Posted on 7 Comments

Peonies and Purses

About to bloom

It looks like we will be getting a peony this year.  It’s been hit-or-miss since the unfortunate mangling of the peony plant by an over-enthusiastic weed whacker a few years ago.  I love the scent of these flowers, and the deep, deep pomegranate color of the petals.  And although this is likely to sound completely corny, I’ll tell you that I find the peonies appealing for what they remind me of:

A peony in a plastic cup on my kitchen window sill illustrated my very first post on this blog.  Late May / early June was a really exciting time for me last year – I was finally teaching myself how to sew after years of wanting to learn.  I was expanding my blog-reading horizons to include more than just a handful of polymer clay blogs and finding an exciting world of crafty blogs, bursting with juicy images and entertaining narratives about everyday lives.  I found I really wanted to be a part of all that, and was discovering that I actually enjoyed chronicling my activities on an almost-daily basis.  It kicked-off an intensely creative period that I enjoyed for many months.  All year I’ve been looking back on that time and feeling a bit of a rosy glow, and I always think of the peony in the cup.  Corny, but true!

New handbag

On another topic… I finally cut into the Anna Maria Horner Chocolate Lollipop fabric I’ve had for the last six (at least) months!  I decided to try another handbag, but this time using linen and patchwork.  I went all girly and pink on the patchwork, which is an unusual direction for me, but I do like it.  Especially the plaid.

Now, it doesn’t take eagle eyes to see that this bag has problems with skewed lines.  I am told that I am like my mother in many ways, but I am pretty sure I didn’t get the “measure carefully and keep it straight” gene.  Mom has always been a DIYer, and the one tool I remember her using more than any other is her level.  She’s always making sure the shelves she’s hanging line up and are sitting straight.  Me?  I measure my fabric pieces and sew them together, but if somewhere along the way, the fabric shifts and causes the patchwork to go askew, oh well!  A lot of my horizontal lines on this bag have tendencies to the diagonal, but my feeling on that is nobody is going to notice in normal use.  And it’s not like I’m selling it or anything.

New handbag

There is one itty bitty thing that is bothering me about this, though.  The button.  The colors are pretty close, but I know that I made this button to go with a different fabric collection, and every time I look at it, I feel like it’s wrong.  I suspect before long I am just going to have to get out my clay and whip up some Chocolate Lollipop buttons so I can look at this bag without twitching 😀

It’s an absolutely gorgeous day here in New Jersey, with more on the horizon.  I’ve got the windows open and there is an energy in the breeze. The boys are outside playing, and I’m going to close the lid on my laptop now and take advantage of that energetic breeze.  It’s calling me to clean up the house, and I don’t feel like I can ignore an impulse so rare!  I hope you are all having an equally beautiful and productive weekend!

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Posted on 7 Comments

7 thoughts on “Peonies and Purses

  1. I totally ‘get’ why you would think back regularly on a cup of peonies… think that way myself! I too have some peonies in bud. We had a huge rainstorm and I was worried they would be beat to the ground but they appear to be thriving!

    Sometimes you just can’t beat something down, that was meant to be beautiful!

    See what Cindy Lietz has been blogging about: Meet Polymer Clay Doll Artist Bonnie Jones

  2. I love peonies too. We had some in our yard when I was growing up and I remember cutting them and putting them in vases with my mom. I also remember they were little ant havens! One day my dad got tired of putting ties around them to keep them straight and he mowed the heck out of em. He did that to our veggie garden too! =(

    Love this bag too btw!

    Best,
    Starr

    See what Starr has been blogging about: saturday on etsy

  3. I miss my peonies. Our last house had so many of the most gorgeous peonies. They were whitish with just a blush of pink. I think I have to get some for our new house.

    I love your bags! How great! I’m so ready to get out the sewing machine…

  4. What a gorgeous peony bud and such lovely memories for you, Lisa. You’ve been creating some fabulous bags! For a sewer who hasn’t been doing it for that long, you are shining, girl. You have a wonderful weekend, too!

  5. Thanks, everybody, for the nice comments about my bag! It seems that peonies are a favorite of a lot of us, too. I’ll definitely be taking a picture when mine blooms.

  6. […] When I get a chance, the canes will be used in buttons (of course!) so I can swap out the button on my Chocolate Lollipop purse, and also so that I can put a handful of them in my Etsy shop.  I haven’t added anything new […]

  7. […] this Chocolate Lollipop bag? Well, it’s becoming increasingly clear to me that I’m just not going to use it. […]

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