Busy

The New York Times recently ran an article lamenting the constant "busyness" of our society.  Since then I have been more aware of describing myself as busy.  But I can't help it.  This week I really am busy.  This is the week of looming deadlines.  Nathan and I leave for Kauai for his brothers wedding early Sunday morning.  While that is really exciting and I am really looking forward to a little tropical relaxation, there is so much to be done before I leave.  In addition to all the little life maintenance that needs to happen before a trip, I am working on a few different commissions that need to be wrapped up before I go.  So no time for a How To today.  I am too busy trying to wrap up the project above.  I think it's coming along nicely.

Fixed!

You may remember that my old sewing machine broke down way back in April.  I was lucky enough to have a friend who was willing to loan me hers for a while.  But I've got a bunch of sewing projects coming up and I figured it was time to bite the bullet and take mine into the shop.  It turned out great!  I found a shop near my mom's place that services machine in house.   My machine was ready to pick up in less than 24 hours and she's sewing like a beauty.  Look at those even stitches!  It's wonderful when things work right.

Portfolio: Abstract Embroidery #1

The post is coming a little late today.  I was finally finished up this abstract embroidery I started months ago.  I was inspired by the incredible work of the Erin Endicott and wanted to play with more free form and textural stitches.  This is just a little practice piece, but I found it really relaxing to stitch, when I could find the time.  I think I will definitely keep playing around with this style of embroidery.  What do you think?

Eating: Mexican Style Grilled Corn

In L.A. we call this elote, and you buy it from the man with the cart on the street.  Sweet grilled corn is slathered with mayo, cotija cheese, hot chili, and a squeeze of lime.  But I try not to eat too many things that have been slathered in mayo, so I came up with a California version of this Mexican classic. 

Etsy: Picnic at the Beach

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Summer may be my favorite season, though I suspect I feel that whatever season it happens to be at the moment is my favorite season.  I've been lucky that I have always been able to take an extended summer vacation.  However, this year with all the work I'm doing here on the blog and for private clients, it doesn't seem like much of a vacation at all.  So today I'm taking a mental vacation by imagining the perfect beach picnic:

I'd whip up one of these adorable vintage swim suits, and layer this sweet nautical skirt.  Perhaps some nautical jewelry to finish the look, and of course a pair of vintage shades to protect my eyes.  I'd carry a sweet old-school picnic basket and stretch out on this waterproof picnic blanket.  Of course summer isn't summer without a cool glass of lemonade, these pink depression glass tumblers are perfect. 

What would you have at your perfect picnic?

How To: Hanging Planter

A couple of months ago I was helping a friend and recent transplant to the Bay Area run some errands at Ikea.  I love digging through the as is section for hidden treasures.  On that trip I found three lovely, lacey hanging planters.  They didn't have any hardware to hang from and so I picked them up for only a couple of dollars each.  I am a nester.  Even when I knew the move from Oakland was imminent, I couldn't resist a good hanging planter.  Here's how to make your own...

Trip to the Nursery

I'm finally getting back into the swing of things after the haze of exhaustion that followed the moving process.  This week I finally finished a planter project I meant to make for the Oakland house.  Now it will find a home at my mom's place.  So my mom and I went to the nursery to pick out some plants for it.  Originally I was thinking succulents or ferns, but I changed my mind when I saw all the beautiful herbs.  There were the familiar ones, but also some herbs I had never seen before.  It was such a delight to walk through and smell each one and we couldn't help but take a few tastes too.  It makes me long to have my own garden again.  Check back tomorrow to see which ones we chose.

Goodbye House

Yesterday was the day.  We moved out of our little home in Oakland.  Even with as much work as I thought it would be, it was a lot more work.  I guess that's not a bad thing, because working so hard meant less time to be sad about leaving.  But I know I will miss it.  I woke up this morning ready for the summer ritual of walking for iced coffees and morning buns in Rockridge, only that's not walking distance from Los Angeles.  So I looked through some pictures of our little house.  A few I took at the end, and a few from the good old days.  It makes me wish I'd taken out the camera at more of our barbecues, but I was always having too much fun. Goodbye little house, I'll miss you.

Getting Ready to Say Goodbye

The past week has been consumed with packing our apartment, selling off and donating most of what we own, and saying goodbye to all of our favorite places and people in the Bay Area.  There are a few things I have always wanted to do that I now realize will not fit into the next three days.  I've always wanted to visit Alcatraz, camp out on Angel Island, and ride my bike across Golden Gate Bridge.  But those things are not going to happen before I pack up my little Honda and drive south on Wednesday morning.  One thing I did get to do today was eat a banana split at Fenton's.  I first became aware of Fenton's when I read that it was the inspiration for the ice cream shop at the end of the movie Up.  When I first walked by it on Piedmont Avenue it looked enchanting.  But there is so much good ice cream in the Bay Area.  Humphrey Slocombe, Bi-Rite, Ici, Lush, and Scream are all making great ice cream and sorbet in refreshing and experimental flavors.  Ici is walking distance from our house and I die for their Earl Grey.  But part of me doesn't want gourmet ice cream for my adult palate, part of me wants a banana split.  That's what I got today at Fenton's.  It was heavenly, I don't know why I waited so long.   I've already asked Nathan if he'll take me for another one before we leave.

Etsy: Road Trip

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I love looking at through Etsy to get a feel for what artists and makers around the globe are working on.  I am always amazed at the variety of work one can find on nearly any topic.  As I get overwhelmed with the packing process, and feel sad to leave such and wonderful community as Oakland, I remind myself how excited I am for what lies ahead.  So I searched "road trip" on Etsy to get a little inspiration. I found posters, projects, and little gifts to say thank you to my hosts along the way.  Doesn't it get you in the mood to hit the road too?

How To: My Favorites

 Wire Wrapped Necklace  |  Engraved Glass  |  Upholstered Headboard  |  Beginning Embroidery

In honor of my 100th post, this week I'm rounding up a few of my favorite How To tutorials so far.  For the home, for wearing, and for fun these are some great projects to fill these long summer days.

Adventure

 

Photo: Simon Alander via Stock Xchange

Today is my 100th post on Maxwell Handmade!  It feels like just yesterday that I took my first photos to document the cards I made for Valentines Day.  I wasn't fully aware how much my life would be changing at the time, but I had a feeling it was the beginning of something big.  I've told you that Nathan and I are giving up our cozy home, but I haven't told you why.  Well, I've decided to take some time off from the daily grind of the day job and go on the most epic road trip ever!  

Over the summer I will be taking mini-trips around the west coast.  I will be visiting Los Angeles and San Diego here in California, and then making my way north to Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver BC.  Thanks to Nathan's generous family, we will also be taking a trip to Hawaii for his brother's wedding.  But the real fun starts in the fall when I'll be heading east.  Ill be taking 10 weeks to circle the country with major stops in Austin, New Orleans, Savannah, Asheville, New York, Western Massachusetts, Chicago, and Madison.  My goal is to seek out fellow makers across the country and hopefully discover a little about how to others make it work making for a living.

So expect some changes coming around here.  I'm working on a re-design, and there will be a fundraiser coming soon for those generous friends who want to help me on my way.

 I will be posting regularly through out this adventure so keep reading to see how it unfolds.

Yard Sale

Nathan and I have lived in our little home for three years.  The thing about our home is that it's not so little, it actually has quite a lot of storage.  I know, I'm the only person ever to complain about having too much storage.  But the thing about storage is that no matter how much there is, it gets filled up.  As a result we have way too much stuff.  I've been spending that past few weeks sorting through all of that stuff and deciding what is essential, and what we can part with (painful though it may be).  So tomorrow we are having a yard sale to do the parting.  I'm giving up a bunch of arts and crafts supplies, about a quarter of my wardrobe, fun stuff for the kitchen, and some games and storage things for kids.  If you are in the neighborhood, stop on by.

Etsy: DIY Invitations

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Wedding invitations can be stressful and expensive.  They set the tone for your event and give our guests a hint at what to expect.  DIY weddings are getting more and more popular as brides do away with old formalities and want to create a wedding that shows their own style.  Having custom wedding invitations designed and printed can be pricey, but taking the task on yourself can be overwhelming.  A custom stamp is a great way to split the difference.  Your invites will have a handmade feel, without the expense of a custom design.  Urban Collective, Stamp Out Online, Saint John Street Press, and Fictive Fingers all have a variety of customizable stamps available through Etsy.

Happy 4th!

Photo by nickolatte via stock.xchange

Happy 4th of July!  I have simple needs for the 4th of July, I want to eat grilled food and I want to look at fireworks, maybe I want a slice of pie as well.  So I will remind you of my favorite grilled chicken and the best rhubarb pie.  If you live the Bay Area check this list to find some fireworks tonight.  And have a slice of pie for me.

Handmade Invitations: Adam & Hana's Wedding

I was so happy to finish up and hand of the wedding invitations I designed for my dear friend Hana last week.  I feel like we were able to come up with a design that will set the mood for the festive and handmade wedding they have planned.  It was important to Adam and Hana to have their friends and family participate in the wedding, and they didn't want any part of it to have a mass-produced or cookie-cutter feel.  Because of the printing method and materials each invitation is just a little bit different.  I don't anyone could mistake these for mass-produced.  It took a lot of work, a lot more than I thought, but it was also a lot of fun and a great learning experience.  I am so glad I was able to help Adam and Hana create invitations for their special day that are as unique as they are.

Organizing Embroidery

 

So far my efforts at packing our apartment have focused on packing my studio area.  It's been hard bringing myself to part with some of my tools and supplies.  But it has also made me more aware of all the great materials I have to work with.  I found multiple stashes of embroidery thread around my apartment this week.  When I laid them all out I saw that I have a pretty limited palette in my work.  I have a bad habit of buying new floss for every project. I like going into the craft store and picking my colors from the hundreds on the shelves.  However, I realized I was buying similar and sometimes the exact same colors over and over again.

So I'm getting organized.  I am sorting and tagging by color and code before winding each skein onto a bobbin and threading them onto rings.  Next time I am picking colors I can easily look through my own hundreds on shades before heading to the store.