summer babe

being small in stature and a terrible thermoregulator, this chickadee can sympathize with the plight of the summer baby. frozen by frigid artificial air and in need of a cozy cuddle despite the high heat and humidity, what's a poor baby to do? don't despair tiny tots, a friendly and compassionate chickadee has crocheted you an airy alternative to winter woolies.

a sprightly 30" x 30" square of colorful cotton yarn that's light as a feather and a friend of the warm water washing machine, the summer babe blanket comes to the rescue of chilly children everywhere. soft gets softer with each cycle in the spinner but the tenderness belies a tough yarn that will stand the test of time. it took one cone of peaches and cream ombre to complete this compact composition. the living is easy for a summertime sweetie swaddled in this chickadee creation.

panda-monium!

perhaps you recall a previous post all about my friend morgan and her panda project. she's been hard at work redesigning her little corner of the interweb and i'm pleased as punch to announce that the wait for panda head phase two is over! okay, okay, a week behind schedule, but good things do seem to come to those who wait...in this case, make that great things. pretty things, smart things, stylish things, brand new things and big ideas are a quick click away on the just hatched, redesigned panda head site.

no longer a basic blog, panda head made the move to an online magazine and certainly made it in style. the initial issue is full of fashion and summertime fun, local flavor and wise writing. i'm so happy for morgan and the panda head collective who made this dream of hers a reality. congratulations and wishes for lots of love from friends/readers/clickers/curious onlookers across the worldwideweb. heaps and heaps of thanks to you my fantastische friend for inspiring and supporting this chickadee in my own endeavors.

click the cupcake to be transported to pandaland!

shiny happy fabric

hello headbangers. chickadee central is experiencing metal mania! we've flipped for this foil fabric with all its glitter and gloss. plans are underway to rock out several more bags similar in style to the purple prince previously posted. stay tuned...this one goes to eleven.

i see a darkness

please pardon the lapse in posting. chickadee central is experiencing some technical difficulties of the natural variety. the trees have taken over. now that they are fully filled in, they've created a chlorophyll curtain that is gorgeous in its greenery but bad for business. barely a ray breaches their lush lines to sprinkle sunshine on this chickadee's creations. looks like the photo studio will have to set up shop on the street. that should further solidify my status as neighborhood nutsy.

sign o' the times

when pressed for time, this chickadee often decides that it is high time to dive in to a dreamed-up project. these are often elaborate, time consuming flights of fancy that tend toward the frivolous. perhaps it is a creative form of procrastination. true to form, as the deadline for the ballston market loomed large last week, your faithful friend could be found on the floor of her living room hand-stitching felt pieces.

the sign you see above was well worth the care of construction. the background is made from felt pieces patched together. the felt cutouts were fairly labor intensive as they required hand cutting and hand stitching to protect their placement. finally, a fitting fabric of amicable avians makes up the border and the backing. it looked lovely on market day and will happily travel with the the rest of the handmade menagerie that makes up the colorful chickadee circus.

rainy days and saturdays

my alarm clock on saturday morning was a steady, relentless downpour. things weren't looking too promising as this chickadee and dandelion blu packed up our bits and our big-top canopy and set out for our first ballston arts + craft market. mother nature didn't exactly smile down upon us, it was more like a smirk from on high as light rain and cold in the morning gave way to a glimpse of short-lived sunshine at some point in the afternoon. thankfully the huddled masses were not too put-off by precipitation and took advantage of a break in the weather to come out and do some plein air shopping and strolling. many thanks to those who made it out!

it turned out to be a delightful day. i got a chance to meet some other great vendors and admire their hard work and handmade treasures. and, of course, it is a great honor and pleasure to spend several hours on a saturday with the lovely and talented ms. dandelion blu. there is no finer friend to share a 10' x 10' square space with for six hours.

speaking of, here is a shot of our set-up:

this chickadee would also like to extend extra applause to my well traveled parents and fantastische pandafreunde. a special shout out goes to my super spouse, without whom our day (and our canopy) would have never gotten off the ground. thank you soooooo much. i love you more than chili lime pistachios (and you know that is an awful lot).

happy mother's day

this chickadee loves you.

the sun will come out tomorrow...

let's hope so...

tomorrow is a big day for the dynamic craft duo of this chickadee and dandelion blu. it is a big day for all involved in the first ballston arts + craft market of the season. go to the market blog and check out the right hand side for directions and a list of vendors. and stop by anytime tomorrow between 10am and 4pm!

kitty cat clutch

preparation for the ballston arts + craft market has taken over the usual operations here at chickadee central. but since all work and no play is a dangerous and dull duality, it is best to take a break and share some sewing treasures and triumphs that took place behind the scenes. achieving a balance between work and play is of great importance and so is achieving a balance between things made for others and things made for self. everything in moderation...except when it comes to super cute lace with kittens on it. yes, kittens!

this has been in the stash basket since it did appear to my wondering eyes several months ago, patiently waiting for a proper feature. it was a last minute, no pattern, no preparation project and i'm oh so pleased with the finished product. the lace is layered over leftover cotton fabric and the whole thing is lined in denim. a little pocket awaiting little bits is just a zipper away.

the leftover fabric for these fancy felines came from the construction of a dress (new look #6557 from simplicity), which also provided the inspiration for the clutch in the first place. sorry to say, there aren't any great pictures of the dress to share at this point, but here is one to give you an idea. it was an easy pattern to follow and i hope to make more in the future.

flight of the chickadee

hello friends! this chickadee is back from a weekend of fun in the desert sands. i've returned parched and pressed for time, as saturday may 10th happens to be opening day for the ballston arts + craft market in beautiful arlington, va. hopefully there will be time this week to share some sewing snapshots and scenes from the trip, but most likely the next few days will be reserved for all sorts of last minute preparation. up in baltimore, dandelion blu is also feeling the full court press, as she readies herself and her family of enamels for market day on saturday. time to get these feathers flying...