THE DOMESTIC DIVA’S DISASTERS™

This morning I’m heading to Liza D.’s 2-Day Fashion School in NYC.  Unlike the first seminar I attended, this one is in a different location and is much more intensive.  The course outline covers a lot more and will hopefully provide additional information I need to launch my boys’ clothing line.

(photo by David Shankbone, 2007)

oh and just one thing that has me a bit frazzled–the Manhattan Bridge.  Don’t laugh, but even thought I’ve been a New Yorker all my life, I’ve NEVER drove over the Manhattan Bridge.  Why?  Well, I prefer to drive through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to get to Manhattan.  Usually there is less traffic and then driving up the West Side Highway is so much more pleasant than the FDR Drive on the East Side.

So last night I asked Mr. Diva if the Manhattan Bridge is the bridge that has the train which runs under it.  Nope…the trains run along side the cars on the lower level…OMG…now I’m petrified!  7 lanes of roadway, 4 train tracks , pedestrians, and bicycles…just lovely.  Luckily it is a sunny day, because if it was raining, I’d probably be having an anxiety attack by now.  Seriously.

Enough about that.  Now check out what Ingrid of Cherry Tree Graphics did for me yesterday:

Art work for my Metal Jeans Snap

Leather Jeans Label

You cannot imagine how many hours I’ve put into trying to get my metal jeans snap manufactured!  The leather jeans labels are nowhere near as difficult to source.  And some of the minimums for the custom metal jeans snaps are 10,000 sets…ugh!  I could use 1,000 sets, but definitely not 10,000…KWIM?

Well, hope your day is off to a great start!

(t-shirt I painted back in the 70s…like 30 years ago!  Inspired by Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home.”)

Hope on over to Wordless Wednesday!

Still trying to get wholesale pricing on my custom metal jeans buttons which are inspired by NYC manhole/sewer covers.  Came across a photo of a real one.  Notice the “Made in India” inscription…LOL!

Speaking of NYC, I had two visitors today…DUCKS invaded my fish pond.  Now for those of you that live in country, please understand this is a big deal.  Really.  Only once in the last 10 years have these ducks stopped by my property.

I had to bait them with hot dog rolls to get them out of my pond.  I was afraid my little koi would be eaten and my big koi fishies would get spooked and then jump out of the pond.  Once the ducks were out of the pond, I chased them around my yard with a broom until they flew away.

Just another exciting day here in NYC.

With friendship,

Please explain to me why my children don’t completely suck up to me on Mother’s Day.  I mean, it was ME who stood by my daughter’s hospital bed for a year.  It was ME who had to make all the difficult medical decisions.  It was ME who flipped a truck over a few times on the way back from my daughter’s transplant.  It was ME who gave birth to both of my children.  It is ME who worries endlessly about my daughter’s health.  It is ME who had to go to the stupid school plant sale every year.

So Mr. Diva gets the bright idea that I would love a home cooked meal on Mother’s Day…WRONG…I don’t want to have to spend the next two day cleaning up all the mess he makes.  Not fun.

Why is it that we can go out 5 nights a week, but on Mother’s Day, I am stuck home?  Doesn’t seem right, KWIM?  But I did talk Mr. Diva into doing a BBQ (and maybe I can even talk him into eating outside on the patio).

On the bright side, I did get my own Mom Crown and a Mom Memo Board from my 6-year-old son.  And check out what my 14-year-old daughter got me with Mr. Diva’s money:

Absolutely love my new Coach sunglasses.  I’m not the easiest on sunglasses.  I’m known to go through several pairs a year as I never put them back in their case.  Guess I’m going to have to more delicate with my new sunglasses.  I give them 6 months at most.

Speaking of Mothers…check out my local newspaper magazine:

Sarah Jessica Parker, who puts her name on the Bitten clothing line (everything is under $20), doesn’t seem to spend any bucks dressing her 5-year-old son.

He’d look so cute in some Downtown Joey boys’ clothing.  Don’t you think?  Instead she claims to she has NEVER bought him clothes, just new shoes.  She dresses him in hand-me-downs:

Maybe I’ll just have to send her some old samples…LOL!  More here.

Wishing all the Moms a very Happy Mother’s Day!

In designing my boys’ denim and twill pants, I need to get moving on ordering custom metal jeans buttons.  I’m undecided on which design to go with–a subway token or a sewer/manhole cover design.  Either metal button would need to be customized.  These are not final designs, just me and my friends playing with our graphics programs.

First, the NYC Subway Token…

Next, the NYC Sewer/Manhole Cover

I will eventually do both designs, please need to select ONE for the first collection.  Which do you prefer?

Also, if anyone has a good source for custom metal jeans buttons, I’d love a recommendation (whether US or overseas).

Hope everyone is enjoying a relaxing Saturday!

Why is it that I wait till last minute to sew?  I mean, it’s Friday Morning and I’ve finished only one of the baby gifts!

My son’s class is throwing a Surprise baby shower for their teacher today.  There is also a Para (assistant teacher to a specific Special Education student).  The Para is not my son’s teacher, but is always there to lend a hand.  However, she’s not due with her baby until Fall.  So guess what?  I’ll work on her gift this weekend and send it in on Monday as to not take away anything from my son’s teacher’s party, right?

So you’re wondering what is my excuse for not getting everything done?  I mean, it’s not like I don’t have the necessary equipment.  It’s times like this that having 6 machines (3 sergers and 3 sewing/embroidery machines) comes in handy (not to mention the 3 industrial sewing machines in the garage).

I managed to make a twin-sized cotton and chenille blanket, an embroidered burp cloth, an embroidered bib, and put a quick applique on a onesie.  I added a plain pair of infant pants to complete the set.  My son’s teacher wants to be surprised, so she doesn’t know the gender of her baby.  Thus, the unisex baby gift.

As usual, I got sidetracked by my family.  Between getting Mr. Diva™ packed for a quick trip to Atlantic City (he thinks he’s the next Poker millionaire), dinner (via delivery, of course), and my son’s refusal to do his homework, the hours just slipped away.  Oh well.

Now to start my crazy day:

7:20 am - drive kids to school

8:15 am  to 8:45 am - Art Show at school

8:45 am - Drop off boxes to be shipped

9:15 am to 10:00 am - Plant Sale at school

10:15 am to 11:00am - buy birthday gift for friend

11:30 am to 1:00 pm - personal training at the Gym

1:30 pm - pick up son at school

2:00 pm - collapse from exhaustion

Hope your day is more exciting than mine!

A big CONGRATS to my friend, Kim, who launched her boys’ clothing line at ENK Children’s Club recently.  Moonfly Kids got some press in Earnshaw’s Children’s Clothing Magazine!  Way to go!

Thought my sewing buddies (especially my friend, Jen) might find this amusing…

With friendship,

Well, when it rains, it POURS!  Out of nowhere, babies are being born all around me…

Since Monday, I’ve added 4 new babies to my list:

2 boys, 1 girl and 1 surprise.  Now this wouldn’t be too bad except for the fact that 2 sets of gifts are due by Friday morning, 1 set is overdue (baby is now 3 weeks old!) and 1 is due next week.

Well, creating for the boys is easy enough for me.  It’s the UNISEX NO NAME baby gifts that always baffle me.  This unisex gift is for my son’s teacher.  They are having a surprise baby shower for her on Friday morning.

I searched “unisex baby gifts” online and came across two usable prints (which, of course, I have in my stash–act surprised..LOL):

OOP Michael Miller’s Sunny Side Up

Robert Kaufman’s Chopsticks Please

I’m curious if any of my sewing buddies have the same problem as me…see, every time I need to make a baby gift, I go a little overboard with my thoughts…oh yeah, let me do one dozen burp cloths, 6 bibs, 2 blankets and heck, at least 3 onesies.  And it gets worse if it’s a girl…that darn Bowdabra gets the best of me.

Then as time slips away and reality hits, I come to the realization that I am no Domestic Diva, just a Domestic Disaster who dreams big.

You know what I mean.  You want to give the baby gift that gets all the “oohs” and “aahs.”  The one every other person only wishes they gave.  You are so past the bottle warmer and the cheesy plastic play mat gifts.  You’re much clever and can make anything with your sewing machine (or at least you tell yourself this).  But between family, home and your real business, there’s only so many hours in the day.

While on the subject of baby gifts, it just occurred to me burp clothes are shaped wrong.  I got a brilliant idea.  What if I changed the shape of a burp cloth to encompass an adult’s shoulder and add a curve at the side of the neck?  Something like this:

But that’s something for another day.  Now to see how much I can get done in my sewing room by then…UGH, UGH, UGH.  And crap…I think I’m down to just a few sheets of medium tear-away stabilizer…figures!

With friendship,

Lisa

Shopping

Ooooh…look what I bought…Vintage Dress Form Vinyl Decals…but I’m getting mine in hot pink (like the ones pictured below).  Figured they’d be perfect in my sewing room on my black metal fabric cabinets, right?

Here’s a smaller set of Vintage Dress Form Vinyl Decals from the same seller!

And while I was shopping on Etsy, I bought this and this, too!

Clothing Manufacturing

Remember last week when I was talking about dangerous drawstrings in children’s clothing?  Well, it seems the CPSC finally took some action:

CPSC Fines 8 Firms $230,000 for Drawstring Safety Issues

Perhaps other children’s clothing manufacturers will take the drawstring safety issue more seriously…KWIM?

Sewing Blogs

Mary aka Confessions of a Craft Addict is enjoying The Magic Sewing Box she won from me a while back.

Lots going on over at Sew Mama Sew.  They listed links to all the Sew Mama Sew Tutorial Winners.  In addition, they have a new Sewing Forum!

Patty of Mod Kid Boutique will be debuting her new fabric line with Michael Miller in October!  Way to go, Patty!

Kittee posted a tutorial for making Pink Popcorn Balls.  YUMMY!

Kristy of Lower Your Presser Foot came up with a great idea for organizing her sewing patterns!

Well, hope everyone’s Sunday is a relaxing one!  I think I’ll try to sneak off to Target and do some more shopping without my needy children.  Did I mention they’ve been home for 4 days straight?  Need I say more?