new shop items//posies

vintage upcycled fabric posey--bright floral craze

It's no secret that I love estate sale shopping.

The thrill of the chase is so fun and it makes for a really entertaining weekend at times. 

Well, one fine Saturday we girlies went to an estate sale, after walking through my usual rooms (kitchen, dining room etc) I made my way to the bedroom closet, and there I found it. Behind the granny sweaters and 80's cast-offs, there was the mumu; bright, cheerful, and nearly sliding off the hanger, it was there.

$4 later I was the happy owner and as soon as I got home I promptly pulled out the seam ripper and got to work on the gargantuan material. After cutting and singeing I sewed these bright beauties together (surviving with only one burn!) and now I present them to you. 

What do you think?

vintage upcycled fabric posey--peachy keen 

Personally, I think they'd make a great addition to your Mother's Day gift package.

Just say'in...

At any rate, I've been making some marvelous knitting discoveries (as you may have seen from this board); already I've added this bonnet pattern and this knitted top to my project list. Now the knitted top is kind of a really big deal for me, I've seen many knitted tops gone wrong in my short lifetime and I don't want to be that person walking around with an ill-fitted fiber top (perhaps you've seen sometime like that before). 

However, this seems like a pretty fool-proof pattern, and my hopes are high.

More on that later.

new tidings

{vintage inspired dessert pedestal---spot on floral} 

We're taking a brief break from our regular blogging schedule to fill you in on a few of the happenings.
First, I wanted to show you the new listings in the etsy shop! If you've been looking for a dessert pedestal or place to lay your keys, our new vintage inspired dessert pedestal will do the trick! Perfect for dainty delectables or any collections of items, these two dessert stands are sturdy, upcycled, and quite vintage.

{floral whimsy} 

As always, we love doing international shipping and gift wrapping, so please let us know in a message or "note to seller" if you require either/both---we're very happy to oblige!

{nursing cover---amy butler lou lou} 

Also new in the etsy shop is yet another hip, fun nursing cover! Don't you think Amy Butler fabrics make breastfeeding in public so fashionable? We are really loving the stormy grey/warm pumpkin combination, the light blue adds an interesting dynamic to the fabric.

As I were listing this item, I realized how many different names there are for this one item!
Nursing cape, nursing cover, breastfeeding apron, hooter hider, and breastfeeding cover just to name a few;
what do you like to call them?

This week I'll be meeting with a few people to discuss an upcoming work opportunity (more on that later) and preparing for a baby shower, among other things (like chasing little munchkins, having tea parties, eating raw macaroons, making biscotti, and braiding hair). Around this time last year, I was preparing for the bridal shower of a sweet friend, now I am preparing a baby shower for the same friend---it's very sweet. :)
Also, I am working on a few projects for my crafty partner in the Oh, Hello Friend Shop Swap; this will be my first and I've really enjoyed it so far, pictures to come soon!


What sorts of tidings does your week hold?

of paint pens and peanut butter m&m's

{Butter Yellow Baby Booties}

Yesterday I started my first painting project (pictures to come!); a dear family has commissioned me to make name signs for their children and this week I've started with the so-far youngest child's name. I'm happy to say that with a fine tip paint pen, calligraphy on canvas is indeed possible! I'm very exciting to finish the lettering part of the project today and begin the decorative bits tomorrow (or later this afternoon?).
To be quite honest, I really haven't done much crafting with canvas before and was so pleased to discover that there really isn't anything to it, at least as far as my projects are concerned. So, watch out, you may just see a flood of new paint items in the shop soon! At the very least you can look forward to tomorrow's post where I'll show you the process and the product thus far.

What sorts of things do you have in your crafting schedule?

Another small tidbit for today is a note on the startlingly positive influence of peanut butter m&m's. For the second time this month my darling mama has bought a big bag of them and they are currently being held in our Vietnamese serving bowl in the china cabinet. A great practice in self-control as the door of the cabinet opens pretty loudly. ; )

{Octobre}

I know, I know, you think those flowers are pretty cute but despite your searching, you can't find them in the shop!

Well, that's because they are a part of the freebies you will receive when you order anything during the month of October!

That's right, each L & B item comes with a free of charge posey,

just because. : )

So, in an earlier post, I shared with you some of my goals for September, and as it is the beginning of a new month, I thought we ought to review and check off some things on our list as well as listing what we actually did: *sigh* here we go,

Organize Closet (again)---hehe, yeah, this halfway happened. : )

Create business goals for 2012

Post Fall 2011 Line for Shop (knitting, knitting, knitting)

Make two more projects using UK yarn (post to come)

Begin video series (Youtube, here I come!)

Research, research, research for my Light bulb Idea (again, post to come!)

And here are some of the things I actually did (that didn't make the list above),

Researched things for Etsy shop (lots of fine print reading)

Collected more items for my Light Bulb Idea

Knocked another "craft to-do" off my mental list

Odds and ends that I can't think of...

For our final list, here are some of the plans for October,

Pack gifts for Dubai friends

Plan and announce "Early Christmas Sale" for L&B

Create channel and post Youtube video

List another item to the vintage. section in the shop

For the first time, ship a sold item to an international destination (way down under!)

Contain my excitement of meeting several wonderful young women at this conference

(Are you attending as well? Let me know, I'd love to meet with you!)

I'm so looking forward to our time during the conference in North Carolina! We plan on making a mini-family roadtrip out of it and are driving up a week early to enjoy Charleston, a bit of the beach, and a fabulous little town called Hickory (I. can't. wait. A!!!); the fall colors, weather, and the search for fun little gifts along the way are just a few of the things I'm anticipating.

I'm also so excited about our first early-Christmas sale.

The sale will last for the entire month of October, right in time for our shop vacation (which will last until the end of December, I won't be able to ship things while I'm in Dubai!). Keep checking back for the details and coupon codes, also for the cut-off date for custom orders. 

What are your October plans?

collecting

{source}

This past weekend we were traveling between Austin and Houston, 

a perfectly very normal occurrence around these parts, but what wasn't normal was pulling over at the first sight of a "The Biggest Sale Ever" sign. This happens enough at home but not between cities; typically we fly through, trying to make it to our squishy loved ones just as speedily timely as we can, but--praise the Lord!--my Dad can be kinda spontaneous sometimes and as he knew that I am in a "collecting eclectic plates/platters" mood, he pulled over. 

I'm so glad he did.

You see, I'm on a hunt; about fifty plates, teacups/saucers, and various serving platters are the object and I'm excited. Can't tell you exactly why yet (I need to make sure this is actually going to happen before I tell all), just know that I'm excitedly searching. The end.

Also, this past weekend, I was reminded why I love sewing (quick results). I made a nursing cover for a sweet friend (can't wait to meet you, Asher!) and I made pillow covers for the first time; perhaps one of the favorite parts was the fact that I was making them out of coffee burlap sacks collected from a wee coffee shop in New York (we miss you R family). Photographed finished results to come. 

In other news, I'm also looking for frames. Ugly ones, big ones, ornate ones, small ones, dainty ones (you get the idea), all to create a trail; a memory trail going upstairs (rather like the first picture in this one). 

Yesterday I found one, ???? more to go! As it is kind of a weird shade of green, I'll probably paint it black (or black or mustard or pale grey? hm...let's see); for now it's in my room (next to the finds from this weekends spontaneousness). This has opened a can of creative thoughts, mostly about creating my silhouettes of my family, to be mixed with the photo/memory trail, BUT I think I'll collect more frames before I start.

Any new projects brewing for you on this fine--wet!!--Monday morning?

Happy Summer Giveaway!

Well, summer is here all bright eyed and bushy tailed!
We've been at the pool, in the sprinkler, and trying new ways to cool off
(let me know if you try it--we're big fans here!)
Hence, the slight lapse in blogging time, we've been a bit busy around here!
More on that later...

Also, I've added a few new items to the Etsy shop, please have a look around and let me know what you think and what you would like to see more of in the future!
I'm also interested to know what you all think of the newest addition to the summer line, it's a bit different but I've been wanting to expand my creative horizons. ; )

Now for that giveaway. *grin*

I'm very excited to announce

the very first giveaway for Lemons and Blueberries!

Thanks to Sarah from forgiven. love much,
I've been inspired to give away
two skeins of vintage Italian Mohair.
These treasures were found at a recent estate sale and are entirely clean and unused;
I tried to find more information on them but couldn't! If you happen to know the dates or more info, please share--I'm always interested in the story behind what I find.
For those of you new to mohair, it's a wonderful world. : )
Just by following a simple pattern you can make things like
this Cat Cay Cowl, something out of this look book, or these fun Sabrina Mits.

So here's how it'll go down:
From July 1st to July 2nd
the giveaway will be open until midnight, July 2nd.
1. Follow my blog (if you don't already) and
leave one comment below and include,
2. The nutshell story of how you met one of your
kindred spirits/dear friends,
3. and your email address (I'll get the winner's
physical address after the announcement).

Here's a few important p.s.'
*I'll be shipping no later than July 8th
**I will be covering international shipping, so those in Kenya, Kazakhstan, and Cadiz, feel free to join too!
***It's very important that you provide your email, that way I know how to get your physical address!

I'll be announcing the winner on July 3rd, so stay tuned. :)
Let me know if you have any questions.

That's all!

Living. Sewing, Studying. Rest. Repeat.

Here's the post about our progress with our Dubai Covers!

Well, after a fabulous start with a sweet friend, we got to work on

the cutting and sewing of the other fabrics when our dear machine

decided it wouldn't cooperate!

So, as you can't sew on an out of service machine,

we went back to the craft room of our sweet friend and had a wonderfully

productive sewing day!

(As evidenced by the first four of our covers that you see!)

Thank you very much for having us, Mrs. Julie,

and for being so flexible!

It's no small offer to have two young women work

in your craft room during a school day

and we're so grateful for the opportunity to

visit, sew, and experience life in your home.

So,

Merci. Gracias. Danke. Grazie.

I hope you enjoyed this quick preview of our progress.

{heads up}

To make things a bit easier on our end,

we'll be selling our covers through this blog and not on my etsy shop,

but more on those details later!

Due to life and a wee bit of sickness in our home,

(Not to fear! Your covers will come "germ-free"!)

we'll get details and pricing up soon;

thanks for your patience. :)

Now back to living, sewing, studying, and-hopefully-rest.

Repeat.

{Dubai Covers}

{Wooden German box-estate sale find}

As I type this, there are yards and yards of fabric around,

all washed, pressed, cut, and ready to be sewn!

In posts past you've read me go on about a new project that is pretty large-scale.

Well, today and yesterday, the idea became a stack of fabric and

the inspiration was worked out with a rotary cutter and hot iron in the craft

room of a sweet friend.

So, to give you a wee history, we have these dear friends named, the Neal's:

{the Neal Children (except for Mr. and Mrs. and Little Joy)

with Mica and Caro, taken last year}

We haven't known them terribly long but they hold a dear place in our hearts.

What strikes me the most about this family is their love and passion for Christ;

it's infectious each time we are with them.

I so appreciate the loving yet firm way they are raising their family

and the way they are training them in the fear of the Lord.

I could write for a long while about the funny things they've said and

brilliant ideas about the direction for bedtime stories.

We all love spending time with this dear family and

miss them a great deal since they moved to

DUBAI

Yes, way over in the United Arab Emirates.

Mr. N is a pilot and it's his work that has taken them across the pond.

They may be on the other end of the world but be assured that they

have continued to share their love for the Lord wherever they go.

I love hearing their stories of gospel centered conversations and

people they have been able to build relationships with.

Since they left around two years ago, Mica and I have hoped to be

able to scrap our small savings together for the plane fare and traveling

expense of visiting them. Well, this year we got serious and our parents

are willing to pay for half if we come up with the other half of the expenses.

At once we began scribbling out ideas for raising the money we need.

Mica and I are very excited about the prospect of

seeing the work they are doing and

spending sweet fellowship with believers

from that part of the world.

Here, I present you with one of the ideas on the list.

DUBAI COVERS

Also known as nursing aprons, breastfeeding covers,

or hooter hiders (take your pick);

with everything ready to go, we are stitching up our very own

"Dubai Covers" to sell as a way to raise money.

We sew 'em, you buy'em, and we tuck the proceeds away for our plane ticket!

I'm sure you know someone (or perhaps this would be for yourself)

who could use a good nursing cover. They're fabulous for breastfeeding mothers

who like to be more portable with their babies, and it definitely

beats throwing a blanket over yourself while your hungry little

one is protesting. A great baby shower gift idea or maybe even for that

"someday" when you hope to have babies of your own.

Plus we've chosen some pretty cute summer

prints, so in a sense they're also practical fashion accessory.

And with each cover you purchase,

the profits go towards our part

of the material cost for going to Dubai.

You get a cover and we are able to get one step closer to flying to the U.A.E.

Easy. Peasy.

I'll be back here with the specifics on prices, colors,

and where you can purchase these "Dubai Covers" but for now,

it's sewing time.

Sea Glass

{Design*Sponge}

Color B is one of my favorite "I really don't know the name of it" colors. It reminds me of a day on the California beaches when I found a piece of sea glass, lost the sea glass in a move but I still have the memory. It also reminds me of a cozy little cottage by the sea in England, and a particular room in that cottage where you can smell the salt and feel the brisk air but still have the comforts of a wool sweater and cup of something.

Not quite sure where that is either but it makes for a nice thought :)

This week I am working on a lace scarf for my sweet friend Amanda, as she is temporarily moving up North (Brr!). The yarn is the same used in the hat that I made her but I am trying out a different lace pattern. It's just complicated enough to keep me from being bored but just simple enough to do while talking--perfect!

I'm also planning out an embroidery project for my sister,

check out Amanda Soule's shop banner for my inspiration! I'm afraid I can't tell you more until the unveiling at her casa (I want the final product to be a surprise).

Stay tuned!

What is keeping your work basket full these days?

{New Shop Items}

{All Posters}

Here ye, here ye!

There are fun new things happening in the shop!

A new banner and new items to show you,

so make your way over there and peruse through, and let me know what you think!

Be sure to check back here for more fun products, my closet/studio is bustling with new ideas and products while my knitting basket is full of new (and old) projects.

Needless to say, as full as my time is I always enjoy custom orders and I can make time for something that fits your fancy--

--don't be afraid to ask!

I hope that you're as busy with new inspirations and well-loved hobbies; it's wonderful to have things that full and make use of your time.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Today I am packing for the Texas hill country for a long weekend!

I'm looking forward to spending time with my Grandparents and family there, as well as

some fresh tamales and empanadas,

long walks and hot tea,

Old Christmas movies and popcorn,

Giggles and lots of Spanish!

I'll meet you back here Tuesday for some fresh inspiration and possibly a tutorial

(as long as I can find the pictures!).

Bon voyage.

p.s. You might have seen the items featured here on the blog!

{Fall Sale}

I've been pretty busy lately and very grateful for the different projects.

Here is one that I'm very excited to share with you!

It's all about the brand new,

Lemons and Blueberries

Fall Pre-Etsy Sale

15-22 October

For fans of the Lemons and Blueberries Facebook fanpage, you can get in on our exclusive Pre-Etsy prices!

This means that our fall products are ready and waiting, but before I upload them onto my shop I wanted to offer some special prices to you!

Just visit the {Fall 2010} photo album and search for the exclusive pre-Etsy price!

Remember, the sale ends the 22, October!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Not on Facebook? It's easy, just contact me and I'll send you the pictures and prices :)

Enjoy.