Damn Sewing Machine!

Last night I almost threw my sewing machine out the window. I have been over it -- bobbin is in right, tension is right...blah blah blah. But no matter what, when I backstitch (in any stitch) then make a few more stitches, the damn thread catches on the bottom (bobbin part) and everything gets stuck. ARGH! 

During a quiet time last night -- kids in bed, husband traveling, full glass of wine -- I figured out how to make some very cute adult headbands. I was soooo excited to have figured out a little measuring and elastic length when, everything went down. I am a self-taught sewer and haven't even followed a pattern yet, so I am thinking this is the problem. I googled and read for an hour, and nothing helped me figure out what's happening. 

So I guess I'm going to lug my machine to the local sew room and figure it out with supervision. Wish  me luck!

EtsyKids Team Member Highlight #2

I can't help but window shop on etsy...I look for the same shit all the time -- handmade dresses for little girls, paintings of NYC, jewelry made out of unique stones and food (yes, food!). And once in a while, I'm totally floored by the unique and inspirational designs that some of these crafty folk are conjuring up.


This highlight goes straight to a member of the EtsyKids team: Momma Fix
You can find handmade goodies (think diaper bags to slings, toddler tops to crib mobiles) that have a new twist -- patterns and colors that are completely unexpected. This top/dress is a delightful shape and colors that totally stand out from the crowd. And I know from experience how bulky and heavy diaper bags can be, but here is a great solution to lighten the load and not look frumpy -- Momma Fix diaper bags!


So go ahead, visit this shop, favorite some items and maybe buy a thing or two!!

Inspiration Everywhere

Even on this damp, dreary June 3rd I can find some inspiration to design something  new and exciting. Yes, I was in a horrible slump for a few weeks --  not a thing sewn, glued or stamped. But with the kind words of a few friends, I sat back down and started drafting styles and goodies that I'm hoping will be the new wind in my sail.

Trapped inside, listening to the rain fall against the pipes I thought of how nice it would be to create a kingdom full of twirling princesses and glitter wands for my very bored little 4-year-old. And from that came the felt crowns -- and from the crowns will come more fairy wands. As I placed her new crown on her head (made a little ceremony to crown her, but little did she know I was really checking for size) I whispered in her ear that a princess carries great pressure to do good, and was she ready? Her smile was lopsided, and I could tell that little brain of hers was processing my big words. She turned, half hop-skipped out of the room and said "Yes, I can be good..." so I know my words were heard but in a preschoolers ears.

As the inspiration comes in forms of colors and shapes, I hope to take my ideas and really create something else -- a business. Keep our fingers crossed that this year and next my inspiration will become reality.

Back in the saddle...

I took a mental break from crafting. Every time I sat at my table with some scraps and tried to "create" something, all that came out was a wad of blah. I also had zero inspiration coming my way. But a weekend away in Healdsburg, then a week of laying low and playing with the kids, gave me a few new ideas and the balls to take on some new assignments. I put the pony o's, barrettes and glue gun away and brought out the sewing machine, a few sheets of felt (and I really should buy the better stuff!) and bought a couple of cheap shirts at H&M, in hopes of reinventing my staple uniform.

And what came out of these new desires to create? A felt crown!! The stitching is awful and I left out a few steps, but it was a learning lesson and my daughter doesn't know the difference. She's been wearing this pink crown all morning -- and I couldn't be happier.

Next up? Actually making a dress for her from a real pattern...

No interfacing on this one, so a bit floppy -- but getting there! And this one is adjustable.

This one is stiff and holds great shape -- elastic back.

What's It All Worth?

You want your kids to be happy, healthy, confident, funny, independent, interesting, well-liked...all of the above and more. But what if you surround them with the same mold of person, same smell, same look, same interests, same cars, same homes, clothing, food...and then find out your child is different, not fitting the mold of 90% of the people around you. What do you do? Do you move? Not if you can't afford it or are quite happy in your space. Do you switch schools? Not if you're doing the public route and are secured into your ridiculously expensive real estate spot. Do you try and teach them it's ok to be different? What if that leads to teasing, ridicule and feeling left out. Do you turn a blind eye? Not if you want your kid to get punched, depressed or angry. So what do you do?

Well, you can quiz your friends in other areas and ask if certain scenarios exist in their communities. You can research these topics online until your eyes bleed and your wrist hurts from scrolling. You can talk to friends who are transplants from other towns, cities and states. And if your answers are not what you want to hear? (Or what you thought you would hear and now feel pissed?)

So what do you do? What's it worth to you in the end? How much are you really committed to forming what your child will be -- or should be -- to avoid pitfalls and bullying, teasing and pain from other children. We all want to nurture our child, help them be the best that they can be. But what if you see that what they can and will be will be a struggle for them before that peak at college? How do you foster that with pride and happiness, knowing that before that pinnacle of success, there will be the torment of failing at sports, style and class?

Being a parent is a tortuous route of self discipline and example. But what's it all worth when you know the pain and hurt your child will suffer for not being spent from the same mold? I will fight for my children and protect each of them for anything in the world. But I can't help think -- how will they know what I know when they just don't know...

Just A Little Crazy

Things haven't stopped moving on this treadmill called -- my family. I got my FIRST solo vacation in almost 3 years and am about to embark on my 2nd solo trip this weekend. Yeah yeah, thinking I've got the life, eh? Well, these are my first vacations with girlfriends in almost 7 years...All vacations have been with my darling husband or my adorable kids (said with a touch of sarcasm, alright!).

And just to sprinkle a little dust on it all, we've been dealing with allergies, ear infections (no, not the kids...ME!), workingman woes, elementary school BS and preschool scheduling. Sounds like your life?? Well, I'm just glad it's not only me...

But back to me being fabulous and getting some alone time....

The flight from CA to NYC is long for someone who hates to sit still for more than a 20-minute TV show, but the allure of getting through security ALONE, boarding a plane with no stroller or extra baggage and watching those miniscule TVs uninterrupted for 5 hours seemed like sheer bliss. How could such an annoying and nerve-racking venture seem to decadent? Easy! As a mom (SAHM or working) you get very little time to indulge your guilty pleasures for more than a drive from home to school or the ride to work. So yes, a flight somewhere, anywhere is something to take pleasure in. You can read your magazines, a few chapters in a book and even, be NAUGHTY and order an alcoholic beverage...

May is turning out to be a really wicked and crazy month. I got to go to NYC (where I realized I'll never be in my own skin unless I'm pounding the cracked, dirty and gum-littered pavement of The Big Apple) for a few days and now I'm heading to wine country with some of my lady friends. Yes, we'll be that annoying group of girls taking pictures, cheering each and every glass, wearing long dresses and bejeweled from head to toe. I'm having my FIRST My Little Nugget show and have been sewing bows, ripping apart fabric and turning them into rosettes and combining petals of flowers to create something new. My husband is heading to Vegas, with the boys, for what I'm sure will be a weekend I want to know nothing about.

In the end, the traveling and craziness made me realize -- it ain't so bad momma! Yeah, there are individuals I'd like to see disappear from my vision, there are nights I wish I could go out and rage, there are moments where I close my eyes and pretend that isn't a child hanging from my arm screaming bloody murder. But I'm lucky enough to have a partner in this life who needs me to be crazy, but in a happy and good way, and supports my decisions in trying to build a very strange business and get some R&R. I'm lucky to have kids who, that I adore, are healthy and happy.  So take a breath and try to indulge those crazy guilty pleasures you've been sweeping under the rug for so long...

Off to ballet...

It's FRIDAY!

Friday...the day I look forward to every Monday morning. Finally here. But Friday doesn't really mean much these days, just the launch of a weekend filled with birthday parties, baseball games and cleaning the house (yuck). For the lucky few there's a night out with friends, some amazing wine or beer, excellent food and if you're really blessed in the hip-parent genre, some dancing in a club where you sweat on the 'flo and share the potty with the boys.

Yeah, some weekends are like that for me, but they are far and few between. I feel like a 5-year-old at a cotton candy stand when I find out I'm going out -- not just for a movie and dinner, but a real night out. For some time now I've been happy getting out and having some breathing room. These days, I'm hungry for something more, a night of debauchery that includes a shot of something strong, a cocktail or 2 (not beer or wine) and dancing in the midst of strangers, shaking my tush and tossing my hair. I haven't done those things since my 20s, in NYC.

And what's wrong with wanting something more once in a while? Something racy, something spicy, something that reignites that loose, sexy and frivolous girl I once was? I hope you all have that moment to let go and have some fun beyond the big screen and pizza...