DIY Jewelry bags

 The beautiful creations of Another Feather prompted me to go through my jewelry box to see if there was any room for new additions. What I found was a tangle of necklaces and single earrings badly in need of some organization so I spent a lazy afternoon with my box of fabric scraps and sewed up these little jewelry bags from some sweet blue linen and printed cottons. Now everything is neat and tidy. Afternoon, well spent.

Another Feather studio tour

I have been in love with the simple beauty of Asheville-based designer Hannah Ferrara's jewelry collection, Another Feather for a while. I rarely wear the jewelry that I own already but something about these pieces makes me want to sport a truly impractical number of rings!

In addition to her lovely adornments, Hannah also writes a pretty spectacular blog. In a recent post she gave us a look through her studio space. Amazing.

I spy a fungi

Our recent hiking trip yielded some pretty fantastic fungal sightings! I love mushrooms. Each one has its own little personality and its own hiding spot.

New additions!

New additions to the Etsy shop this week! Two dolls and two little monkeys! I love working with antique linens and these dolls dresses are made from some pretty special pieces! I also decided to give them some embroidered wool shoes!

Also, as per the request of a friend of mine I made these two little monkeys out of vintage cotton napkins! So cheeky!

Fall is here, time to knit again!

The first cool days of Fall bring with them the urge to cozy up to a lovely, soft ball of yarn and start the ritual of knitting. Its the perfect fit for a hot cup of tea and a chilly afternoon. My first project this season is to finish the headwrap I put away on the first warm day of spring! It is a super simple pattern from the talented knitter Alexandra Tinsley at Dull Roar. I made one last year (picture above) with some leftover yarn just to try out the pattern. Right now I'm using a thick, heathered gray aran wool that smells and feel so cozy! 

                                                                  I typically don't knit a lot with color or pattern but this cowl is so cute I might have to add it to my list of winter projects. After all, this is Chicago and winter is half the year. I may just need this bright chevron pattern to brighten the days!

A Spring Memory

Earlier this summer Nick and I popped into the Garfield Park Conservatory. Flowers bloomed in the Monet Garden and the Desert Room. We scraped real cinnamon bark across stones to release its fragrance and made little rips in the leaves of a lime tree to smell its amazing fresh sweetness! And the Fern Room is like stepping into another world all together! It was a lovely afternoon.

Etsy bound!

These last few months I have been hard at work creating my first batch of dolls that will be for sale in my new Etsy shop! I am hoping to have the shop up and running by mid August with lots of great dolls and a few little bunnies, just for fun.