whoa, that's boss.*

i got an email today requesting that i stitch up another "show a little faith, there's magic in the night" piece.


this part of the story doesnt shock me too much -- i had just stitched up and mailed another one by request last week; that person had seen the original that i had done and posted on etsy (it sold pretty quickly...) and just asked me to make another.
the cool part of this story is that the woman making the request said that she saw the piece on a BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN WEB (fan) SITE! hahahahahhaha! holy crap. i didnt know such things existed. but then i never really thought about it. then i checked and found the link (here)-- it's totally rad!


i love the way my piece looks up there on that site! and i love the title of the site! and then, when i clicked on it, i see that lots of people "like" and reblogged it. super sweet. (see for yourself here.) i wish i understood tumblr -- then maybe i could "like" it too....

*("that's boss" is a saying my old pal roger rudd used to say a lot... he probably still does say it a lot. that roger rudd is a pretty swell fellow. he once shipped a bicycle all the way from seattle washington to my home in pennsylvania for me - because he saw it and knew i would love it and that it was actually small enough for little miss short legs to ride properly. what a guy!)

foraging for mushrooms...

... at terrain.


after the success of our collaboration on my strawberry sachets, my contacts at terrain proposed that i develop a mushroom sachet for the fall season. the site on which terrain, the shop (and cafe, and landscaping services) sits was once an old mushroom farm/house. pretty cool, eh? see photos of the beautiful site here and, if you're in the area, you really should visit. if you're not in the area, you can see my mushrooms in the shop here (but i think they look a lot better in person...).

oh california

i've had several orders for this piece in the past couple of weeks:


interesting, interesting indeed i do believe.
anyways - i really liked this color request. (good idea, pollie!)
and now i am sooooo close to being caught up on all my orders and ready to jump into a new piece or two. hopefully i'll be posting again sooner than later...

looking back, looking forward

remember these?




i've been thinking of them often lately. i think it may be time to start stitching up letters again to make up some more photos like this...
sorry for the lack of posts lately. it's been a whirlwind couple of weeks and since i've been back on the west coast, i've just been stitching my little fingers off to catch up with the orders i've gotten since the design sponge post. phew!
also, though, i read (devoured) "extrememly loud and incredibly close" on my way back west and in the two or three days afterwards and it's kinda wrecked me! i couldnt put it down until it was finished and now it's weighing heavy in my heart... i love a story that can touch me like that but dang, i wish my heart werent so easily affected.
it's a bright and sunny day here in los angeles, though, and i'm feeling ready to get back into the normal swing of productivity!

family time

stitched this up for my sister and her husband:


it's their motto.

then four year old bella begged me to teach her to stitch -- all i did was thread the needle and show her how to go through the holes - she did this all by herself:


so awesome!

her drawings blow my mind.
these are the ones she's done on the chalkboard at the end of the hall over the past two days. the first is nani (my mama):


and this one is grand-nan (my grandmother):


wow.

unalone

this one just sold:


i stitched it up last week or so and didnt get around to posting it. i had seen the quote/line on some blog (i cannot for the life of me remember which; i'm sorry!) a few weeks back and it stuck in my head. i thought it'd make a good little piece. i'm happy with the colors -- so loving that platinum colored aida cloth these days! anyways, now it's off on its way to missouri; hooray!

piggies at market

last week i sent another batch of piggy totes to terrain and now they're being sold both at the brick and mortar store and online. (there they are, on the front page of the shop site!)


hooray! (want one? get it here.)
mmm, that photo of the tomatoes is making me super-psyched for my trip back east in just a few days...

soaking it up

super huge thanks to design*sponge for posting about my new work yesterday!


i woke up at 7am to find my phone a-buzzing with emails and orders and tweets and immediately jumped out of bed and ran to the computer to find all the hubub. wow! it's a great little boost in busy-ness; i've got lots of stitching to do! see the full post here.

max and the bears

i've just completed my first specially commissioned piece for a nursery:


i'm thrilled with it.
thank you, stacy and devin, for giving me the opportunity to stitch up such a sweet piece. they came up with the concept, (a little tweak on a line from "where the wild things are") and we worked together on the colors. this photo is pretty dark -- the stitching is blueish grey on a background of a light buttery yellowy ivory.
so sweet. i should have waited to get better photos, but i was just so excited to share this one that i couldnt wait for better light!

a rare moment of proud contentment

i must admit, i am feeling REALLY good about my etsy shop right about now. they've changed the shop layout/design a bit and i've been working my behind off to get new items stitched up, photographed, and listed in the shop. this is the first in a long time that i can say i'm pretty darned psyched on how my shop is looking. check it out -- it looks like two etsy treasuries:



so, if i can just figure out how to get back to getting noticed -- i havent done any PR/marketing work in a looooong time, i may be starting to get chez-sucre-chez back on track!
please take a look for yourself (here), and if you've got any advice for getting my shop some more traffic (or, well, say, you want to blog about it or something like that...) please let me know!

show a little faith...

...there's magic in the night.


my good friend dana had this as her quote or whatever on myspace or facebook for the longest time - and i loved that. then, the other night as i was standing in the checkout line at the grocery store, this song (thunder road, bruce springsteen - just in case you didnt know...) came on the radio and i got it in my head that i needed to stitch it. so i came right home and plotted out the pattern. and then stitched it. ta-da! i did it more just kinda for the heck of it, rather than as something that i wanted for myself. so i went ahead and listed it in my etsy shop. if you want it - go on and get it!

holla day

it's a happy day when i find that chez-sucre-chez has gotten a sweet little write up somewhere on the web, like this one, from the folks over at holiday matinee:


they were there at renegade L.A. this year and their booth caught my eye - on sunday morning as i was walking back in to set up. there was nothing even in their booth at that time but a single banner, or flyer, or some signage that said something awesome and amazing and positive (something along the lines of "if you see something cool, tell someone RIGHT NOW"). later in the day i met dave and got to hear about what they do; i was quite impressed with their wit and their smarts and their mission to promote good things that good people are doing. i think you should check them out - click here to do that. and while you are there, you can see the full post {and give it a little facebook thumbs up, and twitter it - please!} here.)

things in my kitchen...

...that make me happy:


my nesting doll measuring cups - a very thoughtful gift from a couple of very sweet friends (they're made by fred and friends - i've talked about products made by that company before here), and my cut-by-me papercut from a pattern sold by elsita (see the other one i did and find link to the item in her shop here.)
and today, figs and lavender that i harvested from the yard this morning:


also in my kitchen making me happy: my dutch heart tea towel by sara smedley, my crocheted pot holder by emily sparks (which i bought at renegade L.A.), and my borrowed kitchen aid mixer (mine didnt make the trip out here...) i attempted to get all three of those last items into a photo, but there was just too much going on in that shot and i couldnt get it right....
i hope you are all having a happy day. xo.

kind of like a fred perry, for your wall

here's a grouping of new pieces:


well, the white one isnt so new -- i did that one a few weeks ago...


but the other two are. i stitched them up over the past couple of days.
i had seen these old wreath-like motifs in antique pattern books. usually they have a monogram or word in the middle of them, but i was interested in doing them on their own. they definitely remind me of the fred perry logo - and i like that; makes me think of the days that my friends and i all rocked those shirts and looked so dang cool.



all three are listed in my etsy shop!

new work (and some not so new...)

i'm working on photographing and listing my newest work today. this is the part of the process that always seems to take the longest and to be the most frustrating... hopefully i'll be sharing the links sooner than later!

mogollon love

this latest piece was inspired by my good friends francisco and monica, the amazing creative genius behind nyc design company mogollon. see the inspiration here.

happy morning

breakfast is served:


i am so loving the fig tree outside my door.
(and this little tulip plate i scored at a thrift shop!)

mushaboom

you may remember a hint of this project a way several months back; it's been a long time in the making but today, i sent 36 pretty pink mushrooms out in the mail on their way to terrain.


making them was kinda fun - as it was an item that i had never done before. i enjoyed the challenge of figuring out a pattern, and then putting the idea together and playing with fabrics in different prints and colors. (this post here has the original prototypes)
fulfilling the order was a bit more labor-intensive than i had anticipated, but i enjoyed working out the process and systems to make the job easier. (i felt like a chemist using my specially purchased funnel to fill the stalks with a lavender (for scent) and rice (for weight) mixture.


the idea was theirs, the design, construction, and labeling mine, and they are orchestrating the beautiful packaging.


i can't wait to see how these look in the shop! i just sent them out, so it may still take a couple of weeks, but if you happen to stop in sometime after that, keep an eye out for these little guys and let me know what you think!

caught it

last night i happened to have logged on to etsy and saw one of my items on the front page:


hooray! i never catch that stuff when it happens -- it's pretty cool.

making the cut

this is making me really excited:


i bought myself a little present from one of my very favourite etsy shops. elsita makes some of the most beautiful papercuts i have ever seen. i love her series based on classic fairy tales and when i saw that she put out a do-it-yourself package of four little papercut patterns that includes peter rabbit, little red riding hood, alice and wonderland and pinoccio, i was psyched. i'd always wanted to buy one of her pieces, but now to be able to purchase her designs and do it myself?! brilliant!

red and blue and white and butterflies and heart and arrows

i like this little collection together:


the reel around the fountain piece is being mailed out tomorrow morning, but the rest are mine for now....
you'll be seeing more of those hearts and arrows in the coming weeks...
have a good weekend, all! i'm heading down to huntington beach to see some surfing. (what is california doing to me?!)

piggy goes to market

in yet ANOTHER way.
my butcher-cut piggy totes are now being sold at terrain.


hooray!
i brought a few of these with me to LA renegade and heard over and over again, "oh, that's so mean." i know. hey - i've been vegetarian for nearly twenty years. and i just finished reading jonathan safran foer's "eating animals" oh man, it's brutal; nothing i didnt know but really, people -- factory farming is bad news - really bad news. dont eat that stuff. but go on ahead and buy the tote. it's a conversation starter; get people thinking and talking about where our food comes from.

L.A. sentimental

prior to renegade, i stitched up a few california/l.a. specific pieces.
first there was this one: which i forgot to take a proper photo of -- this is just a crappy shot taken with my phone:


ugh -- it's such a bad photo -- sorry. it sold pretty quickly - and the girl who bought it was exactly the kind of person i was thinking of as i stitched the piece. she was really excited about it - she's following her dream of doing costuming here in hollywood. awesome.

and then there was this piece:


which didnt sell. (boo.) the reference may have been a little too obscure. it's from the morrissey song "first of the gang to die" which, i do believe, is set in or about L.A. that's how i read it, anyhow... i assumed the reservoirs were the ones out here. i still really like the piece. i'm thinking that i'm gonna make it one of the key pieces for a show that i'll eventually be doing at THIS gallery here in L.A. -- and i'll stitch up some other pieces with L.A. inspired lyrics to go in a grouping. there've got to be tons of L.A. songs; if you can think of any especially good ones, please let me know!

i also had two "listen to your heart and follow it, even if it takes you all the way to california" and both of those sold - which made me happy.
currently, i've got a commission for a "listen to your heart and follow it, even if it takes you all the way to montana." boss! (as my montana friend r. rudd would say....) i'll show it off when it's complete.

renegades in the city of angels

thank you so much to everyone who stopped by my booth at renegade this weekend. it was, as usual, a great event. (those renegade folks really know how to do it right!)
here was my little set-up --
day one:


day two:


super huge thanks to josh, who helped me to put my display boards together (using the design that my pal melanie linder did for brooklyn renegade -- beautiful!). i definitely enjoyed the ease of using just two boards, and the fact that L.A. was nowhere near as windy as philly or brooklyn. i was able to easily move things around when pieces sold or when i thought it needed a freshing up.
thanks, too, to my wonderful boothmate -- mia of 'ticings, who does edible design "stickers" for cakes and cupcake decoration (which are very cool - you should check them out.) she and her daughter were sweet as can be and i got to be around cupcakes all day! perfect!

awesomeness

over the weekend i had the opportunity to see a show of some of ed emberley's work.
as if that wasnt amazing enough, i also got to meet him and do a collaborative drawing with him:


on the left is my raccoon, the way i've been drawing them since discovering mister emberley's "how to draw" books a few years ago. on the right is his raccoon. i did the heart.
the show is up at scion installation l.a. - and it runs through to august 7th. i HIGHLY recommend that you go see it if you can. there are prints and drawings done by mister emberley as well as the prep sketches for several of his books. there's also work done by more contemporary artists who have been influenced by ed emberley's work.

coming clean

finished up the second one of these that i started, and then i went back to the first one and, with a little bit of oxyclean (thank you for the suggestions!), finally got the coffee spot out; it's completely gone! so, i finished up that one, too, and now i have an extra to go with me to renegade. woo-hoo!

ready set

stitched and set out up this group of monogram towels the other day. i love the thought that angela put into the colors for her order.
and now - i'm taking a day off; all of my orders are stitched, my renegade stockpile is looking pretty good, and i've been invited to explore some california swimming holes. me thinks that's an offer i can't refuse. have a great wednesday!

ribbons and boughs

the newest piece:

grrrrr...

really really really frustrating -- being over halfway finished a piece for an order and then dripping coffee onto it. and the spot wont come out. grrrrr. not a happy way to start a morning.
anyone out there ever tried tea-dying a piece after it's been stitched? that's the only way i can think to salvage the work that's been done already. or i'll just have to scrap it. oh man. oh well, in the meantime, here i go -- starting over again from scratch...


happy monday.

this necklace...

...is also rad.


it's made by my friend karen, of skylark studio, and i scooped it up before heading west. it makes me happy to be wearing the pennsylvania dutch distelfinks out here, so far from home. (karen has a lot of other really amazing pieces in her line -- you should check it out here. hmmm, i just noticed that this necklace isnt listed in her shop - nor are her other new PA dutch inspired designs.... well, if you love it, contact her - she's great and i'd bet that she'd be able to work it out for you!)

this book...

...is rad.


i picked it up at 826LA -- the storefront for this place here that is doing amazing work with school children of the local communities. they do tutoring and workshops with kids - mostly writing - and they collect works done by the children and publish them and put out these beautiful little books. i couldnt pass this one up -- it's all works of writing done by kids from first to eighth grade based on names of smiths/morrissey songs. it's really sweet. (want one for yourself? you can read more about it and then get it here.)
and currently, i'm working on the design for a custom piece with totally different smiths lyrics on it -- i'll post pics when it's finished.

new order, new border

this one's a quote from new order's "vanishing point." i'm quite pleased, quite pleased indeed, with it. oh, and when i finally finish painting the walls of my house (the grey that you see there is just the teeniest little test patch), it'll look so darn good all hung up and stuff -- and then the piece will go with me to renegade - just three weeks away!

in progress

i hate to admit it, but it's taken me waaaay longer than i had anticipated to get all set up and acclimated and back to life and work as normal out here. in my head, i had seen this time as three months that i would work-work-work -- stitching away in my little house under the lemon trees, working on new designs and inspirations. it doesnt seem to be panning out that way -- which may just be okay. i've found myself in this beautiful foreign place, surrounded by wonderfully loving friends who are helping me remember how to relax a little and have fun. i think i'm a little bitten by the california bug -- all sunshine and laid back attitude and so many places to explore.
work is still happening, though! i'm just not having as prolific of a time as i had imagined.


renegade L.A is in three weeks and i'm starting to stockpile the goods in preparation. i have no idea what to expect, having never done a fair on the west coast, but i'm feeling okay about it none-the-less. vendor packets arrived yesterday and i'm happy to see that my booth, which i'll be sharing with mia of ticings (check it out -- she does designer edible icing sheets - i'll be around cupcakes all day!), seems to be in a good location, right in the middle and on a corner. yee-haw! my product line offering is going to be a little smaller, since i'm sharing the space and i didnt want to have to ship out EVERYthing. but i'll have sandwich wrappers, and d.i.y. cross stitch kits and patterns, and strawberries, and the boyfriend hankie kits. i'll also have the finished cross-stitch pieces, of course - which means i gotta get back to stitching!