November Rain

It's been raining here in Seattle for what weeks now? So here's my tribute, plus I absolutely love this video. Slash and his tight black pants, yumm-o! Just remember nothing lasts forever even cold November Rain!!!

New and coming from Shoji Surprise!

Megan here ("Shoji Surprise")-

I've been trying to expand a bit on my repertoire in time for the holidays, and though it's a little difficult to holiday-up Japanese-themed decor, I think I've managed a bit. I've got two new items coming out very soon. One is a small shoji box painted red, to bring a bit of a pop to the running theme; and the other is my interpretation of a window overlooking bamboo in the snow. This is a hanging wall panel designed to look like a window in a traditional Japanese home looking out over a bamboo garden covered in snow. Sounds intriguing, I hope. I'm in the final assembly stages, so it shouldn't be long now. Keep an eye out, and thanks for visiting.

A Trip to Maris Farms

Josie and I took a trip out to Maris Farms on Thursday to meet some friends. Muddy muddy muddy, but so much fun! I personally loved the corn room. It's this big barn full of 8 tons of feed corn, I think we could have played in there all day. One of the gentlemen running the farm said they end up losing 1 ton of the corn a year. I completely believe him because I found so much corn on Josie and in our stuff when we got home. Josie also took a ride on the cow train, we went through the smaller corn maze and then took a wagon ride after picking out our pumpkins. A great activity for the family and I can't wait to go back. Make sure you wear your boots though. :)

Hey everyone, hope you are enjoying this sunny October day in the PNW. Casey and I are going to spend part of today making swarovski snowflakes for WTIC - and for the Shoreline Craft Fair on November 22. Hope to see some of you there! Take care, Karen

Not just a lunch bag . . .

Okay, Yvonne's been after me to make a lunch bag, but I resisted. Until, that is, I saw this really great fabric that was perfect for a small bag.

I'm not sure I want to call this a lunch bag, though. It's more like a mini-tote bag. Sure it will stand out in the office fridge, but you could also use it as a gift bag or even a purse.

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of a reusable - and washable! - lunch bag. I'm taking it to work tomorrow.

Woke up to a cold fall morning - perfect for making jewelry. I don't have to feel bad about not being out in the sun, and can just sit in my warm studio and create. I also have to clean the house, but that doesn't sound near as much fun :) I'm very excited about some new shipments I have coming in from ShipwreckBeads, Rio Grande and Fire Mountain. I'm hoping to have a lot of new stuff for our holiday craft fairs, and the holiday season. I hope this Friday is treating you all well! Karen

Ribbon Belts are here!!!

Hurray, ribbon belts are here! I'm very excited about a new line of ribbon belts i've just made, for We Think It's Cool. Now that I have to pack up my summer gear and wear regular jeans and pants again, I can feel slightly less gloomy by slipping on a colorful belt. They are constructed out of high quality ribbon, with sturdy and stylin' belt buckles, so they can be worn - a lot! I'm really looking forward to the Holiday Craft Fair in Shoreline (Nov 22). Hope to see you there! OK, back to work.......... Happy fall to all of you.

Back to the sewing table!

Well, it looks like fall is here. Now that the rain is back I'm hunkering down once again at my sewing machine. I've got a new stash of fabric that I'm very excited about.

But first I'm starting out though with some plain old produce bags. I started using muslin bags for my fruits, veggies & bulk foods this summer, and I'm sold on them! I keep a stash in the car with my canvas grocery bags. I like being able to use them over and over and just throw them in the wash when they get dirty. [Note: once you get used to reusable grocery bags, reusable produce bags really aren't much of a stretch.]

I made these bags nice and roomy. Best of all they've got the WeThinkIt'sCool logo in the corner to distinguish them from your run-of-the-mill produce bag! (Thanks Yvonne for the jpeg.)

These babies will be making their debut at the Shoreline Craft Bazaar in November. I'll definitely be giving out a free one to everyone who purchases a tote bag.

Have no fear, the Firefighters are here!

I almost forgot, Kathy (my momma) received an overwhelming response to her new Firefighter Aprons so needless to say she is sewing away. Here is Hana modeling our current favorite item and matching Firefighter Oven Mitt.

What an amazing first Trunk Show!

I think I can speak for all three owners that our Trunk Show was a great success! The best part was how much fun we had. Yes, we had a little craziness with the credit cards at the beginning, but our lovely friends and family appeared to be having enough fun to not notice. Plus that can be expected with a new business. I once waited in line at a local scrap booking store's grand opening for over 4 hours because their credit card machine went down and wires were fried. I suppose I have a little more patience then some, but I really wanted that circle cutting thing at a discount (as I wonder now where that thing is and wishing I could have those 4 hours back) :)

Getting back to the Trunk Show, of course we all forgot to take photos during the party, but I will add some that I took before the festivities began. It was great fun setting up with Karen and Hana, I think it turned out rather fancy. Karen has the most beautiful dojo painted in a very soothing light blue, hopefully you can see it in some of the photos, it really set a nice mood. Sorry the photos are not the clearest, we were cutting it close to start time. Thank you to everyone who made it, we appreciate your love and support. Enjoy!

Trunk Show, Trunk Show, Trunk Show!!!

Our first Trunk Show is just around the corner, Sunday actually. I'm so excited for everyone to see our goods in person. There's so much work to do, but I love this kind of work. I'm adding new products every day and really enjoying our new artists. I'll send a new artist update hopefully tomorrow, but in the mean time head on over to the site to check em out!
XO

The Great Tomato Thief!!!

Josie has been waiting (not patiently) for what seems like forever for a ripe tomato to grow in our backyard. Finally yesterday was the day! She was not waiting anymore, she moved the baby gate that I had placed around the tomato plants and grabbed the two red ones. Before I could get the camera the first one was already devoured and she had the second one already shoved in her mouth. Tomatoes are like candy to her! I should take a photo of my parents tomato plants they are amazing, I'm so jealous. Next year we will plant them in the ground so they do a little better. Enjoy the photos and get yourself a tomato, I heard they help reduce the risk of cancer!!!

On Sunday, Tim, Casey & I went to Enumclaw to go gliding. Well, actually, Tim & Casey went up, not me :) It was a very late birthday present for Tim - and Casey was salivating so how could we say no?!? It was so cool, the weather was picture-perfect, and they both had a great and memorable time. It took Tim a little longer than Casey to get his "land legs and stomach" back after the flight. Casey is hooked, and wants to start flying lessons next summer. Goes right along with his mountain biking, skateboarding etc! Anyway, photos to follow.

Hi everyone! It's been awhile since i've posted. I've been busy making jewelry, sewing "experimental" lunch bags and enjoying the last few days of summer vacation with Tim and Casey (and Hana when she's around!). Now it's starting to feel like fall - aaarrrggghh, I love the summer - and time to focus on the holiday season. I can't wait to see everyone's new stuff! I'm really looking forward to our Open House in September.
So, till we chat again, happy designing :)

New Artist ~ Beth Shepherd

Hey Everyone,

I'm still waiting on some photography equipment, but went ahead and took some quick snap shots of our new artist Beth Shepherd's note cards. The photos do not do them justice, you have to see these in person to fully appreciate them. We absolutely love her work. She is a good friend of co-owner Karen and we are so glad to have her as part of our team. Beth's work is done by manipulating Polaroid photos with a car key, creating a painting-like effect. She says she tries to recreate the feeling she had at the instant she captured the image. It's hard to remember that you are looking at real objects and not a watercolor painting. So here is a sneak peek at a few of her photos. We will have all of her cards on the website next week. Welcome Beth.

Me and My Spontaneous Family!

One of my favorites things is to go to Oceans Shores with my family. I love how quiet and laid back it is. No, it's not the most glamorous place to visit, but I just adore the Ocean. So Sunday Ed, Josie and I spent hours at Shipwreck Beads (our son Jared is visiting his Granny in Colorado). I figured our day was complete as we were heading to the car. When I opened the trunk I noticed the DVD player was in there. I asked Ed how long it had been in there and he said he put it in there this afternoon. Then he said that Josie might get bored in the car on the way to the Ocean. I got so excited. It really is the little things in life that do it for me. We have been working non stop lately and a quick trip to the beach just sounded perfect. Half way their (an hour or so) I asked Ed if he packed anything else and apparently he had decided to take the trip just as we were leaving for Shipwreck, so needless to say nothing was packed. I love the priority of the DVD player though!!! We are 30 minutes from Ocean Shores and I realize the weather is rapidly changing and it's almost 7:30p. We get out of the car at the beach and its freezing cold and so windy! All that Josie has on is a sundress and purple Crocs which already don't match, but wait, the outfit gets much better. There is no way I was going to start shopping for coats in August and they would probably all say Ocean Shores on them, so we were going to have to make due. Luckily we found a pair of BabyLegs leg warmers (rainbow stripes might I add) and a pink sweater with one button. The only thing else remotely close to clothing is a towel. Scroll down to see our daughters stunning outfit.

Our total time on the beach was maybe 20 minutes since it was so cold. However, it was 20 minutes that I will never forget and well worth the drive. Check out that sunset!

We saw shells and a large flock of pelicans flew right in front of us and one by one dipped down to scoop up water in hopes of a fish! The best part though was Josie running to the water yelling "Da beach, da beach, I'm runnin' da beach". She was beyond thrilled. We could have stood out there forever, but it was so cold; noses and eyes all running. So tempted to get a hotel room, we settled on a nice dinner. And I'll share what a dork I am. During dinner I leaned over towards the window to try and catch a glimpse of the remaining sunset and was surprised at how long it was lasting. Come to find out that I was looking at the roof of a Shell Gas Station, lol! There was a glare on the glass okay! I'm so grateful for my family and I just love the beach!

Seattle Seafair 2008/We Met Sig Hansen!

Sorry for the late posting, got busy lately, but Phil and I were able to get passes to the pit area at the Hydroplane Races this year at Seafair in Seattle. Our friend Al, who is in charge of all activity around the Race area let us sit on a really nice boat in the pit area where we could see the air shows and races. It was a great weekend. The Northwestern, one of the crab boats on the show Alaska's Deadliest Catch, was tied up at the north end of the log boom. We were hoping to see Sig Hansen, captain of the boat. Phil had a cod wood carving for Sig. We had been trying to hook up with him for a couple months thru Seafair, and we were sitting on the boat, and Al says, "Phil, there is someone here who wants to meet you". Well, we both jumped up and looked down only to see Sig!. It was exciting to say the least. Sig is a really nice guy, quite sexy I would say. He thought the cod was realistic and really appreciated it. We took our pictures with him. Our mission was accomplished! Thank you to Al and Gary for all your efforts to help us meet Sig.

So we attended the infamous Capitol Hill Block Party last night, which was jam packed with young and old (us and a few other hearty souls), ready for the night to begin in Seattle's central hot spot. It was quite a culture shock for two people in their 40's who used to go to shows - and not mainstream, either. We went to a spanish restaurant/bar to get something to eat, and we knew the music was a little too loud in there when the waitress answered Tim's menu question with a "What did you say? I can't hear you!" Anyway, they had really great tapas! How did we end up at CHBP, you might ask? We went with our friends Deniz and Kathy, for Deniz's 42nd birthday. He was having a great time, so that's a good thing :) We ended up seeing a punk band, an alt rock/indie band (not sure how to categorize it!), and a dj who did his thing with a laptop. Oh the times, they are a changin'.....

Hey, I forgot to mention that Tim and I went to hear our friend's band, Mighty Shiny, last week at the Skylark in West Seattle. It was so much fun. How do I describe their music? Kind of PJ Harvey/alt. rock/upbeat fun. How's that???

I got some really cool charms from Shipwreck Beads for Halloween and Xmas season. So strange to be thinking that far ahead, but I guess that's retail :)

I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful weather, here in the Pacific Northwest.
Happy creating,
Karen

Kathy, how cool is that!?! I loved your photos and story about the Deadliest Catch party in Ballard :) You're always where the action is........

Hana and I had a lot of fun on Saturday, shopping for beads and making jewelry. She made a very hip Hoopla!, that should be posted on our site very soon. I love shopping and creating, and am hoping for an income to match my addiction sometime very soon!

Alaska's Deadliest Catch

Sunday was a beautiful day. Phil and I went to Fishermans Terminal in Ballard to see some of the guys from Alaska's Deadliest Catch show. Phil donated one of his salmon wood carvings for the silent auction to benefit the memorial for all fishermen lost at sea and their families. He also gave Edgar Hansen of the Northwestern a salmon just to get a picture with him. He is Sig's brother. I used the shirt I was wearing for autographs. The men are the salt of the earth, nothing phoney about those guys. We took lots of pictures. Hopefully, I can figure out how to attach them.Other than that, I am busy picking all the berries and selling them. When I am done, I will get back to creating something fantastic for our website, WeThinkItsCool.com!

What a beautiful day...

So most friends and family know that I'm not a hot weather lover, but I was a total champ today. We were invited to a pool/b-day party today for Belle and had a great time. It was an amazing party and Josie got to play in the water for a very long time. I had to keep looking for shade and then finally just gave up and tried to enjoy the heat. Josie had issues with the other kids hitting Pablo (the piñata) with a bat since he's kind of her best friend, but when he rained candy she quickly got over it. A lovely party, thanks Belle! I'm off to paint.

Limiting the List!

I'm having a hard time deciding which projects to work on next. I've been submerged in web design and got out of the creative process. Yes I know web design is creative too, but I want to use something other than a keyboard for a day or two.

Do I want to enter the world of jewelry or should I get to work on all of the wood crafts that I have sitting around? I suppose I should use what I have. I have the wood already cut for these adorable swings. I'll post a photo of what I get done this weekend. It's supposed to be warm so I think painting it will be. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

I made a really cool necklace today. It's thick sterling chain, sterling hoops, and turquoise. I'll get it to you on Saturday (that's if we go to Shipwreck Beads). Of course, I may just keep it for myself :)

We did a lot of good work today, Yvonne. I'm looking forward to our designers meeting next month. I can't believe it's time to start thinking about Christmas holidays already, but if will be fun to see what everyone is making. Talk to you tomorrow!

Love your froggy, Yvonne. I also think the slide show on this blog is really "cool". I am getting more gem supplies in this week, so I can add to the Hoopla! collection - woohoo!

Sunday night, to celebrate Tim's and my 1st anniversary, we went to Shakespeare in the Park and saw Romeo and Juliet. Seemed appropriate, huh! Although Tim's and my love story hasn't been quite so tragic. No poison or daggers anywhere in sight :) Anyway, the weather was beautiful and the play was a lot of fun. I love the summer!!!!!!!!!!!

Now i'm heading outside to water the plants. Enjoy your evening, everyone........

The Frog Prince and some Ice Tea

I finally got my PartyLite Frog Prince Candle Holder yesterday. He has is own special spot on the kitchen counter and I just love looking at him. I love the way his eyes light up when the candle is lite. One of those things that I didn't really need, but I just had to have.

I also picked up some Passion Iced Tea Bags at Starbucks yesterday. It's wonderful. I'm trying to stay away from coffee, soda and juice (my true love) so this is really a great alternative for me. Karen also has me hooked on Talking Rain Fizzy Water, so brace yourself here people, tomorrow I am going to combine the two together! Crazy huh?

So I thought I would snap a photo of my two new favorites. Enjoy!

Lot's of new products are popping up on the website this week so keep checking for the new goodies!!!

Yvonne :)

I'm very excited about the launch! My cousin (yes, another wonderful relative!) is helping me set up a display of my Hooplas! at her salon - woohoo! On another note, Tim and I are celebrating our first anniversary on July 14 (it's also Bastille Day, for all of you "Frenchophiles").

Yvonne, thanks so much for setting all this up.

Happy Blogging, everyone...
Karen

We've Launched!!!

So we have officially launched WeThinkItsCool.com. There is still so much work to be done, but at least it is ready for the world to finally see.