What's in a name?

Via



Via


Via

This thought came to me as I was typing out letters to doctors at work. Some of these doctors have the strangest names ever! Well, not exactly strange, but enough to make me pause and smile.

There's one that I typed out: Dr. Hunkele.

Mmmm...would you look at that Hunk-a-hunk-a-le-le.

or something more superhero for you:

By day, he is Peter Porter, but by night he is DOCTOR JUSTIS!

Just last night, the J-man jokingly told me that we should name our future son
"Ernest Tyberius Septum Russell"

Go figure...

Yoohoo! We have the ElephantisLove Giveaway Winner!

And we have a winner!!

(Nana) Glo Haynes of Glo Sews, please send me an email granolabar[AT]gmail[DOT]com with your mailing address!! Congratulations and I hope you love it!

Thank you friends for participating, and always showing your support. It means a lot to me!!!

xoxo

Crafting: Vintage Clutch Paper Patterns

So I gathered up courage to attempt a paper pattern for an envelope clutch just to see how to improve on my own take-a-wild-stab version.




I bought this pattern off Etsy and attempted this simplest version of the 4 designs.

*takes a deep breath*



Here goes nothing:




This is what I did different from my usual non-pattern attempts:

1) I added a dart to the base, which I had a feeling was to give the base a foldline so you can flatten it? Although, I'm not sure if my dart was done right.

2) I topstitched ALL the edges to give clutch a sturdier look and feel!

3) The flap was an external piece of fabric that was sewn to the body of the bag. My previous clutches were made from just one piece of fabric, folded into 3 sections (really easy!)

4) I added side panels to give depth to the clutch








As a result...




Ta-daaaa!

A free-standing sturdy looking piece of work!

If I were any awesome-r, I could have made the stripes on the fabric align. But this was a trial run, and I'm so in love with the Thai silk fabric that I'm going to have to keep it for myself!

It took me awhile to understand the instructions in the pattern and to familiarise myself with the symbols on the illustrations, but now I've gained a little more confidence to maybe attempt the other 3 designs and definitely hoard MORE patterns!

Any words of advice from seasoned pattern users?

And don't forget the ElephantisLove giveaway ends tonight 11:59PM EST! I will pick a winner via random.org

Shared on Make Something Mondays Linkup!

Birding: Robins in the yard!

I found this nest in a tiny tree right outside our house one day.

And observed it for awhile to find out it belongs to the robins!

And then about a few weeks later (should have noted how many days had elapsed!)





Look at these little babies! You can only see two in this picture but there are three in the nest! Even though the tree was a small one, J had to lift me off the ground in order for me to peek in. And I just found out it isn't true that the mother will abandon its babies if we touch them. The mother bird recognizes her babies by sight and sound, and not by smell. But that doesn't mean I went and touched them! I kept my respectful distance and watched through my binoculars (every day) as Mama and Papa Robin took turns feeding their little ones with freshly dug worms, fussing and keeping watch over them.

I can't wait to watch them grow and learn to fly!

Meanwhile, I have also 'discovered' a starling's nest in a hole in our roof! It is too way out of reach for me to observe, but i have seen Mama/Papa Starlings flying out of that hole on several occasions and heard tiny chirps coming from the same place! Oh how I wish I could see them too!!


Isn't Mother Nature just amazing!

Happy week ahead! May it be full of growth and nurturing! xx


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Don't forget about ElephantisLove Giveaway celebrating my one year Etsy anniversary. GO forth and spread the love!

News from the garden: Spring harvests!

Already? You say.



Dwarf Bak Choy (or I call it Baby Bak Choy, my favorite!)



Red Romaine Lettuce for salads



Snow Peas climbing up the ladder. Grow, peas, grow!



What we had for dinner that night!


It's a pity the leaves are so bug-eaten. So much for us trying to be pesticide-free. Although they don't look very nice, nothing beats the taste of home-grown food!!


Watch this space for more exciting veggies!

And don't forget to join in the
ElephantisLove Etsy 1st Anniversary Giveaway!
which ends April 22nd!

Giveaway: ElephantisLove is ONE!!!

Via



ElephantisLove is ONE!

I cannot believe how time flies! Only one year ago, I took the plunge and started my very own Etsy store. It has been a whirlwind of adventures, and I'm very grateful for all the experiences I've had and friends I've made.


Looking back, here are a few worthy mentions of the year gone by:

1. My sewing skills have improved drastically. As always, practice makes perfect. I'm not quite anywhere near perfect, but I am proud of my progress!

2. Deviated from making the usual bags and tried out a few different things that I would never have thought I was capable of. Most notably, I picked up embroidery and made quilts.

3. Participated in craft fairs and watched with joy when people actually came forward to buy the things I made! Definitely very encouraging!

4. Started a blog (well, technically I continued blogging but renamed it ElephantisLove) and found some talented and crafty friends on the blogosphere who share my joy of crafting. Special shout out to Ashley of The Feisty Redhead, Jordan of Trailer Gypsy, Jamie of Love in Everything, Jane of Projects by Jane and more! It was such a great pleasure meeting friends from all over!


As a special token of thanks,


there will be a 10% discount on all items in ElephantisLove + FREE SHIPPING in the month of April. Use Coupon Code ANNVSRY1ST for discount, and I will also refund listed shipping costs!

And I have also made a lavender sachet to giveaway to one special reader! Lots of hand sewing involved in this one, but it comes packed with some sweet smelling goodness! You can hang it up in your closet, place it in your linen drawers or even by your pillow for a good night's rest!






To participate,

You HAVE to be a follower of ElephantisLove on Blogger. Click on the button in the sidebar on the right that says "Join this site!" and then leave a comment below with your email address.


For additional entries:

1. Leave a comment below to tell me about your favorite item in my Etsy store.
2. Like ElephantisLove on Facebook
3. Tweet about this giveaway. Copy and paste this "Win a lovely handsewn giveaway! ElephantisLove turns ONE! http://bit.ly/HqfvHN @punkychewster"

Leave a comment for each when you're done to get an additional entry for the giveaway!


Giveaway will close April 22nd 11:59PM EST, and open to international readers too! Thank you for your support and I hope to create more new items for the Etsy store in my second year!!!

Happy Easter everybody!

On the bookshelf: Too many books too little time

Yikes.

Very fantasy-heavy, I just realised.


(From top to bottom)

1. Seventh Son (Orson Scott Card)
2. A Game of Thrones (George R.R. Martin)
3. The Joy of Living (Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche)
4. Water for Elephants (Sara Gruen)
5. Eldest (Book 2 of Inheritance trilogy, Christopher Paolini)
6. Brisingr (Book 3 of Inheritance trilogy, Christopher Paolini)


I'm currently at the end of GOT (A Game of Thrones) and I seriously love the book! Haven't watched the HBO series yet and Season 2 had premiered a few days ago. The J-man watched the whole of Season 1, which is in essence, the first book, and we were comparing notes about the differences between the two. So far the TV series has been pretty faithful to the novel! *rubs eyes in disbelief* seeing how they butchered The Sookie Stackhouse series a.k.a. Trueblood.

I rub my hands in anticipation of Book 2, 3, 4 and 5! I think there's more to come. Why do the books have to be so LONG! I'm such a slow reader!

And not to forget all that Hunger Games hype! Hands up if you haven't watched the movie! *gulps* Is mine the only arm raised?? I have to get my hands on Book 2 and 3!!!

I started on the Seventh Son, because for a while I was in a readless-lull. But halfway through, my friends recommended GOT so i had no choice but to shelve it. Will get back to you Mr. Card! I did like it very much, and unfortunately, it is yet another first of a series! GAAAAHHH!

But I'm getting my reading momentum back (which typically means a crafting dry spell...NOOOOO)



What is on your reading list? Hope you can share some enjoyable reads!

xx

Happy April Fool's!!

Did you prank someone today?

My girls from the museum and I got together late last evening to prank our boss' (my ex-boss) office. It pays to live just around the corner so I'm always in on their plans.


Our boss-man Barrett is a non-nonsense, straight-face type of guy, at work at least. Sure, he'll come join us for a beer or two after work, but at the workplace, he's real serious.

We wanted to give his office a make-over because we decided he should lighten up. We wrapped everything, down to his name cards and umbrella. We hope he doesn't have an important meeting first thing in the morning today!






Dear Barrett, we hope you like the make-over...



It even has pictures of your favorite boy (bands)!


xoxo

Your BFFs!