]

When we returned from dinner, we sat on the balcony, enjoying the warm summer air and watching the sun set over the Oquirrh mountains. It was simply wonderful.

Breakfast in the morning was coffee, bacon, and delicious waffles smothered in fresh berry syrup and whipped cream. It was really wonderful to spend time with Benjamin away from the hurry and stress of everyday life.

July Trip-Graduation

The moment that I watched Benjamin walk across the platform to receive his diploma was a very happy moment indeed.

[Right after receiving his diploma.]

[the two of us]

Sometimes he regrets not finishing his bachelor's before now, but I'm happy that he waited because it means that I got to share the moment with him. It really was very special to be able to be there quietly though jubilantly cheering for him, knowing that I can be especially proud of all the work that went into getting his degree because I was part of the process.

[All of us]

[graduate of the school of cuteness?]

P.S. I do iron. Really, I do. The wrinkles are from the precious sweetness of a sweetly sleeping baby pressing new folds into my blouse.

July Trip-Family

I can't believe that I still haven't updated about our trip to Salt Lake a little more than two weeks ago. Even though it was quite a quick trip, a whole lot happened, so I'll be breaking this post down into a few sections.

I'll start with what is perhaps the most important part: family. Benjamin's parents live in the Salt Lake area, so we always stay with them in their large and welcoming house. This trip was extra special, though, because Benjamin's oldest brother, his wife, and daughter were able to make the long drive from Arizona as well. It was so nice to see them. In addition my parents came down to attend Benjamin's graduation too. It was full and lively house! Here is an assortment of just a few of my favorite photos.

My pretty princess niece.

(She alternated between Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.)

The cousins were practically inseparable.

Nonna and Grandpa Bruce and so many fun things planned for them

among which were play-doh playing...

reading library books...

(no one escaped the reading duties,

and when all the grown-ups were worn out from reading,

the little ones did it themselves.)

and playing in the little pool and sprinkler.

They also did fireworks,

visited a historic farm, fed ducks, blew bubbles,

and played with the croquet and badminton equipment.

No wonder Little Man said in a recent conversation with his Nonna:

"Your house was fun!"

Benjamin very much enjoyed the treat of playing golf

with his brother and dad.

This photo is of him opening his birthday/graduation gift from me:

a new sand wedge.

Our sister-in-law made Benjamin a beautifully detailed guitar cake.

I enjoyed observing the process and (of course) taking lots of photos!

There were so many special moments; these few photos hardly do them justice.

where i've spent the last week

Two years ago, I sold cards at our local farmers' market/outdoor craft fair. I mostly sold calligraphy cards similar to these. Last year, I opted out of farmers' market vending because I was in the third trimester of my pregnancy with Brother. This year I considered not selling at the farmers' market because I wasn't sure if it was going to be worth my time. However, the contagious enthusiasm of a friend and the appeal of vending together persuaded me to give it a try again.

So two Saturdays ago, I loaded up my cards, handbags, upcycled denim bibs, and a quilt to try my success at the market. What happened astonished me. I sold both of my Elinor handbags as well as several bibs! My success spurred me on spend all of my spare time last week preparing for yesterday's market. I made a dozen treasure bags, the same number of sandwich wraps, sixteen (I think) reusable snack bags, and six new handbags. One of the handbags was another Elinor bag custom made for a friend, two were Elizabeth bags, and three were brand new designs.

The next few days will be spent working on laundry and (hopefully) blogging. On top of talking about our exiting trip to Utah a couple of weeks ago, I now have new bags and farmers' market to talk about. So prepare for a deluge of posts as I try to catch up. : )