Maine Seasons Events in Seacoast Bride Magazine!

I am so excited to have some of my work published in Seacost Bride Magazine...it has been a long time goal for me and I finally took the time to talk to one of my favorite women and photographers, Sharyn Peavey to demystify how this whole submission/publication thing works...It took some time this past spring to get all of the necesary details together and actually make the submissions at various magazines. Sharyn is a Seacoast Bride darling, they smartly have chosen her inspirational photographic work for their magazine in every issue I have ever read.

This one picture (on top) that Sharyn took of my wedding place card installation made of vintage post cards, clothespinned to twine in a reception tent, checks a big goal off of my life list...to be published in a magazine...Thank you Seacost Bride and thank you Sharyn, here's to many more publications!

Knit Purse for a Young Lady

I have had some inquiries about a picture I posted of this knitted purse:

The truth is that I whipped this up during a nap time for a very talented photographer friend of mine. Well, it was actually intended for her adorable daughter, but I am not sure who will use it more!

I wish I could say that I had a great pattern to share, but it was one of those spur of the moment, "I have an idea....what if..." things and I dipped into my stash for some chunky raspberry colored wool yarn. Once I cast on and started knitting, the whole purse felt too big for a three and half year old lady, so I commenced with the k2tog decreases, until it felt right.

It was one of those quintessential gray Maine afternoons when I raided my fabric stash for a piece of lining fabric that felt vintage girly to go with what turned out to be a vintage shaped little cozy purse. The lighting wasn't great that day and I haven't the skills to master the light in photographs, please excuse! I realize that I didn't take a picture of the floral lining, but it was oh so sweet, a bit thirties or fourties looking... I used the knit purse front for a pattern and simply cut around the outside to get the shape of the lining. I know, but if you know me, you know how I do not like to slow down enough to actually do things logically, or sensibly...I can't help myself... Then I machine sewed the lining, now I can barely remember the steps, but it did involve turning the top edges in so there is a clean top edge...

Then I sewed an oatmeal colored muslin to the front, right sides together (oh how my old Singer enjoyed sewing over a knit item. Not so much. Put fabric side down if anyone tries this, not yarn side on the presser foot-big mess!) and placed the lining inside, pressed, machine sewed a double seam across the top edges, tucking pink store bought quilt binding in for straps, and buttoned on a knit flower from the stash. I wanted to make little Lucia a brooch... But as a mommy myself, of a daughter always requesting to wear my sharp -pinned brooches, I decided it would be best to sew a button on the back of the flower, to be slipped between stitches of the purse, or a sweater, hat or scarf. Now Lucia can have her very own brooch with no sharp pins to worry about...

I sewed a pocket in the lining, for a proper young lady's personal affects, don't you hate it when you lose your lip balm in the bottom of your purse?!? This annoyance unfortunately starts early in life for some of us. An interior pocket is a most important handbag feature I think.

It went out on a special delivery for Christmas, this woman has been an inspiration to me personally, professionally and artistically since I met her. A small knit token of my appreciation was the least I could give!

My Kate Parker Wedding Launch!

(Sharyn Peavey Photo)

On January 1st, wedding planner powerhouse Kate Parker launched her newest venture, My Kate Parker Wedding, a new online ultimate wedding resource and vendor directory developed and designed by a wedding planner for chic & savvy brides and grooms. Membership is free to use the site and with cutting edge technology, clients will be able to customize their planning experience by location, budget, style, season and color scheme. There are inspiration boards, featured weddings, expert advice articles and vendor profiles, along with blog posts by participating vendors. My Kate Parker wedding also has a blog to check out. This has been in the works for a very long time, with tons of pre launch work going into the site from Kate and her team, along with all of us service providers who built our profiles, uploaded thousands of pictures, and wrote articles for the website. Go have a visit and enjoy!

Time Flies

Happy 2010! Where did the end of 2009 go?!? And where was I? Oh, you know, the holidays, chasing after a 2 year old, planning for my next photo shoot, tending to my wedding clients....I had the best plans for keeping up with the blog, and they slipped away for a bit, sorry to have been away! (the camper filled with photo shoot props!)

So, what is new, what is coming? Well, a recap for 2009, to start- remember all of those goals I set?!? I will touch base on how I did and didn't do with those...

(Brea McDonald photo)

...mention of some new things I am involved in, like the new My Kate Parker Wedding website,

which happened to feature a little diddy about my own humble wedding 10 years ago, you can read about it here!

(Brea McDonald photo)

...introduction to some of the publications that are featuring my work this year...which means I can finally show you some of the top secret photo shoots I have been working on!

(Brea McDonald Photography)

...collaborations I have been involved in with some of the greatest creative talents...

...of course some sprinkling of knitting and crafting and baking, but this year is already shaping up to be a very wedding work focused time, right now I am thinking more about time management and scheduling than working on the 6 things I still have on the knitting needles...

...continued focus on having my wedding designs and work published, and chronicles from the life of a work at home mommy of a 2 (going on 17) year old...

Stay tuned, 2010 is going to be busy!