Sharp

The most exciting thing happened yesterday. Well, exciting for me in my non-exciting life. The knife sharpening guy was stationed at my craft store so I brought all of my knives in for a professional sharpening for the first time and let me tell you, it was like bringing new knives home again. It's exciting for me, but the best part was that I brought my poultry shears for sharpening. You see, when my grandmother (who we call Mama) moved into a senior apartment and gave all of her cooking supplies, to my aunt, this was one of the things that I just had to have. They have to be 60-70 years old and they are strong and working still. As a child and a teen I remember the distinctive smell of a roasting chicken in mama's home that had simply white wine, salt and pepper for seasoning. She taught me how to make one her way which I do to this day. So each time I prepare a chicken and use her shears, it reminds me of mama.

End of an Era Sale

HUGE clearance sale at Bonnin Designs. Every single thing in my shop is 50% off and more.

It's been a long time coming, but I have finally made the decision to close my website. I will still be selling my pieces in my Etsy shop, but my website will only give a direct link to the Etsy shop. I've been having a lot of technical problems on my administration end on my website which affect my ability to update the shop. Shopping there isn't a problem for customers though. And since I can't seem to fix the issue plus many other things, the time has come to close up.

So please come and shop, tell your friends, pass it on. I'd really really appreciate it.

I Have a Fetish...for Textiles

My dear friend Jennifer Ramos of Textile Fetish has truly spoiled me. We did a little product trading and look what I ended up with! The Mother Lode! A very cool apron with a skull pocket and a patchwork intense heart that's a full apron but short enough for me, which is rare, several patchwork potholders which I love. I have a pair and plan on gifting these for the holidays. Also, a baby skirt, (a special gift for someone), a couple of box zip pouches made especially for me, a bookcover and a sock monkey checkbook cover. I'm such a huge Textile Fetish fan. I own so many of her amazing items which are all one of a kind and truly unique. Jennifer will be selling her wares at Felt Club on Nov. 16 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. I will be helping her in her booth. Can't wait.

Speaking of gifting and Felt Club, I did another little trade with my pal Carrie Sommer of Sommer Designs and got a very cool and very useful key fobs and a zip pouch. People are always asking me where I got my key fob. She just added some really cute key fobs on her site. You have to check out the one with cupcakes and the one with trailers. So fun. She will also be selling at Felt Club and now it truly will be a big party!

A How To: Jewelry Shadow Boxes

I had these pine shadow boxes with sliding glass fronts that someone gave me a couple years back. They've been sitting in my garage and it hit me yesterday what I could do with them. I originally was given them to use for displaying jewelry at shows, but they were a bit bulky with all of the other things I had to bring and they had glass, so I never used them and they sat in my garage all sad and lonely. So I decided to put them to my own personal use. 2 days ago I purchased a big pad of scrapbook paper on clearance at a store and I just loved the colors. I used some to line drawers of an old banquette. I also used it for this project. I measured and then put the fun scrapbook paper on the backs of the boxes with a little glue stick and added little screw on hooks. Done. And for under $5.
I have a shelf in my closet that they can be displayed. With so much of my own personal jewelry, it's nice to be able to see it sometimes.

Bringing Indie Home

A few weeks ago I accompanied my husband to Ventura, CA. for a charity bike ride that he did with people from his company. He was to ride over 120 miles, so I had the entire day to myself to do whatever I wanted. And what I wanted was to check out Ventura. I had been to the Mission there for my kid's school project several years ago, but I didn't get the day to myself, do wander about aimlessly. So glad I did. The town itself was a mix of eateries, boutiques, thrift stores, and antique stores. Heaven on earth! There was a farmer's market going on which was packed and the town was buzzing already and it was just the mid morning.
I recalled someone had posted on a forum about an indie boutique called Sassy Sally's. So I searched and searched and found it. So glad I did. The owner is Lindsay Miller who is an indie clothing designer. And her shop was filled with her goods as well as items from many indie designers I knew or had heard of. I was truly at home.

There was jewelry from Sprout Studio and I saw accessories by Kailo Chic. The shop was in a courtyard behind the famous "Peruvian Bead Shop".
There was lots of light and color and Lindsay was just the nicest person. We chatted for quite some time and I even used her little bathroom. And I mean little. I wish I took a picture. That in itself was so cute. We discussed that many people don't even know what 'indie' is. A big part of her job has been educating the public. And from the looks of the amount of tourists that get through that town, I'm sure she's had her work cut out for her.
I purchased a cool T-shirt for my hubby and wouldn't ya know, I forgot the designer's name. It's not in the label and I'm really upset that I couldn't remember it. I know it started with a 'T' and had a '-' in the name. Anyone? Here's my hubby wearing his t-shirt with birds and a bike chain ring. So if you're ever in Ventura, check it out. Lindsay will make you feel warm and invited.