jcaroline

I'm in Print (if you look really close)

Better Homes and Gardens Storage magazine just came out and look at the goodness on page 56.  That's a duvet cover I made out of Fantasia Sherbert (if you have Superman vision, you can see how I beautifully matched the seams where it falls over the bed- thank you).  The awning I made out of the Michael Miller Turquoise Ta Dot (now discontinued) and the pillow bolsters are the Michael Miller Turquoise Snuggle Up (discontinued).  I can only take credit for those items- the concept and room was put together by Pamela Porter, an interior designer whose work you will often see in Better Homes & Gardens publications.  This is actually her daughter's room.  She produced this piece for BH&G's Kids Room magazine to be published last January, but Kids Room was axed before that issue came out.  So I made this stuff over a year ago and didn't think I'd ever see it again.

This is the closet in that room complete with Fantasia Sherbert curtains by moi bordered with Michael Miller's Pink Ta Dot (which was discontinued, but came back).  The same Pink Ta Dot is on the french doors.  That's a patchwork of various Michael Miller fabrics and Fantasia Sherbert on the window seat cover (my fabric, not my sewing).

It's so fun to see the room in print because Pamela literally emails me with what fabrics she wants and what she wants made and I have only a basic idea of how it is going to be used.  She is so good at putting fabrics together and really comes up with combos I would never have imagined. 

Check out the other room she designed on page 84 of the same mag- a guest/work/bonus room that she decorates with Amy Butler fabrics.  You'll be intrigued and inspired by how she puts the fabrics together.

It's "Storage" magazine, a Better Homes & Gardens Special Interest Publication and will be on the newstand until December 25.

Stream of Consciousness

I've got everything I can possibly think of on the web (okay, there are still a handful of items).  That must mean a truck is about to back up to the door and unload some pallets!  We've gotten in American Craft's Gift Wrap which is darling.  I' m not a very good gift wrapper, but it definitely perked up the gifts I gave this weekend. These are from the Celebrations group.

We also got in 84 of the 92 colors of RJR's Cotton Supreme Cotton Solids, which was like getting that huge box of crayons that had the built in sharpener!  I'm thinking of all sorts of crazy ideas for projects with solids.

Speaking of colors, we are working on a way to make it easier to accurately match colors across several product lines on our site, but that is a few weeks away.  Did you know the human eye can see 6 million colors?  And that humans can distinguish more shades of green than red?  Some of the interesting facts I'm discovering in my color research frenzy.  Why do I care?  Because computer monitors have definitely come a long way in displaying colors, but every monitor and video card display colors their own way.  And with the web, photo file sizes are kept small so that they load quickly, which means some of the color data is lost in the compression.  So we are working on a solution to quantify the colors of our fabric scientifically, allowing you to search for and compare them when shopping on the web with something more meaningful than "light blue".

I also ordered a bunch of Simplicity and Burda patterns.  The Simplicity's are here.  I'm working on some ideas for cute tops and jackets.  I've been eyeing Tory Burch's website- she's got beautiful clothes, none of which I can justify in my jeans and T-shirts wardrobe, but inspiring all the same.  I'm envisioning this tunic in Alexander Henry's Mocca in White.  The closest I found in Simplicity was #6086, which I think I can remake the collar and make it work.  I'm also envisioning a jacket out of some of our cotton canvas.  I'll report back.

By the way, I had to look up the title of this post because I couldn't remember if Stream was plural or singular.  I guess it could depend on how good or bad your writing is.  Wikipedia says "Stream-of-consciousness writing is usually regarded as a special form of interior monologue and is characterized by associative (and at times dissociative) leaps in syntax and punctuation that can make the prose difficult to follow, tracing a character's fragmentary thoughts and sensory feelings."  That pretty much sums it up.

Polka Dot Market

I bought this darling little girl's purse from Polka Dot Market.  It's a very belated birthday gift for a 4-year-old who likes girly things.  Polka Dot Market specializes in monogrammed items for children and adults (aprons, Tshirts, bags, stationery).  You can choose from different fabrics & colors and they'll make it for you.  They've got some darling things and I didn't have to make anything myself.  (Thus why the birthday present is belated- the original plan was to make something and it hasn't happened.)  Don't miss the owner's Sally's blog.  She'll keep you updated on what they've added to the store.

I'm out of sorts this afternoon.  In the last week, I've really caught up on getting items added to the website.  Of course, there is always something to add, but the huge mounds of product laying around have been taken care of.  So now I'm a little lost.  Start a fun project this afternoon? Or keep my nose to the grindstone and clean up the little remnants of stuff that never get addressed?  Or spend my afternoon pondering those questions and accomplishing nothing?  Probably the latter.

Someone is Turning (4)1!

These darling cupcakes the employees of j. caroline made for my birthday today and decorated with ribbon bows.  Cute and yummy!  They brought in lunch and gave me a spa gift certificate.  I love a good birthday party- especially mine!

Yes, another year has passed and oh! the wisdom I have to share.  But I'll save that for another post.  And I've pretty much goofed around all day today, so I might as well call it quits.  That's what birthdays are for, yes?

Party Recap

The party Saturday was a success and now it's back to real life!  But first, I had to show you what my friend Rhonda did for the party.  She took Polaroids of every one at the party, gave them tags to write a note to Olivia and put together a scrapbook of the evening THAT NIGHT! She had pages and tape at the ready and had already stamped some stickers that she wanted to use, but literally got the book together in about one hour after the party.  I thought it was an awesome idea and such a great momento of a very special event.  Thank you, Rhonda, for sacrificing your party time for us- but hopefully, we made up for it afterwards.  A little after party, if you will.

It was very touching to have so many friends join us in celebrating our new family.  I was thrilled that Olivia's CPS caseworker came and she said this is the first adoption party she has attended!  I hope in the darker days at her job, she can remember that there are some good times!  Anyway, the party was fun, the food was great and the guests were grand!

Thank you also, blog commenters, for the lovely notes you have left.  I always worry about getting too personal (because there is an assumption there that people care!), but I love reading your congratulatory notes and it makes me vow to be a better commenter!

Okay, play time is over.  It's Monday and it's time to get serious again!

Big Day Here!

A big day here yesterday!  We went to court and officially adopted Olivia!  Whoopeee!  She came into our care as a foster child in July of 2006, but we didn't get the go ahead for adoption until May of this year.  That is when I started plastering her picture on my blog.  (I figured there were privacy issues prior to that and I didn't want to jinx anything.)  But it's all official now and she has no choice anymore but to live with us and we are thrilled (as I hope she is)!  Here she is with the judge and her tired parents.

We're having a party at our home Saturday night to celebrate so I still need to get that under control but I outsourced as much as possible so I could enjoy it.  However, after my mother's own  heart, I had to make an outfit for Olivia- thus the linen dress and jacket.  Which came out darling if I say so myself.  (My mother and dad are here and she declared it darling as well.)   I need to work on my sleeve construction, but you'd only know if you study it carefully-- which you can't do if she has it on.  And yes, that is a "yo-yo" with a covered button center on the jacket front.  The first one I've ever made and I cheated using Clover's new Yo-Yo Maker.  I'll get them on the web next week.

Of course, part of being my daughter is wearing your new clothes for pictures, including the quilted jacket, even when it is 96 degrees outside.  She was very accommodating and I got some good shots.  Have a great weekend- I'm just basking in the glow of "new motherhood" and I'll update on the party next week.