her blog

there is no color of silk i use more than yellow. last year, the bulk of the wedding accessories i made were in yellow, bright sunshiney yellow. i made so many yoyos in this yellow i lost count. each one is a joy, especially during winter in portland. each yoyo is like a tiny ball of sunshine. 

so, this week i was making a headband and discovered that my beloved yellow was almost GONE. i have been known to buy a few yards at a time of the colors like these. a yard of silk makes A LOT of yoyos so it always feels worth the investment when i don't need to buy silk for what sometimes seems like forever. that's what happened with the yellow on the right. i bought 3 and a half yards of it, months ago, while visiting chicago. i went to my old fabric store and stocked up on old favorites. i also run to the fabric store here from time to time for silk. i've felt comforted by the presence of my favorite yellow, knowing that if i ran out, there would be some waiting for me.

that's not what happened this week. the yellow was not MY yellow. its was pretty, yes, but it was lemony, not sunshiney. i convinced myself i was just tired and that it was the right color and bought a yard, knowing full well it wasn't. yeah, not the right color. not even close. 

so, i spent some quality time at the computer and on the phone searching for my beloved yellow. buying online can be problematic. often times the color swatches they show online are nowhere near true. i could end up with the same wrong* yellow or a different wrong yellow. so, i was hesitant. calling around isn't helpful either. while other fabric stores in portland said "YES, we have have yellow silk dupioni!" i really needed to go in with a swatch. 

i have a few possible solutions to my yellow yellow problem but for the moment, its code yellow around here. 

*there is no WRONG yellow. i love yellow. all yellows. i am an equal opportunity lover of yellow. but, when it comes to yoyos i NEED my sunshiney yellow. other yellows need not apply. 

new color friends in the shops! don't know what color friends are? click here!

suggestible necklace / earrings

cyclamen necklace / barrette

hilo earrings / necklace

so, i want to write a wrap up of this project in the next couple of weeks. this post reminded me that i wanted to ask those of you who have received (or will be receiving) these from me to send me a picture of where yours is hanging. email them to me at cookoorikoo at gmail dot com. THANKS!

i'm a magpie. i am attracted to the shiny things. i want to collect them and gaze upon them. making things allows me to do that. i gather the shiny things, looking at them loveingly for a little while. eventually, i send them back out into the world in a slightly altered form. many shiny things have passed before me. sometimes i say to myself, "you should keep one of those. its special." most of the time i don't. but sometimes something so spectacularly shiny is placed in front of me that i know. i know i won't be able to part with them all. i know i need to keep one so i can continue to admire it.

that's what happened when i opened a small box today. i may have actually squealed. i'd recently found almost identical earrings in red and white. i couldn't get over how cute those were. adorable, i thought. these though, these win the cute battle royale. and that the gods of vintage supplies gave these to me before valentine's day? amazing.

i immediately went to work i was so excited. 

it knocked me out with how freakin' cute it looks as a ring. that perfect beet stained pink, those heart shaped petals. come ON. perfectly lovey dovey. 

oh yes! one will be mine (all mine) and good news - there's a few more here!

i spent the weekend taking new pictures for my shop and for the new cookoorikoo.com. i'm pretty thrilled with how things are looking so far. there's stil a ton of work to be done but i feel like i'm making progress.

in other news, i'm going to new orleans! we really wanted to visit out friends, teena & phil. not only is teena riding with muses during the parade but they just had a baby, starla. its been so long since i've seen them so i'm really excited. i'm also excited that emily happened to be going to new orleans during the time i'll be there. i think she'll love it!

so, i leave in two weeks. there's a ton to do before i go! wish me luck!

shawn's working on creating an all new cookoorikoo.com for me. right now that address just points at my etsy shop. very soon it will be an actual site. so, i'm spending a lot of time working on content and images. shawn's trying to figure out how to work the magic i'm asking for. its a big job. i forget that. shawn often whips up websites like its nothing. its not nothing. far from it. and i'm certain i don't make things easier. so, take this opportunity to thank your web guys and gals - especially if they are married to you and aren't getting paid for their work. the work they do really is like magic.

so, like a crazy person, i'm taking the opportunity to restyle all my shop photos. that means retaking EACH AND EVERY PHOTO. yeah, i know. but i've taken photos basically the same way forever and honestly, i'm a little bored. so i've spent tons of time perusing the internet for inspiration and then spent a couple of hours yesterday wandering the antique mall. i'm pretty excited about what i ended up with. i was really excited when the sun came out today and allowed me to take a few test shots.

the top image is going to be part of the site's background. the bottom two are, i think, how photos will look in the shop. did i mention i'm excited?

i'm also excited because i've almost reached the end of my crazy project. i'm still embroidering but the end is most definitely in sight. i'm already thinking up a design for 2013 and i've gone ahead and listed a few in my etsy shop for this year's. enough people asked that i started to feel bad about saying no. but, since the idea was never to sell them i've decided to donate the money from each sale to the new orleans kid camera project, an organization that i've admired since it was formed post-Katrina. 

i've also been making a lot for the shop. some things have been getting listed right away - like bracelets and watches. i'm holding onto some other new things for when we launch the new site. as you can probably guess from the pictures above, i've got spring on the brain. i know its still january but january in portland feels a lot like march and april in chicago. its confusing. and awesome. 

so, yeah, its all happening. and its all pretty great.

so, the project continues. its making everyone happy so, why not? i love making these and i love that at least a few people are making their own. (please post pictures and let me know if you do!) anyway, i've gotten a bunch more questions so i figured a progress report was in order.

the original list of a dozen? yeah, that's now a list of over 40 people. i've set a limit for myself of 50. i'm not going to try to get there but if i do, i'm done. it still seems like a reasonable number and i'm over halfway there. 

i'm being VERY careful to not overtax my hands. i'm doing them in small batches of four. cutting the fabric, transferring the pattern, doing the actual stitching and then finishing. my phalanges, while tired, aren't doing any one thing for too terribly long at a time. i'm taking breaks. i'm making sure that this project that i'm loving so much doesn't start to feel exhausting. 

so, yay all around! i'll probably post another update next week. stay tuned!

just click the picture and go buy yourself something sparkly! thanks for five great years! xo

people who follow me on instagram or twitter have seen this week's project in progress. i'm getting a bunch of questions and i'm finding it hard to answer. so, i thought i'd try to write it all down here.

this year was a huge year for us. we moved 2000 miles and started over. it was easier than i would've ever imagined. i made some lovely new friends and found myself involved in a whole new community. i've had many great opportunities present themselves over this past year. shawn's busy as can be and we're both planning big things for next year. we love our little house. we love living in portland. we love exploring oregon. its been amazing. really and truly. 

but even with all the good, i had itchy feelings in december. even with all signs pointing to awesomeness, i was questioning everything. i was feeling overworked. i wasn't taking the best care of myself or getting enough sleep. all of this made matters worse. it turned into a pity party of epic proportions. this button, which i own, sums it up perfectly:

so, we took a much needed vacation. i caught up on my sleep. i cooked and ate delicious food. i drank a bit. i sat by the fire. i finished two embroidery projects - which was totally enjoyable. one night, while browsing pinterest or somewhere i scrolled past a picture of a person's signed pledge to believe that anything was possible in 2012. i thought it was lovely but didn't give it much thought at the time. 

the next morning i woke up KNOWING what i wanted to do next. it was crazy but i needed to do it. so, i sat down with my laptop and made this:

i made a list of people. i wished the supplies i needed to get started were with me at the beach, instead of at home. they weren't. it would have to wait. but while the idea rattled around my head, i got more excited. i added more names to the list. almost immediately upon our arrival home, i got to work. 

i ironed and cut the fabric. i printed the pattern out and traced it onto the fabric using this and this. then i got to work stitching, thinking about the list of people as i worked. the list of people has grown to the point that i've realized that i'll never get them all done before new years but that's ok. i think anyone who receives one will understand - my intentions were good.

the list of people? friends who are starting new careers in 2012, friends who are getting serious about their careers. friends who are ending relationships, starting new ones or are at a crossroads. friends who had a really bad 2011 and friends who had a good 2011. internet friends and maybe one or two virtual strangers. its a pretty random list - with people from all the corners of my life. 

so, the first batch is ready to send. the second batch begins when i return from the post office. i'm already excited. everything is possible in 2012. i just know it.

if you need a little extra mojo for 2012 and want to make your own or one for a friend, you can! click here for the image. please let me know if you do!