In My World

In my world it is a lot of school, homework, doctors and more doctors and more doctors...
Hardly anytime for just creating or being.  Some weeks are better than others but this week has been especially full of meetings at school, and doctors after school.
ugh.

So when you get a little break from it all, all you can hope for is a bit of time to create something and let your troubles float away. You may take a picture of your work and post it on Instagram...@vintagemarketp
When you wake up at 4:30 am and can't sleep so you check your email and see mail from a UK publisher, you think...I must still be sleeping.
When you open that email and it states, hey we saw your work on Instagram and wanna publish it...you really think, I must be dreaming...then you see you have another email from etsy and it is still the same publisher leaving a message there too, you wake up really fast and jump up out of bed at 4:30 am so happy and quietly squealing as to not wake the boy.
That is just what happened a few months ago.

Over the summer I bought a wonderful issue of Mollie Makes with Betty dolls on the cover that I just had to make.  I took pictures of my process and posted them on instagram never thinking a thing of it.  Later to get that email was shocking.  I didn't submit, they found me out of all the gals that made and took pictures of their dolls, they wanted mine.  I couldn't believe it.  I was so thrilled and on pins and needles waiting to hear.

A month went by and there I was perusing instagram and saw a girl saying she was published and she took a shot of the magazine page...I follow her on instagram and so I clicked and commented congrats.  I went back to look at the pic again and peeking out of the page was my Betty doll!!!! I about screamed.  Mollie Makes published my little make  It was so exciting to have a UK publication publish my little Betty.  I would have to wait here in the states for a whole other month to get a copy of it.  Yesterday was that day.

After a 3 hour wait in a doctors office and tired as all get out. I went by the bookstore and there it was.  It was like a reward for being a patient patient. (sorry, had to)  My own copy in my own hands.  Not only had I been dying to see the published page (which is tiny and just a blurb) but I am so happy with that, but it also is the issue I was dying for before I even knew I was in it.  I love Jane Foster Designs and her little sausage dog is the freebie make this month.

So in a week, really a life of doctors, schools, therapy, meetings and well, just life it was such a happy moment to have a publication see a little handmade creation of mine and want to put it in a world wide publication. Thank you Mollie Makes, you made this crafty mama super happy :)

Handmade Life made Simple

Real life captured in Doll form
I have just been in heaven making the betty dolls from Mollie Makes.

When my sister announced her engagement this week I instantly knew that I wanted to make her and her boyfriend in doll form.

I am so happy lately sewing and creating in my space.
I was just telling Rhonda at A Little Bit French today that I just had too much stuff to enjoy creating.  Once I let it all go and only have what I know I can use.  I have just enough for what I am capable of using as one person.
If I need something, I go buy one, use it and its done.  No hoarding, no stacking away.  It feels amazing.  The way it should be.  It works for me and I am happy, happy, happy. 

No more overwhelmed feelings of what am I going to make today,  or where is that tool or piece of ephemera I need.  It is all simple, organized and clean.

Okay I gotta go my hubby is holding his head wanting Caffeine and says my coffee is the best, ;)  yeah right, I know he is just too tired to do it himself.

Lets Begin

I will start my week with showing what I did this weekend.
My creative side is back and in full swing.
I am so happy to sit down and make things again.
I started with a copy of Mollie Makes and I had to sew up these super cute Betty Dolls first.

It was such fun and the most stressful part was picking out the fabrics from my piles of what to make her wear.  Just like a morning spent looking in my own closet, ;)
But I found what I liked best and I adore how she turned out.
This pattern was super simple, although they did make a few mistakes in the printing and I had to adjust some pieces, but other than that she is very easy to make.

Once that was accomplished I started on some letter embroidery hoops the magazine also gave templates for but I want to make my own word so I just free handed.  I want to use vintage hoops for my hanging so it will be a bit before this project is really done.  Maybe I will hit a thrift today to seek out some hoops.

Then we hit the Lowes Build it For Kids project my boy was super excited to start, it was a toy from Toy Story they were to build.

But if you have a child with Autism or know a child with this, you know the fun doesn't last long when a task is new and put before them.  As all the other parents were helping and doing a task together, my boy has a mind of I CAN DO IT MYSELF no matter what.

After not being strong enough to hammer nails he lost his cool and the hammer went flying, with the pieces of the toy and the nails.  The screaming starts and we have to leave.  It is like doing a walk of shame when this starts. Parents are staring at us, talking and saying whats wrong with that kid? Whispers of, get him outta here start.  Some days I just wanna wear a shirt that says he is not a brat and I am not a bad mom, he has AUTISM.
Our day went on and once a tantrum hits it is hard to recover.
I was exhausted, and so was the boy,  as Sunday evening rolled around and all I wanted was him to fall asleep so I could breathe.

I didn't breathe til midnight...then the cat bit me...Sigh.

But today is a new day.  School week begins and I will spend my morning back at releasing my tension into fun projects.
I have a cute surprise and I have to wait to share it here.
I am hoping it turns out like I see it in my head.  One half is already finished and I am thrilled with it.  Off I go.