confessions of a blueberry bandit

Snippets

I'm slowly working on some new things in my studio...  Including some of the full-sized blueberry bandit softies that I haven't made in ages! 

My friend Marimo...

Have you ever seen a marimo?  It's a Japanese moss ball (actually a type of algae) that lives in fresh water. Marimo are only found in certain lakes in places like Japan and Iceland.  Marimo balls can supposedly live a hundred years if cared for properly and are thought to bring you good luck.  I'm slightly obsessed. Sometimes Marimo is covered in tiny bubbles (I'm told this is when he is photosynthesizing).  I tried to think of a more creative name, but "marimo" is just such a cute word!  I bought my marimo from this Etsy shop.

Love the afternoon sunlight through my big windows...

♥

 

 

Heart Strings

Just a few snapshots of things that have been tugging on the ol' heart recently (and making me feel quite fortunate)...

Shorty (a.k.a. Mr. Wiggle Jeans) sporting his new 'do...

Foxy and his beloved patch of sun...


Luminous tent in which I was reunited with my hubby amidst a many-weeks-long tour...

Lovely pre-trapeze sunset (a.k.a. the night I learned that I am braver than I thought)...

Tiny felt flowers (a.k.a. crafty contentment)...

p.s.

One more thing that brought a HUGE smile to my face...  Learning that my bunny pouch was featured on apartment therapy!!!

 

♥

Springtime Greetings!

The time has come to emerge from my cave and say hello! The sun is shining, the flowers are shaking the dust out of their prettiest dresses, and the crickets are rehearsing their sweetest lullabies...

I have been busy with my own springtime preparations, and the shop is full of new goodies!

Tiny bunnies and snails... and pouches galore!

I have also been dreaming up some exciting new things... like these cell phone cozies!

These were designed specially for the iPhone (per the request of a couple very sweet customers), but they can be customized to fit other devices as well.  I've listed these on a custom/made-to-order basis.

This cozy is meant to be used in conjunction with a slim hard case and is open at the top.   I think I will eventually offer some other animals/designs.

I've been using both my shrinking and enlarging rays...  This is an extra-large pouch I made to be used as a cosmetics case (8" x 9.5").

And here is a custom Macbook sleeve I made...

It was hard (and frustrating) work, but I'm so pleased with the results... especially the fancy gusseted pockets (my first ever)!  Perfect for storing your mouse and power adapter.  :)

I lined it with two layers of fleece padding for extra protection.  I'm considering offering this on a made-to-order basis as well, though I'm a little hesitant to enter the rabbit-hole of different computer sizes.  If you're interested, just send me a little email or Etsy convo, and I'll see what I can do!

 

In other news, I'm excited to share that I started taking trapeze classes in January!!!  I am incredibly lucky to live in a town with its own trapeze studio.  I have been secretly dying to try a class since the studio opened 8 or 9 years ago, but I was always terrified.  I can't possibly do trapeze, right?  But it turns out I can!  Thanks to the prompting of a couple of lady friends, I finally found the necessary courage.  And now I'm addicted!  I am finding trapeze to be simultaneously humbling and exhilarating.  I leave class each week covered in bruises but with a new sense of strength.  Trapeze is brutal but so much fun!

I apologize for the terrible photos... I will try to post some better ones soon.  These were taken pretty early on, and I am happy to say I have made great improvements.  Such as remembering to point my toes.  Ahem.

One final tidbit, I promise... My hubby roped me into helping him make a video for a new Marshmallow Coast song a few months ago, and I promised I would share it.  There are no words to describe just how much this embarrasses me... but here goes.  I hope you enjoy it!

 

Back soon with some new softies!!!

♥

Attempting to slow time...

Hello!  I am absolutely drowning in work these days and very much looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with my family!  Being so busy makes me want to curl up into a little ball and cry, but I'm pushing through and even squeezing in a little craftiness.  I'll be (slowly) adding more snail ornaments (since a few people have asked about them), pouches and hopefully some softies to my shop in the coming weeks.  Softies!  I haven't made any plush bandit friends for my shop in a dreadfully long time, and I really miss them... 

I don't need to say that time is passing at a terrifying rate--we all know that, right?  I'm trying extra hard to slow down as much as I can and enjoy these few remaining weeks of 2012.  I hope everyone has a lovely week & Thanksgiving (if you're in the U.S.)!

♥

p.s.  It wouldn't be a proper post without a few cute-furry pics, right?

 

Autumn acorns & other snippets...

 New in the shop -- Autumn acorn pouches!

(And a few other friends who just found their way to the shop...)

The not-so-fun things in life have been keeping me dreadfully busy these past few months, but I have managed to squeeze in some goodness here and there. 

Just a few snippets:

Bunny softie I recently made for my friends' new baby girl...

(I'm embarrassed to admit the amount of time I spent making the pom pom tail...)

Canoeing with my aunt... (That's me in the front, skillfully steering us into snake-infested weeds.)

I'm obsessed with spaghetti squash!  It has become a staple around my house.

Sweet vintage embroidered pillow case (a gift from my mom)...

Dog's eye view of my bedroom...

And who is this?

Say hello to Foxy, the newest addition to my family!

We adopted Foxy a few weeks ago.  There have been a few scuffles over toys.  And someone may have pooped in the house a few times.  And that someone may have eaten my favorite pillow.  And my doormat.  But really, I'd say it's going pretty well.  And I think it's safe to say we're all falling in love with Foxy...except for maybe the cat.

 Hope everyone's having a lovely Autumn so far!

♥

New in the shop...

Just a little heads-up that there are a few new pouches in the shop!

More new cuties coming soon!

♥

Sheepish Progress Report...

I've had the seeds of so many posts floating around my head the past couple of months, but no time to plant them.  One of these days I'll catch up.  Maybe. 

In the mean time, there are a couple of new pouches in my shop!

 

♥

Peonia

My garden is looking a little rough this year...  Two or three summers of terrible drought and my increasingly busy schedule have really taken their toll.  Still, my peonies are as stunning as ever!  I often  feel guilty about cutting flowers, but the peonies are so heavy that they just drag on the ground.  So no guilt here...

They smell so heavenly... I just want to crawl inside one and make a little bed in the soft petals.

Can you think of a nicer place to take a nap?

♥

Marching Pink Elephants

Just added to my shop!

I am going to try to work on some larger softies next...   Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

♥

 

Birds of a feather...

I am trying to get back into the swing of blogging semi-regularly and wanted to share these vintage peacocks I scored at a neighbor's yard sale over the weekend.  I just couldn't live without them...  Aren't they sweet? 

Happy Monday to all!

♥

Tiny bit of Springtime progress...

Hello there!  I am sooooo busy these days, but I wanted to share a few new things that made their way into my shop today:

More soon!

xoxo

Adventures in California-land...

(My BFF Kasia & me in the Sequoia National Forest)

As I mentioned in my last post, Andy & I recently spent a few days in Los Angeles.  It was my very first visit to the great state of California, and it was far too brief!  I had such funny imaginings of what L.A. would be... And I was mostly wrong.  I found it to be so different than any other place I've ever visited.  I was blown away by the hills, all the exotic plant life and architecture...  the amazing nearby nature despite all the traffic and sprawl.  I saw lots of everyday people and dogs... and not one single celebrity.  I surprised myself by really, really enjoying it.  (Shhh... Don't tell Andy.  He wants me to move there, and I'm not sure I can handle living in a giant city where you have to drive everywhere on those crazy-scary freeways.)

We started our LA adventure by visiting Venice Beach, and I think we caught it on the gloomiest day ever.  I actually think the beach is quite beautiful on a cloudy day, though...

On a day like this, there were no people roller boogie-ing in bikinis.  But I did see a family of six touring the pier on Segways, Gob Bluth style.  Sadly, I didn't get my camera in time to capture them.

I realized that my toes had never before touched the Pacific Ocean, so Andy & I braved the frigid water ...

We experienced unusually cool, rainy weather for most of our trip, and people kept apologizing, unaware of the fact that I do not prefer endless sunshine.  I think L.A. was trying to trick me into loving it.

This fat seagull let me get so close, I was sure he would let me squeeze him... Or maybe he was waiting to peck out my eyes.  I decided to play it safe.

I have never been all that interested in Hollywood or celebrity glamour, but we did cruise through Hollywood-proper in our stylin' grandma rental car (a Crown Victoria).  And we explored Mulholland Drive and Runyon Canyon Park to see the amazing views.  I had no idea L.A. would be such a hilly place!

Andy and the elusive "Hollywood" sign...

Steep trails led to lovely views.

Andy & I were both fascinated by the La Brea Tar Pits and the saddest elephant ever...

We stood there watching the bubbling tar for quite a while, trying to imagine what it all looked like before a city sprang up around it.

Andy couldn't resist smelling some tar.  I politely passed.

Loved this bear by the tar pits...

I think I drove Andy crazy by constantly shouting, "Look at that amazing tree/flower/plant!"  Who knew L.A. would be host to such varied & spectacular flora?  I don't know why I didn't take more pictures to help me identify them... Like the trees that looked like giant broccoli stalks?  And the one with the enormous red flowers? And the shrubs that looked like something out of a Dr. Seuss book? 

These flowers and crazy trees were growing near the tar pits.

One thing I do know is that the people of L.A. sure do love some doughnuts.  I have never seen so many donut shoppes in my life!  We were planning to visit the world's first ACM (Automatic Cupcake Machine), but we decided we just didn't have time to wait hours in line and settled for a different trendy bakery.

I think this was the best doughnut I've ever eaten...

My BFF & her hubby & one very jaunty hat...  Only temporary installations in L.A.

I managed to squeeze in a little side adventure to the Sequoia National Forest with my BFF before leaving, and it was definitely the highlight of my trip.  The 2-3 foot snowfall prevented us from seeing most of the park, but we still managed to see some absolutely amazing trees.  I was a little disappointed to miss out on the General Sherman tree (largest living tree by volume?), but I think all that beautiful snow made for an extra magical experience.

I was not prepared for 3 feet of snow... It was 80-something degrees when I left Athens, GA.  I had to layer half the clothes in my suitcase and borrow hat, scarf & gloves from my friend.  Thank goodness for ever-dilligent snow plows... Otherwise we would have been trudging through this the whole way!

 

Heading into a tree tunnel...

Inside the tree tunnel...  A person could live here.

I promised myself I would keep this short & sweet since I have a mountain of work to do, but clearly I've gotten carried away.  Hooray for adventures!

I'm working on some new things for the shop (pouches, tiny snails, etc.) and hope to be able to share them soon.  Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

♥

Adventuring

Greetings from the strange planet otherwise known as Los Angeles! I am here exploring for the first time and wanted to pop in to say a quick hello. Blogging is the thing I have most wanted and least wanted to do over the recent crazy-busy weeks, if that makes sense. I promise to return soon with more pictures from my travels and new goodies for my shop!

xoxo

New whale pincushions!

Now swimming around my shop! 

I'm going to work on some springtime snails & mushrooms next. Hopefully I can share them later this week!

♥

p.s.  Since many people have asked recently...  I use my own original patterns, and I am not interested in sharing or selling them at this time.  Thanks!

Shop Update!

Just listed several new pouches in the shop!

Hmm... I just noticed that I forgot to give these little guys rosy cheeks.  Where is my mind?  If you're thinking about purchasing and want me to add a touch of rosiness, just email or convo me and let me know!

More new things coming soon...

♥

New pouches coming this week!

Hello there!  Where has January gone?  I have finished a few new pouches and am dying to get them listed in my shop...  Several days of the darkest, gloomiest weather and a regrettable (idiotic) incident with a kitchen knife have made it impossible to take any decent photos.  I'm hoping this can be remedied tomorrow, though.  

I am also working on some new whale pin cushions (finally!) and some snail ornaments, so look for those later this week or next week.

♥

p.s.  Dear future self:  Trying to pry apart two frozen objects with the largest, sharpest kitchen knife you own is a terrible idea...   ;)

 

Faded Glory

My first bowling league stint ended several weeks ago, and I've been eagerly awaiting my trophy.  Everyone gets a trophy, but I really felt like I earned mine.  I was consistently the lowest scorer/ worst bowler all season, but I really started to improve right at the end.  Anyway, I finally got it today and had to share...

Um...  There are so many things wrong with this picture.

Where do I begin? 

1. I think it's fairly obvious that I am not a man, but whatever. 
2. I have suffered a lifelong battle with my last name... It seems people can't help turning Kirkpatrick into Kilpatrick.  I pretty much expect it.  At least it doesn't say Fitzpatrick. That one sends me over the edge.  
3. The team name is New Bloodz. Zzz.  Duh.  Why would anyone name a bowling team New Bloody?
4. Getting 5th place out of a team of 4 people must mean that I am terrible beyond reproach...

This is now my most hilarious possession, and I will cherish it until the end of days.  Seriously.

♥

Happy New Year!!!

I think 2012 is technically Year of the Dragon, but I prefer to think of it as Year of the Pegasus.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!  Mine was busy-busy but very nice.  I celebrated early mini-Christmases with my mom & Andy, and I spent Christmas proper in Atlanta with my dad's side of the family.  I got so many great gifts and felt very spoiled by my loved ones.  Andy & I surprised each other with BB guns, which was pretty hilarious.  Mine is pink.  I am sooo not a gun enthusiast, and never thought I would own a BB gun... But I used one at a friend's barbecue a while back and learned that I am pretty darn good at shooting balloons.  (What's next.. Pink camo?)  Andy also gave me a Chia Pet, something I have wanted more than anything in the world since I was a little girl.  I just think they're neat, ok?  Don't laugh.  So far mine is not growing, but hopefully I can share pictures soon.  Another particularly touching gift was a flash drive loaded with all of my dad's (amazing) recipes... Such a great idea!

I love these beautiful letterpress mushroom bookplates from my Aunt Dana so much...

My mom commissioned tiny sculptures of my pets... Shorty is particularly lifelike.  (Can't remember the name of the artist off the top of my head.)

Andy's brother & our sister-in-law sent us this mini pie maker and a book of handheld pie recipes... I think this is going to get us into a lot of trouble!  Delicious trouble.

Roasted watermelon radishes from Christmas dinner... so pretty & tasty!

After Christmas I spent a long afternoon with some dear friends visiting from New York, and I got to meet the latest addition to their family.  I made a bigger, baby-safe version of my snail out of soft, nubby fleece.

I think she liked it, despite the frown.

They are such a sweet family, and I really wish I could see them more often...

Andy & I spent New Year's weekend at a cabin in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee with a big group of friends.  I had never been to Pigeon Forge, and it kind of blew my mind. The entire (small) town is one great, big, kitschy tourist trap, especially this time of year, when everything is absolutely blazing with Christmas lights.  Pigeon Forge is home to Dollywood (sadly, it was closed) and a gazillion other crazy attractions (not to mention dozens upon dozens of pancake houses, mini golf courses, and go-cart tracks).  We drove to nearby Gatlinburg and took a (scary, precarious) chairlift up the side of a mountain to ride back down on a (scary, precarious) alpine slide.  It was really fun, despite a frigid three-hour wait in line.  I decided to continue the terror-adrenaline surge by riding a go-cart for the first time in 26 years.  (Have I ever mentioned my traumatic, humiliating childhood go-cart crash?)  I'm not quite sure how I did it, but I survived without incident, and I even braved the "pro" course.  I think conquering a life-long fear is a pretty good way to start a new year, don't you?

Why didn't I buy this sweatshirt? 

Fantasy Mini Golf in Pigeon Forge...

Our "cabin" ended up being in a gated community of many near-identical chalet-style "cabins" all stacked together on a hillside...  It wasn't quite what I expected, but it was very nice & cosy inside.  And there was a lovely view from our porch.  All in all, we had a great time.

Sigh.. back to real life.   I have a ton of work to catch up on this week, but I am planning to finish some new pouches for the shop very soon.  I've had some requests for more snail ornaments as well, so keep a look out for those.  I got inspired to design some little mushroom gift tags for personal Christmas gifts, and I'm considering adding some to the shop.  What do you think?

Wishing everyone much love & happiness in 2012!  See you soon...

♥

 

Silver & Gold...

Just had to pop in and share this vintage Christmas ornament my mom gave me yesterday...

So, so pretty!

♥

 

Winter Wonderland in a Jar

I took a little break from pre-holiday craziness last Sunday to get crafty with a few lady friends.  We listened to my favorite Christmas tunes and sipped delicious beverages while making snow globes and a gazillion yarn pom poms for festive garlands.  We used Martha Stewart's snow globe tutorial.  The instructions are a little vague ("dashes" and "pinches" always make me nervous), but otherwise it's very simple and easy to make your very own snow globe!  I think the hardest part was finding a cute figurine that was small enough for my jar.  (I found the deer at Michaels, and the jar was from some ginger spread that had grown moldy in my refrigerator).  I used E-6000 glue (trust me, let it dry overnight) and also added a little platform (plastic cap from an empty spice jar) so my deer didn't appear legless.  I would also recommend some teflon tape or a bit of glue around the jar lid for an extra tight seal.  I am dying to make more of these!

Predictably, my pom pom garland is sitting unfinished on my dining table, but I'm hoping to remedy that later today.  Once I started making pom poms, I found I couldn't stop!

I think I might add a dash of rich, mustardy yellow... maybe some pink or orange, too.  I'll take some pictures once it's finished!

Several people have asked me about pouches...  I don't think it will be possible for me to list any before Christmas, but I will definitely be adding some after the holidays.  This week I have to squeeze in a few handmade items for friends & family.  I'm sure you understand!  :)

I hope everyone is having a lovely & festive December! 

♥