HAPPIKNITS

Flea Market Finds

2011-08-14T04:58:00.000-07:00

Had a great day at the market on Thursday. This one haunted me after I walked away....I HAD to buy it just to see what was under all that DUST!!!Beautiful weather and lots of treasure trolling! Amazing what a little bit of soap and water will uncover!

Saturday Shoe Crush

2011-01-29T19:20:00.000-08:00

I *love* shoes...what woman doesn't? Just wanted to share this *fabulous* pair I just spotted in the new Anthropologie catalog...And of course you need a pretty dress to match!Happy Saturday! xoxo

Food for Thought

2011-01-27T16:00:00.000-08:00

I was fortunate enough to have a stunning dinner last weekend. Food so beautifully presented and prepared with love...I had to photograph it. The colors are so gorgeous! This was a delicious crab dip...mmmm..it was *so* tasty that I could have just eaten it with a spoon!

A perfectly cooked turkey! Including all kinds of beautiful vegetables and herbs.

These Brussel sprouts are so perfect that even the anti-brussel sprout kids will want to try them.

And last but certainly the BEST part of the meal, desert. My personal favorite...bread pudding. And let me tell you this was the most fabulous I have ever had the pleasure of eating. Thanks Chef for preparing such a wonderful feast.

xoxo

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T05:58:00.000-08:00

A new year, a new goal to attempt to blog way more often than I currently do. Life has had many twists and turns for me the past 6 months. I have tried to take away the lessons I could from the things happening all around and inside of me. Not without much sorrow and pain. What I found was a strength inside of me that I didn't even know I had. Don't get me wrong, I have always thought of, and referred to myself as a "strong german chick" but this came from deep in my soul.

The photos that I want to share with you today are of my neice. She is a busy girl~~much like her Aunt Becky~~ and she never stops moving. Taking a picture of her and getting it clear is quite a challenge. But, Aunt Bec the yoga teacher, taught her a little something.... I taught her to slow down (if only for a moment) and take a breath. And, as you can see from the "before" and "after" pictures, I think it worked really well!

Happy and Peaceful New Year my dear friends, remember to slow down and take a breath :)

Vintage Art brooches

2010-10-08T05:59:00.000-07:00

For several years now I have been gathering lots of vintage lace, buttons, milinery flowers, photos, and whatever else strikes my fancy at the market. Although I have started incorporating some of it into my knitting work, I have wanted to do something akin to mixed media but, on a wearable. My entomology capelet was certainly the first successful piece(trust me, it took several failed attempts to get it right) and in my mind, as we hone our craft the pieces just get better and better. I think I have mentioned in the past that I am, aside from 6 knitting lessons, completely self taught. Through much trial and error. Because, it always seems to take me a few tries to get things right. So I have been working on these brooches. I *love* the way the two came out. I have already sold my first one at the Cranberry Festival this past weekend. I *love* this image. Absolutely stunning woman. And I had a fantastic time playing with all my vintage goodies to find the perfect combination for both of these brooches!

xoxo

Time off

2010-09-25T04:38:00.001-07:00

Just a quick hello dear friends. I have been taking some time off for reflection, fun, mischief, and much needed selfishness. I think sometimes when we concentrate most of our lives on taking care of everyone around us, we lose the ability to see who we are. Take some time off for you. Go have fun. Check out some fun I had.......

It is my first tattoo. It is of 3 of my favorite vintage buttons from my collection. I have had all 3 for a very long time. My tattoo was done by Matt, who I have known since he was about 13. I always knew if I was going to get a tattoo I would want him to be the one to do it. I love it :)

Be well friends

xoxo

A Trip to The City

2010-08-18T03:54:00.000-07:00

Last week I went into the city with my dear friend Donna and her intern Nicki. Now, you may be asking what city? Being that I live in NJ both cities are readily accessible, but to me there is only one that I refer to as "the city" and that is New York. It truly is magnificent. We spent our day in the garment district. Where fashion comes to life :) I had a fantastic time and bought tons of goodies to use in my creations. We started at a fabric shop and then worked our way through lots of shops with trims galore... This fabric shop rocks because they will swatch most fabrics for you, and trust me there is alot to chose from! I bought a couple of yards of fabric and got a few swatches that I thought would be fun to do some needle-felting with, but I was saving up my money for Tinsel.... I almost bought some of this thermal fabric, but I stopped myself...lol..look at the price per yard! The next shop was feathers...all kinds of feathers...I *love* them :) Had alot of fun in this store! Bought lots of different colors and I cannot wait to use them! I should have bought one of these boas too..maybe next time :) Our main stop was Tinsel Trading which Donna has been telling me about for along time. It is filled with vintage trims, ribbons, millinery flowers, etc.. It is a dream for a girl like me. Trust me I had a great time, and spent most of my budget here. The staff was *so* helpful. Mostly I bought vintage ribbon. It was all so beautiful and kept so well. Tinsel has a huge collection of vintage and when the vintage sells they produce replicants. But friends, this girl bought only the original. This lovely cabinet was filled with original vintage ribbons, still on the spools, wrapped in paper. *sigh* all so beautiful. They also have such fun little trinkets to place around the house, all handmade. Too much fun for one store if you ask me!

And for a girl with a camera, I was not at a loss for pictures!

The last stop was at another trim shop that had walls and walls of ribbons, tassels and trims!

Just a few more goodies that I bought at Tinsel Trading, this FAB all vintage thread, that will be beautiful with some needle felted flowers, can't wait to play with it!

This gorgeous black ribbon is vintage military, the nice saleswoman ran down into the basement(what I wouldn't give to see that stockroom!) and came back up with it :)

Some of the vintage ribbons from that glass cabinet, they are all vintage, still on the original paper, and oh so worth the price I paid per yard!

Another stunning vintage ribbon *squeal* I cannot wait to create something fantastic with this!

And, last but certainly not least. This silver ribbon is my absolute FAVORITE find of the entire day. Not sure if I can bear to even part with it at all. *sigh* If I could only get myself to France and the Paris flea market, I am sure ribbon like this is aplenty. But for now, I am thrilled to have found this and there was about 1.5 yards of it left, so the saleswoman just gave me the spool! Hope you enjoyed all my finds! I cannot wait to start creating with them!

xoxo~

Back to School knit cowl Giveaway

2010-08-11T13:05:00.001-07:00

Congrats to Sue114 for winning this lovely cowl and all of you sweet people who entered the drawing, stay tuned for the next one
xoxo
Becca
I Love Autumn. It is without a doubt my favorite season. Living in the northeast we are blessed with 4 glorious seasons! It's something about the snap in the air early in the morning, and the smell of the fireplaces being lit in the evening. I also always loved the "back to school" vibe. I think it was one of the biggest motivators for me to go to college so late in life. I just never got over the first day of school excitement. So I am offering a cowl up for a giveaway. The colors are fantastically fall. A funky green shade, adorned with some vintage ribbon and hanah silk. You will be looking smart and funky whether going back to school or just out for some coffee with the girls!
Rules are simple, just leave me a comment for the first entry, give me a blog follow for the second entry, a follow on facebook for a third entry and finally if you would like a fourth entry a follow at twitter
Drawing will be done via a random number generator on Monday, August 30th. Good luck!
xoxo

Asbury Park Love

2010-08-02T07:42:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday I spent the evening in Asbury Park with Michele. I have always loved it there. My association with Asbury is not the same as most New Jerseans, or probably most Bruce fans. I can remember be a young girl and my mom taking me shopping and out to lunch in one of the department stores on Cookman Ave. I also remember taking swimming lessons at the Y. When I was in my twenties, it became the place for those of us who were into the alternative music scene. I saw countless big name bands at the Fast Lane with Michele. Michele who has always been the shutterbug. I never understood it until I started blogging and opened the Etsy shop. Once I began to learn more about taking the photos, got a little better at it, I must confess to falling in love with it. And since I got the small camera, well I love this new camera and I take it with me all the time. I had so much fun just taking random shots. I wanted to try and show how far Asbury has come. Quite a few years ago, the lanes closed, really all that was left was the Stone Pony, and I don't think too many people ventured into AP. It wasn't the safest place to be, and despite many efforts to build, there was always failure. I did keep hearing about a resurgence and really didn't believe it until Michele and I went to Roller Derby at Convention Hall. To my amazement there were people everywhere. All kinds of people, but what was evident was that they were in a neighbourhood that I would not have expected them to be in. There seems to be something for everyone in AP now. The main street is lined with high end boutiques, cozy little cafes and galleries. So crowded there was no place to park. Michele and I are still drawn to the hip, alternative crowd. No better place to be than the Asbury Lanes. We went for Burlesque-Apades, which was disappointing. Big crowd, but the show was pricey, short and not as good as what we have seen in the past. A night out with Michele is always fun and adventurous!

Sunday Market Finds

2010-07-25T12:08:00.000-07:00

I had a very rare Thursday morning off this week so I decided to take a trip to Colombus market. Even though I got there by 7:30 I didn't last long because the heat here has been horrible. I am glad I went. I didn't hit the "motherload" but, I have to say this knitting magazine was worth the early morning trip. It is a combination of knitting and crochet. Both patterns are lovely, but some of the crochet kimono's make me want to sharped my crocheting skills. I kind of almost missed it too. I had purchased vintage fabric from this lovely woman once before, so I was focused on her fabrics. On my way out of the booth I happened to look down on the table and it was in a plastic bag. I wasn't even going to look, but....something made me open it up. The pictures are stunning! I think the seller was sorry to see it go too, but I told her I am passionate about my knitting and that it was finding a really good home. I can't wait to make something out of it! What is funny is that there is a disclaimer in the front of it that states, "Only Fleisher yarn can be used for these projects." Oh I just love a challenge! I'm figuring any worsted weight should suffice.

I also found some beautiful vintage photos and vintage brooches. Love the dress the and the shoes!!!! Her face is so beautiful too!

The brooches I am thinking I want to keep, they are my favorite color~~~purple!!! The top one says "made in Austria" on the back and is so beautiful! And the other is just so sparkly, and I love the brushed look of the gold. So, all in all, I am thinking it was a very good day at the market!

Rock, Paper, Scissors a Visual Journey

2010-07-22T12:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the absolute pleasure of spendng the afternoon in my dear friend Beth's shop, Rock, Paper, Scissors. Beth has an incredible eye and talent when it comes to all things creative. Her shop is a space that is warm, cozy, inviting and above all inspiring! I wanted to share some pictures that I snapped around the store. I also purchased 2 projects to sew!

Tagged!

2010-07-13T05:39:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by my lovely FDL friend Barbara over at My Little Aura for the 5 product face challenge. Basically it's making yourself prettier using only 5 products. I used to sell cosmetics in my previous life :) So I have always been a makeup girl. But I am all about getting ready for work in 30-40 minutes. So here goes:

1. L'Oreal Reviva lift face cream- you always need a base, and although I can tell you, as a previous cosmetic salesgirl and now as a pharmacist that I don't buy into this hype of dropping $150.00 on a "anti-wrinkle" cream. Here's the number 1 wrinkle causer: the sun. Haha, enough said, right? trust me, I am a beach girl too. But now, I sun a little bit with the 45 spf then the hat goes on. And my eyes are always covered with sunglasses. Jeez I have enough lines around them already!

2. Bobbi Brown SPF foundation - This is the greatest foundation thus far that I have used. This is where I spend the money. It is *so* worth it to buy a good makeup.

3. Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish pressed powder- Again, worth the money!

4. Clinique powder blush - I like the pink color, gives you a bit of a girlish glow

5. Maybelline Mascara- Up until very recently I had always used the great lash- A choice influenced by what my Aunts were always using (circa 1970). Then I tried this one and It really gives you some awesome lashes!

Woops.......wow this wasn't easy because, I also add MAC lipgloss!

Where Bloggers Create II Late to the party

2010-06-29T04:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome Dear Friends! I am so sorry to be late to the party! I"m so happy you stopped by to visit me and see my creative studio space. It is a work in progress. And I decided to take the pictures of it exactly how it appears on a daily basis. A little disorganized, but It works for me. I love to be surrounded by beautiful vintage items. I also will keep a piece that I am working on, displayed on the mannequin until I find the perfect finishing accent for it. I find this really helps my creative process, although I have learned to limit it to 1 or 2 pieces only :) I have a little "nook" to sit and knit, but most of my knitting is done (confession here) in front of the tv. As a matter of fact, I really can't watch tv unless I am knitting! I usually do my hand sewing in this lovely space, early in the morning while the birds are chirping with a nice big cup of coffee. My desk has lots of inspiring items on it! I also created a mood board, suggested by my neigbour Donna. Who is a creative genius and has helped me so much in my journey! I try to change the board periodically, especially when I am stuck. I have a huge collection of vintage buttons that I have some of the prettiest ones displayed. When my customers come over to shop, they can pick and choose what buttons they would like on their pieces. Alot of the buttons are in the vintage cotainers they were discovered at the market in. Also stunning bits of lace and trims that were a gift from Donna :)

More buttons!

I am thinking of honing my sewing skills with some vintage dresses!

My birthday present from Mom this year, a very professional, super fun to use iron!

Thank you for stopping by to visit me! I am looking forward to seeing your creative space!!

It's Winter Somewhere

2010-06-07T11:20:00.000-07:00

I had fallen into a bit of a "creative" slump for awhile. I guess as creative people we all go through it at some point. At the suggestion of my lovely friend Donna, I decided to work on some cold-weather wear. So I decided to work on some cowls. Newer. Bigger than the Incognito cowl. And not to ignore my best seller, I sought out some new colors. The yarn is a bit different but it works as well as the original Incognito yarn, and it has no wool in it.

The new cowl I named the Super Snuggly cowl. It is like a big hug. I am having fun making them in fun colors, and it has renewed my creative spark! .

Saturday Thrift Shop Finds

2010-05-29T10:52:00.000-07:00

Had a lovely visit with my highschool girlfriends last night, we went out for drinks at a shore Bar that has been there forever. I stayed at my mom's house and decided to stop in Manasquan on my way home. I lived and worked in the "squan" for many years after moving out of my parents home. It is one of my favorite little towns! My original destination was the VNA thrift store. It was closed because of the holiday, but I noticed a cute little shop right next to it. And boy did I find some awesome items! I am glad I stopped in, the shop is called Squan Dry Goods. The owner has a lovely collection of vintage, consignment, and new items (alot of eco-friendly stuff). What a great idea for a shop! There are 2 floors, and although the vintage clothing is sparse, I thought the consignment was priced right and perfect!! So I wanted to share some of my finds. The best was a stunning vintage dress that actually fit me perfectly, let me tell you, that never happens, so for me it was worth the trip right there. I also found a perfectly pale pink marc jacobs jacket for, ok, $18.00. YUP. Friends, I have been shopping consignment since I was in highschool. I did it then because I had no money, I do it now because, well, it's a beautiful thing. I love the idea of how enviromentally friendly it is, not to mention, jeez, I hate paying ooodles of money for designer clothes, I have a retirement beach cottage to save for!!!!
I also had a great trip to Colombus market on thursday with my neighbor Donna. Found lots of pretty things. And the find of the day was a super cute little wood table. Solid. Old. Perfect. It was a wonderful way to spend my birthday, shopping the market! Also, if you have a chance, Donna is such a talented artist, she has finally opened her Etsy shop, Lovely Things studio she has some beautiful picture frames.

Sunday is Market Day

2010-05-16T17:07:00.000-07:00

I finally made it to the market in Lambertville this am with my good friend Michele. We got up with the birds and made it there early. It was packed with sellers and customers, but not really a super successful shopping day. Not a button to be found. That being said, I did find some unusual things today. Which I guess is a good thing! I did find some really pretty vintage photos. I fell in the love with the clothing these women are sporting. Talk about funky!!! I also came accross this big plastic bin full of wooden blocks, that are actually stamps. Now upon digging through I found some rather fun stamps. The girls from the Burlesque troop would enjoy them. A dollar each, I think this guy definetly did not know what he had in that box. He tried to change up the price on me at the last minute too. Despite not having any coffee yet I caught him trying to act like he was giving me "a deal"...I'll give them all to you for 15.00...... um. I only had 12. Nice try though, I may be blonde but I got straight A's in math..lol... Oh and do any of my dear readers know how to get these stamps to work? I tried using a stazon pad and it did not work, hopefully there is a way to get the images to transfer, they would make great greeting cards :) If not they look pretty cool displayed on the window ledge in the studio.

I also found this cool brooch which will be gracing one of my coats. It was a fun morning spent chatting with one of my oldest friends. Thanks again Michele, you're a doll.

Rock Paper Scissors

2010-05-13T04:51:00.000-07:00

I had the most wonderful day off yesterday. I spent it with my lovely friend Beth. I met Beth through the Etsy street teams (EtsyNJ and FDL). I am *so* very excited and a wee bit jealous (ok, ALOT jealous) of her...she is opening her own brick and mortar shop!!!! So I took a drive up to have lunch and see if I could lend a hand. The moment I walked into this lovely space I must admit to falling in love. She is still setting up, but the "vibe" is FUN. Just like the shop name, it all says, stop in, and play for a bit. You see, to me, creativity is the part of you that is completely free spirited, like a carefree child. Creating is a chance to just be you, to practice living in the moment. Beth has succeeded in creating a space that will certainly nurture this. She has an eye for all things beautiful. So, where is this FUN shop Rock Paper Scissors? Well dear friends, if you are anywhere near north Jersey you have to go. Or maybe you will take a road trip, you can spend the day Saturday and then head on to Short Hills mall Sunday. She is located on Bloomfield Ave in Montclair, NJ. What does Rock Paper Scissors sell? Oh my...Vintage fabric, lace, buttons! Vintage and funky jewelry making pieces, and a stunning array of papers. Something for everyone. Beth will also be offering classes in all things creative. She is one of my favorite Etsians. A master at sewing and beautiful jewelry maker. I can't wait to go back for the opening!

I spent the day winding beautiful vintage ribbon on stunning vintage wooden spools. I have to tell you, I would gladly be paid in merchandise for work. Ha! If you could call it work. I found it to be completely blissful to sit on the floor and have 2 huge bins full of ribbon and trim surrounding me! Friends, to me, it just doesn't get any better than that....Good thing she didn't have me playing with the vintage buttons :) Well...there's always next time!

Lovely Lilacs

2010-04-30T12:48:00.000-07:00

I love Lilacs! We had several lilac bushes on our property when I was growing up. This time of year the house would always have vases of them in several rooms and the smell...just heavenly. It is my plan to get one for our yard. It will be a very special lilac bush, because I will give my Bootsie girl back to the earth with this bush. I have had a little shrine set up for her with her ashes for 3 years. I still have my breath taken away sometimes when I think about her loss. She was and always will be my pal. The next generation is enjoying all of the work that she put in to changing Mr. Happiknits into a cat person! So I thought it fitting to plant something that I have wanted here since we moved in almost 8 years ago!

I also wanted to share some of these lovely lilac items that I found. Most are from beautiful Etsy sellers, and some are from Le Creuset. Yes. I *love* to cook, and what better to cook in that purple cookwareI ask you, could it get any better????? Enjoy these sweet items, I see several that are going to wind up on my birthday list, ok they can all go on my birthday list!!

It's Getting Really Green Around Here

2010-04-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

I Love spring! It is without a doubt my favorite time of year. All of my plants are waking up from there long nap, and everything is lush and green. I was, for the longest time, not a gardener. I left that to both of my sisters who have lots of talent in that area. I was always too bug paranoid to be playing in the dirt. Then, the first year in our house I found myself outside, headphones on, a bit of tunes flowing and I spent 3 hours straight pruning my Rhododendrons. I found it to be so meditative, relaxing. I guess you could say, I was hooked. Mr. Happiknits calls my garden the "willy nilly" garden, because I plant whatever I want in it :) Unfortunately the deer eat most of it, but year after year I try new things. Most of the space is now taken up with Butterfly bushes. I will get some photos of them when they bloom. I also have a forest of Lily of the valleys, which as you can see are very happy with their home! I find alot of inspiration for my designs from nature, so this is a very creative time of year for me. The mannequins are full with designs in the making.

Funky Fabric Finds

2010-04-06T10:15:00.000-07:00

I took a trip to my now favorite thrift store, The Red, White and Blue shop. This place is humongous!!! It is conceivable to spend a whole afternoon browsing through, but I limited my mom to 1.5 hours(otherwise we would not have been able to have a yummy Indian food lunch in Princeton). You just never know what you are going to find. I have, recently, changed what I am looking for when shopping. I now don't necessarily look at all items as wearable (although I will tell you I have found some nice wardrobe pieces for spring!). Rather I look at them as fabric, buttons, materials for upcycling. My favorite new thing! I am trying to be more environmentally friendly in my creating. I am as I have talked about in the past, completely in love and awe of Gibbous Fashions. To take apart a bunch of stuff and sew it back together to make something completely funky, hip and eco-friendly. Now if I can just lose the last 15lbs!!! maybe I could fit in something~ anyhow, I digress here. I wanted to share with you this plethora of vintage fabric that was all on one piece if clothing. I saw it and went OMG!!!! what fun is this! and it went into my cart :) Total fun fabrics, very bright, very retro, very Happiknits!!

Distractions While Waiting

2010-04-01T07:23:00.000-07:00

Great news! Today I got confirmation from the surgeon that the biopsy came back as benign!!! Thank you to everyone who sent out prayers and good thoughts. You really helped me through a scary situation *hugs* .

Last Thursday, my lovely neigbour Donna and I took a trip out to Colombus. This is another huge outdoor market that is a short distance. I always work Thursday, so it was a treat to be on vacation and able to go on the busiest day. We found lots of goodies. Not my typical finds, but fun and exciting none the less! I think one of the best parts about shopping at the market is the people that are selling. For the most part they are an interesting group of characters. Each with their own story. This is why I am in love with vintage shopping. The pieces themselves have stories. A lace collar that is over 100 years old. Who wore that collar? Did she save up to buy it? Did she make it? Did her love present it to her as a gift of his affection. Did he admire her and how beautiful she looked in it? Ok, I am getting a little carried away, but how can you not fall in love with vintage?

At one booth we went to the seller had a bunch of old pictures just thrown in a plastic tub. This upset my friend Donna, as it should have. These are people's history. It's sad enough that it ends up at a vintage market, it should at the least be treated with respect. I think she got through to him. He seemed touched, she was visibly disturbed by this and ready to buy the whole tub of photos just to organize them...She is the best I tell you!!!! So the same guy was selling these gorgeous print blocks from India. Donna spotted them , I would have just breezed by them, they looked like lumps of black coal..lol...ok so I tend to tune out the stuff I am not on a mission for, I need to be more open minded. They are stunning! So this started me on asking him where he was from in India, and I told him where my hubby was from. He then told me, I fell in love with an American girl. Oh at that statement my heart melted. Just the tone of his voice when he said it. Too sweet. And sure enough on his business card, his wife's name is Pam. What a love story that must be :)

Sunday is Market Day

2010-03-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts, prayers and well wishes! I go back this tuesday for a biopsy, I am nervous about the procedure, but optimistic that it will be ok. So this morning I woke up super early and went to the Lambertville market with 2 of my lovely girlfriends, Michele and Michele :) I have been going to the market every other weekend for most of the winter. I just discovered it last summer, so I have been hooked. This morning it was AWESOME! Packed with people and treasures! I am looking forward to an awesome summer of shopping! I have a theory that there are certain "days" as I call them, some are "button" days, "lace" days, etc... today, was a bit of both. Within the first 5 minutes I found a lovely bowl of all white buttons, alot of shell. Then it just got better from there. The best part of the day was spending time with my friends, not thinking about the biopsy and just enjoying living in the moment. I wanted to share some of these fun finds with you, there's even a bag of vintage fabric scraps that Michele spotted! Can't wait to spend more Sunday mornings out shopping with you ladies! Even Bella, got a new apron!

xoxo

The Silent Witness

2010-03-14T15:11:00.000-07:00

I have not been to present on my blog lately. I hit a bit of a speed bump. During a routine checkup my doctor found a strange blue dot in my eye. He recommended having the eye doctor check it out. So during my yearly eye check up I mentioned it to the optometrist. He was a bit perplexed by it, so he sent me to an opthomologist. After several yucky tests that included those ucky drops that numb your eye~ a totally strange, surreal feeling~ he stated that he thinks it may be a tumor. So tomorrow I am off to the city to see an Ocular Oncologist. Scary right? You just never know what life is going to throw your way. I keep thinking about my yoga teacher training and how my teacher taught us about the "silent witness", a part of your soul that is always observing. Removed from what is happening, just watching and hopefully learning. The epitome of "non-attachment". I'm not sure if we learned about this so we could try to step out of the situation and observe how we are reacting to it and take the life lesson. I know I keep thinking about warrior pose and how the strength that you feel while in that pose is something to tap into during difficult situations. I feel strong in warrior, I will be strong tomorrow. Keeping the thought in my heart that we will go to the appointment, she will look in my eye, say "it's nothing, come back in a year for a check-up" and hubby and I will have a nice lunch on South Street.

xoxo

Time For Reflection

2010-03-06T06:33:00.000-08:00

Hello dear friends. I have been quiet as of late. Quietly reflecting, observing, oh and working my butt off back at bootcamp. Back to getting up at 5:30am and feeling tired, but great. So no more late nights up staring at the glow of the monitor. The serial Etsy shopper is taking a break this week~ although I did purchase one rockin, awesome, vintage pink and white samsonite suitcase. I have been working on my spring line, in *love* with organic cotton. I cannot get enough of the stuff, it is so soft and yummy to work with. I am hoping to make it to the market tommorrow, weather is quite beautiful here this weekend and perhaps there will actually be some people selling!!! Congrats to Sara from Lushmommy for winning my giveaway!

Until next time,

xoxo

Confessions of a Serial Etsy Shopper

2010-02-26T09:33:00.000-08:00

Congrats to the lovely Nora! who will be receiving a beautiful pair of Talula's earrings! Sorry I am late with this weeks post, I have been working feverishly in the studio this morning. Inspiration for the Happiknits Spring line is kicking into overdrive, despite being surrounded with white! Up this week is a lovely girl from someplace way warmer than here! Sunny Florida! Tracybdesigns her shop is super pretty! Very bright, and spring~ish! We are ready for spring here!! I found Tracy's shop awhile back. I loved her flower pins. She has some that say, "Ask me about my Etsy shop" I wear it on my lab coat at work all the time!

So this week I am giving away two things from Tracy's shop to one lucky winner. A beautiful flower brooch, and a pretty tissue holder. These little tissue holders are truly for those of us who are girly girls! Why carry those tissues in a wad or an ugly package when you can be pretty!!! Also Tracy's shop is totally eco-friendly, using scraps to create new pieces of fun! Also her lovlies make wonderful hostess gifts~ I hate to show up at someone's house empty handed!

Ok, so here are the rules, All you have to do is:

1) leave me a comment (please make sure to leave your email if you do not have a blogger account so I can let you know you won)

for additional entries, leave seperate comments letting me know you:

2)tweeted about the giveaway

3)gave me a follow on twitter

4)follow my blog

5) follow me on twitter

Good luck! Winner will be chosen 3/5/10 by random number generator at random.org

Congrats to Sara from Lushmommy! You are my weekly winner!

Confessions of a Serial Etsy Shopper- Giveaway

2010-02-18T20:18:00.001-08:00

Dear friends, it's that time of year again! Every Friday during lent, I will be "confessing" about shops I frequent on Etsy. This year I have decided to do a giveaway from the shops that are featured. Ok! First up.... Talula

I fell in love with her shop long ago. Her cuffs! Stunning! I asked Mr. Happiknits to buy one of her beautiful necklaces for me for Christmas (in August!!!). I needed that necklace something fierce! And I wear it ALL the time(I am wearing it in my "I Love Purple" photo on the side bar). So, first the lovely item that I will be giving away, a beautiful pair of earrings from Talula. These have vintage Amber stones in them. Sparkly! Unique! What girl doesn't love a bit of sparkle at her ears! This is what I love about Talula, she uses vintage/found pieces and turns them into OOAK pieces of wearable art. Lovely!

So, here are the "rules" for entry,

1) leave me a comment (please be sure to leave an email if you do not have a blogger account so I can let you know if you won)

For additional entries, leave seperate comments that you:

2)followed my blog (or are a current follower)

3) follow me on twitter

4) blogged about my giveaway

5) tweeted about my giveaway.

Good luck! Stop over and check out Talula's shop, you will be hooked! Winner will be drawn at random and announced Thursday 2/25/10

What Inspires You?

2010-02-18T04:53:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post today with some pictures of things around my studio that are inspirational. What inspires you? Sparks your creativity? Come back and visit tommorrow when I will start a new giveaway, every friday (through lent), from some of my favorite fellow Etsy sellers.

xoxo

Happy Valentine's Day to My Sweetheart

2010-02-14T15:21:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's day to my husband, Mr. Happiknits. He is the best friend, and hubby one could wish for. I love you, today, tommorrow, always and forever. Even before we met, we loved the same things. Thank you for being the gorgeous male face of Happiknits too, I couldn't have found a better model anywhere!

xoxo

Romance Is In the Air

2010-02-08T14:58:00.000-08:00

I love February, the most romantic month. Trust me it was not always this way for me. Before I met my husband it was kind of iffy. We had some snow here this weekend, almost a foot. Now to those of you who live in really cold areas, this may not seem like alot. To us New Jerseyans, it's a significant amount of snow. So hubby and I just happened to be off of work for the weekend. Snowed in on a Saturday with a very handsome man....it was Casa de Romance around here. No wonder all my thoughts turned to pink. The color of love and romance in my mind. So I did have a little bit of time to snap some pictures of a small part of my pink collection. And of course, yet another pink scarf. This one is with this gorgeous art yarn that I bought in North Carolina last year. Pricey, but oh so worth it. It was an absolute joy to knit, like a surprise every time the yarn changes! Every couple of yards a new novelty yarn. Another snow storm predicted for Wednesday and another day off (hopefully) snowed in with my wonderful hubby :) xoxo

Have I Told You I Love Pink and Green

2010-02-01T05:36:00.000-08:00

Pink and green, I SO love these two colors together. Totally girly, a little bit, dare I say..."preppy". When I do my Consignment shopping, looking for wool sweaters to felt. I am always drawn to those colors. Mom and I went last Thursday and I bought a bunch of goodies. Can't wait to felt them and start creating. Here are some pics of my latest. I must confess, it took me a long time to find the combination of items I was looking for. The bag is named, "A Girl In Paris" this was my inspiration for the bag. It is also my challenge piece for the Fashion Design and Lifestyle Etsy street team January challenge. Our challenge was to create an Altered Couture piece. Inspired by the Somerset magazines. I love Haute Handbags, but then again I buy all of there mags :)So here she is, some of the vintage pieces were purchased in Lambertville from Elizabeth and others from some vintage Etsy shops. All in all she was a joy to create. And those stunning handles came from a lovely lady all the way in Thailand. Enjoy! Oh, ps~ I had to throw in a picture of my mannequin Bella in version 2 of the I Love pink scarf, it was just such a pretty picture!

xoxo

A Pink Giveaway

2010-01-26T15:10:00.000-08:00

Hello dear blogland friends! Please pop over to visit Teresa starting on Wednesday 1/27/10. She is having a Pink Giveaway. A giveaway a day! Including my I Love Pink knit scarf! Have fun and good luck!

xoxo

Sundays Are Vintage Market days

2010-01-24T17:23:00.000-08:00

This morning my sister and I arose at the crack of dawn to take a drive over to my favorite Lambertville market. It was VERY chilly, and the sellers were sparse. But we did happen to do very well regardless. I have photographed all my goodies, but I managed to get a few taken. It was a button and flower day. For me anyway. My sister found a nice bit of lace for her crafting adventures. I have started to branch out and want to play with some mixed media art. So I have begun to add vintage photos, letters, books, etc to my collecting in the preparation to sit down and try my hand at it. I love all the Somerset Life magazines. They give me such beautiful inspiration! I also want to try my hand at transferring some of the old black and white vintage photos onto muslin and working some Altered Couture pieces. So much to do So little time! Today was spent with the needle felting machine post the market as hubby was watching football all day :) I've been working on some more felted flowers and incorporating the millinery flowers. Too much fun!! Until next time, have fun with your artistic endevours

xoxo

Felting is Fun

2010-01-17T04:37:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to spend some more time with my needle felting machine~she's lonely :) I have a bunch of sweaters felted and ready to go, but have been concentrating on the knitting. I am SO into the knit cape right now. I have been crazy in love with the yarn that is spun by Sara and it just works so well with them. I have 2 capelets on the mannies right now just waiting to be embelished with bits of whimsy. I did find some great vintage millinery flowers that I restored and will be using. One of which is on the nearly finished brooch, I used red and ice blue. I adore this color combo. So beautiful! I was in the next town over and discovered a quilting shop (bought some muslin) and she directed me to a shop that sells yarn, and has spinning classes. As in the wheel, not the bike (lol, I love "spin" class too). So I took a peek and she had some fantastic roving in little mini bags, perfect for my machine! So here's a peek at whats in the works, more to come!
xoxo

Health, Happiness and Love

2010-01-06T07:24:00.000-08:00

My wishes for all of my lovely friends in "blogland" for the New Year. The holidays seemed to pass by so quickly. Baking, decorating, shopping, wrapping, celebrating with family. Then it's January. But trust me, I am not in a "slump." I find this is one of the most exhilirating and inspiring times of the year. It holds all the possibilities of new beginnings. New design work, new challenges and lessons. Very exciting if you ask me. I have been busy at work in my studio. Finally finishing up some pieces that have been patiently waiting for their time. I have so many ideas running around in my head, bursting to get made!

Hubby and I went to see Avatar last week. Crowded but definetly well worth dealing with the large groups of people. I was mesmerized for the whole thing (IMAX 3d). But my point here is that they showed a coming attraction for Alice in Wonderland! I can't wait! I am a huge Alice fan :) So expect to see some inspiration from that! Fun, fun, fun. I did purchase a lovely vintage pocket watch from BlackSheepYarns. I have some big plans for it!

Also during December mom and I went to a huge craft fair that is the highlight of my Dec. every year. I go to buy from one particular woman. I took some pictures of the lovely mix media, paper work she does. Absolutely lovely. Now, if I can just get her to open an Etsy shop I won't have to wait a whole year!

Gone For Far Too Long

2009-12-10T10:53:00.000-08:00

I have been absent for far too long. Hubby and I were off to a wedding and then vacation. The wedding was a beautiful Indian wedding. We had a great time! I was married in a Hindu ceremony so I always get a bit nostalgic at these weddings. I loved all the gorgeous saris and wanted to share some of the photos with you.

My husband's cousin married into a family that comes from a region in India that wears very sparkly saris. There was no lack of bling! And anybody who knows me, knows the more sparkle the better! The groom arrived by the modern day elephant~ a convertible BMW, the bride carried in traditionally by her "brothers,cousins, etc". And dressed in Red and gold, which were the exact colors that I wore for my wedding. Then it was off to....

where I got do nothing but lay in the sun and listen to the waves... It is so beautiful there. The ocean a stunning shade of turquoise, with little rippling waves, and a breeze. Always a breeze.

Vintage Buttons Galore

2009-11-15T12:24:00.000-08:00

Another Sunday spent in my happy place. I took the early morning drive out to Hopewell to the Golden Nugget. It was a beautiful morning and the market was packed with shoppers and sellers! It was most definetly a button day today. I also picked up some pretty pink glass dishes and a heart shaped candlewick bowl. I went to visit my favorite lady Elizabeth for buttons that we had spoke about the last time I was there. She brought in a huge plastic hat box FULL of vintage buttons for me to browse through. I thought I would share some of them with you. I also included a beautiful box that I bought at Colombus market several weeks ago, and some very pretty English black buttons. I must confess, these buttons are not going anywhere. I am in love, what can I say, I have a true love for vintage buttons. Oh and lace, and flowers, and fabric...

The Story of A Girl

2009-11-08T14:22:00.000-08:00

She ventured off into territories unknown in search of something....

Michele and I had a great time doing the newest Happiknits shoot with the Incognito cowls. I told her what kind of backdrop I wanted and she found this place and it was perfect! When I shot these we were both trying very hard not to laugh.

I was trying to give her motivation and I kept describing the "situation" she was in. I don't want to blab away here, so I'm just going to post some of these beautiful pitcures. As always Michele, thank you so much, you Rock!

Traveling and Shopping

2009-10-25T04:41:00.000-07:00

My two favorite things to do, Travel and shop! I have been a bit busy lately, now is the beginning of the "sick" season at my real world job. It is also the busy season in my Happiknits shop. I have been doing alot of custom work, and I sold at a huge Cranberry Festival in Bordentown. It was a great time, and I met quite a few fellow EtsyNJ sellers. I love festivals because I can see my pieces on there new owners! Last weekend I traveled to upstate NY with my mom and sister to visit my youngest sister and niece. We had an awesome time, although it was very COLD!!!! Despite that all 3 of us sisters got up saturday and sunday at the crack of dawn to shop the local market. Saturday is the farmer's and Sunday is the vintage day. It was fun, my toes were frozen, but the finds on Sunday were disappointing. I think I am super spoiled with the local markets here in NJ. Speaking of, because I needed my "fix" I did back to back mornings this week. Wednesday at The Golden Nugget in Lambertville. This was my first wednesday there. It is there busiest day and it was packed! I found some buttons, and went to visit my fav new Millinery flower lady and got some more flowers and a gorgeous lace collar that Bella is wearing. Thursday I did Colombus. That is their busiest day also. Not a successful day for me there, just a few very pretty buttons, and some pretty old bead necklaces, which I guess is a good day :)

I enjoy just walking around and being in the presence of all the old goodies!! Back to work for me now, will post sooner. I am leaving you with the finished Upcycled bag!

A New Shop in My Favorites: Fanciful Devices

2009-10-12T04:45:00.000-07:00

Hallucinatory Toxins
In my travels through blog land, I found this awesome shop highlighted on Sparrow Salvage's blog . I adore her blog and all the funky pieces of wearable art she creates and finds! So upon first viewing Fancifuldevice's shop I fell in love.
I asked her how she got started making these gorgeous pieces; "The whole jewelry thing was a fluke. Less than 2 years ago, when I was planning for a trip to see my family in Uruguay, I decided to make all my female cousins necklaces and earrings as gifts. I ended up making enough to adorn a small village. I was hooked. But back then my stuff was horrific, truly. Even when I first opened my shop, last November, my early work was pretty bad. I had much more difficulty with aesthetics, as if I had to try a lot of things before I could figure out what looked good. Fortunately, I feel I've learned fast, and through pure joyful making, blog-surfing, etsy-watching and on-line tutorials."
Pink Phenomology
My second question to Fanci was where she gets her inspiration from; " When we make something, we're evoking an atmosphere, a little world, or a story we're telling. In fact, we're trying to get away from everyday life into that other world of our making. The things that have most inspired me is the other artisans on etsy and in the blog world. I remember what seems like years ago, but was maybe just one year ago, when shops such as opulentoddities.etsy.com and moandmo.etsy.com first opened my eyes to the possibilities of mixing old things in unexpected ways. With each piece it was a bit like: "Oh, pearls! I could use pearls! Oh, a piece of hardware- why didn't I think of that?" Another big moment for me was discovering A Charming Exchange, by Kelly Snelling and Ruth Rae, which taught me, among other things, that a necklace didn't have to only be about the focal, but could be just as interesting along the chain. Adorn Cardcase necklace
And then a huge inspiration was Semiprecious Salvage by Stephanie Lee, which made me see a way to make antique-inspired mixed-up pieces without so much of the frilly/girly-ness that didn't resonate so much with me."

Artistic License

I also asked her, why vintage? what is it about vintage that pulls at your soul?

"I can't imagine NOT using vintage. I have seen some amazing artists, such as polymer clay artists and metal smiths, whose work is dazzling. But it's never made me want to try it- like it's too cold in it's immaculate perfection. At this point in our history, I feel like we're sitting atop a giant mountain of all the stuff we've produced, and this stuff can be so lovely. Using it is a form of collage for me. Also at this point, we've already seen the perfectly set diamond and the shiny new trinket a million times. Battlefield Wounds
It's the crusty bits that grab our attention. Things made differently than what we're used to, as well as that evocativeness I mentioned previously. I probably wouldn't like this style if I lived in the past, in a time when handmade and grungy were the norm. As it is, though, I'm obsessed with it and it hurts me to have to tear myself away to get to my (part-time) day job. "So Fanciful's shop is full of these curios. Including a reliquary to a molar. Yes, a molar. You must go to her shop to see this, it is Fab. Burning Glass
She is remarkably talented, a beautiful soul, and you can see the love and emotion that she works into each piece. Now, my big decision, which one should I buy first??????

Early Morning at the Market

2009-10-01T09:06:00.000-07:00

Most of the time I work thursdays, so I always hear about how fantastic the local antique market is on thursdays but never get there. I had a rare Thursday off so my sister and I got up at the crack of dawn and took the trip. Most of the time I wind up at The Golden Nugget in Lambertville, and I have been quite happy with my finds there. I have discovered that there are some days that are lace/doilie days, some are millinery flowers (Oh, more on those for my next post), and some days are vintage button days. Today was a vintage button day. I have this strange impulse to open any tins that I come accross at markets. Most of the time they are empty. But...every once in a great while you hit paydirt. Let me explain here that sometimes, you have to have faith in what looks like a pile of junk. Remember, chances are the person selling these either pulled them out of the trash somewhere or they bought the contents of a house and found this tin in grandmom's attic. It probably has been sitting somewhere untouched for who knows how long. There is rust aplenty, and trust me I get skeeved touching this stuff just as much as the next person. (hint; I carry wet ones in my bag). My sister and I were non stop gigglers about all the dust flying around from the doilies too. Anyway. enough of me blabbing. I will let the photos show you just a small piece of what treasures were hidden in that old tin. It was a GREAT day at the market!

What I'm Creating Now

2009-09-16T20:41:00.000-07:00

I've been having alot of fun lately making new pieces of wearable art. I created a huge, oversized cowl as a custom order for one of the girls that I take bootcamp with. I loved it so much I made it in coral and raspberry. The yarn is simply a total joy to work with. So soft! I tried the raspberry one on after finishing it, and to be honest, I'm not sure I can part with it! I've also been playing around with the sweater felting again. I bought a bunch of sweaters from the thrift shop, felted them and they have been waiting for me to be inspired. I found these lovely fabric blocks that have beautiful graphic work. I knew it was just what these felted sweater had been waiting for. My first project is a pocketbook. I did alot of sewing today , hand sewing that is, and my fingers have the scars to prove it (hehe). I am loving the look so far, it is allowing me to play with lots of my vintage goodies too. Oh and another hat with a vintage millinery flower hand sewn on, don't ask, I can't tell you how many times I stabbed myself sewing that on! I did alot today, and now it's bedtime, sweet dreams friends...

Learning Patience

2009-09-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been getting a lesson in patience. I was proceeding quite nicely with my weight loss journey (31lbs so far). Loving bootcamp and getting up early to exercise, feeling great, and then 2 weeks ago...injury. End exercise, start pain. Doc says it's greater trochanter bursitis. The pain radiates up to my hip mostly, but also down the side of my leg. With an injury like this even walking aggravates it. So I was told rest, more rest and physical therapy. This my friends, from a new pair of sneakers. Anyway, I keep telling myself, take care, be patient, if you go back to soon it will only get worse. So, I am clear to try some light cardio by the PT. Bootcamp starts up tomorrow, 6am, I'll let you know if I went or stayed home. (I should stay home, but I'm going crazy here already!!)

Part 2 of my story, Introducing Bella...I have been trying to find a vintage dress form, either Wolf or Bauman with the cage at the bottom for several years now. Again, patience. I scoured ebay daily for one. I bid on several only to lose every bid because I was at work with no internet. Then, one, came up for bid, "pick up only" in NJ no less, so fingers crossed, and smartly opening a snipe account...She came home with me today. An hour and a half drive on the parkway, a great couple who sold her to me and she's here. The lovely lady I bought it from said they bought it from a little old lady who was a seamstress. She has a couple of water stains, but her foot pedal works and she has her original top and is great shape otherwise. Yeah!!!! So I gave her my newest scarf to wear, all done up in ruffles!

Happiknits Fall Photo Shoot

2009-09-02T14:11:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post today with some pictures. My great friend Michele and I ventured over to Asbury Park on this past Sunday to do a photo shoot of some of Happiknit's Fall line. I wanted to do the bulk of them inside of Convention Hall. When we got there we found out it was closed to the public. But, never one to give up on something I want, we wound up inside and had it all to ourselves! (We had SO much fun!!!)The photos really made me think about how far I have come with my photography. Another reason to thank Etsy. The Happiknits shop has put me on the path to new horizons. And a HUGE thank you to Michele. You are a wonderful friend and a very pretty model!

Congrats to the Winner of I Love Fall Giveaway

2009-09-01T05:58:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all of my new friends who entered my drawing! I will be stopping by to visit your beautiful blogs! I used a random number generator (Random.org) to chose a winner, each comment was given a number. The winner is... Sharon from

Knot-Cha-Cha Congratulations and thank you everyone! Stay tuned for my next giveaway~

Reviving Millinery Flowers

2009-08-25T06:06:00.000-07:00

I love millinery flowers~

My last trip to the antique market it seemed to be vintage button and millinery flower day. I did buy some vintage lace, but for the most part it was flowers. In possession of a large quantity I sought help with "reviving" these millinery flowers. Some great people in the Etsy forums gave me the suggestion of putting the kettle on the stove and holding the flowers in the steam. Suggestion: I used a metal pair of tongs to hold the flower; that steam is HOT! lol... Anyway, wanted to post some of the flowers before and after, they came out great!! I was encouraged this weekend while out in the very hip Asbury Park , at the Asbury Lanes, I noted quite a few girls with large flowers in their hair. Very cute! Could be the newest trend! Stay tuned, I am working on some hats with these cute flowers~ *sigh* I shouldn't keep them all for myself.

I Love Fall Giveaway

2009-08-12T05:51:00.001-07:00

One of the best things about living in the North East US is the change of seasons. I am a huge fan of fall. I love waking up to the crisp snap in the air, the leaves changing, the beauty of the earth taking that stretch before the sleepy winter. I've decided to give away one of my newest cowl designs. To enter the contest, 1) Leave me a comment with an email(so I can get in touch with you if you win) and 2) Give me a follow on this blog (so I can let you know the next time I have a giveaway)

This lovely cowl is a one size fits all, measures 8 inches in height, is made with a super soft acrylic mix yarn and some gorgeous hand-spun art yarn from KittyGrrlz . The cowl has no seam so you can wear it in many different ways~the art yarn changes the look from front to back. I love the color combo here.

Winner will be chosen Tuesday September 1, 2009 by random selection. Good luck!

Working on my Fall line

2009-08-09T19:49:00.000-07:00

I have been busy enjoy these last weeks of summer. Busy enjoying family, the beach, and some much needed time off. I have been knitting so much that I can't seem to get it all photographed and listed in the shop! This is o.k. but I still have quite a few ideas floating around my brain that I feel a great need to create. I really need to start keeping a little sketch pad with me at all times. It's seems like the ideas are coming fast and furious at this point. I am inspired. I think it's because of all the family love that has been surrounding me as of late. I spent time with my husbands family and this week my beautiful sister has been visiting. I have not seen her since February! Way too long, and I have missed her and my niece terribly. We spent a lot of time together this weekend and she generously modeled some of my new items for me. She makes a great model. She is a great sister.

2009-08-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and visited me from Where Blogger's Create. I really enjoyed visiting new and exciting blogs and see all the awesome creative spaces! I was on vacation this past week. We traveled to North Carolina to visit my inlaws and my sister in law and family. Including my sweet nephew who is the CUTEST! We also took a drive to Wilmington, NC for a day trip to the beach. Wilmington is the only place I have every seen a Laundry mat that is also a cocktail lounge (The Soapbox).I love the beach, as I have said many times. I think when you are born by the beach you have sand in your blood forever. It was a relaxing week, a fun road trip. But I did have some "work" to do for the shop. I really don't consider it working. I also enjoyed sitting on my Mother-in-law's beautiful screened in porch (with ceiling fan!), knitting and chatting while everyone else napped. Definetly time well spent. Reminds me of how much I really miss her! I had a large order for Incognito cowls before I left, I worked on knitting them and shipped them out when we got back. I am still working on more fingerless gloves and another Organic cotton shawl.

I also received a present I bought myself from Gibbous. Check out the fancy box handmade decorations and the way it was packaged! I love it!! I love her shop. I have been waiting for the perfect piece to come along- don't get me wrong I love ALL her stuff. BUT alot of it is tiny, and I alas, am not that tiny, although I can report an additional 3 lb loss while on vacation, which brings me to almost 30lbs so far. So, I felt it was a fair thing to treat myself to a little gift from Selene's shop. I am and always have been a hat girl. I used to collect them back in the 80's. All vintage. I think I still have one somewhere. But this one is very funky and one of a kind!

Where Bloggers Create

2009-07-24T04:32:00.000-07:00

Welcome! Thank you Karen for hosting such a lovely party! Come on in and stay awhile in my lovely studio. This beautiful room was empty for a very long time after we moved into our home. When my grandmother sold her home she gave each grandchild a gift and I chose a beautiful craft desk, and a sewing machine,and thus began my studio. The room itself is inspiring with views of my plants and the sound of birds. I am inspired by my surroundings, so I try to keep little pieces of vintage, color and reminders of things near and dear to me close. I collect vintage lace, buttons, fabrics and other little tokens of yesterday.

I also love yarn, as most knitter's do. I love the colors, the textures, working with a beautiful yarn brings me joy! This is my favorite spot to sit, knit, and have an afternoon glass of iced coffee~ I guess that is the drink of choice here in the Northeast, although I confess I love sweet tea!

As a knitwear designer, I am usually not finished with a piece until it "speaks" to me, so I will surround myself with what we call WIP~ a work in progress. I dress up my little mannequins and will keep coming back to the design and rework until it's right. The beautiful decopage mannequin post was purchased on Etsy from The Moxie Sisters. It is a beautiful piece and I fell in love with it at first sight. This summer I have discovered a total obsession with vintage lace. I found quite a bit on a trip to an outdoor vintage market near New Hope. I am enjoying incorporating it into my pieces.

I have been collecting vintage buttons for more than 20 years now. I am also a book lover, so I always feel a need to be surrounded by books.

Just a couple more pictures to share with you. Thank you for stopping in and visiting! Come back and see me again, I will be having a giveaway next month in anticipation of fall!

An Adventure

2009-07-23T04:56:00.001-07:00

Just a quick post today, getting ready for the big Where Blogger's Create party tommorrow. Last Saturday night I actually left the house and went out with my girly friend Michele. We took a drive to Asbury Park, which, I must say is quite the happening place all of a sudden. Happening in a GOOD way. Lots of highend botiques, shops and resteraunts popping up everywhere. And quite the night life scene, for all types of people. So we went to see a Burlesque show. The troop was out of Philadelphia, and the show was very tastefully done. It was also a great "people" watching experience. But most of all... time well spent with one of my very close friends. Next up, roller derby, yup they still do that!

Feeling Blue

2009-07-17T10:43:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been in a bit of a funk. A bit melancholy? Do you every slow down just long enough to see how fast time is moving? How you felt like just yesterday you were 16, ok, maybe not 16 but 26? I think previously I have shared about my journey through the world of fertlity treatments, etc. I don't talk about it too much anymore because I have stopped them (it's been years already) and I am moving on. Really, I am. It's just that sometimes things happen, or that baby is right in front of you and, I get sad. I get sad for something that as my life seemingly speeds on towards it's next phase, I will never have. Don't get me wrong, there are great things about my life that I thank God for everyday. But as I woman, some of us have always wanted to have the experience of something that is, as females, what makes us different from men. I think that, for me, anyway, I have always kept that little glimmer of hope in my heart, that maybe, after all the stress of trying so hard, it would, just happen. But, like I said, the next phase of my life is definetly starting, and that glimmer is beginning to fade.

So, what I have done all along is take all my emotions, and knit them into something. Knit, knit, knit. So meditative to me. I think because as I am making each stitch I am either counting, or murmuring knit, purl,knit,purl. And it works for me. It brings me a sense of peace, a sense of focus, a sense of being in this particular moment.

Inspired By Punk

2009-07-08T15:30:00.000-07:00

I spent alot of time in my 20's going out to see live bands. I know most people think of "Bruce" when they hear Asbury Park, but there was a whole different scene going on 2 blocks away from The Pony. It was called the Fast Lane, previously and currently a bowling alley. But in my 20' s it was a bar that hosted all the famous punk, alternative and Industrial bands. My girlfriend Michele lived just a few blocks away, and we were there all the time. So my latest piece of work was inspired by punk. Time spent in the mosh pitt. I must have always looked too girly for it, but I held my own. So my new cuff, Schooled In the Church of Punk. Made of mostly reclaimed materials. I had alot of fun creating it. I just read somewhere that things we create "speak" to us when they are done. This cuff took awhile to get there. I just couldn't find the right pieces to "fit" into my vision. So I spent a couple of quiet mornings, listening to the birds and embroidering a bit here and there, then one morning, I saw it, it fit, It spoke to me.

A New Object of Desire

2009-07-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

I have shared with you that I am a big collector of vintage buttons. I have been for many years. I now realize that I have a new affection for all things vintage lace. I've got it bad too. I can't seem to stop myself when I find these things. My latest trip to the Antique shops in Point Pleasant initially felt unsuccessful. The usual shops didn't have anything new. Then while I was in the Canvas House I remembered that they have an upstairs that I have not yet visited. So, buried in a tiny room under a bunch of doilies I found a zip lock bag. It was marked "vintage collars", I took a look and, yup, score! But I did not realize exactly all that was in it until I washed everything. Lots of pretty things. I am not sure on what exactly this one little treasure is, maybe someone knows it's original purpose? It has a seam on one end, not a collar, I'm just not sure, but the lace is stunning!There were also some collars included (lol) most of the items were lace pieces and fabrics. But the collars are in excellent condition and I am thinking that I may just have to leave them as is. They are too pretty to part with.

Your Daily Dose of Purple

2009-06-22T05:09:00.000-07:00

So judging by my blog you can see that pink and green are my favorite colors. But running a close third is purple. I Love purple. I think it started when I was about 5 years old. I used to visit my next door neighbor alot (I was a chatty kathy kid). She was an older woman who was always out in the yard tending to her grapes (yes, grape vines!) and bees (yes! bees!). Thinking back now, she was very hippy...Ah hah! so that's were my bohemian spirit initiated. Anyway, the point here is that she always used to invite me in for some cold iced tea, lemonade, etc. and her WHOLE kitchen was purple. INCLUDING the refridgerator. Very cool. I loved her house. Sadly the people who bought my parents old house also bought that house and tore them both down. I know, makes me want to cry. There is something to be said about older houses with character as opposed to new mansions. They are just not the same. So, here's some purple, enjoy!

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T04:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's day Daddy! I love this very old photo. It's my favorite of the two of us. I was just a year old, the first daughter and grandchild to my Grandmother who is standing in the backround. Have a great day! I am luck to be able to see my dad today.

The Path Less Traveled

2009-06-14T19:18:00.000-07:00

This year Mr. S and I joined an organic farm co-op. Yesterday was our first day for pickup (we split with another family) and first official day at the farm. This is an awesome thing. You buy a "share" of the harvest from june through november. I have been wanting to do this for a long time now and this year the opportunity presented itself. So this week was pick your own strawberries and snow/sugar snap peas. Trust me I grew up with a huge garden in the backyard and I love to play in the dirt, but I am extremely tick paranoid. This being said you can see the dilemma I was faced with as I went to pick the peas. I was in the row that was so overgrown. But I forged forward and took the path less traveled. I found it to be quite meditative and I could have stayed in that pea patch for hours. I am sharing some photos of the farm with you. My inlaws were visiting us so we took them with us. It was an awesome time and the bounty was plenty! Last night I made a fresh Arugala salad with shaved parmesan chees, toasted pine nuts and a homemade lemon vinegarette, Yummy!!!!

Crazy Inspired

2009-06-08T11:37:00.000-07:00

I have been full of inspiration lately! I just keep creating, and coming up with new concepts. And ruffles, did I tell you I am in love with ruffles? I'm giving you a sneak peak at my latest design before it goes up in the shop~the ruffle cowl, wild woman style! I also started working with organic cotton (for the Andrea shawl) I love the softness of the yarn and the idea that it's eco-friendly. I am having so much fun! Isn't that what being passionate for you craft is all about? Joy!

Vintage Shopping

2009-06-06T14:56:00.000-07:00

This morning Michele and I got up early and went to the Golden Nugget Antique market. For once it was not raining here! This was my first time to this market although I have passed it quite a few times on my way to New Hope. I went with the goal of 2 things: vintage keys and lace/doilies. It was a super successful day. This is only a small portion of the 2 bags worth of lace I walked out of there with. So lots of handwashing in my future, but I don't mind one bit. I cannot wait to start working with these! I am so fascinated by the altered couture and use of vintage linens/lace/doilies. I bought a book yesterday on How to Manipulate Fabric. This is on my nightstand for reading asap! The very last stall we went to is where I purchased all the flowers and a bunch of vintage collars. All together an awesome day, spent with an awesome girlfriend. Thanks Michele :) You rock!

Happiknits Gets Illustrated

2009-06-04T20:30:00.000-07:00

So exciting! I did a collaboration with Holly from Holly Illustration. I think it came out awesome! I approached her with the idea and a photo of a new capelet, and she really captured the essence of my designs. She has inspired me to create a capelet similar to the cream/lilac one in the photo~~it's almost finished! Thank you Holly, your work is amazing!

Non-Attatchment

2009-05-31T08:08:00.000-07:00

Learning about non-attachment has been a long journey for me to date. I was reading yesterday and came accross a tiny article talking about Ishvara Pranidhana(IP), or non-attachment to one's actions. I spend alot of time trying(albeit, not successfully yet ) to practice Aparigraha, which is non-attatchment to things. These are slightly different and to be honest, I forgot all about IP until reading said article. This was posted after a woman's story of doing a iron man race. Swimming, cycling, running. Very challenging! But this practice teaches us to focus on the quality of an act rather than the outcome. The joy comes from doing the act itself, not the outcome. It makes everything into practice. It allows the burden of our ego to be dropped. I love this idea. You can read an article by Shiva Rea here

I tried to use this idea during my yoga practice this morning. It really helped bring me back to my breath and forget about the ego, clear my head and stay in the pose longer. It felt more...peaceful.

Happy Anniversary

2009-05-26T08:16:00.001-07:00

To my wonderful husband, It seems as though we just met yesterday, how the time spent with you goes so quickly. I remember when I first saw you, what you were wearing and how my heart sped up at the very sight of you. It still does the same thing today. I think to myself how the fates brought us together at just the right time. How I had searched so long to find you, and when I thought my wish would never come true...you came into my life. We enjoyed each other's friendship right from the beginning and today and always you will be my best friend. In 7 years of marriage we have grown together, through the good times and the challenges, we have faced them together and learned from them. I love you today, tommorrow, always and forever .

Sunday Shopping

2009-05-18T13:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my niece's birthday. So on route to my sister's house is one of my favorite Antique shops. A 3 story emporium. I rarely make it past the first floor before reaching or exceeding my budget. I thought I would share my finds with you. I seem to be looking at things a bit differently now

. I look for possibilities. Don't get me wrong, I love vintage clothing, back in the eighties it was all I wore. But the dress I found yesterday is for the material. It's gorgeous. My mom said that the dress maker was a very upscale back in the fifties. I also look at the vintage necklaces as a source for beads. Funky beads! So I think I did pretty well yesterday. Some gorgeous black eyelet fabric. There is about 3 yards of it! I am going to have ALOT of fun with that :) I also found some beautiful Ecru lace fabric and wide black lace. And last but not least a funky fifties apron that has an awesome print in grey and pink, and some seam binding to go along with it! The item with the pink "wheel" shapes on it is a needle holder!

On a different note I also wanted to share some of the stunning handspun yarn I received today from Felt Studio UK. She does stunning work! This is the second time I have bought from her and I cannot wait to start working with these yarns!

Setting a Goal

2009-05-13T09:20:00.000-07:00

So today I am sitting here writing and I am wearing a pair of jeans that a month ago did not fit me. Now I actually have room in them. Hard work and persistance is finally paying off. I am about to finish my 9th month straight of bootcamp. Never in my life did I think I would be the girl getting up at 5:30 am to exercise. Perhaps I should have. Because, it works for me. Sure you have to have the discipline but instead of spending all day talking myself out of exercising after work, etc.. We all do it. Find a million and one excuses. All I have to do is get out of bed. How do I motivate myself to do that? I want to be able to fit in said jeans. Small goal, manageable goal. For months nothing happened. Then I really modified my diet, and I set a small goal. Fit into a pair of jeans that have not seen the light of day in over a year. Happy to say, goal 1 acheieved. My next goal, fit into a dress. My girlfriend Michele and I were talking about a red dress. She wants to take some photos, and wanted a long red dress. I have one. I have not worn it for along time. It's a Ralph Lauren that I purchased and wore for a wedding about 5 years ago. The last wedding we went to I tried to fit in it. No good, no way. So my next goal is to fit into that dress so I can be Michele's model. I've always been a goal setter. Not for unreachable goals, but for attainable ones. Do you set goals?

Have I Found My Green Thumb?

2009-05-06T17:17:00.001-07:00

I really love spring. I must have said that a million times already. It was not until my husband and I moved into our first apartment together that I tried my hand at gardening. It wasn't much, just a container garden for the balcony. But I took care of it so well that the trailing vine in it grew from the second floor almost down to the lawn. A little backround info here. It was not my first apartment. I have lived on my own since the age of 18 when my parents seperated and it was definetly time for me to leave the nest. I was always envious of both of my sisters. One sister, had an awesome garden in her backyard. She definetly had the "green" thumb. My other sister spent many years working in florists, and garden centers and she definetly has the thumb. So for many years I thought it skipped over me. Then we bought our home. Lots of space for planting! As a matter of fact I laid claim to a lovely little strip of land at the top of the driveway. Mr. S calls it my "willy-nilly" garden. I try to explain to him every year that gardens have charm that way. There does not to be order to everything. It's my playground. My zen spot. The Lily of the Valley are my favorite! They were a transplant from my friend Janet. They love it here! Every year they multiply like crazy! She also gave me a Hosta that grows gigantic...in full sun!!!! Don't ask me why I planted it in that spot(lack of knowledge) but it works. That is until the deer attack. And they do. They eat everything. I'm still struggling to harvest echinachea. I have spent hundreds only to never see a second year out of them. My other favorite is the azaleas and the Rhododendrums. The azaleas had a rough winter as a deer buffet. But I use my old coffee grinds as food and this seems to help them pop back. I have also planted egyptian garlic in my beds hoping the smell will ward off the deer. I will let you know how it works. It's pretty funky looking also! So? what do think? did I find my thumb yet? On my way? Boy this post looks really green :)

A Love Affair

2009-05-03T10:08:00.000-07:00

I confess, I am currently in love with cuffs. Can't get enough of them. I have been working all morning on my latest one. I wish the sun would come out so I could photograph it( I did get one shot on Friday, but it is not the finished product). Not looking too likely here today. I'm actually trying to motivate myself to leave the house. Terrible isn't it? I used to be the type of person who was always on the go. This seemed to change in the past 3 years. Don't misunderstand me here. I get up at the crack of dawn. But, I prefer to lose myself in my little craft studio/sunroom. Some nice music playing, or maybe just listening to the birds. That to me is quality time. Today it's softly raining here, everything is green and blooming. Lovely. I think I'll stay in and do some more creating, inspiration is so easy in the spring!

The Thing About Being a Girl

2009-04-28T08:38:00.000-07:00

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."

-Anais Nin

This weekend I spent Sunday afternoon having some awesome, girly fun with one of my oldest and dearst friends Michele. We met in the 7th grade. Our initial meeting was one that, well was not really the way that most long lasting friendships begin. Someone we both knew (I do not even remember who the person was) asked her to "beat me up" (ahhh grade school~so much fun!). And thus began a friendship that has lasted more than 27 years. I remember waking up at the crack of dawn at her parents house to watch Princess Di walk doen the aisle to meet her Prince. Watching the first video on MTV in her parents living room. Dancing in the Mosh Pitt at The Parrot. Going out to see a band every weekend at the Fast lane. Making Tye Dye shirts in her kitchen. Although the paths of our lives have sometimes led in different directions, we have, always kept the bond of our friendship. So, to add to all the fun memories we already have, we did a photo shoot for Happiknits. Michele is the perfect model for my creations! She picked out the spot ~ she is an awesome professional photographer! She will be doing all the photoshopping for these photos! Thanks Michele, you are the best!!

Happy Earth day!

2009-04-22T16:29:00.001-07:00

I wanted to do something special today. The weather is crappy here, so planting was out of the question! So I had myself a fun day of shopping for items to use in my creations. Recycling. Vintage. Earth friendly. I was in Ocean county anyway, so I decided to stop into some of my favorite antique stores in Point Pleasant. The emporium is 3 floors of fun! I have my favorite shops already and one of them I actual got to meet the owner for the first time. Her daughter models for a shop on Etsy Sweettoothvintage lovely woman, and she is very talented! So I wanted to show some pics of my finds. I went a bit overboard, but what else is new! I found some beautiful lace, and vintage collars at The Canvas house. Also some funky jewelry! I will destrand it and use those beads for something! The pearl collar is simply to die for! I thought it might look awesome with something bridal. There is one woman at the Emporium that has the most lovely lace. It's hidden, so it's kind of like it's waiting for me (lol) to find it! I also decided to browse through her vintage clothing and voile, I found this stunning pink and cream dress. Do you remember in Pretty in Pink (ok, showing my age here) when she couldn't afford to buy a prom dress like all the snotty girls, so she took 2 dresses, ripped them apart and created something brand new , funky and worthy of Andrew McCarthy(oh, be still my heart I had the biggest crush on him). That's what I felt like when I found this dress. I saw the something new being created in my head! I fell in love with that stunning band of pale pink crushed velvet. Speaking of velvet. I have had an eyeball out forever for some fushia pink velvet. Well I found it. My eye was drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Said shop owner that I met today said she just put it out. BINGO!!!! my lucky day! I also scored a bunch of pretty lace, some more jewelry pieces and vintage ribbon. Too much fun for one day! I am off to create. I have so much inspiration here, I'm busting at the seams! Check out my Earth Day post at the FDL website. Love your Mother Earth.

Change of Scene

2009-04-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you need a change of scenery. I usually take my pictures in the same spot at the same time of day. But yesterday I tried to change that. I tried to take my pictures in the am before work. In my usual spot. They came out way too dark. So, this forced me to look around the house. Where else could I take a pic?

Tip No. 1: try photographing in lots of different spots inside and out. So, I tried by the front door first and it seemed to put a bit of shade onto the shrug. Pretty but I wasn't sure about it. This my friends is an issue when you're taking pics. I never trust what I am seeing on the camera screen. It might look good there but once it is on the computer it is a different story.

Tip No.2: take lots and lots of pictures. Different angles, different spots, different settings. Next I tried the dining room. I figured it's a romantic theme, what better setting than a flowery room. ~ A little side note here. This room is one of the very few rooms left in my house that was decorated by the previous owner. It seems to suit the room. Please note that almost every room in this house was pink when we moved in. Nearly drove Mr. S crazy at the sight of all the pink. Don't get me wrong I have no problem with pink. But parlor, bedroom, dining room, kitchen?!? It's enough to sterilize any man. I love the way the picture came out. The back round is a bit busy but it's soft colors so I think it's ok. What do you think? Do you like the first one or the second one? To see which one I decide to use check out the Queen of the Forest shrug here.

Happy Easter

2009-04-11T04:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! I am actually able to post some Easter pictures a day early because in true form I have a lovely dysfunctional American family. I stick "American" in there because my husband who was born in India just rolls his eyes everytime some new trauma happens with my family. Don't get me wrong, I love them all, really I do. I am just at the point in my life where I'm looking for a little peace. Anyhow... we celebrated Easter last Sunday. It was when my sister, God bless her, had custody of her children. I just add a small bit here, because, it is blogging and I am supposed to share, right? (share the trauma) My sister has 3 children. She got pregnant at a very young age and kept the baby so her oldest child is 24 (and has 2 children of her own). My niece is going to be 14 next month and my nephew 11. My sister married the father of her first child and all 3 are true siblings. Sounds normal so far...For years I watched my sister be abused. Physically (lots of bruises) and mentally. I watched my oldest niece abused mentally by her father. The day her father hit her was the day my sister finally left him. He has attempted to torture her everyday since then. He spent lots of money on a fancy lawyer(my sister had court appointed) and long story short he has custody of the 2 children. I hate to be a "downer" but this is real life here, and I wanted to share a bit. My thought is that my sister will come out of this ok, she is still fighting, and trying to piece back together her life, and I love her so much for it, she did the right thing by leaving.

So, "Easter", it was a good get together. Are you still here? Did I scare you off? I know, heavy stuff. But here's the lighter. I made cake. I'm sitting here laughing as I read that. Leave it to me to think the mention of cake is enough to make you forget about the horrific story you just read. This is Happi-knits I'm reading right. What happen to the Happi part?!?

Yes friends I made cake~which my absolutely adorable grand-nephew loved. I also made stuffed cabbage. My grandmom's recipe, which I tweaked o so slightly to make a slight bit healthier.

Creating a Mood

2009-04-05T20:14:00.000-07:00

I was inspired for my latest design by a picture in one of the knitting magazines I read. I saw the picture and fell in love with the colors. So I tried to create a mood board. We have been doing the mood board thing for the FDL challenges. This way everyone has a visual inspiration in addition to a theme. I had purchased (yes, I know, should not be buying any yarn right now) some new yarn~just 3 little, bitty, skeins... and felt the need to make something with one of them just to see how this new yarn knit up. Beautiful in a word. Soft, stretchy, fun. And when I received the wholesale order of ribbon the wonderful ladies through in a bunch of samples of beautiful colors. So after playing around with the ribbon and finishing the capelet, I put my new "board" to use. I love the yellow and black. Matches the studio perfectly. So I leave you with the finished capelet. I found this awesome vintage sparkly piece in one of my button jars, it added just the touch of bling I was looking for!

Confessions of a Serial Etsy Shopper

2009-04-04T15:46:00.000-07:00

Every Friday througout Lent I will be "confessing" to my Etsy shopping "sins"

This week I bring you a selection of shops that I have either purchased from and will go back again, or things I have been drooling over! The first item is a super cute brooch that I purchased two of (because one was not enough! ). TraceyB designs has these cute pins made with scraps of fabric, super cute! I wear mine on my lab coat everyday!

Next up this super cute bag that I bought from Spongetta. I love, love, love it! Black and yellow are such hot colors right now! I will get alot of use out of this bag.

I also bought this totally funky ring from cookoorikoo. It is awesome! Her shop is loaded with fun goodies. I have believe it or not been trying to behave myself! So these are a couple of items that I am currently coveting...

This very cool necklace from syncopation, a reminder to follow your bliss! And last but certainly not least. This awesome journal by shoofly. It is the perfect gift for a knitter. As a matter of fact her shop is a knitter's paradise.

Confessions of a Serial Etsy shopper

2009-03-28T10:45:00.000-07:00

A day late, I am in "vacation" mode...Every Friday through Lent join me as I "confess" my shopping sins (on Etsy)... This week, one of the cutest shops on Etsy, Sunshine and Ravioli even the name is cute! She makes all kinds of tags, stickers, and other assorted paper crafts. They are unique and fun. I usually add them onto my packaging for my customers. I think it gives a little extra something to the package. I actually started buying from her around Christmas time for my own personal use and then my Christmas gifts looked so cool that I went back for more! I think her spring line is stunning! Lots of tags for your Easter baskets. I also think they make a great hostess gift. I am always looking for hostess gifts, you never know when you'll get invited last minute and I never like to show up empty handed. S&R packages her items in little bags with a sticker, perfect for giving!

Also, check out Joy's blog, I've been featured on her Saturday Spotlight!

Fashion Design and Lifestyle Trunk show

2009-03-26T05:38:00.000-07:00

Drawing by HollyIllustration~ perfect gift for your girly friends!

The FDL team will be hosting a Spring Trunk show here tonight at 7:00pm EST. Lots of fun, new items and SALES!!!!! I am offering FREE standard US shipping, some of the other members have great promos also. Here is a peep at some of the awesome items this team's members create.Born in the summer of Love I am a sucker for anything with a peace sign on it. This scarf is part of Amy's spring items

Kristen was the organization behind the trunk show, Thank you for all your hard work! She is an extremely talented artist, check out her work here.

I love this funky journal from Nuvonova, a very funky way to express your inner diva!

Of course, my dear friend Beth over at Thirdfloor designs has some stunning spring items for sale!

I think this is the perfect Easter bonnet for the fashion forward girl, from Delightworthyn..
I am in love with this stunning little purse from Debra at Allthingspretty, she is so talented!

And for the hip inner you, this ring from Capitolagirl is pure funk!

So come check out our trunk show tonight! This is just a small sample of shop owners and their wares, there are so many stunning items and specials!

Finding Inspiration

2009-03-22T06:38:00.000-07:00

Confessions of a serial Etsy shopper will continue next friday~

I have been feeling as though I am in a bit of a slump as of late. Maybe it's a change of season thing, but I was feeling a little uninspired. To the point of...(gasp)...not wanting to even knit. Goodness I never thought I would hear myself say those words. Mr. S said maybe I'm just burnt out. I think he was right. I took about a week off from going non-stop. This is what I do. I always have. The yoga training has definetly helped, alot. I do wake up in the middle of the night, ideas swirling around in my brain. Wide awake. I use my breathing exercises and I'm sleeping in no time. Anyway, back to the slump. I decided to just chill. I think it worked. Yes, it worked well. I had gone on a hunt for some vintage lace and hit paydirt. So...I started to use some of it. I will tell you I was inspired by Altered Couture and Bonzie's beautiful tattered jacket. Talented ladies! I love the look of the vintage lace mixed with vintage findings and a sort of reckless abandon look. So you are listening to my inspiration music(sorry, no sarah on the playlist!), a bit of Sarah Brightman. I had this on the Ipod while piecing together and sewing the capelet .

It's A Shabby Bust

2009-03-19T03:58:00.000-07:00

It's not even Friday yet and I am already in over my head! Yesterday prior to a long work day I found a gorgeous decoupaged bust on Ebay. I have to tell you I don't do well with ebay. Not enough access to a computer when the auction is ending so I have to rely on Mr. S to do that. And.....there are always comments....how much are you going to spend on THAT?!? so I tend to tell him to bid lower than I emotionally would have bid. Probably the best in the long run. I don't need to pay a fortune for a vintage dress form. Someday I will be somewhere and there will be one..if it's meant to be. Anyhow, back to the deco. bust..she included a crown and was made of all vintage playbills, very cool. I was outbid by 4.00. Sucks, right? So me being the google queen, I googled and I found one right on my favorite place...oh...wait for it....yup...Etsy. That's right. A super cute sight called Moxie Sisters And Mr. S you would be so proud of me. I did not buy it last night, but I slept on it and bought it at 6:50am this morning. Woohoo! Stay tuned tommorrow...another Confessional Friday..

Confessions of a Serial Etsy Shopper

2009-03-13T08:49:00.000-07:00

It's friday again, time for another "soul" cleansing confession. This week, another one of my favorite shops on Etsy.... Black Sheep Yarn bear with me here...I have not bought any yarn from her (yet).. Her shop is filled with the most wonderful antique/vintage goodies. I hesistate here (because I want it all for myself) stop by, visit her shop, you name it vintage, she's got it. Anything from old drawer pulls, to game pieces, to antique ledgers, to my personal sin....vintage buttons. Her photography is stellar, and so is the product. Also I must tell you...The packaging is delightful. I was so impressed when I opened my first package of goodies I couldn't wait to go back for more!

My Favorite Jeans get a new life

2009-03-09T15:53:00.000-07:00

Everything needs a new start. I guess I am really doing some spring "cleaning". Ok, maybe not in the sense of dusting and vacuming and let's not even mention cleaning windows.. No I'm talking about mental cleaning. Clearing out the clutter of past "lifes". As in finally doing something with a pair of jeans that have not fit me in the past 7 years. They were by far my favorite pair of jeans. I commandeered them from an ex-boyfriend. I wore those bad boys all the time, then I cut them into shorts. They had the fray hanging just perfect....Hmp. (geez girl get a grip!) But they don't fit, so now, they are needle felting medium. And they were FUN to felt and sew and turn into this rockin lariat. I named it the Rustic Gal lariat. I think it came out awesome. A nice rebirth of sorts for those jeans!

Aparigraha

2009-03-08T10:54:00.000-07:00

So I opened another shop on Etsy. I named it aparigraha which means non- attatchment. After doing out taxes I realized that my yarn inventory, is, in a sentence OUT OF CONTROL. I have freely admitted being addicted to fiber, but at this point I don't think I could ever use all this yarn. So I am going to let go. Let go of some of the excess stuff in my life. Which in yogi standards is going to help clear the clutter out of my head. Help me see things better. Help me make more room for newer yarns (did I just write that??!!??) Oh boy. Control, I will practice control. So anyhow...if your a knitter, or someone who is just starting out, the yarns are priced to sell!

We Have a Winner!

2009-03-07T10:08:00.000-08:00

Yeah! I picked a cowl winner today using a random number generator. Each comment was assigned a number and the number drawn was 35, Congrats to Cecile! Tune in soon for my next giveaway and thanks for visiting my newly madeover blog!

Confessions of a Serial Etsy Shopper

2009-03-06T13:56:00.000-08:00

Part 2 in my Lenten "confessional" series. This next shop is one of my favorites! (OK they're all my favorites) But Bobbi over at Kittygrrlz knows how to spin up some good yarn porn. I check her site everyday and there is always one or two things that I am drooling over and must have immediately. She is so popular over at Etsy that, knitters, heed my warning: If you LOVE it BUY it, or someone else will!!!! That being said, Bobbi is a sweetheart and when someone (Phydeaux) beat me to buying yarn I was dreaming about, Bobbi respun me some. So she calls this "Functional Art Yarn" and it took me a few tries, but I have found it quite easy to work with. I adorn my capes with it. I could be happy just draping myself in it :) But I knit it and put the items up for sale. So go, visit, tell her I sent you, keep her spinning these gorgeous, beautiful, fun to knit yarns!

Capelet Crazy

2009-03-05T04:54:00.000-08:00

I seem to be obsessed with making capes right now. Crazy obsessed with it. I have so my ideas floating around in my head, I can't get them made fast enough. My latest was a creation that just came to me....ding....lightbulb over head...and I was inspired. It was a challenge piece for the FDL team Our February challenge was Casablanca, and I was a day late to submit. I love the way it came out, very old hollywood~ish.

Confessions Of A Serial Etsy Shopper

2009-02-27T05:55:00.000-08:00

As a special friday series in honor of Lent, I will be confessing to my shopping "sins" once weekly, tune in and you may find some really cool new shops!

I am here to freely confess to the fact that I am a serial Etsy shopper. Somebody call a cop! I had a inkling of this, but when doing my taxes I realized just how bad it really was. My husband asked me, do you spend some of your money you make from the Etsy shop on yourself? Um,,, Why yes, yes I do. I support handmade! I feel it is my duty as an Etsy seller to also be an Etsy customer. So I have decided to share with you some of the shops in which I am a repeat "offender". Because let me tell you, if I like what you make I will most certainly be back. I am a "shopaholic." And when it comes to yarn, I am an addict, yup I admit I am powerless over my addiction to yarn (guess it could be worse!). So Moving on here, and I implore you to visit some of these shops, I promise, you will not be disappointed!

First up, ThirdFloor designs one of my favorite Etsians, fellow EtsyNJ peep, leader of the FDLteam and a dear friend. Her talent is multi, she creates the most beautiful jewelry and she sews the most awesome bags/cowls/wraps. I am the proud owner of many of her beautiful creations! This stunning cowl that I spotted when we did a craftfair together and by the time I got home I emailed her to please save it for me!

These gorgeous earrings that I spotted in her shop around Christmas, I love them!

We did a collaberation together themed "Copperline" and I bought the necklace she created to go with one of my cowls. It is by far one of my most favorite pieces of jewelry. I L*O*V*E* it!!!

My latest purchase included a pair of earrings to match this rockin necklace, aren't they super cool??

I also bought these very pretty earrings, a great piece of green for the upcoming spring, I wore them to work yesterday....

And this woman is so talented! I also bought this groovy little "retro" material bag, it is super groovy...

The Most Painful Spa Visit

2009-02-25T14:52:00.000-08:00

Okay, a little heads up here. My mother would roll her eyes and say "you didn't" if she knew what I was about to blog about. Sorry mom, but, I have always been a bit of a rebellious child. So today I had quite an experience at the day spa. Let me tell you, all the relaxing music in the world couldn't have calmed me down. I went for a Brazilian. Oh yeah, first one. Ouch! Really Ouch!!! I am so glad that there was noone else having a massage or other relaxing spa treatment done at this particular time because, I do believe I moaned/howled quite a few times. And let me tell you girls, this is not for the shy. If you are shy or embarrassed about your body...Not for you. The technician said alot of women say the pain is not bad because they have had a baby. Well, since I'm out of the loop there, I tell you this was some serious pain. It made an eyebrow or upper lip wax seem like a walk in the park. Soooo, this being said will I do it again? Oh yeah, you bet I will !!!

Sorry mom, don't be too mad, I think of it as reporting research for those who want to know!

Lake Effect snow, knit cowls and Bella

2009-02-23T07:23:00.000-08:00

This weekend I experienced what is called in North West New York as "lake effect" snow. Mom and I decided to rent an SUV and drive to see my sister and niece. If anything it was a true adventure, which I love! It was not bad going there but I was amazed at how on the way to dinner the roads had a small coating and by the time we came back from dinner I could not see where the curb or the lines on the road were. About 2 hours and it was near whiteout conditions! That being said by saturday am, roads were clear. So fittingly I worked on my newest Incognito knit cowl while mom was driving. My pics of my sweet sister (the model) did not come out as well as planned (duh, now I know to take a pic out in the snow not standing under the carport!) but you can see it snowing in the backround. Saturday night we finally got to watch Twilight together. We tried to catch it when she came home in December, but it was too busy. So I waited to see it with her. Awesome! I loved it. I can't wait for the sequel. My only problem was with Esmee. Come ON the chick from Gray's anatomy was what they came up with for Esmee?!? I always pictured her as someone really beautiful and sophisticated. That being said all the other actors were perfect for their roles, and my first thought on Dr. Cullen was that he would have been perfect to play Lestat instead of that Tom guy they cast. But all in all, a great flick. Rach agreed. Driving home was more snow, bad, we saw 5 accidents within 20 minutes. But thankfully, nothing too bad and we actually made it home in record time. Don't forget to leave a comment for the Cowl giveaway here.

Fit for a Queen shrug

2009-02-18T15:24:00.000-08:00

Inspiration strikes me at the strangest times. Mostly while I'm laying in bed trying to sleep (lol). Yesterday morning I felt inspired, inspired to do my yoga practice. Let me tell you the yoga mat that resides in the house had quite a bit of dust on it (I keep 2 in the car for those times when the mood strikes to veer off into a yoga studio). So I rolled out the mat, lit up some incense, put on my favorite yoga cd (Kerala, which includes sounds of the beach in Kerala) and started my practice. It felt wonderful. I had to ask myself, why is it that I don't do this everyday anymore. My fellow artists, if you are looking to unleash your creativity, unroll your mat. My fellow sleepless friends, if you are looking for a great night's sleep, unroll your mat. I tell you this because this 45 minute practice made both of those things possible. I sleep like a baby the night after doing a yoga practice. I also was inspired to create my newest shrug. I had the shrug knit already, but I knew I wanted to embelish it in a special way. I felt inspired to add the beautiful vintage lace that has been patiently awaiting it's turn at greatness. And the pretty floral beads that I picked up in Pennington at a stellar bead shop that mom and I stumbled upon. I love the way it came out. I think it looks a little steampunk~ish, a little "royal". Different. In a good way. I'm thrilled with it, hopefully I can get Rae to model it for me this weekend. So my point here, roll out that mat, find your peace and inspiration, give your body the movement it craves!

Lucky Girl

2009-02-15T13:24:00.000-08:00

I truly feel like the luckiest girl to have met my husband. I don't need Valentine's day to remind me of this. I did however cook yesterday. I cook most nights but not to the extent where I am rattling more than 1 or 2 pots. Last night I had all 4 burners and the oven going at the same time. Thanks to Heather for the gift of Giada's cook book. I recreated one of her yummy recipes for a timbale. Hmmmm, yup I had never heard of that either. But thanks to a couple glasses of-liquid courage- red wine (my preferred way to cook-with wine in hand) and some great company from one of my girlfriends (neighbor) I conquered this lovely dish. It was delicious. My husband really enjoyed it. I waited until he came home to unveil it. Holding my breath while I unlatched the pan and removed it. And it worked!!! I will also say it was super easy to make, no special skills needed!

Spring Fever

2009-02-11T05:57:00.000-08:00

The weather here has been so warm I am starting to get spoiled. This is bad because any day now we will be back at 20' with snow. Don't get me wrong, I love it. A chance to open up the windows and get some fresh air into the house. Today is the last day of Boot camp before the break. I need it. Getting up at 5:30 am when it is dark and freezing is soooo hard. Once the weather warms up and it is lighter than it will be easier. Yes, easier for her to make us run outside. If you know anything about me, know this, I hate running. My father was a marathon runner. I tried to run with him even at the age of 12 I sucked at it. My lungs would start burning and forget it. Which adds to my frustration. Because I like to be good at things ( don't we all). I have this competitive nature while running at Boot Camp. Yup, competitive and at the back of the pack. I've even been lapped by someone older than me, arghhhhhhh.....Must use yoga breathing.....arggggghhhhhh....Then I'm sure my blood pressure goes up even further because I get really ticked off. My neighbor (who was in bootcamp) said, "wow, did you finally catch your breath?" because all you could hear was my loud struggled breathing ,for miles. Oh, yeah, I'm on my way to the later boot camp today(9:30 am), and it occurs to me, it's sunny, warm and light out here....Oh NO.....we will be running.... Oy.

I leave you with a pic of my latest creation. Very spring inspired..The double dose of spring Lariat. Lots of fun using the needle felting machine occured here :)

A Big Thank You and Giveaway

2009-02-07T20:02:00.000-08:00

A great big thank you to Darcy from Graphically designing for giving my blog a much needed Makeover! In celebration of the new blog I have decided to give away one of my handmade cowls. Just simply leave me a comment and I will randomly draw a name on March 7th. (be sure to leave me an email if you are unregistered). Up for grabs is this lovely pink cowl. Perfect for brighting up the dreariest of days. Handknit with a super soft acrylic mix yarn, this gorgeous cowl just slips right over your head. A great alternative to a scarf. Knit in a rasberry color, I added a little super soft white fake "fur" yarn along the bottom of the cowl. Also included is this removable flower brooch. Hand sewn and attatched to a bar pin it adds a little sparkle~~Every girl needs sparkle! (If you are allergic to wool I can substitute a wool free cowl!). Also if you're in the market for a blog makeover, check out darcy's website, just click on the pretty butterfly!

That's why they call me Happiknits

2009-01-18T12:50:00.001-08:00

I have definetly been in a "colorful" mood as of late. I think it's all this gray/snowy weather we have been having in Jersey. COLD!!! As I sit here typing in my office that feels like there is no heat in here....Last night when I finished my rounds on the computer my fingers were blue! My mom and mother in law always dress extra warm when they come here (lol).. Anyway, so my creating has been on the bright side. I made some fingerless gloves to match the Mantra capelet. I love the blue and orange together. I need to make myself a pair of these... Also I used some more of the pooch in my stash for another cowl. I am loving these cowls and they are definetly limited edition. Michael's has NO pooch left, gone. Sure, just when I figure out something cool to make with it. This is the story of my life. Same with the Monet scarf. Yarn gone. Discontinued. Ugh. and trust me I have looked everywhere. So I have enough for maybe 3 more monet scarfs and that's it. Bummer. I am also working on another cape in pinks and purples. It is coming along quite well, and I am happy with it! Pics coming soon!

Crafting and Coping

2009-01-16T10:00:00.000-08:00

Perhaps you have had something happen in your life. We all have, this is part of being human. Challenges in life help to create the beautiful person you are. Life lessons teach us how to deal with hardships, and for some of this we teach these lessons to our friends, loved ones or perhaps that stranger in need of some human compassion and love. So here I will share one of my life lessons. I am actually currently reading a fictional book called The Knitting Circle. This book, although fictional holds several things. One of the things is that knitting (insert your craft here) can carry us through the roughest of times in our life. I am also a certified Yoga teacher. Yoga teaches alot about meditation and non-attatchment. Knitting is meditative and helps with non- attatchment. I cannot tell you how many times I have spent hours knitting something only to have to rip the whole thing apart (us knitters call this frogging) and start over again. Hours of work, gone in minutes~this is what happens when you're self taught~ but it teaches you how to let go, or in the words of the Beetles, Let it be.

So, several years ago when I hit that point in my life where disappointment loomed on a monthly basis and my life was thrown into complete chaos, I turned to my knitting and yoga to help me cope. I will share with you here that I was inducted into what I think of as a "secret society" - I'll spill the beans here, those of us who are, as they say, "fertility challenged". I never understood, and still can't why no one wants to talk about it. But what I have found is that when I tell someone my story usually they will say, "I went through something similar." I then (and still to this day) knit like a fiend. If I'm sitting, I'm knitting. Sometimes I'm standing and knitting. Because when I knit, all I hear in my head is a soft voice saying, knit, knit, knit, pearl, pearl. This my friends, brings comfort, well being, and most importantly, peace. Now don't get me wrong it took me awhile to get to this point, and I credit 2 awesome women and a wonderfully supportive and loving husband with helping me. Most importantly my yoga teacher Jaime. She believed in me when no one else would. She gave me a mantra that I personally feel saved my life and sanity. It lifted me out of the ditch I was in. My point here is that I incorporated all of these things together, collectively, and my craft continues to serve me well. I'm still learning to let it go, ( I can finally take an advil mid cycle and not stress about it affecting my cycle).

Mine is just one story of life, my belief is that we all have something challenging that has happen to us. Find you craft, find your moment of peace and let it go.