July 2, 2011 by Lauren
I have three new quilts for SummerFest. You know, the West Seattle SummerFest that is less than a week away??!!
Can’t talk, sewing.
Owly Quilt
Back of Owly
Apricots and Blueberries
Back of Apricots and Blueberries
Acres and Acres
Back of Acres and Acres
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June 7, 2011 by Lauren
In further preparation for the ArtDive at the West Seattle Festival I have set up an account at Blurb.com where my fabric illustration counting book can be found.
I made this book a couple years ago for my daughters birthday, but I love it so and it was such an undertaking, it seems a shame to only have one copy made.
All the illustrations were handmade the old fashioned way, and then I used a high resolution scanner to import the images into Photoshop and turn them into pages. Then the whole thing went to Blurb, where I made it into a book. The result is a really cool hybrid of unique handmade art and really slick professional printing. Each copy you order is made specially for you, which gives it a nice gifty kind of feeling, even if you are buying it for yourself!
Here is a preview courtesy of Blurb.com. The resolution is not fantastic, but you get the idea. If you enjoy the few pages shown below, please click over and see more!
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June 5, 2011 by Lauren
This is the quilt that started it all. My oldest daughters birthday quilt.
The wonderful thing about diving headlong into a project that you know nothing about is that it allows you to do things that you would never do if you knew better. Like backing a twin size quilt with chenille.
This quilt is heavenly soft, and so warm. When I gave it to my daughter she said “It feels like I’m wrapped in mama love!” and you just can’t beat that as a response to a handmade gift. But man, getting that beast through my machine took some serious work.
See the Chenille? So cozy, so very hard to sew.
I based this quilt on one I saw in a tutorial at U-createcrafts. It seemed do-able, but I didn’t read the fine print, I just charged ahead. It began as a way to use up all the random fat quarters and fabric pieces I had lying around. Which I did, and then as it morphed from baby size quilt to twin bed size quilt, I ended up needing more fabric, and ended up with more scraps. Arg. However, a mama love quilt was born, and I am pretty happy about that.
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May 28, 2011 by Lauren
I have been keeping something from you. I admit it. Its my new obsession and I haven’t been ready to make it public yet. Wait, what I am talking about. This is a baby blog. There’s like two posts. Nothing is public. Well, suffice it to say this is a new obsession for me. I made my first quilt, randomley, for Clementine’s fourth birthday. It was a messy, hodgepodge, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants affair, but suddenly I was hooked. So now I foist my obsession on you, the unsuspecting public. Please to enjoy. Or criticize mercilessly. Either way.
The Sunny Day Quilt
Back of the Sunny Day quilt
City Night Quilt
Back of the City Night Quilt
Jalisco Quilt
BAck of the Jalisco Quilt
Autumn Window Quilt
Back of the Autumn Window Quilt
Sidewalk Quilt
Sidewalk Quilt Back, close up.
Summer Windows Quilt, my first sold!
These quilts, except for the Summer Windows quilt (which is sold, yay!) are part of my growing stockpile as I prepare for the summer markets.
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May 24, 2010 by Lauren
So I have been using this Homemade Deodorant for nine months now. Yes, I said homemade. Yes for nine months. No! I really don’t smell! I promise. And not in the way that the hippie in the check out line of PCC, three people in front of me doesn’t smell. He doesn’t need deodorant, that’s smell is nature, man. Meanwhile my eyes are watering.
No, my not stinking is a much more grounded in reality, verified by those around me kind of not stinking. Even after trenching 50 feet of chicken run fencing I didn’t smell. Not even a little, not even with my nose right in there. And as an extra super bonus, I have applied nothing to my body that is toxic, or couldn’t be pronounced. I am a fan of my breasts, and I’d like to keep them. I’d also like you to keep yours, so I am posting this deodorant recipe. Like all great things, I can take zero credit for it. The recipe I found at angrychicken.typepad.com (thank you Amy,so very much for figuring this out) After 12 years of trying various Evil Amplifiers (that would be those all natural deoderants that you put on in the morning smelling fresh as roses and by midday you smell like a New Mexican truck driver coming of a six day Amphetamine bender. And all you did was sit as your computer.) I can’t believe how simple the solution truly is.
So enough already, here is the recipe. I have adjusted it slightly from the original to keep a little softer in my cold, cold bathroom.
Home Made Deodorant
3 Tablespoons shea butter
3 Tablespoons baking soda
2 Tablespoons corn starch
2 Tablespoons cocoa butter
1/2 tsp Vitamin E oil (or use two gelcaps, puncture and squeeze out the oil)
Essential Oil (I find 20-30 drops, but go slowly and add scent to your preference)
2 tbl Aloe Vera gel
I don’t own a microwave, so I melt the butter down chocolate style in a hot water bath, then stir in the baking soda, cornstarch and aloe. When it is smooth and mixed I stir in my essential oils, five drops or so at a time. Then I pour it into whatever container I am using and let it come to room temperature. You can store it in the refrigerator if you want to keep it longer, but I haven’t had any trouble with this spoiling after its mixed.
Some ideas for application are:
Keep it in a jar and scoop out a pea size amount to rub into each armpit.
Pour into an empty, cleaned deoderant container. Then you can simply apply it like you are used to doing with those chemical sticks.
Pour into ice cube or popsicle molds. You can keep one in your bathroom and the others in a baggie in the fridge for when they’re needed.
I like the jar method, because I don’t have any old deoderant containers lying around, and I didn’t want to invest in buying new plastic dispensers.And I just don’t mind scooping it out and rubbing it on with my fingers.
The only drawback to this recipe is that these ingredients can get really pricey. I suggest going in with friends and buying bulk from somewhere like mountainroseherbs.com or going to my etsy site duckyluck.etsy.com. If there’s no deoderant listed the day you visit, just send me a convo and I’ll get you hooked up quick smart!
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