holed up in the studio

the last loose ends of my first wholesale order are all tied up and a big batch of matryoshka sachets and aromatherapy compresses will soon be available at doubledutch boutique in baltimore, maryland! i'm thrilled to have this experience under my belt and if you're in the area, i hope you'll be able to stop by and let me know how the display looks! well, i wouldn't be opposed to you buying something either, wink wink.

i've been busy in my workroom with several custom orders as of late and haven't been able to come up for air much lately to photograph or work on my own projects. that's ok though, it's great to have people coming in search of handmade items for the holidays and i feel special to be able to play a part.

i did manage to stitch up one of my matryoshkas, complete with a sturdy red twill loop and stuffed with polyfil...and wah-lah: a lovely little christmas ornament now available in the shop!



i better get a move on for now though...my cats are stalking their way into my workroom to tell me it's time for their dinner. i wouldn't be surprised if they tried to start gnawing at me if i don't get up and fill their bellies!

a giveaway for you

here it is! the giveaway loot! i kept it a bit simple since i'd like to be able to give away smaller amounts of things but more often. and more giveaways = more winners so that's good right?!

this giveaway includes:
—1 compress filled with organic flax seeds and scented with lilac essential oil
it fits perfectly over your eyes or forehead whether you have a headache or just want to relax and drift off into sleep! you can freeze them or heat them in the microwave for 1-3 minutes for muscle pain too.
—1 matryoshka doll sachet that is packed to the brim with fragrant organic lavender blossoms
this is completely hand sewn and slip-stitched shut so you have a nice clean seam. you can put this in your pillow, with guest linens, or even in your knitting bag to keep your yarn stash smelling lah-ver-ly!

so now, how do you enter to win this great loot for relaxing? i'm going to try and keep it simple this time, sooo...
—just leave a comment on this post telling me about your favorite way to relax and how to contact you should you win. no anonymous entries and just one entry per person please.



i'd love for one of the individuals who have left their wonderful comments or helped me reach 100 followers to win this so i am not going to be advertising this giveaway on etsy/facebook/twitter/etc. and i would please ask that no one else do so. I will open up future giveaways though to a wider audience, this one is just my way of saying thank you directly to YOU! Giveaway will close as of this coming saturday at noon (April 3rd, 12pm) so get those comments posted! i'll announce the winner on saturday evening and get in touch with you soon thereafter to arrange for (free!) shipping of your loot! good luck!
—

warm up with a gvk compress

Slush fell from the sky all day on Sunday. I'm pretty sure that's what it was anyways...gross! With these dreary days, I holed up in my craft room cutting material for and sewing together new compress'. O the feeling of cutting through an unused piece of material...it's almost sinful, ha. You can now find some of these turning up in the shop and more are on their way. A few, as I mentioned before, have been backed in a very soft polka dot flannel for a bit of luxury in winter, especially nice if you happen to catch a cold and need to feel better (which i hope you don't!).

french door draft stoppers

This past weekend i switched on an audiobook (The Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin...so far, so good) and got to work on a stack of sewing projects in my queue. I prepped several new hand-printed linen dishcloths as well as some aromatherapy compress'. A few of the compress' I backed with some different shades of polka dot flannel which matches so well and which will provide a nice bit of soft coziness for aches and pains in these colder months! I hope to be posting the dishtowels and compress' by the end of the week so keep an eye out.

One of the big projects that I put the finishing touches to were two of my double stuffed color theory draft stoppers, only these were a much bigger order than usual! Both were to be doubled in length for a custom order so that they would fit a set of french doors. These also feature a tie at one end so that the decorative outer bag can be removed for easy cleaning. Alas, no french doors in my house so I got this photo of them before packaging them up and am quite happy with how they turned out. I always enjoy the satisfaction of putting a new twist on one of my own patterns so that it fits someone's needs just right!