He loves me....he loves me not...

I have been stitching away this week + getting back into entrepreneur mode. Just finished up some new wintery Mae Jones hats that are splendifiously cozy + currently cooking up a new batch of Kinn Jones ....that i think might just be called 'Beachside Bleu'......in a colour range of sand dunes, blue skies and ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh just plain ol beachy goodness!!!
And in the meantime...these cute lil guys called "BubbleGum + Broccoli' are in production. I'm working on some great ideas for the ever nearing festive season, to make life a bit more stress free + ummmmm fun!!!
So i snuck home at lunch, only to come across this:::

A fuzzy monster that lives in my abode, had decided to pick everything off the bookshelf and shred my belongings into pieces. At least he had the decency not to nibble on my photos, but he did find the Post impressionism quite tasty in my very expensive art history book . And he even managed to digest alot of information from my Canada Lonely Planet guide book!!!!

Now let me give you the list of items lost in the war with this Tyrant:

-2 pairs of sneakers

-3 maybe 4 pairs of flip flops

-3 printer cables

and then there is the outside......well at least i haven't had to waste time pruning this year.

So i figure he either...just really loves me so he needs to eat anything i touch , or he is secretly working on my demise, so that he my have my beau all to himself (and thats when he would snicker like shifty evil characters do in the cartoons)

On the flipside tho, it really has taught me to put things away after using them!!!

Bye bye for now

lil jj

ps: Did you guys hear that fantabulous speech from Steve Jobs :: what an totally amazing + down to earth kinda character! I'm going to have to listen to that speech everytime i have the Blah's.

Just for Moi

I have finally decided that i need to trade in my 3 year old 'trucker tombo'

Thought i might make me.... a lil something like this::

I have another one ordered...so i'll have just enough of Guerard's trousers for ONE MORE lil black hat!!!
(found here)

The lining... it's a SuRpriSe silly - but fantabulous as always!!!!

bye bye for now

lil jj

Update:::

Well the time has come....

To full time Sparky!!

As of monday the 3rd, lil jj will be in the HQ's sewing her lil heart out, dancing to the tunes, snipping to the beat + getting all those orders done for peeps who have been waiting patiently!!!

Happy Days ahead my friends

bye bye for now

lil jj

Long legs

Old Man Jack had theeeeeeeeee longest legs......and thanks goodness, coz i was able to make 2 of these vintagey Busy Jones handbags!!! I just posted one in the shop today, but i'm thinking i might have to keep the other one for the Craft show in Nov(the countdown is on, i'll have a little over a month to haul some ass and sew like the wind to get some product ready - still haven't got my lay-off notice from work....YowZaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!)

Anyways she is.......all shades of grey n' apricot/orange. I made her a little bit deeper than usual, and decided to try the piping(the white pipe looking stuff in between the seams) method again.....but i fear the ol' bias binding is the one for me!!

And yeppers decided against the trademark lawsuit and got a little inventive with some applique , A 'label' and some stitching!! The giggling cabbage welt pocket worked out just perfectly too!!!

just thought i'd show you guys what my wall of ever growing inspiration looks like right now!!! But funny enough i love it. Every time i look at it, my eyes find a piece of fabric i'd forgotten about...and the ideas start a whirling!!!!

And a little autumn crocus poked its head thru the soil in my garden the other day.....such a lil beauty, but a sign of whats to come................PERFECT SEWING DAYS!!!! miserable weather, hot coffee and listening to my friends on the CBC radio again!!!!

bye bye for now

lil jj

getting closer...

Okay so i am getting closer to 3 things right now...
1) Back to working on Sparky full time.....in (fingers crossed 3 weeks, well its 2 n' a bit, but i thought i'd better add in a couple of days of sleeping and relaxing::giggle!)
2) the Fabulous Finds Christmas show that Sparky will be par-taking in, around the beginning of November (handmade + OOAK stuff + winery......but more about that at a later date!)
and
3) Finishing 2 Busy Jones called 'Levi + Coal'....supa cute, perfect for all seasons and only a tiny bit of floral!!!

Here is my list of things to make as soon as i finish up my grown up job!!!

(Opps minor detail - i'm now sharing my studio with another designer/hatmaker/artist!!! - you can kinda see her studio in the background,, more on that later TOO))
a glimpse of 'Levi + Coal

and the fantabulous labels from Jacks Levi jeans, that i carefully removed and re-stitched onto some...ummmm cool Sparky handbags!!!

And this is the only bit of floral on these bags(its in the welt pocket on the strap!)::: BUT I just had to use this fabric because its so funny....its actually smiling cabbages with rosey cheeks in between some roses...so kooky i naturally love it !!!

righto off to bed i go, so i can go to sleep right away and get a little closer to my 3 things!!!

bye bye for now

little jj

Some Nice-ities...

Coming home to supper on the table, with a card and a stunning little pot of my fav flowers at the moment.....the Orchid (been wanting to make some fabric orchids - but have come to the realization ya can't imitate the intricate beauty of these lil guys! (Not only can i span out my birthday...i have now mastered most festive occasions including the anniversary::giggle!)

Turning around to SEE THIS::
My beau had decided to spice up my cardboardy gluten free buckwheat pancakes!!

Making my handmade bias binding in a shade of 'aubergine', as my gran would call it (saying purple was a bit beneath her - which always made us giggle!)
AND MEET:: the latest member of the Sparky Shop!! - Miss 'French Earl Grey' Kinn Jones

She is simply perfect for sitting back and relaxing, whilst sipping a cup of the aromatic French Earl Grey Tea .
This lil number is shades of lavender + 'aubergine', with a tweed top + deep denim band n' brim........Urma ought to be proud that her coat from moons ago could be made into such a fine lady like Sparky Accessory!!
There are 2 left, and you can even choose your own button!!!
So look here or here!!
Bye bye for now
Lil jj.
ps:: T2 is a Tea company in Australia that has the most delicious teas and kitschy teawares! Check it out here: AND...Apparently.....Early Grey tea gets its distinct aroma + flavour from the oil that is extracted out of the rind of 'Citrus bergamia' or Bergamot Orange - a winter flowering citrus!! Fun Fact 281!!!

A letter for the creative soul..

Well in light of recent events, my 'thinking cap' has ...well....been working overtime. So I have come to a conclusion....I must write a letter! A letter of awareness + truth.
Well there comes a time when your daydreams finally become your life:: you can suck up all your insecurities + fears and just totally put yourself out there....and the thing that you put out there most is YOU, (it kinda feels like ya naked I guess..in a funny kind of way!) for all the world to see and judge. It keeps you awake at night, and it drives you to get up in the morning. You push yourself harder than ever imagined and you ride a bigger rollercoaster of emotion than when you were a teenage girl (which for me....well let’s just say it the ride was CRA to the Z!) BUT all in all you have finally reached that point of success (which for me, is not a monetary value) and fulfilment and most of all proud to be yourself!! And when peeps start lovin your dream...well it’s the bestest feeling ever (kinda reinforces you that you are not completely insane!!)

Now what if someone else decides that your dream looks pretty tasty??
Well your still standing there naked aren't ya::giggle!
I guess you are never prepared for what it feels like - Someone has tried to steal your Creative Soul and take the credit for it, even tho its 150% YOU sitting right there.... BUT what I have realized in life....is people are going to do what they are going to do + they can convince themselves that they are right +true...... even if it means hurting others to make themselves feel happy (which i'm pretty sure...i'm not innocent of in this life time).

So what are the side effects of someone Xeroxing your Creative Soul:::
1) You stay awake for long hours, which makes you a) crazy, b) angry c) irrational d) angry
2) You draft letters with words of the criminally insane
3) You take all your frustration out on your cute lil Beau who has done nothing but support you
4) You have a little cry in the supermarket, isle 5...but pretend its allergies
5)your family, besties and biggest supporters become outraged - because they too have been riding this bloody rollercoaster with ya for the last 8 years, so they are involved totally on the journey until the ride stops!!
5) You try very very very hard to pretend it doesn't hurt like fucking hell

So what is the Medication::
Well finally after a few weeks of constant self counselling and eating copious amounts of ice cream...........all i've got to say is: you can carbon copy my Creative Soul, change it by a millimetre here, and centimetre there to call it your own....but you will always be missing the secret ingredient:

And that would be ME! (i thought i would use the most cheeriest photo ever!!)
Bye bye for now
lil jj
Life Lesson 741:: Thru Stress comes Strength!!