Photo Friday: Skagit Valley Tulips

April showers bring April flowers? I know that's not how the saying goes...but April is the Tulip Festival! It was a rainy drive up to the fields but completely worth it...

Spicy Pillows....so hot right now!

If it isn't already too obvious- I'm a fabric lover...some may call me a hoarder but I prefer collector or connoisseur. I have a closet full of beautiful fabric. Among the many, many, MANY large scale linen prints, I have silks, velvets...even maybe a leather or two. Believe me, I've collected more than my fair share of fabrics. I am seriously concerned that someday my piles and piles will end up in the apartment below us...ok, maybe not...but that gives you an idea of how much fabric I actually have saved up over the last few years.

So what do you do with so much fabric, you ask? Well, besides a handful of hot pads, woven rugs, and bags, I've really enjoyed sewing pillows! As I've mentioned before, I'm a self taught sewer so I jump on anything that helps me improve. I've made monogram pillows for my sisters and my sis 'n law (who also added a few more pillows to her collection a couple Christmas' ago). I've whipped up a set for my Aunt. I've made a ba-zillion (ok...more like 15-20) different pillows for our living room and bedroom over the past few years. They are a simple way to spice up a room. Its always exciting to pull the bins out of the good 'ol craft closet and build a color palette. It helps remind me why I push myself every evening and weekend...it makes me feel creative and alive! 

Most recently, my mother in law, Leslye, asked me to sew some pillows for her. She and her husband, Don, visited last November and we spent some time digging through the piles of pattern and color. 

She brought a few photos of pottery she has on display in her living room and away we went...pawing through the piles of fabrics and here is how everything came together....

Spicy, bold, summery colors...a mouthwatering salsa and guacamole color palette! (am I making you hungry?!) I love this classic but fresh combo. We mixed prints, velvet, dots, stripes, embroideries...a little bit of everything but it came together beautifully!

The pillows I've made in the past have had an envelope closure in the back so the pillow can easily slip in and out. I made Leslye's pillows two sided so she can mix and match until her heart is content!

Side 1 on the left and Side 2 on the left:

And of course a few a group shots for good measure:

And another satisfied customer...and sofa!

More projects to come soon!! :)

Photo Friday: Nature Up Close

I started Photo Friday with the intention of posting every Friday...but we all know how that has turned out! I've decided to change 'Photo Friday' to 'Whenever I have photos to post-Photo Friday'. This will take some of the pressure (from myself!) off of my shoulders and it will ensure that only quality photos will be posted for your viewing pleasure. Thanks to my husband Erik, and my in-laws Leslye and Don I have an awesome new camera to keep me going!

On a weekend trip to Portland to visit family, our pup Austin and I (along with the new camera!) did a little exploring in the backyard...

How We Made Our New Apartment a Home

Earlier this year, Erik and I made the big move to a new apartment. When I say big move, I mean really big...a whole two blocks away from our old place. Our old apartment had lots of charm- old wood floors, glass knobs, tiny hexagon tile in the bathroom, to name a few things. It was a typical pre-war apartment building. It was cute, full of character, and the perfect first place for us in the city. Eventually, though, the issues that come with living in an older building (like a leaking ceiling/roof, for one) outweighed the charm.

If you know me well, you know that I love old things. I LOVE vintage clothing (check back soon to see what I found to wear to Erik's work Christmas party this year!!!), old furniture, dishes, buildings...anything that has a story and a past. Even the house I grew up in is closing in on 150 years old.  Needless to say, moving from a place that had such history to a place that was still being updated the day we moved in was a little out of character for me. We decided that we loved our neighborhood too much to leave so we took the tiny leap and moved a couple blocks down, into a newly renovated apartment.

It was a fresh start...and a very blank slate.

Choosing the color palette was more difficult than I thought it would be. Since the first time I laid eyes on the red and blue flamestitch (bottom right), I loved it. I was so certain that it would be the perfect inspiration for our new living room. While I dug through my 'collection' of fabrics searching for reds and blues, another palette started to surface. It was softer, lighter, more subtle, more Northwest...what was happening to me?! I love bright colors...I AM bright colors! Why was I being pulled to this neutral palette? I knew Erik would love it...especially because we had pillows with fuchsia, orange, and even flowers in our last place. I couldn't decide so I took the issue to the people who I knew would not hold back their opinions...my facebook friends!

 Right or Left?!?! There was no clear winner! I had to make a decision and just for kicks I chose.....

The Neutrals!!

And here is the before...the blank, bland, cream, living room. AND our new, comfortable, gray Kravet sofa!

We organized the books (a perfect backdrop for any space!)...

Found THE PERFECT coffee table on etsy (click here to see this guy's shop...amazing) and paired it with a simple chevron throw rug.

I slaved away on my little sewing machine...not really...but it took a few week nights and a Saturday afternoon to finish up the pillows. Here are three of my favorites...

And a couple close ups...

One of my favorite movies and a gift from my Papa Garrett...my Casablanca poster is finally on display after so many years.

And after a few months, a little shopping, collecting, sewing, and picture hanging...here is our lovely living room, the space where we hang out, read, eat, and live.

I've learned something very important through this move and this 'make-over' of our living room. No matter where we live, whether its an old house full of stories, an apartment with lots of history, a simple, clean, renovated place or somewhere in between...it's what WE bring to the space that makes it a home (but a few new throw pillows won't hurt).

Photo Friday: How to discover (or rediscover) your style

To switch things up a bit, I'm throwing in a little 'how to' as part of this week's Photo Friday!

I need (and when I say need... I mean NEED) to have a creative outlet or I start to go stir crazy. Just ask Erik! If I'm not working on something or at least coming up with a list of things to work on, I start to have one of those, 'oh my god what am i doing with my life' moments...when I have something to keep these crafting hands busy, I'm at complete peace with the world. I'm learning, as I mentioned in my last post, that things seem to go in waves, we have ups, downs and somewhere-in-betweens. What do I do to keep sane during the slower times? I get out my old magazines and rediscover my style!

When I was in college, I had the opportunity to visit a few furniture factories, fabric mills, and textile design studios in North Carolina. It was an amazing experience but one woman stuck out to me. She was a color specialist at one of the design studios (ummm...officially my dream job). Her job was to research color trends and come up with colors and color combos for the fabric and trimming collections her studio produced. One way she researched color was by taking a stack of the newest magazines and cutting out everything she found visually interesting. Even if it was the background color of an ad, she would cut it out. She then took the pile of magazine clippings and sorted them into smaller piles. There wasn't really any trick or method to sorting them, she just thought the colors and images looked good together...the 'just beacuase' method- my favorite reason for choosing colors for my own work.

This would be a fun project for anyone, though, not just the crazy, color-obsessed weaving lady...Maybe you're trying to put together some new outfits for work? Or trying to decide what color to paint your bedroom? Anyone who is trying to discover (or rediscover) their style should try this out. And who doesn't have a stack of magazines?

My fancy flowery sketchbook, a big stack of old magazines, tape and scissors

Cut out everything you love....EVERYTHING!

My big pile of every image I thought was interesting...yeah, I started tearing out pages. Maybe I LOVED too many things. 

Sort into smaller piles...HINT: DO NOT THINK TOO MUCH...just go with your gut and what you think looks good together. I tend to go more by color but you be the judge! I try to let it just happen...

Glue or tape the smaller piles in your sketchbook and VOILA!
This one of my finished pages that turned into a lemon, lime, pink, and red color combo.

An ode to the celedon/aqua/'spa-qua' (spa + aqua) --this one's for my work mates.

Indigo and Red

I go through this little process every once in a while and it has been really interesting to look back through the pages I did months (or years!) ago. You should try it...Even though the colors and images change, you will start to see a common theme or 'look'. That common thread is YOU! It's your style...embrace it! :)

Photo Friday: New Yarn!

All of this weaving has made me a little yarn obsessed. I've been searching through etsy and ebay listings, the local yarn shop...everywhere! The first (and largest) yarn order arrived on Wednesday and I couldn't be more excited. I also have to give a shout out to Dancing Leaf Farm on etsy for the AMAZING hand-dyed multi-colored yarn I received too (see first photo below). I can't wait to use it! I have a couple more hand-dyed skeins from another etsy shop on there way so more photos to come. 

Oh, and I don't know if I need to mention this, but if you are in the market for a new scarf...I have a lot of colors on hand to choose from!!!

Photo Friday: Yep, you guessed it...the Scarf

Enjoy my first ever 'Photo Friday' with my latest labors of love...

Next in line!!!

Five down and at least three more in line! I'll be posting them to my shop over the next few weeks so check them out there as well. 

I might take a little break from the loom this weekend...so maybe there will be some scenic, outdoorsy photos to share next Friday! 

My Craft Corner Evolution (part deux)

We have now been in our new place for exactly 6 months and I FINALLY have my new little craft corner up and running. I've been busy for the past few weeks weaving my evenings away to fill up the good 'ol Savannah's Sunshine Shop for the holidays. I know what you're thinking...it's only the beginning of September!!! In the world of handmade goods, I'm learning that September might be a little late to start stock piling my Etsy shop for those Christmas shoppers. I sat down a few weeks ago and mapped out a plan for the next couple months (and years...but that's a long story for another day!!) and I'm determined to be ready this year.

The first thing on to do list...set up shop!

The all important list of goals and some color inspiration...pretty pictures are a must have in this corner!

This is a warping board but when I'm not using it to measure out yarn, it displays
the scarves and rugs that are next in line

My big orange bucket of supplies and books

And here it is....my little corner...where the magic happens.

 Number two on the to do list...start weaving!!! Check back soon to see some in progress photos!

A Fresh Start

The goods news is, I can feel the craftiness coming back! I haven't started any new projects yet but I will soon. To make sure I'm ready when the creativity starts flowing, I decided to organize my fabric and supplies. We moved into our new apartment at the end of February and I called 'dibs' on part of the front closet.

I sorted my fabrics into 'printed' and 'woven'. The woven fabrics are in a big bin (just waiting to be made into new pillows!) and the prints are organized by color and stacked on the upper shelves. If you can believe it, I went through my fabric before our move and took four to five bags back to our showroom to be donated. What I still have is the fabric I just couldn't live without...

And here is one more photo. This shows MY side of the closet...poor Erik!

Hopefully, this fresh start will inspire me to get back to weaving, sewing, and crafting. In the meantime, stay tuned! I have some fun photos from my amazing weekend in LA with my wonderful friend/bride-to-be, Tina and her awesome friend/maid of honor Anastasia.

 My sis-in-law, Julie, is in town this weekend and then next week Erik and I are finally going to have a weekend get-away to Vancouver, B.C. Many adventures and posts to come! :)