kitchen love

Doing dishes never looked this good! Haha, not really. Doing dishes never looks good. But you can try to bring some joy to it by making cute dish towels.

I like to embroider stuff, as you probably know. And I think it's important to add a little homemade flourish to your life. Consequently, most of the gifts I give tend to be on the homemade side of things and tend towards wonky as most of the things I make end up slightly askew. I like to call it character. Or maybe style. Yes! That's it! Wonky is the style I intend every time I set out to make something... :)

Anyhow, I digress. Have I mentioned my lovely boyfriend before? And especially how lovely it is that he appreciates my penchant for things homemade? I made these as part of his Christmas gift and just got around to taking pictures yesterday.

The first one came out of my head. Or at least, I think it did. But chances are I saw it somewhere, cataloged it in the deepest region of my brain for future reference, forgot I saw it, and then produced it thinking it was solely mine. I imagine I should be attributing the idea to someone, somewhere, but who knows?

The second one is the kitchen gnome. Kitchen gnomes make doing dishes magical, didn't you know? He comes from Andrea Zuill's blog BadBirds. Every month she posts a free embroidery pattern and they are dripping with awesome! Check out her blog here and download the gnome here.


And for the record (and just for fun!)... Me: cookies, wasabi, coke and eggs. Dave: milk, sushi, rum and ham. :)

sweet dreams

I made these pillow slips for my lovely boyfriend for Christmas. Who doesn't want a dinosaur sending out waves of love as you drift off to sleep? I know I do! Aforementioned boyfriend also took these shots, proving he's no slouch with a camera either. xo.

on the upswing

This past week has been a rollercoaster of feeling well, not-so-well, horribly ill and everything in between. But all was not lost. I managed to drink a lot of this.


And finally finish this.


And even learn how to do this! (Yay french knots!).

citizens of make believe

So far there are seven citizens of Make Believe but I'm sure over time their population will grow. Today I would like to introduce you to five of the happy friends.

Meet Turnip. He's Make Believe's founding member. He looks young but don't let that baby face fool you! His wisdom makes him a perfect friend for whispering your dreams and secrets to at night. He gives good hugs and loves having his belly button tickled. X marks the spot!


This is Bruce. He's contemplating a nose ring and tattoos to spunk up his style but I'm trying to convince him he's perfect just the way he is. He loves The Ramones and listens to Rocket to Russia incessantly. He sometimes gets into scraps on the playground but underneath his prickly exterior lies a heart of gold.


Oh Marjorie... what can one say about Marjorie? How about mammas lock up your sons! This one loves to dance and leave lipstick on collars. And those eyes... yes those eyes can soften the hardest of hearts and wrap the sternest of men around her coy monkey fingers. Marjorie loves martinis and her new iPhone.


Don't let Richard's bandanna and country bumpkin guise fool you - this frog has hopped all over the world from Australia to Zaire. He loves trying new food from different cultures and is particularly a fan of Indian and Thai. The spicier the better! His most terrifying moment was falling into a giant crevasse on the peak of Mount Kilamanjaro but this one has more tricks up his sleeve than Go-Go Gadget and used his extra-sticky tongue to pull himself to safety. His stories will keep bonfire gatherers entertained for hours.


Lastly, meet Gnash. It's a silent 'G' and he hates it when it's pronounced. It's Nash not G-Nash! This horse has a propensity towards meloncholy and can often be found off by himself writing poetry or contemplating the meaning of life. He's got little arms so he's not a great hugger, but nothing makes him glow more brightly than getting one. He will nuzzle his muzzle into your heart and you'll never want to let go.

greetings from a make believe world

My friend Elaine was visiting a few weeks ago and when we're together, sparks fly. For two full days my living room "looked like Christmas" with buttons and thread and fiber-fill spread over every available surface. And to what reward! Check out the amazing group of friends we created from socks and gloves!

At first you think you're going to make a little dude with a certain personality but soon you realize you have no control over how your creature will turn out - their personality bursts through with very limited coaxing from you. It's amazing to see them evolve before your very eyes!

Here are a few group shots from their photo shoot one sunny and cool afternoon. Soon I will be posting their individual portrait shots as well... and even a few romantic images of Clementine and Dill Pickle who have quickly proven to be inseparable. :)


It's a little hard to tell, but here they are waiting for the bus. The #7 actually. They were going on an adventure.

From left to right: Richard, Bruce, Dill Pickle, Clementine, Marjorie, Turnip and Gnash.

more front door love

Why hello friends. I know, lately my posts have been few and far between, but I have had a rollercoaster couple of weeks. I miss my sweet little dog dearly and have had some trouble adjusting to life on my own. Consequently, I've been spending as little time as possible at home and that means no creating, no blogging.

But I am feeling sturdier than ever as the days roll by and have once again turned my eye towards the front door. I agree, I do have an inexplicable fascination with my front door and hallway.

A few weeks ago I picked up three Martha Stewart hole punches because I simply couldn't walk away without them. I immediately saw white, delicate garlands criss-crossing my front door just in time for Spring. My snowflakes were so vibrant and colourful that I felt it was time to take the door in another direction.

So I set about punching out bunnies, birds and butterflies and ended up with this:

Individually the garlands are darling but with nothing else on the door, they looked stark and uninviting. A piece of fabric I've been saving for a long time jumped to mind and I thought, "Ah Ha! A curtain!" So I ran down to the sewing room and started making a panel for the front door.

Ta-Da! I quite like the results. It's soft, flowy and feminine - suitable for Spring and my new found independence I suppose. The curtains also provide a nice backdrop to my lovely garlands.

I smile every time I walk up the front steps. I'm pleased with the results!

A Birthday Valentine & Trip Home

My mom's birthday was near the end of January so I went home for an overnight visit. And what a lovely visit it was.

The pretty birthday girl.

What do you get for the woman who has everything? How about some love on a string?

Wrapped in a lovely brown paper bag.

Now tell me apples don't fall far from the tree.




The artist at work.





And what's a trip home without a game of Scrabble?


Guess who won?

And not just won... but completely trampled the competition. (Which is why I don't mind the gloating!).


I wish I could get home to visit more often!

(All these photos were hand-held... no tripod means high ISO which translates into g.r.a.i.n.y. Now I know!).

I Heart Valentine's Day

I can't believe it's been five whole days since I've last posted - that deserves a slap on the hand. Especially since the little project I'm about to show you has been done for almost a week now.

Guess what's coming up? You know it - Valentine's Day! Some may say it's a completely manufactured holiday to boost sales during post-Christmas frugality. I say it's a great opportunity to practice sewing curves (remember my rabbit?!). And why not give ourselves something extra to celebrate? With all that's going on in the world, it's nice to have a reason to celebrate our love!

I have no shortage of love for the girl I made this little decoration for. We haven't seen each other in over two years but I think of her often and... with love! So I sewed together this mini-garland for her door, window, or wherever else she might like to put it during the 2009 season of loooooove.

A Bird On A Towel

I can't seem to get enough of the bird theme lately. Here are two tea towels I stitched for my sister. How can drying dishes not be fun with towels like these?! Also, the applique inspiration came from my very dear friend who is proving to be no slouch at applique herself. xo.