PinkLemonadeBoutique

Three...Tres...Trois

  Hello. Hola. Bonjour. Yes it's a triplicate kind of day today. Funny how that happens. First up, 3 new bags:

Visted my favorite bookstore in Providence, Cellar Stories and picked up these 3 books:

A David Sedaris (funny) book I haven't gotten around to reading yet, Ogden Nash,(funny and clever) and all six Jane Austins in one. I've been currently obsessed with the Complete Jane Austin on Masterpiece Theater and have asked everyone I know within an arms length if they've been watching. I'm sure they're like, shutup enough already, but still. Anway, I figure since I'm such a fan, I should at least read one of her novels right??? But I can't imagine my literary Mr. Darcy being quite as dreamy...

My etsy friend Suzannah surprised me by sending me these adorably, sparkly clippies! I think these will be for me! Thank you so much Suzannah!

Have a lovely weekend everyone! And remember tomorrow night, Part 2 of Sense and Sensibility...Goodbye, Adios, Au Revoir.

Kumquats are Kool...

But not too tasty. In my opinion. I made this Kumquat tagine

mainly because I was drawn in by the recipe's exotic ingredients, and I never like to pass up an opportunity to make my husband wince at the cost of specialty produce. He does the food shopping, and I usually get at least 3 calls from the market with him on the other end blathering about some food budget, the virtues of domestic over imported, Hersheys vs. Ghiradellli...yada, yada. He usually, reluctantly consents to my high fallutin food fantasies though. So the tagine. Well, I immediately squealed with delight over these diminutive citrus cuties, having never eaten them before, and really enjoyed using them as decoration on my table. The tagine broth was redolent with cumin, ginger and coriander, the chicken thighs juicy and  succulent. The thin sliced onions, sweet and familiar. The Kumquats, not so much. They have a very strong somewhat strange astringent flavor to them, that was not all all pleasing. Oh well, at least I tried them, and Jeff can breath a sigh of relief knowing I'll never ask him to buy 10 oz of produce for $6.00 again.

I've also been making bags, and I'll take this opportunity to update:

    

On an entirely different topic, as these blog subjects have been so far, so I'll just go with it, have you seen this movie yet? Well, what are you waiting for? Hop to it. The Diving bell and the Butterfly receives my  vote for the years best. Although, truth be told, I rarely see movies. After the critics are done skewering them, I am left with little desire to waste my time. This is not your "feel good" movie by any stretch, but it does put things into perspective. As far as life goes. And the particular aspect of not being satisfied with life, and feeling sorry for ourselves. As I am in the habit of doing on occasion. I loved this movie. I love the direction. I loved the perspective. I loved the atmosphere, and I loved this man's spirit. The Butterfly of his soul that was able to take wing despite the most dire of circumstances.

Ok, last up on my list of randomness are some latest etsy purchases that i'll share with you.

Love this neclace to pieces, from this etsy seller. And these earrings from this seller:

And these great baubles from this etsy seller. They are the coolest origami paper pendants, I think I paid around $4.00 each for them! Fun.

   

And these super cute clippies from my fave. clippie girl:

Ok, I gotta run, I'm going to be working on a top secret project...till then.

 

All I have are my memories...

Well I'm sure by now you've all forgotten that I actually went on a trip to California...no? Well prepare to be astounded by pictures of me gorging myself on exotic foods, waves crashing onto beaches,  and a bride walking down the aisle. Of course noone has ever seen vacation pictures like that before have they??? LOL. Well I figure I've had to look at my share of other peoples vacations pics, so now it's my turn. We did have a fantastic if short trip, it was heavy on the eating, as you will see. Although it started out as bad as you can get, short of the plane actually crashing. What should have been a very quick 30 min. flight from Providence to JFK, ended up being 2.5hrs due to a very bad storm. Which in turn caused a domino effect the likes of which causes me to become teary eyed in the recollection of it. Yes we missed our connection to San Francisco, so instead of leaving at 8:30 to SF, we couldn't get a flight till 4:30, which ended up leaving at 7:30 because of the co-pilot being MIA. (That was after we had the brilliant idea to wander around Times Square for the day, and got caught in a torrential downpour, which caused my knit pants to swell and stretch and become as soggy and filthy as you can imagine walking around the subway.) Then of course we finally got there around 3AM, and our luggage was missing. And of course we had no toiletries (I just can't be bothered putting various personal grooming products into small little bottles) or changes of clothing. I don't usually like to cry in public, but it was just too much. After that ordeal I really worked up an appetite. So the next day, we ate breakfast.

If you are ever in SF I highly recommend Dottie's True Blue Cafe, the owner really elevates breakfast fare to an art form. I will miss Dotties. Oh, another picture of me stuffing my face on Dim Sum in Chinatown (I ate so much I busted out of my dress here, yikes):

 

The entrance to Chinatown:

Jeff has been facinated with Chinese Medicine so of course we went to an herbalist while we were there. He bought some herbs, which the herbalist instructed to make a "tea" with, but let me tell you this tea must be good for you because it was vile tasting. It ended up being more like a gravy, a bitter, mushroom/wood tasting viscous yuck. Check out the scale.

And here are the requisite vacation shots of the Golden Gate Bridge and the coast. It really was so beautiful though. The coastline of the Atlantic is beautiful too, especially in Newport and the Cape, but the west coast has such a different feel and look to it. It's huge in everyway.

Here I am outside of Doe, a fabulous little boutique on Haight St.

And of course the reason we went, here is the lovely Bride Danielle.

We didn't get to everything I wanted to, because 4 days is just not enough time, plus we wasted a whole day waiting around in New York. Never got to Chez Panisse (sniff). But i did get to Kinokinuya Bookstore in Japantown. I thought my head would explode. Golden Gate State park was huge and green and wonderful, even though it was a bit battered from that terrible storm. Already thinking about my next trip out there, because I need to go back and retrieve my heart right?   

She makes cute stuff.

First of all, I've been dying to share my trip with you all, but I'm waiting to get the darn pics out of my brother in law's camera so that'll have to wait. Hopefully this week. In the meantime, how cute are these things?

they are the creation of Marlo, of Imakecutestuff. She's a member of the EtsyRain street team in Seattle. Etsy teamed Arts in RI (my group) up with EtsyRain to support and get to know each other a little better. Etsy "street teams" are groups of etsy sellers who join as a group to help the success of each member. I love Marlo's work because the items are so unconventional and original. Who wouldn't want a little cactus pincushion, turn the tables on that little cactus, right? She makes whimsical bags, jewelry, and pincusions. CUTE!

Hello 2008

Is it really January 10th already? ACK! I've really neglected my poor little blog, although I'm sure I've heard a collective sigh of relief at my not moaning and groaning about the weather! This will be a weather free post today. I promise. I am currently getting ready for my trip to San Francisco. Yes, tomorrow in the wee hours of the A.M. we fly out from Little Rhody and breeze into the west coast. Can't wait. Although truthfully I almost cancelled the trip countless times. Because despite my initial excitement, I am a homebody at heart, and we've never left Miss Olivia before. Well, she is 6, and in the excellent care of my MIL, aka Nanny. Besides, I've posted notes all over the house in my efforts to micro-manage in my absence, so she'll know enough to feed and clothe the poor child. She's surely going to hate me for that. Although, I'm sure she'll realize I've done it more for myself, to allay my anxiety more so than to suggest her ineptitude at child care. So, we will be there from Friday to Tuesday, not long, and Saturday is a friends wedding in Sacramento, which is the reason for going. We've planned a few things:

Must go visit this shop

and  Kinokuniya Bookstore

and eat Here

And of course go to Chinatown and Napa. I'm not sure if it's possible to fit this all in, but we will certainly try.

Also, just a quick update on the latest Shop offerings:

this is the same tote, but reverse:

Got this awesome fabric at IKEA:

I've been on a linen tote bender lately. Alas, I've neglected to make myself a fabulous bag for my trip, can you beleive it??? Maybe, I can squeeze one more project in today...I leave you with a shot of Olivia doing her usual, daily, off the wall routine. (She was home on vacation and harrassing the Cat to no end, so Violet kept running from her as soon as she saw Liv coming, so Liv thought she would outsmart the Cat and stroll around the house incognito, so as to sneak up on her, of course I thought the plan was hairbrained, but what did i know, apparently her plan worked)

   

Potluck Tuesday.

1. The Red Sox swept the world series...

2. The New England Patriots are still undefeated...(can Tom Brady get any cuter?)

And unless you are from New England like me, these 2 facts surely don't cause as much excitement 'round your parts.

3. I am loving this fabric:

It's from the line called "floragraphix" line by Jason Yenter for In the Beginning.

3. A new bag in the shop.

I'm calling it "Fleur Rouge". i know, again with the French. Sorry, I'm on a roll. I think if you attatch a French name to anything it automatically raises it's classy-ness. Maybe not. I'm also lacking imagination these days. I think I'm in some sort of low pressure zone. I'm certainly hating all things computer related right now. My wireless router is not working. Bought a new one. Still not working. Apparently not the router's fault. My new laptop is not working. I am tethered to the modem in my dreary yet to be finished bedroom. I haven't the foggiest notion what to do next. I hate getting on the phone for any type of technical difficulty. Causing me much discouragement. Hopefully will be fixed soon. Goodbye.   

What got done, what didn't and a pair of red patent leather peep toes.

Indulge me a moment while I tap my inner Sarah Jessica....

Just please try to filter out the gym socks indent, and month old pedicure...ok, I have no good reason to own these shoes, other than the fact that they are drop dead gorgeous and came in my size: 4. Long  story short: Apparently my feet have shrunk. They were a size 5 for all of my adult life, a challenge in itself to find shoes in that somewhat "normal" range, 99 percent of stores start in size 6. So the universe conspires against me in causing this bizarre physical phenomenon. Not only have they shrunken to a 4 (my left foot shrunken to 3.5, which is so painfully ridiculous I can't even address it at the moment) but they are also "wide". Do you have any idea how hard it is to find size 4 wide? It doesn't exist. Anyway, we have a Nordstroms locally here, and they throw us physical anomalies a bone twice a year with their under/over event, (5 and under/10 and over). So I am forced to spend way more money for shoes than is sane, just so I don't have to raid my 6 yr. olds shoe closet.  Well, I bought 2 pairs, a high heel black patent, and these. I love these. They are so girly. When I wear them I feel like the girliest girl from planet girly. ok, enough of that inane chatter.

Aren't these fabrics gorgeous!!! They are not out on the market yet, they are the design creation of the very talented Sandi Henderson of Portabellopixie. It's her new line of fabrics for Michael Miller called Ginger Blossom.  Sandi is on her way with her wares to the Quilt Market in Houston Texas, where I'm sure she'll be a huge hit. Sandi sent me a few precious bits to make some bags with, and they are going with her too! I was so excited when she asked me to be a part of her exciting venture. Of course being the dummy head that I am I forgot to takes pictures of them. I'm sure Sandi will have pics posted of the event on her blog, maybe we'll get to glimpse them there afterwards. Good luck Sandi!

What also got done are these 2 new bags that are now in the shop.

Which leads me to the thing that didn't get done: Painting. Well, in all fairness to myself, Sandi has to have these bags by Thursday, having overnighted the fabric to me on Saturday, so there was no time. Thank goodness. I was looking for even the flimsiest excuse not to do it. I think I'll wait till the spring. Yes, that's a better time to paint.

And congrats to Sarah the winner of Marie Claire idees! Enjoy Sarah. Thanks everyone for your sweet comments, i'm sorry I haven't responded, I'm trying to catch up on a bunch of customs, but will be back to responding soon!

Also, I hope all our California friends are safe and out of danger from those terrible wildfires, thoughts and prayers are with you all.

Le Papillon, bon idees, et Chez Panisse

Bonjour Mes Amis! What's with Le Francais you say? Well recent serendipitous events have converged in very French way, bringing out my inner Francophile. Here you have Le Papillon, my most recent scarf, which lately has been my le addiction:

You can't really see the butterfly, but she is there. Said scarf is now listed in le shoppe.

I've mentioned it before, and i'll say it again, Marie Claire idees is a wonder to behold.

It's my absolute favorite craft magazine, and I've recently allowed my subscription to run out, because I enjoy the excitement of visiting the newstand, buying it, and sitting in le cafe with a cup o' joe, visions of craft projects dancing in my head. I know, i need to get out more often. And I will I declare. Ok, I am just giddy with excitement, we are going to California! A friend of ours is getting married in Sacramento, and we are flying and staying in San Francisco for 4 days, i can hardly contain my excitement. I know 4 days is too short but since this is our first time away from l'enfant, I didn't want to push it. And truly, I am not lacking a measure of ambivalence. I will miss and worry about her! But Jeff and I really need this trip away by ourselves. It's been 6 years good grief. I have 2 things there that I must do. First, i want to go to a Japanese bookstore and have my fill of looking and no doubt buying some craft books, we don't have any around here, and I have to order them all online, I would love to just browse to my hearts content. Secondly, and I don't have a life list, but if I did this would be under the category of PLACES i NEED TO EAT AT BEFORE i DIE. I'm going to Chez Panisse, of the legendary Alice Waters.  In the 1960's she was a foremost advocate of local, seasonal, sustainable agriculture in Berkley.

Excuse moi, I must now go make le reservation, avoir.

EDIT: For you Les Miserables that cannot get your hands on a copy of Idees, I will be having a give-a-way, just leave a comment by Friday PM, and I'll randomly pick a post and the winner will be sent the most recent!

ETSY LoVe.

I thought I'd share with you today some fabulous purchases I've made on ETSY recently. Here is an amazing original watercolor from Beornica Designs:

It's titled "Lucky Mango", and I feel so lucky to be owning it. Danielle is uber-talented and she recently has added some luscious, juicy grapefruit paintings to her shop that I'm just lusting after. I go absolutely  gaga for original art, unfortunately my budget doesn't allow me to buy it most of the time. But her work is not only beautiful and unique, it's so reasonably priced.

Ok, and here is a necklace from one of my fave. Etsy sellers, this is my second piece from Nico of it's your life. A necklace I bought from her previous was actually my first Etsy purchase, and I think her work is just fabulous, original, and yummy.

Ok, not one to share the spotlight for too long, especially on MY blog, here are a couple of bags freshly listed on ETSY.

I got the idea for the patchwork squares from my new book, (see previous post) and this pattern for the dance/shoe/overnight bag

 

from this quilt magazine:

It was so quick and easy, I whipped one up for myself, it's the perfect size for the gym, to carry the essentials in style. Allrighty, on with the shameless self-promotion:  If you are at all interested, you can read my scintillating interview with Lisa Lam of Craft-boom. I'm not sure how helpful it is to crafters just starting out in the biz., (it is just my own experiences and opinions, you may think it's all just hooey) but there is a disturbingly large picture of my head right off the bat.   
   

I Survived!!!

Hello my friends, how was everyone's weekend? Let's see, hmm...what did I do...oh yes, now I remember, the craft show! I feel like I've just given birth, except I'm not lying on the couch in a puddle of postpartum hormonal soup. And I'm sleeping soundly through the night, now that it's over and done. I have to say it was one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had in a long time! Oh, except for the torrential downpours on Saturday. Mudpuddles, leaky canopy, and soggy tags and bags, my feet sprouting mushrooms, all in all not a pretty sight. So Saturday was pretty much a washout, but Sunday went pretty well. It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed the sunshine, great music, and the highlight being for me the honking big sausage and pepper sub and bigger than my head fried dough chaser I ate while my smug husband shook his head in disgust while crunching on carrot sticks. My daughters eyes were big as saucers as she hovered under my plate for the shower of powdered sugar that was surely to come. I met some super talented artists and crafts people also, and managed to control myself from blowing all my hard earned profits. I judiciously chose only 3 things to buy. A yummy white tea and ginger soy candle, some pretty earrings and a print. It was fun bartering at the end of Sunday, and here are the goodies that I bought:

Ian Maclaury is such and immense talent, and I was priviledged that he was my neighbor for the weekend. I loved this little seal. Here are some pics of my booth.

And my poor family on the ride back home on Sunday with all the gear stuffed into our little car. I was cracking up the whole time. (we only had a short drive across the street, basically so please don't turn me in for trying to suffocate my child or the lesser crime of not having her buckled in) :

Ok, now for the fun stuff: I have listed all my post-show goodies on ETSY and a few things on EBAY and in celebration i'm going to have a GIVE-A-WAY! Just comment on this post by 10 pm Thursday Sept. 20th and I'll pick a comment via a random number generator and the winner will receive this lovely wristlet!

Good luck everyone, and again, much thanks for the wonderful and encouraging comments on my blog. Now that the prep for the show is done, I will be able to respond better, and I apologize for not keeping up. I appreciate it so much, it makes me so happy! And it's so much fun to be able to link to other people's blogs and receive so much inspiration.

Thanks to my family and friends for coming to see me and a big thanks to my friend Michelle for your help and support and cheering me on and bringing me the most beautiful bouquet of flowers to grace my booth and make it look so pretty and special, you have such and eye! And especially a big thanks to Jeff and Liv, the 2 most special people in my life. Thanks for all your hard work and for hanging with me for the weekend. Love you guys!