I Love Mushrooms

I so clearly remember being about 10-years old, sitting at the dinner table with my family. My mother had made something with mushrooms in it, and my sister was gobbling the mushrooms up, while I stockpiled them in the corner of my plate, hoping to slip them into my napkins and throw them away.

My sister said, "Mushrooms are so delicious. I love them." So I tried one (I think I had never ventured to put one in my mouth previously), and what do you know, they WERE good! "Hey, Mikey!"

I have loved mushrooms ever since. And I had great fun making this 'shroom eyeglass case. The polka dots are made of sequins, and I used actual blush on a Q-tip for the cheeks!

I took lots of photos of things I've made in the past week--but the photos all turned out crappy. Oh well, I'll try again tomorrow!

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Window Seat Cushion

Some friends asked me to make a window seat cushion with matching pillows for their daughter's bedroom. They chose this gorgeous black and white medallion fabric. What a fabulous choice!

In the photo, it all looks so small, but this cushion is actually 77" long. That means that my 6'5" husband could lay across this window seat with his legs fully stretched out!

Although the easiest way to cover the cushion would have been to "railroad" the fabric (run the yardage lengthwise), I felt the medallion pattern would look like it was "sideways" if I did it that way.

So, I laid the fabric out widthwise instead. Because the cushion was 77" wide and the fabric was only 54", I had to have a seam. I carefully matched the pattern in the fabric, though, to make the seam as inconspicuous as possible. I bet you can't tell where the seam is!

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The Perfect Pouch

Please click photos to view larger.

I'm quite pleased with my new pouch design! They have an appealingly rounded shape to them and are the perfect size for putting into a larger purse or for carrying alone. The wrist strap makes the zipper easy to pull open and closed, but the bolt snap makes the strap detachable, if so desired.



They measure 9" wide by 4.5" high, a good size for most makeup brushes or pencils. Or slip in your cell phone, some cash or credit, and your keys--and you can travel light for a short shopping trip or lunch with a friend.


I'm working on adding these to my website now--but it will probably take me a day or two to get everything photographed and listed. From now through the end of February, The Perfect Pouch will be just $10 each (regular price $14).

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Blaming It On the Dog

Dogs get blamed for a lot of things. "Hamlin ate my chemistry homework." "Tara chewed my soccer socks." "Poppy ate the pizza." "Cabana kept me from updating this blog."

I don't know about the other accusations, but the last one is true. After our puppy Cabana came to live with us, I stopped updating this blog--over a year ago!! I spent my blogging time on her dog blog instead.

But now I'm back, and hopefully with frequent updates and photos.

Here are some recent felt eyeglass cases I made. They are made mostly with recycled/upcycled 100% wool and have a spring-frame closure. All the embellishment is done by hand, with the only machine work being the top flap that encloses the spring frame.

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Nest Fabric by Tula Pink

The strenuous activity of removing my camera from its single-clasped case seems to be a task that requires Herculean efforts, in my case anyway. It is a hurdle I find great difficulty in overcoming. What else can be the reason why I am SO extremely lame at updating my blog and my website, both of which I have neglected for 1.5 months. Sigh. But I managed to get my rear in gear today and finally take a photo of something I've recently made.


Here's a photo of a set of wristlets I made with a collection of fabrics called "Nest" by Tula Pink. I love the fun colors and how all the fabrics have a subtle reference to birds. Look closely, and you'll see eggs, bird feet, feathery plumes, and entire birds. The fabric just happens to perfectly match my little wrought iron stand.

Some of these are going to a store in San Anselmo called Various & Sundries. And some I'm saving for my next sales event at Cline Cellars later this month.

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Napa Show -

Last weekend, I had a booth at the Napa Art & Wine Faire. It was a VERY successful show for me. My wonderfully kind husband helped me the whole day--it's so nice to have his support! He's the best!

The Cork Collection was the talk of the show. Being that it was in Napa, with the wine tie-in, it certainly makes sense. People were extremely complimentary, and I got some follow-ups from retailers who are interested in carrying Sheekoo items in their stores. So exciting!

The number one question about the cork is, "how well does it hold up?" I explain that it is very durable, maybe just a notch under leather. Next time, I'm going to bring some cork fabric scraps so people can touch it, crumple it, maybe even pour some water or wine onto it.

My new cork fabric arrives later this week. I can't wait to make something out of it--it's going to be gorgeous!

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New Home Page Pic - Cork Bags

Finally, I am updating my website! I try to add new items at the beginning of every month. Although I enjoy making the bags, it's more of an effort for me to photograph and list them.

It also doesn't help when I take a ton of photos, only to find out that the memory card in my camera is NOT remembering any of them. Which is what happened today. I thought my memory card had gone senile, so I ran out to Radio Shack to get a new one. Come to find out, the memory card wasn't the problem after all. However, after a modicum of frustration, I got everything up and running again.

So...(drum roll) here's The Cork Collection.


I have sold these at my last couple of events, and they were quite the attraction. Cork fabric is still a pretty new concept, so everyone likes to come and see, touch, and even smell them. I would say that men are even more interested than the women, so I will definitely be adding some men's items to the line. In fact, my husband has been using his cork wallet for the past few weeks.

I ordered two gorgeous and super high quality cork fabrics last week, and they should arrive in mid-September--so watch for those new items! I am expecting them to fly off my shelves, and I don't say that flippantly! It's just that the cork is THAT beautiful!

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