Floral Geometric Velvet Bag

i made myself another bag from a vintage skirt
i used an unused belt for the straps
i lined it with material from a skirt i used to wear

i like the shape of bags made from skirts.
and i like the "bigness"
here is the skirt layed out, unaltered.
the skirt came with a matching fitted jacket that i kept
i love the floral and geometric goodness/combo going on here

another, in different light.
love it!

i sew, i sew, it's off to work i go,
xoxoxo
jennette




Birch Bark Phone Case

my iphone case is clear.
cheap.
and clear.
i had an "a-ha" moment and decided to give it a go.

you see the kind of "clear" i'm talkin bout?
hello gorgeous-pressed-flat-birch-bark "paper"
remember this?

yes.
i'm a dork.
and i wasted bark by tracing the wrong way the first time.
oh well.
here is my authentic and one of a kind birch bark iphone case.
yahooie!
i love it!

eating more shortcake,
xoxox
jennette




Baby Maple

found this baby maple when i was weeding the garden.
just like this.
so i carefully potted it up and set it on my kitchen window sill,
and each day more leaf peeked out.
and then it dropped its "helicopter" casing,
and is beginning to look like a small maple tree!

horse back riding two days in a row!,
xoxox
jennette








Elvis Hawthorn Fluffernutter Update

have you meet elvis?

elvis hawthorn fluffernutter, that is?
well here he is.
just about 2 months old now.
jasper's little buddy...
although we all "fight" over him!
he is a holland lop and wont get much bigger.
he has a ton of personality and we think he is hilarious.
he likes to tell jasper secrets.
this is the day after we brought him home a few weeks ago.
he's just grown a bit
and this is his baby picture.

awwww...soooo cute!

we love you elvis!

xoxox
jennette










New & Noteworthy

some new items around the shop:
fill in the blank cards
blue bird dish
intricate red cut paper picture.  amazing!
floral decoupage
a wonderful vintage clutch
a shabby chic hanging shelf
a lady bell
some bird embroidery
weed book with lovely lino prints
children's book with fantastic cover





Smashing Rubbish
hours of operation:
thursday-saturday noon-6
sunday noon-5

come see what's new,
xoxox
jennette












I Am Magical Dress

i am still not entirely sure about the mock-up of this "i am magical" dress. 
is it magical as in: i am in a circus...yay?!  or magical as in: i ate magic mushrooms and this is what i choose to wear today to prove it?!  or magical as in: life's too short to care what others think and i need to be colorful/magical sometimes....(ok, lots of the time!)?!
it is a VERY different look from the one shown in the book...

this is the book the pattern came from and yep,
that is the "i am magical" dress on the front.
and i love the version they show.

and another view.
my version is REALLY different, right.
I know.

the pattern had obvious measurement flaws right off the bat.
so i corrected those and decided to use an old indian bedspread fabric for the body and some odd crocheted/knit(?) pieces for the bodice front and the arms.
use what you have, i figured.
especially for the first go round.
and especially if you are feelin the magic...
i had some orange butcher paper so i used it to make the pattern.
my friend uses old wallpaper to trace out her patterns and if i come across some that is wide enough and isn't too brittle, i will too.
this is the back of the dress pattern piece
here is the dress/tunic without chest and arm pieces.
i rather like it just so.
in the construction of this, i found a few more flaws, or at least instructions that didn't account for the very "finished" way i like my garments to be.  a once turned hem just won't do...nor will a once turned neckline...
i guess i was just anxious to find a use for these odd crocheted/knit(?) pieces...and so here they are.
i guess i need to come to terms with this just being a mock-up and nothing more. 
it is what it is.
yes, i've tried it on.
and it is kinda cute.
maybe its all the colors that throw me off.
i feel kinda clownish...
or magical....
is it bad or is it ok?
be honest.
see.
i can't decide.
usually that means: not so much.  not so good.

i will forge ahead and try again. i made several notes on the pattern pieces so that i can make it better next time. 
i do like the cut and "style" of it so i am going to try making it totally opposite of the first attempt in some very opposite colorway and material. and make it as a dress, not a tunic.  gotta remember to cut it much longer next time...

here's to being magical, in all its shapes and forms,
xoxoxo
jennette

















Pockets

you know me and pockets: gotta have em.
so i added some to this little vintagey prairie halter dress i plan to wear all summer.  this little shift is perfect for over the swim suit and back and forth to the beach, right.

put a bird on it.
the pocket fabric used to be my dinner napkins.
yep.  recycle your cloth napkins my friends and make them into pockets for your pocket obsession.
now my phone, sunglasses, lip balm and keys will be at my finger tips and that will make me très happy.
word.

making mother blessing invites with cards i dyed using hibiscus,
xoxox
jennette




Wear-n-Worn

i love wearing this vintage turquoise blue "house dress" with my red goat clogs.
is it wrong to wear a "house dress" out in public?  or to work?!
i just wear a black slip under it so if it gaps open in between the wide set buttons, no one gets a free show!  haha!
you know why i am smiling, right?
yep, because it has pockets...you guessed!
i am so close to the age where i probably won't wear any dress that doesn't have pockets.  just sayin.  does that mean i am getting old? or wise?  a little of both i'd guess?
you can barely see my strand of red jet glass beads.  i should restring these vintage beauties before they bust out all over the floor cuz that would be sad.
wearing that perfect-for-spring vintage plaid rain jacket again.
with a colorful bold stripe and cotton tassel scarf, nonetheless!
be bold friends!
don't be afraid to mix and match!
wear what makes you happy....this is your chance...go bold!
let em stare while you get away with it!
if it makes you feel good, wear it.  whatever it is, put it on.
and shine, shine, shine your brightest you!

currently wearing overalls with paint splatters,
xoxoxox
jennette


Hive Check

i was able to get in and check out my sweet honeybees last week.
this hive is actually only two deep but i was lazy and left the empty feeders on, with the third brown box covering them.
these are my tools.
smoker, hive tool: for prying apart propolis sealed boxes and frames, bee brush and frame holder.
this is the hive that i knew was empty of bees. 
they just didn't make it, even after all that.
but again, and anyways, i am lazy, so it sat like this all winter.
this is the inner cover of that "empty" hive.
and these are the frames of that "empty" hive.
do you see the markings on the tops of the frames...those tell me which way i want my frames facing and what year i started using that frame. the foundation wax in each frame has a design that is better used by the bees, they draw comb more quickly on it, if it is facing a particular way, a certain way, the right way, the way that helps them get a faster start and encourages them to start buliding comb at all!
details friends, details!
see that hole in my partially drawn foundation wax...that is because my hive was not indeed "empty" but was at some point, for a very SHORT time, occupied by a small critter.

here is the critters grassy little nest and some burr comb(the extra comb the bees build between gaps to make their perfect "bee space").  i got real lucky because although there was a little grassy nest and a hole in the wax foundation of one frame, there was no critter poop or pee or mess, whatsoever.  lucky indeed...an owl must have got the little bugger right after he built his nest and i am pleased!
so here we are back to the first hive, the active one, but after i took off the extra empty box, and you can see the sweet bees coming and going.
it's hard to get a close up without taking my gloves off and we all know that i still work my hives with my gloves on!
yep, that's me happy as can bee...

(since these photos were taken it became obvious that the active hive was doing so well that it needed to be supered!  that means that both the top and bottom hive bodies were so full of lovely sweet bees that i was able to add a honey super now, in early spring, and i may get some maple honey!  woot! not everyone loves maple honey but i am just darn excited that i figured out they needed more space BEFORE they swarmed on me again!  cheers to early honey supering!  yay sweet bees!)

in other news, and less importantly, i am over here working on more half done blog posts that have been sitting around with photos but no words since forever and a day. some are for my own documentry satisfaction and others are for you.  i know, i aim to please!

xoxoxox,
jennette












C.E.W.


i always look for items on etsy and ebay that have mine or my guys (all three of them) initials on them.
i found this lovely little "steampunk watch chain" on etsy with chad's initials.
i figure i can make it into some cool jewelry for myself. 
i love the fist with lightening bolts.
do you know what the symbol/emblem stands for?
maybe some kind of union/fraternal/brotherhood thing?
i think a little research is in order....

hope you all have a great weekend.
i plan to finish up my interior painting project at home.  i am covering dark grey walls with white "moonrise" so its coat after coat, ya know.  i can not wait to be done, let it cure, and get all my cool art back up on the walls.  just a few walls painted moonrise white can make all the difference in my little world! i will show you results soon.

fare thee well,
xoxo
jennette