Busy Work

AND SEW ON, AND SEW FORTH

Baby Bibs!

My niece, who just moved to Johanesburg, is expecting her first baby, a girl, Lilliana Grace. She's asked her relatives stateside for homemade items for the baby; something small and easy to stuff into a suitcase. (It's really expensive to ship stuff to Africa!)

Now, we are a crafty, creative bunch for sure: my step-mom is making a quilt; my sister is "crocheting like a madwoman" as I understand it, working on a little oufit, and my other sister (the grandmother-to-be) is sewing everything under the sun—except for baby bibs, 'cuz that's what I promised to make. (She is a professional seamstress, and costume designer, and has the most amazing fabric stash I have ever seen! But since she's in FL and I'm in NH, I had to hit up the fabric store...)

My goal was simple: I had eight weeks to make seven bibs, one for each day of the week. But then, after drooling over all those "quilter's quarters" at the fabric store, and having a tough time narrowing my selection down to only seven prints, I decided I'd make the bibs reversible, and picked out 14 instead. I figured I could mix and match the left over scraps for appliques, ruffles, and such. I didn't have a pattern, so I bought an 89 cent bib, scanned it into my computer, and traced it in Illustrator. I added a seam allowance and printed out a template. I was ready to roll....

My head was swimming with ideas, so I dove right in. Now, I am no professional seamstress, and sometimes my creativity gets the best of me on projects. On the first bib, I got totally carried away making applique flower petals at the neckline (so when it's on, the baby's head looks like the center of a flower). It is so-o-o cute, but it took me three weeks to complete! (I don't have a whole lot of spare time between running a business, chairing a non-profit, planning a remodel of a second home, and basic family & household obligations....)

Okay, so three weeks for one bib meant I only had four weeks to complete the other six! My weekly bib quota had suddenly gone wa-a-y up! No problem (as long as there are 24 hours in a day, I still had plenty of time...). I dragged those bibs cross-country to LA with me last month—and down to Long Island, too—and they've been back and forth to the Lakes Region several times. By the time I ship them to FL, and then my sister carries them to Africa, they will be some well-traveled bibs indeed.

Down to the Wire

Well, there's only one week left now, before my sister flies off to Africa with her second suitcase stuffed with baby gifts, and I am still not finished with the bibs. (And I still have to ship them down to her in FL, too!) I have been pulling all-night sewing sessions this week, staying up into the wee hours of the morning. Last night, I was finally able to pack away the sewing machine, and finished slip stitching all the openings. All that is left are the embellishments and Velcro closures. (I continued to get carried away on a couple of other designs—adding embroidery, ruffles, bows, etc.—but the last four are decidedly PLAIN. Such a shame, as I had SO many more ideas!) I found some nifty buttons to dress the last ones up a bit, so they'll look nice, too. Of course, four bibs actually means eight sides because they're reversible—me and my brilliant ideas!—so I've still got a lot of hand-sewing to do, but I think I'm going to make it.

People just better not look too closely at the handiwork (as I said before, I'm no seamstress). I'm hoping that they won't fall apart in the wash! But I figure, I'm sending seven of them, so the odds are with me that a few will withstand the test of time anyway. And one thing's for sure: Baby Lily will be the best-dressed little drooler in Jo-burg! :)

Can I get bacon with that?

YES, YOU CAN!

Who doesn't love bacon? (Well, I know a couple of people who don't, but I always tell them they're crazy….) I even wrote a short story about bacon once—actually bacon and religion, if you can believe it. It was an excercise for a writing class I was taking. (Sorry, but I'm not quite ready to share that here, folks. Maybe some other time…)

A Virtual Side of Bacon
Anyway, when you visit bacolicio.us, you'll see how easy it is to add a rasher of bacon to your favorite website—too much fun! (Go ahead, give it a try. It only takes about as long as zapping a strip or two of that pre-cooked stuff in the microwave does.) Now if they could only capture that smell somehow…mmmm, bacon!

PS: For you true bacon enthusiasts, check out Bacon Today! :)

Those Were the Days...

(UNFORTUNATE) ADVERTISING THROUGH THE AGES

Oh, the Irony!
This morning I came across an interesting online article at The Consumerist, heralding back to the simpler times of yesteryear, and remembering some of the ad campaigns which ran, toting life's most modern conveniences: Mother's Little Helpers? Lead Paint? Asbestos? It's all there—and more…read on.

Summer in the City

TOTO, I'VE A FEELING WE'RE NOT IN KANSAS…


I've just returned from a long weekend in Los Angeles, CA, which is, pretty much, located on the exact opposite corner of the US from where I live (and similarly, is an exact opposite to the type of place I call home, here in New Hampshire).

Despite claims by folks we chatted with, that "they were everywhere," I didn't see a single celebrity all weekend. (Of course, I'm not much of a "star gazer" anyway, so it is entirely possible that I could have bumped right into one without having any idea who they were! :) And, admittedly, we didn't actually spend any time in Hollywood itself—nor did we go anywhere near Burbank….

This was my first visit to LA (other than passing thru LAX on journeys elsewhere). My SO had business to attend to the first two days, so I mostly relaxed poolside at our hotel (or hid away in a spare office in Century City) and caught up on some reading. When the work day was done, we drank Mai Tai's at Trader Vic's and enjoyed a delicious meal at Wolfgang Puck's at LA Live one evening, then dined on sushi and took in breathtaking views of the city from the famous Yamashiro Restaurant, perched high in the Hollywood Hills, the next. We took a spin down Rodeo Drive and Sunset Boulevard, then left Beverly Hills to head down the Pacific Coast Highway to Manhattan Beach. Checked out Harbor Boulevard and the pier, then ventured further down to Redondo Beach, where we sat oceanside at Joe's Crab Shack for some fresh shellfood and cold beers after strolling the ocean walk. We were just in time for an outdoor concert on the boardwalk (featuring Open Wide, an "all-dentist band"), followed by a gorgeous pacific sunset.

It was one of those whirlwind trips, and just as I was getting used to West Coast time, we were flying back east, only to confuse my internal clock all over again. All in all, we had a wonderful time on our brief tour of LA, and I'd love to return some day to see more of what the City of Angels has to offer.

Olympic Park Ampersand Sculpture

SHOW ME A SIGN...

I've always wanted to visit Seattle (almost made it in May, when my SO was traveling there on business, but one of those pesky paying jobs I get from time-to-time got in the way....). Anyway, now that I know Seattle's got a rotating ampersand sculpture (how awesome is that?!?), I figure getting there has gotta be my destiny now!

Click on the photo or the link to enjoy a "short long photo" of the ampersand by Striatic, found on Flickr. (Note the beautiful lighting and red-against-gray colorscape—very nice.) See you in Seattle some day...look for me by the neon red ampersand!

The Rather Difficult Font Game

TOO MUCH FUN!


Okay, I'm "easing back into things" here at the studio after a much needed long weekend of fun visiting friends and family down on Long Island (in the sun, no less!) So I couldn't resist taking a stab at this game I came across this morning on one of my favorite blogs, I Love Typography, called "The Rather Difficult Font Game." (And hey, it's still work-related: I'm honing my type identification skills, right?!?)

Now, I've been a typophile since way back in Junior High, and used to think I knew a thing or two about type identification. But lately, with all the new foundaries emerging, and programs which let folks design and sell their own fonts, I'm not always quick to recognize a new font I come across, and I was starting to wonder whether or not I was still as "up on things" as I used to be.... Well, I'm happy to report that I've still got it. (Check out the Rather Impressive Hall of Fame top scorer, above—it's me! :) There were only two fonts I missed (aarrgghh!). I only played one round, and it says the fonts change each time you play, but I figured, why mess with success? I'm in the number one spot (for now anyway), so I'll leave it alone.

The game is "rather fun" though (fun for type lovers anyway). Give it a try here. Then, get back to work!

Vote for the Newmarket Farmers' Market

WITH YOUR HELP, THEY COULD EARN A CASH PRIZE

Have you been to the Newmarket Farmers' Market yet? (What's that? You hadn't heard that there was a farmer's market here in Newmarket!?! Well, it's been mentioned on my blog a time or two, and you can learn a lot more about it over at Newmarket Happenings, the Lamprey Arts & Culture Alliance's blog.) Local farmers and vendors offer a terrific selection of fresh, locally-produced foods—and other great stuff!—every Saturday morning from 9 AM–1 PM (no market on July 4) in the parking lot of the historic Stone Church meeting house. You've got to check it out!

And, of course, if you have been, you already know what a great little market we've got here in town. So I shouldn't have to ask you twice, then, to give them your vote. (Just click on the graphic below.)

Please Vote
By clicking on the graphic (above), you'll be connected to "care2care," an organization who, along with "Local Harvest," is running a contest amongst farmers' markets to promote fresh, local, healthy foods. The winning farmers' market (that is, the one with the most votes) wins a $5,000 cash prize! All you have to do to is give the Newmarket Farmers' Market (Newmarket, NH) your vote. It's quick and painless, with no strings attached—and it could help the Newmarket Farmers' Market to win $5000! Please vote today (and tell your friends)!