March

March has become a very special month in my little world. It’s the month that I get to marry the man of my dreams. Our wedding is March 28, and these last few weeks are crawling by at a sloth’s pace. I just want it to GET HERE.

We’re having a very small, simple wedding, so I haven’t been freaking out the way that some brides do a month before their wedding. Luckily, we’ve been able to support handmade while planning our wedding, which we thought was very important. We met our photographer, Megan Katauskas, at a craft show I did late last year. Her photographs are natural, unique and beautiful, and I consider it fate that we were at the same show together. I never would have found her otherwise. 

I purchased two stunningly realistic silk flowers for my hair on Etsy from Butterfly Enchantress Designs. These flowers look so real that Alex called me at work in a panic the day we got them because he was certain they would die before our wedding.

We worked with another talented artist on our wedding invitations. Jonathan from Ello Invitations created an original design just for us. We love the invitations so much that we’re going to frame one for our apartment.

These photographs don’t do the invitations justice, FYI. The colors are much richer in person.

I decided to try to make a pillow based on this design. It’s getting there, but I feel like something is a little off (other than the fact that they don’t have legs yet). I think they’re too big for the space.

So it’s not quite there yet, but nothing has been ironed on yet, so I can still play with the layout.

Neglect

I took Nola to the vet today. Turns out, she’s really, really fat. 

And mean. I know she looks all cute and cuddly, but she turns into a spiteful, evil little creature when put in situations she doesn’t like. Such as going to the vet. When I told the lady who checked us in that Nola can be “not very nice,” she wrote “BE CAREFUL” at the top of Nola’s paperwork and then promptly highlighted it in yellow. They weren’t taking any chances.

So Nola is fat and mean. Yep, that’s our girl!  (I swear, she’s got a sweet, loving, goofy, affectionate side. The vet just never gets to see it.)

I’ve been neglecting my blog and my crafts. Neither is intentional. I just think I got a little burned out on sewing, and now that I don’t have to sew for a show or for Christmas, I’m just not. And since this is, for the most part, a craft blog, not doing any crafts equals not having much to blog about.

I think I miss the pressure of having to get a project done by a certain time. I have several things I want to do, including sewing a set of coasters with my soon-to-be new last initial (S) on them, and sewing myself a market tote. But since there’s no urgent deadline, it’s simply not happening.

I updated The Boutique with two sets of notecards.

This one:

And this one:

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Perfect

Now that AHB is over, I can finally concentrate on Christmas. I have a few gifts that I need to make for friends and family, plus a few custom orders. Luckily, today, I was able to cross one custom order for my coworker off my list by selling her a bag I’d already made.

I brought a bunch of bags into work and laid them across the table in her office first thing in the morning, and she went through them one by one to decide which one she wanted. If that isn’t the perfect way to shop, I don’t know what is. I’m going to start requesting that my favorite stores do that — bring me five options so I can casually look through them and make my choice in the comfort of my own office. Sweet.

Two new sets of note cards are now for sale in The Boutique.

This one:

And this one (Edit: sold!)

Poodles and watermelons

What do poodles and watermelons have in common?

Well, nothing really, except that they’re both cute shapes I can make out of pink polka-dots.

And nothing makes me happier than pink polka-dots.

Except maybe these adorable little resealable poly bags I purchased to sell my note cards in.

Oh, the simplest things make me happy.

Cardboard boxes and knuckle-busters

I took a big-girl step.

After tons of great advice from my EtsyFest group, I bought a credit card imprinter.

It’s just one of those cheap knuckle-busters, but still. It’s a pretty huge step for me. I’m going to take credit cards at my next show, and it makes me feel all fancy and professional. Like this whole Fat Orange Cat thing is…legitimate.

I put the box that it came in on the floor, and Nola promptly climbed on it and has been sleeping there ever since. We have a couch, a chaise lounge, quilts, pillows, a soft bed, and even piles of fabric, and she chooses a small cardboard box with pointy corners to lie on.

See how her paw is hanging off the edge? That’s because she doesn’t fit. Fat ass.

I’ve taken a short break from sewing to work on some paper goods. Specifically, sets of note cards. I need some items to sell for under $10 at the craft show, so I bought blank cards and colored envelopes rather than cutting and assembling my own like I normally do, and I’m just doing the applique design on the front of the card.

The less labor that goes into the project, the more comfortable I feel charging less money. And I definitely need some different price points, so this works well.

Mini-sploosh!

And a few sets of apple cards. I love the polka-dots.