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  • Olive Edition – Hot Off the Press

    I have fun news today. My Olive Edition core kits and papers for Project Life
    have arrived. They are now in stock at Amazon.com and available for purchase
    with Amazon's FREE Super Saver Shipping. Becky assures me that she
    ordered gobs of product, but she also laments that her products tend to
    sell out with ridiculous speed. I'm not sure where that leaves us on
    urgency.

    ProjectLife_Olive_HeatherBailey1

    But, I do know that it's the beginning of a new year—and the perfect time to get going on a Project Life album. The Project Life concept makes
    documenting your life fun—and easy. You only have to fuss as much as
    you like to fuss. And if you don't like to fuss, there's no need to
    fuss.

    For Project Life, you use pocket pages to organize your photos and
    then you add in color, design and documentation using one or more of the
    Project Life kits—like my Olive Edition core kit here. Each core kit comes with hundreds of cards
    for jotting down key bits of information pertaining to the photos in
    your album. Everything goes in a pocket page. And there are lots of pocket-page configurations to choose from. Super simple.

    ProjectLife_Olive_HeatherBailey2

    The Olive Edtion core kit
    is housed in a chic, glossy box and organized as you see below, in a
    tidy tray. In the larger compartment, there are title cards and foldable
    journaling cards with lots of writing space. All of the smaller cards
    have artwork on one side and journaling space on the reverse.

    There are scrapbookers who go wild with their embellishments,
    preferring all sorts of texture and flair within their layouts. And
    there are others who like simple, clean layouts. Project Life is
    designed to satisfy everyone.

    ProjectLife_Olive_HeatherBailey3

    I like goop, well-done goop, that is. But, I don't have time to goop.
    I do have time, however, to slip photos and cards into pockets. And my
    kids are expert pocket-slipper-inners. Project Life works for me and my
    busy, busy life in this way.

    ProjectLife_Olive_HeatherBailey4

    Of course, you know I'll find at least a dozen other ways to sneak
    Olive Edition cards from their well-ordered little box and use them for
    other purposes: gift tags, thank you cards, bookmarks, valentine
    ornaments—lots of ways to spread this loveliness about.

    Oh, that's right. There's a 12"x12" coordinating paper pack. I can use that.

    There are also some cool, plastic month dividers and a coordinating
    album/binder that should be in stock soon. These are still making their
    way to Amazon's warehouse.

    Here are links to the products available so far:

    Olive Edition Core Kit
    Olive Edition Paper Pack

    To pull up my collection over on Amazon as items are added, search "Olive Edition Project Life" in their Arts, Crafts & Sewing Department. I don't think Becky has "Heather Bailey" on the listing yet.

    For more info and images, visit my earlier post about the Olive Edition here.

  • Zippity Buzz Buzz

    While in Utah for the wedding, we stayed with Nadine & Tom, owners of the fabulous South Jordan quilt shop, Material Girls. Such a fun family! I pulled myself away twice to the shop and picked up fabrics for me, and this adorable beach cruiser embroidery pattern for my niece, Lily—Laura's girl.

    MaterialGirlsBicyclePattern

    Laura lived near us in AZ for a few years before moving out east. Lily spent a lot of time with Elijah and I back then—we MISS her!

    Nadine's store is as adorable as she is—well nearly. And they carry a number of items you can't get anywhere else—such as this bicycle stitchery. Fortunately, it is available online.

    There is so much going on around here. Today is the kids' last day of school; so, naturally, I'm attempting to get a summer's worth of work done today before the noise and chaos level rises. I'll share my secret if I succeed.

    I may have to split my time more evenly between my home studio and my office in order to concentrate—depends on the project. Am I the only one who experiences a mixture of excitement and dread on the last day of school? And why is it I feel exactly the same way about the first day of school?

  • Little Bits Giveaway

    LittleBitsQuiltingBeeKathreen from Whip Up has a new book out. Little Bits Quilting Bee is all about using small bits of fabric, such as charm squares, jelly rolls, layer cakes and fat quarters to create a bunch of fun, modern quilts, from wall hangings to bed quilts. (Quilters have great terms for identifying every kind of fabric scrap.)

    All sorts of aesthetics are represented in Kathreen's designs. Some quilts are sewn from solid fabrics only. Another features reproduction prints from the 1930s. There are japanese novelty prints, woodsy prints, modern florals and geometrics (my alley). My favorites of Kathreen's designs involve circles. She has a play quilt that looks like a scrappy, colorful sun and another that reminds me of the Spirograph I received for my 6th birthday, with interlacing swooshes and circles. The photography is fresh and clean– and there's a pattern pack included! That's the best.

    In celebration of Kathreen's fabulous new quilting book, Chronicle Books is providing me with a copy to give away. Send Kathreen your well wishes in the comments below and I'll employ the RNG to help me pick a winner.

    Follow the Little Bits Quilting Bee blog tour over at Chronicle's lovely blog.

  • Meet Nicey Jane

    NiceyLogoGraphic

    She's gussied up and ready for her big debut. Meet Nicey Jane™, my
    new fabric collection for Free Spirit. Nicey is sassy, sweet, and ready
    to sew.  In other words, check your local fabric store, as Nicey Jane
    arrived this week. 

    These new prints are available in two color palettes. We'll call the pink/olive/tangerine palette Kissing Booth and the blue/gray/gold palette Porch Swing. Along with florals, geometrics, and stripes, there are also a handful of Nicey Jane cotton solids — which are batting their threads at me now, calling, "Sew with me, Heather. Forget that computer and run away with me."

    NiceyJaneLaundry

    In a couple of weeks, there will also be eight 58" wide laminated
    cottons (similar to oil cloth, but light-weight and super-duper supple
    — must touch).  I'm excited that the finish is light-weight enough to
    be gathered.  Once I finish up my stationery design work this month,
    I'm going to sew up a Smarty Girl book bag with the laminated cotton and give a full report.  I also have some raincoat plans and a kid's booster seat to make.

    NiceyJaneBasketW (I never did show off my birthday bicycle,
    did I?  Nicey is doing the job for me now.  Yep, that's my
    pinkity-pink-ol bike there.  I never would have guessed I'd go for a
    pink bike.  Would have guessed orange.  Or khaki.  Or bright yellow.  I
    love it though.  Wait till you see the bicycle saddlebags I'm planning
    to make out of this print — but in laminate.  Oh yah.)

    Back to the fabric, shall we?

    The collection tells the story of small-town girl, Nicey Jane. Nicey
    heads to the city on Friday nights to swing dance with her beau — but
    not before hanging the laundry to dry & enjoying an afternoon
    picnic on the farm.  The prints are named for Nicey's story: Hello
    Roses, Hop Dot, Swing Toss, Wash-Day Ticking, Welcome Road, Picnic
    Bouquet, Slim Dandy, Dream Dot, Church Flowers, Pocketbook, and Lindy
    Leaf.

    (The Lindy Hop is my mom's favorite dance.  She tried to teach me some moves on the family room rug when I was little.  Tried.  The Lindy is dang-tricky.)

    NiceyJaneBike

    Now for dessert, a little Nicey Jane video.  Be patient with the resolution;  I uploaded this piece to YouTube instead of hosting it on my own site so it can be shared, embedded in other blogs, watched a gazillion times, etc.  I have Isaac to thank for the wink — you'll see.

    For second dessert (what would a Hobbit
    call a second dessert?), I believe I'm in the mood for a celebratory
    giveaway.  New fabric has arrrived — and it's Christmas time — a dangerous combination.  So, three prizes!  One $50 gift certificate  and two $25 gift certificates to The Heather Bailey Store
    To enter, leave a comment. Tell us something fun, or interesting, or weird, or clever, or
    something kind someone has done for you.  Something like that.  I do read all of the
    comments.  I'll go first (see comments).

    Happy holidays, my friends.  I'm off to stir some hot cocoa with a
    candy cane and find myself a pair of slippers.  It's cold outside.

  • |

    Re-Entry

    I'm back from Market and restoring sanity at home — and
    cleanliness. My kids kissed me awake yesterday like two little pecking
    chicks. It was a contest.

    Market photos are still on the road
    with Isaac, so I'll save the reporting till he rolls in later today.
    I'm excited to be home and thrilled that my long-awaited
    bicycle-weather has arrived in AZ at last. It's gorgeous out today.
    We're packing a picnic to the park, for sure.

    DooHicky

    Also, here are a couple of discount codes for you, to shake things up and keep it interesting at The Heather Bailey Store.

    • 20% off of all Trash Ties™ with code "TwitTies" (posted on twitter first)
    • 25% off of Freshcut™ fabric with code "FreshOut" (Freshcut is no longer in production, so get it while you can.)

    Discounts available through Monday, October 19th. Both codes can be used on the same order.

    It has been a wild few weeks — since Creative Escape,
    really. I'm ready to move forward, with lots of design work up next (my
    favorite!) — after filling these kids up with love and attention,
    picnics and parks, movies and popcorn, haircuts, and a few home-cooked
    meals.

    Now to resolve my hopelessly-clogged kitchen sink. Next
    time I'm tossing the old spaghetti in the trash and not down the
    garbage disposal.