HELLO my name is Heather

  • Laura No Peeky

    ByHeather Bailey

    LauraNecklaceA

    I love to collect funky jewelry — the more colorful the
    better.  And I have gathered some beautiful and weird pieces over the
    years.  My friend and sister-in-law, Laura, has similar taste.  We often make or buy each
    other quirky jewelry for birthday presents — a tradition of
    sorts.  (17 years now!?!)


    BaggieW Amidst my bold tangle of jewelry, I don't have very many basics
    though.  I often wish I had an all-black necklace to wear with a black
    dress or a bright blouse.

    Assuming Laura runs into the same
    predicament, I made her a simple, black necklace for her birthday this
    year.  Hopefully, the blackbird carved into the pendant adds just
    enough chirp. 

    Charlotte then hopped-to & made a necklace for her cousin Lily — C's specialty 'candy-wrapper' design. Both trinkets are wrapped up and on their way to Laura's. Shh.

    Now to make the same one for me.  We'll be necklace twins.

  • Jackson’s Five

    ByHeather Bailey

    Speaking of matryoshka.  Check out these Michael Jackson nesting dolls from a 2006 Music Art Form exhibit.  Pop music meets folk art.
    MichaelJackson2

    Update:  It turns out that not everyone interprets this series the way I do.  Two commenters think it's mean-spirited of the artist.

    I think it's beautiful.  To
    me, this piece is poignant. It shows how as MJ's life (and
    accomplishments) progressed, the world zeroed in on his flaws. To many,
    this beaming talent became a tabloid plastic surgery story.  It's a sad truth that the world puts talent on a pedestal, only to tear it down over time.

    Art seeks
    an emotional response. True, the first read might make many of us smile.  However, I don't think the artist means to ridicule
    Jackson.  Instead, I think he means to highlight how ridiculous it is that we all are fixated
    on his nose.

    Furthermore, the style of the artwork is beautiful and quiet, not jeering or jokey. I don't
    believe it is meant to poke fun at the subject.  If anyone, I think it's mocking us as a people for not seeing past this man's appearance.  This piece has meaning for me. 

    I'm sad he's gone. 

  • Pretty Maids All in a Row

    ByHeather Bailey

    FeatureFriBanner
    Ravenhill1a

    Like
    so many others, I'm charmed by the bright colors and folky art of
    Russian dolls or matryoshka.  Over the last couple of years, demure
    little matryoshka have become a fierce trend in crafting and design. 
    Russian-doll jewelry, ornaments, beads, fabric, embroidery, and home
    decor can be spotted all over the internet and in stores.  (Fun links at the bottom of this post.)

    RussianDoll250brt Amidst the Russian bunch, the whimsical dolls of Emily Moss of
    Ravenhill stand out — playful stuffed matryoshka made with a variety
    of prints & details.

    Emily’s inspiration for creating these unique dolls was her “growing stack of
    beautiful fabrics and pretty ribbon," combined with her new-found
    enjoyment of embroidery.  As a result, each doll has her own personality. 

    I first spotted
    Emily's dolls in my Pop Garden & Bijoux Flickr group where she has
    uploaded a several cheery, floral ladies.  See a wide variety of fabric
    combinations in her Babushka Softies Flickr set as well.

    Ravenhillsze Emily’s
    dolls were not always exactly what she envisioned. Though the overall
    doll design appears simple, fine-tuning the shape & structure took time.  Emily went through several drafts to develop
    the dolls she makes today.

        “It took a lot of practice and experimentation
    with various tool and mediums… I have learned so much from this process
    and would encourage others not to give up when the first prototype is far from what was planned.
    Plow ahead and persevere.”

    Emily offers Matryoshka dolls in her Etsy store.  Or stop by her blog to see what’s new.

    More Russian doll links:

    *For more information about Feature Friday & the artists spotlighted, click here*

    Photography in this post courtesy of Emily Moss

  • Is it Monday again?

    ByHeather Bailey

    LanternBloom1
    I'm
    wrapping up an assortment of projects to clear my plate for August's
    design marathon.  I hope time slows down a bit for the next two weeks. 
    Elijah is starting junior high school and I'm – just – not – ready.  

    LanternPillowA Perhaps waiting for my new to
    birthday bike
    arrive will do the trick.  I haven't been this excited about a
    birthday present since I-can't-remember-when.  She's vanilla with pink
    rims, a rattan basket & a wooden rack — my creamcycle cruiser. 
    With a drink cup and bell — vrrink-vrrink.

    LanternBasketT And guess whose birthday was just yesterday? Laura. Laura of Lantern Bloom. I am mesmerized by her new fabrics. The mill did such a fabulous job
    recreating the moody depth of Laura's paintings;  it's hard to believe
    these are flat, smooth fabrics. Stretch one print across a canvas and
    it's instant wall art.

    I'm so proud of her. Laura has developed
    a unique painting style over the years. One of the last things we did
    together before she moved away 4 years ago was experiment with textured
    canvasses. Now she's a master of texture. Laura has a collection of art prints heading to Crate & Barrel and a rich, new collection of fabrics as well.

    Wish
    Laura a Happy Birthday, will you?  At a mere 2 weeks older, she paves
    the birthday way for me each year.  I hear birthday sirens sound long
    about July 26th, when it's time for Laura's slice of cake.  "Brace
    yourself, Heather, here it comes."  I ordered my bike today, so bring
    it on.

    Watch for Laura's Lantern Bloom fabrics too — definitely
    a collection to see in person.  You can even make out bits of canvas in
    some of the prints.

  • Personalized Pillows

    ByHeather Bailey

    FeatureFriBanner
    Imagine coordinating all of your child’s bedroom pillows — with some personalization to boot.  With Bella Marie's personalized pillows, you can.

    MarleyBaby

    Seamstress and Etsy shop-owner, Marie Villa,
    loves personalized items, as do her children.  To Marie, her name
    pillows are "the perfect projects to make that not only coordinate with
    a room's colors, but also personalize it at the same time.”

    Marie used an assortment of Heather Bailey Freshcut fabrics for
    the “Emme Pillow” below. Other materials include a background fabric
    (Marie used a solid, pre-quilted fabric) Heat n' Bond™ Lite, stuffing,
    and lots of thread.

    Emme

    According
    to Marie, this is a simple design to make.  Each pillow takes about 2
    hours to complete. "The letters are the only thing that can get tricky
    – but with practice you can get them just right."

    MarleyBaby2Marie's pattern is from one of her favorite websites, www.youcanmakethis.com,
    for $6.95. However, if you don't have the skills nor the time to make
    your own customized pillows — but you love homemade, you’re in luck. 
    Marie will make a custom one for you.  Contact Marie through her Etsy
    shop, Bella Marie Designs, to place your custom order.  Keep in mind, longer names such as Savannah can be fit onto a slightly longer pillow.

    If you don’t have a little guy or girl in mind, Marie suggests a “Mom” pillow for mother’s day or a special “Grandma” pillow
    with grandchildren’s names hand-embroidered around the pillow's front. 
    For pillow inspiration, comb through Marie’s Flickr set here.

    Savannah

    *For more information about Feature Friday & the artists spotlighted, click here*

    Photography courtesy of Marie Villa.

  • What is Feature Friday?

    ByHeather Bailey

    FeatureFriBannerThere are so many fabulous, beautiful things being made with my fabric, papers, patterns and embellishments.  Seeing what artists, crafters, and seamstresses create from my designs is, by far, the most rewarding aspect of my work. I’ve started Feature Friday as a weekly blog article to highlight many of these artists and their creations — along with other fun finds.  (There aren’t really any rules.)

    BlogGrabFF

    Submission Information

    If you’re interested in submitting your own work to be seen, and possibly featured, please post photos to the appropriate Flickr group listed below.  I comb through those groups regularly to see what’s being made (great fun).  Or, send me an email if you stumble upon something fabulous that another artist or crafter has made.  I will not be able to feature everyone, nor respond to every posted
    photo or email.  

    Featured Folks

    If your work is selected, I will send you an email to
    request more info & permission to post photos — or I’ll take photos here & send your item(s) right back to you.  Featured artists will be sent code for a selection of “HB Featured Me”
    badges to post on their blog or website to link back to the Feature
    Friday category page     — and send each other cross-traffic and link love.

    Thanks everyone.  I’m excited about this opportunity to give back, sing praises, share links, get inspired and send traffic! 

    Returntoblogsm_6

  • Flashy Badges!

    ByHeather Bailey


    Congratulations on your upcoming feature on my blog.  And thank you for
    letting me sing your praises, post your photos & link to your
    site(s). 

    Show
    off a little, with a flashy feature badge.  Choose a button for your
    sidebar & link back to my home page, to your own feature, or to the
    Feature Friday category at large. This is a great way to improve your
    blog authority and
    search-engine priority, while better-participating in our amazing
    community of online artists and crafters.

    ButtonCollage

    Below
    are a
    number of button options in different sizes.  All images are PNG files,
    which should allow the images to float over different background
    colors, not just white.  To post your selected button, simply copy the
    related html
    from the corresponding textbox.  Then, paste that code into the html of
    your blog’s sidebar, your website, or wherever you wish.  If you’re
    somewhat familiar with html,
    certainly feel free to replace the provided ‘h ref’ URL in the code
    with the URL of
    the Feature Friday category page — or the permalink of your Feature
    Friday feature once it goes live. 

    Otherwise, the code provided below will link back to
    my blog’s home page.  If you scroll down to
    the Categories section of my sidebar, you’ll see that there is a now a
    category called “Feature Friday” where your readers can locate
    your feature at any time.

    General FF info here.  Any other questions? 
    Email me.  I will be glad to help wherever possible.

    Eee!  You guys are awesome.  I’m excited to give back & share your amazing work.
    xo–Heather

    Returntoblogsm_6

    DottedLine

    Here are the buttons:


    HBFeatured175 

    Style 1 – Fancy Floral  – 175 pixels wide

    HBFeatured200 

    Style 1 – Fancy Floral  – 200 pixels wide

    HBFeatured260 

    Style 1 – Fancy Floral  – 260 pixels wide


    HBFeaturedRed150 

    Style 2 – Red & Cream  – 150 pixels wide

    HBFeaturedRed175 

    Style 2 – Red & Cream  – 175 pixels wide

    HBFeaturedRed200 

    Style 2 – Red & Cream – 200 pixels wide


    HBFeaturedGreen150 

    Style 3 – Green & Cream  – 150 pixels wide

    HBFeaturedGreen175 

    Style 3 – Green & Cream  – 175 pixels wide

    HBFeaturedGreen200 

    Style 3 – Green & Cream  – 200 pixels wide


    HBFeaturedRedGreen150 

    Style 4 – Green on Red  – 150 pixels wide

    HBFeaturedRedGreen175 

    Style 4 – Green on Red  – 175 pixels wide

    HBFeaturedRedGreen200 

    Style 4 – Green on Red  – 200 pixels wide


    HBFeaturedGreenRed150 

    Style 5 – Red on Green  – 150 pixels wide

    HBFeaturedGreenRed175 

    Style 5 – Red on Green  – 175 pixels wide

    HBFeaturedGreenRed200 

    Style 5 – Red on Green  – 200 pixels wide

    DottedLine

    For the most part, one of the image sizes above should work for your site.  However, I’m posting larger
    images below for your use in case you wish to
    customize the button size.  You
    can copy one of these larger images to your desktop & resize it in
    your photo-editing software to suit your sidebar width, if needed.  You
    would then upload the image to your site & code the link
    yourself.

    HBFeatured300

    HBFeaturedRed230
    HBFeaturedGreen230

    HBFeaturedRedGreen230
    HBFeaturedGreenRed230

  • A Worm Named Snowflake

    ByHeather Bailey

    FabricStack
    We
    just returned from the best campout with my two brothers and their
    families.  Isaac set up a kitchen to feed an army, complete with
    stovetop, grill, wash tubs, canopy & a tank of water for clean up. 
    Fortunately for the rest of us, he also set up a hammock with its own
    canopy, so we could leisurely ooo & ahh at him while he cooked all
    of our meals — almost.  Cooking is Isaac's favorite pastime on
    campouts.  I prefer laziness (fatigue-ziness really — I'm not the best
    tent-sleeper), so it works out well all around.

    Boots300 We cooked, we ate, we sat about and we fished.  Then we repeated.  I haven't done that much sitting about for years. 

    Best Fishing Tip: 
    If you're fishing to make memories for a pack of little kids, pick up a
    tub of live worms.  The worms will keep the younger kids engaged while
    the older kids have their turn at the poles.  By the time we left
    yesterday, all remaining worms were claimed & named.  Every child
    left happy as could be, fish or no fish.

    Nothing like a bit of
    grime & a hot tent to help you appreciate a warm shower & clean
    sheets.  Works every time.  Camping is great that way.

    Giveaway News:  Thank you to everyone who participated in my Store Giveaway Promotion from the June Newsletter. Congratulations to Jennifer Dessert
    for winning the stack of
    Freshcut fabrics & strawberry pincushion above. If you'd like to
    find out first about future giveaways, tutorials, products &
    company news, sign up for the Heather Bailey Newsletter here.

  • Lemon Drop & Other Fine Passwords

    ByHeather Bailey

    HPBannerFinalTall

    LemonDrops470_2

    Not
    all witches have time to concoct a full spread of Harry Potter recipes,
    especially if they are short a house elf or two!  So for those of you
    who would like to delve into the world of Harry Potter without the
    chocolate-dipping and butterbeer-mixing, I've searched out a few
    easily-accessible, store-bought options for you.

    ChocolateFrogs470

    Lemon
    Drops, Chocolate Frogs, and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans are my top
    choices for store-bought, trolley-worthy treats.  They can be enjoyed
    by first years and ministry wizards alike.  Honestly, I can't believe I
    found chocolate frogs with so little searching.  (See 'Where to Buy'
    list below.)

    Another non-alcoholic beverage option includes Lemon Drop Soda.  Mix 2 parts sparkling water with 1 part Stirrings brand Lemon Drop Mixer, and give that Dumbledore a toast. 

    If
    you prefer a lighter soda, reduce the Lemon Drop Mixer to your liking. 
    Isaac swears by the addition of a tablespoon of vanilla flavoring syrup.

    LemonDropSoda300wWhere to Buy
    • Old-fashioned lemon drops – Pier One Imports.
    • Chocolate Frogs – Pier One Imports or mold your own chocolate frogs.
    • Every Flavor Beans – Jelly Belly brand
    jelly beans – your local grocer — or for an authentic Bertie Bott's
    mix, including nasty flavors, such as vomit & ear wax, here are a
    few links: one, two, three.
    • Stirrings brand Lemon Drop Mixer — spotted this week at Pier One, World Market, and SuperTarget, or purchase online.
    • Sparkling Water or Club Soda – your local grocer.

    Now
    take your sugar high and do something good with it, like treat your
    kids to a movie or some broom-crafting, then come back home and crash-out. That's the way the sugar goes. I have some experience with this
    now. 

    Next week, I'm off the broomstick, cauldron-less, and
    back in Little Winging, I swear.  Have a great weekend Harry Potter
    fans — don't forget to brush your teeth.

    • Cockroach Clusters recipe here.
    • Butterbeer recipe here.
    • Mini Broomsticks tutorial here.
    • Chocolate Wands recipe here.

    LemonDropSoda470

  • Swish, and Flick.

    ByHeather Bailey

    HPBannerFinalTall

    Chocolate
    wands are a Gryffindor favorite.  Even Dumbledore has been known to
    stash a few candy wands in his desk.  Young witches and wizards can use
    them to practice basic spells, then pause for a bite!  For a variety of
    wand ‘types’, have crushed cookies, nuts or sprinkles handy as options
    to roll freshly-dipped pretzels in. 

    ChocolateWands470

    For
    this batch of wands, I first dipped pretzel rods in melted caramel.** 
    I then dipped each one in melted chocolate, and finished with a
    dappling of nuts.

    PretzelTray470b

    For
    best results, melt caramel in a tall cylinder and dip pretzels
    carefully.  The taller the cylinder, the deeper you can dip the
    pretzels. Set freshly-dipped pretzels on parchment-covered cookie sheet
    till caramel has set.  Then dip chocolate in the same manner.  Once
    chocolate has partially set, roll dipped end in desired topping.

    Dipping320w2 Package a few wands together in cello bags and personalize by tying with ribbon in your house colors.

    **Alternatively,
    use flat sheets of caramel used in caramel-apple
    making.  Each caramel sheet comes sandwiched in parchment paper.  Cut
    sheets into strips while still lined with paper.  Then, peel off paper
    & wrap strips around end of pretzel
    rod.  I've seen caramel sheets in the produce section of several
    grocery
    stores — but these might be seasonal.

    • Cockroach Clusters recipe here.
    • Butterbeer recipe here.
    • Mini Broomsticks tutorial here.