Where I create ~ a blog party!

I am so excited to be a part of Karen's "Where Bloggers Create" party!!! I know some of you may already have seen a post about my little guest/sewing room, but since it's been a while and for those who are new to my blog, I thought it would be safe to post about it again! I can't wait to visit the other blogs as I know I will be tremendously inspired!!

Our downstairs guest bedroom/sewing room has seen a few different lives, but this is by far my favorite!! I gave myself carte blanche to go crazy with all my pretties... It all started with an antique handpainted french bed that Lisa spotted for me on Craigslist... It set the tone for the entire room. The room, though small, houses some of my favorite items, including my wallpapered dressers and my large collection of vintage barkcloth. Even though I do most of my cutting, stapling and gluing on the kitchen floor (am I the only one??!!), this is where I do what I love the most, sewing!! Now, I have to come clean, it doesn't always look this good ~ most often than not, the bed is covered with projects and the floor has pillow forms, bags of fabric and other stuff...!! But, for now, we'll just pretend it looks like this all the time!! Oh, the joys of virtual reality!!!

Until the time I moved to the US, my craft experience was limited to a few cross stitch projects... Shortly after the move, and faced with longs periods of time alone - my husband was on a squad rotation of six months in Japan, 12 months at home - , I found the need to occupy myself, so I found a used sewing machine at a garage sale for $10 and enrolled in a basic sewing class at the local fabric store. Having becomed intrigued with patchwork, I bought a couple of books and self taught the basics to get started. Quilting became my passion and I even taught classes for nearly 10 years...

But, slowly, I became passionate about other things, and quilting took a place in the back burner! As I started my selling business, I fell in love with using vintage and vintage reproduction fabrics to create pillows, tote bags, stools, etc. I also started using vintage wallpapers and other ephemera to create one of a kind pieces. Today, my mind wanders constantly and the ideas flow... I love to create, and the true reward is seeing someone enjoying or being inspired by my creations!! I leave you with just a small sample of some of the things I have created in the past... May the ideas never stop flowing! Just as I may inspire you, I always have and always will find inspiration in all of you... !!