What rejuvenates you...?

So much to do so little time the saying goes...I had been feeling overwhelmed by all I need to do but after a relaxing weekend I returned home rejuvenated and revived...is that all that was needed? We left Saturday afternoon for our sailboat intending to stay overnight returning on Sunday but as the weather was blah on Sunday with a positive forecast for Monday we stayed another day. I lamented the fact that I had no sewing machine nor knitting project with me and the wireless signal was non-existent...so I helped with a few small projects on the boat and read 1 1/2 books! As someone who is constantly on the go it was hard for me to relax into the pace of a tortise but it left me ready to tackle the world today!

So far today I have done 4 loads of laundry, made a dress, scrubbed the deck , gotten out patio furniture, cleaned the pool, mowed the lawn and edited photos and it is only 3pm...WOW!

A weekend with nothing to do ~ What rejuvenates you?

Here are a few photos from the weekend...

Mother's Day...

Last year my mom, sister & I started a new tradition for mother's day...this year we added my aunt into the festivities.

Our morning started with a trip to a flea market about 1/2 hour from home...it was fun just poking around everyone's wares even though I didn't find anything to buy...here are a few of the goodies we saw, but I thought I would get more pleasure out of the photo of them rather than having them in my home collecting dust LOL...

After the flea market we headed back

home stopping for lunch at our favorite little neighborhood "pub" that boasts an amazing beer menu! Full of good food, cold beer and warm memories I headed back to my family where hubby and a buddy made plans to cook dinner for the moms! Salmon on a cedar plank, mmm mmm delicious. A wonderful way to spend the day!

My New Toy....

I have been a bit MIA of late as I have been playing with my new toy -

a Nikon D80 !

I think I could disappear for the next 2 weeks and still have more to learn about it!

I thought I would share a few of the pics I took at baseball practice last week - 7pm...my favorite light of the day

Tag You're it...Again ;-)

This time I have been tagged by 2 fellow bloggers...Erin and Mandy and the have tagged me to tellyo 7 things about myself that you might not know yet, then tag 7 more people to do the same!

1. Skunks...I don't mind the smell! Maybe it reminds me of a really good beer, I am not sure, but to me it is a smell of summer...mmmm ahhh...

2. Lambic - Belgian Raspberry Beer - delicious, we went to Brugge once and that was all I drank while we were there, give me a good beer and I am a happy girl!

3. savory vs. sweet - pass the doritios any day over the ben & jerry's! we still have chocolate in our fridge from Easter and it does not tempt me at all!

4. DH and I lived in Poland for 3 1/2 years when we first got married - we went over with a volunteer goup that sent MBA grads(DH) to work as volunteer business consultants in the former eastern block countries...most Poles couldn't believe that we choose to go to Poland and no Polish roots/heritage

5. I love water & sailing - wherever i have lived I have always sought out the largest body of water nearby...there is something so peaceful about water...I grew up sailing with my dad which is how I met Dh...I also raced on my college sailing team, and 2 summers ago we bought a Catalina 36 where we spend our weekends in the summer

6. I love a good deal - gotta have a coupon if there is one in print!

7. I LOVE coffee! The aroma, the anticipation of the first sip, the smooth bold taste tempered by a touch of cream mmmmm....


so...I am going to tag...Becky since she hasn't posted her list yet!, Mandy , Judy,
Amy, Mary, bella*tessa & christine!

you're it!

I've been tagged!



Amy has nominated me for a WOW! I am flattered as my blog has not quite yet evolved into what I would like it to be but is rather a work in progress...so, what to do with this award???

Here are the Rules:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.


2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.


3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.

so...now comes the hard part - 5 blogs to tag, there are so many amazing ones out there it will be hard to choose but here is my list...



1. Erin of The Vintage Pearl - it has been great getting to know her through ebay and I am inspired by her blog to get out and move with my kids! I love her latest post of the portrait challenge and it makes me think of challenging myself with my photography.


2. Sandi of Portabello Pixie inspires me to think of all that I can do & achieve! She has fantastic new news posted on her blog. . .be sure to check it out!


3. Lara of Kirin Notebook...she doesn't know me yet as I am a lurker over at her amazing blog...but she inspires me to think more about shapes & patterns and design...


4.Liesl-of Disdressed ...this was one of the first blogs I discovered and I have loved reading it ever since...unique, clever and oh so creative!


5...09h09...this guy cracks me up...everyday for the past 4 1/ years he has taken a picture of himself at 9:09am and posted it to this blog! He is French so it is fun to catch glimpses of Paris and other paces he visits...check out his wild shirts!

HAve fun!

Customer Share!

ILOVE it when a customer emails me pics of their child in my creations...it is so neat to see gock's frocks on another cute face! Angela was kind enough to send me these adorable photos of her daughter Sarah in her Freshcut creation...

Thank You Angela & Sarah!

So..what is new you wonder?

I have been busy with another launch - Mary of Sweet-Pea-Totes had asked me to be a guest with WisteriaLane for their Brat Pack 80's themed launch...we chose Pretty-in-Pink and are offering a couple of fun decoupaged sets...jeans for mom, a gorgeous purse by Mary & a 2 piece set for little girls...be sure to check them out!

A Whirlwind....

of activities have taken place since my last posting! One of the highlights was going to hear Al Gore speak! WOW! What an amazing presenter...he spoke for over 2 hours with no notes & his info was up to the minute current including photos of a fire that was burning that day in Florida! His message is such an important one that I hope more people take the time to listen.

We also celebrated april & may family birthdays with a cinco de mayo fiesta! I made the most scrumptious chicken enchiladas from Martha Stewarts Everyday Food magazine...Delicious!!

Sunday was gorgeous so Eily & I took some new modeling pictures. We stumbled upon a Brazilian group (complete with rollerblading juggler!) that was singing and dancing outside so we stopped to watch..it was so cool!

Monday found me home with 2 sick kids & one wanting to stay home out of sympathy to the other 2! I managed to sneak in a bit of sewing as I needed to get a set off to my partner for the Wisterialane Guest Launch happening next week.

I also listed the first of 2 new mix-n-match sets for the Children of the World Launch...the first is called Imagine .

The coordinating set will be listed later this week.

I will also be listing the red, white & blue set seen above as part of Gyl's

Use What You Have Launch! I have another set in the works for that too!

Leo and I are headed out to enjoy the sunshine today!

Have a wonderful day!

Baby Gifts...

gotta love moms....mine in particular has been so supportive of my designing efforts (my dad too!). Her latest contributions were ordering baby gifts for a couple of friends. I thought they came out so cute that I would share them here with all of you!

Embellished jean jackets for baby twin boys and a horse themed jacket for a friends new grandaughter.

I also got a gorgeous thank you gift in the mail from Jenn of eclectic kids ...I sent her some fbric scraps for decoupage jeans and she sent me a gorgeous handmade pin cushion! I'll take that trade anyday! Thanks Jenn!!

Well, dinner is just about ready so I am signing off ~ have a great day!

In Denial....

My baby has turned 5...I can't believe it. It seems like just yesterday that I had a little one to snuggle and rock. Where has the time gone? Now I have a mohawk sporting, skateboard ridding dude who says "homey"!?!?! Help!

We celebrated his birthday at school and took skateboard treats to school for snack...Then w met the other birthday boy (Leo's dad!) for a birthday lunch at Bugaboo Creek!

His big gifts were a giant curious george that we put in his bed while he slept and a fly box for skateboarding! He also picked out curious george fabric and I made him an outfit to wear for his birthday.

Happy Birthday Leo & Peter!

Change is in the air....

sorry I have been MIA...we were away for the weekend so it has been catching up on laundry and sewing since we got home...

I meant to post this pic last week before leaving...

all 3 kids decided to get haircuts, this is a bit of a big deal here as I usually cut their hair. Of course I had no camera to capture the moment, Eily & Leo's 1st cuts by someone other than me!

Klem was actually the impetus behind all of this - he asked if he could get his cut, I readily agreed and then the other 2 wanted theirs as well! Leo of couse requested a mohawk!

What a change for everyone!

Today is the Day!

gock's frocks (that's me!) is the featured designer on the Journal Modiste website! Amy contacted me about 6 weeks ago to see if I was interested in being the featured designer ...ummm, le tme think about it...OF COURSE!

JM was the very first site I stumbled upon aout a year and a half ago when I googled "handmade childrens clothing" and her links led me into the children's boutique world on ebay so I was ThiLLeD when she contcted me....

So, since I am hoping to have a little extra traffic to my auctions this week I will be on a listing spree!

I have finally listed my mix-n-match whale pieces that Elle modeled for me!

Whale Watching with Elle can be found here

and includes the appliqued whale pants & cross-over halter

Set Sail with Elle is here and features funky decoupage jeans and a hand appliqued sailboat tee.

In addition to these nautical sets, I listed a sample set that Bella modeled for me earlier this year...this is a 3 piece set, ready to ship!

Bella Bambina can be found here

Be sure to check back for more goodies in the coming days& don't forget to check out my interview at Journal Modiste!

Playful Fairy Princess...

As promised last night I have a couple of new auctions to share with you...

Listed last night for the Elite Euro Bavarian Fairytale Launch I have the Farbenmix Marieke Dress - Fairy Princess...this features an appliqued castle on the bottom layer, with hand embroidered climbing roses and hot fix crystal accents....

To coordinate with the dress I listed Playful Princess which includes an applique tee and ruffle hem capris with fun Euro details! Eily's first question was "Do I get to keep these?" She has taken a sudden interest in actually wearing my designs for more than modeling! A refreshing change.

She modeled 2 additional sets that I will be listing later this week ~I can sew faster than photograph and graphics!

On today's agenda is a set for Leo to wear tomorrow for his birthday! He picked out curious george fabric for pants and a hoodie - well post pics as that gets started...looks like it could be a late night!

Yesterday was a big day for my parents - 39 years! They gave each other a really cool gift - they made a donation/loan to an oganization they learned about on PBS's Frontline...

"A Little Goes Along Way" reported on Kiva, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that has built an innovative Web site allowing people to make individual loans to small businesses in the developing world. Be sure to check them out at the link above...it sounds like such an amazing program!

Happy Anniversay Mom & Dad...to 2 parents who have always tried to make a difference in the lives of their kids as well as in the lives of others! Thanks for being such a great inspiration!

It is WAY too late....

to be blogging but I just came across this little quiz and couldn't pass it up - I was a diehard Jane Austen fan at the end of high school/college s this caught my eye right away!

Take the Quiz here!

Be sure to check it out if you like her novels as much as I do!

will be back at a more resonable time tomorrowto update your on the trials and tribulations of gock's frocks...(did that sound at all like something from an Austen novel??)

cheers!

Kristen

Happy Friday ~

Curious George is on right now so I have had a moment to catch up on reading Blogs, checking my auctions and answering emails...

I came across this little funny actvity..

Your German Name is:

Frauke Ammelie

What's" Your German Name?

click the link to find your german name and see what you get!

and speaking of German names...I listed a new collaboration last night with my friend Patty of ModkidBoutique...we each made part of a set for the Elte Euro Bavarian Fairytale Launch on ebay...our set is titled Gretel and can be found here, Patty designed the peasant style dress using vintage cotton calico and vintage crocheted trim and I contributed the apron with appliqued trees, bird and hand beaded 'breadcrumbs'...be sure to check it out as Patty is a graphics guru and the listing is delightful!

enjoy you Friday!

Look What Eily Did Last Night!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0Hh_rMDZ2s

She got her ears pierced!!!
She was so brave & SO excited...We walked around the mall after they were done and she kept stopping to take a peek at herself in the store windows, mirrors, etc....she couldn't believe it had really happened!

Sping break is flying by for us and we have been having a great time, just hanging out together - we've been on haitus from having friends over due to the pink eye but today we can come off quarrantine!

Yesterday we walked into the village to go to the library but had to send out an SOS call to OMA to pick us up for a ride home as they pooped out on me!

I also finished up a set that has been swirling round in my head and needed to be captured by the fabric LOL...here is a little sneak peek, not sure when I will get the real photos done for ebay...

Have a GREAT day!

School Break....

Easter was cold and wintry here...we went to my sister's in the afternoon and the kids bundled up for an outdoor egg hunt, we ate lots of yummy food and the adults watched the Master's on TV! It was a relaxing way to spend the holiday and a good start to the kids school vacation

Yesterday I listed my final set for the Freshcut Launch...
I think this was my favorite design by far, we'll see how it does.

Check it out here on ebay

Today I have been teaching Eily how to use the machine she got for her birthday...she has pink eye in both eyes so we are limited in playdates until she gets better - they are all going a bit stir crazy! including Mama!

I am busy with new ideas that are whirling and swirling in my mind - so much so that I had a hard time sleeping last night! I need to clone myself so that i can get 2x the work done - one of me for everyday lfie, cooking, cleaning, bill paying, bed making...and another one of me to work in my sewing room all day! LOL...

Well, I need to go plan something fun here for the troops, have a wonderful day!

Kristen

gock's frocks update...

OK- as promised last night here are a couple of sneak peeks of my remaining 2 sets for the mateialgirls FRESHCUT launch...

I listed the skirt set today and will list the denim cupcake set on Monday...not sure how they will do with this being a holiday weekend.

The other big news for me on ebay was that I made the decision to leave my design group Adagio Bleu Studios ~ this was a very hard decision as I have been with them since my start on ebay last spring but I felt that I had gotten too comfortable and needed to challenge myself in new ways...does this make sense?

It has been hard this week as I have checked in to my groups on ebay, I went to click the link to Adagi Bleu and it wasn't there...

Today I will be finishing a couple of customs that need to go out next week and working on a dress for the Elite Euro launch for next week...

I finally added a mailing list feature to my ME page on ebay - follow the link here if you would like to sign up...scroll down the page a bit until you see the mailing list box..

Click here to sign up for my mailing list

have a great day!

Now that's a BIG bowl of Bananas!

Last week whe Leo and I were at the market I bought 2 huge bunches of bananas for $1...then nobody ate them! So tonight the kids helped me peel them and I made banana bread, banana muffins, banana cake & more banana bread! Yikes!
The kids actually had a great time peeling the bananas~Leo even wanted to squish them with his bare hands!

...and yes, my kitchen aid is purple, your monitor is not playing tricks on you! I am a purple junkie!

In addition to the bananas we had an action packed day~friends drove into town an they brought their new gock's frocks to show them to me ~

and yes - that is Leo - he wanted in on the photo shoot so he volunteered to model the set I had made Eily for her birthday with Riley in her birthday set! He keeps a smile on my face...

after dinner we got our eggs decorated ~ I don't know what was covered with more dye - Leo or the eggs...it was right to the bath for him!

Tomorrow I will post some more sneak peeks of my latest designs and update you all on gock's frocks...

Thanks for checking in!

A Little Local Fame....

Leo and I made a brief and tiny appearance in the local paper today! (i am in the pink vest and Leo is next to me)

Last week we were at the public market, having lunch at our favorite empanada stand when a photographer from the paper took some pics and asked for our names etc..He was there covering a story about the empanada owners daughter serving in Iraq and how they are raising money to send their empanadas to her unit in Iraq...Leo was thrilled to see his name & face in the paper!

I also got another Freshcut auction listed ...Eily was SO cooperative with this modeling shoot as the promised reward has been that she gets to get her ears pierced over April break! Yikes!

The rest of today was spent getting a couple of customs in the mail to Germany and something off to Patty for a collaboration we are doing next week for the Elite Euro launch.

I also caught up on some other blog reading and decided to join Becky of

Ambrosia Couture on her quest to use for her designs, only what is in her stash this month ! Shouldn't be to hard as I have a bit of a fabric addiction...I will have to postpics of my sewing "studio" aka the guest room so you all have a visual of where I spend many hours a day!

Have a great night all! I am off to enjoy my Stella!

how Leo is like a knock-knock joke...

think back to your childhood...do you remember the knock-knock joke that goes:

"knock-knock"
"who's there?"
"banana"
"banana who?"
"knock knock"
"who's there"
"banana"
"banana who?"...and this goes on for another exchange until the person gets fustrated and rspond in a rather grumpy voice and the jokester switches from banana to orange and says.."orange you glad I didn't say banana.."

well...Leo can be a bit intense and relentless with his running commentary on everything around him...but he has this sense of knowing when he has pushed me a little too far too...after about the 10th "Mama...." (followed by a question or comment), he will ask one more time.."Mama...I love you", which of course instantly melts my heart...He is a one of a kind kid!

Well, let's see, I think i promised a few more sneak peeks of my upcoming designs...here is the link to my current ebay auction for this set...I was surprised to see a bid within 20 minutes of listing!! Thanks Mandy! and have already sold the sample set to a friend of Eily's!

I have another set ending later today that I had so much fun creating...it was for a Beatle's themed launch on ebay and I used an European Apron dress pattern that I made fully reversible for 4 great looks..here is the link to check it out...Medley

Leo and I are headed to the elementary school to have lunch with Eily and Klem and play on the playground...he loves to go over there and buy lunch in the lunch line!

I have to finish a couple of customs before I can start on anything new...

Have a great day!