Rainbow of happiness

Rainbow of happiness

I bought this Anna Maria Horner "Good Folks" fabric when I first learned to sew. It's what made me want  to learn to sew. The colors, the Art  Nouveau influences, the retro color pop...delicious.

But I couldn't decide what to make.

I didn't have the heart to cut into the fabric, now going out of print ([I think!] It seems like everyone is replacing their stock with Innocent Crush, which is very lovely, too!).

Life is short. Use the good fabric.

"Good Folks" by AHM

So I did.

And no, they aren't perfectly square, or polished, and if you flip them over you'll see the envelope opening is a little to scant for proper coverage, but: I don't care.

I love them!  Stacked on my bed, they remind me of the Princess and the Pea.

Princess and the Pea stack

And now I'm off for a nap.

XO Terez

And they're off!

A bundle of Chez Terez gifts on their way to the West Coast

Today I shipped out a batch of Chez Terez adornments to the West Coast. Mama Versace, they are on their way! 

Half of the fun is creating little bundles of joy to be unwrapped at the other end of the magical US Postal Service's portal {isn't it magical that I can mail Mamacat something 3,500 miles away and she receives it in 2-4 days?}

Old faithful

When I got home from mailing/walking/lunching with V. I ran into my new mail carrier, Joe. {It was his first trip out as a mail carrier! A supervisor was accompanying him with a clipboard!}

I apologized for my tiny mailbox overflowing with catalogues, magazines, mini packages, etc--it never fits in these 1920s post boxes. His supervisor said, "Oh no ma'am, please don't apologize. We'll get your mail to you and the U.S. Postal Service sure appreciates your support."

I said, "Oh don't you worry, I love mail."

If he only knew how much!

XO Terez

Walk to work Wednesday

The path

Drippy

I thought about it

River crossing

Hidden ivy garden

You can't have just one!

Conversation Starters

Have you ever created something but you have to create two because you know you are going to love it just that much?

Welcome to my world, and welcome to the debut of my new Conversation Starter earrings. As the first pair evolved in my hands I knew that I wanted someone to give me a pair for Christmas. Santa? Are you reading?

 

Conversation Starters

Amethyst, padparadscha pink, topaz, ice and aqua colorways in the shop!

All adornments arrive safely in a gold foil box with gold ribbon for gift giving or gift keeping.

Amethyst Conversation Starter

Chez Terez gift boxes

XO

Terez

Quack attack!

Saturday was a busy day in the studio, but not too busy of a day for me to put up my feet, pour a cold beverage and put out this spread:

Trader Joe's snack attack

Because it was time for a Quack Attack!

Game face on

Quack Attack!!

Go Big O!

And they got the Huskies--16-53, Oregon.

{Not too busy to fit a little crafting in:}

Throw pillows

Join us ~ December 5

´¨)
¸.·´¸.·*´¨) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·          Holiday Bazaar 

Open Studio December 5

Hosted by Chez Terez with special guests: Lauren, Anna, Cindy, Michele & Kimberly

Join us for a drink & snack and start your holiday shopping with local women artisans:

Chez Terez  ~  jewels / The Kim Kitch ~ treats / Lauren Cards ~ greetings / O-Snap! ~ kid's hair accessories / red.house ~ prints

 / Seechell ~ totes

Visit us after brunch, between errands, before supper or for a
night cap between
2 & 8 p.m.

 
Cash or checks, please

Can’t join us in person? Shop our websites:

www.chezterez.etsy.com
www.thekimkitch.etsy.com

www.laurencards.etsy.com

www.redhousedesign.blogspot.com

www.o-snapproducts.com

www.micheleh04-seechell.blogspot.com

* stocking stuffers * hostess gifts * teacher gifts * gifts to give and keep * cards * prints * calendars * ornaments * biscotti * earrings * necklaces * purses * pouches *

Kim's theKimKitch shop featured in Etsy Treasury!

Hooray! A miracle! Kim's Etsy shop, theKimKitch was featured in an Etsy Treasury.

Read all about it in her blog, in the KimKitch.

Kim's biscotti gifts on Etsy

Us gals are on fire getting ready for the big holiday hoopla Dec. 5. Stay tuned. And be sure to visit Kim's Etsy shop: theKimKitch
 
Congratulations, Kim~*~*~*



XO TEREZ

Walk to work Wednesday

The Fens

Leftovers

Courage!

Red at its peak

Red delicious

HH's typewriter

Grandpa H's Olympia Deluxe typewriter

I have had an ongoing affair with typewriters.

My dad, HH, used to have a blue and white one (Smith Carona? [not sure!]) that was housed in a brown plastic suitcase. I loved to hear the clack-clickity-clack of the keys when he or Mamacat used it: it sounded so...official. I used it to type a paper once, in seventh grade BC [before computers].

Fast forward 15 years.

When Mamacat came to visit last month I begged her, "please, please, please bring Grandpas's old typewriter!" 

"We'll see!" was all she said.


When I picked her up at Logan, she was lugging this huge, green gray suitcase.

Hooooooray! The typewriter made it to Boston, baby!

She made my dream come true. She brought my grandfather's typewriter from the 60s. Yes, it is pink.

Mama cat told me the following story:

"Teresa! I brought the typewriter on the plane [it was so heavy she had to take it out of her luggage!] and the flight attendant said to me, 'what's that for?' I said, 'it's a typewriter, for my daughter.'"

"'What for,' said the attendant, 'her museum?'"

If she only knew!

My little typewriter short story, on the fridge

If she only knew!

So, I've been typing away, admiring my pink Olympia Deluxe typewriter, brainstorming how it is going to figure in the greater world of Chez Terez. 

Stay tuned. 

Come visit me!

 XOXOX TEREZ

Re-upholstery

 Reupholstering!

After!

My home is filled with to-do projects. They are waiting on my shelves, waiting in my closet, waiting to be cut out of fabric, waiting to be baked, waiting to be downloaded, waiting for better weather, waiting for worse weather, waiting for more energy, waiting for more time, waiting for the house to be clean...waiting...waiting. You know what I mean. Today, I decided to tackle something I've never done and have done no research on: reupholstering. Here is the top of my Singer 301 sewing stool before:

Before

Ick! Crumbly vinyl, crumbly filling. It had to go.

Pull out old cushion

The guts of the old stool--so fragile it crumbled into dust at the slightest provacation!

Pull out old staples

 There were tons of old staples holding the vinyl in place. I had to pry, pry, pry away.

Cut batting to fit stool (many layers!)

I decided to use cotton quilt batting for new padding. Many, many layers. I just used my rotary cutter and kept trimming until I got the right size.

Measure from side under to other side including batting

I wasn't quite sure how to figure out how much fabric to use--and I think Anna Maria Horner's Drawing Room home dec fabrics may be retiring soon, so I didn't want to waste any. I wrapped a tape measure around the stool with the batting to figure out how much fabric to cut.

Anna Maria Horner's Drawing Room Fabric in Trellis

I wanted to center the rose on the stool so I divided the length and width by half to get the right placement of the flower.

Staple fabric side to side, corner to corner

Staple! Alternating sides, alternating corners. I tried mitering the corners--kind of how you make a bed when you fold in the flat sheet. It worked...sort of [first time, so I get a pass]!

Voila! New sewing stool!

Voila! New stool! I love, love, love the bright colors against my turquoise walls. Now if I could just find some time to work on my Secret Sewing Project!

XO TEREZ