manic monday

bear with me friends. this chickadee is recovering from the crafting equivalent to superbowl sunday. there's so much to say and not very many brain cells cooperating to say it. yesterday's crafty bastards show was exciting and exhausting. to attempt a full recap now would be folly, so let's just take care of the essentials. bang the drum and strike up the band, here comes the appreciation parade!

thank you (in no particular order)

• dandelion blu, the best craft companion a little chickadee could ask for. it was another joyful pleasure sharing a booth with you yesterday...even though we barely spoke and probably saw each other only a handful of times throughout the day. your hard work and passion for your craft are apparent in all of your creations.
• d-blu and chickadee booth crew, essential staff only. big it up for the man behind the scenes, who speaks softly and carries an enormous 100lb canopy all across the country...my lovely husband. he's the early riser, the packer/unpacker, the muscle, the eye for detail, the errand boy and the one who can reach the high places. the show couldn't go on without you. and to cara and kelly, the most fantastic and complementary assistants. your help yesterday was priceless, that's why we didn't pay you. instead, please accept the gift of friendship and unlimited french fries.
• friends and family. my parents made a four hour round trip drive just to give me hugs and tell me that that they were proud of me. in doing so, they made me feel like the most special person on the planet...and the most grateful one. to my brother-in-law, sisters-in-law, niece and nephew, thanks for your support and smiles. and friends, oh you are fantastic people. it was great to see your pretty little faces.
• the crafty bastards themselves. hats off to the tireless staff and volunteers. another fantastic show that was well organized and well run. how you make a huge show feel so welcoming is beyond me. thanks for getting us going in the morning and checking in on us during the day. now take a vacation already.

and, of course, thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth. i spoke to many wonderful people yesterday and heard so many sweet things about the work i've been doing. this means a lot! thank you for supporting independent craft and this chickadee.

just one more thing before it is time to tackle the terrible post-show packing mess... today is a very special day for a super friend of mine. morgan, the wonder behind dc's own pandahead productions, and her similarly hardworking designer erik loften have put together another online masterpiece. the second issue of pandahead magazine hit vitual newsstands this morning! the autumn edition is full of delightful sights and sounds and so many talented people. go see it for yourself, click below:

full court press

some awesome friendsmanship was spotted out in the blog-o-sphere today. thank you superfantastic friends for promoting crafty bastards in your posts and mentioning the crafty couple of dandelion blu and this chickadee!

morgan from pandahead has penciled us into her weekend plans:

and so has a friend and neighbor from the north, cara, who wrote all about it on her bmore art blog and the baltimore art examiner site:

thanks to you lovely ladies helping to get the word about about sunday's show and for giving our work front page attention. additional applause for anyone out there that is blogging/talking/texting/chatting/thinking about the show. see you there!

only two days to go

sunday!

colab-fab

dandelion blu and this chickadee have been up to more than meets the eye. you've seen us criss-crossing the country to set up at craft shows on both coasts. you've watched us crank out our own creations. but did you know that we've been working behind the scenes as a dynamic craft duo? collaborating on cute things to adorn your little ear lobes? well, the secret is out! and we're pleased as punch to shine the spotlight on our double delightful danglers.

these beauties not only look good, they'll make you feel good because they are made up of all repurposed/recycled components. a lovely way to serve the environment around you.

be there for their big coming out party at crafty bastards! sunday! september 28th! there are two different styles and several color sets. the pictures above are just a preview so come and see the full collection.

bowled over

with less than a week to go before the mother of all craft shows, this chickadee decided that it was about time to pull an old idea down off the shelf, dust it off and transform it from mental image to tangible reality. perhaps you remember a post way back in july about bernie's day at quilting camp. (if not, click here for a refresher) well, those bowls were lost somewhere in the back of my muddled mind until a post from lindamade brought them right back to the forefront. her own experiment with the coiled bowl technique had me running out to the hardware store to buy miles and miles of clothesline.

it just wouldn't be a last-minute right-before-the-big-show shouldn't-i-be-doing-something-else chickadee project if it wasn't totally time consuming! it took hours to wrap the fabric strips around the dainty diameter of clothesline. but, as with most of these misguided adventures, it was worth it in the end. after the tedious, carpal tunnel inflaming wrapping is completed, the sewing adventure begins. watching the bowls take shape with each coil is the best part. lindamade put it perfectly when she said "these are fun and almost meditative to make, in a sort of pottery meets friendship bracelets kind of way."

want to see these fiber basins up close and personal? then high tail it on over to the marie reed learning center in adams morgan on sunday! they'll be appearing alongside the usual homemade for your home suspects and maybe a couple more new additions. crafty bastards! sunday, september 28th! be there!

decisions decisions

since it is an election year, this chickadee is here to provide you, loyal reader, with a choice! until now, the placemats and coasters coming off of the production line have been stuffed with a layer of batting and quilted. but what if you are the kind of person who prefers a futon to a fluffy mattress? not to fear, this chickadee is looking out for you too. the placemats and coasters that you'll meet today have to same shape and proportions, but instead of being stuffed with stuffing, they have a simple sheet of interfacing sandwiched in between their colorful cottons. the interfacing toughens up the table toppers and makes for a crisper, stiffer surface.

both candidates for place setting of the year will be on hand at crafty bastards sunday the 28th (that's this sunday)! be an informed voter. come on out and meet both parties before making your home decor decisions.

hostess hit parade

these adorable aprons were lost in the press and promotion posts of last week. please welcome the following few to the party of six that started seven days ago. (if your memory is like mine, click here for the contents of this saucy little number).

unicorns gone wild




rustic roses




bandanna blue

you can meet these aprons and their maker on sunday, september 28th at:

if you are judged by the company you keep...

...then this chickadee must be freakin' awesome. i don't know how i've done it, but i've managed to lasso some of the most talented, creative, funny, brilliant people into my own personal rodeo. whether by good luck or through sheer intimidation, these brave and daring souls have taken the challenge and signed up to kick up some sawdust, roll out some barrels and have a good old time. this particular post was inspired by one of them and then passed off to another.

first the friend made with good luck...the right place/right time. we met at the first ever knit night held at redeem. immediately, christy's knitting knowledge and prowess were apparent. she's a first class teacher with a huge bag of tricks and never ending stash of patience. her actual knitting stash might be the only thing that rivals the size of her patience. and her finished projects are always polished and precise (not a dropped stitch in sight). christy's joy in and love of knitting are inspirational, so is her new blog knitting pretty in dc.

a few days back she tagged this blog for the six random things meme.

Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know your entry is up.

perhaps, dear reader, you'll recall that there was a similar post (get to know your chickadee) back in july. far be it from this chickadee to bore you with the same old details. since no new things were coming to mind, i enlisted the help of another friend to come up with six things.

enter the friend by intimidation. kasim and i first crossed paths (very small paths, i might add) in grade one. the "story" goes, i sauntered up to kasim's desk and gave her a choice between getting punched or being my friend. wise from a young age, she chose the latter. and we've been friends ever since...through curling irons and feathered hair, softball, latin class and my annoying house guest extended stays where ever she might be. friendship with kasim means a lifetime of laughing so hard that it hurts and never being more than a phone call away from the answer to just about anything. it also means getting her to do things for me...like writing up these six random things:

1. Becky was a member of the “recorder club” in elementary school.
2. Becky was the badminton champion of her college gym class; the runner-up was her husband-to-be.
3. Becky once spent the 4th of July at a KOA campground across the street from Graceland, Elvis Presley’s beloved mansion. (tcb with kasim, btw)
   
4. Becky thinks that Solyent Green is people.
5. Becky collected Smurf figurines as a child and still has many of the collectibles on display in her home.
6. Becky thinks that the Dude abides.

true x 6.

double feature

this chickadee is feeling the love from the crafty kids over at the washington city paper. clickity click the pic below to read all about the vintage table linen sets that will be making their east coast debut at crafty bastards on september 28th!

and a million thanks to the behind-the-scenes crafty crew. you are the craftiest bastards of them all! and you are the reason that crafty bastards is so amazingly awesome. the team is not only dedicated to putting on a good show, they are out to make sure that each vendor gets a chance to be seen and heard on the blog so that they can be successful. they can also be spotted all year round promoting craft and crafters in the local community. clap your hands, say thanks!

we took their show on the road!

the trip to seattle and the bumbershoot festival wasn't all play and no work. while we were out there, dandelion blu and i did a bit of shameless promotion for crafty bastards (which is coming up in a week and a half! gasp!) the lovely folks over at cut the craft, the official blog of crafty bastards, were pleased with our efforts and made us poster children for show promo! check out the article and our cheeky about town postcard placement by clicking on the picture below.

thanks to tina seamonster for the post. tina is a crafty bastards veteran and part of the team who makes the show a great success. she's the queen of all things gocco and likes not only seamonsters, but zombies too. look for her at crafty bastards september 28th or check out her etsy store.

orange melange

the next hostess apron arrives bearing an assortment of pretty poppies and perky polka dots. she is sure brighten up the room and bring a smile to every face as you breeze about topping off drinks and refilling tapas plates. and sorry sci-fi fans, the name of the apron (melange) refers simply to the hodgepodge and mingle-mangle of the fabrics, not to the fictional drug from



that was "used to lengthen life, flavor food, heighten awareness, probe the memories of one's ancestors, and induce prescience" (thank you wiktionary). or maybe...

while we're all here dreaming in tangerine, it is a great time to talk about a blog based on the color that has no rhyme. when you get a chance, click over to how about orange, the online home of graphic designer jessica jones and a place for more than just pumpkin pals. the site is a chronicle of jessica's crafty crafting, fabulous fabric design and a shortcut to all things stylish. one click and a world of inspiration magically appears. if you aren't learning about one of jessica's fun and functional projects, she's sharing someone else's. the site is packed with how-to's and how about that's. thanks to how about orange for putting it all together to save us from aimless searching.

always look on the bright side

here's another hostess apron that is designed to chase the clouds away.

coffee, tea or little old me?

meet the hostess apron. the latest edition to this chickadee's apron arsenal. she's small, but she's mighty and comes equipt with several standard features that are sure to come in handy. the 19" x 13" measurement includes a flirty flounce of robust ruffles to make you feel fancy. a loop on the left side is a great place to hang a corkscrew, or spoon or hammer...whatever is necessary for the kind of party that you are throwing. the petite 5" x 5 1/2" pocket has a special strap across its front that helps keep a towel handy for mopping up messes. no matter what the occasion, this apron will make sure that you serve it up in style. come back to the blog this week for a peek at the other hostess helping hands.

(front and reverse)

cheaper by the half dozen

some more coaster fun! today's specials are sets of six in a selection of charming prints.