Daisy Janie

say howdy to hello bluebird

I'm totally kicking my heels up b/c a splendid new shop is opening this week in a cute 'main street' district in our little town! Hello Bluebird is a boutique & art gallery owned by curator extraordinaire, Alex McCarty. She's pulled together a wonderful assortment of items that are handmade, eco-friendly and/or socially responsible - and of course, bright and cheery, thoughtful and inspiring, colorful & unique - as if you couldn't tell from the pictures, right? I met Alex 4 years ago when we were both switching our artsy gears - I was always so impressed with her drive, talent & *very* positive attitude - nothing has changed, and lucky for us, she's brought all of these things to Hello Bluebird, too!

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If you're local, come by the Grand Opening at Hello Bluebird this week:
Where: Hello Bluebird ~ 609 Penn Ave, West Reading
When: Thurs, Sept. 3rd ~ 5 - 9pm (also the First Thursday event in WR - most shops will be open late)
Why: To support local shops!
What else: Refreshments & prizes. Yay!

Alex has a particular inclination toward "vintage-inspired goods with a modern twist as well as lovely things made by good people."

With all the art, accessories, jewelry, paper goods, pottery, children’s items, bath and body, candles, plush, tees...there wasn't a bad picture in the place! But I didn't take every nook & cranny so there's plenty for you to explore when you get there!

Psst. There's Tara from Scoutie Girl - in the reflection in the mirror! Cool shot!

Hello Bluebird will be nestled amongst these shops in the heart of an up & coming shopping district - unique eateries and galleries are popping up all over - in addition to those that have been there and have drawn folks to West Reading for decades. It's a very worthwhile destination!

sometimes i sew

It's true. Sometimes I sew. I like it a lot, and it seems to like me back. It's like meeting up with an old friend, where so much has changed since you've been apart yet you pick right up where you left off and there isn't any awkwardness at all. When you leave your old friend, you're a smidge sad that you don't see them more often b/c you have such a good time together - and there's an itty-bitty pang of guilt b/c you know you just haven't made it a priority.

Dear Sewing & Old Friends,
I vow to make an effort to get together with you more often. You are very dear to me - and let's face it, we're not gettin any younger!
Lots of love,
Jan

So when sewing and I got together recently, I made this gathered pillow with some of my annika fabric on the front and boxwood on the back (both in the metro colorway). Both of these are organic cotton sateen fabrics from my Urbana Collection - so soft to the touch and easy to work with!

The gathers and pleats were part-plan / part-improv. I had a certain look in mind, and when I realized that "look" didn't fit the pillow snug(ly) enough, I had to come up with a Plan B. It's a happy accident that I may repeat in the future on other accessories. It's very free-form - just pinched, pleated and stitched. To get the edge of the front fabric to fray, simply lay it flat and rub the tips of your fingers back & forth over it really fast. It will fray more as it lives its life, but at least you will have gotten the first blast of loose threads off.

The fabric strip on the back is hiding a zipper! (Not a fan of envelope closures - I've purchased them, I've sewn them - no matter what, they always end up irritating the cr@p out of me. Just not my thing.) This pillow is a gift for a sweet friend (she might know who she is if she see this - it's one of her fave colors) - I felt a zipper was a more professional touch!

miles of doodling

"Road Trip 2009" by J.D. and J.D.

Since we returned from our Voodoo Doughnuts road trip, lots of inquiring minds want to know what Peanutman did in the car to entertain himself all that time. And, trust me, when I say 'all that time' - I mean it was a looooong freakin time. Well, we didn't have any DVD players or handheld games like a DS or whatever they're called. We had books on tape, books to read aloud (one of our absolute fave family pastimes...all 7 Harry Potters were enjoyed this way), a deck of cards, Yahtzee, a bin of Legos and a sketchbook & colored pencils. And of course big wide eyes to stare out the window to let your imagination wander! Never underestimate the power of daydreaming...no need to fill every waking minute of your child's day with activities!

We love passing doodles back & forth, where each person progressively adds a little somethin-somethin to the page. (Our "Hidden Faces" doodle was done this way.) As we made it to the Oregon coast and back, this fantastical drawing emerged from our cooperative efforts. We both got pretty pumped to see what the other had added each time we got it back! I highly recommend this activity - you'll be pleasantly surprised by the joy your child gets from it!

***edited to add: If you want to see some in-cred-i-ble cooperative doodling between a mother and child, you must check out doodlespark by Elissa Barbieri of loop and her artist Mom! I bought a set of her cards a few months ago, and seeing the detail in person is so inspiring!

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It's been a long time since I've done any texture repeats, and this sketch is prime for just such a thing.

Aren't these psychadelic?

dogs' days of summer

This is an overdue update on Big Mama Scout, and an equally overdue *thank you, thank you, thank you* to everyone who sent sweet notes about her via email, comments and tweets last May when she had her amputation surgery. All were very much appreciated! Dog/animal people always know just what to say!

As you can see in a glance below, she's doing remarkably well (just as you all assured me she would)! For the first month, when she was in severe pain, this decision felt very selfish - and I was a wreck. As she began to resume her normal routines, her crying subsided and she became more mobile, the uncertainty of our choice fell by the wayside; relief and gratitude took over! I wanted to wait til her hair was fully grown back before I posted pics of my best girl, which took all summer. She has a permanent sort of whirly-burly curly-q that sticks out where the major part of her incision was - everyday I ask her, "What happened to your leg Scoutie Girl?" - she just burrows her head into me as if to avoid my trite inquiry for the 1000th time.

Today, we were romping in the backyard, when along came you-know-who to ruin all the fun. George is cute and all, but he is totally like a bratty little brother who always has to be included and barges in like big baby for attention. My BFF calls this T.G. - 'Tention Getter.

Above: The Stand-Off, Scout wins, she flaunts her trophy and flops to annoy George.
Below: He can't take the taunting, so he begins divet-making velodrome laps - doing fly-bys on Scout to get her to drop the ball and chase him. 100 lbs of skinny, speckled crazy legs is a sight to behold!

Above: She looks up to see what his ploy is this time. George gets the ball and dashes off!
Below: Scout stays centrally located in the yard; she bites George's back legs everytime he goes by (this is how her breed herds cattle, btw). George does the infamous doggy butt-tuck to roars of laughter from the crowd!!

Above: George deeks & dodges to avoid La Diabla waiting in the wings to get a nibble of him as he goes by.
Below: The crowd has grown by now - we all begin cheering for poor George as Scout closes in - he loves to be chased, and she is relentless.

Above: "Lookout George, she's right behind you!"
Below: Scout feigned interest momentarily, George dropped the ball - whoosh...she swooped in, grabbed it and now stands stoutly victorious as George makes one last feeble attempt. Nope, she gave him the business...

Below: ...and the melodramatic panting begins. Good boy, Georgie Porgie Pumpkin Pie - maybe next time the 3-legged Diva of Doom will let you win! And this, my bloggie friends, is how we now Scout is going to be just fine!

need a hand?

Here are a few for ya! They're totally saying, "Oooh! Pick me! Pick me! I'll lend a hand!"

What an instantaneously hip decor item!!! One of my favorite sightings from today - and good thing b/c they were peeking out and waving hello from just about every antique shop we hit today in Adamstown PA.

Porcelain glove molds: $28-85, depending on size.

flower snaps

Still organizing pics from our trip - whittled down to just under 400 from about 650. As I distance myself from the trip, it becomes easier and easier to hit that delete key. Buh-bye now...don't let the door hit ya on the way out! I usually use windows moviemaker to put together slide shows with music (don't laugh) - anyone know of an alternative before I start the googlefest?

Here are a few fun flower images I snapped - it's like a virtual bouquet just for you! On our trip, these were simple & happy sights that reminded me there is life beyond the stinky car! Artsy civilization even!! These were all taken in the coolest town ever, Hood River OR. I will def do a post on this splendid city b/c we were ready to move the hell out there after about 10 mins. Lahve!

Teapot in a boutique - where I was promptly chastised by my husband who said I shouldn't take pics of other people's artwork. whoopsie. I would have grabbed the person's name if I hadn't gotten a time-out just then.

Big, big, big fabric daisies in a shop window. :) :) :) me likey.

Mosaic black-eyed susans on a retaining wall that was a block long.

Lamppost banners throughout the town. Digitally printed, I wonder? Seem to hold up pretty well in a very wet & rainy locale - just like my fabrics after being washed. How about that!

profound roadside poem

background design (c) Daisy Janie 2009. all rights reserved. 

Spotted on I-80 crossing Iowa last week. Each line of the poem was on a small sheet of plywood, spaced about 20' apart. I happened to be looking at just the right moment! The last one posted the name of the group responsible for the signage: 1000 Friends of Iowa (just barely caught it as we were driving about 75mph).

Urban sprawl is on my personal no-no list, so I was really curious about this group & what they do. From their website:
"1000 Friends of Iowa promotes responsible development that

•  Conserves and protects our agricultural and natural resources
•  Revitalizes our neighborhoods, towns, and cities; and
•  Improves the quality of life for future generations

1000 Friends of Iowa seeks to prevent urban sprawl through citizen engagement and education about sustainable development. We support development that creates more livable communities and implementation of smart growth principles.  We also support land use planning that protects farmland and natural areas by directing development to appropriate places."

Iowa produces one-tenth of all America's food and is clearly critical to our survival as a nation, and it's losing 26,000 acres of farmland per year to urban development. The repercussions of such losses adversely affect much, much more than just the farms. This is and has been going on in our own backyards for decades, but what are we doing about it now that we know better? I feel like I do a lot on a micro level, but I am going to research PA orgs who are of this same mindset to see how I can contribute to their objectives. Will let you know what I find out. Also have to re-evaluate my habits to see what I need to alter!

How about you? Any suggestions or ideas? Is this something you're conscientious about?

FAQ: Can you customize a Daisy Janie fabric?

Short answer: Heck yeah!

Long answer: keep reading...

Scenario 1:
Say you're perusing my etsy shop or my main site and you see a design you like...and say it's printed on organic sateen but you really wish it were printed on organic canvas...can you request a fabric change for that design? Of course! Price will increase or decrease slightly depending whether you're going from canvas to sateen or vice-versa.

Scenario 2:
Maybe you see a design you like (and the fabric basecloth is fine), but you wish it were in a smokey wedgewoood blue instead of chartreuse....can you swap the colors? Of course! If the colors you request are in my library of those I currently use, there's no extra charge. If the colors are not, additional fees will apply.

Scenario 3:
You've shopped around on other sites, you've visited my shop numerous times as well, but you just haven't found the fabric you're looking for. You really like my style, tho...can you commission a completely custom design? Most definitely! An hourly rate and set-up fees will apply.

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I get these questions a lot, and I'm more than happy to accommodate these requests. For example, only 1 of the organic canvas prints pictured here is a canvas I offer 'standard' in my shop. The other 3 were custom requests for a magazine shoot - yeeha!

It never hurts to ask, right? Right! You may just get the answer you were hoping for!

dribs and drabs

Or dribbles and drips as the case may be. We are back from an amazing whirlwind, 6000-mile, cross-country roadtrip that we did in 2 weeks! Did you know I was gone? I downloaded all my photos and am trying to put them into some semblance of a slide show for family & friends, which I think I'll share here, too...hopefully I'll have some time this weekend. This pic was taken in Hood River OR. We cracked up at this curb's paintjob, and my son wondered if the guy (or girl) thought he/she was doing a fabulous job b/c the frontside looked marvelous...we imagined the person whistling a happy tune as they slathered on the paint, standing back to admire their work, nodding to themselves that it's a damn fine yellow curb...meanwhile the slathering and slapping of yellow paint has had another effect entirely on the woefully neglected backside. It's not common to see both sides of a curb exposed so maybe the painter was trained on single-exposure curbs only. Ya think?

I tried to pop-in here with posts while on the road, but it was one thing conceptually to tether our blackberry to the laptop and power-up the laptop w/ the cigarette lighter - and another thing executionally to be able to see the screen while driving in big sky country or maintain a Verizon signal when you're in the middle of absolutely nowhere for hours at a time. However, if you need to know how to make the tethering work (which it totally does), here you go:

• sign-up for the package at Verizon for $30/mo
• order an external battery pack from Amazon for $129
• find out on the trip you don't have the correct effin' adaptor
• refrain from swearing in front of your 11-year-old son (who will tell you, "You don't need to swear, Mom!" - little does he know that yes, yes, sometimes you do!)
• stop at Best Buy outside Columbus Ohio
• don't listen to husband (who has never been there either) tell you where to park
• have the Best Buy worker tell you that you'll have to drive to Batteries Plus at the next exit b/c Best Buy doesn't have what you need
• ponder the Best Buy business model for a second
• get techie teenage whiz kidz Jeremy and Jason at Batteries Plus to hook you up with everything you need for another $200 and even test it out to make sure!
• get back in car...but you may as well stop to pee and get gas since you're already off the highway
• get back in car again, again, again...
• fire-up laptop with a giddy, holy-crap-this-might-actually-work-edge-of-your-seat excitement
• find out you can't see a freakin' thing on the screen  a n y w a y.......wtf. 

Point is, we're back! It's been a crazy on/off summer for me with business - but I'm getting back into the swing of things in dribs and drabs. My to-do list is as long as my arm so I'm kinda psyched that school starts in 2 weeks...and I can start kicking ass and taking names again - which is code for gettin' things done.

What have you been up to?

inspiring mentions

Thank you to Sam of inklore for her sweet "midweek inspiration" post about Daisy Janie (from July). Check it out here. Sam carves her own designs, which she uses to block print on linen fabric - she meticulously sews her fabrics into aprons, market totes, pillows and various home accessories. Sam's shop: inklore

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Thank you also to Candy of Candied Fabrics for her incredibly generous "inspiration" post about my fabrics. Read the post here. Candy hand-dyes her own fabrics and sews them into art quilts, totes, notelets and other personal accessories. Love the freehand machine-quilted designs like the birdies above! Candy's shop: Candied Fabrics

It always makes me happy to my work through others' eyes, and even moreso when it's other fabric artists as talented as Sam and Candy! Thanks ladies - right backatcha!