Jessica Flores Design

Soaking up Summer

The weather around these parts has been downright summery the last few days, and we've wasted no time soaking up the heat, wishing we could store it away for the next dreary 50 degree Indiana day.  My garden is in its prime with peonies nodding heavy on slender stems and purple irises shooting up like exclamation points in the soft waves of color. 
 We have splashed in the sprinkler, 

 enjoyed some silly time in the hammock
 , enjoyed some more silly time in the hammock with good friends
 feasted at a picnic in the shade of the front lawn, picked herbs fresh from the garden for dinner
 , and played all kinds of pretend.  Nora has taken to naming just about every inanimate object around the house.  
 This little wagon has been donned "little red," and when she found my great-great grandmother's dust cap in my linen drawer in the kitchen, she decided it was the perfect accessory for Little Red Riding Hood to wear while pulling "Little Red" and slurping a ice pop--red of course.  

After three hot humid days, a lightening storm popped up and knocked out the electricity on my way home from work.  For three hours we lived like Laura and Mary.  While Nora quietly looked through a new stack of library books in the "parlor", I cooked up a simple dinner on the hearth (gas stove), and Pa went to work digging out the new patio in the lingering heat.  While we waited for the power to come back, I enjoyed a long quiet walk to the end of the road. . . and came back to find Nora helping with the digging.  
 The treasure hunting uncovered some marvelous rocks and a bit of electrical wire. 
 After a bath and some good books, Little Red Riding Hood is sleeping soundly as the frogs peep loudly from the open windows and fans whir in the corners of the bedrooms.  My neck is achy from work, my wheels are turning with some business ideas and projects I want to share, and I'm anxious about leaving my own Little Red with a babysitter tomorrow, but my bedtime prayer is full of more thanks than petition tonight as I lay myself down to sleep.  Good night from our little house near the small woods!

 

Country Girl in the City

 
  Thanks to all of you who came out to see me at Urban Lily yesterday and purchase a thing or two.  We had a great day selling our wares, meeting new folks and chatting about future projects.   A special thank you to Amanda, who graciously opened her boutique to me for the day and made me feel so welcome.
  She even shared her mannequins!  Now I have a picture to share of one of my wrap-around tops!  Isn't that necklace adorable too?  If it's still there on my next trip, I'm going to have to snag it.  During the afternoon I was able to embroider the band of another one in black.  It's going to be a challenge to keep these available for my customers, though.  I want to wear them so badly myself!

I left all of my merchandise at the store, so you can check it out there anytime for the next couple of weeks.  Here's the really fabulous news, though, if you didn't get a chance to come out yesterday:  Urban Lily is hosting a "cultural bazarre" during South Bend's First Friday event on June 4.  I'll be there with even more goodies and will be joined by several other artists. We'll be set up from noon to 9 pm (though I can't guarantee I'll be staying that late into the evening.  It will probably be 6 pm for me).  Hopefully we'll have sunnier weather than yesterday (and smoother hair and table cloths!).  

Until then, I will be cleaning house, trippin' down south to help my little sis set up house in a new apartment, enjoying the beginning of "school's out!" days, and trying to stitch up some new headbands, tops, scarves, pillows and more just for you!  

You Are Invited

 I found this sweet little flier on my Facebook page this afternoon posted by Urban Lily.  Don't I feel special?!  Please note the extended hours.  We're also working on setting up a second showing during South Bend's First Friday event in June.  Stay tuned for details!

Freebies this Friday!

 

Just stopping in on this rainy afternoon to let you know about a special offer at my show this Friday at the Urban Lily in South Bend.  Stop in between 12 noon and 5 pm and receive a free yoyo posie with any purchase from my collection!  Amanda will also be offering a drawing to win a $100 gift certificate to the shop, so come on in and shop for some lovlies to make your summer wardrobe extra stylish.  

 

Happy 100th!

 Just after I clicked "publish" on my last post, I noticed a tiny little counter on my dashboard reading "99" beside the number of posts published to this blog.  Since then, I've felt a little timid about writing this auspicious entry.  I don't have an epiphany to share today or a sentimental journey through the last three years.  As much as I love this cozy little corner of my world,  I'm lucky if I find the time to upload one picture a week.  Today would be a great time to run down a list of resolutions for the next 100 posts worth of life, but I'd much rather resolve to simply live:  to soak up life without listening to that nagging voice in the back of my mind trying to find the words to describe the moment on the blog, or regretting that the camera is not at hand.  Remember that holiday not-to-do list from December?  I'm penning one for the summer.  

The one thing I immediately knew I would share on this 100th post is my very first sewing project.  
 Nora found this little guy upstairs at my mom's house while they were cleaning out my old closet.  I remember my grandma Ginnie helping me make him at her house when I was little -- I can't remember how old I was -- I can remember the names of 90% of the people I meet on a day-to-day basis, but ask me how old I was when I first went to summer camp or met my best friend from elementary school, and I'm at a loss. I do know I must have been older than 6 or 7, because the stitches on the edges are pretty darned straight and consistent in size.  Don't ask me exactly what kind of creature it is or why he's crying.  I don't remember being particularly sad when I made it.  

I'd like to think I've come a long way since that first project. Last week I made a special little tote for my mom for Mother's Day.  She needed a little something to take her knitting out in. 
Version two features one of the quilt blocks I picked up at the Country Living Fair back in September.  I was thrilled to get a call from one of my friends today who wanted to buy one of my scrappy scarves and see a few new bags.  She ended up snatching this one before I even had the chance to post it here.   
 The pattern was adapted from an Amy Butler design, and I've got some more alterations to make before I can claim it as my own and market them in earnest (I'm picky about the plagiarism thing). Look for similar ones at the Urban Lily show next Friday along with a darling new bag I call "Hazel Goes to Vegas."  

Thanks to all of you who stop in to read about my latest creations, encourage me through your comments and support my hobby with your purchases, however small.  There have been plenty of times when I've thought about packing all of the feedsack up and sending it to the Goodwill.  Just the moment I do, one of you blesses me with a compliment on a project or post or grabs something from my Etsy store.  You remind me to hold to a favorite verse from Proverbs: "Hope deferred makes the heart sick; but when dreams come true at last, there is life and joy."

 I'm counting on much life and joy in the next 100 posts.  I hope you'll continue to follow along.

Love,

Jessica

Urban Lily Show

I have some exciting news!  I've been asked to have a trunk show of sorts at Urban Lily in downtown South Bend on Thursday, May 21st.  Amanda has an original little boutique at 127 W. Washington full of unique fashions and accessories--think romantic bohemian with a punky edge.  You can find out more about it on Facebook.  The show will be held from noon to 5 pm, so come out and enjoy the city and this great shop, enjoy some refreshments, and shop some of my new creations, including this scrappy scarf, modeled by my lovely little sis and now available on my Etsy site. 
 I'm also hoping to have a couple of new bags, more scarves, aprons, and posies for your spring and summer wardrobe.  You can check out my adorable strapless wraparound tops too!  Heck, you could almost put together a whole outfit from my line.  Throw in some sandals and a skirt from the shop, and you'll be set to hit the town.  

And while you're hitting said town, you might want to check out a couple of my favorite spots to shop and eat:  JunkEvolution, Spark, LePeep and the Chocolate Cafe.  

Now, looking at my calendar, I'm realizing that this little shin dig is just two weeks away.  Yikes!  Better get to the sewing room right now!

A journey to the compost bin and back

 There are a hundred things I should be doing this fine afternoon other than sitting here at my computer or taking pictures of frogs. But it's not my fault.  Honestly, if you were minding your own business on a regular trip to the compost and found this little guy chilling out on your pitch fork, could you resist the urge to run inside for your camera?  
And suppose you took the long way back to the house and spotted that elusive rusty brown Flycatcher zipping into the pine tree.  I'm sure you would have staked out a claim and vowed to stay planted in the yard soaking up the sunshine, listening to the other frogs peep and the breeze rush through the woods until one of the pair made an appearance again.  Now maybe you'll understand why I continued to get distracted by the wild sprouting, fluttering wonder in my backyard.  After a few minutes the Flycatchers continued to elude me and my attention turned to Mama bluebird hovering close to her box of little blue eggs.  Mr. Bluebritches has also been spotted each morning perched on the clothesline as he awaits the arrival of his brood.

Turning again toward the house, I stopped to admire the peas (above) and onions sprouting up in smart straight rows.  

And just before I made it to the top of the steps, I turned to spot another tiny green visitor clinging skillfully to a bouncing branch.
So, I may cringe at the bumper crop of dandelions in the front yard, the overgrown, shaggy pair of pine trees behind the garage, or the mutant underground spurge of crabgrass taking over my flower beds, but there must be some tiny bit of appeal to at least these gentle creatures in the rambling nature of the place.  I suppose if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me.  

Each night Nora and I have been reading from Laura Ingalls Wilder.  We've made it to the middle of Little House on the Prairie, and I look forward to the stories even more than she does, I'm sure.  Reading about the Ingalls family's satisfaction in the simplest of pleasures and little Laura's appreciation of the natural world around her tends to put everything in perspective at the end of the day.

    Ma hummed softly to herself while the iron smoothed all the wrinkles out of the little    dresses.  All around them, to the very edge of the world, there was nothing but grasses waving in the wind. Far overhead, a few white puffs of cloud sailed in the thin blue air.  

    Laura was very happy. The wind sang a low, rustling song in the grass.      Grasshoppers' rasping quivered up from all the immense prairie.  A buzzing came faintly from     all the trees in the creek bottoms.  But all these sounds made a great, warm happy silence.      Laura had never seen a place she liked so much as this place.