Spot the CKD Apron!

Here it is Sunday morning and I’m perusing the photos at Project Nursery for some kiddo party inspiration. I was particularly drawn to this strawberry inspired pattern and found myself staring at the photo (by Maggie Russo) of the hostess… gee that apron looked so familiar.

I no longer have it offered in my store though it is available by custom order, but that’s the Bridget with the strawberry print. After lots of exclaiming, jumping around, and very confused looks by my in-law I settled down enough to share it on here. It’s the little things that can make me so excited!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

New Apron… in Pantone's Spring Colors!

I may have mentioned this before but I have a pretty decent ability to pick up on color trends. A year before my wedding I chose plum, sage, rust and gold. Everyone told me I was crazy that those colors didn’t look good together. Lo and behold, by the time my wedding rolled around those colors were everywhere (from pillows at Crate and Barrel to storage tubs at WalMart).

I was happy to see that I got it right again this year! At the end of last year I picked up a whole bunch of fabrics for some new aprons and accessories. These are the fabrics I bought:

Kona Cotton: Lagoon, Tangerine, Spring, Brown, Corn Yellow

And this is what Pantone came out with for their Spring 2011 colors (there are more, but these are just a sample):

Pantone: Blue Curacao, Coral Rose, Peapod, Russet, Beeswax

Not exact, but pretty darn close! And my brown and tangerine in real life look a lot closer to the Russet and Coral Rose. I’m pretty dang proud of myself!

Give Yourself the Gift of Southern Flourish Magazine!

Are you familiar with on-line magazines? It took me awhile to get the hang of them. I subscribe to only a few print magazines, but I like to curl up in bed or relax in a bath with them…. not quite as satisfying when you do the same with your computer (not to mention: slightly dangerous). But I’ve recently jumped on the bandwagon of computer based magazines as well. There are so many BEAUTIFUL on-line magazines out there that are full of the most gorgeous projects, products and pictures.

I hadn’t heard of Southern Flourish magazine before they contacted me to see if they could use on of my aprons in their Home and Garden section for their holiday issue (umm…. no brainer! yes!!!). I LOVE THIS MAGAZINE. And I’m not Southern. Far from Southern. Born in Upstate NY, living in Connecticut, I’m about as far from Southern as you can get.

But I definitely suggest you check them out. It’s $10 for the whole year (only $2.50 per issue, and the issues are big) and you’ll love it!

Here’s a sneak peek of my apron in a magazine… and in the spirit of that: Happy Hannukah!

Sewing Lovelies: New Fall Inspired Items in My Shop

Technically I should have rolled out the autumn inspired items in my shop before the holiday items, but I just got super excited about my Christmas aprons!

Though, to be fair, I’m probably equally excited about this wheat print. When A. and I got engaged and started wedding planning there was one thing we knew for sure. I wanted my dad, an excellent craftsman and carver, to design a woodcut motif that we could carry through all the elements. He took on the challenge and the result was a gorgeous wheat print.

To say that I used this motif “liberally” is an understatment. I put it in everything and anything wedding related I could!

All photos courtesy of Gallery 9 North, except the invitations and ketubah.

Clearly, I loved my wheat and it was just a matter of time until I could put it on some accessories! The Lexi set is coming soon, but here’s a view of the Bridget and Molly sets!

1. Apron 2. Dishtowels 3. Potholders

1. Apron 2. Dishtowels 3. Potholders

Something Lovely for the Holidays: Christmas Aprons!

I love, love, love Christmas. Every single little thing about it!

My number one Christmas love? Baking of course! (Followed by a VERY close second of Christmas movies). For some reason I have identified my dad as the perfect recipient of baked goods as Christmas gifts. I mean, I know why… he loves Christmas treats! But why him and him alone? No clue.

Every few years I give him tins upon tins of cookies: shortbread, butter, stained glass, peanut butter balls, sugar cookies, oatmeal scotties, mocha crunch, sesame crisps, you name it. In between those years I usually throw in a fruitcake (he’s weird and loves them) and now put into frequest rotation: cheesecakes (last year it was 3 plus sauces).

I have big plans for baking this year since I’ll (hopefully) have some more time to do so. And I promise to share my goodies along the way! I used this Christmas inspiration with my holidays kitchen accessories!

Apron. Potholders. Dishtowels.

Apron. Potholders. Dishtowels.

New Aprons!

As you may have seen (if you visit my Etsy shop) I have some new aprons up with the peacock, lemon and owl designs! In response to my giveaway I heard a lot of people asking for pink and brown (and green and brown and blue and brown and…) and I was happy to oblige!

In case you can’t already tell, the peacock feather is one of my absolute favorites of this group. The gray feather and rich purples is such a dramatic combination. I love it!

I feel like navy is going to be a big color this fall so I had to create an apron with that. Plus, I thought the owl eyes and polka dots went so well together!

Lastly, this red and yellow combination goes so perfectly with the lemon print. (I love the look of the set together!)

Here’s a peak at some of the other aprons recently listed!

Sneak Peek! And Thoughts on Gray and Pink

I had a very productive day in the studio today gearing up for tomorrow’s customizable product listing I mentioned yesterday. I couldn’t wait to share this Bridget apron with you! I love it for many reasons…

1. I’m a big fan of the Bridget apron to begin with

2. I love the look of the “L” monogram (being partial to the letter L after all…)

3. Polka dots, polka dots, polka dots!

4. I love gray and pink!

Now some musings on gray and pink… when I was in the 5th grade I rocked my mom’s gray and white sweater and my hot pink leggings together. The sweater was bulky with half length sleeves and dark gray and white checker pattern on it (checker pattern should be forgiven because it was the early 90s… I’m sure I had a matching scrunchie in my hair too). As far as my fashion choices went, this wasn’t close to being the worst; in fact I still think it was pretty good!** However, some dear friend made a point to tell me “Gray and pink clash. They don’t go together. Why are you wearing that?” I remember being very puzzled (and offended) because I was sure they did in fact go together. Clearly I was just ahead of my time because look at all the other lovely pink and grays I’ve found!

Roller Skates Tshirt, Light Gray with Pink from WrenWillow, Anna Necklace Light Gray Pearls and Rose Quartz Nugget from BGBJewelry, Sale Custom Baby Shower, Bridal Shower or Wedding Invitation by SweetPrintsShop, Nesting Bowls Pink and Gray Felted from ariadne07

**Here’s the worst of my fashion faux pas… at the age of 5 I decided I wasn’t going to wear jeans. This continued until I was 13 (hence the hot pink leggings). When I hit middle school I took to wearing really big long skirts and my dads sweater (my dads!?!) and striped converse sneakers. By the time junior high/ high school rolled around I was back to wearing jeans, but being out of practice so long I didn’t wear them very well. I earned the nickname “Highwater” for most of my high school years. Oh yeah, and I completely remember who told me gray and pink clash… clearly I haven’t moved past it!

Introducing… My Studio Buddy!

Here’s the Back Story:

About 2 months ago I get a call from my mom. She asks “Are you sitting down?” My first thoughts were “Is she getting married?… oh man, she’s not pregnant is she? (because that would be weird)” Next she says “I’m moving to Spain for 2 years! I’m leaving in 3 months!”. My mom had told us a year or so ago about an opportunity teaching special education on a military base somewhere. Well, she got accepted for the position in Rota, Spain and they didn’t give her much time to get ready for it!

So the past couple of months have been crazy. She did in fact get married and then jumped into readying her house to rent for two years. The latter has lead to emails such as “Do you want the brass candlestick holders by the fireplace?” Yes please. “Do you want my plants.” Yes please. “Do you need an extra iron?” PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! Then there was this good one “Do you want the bird?”

My mom purchased our first bird when I was around 8 and since then we had 2 parakeets (both have flown to birdie heaven), 2 finches who lead way to 3 more finches (all but 1 have joined the parakeets). So now she has 1 finch and the little guy needed a place to live. I couldn’t say ‘no’ could I?

I wasn’t quite sure how it was going to work out. My mom loved the birds, but I never felt much affection for them. They were noisy and messy and cleaning their cage is not fun. However he’s kind of like family so I took him and moved him up into my studio which is working out quite well! Here’s why:

a) He’s messy like me. I drop thread and fabric scraps on the floor and he spreads seed shells.

b) Like me he sings along to my music. Well I try to sing and he just chirps.. It’s nice to have some sound of life in the house.

c) He likes string and fabric scraps like I do! But he weaves his into his little hutches, obviously I make aprons.

PS- It’s really hard to take photos of a finch that’s camera shy and flying everywhere… especially when you need a new camera!

And now some birdie inspired CKD goods for your viewing!

All available at Curry Kay Designs!

Gifts for Giving (Or Keeping): Newlyweds!

This post is near and dear to my heart for two reasons: 1) I have on more than one occasion purchased a wedding gift to keep it for myself (side note: it was not purchased off a registry, I strongly dislike when guests purchase off of a registry then don’t give the gift, but it’s still missing from the registry… but I digress). And 2) Two of my nearest and dearest friends are getting married this weekend!

I met the groom-to-be on a crew team camping trip when I was 16. His tent was pitched next to mine and I asked to borrow his saucepan so that I could make Ramen noodles. I didn’t know his name and started calling him “Neighbor”. Fast forward to a few years ago when Neighbor says to me “I’m dating this girl and you’re going to love her. She wants to open a craft store.” He was right, I love his wife-to-be! So needless to say I’m most excited to celebrate their marriage with them and have put together this gift guide in honor of the happy occasion!

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Neighbor!

Left to Right, Top to Bottom

Keepsake Vintage and Retro Newlywed Yarn Wreath from KnockKnocking on Etsy: Yarn wreaths are popping up everywhere and though I’m not totally hot on the idea yet, I love this one! How sweet would this be hanging on the newylweds front door when they return?

Unique Wedding Luggage Tag that Wants to Travel with the Newlyweds from CestSuperbe on Etsy: Super cute. As a frequent traveler I love funky luggage tags and this is perfect for the honeymoon!

The Bridget Apron- Pink with Green Sundae from CurryKayDesigns on Etsy (full set shown): Need I say more? Perfect for a wedding gift or a bridal shower. Can be custom made to match wedding colors or with bride’s initial!

I CARRY YOUR HEART tiny text bowl and heart token set from Paloma’s Nest on Etsy: I love this quote (it’s also inscribed inside another friend’s wedding band). I’ve seen these used as the ring dish for the wedding but it could also find a place of prominence in the Newlywed’s home!

Tandem Bicycle Drawing Limited Edition Print 8 x 10 from CB78 on Etsy: How sweet is this? It’s a subtle reference to the new marriage, but also just a lovely print to decorate their house!

Bride and Groom Initials with Heart from Lara Leigh Designs on Etsy: Love love love this necklace. Perfect and simple!

Custom Silhouette Print From Your Photo from nelladesigns on Etsy: I’ve already extolled papercuts and silhouette prints here so I won’t go into too much detail. But isn’t this beautiful? I’m already thinking which of my own wedding photos will work…

Premium 8×20 Framed-Black Decorative Frame – Custom Alphabet Personalized Name Frame from artofwhimsyphoto on Etsy: I’ve seen these around and think they would make the perfect wedding gift (for the couple who share the same last name!). Funky yet beautiful!

Wedding Announcement Poster from LoveInLetter on Etsy: Such a creative way to announce a wedding. A perfect wedding keepsake, or as the description says, it could be used as a guest book!

Lovely Gifts for the Cupcake Lover

I had a wonderful first day with my shop so thank you to everyone! My kitchen goods make perfect gifts (if I do say so myself) so I thought I would design a Gift Giving Collection around two of the pieces and more specifically my cupcake design! So if you have a cupcake lover/ cupcake baker/ cupcake enthusiast in your life (or you are one yourself) then you may find a gem for them in here!(Left to Right, Top to Bottom)

Ceramic Straberry Pink Cupcake Cookie Jar from fruitflypie’s shop on Etsy: How sweet is this? Plus the combination of cupcake and cookies is genius!

Dish Towel- Green with Red Cupcake (Set of 2) from CurryKayDesign’s Shop on Etsy: Of course I’m slightly partial to these! The combination of heather green linen and dark reddish pink ink is one of my favorites!

Tiny Cake Stand… yellow ruffle cupcake plate from vesselsandware’s shop on Etsy: Love love this and perfectly sized for a cupcake!

Keep Calm and Bake on, 13 x 19 Print Powder Pink (Buy 3 and get 1 Free) from Keep Calm Shop’s shop on Etsy: Everybody needs a little kitchen art!

Mangolicious Delight Cupcake Dessert plates Quartet- 4 small plates – Wobbly Plates Series by atelier’s BB shop on Etsy: These are so gorgeous. Make sure to click this link to see the patterns on each.

Darla Boo from 4CupcakesSake’s Shop on Etsy: If you have been following my blog you know my fascination with food sold on Etsy and this is no exception. The cupcake comes in a jar to your doorstep. It’s the sweetest idea!

Vintage Cloche with Glass Pedestal, Plate, Shabby Chic, Cottage, Soaps, Cupcakes, Display by Bornanoldsoul’s Shop on Etsy: When you spend so much time decorating the perfect cupcake you want to show it off a little…. and now you can!

The Molly Apron – Yellow with Red Cupcake from Curry Kay Design’s Shop on Etsy: Again I’m biased… but this is one of my favorite aprons!

Cupcake Recipe Cards (Letterpress) from vermilionstarpress’ Shop on Etsy: Ahhh my love of letterpress and cupcakes finally merge. These are beautiful recipe cards (and I wouldn’t mind taking the cake behind it too!)