A Bookish Life

Bookish Baby

In this round of Baby Madness, I've found real joy in the art of creating a cute, cohesive, and practical baby gift. Not to mention the moment you decide to surround your little one with something other than the requisite pink or blue, you are certainly out of luck.

And for these reasons I started thinking about the Bookish Baby line- sets of matching products in clean, simple, and modern fabrics.

I designed a stuffed star with long legs that are sized for those tiny grasping hands.

And a quilt that doubles as a play mat and rolls up for easy storage.

Finally, a set of two diaper mats- the lifesavers of my first three months of motherhood. Gone are the days of changing the sheets and laundering blankets until they are worn through. Gone are the days of those hideous white changing covers/mattress protectors that pull apart after two trips through the wash.

Set number one is in the shop!

Day 15

Today I worked on wallets bound for Alter Ego. This little trio needs only to be paired with their buttons before being tagged and whisked away.

Its been a rough seven days and I find myself thinking uncontrollably about swimming. Perhaps tomorrow I can set aside a few adult tasks. Perhaps the house will be clean and the work will be done. Perhaps I can barrel toward the water in my hand-me-over maternity tankini, submerge my heavy heart, and leave all those cares beneath the surface when I leave.

Days 10 and 11

I'm completely sold on the idea of having a little girl after making this little jumper as a gift for a friend. The picture's a little fuzzy, but you probably get the idea.

The buttons are hand-painted and really just a smokescreen to conceal the highly practical snap shoulders. The size is for a large baby, pre-toddler. I have so many more of these little dresses dancing through my mind, and another similar present (for someone else) sitting on the cutting table.

This was a day 10 creative project. I keep trying to find the energy to tackle day 11, but I sure am not there yet. In fact, I'm still operating at a deficit. The only thing that is promisingly tempting is this tantalizing dinner idea. It's not exacly the time of year to find eight ball zucchini at my local produce market, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Just Zippy.

Days one and two brought zip pouches to the Make Something Everyday month. The elephant one is for me and the others will make their way to Alter Ego in a couple weeks. It's a quick project with a slow hand-sewn finish which is a nice reminder to just sit quietly for a bit.

I find myself really marvelling at a new year, already here. 2007 was thick with obstacles and unexpected joys. A baby, a lost job, a new job, a trip to Paris, a sick dad.

Looking over the year, I have to quantify its high points in the great books of 2007. These didn't all come out last year, but that's when I found them. Mark these firmly in the unexpected joys catagory:

The Used World, by Haven Kimmel
Run, by Ann Patchett
A Moveable Feast, by Ernest Hemingway
A Taxonomy of Barnacles, by Galt Nieferhoffer
Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, by Barbara Kingsolver
The Winter of Our Discontent, by John Steinbeck
Purity of Heart, by Soren Kierkegaard

Double Duty

There's been some headband buzz lately; I've gotten several requests to please stock the shop again. Slowly, but surely the shop will fill-- starting now.

This is the new Scarf Headband, aptly named because it acts as a wide headband or a small neck scarf! It is extremely effective at tying back the most unruly hair (see also model above) and features a small asymetric stripe set jauntily at the side.

Honestly, I was planning my Paris wardrobe and facing the problem of not wanting to fill space with accessories, and yet still wear very basic mix-and-match clothes (I think I'm only taking black and white). This allows me to stash a bit of color and alternate between the neck scarf and headband. And who can go wrong with a little splash of Liberty fabric?

The picture above is merely the prototype, and stays with me. However, other styles hit the shop just minutes ago! There's also one new skinny headband, and more of both to follow!

Something a little different

Ta-da!

The Valise Bag: a completely different approach to the purse. At least it's different from the tote bags I adore. Of course, the tote bags will still be around. There may even be new ones in the shop soon.

However, I started to get slightly curious about these long, boxy bags. What do you think about them? I would love to know.

Wednesday is Wallet Day

So, Wednesday is wallet day and I added four new wallets and two new mini satchels to the shop, including this one-- entitled the Fifties Kitchen Wallet.

Only a few days left to prepare!

I'm hoping to finish up a few more quilts, a few overnight bags, more totes, more wallets, more, more, more.

I took a library break from all the ironing and sewing yesterday, and it was glorious. Perhaps part of being Bookish the company and Bookish the girl is that it is really quite easy for me to regain composure. Just give me some towering shelves full of books and I feel a little bit better.

Happy Wednesday!

Tuesday is Mini Satchel Day

There are new Mini Satchels in the shop! Instead of adding all the new items today, I will be focusing on key Bookish lines each day. Today is the mini satchel.

The mini satchel is the bag that I am currently carrying-- being a small bag kind of girl myself. I can fit multiple books, my wallet, and lotion in this bag. And that is all that I ask out of a purse. I love the long strap and the way it never creeps down my shoulder while my hands are full.

Hint: I think Wednesday is Wallet Day. Who can resist the double W?

Waiting for Buttons

Bit by bit, we climb mountains

Slowly I am adding to the online shop, with the Spring Bazaar in my sights.

The Leisure Toile Wallet is a lovely combination of chartreuse toile and brown with a brown and white striped vintage button. Everytime I make a new wallet, I fall in love with them over again. If only they weren't so dang cute.

Tomorrow Brian and I are making a landmark trip for Bookish Coffee. We're going to pick up the commercial roaster. We're going to hold our breath, bring it home, and be one giant step closer to the coffee roasting industry. The barn (with the constant help and patience from our master builder) has been built and primed, we've tasted and ordered the coffees we plan to carry, and we only feel excited about this consuming venture. I dearly hope you all have a lovely and commercial-free Easter, and come next week I plan to post pictures of the new roaster!