sketches

sketches by SavannahBleu featuring choker jewelry

Happy Birthday to Me!

Never one to be shy about celebrating my own birthday I took it upon myself to bake myself a cake.  Who else knows better than I the perfect consistency of carrots, raisins, moistness and creamy cream cheese frosting?  Well apparently now my dear yellow lab Gemma knows also!  She was doing some serious taste testing yesterday afternoon. . .I think it got a bit carried a way don't you? Note that there are crumb sprayed onto the back wall, the paper towels, there were even some on the tea kettle which was TWO FEET AWAY!  Oh to have a video of this!

So, on this lovely blustery Fall day here in Montana I will set out to bake myself another cake.  A nap may also be in order this afternoon as Gemma was up ummm several times last night. . .upset tummy maybe?

 About two weeks ago I had the occasion during a layover at SeaTac airport in Seattle, WA to stop for a visit at Butter London , which is a fabulous little oasis amongst the hustle and bustle of the C concourse.  The glossy exterior in black and gold beckoned me in and the faint yet lovely fragrance (which I could only describe as green tea/clovey) told my soul to sit a bit and relax.

As they don't take appointments I put my name on a list and was told it would be about ten minutes, (the perfect amount of time to zip up to Starbucks and indulge in my favorite vice).  I was skeptical as to what could be done with my sad little nails which I had recently removed the acrylics from.   I should not have feared, in about 20 minutes I was admiring my sparkling tips now coated in Prince's Plums, a deep purply shade with just a touch of iridescence to it.

What is it about newly painted nails that just makes you feel 'together'?  And goodness knows we can all use that feeling once in a while.

A Dress for Amy

Commissioned by a friend to make a dress to wear to a wedding. She picked the color and basic style. Accessories: peep toe black platform pumps, jet earrings and necklace. Hair up. Perfection.

Signature Style

Signature Style. It sounds so chic, so sure, so like a woman who simply knows who and what the is. Think Coco Chanel, Jackie Kennedy, Katherine Hepburn, Madonna, and a fairly specific 'look' comes to mind.

Do you have a signature style? I think many women do without even knowing it. Others seem to struggle and make it harder than it needs to be. It doesn't have to be confined to a one word description: preppy, bohemian, sporty, classic. Few can be defined so simply and many change from year to year or even season to season.

If you're having trouble figuring out what your signature is here is a fun project: You'll need a glue stick, blank book, and a pile of magazines (the more current the better). Pull out pictures of anything that catches your eye. It doesn't have to be logical. . .pull the picture of the $3000 handbag if that is what makes you smile. Paste each picture into a collage on the pages. You can organize the pictures by type if you like i.e. dresses, skirts, shoes, etc.

When you're done you will undoubtedly be able to look through the book and clearly see an overall trend or theme. Think of this book as you shop for yourself (or even take it with you) keeping in mind what works for your body and lifestyle. That red satin ballgown may be a favorite of yours but since you have no formal invites in the near future find a fun full red skirt that you can pair with a tee and flip flops. It's all about making it work for you. . .because it is IS yours, your signature style!

The Frogs Have Been Affixed

Done. It would have been done a lot sooner but I had to wait for the frogs to come in. If you don't know what frogs are in relation to clothing and sewing, they are the little black swirly buttons on the upper right shoulder of the garment. They are often used in Asian inspired clothing. This blouse turned out beautifully. It is even more striking in person. Ginger is planning to wear it when she gives a presentation at the Craft Brewer's Conference next month in Boston. Oh how I wish I was going to that. Boston, beer, fun!

New Duds for Ginger

So, week before last, an old friend of mine made the excursion all the way from Ames Iowa to visit. She is the owner of Snap! Creative Works She brought her lovely canines Belle and Hops, her brewmaster husband Larry (comes complete with keg) and a box full of fabrics for me to stitch up some new creations for her. We all had a jolly good time, cooking, eating, reading, shopping, eating, playing games, skiing, eating, etc.


One of the items she has commissioned me to make is shown above. It has been months since I have sewn anything but bags and I am excited to have some fun with clothing. Who knows, maybe it will be the push I need to finally design that first clothing collection.

Swoon

Oh. My. Goodness. This is what makes a lazy Sunday afternoon of browsing the internet in your sweats while sipping a latte (your third of the day) worthwhile. . . finding an exquisitely lovely site that embraces all that Savannah Bleu stands for and more.

The English Department is a boutique in Portland, Oregon (which is where I grew up). I was randomly admiring the number of links on Posy gets Cozy and when I clicked on this one. . . well, you'll just have to click for yourself. It is great to see that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in that lovely, rainy city and that the true art of dressmaking is not yet lost.

There are people that would say it is counterproductive to have sites that are potentially 'competition' listed on your own site/blog. I thoroughly disagree. I think that we should all celebrate each others fabulosity and then bask in the good karma inevitably created.

Becoming a Knitwit

Inspired by the fablous array of yarns featured in the new Vogue Knitting, I sought out some yarn at Stix Yarn in Bozeman, Montana and inevitably came away with not only two wonderful skeins of Twinkle's yarn in a beautiful celadon but also this wonderful book. This is NOT your grandmother's knitting book. It is chock full of stylish knits that are screaming to be created and the best part is that they all feature super chunky yarn which knits up fast and is easy to correct mistakes in, and goodness knows that with my limited experience in knitting that there will be plenty of those.

UFO's in my Studio

It's official. The studio is completely OUT OF CONTROL. There are UFO's (Un Finished Objects everywhere, four stacks of mail, three stacks of mending, two knitting projects, and a partridge in a pear tree. OK there is no partridge, at least I haven't seen one yet, but the way Beatrice the Bassett is nosing around there may just be one hidden somewhere in this disaster. I must act now before FEMA comes and takes over. Surely they would trash half of the stuff piled in here.

I have come to the slow conclusion that I have project ADD. I know ADD is a serious thing and I am serious when I say I have a very very hard time focusing and FINISHING something. It is one of my greatest challenges but I am determined to overcome it with DISCIPLINE, something else I have little of. Baby steps.

Here is how it goes. I'll start with the knitting: Mind says: I really want to knit better, grandma was a great knitter, I should learn how to cable, I'll start with a scarf, scarf half done, this is easy, should make a sweater, never made sweater before, make simple sweater first, start making simple sweater, this increase/decrease stuff is easy, should try harder sweater, buy Vogue knitting, AMAZING sweaters, find amazing website Ravelry, find new harder sweater, buy yarn, very excited to start new sweater, first sweater 3/4 done on studio table next to 1/2 finished scarf. . . . and on and on.