LizzyHouse

Austin, TX

I just took a little trip to visit my very best closest friend, Jessica. I've been trying to find my footing, or rather my place here in Portland, and not so much Portland, but life... and sometimes you just need to spend time with someone who really really really knows the heart of you to remember what you are all about. It kind of helps to stabilize me. She means so much to me, and I always hope that I can give as much back to her, as she gives to me. The trip gave me some clarity, and i'm always after clarity.

Also, Jessica and I met up with the lovely Kim Kight (of TrueUp fame)!! We got to have lunch together with her precious little one, Otto. Who is two. Kim is one of those people that I felt like when we met last year we had been friends far longer than the actual time we had spent together. It was a lot of fun.

ALSO! got to spend some time with my sweet brother Luke, and his family, and my dad.

Sad news, no pics from the trip. It was a me trip. We spent so much money on food. At this point it's hard to tell if it is actually clarity that I was seeking, or Tex-Mex...

I did, however, manage to get a couple of pics in a wal-greens when we made a candy run...

you read correctly. Inspected by the department of Bubble Gum. Very official lot, they are.

I hope you are all having happy summers, and I sincerely hope that you find what you are seeking, whether it be clarity... or tex-mex... whatever... I hope you find it.

what are your summer goals? Are you meeting them? Do you make summer goals?!

give it a minute...

So, reading your comments, it sounds like the majority of you want fabric. But know that it's all going to be original fabric, one of a kind... block printed by yours truly, the only place you can get it! I won't be selling any of my fabric that I design for Andover, because I think that the peeps who are selling it are doing an amazing job, and I don't want to step on anyone's toes... when I can use this shop to share my hand made, limited edition stuff with you.

So more prints, new handmade books, new block printed fabric, and I have some other goodies in mind. Essentially more of everything...

But you have to give me a minute. These things take a little time, and get a little messy. So, I'll be in and out for a bit. Just shoot me an email if you need me!

here's a pic of a little chipmunk I met at Squam. He followed me along the path to my class for a little bit. When he climbed into the tree he made a sound like Pikachu. Made me feel like I was in a video game. Dream come true. Be back soon!

I've been Adopted.

I don't understand how they always find me? Little animals seem to seek me out... If I start singing I might be in trouble...

here are my newest babes.

the little cat cries at my window or door. She always know where I am in the apartment, and the craziest thing is, she isn't looking for food. If I let her in, she just goes to sleep on me. She just cries and cries. What am I supposed to do about her? Not love her? I haven't been able to give her a name that will stick yet.

the squirrel is a wiley one. I have found him hanging around on my little porch a lot. I keep a little dish of water for the cat, but I have found that he likes to drink from it too. So I make sure it's full and sometimes I put out a little bit of graham cracker, and he's my squirrel for life.

Now I am having a bit of a shop dilemma and I need your help.

My etsy shop is having an identity crisis. Or rather I am. I was updating it and I have paused. I am interested in knowing what would you be interested in seeing in the shop from me? More prints? More books? more stationary? Some Sewn stuff? Cats? Some block printed fabric? Some fabric? What are you interested in?

let me know... because your wish is my command!

apron shmapron.

For those of you for who know me, who truly know me, know that I am kind of always in my own little world. I do everything in my own little time frame... and it's not a bad thing, but I am always trying hard to make sure it doesn't become a selfish thing... I'm just on Lizzy standard time. And we aren't talking punctuality to lunch; we are talking punctuality to life. I do things when it feels like it's the right thing to do, and not until then. Which isn't necessarily convenient... this is also part of that emotional robot thing i've been talking about...

And I mean it in an everyday sense, and then in kind of a silly sense. Take for instance: the apron. Aprons have been a huge freaking deal for the past like 3 years. Everyone has an apron pattern out, everyone has made an apron, there are even entire blogs devoted to aprons. Everyone and their Mom is all about aprons. Are they still? I'm not sure anymore... Not only that, but I have 2, count um', 2 lines of fabric out in this world, and one of them happens to be kitchen inspired, and not until yesterday my dear dear friends, did I ever make an apron.

Now people have made aprons for me! Which I love, and have used almost daily for the past two years, and I art directed an apron a while back (ie made the pattern and shouted instructions). So its been on my list of things to do for a while...

so Saturday was one of my sweet peeps birthday, and I decided that she needed an apron. So I just sat down and made one. I remembered seeing this pattern, because a friend on mine actually owns it (in Rexburg), and so I just kind of made up how I thought it would go... I was happy with the results, but knew that I could make another one better, faster, because that is how my mind works. When I am off in my own little world all the time those are some of the things I am thinking... how can I make this more effecient?

this morning before church I decided to do just that. I have a new calling where I help prepare a meal on the first Sunday of each month for the congregation, so I decided I would make an apron to match my outfit to cook in. Better Faster. The process becomes almost a game to me...

Anyway, it was a big hit... everyone is telling me their birthday now. And all I really want to say is, making aprons is great. Real cool. You were all right the whole time... I get it now. So I guess I'll just continue to discover things for myself, and you peeps can humor me when I tell you that I'm all about it 5 years after you're into it.

don't judge the pics, it's a little wrinckly because I wore it allll day long. literally.

ps. I was dressed as watermelon.

Fireworks!

In all your spare time between now and tomorrow, you should make one or a dozen of these. Using all my favorite ribbon I put together this show stopper for our festivities tomorrow. I used recycled felt, bamboo batting, and ribbon ranging from vintage to Italian. This thing has got America written all over it.

I've included a slide show of pics with a little bit of a how-to. Just click on the notes for my commentary.

now what's all this about?

what could this possibly be about? And whose feet are those hanging down top left? And why does everything in my room have a little square cut out of it?