Special Sale

Emily Claire Studio is having a BIG sale !

As many of you know, Emily is my daughter 

and a very talented jewelry artist as well.

She's having her first ever online sale 

so please hop over and check out her work.

Today through Friday all jewelry in Emily's new shop is 25% off.

Just use coupon code HAPPY25 at checkout.

Visit EmilyClaireStudio 

and use the shop button to see her current pieces.
If something you like is sold out please just shoot her an email.

Earrings, necklaces, rings. 

Pretty. Pretty. And colorful too. 

That's what I love about her jewelry . . . all the color.

Follow Emily on Instagram:  @emilyclairestudio

Tag your favorite style with #emilyclairestudio

Follow her on Pinterest 

Pin your favorites:  pinterest.com/eclairestudio

EmilyClaireStudio

just remember to use coupon code HAPPY25

Thanks for stopping by.

The Color Purple

I wanted to share some of the lovely spring color in bloom around my yard.

Thankfully I took the photos above last week because yesterday my irises looked like this.
Mother's Day in Colorado . . . snow two years in a row.

As I looked through my photos, I realized spring around the yard is dominated by The Color Purple.
Purple isn't a color I frequently work with in my quilts. It doesn't have a big place in my stash and yet I really like it. Here's a couple of fabric pulls that I've been playing with. I can see more purple in my quilting future.  : )

The Color Purple made an appearance in my Cascade quilt pattern. Even though it's not the primary color, purple plays a vital role in establishing the design. Fits in quite well with the garden too.

Springtime also means lilacs. I love lilacs. For the first time we have blooms on the upstart lilac bush that took root in the backyard. Lilacs remind me of my Aunt Lu who frequently made them the subject of a painting. I'm happy to have one of her last lilac paintings done while she was in her 80's.

I've always thought of The Color Purple as a little bit old fashioned. I know that's not really the case, but shades of lavender and violet remind of my Grandmother. She often wore a shade of purple. It also happens to be my birthstone . . . amethyst. This tea cup and the ring on the left are family heirlooms that make me think of Grandma.

The Color Purple plays a big part in my daughter Emily's jewelry. She says amethyst is one of her best sellers. Here's just a few of her amethyst pieces.

Radiant Orchid, a pinkish purple, was the Pantone color of the year in 2014. Purple is definitely
not old fashioned anymore. Here's a little Radiant Orchid paint chip next to my new favorite purple sweater. It's perfect with Emily's necklace in one of my favorite styles . . . her double ring design.
Visit Emily Claire Studios for more purple/amethyst jewelry. She has a brand new shop set up now through her website.

How about you . . . does purple have a place in your stash, your wardrobe or your jewelry?

I love color, so I'm thinking posts on color just might become a regular thing around here. Stay tuned.
For now, I'll leave you with this purple glass sculpture by Chihuly shown last summer at the Denver Botanical Gardens. It was stunning!!!

Linking this post up with Really Random Thursdays at Live a Colorful Life.

Sugar Plum Bazaar

The handmade market season opens this coming weekend for my daughter, Emily. She will be packing up and heading off to her first show of the year.

The Sugar Plum Bazaar in downtown Denver Saturday, April 11 from 10 - 7:00 and Sunday April 12 from 10- 4:00. Location is in the McNichols Building, 144 W Colfax. The building is on the north west corner of Civic Center Park across from the Denver County Courthouse. There is plenty of parking in the Denver Post building at 1516 Cleveland Place across from the McNichols.

What does this have to do with WIP Wednesday you ask? Well it means I need to get the ginormous tote bag to hold her booth sign and a few other display items done. You may recall I talked about this last winter but at that time the shows were just about done for the year . . . so I procrastinated. Time has run out now. It needs to be done by tomorrow. It will be done tomorrow.  : )

I don't really do much 3D sewing and this was a custom job so I had to figure it out on my own. The sign might not look that big but it's 24" x 59" so the tote will be about 28" x 62"  HUGE!!!  I did a little preplanning and then just had to dive in and start. It may not be put together in the best fashion, but I think it will work just fine. There's even space to hold extra items as her display grows.

This is my little furry helper. She wiggled her way into the lining while I was trying to attach it. Not the easiest way to maneuver something large through the machine with the added bulk of a cat.

Emily has many new pieces that are beautiful. This is one of my new favorites. A lovely cluster necklace with matching earrings. Love the design and the cool colors.

She is also open to custom work. Take a look at this custom piece she made for me to wear at QuiltCon. Just perfect for my quilting passion.

She'll gladly make one just for you with your favorite quilty saying.  Or any favorite saying  . . . it doesn't have to be quilt related. How about the names of your kids. That would certainly make a wonderful Mother's day gift don't you think?

Other custom pieces include these fun necklaces with inspirational phrases. Here's one of my favorites.

These are some of her signature circle pieces. There will be many colors and styles to choose from including earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings.

I've said it before and I'll just keep saying it . . . I'm so proud of her for following her dream and running her own business. Hop over to Emily Claire Studio and take a look at her work. Follow her blog or follow her Instagram feed. Help spread the word.

Check out this list to see her other market dates for 2015. She'll be adding more as they come along.

The Sugar Plum Bazaar is free. There will be food trucks available and there will be a bar serving specialty drinks, beer and wine while you shop. Plus some sweet treats stand selling other yummy goodies. So why not make a day of it with some girlfriends. Get out to enjoy the gorgeous spring weather. Look for Emily Claire Studios and stop by to say hello. Emily would love to meet you!

Linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Free Chihuly Exhibition and Jewelry Sale

If you live in Denver or along the Front Range, time is running out to see the Chihuly exhibit at the Denver Botanical Gardens. It all comes to an end Nov 30th. I went earlier in the summer and it's AMAZING!  You can see photos and read more about my visit here and get information on hours here. This coming Friday and Saturday November 14-15th admission is FREE!!!

Plus it's also the annual Botanical Gardens Holiday Gift Show featuring 50 vendors selling handmade items such as bath and body products, specialty foods, clothing and jewelry. You can't beat that deal. A fantastic free art exhibit and holiday shopping all at the same time.

But wait, . . . there's more! I'm happy to say my daughter will be there selling her lovely Emily Claire Studio jewelry. She has some beautiful new pieces along with her signature circle necklaces. All jewelry is designed and handmade by her from silver and semiprecious gemstones. Here's a little peek at what you can expect to find. She's happy to do custom orders too. How about a special phrase for that special someone?

If you can't make this weekend, she'll also be at these shows:

Sugar Plum Bazaar  

Nov 22 10:00 - 7:00 and Nov 23 10:00 - 4:00  

McNichols Building 144 W. Colfax, Denver, CO

Firefly Handmade Market 

Dec 6th 10:00 - 5:00 and Dec 7th 11:00 - 4:00  

Exdo Event Center in RiNo Denver Arts District

Make plans now for both. Chihuly's art is a must see and so is Emily's jewelry if I do say so myself  : )

Emily Claire Studio

Just popping in to let you know my lovely daughter has another local jewelry show this weekend.
The Firefly Handmade Market is Sat Sept 27 from 10 - 5:00 and Sun Sept 28 from 11- 4:00 at the Twenty Ninth Street Mall in Boulder. Her booth will be on the west side of the street in front of the Apple store. They have a little write up about her on their blog . . . see the Sept 16th post.

I know I've said it before, but I'm so proud of her for pursuing her dreams of designing jewelry. It's not an easy life to be an artist but she is making inroads on lots of levels. Two shops now carry her work. The Artisan Center on 3rd Ave in Cherry Creek, CO and Aspen & Evergreen on Elkhorn Ave. in Estes Park, CO. Plus she has several more markets lined up for the rest of the year. Go Emily!

Of course for those of you not local, you can always see her latest work on her website
Emily Claire Studio and her Etsy shop. She would also like to invite you to follow her blog.
Just visit her blog and click on the Bloglovin button. You can also follow via email if you prefer.

Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend and don't forget to stop by the Firefly Handmade Market.

Emily Claire Studio

Spreading the word to anyone near Boulder, Colorado this weekend. 

Stop by the 29th Street Mall and take in the Firefly Handmade Market featuring 100+ local artisans including none other than my talented daughter Emily Claire and her beautiful jewelry. 

Sat 10 - 5 and Sun 11 - 4. 

Beer tent, food trucks and a kids' creation station.

Free admission and parking.

Not in Boulder?  No problem . . . 

Check out her newly listed pieces on her Etsy shop 

Visit her new website Emily Claire Studio

Become a blog follower

Or follow her on Instagram

She's been designing and making like crazy. 

Here's just a little peek of some of her work.

These fun necklaces just happen to be my personal favorites. 

She'll do custom phrases too and leather or silver chains are available.

Obviously I'm a proud mama. 

Emily's jewelry has certainly become my favorite. 

I hope you'll consider making it your favorite too.

WIP Wednesday

Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced for another WIP Wednesday. Seeing all the blog posts about projects underway for holiday gifts inspired me to get going and start making. I just couldn't let another Christmas season go by with nothing to show for my crafty efforts.

First up was the December block for our Mid Century Modern Bee. A super easy oversized 9-patch block with vintage feeling fabrics for Mary of MollyFlanders. I love vintage but my fabric stash does not scream vintage at all. After digging a little deeper than usual I came up with these prints that seemed to fit the bill. Hopefully they will work with Mary's idea.

Next up was a mug rug for a gift exchange this week at our Boulder Modern Quilt Guild Holiday Party. Can you believe I have never made a mug rug? I sit here everyday with a cup of tea and sometimes a chocolate or snack and yet I've never bothered to make one for myself or as a gift.
What can I say?  BTW . . . my real mug is better than this plain one but clashed with the fabrics. : )

Played around with a few ideas and then came across this great tutorial online and knew it had to be the one. It involves more fabric than your usual mug rug but is such a clever idea I couldn't resist. Each quarter circle makes it's own little pocket. A great place to tuck in a special treat, tea bag, or hot cocoa mix.  Plus it's super simple to make. I definitely see more of these mug rugs in my future.

My last holiday project involved fabric I bought last year with the good intention of making gifts for some special people in my life.  They didn't get done.  I felt bad.  This year I needed to redeem myself.

These are silky prints which I don't usually sew with. I will admit I hate trying to cut this slippery stuff! Ending up with anything close to 2 matching pieces with straight edges seems nearly impossible to me. But once they were cut and I got started, it wasn't so bad.

An afternoon latter and I had managed to finish 5 new infinity scarves to give as gifts as well as finish one from a couple of years ago that was never finished. Another WIP done.

All in all I'm pretty satisfied that I got these things done in early December. Now to get the bee block and gifts wrapped and in the mail is an entirely different story. Anyone with me on that one?

Hope you are enjoying your holiday traditions. Just don't put too much pressure on yourself to do it all.  Find time to enjoy the season instead of being a slave to expectations.

Please read on to my next post and see my daughter's beautiful jewelry too. I'm a proud mama.