Luna ~ Autumn Hippie

So... first thing... my vacation was great... swam with P until I didn't think my fingers and toes were ever going to loose their raisin-y texture!

I spent some time puttering (not as much as I'd anticipated...we were having too much fun to work!) and knocked a bunch of projects off of my "no rush list" YAY!!!!!! It's great to shrink the list!

One of my favorites was a sweater set for the mom of one of my models. She needed something special for her new neice (who will be making her debut shortly). I had carte blanche with one tiny stipulation, make it for fall... I immediately knew what I wanted to do... chenille of course, and break into some of those new colors I ordered but haven't had a chance to play with! ...it all came together beautifully and I think I'm in love with Luna - especially the head band with the bead detailing!

The Luna - Autumn Hippie set (in a 4 to 6-ish month size) will soon be added to my repitoire. I'll also be offering the Luna Headband on it's own which is very forgiving and will fit anywhere from 6 months to about 6 years!

Enjoy!

sweet, sweet relief!!!!!!!!!!

Oh...I'm soooooooooo excited... giddy almost... :)

...no I'm not heading to a tropical beach... anyone who knows me well knows that would not be my ideal... the heat... the hives from the sun... ugh.... nope, not for me....

So, my excitement is that as of this evening, I'm officially on vaction... from my day job... For a whole week!!! ...usually I don't take more than a couple days off in a row so I'm totally stoked that I booked the whole week off! Looking forward to lots of fun, fun, fun... and a little rest! ...and I've got a few tricks up my sleeve to surprise P... it's going to be a great week!

...oh, and I'm very-much looking forward to catching up on some of my "no-rush" projects...

Have a great week all!!!!! xo

a bowl of cherries...

So I thought I'd give you a little peek at another one of my loves... it's not only yarn, sticks and hooks that I enjoy playing with....

I also love fabric and needles!!! ...I really enjoy designing occasion wear for little girls... I've usually got a pencil and paper handy to sketch out the ideas that come at the most unusual times... I've put my skills to work for more than a few friends...and also for the odd wedding project! ...As with my knitting etc, I like the unexpected, colors, details, quality workmanship, exquisite materials, well thought out design...

Here's a small taste of that!

I whipped up this dress for my girlfriend's daughter... I came up with a design concept, sketched it out... sourced out the materials that I'd need, made the pattern and brought it to life. About 20+ hours were spent hand-painting the cherries onto the shantung and that was before I actually put it together. The dress was trimmed with red satin backed crepe piping and red tulle peeking out at the bottom of the full skirt. All seams were professionally finished and the garment was fully lined. Red panties and an ivory (with red trim) hat went along to finish off the ensemble.

B was a challenging fit...she's tiny! ...tiny.... so it was exciting for me to create something for her that complimented her tiny size and pixie features!

Dreams for the future.... to expand my Paper Raisins line to include custom tailored occasion wear for little girls! :)

New-ool-o-pho'bi-a

Newoolophobia (new-ool-o-pho'bi-a) [G. newwool - new type of wool + phobia - fear]

1. The illogical fear of a new, never before used type of wool, yarn or fibre.
   
2. Characteristics include fixation, gentle caressing and obsessive contemplation over the fibre's possible uses. It is typically stored in a prominent area, carefully protected in plastic, yet clearly visible, mocking you with its presence.


3. Newoolophobia can only be overcome by taking a few deep cleansing breaths and jumping in with both feet, needles or hook in hand.
   
4. Overcoming newoolophobia is undeniably rewarding, resulting in new, wonderful creations and a corresponding boost to self esteem.

I was recently afflicted with a serious case of newoolophobia. I had a request from a client, Gloria for some custom work, a beautiful wrap and hat set that appeared soft and light as a fluffy cloud. I unsuccessfully tried to source out some yarn around home.

I'm hesitant to buy yarn over the Internet...because, unless I've worked with it before I don't know how its going to feel. It could look stunning in a picture, but it could feel crunchy, scratchy or synthetic in my hands. Well...I took the plunge and found this gorgeous hand-spun merino wool from The Fiber Denn on Etsy. I was thrilled when it arrived, it's wonderful...it's soft...it varies drastically in thickness...so great texture...and its a beautiful natural ivory tone... LOVE IT!!!

Then came the newoolophobia...oh, boy... what if I mess this up??? The creation of this yarn was someone else's time, effort and art... it was costly... what if it doesn't turn out how Gloria was expecting... oh the stresses I can impose on myself...

Well, after a few weeks of mulling it over... with the yarn... in it's prominent position... mocking me..... I took the deep breath... and I'm so glad I did... I love how it came out... check it out! :)

...it's in the bag baby!!!

So... I carry my knit/crochet with me ALL the time... but you knew that about me already! ...usually I carry an "eco-friendly" reusable grocery store bag with all my goods stuffed inside... not so glamorous ...somewhat utilitarian... does the job... I can live with that...

Well...after a whole lot of "window shopping" it was time for a treat! ...I first saw Jordana Paige knitting bags in, you guessed it, a knitting magazine...and I was in love! ...they're great... they've got all these special knitter-oriented packages and pockets... oh, they're awesome!

So... I finally ordered one! :) ...yay for me! :)

whatcha think?? ...I love the color, red-faux croc! ...so the next time I brought out my knitting at the in-laws they told me this was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH better... apparently the grocery store bag wasn't workin' for them! LOL...

hoppity hop.... star struck bunny!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The baby bunny hat has became a favorite to many before it hit the market, thanks to this beautiful picture that Carol posted on her blog!! ...then with this week's Prop Insanity review ...so many people are asking...where's that bunny??

well...here it is... freshly posted to paperraisins.ca

The specs - 100% Acrylic (super-soft), ears lined with a cotton/polyester blend, trimmed with bows. Currently available in newborn size only... perfect as a photography prop, or as a gift to a new mommy!!! The baby bunny retails for $26.00. Available in tan (shown) or mottled tones. This bunny's star struck with the following fabric options, please let me know which one you choose at the time of ordering.... yellow, teal, blue or green

Hope you love the baby bunny as much as I do!!!

...come find me!!

What kind of day is it today?? .....hmmmmmmmmmmmm.... how about a GREAT one!!!

Yesterday I was featured on Prop Insanity... a fantastic resource for photographers to connect with people who make photography props... I owe a huge thanks to Tracy who contacted me a while back. She'd seen some of my work and wondered if I'd be up for her doing a product review etc... I jumped readily on that bandwagon and sent her two of my favorite things... :) ...you'll have to check out the website to see which products they were!

So pop over, check out Prop Insanity... and the sweet pics Tracy took using my props!!!!