MY Day off!

My day off...

It seems so long ago, I came down with the flu the next day! With the exception of going to the Doctor and the Chiropractor I have not been out of the house since. I need another day off now! Just kidding Don. We couldn't afford that!

Here's one of my best girlfriends of all time, you know that type your children call Aunt. Meet Aunt Squeeze. I received her as a friend in one of those "new boyfriend package deals" about 15 years ago. I still have the boy and her! If your in labor and you need someone to make you laugh this is your girl.

Pedicures, new shoes and lots of new cloths was just a bit of the fun that we had! I have 5 new shirts and not one of them is a V neck t-shirt from Target. I have grown.

We left the hats behind but not the attitude!

MY Day off!

This "virtual sticky note"on my computer when I got back home late last night. I was gone for 12 lovely hours! I have picture and details later!!! HE IS SO CUTE, SWEET AND WONDERFUL!

Hey Baby,
I hope u had a lovely afternoon. We are all great.

Maddie says "I love you, and I miss you a lot XOXOXO."

Aidan says "I love you mama. I miss you much XXXOOO."

Maddie stayed at the Simmons' till 6. We skipped going to Byrd Theatre in the hopes that you will join us Sunday evening. Cartoon Network had a not-so-appropriate movie that we watched, and all is well with the world. And yes, this afternoon, Aidan and I gamed till our eyes bled -- it was great.

I rewired your network connection this afternoon -- welcome back to High Speed Internet. BTW, being under the house is really gross.

No big projects for you tonight please -- u have been up since 6:15 AM (or thereabouts), and if u stay up late working on a project, you will be pretty useless tomorrow, and likely pretty miserable and/or sick. We want u to come to the movies with us Sunday, and I say this because I love you. I also want you cozy in bed beside me, .................. ;-)

XXXOOO
Husband

our little bit of spring

Maddie took this photo...wow she's good.

This is Aidan's tree. We planted it a week after I found him in the bathroom with a gallon size plastic bag over his entire head, he immediately passed out in my arms. By the time I ripped the bag off his head and carried him to my bed he wasn't breathing and was blue. My poor little boy. Three years before this horrible day, I had wanted to give birth to him in that bed but I was not lucky enough because he was a breech baby and a home birth was out of the question. But, I was able to give him a second breath of life through CPR on that bed.

Later that day, after an ambulance ride to the ER, Aidan told me that he was using the bag to be a spaceman, it was his helmet. To deal with the stress of it all I planted a tree and Don purchased this space helmet for him. Now 3 years later as I see Aidan's tree bloom I am reminded of how lucky I am and how great life really is.

Happy Spring!

These sweeties are for the Spring Bada Bing show. Oh I am so glad to cross these lovely button flowers of the UFP list. I am honored to have been chosen to attend the Spring Bada Bing hosted by the Richmond Craft Mafia, a bunch of cool ladies that I have met here and there at craft shows we have all done together! I like their tag line "rubbin' out the massed produced."

Richmonder's, Save the date! Spring Bada-Bing April 22, 2007 at The Marquee in Richmond, VA.

Now I know this is not an original idea in the craft blog world, but for months I have been trying to make my own little version. Here is where the original inspiration came from: first here at Posie gets cozy then here at creative little daisy where I found this tutorial at artsy- crafty babe. This is when I realized I just can not follow directions. I just couldn't make it as is!

my new shoes

I exchanged the shoes of the left for the ones on the right the other day. The sales woman asked me why, and I said I needed shoes that I can wear to the playground.

She then whispered to me "yeah, we have a lot of stripper shoes don't we?" Too funny! I won't quit my day job as MOM.

A long day!

How polished is she! I want to be the Lady in Red.




The mess on the table at 6 this morning was replaced by this by 9:30. I love when the Splat mat comes out! It is so cheery the kids are draw to it all day!
Tonight when Maddie lovingly washed and dried our splat mat she said to me "Momma we'll use that tomorrow too! You know we are famous artist. Want to buy a painting?"

Man I love them!
Maddie says she will be famous for her apple tree, she told Aidan her brother that she's been doing them since she was 4... I have the stack of paper to prove that too!

Who knows which "Aidan world" this may be but I love it great colors. Really great!
I see inspiration here!


I almost made it through the day with out yelling or being curt. But now fighting with my patterns that I keep in a itty bitty closet I lost it, sorry Maddie!

Here is view that I really don't want many people to see, Yup I used a commercial pattern once OK twice. The wallet is based one a pattern but I made my own after I tweaked the batookey out of it! The second time was for dear Sew Mama Sew. And that great apron is all mine!

Bored yet? Isn't if boring when bloggers self indulge! Hee hee hee, there's more!

I made this and this... one is for the wholesale order and one is for the UFP list

and I made this cuz I have wanted to make a half apron forever... shows are coming up quickly I need cool stock!


and then after dancing the night away with the families new toy I made a few mock ups for a new splat mat... Its all about the splat mat! here's a peek!

I knew that degree in costume design would pay off! Years of training and working my batookey of at the best theatres and on the coolest movies, well that was a stretch! I can design and I can pattern anything even at 16. I have my own mind, my own thoughts my own designs. I borrow from the past, I am inspired my my living room rug (left) and a pillow from a year old magazine (right). Life is good! Right?

Look what I found today!

OK. It was not today that I found it, but I had to go looking for it in the mess that is my home in order to share it. So look at what I re-found today!

Isn't it incredible? Of all the places I go, I found these two lovelies in the woman's locker room at my gym! I know that sounds really strange but there is a place where you can trade books. If you bring a book then you can take one.. well I now owe two books.

I had the worst nights sleep. I really need to get on the treadmill and walk but I am so tired. I tossed and turned all night. I was mentally redesigning my splat mats. (OK... that goes onto the list of things "I never ever thought I would say out loud") I came up with some good ideas!

Over Christmas break, Don bought a used Gamecube. Well, it joined our world this weekend. Don and the kids had a blast. I was working my "batooky" off all weekend, on this week's constellation lessons and putting out on-line fires. Anyway, its here, and it is plugged in. THE THING that I said would "NEVER EVER be in my home" and "MY KIDS WILL NEVER EVER?...blah blah blah...

Well I love it! Not only because it is really fun (Dance Dance Revolution is awesome!), but because with it comes new rules in our home. We are in need of some structure reinforcement around here, Me included. So, here is the new week day rule..."No Gamecube until ALL homeschool lessons are complete." I mean, "don't even mention the game box thingy to me!" I also need a few rules myself -- no more Modern June until the school day is done. Multi-tasking is killing me! No shipping, no emails, no cutting, and no blowing off the day to sew! There I said it. One more for "the list"! Sorry, I am in a mood! Sleep deprivation.

I am off for tea, and to flip through my new lovely book. And then to run off some of my fatigue on the treadmill before the kids invade. Have a good one!



This is what is on the other side of my table right now. Don't go thinking "Wow she can sew, run a itty bitty business, homeschool, AND keep a clean house." Cleaning up this mess might also help my mood!

Be Creative and love your babies today!

tie one on

OK, I am in the midst of a Wholesale order and I have to teach 15 homeschool kids all about the constellations at our Thursdays EDU Co-op. So what am I doing sewing for myself? Good question. I am having sleepless nights thinking about RIC RAC! If you have never seen this blog and this crafter go check it out, Tie one on is having a Ric Rac challenge and well "I am GA-GA about Ric Rac" Literally I have woken up in the middle of the night thinking about how I could show my love (obsession) for rick rac and use up my bits of left over supplies!

So another one for me to "tie on" you can see me wearing this Crazy thing at the farmers market this spring! I can't wait!

New Oilcloth Handbag

Two years ago we were a little early for Maddie's Little House On the Prairie book club and what do I see ESTATE SALE signs pointing me to vintage handbag bliss! I found this little cutie.

That same spring Don and I went to New York City for our 10Th wedding anniversary, I took my bag. It is a great city bag, you do out with a bit our essentials and then you buy a bit of this and a bit of that and you can pop this bag open and add you loot and look cute.
I have added a great strap and an inside pocket so we can find our poor keys and cell phone! I never ever could find them in the vintage one. Well the dear old friend is looking so ratty that I will now be displaying it on the wall in my studio while I am making new ones.

Oilcloth lovely Oilcloth!

These two lovely Oilcloth aprons are packed and on their way to beautiful Sofia, Bulgaria They are for my new friend Yassen, at 6'5" you can guess he would need to find someone to make custom aprons. I love the internet. How else could I possibly know such a nice person so far away. My kids and I have had a lot of fun learning about Bulgaria. Thank you Yassen and enjoy your aprons.

Crazy for Daffodils

I Kelly "Martha Stewtart Wanta Be" McCants do solomly swear on a very big stack of gardening books that I will plant buckets and buckets of Daffodils in the fall. Obviosly this are not my Daffs. I heard Don say once "Kelly used to be a gardener" OUCH, fighting words!

The UFP truth!

I must confess. I left a bogus comment over at Jenn Maruska's blog, its one of my favorite craft blogs that I found via the Esty forums. So today in an attempt to run away from my children for a bit I went through my news reader. On Jenn's blog she asked this question...

"If you are in the middle of a creative project ~ leave me a comment! I'd love to hear what you're up to! So here was my LIE, I didn't mean it really. I am just delusional!

Hello, the other day I was frantically looking for a pattern. I had been looking for it for days. So I tore into my shelves, baskets and piles I found out that I have a problem…I live in the land of UFP. That is UnFinished Project Land. I counted 8 unfinished Tote bags, 9 unfinished children’s aprons, 3 unfinished Oilcloth aprons, 1 oilcloth Market tote that only need to be topstitched. And lets not mention the new spring handbags, which lie there halfway constructed. I refuse to count them!

Here is real state of my

Land of UnFinshed Projects

• a huge stack of button flowers
• about 15 oilcloth wallets half cut out
  
• 3 Market Totes, one only needing to be top stitched. (shameful)
  
• 3, no 4 Oilcloth aprons
• 57 fun fabric glass magnets (promo)
  
• 4 stuffies-lovies
• 7 new spring handbags
• 10 half apron cut out in December
• 9 children's aprons half complete
• 8 totes that need linings.
• way too many little girl kerchiefs!
• 1 fabulous necklace that I already made once and it totally feel apart when I put it on... that is why I sew!
  
• untold numbers of silky scarves, I am not opening that bin! you can't make me
  
• 1 yoga bag I was making for myself but I don't do yoga so that one doesn't count!

And to top it all off THE DARN PATTERN was right were it should have been. URG!

Alright... glass a half full, I organized my fabrics. Aren't they pretty! And I also put my patterns in order I even made little dividers to separate them in categories. It's not glamorous but it's a start!

I love a productive freak out!

I guess I should consider this a head start on the spring and summer shows and markets and not a really big problem. In this case I still have over a month to get things wrapped up...hee hee hee. Yeah, right.

Sew Mama Sew

Check this out my pattern review was posted yesterday on to the Sew Mama Sew blog. Go forth and shop at the Sew Mama Sew shop!!! It truelly is my favorite online fabric store.

Well I am not off to sew like the wind before the kids 9:30 Spanish class and History co-op. Gotta make this for Kimmy's little one this morning. Happy 3rd Birthday Anwen!!!!!!

Blurb and Beautiful new "Diner Apron Collection"

Oh looky, looky! I've made it into a magazine! Our local glossy, Richmond Magazine, did an article on one of my favorite stores: House of Lukaya! I have a lot of Modern June items there. The store is in Richmond's Shockoe Bottom district. If you’re local, you must go and see Lucretia -- she carries her own clothing line and body products, as well as great locally hand made jewelry, soap and soy candles. Also check out my friend’s tie-dye baby cloths -- they are “TO DYE FOR”. Too many fun things to mention, so just go and shop!












Here's what my little blurb in the magazine says...

“Kelly McCants' line, Modern June, is all about vintage inspired pieces for the hip housewife. Her handmade aprons keep outfits neat around the house, but look cleverly cute if guests arrive early or unexpectedly.”


Cherrylicious! That is what I call it! All right not really! Not really here is the new Diner Collection from Modern June! Yum Yum! I showed this collection to my dear friend, pseudo mom and neighbor Janet to day and she said it best. She said something like this "It is what you want you business to be". Yes indeed, I agree! I started out in May of last year buying up old vintage aprons with the idea of selling them at our local farmers market. I quickly started making my own. This is exactly what I was hoping to make! I am so thankful for all the creative juices that are on running high! There is so much more to come you should see my pile of unfinished goods. Yikes, I am having such a blast! I have listed the line over at Modern June ~ Etsy


This apron was my inspriation, this is for M.E.'s 6 birthday! Her Dad works at home so M.E. goes up and takes his order everyday for lunch just like at the diner! Lynn, her Mom and I worked together to make this super retro apron just perfect! Check out Lynn's craft blog.


Happy Birthday M.E.!

Want one too, I made extras! I'll have them listed soon on Esty.