Lemon Tree Tales

Create in 2008!

I just read Calamity Kim's post about her new habit goals for 2008 and was completely blown away. It stuck such a nerve with me that I was inspired to come up with a motto for the new year - CREATE in 2008! No more putting off my creative job because of household chores that need to get done. They can just as easily be done in the late afternoons and evenings. Lemondrop and her friends need more attention, my new shop needs to have new prints and items every two weeks in order to take off, the sketches of new dolls and designs need to become real (they don't live when stuffed in sketchbooks), my studio needs to become organized to reflect this new shift of priorities, and I need to become more energized.

New Habits
Action: Walk 30 minutes outside three days a week in morning
Benefit: Fresh air, sunshine, energy, and free time for creative thoughts

Action: Storyboard ideas for the orchard fairies while watching tv with Steve in evenings
Benefit: Less time wasted on what to do with story ideas, sharing with Steve

Action: Monday, Wednesday & Friday mornings draw/post sketches for 101 Fairy Lane
Benefit: Story becomes regular and more consistent with a schedule

Action: Monday mornings pick one or two ideas to turn into full color prints during week
Action: Remainder of Mondays & Wednesdays work on shop prints and goodies
Benefit: Shop becomes stocked

Action: Tuesdays & Thursdays work on a doll from sketchbook
Benefit: Bringing life to new designs

Action: Remainder of Friday work on organizing/cleaning studio
Benefit: Clears the way for the next week's creative storm

**************CONTEST**************

How about you? Rather than make simple resolutions that often don't make it past the month of January, why don't we all come up with solid daily/weekly actions that will become new habits. Since writing things down is a first step, I'll help.

For everyone who comments with their new creative habits for 2008, I'll put their name into a drawing. The prize will be as many goodies that will fit into a Priority Flat Rate box for domestic mail (US). If it's an international winner, the prize will have to be a bit smaller due to postage costs. Goodies will be: fabric, trim, button, pattern, maybe a book or magazine and one handmade item. You have until Monday January 7th at MIDNIGHT, Pacific time zone, to enter your name and creative habit for the new year. Good luck.

So let's CREATE in 2008! Happy New Years!!!

Serger Love

If you had asked me just a year ago whether I truly needed my serger, I would have said no, not really. I had used it only once in the past 10 years and thought that perhaps someone else would find it useful. Before that I used an industrial coverstitch machine at college when I designed and sewed a patchwork man's t-shirt. (Many, many pattern pieces but I earned an A in that patternmaking assignment.)

So when I told my husband that I was thinking of selling it this past summer he asked how much did I think I could get for it and whether it was worth not having it. So back it went under the sewing table.  Now I've been using it to finish the seams on clothing for the lovely Miss L & Miss J. Turns out he was right! Smart man, I think he's a keeper. ;-)

Shown here are the ruffled skirts. I just have to finish the elastic waistband and hemming. I'd rather do that after trying them on the girls to make sure that they're not too long. Oh and the pattern that I was testing for Liesl was a big hit with the girls. Miss L has requested that I make her an outfit in her size, only in blue not pink.

I've found a page of reference videos on using sergers that I thought you may find useful if you've never used one before. After poking around a bit I discovered Dawn's sewing blog, The Secret Pocket, and this post about serger basics.

Fort Jones, CA

Since Steve had both Monday and Tuesday off we decided that we could make the drive up north to visit with my grandparents at my Great Aunt Mandy's place in Fort Jones, CA. That's about 15 miles west of Yreka in northern California near the Oregon border. We were warned that there was snow so we took my car. (Steve's car has 3 season tires.) Luckily it was just a wee bit overcast driving the mountains near Mt. Shasta and snow was only on the sides of the road a little bit. It was cold!!! We had a great time. My grandparents treated us to a banana split at the soda fountain at the old pharmacy in Etna, a near by town. The safe door shown above is for the gold nuggets vault that was installed sometime in the 1880s.

Here's grandma at the soda fountain. Near the window is a display of little red boxes. They were filled with sheet music for the player piano - it still works and the pharmacy owner played it for us.

Steve and grandpa were engrossed in pictures of our travels as well as Steve's racing adventures. When not talking about that, they started in on airplanes. Both of them are pilots and love flying. I love that they get along so well!

I asked grandpa to make his famous polenta for dinner. He's dishing it out for my Great Aunt Mandy to put on the spaghetti sauce and parmesan cheese. Both of them were born in Italy. My grandpa was 15 when they arrived in the states. I'm not sure how much younger Mandy is, but you can definitely tell that they're siblings. Lots of little snapping back and forth, with lots of jesting too. All in all it was a very nice visit.

Projects for the girls

This is what's currently on my cutting table. The bright, dare I say Hot Pink!, pieces on the left are going to be a swing top and skirt that I'm testing for Liesl of disdressed's new children's pattern line, oliver + s. I didn't have enough of the pink leaf fabric so I cut some of the purple dimples cotton to use as the skirt's lining. The fabrics on the right are going to be made into ruffle skirts for two sweet little girls that I know, Miss L & Miss J. I hope that they like them. I'm going to use the very simple ruffle skirt tutorial that Grand Revival Designs posted.

Treasures from the Heart

Last night our doll club had a Secret Pal swap. This is the marvelous cutie that I received. Isn't she precious? Her body is an upside down heart and in the side back view you can see that her hat is also made from a heart. I absolutely heart her! Thank you Secret Pal!

I can't show you the one that I made, but I snapped a quick pic of all the Secret Pal dolls lined up. Which one do you think is from me?

Flower Pincushions

Yesterday while Steve raced around the track I made these little flower pincushions. Tutorial for them by verybigjen here. I used recycled wool sweaters (felted) for the sides and bottoms and a variety of wool and acrylic felt for the tops and flowers. They were supposed to be for a boutique hosted by the American Legion Hall (the location of our doll club meetings). Unfortunately the hosts didn't publish the event in the local paper so only a couple people wandered in the doors yesterday. Due to the lack of customers today's boutique was canceled. That's okay, our doll club will have a booth at the sewing festival this coming February. I'll put them up for sale then and have the proceeds go to the club.

What do you think about the packaging that I came up with?

My new Etsy store

I've wanted to open an Etsy shop from the first time that I discovered them in February 2005. What a great concept, a place to buy and sell all handmade items. My husband has been such a great support to me. He's the one who kept encouraging me, telling me that I should jump into it. So I've been researching different art papers and where to buy quality shipping supplies. And you've seen my new logo that I designed a couple weeks ago. It's finally come together this afternoon. Announcing the grand opening of the Lemon Tree Tales shop - home to Lemondrop & the orchard fairies and all sorts of whimsy.

Tin Man

Did anyone watch Tin Man, SciFi channel's darker version of The Wizard of Oz this past week? Lucky we have TiVo to record all three episodes when they repeated at 1am each night. The imagery was brilliant. Who would have thought of transforming the flying monkeys into monkey bats that live as tattoos on the evil witch? The colors are rich with dark undertones. It's almost as if all the colors were painted on a black canvas. There's a nice contrast between dark areas and light, sometimes blending into subtle shadows. The scenery mirrors the characters who aren't classic good/evil or black/white. They're all too human with flaws, both small and great. I fondly remember the times that I watched the original movie but this new incarnation is definitely not to be missed. I think that it repeats again this Sunday.

Sizzix Paddle Punches

These amazing paddle punches by Sizzix arrived last week. Mimi of Doll had shown how she cut little felt shapes with these sometime last year. Abby of While She Naps also used them to make this gorgeous owl. I meant to get some at Michael's but by the time I wanted to use them I couldn't find them at any of the stores. Turns out that they are now discontinued. This is where ebay comes in handy. A nice lady from back east was selling all of the above punches, mat and hammer. After a little practice I was hammering away and cut these little flowers from felt. It is a bit noisy so I've been cutting a few out during the day. I think the little leaf shape could also come in handy as the scales for a mermaid doll.