Busy Little Sewing Elves

Sonia and I have been busy sewing our little elf slippers off these past couple of weeks.  I'm pleased to say that the last of our Christmas orders is complete and awaiting pick up!!  In between orders we've also been working on handmade Christmas gifts for our family and friends.  Unfortunately, my big plans to make a puppet theatre and puppets for Funny Guy, Alright and Big Squirt (and Dream Girl by association) has been put on hold.  This stinks - and I know that if I didn't sleep or eat between now and Christmas I could probably get it done.  Maybe.  Of course all of our Christmas creations are still secrets (coy little elves that we are) but we will share some of them after the holidays.  Mainly so you can all tell us what nice work we've done!!!  But seriously, the stocking Sonia made for Dream Girl is brag worthy, not to mention blog-worthy.

Plus we've been listening to lots of Christmas music while we sew.
Fa la la la la
La la la la
This is the one time of the year that Sonia gets to pick out the music we listen to.

Yes, Sonia - I know you were the one who told me about Sarah McLachlan coming to Halifax in the Spring.  Yes - you got us our tickets.  Yes it will be awesome. 

You do not have bad taste in music.  But you do frequently have bad taste in radio stations that I have to remedy whilst sewing so as to prevent myself from sewing my ears to the table.

And don't pretend that listening to Christmas music isn't just your sick way of making me listen to Michael Buble and co. 

Only 4 more sleeps til the big day!!!  How will you be spending your time?

Last Christmas I gave you my heart......

Sonia is trying to kill me. 

Call
the
police!

Rock Star Cloth Doll by Third Street

I am in love with this new Third Street Rock Star doll.

Decked out in his Dad's hand me down jeans and dress shirt, this little dude is totally rockin' his own hipster style.  His ill-equipped seamstress girlfriend (humbly known on Third Street as The Machine) went into chain stitch overdrive on this one.  Tightly HAND EMBROIDERED chain stitches offer up bold lines for the star, the 45, and the steel glasses.  The fine detailing, frames and lettering are done BY HAND using a back stitch and his gorgeous Third Street eyes are done in our characteristic satin stitch.  Which was also done A LA MAIN. 

Is my redundancy irritating?  Yes.  But - I have an ulterior motive fueled by only a wee bit of resentment .... Which I will not allow myself or the lovely readers of this blog to be bothered by any further, as its cause is not even worth mentioning in the company of true appreciators of handcrafted goods ... and people who are insightful enough to recognize inherent skill when its achievement is justly earned.  Painstakingly, in fact.  But let's get back to the doll, shall we?

Once he was finished according to the custom order criteria, I felt this doll was still missing something. Then I decided the little dude's inner child was just screaming for some vinyl.  Aren't we all? So I kicked it old school and payed homage to the black circle.  

I think this little buddy is going to look sweet in Jack's Rock Star nursery. 

So let's hear it for all the Rock Star babies out there:

1 2 3 4 5 6 Stitch

We're headed back to Exhibition Park again this morning for another day of working the Street. Yesterday and last night flew by! We met some great artists and crafters, chatted with good friends, got the juice on some interesting happenings, and got to listen to some awesome music. Plus, we completed 5 (6?) new dolls, including a spectacular boy super hero. Pictures taken and will be shared once all is complete.

For anyone interested in attending, the details are here. There are still two days left, come on down and get your craft on with Third Street!

Girl, Put Your Records On

I love music.  Folk, jazz, rock, alternative, Seattle grunge ... 80's rap.  Even some country - but only the western kind ;)

One of my favorite all time artists is Canadian singer songwriter Joni Mitchell. 

I love her.  Just like Emma Thompson in Love, Actually.

Alive, alive, I wanna get up and jive
I wanna wreck my stockings in some jukebox dive (All I Want)

 It's visceral. 

When I think of your kisses
my mind see-saws (All I Want)

A few months ago my family acquired a turn table.  This is a short story that could easily become a long 'Andrea" story - so for once - I'll spare you.  Over time, my husband and I had stashed all of our parent's old vinyl (and some from when we were little - Cindy Lauper's Girls Just Wanna Have Fun) away in our attic hatch waiting for the day when we could enjoy them once again. 

When we were dating, we used to listen to records together in my parent's basement.  Awesome stuff like Cat Stevens, Kris Kristofferson and The Bay City Rollers.  Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, with it's wicked fold open illustrated jacket.  We even had a 45 of Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell.  Plus the inevitable ABBA and Tom Jones records...

Good times.

Shortly after this little delight came into our possession, my husband surprised me with a new copy of Joni Mitchell's Blue album.  The quality is amazing - crystal clear but with a little vinyl static mixed in ... to enhance the nostalgia.

I want to have fun, I want to shine like the sun 

I want to be the one that you want to see

I want to knit you a sweater

want to write you a love letter

I want to make you feel better

I want to make you feel free (All I Want)

Recorded and released in 1971, Blue is arguably Joni Mitchell's best record.  In January 2000, the New York Times chose Blue as one of the 25 albums that represented "turning points and pinnacles in 20th-century popular music" (Wikipedia). 

So what are you waiting for? 

Girl, put your records on, tell me your favorite song
You go ahead, let your hair down
Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams,
Just go ahead, let your hair down (Corrine Bailey Rae, Put Your Records On)

Brown Paper Packages Tied up with String ...

I promise not to keep doing this ... eventually ... once the novelty wears off ...

These are a few of my favorite things...

.... Biking, tea, music, The Little Prince, Flight of the Concords, rocking the party, chai, my family, snuggling, sleeping, elephants

~ being eaten by a boa constrictor is optional ~

my home, reading and books, comfort, My Love, mending broken hearts, escape, sewing,

sewing puns, sewing with my sister, Pearl Jam, Black, mary janes ....

Third Street Modern Monsters Online Debut Party

We've mentioned our monsters before but I realized that we haven't shown many of them. So I thought it was about time I made some introductions.  You know, so we can all mingle awkwardly amongst ourselves, having already forgotten one another's names while enjoying a caviar garnished appetizer.  Oh yeah, on Third Street, we go big on snacks.  

Understand that this is a special event.  Our monsters tend to hang out exclusively on Third Street where they enjoy the limitless wonders of the imaginary world that Sonia and I are working so hard to create.  A lively place, where the weather is always sunny and a balmy 28 degrees, and swimming trunks are only required while biking. Their only real excursions (well, prior to Ludwig's adoption into the home of Walter and Katharine/aka anonymous, where Freed secretly visits him in the early morning hours) have been to a few craft shows where Sonia and I have shown our work.  Modern Monsters are very loyal and supportive friends.

So without further ado I present :

The Third Street Modern Monsters

Freed

Freed is a smooth talking disco hero who doesn't dance.  Trust us, it's a long story and he's still a little sore on the subject. 

He pulls his look off so well we think he's actually undercover. Cops love to disguise themselves as circa 1970s pimps, you know. Narc, perhaps?

Freed will soon be taking up residence (until he sells, that is!) in our shop.  As soon as Sonia sends me that information that I requested.  Like a month ago.  Sheesh!

Ludwig

Ludwig is a monster who strives on a daily basis to overcome 'monster' stereotypes. He is polite, has good manners, and a day job. He wants a Blackberry for Christmas to complete his corporate image. Ludwig lives with his friends Walter and Katharine and acts as their administrative assistant.  He's hoping to save enough money to pay for braces to correct is monster esque overbite.

Lulu

Lulu was our first girl monster, made following an excursion to Atlantic Fabrics that resulted in our acquisition of alternate stuffing materials and a great deal of disorientation on my part (as the above link details).  This Modern Monster is all flowers and frills, an irresistible feature in the eyes of many little girls, including my princess/monster/ninja adoring 3 year old daughter.

Iziabella Annalee

How adorable is she?? 

I mean seriously?

Sonia and I veered on our fabric choices for this little girl leading to her evolution into a monster of the most darling proportions.  Izzy's stay with us was very short - she was snapped up at our Vervain Fair in September in a heartbeat by my friend Claudia who was gifting her to a friend's daughter living in Switzerland. 

I never get tired of talking about that, I feel excited about this and justifiably entitled to some bragging rights.  Claudia was hoping to offer me some pictures of the little girl playing with her monster, but that did not come to fruition, much to mine and Claudia's dismay.   

Well, that's all for today, my most beloved readers.  While we do have a few more Modern Monsters hanging around her somewhere, their debut will have to wait for another awkward party.  The cheese on the snack tray is beginning to turn and all of our quests have run out of things to say about the weather.  Plus, someone's deodorant is not responding (as advertised) to their body's malodorous response to social pressures.  It's only an online party, sheesh!

So stuff some appies into your bag and skedaddle.    

Thanks for coming!

I'm linking to:

A Few of my Favorite Things link party

Happy Valentine's

And on a more romantic note, you know, for the holiday....

You got to not talk dirty, baby
If you wanna impress me
You can't be too flirty, mama
I know how to undress me (yeah)
I want to be your fantasy
Maybe you could be mine
You just leave it all up to me
We could have a good time

You don't have to be rich
To be my girl
You don't have to be cool
To rule my world
Ain't no particular sign I more compatible with
I just want your extra time and your .. .. ..

KISS

 Don't ya just love Prince??

It could happen to you

Thursday night I went to see one of my favorite bands, Blue Rodeo. Arguably one of the best Canadian bands out there. The guys released a new recording in late 2009 called "the things we left behind", a double disk collection featuring their signature country/rock sound. What pleased me the most at the show though was not their new stuff, but the collection of vintage music they played. I also loved that they didn't have a huge elaborate stage show, it really was all about the music! We had fantastic seats and a pending parking ticket, great night.

Don't you just it love when you go to a concert and the opening act is fantastic? We were introduced to a band from Western Canada called The Dustin Bentall Outfit. Check out their website and listen to music from their new recording "Six Shooter".

An unexpected treat was Kendel Carson, the cute fiddle player in the Dustin Bentall Outfit. Kendel sang back up and played the fiddle through all of the bands songs. Before the end of their set, Dustin introduced the band and told us about Kendel's recent success in the US with the release of her current recording. She played her current release "Oh Baby Lie Down".

If you're a sucker for girly, folkie, lilith fair type signers, check her out, you won't be disappointed.

On a final note, just because you can whistle like a trucker doesn't mean you should. My ears were shot from the desperate housewives whistling and hooting in the row behind us. Calm down ladies it's just a rock band.

I Got a Feeling

The other night while my Sweetest and I were sitting at the table digesting our supper, I found myself happily engrossed in the domesticity that has become my daily life.  Surrounded by half eaten supper plates and splashes of milk, in a room littered with toys, discarded socks, escaped dryer sheets and fingerprints of unknown origins smearing every surface - all highlighted by a score of giggles and pattering feet - I felt completely at home. 

I love that my family is entering a phase where my husband and I can sit for a few minutes following supper pondering the day's events while our children entertain themselves - and us - by running from room to room playing tag and laughing like the little goof balls that they've become. 

So with this good feeling fresh in my mind and at the risk of sounding overly sentimental, I've composed a list of things that I love.

The way my kids look when they're sleeping. 

Eddie Vedder's voice.

The way people I love smell.  Weird, I know. 

The way my dog reacts to his own farts.  Always makes us laugh, poor bugger!

Snuggling.  Especially with my kids after they've been sleeping and are still super cuddly warm.

• People who share my sense of humor.

My husband's unconditional love.  Well, that and so much more.

People who mind their manners.  Seem simple enough, right?

Hot chocolate, chai latte and tea.  With and without Baileys.

My mom's cooking.  And how much she loves us.

Watching my children learn new things.

Silent reading.  We all hated it in elementary school, but now it's not so bad.

The funny things my kids say.  Especially when they're being serious.  Example: To my 3 year old "Thanks, Sweetheart" to which she replies "You're welcome, Sweetheart."  So sweet it's sickening, right? 

Childhood logic, but only when it's not directed at me.  I don't have the brains for that.  Example: Upon cleaning my little girl up after using the potty I tell her to wash her hands, to which she replies "I don't need to, you did it.  My hands not get dirty."  Almost convincing enough.

• Hugs from my father.  And 'That Ol Fishing Hole.'

And especially,

Hearing my children giggle in their sleep.  It's pure magic.

  Write a comment below and share what you love most of all.  Just because something we love MOST OF ALL is... YOU !!

Third Street Salvage Yard :: Sensible Shoes

We love to make dolls. Andrea and I have been sewing together for a few years and nothing has brought us joy like that of making dolls. We love every part of the process, from selecting the fabrics and assembly, to giving them their personalities, and seeing people's response to them at shows and from pictures.

Just like little girls, every one of our dolls are unique and come with their own personality.

In addition to a few custom orders, we've started on a new batch of dolls, to prepare for the Halifax Crafters December Market, which we are participating in on December 5 & 6th. Often times during the process of making our dolls, they develop a "back story". A history or a glimpse into their lives. Some back stories are simple, like they enjoy playing dress up or have tea parties, and some back stories are complex and develop according to our inspirations and imaginations.

These lovely girls are sisters and started out when we began creating war bride/Sally Ann inspired dolls. The big sister in the red had, though she may look all grown up with her fancy clothes and polished nails is still very much a little girl. Her little sister wants to be just like her. She is wearing burgundy shoes, inspired by the song by Patti Griffin. These two girls are now living in Toronto.

This young lady is a waitress and part time model. Inspired by the song "Most Beautiful Girl in the Room" by Flight of the Conchourds. She is now living with a crafter friend who collects hand made dolls.

In the batch we're working on now we have a fashionesta, inspired and being made especially for our cousin Jah Sara, and a secretary/aspiring actress who takes her day job very seriously and wears sensible shoes.

Tonight's the Night!

Oh I'm doing it, and there is no one here who can stop me.

After spending the last two weeks replenishing our binkie and ball inventory, I have moved on (again) to Christmas stuff! Our Dad just made a few more sleds for me to paint and I've been working on replenishing our Christmas Ornaments. And tonight my friends, I will listen to Christmas music while I work. There I said it, and there is no taking it back.

Friday Night Sewing

Another night of mad - girl sewing.  Our digits are all intact, however we've begun once again to add to the severed limbs doll pile.  It's a beautiful thing.

We have the order for my good friend Karen (balls, binkies, and dolls - oh my!) nearly completed.  We're very pleased because we got to use the chenille blankets we nabbed at Fabricville last month.  They are just as soft as the chenille backs we've always used, but they are more plushy and give the binkies, well, more plush!  

We're also working on a hand embroidery piece for my friend Sherri - well it's technically for Sherri's son, but time has yet to tell whether she'll actually give it to him or keep it for herself!  This piece uses a combination of hand and machine applique and hand embroidery on an upcycled moss-coloured wool and will feature a hand stitched "You are my Sunshine" endearment.  We are very eager to see the completed project!

Also, the backs are finished for the stockings we're making for Resha - oh yeah, we're making stockings for my babysitter Resha's two little ones - and they're set for their final jaunt to the sewing table.  They are beautiful - quilted and hand embroidered and gorgeous.

Plus we're starting to create things for the upcoming show we're doing in December.  So little time!  And - just so you can feel my pain - it's only a matter of time before Sonia starts trying to make me listen to Christmas music while we work.  I know, I've got it bad!


* Please excuse me as I have no pictures today.  My camera's batteries died and while I have new ones I picked up today, they're in the kitchen and I'm in here, and, well, I'm sure you can appreciate my dilemma.

Special Monday Morning Tape :: Old Sad Bastard Music

Original Print Date: August 17, 2009 by Andrea for Vervain Designs

Monday mornings make me think of the scene from High Fidelity where Jack Black as a typical freak out after John Cusack shuts him down for blasting and dancing vulgarly to "Walking on Sunshine".

[Rob turns off Barry's tape]
Barry: OK, buddy, uh, I was just tryin' to cheer us up so go ahead. Put on some old sad bastard music, see if I care.
Rob: I don't wanna hear old sad bastard music, Barry, I just want something I can ignore.
Barry: Here's the thing. I made that tape special for today. My special Monday morning for *you*... special.
Rob: Well, it's fuckin' Monday afternoon! You should get out of bed earlier!

Old sad bastard music makes me think of Sonia, because - well... Oh, never mind! Sonia has GREAT taste in music - I don't know what I was thinking. Who wouldn't want to sew to Enya? It's PROBABLY good for
the creative mind to slip into a semi-coma and stab oneself with sharp pointy things every now and then. Come on - how authentic are handmade wares that aren't stained with the crafter's own life blood? I'm sure when she insists on playing her music while we sew it's merely her attempt at calming my soul. Meditation is supposed to be good for you - right? Always the caring older sister... With, of course, GREAT taste in music.

On a more serious note....

I'm please to report that we have finished yet another of our orders - a doctor doll for my friend and coworker Katie who recently got accepted into medical school. I also finished my mom's birtday present, a gorgeous doll made entirely from recycled facrics, whom she named Flora. I have pictures to post (of course!) but my computer was having an adolescent defiance episode last night and wouldn't cooperate. Remaining orders are Jodie's two dolls for her daughter and neice, which are in the semi-severed-limbs end-stages of assembly and awaiting the enchantements durived from a hand embroidered face. Next up are projects for our Vervain Fair fall show next month  which will feature a collection of Sally Ann dolls - Thirties inspired dolls talented at 'making do'. Plus a few dolls for Amy's little friends in Alberta that she'll get during her visit in Septemeber. Photos to come!!