1st annual Craft Camp

That's correct! 

It was craft camp at 

the Peterson home in August

Holli and her friend Courtney flew in from Nashville
Katie and Daniel drove up from Aiken
Daniel didn't participate in craft camp
He had other things to do around Raleigh and Cary
and Jeff graciously took on the role of camp cook!
We even squeezed in a movie at the theater and a fun game of Canasta that we picked up and continued each night.

Everyone arrived on Thursday afternoon. The girls shared with each other what we wanted to accomplish. Then we heading out to purchase whatever supplies we still needed.

Holli wanted to make a pillow, cover a pad for a tiny bench, make a couple pillowcases and make new curtains for her bedroom!
Katie wanted to make an apron and some earrings.
Courtney wanted to cover some pillows for her sofa and some for her porch.
I wanted to at least start on a baby quilt and maybe even new valances for my kitchen!

This was going to be a big undertaking as Courtney was learning to sew for the first time and Katie and Holli were adding to their learning curve!

We purchased fabrics to go with what we had and found the perfect fabrics for both Holli's windows and mine.
We were already on a roll!

Here is day 2 when
the campers are really getting started.
Holli in the background at the ironing board
{sweet child of mine even ironed all my skirts and shorts in my to-do pile}
Courtney is in the foreground cutting out her first pillow cover
Katie is designing and cutting out the first part of her apron

 

Katie piecing her apron front

Katie was 'getting to know' the sewing machine that she got for Christmas from Daniel. Not to mention designing and figuring out how to make this apron WITHOUT a pattern! She's well on her way to being a pro at this sewing stuff!

here's me - piecing on the baby quilt
Holli did most of this while I was helping the other two. She is good at this piecing stuff!
But, I wanted to make this quilt so she saved some of the piecing for me!
And at the end of day 2...
we had a couple pillow covers for Courtney {background}
a pillow case for Holli {yellow bicycles on white}
a pieced pillow for Holli {bottom center}
an apron front for Katie {left}
a baby quilt top for Lois {right}

On day 3 Katie learned how to etch metal,
all this, while still working on her apron!
First the hole punching
then the stamping
then the actual etching

the finished earrings are fabulous

Katie is a quick study and has this down now too!
Plus, she has given me new etching ideas for
it's by design


There was lots of 'team' measuring and cutting for the two sets of window treatments.

Even Piper got in on the action! {Holli waits patiently in the background}
and because we were ALWAYS having fun at this craft camp
here is Katie on her magic carpet ride
AKA strips of my new kitchen valance

and MORE fun...

while Holli presses and pins the hem to her curtains
I just stand next to her and entertain!

more from day 3
custom reversible bib apron
by Katie

Katie checking out the reverse side {upper left}.
Just before the front and back were sewn together
tucking the bib, neck sash {not quite tucked yet}, and the waist sash inside the edge. Then side 1 of the apron could lie on top, right sides together {upper right} and the final machine seam could be sewn all around the rectangle. A small opening was left so that it could be turned inside out. After everything looked good and the sashes and bib were released from their captivity, the opening was hand sewn shut.
{arrrggg! the girls learned that lots of projects end with hand sewing}
Side 1 of apron {lower left}
Side 2 of apron {lower right}
Yes, that's a pocket on both sides!
we're officially professionals

the hand sewing begins

and here we are on day 4 just showing it all off!

Katie had to head back to South Carolina on the afternoon of day 4.
Holli and Courtney and I still had a full day 5 to finish hand sewing all the pillow closures and Holli's LINED bedroom curtains.
That was a big project
mainly because there was so much fabric!

the Loot photo on day 4
pillows, pillows and more pillows

and earrings that Holli commissioned me to make
the pearl necklace is a custom order for a special bride that I finished during craft camp. So it became part of the loot!

when the Tennessee girls returned to their homes
here's how they showed off some of their projects

Courtney's sofa pillows
Courtney's porch pillows
{there are actually two of each}
and a sage green pillow {pictured in the loot photo} for her sofa

lots of crafty additions to Holli's already crafty bedroom
the burlap type fabric curtains are lined with blackout lining
Holli LOVES to sleep in when her schedule allows!
the little black bench that Grampa made now sports a new cushion of salmon and white polka dots {left}

the cute little pieced pillow is backed with the polka dots
it's home is on the palette couch we made last fall

the bicycle pillowcases brighten up her new bedding
AND
hide her guest pillows
for when someone passes through town and sleeps on the sofa
{she and Courtney even built the trunk at the end of her bed}
this little apple doesn't fall far from her mama's tree!

that's it for craft camp 2012

my kitchen valances and baby quilt were not completed at craft camp but they will be blogged about soon!

testing one of my Pinterest pins!

I am always trying to come up with a great backdrop for taking my product photos.

I love the outdoor shots but sometimes that can be too busy for the jewelry.

So one day this summer I see this pin on Pinterest.

I bought a square piece of wood so I would have lots of surface

for taking my jewelry photos.

I soaked the steel wool in the vinegar just as instructed in the original blog.

and this is what I got...

brown

wouldn't you say?

not black

So I tried it again for another overnight and it didn't change.

I'm not sure if it was the fact that the wood was new and quite hard or why it didn't change it to a nice grey/black finish.

Not to be defeated, I bought some black stain and rubbed it on.

I thought it would rub off easily with a rag for the look I wanted.

no, it didn't.

So I grabbed some sandpaper and sanded away.

I even added more black stain

rubbed it 'off'

and sanded some more.

Eventually, I decided to be satisfied so I rubbed a finish on it.

Here is one of the ways I use it.

Here is what shows up in my Etsy Shop

Inventory Celebration!

 I just finished my it's by design inventory.  Now we are one step closer to getting ready for tax time.  That is always a big weight lifted off of my shoulders.  Today while I finished up, I watched this weeks episode of Parenthood.  I LOVE that show!  It just may be my all around favorite TV show this season.  It's about, as you can probably guess, the dynamics of family.  I love that you get to see it from all sides, the kids, the young parents, the struggles of being a teenager and the struggles of parenting, all the way to the grandparents who are still parents too!  You ever think of that?  Just because you become a grandparent doesn't mean you don't stop being a parent.  I love how everyone learns from each other on this show and it's not easy.  It pretty much always chokes me up.  This episode ended with a song called Next Time by a guy named Meredith Bragg.  I couldn't find it available yet on itunes.  It looks like it will be coming out later this year.  So for now, click here to listen and enjoy.

Next Time by Meredith Bragg

when God gives you sun, take photos

So today it's in the upper 50's and I've got inventory to do in my 3rd floor studio.  My studio has a sky light so that's a plus.  But, it's really a great place to be when it's cold, even snowy.  Awww, the 3rd floor, the toastiest place in the house.
So rather than spend the entire day with a calculator and bins of supplies to count.  I grabbed whatever needed to be photographed and headed outside.  OK, so 56º wasn't as warm as I thought it would be and I chose today to air dry my thick locks (something I rarely do but enjoy the treat).  Since that takes hours, I flipped up the hood on my sweatshirt and carried on.
Even the slightest breeze wreaks havoc when trying to take detailed photos of jewelry, so I moved the shoot into the porch.

I use whatever is around for my props.  Sometimes it works, sometimes not so much.  This time I had added help from two very old spools of string.  The string was always too shiny to actually hold a knot.  But, hold a pair of earrings?  or a necklace?  divine!  And flip a stone candle holder on its side and you've got another interesting background.
Now it's back to counting and perhaps some RDjr as Sherlock Holmes to keep me company!
Thank you Jesus for the sun!