friday photos

it's been a long week around these parts and i'm glad to see the weekend is so very close. and with highs in the 50's and 60's this weekend, summer already seems like a distant memory... so i thought it would be a good time to look back at my favorite pics from this summer. it was a great one :)

 

happy friday!

randomness and birthday wishes

first and foremost, it's my birthday today! yay, me for being born :) i'm very much looking forward to spending a relaxing evening with nick and the girlies, blowing out candles, and finally knowing what wonderfully strange gifts a 3yo and 7yo chose for me.

in honor of me, there's a little special running on the imagine gnats fb page today for a discount on custom orders. as you may recall from this post, if you're looking to place a custom order for the holidays, you now have one month and two days to get it in, so how about today? the deal is for fb fans only and there's no time like the present to become one! click below to browse my etsy shop for some ideas.

need some more inspiration? well, lucky you! check out this way too adorable for words fan photo of my favorite twins with their beautiful (and oh-so-happy) mamas in their custom imagine gnats baby sun caps (remember this post?).

and a little inspiration for me... i picked up a copy of Pattern Magic 2 for myself today. i have no idea whether or not i'll ever actually make anything from it, but just looking through the photos and ideas... wow! so cool.

so, a big happy birthday to me, and i hope your day is happy as well :)

more pippa and percy

fourteen new pippa and percy dollies are headed out into the world this week :)

AMH meets Vera: my new skirt!

i had a really big date last weekend! the girlies both had overnights on saturday, so nick and i went out for my (slightly early) birthday dinner and it was all kinds of lovely. note: if you live in the cincinnati area and you haven't been to Honey of Northside, you must go. we had cocktails and a mediterranean plate, fresh bread with honey butter, wine and perfectly cooked steak and crab cakes... all of which looked as beautiful as it tasted. but i must admit that nothing compared to the chocolate cake with peanut butter ice cream, fresh whipped cream, peanut butter sauce, and chocolate ganache. yum. yum. yum.

despite the fact that i have been in full-on factory mode (totally my own fault for procrastinating on an order for 14 dollies), i decided on friday that i had to have a new skirt for my date and it seemed like as good a time as any to recreate the Simply Vera: Vera Wang skirt in my closet that i absolutely adore, but doesn't exactly fit these days (i blame the ganache). i just so happened to have picked up some lovely AMH innocent crush in crimson velveteen earlier last week, and it was perfect for a fall/winter version of the skirt.

my new skirt!

Vera Wang inspiration skirt

the new skirt came out remarkably close to the inspiration skirt, which is nothing short of a miracle. this is the first time in ages that i've attempted to tackle a grown-up garment without a pattern of any kind, and i managed not only to end up with a skirt that actually fits and looks cute... but it even has pockets and darts and a zipper. it may actually be the first successful "grown-up skirt without an elastic waist that i made without a pattern" that i've made. granted, that puts it in a pretty small category, but i'll take it ;)

below are the back and side views: 

i did find that it's pretty difficult to fit something on yourself (i dream of having a dressform). the front of the skirt ended up slightly wider than the back, so the side seams  are towards the back slightly more than i intended which does make the pocket placement a bit off. but you wouldn't have really noticed that had i not told you, right? i am happy with how the darts and general fitting worked, though i think the original skirt is cut slightly more a-line than this one, which fits more along the pencil skirt lines. the zipper in the back worked out well, but i'd probably make a few construction changes if i made it again b/c the interior is not as neat as i'd like. why i care is beyond me, but i do...

i'm most in love with the look of the pleats on the front. i think that they provide a nice contrast to the traditional shape of the skirt (and also make it a little roomier and more flattering, which is always a good thing).

do you have anything in your closet taunting inspiring you?

madeleine mini tutorial: magnetic closure

one of the things that i love about the madeleine bag is that the magnetic closure tends to save me from losing all of my things when i inevitably drop my purse or brake too hard (and it flies off the passenger seat). and if you look around (i recommend checking out the craft section over the sewing notions section), you can grab these magnets for a steal. inserting them is really quite simple; you just need to be careful about placement and securing them properly.

number three * magnetic closure

you'll need: your purse lining, set of magnetic snaps, two small pieces (scraps) of interfacing, a screwdriver, and scissors.

1. each set of magnets will include two discs to be placed on the wrong side of the fabric to secure the magnets. start by finding the center of your lining fabric and measuring down 3/4" plus your seam allowance. make a dot or small x in that spot. place the disc so that the center hole lines up with your mark. draw lines through each of the holes (close-up below).

he who seeks beauty

i consider myself a fan of the times. The New York Times. not just in that "i clicked a button on facebook" sort of way, but i'm also not the die-hard everyday subscriber either. i typically read the business section during the week and browse through whatever randomness catches my eye (always ready to click back to the market graphs quickly in case anyone walks past my desk... corporate day job be damned). i used to purchase the print edition nearly every sunday (mostly so i could toil through the crossword and look at the fashion pages), though that's become a rarity, what with children, life, crafting, pets, becoming a yuppie swimming classes at the Y... you know the drill.

cue my complete embarrassment when my fab sis tells me i have to watch this documentary about Bill Cunningham and i have no idea who she's talking about. so i started up the film (ever so happy that she made her recommendation mere hours before my impromptu vacation day began), and when i saw that the preview mentioned the times, "octogenarian," and bicycles, i have to admit that i was already a little bit in love. 

here is the absolute beauty of this film: an elegantly unassuming man with a passion for photography and fashion at its most elemental. it captures a world which is at once eccentric and genuine with a simplicity that i found stunning. but stripped of the fashion, the clothes, the cast of characters, of New York City, this is the story of a "dedicated artist whose only wealth is his own humanity and unassuming grace." (zeitgeist films)

so, yes, my sister was right. you have to see this. and more than that, feel it. and be inspired.

"It is as true today as it ever was... He who seeks beauty will find it." - Bill Cunningham

weekend projects

i spent most of the weekend basking in laziness. or perhaps, more accurately, relaxation. i did finish up a few things... the first fall pair of pj pants for B, a custom illustration, and two dollies. i suppose i can't really bill that as lazy, eh? (though i did sneak in a three hour nap yesterday. that's right. three hours.)

i cut out a few pair of pj pants from the awesome fabrics i got last week (see here for more on that), and did manage to sew together these while B was in the bath so that she could wear them to bed last night. nothing like a deadline, right? she says they're comfy, but that was about all i got out of her while i was chasing her around the house this morning trying to get a picture of the pants. she did enjoy kicking cones around the garage and hiding behind the curtain in the kitchen, though ;)

here's a little peek at the "K is for Kennedy" custom illustration i did for a baby shower gift:

one of the two dolls i worked on today is for the soon-to-be baby Kennedy as well... a pixie fayette. (fyi, great option if you've gifting the dollies to wee little ones so you don't have to worry about them eating her pigtails.) at the client's request, i hand embroidered the baby name on the wing which actually turned out pretty cute. 

the second doll is for the one-year-old granddaughter of one of my favorite co-workers (she just started walking! the granddaughter, that is. not my co-worker). this dollie is also a pixie in a similar color scheme, though we decided to leave off the wings for this one... i'm sure it's easier to climb trees that way.

i hope your weekend was every bit as lovely as these little dollies are!

insta-cats

a little fun for your saturday... our brood, as captured via instagram:

Max & Reece

Ellsworth (Ellie) & Isabella (Izzy)

Oliver (Ollie) & Bianca (Anka)

odds, ends, and new listings

new listings for custom dollies on the etsy site! for more information, click on the photos. also, info about holiday ordering deadlines below.

Finn

looking for a soft and cuddly little guy for your little guy to tote around? say hello to Finn! he's ready for toy trains, superhero make-believe, or putting in a few hours at the office... all with your little guy by his side. 

Percy

Pippa

meet Percy and his buddy Pippa, the newest additions to the imagine gnats dollie family. they are soft, cuddly, and they both love to recycle... in fact, Percy and Pippa are constructed from reclaimed t-shirts. from Pippa's braids to Percy's dapper tie, these dollies are doing their part to make old things new again.

a little something on my sewing horizon... elsie marley's kcwc. who of you out there has participated before? this will be my first one (i know, i'm so behind the sewing blogosphere times) and i am SO looking forward to this. i should probably inform the other members of my household, but they're pretty used to my bursts of sewing insanity, so maybe they won't even notice ;)

speaking of my household, have i mentioned lately (or at all?) that my wedding is a mere 106 days away?!?

in the interest of preserving whatever sanity possible, i will not be working on any custom orders during the months of November, December or January. SO... if you've been tossing around the idea of a custom dollie, spinny skirt or bag for a holiday gift i recommend you let me know soonish :) once i receive enough custom orders to keep me busy through the end of October, i'll be temporarily disabling the custom order listings on the etsy site until next February.  

in the "yay for fall" category, i just got these fab boots in the mail yesterday, so i think i'll spend some time this weekend finding the perfect tights and making myself an awesome skirt to wear with. 

i hope your weekend is grand.

custom dollies for wendy

i'm pretty sure that every time i make a new dollie, i love it best of all. and i especially love when there's a story, when i get to hear about their new homes and owners, and when my customers are as excited about the dollies as i am. 

wendy emailed me last week with a request for a purple-themed fairy and a pretty cute story. her youngest will be giving up her pacifiers soon, which she calls her nanas. she'll leave them for the nana fairy who will take them in the night and leave a present in their place (a purple-haired fayette!). after a few messages back and forth, one dollie became four: two fayettes in pink and purple and two *new* finns in orange and red (inspired by each of her kids' favorite colors). 

be well, dollies, and enjoy your new lives!