Jessica Flores Design

Collecting Eye Candy

I've always had a bulletin board in my room as a girl, in my dorm room in college, and now in my studio at home.  Once they were filled with clothing tags and amusement park tickets, then art postcards and snippets of love letters.  Now mine has been painted red and filled with magazine clippings of bags I'd like to make and selvage strips, but a bit of my "I 'heart' Bethel" sticker still peeks out from a corner. I am a collector!  

Earlier this week I had the great honor of seeing one of my Etsy items make it to the front page of the site in a fine "Earth Day" inspired treasury.  It seems like a little thing--a tiny blip on the screen, but I just about hit the ceiling on my lunch hour when I stopped in to check my account.

Treasuries are "curated lists" which Etsy members pull together from the vast expanse of well-photographed handmade and vintage items available on the site.  It's a clever way for fans of the site to showcase a cross-section of listings--from the quirky to the practical--that have a common thread.  I still haven't figured out how one of these makes it to the front page, but it is a fun past time, if you're an addicted Etsy browser. Head on over to the site and try it out yourself! I've only ever made one treasury myself, because I'm not much of a web surfer.

I'm getting there though, with the help of a nifty little tool called Pinterest.  Still in Beta, this site is like your own virtual bulletin board for gems you've found online.  For each account you can have a bunch of boards with different topics. I've had the most fun building my "style" board with spring dresses (this one's from Boden),
 a fantastic pair of red heels and accessories from Ruche (which are not formatted to post here), and pretty accessories.  I still prefer clipping from magazines, but admit that being able to store ideas and pictures on an online board is so much easier to access, and it really helps you create a vision for your personal style, a specific project or space in your home.  

I'd love to go do some pinning right now, but it's back to the drawing board for me while Nora's at school.  Today's project:  a new bark cloth wristlet to match a coordinating bag: 

Shopping Tip:  I have so many new items to list on Etsy, but I won't be putting them up until after my Junk Evolution visit.  Mark your calendars for May 12--my next Housewares showcase on Etsy.  I'll be thinking up a deal to help sweeten the pot, so watch my Facebook Page for details.  

 

Birthday Bags

Remember that post weeks ago when I mentioned the birthday surprise I was making for a special little sister?  One trip to California (my sister, not me), a Southern tornado, and a month later, I'm ready to share the project.  

 

This lunch bag is from the new book "Lunch Bags" (go figure) by Stash books.  I found it at the Library and chose the last design in the book by Yoko Drain.  I was a little concerned about the handle getting in the way when stashing it with goodies, so I added a big ol' button and put a button hole in the strap instead of attaching it permanently to both sides.  Next time I will put the hole in horizontally, though.  Duh!  It slips up and down on the button shaft otherwise.  The pretty stripe is a Heather Bailey pattern laminated with vinyl for easy cleanup, and the outside is my favorite 100% natural linen. It even includes a special insulated batting to keep contents cool (or hot).

A week after I shipped it out, Regan still hadn't received it, and I was getting worried and peeved. But, she called one evening and left a message saying that her neighbor had found the package blown up against the house while cleaning the yard after a storm. What a close call!  She used it at work today-- the envy of all of her brown-bagging co-workers. 

Another special little birthday girl got her own lunch bag of sorts last weekend when Nora took this pretend Market Bag full of felt goodies to her friend Sylvia's Birthday Party.

Sylvia's make believe role of choice is cook or tea party hostess, so I knew she'd have as much fun with these as Nora did when I made her own set a few months ago.

If I'd had the time, I would have ordered some really deluxe ones from Amy Olson's Etsy shop for the birthday gift, but I had about 3 days notice, so I decided to do the cheater version, which I found in a recent issue of our beloved Family Fun Magazine.

In related cookery-oriented crafts, I finished this apron earlier this week.  

Mother's Day is just around the corner, and I wanted to make sure I have plenty of items just right for gift giving in my display at Junk Evolution on the first weekend in May. I hope you'll join me for the fun during the shop's First Friday extravaganza and Art Walk the next day.  Keep an eye on their blog for details.  You're sure to find something perfect for yourself or your Momma!

Girl Power and Ruby Sandals

I had a brilliant idea for how this show re-cap post was going to go--a play-by-play breakdown of how one 5'1" girl loads down a gypsy cart (Honda Element) and sets off on her own to peddle her wares for a day.  I imagined shots of the "cart" stuffed to the ceiling with props and panels, my steaming travel mug of coffee, my booth before and after it was stuffed with goods, and the real zinger, my stubby little toes slipped into red sandals after the last rosette was arranged on the rack.  I'd go on to share poses with some of my favorite customers and new friends and wrap up with a picture of the booth bare bones after my inventory was picked clean.  

But, hello!  Prepping, packing, setting up and taking down for a show is exhausting!  How in the world did I expect to stop between trips to and from the car to frame and snap all those shots?  Who wants to be my personal photographer for next time?  It doesn't pay well, but you might get yourself an Etsy coupon.  

I guess you'll just have to use your imagination through most of this post.  Hang with me. . . 

The preparations began on Friday as Nora helped me stamp, cut, scrawl and pin price tags to everything.  Saturday afternoon I raided the house for props: a hall tree, a piano bench, a side table, a folding chair, an area rug, table cloths, a clementine box . . . then off to the Loft for more . . . art panels, a banquet table, a pair of old shutters, and the rest of my art.  I loaded it all up with sheer girl power and crashed for the night.

Next morning, I was up at 6 am, thanking my lucky stars that my hair was cooperating and that there was enough coffee ground.  I ended up at the Elk's Lodge about 7:15 and was greeted by some of the nicest ladies ever to coordinate an event, a beautiful spread of pastries and fruit, and a spot marked out just for me on the floor.  After about 10 trips to the gypsy cart, I was ready to make some magic.  Now here's your reward for making it this far.  

Once everything was in its place, I returned to the car to slip into the ruby sandals, and alas, I'd forgotten to do my toenails.  Ugh!  Now thank your lucky stars I didn't take pictures of that!

Nora made it over with Daddy a little later in the morning modeling her made-by-mommy headband and her own handmade bracelet.  She posed beside her display of greeting cards and beaded bracelets, cleverly labeled "Nora's Nook."  

The crowd was incredible, and the buzz was thrilling!  Thank you to everyone who made it through the throngs to my space in the middle of the room and found something that tickled your fancy.

I didn't quite get picked clean, but while I was packing up my abundant leftovers, I was presented with a gift card from the fabulous Katie Femia for being chosen as the vendor with the most pleasing display.  Now if you were there, you would have realized that my friend Glenda actually had the most drop-dead gorgeous outfit in the place --hands-down-- brimming with chippy shabby chic antiques, but I didn't argue. Forgive me for boasting, but I could have sold $5 worth and been happy going home with such an honor.  Who would have guessed? 

If you didn't make it to the show, take heart.  That charming clutch from last post somehow went unsold, and will be available at Junk Evolution for the First Friday event in May!  I'll be back to share more on what I'm working on for the party and art walk soon!

 

Handmade & Vintage Bazaar

Just a friendly reminder about this unique new show

I've hit a little bump in the road as I prepare for it.  My machine is on the brink. I spent all morning Saturday trying to find a reasonable place to fix it, but alas, my search was in vain.  Luckily, a friend came to the rescue, and I have her fancy little Bernina sitting on my sewing desk ready to experiment with.  Thank you Maggie, for letting me borrow it!  I owe you one!

I was able to squeak out a few final stitches to complete this pretty little clutch, though (pattern by ithinksew.com).  

It's made from a vintage tablecloth and the most amazing grass green Japanese polka dot that my mom brought me from Nashville.  It goes with everything, and if I could afford a bolt of it, I would spring for one!  I'm not adding this piece to my Etsy shop.  It will be an exclusive to the Vintage Bazaar, so if you're swooning, get there early! If I master the Bernina and find an extra four hours somewhere in the next two weeks, you might even see more of the same clutch in different fabrics.

While my machine waits for a fix, I've taken up a new needle-work skill to keep my hands busy. Can I get a "woot woot" for crochet!?  I've always thought of it as a kind of crusty old craft, but it really is making a come back, and I'm having fun making dish rags for myself and some darn cute multi-strand headbands with rosettes.  Thank you to my teacher,  Kat Spencer, and the Loft Art Studio for the class and gorgeous yarn!

I've also been having a great time making new friends over on my Facebook Page and sharing lots of new projects as I finish them.  I'm hoping to offer some prizes there soon, so stroll on over if you have a minute and become a fan! 

Repurpose, Reuse, Recycle

Spring is less than a week away, temperatures are predicted to reach 60 degrees by Thursday, and a few little knobs of sedum have begun to poke their way through the dirt near my patio.  I can almost hear the sap surging through the maple trees outside my window and the worms creepy crawling in the thawing ground.  In honor of the slowly-emerging green around us, I bring you some new “green” products and projects!

Chances are you’ve cracked open a can of blackboard paint at least once in the last couple of years and turned a wall, door, (or perhaps a car hood, if you’re my husband) into a canvas of sorts. All the cool kids are doin’ it. So what are you swiping it with?  Don’t tell me a paper towel!  Gasp!  How about one of these little ditties made from vintage yardsticks and old felted sweaters?

This idea has been flickering in the back of my mind for months, and I finally had the chance to put it together this weekend.  Yay! (Check the Etsy site for listings soon.) I’m hoping to make some with a twine loop for hanging too.

In anticipation of my visit to Junk Evolution and in order to use some of my tablecloth scraps, I decided to whip up some simple cloth napkins.  This is a nice way to eliminate waste paper in your home and add a special touch to meal time.  Only problem is, hemming all four sides makes for super bulky corners.  If you want them to turn out really sharp, you’re going to have to master the art of mitered corners . . . and whipping them up is not going to happen.  It will probably end up taking you about 2 hours to finish a set of four and yield you about as much dough per hour, if you plan to sell them.  I don’t care.  Is it crazy that I get giddy every time I finish one of these perfectly pointy corners? It’s magic!  

I’ll tell ya what else is magic: this set of coordinating no-sew napkin rings made from a Saran wrap tube and strips of scrap fabric.
I have discovered a new non-toxic epoxy called “Liquid Fusion,” which I used for these.  Good bye glue gun!!

While I was working on the projects above, Nora was playing with this. 
I’ll bet after this long cold winter, your cocoa container is almost used up too.  Why not turn it into a sweet-smelling log cabin for your Little People?  Just wash out the container, cut a door (and maybe some windows) with your trusty utility knife, and decorate with stickers.  I stuck a push pin in the door for a handle and bent the prong back with pliers to secure.  Little miss imagination was transfixed for an hour.

I also spent the weekend working on a special birthday surprise for a special little "seester." Check back after the spring chicken turns 26 on the first day of spring! 

 

Spring Shows Pencilled In! (Is "pencilled" a word?)

Please have a pencil and pen handy for the following announcement and enjoy some new random images fresh from my Etsy shop:

I have been invited to visit Junk Evolution in South Bend on the first Friday and Saturday in May as a special guest artist!  I'll be showcasing (and selling, of course) all of my wares made from vintage fabrics (like the coasters below) as well as some note cards with Mom in mind. 

If you haven't visited their wonderful shop yet after all of my raving about it, get yourself over there and check out their ultra-affordable, ever-changing emporium of artfully-displayed vintage finds.  You'll thank me.  In fact, this Friday would be a great time to shop, as they are hosting one of their fabulous First Friday soirees. 

I'm also pencilling in the "All Things Handmade and Vintage Bazaar" at Elks Lodge #235 in South Bend on Sunday, April 10.  Doesn't the title just give you goosebumps?  The coordinators tell me you'll find "vendors of vintage items, painters, artisans, culinary treats and more with a focus on eclectic, recycled arts, vintage clothing and jewelry." Although new shows are always a risk, it's pretty difficult for me to find venues where I fit in these days.  I'm somewhere between craft and fine art, so when I find a new show like this, I'm really excited.  I'm planning on bringing everything and anything I might have ready to this event--items made from old and new fabrics, paintings, cards, and maybe even some vintage finds from my collection that need weeding.  I'll post an official invite soon.

Next on the agenda will be a return to the Briar Patch in Plymouth in June.  I'm hoping to have some more clothing items ready for this event--wraparound tops and some new pretty little lingerie camis made from pillowcases.

August will give me another chance to register for ArtBeat if I have the inventory and gumption, and, hopefully, I'll be able to restock and bring you a second-annual trunk show at the Loft in October, so you can begin your Christmas shopping.

So what am I doing typing away on the Internet?!  I'd better go get my butt in front of the sewing machine!! (or would that be "behind?" the sewing machine?)  Toodles!

 

Bloom Through the Gloom

Another Mini Boden catalog came in the mail yesterday, and I found a page inside that made me smile.

I have a habit of clipping favorite (or "favourite" as it's spelled in Boden's native UK) outfits from magazines and taping them inside my closet door for inspiration.  Nora and I agreed that this was a keeper for her own closet door.  Since we can't possibly afford the $90 outfit on the page, we'll commit it to memory and shop for pieces at spring garage sales and Old Navy or Target.

As I glanced at the page lying on the kitchen table throughout the day, I thought about the words too:  "It's Time to Bloom Through the Gloom", it says.  Far off in England, even Johnnie Boden and crew are looking for the gumption to make it through this last stretch of winter.  It's like the last 45 minutes of an 8-hour car ride.  

So, how am I finding ways to "Bloom Through the Gloom?"  It hasn't been easy today.  Even though the sun is shining brightly, Nora has found her way back to the couch with a fever that's been flaring since 8pm last night, and our plans for a weekend spent with Grandma and Grandpa (Dan's traveling) and a Saturday morning Fancy Nancy tea party are squelched.  

On the bright side, while Nora snoozes and soaks up the cartoons, I've had time to work on a new custom Farm Girl card

Finish up my first pair of rosette hair pins

and spiff up the house with some elbow grease and springy pretties pulled out from here and there.

That's my grandma on the right at Girls State in 1953.

So, until the literal blooming season comes around, I'm working on another level of contentment and trying not to despise these days of small things: thinking about the little girls who might wear the dresses I stitch up from the vintage pillow cases on my sewing table,

discovering that my electric candle is flickering in the broad daylight now at 5 pm, and sharing a laugh with a feverish little kid who, feeling like poop herself, still manages to squeak out a genuine giggle when Curious George fishes out his toy from the toilet.  Here's to salvaging something precious of our own from any gloom this weekend.

 

A Valentine Lovely for my Lovely

Remember this post?  My Little Seamstress is still playing the pins game, but never got a pincushion of her own.  So, I made her this one from Sandi Henderson's Bits & Pieces book as a Valentine's Day gift. 

I will also oblige her request for a box of chocolates, but let's hope this little project lasts a bit longer--if not in her big-girl sewing collection, in her memories of playtime.  

 

 

 

Stitchin' Through the Snow

Once again I've got a pile of uncompleted projects mounting on my cutting table.  I thought making a list would help, but sometimes when I get rolling, I fall head over heels and tumble uncontrollably down the hill.  I blame it on the 40% off sale at my favorite fabric store.  How could I not start cutting into that adorable Michael Miller print or refrain from spreading out that Heather Bailey vinyl-covered stripe across the table?

  

And that little pin cushion was so simple to cut out, I thought I might as well get a head start on it for Nora's V-day gift.  The print and a coordinating vintage stripe have begun to take form into a bag I'm basing on my sister's go-to, one-strap hobo, and the Nicey Jane stripe will soon become an insulated lunch bag for aforementioned sister.  

Of course, I have checked off a few items completely in the past few days. . . like this pretty clutch from ithinksew.  

a coordinating block for the lucky recipient's new baby girl,

and a couple of artsy pillow cases stitched with wishes for green sprouting things and warm breezes

 

I told you I was on a roll!

Check back soon for an update on what's on the cutting table now and some other exciting news "in the press"!

Christmas Secrets Unveiled--most of them

While "the kids" are enjoying a game of Lego Batman, I thought I'd pop in and share some of my Christmas secrets.  Away back in October I made a big ol' batch of sling bags from a neighbor's stash of lovely vintage Christmas tablecloths.  She presented them to family and friends around Thanksgiving time, so they could be sure to make their Christmas shopping a little more merry with one of these on their shoulder:  

Once those were finished, I started the custom bag I promised a lucky winner at my trunk show back in September. I'm not an advanced seamstress by any means, so I learn something new with every project I make.  What I learned from this one was that I should never promise a custom order to a door prize winner again.  I felt awful that I kept Melissa waiting three months for her patchwork drawstring tote.

Do you recognize the fabrics?  I found another way to use those great crazy quilt diamonds! I wasn't thrilled with the proportions on this one as much as the last.  I guess I also learned that I need to write down my pattern dimensions as I work.  If you were in the habit of carrying two bottles of wine with you or a fat loaf of bread, this bag would be perfect, but I guess it also makes a nice "going to Grama's" tote for a little girl.

Just before Christmas I learned to make rosettes from the "Bits & Pieces" book by Sandi Henderson.
I think they may have taken the place in my heart for yoyos, because they are just as quick to make and so pretty and shabby at the same time. Sandi's pattern for a two-strand headband with rosettes was a little too cumbersome for me, so I adapted it with a couple of strands of twill trim and two hair elastics looped together at the bottom.
 This one went to my niece for Christmas.  Next time I will use pony tail holders without the little metal clasp for a cleaner look.

Unfortunately, my favorite project went unphotographed.  I was in such a hurry to finish and wrap up my mom's knitting needle case that I didn't even think about taking a picture.  The "nice lady" who owns The Loft ordered four more, however, so if you're in the market for a handy place to store your own set of knitting or crochet needles, head over to our studio and take your pick in a couple of weeks. I'll try to remember to snap a group shot of those once they're done.

Now that the hustle and bustle of the holidays are over, I decided to make something for myself.

I've been putting off this coffee press cozy for too long.  All it needed was a couple of button-down straps to keep it snuggled to our favorite kitchen "appliance".  Now our morning joe stays warm while we anticipate the next cup, and it looks extra cute sitting on my kitchen counter.

Next up: a new pair of slippers for little Nora.  She looked like a poor rejected Cinderella on Christmas morning trying to cram her footsies into those sweet little things I made for her.  I was so bummed.  Another lesson learned:  don't trust the pattern size--measure the kid's foot!