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.

Show and Tell Challenge!

My lovely friend Karen owns a lovely fabric shop called Venezie Fabric in Boston and sells her fabric on Etsy as well. A few weeks ago I bought some of the pretty Country Lane fabric from Bari J and we quickly used it to make some very pretty aprons. Well guess what Karen is having a Show and Tell Challenge to win a nice gift certificate! You know mamma always needs more fabric so head on over to her blog and vote for my aprons! VOTE #11!!!

Todays 3 aprons!

 

Ava Apron in Pretty Periwinkle 

Today's three aprons are all cotton and all sassy! Remember when you purchase a Modern June apron to add "I LOVE MODERN JUNE APRONS" in the notes to seller box so you get free shipping. Offer lasts all month. See ya tomorrow with 3 more aprons of love!

Our Sweet Jane apron in Blue Polka Dot and adorned with a Cupcake

 

Sassy Sweet Jane apron in red polka dot with a sweet cupcake

Last minute gift ideas for Mom!

This is the "What? You forgot Mother's Day? Really??" face. I know I don't want to see this face. Mother's Day is the weekend and Momma expects something fabulous and we've got ya covered!  Order any of our ready to ship products by Wednesday and we will happily wrap it up pretty and send it right to her via Priority Mail.

We have a lot of totes, aprons and pillows ready to roll!

Does Mom, want to pick out a something custom made, like a one of a kind oilcloth tablecloth from Modern June?  We've got just the thing... our new gift certificate's will do the trick! 

National Tie One On Day™

National Tie One On Day™ has nothing to do with purchasing anything special or even driving!

Participation is simple. On the day before Thanksgiving, November 25th this year, pause in the preparation of your own meal, wrap a loaf of bread or other baked good in an apron, tuck a prayer or note of encouragement
in the pocket, and tie one on…an apron, of course! and deliver the wrapped bundle to someone without your bounty… a neighbor, friend or family member in need of physical or spiritual sustenance, a bit of recognition or just a kind word.

craft show madness

With two days to go till Spring Bada Bing, life is madness! This is not a typical craft show for me, nope, this is the first time I am helping to put on an indie craft show. My part has been small but just watching the check lists fill up to almost done is amazingly stressful. We, the Richmond Craft Mafia, have 14 businesses and 15 members so the To Do list is wide spread. Thank you for members that rock!

Any way, here is a sneak peak at a few new aprons that I have cranked out in the last day or two. Splat mats are product of choice lately, so it was fun to make something different. My new industrial works just a nice on cotton as it does with oilcloth.

You would not believe what my family has to put up with? I have set up half of my booth display in the dining room. What a mess! This should help out with set up. I always fret so much about the booth, where it is and how it will look. I am glad to have the chance to work it out at home first. Why didn't I think of this before?

Well I am off to the Shipping and Handling Department...oh yah that is the dining room too! Come to show if you know what is good for you! We don't want to have to put out any hits of cool peeps! The Craft Mafia is so crafty it's scary!!!!

Keepsake aprons

These are the aprons that helped start it all! I made these for the kids out of the kids favorite outfits for Christmas in 2003 and they wore them for years. Maddies was a baby doll dress from The Gap that she refused to give up and Aidan's apron was originally favorite little romper that he had worn that summer.

When I took this photo I realized that the aprons were way to small. The photo is fuzzy but I love it so! I soon started making aprons for children's gifts, then later that year I started selling a few vintage aprons here and there. Now look what's happened a nice little cottage industry!

x0x0x, Kelly

new and blue

Well I just can not figure out what to do with my pink Alexander Henry fabric so I have moved on to blue world. Not all these are new aprons, some I have had at shows but have yet to list on my Modern June Etsy shop. Some are just being re-shot using my new camera tricks.




In addition to the Etsy Lab information I was lucky to have a quick photo class with Tasha and some other crafty divas. We all gather at Tashas house and had a how to set up a light box. With these pictures I am trying to set up a big ol' light box. I have a LONG way to go. I need to go shopping & get some proper lamps, daylight light bulbs and some more white fabric. But for today this will have to do. It is fun to play around with it. The kids have learned a lot today about light and shadow. So is that an art or science lesson?





I sent my awfully washed out photos to Tasha to get her opinion. I love her, she did some serious photo shop wizardry and got them to look this good. Now I need a photo shop how to. Tasha how about Tuesday? No seriously check out my listing for this blue cherry apron, the first shot is her doctored one and the other four are my doctored photos. She is good. I have a long way to go!!! Oh, help me.

aprons

This is sweet little story that my Aunt Julie sent me! Enjoy

APRONS

I don't think our kids know what an apron is.

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, but along with that, it served as a pot holder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.


When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

Send this to those who would know, and love the story about Grandma's aprons.

REMEMBER.........

Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool.

Her granddaughters set theirs on the kitchen counter to thaw.


I miss my GRR!

cherrylicious

cherrylicious, originally uploaded by ModernJune.

I get loads of wisdom from my wee ones.

Like...

"Your studio was better arranged the old way." said Aidan in the car one day. He was so right, I rearranged the room the next day.

And "You should just go down and sew because the faster you get to work the faster you will be done." said Maddie when I was sick earlier this week

But the best one so far was last night when all I wanted was to go to bed instead of cutting out my remaining cherrylicious apron orders....

"You know what you should do Mommy? You should design a totally new apron, ( I LOL) no really with new fabric and a new shape. You should do that now."

Oh my! that cracked me up. And the funny thing is he was right again, that was exactly what I do to keep it fresh. When I have a hard time getting something completed I often need to make some thing totally out of the blue instead of finishing the order. This way I can actually go back and do the order really well, I am all refreshed and back to my crafty goodness. It is like my version of writers block I guess. Well I did not take his advise this time but I am taking Maddies! Cherry aprons are on the way!

FYI I am making an extra diner apron so if you want one for Christmas tell that man of yours to go and grab it quick!

Order Up!

As seen on TV

I have to say it is a big news week her at Modern June! I have orders pouring in, wahoo. I have a give-away at apronistas. And this morning my girls Beth and Dawn were TV craft goddesses! Check out the crafty goodness here on the WTVR website. They were awesome, and they got the hosts of the show to were Modern June aprons! I love it. So as seen on TV....

shopping!

A bit of shopping! My friend Suzanne well, one of my three Suzanne friends, is a great jeweler. Today she had an open house at Hunter Lange She makes quirky and fun items. Check out what I got!

The shop is really great too, tons of vintage holiday items I really wanted to buy everything! They had vintage Christmas tablecloths, vintage snowman and snow lady salt and pepper shakers! and loads of old ornaments! I wish I had my camera! I will have to go back! SOON!


I am all excited about this little number! My newest vintage apron, I needed it or it needed me! Suzanne has one like this too. She described it to me months ago, we were so excited that I was able to get it. I need some new ideas, I have an itch to have some new apron patterns. This will prove to be an inspiring apron. It will be fun to see what my version will be like!


This little number is reversible, love that!

Peppermints!

Ok this set of pictures is a big tease! I don't have any of these to sell! If you have to have on I suggest checking them out at Feather Nesters! Go quick those ladies that shop there are serious about their aprons. Last year they were fighting over my aprons! That rocks! Like a NYC sample sale. Ok maybe not like that but fun to hear.

apron sets!

I thought I would show you some of the set that have been sold lately! It makes me so happy to think of someone's kitchen being all kitsched out with my stuff.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Ok with the help of some Colin Firth I was able to get something done last night!

Here is a sneak peak at my Christmas goods! What do you think? I am so in love with this red Oilcloth Apron! The print is too vintage! And how about the border!




















Here is my Vintage Christmas Tree Skirt made out of oilcloth how retro is that?

These guys say hi!

B is for...

B is for beer and blog

B is for bottles of buttons.


B is for a box of bias.

B is for a bunch of blue BEA'S.

aprons in the wind!

I am here and alive just very, very busy! I promise to chat soon!

Apron Strings

I have started a new Flickr group called " Apron Strings," I hope you all join in on the crafty fun!

Aprons
you love them
you wear them
you collect them
you covet them
you treasure them

But how do you Display them?

That's what I want to see at Apron Strings. Posie Gets Cozy has them hanging on the wall in several rooms. I traded aprons for soap with a fellow vendor that had her aprons up as curtains in her kitchen. I saw a table cloth made out of aprons on HGTV the other day...

So get them out of the drawer iron them up and get creative and then grab the camera and show me what you come up with. They are art after all!

My door of aprons is a mix of vintage and ones that I have made. I love this photo. The rooster apron came from my friends Aunt. She gave me three of her great Aunts Aprons. How cool is that? I could not sell them, so I kept one and gifted the others. This one had a little note pinned to it. I love that!

The other one is one that I made with sew mama sew fabric. I need to get those finished and listed soon.

Holly Hobbie and Scissor Shirts

I just couldn't help but share this moment! Maddie, tired of waiting for me to make Holly Hobby a new apron, just made her own. She did it all herself except for the cutting, I cut it out because she is a lefty.

This i my childhood Holly Hobby, she has been well loved. She not only misses her apron but her braids too. My best childhood birthday ever was my Holly Hobby Birthday, I was 10 years old. There was blizzard blazing outside but my mom still took me and my friends to The Pizza Inn. We were the only ones there big surprise!!!! My mom had a cake made in the shape of my prized doll! I was so surprised! It was one of those icing dot cakes...It's all about making a memory, thanks Mom. You can tell that I snagged this photo. Sorry.

I need to buy Maddie a proper pair of shears. That would be a good birthday gift. Yes, a sewing kit! She would be to trilled! I really need to teach both my little ones to sew this summer!

I almost forgot, speaking of shears, check out the t-shirt I ordered off esty! I can't wait!!!! I really wanted a tunic dress t... I get that when I lose all that weight I am planning of losing this summer. Very sexy stuff. I really want the yellow shirt for Don. Too fab!

circularaccessories

I really love the story behind the graphic...

"These were my grandmother's sewing scissors that I now use for everything. I have honored them with this silk screen. I drew them with lots of line detail. I hand pulled them in black ink using my table top press."

I want them all! Got that sweet hubby?

To find circularaccessories head on over to her Esty site!

She has a flickr page as well a great blog! Go check it out!!!