At the Moment:
Spring is here (well, kind of). Temps are in the 50s a lot of days here in Michigan, and I couldn’t be happier. Bring on the sun & heat! Opening day for the Detroit Tigers has happened, and I’ve been shooting warm weather clothes & lots of T shirts, so now I’m just waiting rather impatiently until it is warm enough for me to open all the windows of my home. If you have been dying for more sunlight, I hope you are getting yours soon too!

Making:
I took a really fun class weaving class at The Guest Room, taught by Allison of Makers + Finders. Almost finished up my first weaving and ready moving onto my second!

We’ve been working on redesigning all our packaging & paper stuffs lately. I know it doesn’t sound very exciting, but it really is for me! We’ve got brand new tags and notecards made & are now working on new packaging for all my jewelry. Can’t wait to finish that up and send all the stores that carry my handmade goods a refresh!

Listening to:
The Breeders new album, En Vogue, Jackson 5, Sublime, Protomartyr  (I know, I know…I say Protomartyr pretty much every month), Rolling Stones, Curve, and Rockabye Baby’s Depeche Mode album (on purple vinyl!!!). I also loved the Adam Ruins Everything podcast on Femicom and the Value of Preserving Classic ‘Girl’ Video Games – it opened my eyes to so many things I had felt & experienced growing up with video games that I had never really thought about!

Della’s fav song (because she is a music obsessed kid): The whole Bebel Gilberto debut album. Thanks to the Dear Handmade Life podcast for reminding me of that album in a recent post! Della loves it and asks for it when we get in the car now.

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At the Moment:

January I recovered from the busy holiday season, and started making all sorts of plans or 2018! It’s gonna be a great year. Now that temps are rising I am so excited to be taking pictures of new apparel and tons more T shirts for spring, and I am extra energized from being at Midwest Craft Con a couple weeks ago. Spending time with old friends & making some new ones, along with making lots of stuff and really diving into business discussions…It was the best weekend, and I am full of new ideas and inspiration!

Three awesome things happened for our family these last couple of months.\:

Dan & I celebrated the 20th anniversary of our first date earlier this month in our own way – a fancy dinner out, then playing Nintendo games until the middle of the night (yeah, like original Nintendo cause that’s how we roll).

Baby Reagan arrived, and she is just adorable! I’m so excited to be an aunt.

Della and I drove up to our state capital, Lansing, for the Women’s March in January, and Del even made her own sign – it was a proud moment for me. The crowd was massive & it felt good to be there and teach my daughter to stand up for what is right.

Making:
I’ve kind of gone crazy making stuff just for fun. Like I sewed pajama pants for the kids and I knit a couple hats. Then at Midwest Craft Con I painted myself a bracelet, made a macrame wall hanging, learned shibori dying techniques and made a gorgeous scarf for myself, plus learned a new way to bind notebooks that I am so excited about. I also made another huge batch of Record Jewelry, including a new limited edition color combo necklace that’ll be hitting the shop VERY soon. It’s been a wonderful couple months of making.

Listening to:
Jeff Rosenstock’s new album “POST” – it’s so good! Also, The Go! Team’s new album “Semicircle”. It’s so great to hear a new record from them. Throw in some Nancy Wilson, Pink Floyd, INXS, Ramones, Protomartyr, George Michael, Iggy Pop and Soulsaver too.

Della’s fav song (because she is a music obsessed kid): Guys, I tried my best but she is now super into Imagine Dragons. I’m trying to turn her back around by the next Mix Tape post. Wish me luck.

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At the Moment:
Detroit Urban Craft Fair happened and it was magical. The weekend was so fantastic and busy and full of wonderful people, both makers and shoppers. Thank you to all 8500 people who were there to shop local and to everyone who participated, to the Masonic Temple and our staff & volunteers for all their hard work, and especially to Carey who is the best partner in Handmade Detroit.

Other incredible things happened too – Della is reading! It just happened one day – she started telling us words in new books, and then one night she sounded out the back of Roy’s T shirt, and then was reading me a magazine a few days later. What a girl! Roy lost another tooth and is completely obsessed with the skateboard he just got for Christmas. The holidays were wonderful for us, and very relaxing. I even got to take a day and go on a buying trip just for fun for the site.

Making:
For the holiday season I made over 600 notebooks, 200 pairs of earrings and a few dozen necklaces in November & December. It was a whirlwind of making in the studio, and I totally loved it! We also made dozens of jars of sauerkraut, and I made a banner and blankets for a very special baby shower. Dan made the best thing, though – a new fireplace for our house! It’s absolutely beautiful.

I can’t wait to continue with all this creativity through the winter!

Listening to: 
Antibalas and Thee Oh Sees have been on heavy rotation, and I’m still hooked on Beck’s Colors.

Della’s fav song of the month (because she is a music obsessed kid): Rainbow Connection from the Muppet Movie Soundtrack. We bought Roy a copy on vinyl, and they’ve been listening to it non-stop since Christmas in his room.

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