Monarch Post

got the dirt on it.

I have been lost in a jungle of wild monkeys and gardens lately... but in a good way. This is one of about nine sets of little girl's aprons with matching sock monkey/ clothes I've been working on. I think it's time for a little haute couture for the monkey world... I mean really, how many naked sock monkeys are there running around the world? It's just not right ;)  (And then there were all those apron and dress scraps... I couldn't waste those. So I sewed baby balls, headbands, flower barrettes, etc. to match.)

Her name is Poppy (not very creative, I know, but who else could she be?) The poppy fabric came from an estate sale last summer. It looks like it's from the '60s and it reminds me of all the Marimekko fabrics and wallpapers I loved in the '80s. The fabric had been made into curtains. I bought yards of the poppy fabric and a big box of other fabrics for four dollars... love finding stuff like that!

The goal is an Etsy shop again by the beginning of summer. Well stocked and adorable is the plan. I'm also working on stocking a booth for the farmer's market this summer, and the shop I sell too, and I'm working on not feeling overwhemed by all my grand ideas :)

Last week I went hunting for a few display pieces for the farmer's market. I bought everything at my friend Brenda's shop, Just A Bed of Roses. If you're local and you're looking for lovely antiques, she is your "go to" girl. 

I found an old metal bread box, wooden hangers, doily, a pretty rose candy dish, and a gold and cream damask tablecloth.

Isn't it gorgeous? I love it. I also found fabric at a fabric store that matches this perfectly- a small golden gingham print for the display table that reminds me of warm toast and honey... don't ask me why...

The next day I found more yellow gingham at the thrift store- old curtains again. A whopping two dolla. I love the brown and cream cross-stitching pattern along the bottom.  Not sure what I'll make out of it yet though... then I went to Hobby Lobby and found this children's vintage reproduction fabric.  

I said, "monkey dresses!"

And the last best thrift store find lately... this jello mold, now hanging in the kitchen. I have been on a rolllll...

That includes sod rolling around here too. Two Saturdays ago Mike rented a sod cutter for the day, and as a family we dug up 7,500 lbs. (!) of sod from our yard and hauled it to the dumps... We needed canes and walkers on Sunday. Oh. My. Gosh. Muscles none of us knew we had hurt for days, but it's looking great. Mike and Jesse built the raised beds, installed weed cover underneath, and hauled load after load of dirt and bark to fill it all in. The sprinkling system is still being rerouted and a drip system is almost ready to go.

Tomorrow, I'm buying the veggies to plant. Tomatoes, squash, broccoli, carrots, melons, herbs, peppers, and whatever else looks intruiging. I layed in bed thinking of vegetables this morning at 5:30 am, wondering if I could make my own salsa with only our homegrown veggies this fall.

(Suburban produce fever? )

The seating spot will include a movable fire pit for now. That area needs to be clear to drive into when we build the waterfall and new deck next year. After that happens, another raised bed will probably go where the seating and firepit are now. Around the edges of the garden will be a white picket fence; it's scheduled to go up next weekend. I'm planting the front outside edges of the fence in cosmos, snapdragons, and whatever else I fall in love with at the garden center. The rounded corner edge will have a birdbath, an ornamental tree, more flowers and a beautiful St. Francis statue Mike gave me for Mother's Day yesterday.

We are all so excited about this project... and I'll keep you posted through the summer.

Aren't you so excited for vegetable slideshows ha,ha!

I think they are called Western Tanengers. They are here everyday, suddenly, along with a big blue-jay. "Need" a new birdbath for sure.

We are having the most gorgeous spring in Utah this year, and I am so glad after the great, wet, soggy, miserable, flooded April, May, and June of last year. We could not have put a garden in last year, there wasn't a dry day until mid-June. I definately think it's making it all the sweeter this year... and I am on the hunt for an awesome homemade salsa recipe.

XOK

 

 

 

Spring chickie tutorial

Oh, hello there! Aren't we the cutest chicks you've ever seen...?  ;) 

We are so happy that it's finally spring, we've been chirping, "hooray for spring!" all day long while sitting on the sunny kitchen windowsill.

  Hee hee ;)

*********************************************************

So I made it back on Monday...like, barely. It was a kid-ful kind of day.

Here's that quick little Easter/spring craft I mentioned for you...

1. Cut out six green fabric scraps (about 6"x6"), and three pieces of double-sided iron on interfacing the same size as the fabric scraps.
2. Sandwich the interacing between two pieces of matching fabric with right sides both facing out.
3. Iron the fabric/interfacing sandwich pieces together and cut out lots of little one-inch leaves.

I didn't use a  pattern for the leaves and cut them out un-exactly, because un-exact is part of the charm.

Next, I hot glued the little crocheted primroses I made awhile ago for the chick's hats, but you could use silk flowers, or cut out felt flowers.

Or whatever you want to use for hats- it's your creation :)

I strung little red beads with a needle and thread, and then tied a knot. Dabbed the tiniest dot of hot glue where the knot was tied and hung the glued part at the back of the chicks neck (do chicks have necks...?)

Then I made little scarves for the rest of the chickies. I cut fabric triangles measuring about three inches in both directions, but adding long ties on one edge to tie under the chicks chin (do chicks have chins... well, you know what I mean ;).

Again, add just a teeny dab of hot glue to the top underside of the scarf to secure to the chicks head.

Glued the chicks on a branch from the back yard. Added the leaves and more red flowers...

And voila! Chicks on a stick chirping their little hearts out : )

Easy enough with a little help from an adult for older kids or grandkids to make too.

They made me  happy sitting there on the windowsill, watching me do dishes. 

I made five sets to sell at the shop. Each birdie/set seemed to have  it's own personality... how does that happen anyway...?

So there ya go.

*****************************************

Did you have a good weekend?

I did... the house was a happy, crazy place with all the kids here working on projects. Ainsley and Jeff bought a 1960's teardrop camper last summer for $200 (!) to refurbish. (They completedly gutted it and started redoing it last summer, but couldn't get it and a wedding done at the same time). The cabinets are done and Ainsley is making upholstered cushions for it... burnt orange and avocado green for the decor. I'll show you someday when it's finished.

Sophey made April Fool's Day "egg cupcakes" for Sunday dinner.

 I almost finished a new design for appliqued tea towels.

 

Corbyn and his band worked on recording their first music CD.

 Jesse didn't sprain anything! 

And friends we haven't seen for way too long stopped by and surprised Mike and I with  a Sunday evening visit ... it was all good... really good, in fact : )

See you next Monday, after the holiday...

Happy Easter to you!

XOK!

 

 

 

 

I sewed me some Valentine's Day luv...

I feel like I'm always driving lately...

two more Dr appts this week, still working on my bum foot...

kid chaffeuring, ballet ( two nights a week), a baseball tryout,  fabric stores, etc.

You know how it goes, I'm sure.

 

But today I got to drive to a favorite happy place of mine and drop off

my freshly sewn Valentine hearts :D

It's been pretty gray and dismal weather wise lately.

And gray just isn't my favorite color, you know?

But I finished up my hearts and they are cheery.

And so is the sweet children's and mom's shop I sell them at...

******************

But my computer is uploading s.l.o.w.l.y again tonight.

So I will love you and leave you with lots of cheery photos

(and less words).

for a February day.

The white hearts are from a recycled bedspread.

And the flowery ones are made from a thrifted pinecone hill pajama top.

The polka dots and paisley are new fabrics.

The beads were from a vintage necklace.

 

I took lots of photos, because it was fun : D

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

and now for the shop... stinkin adorable today!

 

*ALL TUCKED IN*

There.

Are you cheerier now...?

Good.

Mission accomplished ;)

 

XO!

what's new?

 
In between all the end-of-the-school-year busyness-- programs, fieldtrips, dance recitals and keeping up with a constantly rescheduled rained out baseball schedule; I've been in and out of my studio....

 
playing around with lots of ideas...

 

 
and actually having a few turn out ;)

I've decided summer will be a great time to finally do something with my long neglected Etsy shop. I've had plans for a long time now to turn it into a child and mom shop, but until just lately the vision thing for it wasn't happening... it took a few lightbulb moments, but slowly the ideas came along...  all gardeny, summery, and finally with lots of RED-- that favorite color of mine.

So in the next few weeks I'll be making and stocking my Monarch shop... I'm excited.

What's new in your world?

XO

Kelly

 

 

lots of flowers and words... catching up.

 
Anybody still out there? It's the long lost blogger here again. After the last long ago post, Jesse and I caught the flu. Influenza B and two weeks of everyday feeling just like the previous pitiful day. It was awful. Poor Jess has never been so sick, and I haven't had the flu since high school. Kinda like the movie Groundhog Day-- where everything is the same eveeerry day.

Having taken it's cue from us, our computer decided a serious virus would be just the thing to catch so it could laze about the house and complain. It was in the shop for nearly two weeks getting de-bugged.... I think I finally feel caught up now. Wow. My advice is don't catch anything for two weeks-- unless it's a wave in Maui :)

So I've been flower-making here for the last while. I just finished up making piles and piles of flowers for two very charmingly designed children's room. (It was  good to at least see spring somewhere, even if only in fabric flowers on the table, because apparently, Utah doesn't know how to do a nice spring anymore. It snowed most of the days I worked on flowers.) The photo above shows a few of the hundred or so (I'm serious!) flowers I made. Kanzashi flowers are my current new love affair-- otherwise known as Asian flower folding. (If you really dig folding fabric napkins; making these babies will just send you over the moon. I weirdly happen to like folding fabric napkins: It brings back memories of my high school and college waitressing days. I'm pretty sure that even stranger than liking to fold fabric napkins is liking waitressing. Who knew? It must have been the big bucks, and the thrill of the odd five-dollar tip ;) I wonder how many fabric napkins I've folded in a lifetime.... I'll bet thousands. Wow, this is an interesting post... hey, it's what happens when you haven't written forever and you think you need to compensate. If you've got something better to do right now, I totally understand :) 

One last item: Amazon has a great book I've been using: Kanzashi in Bloom.

Moving on...

I think I made around fifty flowers for garlands for the second little girls's room.

 
Here's one of the finished garlands.

 

 

I took my flower cues from the amazing wool rug.
 

How darling is this room-- pretty chic for a three-year old. Love love love it.

 
Here's the wall just above the chair in the previous picture. (Isn't this cool?!) Noelle Wright of Noelle Wirght Interiors is the designer of the rooms, and as you can she, she is incredibly talented... And such a joy to work with... It was great. You shoulda seen the rest of the house-- Utah Homes magazine material for sure.

 
Fun stuff. I don't have photos of the nursery room yet, but I'm hoping I'll have some soon to pass along. It was quite different from this room, but reall equally fabulous.

 

 

In other crafting news...

    Last week I finished loads of pink and white Easter baskets again this year for All Tucked In. A few zillion more flowers cut, stitched, glued... if only our real garden outside looked so good.

 
Sweet though, huh?

 
And aren't these butterlies the sweetest things? I found laser-cut wood butterflies at Michaels in the spring decor aisle. Tied with ribbons and hung ornament-style from budding branches (also Michaels) made for a quick new Easter decoration this year. (I try and usually resist the ready-made from China stuff, but I just couldn't pass up the those lacey butterflies!)

 

And last but not least in the long catch up post... The kids. I love it when they slip upstairs to my studio for a couple of  hours.

 It's great to see the smiles and creations that come out of the studio.

 
Here's the shoebox diarama book report Jesse made for the Iliad and the Odyssey. The Trojans are in the red helmets... this kills me. Sculpey clay, you are awesome.

And lately when Sophey has a girlfriend over, she's giving them a sewing class. Her girlfriends think my studio is awesome :)

 
Dance class tote bag classes were what the instructor offered last time.

 
It's great to see all my ex bits and pieces of cast-off projects put to new use.

 

The kid craft projects reminded me of a new Somerset magazine coming out this summer. A friend of mine told me it's a complete magazine devoted to crafting with kids, Create With Me. Can't wait to see it.

And on that note, I'll love you and leave you. Thanks for hanging through all my show and tells ;)

Do you have special plans for Easter weekend?

XOKelly

 

 

in the pink

 
It's March Madness in the Henderson household. Three kids birthdays in a month. Shop, wrap, bake, buy balloons, throw parties, celebrate. Repeat, repeat :) Sophey's birthday was March 1st and Jesse's is today. I only have four photos of Sophey's birthday this year. I accidentally deleted the rest when I was trying to get my new camera to download. And I am so bummed about that.

So that's why we have a sock monkey photos in first place today. She wanted a homemade hot pink sock monkey for her birthday: meet Chloe. She still needs clothes, maybe next week we'll get to a wardrobe. 
 
Sophey has been sleeping with her. It's sweet to see her cuddled up with Miss Chloe the monkey, and the blanket my Mom crocheted for her before she was born. Soph wears an orange sleeping eye mask to bed too every night. Funny kid.

 
 
 
Well, here you have the surviving birthday photos. It's hard to get everyone around here looking at me for a photo. At least Winston follows directions.

 

In between all the partying around here, I was asked to help decorate two little sister's bedrooms in a really lovely house in SLC. I'm going to be making accessories-- garlands, pillows, etc. So next week it's back to the studio. Can't wait to get busy. The place has been gathering dust bunnies...

Have a great weekend everyone. XO

 

feels like summer

I have a confession to make: I haven't been incredibly creative lately, but I have been having a reeeeally loooovely July :)

Plenty of chaffeuring to baseball games and friend's houses.

 
Stopping along the way to try out the new burger joints we've been wanting to try.

 
I've been keeping my camera handy, taking photos of ideas for our yard someday. This is the sort of fence we'd like to put in our front yard soon.

Love the house the fence belongs too. Isn't she a charmer?

And here's my view at our pool. It's just a couple of streets away.

 
It's reeeally hard to say no when the kids ask to go spend a couple of hours here. Pure heavenly bliss :)

 
 
You know it definately feels like the middle of summer, when this is what you find on your kitchen counter in the morning....  

 
and the clean dishes are looking summery and patriotic after the 4th of July barbeque...

 and so is the dog...

and so do the new fake hydrangeas on the mantel... 

and the crochetting basket...

 
and the things I made to sell in the children's shop... (just found that chair for the front porch for $2.50 at a yard sale!)

and the apple pie we ate for breakfast...
 

and our baseball boy in the town parade....
 

and our Girl Scout girl in the town parade...

 

Yep, it's definately feeling like the middle of summer around here....  hot, lazy, glorious, and I wish it could last for at least a few more months.

I hope you're enjoying it too-- wherever you happen to be this summer. I'm running off to Girl Scout camp way up in the tippy tops of the Wasatch mountains for a few days. ~ See you when I get back! xoKelly 
  
  

   

posy planter

 

While I was prowling the local craft store awhile back, I found this little wooden planter thing. I thought with some dowels tucked into the holes on top it might make a sweet girl's hair clip holder. So I bought it and a sheet of scrapbook paper, went home and made this flower clip planter. (If you're local, I found the wooden planter at Ben Franklin crafts, in Kaysville Ut. I think it was made by Provo Craft, but I didn't look around any other craft stores for this item-- they might be everywhere, I'm just not sure...)

You could also use a clay pot painted up and filled with clay or beans in the bottom, like people do with those pots and flower pens... lots of ideas could come out of this simple project.  Tell me if you can think of any more similiar ideas?!

Here's a very quick how to (this is so simple, I don't want to insult anyone!)

• Sand item.
• Paint with acrylic paints.
• Trace around item and cut out paper. Mod Podge paper onto wood. Coat entire piece with Mod Podge.
• Let dry thoroughly.
• For the sticks I used some shish ka bob sticks I had. I glued them into the pre-drilled holes.

 

Here's the backside with the flower hair clips attached. Those are super easy to make to with a few alligator clips from the beauty supply store, 3/8" wide ribbon, E6000 glue, and silk flowers. 

~Just a quick share for you!

Have a great weekend. xoKelly
 

springitis infected

 
It's beyond gorgeous here today. Over a balmy weekend, our town burst into pinks and whites. My very favorite time of year. I only wish it lasted longer.

I'm doing my best to stay focused and be productive this week; trying to make up for being so unproductive last week... But it's reeeeally hard to do with my serious case of spring fever :-)

 
Working hard at channeling all my spring euphoria, and taking my color cues from Mother Nature-- and whatever kinda bird it is who's been chirping (loudly) away at 6:00 am every morning right by my bedroom window. He sounds so happy though, I can't be mad at him.

 
I've had so much fixing up these ready-made birdhouses with a little paint, polymer clay, and fabric from a velour baby shirt. Really sweet for a nursery or little girls room, (if I do say so myself ;-))

 

Then I painted some alphabet letters, and decided they could benefit from a singing red bird too.

Which then of course, led me to make a big red bird pillow out of an old velour jacket. I mean really, what could be more logical ? ;)

 
Not quite sure which shop(s) all this will end up in... I have more spring-inspired children's items I'm still working on. Those items involve a spring-green, beaded cotton sweater, and a hot pink velvet jacket. ( Proving beyond a doubt how deliriously spring-fever-giddy I really am at the moment.)

Thanks for checking in on me. Hoping you're having a wonderful spring day too. I'm off to the baseball field to watch Jesse pitch, hit, catch, and sliiiiiide... Grass stains are such a great novelty after a million months of winter.  

Oh spring-- I luv, luv, luv you.  xoxoKelly