mini clipboards

finally! a gift for boys! i struggle in this department every year when i have gifts to give to the little men in my life. but i think i may have hit on something good: small clipboards decoupaged with really cool papers with skate graphics, camo and graffiti. these measure at about 9 x 6 inches and are perfect size for writing a chore list for your boy, or hang a few together on the wall and make to do lists for each kid. small clipboards - $12 each here.


- enjoy!

a small batch of posies

is now available!

kreativ blogger award

marisa, from small moments captured, nominated me for a kreativ blogger award! so sweet - thanks, marisa! i'm honored. so with that, i'll play along with the award's callings: answering 7 questions with 7 items under each heading. hmmm.... i'll try!

1. What I Did Before: before what? 3kids? i had 2 kids! ok, really, before i started becoming my current profession as a baby making machine, i had several jobs. my longest was as a faux finisher. i probably did that for 4 years or so, through the end of college and into the beginning of marriage. i burnt out on that due to lots of physical labor, heavy paint fumes, and construction site drama. after that i began a business selling things i refurbished from garage sales, flea markets, and estate sales. that was soooo much fun, but i stopped when i got pregnant. lets be honest - i stopped because i didn't make any money, and i happened to be pregnant, too. i have a really hard time charging more for something than i would pay for myself. ok, thats only 2, 5 more to go: ruby's diner server, office assistant for my hubby, nanny, sterilization technician at my dad's dental office, hostess at a fine dining restaurant. i like my current career the best, BY FAR!

2. What I Do Now: take care of my 3 kids, homeschool 3 days a week, make feeble attempts at house cleaning, craft whenever possible, and run the pleated poppy (a lot more computer time than i expected!)

3. What I'd Like To Do? eat a s'more, make a dent in my piles of unread magazines, finish some of my many unfinished projects, paint my sofa table (how long has it been?!), sleep more, have more patience, yell less.

4. What Attracts Me To My Husband? the way he loves our kids, how hard he works for our family, he supports my crafting habits, he's super active and athletic (seriously very good at every sport! crazy.), the way he pretends he's not ticklish, how dedicated he is to taking care of his physical health, that he encourages me to take care of myself, too.

5. Favorite Food: cookies, brownies, snickers, sushi, pizza, rootbeer floats, ice cream. can you tell a have a sweet tooth?

6. What I Say Most Often: "silas, get of the table!", "gentle hands!", "hey babe...", "when will you be home?", "be kind", "can you get silas down?", "eat your food!".

7. Pick Seven Other Bloggers: lisa leonard, joyful weddings and events, sugarplum invitations, joy's hope, inspired by jenna, skip to my lou, paper and stitch

how to use a posy pin:

welcome to all of you who have flown over from the nesting place! i hope you enjoy your time here and come back to visit often.


one of my biggest sellers are the posy pins. posy pins are little flowered brooches made from several layers of various fabrics, topped by a chubby covered button and finished off with a bar pin in the back. there are so many uses for them, so i thought i'd do a little demonstration on the many uses of a posy pin.


first off, and probably my favorite use, is on a "beater". ok, totally not a pc term, but we all call them that, right? these tanks are the staple of my wardrobe, along with jeans. what better way to "cute-ify" a simple basic outfit than to slap on a posy? well, maybe don't slap it on, it does have a pin on the back. be careful!


but really, why stop at one when you can wear 3?!?


but one still looks cute, too.


and to add a little life to a boring winter coat, these little posies will happily do the job!

another winter staple are scarves. why not funk them up a bit and scatter a few posies on them. so unexpected, yet it totally works.

a simple way to add a little extra drama to a basic bag is to pin on a posy.


ok, so this bag already has enough drama on its own, but how cute does it look with some extra oomph? btw, as cute as the bag is, i never use it. it barely even holds a diaper. maybe in a couple years...


how great are the posies on a pillow? and the great thing about this is that it is totally temporary. if you want to add a posy to your jacket for the day, just pull it off your couch!

maybe you're throwing a birthday party and want to add some extra color. add some posies!


or maybe its a baby shower. soften things up with some pastel posies. these would also be great as...

gift topppers! how fun is that? not only are you giving a gift, but making the gift look better. and since the posies come in sets of 3, you get to keep 2 for yourself!

and last, but not least, you can add the posies to picture frames to draw a little extra attention. i just made a little loop of masking tape and stuck it to the back of the pin. yeah, the adorable little girl definitely adds to the look, too. but where is her posy hair clip? who is her mama?

so, what other uses can you think of for these pins? do tell!

ruffled aprons

here's what i was working on last week, and finally finished up this weekend. ruffled aprons! how stinkin' cute are these? i only have four available right now, and they'll be up in my shop later today.


wouldn't this be a great christmas gift for your sister?


i know my best friend would *love* this one!


maybe a hostess gift for the big holiday party?


or maybe, just maybe keep it for yourself. maybe it'll inspire you to cook a little more often. yes, i am trying to justify the purchase for you. you're welcome! ha!

-enjoy!

trash or treasure

so this is what my trash can next to my sewing desk most often looks like. kind of pretty actually? i really throw away such a very little amount of fabric, using every last little bit i can.

my girls came up with a little project to use even the pieces i deemed unusable. a little construction paper, glue, and mommy's "trash", and viola! art! well... at least it kept them busy for a bit.

sneaky peaky

i'm working on a new project for the shop that i'm so excited about! any guesses on what it is?

cozy posies and a give away!

i LOVE the way these fall posies turned out! many of the fabrics really fluffed up and made very full posies. i love how the tweed looks with the cotton fabrics, and how using men's suiting materials makes these posies suddenly seem ready for cooler weather.


many of these have warm, fallish colors, while others have cooler tones. i've made up sets of three, some of the warm tones, some cool, and some are a mix. i also have lots of sets of the multi-colored posies that are really great year-round.

and if you're visiting from natalie's sentiments - welcome! enjoy your time here, and be sure to check out my shop for your favorites and get back to natalie, post a comment, cross your fingers and hope you WIN! that's right, folks. natalie is hosting a giveaway where you can win a set of 3 posies, a zippered pouch, and a travel tissue case!

these fall posies will be available later today or tomorrow. we're celebrating my daughter's 3rd birthday today, so no time to add to the shop! be sure to check back later...

*EDITED* - the shop has now been updated (look under "new!").

-enjoy!

coming soon:

i got some great new fabric to make some fall and winter versions of the posy pins. these wools, corduroys, and tweeds just say "warmth" to me. don't you think a nice cozy posy would warm up a dull peacoat or fancy up a plain beanie? or maybe a couple attached to the ends of a thick scarf. how i can think about wearing a scarf today is pretty amazing, considering its nearing 100 degrees again today (98 yesterday!). but in your neck of the woods, fall may already be in full swing. check back soon to see when these babies are up for sale!

locals only

i have a couple of papered windows left over from the harvest festival. good news, right? but they're nearly impossible to ship, so i can't really put them up in my shop. so... calling all locals: let me know if you're interested in either of these windows and we can arrange a pick up or drop off time.

the large papered window measures at 32 x 36 inches and has 3 oil rubbed bronze double hooks at the base. $85
the smaller papered window measures at 33 x 30 inches and also has three oil rubbed bronze double hooks at the bottom. $75

i have mine hung in my entryway and use it to hang purses and coats.

leave a comment or email me at thepleatedpoppy@gmail.com if you're interested. all payments are made through paypal.

-enjoy!

shop update

i've spent all weekend getting this ready, but... the shop is fully stocked! its been a lot of work, but i'm sure you'll appreciate it. there are lots of new items available:

reversible headbands

posy hair clips

clip boards

zippered pouches

travel tissue cases

chubby button magnets

and of course, posy pins!

please stop by for a visit, and feel free to email me with any questions at thepleatedpoppy@gmail.com.

-enjoy!

wow!

i am overwhelmed by your response to the new shop location! much easier, huh? these packages are on their way out today and should be in their owner's happy little hands very soon.

we've had a crazy busy week at home (you can read about it here), but i plan on updating the shop this weekend and fully stocking it! yay! that means headbands, posy pins and clips, zippered pouches, and more.

oh, and please come have breakfast with me over here today!

-enjoy!