Two Shakes of a Lamb's Tail

Sunday at Levine's...

Michael Levine's in the garment district in Downtown LA is truly FANTASTIC! Not to mention harmful on your pocketbook! I've been going there with my Mom since childhood, but have only begun to really appreciate its amazingness in my adult years. Marisa and I were there a few weeks ago and we both brought home quite a haul of fabric from both the main store and their "Loft" discount store.

Since I was up in the LA area on Sunday, my mom and I decided to take a little side trip to Levine's for some fabric satisfaction, oh and I really needed elastic for a project! And, as per usual, Levine's did not disappoint. Below you will find my fabric purchases from our brief visit there.... not shown, a handful of Zippers (.35 each), 12 yards of 1/2 inch elastic (.25 a yard) and a couple grab bags of trims ($2.00 each). Can I just say, that the trim bags are such a great deal!!! In both of my bags there was yards and yards of usable trim--including loads of elastic. Not a 1/4 yard cut to be found!

OK...below:  Two yards of Robert Kauffman Sofia cotton Lawn and matching organic cotton voile lining for a skirt, two yards of the neatest lily of the valley cotton for a new shower curtain, a yard of COTTON and SILK voile--the softest stuff you will EVER feel, and then a yard of white cotton voile--the last two for skirt lining.

I LOVE Japanese fabrics. I'm always stalking and frequently buying fabric from Superbuzzy. I think the stuff is great! And such wonderful quality. Levine's, because it is such a SUPER place, stocks quite a few Japanese fabrics. And who can resist a monkey in a tree with a walking bucket and Little Bo Peep??? The floral print is so lovely in person.

Marisa and I have another trip planned for August. Who needs Joann's when you can go to Levines for all you need??

Last Night's Sewing

Last night, I had an overwhelming desire to be crafty. I needed a quick, satisfying and useful project---after perusing through a couple of my Japanese crafty books, I came up with Zippered Pouches! This week I have two work colleagues with birthdays and a good friend, so I thought that pouches would be a good supplement to their pressies! Off to work I went, and whipped up the first one (the Pucci inspired one on the right). I wasn't thrilled with the zipper installation so I made a few changes to the way I made the second one. The dragonfly fabric (isn't it fantastic) comes from the wonderfully talent Kristen Doran over at Cheeky Beaks! I was able to score one of her scrap bags a while back, and I finally worked up the courage to cut into a piece of it!

Fun, eh! I think that I might have a new addiction!

Fabric Coma

Went to Michael Levine's yesterday. The end result...a Fabric Coma. See Pye's illustration below....

A Southern California Must See...

If you are at all an admirer of Modern Art, or are simply one who appreciates seeing fine works of art, you must go to the Frederick R. Weisman Art Collection in Beverly Hills. This little known museum is truly amazing. Nestled in the hills right off Sunset near UCLA, the collection is displayed in what was once one of Weisman family homes. Totally free to visit (all you need to do is call for a reservation), you get to see works of art by Cézanne, Picasso, Kandinsky, Ernst, Miro, Magritte, Johns, de Kooning, Warhol, Lichtenstein, Oldenburg, and Rosenquist to name but a few! You are led through the house by a docent on a tour that lasts a little less than 2 hours and groups are kept small and personal. Ask questions...get right up close to a Magritte...see a Picasso hanging over the fireplace...wander right past a Pollack on the way to the bathroom...notice the Warhol IN the bathroom...take advantage of the fact that you will never have the opportunity to see art in this sort of environment again! This is a must see!

Fruits of the Garden

Look what my garden yielded this morning! The first of hopefully many harvests!!

Yum!

Pyewacket

I know. Long silence. I have no excuse really. Life has simply become so busy and my downtime is very limited. I have nothing crafty to report, sadly. Although, I have been doing some major stash building with purchases from superbuzzy and Z and S Fabrics (who, I might add, has the best price on the Denyse Schmidt's Katie Jump Rope). I have the *hope* that I will find time to do something creative very soon. I have this overwhelming need to dig out my sewing machine.

It might, however, be a task to get anything done with a new addition to my life. As an early birthday present (its in July and the big 3-0 I might add), my parents decided to get me a kitten. A lovely thought and totally life changing. She has wormed her way into my life and is a joy. I've had to kitten proof my room since she has many 'moments' when she is deemed a terrorist or menace. I think that when the time comes for fabric, sewing machine and thread to make an appearance she will turn into Capitan destruct-o. It will be an adventure!

Introducing, Pyewacket (named after the Siamese cat in one of my favorite films Bell, Book & Candle starring Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak). She affectionately known as "Pye."

As my roommate pointed out, Pye looks almost Purrrfect. Cheese. I know!

Needle Felted

I've been a fan of Jennifer Docherty's needle felted birds and critters for some time. They are just magic! You just have to have lightning fast speed to pick one up when she updates her shop. I love needle felting--there is something very pleasing about stabbing a ball of wool with a sharp needle. I think that it helps to relieve tension! I've thought about tacking a bird similar to one of Jennifer's for some time, so  I was thrilled to see that she was scheduled to appear on Martha's daytime show. How exciting! So the DVR was set, the roving and needles dug out of a craft box, and I was ready to go. In cased you missed it...click here.

After a few hours of work I ended up with a little spring chick and another one was started immediately. This first attempt now lives with my Mom. I can't wait to tackle something a bit larger-perhaps a cat!

Oh, and while on Martha's site, be sure to also check out Jennifer Murphy's lovely little Bunnies. I'm making one of them next... Happy Easter All!

The First...

The first of hopefully many more crafty/sewing projects to come. A colleague and friend who is very pregnant (and at this point ready to pop) and had a baby shower not all that long ago. She, is completely in love with happy faces. Actually, let's be honest, it is an obsession! So, it was a no brainer to whip up a bib and burp cloth in a very perky happy face batik print.

Here's hoping this is a start to a very productive spring!

One Year and More!

Yesterday marks the one year anniversary of my first post! I can't believe it. And I now remember why I held off until after last year's Gala to set up my blog! Last night, almost a year's worth of work came to fruition--our Dream Gala (of which I am the lead staff on)  raised $2.3 million for diabetes research!  That is a full $1.4 million more than last year. It feels so great!

I am now, however, ready to get my life back! Crafty projects-where to start! Sewing machine, knitting needles,where are you? Garden here I come! Friends, I'm back (Hi Marisa).

You know you're busy when...

You haven't posted to your blog in ages and there are 535 unread updates in google reader. I will be back soon...post Gala. Wish me luck...the goal is to raise $2 million!