Whether your Valentine is your mate, your main squeeze, your sweet doggy, your grandkids, your children, your own fine self, the rainbow humanity of this earth, or the all-one love available in every breath, I hope you are letting your love light shine.
Yes, that's right. I'm just now making a new friend. This friend is helping me spread the love. Our relationship, like so many fledgling infatuations, is a little complicated. Sometimes I don't understand my friend and I get all in tangles trying to figure it out. But look what we can accomplish together...
These travel art kits were a joy to make! (And the sewing machine and I are working through these early stages of our relationship, figuring out if it will be a long-term one.)
The inspiration: One cold winter day, we drove up to Como Park in St. Paul to breathe in the green, tropical air of the Conservatory. Amid the gingers, cacao and nutmeg trees, and ferns, the variety of greens contrasted so sharply to the whites we'd been seeing the past few months, that I wished we had some art supplies with us to express this feast of color. I came home, opened up Amanda Soule's The Creative Family, and there was the pattern. I determined to get past all that bobbin threading to figure it out.
The children were involved in some key decisions (note the basketball ribbon that ties Isaiah's together; (aren't you proud of mama for letting go of that one and remembering whose kit this is?) I love that they can watch something come together, help choose elements, but still be surprised by the wrapped gift on the breakfast table. That won't last long! But hopefully their appreciation of handmade gifts will.
On another project note, I still haven't gotten Miel to wear this creation, but I'm hoping she'll have a few of these lazy day skirts when spring comes. And believe me, if I can make this, you can too! It took me an evening...about 4 hours.
Happy day to you!


Where'd Isaiah's belly go??
Posted by: Clairey | February 15, 2009 at 10:52 AM
Yeaa, Rachel, I am so proud of you!! I know how resistant we both are to learning to use the machine!! You have inspired me!! What a great way to spend an evening:)
Posted by: kristi | February 16, 2009 at 03:04 AM
Yay to your new love ;-)
Posted by: Susana | February 19, 2009 at 06:34 AM