Giveaway!

Always a word I like to hear :) i Sewpose is part of a group giveaway over at the oh so inspiring Smile and Wave blog. Check it out! In addition to possibly winning a $20 credit to shop i Sewpose, you also have a chance to win some other super cute items... like a Felt Flora Wall Sculpture from Modern Maven or fancy flower hair pins from Vivi Dot.

Cyber Monday

Everything in the shop is 15% off with this code. Now til midnight. Happy shopping! 

Tales from a Handmade Halloween

This year for Halloween we wanted to do a little something different. Since we are in a house now, with a great neighborhood for trick-or-treating, we decided it would be awesome to stay at home and pass out candy. (Something we've never had a chance to do before because no kids really come up to your apartment door.) But, we also thought it would be fun to have a few friends over for a creepy Halloween themed dinner. It was all thrown together kind of last minute, which is typically how I like to do things--number one procrastinator right here! But it all turned out disgustingly delicious and fun. Our menu included 'finger' sandwiches, a revolting eye vomit soup (creamy tomato soup with eyeballs floating in it), mummy dogs (pigs in a blanket wrapped like mummies), bleeding rats (awesome meatballs that were shaped like rats sitting on mashed potatoes), poisoned candy apples, open heart salad, blood (jello) shots and a delicious graveyard cake. I wish I had taken more pictures, but I think I was too busy and excited. In the end we had more trick-or-treaters than candy, we laughed our way through a horrible horror film and ate our delicious ickies till we were stuffed. Here a a few of my fave images from the night. 

A zombie showed up hungry 

When vampires party

A friend made this amazing graveyard cake

Poisoned candy apples

Who could eat his cute brains?

Last minute costumes seem to sum us up well

Custom Piece Share

Custom orders are a regular part of my Etsy/embroidery biz. They are challenging and exciting to me and I love when I get to create something that will be a part of a special day for someone (weddings, baby showers, anniversaries). I thought I'd share this piece that I made for my sister-in-law's sister. She's having a little girl soon, and I felt honored that I was employed to create a little name piece for their nursery. From the pics that my sister-in-law sent me, the shower was super cute and perfectly pink. Congrats to the mommy to be! :)

Laminated Bibs

I am in the slow process of restocking/getting geared up for the Christmas season. Due to their popularity at the Renegade Craft Fair...I'm especially trying to restock the wonderfully practical laminated bib. No washer and dryer. Wipe it off or rinse it in the sink. Done-zo. Let little one get as messy as they want. And who needs more laundry? Not mothers of small children. I love that some really awesome fabrics are now becoming laminated. SO many uses for it. From reusable lunch bags to bibs and diaper bags, or an outdoor tablecloth. I love the possibilities. Oil cloth isn't bad either. But I'm still waiting on some great new prints in oil cloth. Seems that I keep seeing the same old stuff. Either way....bib frenzy begins. Check the shop for new additions!

My model was so stiff

Paused

There has been a long pause on here lately. Life has been full! Between visitors, a wedding, more visitors, the premiere of the hub's latest and greatest film, and custom orders..there has not been a spare moment. But I can't complain, I love when life is full of wonderful people, celebrations and of course embroidery. I am completing one more custom order and then it's on to applying to a Christmas craft show and gearing up for Etsy Christmas sales! Woohoo! I love that selling on Etsy lets me get into the Christmas spirit nice and early! :) Here's a few images from my busy world lately. 

Me/Brother/Sis-n-law feeling magical

Bridesmaid to a wonderful friend

Some of our besties visited from NY

My handsome date at the premiere of Wreck it Ralph ((you all must see this one!! :))

sneak peek at one of my custom orders/more to come

Pomegranate Harvesting

We are renting a house with a gorgeous variety of aloe plants, trumpet flower trees, grape vines, apricot trees and our most fruitful friend...the pomegranate tree. I love pomegranate, but admittedly, I know nothing about it. Well now I do....a little. But I didn't. I now know that September is when they start becoming ready to pick. I know they are ready when they are heavy, dark red, and come right off the tree without too much effort. I know that the best way to get the seeds out is by cutting it in half and then banging the back of the skin with a spoon until they all fall out. (Watch out for splattering juice though!) And I know that they taste amazing in salads and even better muddled in the bottom of a homemade margarita :)

Now my challenge is to figure out what to do with the large supply we harvested. We gave most of them away to friends and the neighborhood, we put them out on our bike path with a sign, and they went fast!. But we kept 6 or 7 for ourselves and while I love throwing them in drinks and salads, I'm determined to find a muffin or bread that makes them shine. After all, the other thing I learned about pomegranate is that just one of them produces a LOT of seeds. So now I search. Got a fave pomegranate recipe? 

Our trusty friend joined us for coffee and company (UgChugs from the amazing Etsy creator NelsonStudio) 

Giveaway Over at Freckled Nest!!

So I am oh so happy to have been a sponsor over at Freckled Nest this past month. Super cool blog about the talented Ms.Leigh-Ann and her love of design, crafting, DIY, small biz, vintage and just general awesomeness. In fact after I got my sewing machine, I promptly purchased Leigh-Ann's Home Ec Course. I HIGHLY recommend it if you are starting at the beginning  and want to quickly start sewing awesome projects. 

But now about the giveaway.....freebies are my fave. She is giving away a super cute necklace from her Etsy shop. Easy peasy to enter for a chance. Just comment and tell her what your  favorite things are from her list of sponsors. I'll be there :) She'll pick the winner at random next week. 

http://frecklednest.typepad.com/la/

Good Luck!!!

Stitch Your Halloween Decor

Since it's almost time for pumpkins on my porch and apples in my oven, I thought I'd share a seriously quick and easy decoration for Halloween. Yarn, big eyed needle, fabric and my beloved embroidery hoop. Write out any spooky phrase you want on the fabric. I used pencil, but you can use fabric pencils/marker that disappear with a little water. It also helps to write out your phrase a couple times on paper till you get it the way you want, and then you could even trace, if you are using white or light colored fabric. Just make sure not to pull on your yarn too hard, to prevent it from bunching. Pull the fabric taught after stitching and then tighten screw at the top of the hoop. Cut off remaining fabric and finish with a little bow at the top. Boo!-yah!

Thrift Store Scores

I'm a thrift store junkie. You know that whole 'one man's trash' bit, yeah, I'm into that. I love digging through thrift/antique/vintage/second hand stores. Thought I'd share just a few of my most recent fave finds. My sister-in-law comes tomorrow...and she is a master thrifter. I'm hoping we get time to do a little thrifty digging while she's here. 

Pretty little milk vases for less than $3

Classic Disney book collection for $2 and the vintage sheet behind it for $1.50

Wire metal basket for $1

30 Second Inspiration--Dipped

Happy Saturday! At my house today we are attempting our first building project. More on that later. I hope. But for now, a quick collection of one of my fave recent trends...all things dipped. I'm sure you've seen a lot of it. These finds got my wheels turnin...what else wants to go for a dip? Fall squashes/gourds. Halloween pumpkins. My embroidery hoops. Your face ;) Okay not that far. Makes me crave the classic cone.

1.Dipped Arrow Ring (MijuAndYou.etsy.com) 2.Dipped Cans (http://frkmayasloft.blogspot.com.es/) 3.Dipped Couch (DesignSponge.com)

     

I'm overdue for one

September

Back to school time. I'm working with some great kids and I'm looking forward to seeing their growth throughout the school year. I'm also looking forward to some cooler weather! Don't misunderstand...I love the sunshine and the extended summer season. Buuuuut, those dreamy fall colors and cozy muffins and pumpkin coffee drinks are sounding so appealing. I've been carrying a little cardigan with me places. Maybe if I just  keep throwing it in my car, I will eventually need it. I'm attempting weather control. So far not really working. Soon enough. Here's some fall-like images that have popped up in my world recently.

Banana Almond Muffin

Ollie's fave chair

Personal embroidery piece

Costume Party Deer Embroidery Coming Soon to Etsy shop