A Very Fine House- Part 2.....

In my previous post I wrote about my dilemma on whether or not to sell one of my favorite pillows. Well, in the end I did sell it this morning. This is the other one she ordered- I added a "full moon" and little stitched stars.

I really like working on these larger 20"x 20" pillows. The only downside is that the larger size pillow form costs more and shipping really drives up the price.

I'm off to make more houses! Have a great week!

More Vintage Fabric House Pillows....

I LOVE making my house pillows because it satisfies the quilter in me. Here's a sampling of a productive weekend's work~ rainy days in the studio.

All pillows are machine appliqued on linen with raw edges- using mostly fabrics from vintage quilt tops. This black one is my new favorite. I'll be listing it in my Etsy shop later today.

I started adding the little Russian Matryoshkas to the houses- do you like? Just a little variation- you can find it here in my shop.

This burgundy one was inspired by a special order. My friend wanted one with teals and burgundy, so I made a few in this color palette. I used a few vintage hankies...find it here.

Another with Matryoshkas....

...and I'll list this one later today in my Etsy shop.

I'm off to make little birdhouses. Have a great day!

What Inspired Me Last Week...

After last week's Plain Dealer article, people were asking me where I get my inspiration. Truth be told, I didn't really know. So I sat in my tiny little studio and looked around. That was it! It's these things I surround myself with....

These things I collect and gather- stacked, put in jars, drawers, tins, wrapped on spools, tacked to walls...These things I find in my travels- fleamarkets, dumpsters, estate sales, auctions......unique, unusual, antique, tattered, unwanted.... I collect fabric, tattered quilts, buttons, millinery, antique lace , antique porcelain dolls, doll parts, doll eyes, kokeshi, vintage glass beads, watch parts, tiny corked vials, French ephemera, vintage wallpaper, ventriloquist dolls (ok- so I only have one), birds' nests, shells, river stones, vintage sequins, beads, more beads.....

This is just a little glimpse of my studio...the shelf above my sewing machine. This batch of ribbon & lace has been my most recent inspiration. I love the whimsy and graphic images. But I get bored easily- so after a few more linen bags with these ribbons, I'm dipping into my stash of wool crewel remnants. More on that in my next post.

Matryoshka Love!

I just found this Etsy Treasury list last night featuring my Matryoshka Linen Bag. Curated by Cronopia6, this is a happy collection of all things Matryoshka. You can see the entire list here.

(Etsy Treasuries are a themed group of items chosen and artfully arranged by a fellow Etsy member. There are a limited number of live treasuries at a time- so it is a honor to be included in a Treasury list!)

Thank you Cronopia6!

Matryoshka Madness!

Yes- shameless self- promotion! This beautiful blog SewSweetStitches featured my Matryoshka bag on her blog. What is it about these sweet babushkas?

They always make me smile!

Check out the post here!

"Every woman should have a purse of her own". Part III

My favorite quote- Susan B. Anthony.

More bags for upcoming shows....a sneak peak....

I'm using a lot of linen, barkcloth, bird images, Matryoshka images, vintage lace.....

These probably won't make it to my Etsy shop so please email if interested in purchasing.

These are all one-of-a-kind , and each vary slightly depending on lace, linen color etc.

The interior fabric is an awesome Matryoshka print.

More tomorrow- I'm off to sew!

Wool Felt Acorn Necklace from RobinsEggBlue

Thank you Punchtree for featuring my acorn necklace last week. A very lovely blog that features unique fashion & accessory finds from all over!

I have a handful of these left in my Etsy shop in assorted colors and will be selling them at holiday shows. Grab one while you can!

Have a GREAT weekend! It's like Indian Summer up here!

RobinsEggBlue on Artfire

I've heard alot of good things about Artfire lately ( a site where you can buy & sell handmade goods)- so I just posted a few of my smaller novelty pieces there.  I'm a loyal Etsian though- I've had my shops there since the very beginning- April 2006.  I'll try this though- free to sell up to 12 items, or a flat $12 per month for unlimited sales.  I'll keep you all posted.  Artfire doesn't seem as easy to navigate as Etsy- check me out here on Artfire!

New Matryoshka Keychains & Necklaces

Aren't they pretty?  I LOVED making these!  Each hand painted wood Matryoshka features vintage glass beads and a vintage brass swiveling lanyard hook.

You can attach them to a keychain, use as a zipper pull, or as a pendant on the 24" leather cord.

Delft Blue....

Red Square....

Sunny Yellow.  Each is one-of-a-kind- now available in my Etsy shop.

Matryoshka Earrings

I spent the weekend making tons of these fun earrings.  Made from hand painted Matryoshka beads from Moscow and vintage glass beads- all one-of-a-kind. These always sell well at summer shows.  You can see them here in my shop.

MORE Matryoshka Love!

I can't get enough of these!  STILL waiting on my package from Moscow-  see previous post here.

1- Scandinavian Art Doll by Ravenhill

2- Sweet Russian Doll Necklace by twobadbananas

3- My Russian Matroshka Patch Bag

4- My Russian Matryoshka Earrings

5- These are the dolls I'm waiting for!

Matryoshka Love!

There's a lot a Matryoshka Love to go around!  These snippets are from Little Chirps blog post- you can read the whole thing here.  I can't get enough of these....

1- Scandinavian Matryoshka Art Doll by Ravenhill

2- Matryoshka Pocket Apron by Snappy Shop

3- Lavender Matryoshka Hangy Thingy by Beaky

4- Matryoshka 8x8 Photo Print by Angie Muldowney

5- 5 Matryoshka Patches by ME!

More Matryoshkas tomorrow- I'm OBSESSED!

MORE Matryoshka Love!

Look! More! (that's my purse) Digging through referring sites on my Flickr is turning up a lot of blog posts featuring my work.  You can see this Dutch Blue's post here. I wish people would tell me!

Matryoshka Love

I was still stressing out a little, ordering all those Matryoska beads yesterday.  But now I feel better after coming across this blog post- someone featured my bag :)  You can see Sweet Tidings post here.

I only posted this pic again because I like looking at them!  They'll take a few weeks to get here from Moscow.

More Russian Matryoshkas!

I finally caved in.... after listing my very last pair of Matryoshka earrings, and seeing my patches on XbyLeinaNeima's Etsy Treasury list,  I decided to get more Matryoshka beads.  I've ordered these many times from my source in Moscow, but the trend drove the price up too high.  But I  just couldn't resist!  They're all hand painted- each one different.  Look how cute they are!

Below is part of the Etsy treasury list titled Evenings Near MOSCOW- a bright and cheerful list featuring Russian folk motifs.  You can see the whole list here.

This is my last pair of earrings until my package from Moscow arrives.  How exciting!  Send me an email if you want to reserve/ pre-order your very own Matryoshka earrings.  I'm getting assorted colors, accented with coordinating vintage glass beads.

I'll keep you posted :)