cyber monday

representatives at the little shop of chickadee are standing by!
expect some more shop updates today...

next up!

city of crafterly love

this chickadee and the traveling craft menagerie are back at home after a weekend away. for its first year, cut the craft was a well organized show with a great group of vendors from near and far. thanks to maryanne and scott of sardine clothing company who put the whole thing together! over the two days there was time to catch up with familiar faces and meet some new (and noteworthy) additions to the scene. hope to write more about them later...but for now here are a couple of shots of the set-up taken with the trusty camera phone as the actual camera didn't make the trip.

catch us if you can

this chickadee has made a temporary nest in manayunk, pa for cut the craft. it is a two day show, so stop by either saturday from 11-7pm or sunday from 11-5pm. you'll see lots of hand crafted goodies with a focus on earth and environment-friendly goods. get some shopping in early!

cut the craft apron!

someone around here cut out quite a few. and they are fired up and ready to hit the road heading north to philly for this weekend's cut the craft. accompanying them will be the usual chickadee menagerie and a handful of hopeful pledges all wanting to win a coveted spot in the line-up. along with the new wreaths, there's a brand new batch of half aprons made especially for this show and its theme of sustainability.

made with lovingly upcycled and repurposed threads, they offer a generous wrap-around and a cute little pocket to keep things on hand. sizes vary with the amount material available. time was short for photo snapping so these shots will have to do for now:

yo-yo!

here's a new festive and flashy holiday treat from casa de chickadee -- wreaths covered with old fashioned fabric yo-yo's. each little "blossom" was made the old fashioned way too. that's a lot of hand-stitched love in one little wreath that is looking to brighten up your home for the holidays. the dark days ahead are no match for the sparkle and shine of these shimmery rings. come and check them out at cut the craft this weekend!

sneak peek!

see more tomorrow!

cut the craft!

this weekend!

turning over a new leaf

from the continuing series, "how to teach an old fabric new tricks", this chickadee brings you a fantastic and fanciful take on the fall wreath. made from repurposed fabric, each leaf is individually quilted, cut out and then pinned in place on a fabric wrapped wreath form. it would be a welcome (and welcoming) addition to the front door or certainly something to talk about as a centerpiece.

come and see for yourself at cut the craft!

making the cut

here are some new wallets that didn't make the shop update but are going to be making their way up to manayunk, pa this weekend for cut the craft.

saturday night's alright for shopping

new additions to the little shop of chickadee!

"there were green alligators and long necked geese...

...hump backed camels and chimpanzees
cats and rats and elephants but sure as you're born
the loveliest of all was the unicorn."

that's a song remembered from my childhood. this is what brought it back to mind:

instead of the standard hip pocket, the lovely lavender unicorn has deep slip pockets. perfect for stashing fairy tale talismans, magic wands and unicorn treats.

this is a perfect time to plug tina seamonster's plaintive plea:

photo via tina seamonster's etsy shop

really people...stop it already.

pretty little patchwork

ain't she sweet?

autumn apron

you'll be seeing more smocks as they slowly roll off the assembly line this week. here's another with the same construction as yesterday:

making it work

modifications to the latest chickadee line-up member are now being made. here's a look at the new *new* version, with a lower neckline and a lining. hope you like what you see, because there are more on their way!

sunny day smock

here at chickadee central, preparations are underway for the next show. cut the craft is creeping up on us pretty quickly and will be here in less than two weeks! since there is an emphasis on sustainability, there will be some new additions to the line-up made out of old materials. here's the very first step towards one of them:

this sweet little smock is a shrunken down version of a popular full length apron pattern. it is constructed with repurposed cottons and, in this incarnation, is fully reversible. the cross back construction allows it to grow and adapt to different bodies, but sizes might become available in the future. for now, it is back to the cutting room to make some alterations and to sew up some more.

more to love

new chickadee project bags have hit the shelves at fibre space!

three fabrics and two styles to choose from.

sometimes you feel like a nut

it is time to announce the winner(s) of the sugarloaf craft show golden ticket giveaway. first, a note on the random method of selection. we chose the "snack attack" method, where each contestant's name was written on a pistachio, thrown into a bowl, and picked out completely without prejudice. just hunger...

and the winners of our very scientific sugarloaf craft show ticket giveway are:

melissa and pang!

congratulations ladies. you each win two tickets to the sugarloaf craft festival in gaithersburg, md. it is happening this month, november 20th-22nd. you might have noticed that there are two winners, not the aforementioned one. that's because this chickadee is hitting the highway and heading north to philadelphia that weekend for cut the craft. my loss is another's sweet gain. have a great time at the show and be sure to tell us about it.

to claim your prize, please respond via email (thischickadee{@}gmail[dot]com). if you can't go, let me know that too, and we'll go back to the snack attack and pick another nut.

show time!

this chickadee is hoping to make your holidays merry and bright. here's a peek at the places that you can find chickadee originals this season...there may even be more to come:

cut the craft
saturday and sunday, november 21st-22nd
manayunk, pa (just outside of philly)


holiday shop-n-stroll
saturday, december 5th
10am - 3pm
silver spring, md


squidfire baltimore
saturday, december 12th
more details to follow...

gimme some sugar

thanks to those who've already entered to win two tickets to the sugarloaf craft show in gaithersburg, md november 20th, 21st, and 22nd. today is the LAST DAY to put your name in the hat. you can do so by leaving a comment below. the winner will be announced on friday.

accidents will happen

a friend and i decided to make some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies this weekend. there were a few notable missteps along the way...my inability to read directions resulted in a suspect looking batter that had an extra cup of pumpkin puree. her inability to secure the parchment paper to the cookie sheet while sliding it in to the oven (we though of you, oh!ginger) resulted in an a batter splatter on the oven door and beyond.

but thank heaven for happy accidents. what emerged after a few minutes was actually a delicious cinnamon scented surprise. they were rechristened "cake-ies" since the consistency more closely resembled that confection. and they didn't stand a ghost of a chance...

(yummmmmm)