New Goods for Becoming Smitten?

Yes, it's true! I'm still truckin along with Becoming Smitten and have even found the time to create a few new little badges. No two are alike each is a different organic shape and a fine addition to a jacket, bag or stuffed best friend.

Fur Pile

Look at all the work being done at the Becoming Smitten homestead. I've got my nose to the grindstone. Etsy won't even know what hit it!

Be My Pen Pal

After learning about the Mysterious Letters that were written in the small Irish village of Cushendall I have come to the realization that life would be better with a pen pal. These two people handwrote 467 personalized letters to each and every person who lived in the town. Some even got gifts! Each letter was a beautiful piece of art and now I have been inspired to write some letters.

There is a magical store over in Vancouver called The Regional Assembly of Text that is devoted to text in all forms. The best part is that once a month they offer a letter writers club! These ladies have all these typewriters you can use and supply everything you could need all you have to have is a love of letter writing.
No, I don’t have a cool typewriter, and no I don’t think I have it in me to write 500 people, but perhaps one person multiple times. I have atrocious handwriting but have lots of little goodies that I would love to send off to a special someone. Anyone in the market for a new pen pal?

My Hero.

I justed watched this Handmade Portrait on Etsy and I am in awe. Mimi Kirchner is my idol. Her strong man dolls? Awesome. I am in awe.

Sights of the Market

I love Saturdays. I love waking up early and rolling out breadsticks and baking off croissants with Bread by Matt. I love wheeling down with our displays and seeing everyone slowly set up. I love listening to all the musicians that come and play and help the time pass. I love Cutie Pie's pies and cupcakes that she shares with us. But most of all? I love all the supportive market goers that are so encouraging each week. If you’re in Victoria or on the Island and have yet to come down to the Moss Street Market, you are really missing out! Come on down and don’t be shy.

Lost Mojo

I threw my back out a month and a half ago. Spent a lot of time weeping in pain on the floor, and have since found out it was from working. When hunched forward focused on the sewing machine apparently you are doing damage to your body. I've been mobile for a while again now, however every morning I have to ice my shoulder and neck and once a week I have started seeing Victor, the massage therapist.
Is there a point to my whining? Yes, I feel as though I've lost my mojo. I'm finding so many excuses not to work... So I ask myself, as most people do when in a conundrum, what sage advice would Julie Andrews sing to me if she was my mentor? Would she say be like the robin and sing while you work? Would she say find your own spoonful of sugar and make it a treat to work?
Would she sing my workroom clean for me? I guess she'd tell me to stop moping about and work through it. I like to think that Julie is a tough sort of mentor... I wish she was nicer to me.

Paper Cranes Bring Joy

I've decided to take the week off sewing as it turns out sewing is ruining my neck, making it hard to move (not fun). So I'm making a paper crane mobile out of old maps. This way when I'm bedridden I can gaze up at these little guys and they will bring me joy.

I Drink Tea: How I Made a Tea Cozy

1. The way to begin any project is to gather your materials. To make my tea cozy I chose linen(of course), grey tweed, a red patterned left over and olive green ribbon. You will also need cotton batting, matching thread and fabric paint if you're going to print on it.

2. As I have two different sized tea pots I made two different patterns based on the same shape. To decide how big to make your tea cozy measure around it (roughly) and add 2 or 3 inches it width and 1 or 2 in height. My pattern for my largest tea pot was 15" across and 13" high. Just to make sure that it's the right size cut out your batting first, pin it together and fit it on your tea pot.

3. Cut out your fabrics. You will need 2 pieces for lining, and 2 for the outer shell. This is when you can do any embellishments you'd like to your shell fabrics. I wanted my shell to have multiple fabrics so before I could cut out my shell fabrics I had to sew my patchwork together. After I cut out my fabric I stamped my tree image onto the outside and set it aside to dry.

4. As batting needs to be attached to something, quilt the lining with the right side out to the batting. I chose to do this one in a spiral, while my other cosy I did in a grid pattern.

5. Once both pieces of batting have been attached to the lining, sew these pieces together to create a pocket making sure to leave a small hole in the top to flip right side out further down the road.

6. Cut your ribbon to approx. 3" and iron in half to create a tag and pin it between the tops of the shell fabrics good sides together and sew pieces together making another pocket.

7. Now is where it all comes together, flip your shell piece right side out and press the seams flat, make sure everything looks good and fit it inside the lining, good sides together. Match up the side seams and sew them together.

8. Trim your excess and flip it all right side out using that hole you left in the lining. Press everything nice and flat and either hand sew or use your machine and stitch that hole up.

9. As a finishing I used a matching olive thread and made a seam 1 inch up from the bottom to hold everything in place and highlight my green ribbon and green tree prints.

10. Make a pot of tea, put your new cozy on it and keep it warm twice as long. It's magic!