Custom stamps

I did a couple custom stamps the other day. I was just asked to add some details to two of my regular designs and they came out so cute!

I forgot how much I liked carving stamps so I'm glad that I've gotten some orders lately. Maybe I'll design some new ones?

Also, unrelated to stamps but so excited to finally get some other projects I've been thinking about actually started! These are going to be real soon!

Picnic Blanket

When I was little I had a blanket that I loved. I don't know where it came from, or who made it but I remember I really loved it. I don't really remember napping with it or cuddling with it or anything like that. It had a purpose that was almost always for me to sit or play on. I remember dumping Legos out on it, playing with Barbies and most importantly taking to the park to watch the fireworks on the 4th of July.

I asked my mom months ago if she still had the blanket and was so happy when she said yes. She sent it to me along with some fabric and some squares she had cut and kept to make me a quilt someday. When I saw my old blanket I was surprised to see how ragged it looked with lots of tears and worn down spots. I decided almost immediately that I would use the squares my mom sent me to make a new one.

Old (and loved!) blanket on the back of the chair, new one in progress on the table!

Well, I finished the new one last night and I'm pretty happy with it. It was super simple, just a bunch of squares sewn together for the front, a single piece for the back and some cotton ties. 

And guess what I plan to do with it when it's not totally soggy out all the time anymore? (So I have to wait a few months...) Take it for picnics and adventures! Make fun memories with my new little blanket. It's so simple but it makes me so happy!

Lookout Point Lake

Adam and I went for a little drive yesterday. I have been feeling kind of cooped up and needed to get out a little bit. I mostly don't mind winter here, it's dark and rainy, but it's still very green and there are still some flowers around. We decided to drive east along Rt. 58 to Dexter and check out the covered bridge that is there. Guess what, it's a covered bridge and I don't really have much else to say about it. Ha!

It was wet but (almost 60 degrees, WHAT?) we stood outside for a bit and looked out at the reservoir. It was all misty and pretty.


Before we left the house I had peeked at Google Maps quickly to find some roads to check out. One of the weird things out here is that you can't just go out for a drive and always expect there will be multiple routes to get home. Especially if you are heading east because at some point you are probably going to hit a pass and be in the mountains.

I found a road that looked like it just ran along the shore of Lookout Point Lake, which is what we would have been driving along if we had stayed on 58, just the opposite side. I couldn't really see any point where it would be easy to cross back over to 58, but we decided to try it out anyway.

It was so pretty, despite the rain and clouds and wasn't really what I expected. I thought it was going to be a lower road that just went along the shore but we were pretty high above in the trees. The road twisted and turned I kept trying to peek through little clear spots down to the lake and I kept noticing that all along the shore were tree stumps. We eventually stopped at a boat launch area and got out. We walked a ways down long boat ramp and just looked around for a bit. Tree stumps everywhere!

Maybe it was the mist and fog and rain, but for whatever reason, this was such a bizarre site to me. We couldn't see an end to them in either direction and it kind of creeped me out!

We got back in the car and we were going to continue down the road but there were signs that said the pavement ended. We continued down a little further but it turned to gravel and since we didn't know at what point  it would, if at all, turn back to pavement, we decided to turn around. When we got home later I looked at a map and it turned out we barely even made it halfway down the road! It wasn't too far a drive away from Eugene, so I think we are probably going to try and go back on a day when it's not so wet.

When we got home Adam made giant burgers for lunch. Giant burger + having taken Bonine so I wouldn't get carsick = Me passing the eff out for an hour or so after lunch. It was kind of an accidental nap situation.

But anyway! We will be back for you, N. or W. Boundry Road! (I think the map and the actual road said two different things)

Vlisco dutch wax

I found these beauties while searching for wax print fabrics today. They are dutch wax prints from Vlisco.

There are so many more at their site but these were a few of my favorites.

And how gorgeous is this dress in one of the color ways of the first pattern above. I love how large the print is!

Painted fabric

For a while now I've been wanting to try and print some of my own fabrics. I never actually tried it because , for whatever reason, I had always thought about it as printing at least a yard of fabric. That's pretty silly. I decided the other day that I would just try and do some small pieces for some small sewing projects.

I did these today on some small linen blend pieces I had. They are painted with acrylic paint mixed with a fabric medium. I think I'll try washing them tomorrow and see how they hold up, but what I had in mind for them isn't something that would probably be washed anyway. 

I'm slowly working through a giant mountain of laundry that I have been meaning to do for weeks now. It's one of those chores that I'm trying really hard to be better about. I didn't really make resolutions this year but I do want to make a conscious effort to get into better habits. I have such an awesome feeling about this year and I'm not sure why. It's going to be great, I know it!

2011!

Happy New Year everybody! 

We had a really great New Year's Eve last night with friends. We got dressed up and had dinner at a small restaurant downtown called Belly. Our friends had been raving about it for a while, but Adam and I had never been. Needless to say, by no means were they overselling it. It was one of the best meals either of us have ever had. (and by meals I mean we ordered a million things and all shared) 

After dinner we went over to our friend's house and played a really cool card game called Dixit. It's sort of like Apples to Apples, but you tell stories about images on your cards. It was super fun and the illustrations on the cards is really nice. Also at their house: lots of snuggling their dog, Daphne and champagne, Kim let me borrow a season of Doug (I'm reaaalllyyy excited!).

Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful year! I feel like it's going to be an exciting one with lots of changes and new adventures ahead.