Back to the Drawing Board

Hello everyone!

I've been neglecting "My Handmade Life" and for that, I apologize. It took a while for my roommates to get settled to the point where I felt comfortable sewing while they are home, and I was spending lots of my free time promoting our new president-elecct before election day. But I'm back! With lots of patterns floating around in my brain.

First? I went to Pennsylvania this past weekend to celebrate my aunt and uncle's 50th wedding anniversary. I don't have photos yet, I will post some when they are e-mailed to me. I had a chance to go to Joann's with my cousin's wife April on our last day there and took it! I wish there was a Joanns Fabrics in NYC! I bought SO MUCH STUFF! So be on the look-out for new fabric prints in my shop in upcoming weeks!

Here's a photo of one of my latest makeup bags in the new fabric:


(Click photo for more info)


Second? I won 2nd place for my photo in the Lomography contest I posted about a couple months ago! Yay! I won a Pop 9 camera, I hope I receive it today! Again, photo to be posted soon. It's early in the morning. =P

Third? I'm going to be making sewn baby booties and retro aprons finally! I couldn't be more thrilled about these two. I'm all about the retro aprons, since I've always wanted to make one for myself.

So that's it. I'm off to sleep for another 30 mins before work.

<3 Always,
--Taina

Preserving Nature...

Good morning!

It's 11:00am and my head hurts but I'm determined to work through it. I've been up since 8:30, excited about the idea of making strawberry preserves.

My two books I special ordered on "putting up" came in! Today is Saturday, and the best part of Saturday is getting up and heading to my local Farmer's Market. It's open from 8-3pm and is a block long with stands on both sides of the street.


(This is Becky)


(This is Dorian)

My new roommates Dorian and Becky (D&B) went with me last week and fell in love. They won't be attending the market today due to cat-sitting for a friend, so I have a nice list of items to purchase for them. The pressure is on!

The best part of the Farmer's Market? Organic, local strawberries! I'm going to purchase 2 quarts for the preserves recipe and 1 quart for family. I don't know if D&B want strawberries, I should text them on my way out.

The strawberry preserves recipe calls for:

2 quarts whole berries, capped and quartered.
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 pack pectin
1/2 tbsp butter
7 cups sugar

It should make 7-8 half-pint jars.

If I can get everything organic, I will be thrilled!

The coolest part? I have all this left-over strawberry fabric that I can make cute little jar "hats" out of.



So today's plan?

0. Pharmacy for headache relief
1. Farmer's Market
2. Home to drop off produce.
3. Downtown to Zabars for canning supplies
4. Copy Center to color-copy some photos for coasters
5. Maxila & Mandible to look at butterflies
6. Home to make coasters for my mom's birthday (Monday).
7. Off to a birthday dinner w/ the family for my mom.

<3 Always,
--Taina

Put Up or Shut Up!

So the most recent issue of "Bust", the only magazine I subscribe to, has an entire article on DIY canning. Think preserves, pickles, jams, etc.

As it's called in the South, it's the art of "Putting Up". I have always been interested in making preserves and jams and pickling everything imaginable, even though I don't really like pickles. So I special ordered a couple books on the subject and should have them in my hands in a little more than a week! I'm so excited! I wish the preserve jars were easier to find in NYC. I will have to hunt some down.

I had an old boss when MoMA first reopened who decided with his wife that they were going to pickle everything they could get their hands on and give away jars for X-mas. They had jars EVERYWHERE! If Jars weren't so expensive to ship to my family, I would do it. But I don't know how thrilled my little cousins would be with a huge jar of pickled beets! So maybe I will stick to tins of cookies and white chocolate peppermint bark.

Also, a few of my coworkers and I are trading recipes for all sorts of pumpkin things, it's almost the season! Just a few degrees colder. I hope I get the chance to apple pick in Oct. That could be fun to use in my jams and preserves.

<3 Always,
--Taina

Hooray for new items!

(click the photos for more info!)
I finally got a chance to photograph two new makeup bags today and just listed them about an hour ago! I hope they sell!



My penpal cuts lots of fabric at once and then sews lots. I've always made one item from start to finish before starting another one. But the fabric cutting in one-fell-swoop really seems to work, so hopefully I will get more things up and posted soon! I'm finishing up a new pillow tonight! I hope to list it tomorrow!

Oh, and speaking of my penpal? Her birthday is coming up in about 2 weeks and I NEED to send her really random goodies from Etsy. I have no idea what to get her! There are so many gift possibilities on Etsy! The pressure's on! =) I like a challenge, though.

I keep meaning to pick up the tiles I ordered from Home Depot to start making coasters and I keep forgetting. I know it's only 6pm today, but I'm still in my PJ's. Maybe I will pick them up tomorrow after work, since I will already be outside.

My very good friend Dorian and her girlfriend Becky are moving into my apartment and I could not be more excited! I get to cook and we will have craft nights. I hope they will inspire me to make more things! I gotta get ready for the holiday season!

<3 Always,
--Taina

Ode To An Ex Lover...

I mentioned in a recent blog post that I purchased the MoMA Exclusive edition of the Diana F+. I finally took a few rolls of film to be processed and printed and love this photo:



I didn't plan it out or anything. It's a double exposure of a view from my subway station's platform and the view looking down at my shoes.

What's interesting is that I just ended a thing I had with a guy I was on-again/off-again dating for two years. The last positive thing I remember him saying to me was "I like those shoes, they're like ballet flats." He grew up in my current neighborhood and used the train station I took a photo of.

So I named it "Ballet Flats & Dyckman St: An Ode." It seems obvious that my sub-conscious wanted something physical to grasp when I thought of the last two years of steamy fun and emotional turmoil.

<3 Always,
--Taina