Everyday with Rachel Ray

About a million years ago, you know last February, I got an email from a lovely staffer from the Everyday with Rachel Ray magazine asking me if I had any tropical styled aprons. Yikes! There I was as knee deep in book edits and photo shoots for Sewing with Oilcloth.

I had just finished a day of styling photos with Meghan when I got the email. Exhausted, I headed out in search for tropical fabric that same night. When a magazine of such coolness calls you hop to it. Right? Right!

Things got complicated, they changed their minds a few times. They weren't sure if they were really going to shoot it anyway. So I never did send in an apron.  But, I was asked to comment (for real). "Can you tell me why a party hostess wants to wear a cute apron?" My response, "I love dressing the part of party hostess!  For me wearing a cute little hostess apron is a fun little nod to the glamorous parties featured in my mom's 1960's cookbooks. Who doesn't like playing dress up and pleasing her guests? It's just good fun!"

So the months went by and I nearly forgot all about these emails, it felt like a missed opportunity. Then on Monday I was standing in the check out lane and there was the most gorgeous hamburger on the cover of Everyday with Rachel Ray and I had to bring it home. You know that girl can cook on heck of a burger!!

Today,  I finally found a few minutes to spend with Ms. Ray and here staff of talented magazine people.  I remembered the Luau Party article as soon as I got to the table of contents. I was bummed, there was a very cute apron on a very pretty girl. The one that got away, right? But there was our little shops name in print. I squealed and ran around the house looking for my kids. I shoved the magazine in front of them and announced that Modern June got a mention. They were all like, "Cool. Whatever. What's for lunch." Mah, what do they know, right? I am totally honored and surprised for the nod!!! You just never know where life will take you.

By the way, we had ham and cheese bagels. Rachel wouldn't have approved.

Studio Makeover: WIP Roman Shades

I've been hording these salvages for months. Every time we make a new laminated cotton tablecloth I stuff the trimmings off into this little box. This weekend the box was overflowing so I took a personal sewing break. I am going to transform these into a fun and unique roman shade for my weird back window.

 

I had to do the first two rows over again, they looked more like ruffles than strips of salvage edges.

 It's still a bit puckery, I am hoping a high temp ironing from the back side helps smooth it all out. You never want to iron the shiny side of laminate cotton!!!

I've just set my machine to a rather large zig-zag stitch and I used the pattern in each print as a guide to line it up each new strip. My panel is less than straight but I don't care, it's going to make a fun window treatment. Sometimes perfection is overrated on personal projects, right?  When I sew for myself quick and dirty is the name of the game. I save my super-duper sewing for you all.

 

I told you that this window was weird. Originally this room was our homes (English) basement, but now that the boiler and water heater has been professionally walled off and the new and level floor has been laid it's my studio. When we did the work, some 6 years ago, we had planned to add French doors but money ran out and it never happened. While I am glad there aren't doors along this wall, I do look forward to the day when we have two windows to replace this ugly old thing.

I can't wait till Tuesday when I cut the next round of laminated cotton tablecloths so I have a much of new prints to add to my panel.

Friday Night Movies

One of the really great things about living in the Bellevue neighborhood is being able to walk to Once Upon a Vines parking lot every Friday to enjoy a Friday Night Movie. This week we watched Happy Feet. (love the music mash-ups in that super cute movie)

Everyone gets a sweet snack and a bubbly drink from Bob's array of non-alcoholic offerings and we all sit out under the stars and watch a movie that is projected upon the wall. It's really fantastic. I just wish I could take better pictures in the dark! ; )

Next weeks movie is ELF, a little Christmas in July!

I spy Modern June Party Banners...

 

Look at what I spotted at the Ashland Farmers Market, Modern June's oilcloth bunting. I get so darn giddy when I see MJ goodies out and about. This pink and green batch was made for Featernesters last year. I think they still have a few left, if you looking for some give them a call. For our regular Mexi-Madness pennants head on over to our shop. 

pretty little splat mats

We are just loving our laminated cotton splat mats. Laminated cotton is BPA and PVC free which makes them CPSIA compliant and good for baby! Check out all the pretty colors you can get them made up in! We trim them off with coordinating cotton bias to make them nice and pretty! They come in two standard sizes 44" and 56" squares, but we're more than happy to make one to your specifications.

New Party Banners!

You've been missing these, haven't you? I've been getting loads of emails wondering where our oilcloth party banners went! Well there are back and they are even better! They are now longer and have more flags per pennant, 14 to be exact. You can now write out Happy Birthday on just one of our Chalkcloth™ and Oilcloth banners.

Oilcloth Party Banners

Chalkcloth™and Oilcloth Party Banners

16 Happy Years

 

Sixteen years ago today I married my very cute hubby in a rose garden. There's my favorite snapshot from that very pretty day.

Studio Makeover: Roman Shades, Pick a print!!

Help, I need your input, which of these upholstery fabrics do you like best for the roman shades I am going to make for my studio? I was going to use the vintage bark cloth but they weren't wide enough so I thought something new and a bit trendy would be fun to mix in with all the other vintage fabrics I am going to use for wall art.

The prints are big and bold, each flowers about 8-10 across. Fun right?