Is anyone going to _{Art and Soul} in Virginia this weekend?
My sister is. A couple of months ago she told me that she is taking the Michael DeMeng workshop - that's the fella who wrote  The Secrets of Rusty Things .
She said she didn't have any materials to bring for the project.  I guess some people don't have little boxes full of weird little bits and bobs, banker's boxes not labelled 'Taxes 2007,' but 'Rusty.' You know how I love rust.
Krissi, I got your back.
Half an hour of foraging in my workroom and here you go:

That little bit there in the front, to the right of the blue beads? That is a bit that flaked off of my awesome rusty watering can.

 So I'm playing around with the rusty bits... Do you see what I saw in that one above?

Do you see that perfect profile there on the right? Reminds me of the closing credits of Lemony Snicket.
(Sorry, Krit. You know I had to keep this one. )

She's a bird nerd, so parted with some of my favorite little birdie bits.

And amethyst is her birthstone, so you know...

More rust play:

And if you've visited yummygoods more than once, you know I'm not the only one around here who likes to play:

Here you go, Kritter.

xo,
mba

Here she is, my Sugar Snap!

Yeah, I know, enough selvedge already!

Of course  I can't reveal everything, but I can give you a good shot of these since you've already seen the print version:

And here, let me wrangle up a couple of peeks: 

(Note to Self: don't wait till the last day to take pictures, because the last day may be gray and your pictures might not look the way you like them to. hmmph)

ahhhhh........

Sugar Snap will be available in August. That's just a few months away, so start brainstorming! I can't wait to see what you will make with these prints! Can. Not. Wait!

Oh, and remember that other project I mentioned  I was working on with Free Spirit?
Well, I am pleased to announce that Free Spirit Fabric now has a blog! (Banner and buttons designed by yours truly!)
We are still working a few things out, but you could head on over and subscribe and say hi, if you like! You know, after you say hi to me.

Thanks for all the love yesterday.

xo, mba 

Ohmygodohmygodohmygod.

I am taking pics right now, this is the first:

My name. On. The. Edge. Of. Fabric.
I am such a geek that I couldn't wait to show you!

And I am such a geek that I keep getting all weepy with relief, disbelief, joy. 

I kept saying that I wouldn't believe it until I had the actual fabric in my hands...
Well, I was wrong because I still don't believe it!

I feel like I should be acting  nonchalant and like this was all inevitable.
But the truth is that I am still surprised that I made it out of my teens alive, and I am still surprised that ...oh, I don't even know. Just surprised by all of it. Surprised that I am ok, I guess. This is all feels like such a dream, a fantasy. 

For most of my life I didn't believe that I could be happy or healthy or  successful. I have been working so hard for so long,  just to keep my head above water, emotionally speaking.  I'd like to say that I  never gave up, but I gave up all the time.  I guess I just eventually picked myself up off the floor, whether it took weeks (if I was lucky) or months (most of the time) or years (sometimes). What can I say, I was always  a slow getter-back-upper.
But I'm getting faster. (mmm, smile)

I feel like I should ---I guess from a marketing perspective--- just act like this is all perfectly normal and act all professional and shit. And not swear. And I should say "oh my gosh" instead of "oh my god."
Well,  maybe someday.
Not today.

For today I am a girl who swears and says ohmygod.
For today I am a girl who is overcome with relief and a deep sense of okayness that is pretty new.
And I am totally digging it.

Thank you so much for your support and enthusiasm.
It is medicine for my heart.

More pictures to come. 

xo and love, for real.
mba

Oh my god, you guys! The samples came in and they are blowing my mind!
Sneakity peekity to come this weekend. This is all so surreal.
I went out to celebrate last night with my Honey.
Creme brulee, mais bien sur! 

Until I get a chance to photograph the fabric (my fabric, oh my god!) please enjoy this crazy mug I scored a few years ago:

At the top it says "How to diet successfully and fight fat"

What is up with this pink guy! ?

So weird.  

One more weird thing about me? I rarely do this:

The eat slowly thing, I mean. Well, I suppose I don't use a stopwatch either, but you knew what I meant, right? You get me.

But let me tell you:
One thing that I do eat slowly- I mean like at a glacial pace- is creme brulee. And boy did I milk it last night, picking the tiny sugary bits off of the dish with my fingers and everything.

Oh, drool......

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xo, mba

I haven't been sewing, but I have been cutting. 

As always, no plan. Just randomly cutting fabric into strips  and squares for when I am ready to sit down at the machine.

I feel a quilt coming on. 

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Spring! I love spring. It has been pretty much sunny for the last couple of weeks, which has helped my outlook immensely. I spent the afternoon in the garden on Saturday, for the first time this season. This is late for me!
I cleaned up a few of the beds in the vegetable garden, and most of the pathways between the beds. 

Need to get some peas in the ground this weekend. Maybe I'll grab some pansies at the nursery. I pledge to document my gardening this year!

Do you garden?  Vegetables or flowers or both?

If you lived nearby,  you would be so sick of me pushing  cucumbers and green beans on you every summer.

 Oh, hi.

I was going to show you a picture of myself from the other day. Feeling a little self conscious about it, I asked my honey, "Is this a good picture of me?"

He said, "It's a little forehead-y." 

Now, you should know that I often joke around about having a five-head , as in "Her forehead's so big, she should call that thing a five-head."

So will I be showing you this picture? Um, no. No, I will not. 

But I will show you my cute shoes:

Canvas ballet flats from Old Navy. Way cheap. Had a ratty looking and uncomfortable ankle strap that I removed.  Salmon-y polka dot shoes. Awesome.

Oh, and speaking of awesome? 

From Goodwill.

Yeah, I know. It's polyester. But you will see why couldn't resist:

and a cute tag even:

I am still haunted by a crazy  polyester shirt that I passed up years ago, and  I didn't want to have any more regrets. 

And this one was too perfect:

Can you even believe it?
And yes, I will wear these. Open, over a tank top.
I have so many clothes from thrift stores. Oh man, I should document those! 

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Just wanted to let you know:

You know what you can do, if you want?

Strikeoffs due this week! 

xo 

Good morning!  

I have been doing some spring cleaning. Not the traditional kind, more of a spiritual kind.

When I was really down last month, I realized (again) how downright cruel I can be to myself. Years ago, I used to be only filled with self hate- constantly insulting myself, repeating hurtful phrases to myself as some kind of torturing mantra.

I have come a long way since then, but , boy, when I start sinking down, those thoughts come back like an army of flying monkeys of the soul!

I have been consciously  trying to replace those negative thoughts with positivity and optimism.

Of course, when I am feeling good, this isn't really that hard. The dark feeling are more manageable when they are small passing clouds in an otherwise sunny day. But when the storm comes... Well, I am practicing being kind to myself so that when the storm comes ( and there will be storms ) I am in the habit of helping myself with thoughts instead of hurting myself with them.

In addition to working to change my thought patterns and self-talk, I am changing some of my other habits. I have been spending less time online and more time outside. I have been eating more moderately and getting more exercise. I have been putting on my ipod and listening to music or podcasts instead of watching tv. I am feeling better and enjoying the changes I am putting into place. In the past, I have  done these things intermittently, but I really want them to be a more consistent way of life. It feels so good. Why do I let these practices go?

To help keep this going, I am treating each new positive impulse as a lit match. I cup my hands around it and protect it so it doesn't get put out by a slight wind. When I have one of those thoughts like "ooh, it's really nice out, I should go for a walk," I  try to act on it quickly, before I have time to talk myself out of it or get distracted. I am practicing overcoming inertia!

Above is another one of my thrifted tea towels.
Isn't it cute? I thought it was fitting for the topic.

What's going on with you all? 

Hey.
Is the weekend over already?
>sigh<

Some birdies from last  month: 

I don't even mean to collect birds; it just happens.

Thor loves his place in the sun. He especially seems to enjoy it when his place in the sun is also my little photo shoot. He's a natural.  Can you see that he has a swirly gray belly?
Thor's nicknames: Sor-Sor, Shim,  Mr. T, Puppy Cat.

Here, now you can see the shadow action I was going for:

Smooch!

My honey brought this book to my attention at an estate sale:

Uh, is it just me, or is she incredibly Hello Kitty-ish? 

So cute!

Those little faces are killin' me.

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I was tagged again to list seven weird things about me. As  before, I like to play - but not by the rules. So I am going to just keep adding to my original list  whenever I think of something weird ( or random ) about me. I suggest you do the same - it's kind of fun to keep an eye out for those things about oneself that others might find odd or surprising or funny. Sure, some of them will be downright dull - they can't all be winners, right? 

Since I already added one on, I think I should be at:

#9.  I really want to dye my hair pink.

#10. I have an unreasonably high tolerance for mess and disarray.

#11. I got my license when I was 22 or 23. I didn't drive regularly until a year later. For the first couple of years, I would not allow any passengers.

#12. Brussels sprouts are like candy to me. 

xo, m

 Well, hello!

Hey, do you guys read sfgirlbybay?
Well I do, and what a neat surprise it was to see a photo of my bathroom shelf  in yesterday's post !

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A good friend of mine got engaged recently (congratulations, a!)
It reminded me that I have yet to share this vintage wedding cake topper I got at an estate sale last month:

Isn't it awesome?

I've never seen anything like it, have you?  

The base: 

Have you noticed that some of my photos lately have this pink background instead of my usual white?
I am trying to diversify. I still prefer the white, but it's good to experiment. 

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You know how I am expecting my first strikeoffs of Sugar Snap in a few weeks?

Well, I was just thinking about it the other day, and kinda just letting my mind meander around. I was thinking about what it will be like to hold my fabric, what it will be like at Market ... And suddenly I got this rush of excitement  and disbelief: I have a line of fabric coming out with Free Spirit! I still kinda feel like it hasn't really hit me yet.  Maybe I will really believe it  once I am holding those softy soft fabrics in my hands.
Soon, soon.

Oh yeah, stay tuned for an announcement from Free Spirit about that other  project I was working on with them! Should be any day now. 

Additionally, FS and I are joining forces on flickr  and now my  group Free Spirit Fabrics (and Rowan) is the Official group for all Free Spirit Fabrics! If you aren't already a member, I encourage you to join the pool and add your photos - Free Spirit wants to see what you are making with their fabrics!
I haven't made the announcement yet in the pool, so you get a little heads up, isn't that nice? 

xo, m 

Good morning!
It is such a relief to be back on the way to feeling better.  When I am down, I forget what lightness and spunk feels like. Viva La Lightness and Spunk!

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I have been thinking about creating some designs to screenprint on linen to make tea towels. Maybe the calendar kind. Not sure yet.

Here are my favorites from my collection of thrifted tea towels:

Actually, that top one was given to me by Cindy because it reminded her of a rooster design I did that had a retro  feel and included patterns. I'll have to show you that one. I still hope to do something with that design because I love it.

mmmmm, linen texture....

And this one:

I was so psyched to find a bee one!

And here are details from the folksy one on the bottom of the picture above: 

So cute!

mmmm.
Yeah, I should make some.  Oooh, maybe I should adapt my own rooster design and use that as the basis for one! Yes, yes!

Hey, how about some pictures of something I actually made, not bought secondhand?
How would that be?

Here are 2  little works on canvasboard that I  painted last spring.

They now live in the kitchen.

I was going to say " these are a departure from my usual style" but really, everything I have done in the past number of years is a different from what I guess I still think of as 'my style'!

As I have mentioned before, I am in constant experiment-mode. 

Well, that scratching into paint ( as above)  is one technique I have been using for probably 15 years or more. So that has remained, I just now realized!

But the overall look of the paintings, the colors, the content even- still feels very new to me.

I really like these. There are actually a bunch more in this series, hmm, where are they? Probably in one of my stacks of paintings under piles of vintage fabric!

I apologize for the darkness of these pictures. What, did I take these in a freaking closet or something? 

Even with in my 'experiment-mode', these are unique for me because of the color palette. Sometimes I will just randomly choose a few tubes of paint and try to make something using only those colors. I find the limitation of not relying on my go-to colors  enhances my creativity and keeps me from boxing myself in.
Do you paint at all? 

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I went to that yoga class yesterday. Oh, it felt so good to be back. My hamstrings are killing me! I need to not let it go for two weeks again! 

And in just a few minutes, I am leaving to go to another class. Yay! It's that kind of yoga I took for the first time a month ago. A friend who I went to that workshop with said, "You were grinning the entire time. You looked like you were finally home!"

Oh yeah, here is another corner of our kitchen:

Do you  recognize that pink tin on the right? 

Sometimes people ask, "What the hell do you do with all that crap you buy?" 

Well, here is what I did with those vintage Christmas ornaments I got a few weeks ago:

They now live on top of the fridge. I love them because they aren't all the usual red and green.

Ok, fine, in this shot there is red and green, but overall, there is more pink, champagne and shades of blue.

See me peeking at you from the left corner?

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So, friends,  my heart has been heavy lately. It's not all cute kitchens and estate sale scores around here.
After a few weeks of sinking toward the abyss, I am starting to bob to to the top again. Ah, buoyancy, why don't you come to me sooner?

I am trying to make myself feel better. It sounds corny, but I am trying to learn to be my own best friend right now. This week I have been eating better, and doing a bit of running, and in a few moments I am leaving to go to my first yoga class in two weeks. Yay, me.

I wish you all lived right here on the Cape and we could get together and make stuff and listen to music and be silly together. I know I have said it a bunch of times, but - truly, your comments and encouragement  mean so much.

xo, melissa 

 Found at an estate sale, of course:

They're kind of big, maybe an inch? 

Handmade, or just really old? 

Hey, thanks for your comments yesterday. I feel better about it.

Obviously. 

Good morning, friends.

I am hanging out in the corner seat of our couch, drinking my soymilk coffee and screwing around online. That's my version of reading the paper or watching the news- it's my morning routine. What's yours?

You may recognize this little fella from that blue basket of estate sale goodies:

My honey was like, Argh, what are you getting that for? But I managed to ignore him and get it anyways because I thought it was cute and comforting.

And it still plays music!

I still think about some of my treasured toys; I wonder how many people remember having this as a kid.

Look at the sweet face! 

What will I do with it? I think I will  hang it on the wall, eventually.

I have to admit, I worry that I bore you.

I didn't start off thinking that almost every post would be showing off my secondhand finds, but that is how it has played out. I just go with it because I enjoy it, and --heck-- it is my blog after all and I can do whatever I want, right? But I do still wonder whether you are disappointed that I am not showing magazine-worthy spreads of my home and projects etc. I sometimes wonder whether I should post less often. 

Oh yeah,then I feel silly for even giving all of this any thought at all! Ah, well.

Hey, I thought of another weird thing about me:
8. My eyes are not brown or blue, or green. And no, they aren't hazel either.

I was changing the sheets on the bed the other day and look who showed up:

When he hears sheets being shaken out of a folded bundle he comes running. He must romp.

Do all cats do this? Well, I guess not, because Mercury doesn't. Do your cats do it?

It's not just cats who must get in on the bed-making:

Oh, Zeus. How can I resist your cuteness?

No, this is not an adorable-animal-photos blog, but when it happens, you gotta go with it.

He was looking so photogenic, and the bed was actually made, so I took the opportunity to get some shots to show you that quilt I made a while back.
Ok, fine, it's patchwork.

If you're wondering why the wall behind the bed is so boring, it's because this is a temporary bedroom, still in need of skimming, painting etc.

This is taken from the head of the bed:

You can see some of the back on the folded over part.  I didn't go to the trouble of washing of the dog and cat fur before showing you. I thought about it, does that count? I mean, at least the bed is made, right?

I do really want to make an actual quilt. You know, one that's quilted. Maybe I'll do a throw.

I have been cutting more fabric into strips so that when I am ready to sew I can just jump right in.

Hey, first strikeoffs should be coming in about 3 weeks!
I can't freaking wait.