New Spring Tote

I am the worst refashionista ever (well maybe not ever, I at least haven't bought any new clothes), and this is my first post, even though I am more than three weeks into the wardrobe refashion.
This weekend I made a new spring tote bag. I based the design on a tote bag I already own (Its the perfect size, but after three years I'm sick of it) and several tutorials I read online. I'm planning on getting a PDF of instructions and photos on my blog in the next few days.
I love bright colors and bold patterns for spring and summer, even if other people do think they're cheesy. The outside of the bag is made from a dishtowel I got at Crate and Barrel, which was stiff enough that I didn't need to use interfacing.

With the lining fabric I also made a detachable wallet to go inside my tote, or to be carried on its own as a small clutch, a cocktail napkin, and a headband (not pictured- its just a tube of fabric with a ribbon attached to each end to tie behind my head), and I have a few small scraps to use for quilting. Not bad for only half a yard of fabric.

Spring Flowers

One thing I love about Virginia is how early spring comes, here are some of the flowers I saw on a walk around the neighborhood

Spring Flower Mosaic made with Big Huge Labs

Came across this call for submissions on SpiralMail. Not quite sure what I should send in though.
Also, I have an update on the weeds contest, I have decided to expand it to include wildflowers also. So, just leave me a comment by March 31 with a link to your own original writing, art or photo about weeds or wildflowers, and my favorite will receive a 4 pack of my dandelion notecards.
Also, if you go to my flickr you can check out the "weeds and wildflowers" group. I haven't posted any photos yet, but I'm planning a field trip to the local state park soon.

Weeds Contest, win Scarlett Design Note-cards!!!

Between traveling quite a bit in February and working more than usual at my paying job, I wasn't able to get my spring line up on my etsy site as soon as I would have liked. But I have finally begun adding my new items, including this dandelion design.

What is a weed? Many people consider Dandelions weeds. I don't.
Leave a link in the comment section to your own original writing, photo, or artwork about weeds, by March 30 and my favorite will win a 4 pack of these note-cards.
The prints have slightly more subdued colors, which I'm very happy with.




"A weed is a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"What would the world be, once bereft of wet and wildness? Let them be left. O let them be left, wildness and wet; Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet." -Gerard Manly Hopkins

weed: (noun)1. a valueless plant growing wild, esp. one that grows on cultivated ground to the exclusion or injury of the desired crop. 2. any undesirable or troublesome plant, esp. one that grows profusely where it is not wanted: The vacant lot was covered with weeds. -dictionary.com

Book Review

On my recent trip to Boston I got a few great new books: "Art Forms in Nature", a book of Illustrations by Ernst Haeckel, a 19th century scientist, and "Kaleidoscope", a book of projects edited by Suzanne Simanaitis. I actually didn't find these books at a bookstore, but at Anthropologie and Paper Source. I am continually inspired by nature, and I love the way "Art Forms in Nature" displays the complexity and beauty of creatures and plants. Even otherwise icky things look beautiful in Haeckel's renderings. I think one of my favorite pages was of sea slugs. The entire book reminded me of the glass flowers on display at of Harvard's Museum of Natural History. Kaleidoscope contains several projects and essays by artists, mostly collagists and zine artists. Although this isn't my normal media of expression, I found the book so inspiring that I had to put it down to trace the shadow of tree branches on the wall (onto paper, not the actual wall, we live in an apartment). Its also filled with beautiful artwork, and I love the perspectives and processes of other artists. Definitely have a notebook handy when you read this one.

One recent book which I didn't particularly like was Celine Dupuy's "Simple Sewing with a French Twist." The syling and photography were beautiful, however I feel that many of the projects should have included patterns, not just poorly drawn illustrations. Also, some projects required that you already own the item you are making (new umbrella or hammock).
Some beautiful litlle purple and white flowers have been popping up in the yard.

A fabric ATC I made awhile back. At first I had difficulty deciding what to do with this one, but I finally decided to use several squares of varying shades of blue. Similar to Josef Albers "Homage to the Square" pieces.

Best of Boston

I was recently in boston for a week visiting friends and family. Unfortunately that didn't leave much time for sightseeing, but here is a quick overview of my favorites in the city: Sunset Grill, great food and over 200 beers, Museum of Fine Arts, which also has a great book store, Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum, although I usually spend more time in the courtyard (pictured above, not my photo) than the museum, Windsor Button is a LYS right in downtown Boston, Blick art supplies is huge, and WinMil fabrics is hit or miss, but I've gotten some great things there, and you can find some great brocades and unusual items in Chinatown.