Happy 3rd Birthday Owen!

My dear friend's son is turning 3 tomorrow and I have been having fun with his favorite thing - trains! Kolya is also into trains and is a lucky boy as he has a train that goes right behind his house! Every time a train goes by (which is quite often), Kolya runs to the window and pulls his whistle - choo choo! Before, Kolya I had honestly gotten so used to the train that I didn't even hear it anymore, but now I have my little "conductor" to announce its arrival. Back to the birthday boy... Owen just started Pre-School this year, so I decided to pull from this theme too. In high school, I spent a summer living in Germany with a wonderful family, who really made my summer special and unique. My exchange was set up through an organization called Youth For Understanding. I hope that some day when Kolya is a bit older, we can welcome a student to our home. Anyway, while I was there one of the souvenirs I brought home was a Schultuete. This is given to each child in Germany by their families on the first day of school. Families fill the cones with sweets and school supplies and other goodies. I found this great Schultuete at The Magic Cabin. What a fun tradition. Owen's Schultuete is filled with a coloring pad, special homemade multi-color crayons, Train Bookplates and a train shirt. I made the crayons based on a project on Martha Stewart.com. They remind me of the Clowny crayons that were popular when I was young. I thought I might be the only one who actually remembered them, but I did a Google search and there seems to be somewhat of a "cult" Clowny following. The T-shirt uses some of my Michael Miller stash. I even utilized the "School Time" if you look closely. I on the other hand am much fonder of "Bed Time"... Ahh...Zzzzzz...

Are you Indie Friendly?

SimplyJune was recently listed on IndieFriendly.com, a wonderful online directory of Indie Crafters designed as a guide to the best places to shop indie on the web. IndieFriendly is careful to list businesses that are personal and professional and sell high-quality items. SimplyJune is honored to be among them. So, check them out and visit and support some of the other wonderful Indie Crafters out there.

Not exactly sure what an Indie Crafter is?... Craft Revolution defines "Indie" as...

"What is the Definition of Indie?

According to the dictionary, 'indie' is an informal version of the word independent.

Although this definition is accurate, the word has come to mean more. It has come to symbolize originality and forward-thinking, especially in music and design.

By our definition, indie is any business or designer that is not associated with a large company. Indie can also define the indie shopper, who chooses to support small business rather than big-box stores."

Check out their other websites:

CraftRevolution.com
Crafters-United.com
IndieHolidays.com
IndieDesignAssociation.com

Have a great weekend!

Petticoat Notecards

Can I tell you how much I am loving my new stash of wool felt? I am having fun creating these little Petticoat Notecards. The notecards themselves measure 4 1/4" x 5 1/2". The dresses are cut from a sketch I made after seeing a cute vintage dress in a magazine. The wool part of each dress is cut from the pattern and then I sit down with a pile of my vintage trims and bits and baubles and make that dress unique. All of the beads and trims are sewn on by hand and each wire hanger is shaped around a bead to coordinate with the dress. These cards are not yet available in our SimplyJune store, but will debut at our Open Studio on November 11th! Each will come in a cello sleeve with a coordinating envelope and the back of each card is stamped with our SimplyJune logo. They make a great notecard for any occasion and are cute enough to frame!

Newsletter

Well, the very first SimplyJune newsletter was just sent out via e-mail. If you did not receive a newsletter, take a minute to fill our Mailing List form on SimplyJune's website and we will get one right to you. Also, tell your friends, your family, your co-workers, etc. so they can join in on the updates, project ideas, freebies, etc.

I thought I would include a shot of the technical corner of my studio. One of my favorite parts of reading blogs, especially crafty ones is seeing photographs of people's homes, studios, etc. I love how everyone uses space and implements design so differently. I love those keyhole snapshots into people's environments. As you can see in the photo, I use a widescreen Dell laptop - a wonderful surprise birthday present in June from my dear Jason! When I am up in my studio, I hook up my mouse and keyboard to it as well as my flatscreen Dell monitor. What, might you ask, do I do with this second monitor? Jason set it up so that I have dual monitors and can move my mouse from one screen to the next, seamlessly. I usually keep my e-mail open on one screen, while working on the other. The technical aspects of how he did this are way beyond me, but let me just say - it is sooooo cool! I can't tell you how out of sorts I am when I bring my laptop elsewhere and keep looking off to my right to read me e-mail and its not there.

Anyway, another favorite part of this corner of my world is my Parsons style chair that I picked up at IKEA a while back. It is meant to be a dining room chair, but it looks great in my studio and is super comfortable. Also, note the nifty "K" mug. I have been loving the below version at Anthropologie (but then I love just about everything at that store). It is actually very reasonably priced at $6, but I stopped in at the Christmas Tree Shop this morning and found this one for $1.69 - wooo hoooo! Feeling pretty smug right now...

P.S. Those mini-marshmallows are so gone...yum...

Fall Baking

One of my favorite times to bake is in the Fall. There is something about the crispness of the air that carries the spicy aroma of baked goods. I awoke this morning with thoughts of carrot and raisin muffins and spent my morning playing with Kolya and baking. Kolya is 2 and loves to imitate - making his own concoctions with his toys. He is a devoted snacker and spend hours finding new ways to eat. I thought there would be limited approaches to this task, but I was wrong... Today he was using one of the funky arms to his Mr. Potato head doll. At the end of the plastic arm is a cupped hand, just perfect for scooping Goldfish crackers. Ahh, the creative mind of a 2 year old...

The studio is bustling with projects. I am taking a short break this week from focusing on just SimplyJune projects and working on some birthday presents and other goodies for family and friends. There is still some SimplyJune work being done though and if you are on our mailing list, you will receive a newsletter by the end of the week. If you have not yet signed up for our Mailing List, stop by now...

Black & White

These new Nataliya bags are going into the SimplyJune shop tomorrow. I love these fabrics and especially the fun contrast of the black on white and reverse white on black. The first bag features an awesome Art Deco alphabet print that I just adore. These prints are great for every season and versatile with just about any color in your wardrobe. I may just give one to myself...

The Fall arrives on Saturday, but that crisp air arrived today. I bundled Nikolai up in a cute sweater and blue jeans today and went into Lexington to get my hair styled. Nikolai had a play date with Jason and spent some time tearing around his office and banging away at the keyboard. I basked in my hour of luxury at the salon. Don't you just love that light airy feeling when you walk out of the salon? Even just a trim can put an extra bounce in your step.

I'm working away here in the studio and have some new hats that will be ready for the shop soon and some other surprises too!

Acorns, String and Other Things

This weekend we dropped by an Estate Sale run by a local Antique Shop. Estate Sales are usually held on both Saturday and Sunday and sometimes even start on Fridays. My favorite, Franklin Street Antiques, holds theirs on Saturday and Sunday and they mark their prices in half on Sunday afternoon. This of course is my favorite time to go. You have to be willing to go through the leftovers of the sale, but the prices are unbeatable and the crowds are gone. One of my favorite aspects of an estate sale is getting to see the inside of another house. Many of the houses in our area are quite old and I love all of the details and nooks waiting to be explored. Often these houses have been lived in for years and though they need work, many of the original details are there. Jason finds estate sales depressing - usually a life has ended and he finds it sad to sift through others' personal belongings. I see this side to it, but I also see the silver lining of goods recycled and a new person to love them.

My recent finds are this great string dispenser made from heavy iron. One bolts it to a wall and the cone of string is unraveled and dispensed through the ring on the end. I think this will likely go in my studio. The scale of this photograph I'm sure is quite confusing as the pan is just a miniature version perhaps for tea cakes and the Acorn Tea Steeper is one of the largest I have ever seen. I have a small collection of these now after see a Martha Stewart article suggesting they be filled with Lavender and Bath Salts and steeped in the tub. This one is the perfect size for that. The original use of course is for containing loose tea to be placed in either a teacup or probably in this case a teapot. Most have a metal chain and hook attached so that they can be pulled out when the tea is done. This one is missing its chain, but delightful non the less.

I promise there is much work going on at SimplyJune and I hope to upload more goodies to the site by the end of the week.

Tap, Tap, Tap.....Ziiiiiiiip...

I love the sounds of a typewriter. Tap, Tap, Tapping along on the keys. There is a rhythm, a tempo, a decisiveness in action and a permanence to the words formed. This I write to you from the relatively quiet keys of my Dell laptop where I can add and delete words at will.

This typing beauty is a late 40's early 50's Remington that I bought this summer at a yard sale. A local family was emptying the contents of their elderly mother's home as she got ready to move after many years. The first thing that caught my eye was a large box of beautiful variegated wool granny squares framed in black. The box contained dozens of these beautiful squares and some extra skeins of the beautiful wool yarn - a project never finished, but made with love. I pictured the old woman sitting on cold New England winter evenings crocheting and enjoying the repetitiveness and sense of accomplishment that I find in needlework. So, I decided to take the squares home and finish it during this cold New England winter. I continued to meander up their driveway to find my Remington beauty. I fell in love at first sight. I could hear the Tap, Tap, Tap......Ziiiiiiiiiip... in my head and I tried to contain my excitement. One should never bug out one's eyes or jump for silly joy when one finds a gem at a yard sale. Instead, I asked its price in my most non-chalant manner. (I have never been able to witness my bargain hunting acting abilities, but hey anyone who knows me knows my record speaks for itself.) After a little bartering, I got my portable Remington and my box of wool granny squares for a neat 25. As I began to leave with my goods in hand, one of the sons about my age asked me with a somewhat baffled look, "What exactly are you going to do with that box of wool and an old typewriter?" Apparently, I'm 31 going on 81...

Website Updates - Mailing List

Every once in a while I just have to share a new artist that I have found. Emily Martin from Inside a Black Apple is one of the most unique and imaginative artists I have found doing her crafty thing in Brooklyn, NY. Her work has a sweet and sometimes haunting quality and I can't help but be drawn to these beautiful dolls she has begun making lately. The faces are handpainted and the dolls a so beautifully detailed down to their Mary Jane shoes and recycled wool sweater or hand painted dresses. I'm desperate to own one.

On a SimplyJune note, I have made a few updates to the website with many more to come. I have updated the "Customer Service" section to better describe my shipping policies and have lowered my shipping rates to compensate for some of the lower priced items I have added to the website lately. I have also added a Mailing List form. Simply fill it out and press Send and you will be on the SimplyJune mailing list. You can expect periodic updates about what is going on at SimplyJune as well as some extra goodies along the way. Sign up now and tell a friend!

Wool Felt

I have been admiring some of the things other crafters and artists have been doing with wool felt and am finally taking the plunge. I looked everywhere for a good supplier of wool felt. My local fabric stores carried a small selection of very drab colors and at very high prices. As I began looking online, I found a number of sources for wool felt, but was introduced to the fact that there are a number of types of wool felt available - 100% wool, 70/30 wool-rayon, 60/40, etc. There seemed to be benefits to each of them as far as durability, color selection, price, thickness, etc. I finally narrowed my choice down to two companies and my first order came in the mail today from The Silver Penny - might I also add that I ordered it yesterday! I get so excited when I have something on order - constantly peeking through my shutters at the mailbox. As a child, I lived in quite a rural area and our mailbox was at the end of our long driveway. We had a little red flag on the mailbox and would place it up in the morning when we had mail to go out. The postman would put it down when he had picked up the mail and made his delivery. I would peek out the window to look at that flag and run down when it had been lowered to see if there might be a letter for me! Now, I live in a much more populated area. We actually have street signs that read "Thickly Settled". So, our mailbox is actually attached to our house and the postman walks right up to our door to make his deliveries. So, my peeking through the shutters to look for mail sticking up out of the box replaces the little red flag, but my excitement is much the same.

Back on track...I excitedly opened the box, which also included a cute little Mary Engelbreit card as a gift (I love ordering from small businesses - when has Staples or L.L.Bean ever sent you a little gift?) Inside, I found this yummy selection of wool felt (60/40). I have not worked with it yet, but it has a nice wool texture, nice drape, wonderful colors, great price and I can't wait to start creating with it.

The second website that I found was The Twining Thread. They offer a beautiful selection of 100% wool felt and have the best selection of colors at this grade that I have found so far. The cost of wool felt is a bit more, so I thought I would try the blend first and then move up to the 100% to see which I am happier with.

Stay tuned for some felted goodies at Simply June...

Savoring the Last Morsels of Summer

It is hard to believe that it is September already. I happen to adore the Fall, but there are always mixed emotions as one season leads into the next. I love New England for its seasons - each one offering its favorite clothing, foods, activities, etc. As I savor the last days of summer, I share with you some photos of favorite summer memories.

We spend many weekends during the summer at our family cottage. This shot captures a tiny bit of rainbow and those cotton candy evening skies of the South Shore. I think of so many things when I'm in this place. This is where my father spent many summer days as a child, where I did the same, where my husband proposed to me, where Kolya saw the ocean for the first time, where Lucas loves to run and roll in the sand and where I hope we will all have many more happy summers.

Go Red Sox!!! I went to my first Red Sox game last week! We went courtesy of the Scituate Mariner using the tickets I won through the Scituate Harbor Days logo contest. We had so much fun and so many new experiences. I have had a desire lately to really EXPERIENCE things in my life. I have so many things I daydream about and so many things I would like to try. I really want to take the time in my life to live these things. So, at Fenway Park I took in the sights (love the green green of the grass, red red of the soil, intimacy of the ballpark), the sounds (Let's Go Red Sox, Let's Go, Clap, Clap; Sweet Caroline, Bom, Bom, Bom...; the crack of the bat, the scream of the fans, the chatter throughout the game of game stats, fans cheering for players as if they were family) and the tastes(Fenway Frank, Popcorn - which they throw at you and then come get your money!)

I am working hard in the studio with some great surprises as I prepare for the holiday season and most importantly the SimplyJune Open House coming up in November! I'll keep you posted with dates and details...

What is Blick

I found this incredible site the other day called Blik. They design and produce these really unique wall decals. They come in a variety of trendy colors and come in a pack of 9. What you see in the photograph is one package of the Iron Vines design and costs $50.00. Jason and I have been planning a redesign of our bedroom for a while and have decided to do a blue and brown combination. I think the cocoa version of these would look great mounted on a blue wall. We don't have a lot of wall decorating options in our room because we have a Mansard roof - causing all exterior walls on our second floor to be angled. I had thought of tacking original canvas paintings to the walls, but I like this idea so much more. We are going for a somewhat modern look in the room with a platform bed and really simple colors and furniture. I want a clean, modern feel to the room and I think these elements will attain that.

Fabric Sources

I'm often asked where I find good sources for fabrics. I love being able to go to my local shops because nothing compares to being able to touch and feel the quality of the fabrics and to see the colors in person. But, I also find such a limited supply at my local shops and don't always have the time to browse through all of the bolts of material - you know what I mean if you have ever been pulled into the fabric store vortex. So, I have found quite a number of sources for fabric on the web (no comment one the hours I spend browsing fabrics and materials online). So, here are some of my favorite sources and I'm sure they will become yours.

Purl Soho
Repro Depot
Hancocks of Paducah
Flapper Girl Fabrics
Digs
Supper Buzzy

Also don't forget to be creative when looking for fabrics. A trip to your local thrift store can yield some great fabric finds. I love looking through the pajama section as you can find some fun quality cotton prints. Take another trip to your favorite bedding store and flip through the clearance bedding. Mismatched sheet sets make great yardage too. If your lucky enough to live near an IKEA, they sell fabric too and at a great price! Many of their bedding sets are also fabric designed by some the leading designers out there.

Here are some recent thrift store fabric finds... Happy creative fabric shopping!

More Nataliya Bags

I have added four more Nataliya bags to SimplyJune and have a stockpile of fabrics to try over the next weeks. I love pairing new fabrics together and the surprise of the finished bag. I think that is why I order small quantities of each print and design from there. It would be ghastly boring to make the same bag over and over again and isn't it more fun to buy a bag that all of your friends aren't carrying too?

Thank you, thank you to all of you who have given me such sweet and thoughtful feedback on
the new bags. I'm so glad you like them!

Its All In The Details

One of the goals I have for Simply June is to keep things personal...to relish in the details...to make every product with the attention, love and sincerity I would when making a gift for a friend. I want those details to show and I continue to strive to put more of myself in everything I create. Perhaps this is a lofty goal as I try to grow a business. There was a time when I would be afraid to acknowledge these words, much less write them to the masses. I have always been terrible at keeping a journal of any kind. Even starting this blog was intimidating to me as a journal makes thoughts so permanent. What will I think when I look back on my thoughts, dreams and aspirations? Will I be embarassed or disspointed in how things have turned out? Somewhere along the line I realized that it is looking back on our thoughts and ideas that we learn and grow the most. I have also found the magic and accountability in letting others know my goals so that they will happen. So, this is my wish as I grow Simply June. I can't wait to read these thoughts in a year...

The little purse card is being included with a recently purchased birthday present (handmade to match the purse being shipped). If you would like us to include a card along with any gift, just make a note in the "Shipping Instructions" comment box when you are checking out in our online shop.

Thriftstore Therapy

Nikolai and I went to a thrift store this morning. I'm not exactly why he likes this one so much, but he practically runs to get into the cart when we get there. A lot of people shop there and it is huge, so I think he gets some good people watching in. I of course get my retail therapy. Today included an Ann Taylor Loft Black Blazer, Levi Strauss Jeans, J Crew wool sweater, cute cotton blanket for Nikolai with brown and blue stripes and little monkeys on it and a CD - all for $11.45. There was a crazy lady volunteering there today. Nikolai of course loved her. He is very attracted to eccentric and slightly insane people. She had a frosted sort of disheveled haircut and huge dark rimmed glasses with rhinestones all over them. She kept trying to get me to buy a bright coral lacy slip that she thought I could wear as a skirt. She was very disappointed when I said no. Honestly, there was a day when I would have taken the slip just to avoid the awkward conversation. Of course, I would have hung it back up when she wasn't looking. However, today I stood firm and told her that I wouldn't likely wear the "skirt". Ahh, thrift shop therapy...

Oooh, here is a picture of some recent finds. The napkin holder is from a local thrift shop and the feedsack fabric is from eBay. I LOVE the green and blue cherries and was hoping to make a little valance for my kitchen with them, but the greens just didn't mesh well. I think these are now going to be aprons.

Nataliya Bag

The Nataliya Bags are finally up in the SimplyJune shop. I am hoping to have more by the end of next week, but wanted to get some in the shop in the meantime. The Natliya Bag is a nice every day handbag. The shoulder strap measures approximately 24" and the bag tucks nicely under one's arm. The inside of this bag also features three pockets perfect for your cell phone, keys and other small items. The Nataliya Bag is named after our son Nikolai's favorite caretaker at his orphanage in Moscow. She took especially great care of our son and loved him dearly. Special people inspire creativity and I can't think of anyone more special than Nataliya.

FTP Blip

The embroidered buttons are now up in the SimplyJune store and I hope to have six Nataliya Bags up later today. I'll keep you all posted. The embroidered buttons were ready to go up yesterday when I posted in my Blog, but I had a slight FTP blip. I called my hosting company this morning and the blip ( Websters: A temporary or insignificant phenomenon, especially a brief departure from the normal) is fixed. Sorry for all of the technical jargon... hee, hee, hee.

Embroidered Buttons

I think I have mentioned that I have been doing some embroiderey lately. I learned how to do this as a child, but really needed a refresher. My Mom came up for a visit recently and we went through some of the basic stitches together. I forgot how much I love to embroider and especially freeform. I have always liked to cross stitch, but find it tedious to check the pattern and then skip all around with one color of thread only to forget what I was doing and go back to the pattern and then back to counting again and on and on and on. It is so nice to sit down with a blank "canvas" and design as you go. I have added these fun button sets to the SimplyJune shop. They are so much fun to add to your favorite knit sweater or to embellish your clothing, handbags, ponytail holders, bobbypins, etc. Each set of three comes wired to a cute card with the SimplyJune logo. They are the perfect little thank you gift to have on hand and easy to pop in a little bubble mailer for a cheery hello.

My fabric order came in last week from Hancocks of Paducah. I love everything that I ordered. Most are Michael Miller, Amy Butler and Free Spirit fabrics. I picked a bunch of fabrics in various color combinations and I'm really excited about how they are combining in the new purse design. I have six purses done and hope to make six more before I put them in the shop. Sorry for the fuzzy pictures.

I had a great weekend of estate and yard sales and will post some photos soon. My favorite find was a circa 1940's Remington Portable Typewriter with white keys. It needs just a little cleaning, but it works really well and I have been punching away at the keys. I'm thinking of typing all of my hang tags on it for my Simply June holiday shopping party. I love the nostalgia of the typewriter font.

Simply June - Temporarily Offline

I just wanted to note that our SimplyJune website and e-mail accounts were down for a number of hours yesterday. If you placed an order or sent an e-mail, we did not receive them. We apologize for any inconvenience. The problem was caused by a construction accident near our hosting company and has since been fixed.

Thanks!

Vintage Button Swap

I finally got a chance to photograph the wonderful goodies I received from the lovely Nicole in a recent Vintage Button Swap. This was my first swap and I was just BLOWN AWAY by Nicole's generosity and creativity as well as everyone who posted photos on the FLIKR account (I've got to figure out how to do that). She made all of the cute little paper envelopes containing the buttons. She also included some beautiful fabric from my favorite designer, Amy Butler. There was also a cute cute cute little apple and pear tray that I am currently using to hold some of my embroidery threads and needles while I make embroidery covered buttons. I am in love with the decal. I love that it is in the original package labeled 19cents (Am I missing something or is there no cent sign on a keyboard?) Hmmm, anyway the decal is sure to adorn something in my kitchen soon. Every button is so utterly beautiful and unique. And they are all MINE! :) I'm a little giddy today... So, silly me sent off my first swap package and I made a cute little travel sewing kit with the vintage buttons sewn into it. But, I just had no idea how much other fun stuff people send in addition to the swap, so a second package is on its way to Nicole. I get a redo right? Now that I have the hang of this swap thing, I am surely hooked. I've already signed up for an international vintage craft book swap. Hee, hee, hee....




















Yummy Yummy colors and ooh, cherries!





















19 cents (There is no cents sign - I Googled it on the chance that I'm going blind!)




















Ooh, sparkly. I can't wait to use these. Just look at all the detail in the largest black button!





















Pretty envelopes and bity pretty trim!





















Thank you Nicole! Oh, and the Cram Cream tape on the box - so cute.

H is for Howard
I put together this gift for Kolya's buddy Howard who turns 2 on the 20th. We had the wonderful experience of attending Howard's baby naming ceremony this weekend and to wish him an early Happy Birthday. His gift later included some homemade orange playdough. Here you see a little cotton/linen-like tote lined with the fun colorful design with which I made his initial. Also, included was an oilcloth apron which you can find in my shop SimplyJune. I used the apron's colors to inspire those in the tote. Happy Birthday Howard!

Daydreams

This is my truck. Well, not exactly mine, but the truck of my daydreams. On a recent beach weekend, Jason took a picture of this beauty for me. As I ogled it and daydreamed aloud about meandering trips down country roads with my dog Lucas in the front seat, hair/fur blowing in the wildflower sweetened wind and some acoustical sounds resonating from my radio... Jason then asked where exactly he and Kolya were going to sit. Hmm, hadn't really thought that one through exactly. I really think this is just a girl and her dog kind of truck... plus its just a daydream. In realty Jason, Kolya, Lucas and I meander down country roads in a Jeep Liberty filled with stuffed animals, cracker crumbs and toddler toys with acoustical sounds resonating from our radio - interrupted by bursts and blips of screaming, whining and barking, but with that safe feeling of family enclosing us. Daydreams are fun, but reality is so much better...

I stopped in to pick something up at my local fabric store the other day and they were having a sale on patterns for $1.99. I have been wanting to make some clothes lately, but haven't found a lot of extra time. I'm thinking I may make it a point to make a few outfits after the holidays when I can slow down and enjoy some personal projects during the cold winter months. I have also been doing some embroidery and thought it would be fun to add some embroidered details to some of these patterns. Anyway, into storage for a snowy day...

Creative Moments

I'm working a bit today on getting my blog name out there to bring new visitors to Simply Blog and ultimately to Simply June. Here is a banner I created for some webslog directories. Feel free to add it to your blog and I would love to reciprocate!

While I'm busy crafting ... check out this crafty blog: 52 Projects. Jeffrey Yamaguchi, author of "52 Projects: Random Acts of Everyday Creativity" has a wonderful blog that is sure to get those creative juices flowing. Check out his photo album titled "Tree", where he frequently takes photographs of the same tree on his daily run. Jeffrey reminds us to find creative ways of experiencing our every day activities. So, find some creative moments in your day...

From Cram Cream to Squid Jerky...

I promise I'm crafting away for SimplyJune. There just hasn't been a lot of time to take pictures. I also have a huge fabric order coming in from Hancock's of Paducah to spice up my stash so that I can launch my new handbag design shortly. I'm also working on some freebies for the website to give you a little taste of all things SimplyJune.

In the meantime...check out this great blog that I just stumbled upon Gimme Your Stuff! I love it and love the idea. From Cram Cream to Squid Jerky...I have got to try this out!

Craft Sanity

If you are a crafter or just interested in the current DIY (Do It Yourself) movement, you have got to check out Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood's website www.craftsanity.com. In her weekly podcasts, Jennifer interviews some of the most amazing crafters making an impact in the crafting community. Recent interviews include Debbie Stoller (co-creator of BUST magazine as well as author of the "Stitch 'N Bitch" books), Amy Karol (of Tie One On, Angry Chicken and King Pod), and Linda Permann (editor of the new magazine Adorn). Jennifer takes an hour with each guest to talk about how they started crafting, what they are doing currently and what they hope to do in the future. It is fascinating to hear how these men and women are contributing to this wonderful movement. I have really been blown away by the knowledge, sincerity, creativity, imagination, resourcefulness and business sense that these crafters have. I have learned so much and enjoy the inspiration I gain from Jennifer's insightful interviews. It also doesn't hurt to craft sanity!

Summer Days

There are lots of things happening in the studio and on the homefront. We spent another beautiful part of our weekend at the family summer cottage along the South Shore of Massachusetts. This weekend was Scituate Heritage Days, an event I have attended since my childhood. It is a fun weekend with a huge street fair, bands performing, butterfly release etc. On a whim, I entered this years logo contest and won! So, Kolya and I were part of the Opening Ceremonies!

We also had an incredible time as a family walking around and looking at the various craft vendors. One designer I just have to point out because of her incredible talent, imagination and eye for colors and design was Jen Jen Jewelry. I seriously regret not buying a beautiful piece while I was there, but will definitely have to order something soon. Not to be missed are her stained glass necklaces in which she encloses beautiful papers in glass.

Children's Oilcloth Aprons on Simply June

The children's aprons are up at www.simplyjune.com - stop on by.

I finally finished picking out my buttons for the vintage button swap I am participating in and added a little extra SimplyJune touch to the swap. The amazingly creative Sally at http://shimandsons.typepad.com/shimandsons/ set up this lovely swap and over 70 participants signed up from all over the world! I am so excited as this is my first swap and I have watched many with great anticipation on other blogs. I love everyone's different creative expressions and vintage finds. Now, I will actually have a happy little package coming to my door!