A Blondie Day

New Happenings

We are moving along here in Blondie Blu Land.

My new office is taking shape, and it is becoming a nice little haven for me to escape to when I need to focus and do computer-ing for my shoppe, blog and website.

 

 

My office is in this lovely old colonial home, which has been converted to an office building - but the beauty of it has been kept.  I will share more pictures of the house itself soon, but for now here are little peeks at my office...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Needless to say, I need to bring my grown up camera with me to take real pictures, and I must share some of this home with you.  I know you will love it.  The house also has an interesting history, which I will share as well.

 

I have a new website!!

 

blondieblu.com

 

I have put it together myself, which is no small feat as I have exactly zero, zilch, nicht, nada HTML experience or knowledge, for that matter.  But it is not a bad start, and it will work well for me for now.  Come and visit if you have a moment.

 

I will be doing my very first ever Craft Show on July 27th, 2013.

I know, I must be crazy for my very first attempt to be in the middle of the hot Long Island summer, but I will pray for a cooler day and bring lots of cold drinks and perhaps do a cool, sunny weather dance the night before - you never know, it might work.

I will post more info on that right before the show, and if you are in the area, I would LOVE to see your friendly, smiling, supportive face there, as I will be nervous and slightly insecure.

 

On the homefront, my yard is shaping up.

 

 

I am finally ready to plant lots of yummy herbs and pretty flowers for the butterfly gardens, and perhaps some veggies too, although haven't decided that yet.  My tomatoes last year were a sad, sorry, pitiful lot, and I don't know if I want to put tomatoes through that again.  We shall see.

 

It is a warm, happy Thursday here, and we are enjoying it immensely.

 

A quick little thought for the day, and I am off...

 

 

Much love to you...

 

XO Helena

 

Tea Totes

New pretties are in the shop!  Tea totes are here...

 

 

 

Pretty, vintage-y, repurposed and useful...all my favorite things.

 

 

 

And lots of styles, from cute to funky to pretty...

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have a moment, stop by and see them all.

 

Much love

and Light,

Helena

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pretty Find No. 2...

...sitting upon Pretty Find No. 3...

A lovely vintage tin and a beautiful woven vintage Mexican serape.  The colors and patterns have me doing a happy dance!  

 

 

I have plans for that serape IF I can possibly bring myself to cut it. OOh, I just don't know if I am that brave.

 

Also, coming soon to the shop...

 

 

And they are SO very cute and handy too, I must say.

 

Happy Day!

 

XO Helena

 

A Little Gypsy

In the shop today...

Little Bit of Gypsy Prayer Flags.

 

 

 

 

 

Made with little bits of many of my favorite things...

 

 

 

 

...vintage Sari fabric, barkcloth, upholstery, cotton, lace, seam binding, doilies and ribbons.

 

 

 

 

 

XO Helena

 

Five Swallows Go to the Office

A few weeks ago, I posted a pic on my Facebook Page of an old flour sack that I had purchased on eBay.  I wasn't sure what I would make of it, but I knew I loved it and therefore had to have it.

 

I didn't mind that there had been a printing error on it.  That made it all the more loveable to me.

So after having it around the house for a few weeks, staring at it, picking it up, holding it next to various fabrics, etc., I finally knew what it was to be.

A big ole' Going To the Office Bag for me!

I am setting up my new Blondie Blu office in 2 weeks, and therefore needed a perfect bag to carry the hodgepodge of goods that I would be toting along with me from day to day.

So I got to work and made me this...

 

 

It's a very large bag measuring 18 in. across, 13 in. down and about 4 in. wide.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not quite your traditional briefcase, but that's what makes it perfect for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The size and style of it remind me of the old bookbags I used to use for school as a child.

 

 

 

 

Inside I gave myself many pockets for pens, small papers, cell phone, buttons and other assorted trinkets.

 

 

 

 

So I and my Five Swallows Go To the Office Bag are ready!

 

 

XO Helena

 

Looking Forward

It is officially Spring.

But Mother Nature can be temperamental, and she certainly seems to be right now.  We've had snow flurries all day today, and it is quite chilly and gray outside.  Not springish at all.

But no matter.

 

 

Spring will come in all her glory soon enough.

And until then, my heart is warm and looking forward to the new beginnings that spring always brings.

 

I will be moving into my new office after Easter and have been getting some things ready.

 

 

 

And tomorrow will be my first

 

Vintage Handwritten Recipes From the Heart!

 

 

Please stop by for some Grandma Porter's Crumb Cake.

I'll save a big slice for you, together with a cup of my new tea blend...

 

 

Gyokuro Imperial, Silver Yin Zhen Pearls, Monkey Picked Oolong, Peach Tranquility and Strawberry Lemonade Herbal Tea, all mixed together into a yummy brew. 

 

Happy Spring!

 

XO Helena

 

 

 

 

 

Guess What

Today I went to the mall, which I haven't done in a very long time.  Probably the last time was a year and a half ago.  But since I am looking to buy a new iMac for my new blondie blu office, I thought I would go browsing at the Apple Store.  

Hence, the mall.

But lo and behold, I discovered the mall has changed quite a bit since the last time I was there.  There are several new shops that made me squeal with delight.

But one in particular was my favorite.

Can you guess...

 

 

 

 

 

...which shop...

 

 

 

 

 

..it is that is now at the mall??

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Happy!  Joy Joy!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's Anthropologie.

 

Yessiree.

 

I'm a happy girl.

 

 

XO Helena

 

 

 

Today's Doings

Wings are growing here.  Spring is in the air, and although we have a forecast for snow tomorrow night, we are feeling optimistic.

I am working on my Etsy listings while listening to Motown on Pandora. The back door is propped open.  The sun is shining in and a warmish breeze is blowing.  Gretel is ecstatic with the open door and has gone in and out into the backyard too many times to count, poking her head inside now and then to make sure I am still here and that there aren't any tasty tidbits floating around that she should know about.

 

 

 

As excited as I am about the arrival of spring, I am also quite OK with a little more snow one more time.  I don't mind being warm and cozy inside while the cold wind and white stuff whips through the air outside, making me feel extra grateful to be warm, secure and loved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also wouldn't mind another day of school being closed.  Another bonus day of having My Girl home with me so we can make macaroni art and snuggle and watch The Smurf Movie for the 128th time.

 

 

 

But at the same time, I am excited about spring.  Excited about new beginnings and new possibilities.

 

My little Blondie Blu office will be up and running in April, and this is the lovely place in which it will be.

 

 

I am over the moon happy about The Little Spot That Will Be All Mine.  There is something to be said for working at home, and I will still have my sewing studio there.  But it is also nice to have a place away from home, out and about, that will give me a fresh perspective and a clean slate to start from.  I will be working on a different Blondie Blu project there, and I think it will be the perfect spot to do so.

 

At home, I have begun spring cleaning and spring brightening...

 

 

 

...while still making sure my snow shovel is near.

 

 

XO Helena

 

Notebook Scribbles and Other Encouragement

I've gone on many times before about my love for black speckled Composition Books.  There has been one by my side since I was 11 years old, and I can't live without them.

Every so often I like to pull a page out and dress it up a little, and then I keep all the pulled pages in a folder to look at from time to time. The goal is to put them all together, create a fetching cover and make a nice little creative book out of them for myself.  But for now, they rest in a folder waiting patiently in a line with other forlorn projects.

I thought it would be fun to share from time to time my Notebook Scribbles in the hopes that it will give some encouragement- or, if I'm very, very lucky, some inspiration.

They are nothing fancy - just some scrawls and bits of this and that, with words that to me are lovely.

Notebook Scribble for Today:

 

 

 

I do have some exciting news to share.

I am getting my very own out-of-the-house studio/office!

Well, perhaps studio or office is too big a word.  It's more like the corner of an office with a desk and a table.  But it's all mine.  It is in an office building that was previously a beautiful center hall colonial home.  It's just lovely, and I am over the moon excited to set up a place to work outside of my home.

I will still have my at-home studio, but this will be a place to work out in the world where there is inspiration and where I will feel a little bit more "me" - away from the laundry and dishwasher and dust.

 

A little daily encouragement never hurt anyone.

 

 

I think this will be good for me, and it will also give me a place to work undisturbed on a project that I have been tossing about in my heart. One that I hope I can share soon.

 

 

 

We all need to believe that there is a little something special inside of us.

 

 

 

 

The astonishing light of our own beings.

 

 

XO Helena

 

 

 

This Week

 

New goods are coming to the shop!!

 

 

 

XO Helena