Renaming the Shop

I've decided to change the name of my shop, so that it coordinates with the names of my blog.  And then, I might actually re-open the shop!  Wouldn't that be nice?

Anyway, my options are Green World Shop or Green World Boutique, and as usual, I can't make up my own mind.  So, I've created a poll (at the top left of my blog) to get an idea of what everyone else thinks.  So, if you haven't already, please vote! 

PS: To the people who suggested that I do this when I first asked for shop name suggestions, you may now chuckle, and say 'I told you so'.

Sam's Bridal Set

Sam, initially a college friend of my sister-in-law's, and Tony, initially a friend of my husband's from high school,   have been welcomed into the Gager family as honorary members. They met through their mutual connection to our family, discovered that each nurtured a secret tendré for the other (with a bit of help from my MIL), and started dating.  Fast forward about three years, and Sam and Tony will be tying the knot next month in California.

her gown, minus the gloves.

As much as I desperately want to go I'd like to be there, for the wedding itself and the party, I won't be able to go.  A trip for 4 to California just wasn't in the budget. Brandon is a groomsman, and will be going alone.  My consolation is that I got to make Sam's bridal jewelry, so a little piece of me will be there with them when they say "I do".  We discussed a number of different designs, but she settled on this as her inspiration:

She found it on Etsy, and asked me to try to duplicate it, with black cabochons and beads in place of the blue.  We worked together to choose the settings (Pinterest to the rescue!) and then I got everything ordered, and got to work. (Ok, there may have been a gap between ordering and working.  Sorry, Sam.)  This is what I came up with:

I am in love with the result.  It's a nice necklace in blue, but it is strikingly elegant in black, especially with the more ornate setting for the cabochon.  The earrings are the same as the drop hanging from that cab setting on the necklace, but I added a single pearl at the bottom, to tie it all together.  (You can see them pretty well in the left-hand photo, below.)  I love it love it love it!  I have duplicates of some of the findings...I may be making one for myself.  Nevermind that I'll probably never have a chance to wear it, I need to have one.  Did I mention that I love it?

After the wedding, I will be rabidly stalking keeping an eye on Sam's Facebook for wedding photos, and I'll share some of her whole ensemble when I can.  I'm not sure exactly what she's planning (I think there may be a black sash somewhere in there) but I know it will be lovely!  Oooh, I can't wait to see those pictures!  I so wish I could go.  Anyone want to come distract me that week?  Otherwise, I think I may be living in Rebekah's back pocket for a week...

James David

A friend of mine just had her baby, and I took a few photos for her, just for fun.  These are a few of the best:

We picked one and I made her birth announcements:

 I made a name plaque to match the sailboat-themed nursery set that she chose.

Nautica's Zachary crib set

And I made a coordinating bath towel hoodie for the little guy.  He hates to be cold, and it's super cozy and plush. It also coordinates with the nursery.

I used cotton towels--one bath towel and one hand towel-- from Target for the hoodie itself, scraps of cotton fabric for the sail boat, and ribbon from JoAnn's to trim across the bottom of the hood, and all the way across the bottom of the cape.  Quilter's cotton worked so much better for doing the applique than scraps of towel, because the cotton doesn't warp as bad.  (Kaylie's "K" was not supposed to be nearly so big!)  I'll have to ask Rebekah for feedback on functionality.  :)

The Other Baby Book Website

I did something new and super exciting!!  

I helped to design a website!  For someone else!!  And I got paid to do it!!!

No, really, I did!  This is how it happened:

Rachel, a friend of mine from high school, was asked to put together a new website for a pair of authors promoting their new book.  And Rachel, being the web-savvy girl that she is, said sure!   She felt confident that she could handle putting it together, but felt less sure of her ability to make it look good and is used to working in a team anyway, so she asked the authors if she could bring in a partner: me!  (She said that I was the very first person she thought of to help with the aesthetic elements of the site; is that not an incredible compliment to me or what?)  She told them a little bit about me, showed them my blog and my digital scrapbook pages, and they gave their stamp of approval.  

Fast forward 10 days, about a gazillion e-mails, and a few curses (generally directed at Word Press), and voilá!  A website is born!  If you think of it in terms of building a house, Rachel did all of the construction, and I did all of the interior and exterior decor:  headers, fonts, colors, images, etc.  I just might break my arm before I'm done here, but I'm incredibly pleased with the way it all turned out.

I have to thank Kelly and Lizy, who started me down the path to digital scrap-booking in the first place.  That, combined with my blogging prowess (too much?  Probably, but hey, I'm on a roll here), is what helped me land this gig.  I have just been dying to tell you about this, because I knew you'd be proud.  :)

The book itself is called The Other Baby Book, and is intended to provide an introduction to natural parenting, an alternative to the more mainstream practices and philosophies about parenting through the first 12 months.  I would highly recommend this as good reading for all expecting parents, and parents of young babies, not because I think that everyone should espouse all of their ideas, but because it is good to be informed.  (After all, if you don't have all of the information, how can you make a sound decision?  So it is worth reading, even if you get to the end and say, "Nope, this 'natural parenting' thing just isn't for us".)  And if you want to know more when you get done with the book, then the website that we just put together has a whole stack of suggestions for further reading.

Jessie's Outfit

Elora's made-by-Mama birthday gift is a Jessie costume to wear at her party, and any time she wants to play dress up.  

I took a cotton knit shirt from Target and a pair of jeans and added to them.

The binding on the collar, the red loops, and the cow print on the jeans were added by hand.  The rest was machine stitched.   I wasn't trying for an exact duplicate of Jessie's outfit, just an approximation.  For example, I didn't even try to bring the yellow panel down to points on the shirt.  She already has a little pair of brown boots, and I ordered a hat from The Disney Store to complete the look.

Edit:  Ack!  I just realized that I forgot the gray buttons on the shirt.  Should I add them, or just let it go?

So excited for the party---this weekend!!

Scissors and Steam

 Jamie over at Scissors and Steam is doing a give-away!  She's gathered an eclectic bunch of crafting supplies, and is looking to find them a new home.  And if she isn't already on your blog-roll, you should add her.  She makes me laugh.  :)

Kaylie's Towel Hoodie

  Kaylie will be getting a hoodie towel for her birthday!  Elora has had one since she was an infant, and we have always used it.  I've been meaning to make one for Kaylie since she was an infant.  It only took me a year, but it's done!

I'm so tempted to just start using it, rather than wrapping it up and waiting for her party.  She's not going to know the difference, right?  But I will wait.  We've made do without it for this long, we'll make do for another few weeks.

I used one full sized bath towel and two hand towels.  I almost chose pale baby colors for it, but I picked super bright colors instead, and I'm loving it!  And I just happened to have a perfect coordinating ribbon at home, which I didn't know until after I bought the towels. 

It was meant to be.  The K on the front ended up being larger than I'd intended because the towel stretched as I sewed it on.  And I didn't have matching thread when I started the project, so the orange K is outlined in pale pink.  It looks ok, but it would have looked a lot better if I'd used orange thread.  You will notice that the yellow K is outlined in yellow. 

This is my current project.  Can you guess what it is?