AfricanKelli

« Home

Dear Finny,
I was looking through In Stitches last night and man if we haven’t already done a ton of projects! I am so proud of us. This group has come together to make some pretty incredible things. Bravo ladies!
I can’t wait to tackle the patchwork purse and the wallet. However, the dog-days of summer have arrived and I want a project that is easy and will make my life a bit more relaxing this time of year.

July’s project is the bathroom caddy. The theme is luxury. Fill it with your favorite beauty products and tell us why they make you smile. And don’t forget to post your photo in the flickr pool by the end of the month so we can pick a winner. Anyone can participate! Fin, who is the winner for June?

xoxo,
Donk

For those who inquired about the Frida Kahlo rubber stamps I have been using — I bought them in Santa Fe at a small shop near the central square. They are from A Stamp in the Hand Co., in Carson, California.
I have also seen them in Bisbee, Ariz., at a small antique shop. Next time I head down there, I’ll put up a note for anyone who wants one (which seems like many of you! Isn’t Frida the best? Love her!)

~K

Dear Finny,
How are you, my friend? Guess what? Yesterday, after thoroughly complaining I haven’t had enough time to be creative, I told myself enough was enough. Stop complaining and start doing. So, I cranked up the tunes, sat down at my sewing machine and completed a few wedding gifts. You know how you and Meg took plenty of time and thought into what fabric to select when creating your place mats and napkins for the June In Stitches theme? I, in lazy contrast, grabbed from the top of the pile and dug in. The JoAnn’s by my house recently had a moving sale and thankfully I had purchased several yards of lime cotton at a considerable discount. It nearly took as long to wash and press all the fabric for these as it did to sew these babies — my kind of project.

Voila — a summery dinner setting, which is being dropped in the mail today to celebrate a friend’s wedding. I am so glad I used canvas for the middle and back sections of these place mats. The extra weight is nice and they are durable. This couple has a young daughter, so I wanted something they could easily throw in the washing machine and use many times over without worrying about them falling apart. And yes, the trim is the same fabric I used for my May project. (And an Amy Butler Barcelona skirt that I was wearing when I posed with the donkey on Burro Street in Santa Fe. The Donks. Ha!) Are you sick of this fabric yet? Because I have a wee bit left and we’ve got five more months of projects.

While I was being all crafty, I whipped up one last summer wedding gift. You know how Anna Wintour has her signature haircut? Jackie O had her signature sunglasses and style? Bush has his signature strategerie? Well — I now have a signature wedding gift — the basic apron that can be worn for either baking by the misses or grilling by the mister and my very favorite cookbook on earth:

And with that, I wish you a very happy Friday, my friend. I miss you.

Love,
Donk

June-July-August seem to be the best time of year for those I love to get married, have babies (or showers), graduate and be born. I’ve got celebrations galore to celebrate and lots and lots of fun crafting ahead of me.
These onesies are one of my new favorites. I watch the sales for onsies at Tarjay and scoop them up in bulk. Add a dash of Sublime Stitching magic and voila — and easy peasy baby gift. {A trick to embroidering on cotton: if you add a bit of iron-on interfacing on the back of your t-shirt before embroidering, your work will be more even. After the fact, cut another piece of interfacing the same size and iron it over the back of your work to sandwich in your work and keep it from fraying/coming out in the wash.}

As for birthday presents, I’m giving one of my favorite gifts to receive: a new fun summer mix of music in a homemade card. Because nothing says Feliz Cumpleanos! like a dash of Frida and dia de los muertos skulls.

I so love summer crafts that don’t make me cranky with their difficulty. Phoenix is cranky enough this time of year!

~K

I bought this fabric in Mozambique. It is wax-dyed and I’m pretty sure the prints are Nigerian. Nigeria has significant influence on the fabrics in southern Africa. That said? Most of the west African fabric producers now have their materials made in China. So, this American bought Chinese fabric with a Nigerian print in Mozambique. Ah, globalism.

I had dinner with two girlfriends the other day and rattled off the number of reasons I more than likely wouldn’t be able to see them again this summer. Work, freelance writing, church volunteering, traveling, training, etc. I heard myself and laughed. Ridiculous! If I’m too busy to spend time with people I love and if the quality of my work is dwindling, it is time to take a closer look at what’s on my schedule.
I’ve decided to cut myself some slack. So what if I don’t get that June assignment for In Stitches done this week? Finny will understand. It will get done when it gets done. It is supposed to be fun after all. And if I haven’t read your blog in a month, I apologize. That’s the last time I’m going to do so. I am cutting myself some slack, and at last count? I had 250-plus blogs I am trying to keep up with, which very well could be a full-time job in itself.
I decided on my commute home last tonight that I’m quitting one of my freelance gigs. I haven’t taken a look at my novel in months and that is nothing short of stupid. Which is more important? A monthly assignment that nearly always ends up being a pain in my side? Or a potential career that could be a gateway for my creativity and livelihood? It will take a bit of budgeting adjustment to make this work, but it is a good choice.
I haven’t felt caught up in forever and it is my own fault. I am hoping with a bit of prioritizing and focusing, I’ll have more time to do what I love most: write, be creative (as in do something with that fabric!) and spend time with those I love.
Thanks for hanging around during the transition,
K