Hart 2 Heart

New work in progress.

Lanky says, "Stay tuned for the final reveal!"

A lot of this, and a little of that.

Every day I think, "I should REALLY post on my blog". Then I get REALLY busy doing something else. Like making these super cute vintage pillowcase blouses. There are a bunch of them over in my ETSY shop.

Then I drove to Newport Beach and set up my little shop at the Lido Village Artisan Market. I'll be there again on April 7th, if you're in the neighborhood.

I made a few cookies. These were really fun. They were for a group of lady friends who were going on a trip to wine country, the Redwoods, the ocean, whale watching. 

And then there was St. Patrick's Day. I had more orders than usual this year, which was nice. I'm now making a gluten free version by special order. They taste very good! Different, but good.

And of course there was a little relaxing to do . . . at least for Lanky. . .

. . . and the kitties. I had more sewing to do, cookies to make, classes to teach. I promise to be back sooner to tell you more. For now, I'm in the thick of Easter cookie making! Oh, I love my life! Really! I'm not kidding. 

Wordless Wednesday . . . Christmas scenes

 

 

The holidays begin!

I am a little overwhelmed, a little tired, but oh so happy. I had to take time away from my never ending cookie orders to share the wonderful things that have been going on in my world. Thanks to my mom and dad, we were able to fly to Nebraska to meet up with a whole flock of the Iowa Harts for a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend. My cousin Allen, his wife Jill, and kids Isaac and Kate were the MOST generous hosts. They not only housed the three of us, but my parents and brother who drove over from Wyoming, as well. The weather was perfect and we spent all of Wednesday making pies! Kate pictured above, turned out to be an amazing baker. She promises to come to LA to be my assistant one day.

The pies and the company and the mountains of food were all delicious. Can you tell that I really bonded with my young cousin? The skirt I brought her fit perfectly. . . such a cute and sweet young lady.

We literally drove over the river and through the woods to Villisca, Iowa, where my grandparents lived, and my dad grew up. I have such fond memories of visiting them on the farm, and eating the marvelous pies made by my Grandma Hart; obviously the root of my pie obsession. 

A highlight of the trip was a very fruitful jaunt to the best antique flea market that I've EVER seen! I found lots of beautiful linens and table cloths (to be revealed at a later date), as well as a plethora of cookie cutters that just had to come home with me. My favorites are the little ones at the bottom of the photo, which are exactly like the ones I used as a kid, making cookies with my parents. I've been wanting to find those again, and hadn't even thought to look at a flea market, but THERE THEY WERE, thanks to my eagle eyed cousins!

After the most wonderful, and relaxing vacation, it was time for my traveling companions and I to return to reality, L.A., work. . . 

Lanky was very pleased to see us. Evidently he got a little dehydrated at the kennel.

Falling Leaves

Fall is here but it's still 90 degrees!! Our summer has been way too hot, but there is hope for the future!

I've had this skirt design brewing for a while now, and it's finally done and in the shop!

This is Hailey, my multitalented assistant. Isn't she beautiful?!

And of course, Lanky couldn't be left out of the photo shoot. Cheryl, my amazing (and beautiful!) photographer/assistant, took the pictures. I am so lucky to working with such awesome women, including Elizabeth, my very creative (and beautiful) friend. 

I'll be a little busy the next couple weeks on my biggest ever cookie order. I'm doing 400 Eiffel Tower cookies for a wedding in Santa Barbara. They are similar to these, but in black and white with a silver bow. Should be a very elegant wedding!

 

Lanky sez. . .

. . . you tell me!

What do YOU think Lanky would say?

Leave your Lanky quote as a comment and you'll be entered to win a SPECIAL gift!

I haven't had a contest in a while, so I thought this might be fun! I will randomly select a winner from all of the entries. The prize? 

One of my new monster stuffies, in the color of your choice! So enter away (one entry per person please. . . but if you have more than one quote, bring it! Just include them in one comment.). I haven't decided how long I'll keep the comments open. Stay tuned!

**residents of the Kelley Hart home studio are ineligible to win (you know who you are!)

Lanky sez. . .

"Yes, this is my mom's dress. A nice little summer frock. She's been a little busy lately, and doesn't always pay attention to ME. What's up with that? So while she's busy running around trying to make stuff happen, I'll just hang out here. sigh." 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Why not eat something green?

Lanky suggests, your master's favorite Ugly Doll.

Studio view

I thought I'd share a bit of what was happening in my studio this week. I didn't clean up, I just thought I'd keep it real. This is NOT Martha's craft room. It is actually quite organized, but I'm always so busy working, that, well, what can I say. . .

Cheryl snapped some photos, while Paloma and I worked away. Since Paloma is way cuter that me, I insisted that she put HER in the photo collage.

I LOVE my workspace! That's me, in the back at the sewing machine. We are trying desperately to get a loan modification so we can actually afford to keep our house. I know we are in the same shape as so many people out there. There is hope, and it seems things are going in the right direction. 

My main project this week was sewing up some burp cloth sets. Each one includes two coordinating burp cloths, an appliqued onesie, and a baby spoon. Great new baby gift!

I like ribbons.

Lanky is always helpful in the studio.

Getting some spring skirts ready for the shop.

Sorting through a mountain of vintage linens.

There you have it. I won't see much of my sewing machine this week, as I have a big cookie order to tackle. It's for a Jamaican themed bar mitzvah! How cool is that! 

 

 

 

Lanky sez. . .

Could someone PLEASE help me put these pajamas on?

Seriously, it's freezing in here!