Featured on Modish!
posted by Zee at
8:25 PM ::
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Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008? + WipI've been thinking about this blog lately. I don't feel like deleting it, but I also don't feel like being here as much as when I started it. I don't have amazing, impressive and great writings for you to read and most of my visitors come after tutorials and I also don't feel like posting tutorials anymore for the public. I also don't feel like writing in my mother language either. I am not conecting at all in blogland these days. I am still making things, sewing, taking photos...perhaps I should turn this blog into a speechless photoblog. I still like my blog...so confusing! Wip: making dolls with vintage wooden spools and some clothespin dolls. I made some dolls with wooden spools in the past and my son loves them so much. He confiscated them for him and now all my wooden shadow boxes (the ones I bought months ago and I never did anything with them) are in his room. He likes to play with dolls since he is a little baby. It's funny because he is a boy, but I will never stop him. He also loves plush toys and toys made of wood. As for clothespin dolls...you probably have seen a bunch of them in blogland lately, hu? I wish to make them a bit different from what I've seen around the web... The cat doesn't really look like a russian doll as I was expecting...it looks just like a plush cat. I've stitched his face with floss on linen. I used my own pattern to make this cat. I still have to add his tale and a pin rosette. The heads are attached, now they need dresses! I promised a few for my son... And Tobias the real cat is enjoying his summer time! Today 3 cats will visit the Vet's office for immunizations. See you...have a great week. Labels: clothespin dolls, handmade by me, handmaede, personal, wooden spool dolls
posted by Zee at
10:36 AM ::
Friday, June 20, 2008Lazy DaysSummer: the heat makes me sleepy. I feel like taking naps, but I actually don't take them. The little bugs in this home have energy for all day long. I woke up this morning with my oldest son scratching my back. How great is that? Lots of hugs and kisses and all the birds singing outside make me think and be sure that life is so good. I smile, jump off the bed and see the time. Oh my, it was 10 am. We all woke up at 10 am! Luxuries of a stay at home mum and kids. I am still sleepy. I've been having gorgeous dreams lately. Usually I dream with the beach, crystal water, beautiful waves and butterflies. What makes me really happy about them it's that they all have some sparkles, like fairy dust or something alike...so funny! I had a dream with my grandpa (he died in 1994) another night. He had zillions of tiny and yellow butterflies covering his mouth and when I approached to him, to look closer they started to fly away with all that sparkling fairy star dust!! It wasn't sad or whatsoever. I really dream with my grandpa often. I miss him a lot! He was the best friend I ever had... I can't wait to see the ocean next month. Hotel is booked, air tickets were bought. I am more than ready to put my toes in that water! I love the beach. I wish to live in California one day. So expensive... I must convince hubby about that, maybe one day, when the economy is good again. I've been making bags and pouches. Slowly...I am never in a rush. I often like the results, but at the same time lots of projects get ruined, because I am still learning a lot of new things. I don't throw anything out. Last night I spent sometime sorting scraps of fabric. I cut some squares for a possible patchwork...started a cat matrioshka...yep...a cat, a russian cat! Look at me, a brazilian girl making russian cats. That's right. I have brazilian kites to make as decoration for kids' room but I don't know if they will work well or not with fabric, so...let me make them first and if they turn out good looking, I show you. My succulents are blooming. My cats are fatter than ever and we had lady bugs just for the fun of watching them going crazy to the nature! We bought them at Home Depot. They also sell praying mantis, but in the cocoon.  I've been learning to heart these family moments rather than (outside family) friendships. Not that I consider friendships none important, but the family friendship and bonding between us are the most important for me. Making friends are not as easy anymore like when I was a tween, I feel like that after having kids. My heart is filled with my children, my husband, cats, our home and a craft once in a while. I keep my mind busy all the time. I heart friendships, but I am really lazy person to make them happen. Speacially online friendships...and, there is nothing wrong with people or with us. Sometimes people just don't fit to our life style, we are so busy and time just goes fast. It's funny how we change after years. Once I would worry very much if people would like me or not. No worries anymore. Take me or leave me, it goes like that! What a good week. I sent a package full of craft supplies for her. She had a very cool idea and as I had so many things that were in my drawers for so long and no use...so, it was a great and late spring cleaning. I am not sure that she will like what I am sending (style), but I sent it with all my good intentions.  We go hiking, we find lizards, we stop to see the mountains and enjoy the sun! On the photo above you see my husband and my oldest son wearing a brown t-shirt and helmet. We watch Gilmore Girls (that I never watched before) before going to bed and I like it. Ha! I thought I would never like to watch american soap operas, I guess because the language...I would not understand the jokes, slangs...now I get it. Sometimes not. Nothing better than a soap opera to learn a foreign language. Hehe! I've listed two items to my little shop this week. Go see them! Have a great Sunday everyone! Labels: personal, photography
posted by Zee at
9:20 PM ::
Saturday, June 14, 2008Friday? Already?I've been thinking about blogging since Monday. I can't believe it is Friday already! Summer is the busiest season for me. I have both kids at home and they beg to go outside, to ride their bikes, to be in the pool, to take a walk...and somehow I have more energy in this season. I even cooked today. I mean, I always cook but I am talking about good food. I don't like cooking but it's a pleasure for me when my kids are excited to eat something special that I make. I made a good soup today and fried yucca roots. Have you heard about these roots? Yucca roots are what we call in Brazil aipim, macaxeira or mandioca. I never make fried foods. I avoid fats as much as I can. I do an exception for yucca roots that are so much part of the brazilian culinary and very popular down there. Peel it, cook it in salted water and when soft, not mushy, damp in really hot oil. Not too long, because you don't want it too hard. The best is when is crunchy outside and soft inside. Today is Saturday. I could not finish the post last night. I was too tired. I guess I did not mention that our trip to Brazil was cancelled. Yes, we must wait a bit more. We will spend one week in California in July. My children haven't seen the ocean yet. Well, the oldest did but I don't think he remembers it. I bet it will be a blast! So, I can go back to my sewing room and make some pretties for this Summer. I've listed some totes in my Etsy shop last week. They were made of my own pattern and ideas. Yesterday I started to work on something new. Super colorful. I dyed the linen with Rit on stovetop. They say to stir the fabric back and forth in the pot and they mean it. If you don't, the result is no good. I had to redo the process once and I think it looks nice now...
In my opinion these two look great...
I have more linen to dye in red and orange. I hope to show you next week!
This is my work in progress. I am loving it. Yes, it's a bag. Very soon I will try other things, like crazy colorful pouches, brooches, collages... I can't forget to mention these books I got a few days ago. I've seen a lot of people talking about Lotta and her cool ideas for printing on fabric. I've been thinking about trying these ideas this Summer...with my own drawings, of course! The another book is D.I.Y (Design it Yourself) by students and faculty in the Graphic Design MFA program at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. For those that are looking to learn something about Design, it is a nice start. It was published in 2006. I am looking foward to learn more about graphic design.
Another book that I got not long ago and I think is the best in the subject, it's called Craft Inc. (Turn Your Creative Hobby Into a Business) and it comes with great advices and important stuff we need to know if we would like to go business with our little arts & crafts. I like to surround myself with these readings lately. I wish that one day I can have real profits from whatever I do. These links take you to Amazon. Happy Shopping and happy weekend! *Lotta Prints: How to Print with Anything, from Potatoes to Linoleum  *Craft, Inc.: Turn Your Creative Hobby into a Business  *D.I.Y.: Design It Yourself (Design Handbooks)  Labels: handmade, handmade by me, Links
posted by Zee at
12:28 PM ::
Saturday, June 7, 2008Just a little show and tell...
Because as always, my time is hectic. You can't read about this anymore, I know. Nothing really deep and dramatic comes from my soul to put on the blog and I don't find it really necessary. So, better show what I've been making regarding sewing activities...
This is the second zippered pouch I make in my life...    Labels: handmade, handmade by me, handmade pouches, zippered pouch
posted by Zee at
10:07 AM ::
Friday, May 30, 2008Making totes...As I've mentioned before, I am making some totes for the summer. These were the first ones made and they will be on Etsy shop soon. I don't have full photos at the moment. Stay tuned for more... I am playing with different fabrics and being less shabby at this time. I am loving the machine stitchery on linen. How about pleated tops for these bags ? Linen is so cool to work with. I am looking for true natural linen. At Joann I find this linen labeled 100% linen, but I wonder if there is any blended rayon in it...I purchased some linen look yards of blue, pink and yellow as well and they are blended...hmmm, if you know any shop that sells great natural linen, would you send me an e-mail? Thanks.
Labels: handmade, handmade bags, sewing
posted by Zee at
10:21 AM ::
Saturday, May 24, 2008Migrating...I am so very busy these days. Kids got the cold and I've been working on my last batch of bags for the summer. It will be my last try as a Etsy seller, if goes well I keep moving on this idea, if not, I will probably quit. I am taking notes of everything I put on each bag. Calculating precisely my expenses and the time I give to them. These totes I am making are getting really well made and I am proud of them. I allow myself to work 2 or 3 hours a day only. It's hard with kids around me. I don't work every day, some days are just impossible. I have this need of making something to myself, I like working, I like challenges, I like to see the results. I like to sketch an idea and put in practise... I am migrating to a Mac computer and I am waiting for some super cool programs like Photoshop CS3 to install on this great machine. Oooh, I am so happy. My Sony laptop goes to hubby and the older one, the first laptop we got, goes to my brother. I am really loving this new computer. It's awesome. It has 1 GB of memory and I can add 3 more GBs. It's not difficult to deal with it, it's different, but it's a great choice. The images on this mac are incredibly beautiful. I have to forgive my ignorance, because not long ago I brought this computer home and I took it back to the store...I thought I did not really needed it. Maybe I didn't, maybe I don't...whatever...I am very satisfied now! I will be back when I get more time! Have a nice holiday!  Labels: personal, Shop Updates
posted by Zee at
9:08 AM ::
Friday, May 16, 2008Cars, lady bugs and links...Little kids always have tons of questions, hu? We walk my oldest son to school every day and nearby lives a neighbor that has 2 cars. One is red and another one is yellow. Vintage cars. Bebezinho always stop in front of their house to ask why those cars are the way they are. Why those cars are small mom? Are they for small people? What kind of cars are these? I usually don't have the greatest answers. I suck, speacially when I am moody. Ha, another day the small yellow car was inside the garage, the garage's door was open all the way up. The red one was parked outside. Little one asked again and I had fast answers at that time: Him: Mom, why that yellow car is inside the garage? Me: Resting, taking a nap. Him: And why the red one is outside? Me: sun bathing. I know, it's probably silly. I am a mom, you know? So, these are my stories. BTW, we saw a bunch of lady bugs without the dots (I don't know why some of them don't have the black dots) on the way home and we thought that they were dead. We brought some home and alas, they were all alive. We placed them with my succulents. A bit of watching and taking photos and we let them go back to nature where they belong.
I like succulents a lot. I have 5 different kinds in the office, by the window. It's the best spot for them (that particular window). All I can grow indoors are succulents, orchids, kalanchoes and mini roses. Everything else I tried to grow, did not survive. I don't bother with gardening outside. We got snow another day and it killed what I've planted. I give it up. We are going to a long trip soon and I can't watch my flowers. All I have indoors will be sent to my father in law, including the cats. I am afraid he doesn't really know about this yet!!! Have you seen the snow we got here another day? Tomorrow it's going to be warm, up to 80 degrees or so. Crazy, but finally a bit of heat. One day is cold, super cold...the another day is warm! As for our trip...I really hope that at this time, we can go to Brazil. I don't have the dates yet. We might even cancel this trip one more time. Because of that, I am doing a sale over my Etsy shop and the only thing that I will upload these days is the set of postcards. When I come back, I will decide about making things for sale or not. For now I have some gifts to make. I am thinking about dying some natural linen, printing fabric with my own designs, try some new embroidery, use my vintage camera I got several weeks ago, to make some ttv photos... I am not being too crafty or creative lately. As I said, I've enjoyed home and kids. I think I will be blogging once a week, since I am not making stuff all the time. I think I am already blogging once a week for quite sometime, hu? I don't even know! I do want to focus this blog on the handmade by me thing. I can't force myself on making new things every week just to keep up with this blog. Wow, when I think about what I have done in the past to keep a blog...going to sleep after 1 am, skipping important things in life just to belong online...really people, loneliness stinks. I don't even like to remember. I promised to myself to manage my time, to cut half of my computer time and I don't regret it. I wanted to say hello to everyone, I wanted to visit all the blogs, I wanted to see what people were doing. Enough. My son's room is getting nice, I think. I like to search for vintage items to decorate their room. I got that globe for 12 bucks in an antique shop. Those on the wall were pages of vintage kids books. I have more to frame. I really like vintage illustrations for children! The vintage quilt I got last year. It was a great find for a lovely price!!
I've learned a lot, it's true. This is a great thing. I never though that one day I would sew bags and make websites. I have stopped with the web design (hohoho, no I don't consider myself a designer or whatsoever) mania a long time due my new time management. I just know enough to put a simple website together and play a bit with Photoshop graphics, textures, layers, brushes... As for sewing...oh my gosh, 5 years ago, I could not even think about it. Sewing for me was not possible. All right, I knew a little bit, because as everybody else, mom and grandma tried to teach me when I was a kid, but I wasn't interested. I wanted to climb on the trees and play cars. Kinda tomboy. When I tried to sew curtains for my son in 2003 I gave it up. I kept my brand new sewing machine (the one I use now) in the closet for 3 years and in 2006 I started from nada. Destroying fabric, making tons of mistakes...I still don't have the best skills, but I get there. I don't feel like going further with web design though. All those codes...nah...too much for my brain. I just wanna learn enough to make my own websites (if I need one). That's it. I almost forgot some links that I kept on my favorites and I would like to share with you... Brazil: Now I find this delicious açai (blended with other fruits) drink and coffe available in town. Also, Havaianas are being sold at the local Dillards. Yay! Kids: Cool craft projects for kids over Bloesem (super cool blog for all things children, I love it!!!). Inspiration + Window Shopping: Decorative Country Living, Flutter, Taj (love the song that plays too...haaaa!), House Doctor, Design for Mankind. No more...you guys have a great weekend!! Labels: Brazil, Corners of My Home, Links, personal
posted by Zee at
8:04 PM ::
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Bitter Surprise!I was expecting a sunny and warm day again! Yesterday was windy, just like the other days, but it wasn't cold. We went outside without jackets... This morning I woke up and the first thing I did was to open the curtains. I am shocked. Totally shocked! What is that? Is that snow? Really? Hahahahahahaha! I am still laughing. Schools have 2 hours delay due the weather conditions, that's the good part. Let me go back to bed... We are probably skipping the summer and fall...my son just said: " mom, it's winter again!" So, let me wish you a happy Christmas!!!
Labels: weather
posted by Zee at
7:08 AM ::
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 Zee ♥ mom of 2 little boys, wife, cats, photography, Photoshop, crafts, sewing, handmade things, Rio de Janeiro, Arizona... hey, my mother language is portuguese! If you like what you see, get a cup of tea and enjoy! Thanks!  Pixie Blossoms © All Rights Reserved.  blog (at) pixieblossoms.com  Follow me...   
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