Shhh ... they're sleeping ...

It's late. Again. As usual. And, as usual, I am the last one in our little house still awake. When I'm not completely aching to sleep, I really love this quiet, late-night time. At my desk I'm warmed by a fantastic lamp hanging above me with the softest glow. It's from the 60s or 70s and looks like something that Ik*a is reproducing, except mine is mushroom brown and apricot peach instead of clean, crisp white. That's why it glows to well. And it's left over from one of Naramata Centre's renovations and, lit up, brings back fond memories of youth conferences and late nights with old friends - that's why it is so warming. Mmmm ... I guess I'm loving the quiet late-night time tonight, reminiscing on old lamps ...



This image is from last night, a paper lantern house that someone constructed and set a-glow with little lights for the Victoria Luminara Festival. (I wonder, is this what our house looks like, late at night when one end is dark with sleep and the other lit and typing, typing, typing?) It was a really, really late night for our Little R. but she perservered - snuggled up in the carrier on my back, taking it all in. And singing. She sang-song a lot last night. She's 22 months this week and I wish I knew where she finds her songs.

After a magical evening in the lantern-lit park we made our way home and it wasn't until we were almost all in bed that I remembered ... ETSY UPDATES ! Yipes. I totally forgot. So I tried to make it up to my many Etsy fans tonight with 3 amazing pairs of boys Jammers posted early this time. Check 'em out.

20 minutes late, now 30

I have a lot of stock kicking around - I'm surrounded by soft toys and fancy pants and organic blankets and Teething Bonbons ... many Teething Bonbons ... I used to cart everything that I had on hand to offer up at my weekly Moss Street Market booth. In the last couple of weeks I've been refining my market display. I want to give the natural coloured, organic pieces more room to breath and shine and fetch admiring glances and invite gentle stroking. (Seriously, this is how I think my organic products, if they could, would name their experience of public display.) And I think they felt that their individual style was being cramped. So, like I said, I've been working with the idea that less-is-more and it has been delivering beautifully.



With the same consideration to enabling my Vintage products to shine, baby, shine I've decided to do like my good friend Christina, and actually tell my Etsy customers when they may enjoy new product listings. Christina has a Friday schedule, and in my case, I've decided to make it a week of new product listing. This morning I boldly altered my shop announcement to state "BIG shop updates coming your way! ... Keep coming by between July 24 - 31st to see what's new! For one week, starting tonight, new product will be uploaded every evening at 10pm."

Except that tonight, I was late.


Tonight we reunited with far-away-friends-now-home-for-summer and feasted together at our neighbourhood beach.

Stackin' Up

In the past 3 days I have packaged up 3 exciting orders and shipped them off to destinations inspiring. The first one, to Radway Fair Trade & Eco Fashion Boutique in Cowichan Bay, was SO much fun - Angie chose lots of my vintage upcycled products as well as some Bonbons: bibs, burp cloth sets, knotty caps all from reclaimed and recycled fabrics - and I forgot to take pictures of the bundle! You'll just have to stop by Radway to see them, I mean - shop, in person.


Sea of 36 Teething Bonbons TM for Kol Kids

The other two orders are traveling a little further from home - one to Kol Kids in Toronto ON and one to The Changing Table in Boulder Colorado. Kol Kids is well established on Queens Ave W, and their latest order included my Organic Leaf Bibs, Organic Blanket & Burp Cloth Sets, Ostrich Picnic Blanket and a number of very cool Vintage Tea Linen Burp Cloth Sets. I mention this so that those of you lucky enough to be in T-dot can swing by and shop in person. The Changing Table is a thorough, supportive and empowering cloth diapering service powered by mamas. They are opening their brick & mortar doors to a shop full of natural parenting products on August 1st and I'm thrilled to have my Bonbons and Organic Blankets in their new shop. Congrats Julie and Co.!

*sigh* I wish I could visit both in person.


Stack of 12 Organic Cotton Flannel Receiving Blankets for The Changing Table

Tonight, after a day of packing and walking to the village post office with Little R., I had Bryan, my sister's beau, come and do some cutting and turning of Bonbons for me. The man has quick, nimble hands and knows how to wield the scissors. I am so fortunate to have his keen, crafty help. He's quickly becoming my official cutter. Bryan will be by a number of times over the next week - I've got 3 more big orders on the board - and they are all re-orders. Third time re-orders! Things are a-cookin' in ye ole Dress Me Up factory ... it's pretty darn awesome.

psst ... Happy Birthday, Bryan!

Market Pics

Today is a day with no plans, so here's a quick post with some images from yesterday's Market, and then this little family is off to the park. Yesterday was a gorgeous day with so many visitors to the Market. I made a lot of sales - my best yet this season - and was fortunate (though hubby N. may say, ahem, cursed ...) to have these amazing women set up beside me for the day. I did purchase a pair of their denim cossack trousers, and practiced incredible self restraint by not bringing home a sundress as well ... that's for next week.

Moss Street Paint In

My husband & partner in cloth-toy-stuffing crime and I watched Margot at the Wedding this evening as we stuffed the latest pile of cloth balls and soft blocks and rabbit rattles with a new source of lamb's wool (an eco wool from a farm in the US - which I'm very excited about, being sourced a little closer to home). I feel like launching into a critical analysis of the film, but will refrain. It's late and my eyes are heavy and I'm sure I'd be rambling. Better that I pack it in and snuggle up for a good nights sleep, for ...

... Saturday is an exciting day for the Moss Street community! It's the Victoria Art Gallery's Annual Moss Street Paint In where the street is lined with artists arting and displaying their work, plus a whole lot of other great activities. I don't know exactly how many blocks make up Moss Street, but each one from hilltop (Fort St) to ocean side (Dallas Rd) will be a-buzz .



For us at the Moss Street Market, it means a fuller vending day! Come see me, and all the other amazing producers from 10am to 4pm, at the corner of Moss St and Fairfield Rd. And remember bring cash. Most of us starving artists can't afford the v*sa fees.

The Stomp Club

Last Sunday we held our 2nd Annual Garden Party Fundraiser, as you know, and were sooo thankful to everyone who helped us to raise over $760 for theWATERproject.ca! One of the most delightful aspects of our party was the gift of live music - old friend Devon McCagherty of The Stomp Club cradled banjo and guitar while Tom Ackerman root-tooted on clarinet. Some kind of Gypsy-Jazz-Klezmer with a little-Raffi-for-Good-Measure magic filled our back yard as the two djangoed the afternoon away and we drank G&Ts, ate Bubby Roses pizza and wrestled one another at the Silent Auction table.


Now, hear this! Devon & The Stomp Club has put out a CD of swingin' hot tunes from the 20s, 30s, and 40s and delivered them with style, grace and good fun. Listening at home is like experiencing the tunes live while eating a dish of 'My Secret Garden' and drinking Side Cars at Pagliacci's. I'll more likely be improvising swing moves for Little R in our living room like I'm the Queen of Swing (which, I assure you, I am not) ... Little R loves this CD. You can pick up your copy in Victoria at Lyle's Place, Solstice Cafe, and the Spiral Cafe, or online all over the world at CDbaby.com.

Devon, I can't thank you enough! Shalom.

Notes from da Crib

I've been taking a blog vacation - from writing (we had the busiest family week[end] in recent memory last weekend and it's been 5 days of recovery and sewing a LOT - I made 162 bonbons this week - so I laid low in internet land giving my hands a bit of a break), but not from reading. I was thrilled when today I clicked upon this.

Notes from the Crib is a fresh way of keeping near and dears up to baby speed, and is created by Vancouver mama, and friend. Congrats Erin!

Bunny Love

I made my first RaRa post to Etsy on Friday night, a little bunny rattle called Vegetable Patch, and she sold on Sunday. How fantastic. Tomorrow, VP (for short) will begin her transatlantic voyage to her new home in ... Zürich! I *love* it. Thanks, Customer in Switzerland!



A post or two ago I made reference to a pending contest on Tall Tree Photography's blog ... it's happening! Pop over there, quick like a bunny, and enter your name. And apparently my tips are good - a friend on the mainland entered the Apples & Oranges 'I Buy Canadian' contest, and WON! Congrats KC!

Garden Party

I've updated a few things - lovely, new items are posted to my Etsy store, and changes have been made to my Press, Locations and Coming Events section. Sadly, I won't be at the Mommies on Main event. I hope I don't disappoint too, too much by bowing out - Mommies on Main is going to be such a great event. My absence is for a fantastic reason though! We are hosting our 2nd Annual Garden Party aka Fund Raiser that weekend (and it could be only that weekend, of course), and this year's organization of choice is theWATERproject.ca!


Here's one of the beautiful scenes in our Garden.

Last year we raised over $800 with a friend who was raising money for Team Diabetes, and this year we're excited to get everyone else excited about theWATERproject. My husband, Nathaniel, and his partner-in-clean-water-security, Wade, have been working for 4 years visioning, consulting, planning and fund raising. To date they have raised over $20,000 and have successfully enabled the Ghanaian community of Adexor to build Phase 1 of their rainwater catchment systems. TheWATERproject is now raising funds for Phase 2 - you can read all about it on their website and blog.

I wonder how much money we'll raise? Wagers, anyone?